Chapter 258: Ghost Marriage Tales (11)
The commotion from setting the cave dwelling on fire quickly drew the surrounding residents to attack in force. With the players positioned in different spots, the emergency forced them to scatter in all directions. Ji Ning was led by Shen Yu in the direction they had fled that very morning.
As she ran, Ji Ning thought that Shen Yu's mission was to "thwart the ghost marriage." Logically, that should have been a success just now, but since he hadn't exited the game instance, it definitely meant his mission wasn't considered complete yet.
There could be two reasons: one, the female player who was the bride-to-be in the ghost marriage had not yet escaped Jiyu Mountain. The other… could be that the ghost groom had not yet dissipated.
Just as she was thinking this, a sinister wind suddenly rose from all around, whistling past the back of her neck.
Ji Ning ducked her head, her hand held by Shen Yu tightening.
"What is it?" Shen Yu looked back. Seeing the villagers chasing them were gradually losing steam and the gap was widening, he slowed down.
Ji Ning involuntarily lowered her voice. "Next, we'll probably have to deal with the ghost groom."
Seeing her expression turn grave, Shen Yu guessed Ji Ning might be a little afraid of this kind of paranormal phenomenon. He consoled her, "I checked. The Jiyu Mountain range, starting from Yangjiagou, covers about seven kilometers in circumference. Crossing five or six peaks counts as leaving Jiyu Mountain's territory. It won't be long."
Ji Ning steadied her nerves, bolstering her own courage. With a hard voice, she said, "I'm not afraid! Just a drowning ghost—what's there to be scared of?"
The words had barely left her mouth when a strange, faint red glow suddenly appeared on Ji Ning's face.
The two looked up to find that the hazy, obscured moon had shed its clouds. The moon was awash in blood-red, and it had magnified greatly, as though it were extremely close to the mountain peak.
From behind them, a strange, indistinct call suddenly rang out, impossible to tell if it was male or female.
"Ji Ning…"
Ji Ning's heart trembled. She forcibly swallowed the urge to scream and, not daring to look back, tugged Shen Yu to speed up. "Quick! Let's get out of here!"
Shen Yu had also heard the voice calling Ji Ning's name, so he quickened his pace at her request. As he ran, he identified the mountain path they had taken that morning while gripping Ji Ning's shoulder to prevent her from turning her head.
A familiar path brought some peace of mind, so the two had very high confidence in heading this way.
However, after crossing one peak, Shen Yu suddenly stopped mid-stride.
Ji Ning's heart was practically leaping out of her chest. She swallowed. "What is it…"
Shen Yu's voice was slightly solemn. "This path… it's the same as before." He shifted his gaze to the left, making out two connected mountain peaks shaped like a camel's hump. With certainty, he said, "No mistake. The path is identical."
"G-ghost-looping…" Ji Ning's hands were starting to shake. She didn't dare look back, nor did she dare look around wildly. Her neck was growing stiff.
Fortunately, Shen Yu remained as composed as ever. He stepped forward, leading Ji Ning onward. Word by word, as if delivering a lecture, his voice was loud and clear as he said to her, "History has proven that in any field where humanity can achieve thorough materialism—no longer believing in theories of ghosts and spirits, idealism, or theories of surface phenomena—thought and practice become truly effective, and humanity can then begin to be the master of that field.
Right now, the path beneath our feet leads out of Jiyu Mountain. No one, whoever they may be, has the power to alter this singular fact.
The existence of science is precisely the bridge by which humanity gradually approaches the truth of the cosmos…"
With Shen Yu's upright, clear, and resolute voice and his firm materialist discourse, Ji Ning's pounding heart gradually calmed.
Then, the blood-red moonlight before her eyes vanished. The bone-chilling yin wind around them disappeared. The harrowing call behind them could no longer be heard. The repeating road beneath their feet quickly dissolved, leaving only solid ground underfoot and the path of courage to forge ahead.
Livestream comments:
"Absolutely brilliant. When you're scared of ghosts, just watch Teacher Shen."
"Gotta memorize that speech, never need the comment section to save me again."
"The man standing at the top of the monster food chain: Shen Yu."
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