A Manual for Surviving a Weird World

Chapter 418 Ghost Scholar

Qin Shou remained silent, simply watching Ning Zhe without moving an inch.

Not far away, Ding Wei and Zhang Genshuo, who had already become ghost messengers, flew out of the roof one after another, carrying lanterns and floating over. A gust of cold wind blew by, making the paper clothes on the two men rustle and also stirring the curtain on the stage, where colorful paper figures appeared and disappeared.

As if possessed, Ning Zhe took the pen out of his pocket and looked down. The upside-down person's expression was no longer peaceful. His eyes were slightly open, as if he were squinting at him.

“This pen is indeed strange.” Ning Zhe immediately understood that this pen was not a ritual prop like an ink line or a substitute straw man, but a real ghost.

One, a roadblock that makes even the insects of time stop in their tracks.

"When did you figure it out?" Qin Shou's voice turned cold and stiff, like an old corpse that had been frozen for a long time.

“The moment I met you,” Ning Zhe said calmly, “you’ve learned to imitate people quite well, but you’re still not good enough. This level is only good for bullying newbies and mortals who haven’t seen the world. Any experienced Ascension user can see that your human skin is full of flaws.”

Feng Yushu was taken aback when she heard this, because she couldn't see anything.

"So I'm not even as good as a beginner..." Feng Yushu said, somewhat dejected.

As Ding Wei and Zhang Genshuo, dressed as the Black and White Impermanence, flew closer and closer, Ning Zhe took a few steps back. On the stage, a paper head slowly emerged from between the curtains, its face painted with yellow and green, and a white mark painted on the tip of its nose.

"Listen carefully, other ascendants aren't so lucky to be mentored and have experience gained."

Ning Zhe looked at the half-smiling face on the pen and said:
“When we first met Qin Shou, his statement revealed at least three contradictions.”

"Firstly, he said that everyone in the mortuary was killed by a strange man, and the ghosts that occupied the mortuary were also taken away by that strange man, leaving only some eerie influences that attracted the Time Worms."

However, this is not the case in reality. The Time Worms only stop at the time and place where strange events occur. Places without ghosts will not be designated as train stops.

According to Qin Shou, the mortuary used to be haunted, but it is not now. Therefore, the train will take us to a time when the ghosts were still there and stop there, and will never stop now.

Wherever the train stops, there will be ghosts; that's the rule, and the rule is absolute.

The mortuary is clearly haunted, yet Qin Shou claims it isn't; he's concealing the ghost's existence—this is the first suspicious point.

"Secondly, Qin Shou said that he also came to the mortuary by car, but because he failed to resolve the strange events there in time, he deviated from the station and was trapped there for three years."

Any experienced Ascendant would question his statement, because Ascendants are generally short-lived.

If Qin Shou were an ascendant, it would be impossible for him to survive for three years in this haunted place without acquiring new supernatural elements to complete the rules for himself.

If Qin Shou were the one who received the certificate, then he would never have boarded the train and come here in the first place.

If Qin Shou is an ordinary person... he can't possibly be an ordinary person.

In conclusion, regardless of the possibility, it contradicts Qin Shou's statement; he was lying intentionally from the very beginning.

"Thirdly, the fact that the last living person survived in a village full of dead people is itself the biggest mystery and discord."

The mortuary is haunted; Qin Shou is suspicious and is covering up the ghost's existence; Qin Shou possesses a strange paintbrush capable of painting the ghost's eyes. Based on this information, it's not difficult to draw the following conclusion:
—Qin Shou, or the pen in Qin Shou's hand, was the obstacle that stopped the train!
Moreover, this roadblock is seemingly mimicking human behavior, as if it's trying to achieve some hidden purpose...

Ning Zhe held the pen, which resembled a corpse standing upside down in his hand, and stared at Qin Shou's cold face.

The pale face no longer showed any human emotions; only the clear black and white eyes revealed a kind of resentment, as if a demon was blaming someone for peeling off the human skin it wore.

“Your acting isn’t convincing enough. You’d better practice more in the future.” Ning Zhe smiled. “I mean, if there’s a chance.”

"—Kill them all."

At Ning Zhe's command, a dark shadow instantly shot out from under his feet like a ghost.

Feng Yushu's consciousness left along with Te Rang. At the same time, her body went limp and she was about to fall down when Ning Zhe reached out and supported Feng Yushu's soft and plump body, picked her up around the waist, and turned to leave.

thump—

With the sound of a gong and drum, urgent music came from the stage. One after another, colorful paper figures appeared from behind the curtain, their faces, each with a different makeup, shone with cold white light in the moonlight.

Suddenly, a strong gust of cold wind rose, and Qin Shou's body floated into the air like a kite, flying towards Ning Zhe. At this moment, a black shadow swept past, and Qin Shou's waist was cut in two in mid-air.

His lower body rolled a few times on the ground, and the outer cardboard covering was punctured by pebbles on the ground, revealing the bamboo frame inside.

Qin Shou was a paper doll from the very beginning.

Ning Zhe carried Feng Yushu and quickly left the open space in the center of the village. Ding Wei and Zhang Genshuo, one in black and one in white, followed closely behind him with lanterns, their faces expressionless and their voices silent.

The sounds of gongs, drums, and suonas behind us grew closer, and gusts of cold wind swept across the night sky, scattering paper figures dressed in theatrical costumes everywhere.

A paper figure painted with a Jingjiao (a type of Peking Opera) mask gradually approached Ning Zhe and floated down in his direction. Before it got close, a black shadow swept past, and the Jingjiao paper figure was decapitated in mid-air. Its head and body fell to the ground one after the other, and Ning Zhe stomped on it flat before running towards the village entrance.

Feng Yushu's shadow wandered around Ning Zhe like a ghost. Whenever a paper figure tried to get close, she would dismember it into pieces according to the rules of [Karmic Death], and then stomp it to death with [Special Judgment].

Two vengeful spirits, perfectly aligned, transformed into a terrifying killing machine under the influence of human will. Their only weakness was Feng Yushu's true form, which was being held in Ning Zhe's arms. Only a ferocious vengeful spirit lurked in the shadows, reaping the lives of everyone who tried to approach.

By this time, Ning Zhe had already run to the village entrance, where the colorful ropes hanging on both sides of the road could be vaguely seen under the cold moonlight.

Ding Wei, dressed as the Black Impermanence, and Zhang Genshuo, dressed as the White Impermanence, followed behind, carrying lanterns and waving tokens in their hands.

bang-

The doors of the houses opened one after another, and with each door opening, a cold corpse with painted faces walked out.
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I have something to do today, so it'll be just one chapter.

Two updates tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)