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Chapter 178: Broken Dreams
The Copper Coin Sword can be divided into the Single Copper Sword and the Hundred Copper Sword.
Copper Coins were the currency circulated in ancient markets. After being exchanged by countless people, they absorbed an immense amount of Yang Qi, making them a powerful tool against Yin entities.
The Single Copper Sword refers to a copper sword made by binding five, seven, or nine Copper Coins with a red string in a vertical manner, while the Hundred Copper Sword is formed by laying and binding together over a hundred Copper Coins.
The copper sword in my hand was naturally the Hundred Copper Sword. After the Six-Sided Yellow Flag flew towards Guo Yang, I rushed towards Guo Yang with the copper sword in hand. However, having learned from my previous experience, this time I dared not breathe through my nose and could only use my mouth.
Upon seeing me charge forward, Guo Yang let out an angry roar and leaped off the coffin lid, instantly jumping over a meter away. At that moment, the Six-Sided Yellow Flag landed one after another, forming a hexagram pattern that surrounded Guo Yang in an instant.
At the same time, I took out a handful of Hell Money and scattered it towards Guo Yang, then shook a bell.
Hell Money is currency for ghosts! However, the Hell Money that had already been burned and the Hell Money that had not yet been burned were marked with the Ghost Seal Stamp. Therefore, instead of being favored by ghosts, it became their nemesis.
After being surrounded by Hell Money, Guo Yang let out a loud shout. As I shook the bell, the small yellow flags inserted into the ground fluttered in the wind. The small yellow flags supported each other; for humans, it might seem inconsequential, but for ghosts, these small yellow flags had gathered a certain amount of Spiritual Energy from heaven and earth due to their long-term use in rituals. Under the invigorating sound of the bell, these small yellow flags could gather more Spiritual Energy from heaven and earth. The interaction between them formed an invisible Spiritual Energy field strong enough to confine Guo Yang in place.
Guo Yang was certainly unwilling to accept this. He attempted to jump out of the encirclement, but every time he tried to leap away, I would throw another handful of Hell Money at him. After several exchanges, I charged right in front of Guo Yang and raised my Copper Coin Sword to strike directly at his head.
Guo Yang was filled with resentment and roared as he thrust his straightened arms towards me. I had no intention of dodging; after all, humans had become the dominant species on Earth precisely because they developed weapons using their intellect.
Holding the Copper Coin Sword, I took advantage of my weapon's superiority and struck down at Guo Yang's head first. Just as his hands were about to stab me, his eyes suddenly widened and his body stood rigidly in place.
I quickly removed my Daoist Robe and spun it above Guo Yang's head before jumping up and pressing it down onto the ground.
As is well known, humans possess Three Souls and Seven Spirits. Once a person becomes a ghost, their Seven Souls become the essence of their spirit. Even if they are scattered into nothingness, given time and opportunity, they can reassemble their Seven Souls and form a complete ghost again.
My Copper Coin Sword can separate Guo Yang's soul from his body and also disperse his Seven Souls. By using my Daoist Robe to forcibly gather Guo Yang's soul together, he could quickly consolidate his spirit into a ghost. I did this because there were still many questions I needed to ask Guo Yang.
Once the Daoist Robe was pressed onto the ground, it began to undulate as if it were filled with air. While holding down the edges of the Daoist Robe, I waited patiently for the right moment. Meanwhile, Guo Yang's body stood rigidly in front of me without moving.
Given our close proximity, I could clearly see that although this body was exquisitely crafted, there were obvious cracks between its features and face. In other words, this was specifically a Paper Figurine made from Paper Craft.
However, I cannot understand why Guo Yang is a person in life and a ghost in death. Even if there is a Paper Figurine acting as a body, it should be a Paper Spirit, so how did it turn into a Zombie?
At the time, my Master Master Ma did not dare to confront Liu Lao Er directly, perhaps out of guilt or a desire to avoid harming a fellow disciple. However, my Shidi and I boldly speculated that the main reason was likely that Master Ma was not a match for Liu Lao Er.
Liu Lao Er is a descendant of the paper-making family. When anyone teaches their apprentice skills, they will always hold back a little, unless the apprentice is their own Son.
I do not know if Guo Yongjia received the true teachings from Liu Lao Er, but I certainly did not learn all of Master Ma's skills. However, it seems that Guo Yongjia is stronger than I am; at least I cannot make a ghost possess a Paper Figurine and turn it into a Zombie.
After a while, the Daoist Robe finally calmed down. I slowly picked up the Daoist Robe, then put it on again. On the Ground, Guo Yang lay motionless.
Once I had donned the Daoist Robe, I said calmly, “Guo Yang! Get up; I have some questions for you.”
Guo Yang, lying on the Ground, perhaps frightened by my earlier actions, looked at me with trepidation and said, “It was Liu Yiyi who sent you here, right?”
“Not entirely!” I replied coldly.
