Only I Cultivate
Chapter 55: Possessed Villagers

Chapter 55: Possessed Villagers

"Mr. and Mrs. Huang, do you know where the first person acting violently appeared?" Feng Fan asked, his tone calm yet determined.

Mrs. Huang hesitated, her brows knitting together as she thought. "This... I’m not sure," she admitted, her voice trembling. "But I do remember our neighbor, Xiong Song, telling me she was going to visit her late husband at the village graveyard. The next time I saw her... she tried to bite me."

Feng Fan narrowed his eyes, the hint of a grim realization flashing across his face. ’A graveyard... interesting.’

"Where’s the village graveyard?" he asked firmly. "We need to investigate it. We might uncover the real culprit there."

Mrs. Huang’s face paled, and she trembled at his words. "You... you’re really planning on going there?"

A reassuring smile softened Feng Fan’s expression. "Don’t worry. We’re professionals. We promise to bring your village back to normal soon. Just stay safe here."

Luo Li, standing beside him, nodded in agreement. "I believe Feng Fan is right, but before we head out, can you tell us more about your daughter before her death? Did she mention anything strange?"

At the mention of her daughter, Mrs. Huang’s fear melted into grief, her lips quivering as tears welled up in her eyes. She struggled to speak, but sobs escaped instead, muffled by the hand she brought to her mouth in a vain attempt to suppress them.

Seeing his wife’s distress, Mr. Huang stepped in, his own expression weary and pained. "I’m sorry," he began, his voice heavy. "We barely had time to grieve before the village... turned into what you saw."

He took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "She used to be such a cheerful girl, always bringing life to this house. But about three weeks before her death, she started talking about someone... or something, stalking her."

He sighed, the weight of helplessness etched on his face. "At first, we thought she was just imagining things. She’d wake up screaming in the middle of the night, swearing that the stalker was standing at the foot of her bed, watching her sleep. We took her to the doctor, and he diagnosed her with schizophrenia, but... the medication didn’t help."

Feng Fan narrowed his eyes. ’A stalker at the foot of the bed? This sounds oddly familiar.’

"Did she describe her stalker?" Luo Li asked.

"My daughter was an exceptional designer. She actually made several drawings of it. Let me show you."

Mr. Huang rose from the ground where he had been sitting and headed to a nearby room. Less than a minute later, he returned with a stack of drawings in his hands. Each depicted the same creature—a grotesque, humanoid monster with unnaturally long, spindly limbs and emaciated joints. Its nose was completely missing as if corroded by acid, with hollow and pitch-black eye sockets.

Feng Fan’s pupils shrank at the sight. ’I know this thing!’ He could only hope the real creature wasn’t as powerful as the legendary version from his world—an unkillable demon.

The others, however, remained unaffected by the images. Lai Niu and Luo Li had encountered countless humanoid ghosts before, and Wu Yunru seemed more curious than alarmed.

"Let’s move out," she said, before glancing at Mr. and Mrs. Huang. "Can you point us toward the graveyard?"

"Just follow the northern path until you reach a dense forest," Mr. Huang replied. "There’s a trail leading straight to it; you can’t miss it."

Luo Li nodded and thanked him before heading out. The others followed.

Feng Fan twirled the car keys around his finger. "Are we taking the car?" he asked.

"Yes, let’s use it for now," Luo Li replied.

They piled into the vehicle and drove through the deserted streets. Due to the village’s small size, it didn’t take long to find the graveyard’s entrance. However, their progress came to an abrupt halt as they encountered a startling scene.

Dozens—no, hundreds—of figures crowded the path leading into the forest. Their eyes were filled with hate, their movements sluggish and unnatural.

Wu Yunru frowned, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "So that’s where all the villagers went... I thought they were just reclusive homebodies."

Lai Niu’s eyes gleamed with spiritual energy, her hands already swirling with condensed air. "They must be ghost slaves. Let’s leave the car and take care of them."

"No... something’s wrong," Feng Fan interrupted, his gaze fixed on the shambling villagers. "They’re not ghost slaves. I think they’re possessed."

The other three turned to him, their expressions shifting from readiness to confusion. "Possessed? Are you saying there are hundreds of ghosts in this village, and they all chose to possess people simultaneously?" Lai Niu scoffed. "That’s unheard of!"

"Look at their eyes," Feng Fan said, pointing toward the villagers. "They’re filled with hate. I may not have much experience, but aren’t most ghost slaves’ eyes dull and emotionless?"

Lai Niu and Luo Li’s expressions darkened.

"You... are right," Lai Niu conceded. "But this only makes things worse. We need to find a way to deal with them without killing them."

Despite Luo Li and Lai Niu’s grave expressions, a smile tugged at Feng Fan’s lips. ’Just when I needed some ghosts to take Ma Chen’s place... perfect.’

"Just weaken them and send them to me," he said. "I should be able to extract the spirits from the villagers’ bodies easily, as long as they’re weakened first."

Luo Li eyed him skeptically. "You can? How?"

"Just trust me. Let’s go!"

With that, Feng Fan took the lead and stepped out of the car. Seeing him move, the others followed suit.

The moment the possessed villagers spotted them, they charged forward like starving wolves scenting prey. Their sluggish bodies quickly transformed into unnatural speed as they rushed toward them.

Lai Niu’s eyes gleamed with spiritual energy as she moved her hands. Powerful wind currents surged from her, knocking down the villagers at the front.

The charging villagers at the rear didn’t slow down or try to evade as those at the front were tripped, causing a chain reaction that sent the entire group toppling over.