Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
Li Fugui kicked open the door of Huang the Lame's house and barged in.
Huang San'er, seeing Li Fugui suddenly intrude, had a provocative look in his eyes, twirling a Swiss Army knife in his hand.
"Li Fugui, what are you doing at my grandfather's house?"
Huang San'er knew that his grandfather had never had any dealings with Li Fugui, and that Li Fugui never regarded anyone highly. His father, Li Wuye, had once been a notorious bandit who knew many outlaws. Later, he was assassinated after being denounced during the struggle sessions against Old Scholar.
For many years, Li Fugui had been investigating the cause of his father's death. The best fighters in Futu Ridge were from the Feng Shui Family's Huang Family. At that time, the Huang Family had guns, and Li Fugui suspected that they were responsible for his father's death. He had targeted the Huang Family several times, but Huang the Lame had always endured. Huang the Lame's son held considerable power in the county and once led a group to ambush Li Fugui in Bright Moon Village, only to return with all of them crippled. Even though the Huang Family controlled both the underworld and legitimate businesses in the county, those who crossed Li Fugui met a grim fate.
Li Fugui's skills far surpassed those of his father, Li Wuye. No one knew where his abilities came from, but whether it was town leaders or county officials, none dared to speak loudly in his presence.
"I came to exorcise a ghost." Li Fugui looked at Wang Hai, who was on the ground gasping for breath. He stepped forward and lifted Wang Hai up before delivering a punch to his chest.
Wang Hai spat out a mouthful of blood. Seeing this, Huang San'er shouted angrily, "What are you doing!"
Li Fugui ignored Huang San'er completely and tightened his fist to deliver another brutal punch to Wang Hai's chest. The sound of breaking bones echoed as Wang Hai's chest caved in, causing him to bleed from all seven orifices and die on the spot.
"I'll kill you!" Huang San'er roared when he saw Li Fugui kill Wang Hai without hesitation. He lunged forward with a knife aimed at Li Fugui's neck.
Li Fugui tilted his neck aside and kicked Huang San'er in the abdomen. Huang San'er flew backward onto the stairs of the hall. With one hand slapping the ground, he performed a graceful roll and stood up fluidly.
I didn't expect Huang San'er to be so agile despite his bulk; no wonder the local thugs respected him. He charged up the stairs toward Li Fugui and aimed a kick at his face. Li Fugui grunted and caught Huang San'er's ankle with his large right hand, swinging him toward the Huang Family's front door.
Huang San'er's forehead slammed against the wall beside the door with a loud thud. The door shook violently; I could feel it even from atop a tree. I couldn't tell if Huang San'er was dead or alive; I only saw him lying motionless on the ground through the shadows of the trees.
Huang San'er, agile and quick, was surprisingly no match for Li Fugui. It suddenly reminded me of what Li Fugui had said when he had my neck in his grip that night.
“With someone like you, I could crush as many as I want.”
Li Fugui glanced at the lifeless Wang Hai in his hand and casually tossed him aside against the wall. Just then, a flowerpot fell silently from the wall beside Li Fugui.
A smirk appeared on Li Fugui's lips as he flicked a black object from his hand, resembling a steel needle. The needle embedded itself into the wall, but it was followed by a woman's piercing scream, and a ghostly figure with disheveled hair appeared in the corner!
I widened my eyes in shock; there really was a ghost!
I had no idea how Li Fugui could see it. I had never heard anyone mention that he possessed the skills of a Feng Shui Master. Yet, he had pinned the invisible female ghost to the wall with a steel needle!
It seemed that Li Fugui wasn't there to kill; he had seen the ghost possess Wang Hai and, in order to expel her spirit, had mercilessly struck Wang Hai dead.
The ghost in the corner had a blurred face, making it impossible to discern her features. She suddenly grasped the black steel needle that pinned her to the wall, emitting a hissing sound as white smoke billowed around her. She lunged at Huang San'er on the ground just as Li Fugui prepared to shoot another needle. However, an unseen force sent the ghost flying back; her hair whipped wildly behind her, and her face was left bloodied and distorted.
Huang San'er was the only grandson of Huang the Lame. As a member of a family renowned for their Feng Shui practices, it was certain that Huang the Lame had entrusted some protective treasure to Huang San'er for his safety. When the ghost was revealed by Li Fugui's attack and attempted to possess Huang San'er, she unexpectedly found herself harmed by the treasure he carried.
Li Fugui readied another steel needle and hurled it at the ghost. In fury, she screamed Li Fugui's name before vanishing into thin air. The needle ricocheted off the wall and clattered to the ground, sparking as it fell.
Li Fugui sneered, “With your soul injured, your physical form must be suffering too. I wonder where you can hide now!”
