Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 34: Three Days of Despair

After speaking, Bai Shuangying looked expectantly at Fang Xiu, waiting for a brand-new reaction. He had never seen Fang Xiu panic before.

However, Fang Xiu merely scratched his head. “Okay.”

He wasn’t even as excited as when Bai Shuangying had told him “Yan Jing tasted good.”

Bai Shuangying: “?”

He felt his question wasn’t obvious enough, so he turned Fang Xiu’s face toward himself.

Bai Shuangying tilted his head slightly, once more: “?”

Fang Xiu quickly responded, “This information is indeed valuable. Thanks to you, I’ve learned something I never could have discovered on my own.”

Then he softened his voice. “But right now, what’s more important is to resolve the ‘E’ here. If we stake our lives on ‘the Underworld is kind’ or ‘the enemy isn’t that strong,’ that’d be too lame.”

“Who cares if it’s a ghost immortal or the Underworld? As long as it’s possible to win by following the rules, we just need to focus on winning.”

Bai Shuangying looked at Fang Xiu’s dark eyes. Right now, they were filled with a bright gleam. It wasn’t the naive confidence of someone who didn’t know his limits, but rather a burning enthusiasm for snatching victory.

It was like fireworks.

Bai Shuangying didn’t like humans, but he didn’t dislike fireworks. He would remember the brilliant fireworks here, and he thought he would probably remember Fang Xiu as well.

“…What are you planning to do?” Bai Shuangying let go of Fang Xiu’s face.

Fang Xiu mischievously scratched the back of Bai Shuangying’s hand, then mouthed, “Of course, we’ll test with people.”

“But right now, it’s not the right time.”

……

The second “Bloody Night” arrived at exactly six in the evening.

Before six, everyone had tied four evil spirits outside the shop door.

These four little evil spirits had violated the taboo and were so weak they couldn’t move. By looking through the small window in the door, they were in clear view.

Very soon, the storm-like breathing sound reappeared.

Though the breathing was still some distance from the base, the evil spirits by the door let out shrill screams, as if being flayed alive. The sound was indescribably agonizing.

A few seconds later, only the eerie breathing remained outside, accompanied by the sticky sound of liquid dripping.

This time, even Lao Jin didn’t bother putting on a pleasant face. This place’s taboo struck indiscriminately. If the evil spirits ended up like that, humans wouldn’t fare any better.

The second taboo was very likely the death taboo here.

Even after the breathing receded, no one dared to look outside.

The ritual had actually started in the morning, so by calculation, they hadn’t rested properly for a day and a half. They already had the result of their test, so everyone decided to sleep in their own corners. At least there was no shortage of food and water, and the evil spirits weren’t all dead yet. People weren’t desperate enough to turn on each other just now.

Fang Xiu chose the darkest corner.

He faced the base’s door, arms wrapped around his knees, with the lower half of his face hidden by his arms. The breathing outside rose and fell, sometimes near, sometimes far. Beneath his bangs, Fang Xiu’s eyes slowly curved into a smile, concealed carefully.

Then he leaned slightly, resting against Bai Shuangying, who sat next to him, and quickly fell asleep. Whether intentional or not, his cheek was pressed against the long hair cascading over Bai Shuangying’s chest, gently rubbing with each breath.

Bai Shuangying looked down at Fang Xiu.

Now Fang Xiu, asleep, wouldn’t cling to him as tightly as before. Instead, he was quite relaxed as he leaned over, seemingly trusting him a bit more.

Trust…

Using half a plastic mannequin, Bai Shuangying replaced himself with it and slipped away.

He could sense that almost ghost immortal was on the move. Unfortunately, it used the power of the E to conceal itself, so Bai Shuangying couldn’t pinpoint its exact location.

The good news was that the powerful evil spirit hadn’t truly reached ghost immortality. It likewise had to abide by the rules of the E.

Right now, it could move freely outside, meaning if the method was correct, it was possible to go out during the Bloody Night as well.

In fact, Bai Shuangying had weighed his options: this “E” here really couldn’t suppress him. But if he forcibly resisted the death taboo, the Underworld would definitely take notice.

Bai Shuangying decided to find a “permitted way” to go out under the taboo.

He’d been sealed for too long and hated being cooped up indoors for twelve hours every day. Besides, that half-step ghost immortal was swaggering around outside. The thought of it made him annoyed.

Bai Shuangying concealed himself fully and melted into his true form, then stuck a small tendril out of the door crack.

Like a snail’s eye stalk, the little tendril wriggled for a moment in the red glow, and sure enough, nothing happened. So he extended himself a bit more to test the waters, and then…

A pair of warm hands scooped him up entirely, dragging back the part that had just poked outside in one swift motion.

Bai Shuangying: “!”

It was Fang Xiu.

He had formed a pact with his human, so Fang Xiu was immune to his concealment.

Fang Xiu hugged Bai Shuangying’s true form like a bolster pillow, hauling his ghost back in. He buried his face in that weightless, airy shape, mumbling, “…I told you I’m a light sleeper…”

Bai Shuangying struggled desperately, afraid to use too much force and accidentally kill Fang Xiu, but he couldn’t shake himself free.

“Don’t test the taboo… dangerous… leave it to me…”

Fang Xiu mumbled sleepily, “You have to stay with me… until the very end…”

Fang Xiu kicked aside the plastic mannequin, then shrank back to his original spot, as if he wanted to nestle entirely into Bai Shuangying’s body.

“Mmm…” He rubbed his cheek against that alien-like creature, letting out a contented sound.

Unable to move, Bai Shuangying unleashed his trump card: he shifted back into human form.

The cold, pliable fluid by Fang Xiu’s side instantly morphed into smooth, firm skin, snapping Fang Xiu awake.

He realized Bai Shuangying was sitting there disheveled, and he himself was clinging to Bai Shuangying’s waist, face buried against his chest and belly.

Fang Xiu: “……”

Fang Xiu swallowed hard, stammering, “Um… I-I swear it wasn’t on purpose. Do you believe me?”

Bai Shuangying enunciated clearly, “You lecher.”

Fang Xiu silently let go of him. He wanted to explain, but didn’t know how. Should he say “sorry, I was half-asleep and treated you like a bolster pillow?” That sounded pretty rude too.

“Next time, don’t wait until I’m asleep to test the taboo. It’s dangerous.” Fang Xiu quickly changed the subject.

This time, Bai Shuangying found himself speechless… He couldn’t exactly say he was annoyed because that big evil spirit was swaggering around outside and he wanted to go for a stroll too.

Finally, they both fell silent, ending in a stalemate.

“Let’s keep resting.” Fang Xiu sat back down, patting the space next to him.

“Mm.” Bai Shuangying also resumed his seat beside Fang Xiu. The man and the ghost once again leaned against each other.

This time, Bai Shuangying gave up on trying to go out. He took out that small white porcelain vase and began to toy with it in his hand.

……

At six o’clock the next morning, the Bloody Night ended, and the ritual officially entered its third day.

Once the base’s door opened, people immediately saw what happened to those four “test subjects”.

They lay sprawled on the ground, flesh and skin ripped to shreds, wounds covering their entire bodies. Judging from the blood stains around them, all those injuries appeared in an instant.

Seeing how horribly they had died, no one showed much surprise, only falling into even greater silence.

Such an impossible way to die. There was no doubt it was the death taboo.

Fang Xiu scrutinized the four corpses, finding them quite interesting.

Three of them had collapsed facing the direction from which the breathing had come, their backs on the ground. The remaining one had apparently tried to run away, managing to crawl a few steps before dying in the middle of turning its head.

Noticing Lao Jin looking at him, Fang Xiu put on a fearful expression and kept his observations to himself.

Next came the third “white day”, and everyone had the critical task to figure out exactly how many evil spirits were left on this street.

Now, it was a matter of life and death for them all.

Guan He was “injured” and couldn’t move. This time, Cheng Songyun and Guan He remained in the base, while the other seven all set out.

Lao Jin’s team of three refused to separate. Jia Xu was unwilling to give up on Blondie’s combat abilities, and Mei Lan wasn’t keen to deal with Lao Jin’s group. Eventually, the two sides split up: three on one side, three on the other, leaving Fang Xiu as the extra.

“Perfect timing. We’ll split up and each do a count,” Jia Xu called to Fang Xiu.

“Boss, I’d like to go with Lao Jin’s group,” Fang Xiu said. “Our side already has enough people, but Lao Jin’s abilities are pretty one-note. We should give them a bit of support.”

With that, he bit his lip. “Besides, about Yan Jing Ge’s death yesterday…I bear some responsibility, and I want to make it up to them in my own way…”

Jia Xu didn’t understand but was quite impressed. Fang Xiu sounded genuinely remorseful, with no hint of putting on an act.

This kid had been so ruthless in Weishan Village, yet maybe he was fair with his grudges and gratitude? …Perhaps it was because Lao Jin’s group hadn’t attacked them? 

Then again, both Jia Xu and Mei Lan were good at stealth and had Blondie for combat. Although Fang Xiu’s “concealment” was handy, it wasn’t strictly necessary.

“Fine, go on over,” Jia Xu said, glancing at Lao Jin with a magnanimous air.

“What a thoughtful young man.” Lao Jin nodded at Fang Xiu.

That said, Lao Jin didn’t walk alongside Fang Xiu. He had Ma Zi guard himself while Da Shun stuck close to Fang Xiu every step of the way.

Da Shun was just over 1.7 meters tall, looking like a shar-pei in human form. He wore only name-brand clothing, and his hair was plastered close to his scalp in a greasy sheen.

All along the way, Fang Xiu seemed not to notice Lao Jin’s vigilance. He went out of his way to chat with Da Shun.

“Da Shun Ge, your clothes are brand-name, huh.”

“Da Shun Ge, is that a Rolex Submariner? Whoa, I’ve never seen the real deal before.”

