Chapter Twelve: A Ghostly Face in the Night

  Night, wind rises.

  The trees in the forest were rustling with their leaves, and the air was still cooling down. Yu Xiang was startled by this sudden gust of wind, his heart skipping a beat.

  But he knew that this was due to the autumn climate. On the top of Panlong Mountain, the wind would be stronger at night and the air would be colder.

  The night also became deep and heavy, with thick moisture falling. Frost had descended, and Yu Xiang was enveloped in a dense and intense chill that he couldn't shake off.

  The mountain wind grew more and more fierce, howling as it swept through the trees on the roof. The rustling sound tore apart the deathly silent night, although it was cold, but somehow didn't feel so afraid of the dark night anymore.

  A heart that was hard to calm down gradually calmed down.

  The surroundings were still very quiet, and there was no sudden event. There was no strange change either. Yu Xingyuan sat on the ground, slowly practicing his breathing technique.

  But a loud crash suddenly pierced through the sound of the wind. Very clear, it seemed eerie in the darkness.

  Yu Xingyao opened his eyes and looked towards the source of the sound. It was in front of him, on the bed where Pan Ling'er and Luo Luo were lying.

  But the night was too dark, he couldn't see anything. However, he heard a series of croaking sounds and squeaking noises. The bed moved, this was his guess in his heart. Perhaps his sister-in-law woke up, he hastily got out of bed and fumbled to take out the flashlight from his pocket.

  With a soft click, the flashlight turned on. The beam of light fell on the bed, and a person sat up straight on the bed.

  That was Pan Ling'er. This sudden change made Yu Chengyao both surprised and delighted. He hastily stepped forward, softly calling out: "Sister-in-law!"

  Pan Ling'er turned her head, looking at Yu Chengyao. Yu Chengyao also clearly saw her, his face still pale and frightening. His eyes were open, but his gaze was dull, without a hint of vitality.

  This made Yu Xingyao involuntarily jump in fright, and he tensely stretched out his hand to grasp Pan Ling'er's shoulder. However, as soon as he touched her, it felt like a piece of ice, just like touching a dead person.

  Yu Chengyao was shocked and loosened his grip out of fear. But Pan Ling'er still stared at him blankly, her eyes without a hint of change.

  But at this moment, everything around became eerily quiet, and the originally raging wind suddenly disappeared.

  Looking at Pan Ling'er's face as pale as a dead person, he recalled the moment when his hand touched her body and felt a chill. Yu Chengyao suddenly felt his scalp numb, and the muscles on his face stiffened.

  A cold sweat broke out on his back, and all the goosebumps on his body burst open. He gritted his teeth and took a closer look at Pan Ling'er, who was staring blankly at him at this moment.

  His eyes had no luster, and his eyeballs were as black as ink. Those empty eyes were like two black holes, making Yu Xiang's heart drift aimlessly.

  "Sister, what's wrong?" Yu Xingyao didn't believe in evil spirits. He thought the talismans he had stuck on the walls and windows were effective, at least able to ward off evil spirits.

  Perhaps it was just self-consolation, to boost his own courage. But in the darkness, he was alone, and that helpless feeling made Yu Xingyao stand up as a man should, with an upright chest.

  The soft call did not make Pan Ling'er move. On the contrary, a sudden rapid knocking sound came from the window, as if something was hitting the glass.

  Yu Chengyao moved the flashlight in his hand, and the beam of light shifted to the window. The tightly closed curtains suddenly began to flutter without any wind.

  The fluttering curtains revealed a corner of the window outside, and a black shadow appeared and disappeared in the beam of light.

  Yu Xianyao's body hair stood on end at this sight.

  "Here!" Under tension, Yu Xingyao unexpectedly said a sentence, he had already made his move, taking out the peach wood sword from his bosom.

  But his hand trembled involuntarily, causing the flashlight to shake along with it. The beam of light became shaky and eerie, making the dark shadow outside the window even more strange and mysterious.

  Is there really something outside the window? The urgent knocking sound came in, like a sharp sword piercing through the darkness and pierced Yu Xiangyao's heart.

  Fear, dread, worry... all sorts of negative emotions instantly occupied all the defenses in Yu Xianyao's heart, he had never been so scared and worried in over a decade.

  Yu Xian could swear that he had never had such negative emotions before. However, after the Zhu Zi Yan Dong incident, his heart was indeed weakened a lot.

  The darkness seems not to be so dark anymore, perhaps it's getting used to the darkness. Yu Xingyao can vaguely see the scene in the room without using a flashlight, and he can also see a little vague situation.

  Pan Ling'er sat motionlessly on the bed, her head always facing herself. Luo Luo was still lying down, not moving at all.

  The dark shadow outside the window is still there, flickering and uncertain.

  And yet, the talismans I had posted on all sides began to fall off, drifting slowly away like autumn leaves.

  The knocking sound outside grew more urgent, and the black shadow seemed to be about to break in. At this moment, on Yu Xianyao's chest, the golden snake brooch that had been quiet for a long time made another move.

  Yu Xianyao felt as if there was a surge of hot energy flowing through his chest, spreading throughout his entire body. His chest also emitted a faint golden light that penetrated his clothes and shot onto the window.

  He looked out of the window, and the curtains happened to be blown open, revealing a corner outside.

  Under the penetrating power of the golden light, Yu Xianyao actually saw a person's face. A pale complexion, a twisted countenance. Snow-white fangs and a pair of eyes flowing with blood.

  Those eyes were as black as ink, like a black hole. The feeling they gave Yu Xingyao was surprisingly the same as the kind of gaze Pan Ling'er had given him, causing his heart to beat rapidly.

