Ge Wenyi, who had been about to say something more, saw Qin Hao sitting to the side in silent contemplation. Knowing Qin Hao was likely thinking something over, he said no more and simply sat in his chair, quietly watching him.
It was only after a while that Qin Hao emerged from his thoughts. He slowly raised his head and spoke.
"Uncle Ge, where was the last place you encountered those ghosts?"
At Qin Hao's words, Ge Wenyi's brows drew tight, as though he had guessed why Qin Hao was asking.
"Little Hao, could it be that you want to—"
"No, no! It's too dangerous."
Guessing what Qin Hao intended to do, Ge Wenyi immediately refused.
Seeing Ge Wenyi's attitude, Qin Hao knew the man was only concerned for his sake. Ge Wenyi was simply worried that he lacked the strength.
So, Qin Hao decided not to conceal his strength any longer. An imposing aura slowly surged from within him.
Jiang Tianlong, seated opposite Qin Hao, seemed to sense something. Every hair on his body instantly stood on end, and he abruptly lifted his head to look at Qin Hao before him.
Once he confirmed that the aura he sensed belonged to the young man before him, a trace of disbelief appeared in his eyes. He could not believe that this presence, which even made him afraid, was being emitted by this youth.
Jia Ye, meanwhile, happened to sense the aura radiating from Qin Hao. A helpless expression crossed his face. He could neither flee nor escape, so he could only sit there silently and wait to be ravaged.
Qin Hao's aura slowly spread in all directions.
In an instant, the entire room seemed to be shrouded by some unknown force. The objects in the room began to shake violently.
Ge Wenyi, seated in the place of honor, felt the aura as well. He hurriedly looked toward Qin Hao below him. Qin Hao was the source of this aura.
Ge Wenyi's face was filled with shock.
He had never expected Qin Hao to possess such a terrifying aura at such a young age. He could clearly sense that the owner of this aura could kill him in an instant!
Seeing everyone's reactions, Qin Hao slowly withdrew his aura.
The moment Qin Hao retracted his aura, everyone felt the pressure weighing upon them suddenly vanish. Jia Ye, seated beside Qin Hao, began gasping for air in huge gulps.
Having sensed Qin Hao's aura, Ge Wenyi knew that Qin Hao had already surpassed Jiang Tianlong, the county's chief constable. Even if he encountered that Ghost cultivator from before, he would be capable of protecting himself.
Still, Ge Wenyi wanted to confirm Qin Hao's intentions once more, so he asked, "Qin Hao, are you truly going?"
Qin Hao answered with a serious expression, "Yes. Uncle Ge, don't worry. Even if I can't defeat them, protecting myself won't be a problem."
Hearing Qin Hao's firm answer, Ge Wenyi no longer tried to dissuade him. "All right, then be careful. Especially of those rats lurking in the shadows!"
Now that Ge Wenyi knew Qin Hao's strength, he was no longer worried about the ghosts. Instead, he worried about the Ghost cultivators hiding in the dark, uncertain what other tricks they still had up their sleeves.
"Since you've decided to go, take Constable Jiang with you. The two of you can look out for each other."
For safety's sake, Ge Wenyi still decided to have Jiang Tianlong accompany him. Although Jiang Tianlong's injuries had not fully healed, they were no longer a serious concern.
Qin Hao was somewhat surprised to hear Ge Wenyi suggest that Jiang Tianlong accompany him. He hesitated. "Constable Jiang? But haven't his injuries not fully healed yet?"
No sooner had Qin Hao voiced his doubt than Jiang Tianlong slowly rose to his feet. He cupped his hands toward Qin Hao and said, "Please do not worry, Lord Qin. This humble one's injuries have mostly recovered and are no longer a concern. I can lend you a hand."
Jiang Tianlong was no longer as cold as he had been when he first met Qin Hao. Instead, he was filled with respect, showing that he now acknowledged Qin Hao's strength.
Seeing Jiang Tianlong's attitude, Qin Hao found it difficult to say anything more. He cupped his hands in return and smiled. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Constable Jiang."
Ge Wenyi nodded happily at the sight. With Qin Hao's help and Jiang Tianlong alongside him, they should be able to deal with those ghosts.
"Uncle Ge, it's getting late. Those ghosts should be appearing soon. We should make our preparations early."
Qin Hao had already risen to his feet. He could hardly wait; it had been quite some time since any attribute points had come in.
Seeing Qin Hao's excited appearance, Ge Wenyi shook his head with a broad smile. "Hahaha, in all these years, this is the first time I've seen someone so excited to go slay ghosts."
Then he looked down at Jiang Tianlong and nodded.
Receiving Ge Wenyi's signal, Jiang Tianlong nodded back, then looked at Qin Hao and said, "Lord Qin, follow me. I'll lead the way."
With that, he started walking ahead.
Qin Hao bade Ge Wenyi farewell and followed in Jiang Tianlong's footsteps.
Jia Ye hurriedly followed Qin Hao as well. He had not wanted to go at first, but after thinking it over, he still felt that Qin Hao's side was safer.
He ran to Qin Hao's right, his face solemn as he said, "Brother Qin, are we really going? Can just three of us manage it?"
Hearing this, Qin Hao teased, "Oh? Is Brother Jia planning to show off his skills today too?"
"Hehe, you jest, Brother Qin. I'll just stay by your side and join in the excitement."
Jia Ye said this with a reddened face.
Qin Hao felt that taking Jia Ye along was not particularly safe. He himself was thick-skinned and sturdy, so it was fine, but Jia Ye might not be so lucky.
So he advised, "How about this, Brother Jia? Go back to your residence first. Once I've cleared out these ghosts, I'll have Constable Jiang lead the way and come find you."
Hearing this, Jia Ye thought for a while. Indeed, if he went, he might end up dead. It would be better to wait for Qin Hao at home.
"Mm... then I'll await Brother Qin's arrival at home. This little brother will take his leave first." After thinking it over, Jia Ye still decided that waiting at home for Qin Hao would be safer.
With that, he headed off in the opposite direction.
After Jia Ye had gone far away, Qin Hao and Jiang Tianlong sped off in another direction. Without Jia Ye along, the two of them moved several degrees faster.
After Qin Hao had raced along for more than ten minutes, Jiang Tianlong, who had been leading the way, stopped before a dilapidated manor. Qin Hao came to stand beside him as well.
A plaque hung above the manor gate, bearing four large characters: Zhang Family Manor.
The manor before them appeared especially eerie and terrifying. The decorations at the entrance were battered beyond repair, and the lanterns hanging there were badly damaged, swaying in gusts of chilling wind.
Qin Hao looked around. Everything was silent, utterly devoid of life. This had originally been a residential district, yet on the way here, Qin Hao had discovered that not a single home within a radius of one kilometer had any lights on.
It was obvious that all the surrounding residents had been deliberately evacuated.
At that moment, Jiang Tianlong stared at the manor before them with tightly furrowed brows and said in a grave voice, "This is the place. The ghosts are hiding inside the manor."
Hearing Jiang Tianlong's words, Qin Hao carefully examined the house before him. When he saw the words Zhang Family Manor, they seemed very familiar.
After thinking for a moment, Qin Hao suddenly remembered. When he had been preparing to enter the city, Li Kang and his wife seemed to have mentioned this courtyard. It seemed that the first reports of hauntings had begun here.
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