…

“Watch out, brother!” Fang Xiu darted forward, shielding Da Shun from an evil spirit’s attack. His arm ended up with several bloody gashes.

Fang Xiu’s sweet words and protective actions flattered Da Shun, and with relatively few evil spirits around, they started chatting for real.

When Da Shun heard that Fang Xiu was an orphan who worked as a hospital janitor, he burst into laughter.

“A janitor? A month’s pay isn’t even enough for my night out,” he said derisively. “You’re in Taiyi City of Gui Province, right? If we see each other outside, I’ll take you under my wing as a lackey, and guarantee you’ll earn thirty to fifty thousand a month.”

Lao Jin gave them the occasional glance which made Da Shun quickly clear his throat. “The evil spirits really have gotten a lot fewer, huh.”

“Mm, we need to count them over and over.” Fang Xiu looked worried. “Looks like there aren’t even a hundred. We have to hurry and find the E.”

Using the Five Emperors’ coins’ power to “bewitch the evil spirits”, they combed every nook and cranny—streets, alleys, even garbage bins.

Most small evil spirits were already wiped out, leaving only medium and large ones. There were no more than seventy in total. With so many stronger evil spirits, it was getting difficult for Lao Jin’s group to control them using the coins. Lao Jin’s expression grew grim.

They counted three or four times in a row. Within that short time, the evil spirits killed several more of their own, still revealing no additional clues about the “E”.

The fireworks in the sky went on crackling incessantly, which made things increasingly irritating.

At noon, the two groups met in the middle of the street.

“Plus the ones left at the base, there are sixty-four evil spirits,” Fang Xiu called out.

Sure enough, Jia Xu immediately contradicted him. “It’s already three-quarter past noon, so subtract the two that Cheng Jie and Xiao Guan killed. Only sixty-two evil spirits remain on this street.”

Blondie: “Still good.” A decent number still remains. 

Jia Xu: “Good? What’s good about it? There are nine of us. If we rely on evil spirits alone, we can last at most two more days.”

The first taboo halved the daily kill quota indiscriminately. If they insisted on killing only evil spirits…

Tomorrow would halve their number again, leaving at most twenty-six evil spirits. By the day after tomorrow, there would only be eight evil spirits… Then before noon on the day after that, they’d be stuck with nine humans and eight evil spirits.

That was if the evil spirits only killed one of their own per day. In reality, it was likely worse, as that group of brainless creatures attacked on sight.

Lao Jin weighed his thoughts. “Once the evil spirits get even fewer, we could isolate some of them. If they break taboos, so what… It’ll slow the rate of reduction a bit.”

After saying that, he frowned again. “But that’ll only buy us a day or two at most. It won’t solve the problem.”

…If they couldn’t find the “E”, they’d have to start killing each other eventually.

No wonder that big evil spirit wouldn’t show itself, Fang Xiu thought.

Even without its interference, humans would auto-destruct. It only had to pick them off in the chaos to fill its quota, then act like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind*. Once all the sacrifices and evil spirits were dead, it would simply wait for the next batch.

*Idiom referring to a situation where someone is focused on taking advantage of another party that they fail to notice a third party taking advantage of them.

Oh, according to Bai Shuangying, it might not even need to wait for the next batch. This time might let it become an immortal.

“Tonight we’ll test the evil spirits again,” Fang Xiu suggested in a small voice. “Actually, I found something odd about how those evil spirits died this morning…”

Lao Jin raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

Fang Xiu put on a slightly uncertain look. “The ones facing that breathing sound died instantly. The one that had its back turned held on a few seconds longer… It died while turning its head. Maybe the taboo is ‘you cannot look directly at it’…”

Before Fang Xiu could finish, Jia Xu immediately perked up. “Tonight we’ll blindfold the evil spirits and put them outside to see what happens!”

Lao Jin let out a long groan. “We have no choice. Let’s try it.”

They spent the entire “white day” accomplishing nothing apart from the evil spirit census. As the Bloody Night approached again, Jia Xu tore some cloth strips to blindfold the evil spirits.

“One won’t be enough.” Ma Zi grabbed another evil spirit. He didn’t bother with cloth, instead gouging out the creature’s eyeballs.

All four eyes landed on the ground with a splat, giving off an unpleasant stench.

The little evil spirit screamed as Ma Zi subdued it with practiced ease with a completely blank expression.

Jia Xu’s voice quivered, “R-right now, we don’t have many evil spirits left. They’re very precious…”

Ma Zi shot him a sinister look, making Jia Xu instantly shut his mouth.

Two evil spirits were set at the old spot, each forced to face the same direction. But everything went the same way…

The breathing drew near. While it was still some distance away, the evil spirits once again shrieked and died.

The next morning, people checked and found the evil spirit with gouged eyes lying flat on its back, dead as could be.

The other evil spirit had torn off its blindfold, running a few steps farther. It likewise died mid-turn.

Jia Xu immediately looked at Fang Xiu. “Your guess was wrong. The taboo isn’t ‘you cannot look directly at it.’ We wasted two evil spirits for nothing, haa.”

Fang Xiu lowered his head so that his face showed guilt and despair.

……

In this manner, the third Bloody Night ended, and the fourth white day arrived.

They searched the street yet again, as they had predicted. After their day’s required kills, only a bit over twenty evil spirits remained.

What drove them to despair was that three days had passed, yet the pedestrian street looked the same as ever.

Faceless passersby went on merrily enjoying the night, the music still light and airy, fireworks beautifying the sky under a round moon. As if the Mid-Autumn Festival here had no end in sight.

They could see the fourth night was about to arrive, a precious day about to be wasted in vain.

In the base, Lao Jin took out a pack of cigarettes, staring grimly at it. Ma Zi stood silently beside him, evaluating each person with his gaze.

Even Blondie was now glaring at Guan He.

He scratched his chin and quietly asked Jia Xu, “You think killing a ghost under contract counts?”

Jia Xu actually answered. “No. If a contracted ghost also counted as part of the quota, we’d have to kill two evil spirits a day.”

Blondie glanced at Guan He again. “Tch. Then there’s no solution, huh.”

Sensing danger, Guan He inched closer to Cheng Songyun, and Cheng Songyun glared back at Blondie like an enraged mother beast. Mei Lan gripped a can of food tightly, ready to smash it on the floor at any moment to create water for hiding.

Undercurrents swirled in the base, tension high.

Fang Xiu tugged on Bai Shuangying’s sleeve, whispering, “You’re sure we can move around outside during the Bloody Night?”

“Yes. That almost ghost immortal is roaming every night,” Bai Shuangying responded irritably.

Fang Xiu thought for a moment, then smiled. “I think I get it now.”

Bai Shuangying warily asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yesterday I was about sixty percent sure. Today it’s more like ninety. That last ten percent requires a test, but it’ll be worth it.” Fang Xiu said quietly, “…I think things have gotten tense enough that I won’t even need to volunteer.”

Bai Shuangying was about to ask what he meant, but Lao Jin spoke up, giving him the answer.

“Little Fang, tonight you go out and try.”

Lao Jin’s tone was especially warm. “Our five emperor coins only work on evil spirits. They won’t help against the taboo. There’s no other way. If this goes on, there’ll be chaos.”

Fang Xiu visibly shrank back, faltering a little. “But I still need to provide everyone with food…”

“You just need to leave enough supplies.”

Lao Jin gave him a kindly smile. “Your ability is concealment, so you’re best suited for reconnaissance. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not forcing you.”

“You still have the power to produce food, so even if we start killing each other, we’ll spare you until the end… If you don’t want to go, we’ll all understand.”

He spoke each word slowly, making sure everyone could hear.

Fang Xiu’s own teammates fell silent, except for Cheng Songyun, who bit her lip and said, “What do you mean? Xiao Fang has no obligation—”

But before she could finish, Guan He tugged on her sleeve.

Faced with Cheng Songyun’s puzzled look, Guan He shook his head and carefully mouthed, “Brother Fang isn’t refusing. He definitely has a plan.”

Seeing Guan He’s determined eyes, Cheng Songyun fell quiet.

“All right, I understand.”

Fang Xiu took a deep breath, his expression resolute.

Lao Jin was just about to smile when Fang Xiu added…

“But I have no combat power. I’ll need someone with me. I want him to come.”

Fang Xiu pointed straight at Ma Zi. “Xiao Guan’s already hurt, so if another two from our side die, that would be… Sorry, Uncle Jin, but I have to think about my companions too.”

He was practically writing “I’m already risking my life, so you’d better meet me halfway” on his forehead.

Lao Jin gripped the cigarette pack, hesitating. “Da Shun, you go with him.”

“Boss?!” Da Shun was shocked.

“Xiao Fang’s concealment can protect you. Don’t you two work well together?”

Lao Jin said calmly, “Against the taboo, strength doesn’t matter much. I just need to send someone… Isn’t that right, Xiao Fang?”

Fang Xiu pursed his lips. “…Yes.”

Only Bai Shuangying noticed Fang Xiu’s mouth twitching for a while, as if suppressing a smile.

…So that’s it. This human’s target all along was Da Shun.

If he was forced to bring the tall and brawny Ma Zi, Fang Xiu would have had a hard time managing him.

“We’re off, then.”

At 5:50 p.m., Fang Xiu gathered a few old clothes and stepped across the threshold. “Promise me, no one kills anyone else tonight… If I come back and find someone dead, I won’t say a word!”

“Cheng Jie, take good care of Xiao Guan.” Before leaving, Fang Xiu specifically added.

There were only ten minutes to go until six. Fang Xiu led Da Shun in a sprint toward the archway on the right side of the base. Since the breathing always came from the left archway, moving from left to right and back again.

They quickly reached the end of the street and stopped at “Treasures of Huai Zhen”, panting for breath.

With only three minutes left before the Bloody Night descended, Da Shun trembled. “X-Xiao Fang, are you sure your concealment will work?”

