Novels online

Chapter 907: Change

The rural townships and villages that once comprised Lecheng were now entirely desolate. With the vast majority of residents having relocated to the city, their abandonment was an inevitable outcome.

Within an abandoned small town, a figure appeared. As he gazed at the surrounding collapsed and dilapidated houses, and the ground overgrown with trash and weeds, he couldn't help but voice a complaint.

"That old man, really. He just had to send me out alone to hunt ghosts, claiming it was to enrich my combat experience, enhance my adaptability, and boost my courage. Heh, with the world in such a mess, and me with so little power, isn't he worried I’ll run into danger?"

The one complaining was none other than Wu Junior, who had undergone considerable changes recently.

The last time the Wu Family suffered a major upheaval, Wu Junior himself nearly lost his life. While that incident was a huge blow, it wasn't the true catalyst for his transformation. The real reason he decided to change was Old Master Wu's blistering, closed-door reprimand after Wu Junior moved into Yang Haoran's villa.

At the time, Old Master Wu had ripped into him, calling him utterly worthless, a spendthrift, a good-for-nothing, and the Wu family's karmic retribution. Wu Junior hadn't taken any of it to heart then, for he had grown up under a constant barrage of such scolding and had long since become indifferent.

However, Old Master Wu's final words on that occasion made him instantly snap to attention.

Old Master Wu told him that if, one day, he, his father, were to die—to be utterly scattered to the winds—and Wu Junior had no strength, how would he survive in this world?

But this time, it was different.

He had just personally witnessed his family's tragic demise right before his eyes, yet he had been utterly powerless, trembling with fear. Hearing those words again, therefore, struck him with considerable impact.

He realized he was not only incapable of protecting his family but couldn't even protect himself. He felt his own insignificance, and he felt fear. Because he was afraid of death, terribly afraid of death, he did not want to die.

If he wanted to avoid death, then he absolutely had to acquire strength—the strength to survive in this world.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, he suddenly awakened. He felt that he truly needed to make some changes; he couldn't remain a good-for-nothing for his entire life, letting others mock him, his own family look down on him, or even enduring his father's constant reprimands.

And so, his transformation began.

For some people, a single event or even a single sentence can often bring about a sudden realization, causing their entire personality and conduct to undergo enormous changes.

Though Wu Junior hadn't transformed completely, he had undeniably changed a great deal. At the very least, his direction had shifted, and the path beneath his feet had changed as well.

Wu Junior grumbled under his breath as he surveyed the small town. He had come here today, just as he had complained, because Old Master Wu had arranged for him to do so.

According to the information Old Master Wu had received from the Spirit Police, there was Yin Qi present in the town. However, this Yin Qi wasn't strong; judging by its intensity, it should only be a slightly more powerful Wánglíng.

A Wánglíng of this caliber, besides being able to scare people, didn't possess much destructive power. Wu Junior's strength wasn't considered great, but dealing with a Wánglíng of this level presented no real issue.

Old Master Wu knew this perfectly well, which was why he dared to send Wu Junior alone to perform this task. A ghost of this level was perfectly suited for Wu Junior to hone his skills; it would not only improve his practical combat ability but also bolster his courage, killing two birds with one stone.

Judging from the dilapidated buildings, a great battle must have occurred in the small town previously, as traces of conflict were visible everywhere.

As for what caused this great battle and how many people died in the town, Wu Junior naturally had no way of knowing. But one thing was certain: there were no living people left in the town. The entire place was deathly quiet, exuding an incredibly oppressive atmosphere.

"This godforsaken place is both remote and dilapidated; it would be strange if it didn't attract ghosts," Wu Junior remarked.

Wu Junior spoke as he looked around, his tone a little flippant, making him seem not entirely serious.

He did indeed sense the presence of Yin Qi here, but it was broad daylight, specifically high noon, and the blazing sun hung high, dealing a fatal blow to the Yin Qi in this place, rendering it extremely faint.

If it weren't for the fact that he was a Night Watcher, inherently extremely sensitive to Yin Qi, he wouldn't have been able to sense such a faint trace at all.

"Heh heh, what a coincidence," he mused. "If I had arrived just a little later, the Yin Qi here would surely have been completely purged by the sun, and then it would have been quite difficult for me to find this fellow's hiding place."

Wu Junior said with a chuckle, then closed his eyes, carefully sensing the faint Yin Qi in the air, hoping to pinpoint the ghost's hiding place.

After about the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, Wu Junior opened his eyes, his gaze fixed in a certain direction.

"Heh heh, found you."

As his words fell, Wu Junior's body suddenly sprang up, landing atop a dilapidated house. With several more leaps, he arrived at the heart of the small town, stopping before a ruined two-story building.

Outside the ruined building lay a small farmhouse courtyard. However, this courtyard no longer held its former warmth, with only the desolation of overgrown weeds remaining.

Compared to the courtyard's desolation, this ruined two-story building was even worse. Not only was it utterly dilapidated, but it was also covered in green vines, with weeds even sprouting from cracks in the walls. It gave off a feeling that was not just desolate, but utterly chilling.

Standing outside, looking in, it was a gaping black void. Even the intense midday sun couldn't dispel the pitch-black darkness within. The half-collapsed doorway gaped like a devouring maw, waiting for prey to walk right into its trap.

The Yin Qi Wu Junior had sensed emanated from this dilapidated two-story building. He was a hundred percent certain that a ghost resided within, and this ghost was precisely the target of his expedition.

Though certain the ghost was inside, he didn't immediately step into the ruined concrete building. Instead, he stood outside, his face a picture of internal conflict.

He paced outside for a full ten minutes, yet Wu Junior still didn't step into the ruined building. The reason for this was entirely his fear.

He was inherently timid, and even after becoming a Night Watcher and gaining some power, it hadn't made him significantly braver.

He had always feared ghosts, and especially after being terrified by Ning Longyang once, his trepidation towards such unique entities had only deepened. Even now, he still hadn't emerged from that shadow.

Although he had encountered many ghosts—Yang Haoran's villa even housed one—he knew Xiujuan was one of their own and wouldn't harm him, so he didn't fear her much.

But other ghosts were different. His fear of them hadn't completely vanished just because he had seen many now. To put it bluntly, he was still too timid, which was why he had so long been unable to conquer his inner dread of ghosts.

"The last time I went alone to guide a Wánglíng, it nearly scared me to death," he thought. "This time, the ghost's appearance before death might be several times more terrifying than the last one!"

Wu Junior thought to himself. He, who had previously seemed so flippant, now not only wore a serious expression but even had beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

He paced back and forth, contemplating a countermeasure. After a few more minutes, he stopped, and a helpless sigh escaped his lips.

"Sigh," he murmured. "It seems I can only grit my teeth and go in, just like last time. Besides this, I genuinely can't think of any other way. If there truly were any feasible method, I should have thought of it last time. Since there isn't, racking my brain here is useless; in fact, the more I think, the more afraid I become."

If this were the old Wu Junior, encountering such a situation, he would never have been racking his brain trying to find a solution here. He would certainly have run away without a second thought, hiding as far away as possible lest he be scared half to death.

But the current Wu Junior had, after all, changed significantly. He was no longer the person he used to be, so he was thinking about how to solve the problem, rather than how to escape.

It's just that, to his utter exasperation, he hadn't managed to think of a single good solution.