Free Web NovelChapter 467: Chapter 403: I, Yang Xiao, Have Been Kind to Others All My Life
He didn’t remember seeing such a scene in his mission, after all, it was too shocking, and something that would not occur within a village.
He fetched some paper and drew the image from his mind in simple strokes, feeling as though an unseen force compelled him.
Yang Xiao didn’t dwell on what he couldn’t understand. He decided to wait for Tong Han to wake up and ask her. If that didn’t work, he would contact Cheng Cha and Sui Chengguo to gather some clues.
Night fell, and waves of weariness came over him. Yang Xiao yawned, performed a brief wash-up, then lay down on his bed. His breath steadied, and he slipped into the realm of sleep.
He dreamt that he was standing on a stone platform in front of a nine-story building, the original white stone dyed a bright red, as if a blood battle had just taken place. Several indistinct figures surrounded him, their killing intent almost tangible.
Yang Xiao couldn’t make out their faces, but he could sense the immense pressure emanating from them. Each person here was someone he looked up to, until another presence appeared behind him. Yang Xiao abruptly turned around to find a woman in red standing there.
The woman in red’s face was also indistinct, appearing suddenly like a specter. frёeωebɳovel.com
Before Yang Xiao could make sense of the red-dressed woman’s origins, she did something astonishing. She grabbed his hand and placed it on her cheek. Yang Xiao couldn’t break free, and subconsciously touched it.
Soft, delicate, tender, but... but somewhat cool.
Moreover, this didn’t quite feel like the skin of girls Yang Xiao remembered; it was too exquisite. He couldn’t help but lean closer, hoping to see more clearly, but suddenly his leaning motion froze mid-air. He realized that what covered the woman’s face wasn’t skin but a layer of silk fabric because at that moment he saw clearly that the woman’s red dress was actually a bloody human skin.
Nightmare struck.
Yang Xiao was jolted awake by the terror, his forehead slick with sweat, and his back soaked with cold perspiration. He realized why the doctor said he was weakened; being frightened like this all day, it would be strange if he weren’t. Not even Hua Tuo could withstand such an ordeal.
He immediately turned the light on. His backpack lay quietly on the desk, the Underworld Robe inside just as it had been before he slept.
But Yang Xiao was not without gains from the nightmare; it seemed that those people were not attacking him but the red-dressed woman.
And the identity of this red-dressed woman was easy to guess; undoubtedly, she was the original owner of the Drama Robe. Moreover, Yang Xiao’s speculation had become reality: the Drama Robe would eventually replace the user’s entire skin, and the small patch on his body was just the beginning.
Perhaps once the replacement was complete, his body would no longer belong to him, but to the original owner of the Drama Robe.
Yang Xiao did not understand why both the original owner of the Drama Robe and the Mirror Ghost, two ghostly things, were fixating on him at the same time.
After such a scare, he couldn’t get back to sleep. Sitting on the edge of the bed, the more he thought about it the angrier he became. Finally, he decided to put on the Underworld Robe, fetched the Ghost Lantern and Human Bone Staff, and prepared to visit the Mirror World. The first purpose was to check on his treasures, and the second, if he encountered the Mirror Ghost, was a good opportunity to beat it and release some pent-up anger—after all, that ghost was very troublesome.
Soon after entering the Mirror World, Yang Xiao made a new discovery: the space of the Mirror World had expanded, and significantly too, now encompassing almost the whole apartment and even extending outward to include half of the associated backyard garden.
This was good news, proving that his spiritual power was growing more formidable. Yang Xiao clenched the Human Bone Staff in his hand, feeling the surging flow of spiritual power. Based on his calculations, with his current level of spiritual power, he should be able to swing with full force four or five times without any issues.
Now, in a one-on-one situation and without using the Ghost Duster, even if he were up against the likes of Granny Hong in her prime, he could still hold his ground.
As the domain of the Mirror World expanded, it brought more difficulty to his search. After a brief inspection, Yang Xiao found that his stored items were all intact and saw no issues, so he left.
