Your Mother, King Zhou!

Yang He leaned against the ruins, showing no intention of leaving the fish's stomach.

As it stood, the safest place in all of Peibai City was the fish's stomach, and Old Man Yang wouldn't be returning to the earthen house for several days.

[Ghost in the Stone: 5/5 (0%)]

"A full five chances to enter the Lore World."

"Ghost in the Stone..."

Yang He carefully recalled Investiture of the Gods. The only thing related to stones was Shi Ji.

Hmm, his impression was of the big villain from the cartoon. Shi Ji seemed to be formed from a stubborn rock, but he felt it wasn't that simple.

The five chances for the Ghost in the Stone clearly indicated a greater danger than the Ghost Lotus. Shi Ji's status wasn't high enough for that.

[Mundane Item: Stone Born of Stone]

[Associated Lore: 〈Ghost in the Stone〉, consume 1 Spiritual Vision to enter the Lore World?]

"Confirm."

[Please select the identity you will play in the Lore]

Three faces appeared before Yang He, along with the faint silhouette of a Daoist Initiate.

[Temple Priest (White): The Five Lights Temple is renowned far and wide, located in the outskirts of Chaoge. A large number of officials and dignitaries come to offer incense daily. You are a newly arrived temple priest, responsible for consecrating mundane items.]

[Stonecutter (White): Chaoge needs to sculpt a batch of divine statues to be sent to the Five Lights Temple for consecration. You, as a long-term laborer collecting stone materials, are led to an abandoned mine.]

[Hunter (White): You are alone in the outskirts, searching for stray prey, only to discover that the mountains and forests are eerily silent, and the wild beasts have vanished.]

"The background is Chaoge? The stage is huge, maybe I'll get to meet Li Jing."

Yang He's expression was complex. Chaoge City was the capital of the Shang Dynasty and the center of the chaos in Investiture of the Gods. He wondered what would be involved.

He noticed the information on the permanent characters, which also hinted at the unusual nature of the Ghost in the Stone.

[Corpse Daoist Initiate: You are a true disciple of Qianyuan Mountain. While descending the mountain for cultivation, you pass through Chaoge and notice that the city seems to be preparing for a festival.]

[Permanent characters require an additional 25 Spiritual Vision]

[If no identity is chosen, you will enter the Lore World in your true form]

Yang He frowned, muttering keywords, "Chaoge festival, consecration of divine statues, the incense-filled Five Lights Temple..."

"Although it's a Temple Priest, it's clearly the Buddhist consecration path. Strange."

"I can't figure it out. Logically, there shouldn't be Buddhist temples in Investiture of the Gods."

Yang He's gaze swept past the Temple Priest. This identity's scope of activity was limited to the Five Lights Temple, making it unsuitable for investigating the Ghost in the Stone's reality at the start.

"I'll play as the [Stonecutter]."

[Consume 2 Spiritual Vision to teach the identity 〈Stonecutter〉 the Qi Gazing Technique?]

"Confirm."

Yang He hadn't brought any Potential Ghosts and didn't think his first trip to the Ghost in the Stone would go smoothly.

[Stonecutter (Green): Chaoge needs to sculpt a batch of divine statues to be sent to the Five Lights Temple for consecration. You, as a long-term laborer collecting stone materials, can clearly sense that the abandoned mine you are heading to is unusual, thanks to your family's inherited Qi Gazing Technique.]

Yang He's consciousness blurred, and he woke up no longer in the Main World.

Inside the dim mine, only an oil lamp cast light. The surrounding rock walls had a rough and eerie color and texture.

Pat.

A water droplet fell from a stalactite.

Yang He's pupils focused, feeling the pupil ghost within him rejoice. After all, the concentration of yin qi in the two worlds was worlds apart.

The pupil ghost greedily absorbed the external yin qi, and blood vessels extended across its whites.

"Yang He, this is your first time going down a mine, right?"

A man in his late forties or early fifties led the way in front of Yang He, holding an oil lamp in one hand and a bronze chisel in the other.

"Mm, are there any rules?"

The Stonecutter Yang He was playing was only about twenty years old. Judging by the thick calluses on his palms, he was clearly from a humble background.

"Rules? Rules are dead, people are alive."

The man took a deep breath and added, "Remember not to be surprised. Going down the mine in the middle of the night like this is bound to disturb ghosts and gods."

