{"id":3270,"date":"2026-05-16T02:57:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T02:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/?p=3270"},"modified":"2026-05-16T02:57:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T02:57:03","slug":"global-examination-22","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/chapter\/global-examination-22\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Examination 22"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 22: Tombstones

Everyone froze.

\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d

Piss Black Granny off??

\u201cYes, I\u2019ve definitely seen them before.\u201d The male villager suddenly grabbed Qi Yang\u2019s hand.

His palm was rough as sandpaper, scraping painfully against the skin\u2014hard and ice-cold.

Qi Yang pulled his hand back immediately, his expression darkening.

\u201cWhere did you see us?\u201d he asked while flexing his wrist.

The villager stood there blankly, thinking for two seconds. Then, as if he hadn\u2019t heard the question at all, he repeated:

\u201cI\u2019ve definitely seen you\u2026 I really have.\u201d

\u201cOh, here we go again.\u201d The woman breaking ice set down her tool and sighed. \u201cPlease don\u2019t mind him. He\u2019s always like this.\u201d

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d

\u201cThere\u2019s something wrong with his head.\u201d She pointed at her own temple and explained, \u201cIt comes and goes. Whenever he has an episode, he grabs people and says things like, \u2018You look familiar. Haven\u2019t I seen you somewhere before?\u2019 Or he asks, \u2018Do you know me? Do you remember me?\u2019\u201d

No sooner had she finished speaking than the man suddenly grabbed Qin Jiu too and asked in a low voice:

\u201cYou know me, don\u2019t you? You remember me?\u201d

Qin Jiu: \u201c\u2026\u2026\u201d

\u201cSee?\u201d the woman said. \u201cJust like that.\u201d

\u201cHow did he go crazy?\u201d Qin Jiu asked.

The woman thought for a moment, then shook her head softly.

\u201cHe\u2019s always been this way.\u201d

She called out to the other two villagers collecting water nearby. They walked over and each grabbed one of the man\u2019s arms.

\u201cTake him back first. He\u2019ll probably stay crazy for a while,\u201d the woman said.

The two villagers nodded and dragged the man toward a nearby house.

While being pulled away, the man suddenly grabbed Yu Wen, who happened to be closest to him, and struggled desperately.

\u201cI\u2019ve seen you before. I really have.\u201d

His skin was gray and weathered. Deep wrinkles covered his face, especially around the corners of his eyes and mouth. A few strands of white hair mixed into his temples, making him look prematurely aged.

Yu Wen jumped in fright, but then felt a little sorry for him.

\u201cDon\u2019t drag him like that,\u201d he said. \u201cNeed help?\u201d

The villagers shook their heads.

\u201cIt\u2019s fine. We\u2019re used to it. When he loses it, he gets insanely strong. You wouldn\u2019t be able to hold him down.\u201d

\u201cSo we can only drag him like this.\u201d

\u201cAnd besides\u2026\u201d one of them said bluntly, \u201cYou\u2019re Black Granny\u2019s guests. We\u2026 don\u2019t really welcome strangers into our homes.\u201d

Soon, the male villager was dragged into a red-roofed house. Once the door closed, everything went silent again.

The whole incident left everyone staring awkwardly at one another.

But these villagers were basically NPCs in a game.

Things happening between NPCs could easily just be scripted daily events. Before understanding the cause, interfering rashly would be foolish.

So everyone merely watched without acting.

Qi Yang memorized the location of the house before finally withdrawing his gaze.

After talking for so long, the relationship still hadn\u2019t become any friendlier. The big shot had lost patience.

Skipping the small talk entirely, he asked directly:

\u201cDo any of you understand Gypsy?\u201d

The woman resumed breaking ice.

She lifted the tool high overhead and slammed it down heavily, scattering shards everywhere.

Again and again.

Each strike carried a vicious force.

Watching her made people inexplicably uneasy, as though if a person were lying there instead of ice, she\u2019d smash them just as hard.

After several strikes, she shook her head.

\u201cNo. Nobody understands it.\u201d

\u201cBut the village chief said Black Granny works with the dead,\u201d Old Yu couldn\u2019t help asking. \u201cIf nobody understands Gypsy, then how do people communicate with her when they want her services?\u201d

The woman replied:

\u201cGuests are the ones who go looking for her. We villagers don\u2019t.\u201d

\u201cAnd she wasn\u2019t alone before. There were Russians. And several children. She didn\u2019t always speak Gypsy.\u201d

Russians? Children?

Everyone instantly sensed they\u2019d hit something important and became excited.