Fang Xiu tossed him an old piece of clothing. “Later, use this to cover your face, and don’t make a sound.”

Da Shun’s brow twitched. Fang Xiu’s tone had changed, no longer that of the “naive young man” he was used to. In this moment, the youth spoke like someone in charge.

Like Boss Jin, who could casually snuff out a life.

Da Shun suddenly sensed danger. “Why do we need to cover our faces…”

“Because I said so.” Fang Xiu didn’t bother to explain. Time was short, and Da Shun wouldn’t make it back to the base.

Then Fang Xiu turned to Bai Shuangying, his voice suddenly gentler. “Bai Shuangying, you cover your face too. Just use your sleeve… ack!”

Bai Shuangying directly made his facial features disappear, leaving only a blank patch of skin and that single bright red mole.

Fang Xiu lamented instantly, “What a waste—!”

Then, letting out a small sigh, Fang Xiu picked up an old piece of clothing and pulled it over his own head.

Unlike Da Shun, he cut two holes in it so he could at least see outside.

Immediately afterward, the three of them hid at the mouth of the alley beside the arch.

Bai Shuangying concealed himself more carefully, then lightly nudged Fang Xiu. “What exactly is going on?”

He truly was curious how they would walk around during the Bloody Night.

Fang Xiu smiled, lowering his voice.

“I watched very closely how those evil spirits screamed, moved, and died.”

Bai Shuangying leaned his blank face closer. Fang Xiu looked at that featureless visage and tapped the single red mole with his fingertip.

“…Once we confirm with Da Shun, I’ll tell you everything,” he whispered. “Then you can devour his living soul while you listen.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the fourth Bloody Night fell.

---

The author has something to say:

The surface-level peace is over. It’s time to strike. 

As for Bai Shangxian, it’s best not to casually reveal his true form; not only does it fail to intimidate, it also makes it all too easy for a certain someone to scoop him up as a hug pillow (???

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 33: The Damned

Fang Xiu finished speaking and scooped up a pile of Wangzai milk cartons from the pool of blood.

He treated them like hand-grenades, hurling them wildly into the evil toad spirit’s mouth. Struck repeatedly, the spirit grew furious. Its tongue suddenly yanked away from Yan Jing, causing Yan Jing to slam to the ground with a thud, dying on the spot.

“Conceal…” Fang Xiu didn’t even get the word out before everyone present, including Yan Jing’s corpse, was hidden away by Bai Shuangying.

He and his ghost were getting more and more in sync. Satisfied, Fang Xiu ran over to Yan Jing’s body, drew a circle around the corpse, and took Yan Jing’s Five-Emperor Coins in passing.

“Try it while it’s still hot.” He called out to Bai Shuangying, brimming with excitement.

Bai Shuangying grabbed Yan Jing’s still-twitching living soul and carefully rolled it into a circular “cake”, then took a cautious bite.

…It truly was delicious.

Yan Jing’s living soul trembled nonstop, emitting sharp, tiny wails. Bai Shuangying’s appetite only grew, as if that sizzling sound was fresh food straight off the stove.

It was rare for Bai Shuangying to taste such a delectable living soul. Its karma was abundant, and its sins were layered with subtle complexity. He savored each bite for a good while.

“It’s even better than Fourth Master’s,” Bai Shuangying remarked cheerfully.

He tucked the remainder of the ‘soul-cake’ away in his clothing, deciding to savor it later.

“‘Boss Jin’ will taste even better,” Fang Xiu said.

He dragged what was left of the corpse in front of the evil toad spirit. After all, the thing had helped out, so it deserved some sort of reward.

Once the body was in place, Bai Shuangying released the concealment.

However, the evil toad spirit didn’t appreciate the offering. Enraged, it opened its blood-soaked jaws wide, turning them toward Fang Xiu. Then…then it simply stopped.

In the dim light of the alley, one could just make out the red-clad human.

In the darkness behind that person, two pale glints shone. White irises stared coldly, exerting a crushing pressure like a collapsing mountain.

The evil toad spirit’s enormous body quivered, then lowered its head.

A few seconds later, it backed off dejectedly. Its purple-black tongue shot out and snapped back, biting down on Yan Jing’s corpse. Most of the corpse’s head flew off with a crack, clattering into the trash can.

Fang Xiu stifled a laugh. “Now there really is a head in the dumpster, so I guess I wasn’t lying.”

Bai Shuangying patted the struggling ‘soul-cake’ in his arms. “Mm.”

Guan He stood there, stunned.

Before this, he’d thought Fang Xiu was the type to keep a low profile, calm and rational, with normal morals. It was a stark contrast to Jia Xu’s pompous attitude, which made Guan He respect Fang Xiu more.

…Then Fang Xiu went and casually killed someone right in front of him.

Was what Fang Xiu said true?

Was Yan Jing really a drug trafficker? And how was Fang Xiu able to “pass along messages from the dead”? Weren’t they told there were no real practitioners among the sacrifices?

A hundred confused questions swarmed in Guan He’s mind, leaving him rooted to the spot, unable to react at all.

Fang Xiu walked over and patted him on the shoulder. “Classmate Guan He, listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

“Uh…okay.” Guan He shrank back a bit.

“I work for an official special agency that handles cases the regular police can’t touch,” Fang Xiu said. “I personally don’t have the so-called ‘yin-yang eyes’, so I’m not really a ‘practitioner’. But I do have plenty of professional informants, and I promise you, every person I kill is someone who deserves to die.”

The moment Guan He heard “official agency”, his expression relaxed immediately. “So that’s it! That’s great, really great…”

Fang Xiu gave him a quick wink. “Keep it under wraps, okay?”

“Why not tell everyone else?” Guan He couldn’t understand.

Having an official professional in the team would be the perfect reassurance.

Fang Xiu fell momentarily silent, then said cryptically, “I’ve got my reasons. You’ll understand soon enough.”

Guan He nodded obediently. That made sense… Maybe Fang Ge was undercover or something. He must have his reasons.

Even though Guan He vaguely felt that it seemed a bit too casual to kill people like that—especially for someone working under the government—he didn’t overthink it. After all, it was killing a criminal. Maybe Fang Xiu was just someone who really despised evil.

“So Yan Jing really was a drug dealer?” Guan He asked.

“Yes.”

Guan He bit his lip, and there was a trace of hatred in his eyes. “So Boss Jin and his men are drug dealers too?”

“That’s right. But don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to handle them soon.”

“Tell me now, Bro!”

Fang Xiu shook his head with a smile. “No, your job right now is to rest.”

He picked a small security booth nearby, just big enough for Guan He to curl up and take a nap. He had Bai Shuangying completely conceal Guan He. At last, only Fang Xiu and Bai Shuangying remained on the street.

“Let’s go shopping!” Fang Xiu stretched dramatically.

Just then, he noticed something a bit off in Bai Shuangying’s mood. There was a subtle disappointment on the ghost’s face.

Nibbling at the soul-cake, Bai Shuangying asked, “Are you with the government?”

“Oh, that? It’s just a lie to trick Xiao Guan.” Fang Xiu scratched his cheek. “What difference would it make if I were actually from the government?”

Bai Shuangying: “Souls that carry heavy karma are delicious, but those that carry positive merit taste awful. If you devour one, it damages your cultivation.”

Fang Xiu: “……”

No wonder Bai Shuangying had zero interest in the remains of the God of Weishan.

He spoke of “merit” the way one would talk about a shady additive in food. 

Right now, Fang Xiu’s ghost was clearly suspicious that “Fang Xiu’s Living Soul” might be tainted with such “merit”.

“How exactly is ‘merit’ determined?” Fang Xiu asked nervously all of a sudden.

Thinking it over, Bai Shuangying used Yan Jing as an example. The scenario “drug dealer gets killed” could play out three ways:

First, Yan Jing killed people and was then killed in self-defense or executed by the law.

This would fall under ‘brought it on himself.’ The killer wouldn’t gain merit and there would be no karmic tie-in either way.

Second, Yan Jing died in a power struggle, an accident, or through revenge.

That motivation had nothing to do with benevolence, so the killer merely incurred a karmic bond and there would be no merit to speak of.

Third, Yan Jing was killed by government officers or heroic vigilantes acting in the name of justice.

This would be a case of ‘upholding Heaven’s law’. The killer not only would bear a karmic bond but would also rack up one piece of positive merit.

“…Heaven’s law is sharper than the E. It looks at both one’s actions and their motivations. Even if the final result is the punishment of evil, only those who act with genuine righteousness can accumulate merit.” Bai Shuangying concluded.

Fang Xiu felt that made a lot of sense. Otherwise, if drug dealers turned on each other and somehow ended up gaining merit, that would be the darkest of ironies.

“A genuine sinner that’s been killing ‘livestock’ for more than a decade. I promise there’s no added ‘merit’.”

Fang Xiu patted his chest in all seriousness. “Of course, I’m a pure plague on society. I’ve been killing since I was a kid.”

Bai Shuangying: “……”

True enough. Judging by how Fang Xiu chopped up Shan Huanzi, he didn’t look like a virtuous sort.

Also, his total disregard for evil spirits was definitely suspicious. Saying he doesn’t have ‘yin yang eyes’ must be a lie. But Fang Xiu clearly didn’t know much about the Underworld, so he probably wasn’t some official Enforcer from the afterlife either.

Right, there are indeed some humans who make money off of this kind of ‘Underworld talent’, so Fang Xiu was likely just a hired assassin. And if people pay money to have the Underworld kill someone, then that target is definitely no angel.

“Let’s go buy that vase.” Bai Shuangying was reassured now. He stuffed his sleeve into Fang Xiu’s hand.

“Ah.” Fang Xiu hesitated. “I still haven’t saved up enough money…”

Bai Shuangying pulled out a big wad of bills. “I picked up a lot too. Let’s pool our money and buy it together.”

