The candlelight was dim, flickering erratically.
Yuan Qu and Zheng Heibei lay stark naked across the coffin board, while Chen Fakui dipped his brush in cinnabar ink and swept it across their flesh in vigorous, sweeping strokes.
One bizarre talisman after another appeared.
With every talisman he completed, Chen Fakui was sure to perform sha knotting and name inscription.
The ancient tomb was already steeped in heavy yin qi, and each time a talisman was finished, a lingering chill seeped into the air, leaving both men anxious and uneasy.
Unable to hold back any longer, Zheng Heibei asked, "Master Chen, this method of yours... there won't be any problem with it, will there?"
"Rest easy, both of you."
Chen Fakui shook his head. "You can see for yourselves that I have no martial arts training. If I want to venture into the mass graves to seize treasure, I cannot do without your help. Why would I fool around?
"This technique originates from spirit mediums. Since neither of you has awakened the Yang Six Roots, this is the only way: borrowing the power of a Yin deity, just like divine possession, to make you immune to pain.
"When the time comes, stand as my left and right guardians. Where under heaven could we not go?"
"The master speaks the truth."
Only then did Zheng Heibei set his mind at ease.
He had seen from the start that this Chen Fakui was weak of limb, having practiced only some health-building daoyin exercises. If someone got close enough, a single brick to the skull would kill him.
Just like that dog You Laosi, who only dared skulk behind his back to harm people.
At that thought, wicked rage flared within Zheng Heibei again. In a muffled voice, he said, "Master Chen, as for that dog You Laosi, you must help me find him!"
"Do not worry."
Chen Fakui brushed it off, then set down his brush and ink. "All right, wait until the talismans dry before getting dressed. Remember, this method fears virgin boy's urine above all, and do not let black dog blood touch you."
Yuan Qu chuckled. "The master jokes. With the skills the two of us possess, if someone managed to splash a bucket of piss all over us, we might as well smash our heads against a rock and die."
By now, both men were covered from head to toe in blood-red talismans, even across their faces. When they gave a faint grin, they looked thoroughly hideous.
Chen Fakui peered toward the tunnel outside, catching the last glow of the setting sun. A glint of excitement flashed in his eyes. "The hour grows late. Let us begin."
The three immediately set about preparing the ritual altar.
At the center stood a square table, fully laden with all manner of ritual instruments, while twelve flags were planted around it in the directions of the Earthly Branches.
The unconscious children lay beneath the flags, each with an oil lamp lit on their forehead.
Meanwhile, the wandering soul jar containing Wang Daoxuan's living soul had been tossed carelessly at the far end of the burial chamber, mixed among shards of broken pottery...
………………
Before anyone realized it, darkness had fallen.
In the woods, Luo Mingzi formed a hand seal with his left hand while holding a yarrow stalk in his right, winding it left and right around his fingers. Pacing gang steps, he chanted: "Nogao, solitary great-grandson Wang Jia, Six Jia Azure Dragon, Six Yi Meeting the Stars, Six Bing Bright Hall, Six Ding Yin Center..."
Behind him, Li Yan mimicked his movements, following step for step.
Soon, to his pleasant surprise, he noticed that his own aura was beginning to retract, gathering into the yarrow stalk.
Seeing this, Luo Mingzi turned and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. This technique stems from the Baopu mountain-climbing arts. Once you master it and follow me up the mountain, those wandering souls will not detect you."
"Many thanks for imparting the art, Senior."
Li Yan hurriedly cupped his hands in gratitude.
He had agreed to lead the way up the mountain, but he had never expected Luo Mingzi to be so generous as to teach him a simple concealment technique that could be learned in just an afternoon.
Of course, so-called concealment did not mean vanishing entirely.
Rather, it prevented those yin souls from detecting him while pulling in his presence to evade a sorcerer's divine powers.
"No matter. It is merely a minor trick."
Luo Mingzi shook his head slightly. "There are many forms of concealment and escape arts. This method is far from profound; it cannot fool formidable wicked spirits or sorcerers, but for tonight it will suffice."
Li Yan glanced down at the yarrow stalk in his hand. "Senior, is this thing difficult to refine?"
The yarrow stalk bore a heavy scent of incense. The concealment art was impossible without it, but unfortunately, it was a one-time consumable.
Luo Mingzi replied, "With a century-old ancestral altar, it is not difficult to refine. If you wish to purchase some, you can go to the City God Temple. Ten taels of silver apiece."
"Ten taels?"
Beside them, Sha Lifei stared in disbelief at the stalk, thinking to himself that this Taixuan Orthodox Sect was truly black-hearted. To dare charge ten taels for a single blade of grass—no wonder their monasteries were built with such luxury.
Li Yan clicked his tongue inwardly as well, yet he resolved to buy a few more.
In a critical moment, this thing could save his life!
Unaware of what the two were thinking, Luo Mingzi turned toward the small mountain across from them and said in a low voice, "Darkness has fallen. Let us move. On no account must we let him finish his illicit sacrifice past the zi hour."
With that, he headed toward the other side of the woods.
Li Yan followed close behind, and the two swiftly melted into the dark.
Seeing them depart, Zhao Facheng gave a nod to Sha Lifei. "Layman, help me arrange the altar. If anyone comes to disrupt us, you must not let them get close."
"Understood!"
Sha Lifei gripped his long saber, his face fierce.
Having roamed the jianghu for years, he was well aware that many looked down on him. He had never bothered to care, preferring to hide whenever trouble arose.
At first, teaming up with Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan had merely been a way to ride their coattails and earn some silver, but after several brushes with death, he had long since come to see them as brothers.
This time, no matter what it took, he had to help get Wang Daoxuan out.