"Why in the middle of the night?"

Yang He could already sense something unusual, and his Spiritual Vision began to grow after a long absence.

"You can write a few words, but you don't understand as much as I do, Wang San. The yang qi is heavy during the day, aren't you afraid the old woman in the stone will come alive?"

Yang He's mouth slightly opened, realizing this trip was far more than just digging for stones.

"Recently, at least twenty to thirty groups of stonecutters have gone into the deep mountains. We're not greedy, just digging up one... stone is enough to make our fortune."

Wang San held the oil lamp above his head, feeling his way forward.

"Foreman Liu should be looking for suitable stones already. I wonder if he's found any."

"We're almost there."

There was no wind in the mine, yet the flame of the oil lamp flickered restlessly. At the same time, Yang He smelled a scent wafting towards him…

The scent of rouge?

"Brother Wang, do you know if there's any festival happening in Chaoge recently?"

"A festival? The Myriad People Prayer Festival isn't for a few more months. I heard the Great King himself will be offering incense, but I don't know if that's true."

Yang He pondered for a moment. Just as he was about to ask more, he saw an old man approaching quickly.

"Wang Er, did you bring the white cloth? If we don't cover those old women soon, all ten of us will die here!"

"We brought it."

Wang Er took out over a dozen folded white cloths from his embrace.

"Let's go!"

Foreman Liu led the two of them rushing deeper into the mine.

[Spiritual Vision: 108.9 points]

Yang He walked for a while, and the speed at which his Spiritual Vision increased became more intense.

The three arrived at a downward opening and noticed four stonecutters with vacant expressions, their legs trembling uncontrollably.

"The white cloths are here, you…"

Foreman Liu's face changed drastically. "The old women in the rock walls have come out?"

"O-one has come out."

"I told you not to take your eyes off them! As long as you stare at the old women, they won't come out of the rock walls!"

Yang He felt increasingly unnerved. Using his pupil ghost, he peered into the cave.

A horrifying sight met his eyes.

The rock walls on both sides of the cave were covered in blood. The rock formations appeared human-shaped, as if living people were imprisoned within the mountain, sending chills down his spine.

From different angles, the human-shaped structures seemed to be slowly twisting their bodies.

It gave the illusion that they could break free from their restraints at any moment.

Foreman Liu was sweating profusely. "What are you all standing around for? Cover the old women. Fortunately, it's late at night, so the old women that come out won't gain sentience."

Everyone quickly complied, using rivets to secure the white cloths to the rock walls.

This made them resemble corpses covered in white cloth in a morgue. One could even see the chests of the human-shaped structures subtly rising and falling.

"Once the old women leave the rock walls, it takes three days for them to calm down and return. We can only retreat from the mine to rest for a day or two, otherwise…"

Yang He's eyelids twitched wildly. His pupil ghost had already spotted a figure in the darkness.

The figure was graceful and slender, standing motionless. Its face lacked features, but a line of bloody tears seeped from its eye sockets.

"What the hell is that thing?"

In a flash, the figure in the darkness disappeared.

Yang He could no longer bother with niceties and asked, "Are the old women in the stones prepared for the festival? What festival is it?"

Foreman Liu glanced at Yang He.

"You've already seen the Stone Crone, and you don't even know Empress Nuwa's birthday.

Wang San licked his lips and said, "The fifteenth of the third month is Empress Nuwa's birthday. This year is her centennial, so we need to carve 108 statues from the Stone Crones to offer to heaven."

Yang He had already guessed which chapter of Investiture of the Gods the Ghost in the Stone came from.

"Let's hurry, we…"

"It's too late," Yang He interrupted.

His pupil ghost scanned the surroundings. The Stone Crone had, at some point, appeared behind Wang San.

Before Wang Sandu could even react, his neck had twisted 180 degrees.

His corpse fell backward, bloodstains splattering the rock wall. It seemed a new Stone Crone was being born. The others fled the mine in terror.

"We're going to die anyway!"

Yang He grabbed his pickaxe and frantically struck the Stone Crones covered by white cloth. Then, he felt an icy arm grab his neck.

He gouged out the Stone Crone's eyes, and half a breath later, his head hit the ground heavily.

"Damn you, King Zhou!"

[Your character 〈Stonecutter〉 has died. Roleplay of the Lore has ended]