Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 21: The Southern Shrine

The madman continued to bang his head against the wall as if he hadn’t heard Fang Xiu’s words.

Fang Xiu remained calm and continued, “You’ve been watching us from the very first day. You’re the one who stole Mai Zi’s magic weapon.”

“You’ve been pretending to be crazy, waiting for the right moment. You knew that with us here, Fourth Master wouldn’t only use you. He even said himself that using a sane person is more useful than a madman when it comes to risky tasks.”

Fourth Master’s expression darkened. Cheng Songyun nearly choked on her canned food. “W-what?”

Bang, bang, bang. The madman kept ignoring them.

“I’m not bluffing.”

Fang Xiu scratched his head. “On the first night, I noticed something spying on us in the warehouse. If it was Fourth Master’s trick, he would’ve used it earlier to scout the shrine. And with all of Old Man Fu’s spies around, he wouldn’t be so obvious.”

“As for the stolen weapon… If Fourth Master did it, he’d have kept it all on him. He values his life too much. And if Old Man Fu did it, he would’ve taken the copper coin sword too. It wouldn’t have been any trouble to snatch it.”

“Besides, you let Fourth Master capture you, which means you have confidence in your survival. So I’m guessing you’re stronger than him.”

“Trying to fool me…”

Before the madman could react, Fourth Master lost his temper and kicked at the madman’s back, but the madman effortlessly dodged.

The madman was no longer pretending to be crazy. He straightened his back, clasped his hands behind him, and blood from banging his head still dripped from his forehead.

“A bit hasty, young man. Old Man Fu isn’t exactly rational. Why are you so sure?”

Fang Xiu: “There’s a 70% chance it’s you, 30% it’s Old Man Fu. It doesn’t cost me anything to try.”

The madman let out a long “Oh.”

“I’m really not bluffing.” Fang Xiu scratched his face in embarrassment. “I’m just bluffing Fourth Master. As long as he doubts you, it works.”

Fourth Master: “……”

Fourth Master tugged at the chain. “Surname Fang, since you’ve exposed him, I’ll let you off this time.”

The madman smiled, clenched his right fist, and wiped it across the spirit-binding chain. The chain instantly shattered into sparks and disappeared into his fist.

Fourth Master stepped back two paces in shock. Cheng Songyun stared in disbelief, nearly dropping her can of food.

Fang Xiu held his breath, his back tensing up again.

“Quite a gamble, young man. If you’d been wrong, I’d have been beaten for nothing,” the madman said lazily.

Fang Xiu quickly shook his head. “That wouldn’t happen. Old Man Fu and you have a 70-30 chance of being guilty, but you? You’re 100% suspicious.”

“How so?”

Fang Xiu: “I can’t tell you that for free.”

“Fair enough. I’ll make sure to ask later.”

The madman walked to the offering table and tore off a piece of pig’s ear. “I’m a half-baked Daoist. The name’s Shan Hunzi.”

Fourth Master sneered. “There’s no place for the metaphysics among the sacrifices.”

“I told you I’m half-baked. I’m self-taught, not a professional.” Shan Hunzi said, “I planned to wait a little longer before revealing myself, but this works too…”

The shrine became lively.

Bai Shuangying watched with great interest, entirely unconcerned about the madman. His experience of all this was utterly immersive.

Throughout the journey, Fourth Master grew increasingly wary of Fang Xiu. But now, his guard was fully up against Shan Hunzi.

The situation had quietly shifted. Someone had chosen just the right moment to expose the madman, and Bai Shuangying glanced over at Fang Xiu.

Sensing his ghost’s gaze, Fang Xiu turned and mouthed the words…

[Fun, right?]

Meanwhile, Shan Hunzi smiled as if nothing had happened. “The ritual is almost over. No point in infighting… So, got any clues?”

“To hell with your ancestors!” Fourth Master, having lost his chain, was still fuming.

“Why are you so mad? You’ve got no baggage left. Why not learn from me?” Shan Hunzi shook his head with a grin. “Take some hardship early on and make your move toward the end of the ritual. By then, all the useless ones will be dead, and you’ll know the survivors’ temperaments. Much smoother.”

