Outsiders! Stay Away from the Lamp Mansion Festival

"Hey!"

Hu Xingde finally caught his breath. As his head cleared, fear surged back in.

He looked at Ji Wu and Xu Zhou in terror. "Where are we? Those things—those things were ghosts, weren't they?"

"You know how to get out of here, right?"

"Come on, tell me!"

"I don't want to die!"

Now that his mind had cleared of the emotions clouding it, all he could think about was staying alive.

Seeing how agitated he was, Ji Wu didn't scold or blame him. He'd seen plenty of people react this way when they first encountered something supernatural or found themselves in an abnormal situation.

Most couldn't stay calm. They panicked and clung desperately to the Contract Anomalists who could protect them.

It was only natural.

Even rookie Contract Anomalists could feel afraid and hesitate when faced with the supernatural.

And when confronted with powerful, unbeatable entities, even experienced Contract Anomalists could feel utterly helpless, fall into despair, or even want to give up.

Ji Wu had even seen many Contract Anomalists who couldn't overcome their fear and ended up giving in to despair.

"Please, try to stay calm!"

Xu Zhou tried to soothe him.

"Calm down? What do you know? This is hell, isn't it? We're in hell! If we don't figure something out soon, we'll never get back!"

Hu Xingde's face flushed red with panic. He grabbed Ji Wu, convinced that the older man, who seemed so steady and mature, was the one in charge.

"Hell?" Ji Wu looked at Xu Zhou. "What do you think?"

"Though it's faint, there really is a trace of supernatural energy in that Funeral Procession. It's so faint that if the ghosts hadn't disappeared and left a little residue on their clothes, I doubt I'd have noticed it."

"I didn't notice it earlier, either."

Ji Wu hadn't contracted a ghost, but he was Adaptive, a type particularly sensitive to the supernatural. He could detect traces that ordinary people couldn't, though not as precisely as a Contract Anomalist.

This time, the ghost had hidden itself so well that it fooled both Ji Wu and Xu Zhou, a Contract Anomalist.

Either it had a special ability, or there was something wrong with this Ghost Domain.

"What a pain!" Ji Wu said, troubled.

If they really were inside a Ghost Domain, and it had perfectly recreated everything on Anyang Island over such a wide area, then it couldn't possibly be an Incomplete Ghost Domain.

Truly powerful ghosts could easily spread their Ghost Domains across an entire city.

Judging by its range and size, this one could already be considered a Semi-Complete Ghost Domain.

And it didn't even have to be a Semi-Complete Ghost Domain. Even an Incomplete Ghost Domain, like the one with the Ghost Infant last time, would have trapped him and Xu Zhou if Bai Zuo hadn't stepped in.

"Why hasn't that little brat shown up yet!" Every time, Bai Zuo's recklessness infuriated Ji Wu.

Hu Xingde clung to his leg. "You don't know how to get out? You must have some way, right?"

"Do something! I don't want to spend another second in this hellhole!"

Xu Zhou gave an awkward smile, but wisely didn't tell him that they were just as stuck. It wouldn't help if he started making a scene.

"Um, how about we try going back the way we came? Didn't we come in over the bridge?"

Xu Zhou had chased after his mother's silhouette and crossed the stretch of White Mist on the bridge without much trouble.

Unlike Ji Wu, who had spent ages lost in the White Mist, he hadn't realized it was so difficult to get through.

Ji Wu said, "We'll probably need something special to pass through that White Mist."

"I followed you onto the bridge, but I got lost in the White Mist. No matter how I walked, I couldn't get out. It also drained my strength, making me tire much faster."

"If I hadn't met an old man carrying a lamp who led me out, I'd probably still be trapped in there."

Xu Zhou was astonished. "The White Mist is that strange?"

As soon as Hu Xingde heard there might be a way out, he shouted, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's find a lamp. If we can't find one, we'll steal it. Let's just get out of here!"

"Then let's go find those Lantern Bearers and see if they'll sell us a lamp."

The three of them set off together.

As they walked through the silent city, they kept feeling as if something was watching them from the shadows. But whenever they turned to look, there was nothing there.

The farther they went, the more uneasy they felt.

Hu Xingde was so terrified that he wanted to stick right beside the other two.

"There's light up ahead!"

Strings of red lanterns stretched out like a long dragon, swaying as they drifted along the street.

Just as they were about to approach—

A young woman wearing a white mask stepped in front of them. "Hey! Outsiders! Stay away from the Lamp Mansion Festival."

Xu Zhou and the others stopped.

"Us? Outsiders?"

The girl lifted her chin slightly. "Hmph! I can tell at a glance you're outsiders. You were lured in by the souls reflected by the Lamp Mansion Festival, weren't you?"

Ji Wu wasn't annoyed. Instead, he smiled warmly and asked, "Little girl, what is this Lamp Mansion Festival you mentioned?"

"The Lamp Mansion Festival is a ceremony held to worship the great Lord Yama! Everyone from Anyang knows that. You outsiders should leave quickly! Once the ceremony is over, you'll never get out."

Xu Zhou asked, "Do you know how to leave?"

"Of course. Light a Soul Lamp. Its guidance will keep you from getting lost."

She looked them over and understood. "Looks like you don't have any Soul Lamps."

"Lucky for you, I'm feeling kind! Come with me!"

Ji Wu raised an eyebrow. Xu Zhou followed his lead, but Hu Xingde went along without a trace of suspicion, his face alight with joy at the thought of finally leaving.

Ji Wu felt the weapon at his waist. He was suspicious of the girl's sudden appearance, but decided they should follow her and see what happened.

If they really could get a Soul Lamp, they might have a chance to escape.

The two of them followed her.

The girl led the way to a shop with a sign that read "Incense, Candles, Joss Paper."

A middle-aged man with a limp came out of the shop. He had a thick beard and drooping eyelids, and looked half-asleep.

"What is it?"

"These people want to buy Soul Lamps."

Uncle Zhang glanced up and casually took a dusty red lantern from the shelf. "One price. Ten thousand."

Hu Xingde thought it was a little expensive, but this was his only hope of getting out, so he immediately rushed to pay. "I'll pay! I'll buy it!"

He took out his phone to transfer the money, only to find that it had no signal.

He froze.

People these days relied on scanning QR codes to pay when they went out. Who carried that much cash around?