Immortal Sheep Seal

No one objected to Qin Manjiang's arrangements.

He Jian went left, and Zhong Xueran went right, both running off without a word.

The village was large. As long as their stamina held out, they still had room to maneuver.

Sure enough, all the "Black Sheep Li Rongs" chased after Zhong Xueran.

"Your analysis of the wording was excellent. I trust you."

Qin Manjiang said little else. After leaving her with those words, he parted ways with Liu Jingqing at the next intersection.

Liu Jingqing glanced at Qin Manjiang's retreating figure. She had no idea where he was going, much less why he had entrusted this most difficult task to her.

No...

Maybe she did know.

"Li Rong" was clearly targeting Zhong Xueran, while He Jian was being chased by another ghost. Qin Manjiang had something else to do himself. She was the only one with time to unravel this Silent Domain.

But... how?

Even if I'm the only one with time to do this, I haven't got a single clue. How am I supposed to do it?

Mr. Qin said we had to resolve everything within thirty minutes. Why would he put his faith in someone like me...?

Liu Jingqing walked on anxiously, thinking as hard as she could.

She felt an overwhelming pressure. All four of them were now trapped in an utterly deserted Silent Domain. One thing was certain: this wasn't an ability of the vengeful ghosts Li Rong and Chen Ping. This was the Immortal Sheep's ability!

She and Qin Manjiang had fallen victim to it outside the restroom before.

Calm down, calm down... Liu Jingqing told herself over and over.

She wasn't a brave person. More precisely, she was very timid.

Fear could severely impair a person's ability to think, and Liu Jingqing was no exception.

Although she had already survived two ghost stories, she had barely escaped with her life both times, thanks to good luck.

On one occasion, she had met the Chief Player, Yang.

Under Yang's leadership, every one of them had cleared that game.

As for the second time, just as a vengeful ghost was about to drag her under a bed, a player named Roast Duck had actually discovered its weakness and used the rules to destroy it!

Both times, she had narrowly escaped death.

Liu Jingqing had never thought there was anything exceptional about her. She was an author-an author of sweet, heartwarming, slice-of-life novels, without much scheming or many wrenching separations and deaths. She had grown up in a loving, harmonious environment. Her family, friends, and readers all treated her well.

Before this game dragged her into ghost stories, Liu Jingqing had always felt that her life was simple and beautiful.

Even after entering the Ghost Story World, she had felt especially lucky. Someone always lent her a hand at the crucial moment.

Except this time...

With tears brimming in her eyes, she huddled against the corner of a house.

No ghost was chasing her now. "Chen Ping" had gone after He Jian, and "Li Rong" had gone after Zhong Xueran.

Why choose me...? Liu Jingqing gripped the writing brush tightly. She simply couldn't understand why Qin Manjiang had given her such a difficult, critical task.

Something like this should obviously have been left to the Tenth Seat, Miss Zhong Xueran, who has a Permanent Item...

She hugged her knees, unable to stop her tears.

Even though she knew Li Rong's primary target was Zhong Xueran, perhaps because Zhong Xueran had stolen the brush right in front of her.

In any case, Zhong Xueran had no time at all to do this. Neither did He Jian.

But... I really can't do it...

A tremendous weight pressed down on her heart. This was another kind of fear, separate from her fear of the vengeful ghosts. She was afraid the other three would die because of her.

Neither "Chen Ping" nor "Li Rong" seemed able to appear in full view of a crowd, so breaking this vast Silent Domain would force them to retreat into the shadows for the time being.

But if she couldn't break it, it would be as good as everyone dying because of her...

What should I do...?

Liu Jingqing sank into overwhelming pressure and self-doubt.

What do I do... what should I do?

How exactly am I supposed to use this brush?

I can't do it...

Why choose me for something so important...?

Liu Jingqing trembled all over, tears dripping down without pause.

But before she had cried for even ten seconds, she tightened her grip on the brush again, closed her eyes, and forced herself to take deep breaths.

Calm down. I have to calm down...

Mr. Qin is very capable. Even if I don't believe in myself, I have to trust his judgment. If he entrusted this to me, that means I'm the best person for it!

I can do this...

I know I can...

First, this Silent Domain was created by the Sheep Immortal. To dispel it, I have to use this brush, which can restrain the Sheep Immortal.

But how do I use it?

I don't even know where the Sheep Immortal is. How can I use it...?

