Chapter 1599 - 1562: Old Name and New Name

The group panted heavily, narrowly escaping from the perilous area.

At this moment, they followed Wang Shanshan to rest in that small temple.

The temple wasn’t large, with oil lamps lit on both sides. In the middle of the temple, on a high platform, stood a gold-colored deity statue. The statue resembled a young man with an eye on his forehead, holding a long spear. His eyes were closed as if in a deep slumber.

“Put Ah Wei down,” Wang Shanshan said coldly.

He Feng carefully put Grandpa Zhang down from his back, but the old man’s face remained ghastly pale, his jaws clenched, and his breathing was faint.

“Dad, Dad, wake up.” Zhang Wenwen knelt beside him, tears welling up in his eyes, feeling his father’s condition deteriorate.

He Feng said, “Call an ambulance, quickly get him to the hospital for resuscitation, the old man is very advanced in age and it’s dangerous.”

“It’s useless. The place is haunted, ambulances can’t get here. Even if they did, they’d be killed by ghosts outside, unless you carry him to the back exit, but that would take time, and Ah Wei might not make it.”

Wang Shanshan said calmly, “Moreover, there’s something else that needs to be done. If everything goes well, Ah Wei will be fine.”

“Elder Sister Wang, what do you need to do? I’ll do anything,” Zhang Wenwen hurriedly said.

Wang Shanshan looked at the golden statue and said, “The sixty-year deadline has almost arrived, the ghost has appeared, I think it’s time to awaken him. As long as he wakes up, everything will be fine.”

“Him? Who is he?” Reporter He Feng was intrigued.

Wang Shanshan glanced at He Feng afterward, “Do me a favor, smash the statue on top.”

“What?” He Feng was stunned for a moment and looked up at the golden statue, “You want to smash this statue? That’s not great.”

Even if he didn’t understand, he knew smashing the statue in a temple was taboo.

“It has to be done; it’s the only way. The ghost is still in this residential complex, ready to appear at any moment. The longer we delay, the more dangerous it becomes,” Wang Shanshan said.

Though puzzled, He Feng chose to trust this unfamiliar woman.

“Alright, since you say so, I won’t be polite, but I’ll say upfront, if I smash this statue, I’m not responsible for repairing it.”

He spoke as he climbed onto the high platform.

Zhang Wenwen was quite surprised because as a child, he had come here with his father and knew how special the statue was, let alone smashing it; even just touching it out of curiosity would lead to a scolding.

But today, despite the situation, Elder Sister Wang chose to smash it without hesitation.

“This statue… Seems to be made of gold,” He Feng said as he hit it a few times with an axe. After leaving a few marks, he found it glittered inside, unmistakably gold.

Then he struck it a few more times.

Yet, the statue did not budge, only dented with a few marks.

“No, it’s too strong, can’t smash it,” He Feng said.

“Then just topple it,” Wang Shanshan said coldly, “Today, it has to be opened no matter what.”

“Alright,” He Feng laid down the axe and pushed against the statue with both hands.

The golden statue swayed; it seemed hollow inside, not as heavy as expected.

After several pushes, He Feng found a method and finally toppled the statue from the platform.

“It’s coming down, move aside a bit, be careful not to get hit,” He Feng shouted.

“Boom!”

A dull thud resounded as the golden statue crashed heavily onto the ground, the surface cracked and caved, twisting and deforming, losing its former appearance.

Then, bright red blood flowed from the collapsed statue, growing to cover the entire ground.

Faced with such an eerie scene, He Feng and Zhang Wenwen were taken aback, unsure of how to react.

However, Wang Shanshan remained composed, softly calling out, “Yang Jian.”

But, the expected situation didn’t occur; she didn’t summon the person from sixty years ago back, the surroundings stayed quiet, and nothing unusual happened.

“Yang Jian,” Wang Shanshan called again.

Yet the outcome remained the same, her voice echoed in the empty small temple, then vanished.

The person still did not appear.

At this moment, Wang Shanshan laughed, a tear fell with her smile, “He lied to me, Ah Wei, he deceived us, he’s already dead, dead sixty years ago. How foolish we are to have waited all this time… But if he’s truly dead, why am I still alive?”

But Grandpa Zhang lay unconscious on the ground, unable to respond to Wang Shanshan’s words.

“Elder Sister Wang,” Zhang Wenwen saw Wang Shanshan’s tears, feeling panicked. He hadn’t seen her like this in his over fifty years of life.

“Yang Jian?” He Feng, off to the side, was quite surprised upon hearing the name.

However, before he could think further, a voice suddenly came from outside the small temple: “Wang Shanshan, don’t despair just yet, maybe there’s still hope.”

At this moment, a few people saw an old woman, hunched and covered with wrinkles, slowly shuffling in.

“Aunt Jiang, why are you here? The neighborhood is very dangerous right now, don’t wander around, hurry back.” Zhang Wenwen said anxiously upon seeing the old woman.

This Aunt Jiang was also an elder in the neighborhood. When she was younger, she was friends with Zhang Wenwen’s father, so Zhang Wenwen knew some things.

