It's late at night.

Chapter 24: Shi Gan Immediately Subdues the Evil Spirit

When did the ghost replace Liu Lili?

When she escaped alone?

Xia Yao pressed her tongue against her lower teeth, trying her best to calm her emotions and adjust her expression so as not to give herself away.

They're sitting in a car now, and Liu Lili is still driving it. Who knows where they'll be taken?

What if we drive into the lake while they're distracted? Wouldn't that mean the whole group would be wiped out?

No, he has to find a way to get rid of this ghost.

However, all he had at the moment was a searchlight and a compass. He couldn't very well smash the light on the ghost's head, could he?

Or should we give the ghost a compass so she can get out of the car and walk back herself?

Just as Xia Yao was preparing to jump out of the car, his gaze fell on Liu Lili's side.

Liu Lili had a stun gun in her right pocket, which was partially showing due to her sitting posture.

Xia Yao's eyes lit up, and she had an idea.

Since these tools are so powerful—a compass can point out the correct path, a camera can capture things invisible to the naked eye, and a stun gun can knock down NPCs with superhuman strength—

So, does this thing also have some effect on ghosts?

Would this thing work on Liu Lili? Could it directly summon the ghost?

Without hesitation, Xia Yao adjusted her breathing, looking for an opportunity, while also preparing to jump out of the car at any moment.

As Liu Lili instinctively turned her head during a left turn, Xia Yao suddenly grabbed the stun gun and pulled it out of her pocket.

The stun gun was pressed against Liu Lili's waist, and the switch was activated.

"Crack—"

The lightning flashed, but Liu Lili didn't roll her eyes or convulse like the woman. Instead, she seemed frozen in place, her eyes remaining completely still.

Her beautiful face melted away like wax, revealing wrinkled skin that resembled tree bark.

All of this happened so suddenly that the teammates sitting behind them hadn't even realized what was going on or why Xia Yao was attacking them.

It's now!

Taking advantage of Li Lili's petrified state, Xia Yao leaped up and kicked her.

At that time, the sightseeing bus had no guardrails on either side, and Li Lili fell off and crashed hard to the ground.

"Sister Liu!" Chen Qi exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey! What are you doing!"

Zhou Zean stood up, about to curse, but when he turned around, he saw that Liu Lili, who was lying on the ground, had changed her appearance.

The once beautiful woman has been transformed into an old woman wearing blue work clothes.

Zhou Ze'an's words were stuck in his throat, and even the blood flowing through his throat felt a little cold.

The consequence of kicking the driver out of the car was that it went out of control, swaying left and right, and almost crashed into a tree on the side of the road.

Fortunately, Xia Yao managed to get into the driver's seat and gripped the out-of-control steering wheel tightly.

The front of the car grazed past the tree trunk, but the wheels still ran over the roadside steps, giving a sudden jolt as it returned to the road.

The bumpy ride caused Zhou Ze'an's buttocks to slam heavily against the hard plastic seat, making him wince in pain and unable to speak for a while.

The sightseeing bus floored the accelerator, and the ghost that had fallen to the ground and remained motionless was quickly left behind, getting farther and farther away.

Only after the ghost disappeared from sight did the others recover from their shock.

Chen Qi exclaimed in surprise, "How did Sister Liu turn into a ghost?"

Lu Qifa wiped away a cold sweat, still shaken.

"Is that even a question? She must have been replaced by a ghost before she even got ashore. We actually rode in a car driven by that thing! That was fucking dangerous!"

After Lu Qi finished his reflections, he didn't forget to compliment Xia Yao.

"Brother Su is truly extraordinary. He hid that thing so well, yet you still managed to find it."

"It's just a lesson learned from being scammed last time. I only noticed the flaws because I was close by."

Xia Yao gave a casual reply, because he wasn't sure if the old man was genuinely praising him or testing him.

Following her memory, Xia Yao drove towards the hotel.

But the road seemed unusually long, perhaps because the car had been manipulated by a ghost.

As I drove, it somehow got a little out of control.

Even with a firm grip on the steering wheel, it still wobbled unsteadily from side to side.

The wheels also made strange noises, as if they were malfunctioning.

"Brother Su, drive more carefully."

Zhou Ze'an, whose buttocks ached from the bumpy ride, couldn't help but utter a sound.

Xia Yao gripped the steering wheel, cold sweat pouring down her face. "It wasn't me, the car's broken down."

"Huh? That thing is here again?"

Lu Qifa stood up abruptly, looking around in preparation for jumping out of the car.

Before they could come up with a solution or take any concrete action, the sightseeing bus crashed out of control and onto the roadside.

"boom--"

With a loud crash, the front of the car slammed into a roadside ornamental rock, knocking it over.

Xia Yao immediately protected her head. Although she still bumped it, nothing serious happened.

However, the sightseeing bus stalled and was totaled due to the violent impact, and it couldn't be restarted no matter what it did.

"Damn it, where did they give us this?"

Lu Qifa's face was already sore, and the impact made it hurt even more.

"It seems like the hotel isn't far from here; we can get there in a short walk."

Noticing that everyone was in a bad mood, Chen Qi quickly tried to ease the tension.

Because the car could no longer be driven, they were forced to get out.

After getting off the bus, one can't help but glance at the large rock that was knocked over.

"Good heavens, a Taishan Stone Guardian!"

When Lu Qifa saw the words carved on the stone, he exclaimed in surprise.

"What is that?" Chen Qi looked around, puzzled.

At that moment, their gazes were drawn to the stones on the ground.

The three large characters "Shi Gandang" were carved on the overturned boulder, the red paint flowing like dripping water, resembling blood and tears.

Lu Qifa, who was focused on escaping, stopped running and went straight up to touch the flowing red liquid, then sniffed it.

"Cinnabar! Cinnabar for warding off evil! How did it turn into this after we bumped into it?"

As the driver, Xia Yao slammed on the brakes when she hit the rock.

While it may not prevent car accidents, it greatly reduced the impact. How could this stone be so easily hit? Shouldn't it have been buried deeper in the ground to make it more stable?

Xia Yao looked around on the ground and saw that there wasn't much soil at the bottom of the stone, so it was clear that it hadn't been buried in the ground and was just standing upright.

"This stone guardian is meant to ward off evil spirits and suppress malevolent forces, so why is it placed so casually?"

Zhou Ze'an couldn't help but offer a criticism.

Before he could finish speaking, Xia Yao's pupils dilated. "Yes, exorcising evil spirits and suppressing malevolent forces!"

As if he had discovered a new continent, he bent down to check the original location of Shi Gandang.

There was a thin layer of soil where Shi Gandang originally stood, but beneath the thin layer of soil, a grayish-white color was revealed.

Xia Yao shoveled away the dirt with her hands, revealing a section of stone slab.

A knock was made, and a deep echo was heard.

"It's empty! There's something underneath!"

The others also gathered around, clearly having the same idea.

With the combined efforts of several people, they pried open the stone slab, finally revealing the full appearance of the stone guardian.

Beneath the stone statue was a small black wooden coffin.