Free Web NovelChapter 986: Chapter 694: Spending a Fortune to Have a Child
Instinctively reacting, as he moved back to dodge, the lantern and Ghost Bamboo Stick instantly appeared in Yang Xiao’s hands. But when the door fully opened, Yang Xiao’s eyebrows twitched; only the Little Mirror Ghost walked through the door, and there wasn’t even a shadow of a ghost outside.
Seeing the lantern in Yang Xiao’s hand, the Little Mirror Ghost’s eyes lit up, and it quickly stepped forward to ask Yang Xiao for the lantern to play with, but was promptly thrown behind by the vigilant Yang Xiao.
The candle inside the Ghost Lantern burned furiously, spreading green light that enveloped the space behind and outside the door. It lasted for over ten seconds, but Yang Xiao found nothing and only then stepped forward to close the door.
The Little Mirror Ghost was visibly unhappy for not getting the Ghost Lantern, but Yang Xiao was not one to pamper it. He used the Ghost Lantern to inspect the Little Mirror Ghost from top to bottom, confirming there was no problem and that there were no signs of injuries.
This made Yang Xiao increasingly uneasy. He could confirm that something just invaded his Mirror World and was blocking the door; how it vanished without a trace in a blink of an eye was baffling.
What’s even scarier is that even the Little Mirror Ghost didn’t notice its presence. Recalling the eerie sound of the bell still sent shivers down Yang Xiao’s spine.
To verify his suspicions and also for his own safety, Yang Xiao held the Ghost Lantern in one hand and the Ghost Bamboo Stick in the other, examining the secret chamber space inside and out from top to bottom before finally sitting on a wooden chair to steady his mind.
He had been through too much lately, finding it somewhat overwhelming. As he was deep in thought, Yang Xiao vaguely realized one thing—the surroundings had grown inexplicably quiet.
The Little Mirror Ghost he had driven away suddenly fell silent as if it were no longer asking him for the Ghost Lantern, which was very unusual.
Standing up, Yang Xiao looked around for the Little Mirror Ghost and found it by the table. It was squatting on the ground, back turned toward Yang Xiao, completely still, looking through the gaps between stacks of books on the table.
Following the Little Mirror Ghost’s gaze, Yang Xiao was startled to see it was staring at a corner where a blue curtain was hanging. Yang Xiao clearly remembered that behind the curtain was an old bookshelf taller than a person, filled with books.
But in the next second, Yang Xiao’s face suddenly changed. He discovered something terrifying—the bottom edge of the curtain was bizarrely protruding outward in two parts, roughly the distance a person would stand with feet apart.
Something was hiding behind the curtain. Yang Xiao held his breath—whatever was outside the door had really come in!
No matter what kind of ghostly thing it was, Yang Xiao understood the strategy of striking first. He lightened his steps and slowly approached the corner, holding the Ghost Lantern in his left hand and gripping the Ghost Bamboo Stick tightly in his right.
As the distance shortened, Yang Xiao noticed the protruding middle part of the curtain, forming the shape of a person.
Without hesitation, with the Ghost Lantern bursting into green light, Yang Xiao shouted loudly, transforming the stick into a spear in his right hand. The spear struck like a dragon, aimed powerfully at the silhouette’s chest. With a loud "bang," the curtain, along with what was behind it, was pierced with a hole, and the spear thrust in halfway.
With a strong pull from Yang Xiao, the curtain that was blocking his vision tore down. Many ancient books clattered to the ground, and the heavy bookshelf behind was utterly destroyed by Yue Xia’s attack, splitting into several pieces.
Yang Xiao dared not relax his vigilance because he couldn’t find the intruder; behind the curtain was just a bookshelf piled with books, no shadow of a ghost.
Raising the Ghost Lantern to illuminate around, the surroundings were quiet. Yang Xiao looked around but found nothing unusual.
The sound of books being turned came from behind. Yang Xiao turned around to find the Little Mirror Ghost had unknowingly come up, half-squatting, pushing aside the broken bookshelf to rummage in the messy pile of books. freewebnovёl.ƈom
The Little Mirror Ghost’s perception of certain things was far stronger than his own. Yang Xiao walked over but didn’t intervene, instead standing calmly with his weapon at the ready to see what the Little Mirror Ghost was looking for.
Until the Little Mirror Ghost lifted a broken wooden board, revealing a piece of gray-black amidst the messy pile of books below. frёewebηovel.cѳm
The uneasiness in his heart came to fruition. As the books were swept aside, a square box appeared before Yang Xiao’s eyes.
Having done all this, the Little Mirror Ghost stared at the box for a few seconds before suddenly running off as if discovering something terrifying, leaving Yang Xiao there alone.
