An Encounter on the Stairs

Knock knock knock

A series of hurried footsteps echoed through the dimly lit and oppressive stairwell. Judging from the sound, it was easy to tell that several people were rushing down the stairs in great haste. Furthermore, a voice followed closely behind the footsteps, as if something was chasing after them.

Strictly speaking, it only takes two flights of stairs to get from the third floor to the first floor. The distance is very short. Even including the stairwell, an average person could probably finish the walk in about thirty seconds.

But even this short journey kept the three of them teetering on the brink of death.

Yang Jian is a bit different; he's not as fragile as ordinary people, but he hasn't forgotten that danger doesn't just come from behind.

The ghost chasing after us on the stairs is within our consideration; if we act quickly enough, we can avoid its next attack. However, the ghost in the painting that comes up from the first floor is unavoidable, because there's only one way out, and there's no way to leave through the window.

Yang Jian had already arrived on the second floor and quickly passed through the corridor to the staircase leading to the first floor.

But then his eyes narrowed slightly.

Because the worst-case scenario has occurred.

Another ghost appeared before him. This ghost was dressed in red, and its features were blurry and indistinct. It could only be vaguely identified as a woman by other features. The most striking feature was the ghost's hands in front of it, which were fair and real, but cold and eerie.

This incongruity makes it even more unsettling.

Ghosts in ghost paintings?

Although Yang Jian was prepared, he still couldn't help but pause for a moment when they met head-on; it was a subconscious moment of vigilance.

However, his wariness and hesitation do not mean that ghosts are also wary and hesitant.

The ghost in the painting has arrived on the stairs and is silently walking upwards. Its feet are also blurry, exactly like the figures in the oil painting, but you can roughly make out that the feet are wearing a pair of old-fashioned embroidered shoes, which are very similar to the people in a certain photograph.

Perhaps this is what the Ghost Cabinet is truly looking for.

Yang Jian has already seen it, which means he has very likely completed the Ghost Cabinet's mission, but that's not what we need to consider right now.

The narrow staircase was blocked by the ghost's appearance, making it impossible to go around. To go downstairs, one had to pass by the ghost, but whether doing so would result in an attack was unknown. Yang Jian only knew that when Wang Quan passed by the ghost last time, he wasn't immediately attacked, but the ghost still caught up after only a few steps.

Therefore, the risk of coming into contact with the ghosts in the ghost paintings is extremely high.

"Mr. Yang, why did you stop? Hurry up, the footsteps are getting very close."

Li Yang urged him urgently, his face contorted with extreme fear, while Jimmy behind him trembled uncontrollably.

The two men had already approached Yang Jian when they saw what was happening ahead and immediately stopped in their tracks.

Another ghost was right in front of us, and it was even walking upstairs?

The commotion I observed earlier was real; there really is a ghost downstairs.

Li Yang nearly collapsed to the ground, while Jimmy was even more terrified, bursting into tears and muttering words like "Mom," seemingly prepared to die there, longing for his loved ones.

"Charge forward, or stop and you're doomed."

Faced with a situation where both sides were suspicious, Yang Jian made a very decisive yet risky decision.

The footsteps behind them grew closer and closer, giving them no chance to choose. The exit was right in front of them, only a few meters away. If they hesitated and retreated now because they were afraid of the ghost blocking their way, they would only die a more miserable death.

There's still a good chance of surviving if you break through.

Of course, Yang Jian was only able to take such a risky action because the music box's curse was still intact; he certainly wouldn't have made up his mind so quickly before.

Immediately.

Yang Jian's ghostly figure enveloped him, and he charged straight up the stairs towards the ghost in front of him.

The ghost in the painting is still slowly going upstairs and hasn't stopped.

As Yang Jian rushed down the stairs, the man and the ghost met halfway down the stairs.

Yang Jian didn't actually try to physically confront the ghost in front of him. Instead, he stretched out his ghost hand and tried to forcefully push the ghost away. The ghost hand had the ability to suppress ghosts and had worked on the ghost painting before, but that was just a derivative of the ghost painting. He didn't know if it would work on the ghost in front of him.

The answer came quickly.

"Can't push it away?"

Yang Jian's expression changed drastically. His hand had already touched the ghost's body, but the power of the ghost's shadow and the suppression of the ghost's hand could not forcefully push the ghost away. It was as if he had touched a cold stone. No matter how hard he tried, the ghost in front of him remained motionless and continued to move forward slowly as before.

"This ghost is different from the ones we've encountered before. Its level of terror is extremely high, and it's very likely the true source ghost."

Perhaps because Yang Jian hadn't yet met the attack patterns of ghosts, his bold act of contact didn't result in him being attacked by the ghost in front of him.

The ghost's blurry features didn't even glance at him, nor did it stop, as if it treated Yang Jian as if he were invisible, and continued walking upstairs.

Yang Jian didn't have time to think about all that, nor did he consider why the ghost hadn't attacked him. The moment he couldn't push the ghost away, he immediately changed his approach, flipping over to get past it, and then forcibly walked down the last step, completely leaving the eerie wooden staircase and avoiding being caught by the ghost that was making footsteps.

Li Yang was astonished to see Yang Jian grab the ghost's body and walk around it. He wanted to do the same, but when the real ghost walked up to him, he became scared and couldn't help but take a step back.

Ultimately, his mental fortitude was inferior to that of a veteran Ghost Tamer like Yang Jian; he lacked the courage to risk everything in crucial moments.

This backward movement resulted in him bumping into Jimmy behind him.

The two of them were like frightened animals, trembling, neither daring to move forward nor retreat.

Because footsteps were already behind them.

The two ghosts were getting closer and closer.

The narrow staircase offered them no room to maneuver or hide, and their fate was predictable: either they would be killed by the ghosts in the painting, or they would die from the terrifying footsteps behind them.

"Those two actually stopped after all. I already told them not to stop no matter what they encountered or saw."

Yang Jian turned around and saw this, his gaze darkening.

He could easily walk away and ignore the two of them, but then he remembered that Li Yang had become a Ghost Tamer and might be useful in the future. Jimmy had also helped him find the location of the Ghost Painting; abandoning them like this would be too much.

After all, they weren't complete strangers.

"Give it a try, and don't blame me if you can't save me." As Yang Jian thought this, the headless ghostly figure beneath his feet swiftly covered the wooden stair railing.

Then, a third ghost joined them on the stairs.

The headless ghost wasn't trying to fight any of the ghosts; it was trying to pull the person out of the water.

Soon, the headless ghostly figure covered Li Yang and Jimmy and lifted them up.

Jimmy was powerless to resist and was manipulated by the ghost like a puppet, but Li Yang was able to struggle and seemed to be about to break free from the ghost's control.

This is because of the ghost inside his body; he is subconsciously fighting against the ghostly shadow that has invaded his body.

After all, Li Yang is not yet familiar with or even able to use the abilities of the ghost within his body.

Will it work?

Yang Jian immediately brought back the two people he had lifted with Ghost Shadow, but the footsteps on the stairs had already approached a very dangerous range, and at the same time, the ghost in the ghost painting was also close to his eyes.

The two ghosts are about to collide on this narrow staircase.

Anything can happen at this point.

Jimmy and Li Yang might be instantly killed by the footsteps behind them, or they might be targeted by the ghost in the ghost painting and become its object.

There's also the possibility that an unexpected situation might arise when the two ghosts meet, such as them suppressing each other or their rules clashing, which could allow the two to survive by virtue of their misfortune.

Hope is right before our eyes, and so is death.

I'm still awake!