My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

"Aren't you going to leave a few strings for our good helpers, Xiaoying and the others?" Muller's cheerful voice rang out.

Muller and Xiaoying came out from inside and came into the courtyard. Muller led Xiaoying to sit down next to Lin Ran. When he saw the huge basin full of roasted meat in front of Lin Ran, he said exaggeratedly, "Are you trying to stuff Mr. Lin to death? Let Xiaoying and me help Mr. Lin finish this!"

"Just take it!"

Lin Ran moved the basin a little closer, took two skewers, kept one for herself, and handed the other to Xiao Ying, smiling, "Little girl, you're quite brave and thoughtful. This is a reward for you!"

"Thank you Mr. Lin!"

Xiaoying nodded, took the barbecue, and started eating without any ladylike manners; she was starving.

Upon seeing this, the women from the opposite side couldn't help but tease, "Xiaoying, Mr. Lin is still here. Aren't you afraid of embarrassing yourself with that face?"

"Ah, what's so embarrassing?" Xiaoying looked up blankly, her mouth covered in oil and seasoning, making her look like a little kitten. Everyone burst into laughter. Only then did Xiaoying realize what was going on. Her pretty face flushed as she took out the handkerchief the woman handed her and wiped her mouth.

As everyone ate and chatted, the conversation naturally turned to the ghostly face with its grievances.

Lin Ran then realized that the ghostly, resentful face was initially recognized by Cato, despite Cato's portly appearance.

It was from Muller that Lin Ran learned that Cato was a learned man who had traveled to many large states in his youth and was an expert in finding medicinal herbs.

At this moment, everyone was talking about why the Ghostly Resentful Face Flower had failed. This was not only due to the interference of the Demonic Artifact Sect, but also because of the Ghostly Resentful Face Flower itself.

Cato said angrily, "Those sneaky guys must have tampered with the Ghostly Face Flower. When we went there before, the Ghostly Face Flower wouldn't emit its demonic sound unless we got very close to activate it."

"Demon sound?"

Lin Ran couldn't help but wonder, what use was the voice of this ghostly, resentful face?

This time, Xiaoying explained on Lin Ran's behalf: "Mr. Lin, 'demon sound' is just a name we use for the sound of ghostly resentful faces. It's because the sound of ghostly resentful faces is so sharp and piercing that it can affect our souls. The closer we get, the more affected we become, and we'll even fall into a chaotic and complicated illusion."

"Is it so powerful?"

Lin Ran frowned in thought. His understanding of the Ghostly Resentful Face Flower was limited to what it looked like; he was unaware that it possessed such abilities.

“Yes, no matter what we do, we can only reduce the impact of its demonic sound on us. We were fully prepared last time, but we didn’t expect there to be those sneaky guys causing trouble!” Muller said with emotion.

Cato said with great regret, "Panze had a chance to pick it, but those wicked guys used some kind of trick in the dark. With a 'whoosh,' a light stimulated the flower. The ghost flower suddenly released dark red miasma, and those guys who went to save Panze all got into trouble."

"So that's how the problem occurred..." Lin Ran thought to herself.

With the help of the Blooming Flower, he should be able to ignore the demonic sound of the Ghostly Resentful Face Flower. As for the dark red miasma, it's probably just the demonic energy of the Void Evil Clan, which isn't a problem for him either. So, does that mean he can just go and pick that Ghostly Resentful Face Flower?

"When are you planning to go into the Ghost Forest again? Find some people to take me in!" Lin Ran asked.

"When?"

The others exchanged glances, and then Cato spoke up, saying, "Mr. Lin, would you like to go in and try? But the inside of that forest is filled with dark red miasma; it's really dangerous!"

Others chimed in to echo this sentiment:

"That's right, Mr. Lin, why don't we wait until the miasma dissipates before going in?"

"Pan Ze and his group are a cautionary tale!"

Everyone advised Lin Ran against going in, mainly because the ghostly face was too eerie, and there were people sneaking around causing trouble. Under these circumstances, it would be too dangerous for Lin Ran to go in.

Lin Ran was surprised that everyone was trying to persuade him, which warmed his heart. He smiled and explained, "Don't worry, everyone, I won't do anything I'm not sure of. I have another mission on this trip, which is to investigate the recent disappearances in Chunshui City. It's highly likely that they are related to those evil sects, and I must wipe them all out!"

"Even if no one comes in with me, that's fine. Just give me the detailed map and route, and I'll go in by myself!" Lin Ran knew what these herb-gathering teams were worried about. He also understood that in such a dangerous place, sending a group of people who weren't very strong with him would be like throwing wolves into the tiger's den. But he needed the Ghostly Resentment Face Flower, so he had no choice but to test the waters himself.

