Unveiling the Eerie Domain

“You saw it, didn’t you! You saw it, didn’t you!”

Bai Wanwan shook Liu Hanzhi’s shoulders excitedly. Liu Hanzhi was jostled back and forth, nearly biting her tongue.

“I—I saw it, I saw it! Stop shaking me, or my head will fall off.”

Liu Hanzhi clasped her slender neck. Although she appeared no different from a living person, her body was, after all, made of paper. Too much external force could genuinely cause her to break.

“That extra floor we just saw—it’s definitely suspicious!”

Bai Wanwan pressed her lips together. She had noticed from the start that this hospital was far from ordinary; for so many wandering spirits and vengeful ghosts to gather here, there had to be some hidden secret.

“I think I know what that is…”

Liu Hanzhi murmured, as if something had suddenly occurred to her.

“If I’m not mistaken, that should be an ‘Eerie Domain’.”

Liu Hanzhi’s words left Bai Wanwan utterly bewildered. While she was well-versed in folklore, she truly had no idea what an ‘Eerie Domain’ entailed.

“It’s basically an environment where a ghost of some capability lives, just like the Western City Cemetery is my Eerie Domain.”

Liu Hanzhi pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

“To be precise, the Western City Cemetery doesn’t quite qualify as an Eerie Domain yet. My rank isn’t high enough, so the area where I reside can’t fully transform into one.”

“An Eerie Domain is essentially a miniature world, complete with its own set of rules.”

“The conditions for an Eerie Domain to form are extremely stringent. Places like my Western City Cemetery, or Jinbaihan—where we slew that malevolent spirit today—both possess the potential to become Eerie Domains.”

Gazing at Bai Wanwan’s serious expression, Liu Hanzhi mused, ‘Could there really be anything related to ghosts and spirits that Bai Wanwan doesn’t know?’

“So, what’s inside an Eerie Domain?”

Bai Wanwan was immensely curious. Judging by the dim corridor behind the iron gate and the hospital’s antiquated, last-century decor, this Eerie Domain must have existed for a considerable time.

“It’s hard to say, as the rules within an Eerie Domain are notoriously elusive. Let’s take my Western City Cemetery as an example: if it successfully ascended to become an Eerie Domain, then as its master, I would naturally be able to establish my own rules.”

“It would be akin to the paradise you humans strive for. All individuals or objects entering my Eerie Domain would have to abide by my rules, becoming my playthings.”

“Since it would be *my* Eerie Domain, an absolutely safe private territory for me, I certainly wouldn’t use it merely for amusement.”

“If it were mine, I would likely use the Eerie Domain’s cover to seek methods of achieving immortality. I’d devour and refine countless human lives to strengthen myself, hastening my ascension.”

Liu Hanzhi could only offer herself as an example, for if humans were said to have a thousand faces, ghosts were even more so. The internal workings of an Eerie Domain were entirely shaped by its master’s will, making them impossible to predict.

“Not only that, but an Eerie Domain itself nourishes souls, and it also nurtures certain items associated with those souls…”

“For instance, my red wedding dress and red wedding shoes—under the nourishment of an Eerie Domain, these items would transform into entities no less potent than the talismans you draw.”

“But precisely what they would become is unknown. All I know is that they would gain very special and formidable effects.”

Listening to Liu Hanzhi’s words, Bai Wanwan nodded, appearing to understand yet not quite. She processed the information for a moment, then reached a conclusion…

“So, what you’re saying is, these are all like dungeons, and if we clear them, we’ll get treasures?”

Hearing Bai Wanwan’s remark, Liu Hanzhi froze on the spot.

“Ah… well, I suppose you could put it that way. But this isn’t a game, you know. Eerie Domains are extremely dangerous. After all, the rules of the real world don’t apply inside them.”

“Once inside an Eerie Domain, there’s no telling if your talismans would even work.”

“I advise you not to meddle with it. It’s better if this Eerie Domain simply vanishes.”

“With that iron gate blocking the way, we can’t get in. What’s truly frightening is if the iron gate were open, beckoning you inside… that would mean the Eerie Domain’s master has taken an interest in you, wanting to lure you in and devour you!”

Liu Hanzhi made a spooky face, but Bai Wanwan remained utterly unfazed.

“It sounds like an urban legend meant to scare children.”

Seeing that Bai Wanwan showed no sign of fear, Liu Hanzhi pressed on with her scare tactics: “How do you know that those eerie urban legends aren’t simply the experiences of someone who accidentally stumbled into an Eerie Domain?”