Anomalies (continued)

You wish!

Si Huaruo spat, but stopped trying to persuade Si Ming to leave. She continued walking alongside him, explaining, "If I'm not mistaken, the real culprit behind this incident is probably a 'Ghostly Monsters'."

"Ghostly Monsters? You mean haunted places?"

"They're not ghosts, but Ghostly Monsters, or even 'Anomalies' if you prefer. They're peculiar beings from the Hide-and-Seek Forest, skilled in illusion and sorcery, causing phenomena similar to hauntings. They usually trap people and then drain their life force; some even devour Essence Blood. They're called Anomalies because their methods often defy common sense and are difficult for normal people to understand, leaving them helpless."

"Judging from your tone, it seems you have a solution?"

"Since they are called Ghostly Monsters, it is because their characteristics are very similar to those of ghosts. Therefore, they can be dealt with using Divine Dao Arts. And the Shaman School are good at communicating with the gods through dance, so they naturally know several ways to deal with ghosts."

"Can't ordinary martial arts kill him?"

"It's difficult because these Ghostly Monsters are immortal. Even if their heads are smashed, they can still revive. Special methods are required."

"It sounds a bit like a ghost story, but since it can smash heads, it proves it can hit the opponent. So the so-called immortality is unbelievable. Do you think they can be resurrected if you grind them to ashes?"

Si Huaruo poured cold water on the idea, saying, "Some Ghostly Monsters certainly can."

Undeterred, Si Ming continued his analysis, "So where does this resurrection come from? It can't be something created out of thin air, right? As long as we find its source, we can cut it off. If it's a physical body, we'll destroy it; if it's Yin Qi, we'll disperse Yin Qi; and for something like a bound spirit, we'll destroy the buildings and the land. Supernatural things are generally useless."

In his previous life, Si Ming couldn't get into supernatural novels because he thought the ghosts in them were utterly useless. No matter how much the authors depicted the terrifying atmosphere or highlighted the ghosts' power, it couldn't change the fact that they wouldn't dare let ghosts cause trouble in Zhongnanhai.

Or to put it another way, the author dared not let the government know about the existence of ghosts.

If ghosts were truly powerful enough, they should have taken over and ruled the human world. Instead, the ghosts in those supernatural stories often sneak up in the corners of society, afraid to make their presence known. They even break cameras and other equipment before they can cause a ghostly disturbance, so they don't dare to leave a record.

To be honest, if Si Ming were a character from a supernatural novel, and he were being haunted by a ghost, his first reaction would be to try to find someone to help him get in touch with officials and live with them, to see if the ghost would dare to kill the government officials as well. Or he could simply organize an event, gather a hundred or so people to live in the square, and have everyone broadcast live. In short, he would expose the matter and let the whole world know.

It's easy to imagine that once the government learns of the existence of ghosts, the next step would be to capture them, study their contents, organize scientists to research their secrets, find ways to control them, or even create them, or perhaps, by analogy, develop paranormal technology.

If ghosts could be subdued, they could be captured and used as workers. They wouldn't need to eat, drink, or be paid wages; they would be the perfect source of labor for capitalists, and might even trigger the Third Industrial Revolution.

Of course, if it were written like that, it wouldn't be a supernatural story anymore. Therefore, ghosts are destined to be useless, only suitable for a small circle, unable to withstand scrutiny, and not fit for serious discussion.

Since this world is ruled by martial artists, it proves that the so-called "Ghostly Monsters" are nothing more than a minor ailment and not worth worrying about.

Seemingly sensing Si Ming's thoughts, Si Huaruo hurriedly said, "It's not as simple as you think. Ghostly Monsters all come from the Hide-and-Seek Forest, and there aren't many of them. Usually, when they are discovered, everyone will stay far away from that area because Ghostly Monsters only move within a specific range, and they will disappear automatically after a while. These are secrets known only to the higher-ups of the aristocratic Aristocratic Clan. To avoid panic and damage to Nation of Beauty's image as a tourist destination, everyone has joined forces to block the news. I only learned about these things when my mother was drunk and talking nonsense."

Si Ming pondered, "That's why you insisted on coming out tonight to save people. The school might just ignore everything, seal off the old campus, and wait for the Ghostly Monsters to disappear on their own."

