Chapter 43

She didn't think so.
Gu Yi'an didn't know what to say.
Was the purpose of a toy to watch the show with Him? To watch people being hunted by ghosts?
As a human, Gu Yi'an grew wary of the Ghost King.
After a while, the four players, disheveled and panicked, appeared in Gu Yi'an's line of sight.
Though it was dark, the light from each household was enough to illuminate their faces.
Behind them trailed hundreds of leisurely, eerily beautiful figures.
Perhaps it wasn't right to call them people, they were more like non-humans with human forms.
Among them were men and women, mostly of adult build.
The players ran ahead while they strolled leisurely behind, yet the distance between them didn't widen; instead, it narrowed.
Just as they were about to catch the players, they deliberately slowed down, letting the players run farther. Even when they could have caught them, they released them amid the players' struggles.
Repeating this cycle, their mockery was evident.
The players, sprinting at full speed, were drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
From a distance, the running players spotted Gu Yi'an standing at the entrance of the ancestral hall.
Bathed in the glow of the lanterns, the beauty stood gracefully at the doorway, looking like a seductive spirit that could steal one's soul.
But at the same time, the players also noticed the Ghost King beside Gu Yi'an.
The armor concealed the Ghost King's true appearance; all they could see was a tall figure, reminiscent of a warrior from ancient battlefields.
The newbie male player's screams abruptly fell silent.
He glanced back at the non-human entities behind them, then resolutely ran toward Gu Yi'an's location.
His screams changed in content.
"Seventh Sister, save me!"
He cried out pitifully, but his movements were lively and energetic.
The other players remained silent, following the newbie male player as they ran toward Gu Yi'an.
Gu Yi'an's gaze swept over the players in the distance.
Sixth Sister had lost an arm. She had treated herself, tying off the wound with her sleeve, perhaps using an item. She was being pulled along by Eldest Brother as they ran, resembling a pair of star-crossed lovers.
Third Brother stayed silently at the rear of the group, occasionally fending off the claws of the non-human entities behind them.
His clothes were the most tattered.
As the distance closed, Gu Yi'an could clearly see their current state.
Their clothes were torn in multiple places, their hair was a mess, likely from friction during their escape, but the only relief was that they were all unharmed.
The newbie male player, panting heavily, pretended not to see the Ghost King beside Gu Yi'an and rushed toward her, shouting repeatedly, "Seventh Sister, save me!"
Just as he was less than a meter away from Gu Yi'an, he slammed into an invisible barrier.
Losing his footing, he fell to the ground with a "thud."
Eldest Brother, Sixth Sister, and Third Brother, who had caught up, witnessed the scene and promptly halted their steps.
Gu Yi'an tried to step forward again.
She, too, encountered the invisible wall.
"Ghost King, you promised to let me leave..."
Gu Yi'an wanted to persuade the Ghost King.
He "looked" in her direction.
The helmet almost completely obscured his face, and his eyes were pure black, making it impossible to tell if he was actually looking.
"I did promise."
The Ghost King did not deny it.
He sounded somewhat disappointed. "There's no show to watch. It's time to go back."
Gu Yi'an had a bad feeling.
She tentatively asked, "You're going back?"
The Ghost King's voice was reassuring. "Don't worry. I won't leave you behind."
Please, by all means, leave me behind.
Gu Yi'an was terrified that the Ghost King would take her back to his tomb.
Her mind raced for a solution as her gaze swept over the distant village road.
The road was empty; the non-human entities had vanished without a trace, as if the hundreds that had appeared earlier were nothing but the players' illusions.
Were they afraid of the Ghost King?
Gu Yi'an reconsidered: since they had disappeared, the Ghost King no longer had a show to watch.
An idea struck her. "Ghost King, would you like me to provide you with a new show?"
The Ghost King sounded intrigued. "You look just like you did when you tricked that little ghost. Are you trying to deceive me?"
He had figured it out far too quickly.
Gu Yi’an's expression remained unchanged as she said, "You've misunderstood. You're seeking entertainment, aren't you? I'm willing to help you find something interesting."
The novice male player nearby listened to the conversation between Gu Yi’an and the Ghost King. He scrambled to his feet and exchanged glances with the eldest brother, third brother, and sixth sister, they were saved.
Although Gu Yi’an was currently restrained by the "ghost," it was clear she held more clues and knew the ghost's weaknesses, giving her the upper hand in the conversation.
