Chapter 1559 - 1522: Yang Jian's Problem

After entering the Ghost Dream World, all ghost masters lose their supernatural powers. In this situation, the dynamic between He Yuelian, Tong Qian, and Li Yang changed dramatically.

He Yuelian was no longer the terrifying Ghost Drawing Master from the real world. She was just an ordinary woman here. Any adult male could easily defeat her, even kill her.

“How is this possible?”

At this moment, He Yuelian found it hard to believe. How could she suddenly be drawn into the Ghost Dream World? Even though the supernatural of Ghost Dream targeted the consciousness of the living, she had her own means to counter it, giving her some self-protective ability.

But her methods seemed to have failed.

“Let’s take this chance and finish her off. She’s no longer a captain; we have no reason to leave an enemy out there. If she escapes from the Ghost Dream World today and comes for revenge later, the current supernatural circle can do nothing.” Li Yang walked toward her with a murderous intent on his face.

He kept approaching He Yuelian because he knew this was a one-time opportunity. Missing it meant he might never have another.

“You have a point. But if we kill her here, her supernatural ability will surely revive in reality, and she might turn into a very scary ghost. Relying on us alone, it might be hard to handle.” Tong Qian frowned. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it; he had his reservations.

“We can’t be bothered with that now. Kill her first, and we’ll figure out the aftermath later,” Li Yang said seriously.

He Yuelian looked terrified as she watched the two approaching her. She instinctively stepped back. Her once cold and numb heart was filled with fear again.

“You, you actually want to kill me? I used to contribute to the headquarters,” she said.

Li Yang sneered, “That’s all in the past. Since you resigned, your past contributions have been erased. If you were still a captain, I might hesitate. After all, killing a captain would greatly impact the current situation. But killing a traitor is different.”

He Yuelian realized her dire situation and looked around, hoping to find a way to escape.

Very quickly,

she spotted a road leading to the village.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she turned and ran.

Although He Yuelian couldn’t fight Tong Qian and Li Yang head-on here, it didn’t mean she would surrender willingly. Her strong survival instinct drove her to flee from danger.

“This is the Ghost Dream’s world, everything is controlled by the supernatural. Where can you escape to?” Li Yang said as he immediately chased after her.

He didn’t want any delays; it was best to eliminate He Yuelian quickly.

“Since it’s come to this, we have no choice but to act. She’s too dangerous, and now that she’s lost Yang Jian’s restraint, leaving her alive would be a huge threat.” Tong Qian also pursued, knowing that if they didn’t end He Yuelian today, she would cause chaos in Dachang City once they returned, and it wouldn’t be just a few deaths.

Both of them were determined, and thus their actions were swift.

As He Yuelian ran, she tried to shake off the two behind her and hide within the village, using its complex geography to conceal herself.

With so many houses here, slipping into any one of them and staying silent would make it extremely difficult to find her.

The idea wasn’t wrong, and the action wasn’t either.

But He Yuelian couldn’t shake off the two trailing her, and her stamina wasn’t great. After a short burst of running, she was already out of breath, her legs feeling especially heavy, and her speed unknowingly slowed down. In contrast, Tong Qian and Li Yang were relentless in their pursuit without even gasping for air. Clearly, He Yuelian was no match for them physically.

“She can’t run anymore,” Li Yang’s voice suddenly rang out.

To He Yuelian, it was like the call of a deadly ghost, sending shivers down her spine.

“He Yuelian, I’m sorry, but not even I can let you go this time,” Tong Qian said.

He Yuelian gritted her teeth, squeezing every ounce of energy from her body, desperately running forward, determined to shake off these two to gain a chance.

As long as she left here and her consciousness returned to reality, she could still regain control.

Yet, as He Yuelian was running for her life and rounded a corner, her eyes contracted sharply. The scene before her sapped her courage to run further, stopping her in her tracks.

In front of her was a two-story house, and in the open space before it, someone was sitting in a chair, sipping tea and reading a newspaper, looking exactly like a retired old man enjoying life.

Though the old newspaper obscured the person’s face sitting in the chair, He Yuelian instantly recognized him as… Yang Jian.

