I have a ghost diary

P.S.: The surgery went smoothly. For the first two hours after the anesthesia wore off, I was in excruciating pain and thought I would have to take the day off.

Chapter 347 A Gift from the Holy Word Cult

"And then? What are your thoughts?" Chu Jiang asked with interest.

Jade still didn't show any emotion. "I have no feelings. I am willing to give everything for my Lord and for the Church of the Holy Word. It's just a title. His Holiness the Pope can use it as he pleases."

"Is that so?" Chu Jiang looked into the other person's dark eyes. "Then why did you cry before? Was it because your Pope forced you to do something you didn't want to do? And in the name of God, so you couldn't refuse and could only accept it."

Jade's expression couldn't help but change. "You, how could you..."

"How did I know?" Chu Jiang stood up. "It's a secret."

"Let's go, take me to see that woman." With that, Chu Jiang walked towards the door.

Jade hesitated for a moment, but quickly followed.

Chu Jiang knew this because he made a small deduction based on the images shown by the Heavenly Ghost Mirror; since he did not know the specific conversation between the two parties, he did not go into details.

The result seemed to be similar to his guess. Although Jade appeared very firm and carefree on the surface, she was probably very complicated inside and did not know what the Pope wanted her to do.

As for this ghost mirror, it didn't actually lie to Chu Jiang last time. I wonder what kind of trick it was hiding. At the time, Chu Jiang didn't even say he wanted to check on the situation of the Holy Word Sect.

......

Led by Jade, the two entered the city's sewers.

The sewers in the United States are different from those in China. They are quite spacious, large enough to house homeless people. Many dark stories in the West often take place in the sewers.

Skillfully navigating the underground pipe network, Jade finally opened a secret door embedded in the wall and led Chu Jiang into a quiet room.

The room was decorated like a small chapel, with a cross and a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the top; the walls on both sides were decorated with religious paintings, making it look like a secret church preaching place.

There was no one inside. Chu Jiang looked around and asked, "Is this your church's territory? Why is there a statue of Jesus here?"

“Jesus is one of the incarnations of our Lord on earth,” Jade explained patiently.

This made Chu Jiang want to laugh. "This is the same old trick again? Do you monotheistic religions all have the same proselytizing theory, using any god that already has influence as an incarnation of your own god?"

Jade retorted in a very serious tone: "It is true. Our Lord has the authority to foresee the future. He has already seen the day when mankind will be destroyed. He wants to change all of this and save all of this."

A ghost, saving everything? Chu Jiang shook his head.

However, he clearly had no intention of arguing with the fanatics, because it was pointless.

Chu Jiang realized during his student days that when believers are convinced of something, subsequent discussions often fall into sophistry, and the best approach is to avoid arguing.

Of course, Chu Jiang has grown up now and his thinking has changed. He believes the best method is to persuade with force, and whoever has the bigger fist is right.

Just then, a mysterious, tall woman dressed in a black robe and wearing a hood slowly emerged from inside the Jesus statue, like a phantom, moving from illusion to reality.

Jade immediately stepped forward, placed her hand on her chest, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope."

The mysterious woman nodded slightly, then smiled at Chu Jiang, "Long time no see."

Her voice was slightly hoarse and magnetic, with an alluring, almost criminal quality, completely different from Jade's tone.

Chu Jiang couldn't see the woman's entire face, only half of her chin under the shadow of her hood. Even with his Ghost Eyes, he couldn't see through her black robe.

That didn't seem to be a robe, but rather a manifestation of some kind of supernatural power.

This made Chu Jiang frown slightly. "What is the purpose of summoning me here?"

"It's very simple. This is our first formal meeting, and I would like to present you with a gift on behalf of my Lord."

"As for what the gift is, do you remember the sentence on the back of the flyer? [We need a holy yet wanton body to contain your sins]."

The pope's tone was ambiguous, and Jade lowered her head slightly; no one knew what she was thinking at that moment.

Chu Jiang took out the flyer again, looking at the elegant handwritten words on the back. He still couldn't understand. "Purpose, I mean purpose! You planned this so long ago, could your god really have foreseen this scene?"

The Pope nodded. "God foresaw it. Although there are countless possible future developments, He did indeed foresee this scene today."

"As for our purpose... can't we befriend you? Can't we win you over?"

Chu Jiang sneered, "You think you can bribe me with just one woman? You're overthinking it."

"Let me guess, after I have a relationship with Jade, I will be controlled by you in a special way."

"This kind of control must be achieved on a spiritual level; this is what they call 'accepting my sins,' right? But what sins have I committed? Is not believing in your God a sin?"

"Last time, when I faced the black sun and was on the verge of death, you tempted me with leaflets, trying to make me wholeheartedly believe in your god in exchange for the help of the Holy Word Church."

"But that didn't work, so this time, you're trying to use such low-level tactics?"

"Excuse my bluntness, but aren't you mistaken? What makes you think I would accept this woman?"

Chu Jiang's cold eyes stared directly at the Pope's face, which was hidden in the shadows.

"To be honest, if you had used this tactic from the beginning, you would have had a real chance of success."

"After all, back then I was just an ignorant and innocent high school student who had no knowledge of this cruel world and only knew that ghosts really existed."

"But now? Are you insulting my intelligence, or are you insulting your own?"

Chu Jiang's blunt words made Jade clench her fists; she felt like a rejected commodity. But His Holiness the Pope said it was God's will, and God could not be wrong...

The Pope wasn't angry. She covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "Alright, I knew that kind of argument wouldn't convince you."