After hearing Gu Yi’an's words, the Ghost King seemed to ponder seriously for a moment.
He relented, "Then I'll look forward to it."
The Ghost King's form dissolved into black mist, merging into the darkness.
With the Ghost King's departure, the entrance of the ancestral hall returned to silence.
Gu Yi’an stared at the spot where he had vanished. She hadn't expected the Ghost King to be so easily persuaded. She suspected he might have guessed her intentions and deliberately gave her an opportunity.
After all, he was merely seeking amusement, searching for new sources of entertainment.
In his eyes, Gu Yi’an's act of deceiving him might have been an intriguing spectacle in itself.
"Ahem, Seventh Sister, what should we do now?"
The novice male player deliberately coughed to interrupt Gu Yi’an's thoughts.
He gestured for her to look outside.
Gu Yi’an raised her eyes and saw, less than ten meters away, a dense crowd of non-human entities that had appeared out of nowhere, scrutinizing them.
They emerged far too quickly.
Gu Yi’an wasn't overly panicked by the sight of these beings.
She knew they would appear as soon as the Ghost King left, but they didn't dare approach the ancestral hall, not even touching the door, which demonstrated the Ghost King's formidable presence.
Under the gaze of so many non-human entities, Gu Yi’an asked the novice male player, "Where did you get the hatchet you used to kill the Hanged Ghost?"
The novice male player replied, "I picked it up from the ground. It was rusty."
He thought for a moment and added, "I found it behind a villager's house."
After speaking, a look of belated realization crossed his face. "I understand what you mean. Even though the original villagers evacuated thoroughly, they couldn't erase all traces completely. As long as they lived here, they would have left some clues behind. What we need to do now is search each villager's house again to find new leads."
That was roughly Gu Yi’an's intention, but she had other ideas as well.
Gu Yi’an took out the confession letter she had previously found in the ancestral hall.
The invisible barrier had already disappeared.
She said to the other players, "Take a look at this."
The novice male player reached out first to take it, and the other players tacitly accepted his action.
Gu Yi'an saw this and understood that the novice male player must have demonstrated his abilities during the previous escape, which led the others to defer to him and let him be the first to examine the clue.
The novice male player took the confession letter and flipped through it while asking Gu Yi'an, "Seventh Sister, were you also watching the livestream after entering the ancestral hall?"
Gu Yi'an replied, "Yes, that’s how I saw you chop off the hanged ghost’s head."
Hearing this, the novice male player felt a bit guilty. He said, "I didn’t realize it was bait, deliberately letting us subdue it. Sixth Sister saw it more clearly than I did."
Sixth Sister, who had lost an arm, was pale-lipped. Hearing the novice male player’s praise, she said, "It acted too weak, which was strange."
"It was chasing me earlier, probably because it realized I was the weakest player among us," Sixth Sister sighed.
Hearing this, Gu Yi'an felt a pang of guilt and said, "No."
Sixth Sister looked at her in confusion.
Gu Yi'an explained, "The hanged ghost probably became hostile toward women because I deceived it earlier."
Sixth Sister laughed out loud at the words "hostile toward women."
She said, "The first misogynist I’ve encountered turned out to be a ghost."
She added, "It’s not your fault. The beginner’s hint for this game is 'no one survives.' It seems none of us will make it out. I was its first target only because I’m the weakest."
The novice male player finished reading the confession letter and handed it to Sixth Sister. Then he asked Gu Yi'an, "Who was that earlier?"
He was referring to the Ghost King.
Gu Yi'an said nonchalantly, "The evil god mentioned in the confession letter."
The novice male player could barely maintain his cool expression.
An evil god!
He had just read the confession letter and knew the evil god was arguably the most terrifying entity in this game.
Yet, moments ago, Gu Yi'an had calmly tricked the evil god into leaving.
From this perspective, the evil god seemed rather easy to fool.
The novice male player thought back and said, "I remember you called it 'Ghost King'?"
Gu Yi'an nodded. "That’s what the hanged ghost called it."
The novice male player said, "If the evil god is the Ghost King, then the confession letter says they made sacrifices to the evil god, meaning they made sacrifices to the Ghost King. Seventh Sister, what’s inside the ancestral hall?"
Gu Yi'an roughly understood the novice male player’s line of thought, he was considering the relationship between the Ghost King and the villagers.
She replied, "Beneath the ancestral hall is the Ghost King’s tomb."