\u201cWere they Black Granny\u2019s family?\u201d

The woman nodded. \u201cProbably.\u201d

\u201cWhere are they now? Where did they go?\u201d

The woman shook her head again.

\u201cThey left. Nobody knows where. Maybe they went home? Anyway, one day they just disappeared.\u201d

\u201cDoes anyone know more?\u201d

Again she shook her head.

\u201cWho would dare ask Black Granny about her business?\u201d

Everyone became discouraged once more.

Qi Yang glanced at the sinking sunset in the distance and asked:

\u201cAre there graves here?\u201d

The woman\u2019s hand froze mid-swing.

She stayed silent for a long while.

Then suddenly she looked up at everyone and smiled.

The smile made her face seem more alive\u2014

Which somehow made it even more terrifying.

She awkwardly raised a hand and pointed vaguely around them.

\u201cSee these woods?\u201d

Everyone turned to look.

Dense forests surrounded the entire village in an airtight ring.

The woman smiled and said:

\u201cThe forest is the graveyard.\u201d

\u201cThis whole ring of woods\u2026\u201d

\u201c\u2026they\u2019re all graves.\u201d

\u2026

The sun completely sank behind the forest.

The final trace of light vanished.

Without anyone noticing, night had fallen.

The woman glanced upward and hurriedly grabbed her iron bucket.

\u201cWait.\u201d Qi Yang caught her arm.

The woman struggled frantically.

\u201cWhat are you doing?! It\u2019s dark already\u2014don\u2019t touch me! I need to go home!\u201d

Her strength far exceeded Qi Yang\u2019s expectations. Caught off guard, he actually let her break free.

Clutching her bucket, she staggered back several steps and urged them anxiously:

\u201cYou should all hurry back inside too. It\u2019s dark!\u201d

\u201cWhat happens when it gets dark? The village chief said the same thing earlier. Why don\u2019t you come outside at night?\u201d

The woman trembled.

Wrapping her scarf tighter around herself, she glanced nervously in every direction before whispering:

\u201cWhen it\u2019s dark, ghosts come out. They\u2019re everywhere.\u201d

\u201cThey knock on your doors. Open your windows. Stand beside your bed\u2026 or crawl underneath it.\u201d

\u201cYou need to be careful\u2026\u201d

After speaking, she pressed a finger to her lips and softly whispered:

\u201cShhh.\u201d

\u201c\u2026\u2026\u201d

Everyone got goosebumps from that single shush.

The woman hurried away carrying her bucket.

Under the night sky, she moved incredibly fast. Within moments, she\u2019d already reached a distant house.

She opened the door, looked cautiously left and right, then slipped inside and tightly shut all doors and windows.

Silence descended instantly.

A few dim lights glowed faintly from scattered houses, but they were so weak\u2014and occasionally flickered\u2014that they only made the atmosphere more unsettling.

Chen Bin rubbed his arms nervously.

\u201cWhat do we do now? We\u2019ve gotten nowhere with the listening exam\u2026\u201d

\u201cHow about we go back and study the recording some more?\u201d

Even saying it sounded hopeless.

No translator.

The villagers didn\u2019t understand Gypsy.

Supposedly ghosts roamed around at night knocking on doors\u2026

How were they supposed to solve this listening exam?

\u2026

\u201cI\u2019m going into the woods.\u201d

Qi Yang suddenly said.

\u201cYou\u2019re going WHERE???\u201d Old Yu nearly jumped out of his skin.

But before he could finish asking, Qi Yang\u2019s footsteps were already crunching away into the distance.

\u201cDamn it.\u201d Old Yu didn\u2019t dare curse directly at his nephew, so he spat angrily at the ground instead and shouted:

\u201cWait! At least take a light!\u201d

Qi Yang never even turned around. He merely waved a hand dismissively.

Everyone: \u201c\u2026\u2026\u201d

Old Yu hurriedly yelled:

\u201cWho\u2019s got a flashlight?! Anyone?! A phone works too! Mine died this afternoon.\u201d

\u201cDamn it\u2026 I can\u2019t just watch him walk into a graveyard alone!\u201d

Everyone looked at one another and shook their heads.

The endless replaying of the recording earlier had drained all their phone batteries.

The tiny bit remaining couldn\u2019t be wasted on light, otherwise the phones would die completely within minutes.

\u201cWhat about you veterans?\u201d Old Yu turned desperately toward Chen Bin and Liang Yuanhao. \u201cDid either of you buy flashlights?\u201d

Liang Yuanhao: \u201cNo.\u201d

Chen Bin awkwardly waved a hand.

