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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
Mr. Chang and I escaped from the cave and finally returned to the Futu Stupa.
I placed the Bluestone Slab over the cave entrance and then sat down in front of the brightly moonlit door of the Futu Stupa.
At that moment, Chen Jixian and Wang Cong were standing outside the Futu Stupa. The area around the stupa was eerily quiet, not a single sound could be heard.
I rubbed my ears, wondering if I had gone deaf.
Wang Cong, seeing that Mr. Chang and I had returned, looked both surprised and delighted. He exclaimed, "Yang Hao, you actually rescued Mr. Chang!"
"Thanks to Yang Hao," Mr. Chang said, but then frowned. "Why is it so silent all around?"
Wang Cong replied, "I don't know. Just a few minutes ago, everything was normal, and then suddenly there was no sound at all."
Chen Jixian added, "It was just midnight; perhaps this is one of the peculiarities of Futu Ridge."
"Captain Chen, you don't look so well," I asked as I sat on the steps in front of the Futu Stupa.
"Without food or water, whose complexion would be good?" Chen Jixian replied.
Mr. Chang said, "Alright, it seems safe now. Let's head out."
Mr. Chang started toward the exit when Chen Jixian flatly remarked, "What’s the rush, Mr. Chang? Don't you want to see what exactly is sealed above in this twenty-eight-story Futu Stupa?"
Mr. Chang looked puzzled and asked, "Is there something sealed in this tower?"
Chen Jixian did not answer but turned to me and asked, "Yang Hao, without beating around the bush, do you really want to break the seal?"
I replied, "That depends on whether you know what is hidden inside and if it's worth opening."
"Sealed within is the secret to destroying the Forbidden Area," Chen Jixian said.
"How do you know this so clearly?" Mr. Chang asked.
Wang Cong clearly sensed the unusualness in Chen Jixian's words. He questioned, "Boss, how do you know that the Futu Stupa hides the secret to destroying the Forbidden Area?"
"This is not your concern," Chen Jixian replied, looking at Wang Cong.
I chuckled and said, "You’ve been holding it in for so long, haven’t you? Who exactly are you? Where did the real Captain Chen go?"
Chen Jixian replied, "Who I am is not important. What matters is that I want to save the people of Futu Ridge. As long as the Forbidden Area of Futu Ridge exists, the common folk will be in danger."
"Alright, alright, don’t act so righteous. Like I said, if you want to tear down the talisman, go ahead yourself; I don't have time for this," I said.
Chen Jixian smiled and then turned to Mr. Chang. "You seem so composed; it appears you're not afraid of me. Did you already know I wasn't Chen Jixian?"
Mr. Chang replied, "From the moment we entered this door, I knew. When Chen Jixian was climbing outside the Forbidden Area, he had a rope with him. But when he came out from the Forbidden Area to meet us, I noticed that the rope was missing. So after we entered here, I specifically looked back at the mountain behind us several times but found no rope at all. This clearly indicated that Chen Jixian might have been harmed, and his body is likely still on this wall-like mountain. It’s just that you’re acting, and I’m playing along."
Chen Jixian remarked, "Old ginger is still spicier; I had already suspected something was off with you, Daoist Sect member?"
"Boss, what exactly are you?" Wang Cong asked in confusion, surprised by our conversation.
Chen Jixian smiled slightly; his eyes suddenly glowed with a faint green light. Seeing this, Mr. Chang quickly raised his hand to shield his eyes. I was unsure of what was happening; my mind went blank for a moment, and a black character appeared on my forehead. I felt a brief pain in my head before regaining my senses.
Wang Cong's expression became vacant as he walked toward Chen Jixian.
"Wang Cong, come back!" I shouted at him, but Wang Cong did not respond.
Chen Jixian handed a knife to Wang Cong, who immediately pressed the blade against his throat. I frowned and asked, "Who are you really? What do you want me to do?"
Chen Jixian replied, "It's simple: tear down the talisman above the Futu Stupa, and I will let your friend go."
I let out a hum and said, "So you're the thing in this forbidden area. No one who enters can ever leave, huh? I suppose if I tear off the Talisman from the Futu Stupa, you could escape this place?"
"That's right. If you free me, I can grant you any wish and won't harm the villagers of Futu Ridge," Chen Jixian replied.
"Hah." I chuckled mockingly. "What luck I have to meet a genie. I must have been Aladdin in my past life."
Chen Jixian squinted and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
I replied, "It doesn't matter. You can let me tear off the Talisman, but you have to release all my friends first. I need to see them leave with my own eyes."