With that, Li Fugui approached the unconscious Huang San'er and began searching him for something. After all, something exotic must have been hidden on him since an eerie force had just sent the ghost flying.
Before long, he held a piece of ancient jade that faintly radiated a green light in his hand. Li Fugui studied the jade thoughtfully for a moment before breaking into a smile.
It has long been said that jade can protect its owner, and the longer one wears it, the more spiritually attuned it becomes. As the saying goes, jade nurtures people, and people nurture jade.
According to legend, a wealthy merchant from Shanxi once spent a fortune at an exhibition in Guangdong to buy a piece of valuable Spirit Jade. Many people thought he had wasted his money. Two years later, while traveling by train across the Wenzhou Elevated Bridge, he suddenly encountered a catastrophic accident. The entire train plummeted from the heights, and the carriage he was in was severely twisted. Remarkably, he was the only survivor, suffering only minor injuries. It was only on the way to the hospital that he discovered his piece of jade had shattered.
Although many people in the world wear jade, truly protective pieces are rare. Li Fugui had just put away his jade and was about to leave Huang the Lame's house when a short spear shot toward his face.
Hearing the rush of wind, Li Fugui did not dare to take it head-on and swiftly dodged to the side.
The attacker was none other than Huang the Lame, who had hurried back after chasing Big Black Cat. He had initially thought that Big Black Cat was behind the Ghost Killing incidents. However, when he cornered Big Black Cat by a pond and attempted to subdue it with a Copper Inlaid Jade compass, he found that the compass's needle showed no change.
This meant that the cat was not a spirit but merely an old cat that had gained some intelligence over time.
Earlier at home, the Soul-collecting Bell had clearly sounded an alarm. The Huang Family Heirloom's ghost-catching technique mentioned this: when the soul bell rings, a ghost is sure to appear. Realizing this, Huang understood that this cat possessed human-like qualities and must be connected to the true culprit behind the scenes, leading him into a trap.
When Huang the Lame rushed back, it was already too late. His eyes widened in horror as he saw Wang Hai's body thrown in a corner and Huang San'er lying motionless in the moonlight. His eyes turned bloodshot with rage.
"Die!" Huang the Lame thrust his spear fiercely toward Li Fugui's heart.
Li Fugui quickly stepped back to evade Huang's deadly attack. Seizing the moment, Huang pressed forward; with a flick of his wrist, he released the spear. Li Fugui could not dodge in time and could only reach out to grab it.
Huang yanked suddenly, causing Li Fugui's spear to fly back at him. The spear was engraved with uneven talismans, cutting several lines into Li Fugui's palm and drawing blood.
Li Fugui seemed unfazed; without even furrowing his brow, he advanced toward Huang the Lame with a menacing aura.
At nearly eighty years old, Huang had lost most of his white hair. In his youth, he was remarkably skilled in martial arts; even local thugs would address him as Brother Huang. But now, after all these years, his abilities had diminished significantly.
But Huang the Lame did not back down. He threw a punch at Li Fugui's heart, but Li Fugui caught Huang the Lame's wrist with one hand. With a crack, a bone broke, and Huang the Lame winced in pain as he thrust his short spear toward Li Fugui's head with his other hand.
Li Fugui countered with a punch to Huang the Lame's chest, sending him flying backward. Blood trickled from the corner of Huang the Lame's mouth, and he suspected several ribs were broken. He knew that Li Fugui had encountered extraordinary individuals in his youth, but he had no idea that Li Fugui's skills surpassed his own by such a margin.
Coughing up blood, Huang the Lame gritted his teeth and suddenly kicked off the ground, aiming a flying kick at Li Fugui's chest. Li Fugui clenched his fists, revealing his broad arms and strong muscles beneath his shirt. Although Huang the Lame struck him in the chest, he was sent reeling backward while Li Fugui only took a single step back.
Li Fugui brushed off the shoe print on his chest and looked disdainfully at the injured Huang the Lame lying on the ground.
“Li Fugui, my Huang Family has always kept to ourselves. I never sought revenge for your repeated provocations against my family in the past. Now you dare to invade my home. What exactly do you intend to achieve by orchestrating the events of Futu Ridge and Ghost Killing?!”
Li Fugui replied, “I am not the mastermind behind Ghost Killing.”
“What a joke! Could Wang Hai have been killed by anyone other than you?” Huang the Lame gasped.
Li Fugui responded, “Yes, I killed him, but it was to uncover who was truly behind this. The peace of Futu Ridge cannot be disturbed by anyone. The prophecy of Futu Ridge's demise has already begun to unfold. I must identify the root cause of this disaster; killing one useless person is insignificant.”
