Chapter 56

The infant abruptly vanished before Gu Yi'an's eyes, but the black square cloth remained on the ground.
Gu Yi'an didn't touch it.
The small coffin on her phone shook slightly, and the sunny doll hanging from her backpack swayed on its own. They were itching to capture the infant spirit, but without Gu Yi'an's command, they didn't dare act on their own.
Gu Yi'an had clearly heard the infant's words, but she had no intention of chasing after ghosts.
For one, it would be a waste of time. For another, she had important matters to attend to, she needed to find her brother Gu Tianjing quickly. She decided to wait for the infant spirit to come to her instead. After all, it had said that if she couldn't catch it, they would come and eat her.
Since the notebook hinted that there wasn't much danger here, and with the little girl and the others by her side, Gu Yi'an wasn't too worried about her safety for the moment. She remained exceptionally calm.
However, this scene appeared quite different to the others in the garden.
The people in the garden looked at Gu Yi'an with pity in their eyes.
They had initially thought this beautiful woman who had suddenly appeared might be a ghost, but now it seemed she was about to be killed by the ghosts that were already here.
They whispered among themselves, thinking they were being quiet.
"It's such a shame that this native is so pretty but is going to die."
"If we weren't in the game, it'd be fun to play with her and see what she's like. Tch."
Gu Yi'an's gaze sharply turned toward the man who had uttered the vulgar remark.
The man, meeting her cold stare, realized she had heard him.
He felt no shame, instead boldly sweeping a lecherous gaze over Gu Yi'an.
The next second, blood suddenly seeped from his eyes.
The man let out a piercing scream, "Ahhh!"
Clutching his eyes, he shrieked, "She gouged out my eyes! Kill her!"
Everyone in the garden had witnessed the entire sequence of events.
Leaving aside the fact that the man's behavior was unjustifiable, the young woman hadn't even moved a muscle before his eyes started bleeding, leaving him in such a wretched state.
Moreover, this woman had appeared out of nowhere.
They were all trapped here, with no way out, so how had Gu Yi'an managed to enter?
It was clear just how bizarre this beautiful young woman was.
They weren't fools and didn't dare to help their companion, instead stepping back in unison, their expressions guarded and wary.
Their eyes were filled with apprehension toward Gu Yi'an.
The man with bleeding eyes was still struggling. In his extreme pain, he stopped covering his eyes and instead strained to listen to the surroundings.
"What are you all standing around for? Kill her!" he roared. "Kill her!"
No one paid him any attention.
Faced with someone of unknown origins who seemed unafraid of the infant spirits, how could they dare to provoke her?
Realizing that no one was helping him attack the beautiful woman, the man clenched his fists and stumbled around, lashing out indiscriminately at those nearby.
Finding himself blind and unable to land a hit on anyone, his rage only grew. He pulled out a tool from his pocket.
The others in the garden, seeing his actions, grew furious. "Have you lost your mind?" they demanded.
This only helped him pinpoint their locations, and he began attacking them with the tool, sending everyone scattering in a panic to distance themselves from the madman.
While the people in the garden turned on each other, Gu Yi'an silently made her way to the entrance leading into the villa.
She had no intention of wasting time on that rabble.
There might have been some clever individuals among them, but to Gu Yi'an at that moment, they were nothing more than a disorderly mob.
Gu Yi'an shook her phone slightly.
The small coffin charm swayed with the motion.
She asked, "Who was it that acted just now?"
That man's eyes had suddenly been gouged out, it could only have been one of the ghosts on her side who had done it.
There was no sound from the small coffin, nor any noise from behind the backpack.
Neither the hanged ghost nor the little girl made a sound, neither daring to admit nor deny anything.
The one who had taken action was most likely the notebook.
The fire dragon was still young; even breathing fire was a struggle for it, so it couldn’t have done something like that.
Gu Yi’an said, "Whoever took action, thank you for helping me. If possible, please make your methods a bit gentler."
Although the man’s words and actions earlier had been unpleasant, they didn’t warrant having his eyes gouged out. Gu Yi’an couldn’t bring herself to resort to such retaliatory measures.
