99: The Deal with the Ghost
Distinct footsteps echoed from outside the body bag.
They started from afar and gradually approached where Yang Jian lay.
After spending a long time in this eerie calm, Yang Jian knew all too well what the sudden appearance of footsteps meant.
Although he wanted to go out and see, to verify which ghost was outside,
the risk was too high, and it kept Yang Jian from acting rashly.
He wasn’t afraid of the Headless Ghost Shadow, nor was he scared of the mysterious and sinister Sick Ghost in the village, but what he truly dreaded was the Vicious Ghost capable of easily killing a ghost hunter. The existence of that ghost was always a mystery; no one had seen it because those who had likely died.
No one had encountered it either.
Because those who encountered it also died.
The only way to understand that ghost was by inferring from the deaths of three ghost hunters.
“I am alone now, practically isolated,” Yang Jian thought. “Based on previous conjectures, the balance within the village has been disrupted by my actions. That Vicious Ghost should now be hunting down ghost hunters… If I’m found, no one can survive.”
“Is the ghost outside searching for someone with those footsteps?”
Yang Jian’s heart tightened, and he inevitably grew anxious.
The body bag in which he lay was placed in a desolate area overgrown with weeds.
If not searched for carefully, it wouldn’t be easy to find in such an environment.
But a ghost’s search for people might not depend on sight but on some kind of perception, or possibly specific conditions.
Yang Jian couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t be found by the Vicious Ghost. Lying here was a gamble in itself, and his life was the stake.
The footsteps drew closer again.
He could even gauge that the ghost was now less than three meters away from him.
Almost right beside him.
“These footsteps are not accompanied by coughing… It’s not the Sick Ghost. That leaves either that Vicious Ghost or the Headless Ghost Shadow I released. But I feel the chances it’s the Vicious Ghost are slightly higher,” Yang Jian thought to himself, making not a single sound, while preparing to use the Ghost Domain at any moment.
This was not the time to worry about a fierce ghost’s revival.
“Step, step, step~!”
The footsteps passed by his side and then stopped in the direction his head was facing.
That direction was the opening of the body bag.
For the sake of breathing, Yang Jian had left a small gap for air circulation.
“Could I have been discovered?”
Yang Jian’s palms sweated, and he nearly held his breath.
If discovered at this moment, the likelihood of dying here was not just ninety percent but at least eighty percent.
No matter if facing that Vicious Ghost or using the Ghost Domain in a fight, the outcome would be much the same; he certainly didn’t have the means to detain a ghost of such caliber.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes…
Yang Jian knew some time had passed, but he didn’t know exactly how long. At such times he dared not even make the noise of turning on his phone, for who knew if such a minor action would instantly reveal his whereabouts.
Finally, after a full fifteen minutes,
Yang Jian suddenly heard those footsteps beginning to move away from inside the body bag.
Yes, the footsteps started up again and then gradually moved towards the direction of the village,
The ghost was leaving.
Hearing the footsteps fading further and further away, Yang Jian finally exhaled in relief.
“I’ve succeeded in hiding, and from this I can almost deduce that as long as I stay inside this body bag, the ghost is unlikely to find me, and I will remain safe,” he thought.
This was a considerable relief.
If even hiding inside a body bag wasn’t safe, then no place was safe here.
Yet Yang Jian didn’t allow himself to feel too joyous because the crisis had only been temporarily alleviated. If he didn’t think of a solution, he would still be sitting ducks.
Upon reflection, he realized there were essentially just two paths before him.
The first was to wait for the Headless Ghost’s havoc to see if it could restore the village to its former state.
The second was to take the offensive…
“Let’s wait a bit longer,” Yang Jian curbed his impulsive desire, deciding to give it a day to see if any changes occurred.
If the Headless Ghost’s wandering around the village made a difference, one day should be enough to see results. Otherwise, it meant the Headless Ghost’s actions had failed, disappearing mysteriously like the other ghost hunters.
The waiting was long, but time also passed swiftly.
Without realizing it,
Yang Jian had already spent a day inside the body bag.
That’s what his phone displayed.