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"Wait, Mother, this is something Uncle Chang can handle."
Yin Yuan tugged at Xing Ruyi's clothing, squinting at the group of women in front of them who were still flailing about.
"But these are all innocent women without any weapons. Given Brother Chang's temperament, even if he notices something strange about them, he definitely won't take action. In the end, it will be himself who gets hurt."
"Don't worry, Mother. With me here, Uncle Chang will be fine. On the road to Qingqiu, we will inevitably face all sorts of strange things. If we don't let Uncle Chang practice and learn how to deal with them now, what will we do in the future? Are we supposed to rely on you to protect us all the way?"
"Of course not. According to Brother Chang's nature, he would rather get hurt himself than hide behind me for protection." Xing Ruyi looked at the chaotic scene before her, increasingly worried about Chang Tai's safety.
Surrounded by the crowd, Chang Tai, despite being somewhat slow to react, could sense that something was off. The guests who had once appeared gentle and demure suddenly changed their demeanor; their eyes were vacant and their expressions cold. Like puppets in a shadow play, they only knew to poke themselves with Seven-Inch Wooden Nails.
Though his winter coat was thick, it couldn't withstand the women's reckless poking. If this continued for much longer, getting hurt would be the least of his worries; he feared that he might end up being poked into a porcupine. However, if he took action himself, he worried about injuring these women and losing face as the First Constable of the Capital. He feared it would stir up trouble and controversy for Xing at the Yun Family Gathering.
Lost in thought, several Wooden Nails were thrust toward him again. Chang Tai dodged just in time, causing one woman's Wooden Nail to stab another person instead. He saw that person's eyelids roll back slightly, revealing some white before they went still.
"Damn it!"
Chang Tai didn't know any dark arts and was unsure if there was poison on those Wooden Nails. Seeing that the woman who had been stabbed remained motionless made him anxious. His concern wasn't for his own safety but for whether more people would get hurt in the chaos. Thus, in a moment of desperation, he resorted to tactics he usually avoided.
Chang Tai seized the opportunity, slightly lowered his body, and while those women were flailing around wildly, he swiftly swept his sword at their lower bodies with just enough force to knock them down without causing injury.
His movements were incredibly quick; in just a moment's time, those women fell like autumn leaves scattered across the ground. However, they got back up just as quickly—especially the young women who hadn't been stabbed by the Wooden Nails—who soon launched a second wave of attacks against Chang Tai.
Chang Tai's expression darkened; he understood that these women were definitely under some sort of dark influence. Unless he completely knocked them out or they were stabbed by their own Wooden Nails, they would continue attacking him like the undead from legends. As a martial artist, he wasn't afraid of entangling with these women, but if this continued indefinitely, he would start to feel impatient. Just as he pondered how to handle it, those women who had stood up stared blankly at him from a distance with eyes full of resentment.
Chang Tai turned around in confusion only to see Yin Yuan winking at him and pointing at Xing Ruyi. "Isn't my mother amazing?"
"Thank you, Fox Demon!"
Chang Tai wasn't foolish; he could tell that it was not Xing Ruyi who had acted just now but rather Yin Yuan, who was currently winking at him. This child seemed to have been raised by a fox spirit; if he possessed some magical abilities, it wouldn't surprise him. Although he didn't understand why Yin Yuan attributed this matter to Xing Ruyi, it was certainly well-intentioned. Thus, he cooperatively expressed his gratitude toward Xing Ruyi.
Xing Ruyi poked Yin Yuan on the head and walked over to Chang Tai, asking with concern, "Brother Chang, are you okay?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine. It's just that my clothes got torn," Chang Tai replied, glancing at the women with his peripheral vision. "Fox Demon, do you know what happened to these people? They look as if they are possessed."
"I’m not sure either, but Yin Yuan, these people have fallen under Puppet magic."
"Puppet magic? What kind of spell is that? Could it be that these people were brought here by that Taoist named Mo Xu You? Why does this Taoist keep lingering around?"
"This matter should have nothing to do with Mo Xu You." Xing Ruyi lowered her head and sniffed the scent on Chang Tai. "According to Yin Yuan, a general accompanied by his wife has come from the Yun family gathering. Brother Chang has been in the Divine Capital longer than Fox Demon and is a court official; do you know anything about this general?"
"Is it General Li Yan?" Fox Demon asked.
"General Li? I heard this general doesn’t actually have the surname Li."