Fourth Master’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Shan Hunzi.

Unbothered, Shan Hunzi turned to Fang Xiu. “What do you think? You’ve got a sharper mind than this brute.”

“You go first, Senior. I wouldn’t want to show off,” Fang Xiu replied politely.

Shan Hunzi took a bite of the pig’s ear. “Hmm, I figure the southern shrine’s the most dangerous, and there’s probably no shrine to the west.”

“The east and north shrines are about the same distance from the real shrine. But to the west, there’s a graveyard. A place that honors its gods wouldn’t build a shrine in a graveyard.”

Fang Xiu: “I also think there’s no shrine to the west.”

Shan Hunzi: “But we still have to go check. We need to figure out the origin of all this to understand what the ‘E’ really is.”

“And the shrine couplets?” Fang Xiu asked.

“I can’t stand that fancy poetic stuff,” Shan Hunzi said, grimacing. “The couplets mean something, sure, but they were probably written by the villagers, and the spirits are just using them for decoration. Remember, the ritual is about what happens, not what’s written.”

Fang Xiu: “Got it. And the third taboo?”

“It’s related to the God of Weishan. Those two bodies look like the statues, but I’m not sure what triggers it.” Shan Hunzi waved his hand. “Your turn.”

Fang Xiu sighed. “I… I’m too tired today. My mind’s a mess.”

Shan Hunzi yawned. “Alright, then sleep for now.”

Fourth Master had no objections either. He was busy fiddling with his peachwood sword, perhaps reminiscing about the lost chain.

Before sleeping, Fang Xiu specifically sought out Cheng Songyun.

“Cheng Jie, can you help me bandage up? I can’t manage it myself.” Fang Xiu showed her his injured hands.

Cheng Songyun flinched when she saw his torn nails. “Oh dear, how’d this happen? Come here.”

She tore off some fabric to make bandages, carefully cleaning the wounds before wrapping them with skilled hands.

Fang Xiu stared at the gaping wounds on his hand for a moment, then looked at Cheng Songyun.

“Bai Shuangying, hide us.”

Fang Xiu whispered, “Cheng Jie, do you trust me?”

Cheng Songyun didn’t even look up. “With just the two of us left, who else would I trust?”

“Good. Promise me two things, and I guarantee you’ll survive.”

Cheng Songyun looked up, surprised.

“First, no matter what happens, follow my instructions to the letter.”

“Second, unless I speak directly to you, don’t believe anything I say.” Fang Xiu chuckled. “I know it sounds strange…”

“No problem,” Cheng Songyun hesitated. “But with you being so confident, how much have you figured out?”

“99%.” Fang Xiu looked straight at her. “And now, 100%. Bai Shuangying, can you hide this?”

Cheng Songyun quickly understood what he meant.

A sharp pain shot through her armpit, and her lower back ached terribly. Something pierced through her skin, growing out like branches. In Fang Xiu’s gentle gaze, a burning sensation spread across her neck, slowly forming a hard lump.

Trembling, Cheng Songyun reached for the lump and felt a shriveled human face.

The face’s hot breath blew against her fingers.

Cheng Songyun wanted to scream, but Fang Xiu covered her mouth.

“Shh, don’t worry, just pretend they aren’t there,” Fang Xiu said lightly. “Bai Shuangying is great at hiding things. No one else will notice.”

“Cheng Jie, don’t be afraid. You said you’d trust me.”

Cheng Songyun stared at Fang Xiu in terror, but in the end, she swallowed her scream.

At this point, she had no choice.

Before dawn, everyone found a corner to sleep in, Fang Xiu included. Bai Shuangying, who didn’t need to sleep, sat across from him, continuing his observation. This man’s silence while asleep was the most pleasant time of the day.

The temple fair really was fun, and the earlier show had been entertaining, so Bai Shuangying was in a good mood.

Even better, there was more to look forward to after sunrise. Fang Xiu had figured out the truth but kept it to himself, clearly plotting something.

Bai Shuangying was eager for the upcoming spectacle.

