See the Law of Deception

Chapter 13 Summoning Ghosts (12)

The box felt slightly heavy in the hand, and it seemed no different from an ordinary wooden box, but Lu Jinzhao had not forgotten the scene of it having just devoured a person's flesh and blood.

The bloodstains on the knife had vanished without a trace, perhaps having been completely absorbed by the box along with the blood.

Greed was Lu Jinzhao's most vivid impression of this box.

At the same time, she also realized something from Lin Shuyue's fate: never start a deal with the box lightly.

Because it's difficult to predict the cost of this transaction; one wrong move and you might end up like Lin Shuyue.

After packing her things away, Lu Jinzhao checked the time again. It was almost three o'clock, and the train would be arriving soon. She had to hurry to the station.

The train would arrive at the same spot where they got off; it wasn't far, only about a ten-minute walk. The problem was...
What happens after we arrive?
How many people are already waiting there?
Or rather, how many ghosts are there now?

Lu Jinzhao knew in his heart that the most severe test was about to begin.

More than two hours ago, at the intersection.

Zhou Wenbo arrived here alone, carrying a bowl, chopsticks, food, and a candle.

His body was trembling, his lips were pale, and the person he was grouped with was nowhere to be found.

Perhaps Zhou Wenbo knew this, which is why he looked so grief-stricken at this moment.

When it was almost time, he arranged the bowls filled with food and the empty bowls, lit the candles, took a few deep breaths, and then began to tap the empty bowls with his chopsticks.

It was late at night, and the intersection was deserted, with no vehicles in sight. In fact, because the area was too small, there wasn't even a traffic light; the only other thing was two streetlights at different intersections.

The light from the streetlights and the candle in front of him kept the surroundings from falling into darkness, which gave Zhou Wenbo a slight sense of security.

When the time came, even if he was unwilling, he had no choice but to pick up his chopsticks and start tapping the empty bowl in front of him.

Will doing this really attract ghosts?

The tinkling sound echoed continuously in the night, and the empty crossroads seemed to be left with only these crisp knocking sounds.

Although Zhou Wenbo thought this way, he was almost certain that doing so would definitely attract ghosts.

The terror in my heart grew with each tap of the chopsticks.

How long is he going to keep knocking?

The food in front of him remained unchanged, which made Zhou Wenbo feel both relieved and uneasy.

"Has the ghost not come yet?"

"What should I do? The book only says that the tapping should not be interrupted during the process. So, is it in the process now, or has it not even started yet?"

Zhou Wenbo kept thinking, and he even wondered if he could just tap a few times to complete the task and then stop immediately?

In that case, even though the ghost wasn't summoned, he still performed the ritual to see the ghost. Does that count as exploiting a bug?
But he dared not do it.

He was always mindful of the instructions in the book that the tapping should not be interrupted. If the first tap was considered the start, his cleverness would get him killed!
"I'll just stick to the old-fashioned way of knocking."

With his other free hand, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and then cautiously looked around while tapping.

Although he couldn't see the ghost, seeing that the surrounding environment hadn't changed made him feel a little more at ease.

But as time ticked by, and he had been banging on the bowl for about ten minutes without anything happening, Zhou Wenbo began to feel uneasy.

".what happened?"

"Has the ghost not arrived yet?"

"Did I do something wrong?"

He tapped the bowl while carefully checking the arrangement.

No problem, I prepared exactly as instructed in the book. "Could it be... I'm one of the lucky ones?"

He started to let his mind wander, and when he thought of this, a hint of joy appeared on his face, but he quickly suppressed it.

Ding Ding Ding
The sound of chopsticks tapping on empty bowls echoed continuously at the crossroads. Zhou Wenbo's fear gradually subsided with the patient admonitions. He began to feel restless, and his movements of turning his head left and right were no longer careful. He even wondered from time to time if he could leave.

Anyway, it seems there are no ghosts.

He didn't notice that the intersection illuminated by the streetlights was shrouded in a thick fog in the distance. The fog seemed to have a life of its own, slowly devouring the lights and air on the four roads, gradually approaching him.

Zhou Wenbo's mind was already wandering.

He's been banging on the bowl for almost an hour!

Even the most patient person would be losing patience by now.

Besides, he wasn't exactly a patient person to begin with.

Moreover, he did not encounter any danger, nor did he actually see any ghosts with his own eyes.

Although the atmosphere on the platform had frightened him quite a bit, the fact that his task was so easy gradually made Zhou Wenbo relax.

"Nothing happened. Maybe there are no ghosts here at all."

"Actually, some missions involve ghosts, while others don't?"

"Or is the train deliberately trying to scare us and make us fool ourselves?"

For example, trying to outsmart the air and ending up killing yourself.
Zhou Wenbo felt that he might have seen through the truth, but he still dared not act rashly and just pondered it in his mind.

He wasn't bold enough to actually do it just because he thought about it.

The fog drew closer step by step. In the darkness, the fog seemed to outline invisible figures, drawn to Zhou Wenbo, slowly approaching him, but he was completely unaware.

The streetlights dimmed a little, and the candle flame stuck in the ground suddenly flickered, startling Zhou Wenbo, who had just relaxed, into shivering.

"got windy?"

It seemed as if he didn't feel the wind blowing.

The slight mishap immediately put him on alert again, and he stared intently at the food in front of him.

The food he brought had long been cold. It was just something he had packed up casually, and it was all food he didn't like. Because it had been cold for so long, the oil had dried out and it looked especially greasy.

But for some reason, these normally tasteless dishes suddenly smelled delicious.

Zhou Wenbo swallowed hard, realizing he had been banging on bowls for too long and was both tired and hungry.

His stomach didn't rumble with hunger, but Zhou Wenbo still couldn't help but keep looking at the bowls of food.

The streetlights grew dimmer, as if the light had encountered some obstacle and could no longer illuminate the dim intersection, but Zhou Wenbo was completely unaware of this; his eyes were glued to the food and he couldn't look away.

"smell good"

The candlelight flickered again, as if an unseen figure had walked past the candle, stirring up a slight breeze.

The jingling sound gradually slowed down, and Zhou Wenbo's gaze towards the food had changed.

When he came to his senses, he looked at what he was doing, his mind was completely blank, and he could no longer think.

The chopsticks that were tapping the bowl somehow found their way into the cold food, picking up a piece of meat and putting it in their mouths.

He ate the food prepared for the ghost.

(End of this chapter)