Ghost Lantern, Human Bone Staff, Soul-Capturing Mirror, Ghost Duster, Underworld Robe—Yang Xiao currently possessed five treasures, each one of great value. However, this was far from enough. Considering that back in the day, the Great Heretic Cultivator must have subdued many Resentful Eyes with just the Drama Robe.
He was desperately in need of becoming stronger. Only with enough strength to fend for himself would he be safe. By then, even if others knew of the treasures he carried, nobody would dare to raise an objection, let alone covet them.
"Throughout my life, I, Yang Xiao, have always been kind to others; I was forced to this point against my will," he sighed as he held the Human Bone Staff in his left hand and the Ghost Duster in his right, looking at his reflection in the mirror.
Nalan Shuo had given him a week’s vacation, but with nothing to do, Yang Xiao thought of visiting the Patrol Defense Office and also to intensify his training.
As soon as he entered the office, he found only Ximenxiu with her legs propped up, watching a movie, and a bag of chips on the desk.
"Ximenxiu, why are you the only one on duty today?"
Seeing Yang Xiao appear suddenly, Ximenxiu hastily turned off the movie and stood up with a smile, "Xiao, you’re here. Ms. Bei and Da Xiong accompanied Zhi Jie to another province, and Yu Shu is out on a mission. I’m the only one holding the fort."
"Zhi Jie has reached his time?" Yang Xiao was somewhat surprised.
Ximenxiu scurried to make a cup of coffee for Yang Xiao and brought it over, "Yes, Zhi Jie also received the Ghost Script; it came sooner than expected."
Yang Xiao frowned, "Why didn’t you guys tell me?" If he hadn’t come today, he would have had no clue about this matter.
"Ms. Bei said you’ve been busy lately and told us not to disturb you," Ximenxiu reassured, pulling up a chair to sit opposite Yang Xiao, "Don’t worry, Xiao. This time we’ve got a thorough background investigation of the mission. There won’t be any problems."
"Still, it’s best to be cautious, anything can happen in the Nightmare World," Yang Xiao was worried about Zhuge Zhi Jie, whose IQ was high but EQ was lacking, and who might not be able to handle the sly tricks that might come his way in the Nightmare World.
Reaching out his hand, Yang Xiao asked Ximenxiu for the materials about this mission; he couldn’t be at ease without having a look.
Soon, Ximenxiu reprinted a copy for Yang Xiao. He opened the first page, which had the mission’s code name: Haunted Castle.
After reading the content, Yang Xiao understood the gist of it. There were few ancient castle constructions in the country, and this so-called ’castle’ was actually a haunted house attraction in an amusement park; it was named for its appearance, which resembled an old castle.
The amusement park and its castle had been demolished 30 years before and just a short year and a half after the park had opened for business. The official statement claimed the project was unprofitable, but anyone with insight could tell there was something more to it.
Indeed, there was a problem, which originated from the haunted house attraction within the ancient castle. According to classified information from the Patrol Defense Bureau, the castle was haunted by a ghost that attacked more than one person during their visit; the records mentioned a ghost wearing old work clothes dragging a large iron shovel.
This ghost had once been a construction worker on the haunted house project and later disappeared from the work site. Back in those days, the foreman assumed he’d run away after getting paid and didn’t give it much thought. No one knew he’d had a conflict with some coworkers, had been knocked unconscious, and buried in the foundations during a rainy night; even after the project was completed, no one discovered that his body lay beneath.
Because the Patrol Defense Office handled the case, they left very detailed records—including the ghost’s name and place of origin. However, due to limitations at the time, they were unable to resolve the issue completely; they chose to demolish the castle and seal it on site instead.
For paranormal incidents that pose a high danger but have a small impact area and do not have the capacity to spread or move, containment is the usual practice.
Yang Xiao noted the key point in the mission report, a line highlighted with a red pen: Special caution—ghost only appears on rainy nights and particularly detests people who wear black rain boots; it will decapitate them with its shovel.
