Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 19: The Northern Shrine

Next, and then the next.

The spirits meticulously mimicked the villagers, all their disputes trivial matters between neighbors.

As a result, whenever faced with interpersonal squabbles, Fang Xiu outmaneuvered them easily. When it came to property disputes, Fang Xiu would simply say, “Swear to the god of Weishan first.” A line of spirits entered the shrine in full force, but fewer than a third of them emerged.

After finishing all eight cases, Fang Xiu slung the severed head back onto his back and got up from the chair as if he were clocking out from work.

Before leaving, he gave Bai Shuangying another glance.

His evil spirit usually had a blank expression, never showing any extreme emotions. But upon closer inspection, Fang Xiu realized Bai Shuangying’s emotions were quite straightforward.

When happy, he would smile. When displeased, he would kill.

This guy was clearly not stupid, but he wasn’t good at lying. Even his malice was pure, pure to the point of being somewhat endearing.

Fang Xiu hadn’t seen this kind of person, whether human or ghost, for a long time.

Someone like this was either too young to have faced the harshness of reality or so powerful they couldn’t be bothered to care about others.

Fang Xiu made up his mind not to let reality crush his ghost.

“Bai Shuangying.”

“Hm?”

Fang Xiu: “Did you get mad when I said, ‘Evil spirits are inherently evil’?”

“Hm.” Bai Shuangying gave him a glance.

“Sorry about that. I had to quickly explain things to the others, so I simplified it. I know not all spirits necessarily want to harm humans…”

“No, I want to harm humans,” Bai Shuangying said coldly. “I just don’t like humans judging us freely.”

Fang Xiu: “……”

Fang Xiu replied seriously, “Since you’re not a good person either, we’re even more suited to be friends.”

Bai Shuangying stopped, surprised at Fang Xiu’s self-awareness. “You said ‘either’…”

“Yeah, I’ve been hiding some of my discoveries on purpose.” Fang Xiu leaned in and whispered to the spirit, “Some of them still need to be verified. Others, well, I have my own uses for them… Do you know what’s most important at the negotiation table?”

Under Fang Xiu’s gaze, Bai Shuangying curiously tilted his head.

“It’s leverage,” Fang Xiu said with a smile.

……

The group didn’t find any new clues. Following the guidance of the copper gourd, Fourth Master led them back.

They had started with eight people, but now only six remained.

Along the way, Fang Xiu summarized their situation. The empty shrine was most likely a scene-recreation setup by the spirits. On one hand, it allowed them to imitate the villagers more deeply, and on the other, it gave them opportunities to trap and kill the group.

If they made mistakes in the shrine, Old Man Fu could justifiably capture them. Conversely, if they acted appropriately in the shrine, the spirits had no choice but to accept it… In short, the greater the reward, the higher the risk, for both humans and spirits.

Fourth Master understood this clearly. Based on this cunning behavior, Brother Scar probably died at Fang Xiu’s hands. However, given his current predicament and Fang Xiu’s usefulness, seeking revenge now would be foolish.

As they headed back, Fourth Master pushed the madman to the front of the group. The madman kept muttering nonsense, but didn’t react otherwise.

This took up most of the night. By dawn, the group had returned to the opera stage.

The singing on the stage continued, repeating the “Bird in a Cage” segment over and over. Old Man Fu still sat watching the show, but three more chairs had appeared on the stage.

Jia Xu and Huang Mao were seated side by side, right next to Doctor’s corpse.

Both of them had been dressed in red robes, with large red flowers tied tightly around them, securing them to the armchairs. Their chests still rose and fell slightly, indicating they were only unconscious.

They were separated from Doctor by one more armchair, on which were piled Brother Scar’s dismembered body parts, clearly intended for the two of them.

“So that’s what they meant by ‘detained’,” Fang Xiu mused.

Cheng Songyun’s voice trembled. “W-What if we all end up tied up there…”

Fang Xiu: “Then we can piece Brother Scar back together. We’re almost there.” Just missing Skinny Monkey.

Cheng Songyun: “……”

She clasped her hands and quietly recited a few Buddhist prayers.

