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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
In the second year of the Great Revolution, the Old Scholar, pushed onto the altar by the crowd, found himself in a dire situation. On that fateful morning, Li Wuye rode a group of fierce horses towards the Back Mountain Taoist Temple to escort the Old Scholar.
However, midway through, a figure suddenly dashed out from the path—it was Guo the Blind.
At that time, Guo the Blind was not yet blind; he was even quite handsome. Seeing Guo the Blind blocking the road with an unfriendly gaze and his fierce horses refusing to obey, Li Wuye shouted a few reprimands. But Guo the Blind did not step aside. In frustration, Li Wuye drew his pistol and pulled the trigger.
Strangely enough, after firing, Li Wuye found himself lying on the ground with a bullet wound in his head, his eyes wide open in shock, unable to close them even in death.
Guo the Blind hung Li Wuye from a tree and returned to the Taoist temple, where only judgment awaited him.
"You have committed a grave taboo of the Daoist Sect; killing an ordinary person is an even greater sin..."
"Your heart is inclined towards darkness. Last night I read your fortune; in the future, you will be the one to destroy Futu Ridge and countless lives. The malice within you is already too heavy to eradicate. If not restrained, it will surely lead to widespread suffering."
Guo the Blind recalled how he had emerged from Futu Ridge's forbidden grounds that morning, looking utterly disheveled. The Old Scholar had taken his Dao Body but spared his life. The Ten-Year Catastrophe—perhaps even the Old Scholar had not anticipated it would last this long or that his disciple would suffer so greatly.
Meanwhile, Li Fugui learned that his father, Li Wuye, had been killed by Guo the Blind. Enraged beyond measure, he leaped down from the rooftop and charged at Guo the Blind. Dried Corpse, who had been holding Zhou Manman captive, roared and swiftly appeared beside Li Fugui, aiming to throw him aside by grabbing his wrist. Li Fugui grunted and countered by seizing Dried Corpse's claw with his own hand. With a powerful twist of his muscular arm, Dried Corpse's arm cracked audibly before being hurled against the wall.
Dried Corpse attempted to rise again but was pierced through the head by a black steel needle. Li Fugui initially thought that Soul Piercer would be enough to kill Dried Corpse; however, he was shocked to see Dried Corpse disregard Soul Piercer's threat and charge at him once more.
Furrowing his brow at Dried Corpse, Li Fugui delivered a punch that struck Dried Corpse's head with such force that it was nearly severed from its body. Stumbling to the ground for just a moment, Dried Corpse managed to rise again.
"Heart!" I shouted at Li Fugui because I had seen Guo the Blind bite his tongue. A malicious glint appeared in Guo's eyes as he exhaled a breath tainted with blood towards Li Fugui.
Li Fugui raised his arm to block it, but suddenly a charred black wound appeared on his robust arm as if flesh had been seared by a branding iron.
Li Fugui was furious, slapping his palm toward Guo the Blind's head. However, just as his hand was about three inches away, it suddenly flew back, crashing heavily against the pillar in the corridor. The glass behind him shattered with a loud bang, causing the dogs in several nearby villagers' homes to bark wildly.
Guo Huaiyi silently appeared behind Guo the Blind, a light smile on his lips. "Why is Village Head Li so angry? It's late at night, and instead of sleeping, you come to Mr. Guo's house to show off your skills."
Zhou Manman saw Guo Huaiyi and instinctively stepped back in fear. I pulled her close, keeping a wary eye on Guo Huaiyi. For decades, he had been secretly learning the Evil Techniques of the Ghost Gate from the Dao Book, and his nature had long since turned malevolent. Now that things were exposed, he would surely want to kill us to silence us.
Li Fugui stood up from the ground, brushing off the dust from his clothes. "I thought after all these years of hard work raising that ghost, it could only be a useless Dried Corpse. Turns out you really are Guo Huaiyi."
Guo Huaiyi laughed heartily, his face filled with pride. "Isn't it thanks to you all that I am who I am today?"
He gestured toward the Dried Corpse, placing his hand on its head. Instantly, flames erupted from its body, and within moments, it was reduced to ashes.
Such a display made Li Fugui frown deeply. I shielded Zhou Manman behind me and glared at Guo Huaiyi. "What do you want, Guo Huaiyi?"
Guo Huaiyi replied, "You used the Zhou Compass to see what happened in the past; what do you think we should do?"
"Not everyone wanted to harm you back then; only a few did. Your practice of dark arts instilled fear in people. They were just ordinary folks wanting to live peaceful lives," I said.
"Is that enough?" Guo Huaiyi tilted his head at me, his eyes glowing with an eerie blue light.
At that moment, there was a sudden commotion at Guo the Blind's front door as a group of people gathered outside, shouting loudly. Old Man Wang's voice rang out from beyond the door: "Old Blind Man! Why are you making such a racket at this hour? Where's Leader Guo?"
Guo Huaiyi's hands revealed faint lines hidden beneath his skin that began to glow ominously. A spark appeared in his palm as Guo the Blind grasped his hand firmly. "Don't act rashly."
Guo the Blind opened the door wide. Old Man Wang exclaimed, "Oh? What's going on here? The village head is here too? Is there a fire burning in your yard for warmth?"
The villagers couldn't see me or Zhou Manman; they only noticed Li Fugui standing with a grim expression facing off against Guo the Blind and Guo Huaiyi.
