Chapter 66 The Truth Gradually Comes to Light
In an instant, like a hot knife through butter, the sword left a charred wound on the brat's arm, emitting the stench of burning flesh.
"Waaaaahh ...
The little ghost let out a shrill scream, a sound that was nothing like that of an infant, but rather like the simultaneous wailing of hundreds or thousands of wronged souls.
At this moment, Xie Xun finally saw the whole thing clearly.
Its entire body was bluish-black and swollen, clearly belonging to a stillborn infant, yet covered with dark red vein patterns.
Instead of bleeding from the wound, thick black mist gushed out, and the whites of its eyes, devoid of pupils, were filled with resentment and venom. The most obvious feature was the Thai talisman drawn in blood on its forehead.
It's a Kumanthong!
Moreover, it was made using extremely sinister methods!
Xie Xun's heart skipped a beat. He saw that its once-white eyes were now bloodshot, staring at him with resentment and fear. Its previously swollen body began to shrink as if deflating, and the black aura surrounding it became thin and unstable.
Seemingly realizing that the person in front of him was not someone to be trifled with, the Kumanthong suddenly changed direction and, using all four limbs, scrambled towards the window like a startled spider, trying to turn into black smoke and escape!
Seeing this, Fu Qinghuai snorted coldly and casually raised his hand.
The Kumanthong was as if an invisible hand had grabbed its neck, freezing it in mid-air, leaving it only able to tremble.
Just then, a emerald green figure darted out from the side.
It's Little Green!
It bit down on the Kumanthong's neck and began to swallow it whole. The Kumanthong's writhing body, along with the surrounding black mist and filthy things, was all swallowed whole by the little green creature.
Once the last scream subsided, the strange, low-temperature smell in the room also dissipated.
Little Green let out a satisfied burp before returning to Xie Xun's shoulder, nuzzling his cheek with its head, its little tail wagging back and forth, clearly seeking praise.
Fu Qinghuai raised an eyebrow, thinking that this snake was just like its master. It would fawn over Xie Xun, but it was not only rude to him, but also ignored him.
He reached out to poke the little thing, but Little Green quickly tucked its head under Xie Xun's head, leaving only the tip of its tail swaying.
It's infuriating that they tease him like a cat.
"Tsk, white-eyed snake."
Fu Qinghuai withdrew his hand, glancing at Xie Xun with a half-smile, "Did you learn this from Xunxun?"
Xie Xun ignored him, touched the little thing on his head that was flicking its tongue, and felt the abundant spiritual energy emanating from it.
It seems that Little Green has already eaten its fill.
...
Meanwhile, in a certain ancestral hall in the port city, where incense smoke wafts, it is gloomy even during the day, let alone in the middle of the night.
On the offering table sat an incense burner filled with dark red liquid, and the entire ancestral hall was covered with lanterns.
In the very center hangs a peculiar lantern, which is clearly distinguishable from the others.
The lantern was made of an unusual material, unlike ordinary paper; it was a supple material that felt almost like human skin. Twisted runes were drawn on its surface, emitting a faint red glow.
A middle-aged man dressed in a dark Tang suit was kneeling on a prayer mat in front of a lantern, his hands constantly forming strange hand seals, his lips moving silently as he chanted incantations.
Sudden!
With a soft "plop," his body shuddered violently, as if struck in the chest by an invisible giant hammer. He uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of scalding blood, which splattered onto the floor in front of him and onto the lantern.
"Ugh—!"
The middle-aged man let out a painful groan, feeling as if his soul, flesh, and bones were being brutally ripped out by a force. He was jolted up from the prayer mat as if struck by lightning, only to crash heavily to the ground.
His body arched like a shrimp and began to convulse violently.
"Ugh!" He suddenly vomited a mouthful of black blood again.
Almost simultaneously, the lantern began to shake violently without warning, making a constant creaking and grinding sound that made one's teeth ache.
The dim light from the lantern flickered wildly, casting shadows across the entire ancestral hall. The shadows on the walls were stretched and distorted, like countless restless ghosts.
