Mystery Recovers: Starting by Controlling the Person-Hiding Ghost, Part 36
Jiang Li rubbed his chin and said,
"But before I came here, I spoke to a gatekeeper who had been in this cave. He even ran into the ghost inside, but he managed to escape alive. Maybe we can start with the differences between what you and he did and use them to analyze the ghost's killing pattern."
Daoist Priest Simu's expression hardened when he heard this. He said gravely,
"Indeed. Whether it's a ghost or a zombie, as long as you find the right method, you can deal with it. Perhaps I should try taking some things down there and having a go myself."
Master Huijue pressed his palms together, closed his eyes, and softly chanted the Buddha's name before speaking.
"Amitabha. Though I am not particularly skilled at analyzing the characteristics of evil entities, if we encounter one tomorrow, I will do everything in my power to keep all of you safe."
"That gatekeeper who fainted from fright? So he'd been through something like that."
Supporting Guo You's body, Liu Qingqing said, "Guo You, what exactly did you do in there? Also, get off me now."
Everyone's eyes immediately fell on Guo You, hoping he could give them a lead on the ghost.
Guo You held his head as he slowly got to his feet and said dejectedly,
"After I entered the dream, I turned on my flashlight, then bent down and crawled into the cave. I kept going straight without changing direction. After a few dozen meters, something grabbed me by the throat and killed me. Maybe I died too quickly, but I didn't notice anything I could analyze."
"No, your death was worth it. I think I've figured out one of that ghost's characteristics."
Jiang Li continued, "As far as behavior goes, the only difference between you and that gatekeeper was that when danger appeared, he was so frightened that he lay flat and didn't dare move. He only escaped the cavern after the ghost left. But you kept moving forward, and then you were suddenly attacked."
"My preliminary judgment is that the ghost attacks people walking around near it, or even those who are merely moving."
Everyone was taken aback, seemingly weighing how credible the theory was.
After pondering for a moment, Sun Xin looked up and said,
"It's a good theory, and it sounds useful as a reference. But staying completely still when the ghost arrives is too risky. We'll have to assess the actual situation when the time comes."
"More or less. There isn't much information to analyze right now. Unless someone goes down into the cave again, we can't figure out anything more about that ghost," Jiang Li said.
Hearing this, Daoist Priest Simu brought the cloth bag from his back around in front of him and said nonchalantly,
"It's just another trip into the cave. What's so difficult about that? Watch me go in right now. I'll be sure to bring back more useful information."
With that, he took a copper coin sword and a black-and-red cloth garment that gave off a foul smell from the bag.
After pulling on the garment, Daoist Priest Simu hesitated no longer. He bent down nimbly and crawled into the cave.
Seeing this, Master Huijue rushed to the entrance and shouted anxiously into the cave,
"Four Eyes, don't go!"
"That thing isn't a zombie! Clothes soaked in black dog blood and a copper coin sword won't work on it. You'll die in there!"
Jiang Li sniffed the smell lingering in the air and immediately frowned.
The nauseating stench of blood was strange. It didn't smell like black dog blood, but more like the stench of a corpse, which he had grown somewhat familiar with.
That bloodstained garment... had probably been soaked in the blood of some vicious ghost.
"He's already gone in, so stop calling out and disturbing him."
Jiang Li continued, "That bloodstained garment he's wearing wasn't dyed with black dog blood. It might actually have some effect on the ghost in the cave. Since he dared go down there now, he naturally has a plan. Let's wait outside for the moment."
"Ah, that's all we can do now," Master Huijue sighed.
"That ox-nosed Daoist loves showing off too much. Even when his life is on the line, he won't rein himself in. He's competed with me for most of his life, always trying to come out on top. That temperament of his will get him killed sooner or later."
Liu Qingqing and the other two were also waiting nearby for Daoist Priest Simu to return, even though they didn't believe he could really make it back alive.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Ever since the Daoist priest had entered the cave, everything around them seemed to have fallen completely silent. Only the occasional rustle of wind through dead leaves could be heard.
Master Huijue sat cross-legged beside the cave entrance, fingering his Buddhist prayer beads with his eyes tightly shut, as though concentrating on sensing something.
Liu Qingqing glanced down at her phone, then said coldly,
"That Daoist has been in there for almost eight minutes, and there hasn't been a sound from him so far. I'm afraid he won't be coming out. For a Daoist who can't catch ghosts, he clearly overestimated his abilities. There's no need for us to keep waiting."
Guo You and Sun Xin exchanged a glance. They too seemed to be wondering whether they should stay and wait.
Master Huijue kept his eyes tightly shut and said quietly,
"He's still alive. I can still hear him."
Jiang Li gazed at the dark cave entrance and pondered for a moment before saying quietly,
"I'll wait with you, Master. The Daoist priest has already risked his life, so naturally I have no reason to begrudge him a few more minutes."
Liu Qingqing pursed her lips and said no more about leaving.
Another five minutes passed. A rush of footsteps came from deep inside the cave, drawing closer. It sounded as though someone was fleeing.
Was he coming out?!
Master Huijue's eyes flew open, and he stopped fingering his prayer beads. His cloudy eyes were grave.
"Something is following him. Everyone, get ready to help me pull him out."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a bloody hand reached out of the cave. Master Huijue seized it at once.
A tremendous pulling force came through the hand, and Master Huijue was on the verge of losing his grip.
"I'll help you."
Jiang Li spoke quietly, then grabbed the blood-covered arm and began pulling hard.