Fang Xiu stared in surprise at that stack of cash. He hadn’t noticed when Bai Shuangying managed to collect it. The ghost must have done so quietly but clumsily; the coins included a few arcade tokens, while the paper bills were mixed with similarly colored coupons.

Even so, combined with Fang Xiu’s own stash, they had enough…plus some extra.

Bai Shuangying saw it as a matter of course. “First we got a paper flower, now we should get a vase. We’re friends. It shouldn’t be just you putting in all the effort.”

Fang Xiu gripped the white sleeve in his hand a little tighter.

“You’re right.” He smiled again.

……

A dozen or so minutes later, they were inside a souvenir shop called “Treasures of Huai Zhen.”

After getting the vase, Bai Shuangying didn’t leave immediately. He pulled Fang Xiu over to sit down in the shop.

“Give me the Five-Emperor Coins.” He extended his hand toward Fang Xiu.

Puzzled, Fang Xiu complied.

Bai Shuangying let out a low hum of satisfaction. He carefully undid the red tassel from the Five-Emperor Coins, separating the crimson cord from the coins themselves.

Once the five copper coins lay in his palm, they rapidly sprouted thick layers of verdigris, giving off an intensely ominous yin energy. Then Bai Shuangying restrung them on a red cord, forming a baleful copper-coin longevity lock.

Fang Xiu watched, intrigued. “What’s this?”

Bai Shuangying: “You want to protect that little burden, right? I can tell.”

It took Fang Xiu a second to realize he was talking about Guan He. “He’s young, that’s all. I’m just helping out along the way.”

Honestly, calling Guan He a “burden” wasn’t far off.

His child-ghost only had the ability to “blend in inconspicuously”, which couldn’t hold a candle to Bai Shuangying’s “concealment”.

And Guan He’s own intellect and combat ability were nothing special, putting him dead last in overall strength.

“Give this to his ghost. If that child-ghost wears it, it’ll be able to use the ‘Five-Ghosts Relocation’ technique.”

Bai Shuangying continued, “That way he can do things for you, instead of just wasting your time.”

Five-Ghosts Relocation, essentially “telekinesis”, really did suit the child-ghost’s abilities. In the right situation, it might come in handy.

Taking the copper-coin longevity lock, Fang Xiu casually teased, “What, you don’t like anyone else taking up our alone time?”

Bai Shuangying didn’t hesitate. “Correct.”

Fang Xiu’s joking words got stuck in his throat. His neck reddened a bit from embarrassment.

“Since you like me so much, why not leave the Five-Emperor Coins for me?” After a long moment, he finally managed a sentence.

“That thing is useless for you. Having me is already enough,” Bai Shuangying said with complete self-assurance.

With his exalted status, subduing one or two evil spirits posed no problem at all. Even with the seal he was under, he was still hundreds of times stronger than some ordinary magic weapon.

Fang Xiu fell silent for a while, wiping his face vigorously, and assumed Bai Shuangying was referring to the “concealment” ability.

He quickly changed the subject. “Since you seem to know a lot about magic weapons, can you recognize anything else Boss Jin has?”

Bai Shuangying thought for a moment. “Five-Emperor Coins make one item. He also carries a bagua mirror, but I’d have to see its surface to identify its specific function.”

So there weren’t many magic weapons in total. It suggested Boss Jin’s group were at least partly new to this. Then again, they had definitely survived at least one ritual. Fang Xiu recalled that when he mentioned “Destroy the E to get a reward,” Lao Jin’s show of surprise had looked staged, and at that moment, Mazi and the others instinctively glanced toward Lao Jin’s arm.

It was possible Lao Jin also had some reward from destroying an “E”, but Fang Xiu didn’t yet know what it was.

“How about that golden Buddha he carries?” Fang Xiu asked.

“It’s just a chunk of gold,” Bai Shuangying replied.

……

They wandered around the street together, leisurely taking in the modern toy shop and a small art gallery. Fang Xiu dawdled until around two in the afternoon before returning to the security booth to wake Guan He.

Guan He woke up refreshed, looking full of energy. When he was handed the newly-made copper-coin longevity lock, he brightened even more. “Fang Ge, thank you!”

Young people are straightforward. With Fang Xiu’s “official professional” cover story, Guan He didn’t question where the longevity lock came from. He summoned his child-ghost right away, carefully helping it put on the lock. The child-ghost hugged the lock, giggling happily.

Fang Xiu had a vague feeling Guan He seemed quite good at caring for children.

After briefly explaining Five-Ghosts Relocation, Fang Xiu got straight to business. “With your temperament, there’s no way you can fool a drug dealer like Boss Jin. So from here on, just pretend you’re traumatized. Don’t meet anyone’s gaze or talk to them.”

Guan He already wasn’t much of a talker, so it wouldn’t look odd at all if he kept quiet.

Still, Guan He hesitated. “‘Traumatized’…I’m afraid I won’t be convincing.”

Fang Xiu forced a grim smile. He took a breath and pressed his forearm against a wall studded with gravel, scraping it in such a way that a large patch of skin and flesh was torn open, all blood and raw wounds.

Then he stooped down, picked up a shard of a beer bottle, and walked toward Guan He. The piece was long, almost like a small dagger.

The thick smell of blood made Guan He shiver. “Fang Ge?”

“Next, I’m going to injure your head a bit. It might look pretty bloody, but I know what I’m doing.”

“Remember, we ran into a powerful evil spirit. Yan Jing was killed, and your head got grabbed by it. I only got scrape a bit because I’m good at hiding.”

As Fang Xiu toyed with the broken bottle, its sharp edge left tiny cuts on his hand. He didn’t seem to mind at all.

“…Your head injury will make you slow to respond. Jia Xu won’t send you outside anymore. As long as you stay at the base, Cheng Songyun will protect you.”

He paused. “What do you say, Xiao Guan… Can you do that?”

Guan He bit his lip, then closed his eyes. “Go ahead, Bro.”

……

A bit after three in the afternoon, Fang Xiu supported Guan He, whose head was covered in blood, back to the base. Blood had dried in clots around Guan He’s eyelids, so stiff that it was hard for him to even open his eyes.

Cheng Songyun let out a startled cry, rushing forward in a few quick steps. “What happened? What on earth—?”

The instant Lao Jin noticed Yan Jing hadn’t returned with them, his expression darkened.

But rather than lashing out, he showed measured concern. “Brother Fang, where’s my guy?”

Fang Xiu told his lie in vivid detail. When he got to the dramatic parts, he gestured so wildly that blood splattered onto Lao Jin’s Five-Emperor Coins.

Lao Jin didn’t notice that detail… It wasn’t his fault, as Fang Xiu was quite a sight. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he kept sobbing as he spoke. If tears were needed, he had tears to spare.

The performance was so pure and sincere that Bai Shuangying couldn’t bear to watch. He quietly hid his face behind his sleeve.

Seeing Fang Xiu in such grief, Lao Jin believed about seventy or eighty percent of it. “…Haa, this ritual really is lethal. It’s not your fault, not your fault.”

He said nothing more, though his gaze flickered. No one could guess what was on his mind.

Jia Xu’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.

At first, he didn’t want to believe it, but Fang Xiu’s crying was too convincing and he got a bit rattled. “Stop weeping for a moment. Did you pay attention while out there? Any new evil spirits?”

“No new ones. They’re even fewer than yesterday,” Fang Xiu rasped.

“Fuck!” Blondie cursed.

“What happened?” Fang Xiu sniffled.

Jia Xu let out a sigh. “While you were gone, we confirmed the first taboo.”

“Basically, day and night are reversed here, and the time limit for the forbidden rule is 11:45 every morning, that is, midday at the third quarter… And the first taboo applies indiscriminately, so even the evil spirits have to kill each other, or else they violate the taboo.”

Then Jia Xu forced a somewhat lighter expression. “But at least that taboo isn’t a lethal one. If they violate it, the evil spirits just get progressively weaker. There’s no sign of outright death.”

He was skirting around the main point; that it applies to everyone, not just evil spirits, and humans killing each other might also fulfill the requirement.

Then again, Fang Xiu didn’t need Jia Xu to tell him. He’d already tested it personally using Yan Jing’s death. Killing people worked all the same.

Even if Fang Xiu didn’t strike the lethal blow himself and just caused Yan Jing’s death, he was still safe from violating the taboo.

When the third quarter of midday arrived, someone would pay with their life.

Although the first taboo wasn’t an instant kill, it forced them to slaughter each other… Everything about its timing and requirements was unsettling.

“I see at least two or three hundred evil spirits still out there. We have time. We can definitely handle this!” Fang Xiu said.

With only two taboos left to clarify and three remaining drug dealers at his disposal, there’d definitely be a way, he thought to himself.

“Midday at the third quarter, midday at the third quarter… People who don’t know might think they’re about to be beheaded at the vegetable market,” Blondie muttered.

While Cheng Songyun was busy treating Guan He’s wounds, she blurted out, “Maybe everyone here really is meant to die.”

When those words fell, an odd hush descended on the room.

For a moment, nobody refuted it.

“…Miss, that’s quite a statement,” Lao Jin said at last, stroking the golden Buddha at his chest, breaking the silence. “I’m just a simple businessman. And look at that kid… What could he possibly have done?”

Guan He shifted slightly, lips pressed tightly together.

Jia Xu immediately raised his voice, “I’m sure it’s just the E itself being irrational. That thing has no brains.”

“Maybe the one who left this obsession behind was some lowlife loser who wanted revenge on the entire world.”

Fang Xiu wiped his reddened eyes. “Uh, let’s not assume the worst in people. We should still hurry and figure out the second taboo…”

But at the mere thought of that horrifying blood-red night, everyone went quiet again.

That taboo obviously spelled extreme danger. Only someone with a death wish would rush to investigate it.

Fang Xiu: “Then let’s skip the second one for now. Figuring out the third one would also be good…”

Still no reaction from anyone, their expressions even gloomier.