Even more terrifying, as the lantern's leather surface swayed, the runes on it seemed to come alive, twisting and writhing incessantly.
"Ancestors... Ancestors, please calm your anger... Hehe..."
The man struggled to crawl away, his throat making a hoarse, bellows-like sound. He watched helplessly as the skin on the back of his hand rapidly lost moisture, wrinkled, and revealed large age spots!
“Ah…Ah Long…” He stretched out his finger with difficulty toward the door.
The door was immediately pushed open, and two men dressed in black entered. Their faces showed no surprise, only a numb indifference born of habit.
One of them, named Ah Long, quickly took out a black pill that emitted a strong medicinal smell and stuffed it into the man's mouth, while the other took out a small, sharp knife and neatly cut open his own wrist.
Then, the gushing blood was dripped into the incense burner on the offering table below the lantern.
The pungent smell of fresh blood instantly filled the air.
The lantern's swaying gradually slowed down and eventually stopped.
The man on the ground stopped convulsing, but he seemed to have lost all his energy. His hair was completely white, and his face was covered with deep wrinkles, making him look even older than his eighty-year-old father.
He was lifted up by the two expressionless men and quickly left the ancestral hall like a dried corpse.
Soon, the ancestral hall returned to peace.
Only the lantern, soaked with blood, slowly rotated in place, seemingly with a hint of pleasure.
Suddenly, a spot on the lantern's surface, seemingly saturated with blood, bulged slightly, like the smile lines that had just begun to unfold on a person's face.
It's terrifying to watch.
...
Xie Xun has collected all the paper figures and is preparing to find the last person in the know to get the truth out of them.
In the dead of night, everyone in the guesthouse was fast asleep.
Xie Xun stood outside Wen Xubai's door and knocked three times.
A flurry of activity erupted inside the room, and after almost half a minute, the door was finally opened a crack.
Wen Xubai, wearing wrinkled pajamas, rubbed his eyes and pretended to look at Xie Xun, "Master Xie? What brings you here so late..."
"Let's talk." Xie Xun pushed the door open and went in, not giving him a chance to refuse.
Fu Qinghuai followed slowly in, leaned his back against the door, and locked it from the inside. The man and the dog were behaving like bullies.
Seeing this, Wen Xubai's expression changed, and he forced a smile as he looked at Xie Xun, "Is there some misunderstanding? I already know about Haowen's matter, Master Xie..."
"Is the utility knife any good?" Xie Xun suddenly asked.
"What?"
"Did it hurt when you cut yourself with that utility knife?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Xubai's heart skipped a beat. Seeing that Xie Xun was completely unharmed, he was even more shocked and instinctively hid his hands behind his back.
"Stop hiding."
Xie Xun stepped forward and grabbed Wen Xubai's wrist, his words piercing to the heart, "You sent Lu Haowen to invite the Kumanthong because you thought he was tough, so you made him a sieve for you, leaving the good luck for you and giving him all the backlash. Once he's drained dry, you can use that to change your luck."
"This method is insidious and complex; you couldn't have come up with it or done it on your own."
His fox-like eyes, sharp as knives, pierced Wen Xubai's pale face. "Tell me, who's been pulling strings behind your back? Who exactly is this Mr. Liu?"
Xie Xun's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable tone of command.
He had already deduced the general situation, but he wasn't interested in knowing why Wen Xubai did this, nor was he there to confront him.
He's standing here tonight only to expose the mastermind behind the scenes.
Things need to be resolved; they can't remain unclear.
Now, all the color drained from Wen Xubai's face. He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to argue, but when he met Xie Xun's eyes, which seemed to see through everything, his last psychological defense completely collapsed.
"It's...it's Mr. Liu..."
His voice was dry and trembling, as if he had used up all his strength, "He taught me everything. He said that only in this way could I turn my life around..."
Just then, a red thread suddenly appeared on his neck, connecting him to the puppet, and tightened abruptly without warning!
It felt like an invisible hand was tightly gripping my neck.
"Heh...heh..."
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