Chapter 4, The Mass Grave

"Jian Nan Ge, is that really you?" The young ghost looked at Ye Jian Nan with fear.

The old hag's malevolent spirit floated in, her feet seemingly devoid of any moving steps. In an instant, she was upon me, her gaping maw lunging forward once more

In an instant, cries of horror erupted, and the group of approaching evil spirits, shouting, fled one by one

"This is my home, where do you want me to go?" The woman spoke, her voice chilling and causing a shiver, the sound echoing as it spread out into the emptiness around.

Ye Jiannan slowly stood up, clutching his stomach, which felt as if it were being devoured by countless insects. According to the teachings of the Maoshan technique, he should have been afflicted by a seductive poison. However, fortunately, he had prepared in advance and hurriedly fished out a talisman from his pocket, swallowing it down forcefully.

"I beseech the Peach Wood Sword Deity to descend and patrol the realms of heaven and earth, fear not those who harm me..." As the incantation reached this point, a storm had already descended. Ye Jiannan was struck by the storm and was sent flying, and at that moment, the incantation was also interrupted.

The old ghost of face-changing let out a piercing howl that shattered the heavens, causing the surrounding grass and trees to tremble. A fierce wind arose, sweeping up the autumn leaves and forming a storm that flew horizontally towards Ye Jiannan.

"Jian Nan Ge, I am leaving first. You must be careful, they will definitely come looking for revenge against you..." As he spoke, Xiao Mao transformed into a beam of green light and vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye

The malevolent spirits behind, sensing the situation was dire, immediately transformed into green smoke and, in a flash, fled into the distance.

At that moment, a strange cry came from a distance, the sound faintly reaching us

The original intention was to make him retreat in the face of difficulty, but this little rascal took it seriously. Ye Jiannan tried every possible way to persuade him, yet he paid no attention at all. Moreover, he retorted, "I know you also like Yang Su, but do you dare to bring back a piece of a dead man's bone from the mass grave? You wouldn't dare, would you? I dare!"

He hurriedly bit his hand, letting a drop of blood fall onto the peach wood sword, and sprinkled the prepared boy's urine onto the sword. At this point, it must be mentioned that the source of Ye Jiannan's boy's urine was from himself.

Evil spirits surged forth, dozens of them appearing before Ye Jiannan in an instant, with rigid arms, menacing fangs, and gaping maws dripping with blood closing in on his face.

Ah

However, he was merely bolstering his own courage, telling himself that he was no longer an ordinary person, and that he had a peach wood sword for protection, along with yellow talismans for safeguarding, which would deter any ghosts from approaching.

Wow, Ye Jiannan spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body had already fallen over a hundred meters away

"I am the substitute they captured, I can no longer be reborn," said Xiao Mao, as two crystal-clear tears streamed down his pale face.

"Xiao Mao, how could it be you?" Ye Jiannan gazed at the familiar face he had not seen for over a decade, and a wave of memories surged in his heart

Ye Jiannan was greatly alarmed; although the protective spell could fend off ordinary malevolent spirits, it was powerless against such an unusual form of attack

"Xiao Mao, I will save you, do not cry. When I reach the level of spiritual communication, I will take you to queue in the underworld..." Ye Jiannan said anxiously

At that moment, a purple light flashed across the horizon, and in the line of sight, a bright light floated towards us

With the talisman consumed, the overwhelming sensation of being devoured by myriad bacteria diminished significantly, and I regained a bit of strength in my body

"Jian Nan Ge, it is useless. They have already taken control of my soul vein, and I have become a puppet, destined to be a wild ghost that can never be reborn..." After confirming Ye Jian Nan's identity, Xiao Mao was no longer afraid. However, the sorrow in his tone and eyes evoked a sense of pity in Ye Jian Nan

This method of administration is not without effect; it simply yields suboptimal results. Controlling the malevolent toxins should not pose any issues. It is advisable to use a proper detoxification method upon returning.

The four bearers quickly stopped the sedan chair in front of Ye Jiannan, and as the woman lifted the light veil, a snow-white face suddenly appeared before him

At that moment, he narrowed his eyes and shouted at a patch of grass in the distance: "Come out!"

"How come you are here? Why haven't you been reincarnated yet?" Ye Jiannan asked in confusion. Xiao Mao had been dead for twelve years, and by common logic, no matter how long the queue, it should have been his turn by now.

Ye Jiannan opened his eyes and saw a peaceful light surrounding him, a light that reached up to the sky, enveloping Ye Jiannan within it

"A trivial skill, let us all join in, let us deal with this little rascal!" The woman suddenly changed her expression, transforming into an old hag with snow-white skin, protruding fangs, and deep wrinkles on her face, measuring at least one centimeter in depth

... ...

