The ti within the ancient mansion ticked by, little by little.
The remaining people were montarily safe.
On the second night of keeping watch, Yang Jian alone managed to forcibly withstand the attack of the vengeful ghost and correct the error in the sequence of ti. If nothing unexpected happened next, both the second and third days would pass peacefully.
But the cost was devastating.
Now, there were very few survivors left in the ancient mansion.
The survivors included the Eagle, Yang Xiaohua, Da Qiang, Fan Xing, and an unfamiliar ghost tar.
Adding Yang Jian and Li Yang, there were only seven people left—even though there were nearly twenty passengers who got off the bus at the beginning.
However, Zhou Deng and Leuk Qingqing were missing.
No one knew if they had died outside the mansion or were still alive sowhere.
During this brief mont of calm, everyone rested for a while.
During this ti, no more vengeful ghosts appeared.
The only movent ca from Li Yang, who was pacing around the mansion holding the white lantern, ensuring that no vengeful ghost from outside broke into the mansion prematurely and lost control.
Although it was exhausting to walk continuously for several hours, at least it was safe.
Moreover, as a ghost tar, Li Yang didn't have the problem of physical exhaustion—his physical condition was sustained by his supernatural power.
"It seems the ghost won't reappear in the short term."
Fan Xing sat idly in the corridor between the back hall and the main hall, body and mind incredibly fatigued. He glanced toward the direction of the back hall.
The Eagle was on guard there.
The others needed ti to recuperate and quickly adjust their conditions. There was no need for everyone to stay on constant edge guarding that red coffin.
"If the third day is just for reporting the death, it should go smoothly. After all, we still have the white lantern. As long as we leave the main hall on ti and stay outside for the day, it'll be fine," the Eagle remarked.
"But looking at the situation, our chances of surviving all seven days seem bleak. I think we should find a way to leave this mansion and return to the bus."
The unfamiliar ghost tar was, at this point, showing an urgent desire to leave.
This thought was entirely reasonable, and no one else opposed it. The group remained silent.
"Leaving is impossible," Fan Xing shook his head. "No one knows the route that the supernatural bus takes. Watching for it to appear outside offers even less of a chance. Staying in this mansion gives us at least a slim chance as long as we survive all seven days."
After speaking, he looked toward Yang Jian's location in the main hall.
Yang Jian was still seated in the middle of the main hall, his eyes closed, motionless. He looked like a lifeless corpse.
But he was alive.
The cracks on his face continued to heal as ti passed.
It was now exactly six in the evening on the second day.
The cracks on Yang Jian's body had mostly healed. The curse left by the last use of the Firewood Knife was weakening.
This also implied that the vengeful ghost he had dismbered within the mansion was slowly reviving.
But it definitely wasn't regaining its form as quickly as the Ghost Shadow.
"I can fully recover before the clock strikes midnight, but the ghost won't," Yang Jian thought as he observed the healing wounds, ntally calculating the rate at which the vengeful ghost in the mansion was reviving.
The effort he had put in today was worth it.
Regardless of how he calculated it, he would survive past midnight tonight.
After midnight, the mansion would enter the third day.
The third day was for reporting the death.
So as long as they completed the required tasks for the third day, everything would be fine.
"Zhou Deng is probably dead by now," Yang Jian thought to himself. "He hasn't appeared in the mansion, and Li Yang outside hasn't run into him either. He was most likely attacked by a vengeful ghost halfway and died in so unknown place."
"If he's dead, that's fine too. Having a troublemaker like him around would inevitably lead to more problems sooner or later."
"Yang Jian, aren't you going to eat sothing?"
At this mont, Yang Xiaohua approached. She looked exhausted, her eyes bloodshot, as she carried water and so compressed biscuits.
"For the few of us left, the remaining food and water should be enough for seven days."
Yang Jian took a bottle of water and drank it all in one gulp. "Take advantage of the current safety to rest as much as possible. You won't have the stamina to endure tomorrow when we report the death."
"I know, but I can't sleep. I seem to have insomnia. Still, that's a small issue. If I can survive and return ho this ti, it'll all be worth it."
Yang Xiaohua shook her head. She felt her ntal state deteriorating, but her desire to leave the mansion alive kept her holding on.
If not for her strong will to live, she might have collapsed and taken her own life long ago.