Witnessing that scene left her with mixed emotions.
She and they were different species.
They would harm others to protect her.
But she was human.
Gu Yi’an knew she shouldn’t impose human behavioral standards on ghosts and monsters, but since they were now living in human society, she had to emphasize that they couldn’t casually harm humans, even if their intentions were to protect her.
"Thank you for standing up for me," Gu Yi’an whispered her gratitude.
The small coffin swayed gently, as if expressing its delight.
The villa’s door was tightly shut, with visible marks of being struck, evidence of past hardships. However, this wasn’t something Gu Yi’an needed to worry about.
The moment she pushed the door, the lock inside automatically turned.
She opened the door with ease.
As the door swung open, furious roars immediately erupted from inside the villa.
"Didn’t I tell you lot to get out of my house?"
"Aren’t you afraid the Taoist priest will beat you again?"
"You still dare to come in? Don’t blame me for asking the Taoist priest to take action!"
The male voice sounded somewhat familiar to Gu Yi’an, it seemed to be her brother’s friend, Old Zheng.
Gu Yi’an pushed the door open fully and looked inside.
The entrance faced a window on the opposite side, allowing ample light into the space. This section had no furniture, and she could see numerous bloodstains on the walls and floor, along with drag marks. To the right was the large living room, and from the doorway, she could see all its furnishings.
Gu Yi’an glanced briefly around the living room but saw no one.
She tentatively called out, "Brother Zheng?"
Her voice was cool and distinctive, highly recognizable.
"Sis?"
The previously angry voice shifted to one of exaggerated delight.
"Sis! You’ve finally come!"
Old Zheng was overjoyed to the point of tears.
Immediately, another unfamiliar man’s voice chimed in.
"Be careful, ghosts can take human form. Let me check if she’s really the female cultivator."
Gu Yi’an remained motionless at the doorway.
A head suddenly popped out from the room on the left, a round-faced man looking toward Gu Yi’an at the entrance.
"Emanating a strong ghostly aura, far more powerful than those little ghosts."
"It’s the female cultivator!"
Gu Yi’an recognized the man’s face, it was the chubby uncle she had encountered when buying the peace talisman.
With the chubby uncle’s confirmation, Old Zheng was ecstatic.
"Old Gu, your sister is here!"
His voice suddenly grew louder.
A figure darted out from behind the chubby uncle and rushed excitedly toward Gu Yi’an.
"Sis! From now on, you’re my real sister!"
Gu Yi’an glanced at the figure. His eyes were sunken, with heavy bags underneath, and his hair was disheveled, but she could still recognize him from his facial features, this was Gu Tianjing’s friend, Old Zheng.
Old Zheng sprinted over, arms wide open, as if wanting to give Gu Yi’an a hug.
Although he ran fast, Gu Yi'an's reflexes were even quicker. She sidestepped in time, and Old Zheng lunged into empty air, crashing into the doorframe.
"Ouch."
Rubbing his forehead where it had hit the doorframe, Old Zheng said, "Little sister, how could you reject my warm embrace? You're hurting my fragile heart."
Gu Yi'an ignored Old Zheng's antics.
Based on her understanding of Gu Tianjing's dubious friends, whenever Gu Tianjing stirred up trouble, they usually covered for him like this.
Gu Yi'an asked, "Brother Zheng, where is Gu Tianjing?"
"Old Gu?"
Old Zheng's eyes darted toward the people fighting in the garden.
"He's sleeping. Little sister, come in quickly. Don't let those people inside."
Gu Yi'an took a few steps inside.
Old Zheng swiftly closed the door.
Gu Yi'an looked at him and asked, "Has something happened to Gu Tianjing?"
"He's fine. With Fat Taoist Priest around, nothing can happen to him."
"Ahem!" The portly uncle coughed heavily nearby.
He had just stepped out of the room and happened to hear Old Zheng's nickname for him, immediately feeling displeased.
These young people, they call him Taoist Priest to his face when they need him, but refer to him as Fat Taoist Priest when they don't.
