See the Law of Deception

Chapter 5 Summoning Ghosts (4)

"We can't wait here any longer."

Time was of the essence, and the others still had ghost-seeing rituals to complete, so they had no choice but to leave the house and head to the next ghost-seeing location.

This also means that they will have to leave Lin Shuyue here alone.

Stay alone in this house, which is very likely haunted, for at least 11 hours.

No one can be sure whether she will be among the people boarding the train when it returns.

But no one would raise an objection at such a moment.

"Sister Lin has been through three platform missions before, she shouldn't fail in a place like this, right?"

Lu Jinzhao saw unease in someone's eyes, but still tried his best to comfort them. He didn't know if he was trying to enlighten others or to comfort himself.

"I think so. As long as we follow the rules of the ghostly encounter, we can at least make it to the end. Plus, Sister Lin still has that thing. Surviving is definitely not a problem!"

Someone affirmed, their tone gradually shifting from initial uncertainty to firmness.

That thing?

Lu Jinzhao noticed this sentence, but now was not a good time to ask questions, so she could only suppress her doubts for the time being.

Before leaving, she took one last look at the leader, whom she thought was quite decent. Her expression wasn't obvious in the dim light, but it was clear that she had suppressed her panic and was doing some kind of mental preparation.

As they stepped out of the room, Lu Jinzhao could still faintly hear the voice inside saying, "Cup Fairy, Cup Fairy, please return."

"Perhaps this is the most dangerous part of drawing the Cup Fairy quest."

Even though the ghost hadn't been seen yet, the oppressive feeling it brought was already like a dark cloud hanging over everyone's hearts.

Fortunately, because the ghost did not "truly" appear in front of everyone, even the newcomers were able to maintain their rationality.

The second person to undergo the ghost-seeing ritual was the newlywed Cen Duo.

Except for a few tasks, all other tasks were supposed to be carried out at night. However, when they stepped out of the building, they found that although it was not even five o'clock in the afternoon, the sky was already dark as if it were night.

—It's like facilitating their ghost-seeing rituals.

"That's good too. If it's all late at night, not only will time be tight, but everyone will also have to split up."

Most of the conditions for seeing ghosts in the book do not specify the exact time, but it is clear that it must be at night.

The current weather makes it easier for them to act ahead of time.

The ghost-seeing task Cen Duo drew seemed quite simple: headfirst. Lu Jinzhao remembered that it was written like this in the book:
Is there a shortcut to another world?
You may not remember how you came into this world, but you certainly know that you came out from between your mother's legs.

Bend forward and look back between your legs; you will see a passage to another world.

But you must stop immediately when you attract the attention of any passerby.

The ghost might think you're an unborn baby and is inviting it to be reborn into its body.

The book then explicitly states that you need to find a dead-end alley, take off your shoes, stand with your back to the wall, light incense and candles under your legs and inhale as much fragrance as possible, then hold your breath and bend over to look at the wall behind you through your legs.

It is not a difficult ritual, but the language described in the book is unsettling.

Dead-end alleys are not hard to find; barring any unforeseen circumstances, you can find all the occasions needed for ghost-seeing rituals here.

Before entering the dead-end alley, everyone except Cen Duo stopped. The alley wasn't long; you could see right into it from the entrance. Even though it was already as dark as night, the dim streetlights at the entrance could still barely illuminate the spot.

"Just in case, let's wait a little outside the alley."

No one was willing to accompany Cen Duo into this alley, and Cen Duo realized this, her face turning pale.

"Weren't we all in the same room just now and nothing happened?"

"If I'm the one performing the ceremony, it's okay if you all are just standing around, right?"

Cen Duo tried to persuade everyone to accompany her into the alley. Although she was performing the ritual alone, having someone by her side at this time would still bring her some sense of security.

But no one answered her.

"If you're not coming with me, then I'm not going in!"

In a moment of desperation, Cen Duo said these words.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jinzhao shook his head.

He was in such a hurry that he said something completely harmless.

As expected, no one was swayed by Cen Duo's words.

"If you're not going, then we'll go to the next ceremony location first. You can go whenever you want."

A cold male voice spoke from the crowd.

Cen Duo realized, prompted by the voice, that her "threat" was useless. Her face turned even paler, but she could only hurriedly say, "No, don't go!"

Standing at the alley entrance is better than doing this damned ghost ritual by myself.

"I'll go right now."

Cen Duo's trembling words and pitiful expression made her appear extremely pathetic. Lu Jinzhao glanced at the expressions of those around him and found that not a single person showed any sign of pity.

It seems the passengers on the train are already used to this kind of thing. Just as Jiang Yingzhi said, they will not show any undue pity or help to the newcomers.

Even if it's just a newcomer, or even a temporary team leader like Lin Shuyue who seems to have some connections with the others, they won't hesitate to help if something goes wrong.

Self-preservation and staying away from danger seem to be the only rules for survival on a train.

Cen Duo had already stepped into the alley with hesitant steps. With each step, she would look back at her "teammates" behind her. Only when she saw their figures could she continue forward with peace of mind. Fortunately, the dead-end alley was really short, and she soon reached the end.

From the outside, even though it was dark, the streetlights made it possible to vaguely see the end of the alley. But once inside, Cen Duo realized that it was truly pitch black.

Even looking back at the alley entrance from here, it becomes blurry and indistinct.

This discovery made her heart skip a beat. She quickly took out a lighter and lit the incense and candles. The light from the incense and candles slightly illuminated the dead-end alley, but it did not give Cen Duo much of a sense of security. Instead, it made her feel even more uneasy.

She was now very close to the wall of the dead-end alley, the candlelight flickering slightly, making it seem as if shadows were floating on the wall.

"Don't be nervous, don't be afraid, there's nothing here."

"It only takes five seconds. I'll just look for about five seconds and then get up immediately. In such a short time, nothing will happen."

She kept encouraging herself, and after preparing herself mentally, she assumed the posture required by the book, took a deep breath of the incense and candle fragrance, held her breath, bent over, lowered her head, and looked at the back wall between her legs.

(End of this chapter)