297: The Remaining Inscriptions
A ghost locked in an old cabinet.
Yang Jian thought it could be named the Ghost Cabinet.
Its characteristics are unknown, the method it uses to kill is unclear, and even the level of danger is not certain because, after some probing and research, he discovered that the ghost in the cabinet didn’t seem to come out from inside.
Indeed.
This was a self-isolating ghost, staying on the first layer of the cabinet, and it wouldn’t attack him even if he approached.
It felt as if it were harmless to humans and animals.
“However, regardless of what kind of being the ghost inside the cabinet is, the cabinet must have been placed here for a reason, just like the Ghost Mirror. The Ghost Mirror can resurrect people, though the price is releasing a ghost from the mirror, but it’s still an incredibly powerful tool for saving one’s life. The former owner of this mansion probably intended for it to be used wisely by future generations.”
Yang Jian pondered, “Since the value of this Ghost Cabinet is even greater than that of the Ghost Mirror, what exactly is its value? If I can figure it out, there might be unexpected gains.”
He guessed that it was definitely a very dangerous ability with great potential value.
The reason the original owner didn’t leave behind usage instructions was probably to prevent the descendants from mastering the Ghost Cabinet too easily, to avoid them becoming arrogant and unable to control it, potentially leading to a disaster. Therefore, the intention was to make people explore on their own.
The process of exploration was a test.
If you passed, you would understand the artifact and would handle it cautiously. If you couldn’t pass, you might be killed by it.
That was the principle when Zhang Wei was trapped by the curse of the Ghost Mirror.
But at that time, Yang Jian had the help of Zhang Wei’s luck, so he was able to master the Ghost Mirror’s characteristics quite well. However, now, guided by the parchment, he had come to this second room and was encountering this thing for the first time, so the information he could glean was very limited.
“If Wang Xiaoming were here, what method would he use to explore such an unknown and eerie cabinet, huh?” Yang Jian couldn’t help but think of Professor Wang.
Compared to him, there was a natural difference in intellect, something he had to admit.
After all, he was a world-renowned top talent and outpaced ordinary people by a lot in certain areas.
After thinking for a while, however, Yang Jian soon chuckled and shook his head, “Relying too much on others is never a good thing. Facing supernatural incidents, one can only rely on their own judgment. Asking others for help blindly would be disastrous if one ever found themselves in a dire situation. Moreover, I killed Wang Xiaoming’s younger brother, and that thorn will always be a hidden danger.”
Because of that grudge, he and Wang Xiaoming were fated not to get along.
Seeing that the Ghost Cabinet remained quiet without any abnormalities, Yang Jian gradually put his mind at ease.
It had been here for a hundred years. If nothing had happened with the Ghost Cabinet before, then surely nothing would happen now. As long as he didn’t act rashly, everything should remain as it was before.
Taking advantage of the time he had, he decided to check the secret room again; perhaps he could discover a useful clue.
The overly simplistic secret room contained only two items: the Ghost Cabinet and the small wooden table he had shattered earlier.
There was nothing unusual about the table—it was a regular item. So, no matter how one looked at it, Yang Jian’s gaze ultimately had to focus on the old cabinet before him.
His ghostly eyes couldn’t penetrate and see what was inside. Behind the wooden lattice door on the upper layer was a ghost hiding in the darkness, and he hadn’t opened the two doors on the lower layer, fearing he might release something terrible or trigger some horrifying existence.
“Wait a minute, what’s that?”
Yang Jian suddenly noticed something inconspicuous.
At the very top of the cabinet, there seemed to be some items.
Out of caution, he didn’t directly retrieve them, instead using Ghost Shadow to take them down from above.
Three equally ordinary and old items: a bottle of ink that had long since dried up, a delicate pen from the Republic of China Period, and a small notebook.
These items signified that the original owner had used them in the past, but not often.
Because Yang Jian could tell from the number of pages torn from the notebook, the count was only five times.
Of course, this judgment wasn’t precise. Maybe this was not the first notebook either.
“There are traces of writing on the notebook left by the original owner. Maybe I can find some useful clues through that,” Yang Jian carefully found that the first page of the old notebook had indentations from a pen writing on it.
Although a long time had passed, they were well preserved in the enclosed environment and could still be discerned.
“Such traces need to be analyzed by a professional, and usually, such talent can be found at the Casework Bureau,” Yang Jian cautiously packed up the blank notebook, planning a trip to the Casework Bureau.
As for the Ghost Cabinet, for now, he could only leave it be.
When it comes to mysterious artifacts that are uncontrollable, not acting is the best course of action, because if there were any danger, it would have manifested long before today.
With that thought in mind, Yang Jian quickly left the secret room.
However, as he was returning to the villa, he suddenly noticed several special forces personnel standing guard outside, and several special vehicles parked nearby, as if there were guests at home.
He thought for a moment, and guessed it was probably a response to the reporters who had shown up downtown earlier.
As soon as he stepped through the door, Yang Jian saw several staff members sitting upright on the sofa in the hallway, disciplined and patient, seemingly waiting for his arrival.
“You are?” Yang Jian asked.
“Hello, Yang Jian. I am the captain of the city’s investigation team, Zang Hua. I have some matters to report to you regarding this morning’s case,” the man claiming to be Captain Zang Hua saluted and then said.
“Do you have identification?”
Yang Jian added, “No offense meant, it’s just that things have been a bit chaotic lately. Many unrelated people have infiltrated Dachang City, and I have some aversion to unfamiliar faces. If it were Captain Liu, I wouldn’t be asking so many questions.”
“Here’s my identification.” Zang Hua was not offended and immediately handed over his ID.
Yang Jian checked it and found no issues.
“As for Captain Liu… I’m sorry to say, it was confirmed three days ago that Captain Liu has disappeared; he can no longer follow up on the case with Yang, the Ghost Controller. Unless something unexpected happens, any cases concerning you will be handled by me from now on,” Zang Hua added.