Fang Xiu had a point, but they’d already explored for quite a while, and there was not a single hint of a third taboo. Meanwhile, the first taboo was ticking down ominously.

The atmosphere became awkward.

In the end, there was only one path forward, and everyone knew it, yet no one wanted to be the first to say it.

Time was running out. They had to figure out what that blood-red night was.

To investigate properly, using evil spirits alone might not suffice. Someone among them would have to make a sacrifice.

……

Satisfied that Fang Xiu had performed his tearful show to completion, Bai Shuangying finally lowered his sleeve.

He had no interest in hearing the humans’ endless prattle about strategy. Instead, his thoughts drifted outside, focusing in one particular direction…

Earlier, when finding “the most powerful evil spirit nearby” for Fang Xiu, Bai Shuangying already sensed something peculiar about this place.

There was a very unique presence in the streets.

It didn’t feel quite like a ghost but just half a step shy of an Immortal Ghost. It was far, far stronger than that neighborly Old Man Fu from before.

And yet this formidable creature had never shown itself. It merely followed them at a distance, its aura perfectly concealed, as if it were watching a show.

When it noticed Fang Xiu giving a living soul to Bai Shuangying, it even deliberately released a bit of its aura to probe them, but Bai Shuangying had bluffed it away. If not for his seal, he would have apprehended that insolent presence immediately.

“Fang Xiu.”

Bai Shuangying tapped the back of Fang Xiu’s neck, deciding to share his discovery with his human friend.

“…There’s an evil spirit here that’s half a step from becoming an Immortal Ghost. It’s already earned the E’s approval and only needs to build up enough power.”

“Once this round of sacrifices all die, the resulting living souls can foster the birth of a brand-new Immortal Ghost.”

“…What did you say?” Fang Xiu tried hard to keep his voice steady.

“It’s understandable that this ‘E’ is so hard to break.” 

Bai Shuangying said evenly, averting his gaze, “I suspect that from the very start, the Underworld had no intention of letting you all win this time.”

“You’re called ‘sacrifices’ for a reason.”

---

The author has something to say:

I made a little reference to Coconut Tree—sorry, Coconut Tree (… ) 

Bai Shuangying be like: 

Fang Xiu plays the innocent character: “The four foreigners: calm.jpg” 

Fang Xiu starts chopping up stuffing on the spot: “The four foreigners: excited.jpg”*

*Clarity: It’s referencing this meme.

His hobbies and interests are now on full display.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 32: A Calamity of Blood

After hearing Fang Xiu’s explanation of “drug dealers”, Bai Shuangying felt rather pleased.

According to Fang Xiu, a murderer at most destroyed a few families; a drug lord, however, would foster countless criminals and traffickers, harming thousands upon thousands of families. People like that obviously amassed heavy karmic debt. Once they died, evil spirits within a hundred-mile radius would all fight to devour their souls.

And now there were four of them available to eat. Indeed, this Mid-Autumn Festival felt delightful.

Still, Bai Shuangying grew more suspicious. “What about you, then? Are you an emperor who ruled a nation, or a general who slaughtered thousands?” How else could Fang Xiu be so sure he was more delicious than those four?

“I’m not some big shot,” Fang Xiu said, glancing casually at both sides of the street. “Think about it: I killed Shan Hunzi, so I got caught up in all his karmic entanglements. People like him pass their accumulated karma on to me, which makes me especially tasty.”

Bai Shuangying found that reasonable. “I see. So you recognized their faces because you specifically hunt people like them.”

Fang Xiu thought for a moment. “Pretty much.”

Bai Shuangying: “So you’re a vigilante, taking vengeance for others.”

Fang Xiu laughed. “I’m not that righteous.”

Bai Shuangying pondered. “Then perhaps you’re an assassin. Someone who takes payment to settle scores.”

This time, Fang Xiu actually burst out laughing. He leaned against Bai Shuangying’s arm, gasping for a moment before replying, “Not exactly. But the way you put it does sound pretty cool.”

Seizing the moment, Bai Shuangying pushed Fang Xiu’s bangs up to his hairline. His gaze swept across Fang Xiu’s features, and he remarked rather impartially, “You are pretty handsome.” …by human standards, at least.

Fang Xiu froze in place, ears turning red around the edges. Then he hastily yanked his bangs back down, as though wanting to hide under those few strands of hair. He mumbled for a while… Yet all that came out of his usually quick tongue was, “It’s…okay.”

Although the seal showed no reaction, Bai Shuangying’s mood improved anyway. Fang Xiu was an assassin with a clear goal, meaning the humans he went after for Bai Shuangying were all carefully selected, premium souls. 

…Also, seeing Fang Xiu at a loss for words was quite entertaining.

Bai Shuangying patted down his own long hair, a hint of laughter curving his lips.

Fang Xiu touched his ears, which were burning. He took several deep breaths to settle his pulse. He couldn’t let himself become a King Zhou*. There was still much to do.

*The last king of the Shang dynasty of ancient China. He is usually used as a cautionary tale on what could befall a kingdom if its ruler gave into corruption and moral depravity.

All along the way, he kept an eye on the evil spirits.

When they first went out, the street had been nearly empty, with only a few small evil spirits around. Upon seeing a large group, those evil spirits had kept their distance. 

But after five hours, even though it was nearly dawn, the number of evil spirits kept increasing. Tall ones emerged one after another, and countless eyes lit up in the dark alleys at the roadside.

Fang Xiu grabbed Bai Shuangying’s wrist and broke into a quicker pace toward their base. “How come there are more evil spirits? It’s almost daylight. Shouldn’t the yin energy be decreasing?” 

Back in Weishan Village, evil spirits generally disliked going out in daylight, except for the weaker ones. Here, though, it was the opposite.

Did city dwellers like to stay up late so much that the city’s evil spirits also reversed their schedule?

“No, the yin energy is growing stronger. Night is falling.” Bai Shuangying let Fang Xiu pull him along. He briefly closed his eyes as though sensing the air.

Fang Xiu halted abruptly. “What?”

Bai Shuangying tilted his head slightly. “That taboo’s time limit isn’t the third quarter of the hour of midnight; it’s the third quarter of the hour of noon.” When they had left earlier, it had actually been midday in the real world, the time when yang energy was at its peak.

…The hour of noon?

…So the clock’s 11:45 was actually 11:45 in the morning, not at night?

Fang Xiu glanced at the full moon in the night sky, feeling a surge of foreboding. It was daytime outside, yet nighttime here. What would happen once it became night in the outside world?

He stopped hanging back, gripped Bai Shuangying more tightly, and sped to catch up with the main group.

The street wasn’t long, so within a few minutes they reached the clothing store again. They had captured twelve small evil spirits this time. Blondie and Mazi tied them up with plastic packaging tape, covered them with boxes, and put them in the back stockroom.

Ten would be stored for later use, with two reserved for testing the taboo.

Fang Xiu glanced at the large glass display window. “There’s an anti-theft shutter over there. Should we pull it down?” He had no idea what the outside would become soon. It was better to be safe.

Jia Xu: “Leave it. We need to see what’s going on out there.”

Fang Xiu raised his voice on purpose. “But it’s scary to look at.”

Lao Jin gave Fang Xiu a quick look, then smiled in agreement. “Let’s pull it down. It’s safer.”

Jia Xu: “……”

He sighed and told Blondie to lower the shutter. With the outside lights cut off, the interior grew darker. Yan Jing brought over two camping lanterns for some illumination.

Fang Xiu acted relieved. Right in front of Lao Jin, he activated his power, producing four roast chickens, two plates of pastries, and a box of almond milk. 

Lao Jin’s expression momentarily flickered before he settled on apparent “delight”.

“Incredible. How did you do that?” Lao Jin asked.

“In our first ritual, the ‘E’ happened to be a piece of candy. In my panic, I ate it, and it counted as ‘destroying it.’”

Fang Xiu seemed a little proud as if boasting. “Being the first one to destroy the E earned me a reward. I was worried about going hungry, so I picked this ability.”

Jia Xu looked like he was about to faint. Even Blondie hissed in disbelief. “Bro, why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Fang Xiu gave a naive smile. “Huh? We’re all in this together, no worries, right?”

“Anyway, we’d have found out sooner or later. Better to let them see now so nobody worries about running out of supplies,” Cheng Songyun interjected, smoothing things over.

She had a good idea of Fang Xiu’s motives: if people knew about his ability, Lao Jin’s group would be wary of killing him unless absolutely forced.

Guan He remained silent, looking as though he trusted Fang Xiu’s plan. He was scrawny, still just a kid, so Lao Jin’s men didn’t pay much attention to him. Yan Jing and Dashun, however, kept eyeing Mei Lan.

Mei Lan was already timid, and with four additional men in the room, she wanted nothing more than to disappear. Unfortunately, she couldn’t vanish. Yan Jing gaze was like a slimy tongue that kept trailing over her calves, forcing her to change her sitting position repeatedly.

“Sister, don’t worry.”

Fang Xiu sidled over to Mei Lan, offering her a can. “There are more of us now. We’ll figure something out. Here, you’ve always liked canned foods.”

He spoke like he was talking to a real sister.

Lao Jin shot Yan Jing a warning look, who immediately lowered his eyes.

Under the lantern light, everyone ate their fill. Proteins and sugars revived spirits, and even Lao Jin’s grin gained sincerity. 

He asked Jia Xu plainly, “How do you plan to proceed?”

Jia Xu: “It’s better to keep investigating while it’s ‘daytime’. We can send some people out while others watch over these evil spirits. Now that there are more of us, we can take shifts.”

He then gave a sketchy account of his own group’s abilities, repeating the lie Fang Xiu had used at the previous ritual; that they could borrow the powers of fierce ghosts at some cost. He never mentioned that the ghosts could act independently or spell out each person’s exact ability.

