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墨書 Inktalez
From the moment I started this line of work, my master repeatedly warned me with one piece of advice: no matter what the situation, never lay a hand on Yin Chai. The reason I acted against the Chain Master was because my master had also told me another thing: you cannot see the true form of Yin Chai; even if you smear Cow Tears or use a spell to open your eyes, all you will see is a blur. Of course, some senior masters might be different; their skills are far superior.
When I heard Liu Bi mention Yin Chai, I was merely curious. However, when I clearly saw the Chain Master materialize, I realized that this was no Yin Chai at all; it was clearly an imposter.
Even as an imposter, it should not have been a threat to me, but its actions drove me to lose my rationality. Sometimes, you truly feel powerless; there is a kind of anger that disregards all consequences, like an arrow drawn and ready to be released.
As I charged forward, the Imposter Yincai turned its head. Instead of its usual pale complexion, it bore a faint bluish hue, almost the same color as Liu Bi's Oiled Paper Umbrella. Its hair was uneven and dry like withered grass, and its flat nose took up nearly half its face. Thick lips and deeply sunken eye sockets made it look unsettlingly grotesque—ugly beyond compare, even more so than Master Xiao.
My fierce demeanor did not seem to affect it at all; it stood there motionless, perhaps viewing me as nothing more than a clown.
This was a great insult to me. After years in this profession, I had never encountered a Spirit God that so blatantly ignored me. I quickly recited the Exorcism Spell while my right hand formed Hand Seals, continuously drawing Hand Spells with the Cinnabar Incense Ash in my left hand.
As I drew closer, I vaguely heard Liu Bi urging me not to approach. But it was too late; having already charged out, retreating was not my style. Besides, this creature was clearly a fake Yin Chai; there was no way I would back down recklessly.
Ignoring Liu Bi's increasingly urgent warnings, just as I was about to reach the Imposter Yincai, I threw a handful of incense ash at it and immediately pressed my right-hand talisman against it. The incantation flowed from my lips without pause.
It remained unmoved; even when the Cinnabar Incense Ash covered it completely, it merely shuddered slightly. Only when two Exorcism Talismans struck it did it finally loosen its grip on Liu Bi's foot and stagger back two steps. With a wave of its hand, it retracted the chains wrapped around Mu Xue's neck. It looked at me with confusion and grinned widely, saying, "Laughter... still just a Little Taoist."
As soon as those words left its mouth, its body shook violently, and the two Exorcism Talismans stuck to it fell like autumn leaves to the ground.
My heart sank; this was bad news. What on earth had I encountered? How could it be so fierce? Seeing this situation made me regret my impulsiveness. It had attacked Liu Bi and Mu Xue before; at least it wouldn’t have harmed them too severely. Now that I had provoked it directly, even if it left me half-dead, it wouldn’t be against the natural order. After all, I had initiated this offense.
It’s important to note that Spirit Gods operate under a principle of cause and effect. If a Spirit God harms someone without justification, they violate natural law and may face severe consequences—being sent to suffer in the depths of hell or struck by heavenly lightning resulting in Soul Shattering. However, if there is cause for their actions, then things change. In this case, since I had attacked first, I had sown the seeds of consequence for myself and would inevitably reap what came from it—whatever that may be would be up to them as long as they didn’t kill me.
At this point, reconciliation seemed futile because I saw it smile—a sinister grin. Seeing this, Liu Bi quickly scrambled up and knelt down with a thud on the ground, bowing his head repeatedly. He dared not lift his gaze as he pleaded: "Yin Chai Daren! Yin Chai Daren! My friend here has offended you out of ignorance; please forgive him this once! If you spare him just this once, I'll give you my umbrella—no questions asked!"
I suddenly understood that Liu Bi and Mu Xue were attacked by the Imposter Yincai because of the Oiled Paper Umbrella. It was likely that Liu Bi didn't want to give it up, which prompted the Imposter Yincai to strike. What was the difference between this and a robbery?
The Imposter Yincai ignored Liu Bi's words, grinning at me as it slowly said, "If you let him go, then I would have been beaten for nothing. Don't worry, I won't kill him. Also, that umbrella is something you must give me; it cannot be a condition for our transaction." After saying this, it stopped talking and swung the iron chain in its hand, sending it hurtling toward me at an incredible speed.
Before the chain reached me, I felt a powerful gust of cold wind sweep over me. I shivered all over, and my body, which had intended to dodge, suddenly felt sluggish. I couldn't help but curse under my breath—what on earth was this thing? How could it be so strong?
Although my body had become a bit sluggish, I could still move. I sidestepped just in time, avoiding the chain from striking my body directly; instead, it whipped against my left wrist. The chain looked very real, but when it struck me, there was no sensation of pain or tremendous impact—only a fleeting feeling akin to an electric shock. Then came the shocking realization: I suddenly found that my left hand had no sensation at all. It felt as if I had received a massive dose of anesthetic in that hand; not only could I not raise it, but even moving my fingers was impossible.
