Chapter 377: Half Alive, Half Dead

　　The fleeting glimpse of the rope outside the window terrified Old Man Zhu.

　　He pressed his back against the table, clutching his clothes tightly, his aged body trembling with fear.

　　But after waiting for a while, the rope did not reappear.

　　"Could it be that my eyes were playing tricks on me?"

　　Old Man Zhu swallowed hard, mustering up his courage to walk to the door and cautiously peered outside.

　　It was empty outside.

　　The setting sun cast a dim, yellowish light over the park, causing the shadows of the trees to sway around.

　　Old Zhu was filled with alarm and suspicion.

　　"They say ghosts are afraid of sunlight, and it's not dark yet, so I must have been mistaken! I need to find those young spiritual mediums right away!"

　　In a panic, he hurried out of the door with his clothes, but as soon as he took a step, he felt something tripping his ankle, causing him to fall flat on the ground. His palms were scraped, and blood immediately started to flow.

　　"Hiss——"

　　Old Zhu inhaled sharply as he struggled to lift himself up. Before he even had a chance to check the injuries on his hands, he noticed a rope wrapped around his ankle.

　　His body stiffened, and his scalp tingled with fear.

　　"Oh no! A hanging ghost!"

　　"Help me——"

　　He struggled desperately to crawl outward, but his legs seemed to be paralyzed, unable to muster any strength, and he kicked about helplessly on the ground.

　　In a state of panic, he heard several young voices.

　　"Old man, old man!"

　　"Uncle Zhu, what's wrong?"

　　Trembling, he raised his head and saw those young fortune-tellers, as if seeing a lifeline, and grabbed them with his icy hands.

　　"Quick! Quick! The hanging ghost is here!"

　　"Where?"

　　"My legs! The hanging ghost has tied my legs..."

　　Old Man Zhu turned around in a panic, only to be stunned.

　　There was nothing on his legs.

　　"Old man, are you too nervous?" Zhang Molin helped Old Man Zhu up and pulled up his trouser leg.

　　On his dry, withered calf, there was no trace at all.

　　If a hanging ghost had really grabbed his foot, it would definitely have left a mark.

　　"I clearly saw it just now."

　　"Old man, the sun hasn't set yet; logically, ghosts can't come out."

　　Zhang Molin tried to calm Old Man Zhu's emotions.

　　Lu Fei, on the other hand, walked around the dormitory with the small black dog.

　　The little black dog seemed to have discovered something and kept sniffing at the window.

　　Lu Fei walked over.

　　All the dormitory windows were fitted with protective bars, making it impossible for anyone to enter or leave through them. Beyond the windows lay vast stretches of wasteland.

　　Lu Fei looked carefully for a while and found several long white hairs in the gap of the window.

　　"Such long hair, it can't be Uncle Zhu's."

　　Lu Fei thought that Old Man Zhu wasn't that old, and it was unlikely he had made a mistake due to poor eyesight. Perhaps something really did come by just now.

　　But a few strands of hair didn't prove anything; they could belong to someone else.

　　He thought for a moment, then took out a tissue and wrapped up the white hairs.

　　The small black dog sniffed around the window for a while before running off, probably not smelling anything.

　　Jing Jian and Tie Shenglan also looked around inside and outside the house but found nothing.

　　"How about this, old man, stay with us tonight. Even if the hanged ghost comes, you don't need to be afraid. With so many of us, we can definitely protect you," Zhang Molin comforted him.

　　"Alright! Alright!"

　　Old Man Zhu didn't dare to stay alone anymore.

　　Everyone picked up the clothes of Old Zhu's two sons and took him to the female staff dormitory.

　　"Old sir, let me try first to see if I can detect the situation of your children."

　　Zhang Molin took out two yellow talismans.

　　What Old Zhu was most concerned about was the life and death of his two sons, so he quickly cooperated with him, writing down the birth dates of his own sons on the yellow talismans, and then attaching them to the corresponding clothes.

　　Zhang Molin made seals with both hands, murmuring incantations silently.