This experience was nothing short of tornt.
"Whether we survive seven days or not hinges on the next three days. Judging by the current situation, there shouldn't have been any risk of direct contact with the vengeful ghost during the first three days—'entering the coffin,' 'keeping vigil,' and 'reporting the death.' The dire state we're in now is entirely due to mistakes and the disruption of the mansion's balance."
Yang Jian continued, "If the first three days had been handled according to the calculated steps, no one would've died."
Yang Xiaohua nodded, then suddenly asked, "Yang Jian, have you considered abandoning the delivery task and leaving the mansion early? You have a way to leave, don't you?"
"Leaving ans abandoning the delivery task, and failure in the task also ans death for us. It's pointless."
Yang Jian glanced at her, knowing that everyone was now harboring thoughts of retreat.
After all, this was only the second day.
There were still five days to go.
Everyone knew, deep down, that surviving all seven days was almost impossible—unless a miracle happened.
Faced with that inevitability, leaving the mansion, enjoying a few days of peace outside, and then taking their own lives seed far less painful and desperate a choice.
"I was just asking," Yang Xiaohua murmured.
Yang Jian replied, "Once the delivery task is complete, you can burn the letter and return to the Ghost Post Office. I can't guarantee that using the letter here will create a passage to the Post Office, but I've made backup preparations. If we survive until then, leaving won't be an issue."
He rarely spoke much ordinarily.
But now, he had started talking more.
Perhaps it was a way to alleviate the pressure and stave off the tension.
The group chatted, rested, and repeated this cycle a few tis.
Ti passed quickly.
Night fell.
Midnight arrived.
The second day of keeping vigil ca to a close, marking the start of the third day: reporting the death.
As the third day began, nothing out of the ordinary occurred in the mansion. Everything was eerily calm.
"Yang Jian, the third day has begun. What's your plan?" Fan Xing walked over from the back hall, asking him.
Da Qiang's face was ashen, devoid of life, and he said, "According to the rules for reporting the death, don't we all need to leave the mansion today? If we don't, there's a high risk of encountering other dangers."
"That's the assumption, but I can't be certain. Regardless, it's not sothing we can gamble our lives on," Yang Jian said, rising from the ground.
His fragnted body had now healed.
The curse of the Firewood Knife had been endured, and with the dawn of a new day, his Ghost Eye could also be activated again.
"What if soone also has to keep watch here? I need to check the back hall and confirm the situation before making a decision," Yang Jian explained. He then headed back to the rear of the mansion toward the red coffin.
At this mont.
The red coffin remained silent, standing there quietly with no anomalies.
In front of the coffin, the two sticks of incense in the Incense Burner—one long, one short—had also stopped burning. It seed they had extinguished on their own after the failure during the vigil on the second day.
"Captain, I believe the rule for the third day's reporting of the death requires us to leave the mansion," Li Yang said suddenly, appearing at the back door with the white lantern.
He was alone.
But the pale glow of the lantern cast strange, eerie shadows nearby.
Ghosts.
They had always been following him, but had not yet fully revealed themselves.
"Alright, I trust your judgnt."
Yang Jian did not reject Li Yang's suggestion, since in his heart, he also leaned toward the idea of leading everyone out of the mansion. He simply wasn't entirely reassured.
Li Yang had been wandering with the lantern for such a long ti without incident, which strongly suggested that the area outside was safe.
However, Yang Jian was worried that if a new supernatural occurrence arose within the mansion, the red coffin might be lost in the process.
"Perhaps I've been thinking about this the wrong way. The delivery task only ntioned that soone would arrive to collect the letter after seven days. The target for the letter doesn't necessarily have to be the old man inside the coffin. Even if it is, it doesn't matter either. As long as we survive all seven days, it's irrelevant what state the old man's corpse is in."
After so thought, Yang Jian signaled for everyone to follow.
The others had already prepared themselves. With Yang Jian's agreent, they promptly began to leave the mansion.
"As long as we stay near this white lantern, we won't be attacked by ghosts. Though there are minor paranormal phenona around us, there's no need to worry too much," Li Yang reassured the group as he held the lantern, guiding them.
Before long.
Everyone gathered together.
"Captain, I think you should take the lantern," Li Yang suggested.
Without hesitation, Yang Jian nodded, taking the lantern and moving to the front of the group.
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