Chapter Thirty-Four: Drunk, I Fear No One!
Under Jiang Dashi's watchful gaze, Yang Haoran crossed the courtyard, stepped into the Ghost Building, and vanished beneath the cold moonlight.
Although it was night, Jiang Dashi's vision remained entirely unimpeded. He clearly saw Yang Haoran's body visibly tremble the moment he stepped into the Ghost Building.
Withdrawing his gaze, Jiang Dashi returned to his car. He didn't leave, but instead rolled down his window, constantly monitoring the situation inside the Ghost Building.
No sooner had he gotten into the car than a song echoed from within the Ghost Building. It wasn't the spine-chilling kind of singing heard in horror movies, but a popular, very cheerful song of the modern era.
The one suddenly singing in the dead of night was, of course, Yang Haoran, who had entered the Ghost Building. His voice was loud, seemingly an attempt to bolster his own courage, but what was clearly a cheerful song was forcibly twisted by him into a dirge.
The howling ghosts and wailing wolves of a song not only reverberated inside the Ghost Building but also spread outside. Perhaps because his courage had shattered, or perhaps because he was naturally tone-deaf, his singing was excruciatingly awful, suddenly adding a bizarre feeling to the already terrifying Ghost Building.
Inside the car, Jiang Dashi's lips twitched twice, then he showed an expression of exasperated amusement. That singing was too penetrating; even he was affected by it.
But then, the expression on his face stiffened. He heard a terrified shriek emanate from inside the Ghost Building. If this scream wasn't from Yang Haoran, then who could it be from?
The shriek was utterly gut-wrenching. Jiang Dashi's expression grew serious. Under his watchful gaze, the Ghost Building, which was filled with horror and terror in every corner, suddenly twisted and distorted, as if coming alive, appearing intensely unreal.
Jiang Dashi whispered softly, then sighed and shook his head, lamenting, "Who knows how many people in this world desire special abilities, but how many truly succeed? You are stronger than them; at least you still have this chance, a chance that countless others never get. It's just that this opportunity, which you've worked so hard for, might very well consign you to eternal damnation. The path is your own choice; whether you can walk it depends entirely on yourself in the end."
No sooner had his voice faded than the expression on Jiang Dashi's face stiffened again.
Inside the Ghost Building, Yang Haoran's terrified shriek had surprisingly ceased. The Ghost Building instantly became utterly silent; no other sounds could be heard, only the chirping of insects nearby.
"It's over so quickly? " Jiang Dashi was startled, then he shook his head and sighed, "It seems it's just as the Emissary said: he's too timid, simply not suited to be one of us."
In Jiang Dashi's opinion, Yang Haoran had likely met with misfortune. Although he had already reached a conclusion in his mind, he still had no intention of leaving. Since he had said he would wait until dawn, he wouldn't break his word—besides, that was the rule.
Just as Jiang Dashi assumed Yang Haoran was dead, suddenly, sounds echoed from the Ghost Building again. This time it wasn't the howling ghosts and wailing wolves of a song, nor a terrified shriek, but angry curses, accompanied by the crashing of objects.
"Come on! I'm not afraid of you, whatever ghost thing you are! Got the guts to eat me, then come do it!"
"I fear neither heaven nor earth, so why would I be scared by you ghostly things, huh? ! Me, your daddy, I've got real skills!"
"You'd better stay away, or don't blame me if I show no mercy and collect every single one of you! Don't you dare think I'm joking!"
"Go out and ask around! When I, Yang Haoran, get drunk, who the hell do I fear? ! Damn it, all of Lecheng belongs to me! Who do I fear, me, your—"
Jiang Dashi's lips twitched again. He looked at the shattered wine bottle near the iron gate, knowing that Yang Haoran was currently throwing a drunken tantrum inside.
"Heh heh, it seems this fellow isn't as pathetic as the Emissary claimed. At least when he's drunk, his guts are quite substantial," Jiang Dashi chuckled to himself.
Time ticked by. Two hours later, Yang Haoran was still loudly cursing inside the Ghost Building, though compared to before, his voice had grown hoarse, and his momentum was clearly not as strong. Jiang Dashi, waiting outside the Ghost Building, could no longer make out what Yang Haoran was cursing about.