Meanwhile, Fourth Master began playing with the gourd again. This time, it indicated that the north was an auspicious direction, but the gourd’s mouth wobbled slightly, not as steady as before.

Acting like a ruthless boss, Fourth Master ordered, “We’ll check the north first, then come back to rest. We’ll deal with the south and west in the daytime.”

Fang Xiu had no objections. Though it was always drizzling during the day here, the yang energy was still stronger than at night.

He made one suggestion. “Let’s head to the shrine first and grab a bite.”

The real shrine was just as before, with the deity statue unchanged.

The offering table was still piled with food, and everyone, familiar with the routine by now, immediately dug in. After seeing so many eerie things, even the deity statue seemed kind of pleasant.

Mei Lan held a can of yellow peaches, looking up at the deity statue.

The paint around the statue’s mouth hadn’t been cleaned, and it still oozed like blood. The smile, composed only of a mouth, faced the stage, overseeing everything.

“Eat some meat. This stuff won’t fill you up,” Fang Xiu said as he approached her, handing over a chicken leg. “You can put the stuff down for now. Weishan Village respects the gods, so leaving gifts in the shrine doesn’t count as ‘throwing them away’.”

Mei Lan hesitated for a moment before putting down the mud pastries, and sure enough, no taboo was broken.

“Thank you.” She gratefully accepted the chicken leg.

It was rare to see Fang Xiu do something considerate, and Bai Shuangying stood behind him, watching with interest.

A moment later, Fang Xiu glanced at Fourth Master and lowered his voice. “You mentioned earlier that Weishan inkstones weren’t selling well. Do you remember why?”

Bai Shuangying: “……”

So it’s a trade. Why am I not surprised?

Mei Lan frowned, trying to recall. “I remember. Weishan inkstones are a beautiful black color and produce ink quickly and smoothly. They sold well at first.”

“Later, customers complained that there was a strange smell when using the inkstones. Some returned them, while others kept using them because they liked the feel, though some ink does smell pretty bad…”

Fang Xiu: “Anything else?”

Mei Lan shook her head. “If the inkstones were haunted or people mysteriously died after buying them, I would’ve heard about it.”

Fang Xiu thanked her and returned to the offering table to continue eating.

“Finished asking?” Bai Shuangying asked, bored.

“Yeah, I have a theory. Just one more piece left.” Fang Xiu glanced at the idol.

“Now it’s my turn to ask you something,” Bai Shuangying said. “You traded a chicken leg for her answer. You gave me a ghost arm and your living soul. What are you hoping to get from me?”

Fang Xiu stopped chewing and silently stared at Bai Shuangying.

“You said you wanted to choose how you die and offered me your living soul. Let’s assume that’s the truth. But you never expect me to fight with all my strength for you. Why do you go out of your way to feed me?” Bai Shuangying asked directly.

“Because we’re friends,” Fang Xiu said.

Bai Shuangying: “I don’t believe you.”

“Because I like your appearance and personality,” Fang Xiu said.

Bai Shuangying: “Still don’t believe you.”

“Didn’t anyone ever treat you kindly for no reason when you were alive?” Fang Xiu asked.

Bai Shuangying thought for a moment. “No.”

Fang Xiu paused for a long while. “Seems like you’ve had bad luck too. Alright, I’ll be honest, but don’t laugh at me.”

Bai Shuangying silently stared at him, waiting for either a plea or a deal.

Fang Xiu rubbed his face. “…I just want to talk to you more.”

Bai Shuangying was so puzzled that he might as well have had a question mark engraved on his forehead.

“When I’m alive, I’ll find food for you. When I die, I’ll give you my living soul to eat. I have nothing else you could possibly want.” Fang Xiu explained in a quiet voice, “This way, I don’t have to be on guard around you, and I can talk to you in peace.”

“When I said I’m afraid of loneliness, that was the truth.”

Bai Shuangying brushed aside Fang Xiu’s bangs and looked directly into his eyes. Fang Xiu met his gaze head-on, not avoiding it.

Bai Shuangying wasn’t good at deciphering human emotions, but he knew how to listen to a human heartbeat. Fang Xiu’s heartbeat was steady. If he was lying, he’d be the world’s most remarkable liar.