\u201cThey sold them at the rest stop, but\u2026 our scores are too pathetic. We didn\u2019t dare spend points.\u201d

\u201cUh\u2026\u201d Yu Wen suddenly spoke up and held out a long thin object.

\u201cI boldly\u2026 spent 0.5 points on a glow stick. Can that work?\u201d

Old Yu smacked him immediately.

\u201cIf you were gonna buy something anyway, why the hell did you buy a glow stick?! A box of matches would\u2019ve been better!\u201d

Yu Wen protested:

\u201cI\u2019ve read too many novels\u2026 some places don\u2019t let you use open flames.\u201d

Holding the glow stick, he dragged Old Yu after Qi Yang.

Yu Yao spoke softly.

\u201cI\u2026 I\u2019ll go too.\u201d

One after another, everyone followed Qi Yang into the forest, leaving only Liang Yuanhao and Chen Bin standing there dumbfounded.

\u201cThey\u2026 take exams this recklessly???\u201d Chen Bin muttered. \u201cSo are we going or not?\u201d

Liang Yuanhao\u2019s expression darkened.

\u201cThey already said the whole place is graves. If you want to go, go yourself. I\u2019m going back.\u201d

\u2026

The forest was deathly silent.

Not even a single bird could be heard.

Qi Yang snapped several branches underfoot and casually kicked them behind him.

Qin Jiu let out an indifferent laugh.

\u201cCould you have at least a little public decency? There are people behind you.\u201d

Without a word, Qi Yang kicked several more broken branches backward.

Qin Jiu clicked his tongue.

With his hands in his pockets, Qi Yang wandered through the graveyard as casually as if he were strolling through a park.

The darkness didn\u2019t seem to hinder him in the slightest.

\u201cYou sure you don\u2019t want a light?\u201d Qin Jiu asked. \u201cI could lend you one.\u201d

\u201cMy night vision is excellent. No need to worry.\u201d Qi Yang replied. \u201cCan you shut up and stay quiet for a while?\u201d

\u201cNot particularly willing to.\u201d

Qi Yang ignored him.

After walking through the woods for a while, Qin Jiu suddenly stopped.

\u201cWho\u2019s out there wailing like they\u2019re summoning souls?\u201d

Qi Yang listened carefully for a moment and heard Yu Wen\u2019s trembling voice echoing through the forest:

\u201cBrooo\u2014 Bro, where are youuu\u2014\u201d

He could even vaguely see a glowing green object illuminating several terrified faces.

Qi Yang bent down, snapped several branches, then pulled out a lighter and lit them.

\u201cThere! Over there! I see him!\u201d Yu Wen screamed like he\u2019d seen a ghost and rushed over.

Old Yu leaned against a tree, panting heavily.

\u201cHey\u2026 you little\u2026 ancestor of mine\u2026 what exactly are you looking for?\u201d

\u201cJust looking around,\u201d Qi Yang answered.

Everyone\u2019s faces turned green.

\u201c\u2026I-if you haven\u2019t found anything, maybe we should head back first?\u201d Old Yu suggested carefully.

Qi Yang swept the burning branches toward the ground.

\u201cLook. A row of graves.\u201d

Everyone jumped and looked where the firelight illuminated.

A row of tombstones stood lined neatly across the ground beneath Qi Yang\u2019s feet.

Strange symbols were carved into the stones\u2014part letters, part twisting worm-like loops.

The writing resembled the strange characters carved on the boundary stone near the village entrance.

Clearly, Black Granny had carved these too.

Yu Wen looked utterly bewildered.

\u201cHow the hell did you even find this place?\u201d

\u201cBlack Granny entered these woods this afternoon.\u201d

Qi Yang crouched down and suddenly beckoned toward Yu Wen.

\u201cYour phone still has battery?\u201d

\u201cA tiny bit.\u201d

\u201cTake photos of these. Copy them onto Black Granny\u2019s door.\u201d

Everyone froze again.

\u201cWhy?\u201d

Piss Black Granny off??

Qi Yang asked flatly:

\u201cWhat\u2019s written on tombstones?\u201d

Old Yu answered instinctively:

\u201cDead people\u2019s names. Photos. Birth and death years.\u201d

Qi Yang stared expressionlessly.

Old Yu\u2019s survival instinct kicked in immediately and he hurriedly added:

\u201cAnd the deceased\u2019s relatives. Who erected the stone.\u201d

Everyone: \u201c\u2026\u2026\u201d

Right.

Black Granny carved these tombstones.

That meant\u2014

Black Granny\u2019s name had to be somewhere in the inscriptions.<\/p>","protected":false},"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"novel":[],"class_list":["post-3270","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3270"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3271,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3270\/revisions\/3271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}