Of course, when the portly uncle noticed Gu Yi'an's gaze, he immediately smiled and said respectfully, "Young lady, for someone so young, your cultivation is quite remarkable."
Gu Yi'an replied, "Taoist Priest, thank you for protecting them these past few days."
"They paid me, so it's only natural that I protect them." The portly uncle didn't dare take credit.
He then asked, "Young lady, how confident are you in dealing with the little ghosts here?"
As he spoke, the portly uncle's gaze fell on the small charm hanging from Gu Yi'an's phone. He could sense a malevolent spirit inside.
Old Zheng added, "There's not just one or two little ghosts, it's a whole group of infant spirits. They even like playing 'drop the handkerchief' and randomly choose who dies."
Gu Yi'an understood, those little ghosts must be the tiny infants who had just thrown the square cloth in front of her.
The portly uncle didn't say much more. In his view, this cultivator before him was highly skilled; she had probably sensed the number and strength of the ghosts here the moment she stepped in.
If he voiced his own judgment, it might interfere with hers.
Gu Yi'an said to Old Zheng, "Take me to see Gu Tianjing, and while you're at it, tell me what you know about those little ghosts."
Old Zheng’s gaze involuntarily shifted toward the chubby uncle.
The chubby uncle said, "The female cultivator came to save her brother. How can she take him away without seeing him in person? Besides, what’s the value of face compared to one’s life?"
With the chubby uncle’s reassurance, Old Zheng said, "Yi’an, actually, well, Old Gu, he..."
Old Zheng hesitated, walking toward the door of the front room. "Old Gu was beaten up, and he’s not in a good mood."
Beaten up?
Gu Tianjing, beaten up by someone?
Wasn’t he always the troublemaker who beat others?
The confusion in Gu Yi’an’s eyes reflected her thoughts.
Old Zheng also knew this contradicted Gu Tianjing’s usual image. He sighed, "Well, there were so many of them, and they knew some strange spells. On our side, only the chubby Taoist was here. No matter how tough Old Gu is, he couldn’t hold them off. But we still managed to drive them out. If they dare to come in, the Taoist will hit them with a spell."
Pride was evident in Old Zheng’s words.
Hearing the last part, Gu Yi’an glanced at the chubby uncle and said sincerely, "Thank you for your hard work, Taoist."
If she wasn’t mistaken, those people were players and likely had many tricks up their sleeves.
The chubby uncle condensed a thousand words into one sentence, "It was hard work, but they paid."
Money makes everything work.
As they spoke, the three of them arrived at the room.
Old Zheng raised his voice, "Old Gu, your sister is here to see you."
He pushed the door open and entered first.
Gu Yi’an followed, scanning the room as she stepped inside.
The room was laid out like a bedroom, straightforward with no place to hide.
Perhaps the person inside knew hiding was pointless.
He sat dejectedly by the desk and greeted Gu Yi’an.
"You’re here."
At first glance, Gu Yi’an noticed Gu Tianjing’s swollen face.
His opponents had been ruthless, his face was bruised and swollen, completely devoid of his former handsomeness.
Gu Yi’an didn’t stare too long, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.
She asked, "Can you tell me about the little ghost you encountered? When it drops the handkerchief and someone has to catch it, how much time do they have?"
The chubby uncle sensed something off from Gu Yi’an’s question.
"Female cultivator, has the infant spirit come for you?"
If the infant spirit hadn’t targeted Gu Yi’an, why would she ask such a specific question about the ghost-catching time?
Gu Yi’an nodded in confirmation.
She had been here for a while but hadn’t gone after the little ghost, though no other spirits had come for her yet.
Gu Yi’an wanted to know how much time the little ghosts gave people to catch them.
Old Zheng stared at Gu Yi’an in shock.
The chubby uncle hesitated, "We haven’t been targeted by the handkerchief drop yet. It might be anywhere from ten to twenty minutes?"
He asked uncertainly, "Female cultivator, are you confident?"
