Chapter 15: The Fortunate Steward
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Wu Xian was growing anxious, but Shi Ji remained calm. He still had another trick up his sleeve.
Using a lighter, Shi Ji singed the end of the large intestine. A strange fragrance immediately arose, assailing the hungry ghost’s starving palate. Unable to resist, it lunged forward once more—and was lured out again.
Shi Ji had just begun to swing the mop handle when Wu Xian rushed forward, drew his coin sword, and struck the hungry ghost twice in rapid succession.
The hungry ghost stared at the two wounds in its chest in disbelief.
“I… I’m hungry. At least let me eat my fill…”
Amid the distorted light, the hungry ghost’s body dissolved into a puddle of pus. The gloomy atmosphere inside the community cafeteria brightened considerably.
The matter ended perfectly, but Shi Ji was far from happy. He felt like a clown for having pitied Wu Xian, and he stared at him with a complicated expression.
“Brother Wu, so you really were pretending to be weak while hiding your strength.”
Wu Xian hurriedly waved his hands. “I wasn’t trying to deceive you. I obtained this coin sword yesterday, when Qi Zhiyong forced me to investigate Room 405.”
“Mm. I believe you.”
Wu Xian helplessly spread his hands. “I’m telling the truth.”
As they spoke, the evil ghost’s corpse vanished completely, leaving behind a single stick of baleful incense on the floor.
“Consider it your spoils. Just give me one of the deity statues.”
Wu Xian picked up the baleful incense and handed it to Shi Ji, explaining its function. The place had been found by Shi Ji, the method had been devised by him, and he had even washed the large intestine. It was only fair to give him a larger share of the benefits.
Shi Ji suddenly felt that Wu Xian was a genuinely generous man.
…
The two entered the cafeteria. It was spotlessly clean, for the hungry ghost had eaten everything edible. Two deity statues sat on the table.
The statues were identical. Both wore bright red robes, possessed deep, shadowy gazes, and bore eerie smiles. Beneath each statue was written:
Heavenly Official—God Who Presides over Fortune and Merit!
Shi Ji picked up the incense and prepared to worship. Before placing the baleful incense into the burner, he asked with concern, “I took the incense. What will you use to make your offering?”
Wu Xian pulled three sticks of aged Chinese arborvitae incense from his pocket. “I found these beneath my pillow. They should be perfect for—”
“You really were pretending to be weak while hiding your strength!”
“Ahem.”
This time, Wu Xian did not argue. Any further explanation would have sounded hypocritical.
Shi Ji rolled his eyes, held the baleful incense, and bowed reverently before inserting it into the burner.
The moment the baleful incense entered the burner, a thick mist appeared around Shi Ji. Wu Xian could make out only vague movements; he could not see what was actually happening.
That allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
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With the protection of the deity statue, no one else could see the three choices that appeared after worship.
The arborvitae incense was lit and placed in the burner. Pale white smoke spread out and enveloped Wu Xian. It carried a soothing fragrance—not overpowering, but with a faint fruity note when inhaled closely.
Bathed in the fragrance, Wu Xian felt completely relaxed.
All the pressure he had accumulated since entering the blessed land vanished in an instant. The fatigue caused by lack of sleep eased as well. His body seemed to grow lighter, while the old injuries he had sustained since becoming a detective showed signs of improvement.
This reminded him of the description of aged arborvitae incense:
Calms the spirit, sharpens the mind, reduces swelling, and disperses blood stasis…
The incense’s effects were an unexpected delight, but what mattered most was the blessing he would receive.
Three talismans lay on the table, each ending with the word “talisman.”
Sharpness Talisman: Blesses an object, increasing its sharpness.
Length Talisman: Blesses an object, increasing its length. For an object shorter than one meter, its length is doubled. For an object longer than one meter, its length is increased by one meter.
As for the Filth Talisman, Wu Xian had seen it before. Its effect was to add filth to an object, and he had no intention of choosing it for the time being.
The Sharpness Talisman seemed powerful, but Wu Xian had no suitable weapon. Making the coin sword sharper would not be of much use. As for the Length Talisman…
That talisman looked rather interesting, so Wu Xian reached his hand into the smoke.
Wu Xian finished making his offering, and Shi Ji had finished as well.
Shi Ji’s expression was strange, as though something unexpected had happened to him. But since he showed no intention of speaking, Wu Xian did not press him.
After bidding Shi Ji farewell, Wu Xian quickly arrived at Mr. Wang’s home. He found the statue of the Heavenly Official Kui Xing, Lord of Official Rank and Emoluments, and inserted the baleful incense formed from Mr. Wang into the burner.
…
At Fuxin Clinic, the beds had been overturned and a red lamp flickered ominously.
Qi Zhiyong inserted three sticks of sandalwood incense into the burner before a ferocious demon-god statue. He had slain an evil entity lying on one of the beds, thereby earning the right to worship this time.
The evil entity had called itself An Xin, the former owner of the inn.
Unable to abandon his wife, who had no one to care for her, An Xin had remained in the little clinic rather than depart. He had even given Qi Zhiyong three sticks of sandalwood incense, asking him to look after her.
But Qi Zhiyong had refused.
After all, even if he killed the evil entity, the incense would still belong to him.
Once the sandalwood incense was inserted, black energy seeped out of the demon-god statue and entered Qi Zhiyong’s body. In an instant, every vein in his body turned pitch-black.
“Ah…”
He stretched his body in pain. This was already the fifth time he had worshiped a deity.
Seeking blessings through such an aggressive method carried enormous risks. But with the great evil that might attack tonight, he had no choice.
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Compared with that morning, Qi Zhiyong’s state of mind had become much steadier. He was no longer anxious or impatient. Instead, he was remarkably calm.
“Only those with sufficient value have the right to survive.”
“If I die today, then it means my value amounts to no more than this.”
…
The underground warehouse of the supermarket.
The goods hidden there had long since been removed. The concrete floor was damp, while the air reeked of mildew and nauseating corpse stench. Red candles before the deity statue illuminated the room.
He Qiong held a stick of incense, while the sisters Su Huijin and Su Huilan clung to his arms from either side.
“Brother Qiong, you’ll protect us, won’t you?”
The smile at the corners of He Qiong’s mouth was almost impossible to conceal. “Of course. With me here, you’ll be safe.”
“But we feel sorry for you, Brother. We don’t want to keep dragging you down. Let me worship the deity statue, all right?”
“But I’ve already asked—”
“Please, please!”
The two girls swayed his arms coquettishly, and their four limpid eyes softened He Qiong’s heart.
“Then… all right.”
He stepped back with a smile. Though somewhat helpless, he felt a warm glow in his heart.
He Qiong was the spoiled son of a moderately wealthy family.
This was, in fact, his first time entering a blessed land.
Two months earlier, he had happened to encounter Su Huilan collapsing by the roadside outside a milk-tea shop near his school. He and Su Huijin helped carry her home. After that, the three of them ran into one another several more times, and gradually became acquainted.
As they spent more time together, their relationship quickly grew closer. There were even occasional hints of romantic ambiguity, leading He Qiong to believe that both sisters were in love with him.
But one problem had always troubled him.
He loved both sisters at the same time, yet he did not know which one to choose—or how to avoid hurting the other after making his decision.
Finally, two days earlier, the sisters invited him to spend the night at Peace Inn so that the three of them could discuss their future.
But that very night, slaughter suddenly erupted and the blessed land descended, trapping them there…
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