The novice male player looked up at the plaque above the ancestral hall, which bore two characters: "Ancestral Hall."
"The Ghost King might be the ancestor of this village."
Gu Yi'an followed his reasoning and said, "Not necessarily an ancestor. It could have been a general or something similar, buried here after death. The villagers of Daguang Village might be its tomb guardians."
The novice male player said, "In that case, the confession letter mentions making sacrifices to the evil god to gain wealth. Could it be that the tomb guardians stole from the tomb, provoking the Ghost King’s anger and bringing down its punishment?"
Gu Yi'an recalled the underground palace she had seen.
At the time, she hadn’t paid attention to the furnishings inside the palace.
Thinking back now, she only remembered the jade coffin.
But there must have been wealth, the countless points of light that served as stars in the sky might themselves be rare treasures.
The novice male player’s bold speculation about the villagers stealing from the tomb had some basis but still lacked sufficient evidence.
The novice male player was well aware of this. After speaking, he pondered for a long while before asking, "What do we do now? Go into the ancestral hall?"
He looked at Gu Yi'an, waiting for her to make the decision.
Gu Yi'an shook her head. "The only clue in the ancestral hall should be this confession letter. It won't give us anything more."
She glanced at the group of non-humans across from them, who were clearly just watching the show, and said, "We need to send them back into their coffins first."
The novice male player muttered to himself, "Should we search the villagers' houses again? I guess that's our only option."
Gu Yi'an turned to Third Brother and asked, "Third Brother, is the Hanged Ghost really dead? Its head was cut off, but maybe it's just temporarily incapacitated?"
The usually silent Third Brother replied, "Ghosts aren't that easy to kill. It doesn't need its head, it can probably reattach it. But we don't have the means to fix it right now."
Gu Yi'an said, "If we revive the Hanged Ghost, they will most likely return to their coffins."
By "they," she meant the non-humans.
As if understanding her words, the non-humans across from them simultaneously revealed eerie smiles.
In truth, with so many non-humans standing there silently, watching them, their gazes filled with bloodthirsty killing intent, it felt as though they might pounce at any moment and tear the players apart.
The novice male player strongly agreed with Gu Yi'an. "I also feel like they're playing a game, one with rules they have to follow. Only when the Hanged Ghost is subdued or incapacitated, unable to broadcast, can the things in the coffins come out and hunt us. Rather than eating us, they seem more interested in toying with us. If we restore the Hanged Ghost's mobility, they’ll probably have to go back into their coffins."
He pointed to his throat and added, "Earlier, to keep them from catching us, I screamed until my throat was almost hoarse."
His voice wasn't actually hoarse, he was the most energetic among the players.
Hearing his words, Gu Yi'an, who had only been speculating before, now felt even more convinced of her theory.
She believed this was a game orchestrated by the Ghost King. First, the Hanged Ghost would hunt people via its broadcast. If the Hanged Ghost was defeated, then the entities in the coffins could emerge.
Such a cruel game perfectly aligned with the Ghost King's desire to watch the spectacle, find playthings, and seek amusement.
Gu Yi'an said, "In that case, Big Brother and Fourth Brother, I’ll have to trouble you to make a trip. Reattach the Hanged Ghost’s head to its body."
The novice male player was puzzled. "Do you plan to tie its head back with something like
Gu Yi'an wasn't entirely sure about this either. Her idea was to let the Hanged Ghost continue running the live stream, believing that under the game's rules, the non-humans would return on their own.
Of course, Gu Yi'an wasn't certain whether her assumption about this game rule was correct.
She could only take a gamble.
After some thought, Gu Yi'an said, "Take it into the ancestral hall. Ghosts themselves likely need ghost energy. The ancestral hall is rich in ghost energy, it can activate the paper phone, so it should also be able to repair the Hanged Ghost's head."
The newbie male player's eyes lit up.
Gu Yi'an's method seemed somewhat feasible.
Since they couldn't think of any better alternatives, they decided to follow her suggestion.
The newbie male player looked at the older brother. "Brother, I'll guide you. Can you manage bringing two people back with you?"
The newbie male player and the Hanged Ghost would count as two people.
The older brother hesitated slightly and glanced at the third brother.
The third brother shook his head. "I can't do it now. I'll draw them away while you bring the Hanged Ghost's body over."