"To put it simply, your sin is not that you do not believe in God, but that you opened that diary. That is your original sin."

“God once left a hint in his diary, but you ignored His advice. Now it’s hard for God not to notice you.”

Chu Jiang's gaze sharpened. "The note in the diary back then, was it left by your god?"

"So it was a note? I'm not really sure, but God said that He holds a page of the diary. Therefore, He can influence the diary to some extent, although it can only have a very slight effect, such as leaving a short message."

Chapter 348 Godmother

The Pope's way of speaking is distinctly different from that of Jade.

For example, she seems to realize that the god she believes in also has limits and is not an omniscient and omnipotent being.

As for Jade, she seemed genuinely foolish enough to believe that she worshipped a powerful deity who knew the past and the future.

Hearing the Pope's explanation, Chu Jiang wondered if both notes were left by the "Whispering God," or if one was left by the "Whispering God" and the other by a false god.

Although Chu Jiang thought this to himself, he did not ask directly, because the Pope seemed to be unaware of the whole story, only knowing that their God had left a message.

"Then what do you mean by 'accommodating sins'?" The reason Chu Jiang hadn't made a move yet was to find out the truth. It was rare for these cultists to deliver themselves to his door, saving him the trouble of going to find them.

"It's very simple. Once you open the diary, you are actually bound to this evil diary. Even if others obtain the diary, they will not be able to use it."

“We can use a special method to sever the connection between you and the diary.”

"Actually, this is a good thing for you. Being cursed by this diary must feel terrible, right?" As he spoke, the Pope waved his hand gently, and an invisible layer of darkness, like a veil, enveloped the entire room.

Then Chu Jiang suddenly saw that dark, blood-red threads appeared on his body, leading in all directions.

"See? These are the threads of a curse. The diary connects you to potential ghosts, so you will never have peace and will be entangled with ghosts wherever you go."

"Secondly, when you are dying, the diary will spontaneously devour you."

"In the end, the more ghosts you seal into the diary, the more uncontrollable it becomes."

“You see, God knows everything. When He extends an olive branch to you, it means He has high hopes for you.”

"You obtained Jade, severed your connection with the evil diary, and then offered the diary as a sacrifice to the gods. Isn't that a good thing?"

“If you are willing to do this, I can give you my position as Pope. From now on, you will be God’s agent on earth, and the entire Church of the Holy Word will obey your commands.”

The Pope's words were extremely persuasive and seductive. In fact, not only was Chu Jiang surprised, but Jie De also looked up with a look of shock on her face.

She had initially thought the Pope only wanted to win over this powerful figure, but now this statement was hardly an attempt to win him over; it was practically a offer to give the entire Holy Word Church to him.

Is this a lie to the man, or does God truly favor him?

Seeing that Chu Jiang remained silent, seemingly deep in thought, the Pope continued his narration.

“I am Jade’s godmother. She is a child I adopted from an orphanage and raised from a young age. I also gave her the name Jade. Do you know what it means?”

Chu Jiang deduced from these words that the Holy Word Church had emerged before this round of supernatural resurgence. In other words, the awakening of [Whispers] and the founding of the church were both earlier than he had previously estimated.

"What does 'jade' mean?" Chu Jiang asked, pondering as he responded.

“Yes, but there’s another meaning to it: ‘harlot.’” The Pope’s lips curled up slightly. “She’s very naive now. I’ve nurtured her into a holy being. She’s like a saint in our Holy Word Church.”

"You can defile this sacred being and turn her into your exclusive plaything. Isn't that exciting? For you men."

Jade's body trembled slightly as she looked at the Pope with an incredulous gaze.

She found it hard to believe that the person she had always respected and regarded as her mother had, in the first place, harbored such a sordid purpose in raising her.

No, no, no, it must be to deceive the enemy and confuse the opponent. Otherwise, why would the Pope tell me this in front of me? Isn't she worried that I will hate her?

Chu Jiang was even more astonished. He looked at the Pope and said, "You named her Jade when you adopted her. Could it be that your god foretold this so long ago?"

The Pope nodded. "Your diary merely stole God's power. God can foresee things very far in the future."

"Of course, you're saying that it's too difficult to be perfectly precise; but as long as our actions are correct at the crucial time and at the crucial juncture, that's fine."

“This is abnormal, this is so abnormal…” Chu Jiang shook his head repeatedly, looking completely bewildered. “Why didn’t you kill me when you were handing me out flyers?”

"I don't believe it. After I died and was swallowed by the Ghost Diary, wouldn't the diary belong to you? Don't tell me that even though I'm dead and my body is torn to pieces, the so-called bond is still there."

The Pope sighed. "I'd like to, but what if you're unkillable? Have you considered that?"

Chu Jiang was struck dumb. After a long while, he managed to say with difficulty, "Why can't I kill him?"

“I don’t know, it’s what God said. Maybe He foresaw something. That’s why I didn’t use violence against you or try to kill you at first. I just left a leaflet.”

"Because you are unkillable, there are only two ways for us to get the diary."

"The first method is to make you believe in God wholeheartedly. As long as you are willing to do so, God will naturally find a way to acquire ownership of the diary."

"Last time you were in dire straits, I tried to lure you with flyers I had prepared beforehand, but you just wouldn't take the bait."

"The second method is the original plan, which is what God predicted many years ago. It involves indirectly getting you to transfer ownership of the diary."

“You seem to have always been very hostile towards us, but we have never been enemies.” As he spoke, the Pope moved his feet lightly, step by step, toward Chu Jiang.