Guo Yang slowly crawled up from the Ground. He glanced at the identical Paper Figurine beside him without much surprise and said to me, “Cao Qilong, enough already! I have no grievances with you recently; why are you relentlessly pursuing me?”
I sensed there was some misunderstanding here, but it was understandable. After all, Guo Yang is now an underling of Guo Yongjia, and it's normal for him to be filled with certain ideologies. However, I did not want to dwell on that too much and said lightly, “Tell me how you died. How did you become a Paper Spirit? Are there any other Paper Spirits besides you?”
By now, I could be quite sure that Guo Yongjia had already guessed that I would return tonight! Whether it was the soul-ensnaring formation or Guo Yang's corpse transformation, it was clearly prepared for me. If it were just to deal with thieves, one soul-ensnaring formation would suffice; there would be no need to bring out Guo Yang.
At this moment, Guo Yang looked at me warily and then said, “What does it have to do with you?”
“It doesn't concern me directly, but it is related to Liu Yiyi,” I replied.
“Her?” Upon hearing Liu Yiyi, Guo Yang instantly became agitated and shouted, “That wretched woman! How could I treat her so well in life only for her to desecrate my grave after my death? Now I have no place to rest even in the afterlife! In life, I had everything taken care of; in death, I can't even afford a Paper House! That wretched woman has harmed me so much that I wish I could kill her!”
I truly did not expect that lovers in life could end up like this after death. Does love really change? For someone like me who is single, perhaps it's too difficult to comprehend. Yet I couldn't help but say, “Guo Yang, listen carefully! Liu Yiyi, she is already dead!”
“Don’t mention her again…” Guo Yang almost reflexively wanted to refute me. However, halfway through his words, he suddenly paused and hurriedly approached me. “What did you say? She’s dead?”
“That's right!” I nodded. Then, I recounted the tragic circumstances of Liu Yiyi's death to Guo Yang.
Guo Yang listened, and the anger on his face was instantly replaced by sorrow. It was only then that I realized how strange the power of love truly is! Just a second ago, Guo Yang was gritting his teeth in hatred for Liu Yiyi, and now he was grieving for her death.
Guo Yang sank into despair for a moment before suddenly raising his head and saying, “Impossible, you’re lying to me!”
“Do you think I have any reason to lie to you?” I replied calmly. “A piece of Rebar inserted into her lower body, combined with her wrists slashed by her own hands, she couldn’t be more dead! No matter how much you hate her, there’s one thing you must understand: she hid your Corpse because she loved you. Perhaps this love was somewhat misguided, but it cannot be denied that until her last moments, she smiled at your Corpse with a face full of happiness. After your death, you hated her! But what about her? I believe that if she could make a wish before dying, it would definitely be to become your woman in the next life!”
I didn’t know what love felt like; I didn’t know what it was like to love someone or to be loved. All I knew was that love could drive people mad or elevate them to divinity. When a man is out conquering the world, who thinks of the wife waiting at home? She might not go to battle alongside him or heal his wounds, but the torment she endures daily is no less than the suffering he faces on the battlefield. It is a loneliness filled with worry, emptiness, and longing.
Guo Yang did not continue speaking but slowly lowered his head. The cold wind blew past him, making his body appear somewhat ethereal, as if it were rippling like an EEG.
“Guo Yang, I don’t have time to waste with you.” I said impatiently, “I can guarantee that since Guo Yongjia can turn you into a Paper Charm Zombie, he can also transform Liu Yiyi into a Ghostly Zombie. Unlike you, I can assure you that after her death, she will definitely become a Wraith! In other words, if Liu Yiyi is controlled by Guo Yongjia, she will commit many sins and may very well end up in the Eighteen Layers of Hell!”
After hearing this, Guo Yang quickly raised his head and said, “How can this be? Aren’t you the Master? Can’t you save her?”
“I can save her, but only if you cooperate. You may not have heard of the Husband-Watching Formation, but you should have heard of Wangfu Rock, right?” I explained patiently. “Guo Yongjia turned Liu Yiyi into Wangfu Rock to allow her to absorb enough Resentment. You’d better tell me everything you’ve experienced; only then will I have a chance to save Liu Yiyi.”
The so-called Wangfu Rock has many versions in folklore, but they all share one common theme: a woman waits for her husband to return until death takes her, turning into a stone that remains on the path where he would return, always watching.
Once Liu Yiyi entered the Husband-Watching Formation, perhaps she could sense that Guo Yang was buried right across from her but could never meet him. Over time, she would become a resentful spirit. With Liu Yiyi’s infatuation, she would never give up. When her Resentment rises and combines with the trapped spirits' Resentment in the lower Seven Gates Ghost Sealing Formation, it would be enough for Liu Yiyi to transform into a Hundred Ghosts Vengeful Spirits. At that point, whether it’s the Copper Coin Sword or the Peach Wood Sword, it would be nothing more than extinguishing a flame against the overwhelming Resentment of Liu Yiyi.
I waited for Guo Yang’s response. He seemed hesitant but ultimately revealed his cause of death and everything he had experienced.
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