  He felt a great sense of foreboding. Was this sudden change just an illusion born from his own excessive tension, or was it truly real?

  Yu Xiangyao clearly knew that the small golden snake on his chest could dispel evil, and in the Zhuzi Rock Cave, he personally saw it annihilate that skull.

  Its appearance brought Yu Xingyao endless confidence, making him bolder.

  Although his back was still hairy, he had the courage to investigate. He took a step forward and walked to the window. At this moment, the curtains fell, covering everything outside the window.

  He glanced at his chest, and the golden light of the Golden Snake was still shining, indicating that this little thing was still protecting itself.

  He gained confidence, one hand holding the flashlight and the other lifting the curtain. With a creaking sound of the curtain wheel, the scene outside the window was completely exposed under the light of the flashlight.

  The desolate mountains and fields, the trees are swaying gently. The mountain wind has subsided, it's very dark outside the window. The flashlight beam is not strong, so you can't see far.

  Tonight's night has no moonlight, in the dim darkness, only the trees that gently sway. However, at this moment, it is like a demon's claws are stretching out, and the rough breathing sounds.

  Suddenly a loud noise came from the bed behind her, and when she turned around, Pan Ling'er was lying straight again.

  Yu Xingyao was shocked and quickly pulled up the curtains to return to the bedside to check. Pan Ling'er's eyes closed again, and she returned to the state Yu Xingyao had placed her on the bed.

  However, the quilt was lifted, and Yu Xiangyao could confirm that it was not his own illusion just now.

  It was eerie, everything that happened before his eyes was very eerie. This made Yu Xingyao feel very uneasy, and after covering Pan Ling'er with a quilt, he could no longer sit cross-legged on the ground to practice the art of breathing exercises.

  The golden light in front of his chest was still shining, and Yu Xianyao began to call out to the Golden Snake Slither in his heart. He wanted to try to communicate with it, wanting to ask what was going on.

  Before long, the golden snake responded.

  "Don't worry, it's just a passing lonely spirit, it can't hurt anyone! With me here, it can't enter this room!"

  Jin She's answer made Yu Chengyao's heart tremble with fear, and it turned out that he was indeed a ghost who had really appeared.

  Everything just now wasn't an illusion, at this moment I can confirm that what's in front of me is real. But he didn't believe it was just a coincidence, it must be that person who wouldn't give up, their previous attempt failed and they're making another move.

  Of course, he also inferred this by combining the unusual movement of his sister-in-law Pan Ling'er just now. Something unknown must have happened to Pan Ling'er, and she may have been implanted with an evil object.

  The phrase "ghost on one's body" made Yu Xianyao feel a chill run down his spine.

  "Did sister just get possessed by a ghost?" Yu Xingyao wanted an answer from Jin Shegui, but this little guy didn't respond to him.

  Yu Xianyao couldn't help but feel helpless, perhaps this guy didn't know either.

  The rest of the night, Yu Xiang and Du were spent in tension. It wasn't until the first rooster crowed at dawn that he let out a sigh of relief. Under the beam of his flashlight, the hour hand pointed to 4:15.

  A restless night had finally passed, and Yu Xingyao let out a silent sigh of relief in his heart, relaxing and feeling a wave of soreness all over his body, as if he had just been through a one-on-three melee.

  He lay limply on the ground, and the cold earth made his somewhat withered spirit perk up a bit.

  The golden light of the Golden Snake also dissipated at this moment, hiding in his chest. He lay on the ground, carefully recalling the scene he had just seen, still feeling a wave of horror.

  That terrifying scene, that terrifying ghost face. He even thought that all of this was the doing of underworld creatures, and the whole thing was really just like what the villagers said, that it was a little demon raised by the mountain god coming to wreak havoc.

  Yu Xianyao's mind became a mess, all the clues and evidence seemed to be absurd, yet seemed to have lost their meaning. He didn't understand what was human and what was ghostly.

  In the midst of vague guesses, he was ultimately unable to withstand the fatigue of his body and mind. He fell asleep dazedly, until 7 o'clock in the morning, when a hurried knocking sound came from the hall.

  Yu Xingyao was awakened by the knocking on the door, he was highly alert and immediately woke up as soon as he heard something unusual. With a quick movement, he sprang to his feet from the ground and swiftly went out of the room, closing the door behind him.

  At this moment, a soft voice came from outside the door: "Yu Xianyao, are you up?"

  Yu Cheng's eyebrows furrowed slightly, "So early, what does Xiao Yue want with me?"

  He didn't answer Xiaoyue, but instead walked straight to the door and opened it.

  The door opened, and Xiaoyue's body seemed to tremble slightly. He patted his tall chest, and his small head came in. Today he was wearing casual clothes, and there were even some eye discharge on his beautiful eyes.

  "Beautiful policewoman, you didn't even wash your face before rushing to my house to call me. Do you have to think so much of me?" Yu Chengyao leaned on the half-open door with one hand, unintentionally blocking the beautiful woman's figure from entering with his robust body.

  "Hey, are you going to die from being so stubborn? Can I come in and talk to him?" As she spoke, she raised her hand and pushed against Yu Chengyao's chest with a gentle yet firm motion, her slender fingers as soft as spring onions, carrying the faint scent of sandalwood.

  Yu Cheng Yao furrowed his brow and stared at Xiaoyue, asking in return: "Officer beauty, can't you be a bit more ladylike?"

  Xiao Yue, however, no longer paid attention to Yu Xiangyao. Seeing that Yu Xiangyao had stepped aside from the doorway, she walked into the house.