Had he misjudged the female cultivator’s strength? Was the malevolent spirit he sensed not actually a threat in the eyes of the little ghosts?
If the female cultivator were truly powerful, those little ghosts should know better than to mess with her.
Panic flashed in Old Zheng’s eyes. "The ghosts are coming? What do we do? What do we do?"
It hadn’t occurred to Old Zheng that their savior had already attracted the attention of those little ghosts.
From the chubby uncle’s words, it seemed Gu Yi’an might not be confident in dealing with the ghosts.
Old Zheng was at a loss. He began pacing back and forth in the room.
Gu Tianjing, with his face swollen like a pig’s, grumbled irritably, "I told you not to call her over, but you still did."
Old Zheng refused to take the blame. "You were the one who gave your girlfriend’s birth details to the fat Taoist. Otherwise, how could he have performed the ritual?"
Gu Tianjing didn’t dare look at Gu Yi’an. "I was tricked by that fatso," he muttered.
He turned to Gu Yi’an and said, "Don’t worry. If ghosts show up, I’ll be here. I’m not even afraid of the living, why would I fear the dead?!"
"Whether you’re afraid or not is your business. But if ghosts come, what about us? Are we supposed to die with her?" Old Zheng was frantic.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how harsh they sounded.
Gu Yi’an had come here for their sake and ended up being targeted by the little ghosts. He had spoken too rashly in his panic.
Old Zheng quickly apologized, "Yi’an, I don’t blame you. I’m just worried about how to deal with those little ghosts."
Gu Yi’an looked at them calmly. "Everyone, calm down. Since I dared to come, I’ve made preparations to get you all out of here."
She didn’t explain further. Instead, she glanced at the small coffin on her phone and asked, "Who’s willing to go play a game with them?"
The little girl and the hanged ghost were both spirits, they’d probably enjoy playing with the infant spirits, right?
If they could stall or even eliminate those infant spirits, they might be able to leave this place smoothly soon.
"Your Highness, I’ll go! I’ll go!" The hanged ghost’s voice, both excited and grating, rang out.
Immediately, it seemed to realize its mistake and corrected itself, "Your Highness, this humble one will go."
Old Zheng, standing nearby, froze and stared blankly at Gu Yi’an. He had heard the voice coming from her, a distinctly fawning male voice.
Old Zheng shuddered and said to Gu Yi’an, "Little sister, that voice…" It was a bit unusual.
His mind hadn’t quite caught up yet.
The fat uncle, however, breathed a sigh of relief. That voice must have come from a minor ghost kept by the female cultivator. So, she had a fierce ghost in her backpack after all. The female cultivator was more capable than he had thought.
Gu Tianjing, with his pig-like swollen face, fixed his gaze on Gu Yi’an’s back. His sharp ears and strong discernment had picked up that the voice originated from behind her.
Only then did Gu Tianjing truly feel at ease. His little sister really did have some skills.
Don't worry about the four of them being wiped out here.
Gu Yi'an heard the voice of the Hanged Ghost. Based on her understanding of him, this guy was cunning and would never do anything he wasn't confident about.
She said, "Hanged Ghost, go play with them for a while."
"Hehe. Princess Consort, this humble one will definitely keep them entertained."
Gu Tianjing frowned slightly. "Princess Consort?"
The way this ghost addressed Gu Yi'an was strange.
At the moment, the focus was on the life-and-death situation of the four of them, so Gu Tianjing didn't dwell too deeply on the matter.
A white shadow drifted out the door from behind Gu Yi'an.
Old Zheng rubbed his eyes. It seemed like a shadow had just passed by.
Even he, slow as he was, now realized that Gu Yi'an was no ordinary person.
Gu Yi'an said, "Alright, I'll take you out of here."
Old Zheng cautiously reminded her, "Um, there's a ghost wall outside. Little sister, can you break through it?"
He didn't mention that the fat uncle had failed to dispel the ghost wall, not wanting to reopen his wounds.
If it weren't for the ghost wall, they would have left long ago.
Gu Yi'an had come here to rescue them, so she had to appear fully confident to give them assurance.