“Yang… Yang Jian? You’re not dead?” He Yuelian’s voice contained a tremor, her expression one of shock.

Tong Qian and Li Yang, who had caught up, also abruptly stopped. They were just as stunned by the sight before them.

“Captain.”

“Yang Jian.”

After a brief moment of shock, both of them simultaneously called out his name.

Yang Jian slowly lowered the newspaper in his hand, his calm eyes scanning the three before finally resting on He Yuelian.

“Seeing me, you seem surprised?” His familiar voice confirmed that the person sitting here was indeed Yang Jian, not a ghost that looked like him.

He Yuelian couldn’t help but tremble all over. Her awe and fear of Yang Jian were ingrained in her bones. In the real world, she was emotionally indifferent due to the influence of the supernatural, so it wasn’t as obvious. But now, in this Ghost Dream World, having normal human emotions made it exceedingly apparent.

“Captain, during your time mastering Ghost Blood, He Yuelian resigned from her captain position at headquarters…” Li Yang quickly explained, but Yang Jian raised a hand to interrupt him halfway.

“Though my consciousness is in the Ghost Dream World, I’m aware of some external matters. I also know He Yuelian’s purpose for coming here,” Yang Jian stated.

Li Yang said, “Captain, since she’s rebellious, why not kill her here? Otherwise, she’ll eventually become a huge threat.”

“A good suggestion. What do you think, He Yuelian?” Yang Jian asked.

“I-I just came to investigate. I didn’t do anything,” He Yuelian tried to explain, yet the words felt feeble and unconvincing.

Clearly, Yang Jian wasn’t someone to be easily deceived.

She felt utterly hopeless.

She assumed that after three months, Yang Jian was likely dead. Who knew he would not only survive but also keep a hand in the Ghost Dream.

She had been too careless.

Now, regretting was futile. If she had chosen to stop and leave before her conflict with Li Yang, perhaps things wouldn’t have turned out this way.

But as He Yuelian pondered, Yang Jian’s words left her astounded.

“Rest assured, I won’t kill you, at least not now,” Yang Jian said.

“What?”

As soon as this was said, the other three people were all shocked.

This is completely unlike Yang Jian’s usual way of handling things.

Is it because of some reason he can’t take action?

No, that’s not it.

Right now, He Yuelian is in the Ghost Dream World, and it would be easy to kill her, there’s no suspense at all.

Yang Jian continued, “He Yuelian, you must be wondering why I’ve dismissed the idea of killing you. It’s actually simple: once I kill you, the supernatural force of the Ghost Drawing outside will lose control. But if it were just that, I think the cost is bearable. What truly concerns me is the presence of another person.”

“Zhang Xiangguang?” He Yuelian murmured, a name flashing suddenly in her mind.

“It seems you haven’t reached a point of hopeless stupidity.” Yang Jian stood up from his chair, then said, “During my confrontation with the King Organization, I released Zhang Xiangguang from the Ghost Dream World. He then killed a few King members and left Dahai City, disappearing ever since.”

“What do you think such a person will plan for the rest of his life?”

“His Peach Blossom Fountain plan has always been there, and the conditions are now set, just missing the final push. If I erased your consciousness now, it would undoubtedly provide Zhang Xiangguang a perfect opportunity to execute this plan. After all, a Ghost Drawing in a balanced state is a rare gift for him.”

“And you, He Yuelian, are merely the keeper of this supernatural power. The real key to control this power has always been in his hands. Of course, I’ve also made a backup key.”

Yang Jian pointed at He Yuelian, showing a slight smile.

He Yuelian was once again astounded as she looked at Yang Jian after hearing this.

“It looks like you’ve realized, think back to our first meeting. Do you know why I didn’t kill you when I first saw your face? If you don’t know, let me remind you, what is one plus one?”

“It equals three.” He Yuelian almost instinctively blurted out this answer.

But soon she was horrified to realize, that answer was wrong.

Because in her memory, from childhood to adulthood, everyone around her said one plus one equals two, it was never three.

Yet only she thought one plus one equaling three was correct.

“You knew all along that your memory had been altered by me, but why do you believe I only changed this one memory? What makes you think your other memories are intact?” Yang Jian asked.