He picked up the paper flower and playfully covered Fang Xiu’s right eye.

As Bai Shuangying blocked the candlelight, the red paper flower looked like a bloody hole in the shadow.

First, the eye, then the throat, and finally the heart. He moved the flower toward Fang Xiu’s lips.

…This mouth really is the source of all trouble.

Bai Shuangying pressed down on Fang Xiu’s lower lip, his finger slipping slightly between the lips. He still remembered the sensation of sticking his finger into Fang Xiu’s mouth in the illusion. Soft, moist, and a little warm, just like the taste of a living soul.

He thought he might try it again someday. Maybe when Fang Xiu was on the verge of death?

But…

“I haven’t had enough of the temple fair yet.” Bai Shuangying tucked the flower back into his robe. “You’re not dying before this show ends.”

Fang Xiu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. Hidden from him, Bai Shuangying’s words went unheard.

……

After about four hours of sleep, Fang Xiu opened his eyes and was greeted by Bai Shuangying’s face.

Wonderful. Forgiveness for the world, just for ten seconds.

Breakfast was the same offerings as before, thankfully a good balance of meat and vegetables. The opera across from the shrine had been playing all night, repeating the same scene over and over, making everyone’s ears sore. The corpses on the chairs had decayed further, while the living remained as still as the dead.

“Looks like even if we make it back alive, everyone will have back pain for days,” Fang Xiu said, chewing on a piece of chicken and gazing at the stage.

Fourth Master scoffed, while Shan Hunzi burst out laughing. “You’re a funny guy. Now, tell us what you’ve discovered.”

Fang Xiu nodded. “Remember the line, ‘God descends from Weishan, and the guests arrive with bitter rain’?”

Shan Hunzi clicked his tongue. “I remember.”

“This place is always raining, and after a long period of rain, floods happen. Many young people leave to make a living.”

Fang Xiu stared at Shan Hunzi, speaking humbly and sincerely.

“Weishan Village warmly welcomed these ‘guests’ and gave them jobs… Like helping to judge disputes. That’s the kind of work best suited for outsiders.”

[Upholding virtue and punishing evil with clear judgment, and henceforth, justice is seen in the hearts of men.]

“And then, just like last night, the villagers deliberately tormented people. After a while, the guests became apathetic. The village chief found an excuse to expel them, making them disappear one by one.”

[Upholding virtue and punishing evil with clear judgment, and henceforth, justice is seen in the hearts of men.]

[The village’s boys and girls are its guests, honored ones inside and outside the shrine.]

“The disappeared young people might have been living sacrifices to the God of Weishan.”

Shan Hunzi gave him a meaningful look. “So according to you, the southern shrine corresponds to the ‘sacrifice’ stage, and we’ll be able to verify that soon.”

Fang Xiu’s theory was confirmed shortly after they left the shrine.

As they headed south, a group of spirits blocked their path. They exaggeratedly rolled their eyes and completely sealed off the road.

In front of them, four coffins were lined up, their lids wide open. The bottoms were filled with flowers, fruit, and cloth, making them look quite cozy.

“It does look like a live sacrifice,” Fang Xiu said with a smile, his gaze sweeping over Shan Hunzi and Fourth Master.

Bai Shuangying looked bored. “That theory is dull.”

Depraved cults offering live sacrifices were nothing new. The pattern was all too familiar.

Fang Xiu didn’t respond to him, but his smile deepened.

Watching it all, Cheng Songyun felt a chill run down her spine.

[As long as I don’t speak to you, don’t believe anything I say.]

…Fang Xiu hadn’t looked at her once.

…Which meant that everything he’d said was a lie.

[No matter what happens, follow my instructions to the letter.]

…She had no idea what Fang Xiu’s true motives were.

…And now, she had to start following his first instruction.

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The author has something to say:

It’s begun. The little liar has made his move. I wonder if anyone has been fooled (…

Fang Xiu wouldn’t let his ghost watch a boring show√

And Bai Shuangying won’t just be a bystander. Given his identity (?), he won’t immediately cooperate with the humans.

By the end of this arc, the young couple will have reached cooperation!

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