Thus, Gu Yi'an said, "Just follow me, and you'll see."
Her voice was calm, conveying her trust in her own abilities.
Hearing this, the fat uncle and the other two were mostly convinced by Gu Yi'an.
Gu Tianjing also stood up from his spot.
Seeing that he seemed calmer now, Gu Yi'an asked with concern, "How did you end up fighting with those people?"
Gu Tianjing replied, "It just happened. There wasn't any particular reason."
Old Zheng, afraid his friend would be misunderstood, explained on Gu Tianjing's behalf, "He was worried that when you came, you wouldn't know the situation and wouldn't be able to handle those little ghosts. He thought about exchanging information with those strange people. They've already lost four or five people, so we figured they must know something about those little ghosts. Who knew those things would keep calling us 'natives' and not treat us as human at all? Old Gu got angry, and then the fight broke out."
Old Zheng didn't even regard those people as human anymore, directly referring to them as "those things."
As for those people, more accurately, those players, their attitude toward the people in this world was something Gu Yi'an had witnessed when she first arrived.
It was the first time she had seen players who were so disrespectful toward the characters in the game.
With a big forest, you'll find all kinds of birds.
Gu Yi'an glanced at the swelling on Gu Tianjing's face. It seemed it wouldn't go down today.
As the four of them walked toward the villa's main entrance, they continued talking.
Gu Yi'an asked, "So, did you get any information from them?"
Gu Tianjing said, "Nothing concrete. Those people keep talking about the 'sin of gender' and are chased by those ghosts every day. Since we have the Taoist priest with us, they haven't come after us for now."
Those little ghosts were also bullies who preyed on the weak.
The four of them stepped out of the villa.
The people in the garden had stopped fighting and were now digging up the ground.
When they saw Gu Yi'an leading Gu Tianjing and the other two out, they watched the four of them warily.
Despite his swollen face, Gu Tianjing still had a natural talent for provocation. He said to the people in the garden, "Did you dig up the infant spirits' corpses? Or did you dig up your companions' bodies? Those infant spirits' bones aren't even fully formed. Did you really think you'd find their bodies?"
Hearing this, Gu Yi'an turned to look at the fat uncle.
The chubby uncle knew Gu Yi'an's confusion and explained, "They wanted to find the infant spirit's corpse, thinking they could destroy it through the body. We didn't agree with that proposal."
"The bodies of their companions were devoured by the infant spirit after they died. We only witnessed the scenes of their deaths but didn't actually see where those bodies ended up."
Gu Yi'an's gaze fell to the ground, where a pitch-black square cloth lay.
Typically, such a cloth is used to wipe something.
Its purpose might be in the kitchen.
Gu Yi'an thought of a possibility and said to Gu Tianjing and the others, "I'll send you out first."
"What are we waiting for? Let's go."
Gu Tianjing didn't bother arguing with the people in the garden anymore.
Gu Yi'an glanced at the eager individuals in the garden who wanted to follow them. She didn't say anything and simply walked ahead alone.
Everyone watched as Gu Yi'an's figure reached a certain point and vanished into the air.
Then, Gu Yi'an returned.
Half of her body was visible to them, while the other half was in another space, they could only see half a person, making the scene particularly eerie.
Gu Yi'an knew she looked terrifying like this, but it was to convince them she could lead them out.
"Hurry and get out."
Having witnessed this, Gu Tianjing and the other two understood that Gu Yi'an truly had the ability to take them out.
They quickly passed by Gu Yi'an one after another.
To those in the garden, it appeared as if Gu Tianjing and the others were merging into the air one by one, disappearing from this wretched place.
Someone couldn't help but shout, "Wait! Take us out too."
After Gu Tianjing and the others left, Gu Yi'an didn't move from her spot. She said to these people, "If you want to leave, hurry up."
From the other space, Gu Tianjing called out for Gu Yi'an to come out quickly.
Gu Yi'an avoided his hand and returned to tell him, "These are human lives too; we should bring them out as well."
If she left by herself and ignored these people dying here, she would feel uneasy. Besides, the hanging ghost was still inside.
