The Man in Black and his companions now understood this saying perfectly; Jiang Jiuguo had given them a massive surprise.
"He successfully adapted?!" the person responsible for recording shouted excitedly. "Buddha be praised, someone finally adapted to the fourth ghost sequence keystone."
In truth, it wasn't just the people in the hall undergoing adaptation who doubted the fourth ghost sequence keystone.
Even those responsible for recording had their doubts.
At one point, they even thought the fourth ghost sequence keystone was a fake.
But now...
He could be one hundred percent certain that the fourth ghost sequence keystone was the real deal.
"Damn, he didn't actually succeed, did he?" said someone who had previously been certain Jiang Jiuguo would fail. "So that stone wasn't just there to make up the numbers?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately received eye-rolls from those around him.
"He's just standing there dazed. Given the current situation, what other possibility is there besides a successful adaptation?" the speaker said, putting on a thinking face. "Early-onset dementia?"
"Dementia in his twenties?" the person beside him chimed in, playing along. "You win. I choose to believe he succeeded."
The crowd of people captured in the hall found it equally difficult to remain quiet.
Jiang Jiuguo had successfully adapted.
He became the tenth lucky person to succeed.
More importantly, he became the first person to successfully adapt to the fourth ghost sequence keystone.
The people around him were clamoring with excitement.
Jiang Jiuguo, however, was currently oblivious, immersed in the streams of information that had appeared in his mind—
[77 grams of raw white rice that has been offered at a crossroads.]
[10 grams of ash from a funeral paper man whose eyes have been dotted.]
[1 hair each from seven people who died wrongful deaths at midnight.]
[1 gram of soil and stone from a wild grave over 20 years old.]
[10 grams of old bamboo over 10 years old.]
[40 milliliters of blood from a person born in a Yin Year, taken on the seventh day after their death.]
[100 milliliters of pure, unpolluted water.]
—To be consumed at midnight on one's birthday.
"Is this... the ghost sequence formula???"
Feeling the information in his head, Jiang Jiuguo finally understood why taking a ghost sequence formula was life-threatening.
The ingredients provided in the recipe...
...were each more eerie than the last.
With ingredients like these, how could a human not kick the bucket after eating them? Even a god would have to run to the Restroom a few times with the runs.
"How is it? Do you feel the formula information?" The Man in Black had been watching Jiang Jiuguo closely and asked the moment he saw Jiang Jiuguo snap out of it.
"Yes."
Jiang Jiuguo nodded, then hesitated before asking, "Can I ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
The Man in Black was in a good mood.
The successful adaptation of the fourth ghost sequence keystone at least proved it was genuine, making the loss of so many lives to acquire it worthwhile. The next step was to determine which ghost the fourth ghost sequence keystone would turn one into.
Would it be a ghost from the existing Ghost Sequence records?
Or would it add a new entry to the Ghost Sequence numbering?
It all depended on Jiang Jiuguo.
If Jiang Jiuguo could survive taking the formula and turning into a ghost, they would know. If he couldn't, they would just have to find the next candidate. But before that... "Write down the formula first," the Man in Black added.
Taking the paper and pen handed over by the recorder...
Jiang Jiuguo glanced at the Man in Black and wrote down the detailed formula truthfully.
"You're quite honest. You don't plan on using the formula to blackmail us into letting you go?"
The Man in Black couldn't help but feel surprised by how readily Jiang Jiuguo wrote it down.
"I thought about it," Jiang Jiuguo said nonchalantly. "But it was just a thought. It's not like I'm the only one who can ever know the formula. If someone else gets the fourth ghost sequence keystone's formula later, I'd still be hunted down by you guys. My end would definitely be miserable; you'd probably kill me in a fit of rage."
"It seems you're very afraid of death," the Man in Black replied casually to Jiang Jiuguo's last remark.
"It's not that I'm afraid of death," Jiang Jiuguo looked up. "I'm afraid of pain."
"..."
Is it fun being cheeky with a group of 'kidnappers' like us?
The Man in Black picked up the formula Jiang Jiuguo had finished writing. "Speak, what did you want to ask?"
"I wanted to ask, is every ghost sequence formula this wallace?" Jiang Jiuguo asked curiously. "Or is it just mine that's so Hellish?"
"Different Ghost Sequences have different formulas and ingredients, but the materials are all very peculiar and not easily obtained."
The Man in Black examined the ingredients Jiang Jiuguo had written down.
After speaking, he glanced over sideways.