Anxiety stirred in Liu Jingqing's heart. She could almost see Qin Manjiang and the other two being brutally slaughtered by the ghosts.

Think it through again. I can figure this out...

Liu Jingqing kept encouraging herself. Her eyes squeezed shut, she gripped the brush hard in her right hand, covered her ears, and huddled in the corner, recalling and thinking over everything.

She tried to remember every detail she had seen concerning the Sheep Immortal.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up!

Yes, Mr. Qin said the villagers used this brush to control the "Immortal Sheep Vessel." That means I can find clues about how to use it by looking at the people who have already been made into "Immortal Sheep."

People who have already been made into "Immortal Sheep"...

She tried hard to remember. So far, there were two: Chen Ping, whom He Jian had mentioned, though she had never seen what he looked like after becoming a vengeful ghost, and Li Rong, who now had nothing left but a head and was utterly horrifying.

Nothing left but a head...

Wait!

Liu Jingqing's eyes flew open. She remembered Li Rong's head! There had been a very incongruous mark between her eyebrows!

She hurriedly looked down at the brush in her hand. That was... the mark left by pressing the brush tip against the spot between the eyebrows!

That's it! That's the answer!

Liu Jingqing was overjoyed, but she soon calmed down.

No, this won't work. Even if I know how to use the brush, how could I possibly press its tip against the spot between the Immortal Sheep's eyebrows?

It's not an inanimate object...

Did I get it wrong?

Liu Jingqing sank into self-doubt again.

Ten minutes had already passed, and she had no idea how the others were doing. She clutched at her hair anxiously. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she took out her phone. Normally, they wouldn't contact one another by phone, because a vengeful ghost might impersonate someone else, provide false information, or even lure them over to kill them.

But she couldn't wait any longer!

The only person who could answer the phone was Qin Manjiang.

She dialed his number and called.

"What is it?" Qin Manjiang answered immediately.

"I know how to use it, but... I can't find the Immortal Sheep, and I don't know how to press the brush between its eyebrows..." Liu Jingqing explained her predicament in a few brief sentences. She knew time was short.

"The brush, pressed between the eyebrows..." Qin Manjiang murmured. "If the target is a ghost, it couldn't possibly stand still and let you approach with a brush. That would make this item... completely pointless. Unless... you made a wish to it like He Jian did, asking it not to move, then took that opportunity to press the brush against it..."

"Wait, the Immortal Sheep might not move at all. Its outward form could be an inanimate object!"

As though something had suddenly occurred to him, Qin Manjiang spoke rapidly. "The Opening Lines said..."

"Beep, beep, beep-"

The call had disconnected.

Liu Jingqing's heart lurched. What happened to Mr. Qin?

No... no, I can't think about that now. Finding the answer quickly is the only way to help everyone...

Liu Jingqing squeezed her eyes shut again, covered her ears, and huddled in the corner.

Mr. Qin mentioned the Opening Lines just now...

I remember the Opening Lines were [Insert the horns, shave away the bones. They're peeling off my skin. Make the face thinner. Push up the corners of the mouth. Smile. All right, go have a drink. I've been placed in a pitch-black, narrow hole. My eyes can no longer hold any light. I am a god. I... don't want to become a god.]

The strangest line was... I've been placed in a pitch-black, narrow hole. My eyes can no longer hold any light.

According to He Jian, the Ancestral Hall isn't narrow, but its entrance was made circular. With the doors fully open, it would look like a...

Liu Jingqing sprang to her feet and took off running!

I've found it!

The Immortal Sheep's true body... the spot between its eyebrows is right there!

Just as Liu Jingqing raced toward the Ancestral Hall with all her strength, Qin Manjiang ran into trouble.

This was also why he had abruptly hung up.

"Chen Ping" appeared before him, Qin Manjiang's figure reflected in his blood-red pupils.

Damn it. Whether by coincidence or sheer bad luck, Qin Manjiang had come face-to-face with "Chen Ping."

He stretched his mouth into a grin, and his terrifying voice seemed to rise from the depths of Qin Manjiang's heart:

"Tell me... your wish."

This arc wraps up tomorrow!

Thank you to purej999, Eating Meat, Mangosteen Leaf Sheep, A Late Bowl of Noodles, Roast Duck, and Flower Cassia Seed for your tips. Thank you, everyone!

(End of chapter)