　　"Metal, wood, water, fire, earth... Five Elements to determine life and death!"

　　After chanting, he pointed forcefully at the two pieces of clothing.

　　The yellow talisman on one of the clothes immediately burst into flames, while the talisman on the other piece of clothing showed no reaction at all.

　　"What does this mean?"

　　Old Zhu looked at Zhang Molin nervously.

　　Lu Fei was also very curious.

　　This seemingly honest and simple Mo Lin knew quite a lot.

　　"Half alive, half dead..." Zhang Moolin's face showed confusion, but he quickly said: "Old man, this means that they have a fifty percent chance of still being alive."

　　"A chance to be alive?"

　　Old Man Zhu's eyes couldn't help but turn red.

　　With his two sons missing for so many days, he had originally thought they were killed by the hanging ghost, but now there was still hope.

　　"The divination shows it like this." Zhang Moolin did not dare to say it with absolute certainty.

　　Using the Five Elements talisman to predict life and death, it is either alive or dead; he had never seen a half and half situation before.

　　Maybe it's because his Taoist skills are not proficient enough yet.

　　"Half and half?" Lu Fei had a guess in his mind, but seeing Old Man Zhu's haggard and worried appearance, he didn't speak it out.

　　Tie Shenglan showed a confident smile: "Old man, don't worry! As soon as that hanging ghost appears, we'll catch it right away and find your son for sure."

　　"Good! Good!"

　　Old Man Zhu wiped his eyes, and his dim old eyes finally had a glimmer of light.

　　The sky darkened quickly.

　　The factory was quiet, with the night wind whistling through the windows.

　　Old Man Zhu was anxious, both afraid of the hanging ghost appearing and hoping it would show up. He couldn't help but glance at the ceiling from time to time.

　　An old-style ceiling fan was installed on the ceiling.

　　That girl had used a rope to hang herself from the ceiling fan.

　　Her body wasn't discovered until the next day, and by then, she was completely stiff.

　　Her face was deathly pale, her tongue protruding, and her body swaying...

　　Old Man Zhu couldn't help but shiver, trying hard not to recall that terrifying scene, hoping these four young people were as capable as they claimed.

　　Lu Fei and the others, however, remained calm.

　　After all, they had even encountered the Red and White Fiends; a single hanging ghost was no threat to them.

　　They were even somewhat eager to try their hand at it.

　　The night grew deeper.

　　Yet, there was an eerie calm both inside and outside the dormitory, with no signs of any malevolent presence about to appear.

　　Seeing that waiting around like this wasn't going to help, Lu Fei suggested, "Maybe there are too many of us here, and the hanging ghost is afraid to show itself. How about this: Hu Zi, stay in the dorm with Old Man Zhu, and we'll all keep watch outside."

　　After all, they all carried some degree of magical power, and their aura was quite different from ordinary people.

　　"That makes sense!"

　　Everyone nodded in agreement.

　　"What if the hanged ghost comes when you all go out?" Uncle Zhu said in panic.

　　"Old man, don't be afraid. We'll be right outside and will come in immediately if there's any sign of trouble! Otherwise, if the hanged ghost doesn't show up, we won't be able to ask about your child's whereabouts either."

　　"Alright then!" For his son, Uncle Zhu gritted his teeth and stamped his foot.

　　"Hu-zi, take good care of the old man."

　　"You can count on me, boss!"

　　Hu-zi patted his solid chest.

　　Lu Fei specifically left the small black dog with Hu-zi.

　　Everyone went out of the dormitory and hid in the dark, concealing their presence.

　　With fewer people in the dormitory, it suddenly felt empty, as if the air had turned cold and gloomy.

　　"Uncle, everything will be fine with me here!"

　　Huzi's comfort could not put Old Man Zhu at ease.

　　Creak—

　　Creak—

　　"It's here?"

　　Suddenly, it seemed as if something was swaying above his head. Old Man Zhu's heart trembled, and he stiffly lifted his head.

　　Despite there being no wind, the ceiling fan began to sway back and forth on its own.

　　It was as if an invisible corpse was hanging from it.