He understood the meaning behind Jiang Jiuguo's question.
"Compared to other formulas, your ingredients aren't too Hellish," he consoled. "As far as I know, some formulas require things like placenta or corpse oil. At least your formula isn't disgusting; it's swallowable."
"placenta? You're being so polite," Jiang Jiuguo knew what that was.
Zi He Che was the ancient term for it.
In modern times, it had another name—placenta.
While the two were talking, the remaining people finished their adaptation process.
Not a single one succeeded.
"Out of 54 people, 10 successfully adapted," the recorder frowned. "A bit low, but it'll do. At least one adapted to the fourth keystone."
The Man in Black didn't respond, checking the time on his watch instead.
Immediately after...
He gestured to the crowd. "Except for Jiang Jiuguo, everyone who successfully adapted, follow me. I'll take you to get your prepared formulas."
"What about us?" those who didn't adapt couldn't help but ask.
The recorder said, "You stay here. I'll give you 10 minutes to choose from the four Ghost Sequence keystones yourself. See which Ghost Sequence keystone's formula you want."
Upon hearing this...
None of the people who failed to adapt stepped forward to choose.
They were filled with trepidation.
They watched Jiang Jiuguo, the only one who hadn't left, with eyes full of envy.
To them, the recorder's approach seemed humane, but on closer thought, it was cruel. It was like a death row prisoner being told by the executioner: 'Do you want to be electrocuted, shot, or drowned in a pig cage? Choose one yourself.'
Just as everyone was hesitating...
Jiang Jiuguo suddenly said, "Do you guys want a suggestion?"
The crowd was stunned.
They all looked toward Jiang Jiuguo.
"I suggest you ask that brother there," Jiang Jiuguo pointed to the recorder. "He looks like someone who's seen a lot. Even if he hasn't gone through it himself, he records the data of those who adapt. He should know which of the four Ghost Sequence keystones has a high mortality rate and which one is relatively lower."
That makes sense!
The people's eyes lit up.
The fear of death had made them panic and lose their ability to think clearly, but now they all reacted to Jiang Jiuguo's prompt.
The recorder also looked at Jiang Jiuguo at this time.
Then, without waiting for the crowd to ask...
He didn't hide anything. He pointed at the first three Ghost Sequence keystones and gave the corresponding data in great detail, telling everyone how many people had tried to adapt to each, how many succeeded, and how many survived after taking the formula.
First Ghost Sequence keystone: 504 people attempted adaptation, 198 succeeded, 60 survived consumption.
Second Ghost Sequence keystone: 496 people attempted adaptation, 111 succeeded, 25 survived consumption.
Third Ghost Sequence keystone: 404 people attempted adaptation, 68 succeeded, 11 survived consumption.
fourth ghost sequence keystone: 54 people attempted adaptation, 1 succeeded, number of survivors TBD.
The crowd nodded repeatedly as they listened, and their hopeless expressions regained a bit of hope.
Soon...
They began making their choices one after another.
But no matter what they chose...
Nobody chose the fourth ghost sequence keystone that Jiang Jiuguo had adapted to.
Because...
The recorder told them, "The danger level of a ghost sequence formula is actually linked to the adaptation. The harder it is to adapt, the higher the danger. However, high risk means high reward. The harder it is to adapt, the more powerful the resulting ghost will be. The Ghost Sequence keystone Jiang Jiuguo adapted to can turn one into a very powerful ghost."
What's the use of being powerful?
It's only useful if you survive.
Knowing the facts, the crowd unhesitatingly chose the Ghost Sequence keystone with the lowest mortality rate, though some took a chance on the one with the second-highest survival rate.
As for Jiang Jiuguo's Ghost Sequence keystone...
Nobody was interested.
"Thank you." Having made their choices, they looked at Jiang Jiuguo with gratitude in their eyes.
"Don't mention it, don't mention it," Jiang Jiuguo grinned.
"You're quite kind-hearted," the recorder said at this point. "In fact, even if you hadn't suggested it, I would have told them anyway."
Jiang Jiuguo shrugged. "It's not that I want to be kind. I just want to accumulate some hidden merit. After all, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."
After all, it's better to believe it exists than not.
After all, the Man in Black had captured them based on Feng Shui and Numerology.
Since that was the case...
By kindly helping everyone, according to the principles of Feng Shui and Numerology, good deeds bring good rewards. This might earn him some merit. Perhaps when the time came to take the formula, it would bring him a bit of luck and help him turn a calamity into a blessing...