"Mr. Lin, you're being incredibly disloyal by saying that!"

Cato suddenly stood up unsteadily, smashed a bottle to the side, and roared, "We're not cowards! Mr. Lin, I'll take you inside right now!"

People often say that drinking gives you courage, and even Muller, the leader of the herb-gathering team, didn't expect Cato to be so fierce. He sent someone to pull Cato away, while he hurriedly explained to Lin Ran, "Mr. Lin, Cato is just a bit short-tempered, he really doesn't mean you any harm!"

"It's okay, I'm not an unreasonable person!"

Lin Ran waved his hand; he did admire Cato's temperament.

Since Lin Ran had suggested going to the Ghostly Face Flower again, the herb-gathering team was willing to accompany her. They had already received Xin Zhiqing's orders that they would obey Lin Ran's every word if she needed them.

Moreover, to some extent, they are also part of the Linghua Academy department, so there is absolutely no problem with them listening to Vice Dean Lin Ran.

While everyone was making preparations with great enthusiasm, Lin Ran went to the Jinling Chamber of Commerce in Chunshui City to inquire about the current situation of missing persons in Chunshui City.

Now that the entire Northwest region is in Li Yuhan's hands, it would be difficult for her to manage the entire territory under her control in just one month. However, Li Yuhan is also clever. She has spread the Jinling Chamber of Commerce throughout the Northwest region. There is a Jinling Chamber of Commerce in almost every city. This is equivalent to an intelligence agency.

After arriving at the Jinling Chamber of Commerce, Lin Ran presented her token and quickly gained access to the highest-ranking local official. They had a lengthy private conversation, during which Lin Ran obtained a considerable amount of useful information and was impressed by the intelligence capabilities of Li Yuhan's department.

Three days later, the entire herb-gathering team was ready. Lin Ran followed the group and chose to enter the Ghost Forest around noon in the morning.

There's a reason for this emphasis. According to Cato, "At noon, the yang energy is strong, which can effectively counterbalance the yin energy in this area!"

The Ghost Forest struck Lin Ran as eerie, because unlike other forests, the trees were all bare, and a faint miasma permeated the entrance.

"This place is really strange!" Lin Ran thought to herself.

But then he thought about it again and realized he was joking. If it weren't a strange place, how could a ghost with a vengeful face be born?

"Mr. Lin, although you may not need it with your abilities, please take this with you!"

Muller took out a specially made white cotton mask. After Lin Ran took it and put it on, he could smell a very fresh medicinal scent, which surprised him a little.

Perhaps noticing the expression on Lin Ran's face, Muller said with great pride, "Mr. Lin, this is our team's new invention. This way, even if you encounter those poisonous miasmas or strange smells inside, you won't feel uncomfortable!"

"This is really good stuff!" Lin Ran exclaimed.

Indeed, the wisdom of the people is extraordinary; with a little modification, this thing could become a gas mask shaped like a "fly's head."

Muller organized the supplies and members of the herb-gathering team. This time, the herb-gathering team that came with Lin Ran consisted of almost all of the strongest men in the entire team, about six or seven people in total.

As for women, none of them were brought. Lin Ran had asked why, and it wasn't that he looked down on women, but rather that the demonic sound of the Ghostly Resentful Face Flower seemed to have a miraculous effect on women.

When the first herb-gathering team dealt with the ghostly face-flower, the women in the team were in unbearable pain when they heard the demonic sounds. Some even went crazy and died soon after. Even on their deathbeds, their faces were still filled with a look of terror, as if they had died of fright. Compared to the men, who only experienced noise and a certain degree of hallucination, their suffering was far worse.

After the team was organized, Muller came to Lin Ran's side, cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Lin, we can set off now!"

"Then go in!"

With a wave of her hand, Lin Ran led the group into the barren Ghost Forest, disappearing into the faint miasma.

After an unknown amount of time, another group of people arrived near the entrance to the Ghost Forest.

The group of people were dressed in black robes. One of them, dressed in black robes, bowed respectfully to the man in the center and said, "My lord, this reckless herb-gathering team just entered a short while ago, and their target is our altar!"

"Let's go! We can't let them ruin the arrival of our great Emperor in this world!"

The group of men in black robes also disappeared into the Ghost Forest. Suddenly, a strange wind howled through the forest, as if it were wailing...

……

55. The Soul of the Attack

Gloomy places are always the last thing Lin Ran likes to go to, especially this kind of white world where you can't see any sunlight when you look up, and all you can see is seemingly endless white fog, bare trees, and hardly any sound. It's lifeless and eerily quiet.

Lin Ran walked ahead, with Muller beside him. The group stayed very close together, and they all had specially made long rope locks around their waists to connect them and prevent them from getting lost.