“You really think yourself noble; it's laughable!” Huang the Lame retorted angrily.
Li Fugui said coldly, “I don’t understand what’s so funny about it. You and Guo the Blind are both useless as Futu Ridge ’s most esteemed Feng Shui Masters. Despite your extensive investigations, you’ve found nothing. If I don’t take action soon, who knows what kind of chaos Futu Ridge will descend into because of you two?”
“I want you dead!” At that moment, Huang the Lame seized his chance and swung the spear tied with a rope toward Li Fugui from the side. The rope wrapped around a tree trunk behind him and circled toward Li Fugui. Yet it was as if Li Fugui had eyes in the back of his head; without even looking, he grasped the incoming spear.
With a sudden pull, Li Fugui yanked Huang the Lame forward.
With a thud, Li Fugui landed a punch on Huang the Lame’s chest, causing him to stagger back against a Poplar tree. Slumping down beside it, blood flowed from both of Huang the Lame's ears as his internal organs were shattered by Li Fugui's blow.
"Old Man, I am not the killer of Ghost Killing. If you insist on challenging my patience, you are only seeking your own death." Li Fugui snorted and turned to leave. As he stepped on a short spear lying on the ground, he kicked it towards Huang the Lame.
With a thud, accompanied by the sound of breaking branches, the black spear pierced through Huang the Lame's chest, protruding from the Poplar behind him.
I was so frightened that I held my breath, not daring to make a sound. Li Fugui was a ruthless killer, far more merciless than Huang San. If he discovered me now, I would surely meet my end here.
Li Fugui didn’t even glance at the barely breathing Huang the Lame and quickly vanished into the darkness.
After Li Fugui left, I was about to climb down from the Phoenix Tree when a Dao Body figure suddenly appeared in my line of sight. He walked slowly and calmly towards Huang the Lame; it was Guo the Blind.
"It’s you," Huang the Lame said weakly upon seeing Guo the Blind.
"It is me," Guo the Blind replied. He bent down and rummaged through Huang the Lame's arms, pulling out a Copper Inlaid Jade compass.
Guo the Blind looked at Huang the Lame with a beaming smile, filled with uncontainable excitement, followed by a hearty laugh.
Huang the Lame's face turned pale as he coughed up blood and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Guo the Blind replied, "I laugh because there are people like you in this world who don’t recognize treasures. Your father, Huang Bansian, was illiterate, and so are you. Even that arrogant old fellow Li Fugui is no exception."
Huang the Lame glanced at the Copper Inlaid Jade compass in Guo the Blind's hand. "This compass passed down from my ancestors isn’t of much use."
Guo the Blind responded, "It’s not that it isn’t useful; it’s just that you don’t know how to use it. The Zhou Compass is a Daoist Sacred Artifact. It’s no surprise that a Feng Shui Master like you from a rural background wouldn’t know this. But I can tell you that one of the reasons Old Scholar appeared in Futu Ridge was to search for the Zhou Compass! He believed it had been brought into Futu Ridge's forbidden area by an extraordinary person hundreds of years ago. Little did he know it became an ordinary compass used by your Huang Family for Feng Shui and ghost hunting. What a joke! If he were still alive, he would surely be furious."
Huang the Lame sighed and said, "I, Huang the Lame, am just a simple villager and cannot compare to a Daoist Grandmaster. Even if I knew this Zhou Compass was a treasure, I wouldn’t be able to use it. If Brother Guo likes it, then take it; I only ask that Brother Guo spares my useless grandson."
"Guo the Blind said, 'Huang the Lame, I never intended to kill your useless grandson. It's just that his protective jade has been taken by Li Fugui. If a ghost wants to kill him, I can't stop it.'
Huang the Lame replied, 'There's no need for you to worry, Brother Guo. I, Huang Youshan, have lived my life in the mountains, away from the world. Unlike you, Brother Guo, who has Daoist teachings and great ambitions, I am nearing death. It's not that I can't defeat Li Fugui; it's just that I want to know what happened with Futu Ridge. I don't want to die without understanding.'
Guo the Blind responded, 'It's just a ghost seeking revenge; what else could it be?'
'I don't think it's that simple. Li Tong from Bright Moon Village was probably killed by you, right?' Huang the Lame asked.
Guo the Blind nodded and said, 'That's correct. Li Tong was already hanged in the bathing room before the female ghost killed her. I just didn't expect that the Ghost Killing incident would coincide with my plans over the years, so I took advantage of it and did some confusing things.'
'So, Brother Guo must have known who the female ghost was long ago. I was puzzled as to how you, as a disciple of an Old Scholar, couldn't distinguish between yin and yang like me, a half-baked one.'
Comment 0 Comment Count