The sixth sister, holding the confession letter in one hand, returned it to Gu Yi'an and said to the other players, "Even though I've lost an arm, I still have some means of self-preservation. I'll go with you to divert some of the attention."
Gu Yi'an remained silent.
She knew her limits, she wasn't fast, nor could she handle so many non-humans. It was better to stay put and wait.
The other players actually preferred Gu Yi'an to stay where she was and not move around recklessly.
She was their anchor; if something happened to her, they wouldn't know what to do next.
After all, Gu Yi'an was the only one who had managed to connect with the Ghost King.
If they could deal with the non-humans in front of them and find a way to evade the Hanged Ghost's attacks, they could safely resolve the situation.
If Gu Yi'an insisted on going with them, it would only complicate things.
The non-humans across from them overheard their conversation and began to look eager.
They understood the players' strategy but didn't care, viewing it merely as the amusing struggles of prey before death.
The players said no more.
They had already developed a tacit understanding during their earlier escape.
Gu Yi'an watched as the older brother, carrying the newbie male player, suddenly leaped over ten meters high, clearing the heads of the non-humans and landing on the rooftop of the opposite building.
The third brother and sixth sister seized the moment, each using their own methods. They charged into the midst of the non-humans, brushing past them.
The village path, once densely packed with non-humans, was now only sparsely populated in the distance.
The non-humans split into three groups: some chased the third and sixth sisters, while others pursued the older brother and the newbie male player.
Gu Yi'an stood in place and flipped through the confession letter again.
This letter glossed over too many things. With so little information, Gu Yi'an couldn't uncover the truth no matter how hard she tried.
Could it really be as the newbie male player had guessed, that the villagers, as tomb guardians, had stolen jewels from the Ghost King's tomb, leading to his punishment?
Suddenly, she noticed a figure appear beside her out of the corner of her eye.
Gu Yi'an turned to look, it was the Ghost King in his armor.
Why had he emerged again?
Gu Yi'an hadn't expected the Ghost King to reappear so soon.
Wasn't he supposed to rest in the jade coffin for a while before coming out?
How could he emerge again so quickly?
Could her assumption be wrong?
A flurry of thoughts raced through Gu Yi'an's mind, but her expression remained unchanged as she simply looked at the Ghost King.
The Ghost King gazed leisurely in the direction of the village path and said unhurriedly, "Is this the new play you mentioned? It is indeed quite interesting."
Gu Yi'an no longer looked at the confession letter either; she turned her gaze into the distance.
Soon, she saw her eldest brother running swiftly, carrying one figure in each hand.
Her third brother and sixth sister, using some unknown tool, barely managed to block the non-human entities closing in behind them.
"Seventh Sister!"
The novice male player shouted urgently.
Gu Yi'an could no longer afford to worry about the Ghost King being right beside her.
She raised her voice and called out, "Throw it directly into the courtyard!"
Eldest brother heard Gu Yi'an's words immediately. With a flick of his hand, the hanged ghost's body traced an arc through the air. Meanwhile, the third brother and sixth sister held off the other non-human entities, allowing the hanged ghost's body to fall smoothly into the ancestral hall's courtyard.
Only then did Gu Yi'an turn her attention to the Ghost King.
"Please forgive our transgressions."
The Ghost King chuckled lightly upon hearing this. "You think I won't hold it against you."
Gu Yi'an had indeed guessed as much, which was why she had acted accordingly.
Since the Ghost King considered her a suitable plaything, as long as she could bring him amusement, a little rule-breaking should be permissible.
A chilling aura coiled around Gu Yi'an.
The Ghost King's figure vanished on the spot, replaced by a black mist that enveloped her completely.
His voice sounded beside Gu Yi'an's ear, "The way you lie is quite entertaining."
His voice was too close, so close it felt as if there was no distance at all.
Gu Yi'an froze in place.
She could no longer perceive any light, entangled as she was in darkness and cold. It was as if she were trapped alone in a tiny world meant only for her, with nothing to rely on but the darkness itself.
From within the darkness, the Ghost King's voice echoed, "I look forward to the next act you bring me."
Before the echoes faded, the black mist retreated into the ancestral hall.
The icy presence quietly receded.
The dim glow from the lanterns returned to Gu Yi'an's vision, but it could not dispel the lingering chill on her body.
The novice male player had only seen Gu Yi'an enveloped by the black mist and then watched as it withdrew, unaware of what had transpired within.