The arm was drawn out of the cave bit by bit. It looked as though they were about to pull him out.
But then Daoist Priest Simu let out a muffled groan of pain from inside.
"Ah..."
Seeing this, Liu Qingqing walked over and took out a bright red handkerchief.
"Pulling him by force like that will only get him killed. The key is to interfere with the ghost's movements."
With that, she lightly tossed the handkerchief toward the cave. It fluttered through the air and flew inside like a flower petal.
For an instant, Jiang Li seemed to make out the design on the handkerchief.
It was the face of an old man with narrowed eyes, sinister and ruthless, like a venomous snake lying in wait.
Creak-
The grating sound of a door opening came from inside the cave, inexplicably unsettling everyone.
At the same time, the force pulling against them abruptly weakened. Jiang Li gave another hard pull and dragged Daoist Priest Simu all the way out of the cave.
The copper coin sword in his hand had broken, and the bloodstained garment on his body was in tatters. A deep handprint had been left on its back.
Chapter 57: Liu Qingqing Suddenly Appears
"Damn it, that ghost almost beat me to death."
"Even this bloodstained garment almost couldn't protect me. Good thing I ran fast."
Daoist Priest Simu sat slumped on the ground, panting heavily as he spoke.
He had many small lacerations that were still oozing blood. They looked as though he had scraped himself against the cave walls.
Seeing that he seemed a little short of breath, Jiang Li bent down and patted him on the back, then asked,
"How did it go? What did you find in there?"
Daoist Priest Simu coughed up a mouthful of foul blood and took the bottled water Sun Xin handed him, gulping it down. It took him quite a while to recover enough to speak.
"Your guess earlier was right. That ghostly thing does attack people who are moving, but if you don't move in front of it, it probably won't attack of its own accord."
"I'd only gone a few dozen meters after entering when I almost ran headlong into that ghostly thing. But it didn't notice me and just kept walking forward on its own. So I turned off my flashlight and followed it farther inside."
Daoist Priest Simu spoke casually, and a trace of a smug smile even appeared on his face.
"If it had been anyone else, they'd have pissed themselves in fright right then and there."
The others present fell silent, at a loss for words.
How big did his heart have to be for him not only to stand his ground after running into a ghost, but to follow along behind it?
And he still hadn't died. His eight characters had to be so hard that if they were written on paper, they could chop down a tree.
"Stop keeping us in suspense. What happened next?" Liu Qingqing asked.
Daoist Priest Simu gave her a displeased look, but continued his story.
"Then it and I went down a slope and found the corpse we were looking for, stuck in the cave."
"I'd planned to turn back the way I came after finding the corpse, but on my way back I strayed a little off course and tripped over some other corpses in there. That was when the ghostly thing I'd been following all the way noticed me."
"After that, it chased me the whole way. But I didn't expect the copper coin sword to be practically useless against it. One strike, and the sword snapped. Good thing this bloodstained garment of mine was reliable enough to block several attacks for me."
As he spoke, Daoist Priest Simu took off the tattered bloodstained garment and, with a look of deep regret, put it into another small cloth bag.
A golden sheen was clearly visible inside the bag.
"Alas, what a shame. This bloodstained garment of mine is completely ruined. I'll have to put it away properly and find somewhere to bury it, in case it turns vicious and starts causing trouble everywhere too," Daoist Priest Simu sighed.
Guo You sighed as well and spread his hands.
"If I'd known you were so formidable, I would've given you the letter to deliver beforehand. Then the three of us wouldn't have had to go into the cave."
"There aren't so many things we can know beforehand, or so many 'what ifs' in this world. Even if you'd had the chance before, you might not have felt comfortable entrusting the envelope to an outsider," Liu Qingqing said. "The envelope is the messenger's life. We can only take care of it ourselves."
"All right, you're right."
Looking at the cave entrance, which had fallen silent again, Jiang Li said gravely,
"In that case, the overall plan for tomorrow should be fairly clear."
"After entering the cave, we locate the ghost, then find a way around it and find that dormant corpse."
"I think that's about it."
Sun Xin replied, looking at Jiang Li suspiciously.
"Aren't you with He Tianxiong? Why aren't you acting with him tonight? Could he have even less information than we do?"
"He and I only joined up halfway. He didn't tell me much. Perhaps he's just as wary of me as you are," Jiang Li said.
"Because of that, I think that during the operation, He Tianxiong is someone we need to watch out for, apart from the ghost. After all, in a supernatural incident, a teammate who might stab you in the back at any moment is even more frightening than a vicious ghost lurking in the dark. I've experienced that firsthand."
The Daoist priest and the master frowned and exchanged a glance. They seemed to have some difficulty accepting that view, but eventually nodded.
After all, one must always guard against others.
"All right, we've learned pretty much everything we needed to. I'm sure everyone still has a trump card they haven't used, so the operation should go smoothly. See you in front of the cave at nine tomorrow night," Sun Xin said.
Soon, the rustle of footsteps on dead leaves sounded once more in the dark, damp grove.
Hidden alone within the Person-Hiding Ghost's supernatural power, Jiang Li hurried toward the Cloud Summit Club several kilometers away.
He didn't intend to stay in the room He Tianxiong had arranged. Instead, he planned to make do for the night in that cramped gatehouse.
The tall, dark trees around him fell behind one by one. He was about to reach the road lit by streetlamps.
But without warning, a woman in a qipao appeared, walking out of the shadows of the trees ahead.
Jiang Li stopped and looked warily around him, then said quietly: