Chapter 16: Clues in the Secret Chamber
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What happened after entering the blessed land convinced He Qiong that he was truly the child of destiny. A sudden, terrifying crisis caused the two sisters to set aside their grudges and willingly stand by He Qiong’s side together. Facing the threat of malevolent spirits, he miraculously obtained several items useful against these evil forces. Although they encountered horrifying spirits, these apparitions were like minor monsters in a game—defeating them would only strengthen their power. What moved He Qiong even more was that every time they performed the deity worship rituals, it was the Su sisters who undertook the task. This meant that any side effects that occasionally arose from the prayers would not befall him, and afterward, the sisters would hand over the acquired items to him. This was something only those who truly loved him would be willing to do!
Holding an incense stick, Su Huijin offered prayers and received a small doll made of grass from the deity’s statue, which hopped joyfully over to He Qiong. Before he could fully see what it was, the red candle before the statue suddenly went out. Without its light, the basement was plunged into complete darkness; only the faint glow from outside the door allowed them to see vague shadows. The three of them tensed and hurried toward the door, but after only a few steps, their faces turned pale.
The ground was soft!
At some unknown moment, the once-solid concrete floor had turned into a muddy swamp.
Splash!
A mud-covered hand emerged from the muddy water!
They watched in horror as a woman, drenched in mud, crawled out from the concrete floor—if Lu Yuzhu and Fang Zhi were alive, they would have recognized her immediately.
She was none other than Yu Yinghua, the woman who knocked on the door at the Peaceful Inn every day.
Yu Yinghua’s eyes were sealed shut by the cement, tears washing away the mud on her face in two streaks. As she struggled through the cement, her voice was filled with sorrow and resentment.
“Zhiwu, is that you? I would never betray you. Why won’t you believe me?”
“Why?”
Her emotions flared violently as she lunged forward, grabbing Su Huilan’s arm with one hand and reaching toward her head with the other, trying to push her into the mud.
He Qiong shouted angrily, “Let go of Huilan!”
He pulled a marble from his pocket and threw it. Mid-air, the marble transformed into a bolt of lightning that exploded on Yu Yinghua’s hand. Seizing the chance, Su Huilan broke free and fled the basement with her sister.
The ghostly Yu Yinghua tried to follow but was blocked by a gleaming silver spear.
He Qiong held the spear in one hand and the marble in the other, facing off against the evil spirit with a confident smile playing on his lips—a striking and commanding figure.
The Su sisters exchanged a glance as they escaped the basement, their eyes wide with fear.
“Did you notice? That little lightning spell only injured her hand.”
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“This isn’t just an ordinary spirit. It’s probably one of the strongest, second only to the great spirits. That foolish boy probably hasn’t realized it yet.”
“Even if He Qiong can fight her off, all the precious items we painstakingly collected will be exhausted!”
“Then… that’s what we’ll do!”
The next moment, a terrified scream echoed from the basement.
…
The corridor was dim and gloomy.
Only two months had passed since the calamity of the evil spirits began, yet people were slowly adapting to the fading of civilization.
An old woman dressed in coarse linen carried an oil lamp and moved forward slowly.
Yue Mei followed close behind, her expression tense.
Along the way, she encountered several people dressed in similar rough cloth garments—men, women, and children—all staring at her intently with strange looks in their eyes. Their gazes were filled with envy, jealousy, and a blatant possessiveness that unsettled Yue Mei deeply.
Following the instructions in the letter, she sought out survivors among the indigenous people of the blessed land. To earn their trust, she used scarce medicine she had found to stabilize the old woman’s condition. Only then did the woman agree to reveal how to avoid the ‘Knocking Spirit’ and the ‘Breaking Door Spirit.’
After walking some distance, they arrived at a room.
It was on the top floor, spacious and empty, with no furniture. A hole in the ceiling allowed sunlight to pour down, illuminating a grotesque statue.
The statue depicted a woman.
She wore tattered clothes, her body misshapen, her face twisted with an intense, unfathomable hatred and madness. At her feet lay a worn, black eyepatch.
“Praise the Ghost Mother, I offer myself…”
The old woman knelt before the statue, reciting a prayer Yue Mei had heard before.
When the prayer ended, the woman stood and smiled at Yue Mei. “Our survival until now is all thanks to her. Kiss the sacred relic before you, and she will protect you from the evil spirits.”
Yue Mei hesitated.
Her reason warned her that worshiping the Ghost Mother was dangerous, but she had no other choice.
Under the old woman’s eerie gaze, Yue Mei lifted the black eyepatch.
…
At Mr. Wang’s residence, incense smoke filled the air.
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Wu Xian retrieved a “Double Activation Method” talisman from the smoke, ending the deity worship ritual.
The statue of the Heavenly Official—Master of Rank and Prosperity—offered Wu Xian three talisman options: Spirit Replenishment Method, Talisman-Making Method, and Double Activation Method.
The Spirit Replenishment Method restored spiritual energy to overused magical tools.
The Talisman-Making Method randomly produced two talismans.
Wu Xian had seen the Double Activation Method before; it doubled the effective uses of the next talisman activated.
Wu Xian had no tools needing spiritual replenishment. Although the Talisman-Making Method offered the highest theoretical yield, its randomness was too risky—if it produced two useless talismans, it would be a disaster.
Therefore, Wu Xian chose the Double Activation Method.
After many worship rituals, Wu Xian had gained some understanding.
All Heavenly Official statues granted talismans after prayer.
The Fortune Master granted ‘talismans’ that bestowed special blessings on objects;
The Master of Rank and Prosperity granted ‘methods’—these had no immediate effects but could enhance other worship items;
As for other statues, Wu Xian lacked enough information to judge.
Time was precious; there was no room for hesitation. Wu Xian wrapped the Double Activation Method around his index finger to complete the imprinting.
Glancing at the sky, he saw he still had time and one last place to visit.
…
In the inn’s main hall, a warm fire blazed beneath an iron pot simmering with scallion-braised pork intestines.
A group gathered around the fire, sharing their evening meal.
Because time flowed strangely in the blessed land, they only had one meal per day, and everyone was ravenous.
Yet no one moved to eat first.
Yesterday, nine had dined together; tonight, only six remained. Everyone knew in their hearts that apart from Fang Zhi, the two who hadn’t returned were likely doomed.
The Su sisters clung to each other, weeping bitterly, their tears and mucus streaming down their faces.
“It’s our fault… we caused this to happen to A-Qiong.”
“It’s all our fault. We deserve this. Without A-Qiong, how are we supposed to survive?”