He approached, waving a hand in front of Gu Yi'an, and tentatively asked, "Seventh Sister, are you alright?"
Gu Yi'an wiped the cold from her lips with the back of her hand.
Still composed, she said, "Let's go into the ancestral hall and check on the hanged ghost."
Gu Yi'an turned and pushed open the door to the ancestral hall.
Her brisk and decisive actions struck the novice male player as odd. "Why does Seventh Sister seem even colder than before?"
The light from the lantern outside the door illuminated the courtyard.
In the very center of the ancestral hall’s courtyard, countless vines were tangled together, and something was struggling within them.
But as Gu Yi'an approached, the vines seemed to sense the arrival of an enemy. They abandoned their hold on the trapped entity and instead turned their attention to Gu Yi'an, adopting a defensive posture.
They dared not approach her, instead rising like snakes, their tips held high while their bodies writhed and retreated in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, the vines in the courtyard vanished, hiding away in the corners.
"Haha, I, the Hanged Ghost, am back!"
The Hanged Ghost, with its neck and body reunited after freeing itself from the vines, shook its neck and brimmed with renewed vigor.
Suddenly, it sensed something amiss in its surroundings.
"Why is there the aura of a Ghost King? Ghost King, I didn’t mean to trespass into your territory..."
It turned around with extreme humility.
But when it looked, there was no trace of the Ghost King ahead, only the person standing at the entrance of the ancestral hall!
Especially the one at the front, the most beautiful of them all, was the very person who had tricked it before. The Hanged Ghost was so furious its nose twisted in anger.
"You actually dared to impersonate the Ghost King to deceive me!"
Gu Yi'an calmly watched it.
The Hanged Ghost demanded, "How do you have the Ghost King’s aura on you?"
Gu Yi'an avoided answering and instead gestured for the player "Third Brother" behind her to step forward.
Without waiting for her reply, the Hanged Ghost figured it out on its own.
This woman was already a sacrifice to the Ghost King, so it wasn’t strange for her to carry the Ghost King’s aura.
Third Brother, armed with numerous tools, flung out a prop, an infinitely extendable rope, and bound the Hanged Ghost.
The Hanged Ghost failed to dodge in time and was tightly ensnared by the rope, which wrapped precisely around its neck.
The Hanged Ghost grumbled, "How dare you tie me up? I’m telling you, your doom is near."
Ignoring its words, Gu Yi'an tossed her paper phone to the Hanged Ghost and said, "Use my phone and start your livestream."
The Hanged Ghost, who had been arrogantly spouting threats just moments before, immediately fell silent.
Its eyes, which were entirely white, somehow managed to produce black pupils.
It said in disbelief, "You’ve captured me, and now you want me to livestream? Are you out of your mind?"
She was nothing but a sacrifice to the Ghost King!
The Hanged Ghost stood firm, declaring, "I’d rather die than livestream!"
Gu Yi'an listened calmly to the Hanged Ghost’s words and asked, "Are you finished?"
Her composure made the Hanged Ghost uneasy.
Having been tricked by this woman before, it was, to be honest, a little afraid of her.
Did she have another trick up her sleeve?
The Hanged Ghost cautiously glanced at Gu Yi'an, raising its voice but lacking confidence as it said, "No. I’m telling you, "
"Open the livestream," Gu Yi'an interrupted.
Her voice was cold and devoid of emotion, a simple statement, yet it inexplicably instilled fear in the ghost.
The Hanged Ghost thought to itself, "I’m a ghost, why should I be afraid of a human?"
Even if she was a sacrifice to the Ghost King, it wouldn’t be intimidated!
Besides, with the Ghost King’s mark on her, she wouldn’t survive the night.
The Hanged Ghost refused outright.
To prove its resolve, it tore the paper phone Gu Yi'an had thrown at it right in front of her.
The Hanged Ghost wore an arrogant expression as it shredded the phone.
"You, a mere sacrifice, dare to order me around?"
Gu Yi'an watched its movements, glanced at the debris on the ground, and smiled faintly as she said to Third Brother beside her, "Third Brother, kill it."
Her tone carried not a hint of murderous intent.
The Hanged Ghost was stunned.
It quickly blurted out, "I'm telling you, if you kill me, they will come out!"
Gu Yi'an paid no mind. "This is the ancestral hall."
Those non-human entities wouldn't dare enter, and they could always restore the Hanged Ghost again.