Chen Jixian hesitated for a moment, a strange glint flashing in his eyes. Wang Cong regained his senses, his face pale with fear as he pointed his knife at Chen Jixian, repeatedly asking what had happened.
"Mr. Chang." I looked at Mr. Chang, signaling him to go ahead. He nodded and walked toward the exit with Wang Cong.
Chen Jixian showed no fear and gestured for me to go first. I followed closely behind Mr. Chang and Wang Cong until we emerged from the cave of the forbidden area a few minutes later.
Before us lay the moonlit clearing in front of the forbidden area, with the Pine Forest visible in the distance.
Huzi stood on the embankment beside a person lying unconscious—none other than Chen Jixian.
Seeing us return, Huzi's face lit up with joy as he shouted, "Hao, you finally made it out! I thought you guys..."
As Huzi took a few steps forward and noticed my gesture towards him, he stepped back. Just then, another Chen Jixian walked out from the cave behind me.
Huzi stared at the Chen Jixian behind us and then at the unconscious one beside him, looking as if he had seen a ghost. "How can there be two of them?"
"Boss! What happened?" Wang Cong also spotted the Chen Jixian lying on the embankment and rushed over after calling out.
"I haven't let you go yet; you think you can just run out of the forbidden area?"
The Chen Jixian behind us spoke up, and suddenly Wang Cong collapsed, his knife piercing his heart. He struggled for a moment before going still.
"How do you kill people?!" I turned and glared at Chen Jixian.
Chen Jixian replied, "The consequence of disobedience is this. I hold the power of life and death over each one of you. Whoever I want to live will live, and whoever I want to die will die."
I said, "If you're so capable, why don't you just tear off the Gold Foil Talisman from the Futu Stupa yourself? Why are you asking me?"
"You think I want to!" Chen Jixian was provoked by my words, his voice suddenly taking on a strange tone that was neither distinctly masculine nor feminine. He suddenly reached out to me, and I found myself uncontrollably flying towards him, lifted by his grip.
What happened next nearly scared me to death; his tongue shot out from his mouth, extending two or three meters long, and licked my face.
I struggled desperately, kicking at him with my feet. Chen Jixian threw me to the ground and said, "Your life is still useful to me. I'll deal with these two useless ones first, especially this one."
Chen Jixian then opened his mouth and inhaled towards Huzi, the surrounding trees swaying as a strong wind suddenly picked up.
Huzi's face turned pale with fear; just as he was about to run, the gust of wind blew him back, his clothes flapping wildly.
Thud!
Clang!
A long spear shot out from Chen Jixian's mouth, piercing through the back of his neck and nailing him to the mountainside behind.
Li Fugui walked out from the trees. He stepped over the embankment and approached the forbidden area, saying, "The Snake Goddess bullying a bunch of kids like this—creating winds and setting traps—is quite amusing."
At the cave entrance, Chen Jixian covered his face as it began to change shape at a visible speed. Soon, he collapsed to the ground as a Dried Corpse, and in the spot where he had stood appeared a woman in white radiating a soft glow. She looked somewhat aged, with white hair and eyebrows.
"It's you again!" The woman's voice was hoarse, her pupils deep and piercing like those of a venomous snake.
"That's right, it's me," Li Fugui replied solemnly.
At that moment, a fierce-looking Guo Huaiyi suddenly charged out of the cave towards me, shouting, "I'll kill you!"
The woman reached out to stop Guo Huaiyi, saying, "This person is still useful; you should go back first."
"But he hurt me!" Guo Huaiyi exclaimed, covering the injured side of his face.
The woman replied, "You will have your revenge sooner or later; there's no need to rush."
Guo Huaiyi's face twisted in anger. He moved behind the woman, resting his chin on her shoulder as he spoke softly, "I'm not like some people who have been suppressed for hundreds of years and can only barely let a wisp of their soul escape from the ground. Your enemies are already dead; who will you take revenge on, Snake Goddess?"
I was shocked to hear Guo Huaiyi's words. This woman was actually the Snake Goddess. Was her true form human or snake? Was she the White Python we saw under the Futu Stupa?
The Snake Goddess said, "I will go, but your revenge will come in due time. Don't provoke me."
Guo Huaiyi's eyes burned with resentment. He snorted lightly and said, "Don't forget what you promised my father. If you remain like this, you'll truly rot away inside."
With that, Guo Huaiyi shot me a look filled with hatred before turning and walking back into the cave.
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