Still, Jia Xu was visibly nervous, making it obvious he was hiding things. Lao Jin didn’t call him on it. He just touched the Five-Emperor coins on his belt and said, “Our magic weapon can confuse evil spirits so they follow our orders.”

“The longer the control or the stronger the evil spirit, the weaker the effect. But for simply hiding on the streets, it should be enough.”

Fang Xiu: “Oh wow, that’s such a coincidence! My ability is about hiding too! Look, I can even hide my second shadow.”

Jia Xu: “…”

If Fang Xiu hadn’t delivered that last sentence so smoothly, Jia Xu would have suspected he had been cursed into stupidity.

Lao Jin coaxed him like a child. “Aren’t we lucky? It really is a coincidence.”

Then he half-joked to Jia Xu, “Your team is so versatile. All we have are these Five-Emperor Coins. They’ve recognized their master, so please don’t try to take them.”

Jia Xu responded, “No worries.” They were still far from the point of murder and robbery.

Lao Jin moved the topic along: “As for investigating, we’ll send him.” He pointed to Yan Jing.

Yan Jing lived up to his nickname: he wore gold-rimmed spectacles and had a rather sleazy-looking face*.

*Clarity: His name (眼镜) literally means glasses. 

His build was slight, though not lean like Fang Xiu looking more unfit than strong, with a bit of flab around his waist. He hardly seemed ideal for scouting.

Jia Xu subconsciously glanced at the big, burly Mazi. “Huh…?”

Lao Jin: “We only have a few people. Some must stay here to watch the store. It’s not that we don’t trust you, but we have to look out for our own safety.”

“I’ll go investigate!” Fang Xiu volunteered.

His ability was indeed good for that, but going alone would be risky. Jia Xu scanned the team. Blondie needed to remain to keep Mazi in check. Cheng Songyun’s ghost shield was too valuable. Mei Lan’s water ghost demanded sacrifices, which would be a waste of evil spirits… That left only Guan He.

“Fang Xiu, Guan He, you two go with Yan Jing,” Jia Xu said.

Cheng Songyun frowned. “Why make Xiao Guan go? He’s just a kid.”

Jia Xu: “His power is good for reconnaissance.”

“You’re good at recon too, aren’t you? The child isn’t even of age!” Cheng Songyun protested.

Jia Xu’s expression did not change. “We still aren’t sure we’ve got the first taboo figured out. I need to stay here and keep order.”

He excluded himself from the start. If he left, there would be only women and children at the base, except for the brainless Blondie. What kind of situation would that be?

Cheng Songyun: “Then I’ll take his place.”

Jia Xu shook his head. “No. Xiao Guan is young and quick. You’d best stay behind.”

He didn’t mention the ghost shield, but the warning look he gave her made his point.

“Everyone, stop arguing. There’s no need for this, really no need.”

Fang Xiu quickly stepped between the two of them. “Cheng Jie really isn’t at the right age. She should take a good rest. Don’t worry, Cheng Jie, I’ll take good care of Xiao Guan.”

“…Honestly.”

Seeing Fang Xiu step in, Cheng Songyun sulkily returned to her original seat, still fuming with leftover anger.

After watching the quarrel with great interest, Lao Jin finally said slowly, “Letting Brother* Fang go might not be a good idea. We still need him to handle the cooking, you know.”

*Little Brother [Xiao Xiongdi] It’s an informal way to address a younger man by someone who is older.

“That’s okay. My life is incredibly tough. You see, even our boss trusts me.” Fang Xiu grinned and gave a thumbs-up.

Seeing Fang Xiu’s face looking so naïve, Bai Shuangying’s features slowly tensed. 

It felt very unnatural, especially since Fang Xiu was putting on quite a convincing act. Bai Shuangying found it more and more uncomfortable. He couldn’t help stepping behind Fang Xiu, letting his fingertips glide across Fang Xiu’s neck.

Mm, his heartbeat really did speed up a bit. It seemed Fang Xiu’s trickery wasn’t convincing enough to fool his own heart. 

With a slight movement of Bai Shuangying’s fingertips, Fang Xiu’s heart gave another extra beat. 

Finding it interesting, Bai Shuangying kept rubbing his fingertips over the artery in Fang Xiu’s neck.

Finally, Fang Xiu quietly brought his hand behind his back and gave Bai Shuangying’s hair a light but firm tug. Only then did Bai Shuangying stop.

Lao Jin couldn’t see Bai Shuangying. Noticing a bit more flush on Fang Xiu’s face, he simply took it as a young person easily excited.

His attitude toward Fang Xiu was especially friendly. “Be careful out there. Everyone’s counting on you.”

“You got it!” Fang Xiu said cheerfully.

Guan He hadn’t said anything the entire time. He just silently walked up to Fang Xiu, ready to head out. Yan Jing looked a bit bitter, but didn’t dare show any reluctance.

After deciding on the exploration team members, Fang Xiu hurried to Mei Lan’s side, whispering all kinds of instructions for quite some time. Mei Lan seemed to understand his intentions and also acted as though she was on very good terms with him…

Lao Jin’s group placed great value on Fang Xiu’s abilities, so they wouldn’t turn on him too soon. Naturally, they wouldn’t easily touch her, either.

However, plans often fail to keep pace with sudden changes.

Before Fang Xiu could finish chatting, the sky outside turned ominously dark.

The display window had been covered by a roll-down security shutter, and the only view to the outside was through the door. The door was an antique-style thick wooden door with glass taking up only half of it. Before, it had let in some warm, orange-red light.

Now, everything outside was bathed in a blood-red glow.

All color had vanished. Everything was covered with a layer of dark red, as though in a photo darkroom. Through that small window in the door, the street was empty. There were no sign of any evil spirits. All the faceless passersby stood frozen in place, and it seemed the entire scene had been paused.

The temperature plummeted, and the white-noise-like crackling of fireworks abruptly stopped. Outside, everything fell silent except for the sticky drip of some liquid.

Gradually, a deep, heavy breathing echoed from outside, shifting slowly along the street, moving from far to near.

Fang Xiu grabbed some ragged clothes nearby and rushed to cover the window. Catching Lao Jin’s glance, Mazi also grabbed a pile of clothes to help block the glass.

Jia Xu: “W-what… what are you all doing?”

Lao Jin shot him a glance. “Doesn’t matter what’s outside… I’d rather it not see us.”

Over by the window, they blocked it so tightly that not a sliver of light got through. Meanwhile, Yan Jing and Dashun quickly turned off the camping lantern, plunging the interior into darkness. 

Soon, heavy breathing was right outside the door, like someone breathing forcefully against one’s neck.

Everyone silently held their breath and dared not move an inch.

No one had expected they’d end up hiding like that for a whole half-day.

The breathing roamed back and forth along the street. Each time it seemed to recede, Lao Jin had Mazi lift a corner of the covering to check if that red glow was still filtering in. 

A full twelve hours passed before that bloody hue finally disappeared. Lao Jin had a gold Rolex Daytona. He’d synced it with the clock here, keeping track of the precise time.

That half-day ordeal left everyone mentally exhausted. Aside from Fang Xiu, who snuck in a short nap leaning against Bai Shuangying, no one got any decent rest.

Out on the street, the lively scene had resumed, beautiful fireworks blossomed once again in the night sky, and the moon overhead was still full, in exactly the same position as before.

“That thing isn’t an evil spirit. It’s a taboo.” Bai Shuangying took the initiative to speak.

Fang Xiu scratched Bai Shuangying’s palm, indicating he got the message.

The second taboo had shown its tip of the iceberg. Judging by the display, Fang Xiu was more inclined to think this was a “death taboo”. He wasn’t sure if that was fortunate or unfortunate. Everyone hid so quickly that he hadn’t gotten the chance to learn more details. He’d have to find a chance to toss one of the drug dealers out there to test the waters, Fang Xiu thought.

“The Five-Emperor Coins didn’t react, so that thing’s a taboo.” Unexpectedly, Lao Jin took the initiative to speak about it.

Fang Xiu immediately feigned shock. “Oh my god, I thought it was some especially powerful evil spirit. How could a taboo be so over the top?!”

Lao Jin chuckled. “It’s exactly six o’clock right now, which leaves less than six hours until 11:45. You’ll have to push yourselves a bit and head out again to investigate. Everyone else will catch their breath, then tomorrow you can swap shifts.”

His words sounded warm and considerate, but the gist was that they were to work through their fatigue, in a tone that left no room for objection.

Yan Jing: “Got it, Boss.”

Fang Xiu glanced over at Jia Xu, puffing out his chest. “I think I can still manage. How about you, Xiao Guan?”

Sixteen-year-old Guan He had no problem pulling an all-nighter.

Only then did Jia Xu snap out of it. His lips were pale. What they’d just witnessed was more horrifying than the bizarre temple fair in Weishan Village, and it was a straightforward, brutal kind of terror.

“Fang Xiu, just make sure to leave enough food for everyone. You all be careful out there,” he said, face still ashen.

Fang Xiu obliged. Before heading out, he discreetly took the chance while handing out food to whisper a few words to Cheng Songyun.

“Cheng Jie, the day and night here are off-kilter. That first taboo is linked to midday at 11:45, not midnight. You just say that yesterday’s number of evil spirits was off. It’s best if you guide Jia Xu to that conclusion.”

Cheng Songyun nodded. She grabbed Fang Xiu’s wrist, lowered her voice, and asked, “Kid, are you going to be okay? Don’t push yourself too hard if you’re exhausted.”

Fang Xiu looked at the wrinkles on the back of her hand and lowered his gaze. “I’ll be alright, Cheng Jie. This is really important.”

……

By normal time, it was about six in the morning now, yet the street was still crawling with evil spirits. Even the remains of evil spirits had been devoured. Bloodstains on the ground had been licked clean, so ironically the streets looked tidier than the day before.

