Blade - Unbound

Chapter 8: Liar

He failed!

Li Yan wasn’t willing to accept the outcome, but there was nothing he could do. He had pieced together the general idea while preparing the ritual during the day. In essence, he was trying to deceive the spirit.

Similar methods had been around for a long time, with countless variations. Among the common folk, the most typical example was when a child was born under some taboo. Fearing the child wouldn’t survive, they would raise a boy as a girl, or a girl as a boy.

Widow Wang’s method followed the same principle, but it went a step further. The plan was to lure the Cold Altar Soldier into the body of the rooster, then burn it to resolve the calamity. Lui Yan did not understand the method's inner workings, but the spirit clearly hadn’t fallen for it.

Looking at the mashed organs inside the belly of the rooster, a chill crept into his heart. If that thing possessed someone, it would actually be horrifying!

Even his substitute statue might not be able to withstand it!

Li Yan didn’t dare take it lightly. He burned the corpse anyway and prepared everything again.

According to Widow Wang, he had to do it again if it failed. Perhaps there was a chance it would work this time. In any case, waiting was the hardest part.

When night finally fell and silence descended once more, Li Yan tied another rooster outside the gate, then buried himself again.

The moonlight was even brighter that night. But unlike the previous night, as midnight approached, a cold wind rose within Li Clan’s Fort. It blew in different directions, carrying dust and leaves as it swept through the entrance. It avoided the Earth God’s shrine as it spiraled closer toward Li Yan’s home.

Inside Widow Wang’s house, the candlelight flickered dimly. The little girl had already awakened, but she remained within the red circle. Holding the whisk, she sat in a strange posture, as if listening intently.

Her eyes snapped open. She stared straight at the door, muttering rapidly.

Widow Wang’s face turned deathly pale. “Oh no... The boy is in danger!”

The gust of cold wind rapidly arrived at Li Yan’s residence. To ordinary villagers, it looked like nothing more than a small dust whirl, common enough when the weather shifted.

However, the feathers of the rooster tied at the door stood on end. It flapped wildly, jumping and struggling to break free.

The wind then struck, and the rooster collapsed instantly. Moments later, it rose into the air, as if lifted by an invisible hand.

Snap!

Its head and legs were twisted into grotesque angles. The corpse and scattered droppings fell to the ground as the cold wind surged again. But this time, the wind blew more slowly. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Having been deceived twice, the strange force seemed enraged. The wind spun violently, sweeping up fallen leaves as it rushed toward the side wall of Li Yan’s house.

But before it could get close, it was repelled. A dull thud, far louder than the one before, rang out from the plaque above the door. Three consecutive knocks followed.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Crack!

Another fracture slithered across the plaque, far deeper than the ones that had already formed. Chunks of lacquer fell away as the cold wind weakened further.

It no longer tried to force its way in. Instead, it circled the courtyard restlessly.

The wind howled through the night. Underground, Li Yan held his blade and focused. He could not hear exactly what was happening outside, but he could feel it. The thing had arrived. His back grew colder, and he felt like there was something different about this night.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, an aged voice echoed. “Kid, where did you go?”

Shit!

Li Yan’s hair stood on end. He had prepared well for the night. While cooking porridge for dinner, he had added a bunch of calming herbs like poria with hostwood, schizandra, and others that were meant to aid sleep.

There was a time when his grandfather was in poor health. He had bought herbs according to the physician’s prescription, as well as some extra herbs. Every time he cooked them into his grandfather’s porridge, the old man would be able to sleep till dawn.

Though the old man was once a hardened soldier, the death of Li Yan's father had deeply affected him, and his health had steadily declined over the years. Li Yan knew that his grandfather couldn’t handle fright.

That was also why he hadn’t dared to tell him about whatever was going on. Unfortunately, he hadn’t expected something to go wrong so quickly!

Just as he started to panic, Li Yan recalled Widow Wang’s warning.

“No matter what you hear or see, do not reveal yourself. Otherwise, everything will go to waste.”

Is this real or not?!

Li Yan forced himself to calm down. He listened more carefully to the voice outside. Soon, he noticed something was off. The voice had echoed indistinctly around him. If his grandfather had truly gotten up and found him missing, he would have checked his room first. Moreover, the pit that Li Yan had dug was obvious. It was impossible to miss.