The box’s surface had an eerie gray-black coloring, much like the texture of a coffin. The dim yellow light overhead shone down just right, illuminating two vertically arranged words on the right side of the box—
Substitute Death.
The two words were blood-red, one large and one small, with sharp strokes, not like they were written but carved with a knife.
Yang Xiao had seen many script boxes before. To be honest, upon confirming it was a script box delivery, Yang Xiao felt a slight relief.
After all, receiving a script doesn’t mean immediate death, but if a master from the Yi Sect came knocking, or if it were an unknown ghost, he feared he might not make it out today.
As for receiving the Ghost Script, Yang Xiao had no complaints; he had recently used the Resentful Eye too often, and receiving the script was only a matter of time. He had mentally prepared for it, though he didn’t expect the script to reach him even in the secret chamber of the Mirror World, unable to wait for him to come out.
It seemed that "Substitute Death" was the name of this task, a very ominous name, especially with the glaring character "Death," suggesting a sense of inevitable doom.
Not moving the box, Yang Xiao squatted down to open it, revealing one large and one small leather pouch before him.
Opening the larger pouch, he found a piece of paper folded twice. When unfolded, a musty scent wafted out—a type of advertisement, and not a very formal one. The headline read in large bold letters: Reward for a Child, followed by several lines of small text with a photo of a beautiful woman dressed skimpily at the center.
"Sensual and beautiful young woman, Ms. Li, 28, married to a wealthy Hong Kong businessman. The businessman, being old, lacks energy; to carry on the family line and maintain the family’s image, the couple seeks a healthy man from the mainland to fulfill their dream. Satisfaction guaranteed, with a deposit of 200,000, fulfilling the mother’s dream will earn a reward of 3 million. Contact number 1XXXXXXXX, serious inquiries only!"
"Special Note: This advertisement is represented by Sincerity Law Firm. Ms. Li has posted a one million guarantee. In case of default, the law firm assumes all legal responsibility and offers a full psychological compensation to the man involved. Business No.XXXXXX, Notary No.XXXXXX"
Advertisements like this Yang Xiao had only seen as a child—either pasted in dim, shady alleyways or stuck on lampposts near old neighborhoods, or sometimes lying in the corner of tabloid newspapers.
When Yang Xiao was young, he naively had the impulse to dial the number out of sheer curiosity and the attraction of high rewards. But as he grew older, he realized it was purely a scam.
Yang Xiao continued reading and was surprised to find that this mission had as many as twelve participants listed on the back of the advertisement.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Xiao picked up the other smaller pouch, already guessing what was inside through sheer touch.
Photographs, a total of three, yet unfortunately, as before, they weren’t very clear.
The first photo showed a two-story building, like a small villa, shot at night with the villa’s interior dark, revealing only a vague outline and a blurred background.
The second was a long corridor lined with doors on both sides, with fluorescent tube lights overhead. For some reason, even with the lights on, the corridor was shrouded in an oppressive, dim atmosphere.
Exhaling a heavy breath, Yang Xiao picked up the third photo. If the first two could still vaguely be made out, the third was odd—mostly pitch black, with only a striking red dot in the middle, like a small light, or perhaps a blood-refracted, unknowing eye.
Yang Xiao brought the photo closer, wanting to see more clearly, as this might be crucial to his survival in the following mission. The photo’s surface seemed laminated, slightly reflective. Concentrating on the red dot, something appeared in the corner of his eye.
Reflected in the transparent edge of the photo, Yang Xiao saw a pair of legs standing on the table behind him.
This sudden change startled Yang Xiao, launching him into the air. As he spun, he swung at whatever was behind with all his might.
But he hit nothing, almost straining his waist. He stared intently at the tabletop; beside the books, there was nothing.
There was no chance he was mistaken. He saw it clearly, a pair of legs—long, slender, and barefooted.
Legs of a woman, a very young woman indeed.
To be precise, it was likely a female ghost.
"Substitute Death" kept echoing in Yang Xiao’s mind. Yang Xiao could not figure out what it meant—whether they were to replace the woman in death or the woman was wronged and someone wanted her as a scapegoat.
As Yang Xiao turned to examine the Ghost Script further, the box that had been on the floor had vanished, leaving only the fragmented bookshelf and a heap of books.
The female ghost was gone. Not waiting any longer, Yang Xiao hurriedly left after appeasing the Little Mirror Ghost. He didn’t even bother cleaning up the mess on the floor and, upon returning to the real world, immediately contacted the technical department to report receiving the ghost script and detailed the information he gathered from it, along with the sight of the woman’s legs.
Regrettably, the information was crude, so finding clues in a short time seemed difficult, especially considering that Yang Xiao was a person of fortune with little more than a day to spare.
"Substitute Death... Reward for a Child..." Sitting on the couch, Yang Xiao frowned, "Twelve people..."