Cato was the navigator of the team. Every so often, he would check the marks he had made to make sure he hadn't gone the wrong way, and the group continued to move forward steadily in this way.

Soon, the mist ahead began to turn into dark red demonic energy. Upon seeing the drifting demonic energy, everyone immediately pressed themselves against Lin Ran's back. Lin Ran opened a golden shield and protected everyone as they entered the dark red demonic energy.

When the golden shield collided with the dark red demonic energy, it made a sizzling sound, like boiling oil, which was rather irritating.

"Cato, is the direction I'm heading in okay?"

Lin Ran looked at the dark red expanse ahead and couldn't help but ask a question.

“Mr. Lin, no problem. I marked the trees and some hidden spots along the way. You can still see my mark on the left, which means there’s no problem!” Cato said.

Following Cato's direction, Lin Ran saw obvious signs of digging under a large tree on her left, along with several stones.

"Wow, Cato is amazing!" Lin Ran couldn't help but exclaim.

Cato scratched his thinning hair, his face crinkling with laughter, and said, "Hey, I'm not as amazing as you say, Mr. Lin. Without Mr. Lin, we wouldn't even be able to get in here!"

Muller patted Cato on the shoulder and chuckled, "You old rascal, don't you know you look awful when you smile? Focus, we still need to watch out for those sneaky guys. Logically, they should be active near the Ghost Forest, but we haven't encountered them on our way here. Something's definitely fishy!"

Muller's vigilance was quite good. Lin Ran also learned from chatting with Muller that he used to run a fairly large mercenary team, but later, due to some events, he switched to his current herb-gathering team.

As they ventured deeper into the Ghost Forest, Lin Ran felt the soil beneath his feet become damp. Just as he was about to ask Kato, Kato spoke first: "Mr. Lin, we've reached the depths. This is where the Ghostly Face Flower grows!"

"right here?"

Lin Ran was taken aback, and he couldn't help but say, "Why didn't I hear the demonic sound you were talking about?"

"Oh yeah, we didn't hear it either!"

Only then did the group realize the problem: why didn't the ghostly resentment emit any demonic sounds this time?

Should we keep going?

Lin Ran looked at the dark red demonic energy ahead, which made visibility extremely low. He decided to ask Kato for his opinion first. Kato had been here several times and should have better suggestions.

“Mr. Lin, we can’t go any further. The Ghostly Face Flower grows in the middle of a shallow swamp, and we can easily get stuck. Moreover, the swamp is poisonous. Last time, Pan Zhe and his group risked their lives to get the Ghostly Face Flower, and even with their protective gear, they were still severely poisoned!” Cato said with a serious expression.

"So what do we do now?" Lin Ran asked.

“Let’s go to our previous encampment nearby first!” Cato suggested.

Lin Ran nodded, and the group made their way towards the encampment. Once there, Kato and the others quickly packed up their things, taking out many bottles and jars, and also a specially crafted jade box covered with many arrays.

Cato carefully handed the bottles, jars, and jade box to Lin Ran, saying, "Mr. Lin, if you want to pick the Ghostly Face Flower, you must put it into this jade box with its roots and soil. The soil that grows with the Ghostly Face Flower can maintain its vitality!"

“It will be difficult for us to help you now, Mr. Lin!” Muller said.

His square face, weathered by time, wore a bitter smile, clearly showing his helplessness at being unable to help Lin Ran.

Lin Ran put the items into her spatial ring, chuckled, and playfully punched Muller, saying, "You guys have actually helped me a lot. You brought me here, so let me give it a try!"

After leaving Muller and the others with a fairly strong protective shield, Lin Ran followed the original plan and ventured into the dark red miasma alone. Only after Lin Ran's figure disappeared did Muller and the others turn their attention away.

Cato nudged Muller with his elbow and asked, "Do you think Mr. Lin will be able to get that flower?"

It wasn't that Cato didn't trust Lin Ran, but rather that this kind of sinister thing was too bizarre. The demonic sound alone, along with the endless illusions, plus the dark red miasma now, was simply a nightmare that people wanted to stay away from.

"Of course it's possible. Don't forget that Mr. Lin is quite skilled at dealing with these dark red miasmas. He's a Nirvana Realm expert, while we Spirit Transformation Realm cultivators are worrying unnecessarily!" Muller laughed.

But there was also an unyielding worry in his eyes. Mr. Lin had saved his old friends, and he truly hoped that Mr. Lin could return safely!

This Ghost Forest is extremely strange. There are restrictions of unknown origin that prevent Lin Ran from flying, but he can still use spatial powers.

Although he doesn't have spatial powers, Fan Hua does. With the help of the Tassel Palace, Fan Hua can take him back in a flash. His protective shield can also be used as a location tool, allowing him to find Muller and the others.