I looked at it with fear in my eyes. Its attack terrified me and knocked any confidence I had left to the ground. Even when my Five-Color Lord struck me before, it was always with a gradual reduction of force; it never rendered my left hand completely numb in an instant. I had thought that even if I couldn't defeat it, I could at least make it wary of me. But the reality proved that here, I was merely a clown.
The first strike did not achieve the desired effect for it; immediately after, it raised the iron chain again as if preparing to strike me once more. Instinctively, I took a few steps back, staring blankly at it—first in fear of its strength and then realizing that it showed no intention of holding back. Since it was so aggressive, I figured I might as well fight back. After all, since you were going to mess with me anyway, why not take a gamble?
Seeing me retreat a few steps, it chuckled and said, "Do you really think you can run away?"
Liu Bi saw that I was at a disadvantage and rushed over to grab its legs tightly, shouting loudly, "Brother Liu, you need to leave now! It won't do anything to us; just go! Yin Chai Daren, please! I'll get you whatever you want!" After Liu Bi spoke, Mu Xue, who had been lying on the ground, quickly floated behind the Imposter Yincai and wrapped her small arms around its neck, her delicate face showing unforgettable anger.
"Forget it, Liu Bi. Whatever you offer won't satisfy it. Besides, it's not some Yin Chai Daren; it's just an Imposter Yincai—you've been deceived." After saying this, I placed the pad of my right middle finger between my teeth and bit down hard enough to break off a small piece of flesh. A sharp pain shot through my finger as bright red blood flowed out—not much but enough for what I needed.
"Laughter! You really have some skill; you even know I'm not the real Yin Chai. But so what? Do you think you'll escape tonight?" It completely ignored Mu Xue clinging to its back and Liu Bi at its feet.
"Who said I'm going to run?" I replied coldly while tapping my forehead lightly. Then I rolled up the sleeve of my numb left arm and drew a blood symbol on it. A warm sensation spread through my hand as I exerted control over my left arm. In just a few seconds, I felt movement returning; clenching my fist confirmed that most of the Yin Qi had been dispelled.
I reached into the Cloth Bag and pulled out a length of Ink Fight Line. Using my right hand's bitten index finger and thumb to pinch one end tightly, I yanked on the other end with my left hand again—another wave of piercing pain shot through my fingertip. Looking at the Ink Fight Line now stained with blood almost every inch of its length brought me some relief as I glared fiercely at the distant Imposter Yincai.
Liu Bi looked at me with a determined expression. Gripping Imposter Yincai's legs, he suddenly pulled back with all his strength and shouted, "Damn it, it's just a fake Yin Chai! Mu Xue, get out of the way."
Before Liu Bi could finish his sentence, Mu Xue was sent flying once again. It wasn't that Mu Xue had moved aside on her own; rather, Imposter Yincai had lifted a hand and tossed her away. That throw seemed to be fueled by great force. If Mu Xue were still in the same state as yesterday without the nourishment from the Incense and the bronze mirror, this throw would likely scatter her Living Soul.
As Mu Xue flew away, Imposter Yincai was also knocked down by Liu Bi's leg-grabbing maneuver, landing with its limbs flailing in the air. Liu Bi clearly understood that if it were Yin Chai, even with a few more guts, it wouldn't dare to move against him. But this was not Yin Chai; although it knew it couldn't win, it wouldn't just give up either.
When Imposter Yincai fell, I pinched the Ink Fight Line between my fingers and swiftly drew a large ghost-binding talisman in mid-air, rushing towards Imposter Yincai without a moment's delay.
I had to admit that Imposter Yincai was indeed formidable. Just as it hit the ground, it pushed off with its left hand and rolled over to shake off Liu Bi's tight grip on its legs. Following that, it kicked out forcefully, sending Liu Bi flying backward and narrowly missing my left side.
As I brushed past Liu Bi, I noticed another Spirit God on my right charging towards Imposter Yincai as well. I didn't have time to consider who this Spirit God was; since they were heading towards Imposter Yincai, they should not be an enemy. Imposter Yincai had just retracted its foot and hadn't managed to stand up yet. I dashed in front of it, gripping both ends of the Ink Fight Line tightly. It couldn't afford to get up either; raising the iron chain in its hand again, it swung it towards me...
Last night’s work didn’t go smoothly; I spent the whole night without finishing up. Today I didn’t go home either and ended up sleeping for most of the day at Deceased's Home. It wasn’t until evening that everything was resolved. By the time I got home, it was already past ten o'clock. I hurriedly wrote today’s update; I apologize for making you all wait so long. Tomorrow there will be two guaranteed chapters.
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