The Hanged Ghost froze in disbelief.
Gu Yi'an repeated, "Third Brother, kill it."
Third Brother had been closely watching Gu Yi'an and the Hanged Ghost all along, already prepared. Upon hearing Gu Yi'an's words, he immediately activated his tool without hesitation.
The long rope abruptly tightened, strangling the Hanged Ghost's neck. In no time, its head fell off once more.
This time, the break was far more gruesome than when the novice male player had hacked at it with a firewood axe, it had been violently torn apart.
Gu Yi'an didn't bother looking at the rolling object on the ground.
Third Brother walked over and reattached the Hanged Ghost's head to its body.
The novice male player stood behind Gu Yi'an, watching the scene unfold. He shook his head and sighed, "Why make it so difficult? Wouldn't it be easier to just cooperate?"
Though he said this, his gaze toward Gu Yi'an was filled with admiration.
From the moment Gu Yi'an entered the ancestral hall, it was clear she had successfully gained the Ghost King's support, causing the vines in the hall to avoid them.
This allowed them to easily subdue the Hanged Ghost without worrying about the creatures emerging from the coffins.
Before Gu Yi'an arrived, they had been utterly humiliated, chased around by those beings.
But the moment Gu Yi'an appeared, they immediately turned the tables and now finally had a new direction.
Sixth Sister and Big Brother stood behind Gu Yi'an, watching the events unfold in the ancestral hall, feeling a sense of vindication.
They had finally managed to get back at the Hanged Ghost.
Earlier, they had been completely toyed with by it.
They had thought it foolish and weak, only to realize it had been scheming all along.
Now that the Hanged Ghost had died once more in front of them, they felt much more at ease.
The ancestral hall was thick with ghostly energy, and the Hanged Ghost's neck visibly regenerated at a rapid pace.
Sixth Sister remarked, "What a shame we didn't attach its head backward."
"Would it still grow back if the head was on backward?" the novice male player asked curiously.
"Sixth Sister said, 'I'm not sure about that.'"
Third Brother stood guard over the hanged ghost. The moment its head could move again, he promptly used his own prop rope to tie it around the hanged ghost's neck once more.
This time, with its neck tightly bound, the hanged ghost fell silent.
Although it couldn't die even after losing its head, the experience of losing it twice in a row was hardly pleasant.
It wasn't exactly seeking out suffering, after all.
Wisely, the hanged ghost chose to remain silent.
Gu Yi'an looked at it and asked, "Do you know how to fix a phone?"
Her voice was cool and detached, her tone as casual as before, as if she were merely making small talk.
The hanged ghost didn't dare underestimate her now.
Earlier, she had looked just as innocent and harmless, tricking it into helping with the phone and then ordering someone to remove its head.
Pretty women were all liars! All demons!
The hanged ghost didn't respond.
Seeing its uncooperative attitude, Gu Yi'an wasn't annoyed.
She smiled faintly and glanced at Third Brother beside her. "Third Brother, if you would."
Third Brother cooperated seamlessly with Gu Yi'an, making a show of using his prop again to tighten the rope.
"Wait! I know! I know how to restore the phone!" the hanged ghost hurriedly cried out to stop Third Brother from proceeding.
It really didn't want to lose its head again.
The hanged ghost was genuinely terrified now. This time, it acted immediately, making a pulling motion with its hand. The torn pieces of the paper phone flew over from various spots on the ground and reassembled themselves.
In no time, a complete paper phone appeared in the hanged ghost's hand, its screen already lit up.
Now that the phone was restored, Gu Yi'an said calmly, "Start the livestream."
At this point, the hanged ghost didn't dare defy Gu Yi'an's orders.
This woman didn't hesitate to make a ghost die if she said so.
With a mournful expression, it tapped into the livestream room.
The newbie male player eagerly presented his own paper phone for Gu Yi'an to see.
Gu Yi'an saw that the hanged ghost's livestream now displayed the scene of it standing in the ancestral hall.
It had used her phone to start the livestream.
It was being obedient now.
Gu Yi'an gave a slight nod, somewhat satisfied with the hanged ghost's performance.
But the hanged ghost itself was far from satisfied.
As it looked at the lively barrage of comments in the livestream and the number representing each ghostly viewer, a wave of sorrow washed over it.
"Fellow ghosts, I'm the hanged ghost. I'm livestreaming..."
