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墨書 Inktalez
Running a restaurant, families typically keep a few dogs around. Not only do they consume little food, but they also help prevent rats or cats from stealing. After years of navigating this world, Zhang Ye was quite adept at dealing with these guard dogs. He tossed a few prepared buns laced with rat poison from his pocket and whistled. Sure enough, several dogs rushed out to snatch the food. Zhang Ye leisurely lit a cigarette, and after a while, the area fell silent. He stubbed out the cigarette and exchanged a glance with Wei Ning. The two of them jumped over the security gate and directly entered the yard.
It was peculiar that this establishment, clearly a dining place, had rented such a deep house. At the back of the house was a room that had been closed off for years. Zhang Ye had already sensed something unusual there, suspecting it held the family's secret for disaster relief within its dark confines.
The two of them crept toward the dark room. Perhaps due to their guilty conscience, they were particularly cautious, afraid of being recognized by each other. Wei Ning was somewhat better off, but Zhang Ye had it worse; he exaggeratedly wore a black mask. Wei Ning couldn't help but feel exasperated—this wasn't a bank robbery; why not just wear a hood instead?
Inside the dark room, thick frosted glass separated it from the outside, clearly intended to obscure whatever was happening inside from prying eyes. Even with Wei Ning's keen eyesight, he could only make out vague shapes. A strange sound emanated from within, not like food preparation but rather resembling the squeaks of mice. Both Wei Ning and Zhang Ye grew even more suspicious of this establishment.
Zhang Ye, being an expert in this field, calmly took out a suction cup from his pocket and affixed it to the glass. He then produced a glass cutter and carefully made a small incision before cautiously pulling away the suction cup to create a thumb-sized hole. Wei Ning and Zhang Ye leaned in closer.
In the center of the room stood a grinding stone, its purpose unclear. Behind it seemed to be something buried—only a head was visible, resembling that of a fox. Zhang Ye looked on in confusion, but Wei Ning gasped in recognition: "The Fox Control Technique!"
Fox Control? What kind of dark art was that? Zhang Ye felt utterly bewildered.
Wei Ning whispered an explanation: "Fox Control is an ancient technique often mentioned alongside Nurturing Ghosts. I thought no one practiced it anymore; I never expected to see it here..."
Just as Wei Ning finished speaking, they heard the sound of a door opening. He quickly fell silent as a plump man walked in. Zhang Ye remarked, "This fat guy must be the boss of this place. From what you’ve said, it seems this restaurant really is sinister."
As Wei Ning got a good look at this person, his heart raced with shock; he recognized him. This man had significantly altered his life. Although Wei Ning was kind-hearted, he would never forget the humiliation this man had inflicted upon him.
Had he not encountered him before, it would have been fine; now that this person stood right before him, Wei Ning felt his blood boil with rage and wanted nothing more than to confront him.
This was none other than Li Li—the short and chubby brother from the Li Brothers who had relentlessly stalked him during his time as Lin Lingsu's Corpse Driver and had openly insulted him in front of Lin Lingsu herself.
They brought the greatest humiliation of his life to Wei Ning, a memory he would never forget.
How could he be here? Had the disciples of Dragon Tiger Mountain fallen so low that they had to open a restaurant to make a living?
Li Li walked over to the fox, pulling out an iron rod as thick as his thumb, and struck down hard on the fox's head. The fox let out a chilling scream, filled with agony.
"Do you submit? Do you submit?" Li Li shouted fiercely while beating the fox. The pitiful cries were unbearable even for Zhang Ye, who cursed, "Beast!"
Li Li seemed entirely focused on the fox, oblivious to the commotion outside. He continued to beat and berate the creature until it was on the brink of death. Only then did he relent. Zhang Ye could no longer stand by; he stood up and was about to rush out.
Wei Ning stopped him with a look and said, "The method of raising foxes involves burying one in the ground with only its head above, then beating it and starving it for days while placing plenty of food nearby for it to see but not reach. When its desires and resentments peak, you finish it off with a wooden stick, letting it bleed out slowly."
"Damn it, they're not even human," Zhang Ye couldn't take it anymore and was ready to charge in.
Wei Ning sighed, "What good will rushing out do? You won't save that fox anyway. It's better to wait and see what he intends to do. I have my own way of dealing with him."
Seeing that the fox was nearly lifeless, Li Li muttered to himself, "It's almost done; this fox has endured enough. I should prepare tomorrow's ingredients first. Otherwise, when those students arrive, I won't be able to keep up. Those people are useless; everything has to be handled by me personally."
Li Li took out a bamboo tube and shook it in the wind. To his surprise, four or five foxes slowly crawled out from inside, though they appeared somewhat ethereal and not very real.
Wei Ning remarked, "This must be his previous technique of controlling foxes. After torturing so many animals, this person will eventually face retribution." Since he had first laid eyes on this man, Wei Ning had been filled with rage but had held back because he already had a plan forming in his mind.
After experiencing many things, Wei Ning was no longer the impulsive child he once was; he had gradually matured and learned the value of restraint.
"Because foxes possess the highest spiritual essence among animals and are the easiest to transform into spirits, practitioners of the Dao often seek to refine their souls. However, due to the cruel methods used in the process, and since animal spirits tend to be more ferocious than human souls, they will inevitably seek revenge on their masters whenever they find an opportunity..." As he spoke, a faint smile appeared at the corners of Wei Ning's mouth as he thought, "What goes around comes around, Li Li. It’s time for you to pay back what you owe."
The few foxes that crawled out of the bamboo tube looked at Li Li with evident fear, curling up and trembling on the ground. Li Li swung a metal rod down fiercely at one of the foxes, which let out a piercing cry. The other foxes trembled even more violently.
Li Li took out a knife and cut open his wrist, letting bright red blood drip onto the grinding stone. The foxes' eyes gleamed with greed as they rushed forward to lick Li Li's blood. With both hands forming seals, Li Li shouted sternly, "Mysterious Underworld Ruler, heed my command! With my blood, summon forth the spirits! Gather quickly from all directions, Yin Spirits! Hurry as per my decree!"
Suddenly, the lights in the dark room flickered as a rustling sound grew closer. One mouse appeared, then two, then three; more and more mice seemed to respond to some command as they hurried in from all directions. They scurried through a hole into the dark room, with one mouse biting the tail of another, forming a long line that climbed onto the center of the grinding stone.
Li Li swung his metal rod and shouted loudly, "Move!"
The foxes trembled again and quickly pushed against the grinding stone. It began to creak and turn, while the group of mice seemed to be under some magical control as they dove into the center of the stone, getting ground into paste. The mice at the front entered without fear, followed by those behind them who continued to rush in one after another.
Ghost Grinding Mill. Wei Ning thought to himself.
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