Chapter 76: Luring the Tiger Out of Its Mountain Lair
Wang Yiming was indeed furious at this moment. He had successfully used a Revealing Talisman to discover the female ghost's hiding place, and it had been a perfect opportunity to slay her. Yet, Yang Haoran and Ma Ling had surprisingly not made a move against the ghost.
And when he had pulled out his Ghost-Slaying Talisman, it was already too late; seeing the unfavorable situation, the female ghost had actually merged into the wall, concealing herself once more.
"Heh heh, what's the big deal? Don't get angry. I can still feel the power of your Revealing Talisman lingering; we can find her. " Ma Ling didn't take Wang Yiming's words to heart, her face flushed with drink as she spoke with a smile.
Wang Yiming huffed coldly in displeasure. Like magic, another talisman appeared between his two fingers.
The Ghost-Slaying Talisman he had previously drawn out hadn't been used in time, so he had already put it back into his Talisman Pouch. The talisman he now held was a Ghost-Chasing Talisman.
"Every talisman drawn by a Talisman Master is exceedingly precious. I hope you won't make me waste another one!"
As he spoke, Wang Yiming flicked his wrist. The talisman between his fingers spontaneously ignited, then transformed into a ball of light that shot rapidly in one direction.
Once activated, a Ghost-Chasing Talisman can sense the presence of a ghost within a certain range and then track it. By simply following this Ghost-Chasing Talisman, one can locate the ghost.
Without a word, Wang Yiming immediately chased after the ball of light. Seeing this, Yang Haoran and Ma Ling quickly followed suit.
In truth, even without Wang Yiming's Revealing Talisman, Yang Haoran knew perfectly well whether there was a ghost hidden inside the wall. Though he hadn't activated his Ghost Eye at the moment, his ability to Sense Yin was just as precise.
As for why he hadn't activated his Ghost Eye, it was because doing so consumed Spirit Power. The situation within this villa today was somewhat complicated, so he wanted to conserve his Spirit Power as much as possible, in case of unforeseen circumstances.
The three chased after the ball of light formed by the Ghost-Chasing Talisman, leaving the still-shaken Wu family and Guan Hai behind.
Only then did the group remember their recent undignified behavior. However, none of them laughed at anyone else; encountering a situation like that, it was perfectly normal for ordinary people to be frightened into losing their composure.
"Grandpa, my mom fainted. Should we take her to the hospital first? " Wu Xiaoxiao asked Old Master Wu meekly.
Wu Xiaoxiao didn't want to stay in this place for another moment. Conveniently, her mother had fainted, and taking her mother to the hospital would be her ticket out of this cursed place. However, she didn't dare to act on her own initiative, so she asked Old Master Wu.
"No need. She just fainted from fright. Just set her aside to rest; she'll wake up in a bit."
Old Master Wu's refusal was decisive, instantly crushing Wu Xiaoxiao's hopes. Her face was as bitter as a gourd.
In truth, it wasn't just Wu Xiaoxiao who wanted to leave; the others present felt the same. But since Old Master Wu hadn't spoken, even with their fear, they dared not defy his wishes.
Old Master Wu seemed to discern the thoughts of the others. He frowned, his expression solemn, though his face was still somewhat pale.
"I know you want to leave. Do you think I don't? I'm an old man; how much stimulation like this can I endure? But why don't I leave, and why won't I let you leave either?"
At this point, Old Master Wu paused, his gaze turning sharp as he swept it across the group, then continued to speak.
"We can be startled by unknown forces, but we must not be cowed. We certainly cannot lack the courage to resist. The ghosts in this villa have planted a seed of fear in our hearts. If we don't uproot this seed of fear, how will we ever dare to live here again in the future?"
"Even if we move to another villa, we'll never forget what happened here. In the dead of night, that seed of fear in our hearts will take root and sprout, making us feel terrified just the same. It will become a shadow in our minds, impossible to erase, like our very own shadows, until we die. Do you want to live under such a shadow?"
"Therefore, we must pull out this seed of fear before it can take root and sprout. And the best way to pluck it out is to witness its destruction with our own eyes!"
By the end of his speech, a chilling glint had even erupted in Old Master Wu's eyes.
Even in such circumstances, Old Master Wu didn't forget to teach his family a lesson.
No one contradicted him. In the Wu family, Old Master Wu's words were truth. Though sometimes they didn't entirely agree with everything he said, they still dared not refute him.
"Where's Junior?"
Old Master Wu spoke again. Only then did he realize that Wu Junior was not among them.
"Junior left right after dinner, said he was going to see his girlfriend," Wu Senior quickly replied.
Old Master Wu's face darkened, and he was filled with rage. He cursed, "That scoundrel! He's truly like mud that can't be plastered onto a wall!"
However, just as Old Master Wu was railing against Wu Junior's worthlessness, Wu Xiaoxiao suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth, then pointed a trembling finger behind Old Master Wu.