It couldn't bring itself to say what it was livestreaming, only staring at the paper phone, hoping its ghostly friends would come to its rescue and free it from the humans' clutches quickly.
Unfortunately, the ghostly viewers had no idea about the hanged ghost's current state of mind. They were furious.
"Look at you, you got us sent back again. How could you get caught so easily?"
"I came here to watch you catch humans. The humans are here, so hurry up and catch them already."
"You must have lost your brains when you hanged yourself. Weren't you supposed to be catching people?"
"Hurry up and get us out again. We want to play too."
The ghostly viewers were exasperated, angrily sending barrage comments.
The hanged ghost read the comments and wanted to defend itself.
"It's not my fault! The Ghost King is on her side. The ghost energy in the ancestral hall is at her disposal."
If it weren't for the Ghost King helping her, would it be in such a miserable state?
Who else but this Ghost King's sacrificial offering would throw it into the ancestral hall and use the ghost energy there to repair its severed head?
Anyone else who entered the ancestral hall would be dead beyond dead!
The ghost energy in the ancestral hall couldn't be manipulated without the Ghost King's permission. Its recovery was entirely thanks to the Ghost King.
In all the years the Hanged Ghost had been a ghost, this was the first time it had ended up in such a miserable state, all because of that "connected individual."
And to make matters worse, it was the Hanged Ghost itself who had sent this connected individual to the Ghost King.
The Hanged Ghost was filled with regret.
The ghostly audience in the live stream, hearing the Hanged Ghost still trying to make excuses for itself, were absolutely furious.
"You promised a live stream of catching people, but instead, you ended up being the one caught on live stream."
"The streamer is too weak; you don’t deserve to be a ghost."
The Hanged Ghost was kicked out of the ghost team by the angry ghost audience in the live stream.
Gu Yi'an was reading the live stream comments.
The ghost audience in the live stream were likely the non-human entities from the coffins in the villagers' homes.
She actually thought they seemed more like new types of anomalies rather than traditional ghosts, but in this world, they were probably referred to as "ghosts" or "supernatural beings," belonging to the same category as ghosts.
Most of the comments from the ghost audience said they were heading back, but there were still one or two gloating remarks.
Judging by their tone, they didn’t seem to be the same non-human entities from the coffins.
Could there be other ghosts or supernatural beings in this village?
That probably wasn’t possible.
If there were, they would have already emerged, just like the non-human entities in the coffins.
Gu Yi'an suppressed these thoughts and turned to the other players, saying, "Let’s head out and check the outskirts of the village."
The novice male player, upon hearing this, said, "The chances of finding a way out by going to the outskirts are slim; it’s most likely a waste of effort. We might have no choice but to stay here and play their games."
The older brother frowned and said, "What if we try to eliminate the ghosts in the coffins and this Hanged Ghost?"
As soon as he said this, he realized he had been thinking too hastily in the heat of the moment.
There were so many ghosts and supernatural beings, the five of them couldn’t possibly eliminate them all. Moreover, these beings had a way to communicate through the paper phones, so they wouldn’t just stay isolated in one place, waiting for the players to pick them off.
If the players actually tried to take action, it was far more likely that the ghosts and supernatural beings would swarm them, wiping out the players completely.
In that scenario, it would be a true "no survivors" situation, with all players eliminated.
The older brother said, "I was mistaken. Between searching for clues in the villagers' homes and going to the outskirts, we should choose one."
The novice male player said, "Let’s go to the outskirts."
He had been the one to question Gu Yi'an’s suggestion earlier, but now he was the first to agree with her.
Sixth Sister said, "Since we’re going to spend time either way, searching for clues in each villager’s home is too draining. Let’s check the outskirts first; we can always come back and search later."
Third Brother also said, "Let's head outside the village."
Out of the five, four were inclined to check outside the village. As for the eldest brother's opinion, he didn’t even need to voice it.
Gu Yi'an looked toward the village road stretching into the distance, merging with the darkness beyond.
No one knew what lay hidden in that distant gloom.
Gu Yi'an declared, "Let's go."
She was the first to step out of the ancestral hall's gate.
As she left, a sense of danger quietly crept from the shadows of the hall.
The eldest brother and the other players sensed it and hurriedly followed Gu Yi'an.
The Hanged Ghost had overheard the players' discussion.
It sneered, "You still want to go outside the village? You won’t make it out!"
"Do you even know what’s out there? Hah! You’ll regret it!"