Chapter 1046 - 1012: Another Yang Jian

Leaving behind the haunted Old Lin, Yang Jian continued forward.

According to his deduction, Sun Rui couldn’t have gone far because his ability and physical condition wouldn’t allow it.

So Yang Jian wasn’t worried about getting lost in here.

Continuing along the winding and twisting path, they soon encountered a forked path, splitting left and right, with no indication of which painting each led to.

“There’s a fork here, and there are no marks on the ground. We can’t tell which way Sun Rui went,” Zhang Xiangguang said. “We either split up to search or randomly choose one path.”

Yang Jian remained silent, using his ghostly vision to observe both sides of the forks, soon presenting the scene at the end of each path.

The left side’s scene was peculiar; multiple large barrels laid on the ground, each filled with different colored dyes—black, red, green…—giving off a sinister vibe though no traces of ghostly presence were seen. It was unclear if the painting represented items or ghosts.

On the right, the view appeared more normal, a small garden with blooming flowers that didn’t quite seem real, more like they were painted. He vaguely saw someone standing in the middle of the garden, the figure somewhat unclear, yet suggesting a feminine shape.

“There’s no need to split up; this place is no longer the domain of lost souls, but that of vengeful spirits. Splitting up here is dangerous, and none of you are exceptions,” Yang Jian stated.

Facing a supernatural event, splitting up was foolishness he wouldn’t entertain.

Yang Xiao remained silent, seemingly observing Yang Jian’s leadership, merely nodding in agreement.

“Let’s go left,” Yang Jian said, stepping forward first.

No one opposed this decision, and everyone immediately set off to the left.

“The path has a fifty percent chance of being wrong.”

On the way, Zhang Xiangguang suddenly spoke to Yang Xiao: “If chosen wrong, risks must be borne. Is the one you’re waiting for slightly reckless? Can he lead the Ghost Post Office down a completely different path with those paintings?”

Yang Xiao glanced: “Is right or wrong that important? That’s the idle thought of mediocrity. No one goes a life without making mistakes, nor knows the outcome from the start. Decision-making skill is what matters most. If any path might be wrong, why let others choose? Why not choose oneself?”

“He is a leader, not a follower.”

Zhang Xiangguang said: “It seems you have high hopes for him.”

Yang Xiao replied: “I just want to prove something, to await a result, that’s all. What I could do, I’ve already done. His entrance into the Ghost Post Office indicates the outside me is already dead; I’ve lost meaning. Now it’s up to him.”

Their gazes rested again on Yang Jian ahead.

Continuing forward, they quickly reached the end of the fork, matching the previous ghost-eye observation; there was an open, spacious area. Large water barrels sat on the ground, not filled with water but various bizarre dyes.

The dyes’ colors and strangeness were unusual.

The red dye was thick like blood; the black dye exuded a corpse stench, its contents unknown; the green dye gave off a strong moldy smell. Other barrels contained odd dyes, colors unattainable in the real world.

Yang Jian approached a barrel and glanced inside. His ghost-eye couldn’t penetrate the dyes to see the scene within.

“This seems to be the source area of dyes for the paintings,” Yang Xiao observed briefly and immediately concluded.

The conclusion brought surprise.

However, upon closer inspection, the possibility seemed genuine.

The dye colors here truly matched those on the paintings, especially the red thick as blood, outstandingly vivid—a color no living being could formulate, only some supernatural force could achieve such vivid crimson.

“I’ve never been here before,” Zhang Xiangguang said. “This forked path shouldn’t have existed previously; it emerged recently, missing an exit to the outside world, which is peculiar.”

Judging by normal circumstances, an eerie place corresponds to a painting.

A painting implies an exit.

But here, there’s no exit, merely these odd dye barrels.

“If there’s no exit, it indicates these dye barrels aren’t painted entities but real items within the painting,” Yang Xiao said.

“Why has nobody discovered them in all these years, yet suddenly they appear here?” Zhang Xiangguang asked.

Yang Xiao said: “Who knows, maybe it was prearranged long ago, or someone intentionally laid it out. This question can be set aside for now. If these are indeed ghostly painting dyes, combined with some supernatural puzzle, perhaps one could master painting creation.”

“Yang Jian, can you paint?”

Yang Jian withdrew his gaze from the dye barrel: “I know a bit.”

He had many people’s memories in his mind, which included those of more than a dozen painting professors from art colleges. Mastering painting techniques wasn’t difficult.

“A mere supernatural painting isn’t enough to confine vengeful spirits here nor sustain so many lost souls. Completing a standalone painting isn’t within anyone’s ability, unless they touch the source of painting,” said Zhang Xiangguang.

“This is a clue that should be firmly grasped,” Yang Xiao said.

Mastering painting creation, what this signifies is self-evident.

Yang Jian didn’t dwell on this topic further; he lacked Yang Xiao’s ambition to grasp the painting creation. His present task was locating Sun Rui.

He circled a few dye barrels and eventually halted before the most unsettling red dye barrel.

The red dye had become indistinguishable between blood and dye. When Yang Jian approached, the barrel immediately reflected his image, yet as he slightly shifted, the reflection inside remained unchanged, as if his image was permanently trapped inside.

Instantly, Yang Jian’s expression changed, yelling: “Everyone step back, away from the barrels.”

Immediately, Zhou Ze retreated in fright, not daring to get closer, halting Zhang Xiangguang and Yang Xiao too.

“What’s going on?” Yang Xiao asked with calm demeanor.

However, the next moment.

The red dye barrel rippled, then slowly a figure emerged from within the barrel.

The thick, blood-like dye audibly splashed, as an eerie head floated to the surface, gradually protruding from the barrel.

The person covered in blood emerging from the barrel resembled Yang Jian exactly, only their entire body was red, dyed in blood, extremely bizarre.

“Is that… you?” The others were stunned at the sight.

But what followed was even more terrifying.

The ghost emerging from the barrel not only mirrored Yang Jian physically but had a sinister crack on its forehead, a crimson eye swirling as it eerily observed its surroundings.

A ghost eye?

No.

And—more than that—suddenly the dye barrel foamed further, red dye began leaking and quickly stained the surroundings, yet it didn’t continue spreading. Instead, in a heap, it appeared to stand up.

No, not appearing so—it genuinely stood up, forming a tall red shadow appearing behind the ghost.

“What a joke,” Yang Jian instinctively stepped back several paces.

The ghost was imitating him?

Not only could it mimic the ghost eye, but also the ghost shadow? No, not just the ghost eye and shadow—the ghost’s distinct hand was exceptionally vivid despite the color discrepancy, implying it was the Ghost Hand.

The real ghost had turned into Yang Jian himself.

The next moment.

The ghost in the dye barrel nimbly flipped and leaped out, scrutinizing Yang Jian and examining Zhou Ze, Yang Xiao, Zhang Xiangguang, yet it remained crimson, like blood gathered form, filled with an inexplicable wickedness.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com

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