Old Man Wang continued, "Village Chief, what are you doing running to Old Blind Man's house in the middle of the night? Are you two getting along so well? Don't think I don't know what you're up to just because you have that sour face on. Old Blind Man hasn't offended you, so why do you look like you want to strangle him?"
Li Fugui remained silent despite Old Man Wang's scolding. He squinted at me, signaling me to leave first. I led Zhou Manman toward the crowd by the wall, while Guo the Blind and Guo Huaiyi watched us leave without trying to stop us.
"Village Chief, this is where you're wrong. Look at you, coming to someone else's house in the middle of the night and even breaking their glass. What has gotten into you? Old Guo is a good person. When that bunch of scoundrels in the village harmed him back then, you didn't step in to help. Now he's sick and hospitalized, and it's so expensive. If it weren't for Old Guo, what would we poor folks do?" an elderly woman said.
"That's right, Village Chief. Our Village gives out subsidies every year, and there are allowances and food for the elderly and lonely. Yet we haven't seen you give anything to Guo the Blind. His life has been so hard; last time he treated my grandson without charging a penny. Why are you making a fuss at his house in the middle of the night? Other villages even have subsidies for gas and water bills; you've probably pocketed that too!"
Li Fugui stood there expressionless as he faced the crowd's accusations directed at him. He glanced at Guo the Blind and Guo Huaiyi before snorting and pushing through the crowd back home.
Old Man Wang looked displeased as he watched Li Fugui leave. "You act like someone owes you a thousand bucks! If it weren't for the fact that you helped everyone grow crops back in the day, who would have elected you as Village Chief?"
After Old Man Wang finished speaking, he turned with a grin toward Guo the Blind. "Old Blind Man, don't take it to heart. Li Fugui has such a foul temper; just ignore him."
"Yes, Old Guo, I'll come help fix your glass. As soon as I heard it was broken, I knew there must have been a fight. I just didn't expect it was Village Chief Li. He's really getting more arrogant and oblivious to himself; at Old Man's funeral yesterday, everyone else was dressed in mourning clothes while he stood there like a dead man himself. He really doesn't know how to behave!"
"Alright, it's fine now. Thank you all for your kindness; please head back," Guo the Blind said.
As people murmured among themselves and prepared to leave, Old Man Wang asked with a grin, "Did Leader Guo scare you? Our Village is like this; when conflicts arise, we don't take them to heart. You should get some rest."
Guo Huaiyi smiled and nodded at everyone.
"Go on home now," Guo the Blind urged as he closed the door behind them, his expression grim.
Guo Huaiyi snorted and walked into the Side Room, coldly stating, "You better give me a reasonable explanation for not killing this rabble."
At that moment in my room, the light was blinding. I suddenly woke from my dream, gasping for breath with a pale face.
“Manman?” I called out, but there was nothing in the room.
I remembered that Zhou Manman had come back with me, but where had she gone now?
I looked at the compass on the bed and picked it up. The moment my fingers touched the compass, I saw Zhou Manman standing by the bed.
“Manman!” I rushed to embrace her. She held me tightly, sobbing softly, but her body swayed as if she might vanish at any moment. “What happened to you?”
Zhou Manman said, “My spirit is very weak right now. It’s impossible for me to be reborn or find a physical body.”
I felt a surge of anxiety. “Does that mean you’re in danger of disappearing at any moment?”
Zhou Manman shook her head. “No, there’s something inside you that protects me from Yang Qi. As long as I stay close to you, what’s within you will shield me from your Ghostly Energy. That’s also why Auntie agreed for me to be by your side.”
“By the way, how did my mom know you were a ghost?” I asked.
Zhou Manman replied, “I can’t tell you about that right now. You’ll find out eventually, okay?”
I nodded. After finally seeing Zhou Manman again, I couldn’t bear to go against her wishes.
“But,” Zhou Manman continued, “you can only see me when you’re holding that object in your hand. It has a strong restraining power against spirits like me. If you’re not around, I can’t get close at all.”
“Does Guo the Blind say this is a Daoist Sacred Artifact? Will it hurt you?” I asked, looking at the Zhou Compass.
“It won’t hurt as long as you’re here,” Zhou Manman assured me.
“Good,” I said. “By the way, if Old Man Wang and the others hadn’t barged in tonight, I might have lost my life.”
Zhou Manman shook her head and said, "It's not that simple. Even if the villagers don't come, Guo Huaiyi might not be able to kill Li Fugui."
"What other tricks does Li Fugui have left? He's just an ordinary person!" I replied.
Zhou Manman said, "Li Fugui possesses Yin-Yang Eyes, which allow him to see spirits. The first time he saw me, he knew I was a ghost, but he didn't expose me. I don't know why."
It suddenly occurred to me that Li Fugui could not only see my soul but also Zhou Manman. Back when we were at Huang the Lame's house, he saw Zhou Manman attached to Wang Hai without using any Taoist artifacts. He truly possessed Yin-Yang Eyes.
Zhou Manman continued, "Guo Huaiyi has just recently been revived. He used the method of Yin Marriage to absorb all my Soul Power. He hasn't reached full strength yet, but I can feel his Evil Energy growing rapidly. Perhaps Li Fugui is uncertain about him, which is why he doesn't dare to act recklessly."
"Guo the Blind and Guo Huaiyi are too dangerous. They must be seeking revenge against the people of Bright Moon Village and want to kill everyone."
Zhou Manman said, "For now, everyone should be safe. I overheard their conversation; it seems they want to enter the forbidden area on the back mountain of Futu Ridge."
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