Chapter 155: Refining Humans into Treasures
Chapter 155: Refining Humans into Treasures
Everyone felt a bit more at ease and slowly approached, but when they reached the door, they couldn't help but hesitate.
None of them were fools, knowing that in such a dangerous situation, no one dared to rush forward. They all hoped someone else would make the first move.
As they slowed down, the two men with sallow faces and the three knife-wielding men in hemp clothing exchanged glances and slowly moved to the front.
Each of them held a knife. When they reached the door, they took a deep breath and, in unison, pushed the two wooden doors open.
With a loud crack, the wooden doors swung open, revealing the dark interior of the ancestral hall.
Although there was firelight, most of the space inside the hall remained shrouded in darkness, making it hard to see clearly.
But as the two men entered, everyone else took a step back. Seeing nothing dangerous emerge, they steadied themselves and, led by the two sallow-faced men, rushed into the hall.
This was the most critical moment. No one knew what traps, hidden weapons, or people might be lurking in the darkness, so everyone was extremely cautious.
However, they didn't notice that, as they entered the hall, Young Master Lu and the old monkey exchanged a glance, nodded slightly, and then took out a new lantern. He then retrieved several new paper figures from the cart.
Four paper figures were arranged in a row, pointing towards the hall, or more specifically, towards Hu Ma and the others' backs.
The old monkey held a white lantern and stood between the paper figures.
Young Master Lu, meanwhile, took a brush and drew mouths on the blank faces of the four paper figures. He then attached four yellow slips of paper, which he had prepared earlier, to the mouths of the paper figures.
It was faintly visible that each yellow slip bore a name, one of which was "Zhou Dazhuang."
After doing this, he exchanged another glance with the old monkey and nodded.
At this moment, Hu Ma and the others had already pushed the doors open and, seeing no immediate danger, shouted and rushed into the hall.
As they suddenly entered, the darkness before their eyes made everyone's nerves taut, fearing any sudden danger.
... But that was for others.
Hu Ma rushed into the hall, his steps never ceasing. He took off his bamboo hat and raincoat, threw them into the corner, and then used the Ghost Ascends technique to climb the walls and onto the roof beam. He then took out his steel knife and carefully observed below.
"Zhou Dazhuang..."
At the same moment, a clear voice suddenly sounded in his ear, as if speaking right behind him.
Now on the roof beam, he looked through the open windows and doors, his vision broadened.
Outside the hall, by the donkey cart, stood four paper figures. The mouths of these four paper figures now had yellow tongues.
Upon closer inspection, these were actually yellow slips of paper with names written on them.
As Young Master Lu cast his spell from behind, a cold wind suddenly blew, and the four paper figures spoke, calling out four names, including his own.
"Huh?"
The three others, though on guard, were already tense. Hearing Young Master Lu call their names, they instinctively turned around and saw him standing by the cart, waving frantically.
They hurriedly walked out and asked, "Young Master, what's the matter?"
But when they asked, Young Master Lu remained silent, still waving towards the hall.
Feeling somewhat puzzled, they instinctively reached out to push Young Master Lu.
Suddenly, they realized their hands felt weightless, as if they could be blown away by the wind. They were momentarily taken aback and stood there, stunned.
It wasn't until the two sallow-faced men and the knife-wielding men in hemp clothing came out of the hall and bowed to Young Master Lu, saying, "Congratulations, Young Master. The ritual is complete, and we have gained some useful helpers," that they regained their senses.
Young Master Lu laughed heartily and said, "That's great. Now I have the confidence to compete with my junior sister!"
"Come out, all of you!"
"..."
With his call, the hall was filled with the sound of footsteps. The martial artists who had just rushed in all walked out.
In addition to those who had come with them, there were a few unfamiliar faces.
Their faces were covered with thick yellow paper, which had been soaked in water and now clung to their faces. They stood silently.
"Finally, we made it."
Young Master Lu smiled and said, "With these helpers, we will surely take the lead in the Blue Robe and Red Lantern duel."
The few who had been called out finally realized what had happened. They were shocked and desperately tried to return to their bodies.
But to their horror, their "selves" were already standing among the martial artists. They rushed to enter their bodies but felt suffocated and were suddenly forced out. Their fear was indescribable.
One of them, filled with anger, cursed at Young Master Lu and swung his fist to strike.
"Ah, so you are indeed a martial artist, with quite a temper."