The two emerged from the woods. Zhao Facheng took out a compass, circled the mountain base a few times, and found a suitable boulder. He spread a yellow cloth over it and lit candles, assembling a makeshift altar.
Like Wang Daoxuan, he carried a wooden chest on his back containing all kinds of ritual instruments, incense, and candles, ready to set up an altar whenever necessary.
Having spent time with Wang Daoxuan, Sha Lifei was well accustomed to the procedure. Though not a member of Xuanmen, he was more than qualified to serve as an assistant.
Candles were lit, gang steps paced, and water spritzed.
Once the full sequence was completed, the altar instantly established a modest presence.
Zhao Facheng let out a sigh, lifted his lightning-struck jujube wood sword, pierced a yellow talisman, lit it, formed a hand seal, and thrust the blade toward the night sky.
Whoosh!
Instantly, wild winds howled around them.
In the distance, Li Yan and Luo Mingzi turned back at the same time.
Ordinary folk could see nothing, but to practitioners of Xuanmen, a surge of gang qi could be clearly felt shooting straight into the heavens.
Luo Mingzi said coldly, "Once three pillars of command gang rise, Martial Uncle Qingyangzi will dispatch spirit soldiers to reinforce us. If that Chen Fakui wishes to live, he will surely do everything in his power to stop it. Let's move!"
Li Yan nodded, immediately formed a hand seal, wrapped the yarrow stalk around his fingers, and paced his gang steps while muttering the incantation.
This concealment technique had a rather long windup, but once cast successfully, as long as he kept a firm grip on the hand seal, he could remain hidden.
Naturally, if he engaged in combat, the concealment would break.
As for Luo Mingzi, he employed an even more advanced technique.
From his robes, he drew a palm-sized bamboo talisman, held it while forming a seal, and chanted: "Those who enter battle, line up and advance!"
Seeing this, Li Yan's pupils contracted.
Not only had Luo Mingzi's presence vanished completely—so thoroughly that even Li Yan's divine powers could detect nothing—but a faint yin mist also rose around him, leaving his silhouette blurred as if lost in the fog.
Now this was true, top-tier concealment!
Li Yan felt a surge of awe.
The Enforcement Hall of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect was extraordinary indeed.
According to Luo Mingzi, his cultivation was only at the second tier, and he had awakened only the body root, leaving him unskilled in formal liturgies and altar rites.
Yet he was thoroughly versed in all manner of minor arts, and with his body root awakened, his physical perception and control far exceeded those of ordinary men, his martial arts having reached the peak of hidden jin.
He was, in essence, a combat mage of Xuanmen.
Whether slaying demons or killing men, neither was beyond him.
Luo Mingzi was cold on the outside but warm within. Seeing how Li Yan refused to abandon his companion, he held the youth in high esteem. He nodded and said, "This is the Mountain-Clearing Ghost Art, combined with the Six Jia Mountain-Entry Incantation. The ritual implement is a Shangxuan Bamboo Emissary Talisman, nothing out of the ordinary.
"Every lineage possesses similar arts. If you can build a second-tier tower in the future, you will be able to employ this method as well."
With that, he nodded to indicate that Li Yan should lead the way.
Li Yan wasted no words. Maintaining his seal, he started up the mountain flank.
He remembered the spot where Yuan Qu and his companion had vanished. Though the mountain flank was steep, it posed no difficulty for him; with one hand holding the seal and the other gripping his saber, he bounded swiftly upward.
Luo Mingzi naturally followed in close pursuit...
…………
Inside the dark tomb, the candlelight flickered unsteadily.
Before the altar, Chen Fakui had changed into different attire. His long hair fell loose over his shoulders, and he wore a shaman-like tunic of feathers and animal hide. His chest was bare, painted with numerous talismans that bore no resemblance to orthodox lineage traditions.
All the incantations were written in a script resembling oracle bone inscriptions.
It was called Tian script, also known as Ghost Script.
He had been sitting with eyes half-closed, murmuring endlessly under his breath.
When that pillar of command gang surged into the sky, Chen Fakui's eyes snapped open. A complicated look crossed his face, and he gave a self-deprecating laugh. "It's the Jiuyuan Sect's command gang... Master, are you so eager to clean house?"
Outside the altar area, Yuan Qu and Zheng Heibei stood dressed in warrior garbs, their faces covered in blood-red talismans. One held a broadsword, the other a pair of daggers, flanking the left and right.
Hearing Chen Fakui's words, Yuan Qu started. "Someone is coming?"
"No matter. I have prepared for this long ago!"
Chen Fakui rose calmly. First, he scooped two handfuls of white powder from a wooden box on the altar and flung them toward the ritual candles.
Boom! Boom!
Two fireballs burst into view, then vanished just as quickly.
This was another method of opening an altar, only far more potent.
Next, Chen Fakui picked up a peach-wood sword, paced gang steps, and ignited several yellow talismans. A yin wind immediately swept through the tomb chamber, turning the candlelight a ghastly shade of pale green.
The sight made both Zheng Heibei and Yuan Qu's skin crawl.
Chen Fakui then picked up a rectangular command plaque and struck the table three times with force.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"By decree of the Three Nether Sovereign Lords of Jiuyuan Returning to Truth, I command the spirit soldiers of every garrison—promptly as decreed by the statutes and ordinances!"
Clack! Clack!
Before the altar, the carved theatrical marionettes representing the Scholar, Maiden, Painted Face, Elder, and Clown all twitched, drew themselves upright, and began scurrying out of the tomb like spiders, clattering in a frantic rush.
Outside on the mountain, a thin mist had gathered at some unknown moment.
The puppets plunged into the mist, vanishing without a trace...
Chapter 72