Now, even as the voice echoed around him, no other movement could be heard.

Li Yan's heart turned cold as he swiftly concluded, It's fake! This Cold Altar Soldier can even imitate voices?!

He remained quietly underground. Eventually, the voice faded.

A loud crash then came from nearby as the door rattled. Something seemed to be violently shaking it, and soon, his grandfather’s voice rang out again.

“Who’s there?! Ah! H-help me!”

The desperate cry emphasised how terrified the old man was.

Li Yan grew unsure again. Perspiration was beading on his forehead; he knew he couldn’t gamble on the fact that his grandfather was really asleep and didn’t need his help.

At that moment, an idea flashed in his mind. He tilted his head slightly and pushed the bamboo breathing tube up to his nose. Thanks to the oilcloth lining, the dirt hadn’t clogged it.

He took a deep breath through the tube. Due to his enhanced sense of smell, not only could he detect those strange things, he could even distinguish between the most ordinary scents.

There was the smell of earth, the musty odor of old furniture, and the lingering aroma of fried meatballs on the table. One by one, he sorted through them. Third Blindy’s stench was also present, though it was as faint as could be. His grandfather’s scent... was nowhere nearby!

Li Yan finally relaxed. He couldn’t help but curse silently, That damn thing is too cunning! Not only can it try to confuse me, but the way it does so is terrifying! frёewebηovel.cѳm

If he hadn’t awakened his root, he might have fallen for it!

The sounds came and went, again and again. Li Yan managed to hold firm with his extraordinary sense of smell, but by the end, he was mentally drained.

Finally, the noise faded.

After some time, faint rooster crows echoed in the distance. Li Yan breathed out deeply as he pushed himself out of the pit that he had dug, just like he had done the day before. But the moment his head popped above the ground, his heart sank.

The room is still dark!

Through the paper window, he could barely make out the skies outside. Though the night had mostly passed, dawn had not arrived!

SHIT!

He had not expected to fall for it at the very last moment. Just then, a loud crash came from outside. There was no mistaking it this time: something had definitely struck the plaque.

Without hesitation, Li Yan pulled himself out of the pit, grabbed his blade, and rushed outside.

Widow Wang had mentioned that the Cold Altar Soldier would leave at the crack of dawn. Even though he had fallen for its trick, dawn wasn’t too far off. With the help of his substitute statue, he might just be able to survive.

Thud.

A strong force slammed into the plaque once again. This time, it was even louder than before. Even the gate trembled.

Killing intent gathered in Li Yan’s eyes as he stood with his blade held vertically in front of him.

There was an old saying that ghosts feared the vicious. Li Yan hoped that the killing intent he had honed with his years of martial training would be enough to harm that thing.

“Guu, gu, guuu...” The rooster that Li Yan raised at home leaped onto its perch, raised its head, and let out a loud crow that echoed into the distance.

At that very moment, the attacks on the gate stopped.

Roosters from other homes crowed as well.

Li Yan could smell it. Third Blindy’s scent was fading rapidly. Perhaps it had grown much weaker after clashing with the plaque. As the thing passed through the village, dogs everywhere bristled and barked wildly.

Even so, Li Yan didn’t dare make a rash move. Only when the first pale light of dawn illuminated the road outside his gate did he push it open.

As expected, the rooster he had tied up the night before had been killed again. It had also suffered a more gruesome death than the last.

Clearly, being deceived twice had enraged the thing.

Li Yan’s expression sank. There was no relief on his face. The Cold Altar Soldier was as cunning as could be, and he had experienced it for himself. What was he supposed to do the next time it came?

Crack!

After a night of battle, the plaque could no longer hold on. A long crack spread across it, and the soft scent it emitted disappeared completely.

Li Yan sighed quietly. His last line of defense had fallen. Truly, when it rains, it pours.

Just as he was thinking of what to do next, something fell out from the crack in the plaque.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

Three copper tumbled across the ground before him.

Li Yan picked them up and examined them carefully. The coins were round with square holes in the middle, looking like any other ordinary coin. But upon closer inspection, the inscriptions were completely unlike any coins in circulation.

On one side, it had a raised engraving depicting an armored divine general surrounded by five smaller runes, while on the other were symbols of the sun, moon, and stars.