Chapter 77: Illusion
When the butler pointed the gun at Old Master Wu, Old Master Wu seemed to sense it. He turned around, just in time to see the dark muzzle.
The butler had followed him for many years, and he was sure of his unwavering loyalty. He, in turn, had treated the butler well, long regarding him as a brother, a part of the Wu family.
He didn't believe the butler would do anything to harm him. Yet, with the butler now pointing a gun at him, he knew this was all under the male ghost's control, completely unrelated to the butler himself.
"Old Butler, calm down, calm down! Don't be impulsive!"
Old Master Wu roared, hoping this method would bring the butler back to his senses.
However, his roar had no effect whatsoever. Instead, it only made the butler more frantic, his expression growing increasingly twisted. The arm gripping the gun trembled uncontrollably, threatening to fire at any moment.
It had to be said, Old Master Wu was indeed a capable man. He directly faced the unknown fear and overcame it, which was why he could still remain clear-headed at this moment. However, he overlooked one problem: his ability to confront and conquer his inner fear didn't mean everyone else present could do the same.
"They've all fallen into their own illusions," Wang Yiming roared. "This ghost wants to use a borrowed knife to kill, we must stop him immediately!"
Wang Yiming roared, but no sooner had his voice fallen than the butler, completely lost in his own illusion, pulled the trigger.
The bullet spewed forth, and Old Master Wu quickly dove to the side.
Though Old Master Wu was old, his reaction was incredibly swift. It was as if he had experienced many such incidents; the moment he heard the gunshot, his body instinctively reacted.
The first shot missed, and the butler fired a second time at Old Master Wu. Yet, at that very moment, Yang Haoran suddenly appeared before the butler, his right hand wreathed in black smoke as he grabbed at empty air.
The bullet didn't hit Old Master Wu, but Yang Haoran seemed to have caught something. With a flick of his hand, as he dispersed the Spirit Power from it, a still-smoking bullet head dropped to the ground.
Immediately after, Yang Haoran snatched the pistol from the butler's hand. Without the pistol, the butler's threat significantly diminished.
However, at that moment, Wu Xiaoxiao, Guan Hai, and the others began to self-harm. As if possessed, they regarded themselves as enemies, violently attacking themselves, striking themselves with whatever they could get their hands on.
Wang Yiming had originally intended to seize the opportunity to trap the male ghost, but seeing this scene, he could only abandon his attack on the male ghost and quickly rushed towards Wu Senior.
Ma Ling rushed towards Wu Xiaoxiao, and Yang Haoran rushed towards Guan Hai.
"Hee hee hee hee hee hee," a sinister and terrifying laugh echoed from the male ghost floating in mid-air. He looked at the chaotic scene below, appearing quite satisfied.
"You can take your time rescuing them. We'll meet again soon. Hahahaha!"
As his words fell, the male ghost's wild laughter echoed throughout the entire villa, and his illusory body gradually faded.
Yang Haoran restrained the frenzied Guan Hai, then looked towards the male ghost, his gaze instantly turning extremely cold.
As if sensing Yang Haoran's gaze, the male ghost looked at him just before he disappeared. He bared his teeth in a smile, licked his lips, and his eyes revealed a greedy glint.
Yang Haoran had seen this expression on the female ghost's face before.
They coveted the Yin Qi on his body, or rather, the Spirit Power within him.
The Specters he had encountered in the past were almost all relatively weak. He had met a few slightly stronger ones, but they couldn't compare to these two ghosts he faced today, neither in experience nor daring.
The male ghost vanished, hiding away just like the female ghost before him. With the male ghost's disappearance, the illusion that had bewildered Guan Hai and the others also faded.
Without the illusion's influence, Guan Hai and the others gradually began to regain their senses. However, their emotions were still highly volatile; even without the illusion's effect, their emotional fluctuations remained intense.
After about ten minutes, their emotions gradually calmed down, but their faces still showed lingering expressions of fear.
"Old Master Wu, I'm truly sorry for the harm you've suffered."
Wang Yiming's expression showed a hint of guilt as he spoke to Old Master Wu. Although his words were directed at Old Master Wu, they were meant for everyone present from the Wu family.
At this moment, Old Master Wu was being supported by Wu Xiaoxiao. Old Master Wu's expression was grave, while Wu Xiaoxiao's face was pale, clearly still shaken.
As for the Old Butler, he stood bowed beside Old Master Wu, his expression filled with remorse and self-reproach. He now knew he had almost shot Old Master Wu, and although Old Master Wu hadn't blamed him, he felt immense distress.
Facing Wang Yiming's apology, Old Master Wu forced a slight smile and said, "You warned me long ago that the ghosts in the house would be difficult to deal with, yet I insisted on staying. This incident is my fault; it has nothing to do with you, so you needn't blame yourself."
The more Old Master Wu spoke this way, the more Wang Yiming blamed himself. He sighed and said, "I hadn't anticipated that there would be two ghosts in this villa, and both of them so powerful. This was my oversight."
"It's still daytime, and the ghosts' power is suppressed," Ma Ling spoke up at this moment. "If it were night, with the Yin Qi growing heavier, their power would be enhanced, making them even more difficult to handle!"
It would have been better if Ma Ling hadn't spoken. The moment she did, Wang Yiming immediately turned his criticism towards her and Yang Haoran.
"Old Master Wu hired more than just me, yet from the two of you, I've seen not the slightest value."
"I just said, if you couldn't handle it, I would step in! But you just had to act like you could control the whole situation. The result is, your power has truly disappointed me."
Wang Yiming spared no mercy, and Ma Ling likewise had no intention of giving him face, their words clashing like needles.
"Fine then! If you're so capable, you go! I'll stay here and protect them. You go subdue those two ghosts and show me! " Wang Yiming said, his face flushed with anger.
"I'll go then, I'll go! I really do have the ability to subdue them. If you don't believe me, just wait and see! " Ma Ling didn't back down an inch, her face brimming with confidence.
Seeing the two bickering, Old Master Wu wanted to intervene and mediate, but before he could utter a word, Yang Haoran, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
"Perfect timing!"
His voice was low and cold, leaving everyone baffled. They all turned peculiar glances towards Yang Haoran.
At this moment, Yang Haoran had dropped the smile that usually graced his face, his expression grim. He ignored the peculiar gazes fixed on him and, with a darkened face, extended his left hand.
Old Master Wu and the other ordinary people didn't immediately grasp what Yang Haoran intended to do, and they found his current actions utterly perplexing. However, Wang Yiming and Ma Ling seemed to sense something, their gazes locking onto the ring on Yang Haoran's left little finger.
Under their watchful eyes, streaks of Yin Qi rapidly coiled around the ring. Immediately after, the gem embedded in the ring suddenly detached, then rapidly expanded before their astonished gazes, transforming into a fist-sized orb.
This orb was none other than a Soul-Gathering Bead.
It turned out that what had been embedded in the ring wasn't a gem at all, but a Soul-Gathering Bead.
Yang Haoran had learned that Soul-Gathering Beads could shrink during his last submission of souls from other Night Watchers. To conveniently use it at any time, he had embedded the Soul-Gathering Bead in his ring.
The appearance of the Soul-Gathering Bead appeared merely magical and unbelievable to Old Master Wu and the others. However, Wang Yiming and Ma Ling saw something else entirely, and their expressions both changed.
"This seems to be. . ."
Wang Yiming murmured to himself, his expression a mix of shock and uncertainty. But Yang Haoran offered no explanation. He seemed to have discovered something. With a darkened face, he swept his left hand, and the suspended Soul-Gathering Bead instantly shot forth like a struck tennis ball, hurtling towards a certain direction.
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