He sighed and turned to leave. After taking a few steps, a sudden gust of cold wind blew by, and a leaf from a thousand-year-old tree drifted past him.

Ye Jiannan could not help but feel a sense of disappointment; it turned out that there were no ghosts here at all. It seems that this world truly lacks the existence of ghosts, and his father's return from the afterlife must have been nothing more than a dream

As soon as these words were spoken, a trembling child ghost emerged from the bushes

... ... I serve the Supreme Laozi, urgently as commanded—" Ye Jiannan closed his eyes and recited the incantation loudly.

Ye Jiannan suddenly turned around, and behind him stood a row of people, some without heads, some without eyes, some missing arms and legs, and some with faces covered in blood. However, there was one thing in common: all the ghosts had an unusually pale complexion. In the night, those white faces were particularly striking.

Ye Jiannan trembled all over; at this moment, to say he was not afraid of ghosts would be hypocritical. It was his first time encountering a ghost, and at such a close distance, how could he not be afraid

The female ghost rolled a few times, suddenly flew up, and with a flash of her body, disappeared into the night: "I will definitely return, kid, just you wait"

Ah

A quarter of an hour later, Ye Jiannan stood on the already withered grass, as the chilly autumn wind, mixed with the faint sounds of frogs, filled the entire environment with an eerie atmosphere

In fact, the proper method of consumption should be to ignite the talisman, take a bowl of pure water, burn the talisman to ash, and mix it into the water to ingest. Currently, there is no pure water or bibliographic water available, so this is the only way to address the urgency.

It was close, only a distance of one hundred meters. Ye Jiannan saw clearly that it was indeed the legendary Four Ghosts Carrying a Palanquin. On it sat a woman, dressed in white, who appeared ethereal as she floated gently in the breeze, her face obscured by a light veil, making her features indistinguishable

The death of Xiao Mao has made the forgotten mass grave terrifying once again. There are various opinions about it, and later the school used him as an example in educating children. The mass grave has turned into a forbidden area, and as night falls, no one dares to enter it anymore

Ye Jiannan took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his face. He had won this battle by sheer luck, and he must never act so recklessly again. It seems that these ghosts are not as simple as he had imagined. The relationship between sorcerers and ghosts is certainly not that of natural enemies like cats and mice. It appears that ghosts do not fear sorcerers, and only powerful sorcerers can defeat all evil spirits

Ye Jiannan was taken aback, feeling a chill in his heart, and faintly sensed that someone was following him from behind. Although there were no footsteps, that feeling grew increasingly intense.

However, this reason was quickly shattered, as the female ghost moved like a gust of wind, her feet barely touching the ground. In an instant, she was close to Ye Jiannan, her pale face only about one meter away from him

"Bold demon, upon seeing this sorcerer, why do you not quickly step aside!" Ye Jiannan instinctively took a few steps back

Is this really a ghost? Ye Jiannan hurriedly drew the peach wood sword from his back and coldly stared at the group of spirits

Xiao Mao did not return after he left. The next day, someone in the village discovered that he had crashed into a tree, his eyes wide open as if he had been excessively frightened

Ye Jiannan did not hesitate at all, performing a backward roll and standing three meters away. This entire process was completed in the blink of an eye, showcasing the advantage of special forces. The speed was so astonishing that even the female ghost was taken aback. Such agility is beyond the capability of an ordinary person; this movement was not only swift but also impressive, resembling more of a performance than a mere escape.

The ghost in front of him is known to Ye Jiannan, whose nickname is Xiao Mao. They are in the same class and are very close friends. When they were young, Xiao Mao was surprisingly bold. He once made a bet with Yang Su that if he dared to bring back a piece of a dead person's bone from the mass grave, Yang Su would agree to be his girlfriend.

Wow! The woman let out a tragic cry as she was burned by the yellow talisman. The yellow talisman suddenly ignited flames on the face of the female ghost, and the woman screamed while rolling on the ground

"If I can use you as a substitute, I will be able to be reborn," the female ghost laughed ominously. A stream of blood tears flowed from her two eyes, particularly striking against her snow-white face. Suddenly, her eyeballs popped out, floating in front of Ye Jiannan, and her mouth opened wide, as large as a washbasin. That blood-red mouth instantly lunged towards Ye Jiannan.

Go to hell!" Ye Jiannan shouted, aiming the yellow talisman in his hand at the opponent's cheek and pushing it out with force

Ye Jiannan paused for a moment, quickly drawing a circle on the ground, and then a cross in the middle: "Heaven protects my body, Earth protects my body, the Twelve Yuan Chens protect me, and Lord Lingguan protects me all over..."