Unexpectedly, after going in circles, no dangers were encountered. Instead, they found Zhou Deng deep in the Old Lin, almost buried in the earth. Zhou Deng was still alive, although it seemed he had used some special method to preserve his life.
However, he also paid a price.
The usually stingy Zhou Deng lost a white lantern.
Clearly, he must have experienced something incredibly perilous. Otherwise, someone like him wouldnât easily let go of something already in his possession.
But Zhou Deng seemed deeply shaken by this place and didnât linger. He urged everyone to leave quickly and return to the haunted mansion.
Although puzzled, the group didnât oppose him.
After all, Zhou Deng had been outside for so long. He likely knew more about the situation than they did.
Soon enough.
The group returned to the main gates of the haunted mansion.
At this point, Zhou Deng finally let out a slight sigh of relief.
âYouâre quite afraid of that Old Lin,â Yang Jian observed Zhou Dengâs demeanor and made a rough guess.
âYouâve also noticed somethingâs wrong with that Old Lin, havenât you?â Zhou Deng responded.
Yang Jian said, âI havenât seen anything specific, but something about it gives me a strong, instinctual sense of danger. So I wouldnât be foolish enough to venture into the depths of that Old Lin, even if Iâm curious. Youâre not about to tell me youâve gone inside, are you?â
The others turned their gaze toward Zhou Deng.
It seemed Yang Jianâs guess was spot onâZhou Deng had most likely entered the Old Lin. Otherwise, how would his body have ended up there?
âItâs not an ordinary Old Lin; itâs a Ghost Forest,â Zhou Deng said seriously, his expression tinged with lingering fear.
Ghost Forest?
The group felt a chill run through their hearts.
Yang Jian asked, âSo, are there vengeful ghosts in that Old Lin?â
Zhou Deng shook his head with a bitter smile, âMore than just a few. Itâs utterly ridiculousâso many itâs beyond belief. Iâd have to be insane to enter the forest with a lantern, walking right into death. As soon as I got in, I realized the forest was far larger than it appeared from the outside, seemingly endless. I was lost inside for a very long time.â
âThe forest isnât that big. Itâs the supernatural power affecting your senses, preventing you from finding your way out. Thatâs a typical phenomenon in supernatural incidents,â Yang Jian said.
âI know. The entire forest could be a Ghost Domain. But by the time I decided to retreat, it was too late,â Zhou Deng explained.
âA ghost started chasing you?â Fan Xing asked.
Zhou Deng nodded. âMore or less. And there were so many of themâjust thinking about it gives me goosebumps. Of course, I canât be sure whether all of them were ghosts or just supernatural manifestations. You all know, some vengeful ghosts may just be one entity, but they can create countless supernatural phenomena, like the Hungry Ghost case Yang Jian experienced.â
âA single ghost capable of producing more fearsome entities than one can imagine,â he added.
âSo, how did you survive?â Yang Jian asked.
Zhou Deng replied, âFollowing the idea that if I canât beat them, I might as well join them. I put on the Human Skin Mask and disguised myself as a ghost to blend in with them. It workedâthe ghosts didnât attack me.â
ââŠâ Yang Jian looked at him, his expression saying, âAre you serious?â
âBut compared to my terrifying experience there, that part wasnât even the worst. I initially thought I could remain safe with the mask on, but then I was recognizedâby one of them. To this day, I donât dare to confirm whether it was truly a ghost or a Spirit Controller living here,â Zhou Deng narrated.
Though his words were brief, they vividly painted his horrifying experience.
He had entered the Old Lin with a white lantern, discovered that the forest was infested with countless vengeful ghosts, and, to save himself, put on the Human Skin Mask to transform his identity. He went from a living Spirit Controller to appearing as a real ghost.
Using this ghostly disguise, Zhou Deng successfully mingled among the other ghosts.
He avoided being attacked, temporarily securing his survival.
In the end, however, Zhou Deng was still discovered.
This ordeal could only be described as hair-raising and adrenaline-pumping.
âWhat did the ghost that recognized you look like? Or what form did it take?â Yang Jian inquired.
âYouâre all familiar with the appearanceâit was the woman in the red cheongsam who boarded the bus with you,â Zhou Deng said.
âLeuk Qingqing?â The Falconâs eyes narrowed.
âNo, it wasnât Leuk Qingqing, just someone resembling her. But Iâm certain it wasnât her. Before heading deeper into the Old Lin, thereâs a yellow dirt path extending into the center of the forest where thereâs a clearing. In that clearing are five graves, and the second grave belongs to a woman,â Zhou Deng explained.
âThe ghost looked identical to the woman on the tombstone of that second grave.â
âBut wasnât the second grave collapsed? And wasnât its tombstone blank, without any inscription or photo?â The Falcon immediately countered.
âThatâs impossible. When I saw it, all five graves were intact. That second grave hadnât collapsed, and the tombstone was uprightâI saw it with my own eyes,â Zhou Deng said.
âThen it confirms our earlier theoryâthat the second grave collapsed after you left, and the ghost inside escaped,â Fan Xing said.
âThat seems to be the caseâŠâ Zhou Deng murmured as he fell into contemplation.
He wasnât aware of what had transpired after he left that area.
âWhat did you do to the second grave before you left? Did you only stick an incense stick in the soil of the grave?â Yang Jian asked.
âYes,â Zhou Deng replied.
âWhy did you do that at the time? Was it your own idea, or did a supernatural force influence you?â Yang Jian pressed further.
âI donât know. I just felt I should offer the incense before leaving. No special reason. And I only had one incense stick. I figured if I was offering it to anyone, it might as well be the woman in the second graveâshe seemed like a pretty girl,â Zhou Deng said.
It seemed he wasnât influenced by anything supernatural; it was a mere coincidence.
âSo after that, you encountered that ghost. That female ghost appeared in the Old Lin and saw through your attempt at disguising yourself as a ghost?â Yang Jian deduced.
Zhou Deng answered, âExactly. The vengeful ghost chased me relentlessly, and in the end, it snatched the lantern out of my hand. Desperate, I plastered that yellow paper onto my face, mimicking what the ghost had done during the bus incident. Maybe itâd work a miracle, I thought, and the outcome was what youâve already seen.â
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
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