Chapter 314

Chapter 314

“Scholar trees are also called ghost trees,” Qin Nan said.

Yellow Hair immediately picked up the thread. “I’ve seen that in supernatural novels. Scholar trees are heavy with yin energy, and some ghosts can live inside them.”

Qin Nan nodded.

“Leqing Town is completely devoid of ghosts during the day, but they all suddenly appear at night. I was wondering whether they hide in this scholar-tree grove during the day,” he said.

Jian Fan asked directly, “What are you suggesting?”

“If the ghosts live in the trees, what would happen if we burned the entire grove?” Qin Nan asked earnestly.

Everyone stared.

“Good lord,” Yellow Hair exclaimed.

Qin Weiyi gave Qin Nan a thumbs-up. “You have to admit, that’s brilliant.”

Qin Nan stared at him.

“It’s a great idea,” Lu Jing marveled as well.

There was no harm in burning the grove. But if it truly was where the ghosts lived, then just imagining what would happen after they lost the trees’ protection made for a beautiful picture.

Instead of letting the ghosts drive them into a dead end over and over, why not burn the whole place down?

No one had considered it until Qin Nan spoke. Now they were all eager to try.

“Shall we do it?” Lu Jing asked enthusiastically.

Jian Fan shook his head. “No.”

“Huh? We can’t burn it?” Lu Jing sounded disappointed.

“It’s not that we can’t. We just can’t do it now,” Jian Fan explained.

Qin Weiyi understood and nodded. “Right. Not yet.”

Lu Jing scratched his head, still confused.

The others had already caught on.

“The NPCs are still useful. At the very least, the Zhao girl is. We should be able to get information from them. If we burn the grove now, we’ll lose that opportunity,” Qin Nan said, understanding Jian Fan’s reasoning.

Jian Fan nodded.

That was exactly it.

“Then we burn it next time?” Lu Jing asked.

Jian Fan nodded. “We’ll try to get the information today.”

Once they had it, they would set the entire scholar-tree grove ablaze. If Qin Nan’s theory was right, the ghosts would likely be doomed. Their danger would decrease, giving them more time to determine how to clear this world.

“Then we’ll wait a little longer,” Yang Zhen said.

She was looking forward to seeing the grove in flames too.

Unfortunately, they could not act yet.

As Xia Zeqin walked behind the group, his mouth twitched at their conversation. His gaze settled on Qin Nan, growing faintly contemplative.

Jian Fan noticed Xia Zeqin studying Qin Nan.

He was not surprised.

Qin Nan had a certain gift. He sometimes discovered blind spots no one else noticed. It was only a matter of time before Xia Zeqin paid attention to him. Still, Jian Fan was confident that Xia Zeqin regarded him as the greater threat, so for now, the man probably would not devote too much attention to Qin Nan.

However–

Jian Fan lowered his eyes.

He was growing impatient.

Xia Zeqin was openly advertising that something was wrong with him, yet Jian Fan’s options remained limited. If this continued, they would only waste time. Perhaps he needed to increase the pressure and move matters along.

He could not remain passive. He had to seize the initiative.
The Realm of Death.

Hah.

Jian Fan gave a soft, inward scoff.

The more thoughts turned in his mind, the calmer he appeared.

“Let’s go,” he said.

He entered the town first, and the others naturally followed.

This was their third time entering the familiar town. By now, they knew their way around.

Knowing there were no clues to find during the day, everyone was relatively relaxed.

“What are we doing now?” Yellow Hair asked.

“Going to the Xie Residence,” Qin Weiyi answered directly.

There might be no clues elsewhere in town during the day, but certain matters awaited confirmation at the Xie Residence.

Jian Fan had already arranged their tasks one by one in his mind.

Their first task at the Xie Residence was to check the stone statues.

Jian Fan had long suspected the statues were connected to the restraint on the ghosts. The ghosts had moved more freely yesterday, so he wanted to see whether something had happened to the statues. Naturally, they could not let Yellow Hair look again, or they might have a repeat of the previous incident. Second, Jian Fan wanted to return to the bridal chamber and see whether its bed was the same during the day. If so, he needed to check whether it now contained information about yesterday’s nameless groom.

There was one other task as well.

He wanted to inspect the ordinary townspeople’s homes again.

They had already searched Brother Zhao’s house, but had seen no red clothes there. They did not know how Brother Zhao’s family obtained the garments they wore.

Every ghost attending the wedding had been ordered to wear red. Those clothes had to conceal some secret. Jian Fan had said nothing, but he had long kept the matter in mind.

If they still could not find the clothes, perhaps today they would have to spy on the townspeople and see where the garments came from.

Of course, that task came after the other two.

The group did not linger and headed straight to the Xie Residence.

Upon reaching it, Jian Fan signaled Lu Jing with his eyes.

After cooperating through several worlds, Lu Jing could now understand Jian Fan’s meaning. He nodded immediately, then took Qin Weiyi with him and went to Yellow Hair’s side.

Yellow Hair stared at them.

He froze at first, then glanced toward the stone statue and immediately understood.

Not daring to look at it again, he huddled beside Lu Jing. “Brother Lu, my life is in your hands.”

Lu Jing patted his chest and promised confidently, “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”

Jian Fan had already stepped forward and approached the stone statue again.

Qin Nan hurried after him.

Yellow Hair had been the one affected last time, but the statue was clearly dangerous. Someone else might be affected now. Afraid Jian Fan would fall victim, Qin Nan stayed right beside him.

Of course, Qin Nan himself might be affected instead, which was all the more reason to stay close. If anything happened to him, Jian Fan could save him immediately.

Jian Fan entertained none of those jumbled thoughts.

He was already examining the statue.

It looked no different from yesterday.

Or perhaps the difference was simply invisible to the naked eye.

Mindful of what had happened to Yellow Hair, Jian Fan did not stare for long. Finding no clue, he headed directly toward the Xie Residence.

The group entered once more.

After everyone crossed the threshold, the gate closed automatically again.