Thud thud—thud thud—

Inside a farmhouse hideout on the outskirts of Di Wu City.

A mother and daughter huddled inside a wardrobe, clinging to each other in sheer terror.

Their heartbeats, both of hers and her daughter's, pounded like drums in this cramped, quiet, enclosed space.

The mother feared her daughter might scream out of fright, so she tore off a piece of clothing from the closet for her daughter to bite down on.

Zzzzz—

At the peak of their tension, a grating noise came from outside the wardrobe.

It sounded like nails dragging across a chalkboard, causing an unbearable irritation.

"Mom... Mom... don't be afraid... Nannan will... protect you..."

These words of comfort echoed inside the room.

However, the voice wasn't the naive, childish tone of a little girl; it was hoarse and eerie, like rusty iron rods grinding against each other.

The mother, trembling, couldn't help but look down at her daughter in her arms.

The girl was still terrified, biting the clothing so hard that her gums bled, staining the white shirt with red.

Clearly, it wasn't her daughter speaking, but something eerie outside!

"Nannan... come out... come... to mommy... happy... birthday..."

The next second, a voice with a maternal tone called for the daughter to come out.

And that strange voice was becoming clearer, as if it was approaching them step by step, creating an unsettling feeling with its varying proximity.

Staring at the closed wardrobe door, despair filled the mother's eyes.

She could sense that the entity was already standing outside the wardrobe, aware of their hiding spot but not opening it, just to frighten them further.

Like a cat playing with a mouse, this torment forced the mother to make a bold decision.

She slowly raised her hand to straighten the "Happy Birthday" paper hat askew on her daughter's head, whispering through tears, "Nannan, when mom opens the wardrobe later, you run outside immediately. Don't trust anyone who speaks to you; find a place where no one can find you and hide until the police come, okay?"

Guessing her mother's intentions, the little girl shook her head stubbornly, holding her tightly.

But the mother resolutely pried her daughter's hands away, taking a deep breath to push open the wardrobe door.

No matter if it was a Fierce Ghost or a monster outside, she intended to rush at it immediately, delaying it with everything she had.

She was ready to sacrifice herself to buy her daughter a slim chance of escaping the house.

The longer she stalled, the more likely the Awakened would notice the supernatural incident and come to resolve it.

Her death was inconsequential, but her daughter mustn't be harmed!

After all, today was her birthday...

Bam—boom—

Just as the mother, prepared to die, pushed open the wardrobe door, a loud noise exploded outside, followed by the sound of something collapsing.

It was like a battlefield outside, with strange loud noises all around.

And there were thunder-like rumbles that made the mother almost question her hearing.

"'Fearful Rice Straw Ghost,' right? Try sucking even a bit of fear from me?"

"Ha, without the flavor of fear, you can't reach even Red Robe Peak, can you? Don't run, get back here!"

"Love eating fear, huh? Nightmare, let it taste real fear!"

"..."

For the first time half an hour after the supernatural incident started, the mother and daughter heard normal human voices rather than those eerie raspings.

The speakers outside sounded young, albeit strangely audacious.

"Mom, could it be the police here to save us?" the daughter timidly asked her mother.

As she spoke, she reflexively swallowed the blood from her gums, the rusty taste making her nauseous.

The mother didn't respond immediately, pondering momentarily before saying defiantly, "I'm opening the door now. If it's still the scarecrow out there, run like I told you earlier, got it?"

Seeing her daughter nod sadly, head down, she mustered the courage to abruptly push open the wardrobe door, preparing to confront the slim chance of non-existent hope.

After all, this supernatural scarecrow incident had just broken out half an hour ago, and given the remote location, it seemed unlikely that the officials could respond quick enough to solve it.

The mother knew well enough that supernatural incidents were rampant across Di Wu City, keeping the police, military, and Awakened incredibly busy.

The seemingly hopeful voice from earlier might just be the scarecrow tormenting them.

Offering hope to the desperate, only to snatch it away, was among the cruelest torments.

"Ah! Ah... eh?"

The mother charged out, ready to confront the scarecrow, but was stunned to see a man in black with a Sun Wukong mask stuffing straw and sticks into his mouth.

Her determined strides faltered with nowhere to release her tension.

The man turned his head, his gaze falling on the little girl in the corner, as he crunched the straw and sticks, saying, "Is it your birthday today, little lady? Want a birthday gift from big brother? Here, take this."

He then crafted a sword out of the thickest stick, fashioning a sharp sword with his hand as the blade.

A blue bird flew down from the lamp, perching on the sword's tip, and a peculiar blue lightning wrapped around the blade.

With a golden flash in his eyes, Wu Liang used the Ghost Compendium's ability for a minor modification, allowing the Thunder Ghost's lightning to be stored in the Wooden Sword.

It could be unleashed about five times.

He knelt beside the girl, ruffled her hair, and presented the Wooden Sword, saying, "You're brave. If you have time, go to the official branch in Di Wu City for an assessment. Your Awakened Ability could protect more people."

"Hold onto this sword. If you encounter monsters like that again, just strike them with all your might."

Wu Liang could see that the little girl had an undeveloped Awakened Ability.

In extreme fear, this Awakening Ability had reduced their presence to the minimum!

Initially, the Fearful Rice Straw Ghost intended to toy with them to feast on more fear, but eventually, it lost track of the mother and daughter entirely.

This was an excellent Awakening Ability for escaping and ambushing.

"Excuse me... are you an Official Awakened?" the mother inquired, confusion in her voice.

She felt no need to be wary of the man before her; he'd genuinely exorcised a Fierce Ghost. Even if he wasn't an Official Awakened, he couldn't be a threat.

"Yes, don't worry. Almost all the Fierce Ghosts in Di Wu City are about to be exorcised. You can live peacefully for a while."

Saying this, Wu Liang walked to the window.

He opened the window and leapt out, vanishing into midair.

The Ghost Compendium in his mind now showed less than half a page of Fierce Ghosts remaining in Di Wu City.

In about two more hours, the city would be the safest it had ever been.

Wu Liang had no idea that after tonight, the officials in Di Wu City would bestow upon him the moniker "Fierce Ghost Harvester!"

A name that hinted at his formidable strength, yet also oddly amusing, making Wu Liang hesitant to visit Di Wu City again in the future.

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