Chapter 224: Birth (Part One)
Today, the Ghost Building was surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. The building, which normally no one dared approach, was now three layers deep in spectators.
The Zhong Family Haunted House was almost universally known in Lecheng. Few who had ever entered it managed to emerge alive. Normally, just passing by, one could feel the chilling Ghost Qi, as if countless eyes were secretly watching, which slowly forged the Zhong Family Haunted House's ominous reputation.
They say that once a house loses its human warmth, it becomes dilapidated and liable to collapse at any moment. The Zhong Family Haunted House had no trace of human warmth, and indeed looked incredibly dilapidated, yet it had always stood firm through wind and rain. It was said that a generation of children who had watched it grow up had already passed on, but it remained robust.
However, just last night, this Zhong Family Haunted House, which had stood for countless years, collapsed silently. This immediately attracted many curious onlookers.
“Did you know, last night I heard a commotion from the Ghost Building, but I didn’t dare come out to look. I never expected the Ghost Building to actually collapse last night,” a middle-aged man whispered to his friend beside him.
“A commotion, huh? If you’d been brave enough to come out and look, you might have witnessed the Ghost Building collapsing firsthand. You’d have some bragging rights then! ” his friend replied with a laugh, seemingly not taking the middle-aged man’s words seriously.
“Seriously, may I be a beast if I’m lying. It’s just that the sound at the time seemed more like people fighting, not the kind of noise a collapsing house would make,” the middle-aged man continued, seeing his friend’s disbelief.
It would have been better if he hadn't said that. The moment the words left his mouth, his friend not only didn't believe him but mocked, “Someone fighting? You’re not trying to tell me that last night a master came to this Ghost Building, then he fought with the Evil Spirit inside, the Evil Spirit was no match, and was eventually eliminated by the master, but the Ghost Building couldn’t bear the strain and collapsed with it, and that’s why we’re seeing this scene now, are you? ”
Catching the mockery in his friend’s tone, the middle-aged man grew a little displeased.
“What’s illogical about it? It’s precisely because this Ghost Building has existed for so long that it could collapse at any time. It just happened to occur last night, a mere coincidence, and you’re forcefully making it sound so mysterious. I think you’ve read too many ghost stories. ”
Hearing his friend say this, the middle-aged man became annoyed. He looked at the other with disdain and retorted, “Some people usually don’t even dare to pass by here, and now they have the nerve to ridicule me? Not a shred of shame. ”
The middle-aged man’s friend’s face turned somewhat sour. He wanted to explain something, but the middle-aged man impatiently waved his hand, saying, “Believe it or not, I’m too lazy to explain it to you. ”
Situations like that between the middle-aged man and his friend were happening everywhere at the moment. Although the styles of conversation differed, the topics were almost universally about the collapsed Ghost Building, without exception.
Yang Haoran stood beside the middle-aged man at this moment. Like the other onlookers, his gaze was drawn to the collapsed Ghost Building; there was nothing to distinguish him. Coupled with his utterly unremarkable appearance, he was purely a background extra.
Yang Haoran heard every word of the conversation between the middle-aged man and his friend. Although the middle-aged man’s friend didn’t believe him, Yang Haoran knew that what he said was likely true.
Initially last night, due to the Yin Thunder Formation, the commotion inside the Ghost Building didn't spread to the outside world.
However, after the Yin Thunder Formation was finally broken, the sounds of fighting here should have still spread. It was just that the later fighting wasn't as intense as the initial clash, so the commotion was much smaller. Furthermore, there were few residents near the Ghost Building, so not many people heard the disturbance.
The area around the Ghost Building had now been cordoned off, and a few police officers seemed to be inspecting something inside. However, Yang Haoran didn't spot Wang Yiming among these officers, nor did he see a trace of his girlfriend, Chen Ying.
Before leaving the Ghost Building last night, Yang Haoran had called Wang Yiming. Although he hadn't gone into detail at the time, Wang Yiming couldn't possibly be unaware of what had happened here.