Old Monkey held up a white lantern, walking beside Young Master Lu. Seeing the paper figures swaying as if moved by the wind, the flame inside his lantern flickered, almost going out. He smiled and made a hand sign, pointing at the flame, which then rose and burned more brightly.
Then he laughed and said to Young Master Lu, "These people are greedy for silver and want to help the master retrieve treasures."
"But they didn't expect that the treasures the master wants are they themselves."
"..."
"Treasures?"
Young Master Lu sneered, "Lord Taishui is the true treasure."
"Besides Lord Taishui, people are treasures too."
"My master is partial, only teaching me this unique skill with the yellow paper, but he gave even more valuable skills to my junior sister. Still, this unique skill with the yellow paper is enough. Once I refine these treasures, I won’t worry about not rising to a high position in the Blue Robe Gang."
"When I become the Grand Offering Master of the Blue Robe Gang, it will be time to gather people and find that old man of mine, and have a good chat with my lovely junior sister..."
"Whatever treasure my junior sister obtains, she will have to obediently hand it over in the end."
"..."
Old Monkey also laughed, "What about the things in the old tomb of Ma Family Village?"
"My junior sister has already taken the lead. I fear I won’t be able to outdo her, even if I subdue these people, it will be a fifty-fifty chance with her..."
Thinking this, Young Master Lu said in a low voice, "Don’t worry about the rest for now, just refine these treasures first. Whether I go inside to snatch the treasure from my junior sister or withdraw directly, it will still be a gain."
As he spoke, he walked up to the people who had just come out of the ancestral hall.
Three of them were the three martial artists whose souls had been called out, and the fourth, wearing a bamboo hat and a raincoat, was of course Hu Ma.
Unlike the others, these three had only a thin sheet of yellow paper on their faces, which had already torn at some point.
"Let you bow to my skill."
Young Master Lu pulled out a stack of used yellow paper from his chest. The thick stack was already stuck together, with human features faintly visible.
He smiled and walked towards these people, saying, "This unique skill was passed down from the prison."
"Those who were imprisoned, if they didn’t obey, were tied to a chair, with yellow paper pasted on their faces, and then water was poured, layer by layer, bucket by bucket, making it impossible to breathe or open their eyes."
"By the time they died, their souls couldn’t escape, and remained on the paper, turning into human faces."
"This skill is called promotion, and in our sect, it’s called the Yellow Paper Technique."
"..."
He continued, turning to the paper figures, knowing their souls were inside and wanting them to submit, so he explained in detail:
"Now you have been ensnared by my technique, your souls are trapped outside. If you want to return, you can, but remember to obey from now on, even if it means jumping into boiling oil without hesitation."
"Otherwise, I can scatter your souls and replace them with others."
"..."
The martial artists whose souls had been called out immediately became even angrier and more frightened, fluttering around him in a chaotic manner.
Old Monkey watched the flame in his lantern flicker and knew they were still causing trouble, but he didn’t care at all.
If even he could fall for the trick, why wouldn’t these coarse martial artists?
He watched as Young Master Lu pasted the yellow paper on the faces of these martial artists.
The last one was the young Age Keeper.
He sighed softly: this child had a good connection with him, and he had originally wanted to take him as a disciple...
...
...
Meanwhile, Hu Ma, hiding on the beam inside the ancestral hall, quietly dropped to the ground. With the Age Keeper's unique skill, he landed without a sound, standing lightly. He sighed softly, hands clasped, and gave a light bow.
Four Ghosts Bowing at the Gate.
At the same moment, Young Master Lu was about to paste the yellow paper on Hu Ma's face, who was wearing a bamboo hat.
Because the hat was in the way, he raised his hand to remove it.
But unexpectedly, at that moment, the Hu Ma in front of him suddenly let out a low laugh, "chch," causing the yellow paper to flutter.
It was a woman’s voice.
"Trouble."
The moment Young Master Lu heard the woman’s voice, he reacted, his heart pounding, and tried to escape backward.
But at that moment, the yellow paper on the face of the person wearing the bamboo hat was suddenly blown away, revealing a delicate and beautiful face.
In the midst of the cold wind and the group of people with yellow paper on their faces, this face, with its bold and triumphant expression, was even more terrifying. Before he could really escape, this person spoke in a clear and melodious voice, calling out a name:
"Lu Bangchui..."
The moment this name was spoken, Young Master Lu’s expression became as terrifying as if he had seen a ghost.
(End of Chapter)
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