Chapter 18 - The Eerie Bamboo Forest

Jiang Yan and the Black Hat Man decided to escape Gongyue Village after realizing Zhang Tiantian was a ghost. They retraced their steps along the path they had taken, only to find themselves inexplicably wandering into a bamboo forest.

"This doesn't make sense," the Black Hat Man muttered, glancing around in confusion. "There weren't any turnoffs on that road, so how did we end up here?"

"Exactly. We should've reached the suspension bridge by now. There must be some kind of supernatural force at work here," Jiang Yan replied, his gaze steely.

Both men recognized that this forest wasn't ordinary. The bamboo stalks surrounding them were covered with irregular dark spots, so densely packed they looked like countless eyes, watching their every step. Dead leaves littered the ground, crunching underfoot with an eerie "screeching" sound that echoed in the otherwise silent grove. Every so often, an icy wind would stir the bamboo, producing a ghastly creaking noise, like some sinister laughter.

"Could this be a ghost's domain?" Jiang Yan wondered aloud, his voice low and tense.

Since entering the forest, he had felt a growing unease, as though they were being silently watched.

"I'm not sure," replied the Black Hat Man, his voice revealing a hint of fear. "If it is a ghost's domain, we're in trouble. If we can't escape, we're as good as dead. Let's keep moving and see if we can find a way out."

The two pressed on, the dead leaves crackling loudly beneath their feet, an intrusive sound in the thick silence of the bamboo grove. They walked for about ten minutes, but to their dismay, the scenery around them remained unchanged. The bamboo stalks stretched endlessly in all directions, casting shadows that melded into darkness.

"It feels like we're going in circles," Jiang Yan remarked, glancing around at the all-too-familiar black-spotted bamboo.

The Black Hat Man nodded, a glimmer of frustration in his eyes. "It does feel like we've been here before. Maybe we should mark our path," he suggested, sweeping aside a patch of dead leaves to reveal a small cleared space as a marker.

With that done, they continued walking. Another ten minutes passed, yet they still hadn't found the bridge or any sign of an exit. What's worse, they couldn't locate the mark they had left earlier, though it was clear they hadn't returned to their original spot.

"Stop. This has to be a ghost's domain," Jiang Yan said abruptly, his voice firm.

"Damn it," the Black Hat Man cursed. He had been hoping to avoid the worst, but now he knew there was no other explanation. Without Jiang Yan, he would've been trapped in this forest alone, with no hope of escape.

Jiang Yan, sensing his desperation, nodded. "All right. Let's use the ghost domain to counter it. Maybe we can break free of this forest's hold." He extended his hands, activating his own ghost domain.

In an instant, a dim yellow light spread from Jiang Yan, casting an eerie glow around them. The light barely reached three meters before it was repelled, its reach drastically weakened by the supernatural energy saturating the forest.

Even so, the ghost domain gave them some reprieve. The chilling wind no longer penetrated their space, and Jiang Yan felt a subtle but reassuring sense of separation from the forest's oppressive presence.

"I've activated the ghost domain. Step in, and let's see if we can find a way out," he instructed the Black Hat Man.

The man wasted no time and moved into the yellow-tinged area. Together, they advanced cautiously. After a few minutes, a faint glimmer of light appeared ahead.

"It's working! We're almost out!" the Black Hat Man exclaimed, his face lighting up with relief.

But Jiang Yan felt a growing unease. This sense of dread had been building ever since they'd entered the forest, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

"Wait," Jiang Yan whispered, his tone sharp.

The Black Hat Man halted, confusion in his eyes. Just then, a faint rustling sounded behind them—a soft, almost inaudible shuffling of feet on dead leaves. The sound stopped abruptly as they did.

"There's something following us!" The Black Hat Man spat, cursing under his breath as the realization dawned on him.

Whatever it was had been mimicking their footsteps, halting and starting in perfect sync, so they hadn't noticed it until now. And whatever it was, it was just ten meters behind them.

The two men exchanged a tense glance. They hadn't yet triggered whatever murderous rule this ghost followed, but who knew how long that would last?

"Should we pick up the pace and try to shake it?" the Black Hat Man whispered, though his voice betrayed his uncertainty. If they ran, they risked alerting it, but if they stayed still…

"Let's take a few more steps and see what it does," Jiang Yan suggested, his expression steely.

They crept forward, barely daring to breathe, taking a few cautious steps before stopping once more. As they halted, the shuffling behind them did too, this time even closer.

"It's getting nearer—run!" Jiang Yan hissed, throwing caution to the wind as he broke into a sprint.

It was clear now they had somehow activated the ghost's kill condition. The Black Hat Man didn't need a second invitation. Together, they tore through the bamboo forest, the dry leaves scattering in their wake. The faint glow of an exit shone up ahead, just a few meters away.

But Jiang Yan suddenly felt an icy grip on the back of his neck, squeezing tight and cutting off his air supply.

"Damn it! This ghost broke into my ghost domain and is trying to strangle me!" Jiang Yan thought, panic surging through him.

He kept running, but the grip on his neck tightened, spreading an unnatural numbness across his skin. His neck felt like it was slowly transforming, the skin hardening and roughening into decaying wood.

Nearby, the Black Hat Man struggled as well. Though his ghostly windbreaker shielded him somewhat, it was strained to its limit, the sleeves and shoulders creaking ominously as cracks appeared in the fabric.

This ghost was far more powerful than they'd anticipated. It was managing to overpower them both, despite their combined supernatural defenses.

Jiang Yan knew he had no choice. Summoning all his strength, he activated the second level of his ghost domain.

The yellow light around him doubled in intensity, expanding to a ten-meter radius. His heart pounded with the strain, feeling as if an engine had ignited in his chest, sending tremors through his limbs as his body struggled to contain the overwhelming force.

But the price was worth it. The amplified ghost domain forced the ghost back, and Jiang Yan heard a piercing, agonized wail from behind as the icy grip on his neck vanished.

Seizing the fleeting opportunity, Jiang Yan and the Black Hat Man sprinted forward, barreling toward the light ahead with everything they had. Just a few more steps, and they would finally be free of the forest's malevolent hold… 

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𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 shoutouts 𝘁𝗼:

•Leroy

• Jonathan Bailey

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 50+ chapters 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!

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