Tong Zheng stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at the scene before him. "My heavens, what's going on? Where's the village? How did it become a graveyard?"
"Idol!"
Unlike Tong Zheng's shock, Ke Wuwen was thrilled. He turned to Jing Minghe and exclaimed, "Idol! Look, we found the graveyard, it's really a graveyard! You're amazing, idol!"
Scanning the graveyard, Jing Minghe saw nothing and felt a slight disappointment. He slowly closed his eyes and said, "Hurry and search. It's best if we find what we're looking for before dawn."
"Find what?" Ke Wuwen asked, not immediately understanding.
Tong Zheng cut in before Jing Minghe, saying to Ke Wuwen, "Of course, we're looking for the names of the four people Jing Minghe saw on the roster. I say, Ke Wuwen, you're still so young, is your memory that bad?"
"..." Ke Wuwen pouted. "Who says my memory is bad? I know."
"If you know, why ask?" Tong Zheng said as he walked further in. "Then do you remember those four names? Do you need me to repeat them for you?"
"No need!" Ke Wuwen followed closely behind Tong Zheng into the graveyard. "Just wait, I'll find it before you!"
Lin Ling hesitated for a moment, then walked to Jing Minghe's side. "Mr. Jing, I, I'm a little scared. Can I stay with you?"
"No."
Chi Hao walked between them, holding the rope tied to 'Guan Wei' in one hand and taking Jing Minghe's hand with the other.
Jing Minghe hadn't had a chance to tell Chi Hao about Lin Ling's situation. At this moment, he couldn't let Lin Ling have the opportunity to harm others. Chi Hao needed to watch Guan Wei, so it was best if he watched Lin Ling himself.
Jing Minghe tapped his finger on Chi Hao's hand and said, "It's fine, let Lin Ling follow me. You keep an eye on Guan Wei."
"No," Chi Hao refused firmly and handed the rope he was holding to Jing Minghe. "You watch this thing, I'll take Lin Ling to find the tomb names."
After speaking, Chi Hao leaned close to Jing Minghe's ear, almost whispering, "I know, she's not herself anymore."
"..." Jing Minghe's eyes, which had been slightly closed, snapped open.
How did Chi Hao know? He hadn't even had a chance to say anything.
"Don't worry," Chi Hao patted Jing Minghe's hand, signaling him to hold the rope steady. "Stay here and don't move."
Jing Minghe nodded in understanding and tightened his grip on the rope.
Then, Chi Hao's icy voice spoke to Lin Ling: "You, come with me."
Lin Ling was somewhat reluctant. Her target was Jing Minghe, who couldn't see, and she had no desire to provoke this man who exuded a cold aura.
But she couldn't show her reluctance, or she would expose herself prematurely.
"Alright then," Lin Ling said softly, lowering her head. "Thank you, Mr. Chi."
"Move."
Chi Hao's voice made Lin Ling tremble. This man named Chi Hao made her instinctively feel fear.
Chi Hao led Lin Ling away, and Jing Minghe remained standing in place. He reached out and felt around; there was a tombstone standing next to him, so he turned and leaned against it to rest.
"Hey," the bound 'Guan Wei' hopped over to Jing Minghe, a sinister smile on his face. "I advise you not to waste your efforts. We eight evil spirits are not that easy to get rid of."
"Eight evil spirits?" Jing Minghe raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "How do you know we can't kill you? Lu, the evil spirit."
Lu smiled proudly and said, "Because there are eight of us, and if you make even one mistake, those you've already eliminated will reform. Unless you can guarantee you'll never err. Besides, we eight evil spirits aren't foolish enough to stand still and wait for you to destroy us."
Jing Minghe lightly responded with an "Oh," and said, "Thank you for telling me this important clue."
"..." Lu's mouth twitched. "I didn't tell you any important clue!"
"Oh? Weren't you just telling me an important clue? Before you said it, I didn't know anything. Thanks for the reminder, we'll be sure not to make any mistakes when we eliminate you."
Lu blinked, trying to recall what he had just said, and argued vehemently, "I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!"
"Alright, alright, you didn't," Jing Minghe tugged the rope and asked, "Then can you tell me what heroic deeds you eight evil spirits have accomplished? Why are you lingering in this village?"
Lu let out a hearty laugh and replied, "Our heroic deeds would scare you to death. Wherever we eight evil spirits go, it turns into a hellscape, ha ha..."
"So, is this already a hellscape?"
"Of course."
Jing Minghe curled his lips and continued, "Since it has already become a hellscape, why are you still lingering here? Why not go elsewhere?"
"It's all because this stretch of the Netherworld overlaps with the mortal realm, trapping us here. Unless there isn't a single living soul here!"
"Why did it overlap?"
"It's all because of that damned woman! She... wait! Why am I telling you this?" Lu huffed angrily. "You won't get any clues from me!"
"..."
You've already told me quite a lot, haven't you?
"Human," Lu continued to hop closer to Jing Minghe. "You'd better release me quickly and flee with your companions, especially that fierce-looking one, with haste. Otherwise, we eight evil spirits will kill you all! Not a single one will be left!"
Fierce-looking one? Does he mean Chi Hao?
That's utter nonsense. My Hao-ge, although a bit cold in demeanor, is nothing like fierce!
"Hey, human, did you hear me? Release me quickly."
As he spoke, Lu lunged towards Jing Minghe. Jing Minghe dodged to the side, and Lu crashed into the tombstone with a clang. "Ouch."
Jing Minghe's eyebrows twitched at the sound. He hadn't expected this ghost to be quite cute, adorably foolish.
"Found it!" Ke Wuwen's voice echoed from a distance. "Idol, I found Luo Wei's tombstone! It's here!"
Jing Minghe turned in the direction of Ke Wuwen's voice and said to him, "Excellent. Light a fire in front of the tombstone as a marker."
Ke Wuwen obeyed and did as he was told.
Shortly after, Tong Zheng also found the corresponding tombstone and lit a bonfire as a mark.
A little while later, Chi Hao also lit a bonfire.
However, after Chi Hao, the three of them searched other places together but could not find the last tombstone.
Ke Wuwen dejectedly ran to Jing Minghe's side. "Idol, we can't find the last one. What should we do? It's almost dawn, isn't it?"
Tong Zheng, Chi Hao, and Lin Ling also walked back. Tong Zheng said as he walked, "Strange, it's not here. We've practically turned this place upside down."