He had raged for over two hours, and by shouting at that, even someone with a "golden voice" couldn't endure it, let alone him, who lacked one. It was only natural for his voice to become hoarse.
Jiang Dashi checked the time. It was almost three o'clock. Yang Haoran had entered the Ghost Building close to one, and now two hours had passed, leaving only a little over ten minutes until three.
By four o'clock, no sounds emanated from the Ghost Building. It was as silent as when they had arrived. Jiang Dashi, inside the car, didn't know whether Yang Haoran was dead or alive, but he continued to wait in the car.
Five o'clock.
Six o'clock.
Seven o'clock.
It was winter, and in Lecheng, the sky only began to lighten slightly at seven o'clock.
Inside the car, Jiang Dashi looked at the sky, then his gaze settled on the Ghost Building's main entrance, but no one walked out.
Yang Haoran's final trial was to remain in this Ghost Building until dawn. If he could walk out alive at daybreak, the trial would be considered passed. Now, the sky was gradually lightening, but Yang Haoran still hadn't emerged from the Ghost Building.
Jiang Dashi did not leave simply because Yang Haoran hadn't appeared; he continued to wait quietly in the car.
Of course, if Yang Haoran didn't come out, he couldn't keep waiting indefinitely. He would wait until eight o'clock. If Yang Haoran still hadn't emerged from the Ghost Building by then, then according to the rules, he would have to leave, and the trial would be declared a failure with his departure.
Jiang Dashi had not told Yang Haoran this point, not because he intended to deceive him, but because he had simply forgotten it in a moment of oversight.
The sky grew brighter and brighter, and the time drew closer to eight o'clock, but Yang Haoran still hadn't emerged from the Ghost Building.
"Could something really have happened? " Jiang Dashi thought to himself.
It was perfectly normal for him to think this way. No sound had come from the Ghost Building for a long time. If Yang Haoran were still alive, it was impossible there would be no movement at all. After all, the sky was already bright; he would surely rush out of the Ghost Building at the first opportunity. Who would willingly stay longer in this haunted place?
Yang Haoran's absence, in Jiang Dashi's view, pointed to only two possibilities. The first was that Yang Haoran had already kicked the bucket, which was why he hadn't emerged from the Ghost Building.
As for the second possibility, well, that was Yang Haoran having fallen asleep inside the Ghost Building.
This possibility wasn't entirely out of the question. After all, before entering the Ghost Building, Yang Haoran had chugged an entire bottle of high-proof liquor. It was conceivable that the alcohol hit him hard, causing him to pass out directly, but this possibility wasn't very high.
The reason he considered this possibility unlikely was that the Ghost Building before him genuinely had ghosts, and quite a few of them at that. Jiang Dashi was perfectly clear on this point.
Once inside the Ghost Building, whether you were an eccentric or a lunatic, you would become the target of the myriad ghosts. Even if one were dead drunk, they possessed numerous methods to awaken a drunkard and then subject them to all sorts of torment.
Under such circumstances, apart from the dead, it was unlikely anyone could sleep.
With only ten minutes left until eight o'clock, and seeing that Yang Haoran still hadn't emerged from the Ghost Building, Jiang Dashi couldn't help but reveal a look of hesitation.
To be honest, at this moment, he genuinely didn't know if Yang Haoran was dead or alive. If, after another ten minutes, Yang Haoran still hadn't emerged from the Ghost Building, then regardless of his fate, Jiang Dashi could leave according to the rules, and his mission would be considered complete.
However, if he were to do nothing during these remaining ten minutes, he felt a twinge of unease in his heart.
Yang Haoran had left a rather good impression on him, and he genuinely wanted to do something for Yang Haoran. If Yang Haoran had already died in the Ghost Building, then so be it, but what if he hadn't?
If Yang Haoran truly was still alive, then a slight intervention from him might become the key for Yang Haoran to pass the trial.
Recalling that he hadn't clearly explained the rules to Yang Haoran before he entered the Ghost Building, after some hesitation, he decided to use these final ten minutes to give Yang Haoran a hand.
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