They’d already checked the shops on both sides yesterday. Today’s mission was to explore alleys and the rear areas of shops. Those spots were darker, narrower, and might also mean digging around in dumpsters.

Once they’d gone far enough, Yan Jing spat out some nasty curse words under his breath.

Guan He followed closely behind Fang Xiu, instinctively steering clear of Yan Jing. Fang Xiu spotted a small evil spirit on its last breath and immediately signaled Guan He to finish it off.

Guan He whispered, “Fang Ge, you found it first. You go on and finish it…”

Fang Xiu just shook his head with a smile, pressing his index finger to his lips to tell Guan He not to mention it further.

Back on the street, Bai Shuangying perked up considerably.

Earlier, there had been too many people around, so neither he nor Fang Xiu could enjoy strolling about. This time, even though they were still dragging along two third wheels… two was manageable enough for him to ignore.

He was about to pull Fang Xiu away when Yan Jing spoke up. “Hey, Fang, or whatever your name is… You’re supposed to be good at hiding, right? Then you go first.”

His tone was even more condescending than Jia Xu’s, treating Fang Xiu like a lackey.

But Fang Xiu didn’t get angry. He tugged at Bai Shuangying, who looked rather displeased. “It’s fine. I was going to lead anyway. Yan Jing Ge, watch my back for me, okay?”

Bai Shuangying still looked annoyed. “You’re heading to the back of the store?”

Behind the store were a swarm of evil spirits. It was just like going back home for him, and with zero shopping value.

“Bai Shuangying, can you sense where the most dangerous evil spirit around here is?” Fang Xiu quietly asked him.

Bai Shuangying gave him a definite “Mm” in a falling tone. But after a few seconds, that “Mm” changed in pitch, as though in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s a bit odd… Well, never mind.” Bai Shuangying casually pointed to a certain back alley. “The most dangerous one is in that alley. It’s very slow-moving, so as long as you don’t get close…”

Fang Xiu strode off, heading straight toward it.

Bai Shuangying: “……”

Bai Shuangying frowned slightly. “…What are you doing?”

“Making the most of our time. Once we handle it, we can go for a stroll.” Fang Xiu spoke while walking.

Bai Shuangying: “All right, it’s over there. Hurry up.”

“When we get into the alley, use your concealment on that evil spirit,” Fang Xiu said.

“Why?” Bai Shuangying asked, since he was clueless.

“You’ll know in a moment.”

As Fang Xiu predicted, Yan Jing had absolutely no intention of going into that pitch-black back alley first. Fang Xiu naturally had Guan He “guard the rear” while he went in alone.

A few minutes later, Fang Xiu emerged from the alley looking terrified. “Oh my God, you guys have to come see this! There’s a human head in the trash can!”

Seeing Fang Xiu unharmed, Yan Jing finally moved forward. Sure enough, the dim alley was just a row of garbage cans. 

Yan Jing relaxed at last. “Where’s the head? Let me—ah?!”

Fang Xiu kicked Yan Jing square in the back. Then he snatched Guan He by the collar and backed away several meters. Yan Jing stumbled forward five or six steps before barely managing to steady himself.

He spun around in rage. “What the f—”

Before he could finish cursing, his expression froze.

Blood splattered, and a purple-black tongue pierced through his chest, lifting him high in the air. Black smoke seeped into the wound as his face took on a gruesome bluish-purple hue.

Bai Shuangying withdrew his concealment. The formerly empty alley was now filled by an enormous evil spirit that resembled a toad. Its entire head was basically a gigantic mouth lined with dense, razor-sharp teeth.

Yan Jing was impaled on that tongue, blood flowing along the length of it and into the creature’s mouth, which appeared to savor the taste.

“You… piece of sh—” Yan Jing’s body convulsed wildly from the pain.

“Yan Hao, thirty-four years old, from Province Zi. You’ve worked under that drug lord ‘Boss Jin’ for ten years now, and you like using narcotics while hiring prostitutes. In your hallucinations, you beat four prostitutes to death, and it was Boss Jin’s people who cleaned up after you.”

“Later you went even further, doing drugs at home and brutally murdering your girlfriend of eight years, Zhou Ruirui. She didn’t know a thing, and you literally beat her to death with your fists. Boss Jin’s people took care of covering that up for you, too.”

Eyes wide, blood pouring from his mouth, Yan Jing wanted to say it was impossible. Boss Jin’s people had been so thorough that even Zhou Ruirui’s parents believed she was still working out of town. How could this man possibly…

Fang Xiu just smiled.

“I’m saying hello on behalf of Ms. Zhou Ruirui.”

He nodded at the dying Yan Jing. “She also asked me to pass along a message… ‘Yan Hao, you scum-sucking bastard. Go fuck yourself.’”

“She… She’s already… dead…”

“I know.” Fang Xiu said, “I’m just delivering words on behalf of the dead.”

---

The author has something to say:

Fang Xiu: “Everyone’s just had lunch, so I need to get some lunch for my ghost, too.”

Bai Shuangying got some delicious street snacks to enjoy while shopping √

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 31: Four Acquaintances

At 11:45, one life had to be surrendered.

If the scope of “forfeiting life” included sacrificial offerings, Bai Shuangying thought this ritual was simply perfect.

The “E” had always been rigid; it wouldn’t force people to commit taboos. For example, in order to uphold the taboo “If you offend the Weishan God, you die,” the E would first create a Weishan God to fulfill the prerequisite.

…Therefore, as long as every living thing on this street that could die ended up dead, then until new people arrived, only he and Fang Xiu would remain here.

Because of their Underworld Ghost Contract, they would be regarded as one entity, so there would be no need for them to kill each other.

As long as Fang Xiu couldn’t resolve the E, they could live on this street for a very long time. Whenever new sacrifices or evil spirits appeared, they would just kill them all again. One year, two years, or even ten years could pass like this…until he figured out the anomaly of the seal.

Once the seal was successfully undone, he was going to devour Fang Xiu slowly, savoring every bite. After that, he would descend upon the world, taking thousands more along with Fang Xiu as burial offerings.

Before then, they could go shopping together every day. Fang Xiu would definitely like that.

When Bai Shuangying imagined this, he felt an incomparable sense of satisfaction.

Yet, even though he imagined it, he didn’t intend to deliberately hinder Fang Xiu. If Fang Xiu turned hostile toward him, that would be tedious. Rather than forcing Fang Xiu to comply, he preferred Fang Xiu’s voluntary company in picking out a vase.

Thinking of this, Bai Shuangying walked closer to Fang Xiu and took out the blood-soaked magic weapon whistle.

“Picked this up on the way. It’s yours.” He casually brushed Fang Xiu’s hair aside.

Fang Xiu took the whistle, his messy hair revealing bright, shining eyes. “For me? Really?”

Bai Shuangying nodded. Fang Xiu’s face turned slightly red. He pressed his lips together for quite a while, as if he were trying hard not to smile.

“Is this magic weapon powerful?” Fang Xiu asked again a few seconds later.

Bai Shuangying: “No, it was about to break. But you could feed it to Earth Knocking…or rather, your ‘Meal Card’. It could still summon a headless ghost, barely.”

Fang Xiu paused, then grew serious. “This is actually really useful. Thanks.”

He paused for a moment. “I really liked it.”

With that, Fang Xiu decisively bit his finger and smeared a bit of blood onto the whistle.

Bai Shuangying watched the whistle slip into Fang Xiu’s pocket and took the opportunity to pat Fang Xiu’s head. Unfortunately, his seal still didn’t react at all.

……

Fang Xiu put the blood-smeared whistle into his pocket, ready to top up that so-called “Meal Card” at any time.

When evil spirits became scarce later, he would summon a headless ghost to kill, at least handling the taboo once.

Ever since the first ritual ended, Bai Shuangying’s attitude had grown extremely proactive. Fang Xiu was certain it wasn’t just his imagination.

Even though their situation was very grim, Fang Xiu still felt a bit of untimely happiness.

His companions, on the other hand, had nothing to do with the word “happiness”—

Relying on his physical strength, Blondie had gone out again and captured two injured evil spirits. He tossed them to Jia Xu and Guan He, helping the two of them out of trouble for the moment.

“Everyone, act quickly. It’d be best if we solve this in three days like last time.”

In the next moment, Jia Xu overturned his previous statement. “This taboo is troublesome. If it only demands ‘killing’ and doesn’t restrict it to killing evil spirits, we might end up killing each other.”

Blondie said, “Huh? There are so many evil spirits outside. Everyone kills just one a day. Shouldn’t that be fine?”

Jia Xu said worriedly, “What if the taboo affects the evil spirits too, and their numbers decrease exponentially¹?”

Blondie: “Exponential what—planting trees to reduce them¹?”

¹Clarity: Jia Xu says (指数递减), which means decrease exponentially. Blondie misheard him, or rather not educated enough to recognize the word, thought he said planting trees (植树), instead of exponential (指数), which sounds very similar but they mean entirely different things (the joke).

Even Guan He showed an expression that was hard to describe.

Jia Xu had no choice but to explain the horror of “halving and then halving again”. Once Blondie heard it, he scoffed. “Back in Weishan Village, that taboo didn’t limit evil spirits.”

Jia Xu: “Just because Weishan didn’t impose restrictions doesn’t mean there aren’t any here.”

Blondie thought for a while, then suddenly chuckled. “It doesn’t matter. Even if we all kill each other, I’ll definitely be the last one alive.”

He spoke so casually, as if they were just talking about a game rather than murder.

Fang Xiu interjected with a smiling face, “You want to be the last one alive? Then you have to kill me first. And by that time, you’d better hurry up and settle the E. Otherwise, you’d starve to death here by yourself.”

Blondie: “……” 

Blondie: “Jia Ge is right! We must hurry and find the E!”

No one felt like waiting until tomorrow. Everyone agreed to check out all the shops today and catch a few more evil spirits to test the taboo.

Fang Xiu had taken a short nap and felt decent, so he didn’t mind strolling around with Bai Shuangying again.

