Free Web NovelChapter 26: Chapter 26: Success
Yang Xiao was the first to set out, stepping through the grand entrance and heading toward the left side of the hall. Surprisingly, the second person to follow was Shi Guanming.
As he walked, he observed the interior, which consisted of several smaller rooms partitioned by thick curtains. From outside, one could see the rigid silhouettes of people. Yang Xiao had a clear objective; he walked straight toward the last room, pulled back the curtain, and found a paper effigy standing with its back to him inside.
The paper effigy, in both height and build, resembled a normal person. On the ground stood a tripod incense burner, in which three sticks of incense were burning side by side.
Besides that, there was an old table and chair in the compartment, with an inkstone and brush set neatly placed on the table. Additionally, there was a wooden Head Casket and a short knife with the handle wrapped in white cloth.
A yellow paper with chaotically drawn patterns, as if by a ghost, sealed the Head Casket.
After observing for a moment, Yang Xiao carefully opened the casket, and a pair of embroidered shoes came into view.
The craftsmanship of the shoes was exquisite, with vibrant, even colors. One shoe displayed mandarin ducks playing in the water, the other, a crane soaring amidst auspicious clouds. Without a close look, one could hardly tell they were made of paper.
The moment the casket was opened, the candlelight in the room dimmed slightly, and Yang Xiao felt a chill wash over him, mixed with a hint of the scent of blood.
That’s right, Yang Xiao looked back at the unassuming wooden casket, having a rough hypothesis in his mind.
This item was also an antique. If he was not mistaken, it was an ancient Head Casket used for presenting human heads. The wood inside the casket had an unsightly black hue, the result of being stained by blood over a long period.
With the origin of the casket known, the knife was not hard to guess at. Yang Xiao picked up the knife and noted that it wasn’t long, and its blade wasn’t sharp. But it was thick and sturdy. Yang Xiao deduced that the knife and the casket went together; this was a Beheading Short Knife used specifically for cutting off heads.
This knife and casket emanated an extremely strong malevolent presence, rare treasures for warding off evil. To say nothing else, just the fact that the Feng Family had managed to assemble seven complete sets of the knife and casket spoke volumes about their wealth and power.
From left to right, the items were ink and brush, the Head Casket with the embroidered paper shoes, and the Beheading Short Knife. These three items perfectly matched the tasks for the night: to draw eyes on the paper effigy, have it wear little shoes, and drip blood for acknowledgment of the master.
Of course, there was a time limit to all this—everything had to be completed before the incense burned out.
Having figured out the arrangements, Yang Xiao walked behind the paper effigy to ensure there were no oversights and then slowly lifted the paper effigy, turning it around to face him.
The craftsmanship was similar to that of Master Feng’s paper effigy, albeit far less refined. The paper effigy’s face had only a rough outline drawn on it—with a nose, eyebrows, a mouth, but the eyes were conspicuously missing.
Dipping the brush in ink, Yang Xiao took a deep breath to concentrate and carefully added a pair of eyes to the paper effigy, leaving the centers blank as he refrained from dotting the pupils.
After waiting about ten seconds to confirm there were no mistakes, Yang Xiao put down the brush and took out the pair of embroidered paper shoes from the casket.
He was extremely cautious with his movements, fearful of damaging the shoes as they were beyond his means to compensate.
He had assumed that putting on the shoes might be troublesome, but the process went unexpectedly smooth. The paper shoes weren’t that big, but fortunately, the effigy’s feet were even smaller. After a few tries, they slipped on easily.
Even though the shoes weren’t designed for left or right feet, Yang Xiao still took care to follow the original arrangement from the casket, cautiously fitting the left and right shoe onto the paper effigy’s tiny feet.
Exhaling, Yang Xiao turned his gaze to the knife lying on the table. This was the last task. As long as the paper effigy acknowledged its master, everything would be complete. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"May the Buddha, Yuqing Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch, and Amen keep us safe," Yang Xiao whispered a sincere cross over his chest. It was just this last item to go; he prayed for no complications.
Picking up the short knife, he gently pricked his middle finger with the sharp edge, and blood immediately began to flow. Yang Xiao slowly raised his finger and pressed it lightly between the brows of the paper figure.
Done!
The moment the bloody fingerprint was placed on the face of the paper figure, Yang Xiao suddenly felt a very unique sensation, as if the paper figure had become a part of his own body.
Then, he tore a piece of cloth from his clothes, gently wrapped it around the eyes of the paper figure, and finally tied a distinctive butterfly knot at the back of its head.
After confirming everything was correct and the task was complete, Yang Xiao checked multiple times before finally turning around and lifting the curtain, intending to leave. To his surprise, he discovered Kuang Hongyi and his two companions standing together not far away.
The lighting there was dim, and the three of them were looking down, seemingly discussing something among themselves; it appeared he was the last to finish.
Seeing Yang Xiao emerge, Kuang Hongyi waved at him. Yang Xiao didn’t move because it was dark there, and it would have been quite the scene had he walked over only to discover they were just three paper figures.
Seeing that Yang Xiao hadn’t moved, the three had no choice but to walk over. As they moved, their actions were natural, and clear shadows were cast on the ground.
"Let’s go outside, we’ve been waiting for you," Xu Su nodded at Yang Xiao. The atmosphere here was too sinister, and it made one uncomfortable all over.
Once the group stepped out of the hall, they saw Ke Long and Shi Guanming close together on the steps outside, engaged in conversation, showing no signs of the tension that had existed between them moments before as if it were life or death.
Upon seeing Yang Xiao and the others come out, Ke Long raised his hand and greeted them with a smile, "How did it go, everyone alright?"
"Not bad," Kuang Hongyi replied.
Ke Long shrugged, "Seems this is really the Welfare Department, the task was very simple. I came out first, even 10 minutes before Brother Shi."
Shi Guanming continued the conversation, smiling at Ke Long’s remark, "That’s right, Ke Long came out the earliest. Just now we also cleared things up between us; the trouble before was all a misunderstanding. I’m new and was too nervous, I was too blunt when speaking, and Ke Long has a straight temper, so we ended up making a spectacle in front of everyone."
"Misunderstandings can happen; as long as they’re resolved, it’s all good. It’s destiny that we all met in this damned place," Kuang Hongyi continued playing the peacemaker, a role that left him beyond reproach.
Everyone had come out except for Shi Dali, who was still missing, raising concern among the group. Could he have run into some trouble?
Then a shadow gradually approached from behind the curtain on the right. Shi Dali lifted the curtain and stepped out. Seeing everyone gathered, he smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, sorry for making you all wait."
"Glad you’re alright," Yang Xiao pretended to breathe a sigh of relief.
"What took you so long?" Kuang Hongyi asked with a look of concern.
"Ah, don’t mention it. That casket looked sinister, full of malevolent energy. I didn’t dare to touch it until the incense stick had burned more than halfway, and then I finally forced myself to open it," Shi Dali said, shaking his head in self-mockery. "Turns out I was overthinking."
After a brief exchange of words, the group started heading back. Not a single living soul could be seen along the way; the vast Feng Mansion was filled with an eerie stillness.
Shi Dali and Ke Long exchanged a quick glance, giving each other a subtle nod before Ke Long averted his eyes, continuing to speak with Xu Su beside him, his lips unconsciously curling up into a smile.
Not long after they left the hall, there was a sudden change with the censer in the partition. Two of the three incense sticks—those on the left and the right—snapped simultaneously, shattering as they fell to the floor.