“No, it can’t be, I know you’ve tampered with my memory, but I’ve tested it, and there’s never been an issue,” He Yuelian said in panic.

Yang Jian chuckled, “I’m the keeper of the key. Do you think I’d leave such a glaring loophole? When others ask you what one plus one is and you answer two, of course, it’s fine. But when I ask, it’s different. You might have suspected this hidden threat, which is why you’re so eager to see me dead, hoping my death would free you from my influence.”

“But there is always a price for supernatural power. What makes you think an ordinary person like you can suddenly acquire supernatural power surpassing most Captain Level abilities? Why do you think you’re special enough to get my careful guidance? And why naively think you can escape this bondage?”

“Don’t underestimate us captains who climbed from piles of corpses. A single mistake and we’d be dead, and our survival is all due to caution.”

“Moreover, even if you break free from my control, how will you face Zhang Xiangguang? He’s been waiting on the other side with a collar, if I let go of the leash, you’re only going to be caught by another one.”

“Freedom? Ridiculous, no one in the supernatural circle is free, least of all you.”

Yang Jian’s words smashed He Yuelian’s strong facade into pieces, leaving only humility and terror.

“So that’s it, I get it. Your proposal to release Zhang Xiangguang at the last meeting was to prepare for this He Yuelian?” Li Yang suddenly understood.

“It’s just a form of balance. If I’m alive, she’s constrained by me. If I die, she’ll be restrained by Zhang Xiangguang, at least the supernatural element of the Ghost Drawing won’t go out of control,” Yang Jian said.

Tong Qian asked, “What if Zhang Xiangguang really goes ahead with the Peach Blossom Fountain plan?”

“If it comes to that, executing the Peach Blossom Fountain plan might not be a bad thing, at least he’s someone with ideals who is harsh on himself, understanding the importance of balance, so he wouldn’t cause a big mess in the short term. As for the future… that’s beyond what I can foresee,” Yang Jian replied.

“So, I’ve been a pawn all along?” He Yuelian gave a bitter smile, feeling utterly sad.

“If I hadn’t revealed it to you, your life would be quite comfortable, wouldn’t it?” Yang Jian retorted.

“Sometimes the truth isn’t important, not everyone is qualified to be a pawn. In fact, if you’d joined the headquarters and done your job quietly, the contingency plan I left on you might never have been used, I don’t want to casually change a person’s mind because if it goes wrong, it’s a terrible thing.”

“After all, I’ve always been cautious with the supernatural and never naively believe you’re entirely under my control, so I prefer letting you choose for yourself. Of course, if you don’t choose, I can choose for you, but then there’s no room for regret.”

“Perhaps you might even be replaced by a new consciousness.”

He Yuelian sat on the ground, silent, not knowing what to do.

Because what Yang Jian said was both real and harsh.

She had no room for resistance.

“I’ve talked too much today, and it’s getting late. I have to walk the dog later, so if there’s nothing else, I’ll send you out of the Ghost Dream World,” Yang Jian said.

He added, “But before that, I have to ask you a question, He Yuelian, what is one plus one?”

He Yuelian shuddered all over, followed by a look of pain and struggle on her face.

This question undoubtedly forced her to make a choice.

After realizing her memory had been altered, He Yuelian certainly knew one plus one equaled two.

But is that an option?

If she wanted freedom, she would surely die here today, or perhaps as Yang Jian said, she could be replaced by a new consciousness, becoming an eternally obedient He Yuelian.

Is it to die with clarity or live in confusion, this was truly painful.

But He Yuelian ultimately made a choice, biting her lip, lowering her head, and answered, “One plus one equals three.”

“Louder,” Yang Jian said calmly.

“One plus one equals three, always equals three,” He Yuelian bowed her head lower, as if kneeling before Yang Jian.

“Very good. Remember what you’ve said today,” Yang Jian said.

Li Yang witnessed this, realizing in his heart that He Yuelian had been tamed by the Captain.

Because from start to finish, the Captain hadn’t used any methods, only said a few words, and He Yuelian didn’t even doubt the truth of his words.

How frightened is she of the Captain?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com

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