“Alright,” Bai Shuangying said. “You don’t have to be on guard around me.”

After thinking for a moment, he added, “If I ever plan to harm you, I’ll give you a heads-up.”

Fang Xiu burst out laughing. “Deal.”

……

As it turned out, the road to the east had indeed been the easiest.

After walking north for less than half an hour, Mei Lan got injured. Burdened by the heavy corpse parts and dirt she carried, she stumbled and stepped on a nail. The nail, hidden in the shadows, pierced straight through her foot.

Mei Lan let out an immediate scream of pain.

“The nail fell. Sorry.” A spirit resembling a spider with a human face crawled out, its eight eyes rolling wildly as it stared at Mei Lan. “The nail fell. Sorry.”

The spirits crowded closer. “Sorry, sorry.”

Fang Xiu looked down and spotted several nails in the mud. These nails didn’t reflect light, and the ground was dark, making them hard to see.

Barely two minutes after Mei Lan’s injury, Fourth Master cursed as well. A spirit brushed past him, and something hanging from its body slashed a deep gash in his arm.

The wound was severe, and blood gushed out immediately.

“Sorry, sorry.” The spirits turned their faces, each wearing a grotesque smile.

Everyone quickly adjusted, moving Brother Scar’s corpse parts to the outer side to use as a shield. But whenever they collided with a spirit, another gash appeared on the bundle. Terrified, they held the body parts close, afraid the wrappings would tear and the pieces would be lost.

The spirits chanted. “Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry…”

Eventually, the madman took the lead, with Fang Xiu and the gloomy boy on either side. Fourth Master, Cheng Songyun, and Mei Lan walked in the middle, avoiding any contact with the spirits.

Bai Shuangying offered to help conceal them, but Fang Xiu declined.

“These injuries aren’t fatal. They’re just meant to torment us,” Fang Xiu said seriously. “This is important information. I need to test it.”

First, they faced sharp nails, followed by poisonous plants and dirty water. The pattern remained the same; deliberately “accidental” injuries, followed by insincere “sorry”s.

Old wounds overlapped with new ones on Fang Xiu, and the dirty water seeped into his injuries, reigniting the burning pain.

But that wasn’t the only odd thing. Ever since they had started walking north, Fang Xiu felt an inexplicable rage building inside him. Under the red lanterns, countless grinning spirits danced before his eyes, and his negative emotions swelled like a balloon.

“Don’t get distracted.”

A cold hand covered his eyes. It was Bai Shuangying. “It’s just a bit of illusion magic. Keep walking.”

Bai Shuangying’s hand was like ice, bringing a cool darkness that instantly extinguished Fang Xiu’s rage, calming him down.

He then noticed that the others weren’t doing well either. Cheng Songyun was frantically chanting prayers, Mei Lan occasionally let out panicked cries, the gloomy boy was sobbing quietly, and Fourth Master’s cursing grew louder and louder.

Fang Xiu exhaled deeply, leaning back against Bai Shuangying. Feeling the paper flower on Bai Shuangying’s chest, Fang Xiu quickly created some space, careful not to crush it.

Bai Shuangying half-embraced him as they moved forward. The icy touch on Fang Xiu’s burning wounds felt surprisingly soothing.

It was strange. Even though he couldn’t see anything, he felt a peculiar sense of relaxation.

“I feel like Emperor Zhou…” 

“Shut up.”

By the time they reached the northern boundary, everyone but Fang Xiu was on the verge of collapse.

At the end of the northern path stood another empty shrine. Compared to the one in the east, the firelight here was much dimmer.

A pair of giant hands extended from inside the shrine, blocking half of the doorway. Fang Xiu could only see half of the couplets inside.

[The village’s boys and girls ■■■]

[Honored ones inside and outside ■■■]

The ghostly hands were calloused and even larger than the doorway. Their palms faced upward, gently curling inward.

It was an inviting gesture.

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The author has something to say:

Upon reflection, this story might be about the unfeeling one’s emotions × the little liar’s sincerity.

They can’t even make up a single “virtue” together… Tsk tsk tsk (that kind of tone).

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