Not just Wu Xiaoxiao, but Wu Senior, Guan Hai, and the others also grew terrified at that moment.
This scene registered in Old Master Wu's vision. His body trembled slightly, and his heart couldn't help but quicken. He knew that something "unclean" had surely appeared behind him.
This time, however, Old Master Wu didn't cower and scurry away like before. His gaze fixed on the group, he suppressed his inner fear and spoke coldly, "Perfect timing! Today, I'll give you another lesson!"
As his words fell, Old Master Wu actually gritted his teeth and spun around abruptly, confronting whatever was behind him head-on.
Elsewhere, Yang Haoran, closely following Wang Yiming, stopped before a room door.
The ball of light formed by the Ghost-Chasing Talisman hovered outside the door, seemingly telling Yang Haoran and the two others that the ghost they were searching for was behind that very door.
Without any hesitation, Wang Yiming kicked the door open.
Thud!
The kick was powerful. The door slammed against the wall with a dull thud. Wang Yiming was the first to rush into the room, searching everywhere.
"Up there."
It was Yang Haoran who alerted Wang Yiming. Hearing Yang Haoran's voice, he quickly looked up.
He saw a woman clinging to the ceiling, her limbs suctioned to it like a gecko. Her long hair wildly danced around her, and she wore a bizarre smile, baring her teeth at Yang Haoran and the two others below, like a beast about to attack.
The woman had no physical form; her body was ethereal. It was precisely the female ghost who had escaped earlier.
"Oh, she's actually provoking us!"
Ma Ling feigned surprise, as if the female ghost's current ferocious and eerie appearance struck her as quite amusing.
"Let's see where you run this time!"
Wang Yiming waved his hand, about to pull out another talisman, when unexpectedly, the female ghost proved cunning once more, merging into the wall and vanishing again!
Staring at the empty ceiling, Wang Yiming was so enraged his body trembled. He felt like he'd been played.
"Constantly chasing isn't a solution. We'll get tired, but she won't. Don't you have a talisman that can trap her? " Ma Ling asked.
Wang Yiming's face was dark as he looked at Ma Ling and retorted, "Yes, I do, but have you seen me get a chance to use it? As for you two, did you come here today for a running exercise?"
Wang Yiming already had anger simmering inside him. Now that the female ghost had escaped again, his temper naturally flared even more, and his words grew increasingly sharp.
"Wasn't I just afraid of stealing your thunder? If you can't handle it, just say so. I don't need anyone to intervene; I can handle it myself, believe it or not? " Ma Ling asked with a chuckle.
Those words were practically a ladle of hot oil poured onto Wang Yiming's fury. Just as Wang Yiming was about to erupt, the three of them heard terrified screams.
"Ah!"
"Help!"
"Brother Yang, save me!"
The screams were from both men and women, filled with terror. Yang Haoran's expression instantly changed, for he recognized Guan Hai's voice calling for help.
"Damn it!"
Muttering "Damn it! " inwardly, Yang Haoran didn't even bother to greet them, rushing straight out of the room.
He felt a pang of guilt. He knew this villa was bizarre and dangerous, yet he had been so caught up in his thoughts that he'd followed Ma Ling and the others, leaving Guan Hai alone.
Ma Ling and Wang Yiming also heard the screams. The two exchanged a glance and likewise rushed out of the room.
They had both been invited by Old Master Wu. If anything happened to anyone in the Wu family, even if they managed to eliminate the female ghost, it wouldn't be a perfect resolution. To perfectly resolve the situation, every member of the Wu family had to be safe; no one could be harmed.
Yang Haoran ran quickly, and Ma Ling and Wang Yiming's pace was also swift. When the three of them appeared in the living room, the sight before them left him somewhat astonished.
A male ghost was floating in mid-air, a bizarre smile on his face, constantly emitting strange cackles from his mouth.
That's right, it wasn't the female ghost, but a male ghost. There was more than one ghost in this house!
Old Master Wu's body trembled. He glared intensely at the male ghost, cursing furiously.
As for the others, their faces were all filled with terror. Wu Senior was writhing on the ground in agony, as if experiencing some unimaginable torment.
Wu Xiaoxiao, full of fright, was cowering in the corner. Her obese body, like a small mountain, completely filled the corner, yet she seemed unaware of this, frantically kicking her feet against the ground, screaming as she tried to retreat even further away.
Guan Hai's situation was also terrible. He squatted on the ground, clutching his head in pain, ceaselessly shouting words like, "Don't come near me! It was my fault!"
The most terrifying sight, however, was the old butler. Whatever he was experiencing at that moment had made him completely lose control. He was howling hysterically at the air, as if insane. And then, he actually pulled something out of his pocket—a handgun!
And that handgun was aimed directly at Old Master Wu, who was still furiously cursing the male ghost.
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