“I heard there’s been ghost trouble in the neighborhood, so I came to have a look. Wang Shanshan, Ah Wei, what’s going on with Grandpa Zhang?” Aunt Jiang asked, looking at Grandpa Zhang lying on the ground unconscious.

“His health is poor, but he insisted on being brave, taking an axe to chop ghosts, but he fell and couldn’t get up.” Wang Shanshan replied calmly, “At his age and with the situation, he’s unlikely to recover unless ‘he’ appears. Sending him to the hospital is pointless. What did you mean earlier about some hope? Do you think ‘he’s’ still alive?”

“I used to record everything he went through with Zhang Liqin. Zhang Liqin died over twenty years ago due to health issues. Now, I’m the only one who knows everything. I’ve copied that notebook more than twenty times and read it no less than a hundred times. No one understands him better than I do.” Aunt Jiang said.

“And then?” Wang Shanshan asked.

Aunt Jiang said, “That notebook records a trivial incident where he changed his name to avoid a supernatural attack. Maybe his real name is not Yang Jian anymore, so calling Yang Jian is useless. You need to call his real name.”

“Real name? What is his real name? Tell me.” Wang Shanshan demanded immediately.

“I don’t know.” Aunt Jiang shook her head slightly, “Not only me, even he doesn’t know. In this world, there’s only one person who knows his real name.”

Wang Shanshan gritted her teeth slightly and said, “Liu Xiaoyu?”

“Yes, Liu Xiaoyu personally changed his name and then kept it a secret from everyone.” Aunt Jiang looked at the bleeding statue with sadness.

“Call her and ask.” Wang Shanshan said.

Aunt Jiang said, “I already asked before coming here, but couldn’t find out. Liu Xiaoyu has developed dementia and has forgotten many things. She is currently in the hospital receiving treatment, but I believe she would have recorded such important information. If you go to her house, you might find clues.”

“I’m not able-bodied, can’t walk. You go.” Aunt Jiang said.

“Alright, since she lives in Dachang City, not far from here.” Wang Shanshan said, preparing to leave immediately.

However, at that moment, the lights inside the small temple suddenly flickered, and the oil lamps on both sides dimmed inexplicably.

Outside the small temple, heavy footsteps sounded, and the sturdy door shook violently.

“Ghost?” Aunt Jiang glanced at Wang Shanshan.

“Yes.” Wang Shanshan said, “Ah Wei and the others have had contact with the supernatural and are probably being targeted. I temporarily drove the ghost away with a ghost candle earlier, but now it’s likely coming back. I can’t leave here. If I do, Ah Wei is dead for sure.”

“Who is he?” Aunt Jiang pointed at He Feng, who had just climbed down from the platform.

“Madam, I’m He Feng, a journalist.” He Feng quickly introduced himself.

Aunt Jiang said, “Give him Liu Xiaoyu’s address, let him go. He’s young and can run fast. Leave Wenwen, the useless idiot, to take care of Ah Wei.”

Wang Shanshan glanced, as if asking for his opinion.

He Feng gritted his teeth and said, “No problem, leave it to me, I’ll definitely do it.”

“Take Ah Wei’s axe; it can help you deal with ghosts. Take the oil lamp and light it immediately when you encounter anything strange. It will keep you from getting lost. Wenwen, give him the oil lamp.” Wang Shanshan quickly arranged.

“Alright, okay, Elder Sister Wang.” Zhang Wenwen handed over the golden oil lamp.

With these two items, He Feng felt a little more secure inside.

Aunt Jiang told Liu Xiaoyu’s address and then said, “The moment you leave the Guanjiang Residential Complex, find a way to catch a ride, don’t stop, don’t hesitate. If you encounter a ghost, use the axe to clear the way. Once you find Yang Jian’s real name, shout it out loud, don’t fear death, and don’t try to escape. You’ve already been targeted by the ghost, apart from waking him up, there’s no other way to survive.”

“I understand.” He Feng nodded.

“Get moving, go out the back door.” Wang Shanshan urged.

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely complete this task, so please hang in there.”

He Feng looked at the unconscious Grandpa Zhang, then at the mysterious lady Wang Shanshan who had just saved him, and finally left quickly through the back door without looking back.

Even though his lower leg was still bleeding and slightly injured, they were merely flesh wounds, not affecting the bones or muscles. Moreover, he was young and strong, so it didn’t really hinder him.

Yet He Feng himself couldn’t understand why he took on such a dangerous task.

But a certain intuition told him, this is the right thing to do.

If such a terrifying ghost were allowed to roam free in the city, who knows how many people would die.

“Some things must be done by someone.” He Feng tightly gripped the red axe in his hand, his heart uneasy.

He just hoped everything would go smoothly, without any mishaps.

There was a group of people in the small temple waiting for him to rescue them, even the safety of the entire neighborhood, the whole city, might depend on him.

As a third-rate journalist, he felt a certain responsibility and sense of justice deep down, though long periods of mundane work and life had gradually eroded these feelings. However, that doesn’t mean he was content to remain so forever.

With great change upon him, He Feng was willing to step forward.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com

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