Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
Five days had passed since the gloom over Dachang City had lifted.
With the confirmation that Dachang City was safe after the end of the Hungry Ghost period, the nation commenced a comprehensive rescue operation.
The operation was swift.
Within a day, the city's water and electricity supply returned to normal, armed police were stationed, and various medical personnel began entering hospitals across Dachang City.
Within two days, the full-scale rescue operation was already underway.
Survivors hidden in every corner of the city gradually emerged to embrace a new life.
Of course, all of this had nothing to do with Yang Jian now.
During these five days, he remained at home as a shut-in, not venturing out or making any appearances.
Despite Zhao Jianguo's repeated attempts to contact him, he was directly rejected each time.
Dachang City needed to recuperate, and so did Yang Jian.
He needed to quickly familiarize himself with his own condition. After his resurrection, his body had undergone some unexpected changes, and he could feel that he was completely different from before.
But what exactly was different, Yang Jian was not quite able to discern.
If he had to describe it, it was a kind of alternative rebirth, as if he had shed all his previous constraints.
Secondly, the functions of his body had become somewhat eerie.
Yang Jian had checked; half of his body was that of a normal person, while the other half no longer belonged to the living but to the dead—cold, somewhat stiff, and covered in livor mortis.
"Perhaps I can still think like a person, and not become a completely foreign existence, because my body hasn't completely died yet. Sometimes I wonder, what really controls a person's thoughts? Is it the brain, or the body?"
"If it's the brain, then if the body dies, would a person's emotions and desires still exist? Without those, a person is no longer complete."
After sitting in contemplation for a while, Yang Jian decided to give up on these somewhat philosophical questions.
This wasn't what he should be concerned about now.
What he cared about was how his body had changed after his resurrection, the complete fusion with the ghost shadow, and what was different about perfect control.
His previous explorations were brief and crude.
But in these five days, Yang Jian gradually gained a clear understanding.
First was the strength of his body.
Yang Jian's not particularly muscular body contained a startling amount of strength after merging with the ghost shadow. He had tried in the gym; he could lift a 500-kilogram barbell with one hand without feeling any discomfort. The changes brought about by this supernatural strength were indeed incredible.
If he were to unleash his full power, he could reach a tonnage level with just his strength.
That would make him a strongman.
But this was of little use; brute strength was only good for bullying ordinary people. Against fierce ghosts, strength was useless. If strength were effective, then missiles would be too.
It was just a minor ability derived from his powers.
Then there was his resistance to being struck. Yang Jian was now practically immune to physical harm. He had tried jumping from the fifth floor, and of course, for safety, he temporarily protected his vital parts with his ghost domain.
He landed without a scratch, dusted off his pants, and stood up.
Of course, this was under the assumption that he didn't land head-first. His head didn't have ghost shadow protection and remained a vulnerability.
Special gold bullets could penetrate Yang Jian's body.
But that was all they could do. Yang Jian felt no pain, and the next moment, the bullets would be automatically expelled by the ghost shadow within his body, leaving only a wound.
The wound wouldn't heal on its own; it needed the human body to recover slowly.
Besides that, Yang Jian had another eerie ability. He could control any part of his body, even his internal organs and bones, which he could remove at will.
He wouldn't feel pain or discomfort because his body was already akin to a ghost's.
He possessed many ghostly traits.
After some restorative exercises, Yang Jian left the gym and, as usual, went to check the rooms on the fifth floor.
He had three rooms locked tight.
One room contained a dressing mirror from the Republican era, covered with a black cloth. Yang Jian had uncovered it several times, but it remained unchanged as always.
A fine crack had appeared at the top of the mirror, a remnant of the struggle between the ghost shadow and the ghost mirror. At the bottom, a cold, charred arm—a legacy of the fierce ghost from the mirror, a consequence of Yang Jian's battle with it after his resurrection.
The second room held a small chest wrapped in gold foil, containing a pile of bones—the ghost skeleton from Wang Xiaoqiang's body.
Yang Jian had kept it here since capturing it, not returning it to Wang Xiaoming.
He had kept this object with the thought of artificially creating a ghost master. If he replaced someone's skeleton with this ghost skeleton, that person would become a second Wang Xiaoqiang, unkillable.
But at the time, he lacked the means, so he temporarily forgot about it.
Now, however, he could directly replace bones using the power of the ghost infant combined with the ghost domain, including his own.
"Replacing my skeleton with this ghost skeleton seems of little use. Although my ghost shadow can control this skeleton, it doesn't seem to have any use other than immortality, a trait I already possess. I'll keep it for future use," Yang Jian mused.
The third room contained the ghost rope.
It was fully revived and could spread indefinitely once the golden restraints were removed. It could hang ghosts, let alone people.
Yang Jian could now perfectly suppress this object. Thinking of going out today, he decided to take it with him.
The ancient straw rope was wrapped in a layer of gold foil, looking like a golden rope, devoid of that eerie feeling.