There weren’t many types of shops on the pedestrian street. Most sold food and groceries, a few sold clothes or expensive items, and some offered products for temporary needs…

For instance, the first small shop next to the arch specialized in phone charging, appliance repair, and rentals. Inside was just one young, faceless clerk with an unlit cigarette, leaning against the storage room door while scrolling through short videos.

On the right side of the entrance hung gaudy phone cases; on the left side stood an offering to Guanyin Bodhisattva. The layout felt quite perfunctory.

Next to it stood a milk tea shop. Three or five customers were lined up at the front, and inside, two faceless girls were busy working, repeatedly making the same cup of milk tea. Opposite the milk tea shop was the “Treasures of Huai Zhen” where Fang Xiu and the others had picked out the vase.

Bai Shuangying watched as the shopkeeper added pearls that resembled insect eggs into the tea, showing faint wariness on his face. Fang Xiu, meanwhile, rummaged in his pocket for a while and took out the nearly useless Ziwei token.

“You mentioned this thing could make evil spirits uncomfortable,” Fang Xiu said as he toyed with the small token.

Bai Shuangying was still watching the pearls. “Yes. It has about the same effect as burning them with a flame.”

Fang Xiu simply raised his hand and pressed the token against the forehead of one of the customers. It was a faceless man who was waiting on his milk tea and pacing about impatiently.

When the token touched the man’s forehead, it was as if it pressed into a swirl of rainbow-colored liquid. Fang Xiu’s hand passed through the man’s head as though clipping through it, but the man didn’t react at all.

Fang Xiu said, “So he isn’t an evil spirit.”

Bai Shuangying made a soft grunt of acknowledgement. “Probably some type of illusion, maybe created by the E.”

Jia Xu had been listening in for some time and immediately spoke up. “It’s very likely that this street is already abandoned, and everything here is just an illusion made by the E.”

“That’s why the food and water are illusions, which is why we can’t eat them!”

Blondie: “Makes sense, makes sense.”

Fang Xiu neither confirmed nor denied it. Bai Shuangying remained uninterested, continuing to watch the pearls plop into the tea, seemingly about to fall behind the group.

Fang Xiu tugged on Bai Shuangying’s sleeve with a smile. “That isn’t anything weird. It’s just tapioca pearls.”

Only then did Bai Shuangying pull his gaze away and walk along with Fang Xiu. “What is tapioca flour?”

Fang Xiu: “It’s a kind of plant-based powder, like glutinous rice flour.”

“So it’s similar to glutinous rice? Would zombies be afraid of it?” Bai Shuangying was still thinking about those legendary zombie movies.

“Uh, well…”

……

It took them a full five hours to finish surveying one side of the street. By around five in the morning, the sky showed no sign of getting brighter, and they hadn’t found any shop that felt off.

Quite a few stores had statues of the God of Wealth, Bodhisattvas, or Guan Gong. These statues looked normal, lacking that unsettling appearance of the Weishan God.

When business was good, the faceless staff remained busy. If there were no customers, the staff busied themselves with their phones. Such was the plain routine of modern folks.

Aside from having no faces, the diners outside behaved no differently from ordinary people in daily life. There were no altercations on the street, let alone any bloodshed.

From start to finish, they only captured a few injured evil spirits and found not a single clue regarding the E.

Blondie said, “This place is so damn normal. What are we looking for anyway!”

“It’s faster to find clues from the taboo. There’s only one taboo so far, so it’s normal to have no leads,” Jia Xu remarked, feigning expertise. “The problem is that no one knows when the second taboo will emerge.”

Guan He bared his teeth and couldn’t resist muttering, “Would it kill you not to spew nonsense?”

Luckily, he kept his voice so low that Jia Xu didn’t hear him.

Behind him, Fang Xiu observed the surroundings in a relaxed manner. Jia Xu’s chatter went in one ear and out the other. Fang Xiu only occasionally glanced at Bai Shuangying, explaining some modern gadgets to him.

This time, Fang Xiu took extra care regarding the ground. Whenever he found money scattered among the battle debris, he picked it up cautiously, saving up for that white porcelain vase.

Even if it was only a temporary illusion, sincerity was still sincerity.

Fireworks continued to bloom across the night sky, crackling relentlessly, as though they would last until the end of time.

……

When the group moved on to the other side of the street, they finally had a breakthrough.

They discovered another group of survivors in an accessories store.

That group had five people left: four men and one woman. The woman lay motionless in a corner with her long hair covering her face. The four men didn’t look much better; they were all pale, with that peculiar restlessness born of hunger.

They wore five copper coins with red tassels around their waists that were neat and uniform; most likely Underworld products again.

Jia Xu lowered his voice and said, “Don’t alert them before we figure out the taboo. Let’s just quietly—”

“Bai Shuangying, hide yourself completely,” Fang Xiu whispered. Then the Kan trigram on his left arm flashed, and he retrieved two canned goods from a beer glass. “Hey, are you all okay? We have food here!”

He said it loudly enough that even a deaf person could hear.

Jia Xu: “?”

Cheng Songyun also glanced at Fang Xiu in surprise.

With a smile, Fang Xiu stepped forward holding the cans. “We brought these from outside. They’ll fill you up.”

The four men exchanged looks, or more precisely, three of them turned to look at one man. He was about forty, somewhat overweight, with a kind face. Besides the Five-Emperor coins at his waist, he also wore a golden Buddha around his neck.

He thought for less than half a second before beaming. “Thank you, young man.”

He gestured to a robust fellow with a face full of acne scars, who walked over and took the two cans of yellow-peach slices.

Jia Xu coughed twice, hinting at Fang Xiu to stop talking.

“A lot of people died outside. This ritual was really odd, so we should work together,” Fang Xiu continued enthusiastically, ignoring Jia Xu’s signal. “Sir, how should I address you?”

“Just call me Lao Jin. Which round is this for you?” he asked.

Fang Xiu: “Our second time. What about yours?”

“About the same,” Lao Jin said with a smile. “Interested in working together?”

Jia Xu coughed wildly, on the verge of yanking Fang Xiu’s ear and yelling “no.”

“That’s up to our boss.” Fang Xiu grabbed Jia Xu in one swift motion. “This is our Boss Jia. He’s a top performer, extremely smart.”

Lao Jin turned to look at Jia Xu, who immediately showed a standard business smile. “Hello, hello.”

Lao Jin raised an eyebrow. “You’re aware of the first taboo, right? Before 11:45 every day, each person has to kill one evil spirit. Why don’t we capture some weaker ones, keep them penned up, and kill them over time? That way, we can at least buy ourselves a few days to focus on finding the E.”

Jia Xu let out a forced laugh and didn’t answer right away.

Lao Jin, seeing this, just smiled again as if it was no surprise. “Ever hear the saying ‘Money can make even ghosts turn the mill*’? Our magic weapon can hypnotize evil spirits. Work with us, and you won’t lose out…”

*Idiom referring to if one has enough wealth, they can make someone do anything for them (AKA money makes the world go round).

With that, he gave Jia Xu a meaningful look.

Regardless of whether Jia Xu got the hint, Fang Xiu understood Lao Jin’s subtext. People had to eat, and if Jia Xu didn’t agree, they would find “other methods” to take their supplies.

“Work together? I think it sounds good,” Blondie said.

“Me too. It’s great,” Fang Xiu echoed from where he stood, the two of them acting as if their combined IQ barely broke triple digits.

Jia Xu whirled around, seemingly wanting to glare at them. After turning back, he spoke politely again. “Ah, cooperation…sure, cooperation… By the way, who are these gentlemen?”

“This is Mazi, Dashun, and Yan Jing. They’re my employees,” Lao Jin said gently, pointing to the three men.

Jia Xu looked at the woman for a moment. Seeing no reaction, he didn’t ask further.

After some discussion, everyone decided to follow them back to their base. That clothing store could house ten people and had a large storage area suitable for locking away a few evil spirits.

Before leaving, Jia Xu glared hard at Fang Xiu, but Fang Xiu pretended not to notice.

Cheng Songyun whispered, “Xiao Fang, that girl…”

“I know, Cheng Jie,” Fang Xiu whispered back. “She was beaten to death. Judging by the state of her body, she hasn’t been dead long.”

Her neck had been twisted, and there were bruises on her arms and legs, yet her body was intact, making it clear it wasn’t done by an evil spirit. Moreover, from the condition of those four men… They had been here a while, even tidying up a place to spend the night. They had definitely been present when she died.

“She was probably their reserve food, too bad the canned goods looked tastier than human flesh,” Fang Xiu added casually.

Cheng Songyun pursed her lips, at a loss for words.

Fang Xiu knew what she wanted to ask. “We need these people. We still don’t know if that earlier taboo was really a death taboo, or whether ‘killing people’ counted. We can’t test that on our own people.”

“I understand,” Cheng Songyun whispered. “But what if they weren’t the ones who killed her…”

“Trust me, they definitely were.”

Fang Xiu walked at the back, closing the jewelry shop door slowly. His back was turned to Cheng Songyun, so she couldn’t see his expression. Hearing how certain Fang Xiu sounded, Cheng Songyun chose not to pursue it further. Bai Shuangying, however, grew curious, hovering around Fang Xiu.

“Why were you so certain?” he asked.

Fang Xiu checked the surroundings, then leaned in to whisper, “Because I happened to recognize all four of their faces.”

“Bai Shuangying, do you know what ‘drug dealer’ means?”

---

The author has something to say:

Happy National Day, everyone! Have a great holiday! 

Fang Xiu be like: “Time to hunt.” 

He’s baiting them, baiting them, preparing ultra-delicious living-soul mooncakes for his ghost. 

Anyway, there’s no way drug dealers are gonna make it out alive in my stories. Anyone in that trade is just a beast. 

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Bai Shuangying is about to discover the world of boba.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>