Helpless, I had to bring out my reinforcements, my secret weapon - the Soul-summoning Gourd.

Inside the gourd were five ghost brothers, and now was the time to put them to use.

Last time at Fairy Lake, I didn't bring the Soul-summoning Gourd with me and ended up being chased around by fox demons like a dog.

If I had brought the gourd and released the five ghost brothers, maybe they could have helped me hold off the demons.

So after returning from Fairy Lake, I kept the Soul-summoning Gourd with me in case of emergencies.

I didn't expect that as soon as I stepped out of the house, I would need the help of the five ghost brothers.

I took out a ghost-repelling talisman from my pocket and opened the gourd, summoning the five ghost brothers.

The five ghost brothers lined up in front of me, standing tall and full of vigor, just like soldiers. Xie Lao Ba and the others widened their eyes in disbelief, thinking they were seeing things.

Long Yi asked me, "Boss, why did you summon us today?"

I pointed towards the entrance of the courtyard and said, "There are many lost souls outside trying to rush in. Go over and block the entrance, don't let those ghosts in!"

Long Yi nodded, "No problem, guys, follow me!"

The five ghosts went to the entrance of the courtyard and forcefully held the wooden door.

The creaking and shaking of the door immediately stopped.

No matter how the ghosts outside attacked the door, the five ghost brothers stood firm like gatekeepers, guarding the entrance tightly.

Fatty happily said to Xie Lao Ba and the others, "See? This is my brother Cheng's ability. With me, Cheng-ge, here, even if there were a hundred ghosts roaming the night, I can handle them!"

I didn't bother listening to Fatty's boasting. I asked him to stay here and guard Xie Lao Ba and the others while I went out to investigate.

Fatty grabbed my arm and asked where I was going. He said there were ghosts roaming everywhere outside, and wouldn't it be suicidal for me to go out now?

I told him that there were too many ghosts outside, and these five ghost brothers could only hold them off for a while. Given enough time, they wouldn't be able to handle it. I needed to go out and see what was fishy about Wang Family Village, why it had turned into a ghost village. Only by uncovering the truth behind it could we find a way to escape the ghost village.

After a pause, I added, "I think there's something suspicious about that woman in the red dress hanging from the tree!"

I looked up at the old locust tree, but the woman in the red dress seemed to have disappeared.

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I turned around and started to leave, intending to scale the back wall.

Fatty followed behind me and said, "Cheng-ge, I've thought about it. I'd better go with you!"

I sat on the wall and replied, "There are ghosts everywhere outside. Why do you want to come with me? If we encounter danger, I'll have to take the time to protect you. It's troublesome!"

Fatty hesitated and said, "Without you by my side, I can't feel at ease. Let me come with you. I promise I won't drag you down. You should trust my abilities!"

I sighed and said, "It's because I trust your abilities so much that I told you not to come with me! Well, forget it. If you want to come, then come. If something happens, don't blame me!"

I turned over the wall, and Fatty followed suit.

I looked around and determined the direction of the old locust tree, then quickly ran towards it.

Fatty was afraid of being left behind and closely followed me, shouting, "Slow down! Can't you slow down?"

Finally, we arrived under the old locust tree.

The locust tree gathered Yin energy and was very susceptible to evil creatures, so it was not commonly planted in rural homes.

I looked up at the branches, which were enveloped in ghostly mist. The woman in the red dress was nowhere to be seen.

This large and sturdy locust tree stood like a giant umbrella here, its branches dense and lush.

Standing under the locust tree, one could clearly feel the gusts of cold wind carrying a large amount of Yin energy, converging towards the tree.

The roots of the locust tree were also like gnarled claws, emerging from the ground. It seemed like those roots were moving, but I couldn't tell if it was my imagination or just nerves.

"Yang Cheng, ghosts...so many ghosts..." Fatty's teeth chattered as he spoke, his mouth like a drafty window, making it hard to articulate.

I turned around and was startled.

In the short minute or two since we had come to the old locust tree, dozens of lost souls had gathered from all directions, surrounding Fatty and me under the tree.

I quickly took a glance and saw that these lost souls were dressed like the villagers of Wang Family Village.

I was puzzled. What kind of catastrophe had Wang Family Village experienced for the entire village to turn into ghosts?

What was the story with the woman in the red dress hanging on the tree?

Why would a woman from the Qiannan mountain area be singing Shaanxi's Xintianguo?

The more I thought about it, the more suspicious things seemed. My intuition told me that there might be a significant connection between the secrets of Wang Family Ghost Village and that woman in the red dress.

Of course, now was not the time to ponder over this question.

Looking at the ghosts approaching from all directions, my heart tightened.

Fatty took two steps back and hid behind me, grabbing onto my arm.

I asked him why he was holding onto my arm and reminded him that he promised not to drag me down.

Fatty said with a bitter face, "Yes, I'm not dragging you down. I'm holding onto your arm!"

I shook my head speechlessly. At a time like this, I had no patience for word games with Fatty. I took out two ghost-repelling talismans from my pocket and handed them to Fatty, telling him seriously, "Remember, when I count to three, we'll charge out together. Don't look back! Whether or not we can make it out alive depends on your luck!"

Fatty swallowed hard, clutching the two talismans tightly in his hand.

I said, "Don't grip them so tightly. Be careful not to tear the talismans. If the spells don't work later, don't blame me!"

Wiping the cold sweat off his face, Fatty replied, "Cheng-ge, I'm ready. Let's break through!"

"Relax and stop being so dramatic!" I said, seemingly comforting Fatty but also calming myself.

I held one talisman in each hand, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Ready! One... Three!"

I yelled and charged forward.

Fatty hesitated for a moment, then followed me closely, shouting, "Hey! Yang Cheng, you big liar! Weren't you supposed to count to three? Why didn't you say 'two'?"

At a time like this, my mind was solely focused on how to escape. I had no time to respond to Fatty.

A peasant woman came at me from the front, reaching out her ghostly hand to grab me.

Reacting quickly, I struck her face with a talisman.

The woman let out a scream and black smoke rose from her head as she fell backward.