Tied around his waist like a whip, it served as a special weapon against fierce ghosts, suitable for self-defense, but he needed to control it well. Strictly speaking, it was a weapon of mass destruction. Once Yang Jian released the ghost rope and threw it forward, all enemies except him would hang themselves.
Using a revived ghost as a weapon was something only Yang Jian could do.
The fourth room contained nothing strange, just some equipment Yang Jian had ordered online: body bags, golden boxes, specially made weapons like golden nunchucks, gloves woven from gold thread, a golden lighter, flashlight, binoculars, golden smoke bombs… In addition to that, there was a batch of specially made military hardware, including three sniper rifles.
He had spent over a billion to buy these things.
Actually, the items weren't valuable; they were just ordinary tools. It was the gold that was valuable. Anything labeled as specially made didn't need to be questioned; it was either gold or a gold alloy.
Four doors were tightly locked, and there was a fifth room that didn't exist.
Hidden in the wall.
Yang Jian could retrieve it using his ghost domain.
It was a box containing human skin paper.
According to Zhang Wei, the box with the human skin paper seemed to have been opened while they were in the safe house.
Upon inspection, Yang Jian indeed found that the box had been opened, not by human hands, as the opening was too perfect.
"This thing is very sinister. If it weren't for its immense value, I would have thrown it into the deep sea long ago," Yang Jian said, staring at the wall.
After a conversation with Zhao Jianguo, he began to realize that this object harbored great terror, yet to be revealed.
Once it fully emerged, it would likely be an existence beyond the level of the Hungry Ghost.
Unless he faced a desperate situation, he would not use this object again.
"Five days of peace. It's time to visit Hongfa Temple," Yang Jian thought to himself, then left the somewhat eerie fifth floor.
Another reason he hadn't left the house these days was to observe whether the ghostly thing restricted by the coffin nails had shown any activity.
Things were unexpectedly calm.
This was both good news and bad news. The good news was that there was no trouble for now; the bad news was that the hidden danger persisted.
"I'm going out for a bit. If anything happens here, notify me immediately, and I'll rush back," Yang Jian said, feeling uneasy as too many ghost masters had come to Dachang City recently.
Jiang Yan assured him that there would be no problem.
***
In the residential area.
Zhang Xiangu's construction site had restarted. After the supernatural event ended, he immediately hired a construction team from out of town at a high price to finish the remaining safe houses.
After all, there was no guarantee that there wouldn't be another supernatural event in the future. Once the safe houses were completed, if there were any signs of trouble, they could stay inside for a few days.
As long as the facilities were complete, the inside would be comparable to a five-star hotel, unlike this time when someone sprayed feces all over the place, and others had to endure the stench.
"Yang Jian, are you going out?" Zhang Xiangu saw Yang Jian coming out and hurried over.
"Yes, I need to take a walk. How's the construction going?" Yang Jian glanced over.
Zhang Xiangu replied, "There's no rush this time. It will be built beautifully within a month. But recently, too many people have been looking for me. You're also a shareholder of the company, so give me some advice. After all, you know more than I do."
"What's the matter?" Yang Jian asked.
Zhang Xiangu said, "Some people I can't afford to offend want to buy houses in the community. They start with several billion, buying in large blocks at the original price. You think I should sell or not? With Dachang City like this, many people are selling their houses and moving away. I think Dachang City's economy won't last much longer, and with so many deaths this time, the future looks bleak."
Yang Jian thought for a moment and said, "Not just Dachang City, other cities will face the same situation. Supernatural events can't be suppressed for long. This time is just a sign. We were just unlucky that the Hungry Ghost event happened here, but next time it could happen in another city. A global disaster, there's no escaping it."
"I can only say that those who move out of Dachang City will regret it for a lifetime. After the Hungry Ghost event, the population decrease and the disappearance of fierce ghosts mean that local supernatural events won't erupt for a long time. It's like a forest fire that burns everything clean, leaving room for new growth."
Zhang Xiangu was a smart man. Having worked in real estate for half his life, he immediately understood Yang Jian's meaning.
"Of course, that's just one aspect. Another, and most important point, is that I live here."
Yang Jian's gaze shifted, "I have the ability to protect this place. They come to buy houses not for the value of the place, but for my value. The news that I solved the Hungry Ghost event can't spread outside, but internally, it's probably well known."
"In that case, I'll hold onto the property," Zhang Xiangu said. "But really, some people can't be offended if we don't sell."
"Sell, of course, sell. Otherwise, it's a waste to have so many empty houses, right? But the price is too low. Let's increase it by a hundred times first. They're so rich and generous, let's fleece the wealthy first. If there's any problem, blame it on me."
"Can you handle it, Brother Leg?"
Yang Jian said, "I can handle millions of lives. What do you think, Uncle Zhang?"
Zhang Xiangu smiled and felt a little excited. He had a premonition that there was a huge business opportunity here. Perhaps in the future, Guanjiang Residential Area would become a gathering place for the world's top rich.
As long as Yang Jian stood firm, this would be one of the safest commercial residential areas in the world.
Soon, Yang Jian drove away.