For ordinary police to cordon off the area, in Yang Haoran’s view, it was most likely to protect the general public.
After all, the Zhong Family Haunted House was an ominous place. Even as a ruin, it couldn't be entirely certain that the area was safe. If curious onlookers, unaware of the situation, were to step inside, it wasn't impossible for them to lose their lives.
One or two incidents might be manageable, but if something happened to a whole group, the aftermath would be difficult to handle.
However, this approach ultimately put these police officers in a tough spot. If nothing happened, all was well, but if the Ghost Building ruins genuinely harbored any remaining danger, they would be the first to be sacrificed.
The reason Yang Haoran appeared here after leaving Deng Feng’s villa was to see if Zhong Siyu would return.
With the Ghost Building reduced to ruins, it was obvious it would attract a large number of onlookers, and the area would certainly be leveled by the authorities. If Zhong Siyu returned during this period and didn't allow anyone to touch her Ghost Building, then trouble was inevitable.
So, for safety's sake, he decided to come back and see. If something truly went wrong, his presence could play a role.
It wasn't that Yang Haoran was overly warm-hearted, but rather that Zhong Siyu was an Evil Spirit, falling under his jurisdiction. If Zhong Siyu caused too much of a commotion here and things spiraled out of control, he, as the Emissary of Death, couldn't expect to remain uninvolved.
If a major incident truly occurred, the Black-Clothed Man certainly wouldn't care about Yang Haoran's difficulties, nor would he concern himself with the current chaotic state of the Lecheng Underworld Office. He would absolutely conclude that Yang Haoran, as the Emissary of Death, had competency issues.
Having just been fortunate enough to climb into the position of Emissary of Death, Yang Haoran certainly didn't want to be ousted before his seat was even warm.
So far, Yang Haoran hadn't sensed Zhong Siyu's presence, but he couldn't guarantee whether Zhong Siyu would appear next, so he decided to stay here a while longer.
Looking at the Ghost Building, now reduced to ruins before him, Yang Haoran couldn't help but recall the scenes he had once witnessed through his Ghost Eye, imprinted on Zhong Siyu's being.
As those scenes resurfaced in his mind, the Ghost Building he saw before him also transformed, no longer a ruin, but a brand-new, magnificent villa.
Outside the villa's iron gate, two rows of servants stood respectfully in uniform. The elderly butler paced back and forth, wringing his hands, looking quite anxious.
Not long after, a luxury car drove up from a distance. The appearance of this car instantly made a smile bloom on the butler's aged face. With a joyful expression, he trotted towards the vehicle.
The luxury car stopped in front of the villa's iron gate. The old butler opened the door, and out first stepped a young woman as beautiful as a flower.
The woman didn't seem old; rather than saying she wasn't old, it was more accurate to say she was still very young, as she appeared to be no more than sixteen or seventeen years old.
The woman was very beautiful, with fair skin and delicate features. It was precisely this that made her appear even younger than she was.
Although she looked young, the woman possessed a voluptuous figure utterly disproportionate to her age. One couldn't sense the unique allure of a mature woman about her, yet the youthful vitality she exuded was something mature women also lacked.
This woman, both in figure and appearance, was identical to Zhong Siyu, yet the aura they each exuded was completely different.
Every word, every action, every subtle expression of this woman was filled with a powerful allure for men. Even men who didn't typically favor her type would likely find it hard to refuse her.
Zhong Siyu, on the other hand, constantly exuded a pathological madness, bloodlust, and cruelty. Not only was there no hint of allure for men about her, but she instead gave off a chilling sensation.
Facing her was like constantly facing a lunatic, making one want to avoid her at all costs. It would be absolutely difficult for anyone to entertain the thought of sharing a bed with her. To truly sleep with her would be no different than sleeping in a coffin.
Two people with identical figures and appearances, yet poles apart in personality and aura.
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