Si Huaruo admitted, "How to deal with Ghostly Monsters is a rule set by many Aristocratic Clan. Although there was a safety issue, it can't be blamed on the school. If they want to save people, the Zhu Lineage has to take action themselves. So the most likely outcome is that the Zhu Lineage will cooperate with the school to release false information, such as that Zhu Xuanhuai has been successfully rescued, but has been left with psychological trauma and wants to transfer to another school..."

The Zhu Lineage is only a second-rate Aristocratic Clan, and it is almost impossible for them to invite a Spirit Transformation Grandmaster to help. Whether it is worthwhile to risk the lives of the family's experts to save a daughter is entirely up to the Zhu Lineage to decide.

To be honest, it's almost impossible. The Zhu Lineage is Aristocratic Clan, not a nouveau riche family, which means that many family members carry on the bloodline. Zhu Xuanhuai is not an only child. Her father may be reluctant to sacrifice her, but the Lineage would definitely be.

As they were talking, the two arrived near the old school building. Seeing that there were only three ordinary martial artists patrolling at the entrance, Si Ming knew that Si Huaruo's guess was correct. The school obviously did not intend to rescue people, but only wanted to seal off the area and wait for the Ghostly Monsters to disappear on its own.

"Let's sneak in together, but don't get spotted."

Si Huaruo used a special footwork technique, her body twisting and turning as if she had become a shadow, or as if she had merged with the moonlight. She passed right in front of the three martial artists without them noticing.

This is the Shaman Steps, one of the three great martial arts of the Water Mirror Manor. It is also a tradition of the Shaman School. Later, it was taken away by the Daoism, who modified it and transformed it into the Steps of Yu. In addition to dodging and weaving, it can also summon spirits, exorcise evil, and welcome the true.

This footwork was quite ingenious. Si Ming was unable to learn it using his sudden enlightenment talent, but he was not troubled. He activated his Carefree Wandering skill, Xiaoyao You, and flew through the air, silently entering the teaching building of the old campus.

"Come with me."

Si Huaruo made a hand gesture, and then, seemingly using some kind of detection method, purposefully led Si Ming upstairs.

Soon, the two arrived at the door of a large classroom.

"The lingering scent of Zhu disappeared here. It seems there's something wrong with this classroom; perhaps Ghostly Monsters is hiding inside. Be careful."

After reminding Si Ming, Si Huaruo took a deep breath, pushed open the classroom door, and glanced inside. But there were only ordinary desks and chairs, nothing special.

She hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the classroom, saying to Si Ming, "I'll go in first, you stay outside and keep watch. If anything happens... How did you get in!"

Si Ming, "I am your personal bodyguard, of course I must protect you closely, there is no reason for me to let you take any risks."

"This isn't about who's in danger. If you stayed outside, at least the people inside would have a way out. Now that we're both inside, what if something unexpected happens, like the door suddenly locking... When did the door close!"

Si Ming turned his head and saw that the classroom door was indeed closed, even though it hadn't been closed when he came in, and he hadn't heard it close at all afterward.

"What is this, a locked-room murder?"

Just as Si Ming was about to throw a punch with his left hand to see if he could forcefully break down the room, he suddenly saw a shadow flash past the window on the other side, which was not a corridor.

There's something over there.

Si Huaruo also noticed the shadow that flashed past the window. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a little girl's head.

The little girl would occasionally peek out from under the window and then drop back down, as if she couldn't reach the height and was jumping up to look into the classroom. And with each jump, she would improve her score by one point.

"I remember, we were on the fourth floor, right? That's not the corridor..."

Si Ming had always thought that he was highly skilled and brave enough to be terrified by ghosts, but after experiencing it firsthand, he discovered that even something beyond common sense could still send chills down his spine and make his hair stand on end.

Si Huaruo on the other side was also so frightened that she couldn't speak. Her body was obviously very stiff. Although she was full of confidence before coming, this was actually her first time encountering Anomalies.

Outside the window, the little girl jumped higher and higher, revealing more and more of herself—first her hair, then her forehead, eyes, nose, mouth... all reflected in the window.

Her face was blue, and her large eyes were blank and lifeless as she stared at the two people in the classroom. Her lips were very red, as if they were smeared with blood.

When her entire head appeared outside the window, she suddenly grinned, and then—

"What are you doing, dancing like a ghost?! You're scaring people to death, you know?"