"He originally had the surname Li. This general is a descendant of the Li Family, but due to some changes in the court, he took his mother's surname. Later, after fighting bravely and achieving great military merit, he won the favor of the Empress. For some other reasons as well, he was recently allowed to revert back to the surname Li."
"So this general has returned to using the surname Li," Xing Ruyi said with a look of realization. "What about the general's wife? Brother Chang, do you know her?"
"I can't say I'm familiar with her; I just get along well with General Li. We share similar temperaments and often see eye to eye on many matters, so we had some interactions while in the Divine Capital. The general's wife is virtuous and kind-hearted, and they share a deep bond. Usually, wherever the general is, his wife will be by his side as well, so I've met her a few times and exchanged pleasantries."
"Does this general's wife use any perfumes?"
"Perfumes?" Chang Tai was momentarily taken aback before understanding. "Fox Demon, you know I'm a rough man and don't pay much attention to such things. However, if you're thinking of doing business with this general's wife, I advise you to reconsider."
"Why?"
"The general has spent years on the battlefield; he’s different from those officials in the Divine Capital. His wife is naturally different from those officials' wives as well. From what I've seen of her, she rarely dresses in extravagant styles; her clothes are mostly black and white, seemingly matching the general's style. The jewelry that official wives often wear is also quite rare on her; she mostly wears a wooden orchid hairpin that was carved by the general himself. As for perfumes, since the general is allergic to such cosmetics, she likely uses them very sparingly."
"I see! Since it's not perfume, then this Fruitwood Fragrance must be something the general's wife carries herself."
"Fruitwood Fragrance! Is that what you mean, Fox Demon? The general's wife indeed has a faint fruity wood scent about her; if you get close enough, you'll catch some of it on yourself." Chang Tai said as he lowered his head to sniff his sleeve. "Back when I was in the Divine Capital, every time I returned from the general's residence, Shengzi would tease me about visiting brothels. Fox Demon, your nose has always been sharp; you must have caught a whiff of this scent on me and heard from Yin Yuan that the general's wife visited with the county magistrate this morning, which is why you asked about them."
"Fox Demon, these thoughts ultimately couldn't escape Brother Chang's eyes." Xing Ruyi said as she walked over to Tofu Beauty, Miss Zhou, to check on her condition under the Puppet technique.
"When I was younger, I heard people talk about a type of magic in Maoshan that can control others, called Puppet technique. However, this technique is considered forbidden in Maoshan; once used, the practitioner would be expelled from Maoshan."
"Forbidden technique?" Chang Tai was slightly taken aback, and he had a rough idea that this so-called Puppet technique must be something sinister.
Xing Ruyi nodded. "That's right, it is a forbidden technique. The Puppet technique uses a person's birth date and time, along with a straw man as a medium with blood, and then employs incantations to communicate and cast the spell. When the person's birth data aligns with the straw man, their body will be controlled by it. However, what we see here seems to be a more advanced form of Puppet technique compared to that in Maoshan."
At this point, Xing Ruyi discreetly employed ghostly techniques and lightly tapped her index finger on Miss Zhou. Miss Zhou's eyes turned blankly from Chang Tai to Xing Ruyi, and then her hand gripped the seven-inch wooden nail, moving stiffly toward Xing Ruyi.
"Empty-eyed and stiff in movement—these are all intuitive signs of being under the Puppet technique," Xing Ruyi explained as she waved her hand in front of Miss Zhou's eyes. "This Puppet technique also has another name: Soul Control Technique. Literally speaking, it means using magic to manipulate a person's soul. Generally, the Puppet technique can only control a person's body while the controlled individual's consciousness remains awake. But the people before us have lost even their awareness."
"Fox Demon, do you mean they are being controlled at the soul level, so they are completely unaware of what they are doing?" Chang Tai looked at the seven-inch wooden nails in their hands.
"Exactly! The people before us are all fully controlled puppets," Xing Ruyi leaned closer to Miss Zhou, first glancing at the seven-inch wooden nail she held, then lifting her eyelid for inspection. "From a medical perspective, Miss Zhou is currently in a deep coma; she has lost her autonomous consciousness."
"Is there really such miraculous magic in this world?" Chang Tai murmured as he looked at Yin Yuan.
He knew that foxes were not ordinary beings; many people in this world were not ordinary either. So he speculated in his heart whether the one secretly controlling the puppets did not belong to this world either. Was the target of their actions Fox Demon or himself?
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