He was heading to Hongfa Temple.
Of course, he could get there in a second using his ghost domain, but abusing the power of fierce ghosts was still irrational. Although Yang Jian had extended the revival time of the fierce ghosts and was in better condition than the previous two times, he wasn't at the point where he could squander it at will.
Dachang City was now under traffic control. Except for national rescue vehicles and public officials, no private cars were allowed on the road to ensure smooth traffic.
Moreover, armed police patrols were everywhere, ensuring the city's security.
Yang Jian encountered a military police checkpoint and had to show his Interpol credentials to proceed without hindrance.
"Interpol, Yang Jian?"
Seeing his credentials, the military police captain showed a hint of respect.
This made Yang Jian feel a bit embarrassed.
"It seems a bit crowded here."
When he arrived at Hongfa Temple, he found it packed with people burning incense and praying.
They were all survivors.
Yang Jian inquired briefly and understood the situation.
Knowing that Dachang City was haunted and believing in ghosts, people naturally sought the blessings of gods and Buddhas. If they could get a few talismans from the temple masters or take home some consecrated artifacts, they would sleep more peacefully at night.
But he knew this was useless, just a psychological comfort.
Yang Jian wouldn't bother to burst their bubble. In the face of such terror, a little psychological comfort was a very good thing.
"If I wait in line like this, when will it be my turn? Although abusing my power isn't good, to seek an answer and the truth, I have no choice."
He didn't want to wait in a long line.
He directly used his ghost domain, covering Hongfa Temple.
Without affecting anyone, Yang Jian mysteriously disappeared in a corner and reappeared in the temple's backyard residence.
The bald abbot, dressed in plain clothes and wearing glasses, was watching TV.
The TV news was all about the Dachang City incident.
Regarding the Hungry Ghost event, the state neither actively spread nor censored the news, nor did it respond positively. They just let the storm brew.
So the news was full of bizarre speculations.
"Master, do you still have the mood to watch TV?" The door was locked, but Yang Jian appeared in his room.
"Aren't you going to chant sutras and consecrate for those burning incense outside?"
The bald abbot looked up in surprise, and when he saw Yang Jian, he didn't seem shocked at all, just smiled and put down his glasses, "I've chanted sutras for half my life, what's the use? When ghosts come, we can only hide. What Buddhist teachings, what exorcism, it's all fake. Before, when there were no ghosts, we could get by. Now with ghosts, if we bring out the fakes and people find out, won't we get our legs broken walking on the street?"
"Besides, if someone really uses a few useless talismans to fight ghosts and ends up killing someone, whose fault is that? Better to hide and seek peace."
Yang Jian said, "Master is clear-headed, but I think you already know why I'm here."
The bald abbot said, "I've been waiting for you these past few days, because I have some bad news to tell you."
"What is it?"
"That thing behind the door is gone."
The bald abbot said, "Less than a minute after you took away the coffin nail, there was nothing left behind the door, just a bare wall."
Yang Jian's gaze shifted slightly, "I've already guessed this. After all, Dachang City has been quiet recently. If the ghost inside had escaped, there would have been an incident."
"There's not much else I can say. About the secret chamber, I've heard from my master. My master said that there was a fierce ghost imprisoned by the high monks of Hongfa Temple, suppressed by the Demon-Subduing Vajra. He told us to guard it well and never let that fierce ghost out to do evil."
The bald abbot said, "When I was young and ignorant, I went in out of curiosity and saw the inside… a white bone tree, a three-meter-tall shadow, an eye emitting a strange red light."
He looked at the ghost eye on Yang Jian's forehead as he spoke.
"I was scared and ran out. Since then, I've followed my master's instructions, checked the door lock once a year, regularly replaced and repaired it, and prepared to pass this secret to the next abbot."
The bald abbot said, "But a few months ago, that door opened, and the eye disappeared…"
"I took it."
Yang Jian said, "There was indeed a fierce ghost restricted inside, but that's not what I'm asking about. I'm asking about the origin of this thing. Do you know anything, Master?"
"How would I know? Even my master didn't know. Perhaps my master's master knew."
The bald abbot shook his head helplessly, "But after some investigation, I got some information. Actually, this basement isn't ancient. There are some records in the temple about its construction, probably during the Republican era."
"And my master's master was alive at that time. Perhaps the patriarch knew the origin of this thing."
The Republican era again?
Yang Jian frowned.
The basement was built during the Republican era, and the old house in Guanjiang Residential Area that hadn't been demolished was also from the Republican era.
Did the battle between ghost masters and fierce ghosts start then?
Or had a fierce ghost revival occurred over a hundred years ago, but was ignored due to the lack of information and unstable world order?
"It seems that pursuing the past won't give me the answers I want." Yang Jian felt disappointed.
He wanted to learn more, but found that there had been a break in the chain of knowledge.
Time had erased all important information, and those who truly knew the secrets probably no longer existed in this world.
Without inheriting the experiences of the predecessors, all ghost masters facing fierce ghosts in the future were destined to have a difficult time.