The players in the garden were conflicted but didn't hesitate, fearing they might miss this chance to survive.
They gathered and ran to where Gu Yi'an was.
One of them, bolder than the rest, said to the others, "I'll go first."
Everyone watched that person.
Just like Gu Tianjing and the others who had disappeared earlier, that person vanished into thin air.
But soon, his head poked back in.
He exclaimed joyfully, "It's real."
With his demonstration, the others quickly followed him out.
Gu Yi'an noticed that the man with bleeding eyes wasn't among them, and there was no sign of his body in the garden either.
Could it be that he had died, devoured by the infant spirits?
Gu Yi'an didn't dwell on it too deeply.
After everyone had left, Gu Yi'an returned to the small garden of the villa.
With the troublesome ones gone, it was time to check on the progress of the hanging ghost's task.
With no one else around, the little girl flew out of the small coffin and landed on Gu Yi'an's shoulder.
Gu Yi'an glanced once more at the handkerchief on the ground.
After a moment's thought, she headed into the villa.
The garden was now empty, silent, and desolate, making it even more eerie.
Gu Yi'an walked in calmly.
Since the villa was a place where people lived, there had to be a kitchen.
After walking a short distance, Gu Yi'an found the kitchen, or rather, she found the hanging ghost.
In the kitchen, the adult male hanging ghost with a long neck was leisurely picking his teeth with his pinky finger, looking quite content.
The hanging ghost immediately sensed Gu Yi'an's approach and quickly reverted to its sunny doll form, floating over to occupy the other side of Gu Yi'an's shoulder. It said, "Your Highness, those infant spirits are disgusting."
"Did you eat all of them?" Gu Yi'an asked.
"No. They're no fun at all. They hid."
The hanging ghost complained that it had only managed to eat half of one infant spirit before the other cunning ones rescued it.
The infant spirits were too cowardly and had hidden in the kitchen. Before Gu Yi'an arrived, the hanging ghost had been planning to search for them.
Hearing this, Gu Yi'an scanned the kitchen's layout and said, "Check the lower cabinets. See if you can find them there."
Following the order, the hanging ghost and the little girl flew over to open the cabinets.
Gu Yi'an observed the spacious, bright kitchen. This place might have once witnessed the deaths of countless infant girls. She hoped the truth wasn't as she suspected.
"Your Highness, I found them. They're huddled here," the hanging ghost exclaimed happily.
With the two ghosts closing in, the infant spirits had nowhere to escape and had shrunk into a corner of the cabinet.
The cabinet was meant for storing pickles and was mostly empty, making it easy to spot the cluster of dark infant spirits huddled together.
They trembled in fear, their eyes filled with terror.
Gu Yi'an said, "Because your parents devoured you, you want to devour others?"
The infant spirits were terrified of the hanging ghost and the little girl. They didn't want to answer Gu Yi'an's question but didn't dare to look at her either.
Gu Yi'an had no intention of forcing them to respond.
She said, "Hanging Ghost, is there a way to give them a place to stay? I want to send them to a temple or someplace similar."
She hoped these infant spirits would be reborn into better lives in their next reincarnation.
"Your Highness, we could make paper dolls. Let them attach themselves to the paper dolls," the hanging ghost suggested immediately.
Paper dolls?
Gu Yi'an didn't have any paper suitable for cutting into dolls on hand.
But it wasn't entirely impossible.
Gu Yi'an thought of a certain notebook.
The notebook had pages that could be used for writing, and those pages would be suitable for making paper dolls.
But who would dare tear pages from that notebook?
Gu Yi'an merely entertained the thought and had no real intention of tampering with the notebook.
Besides, she didn't even have scissors at the moment.
As Gu Yi'an was thinking this, a notebook suddenly flew out before her eyes and hovered in midair.
Could these infant spirits be related to this notebook?
Gu Yi'an watched as the notebook opened on its own, and a line of bold, flowing script appeared on the page.
"Do you like this gift?"
Gu Yi'an: "?" What are you talking about?