Chapter 30 of Ghost Buddha Yang
"Boy, do you know what you are talking about?"
Tongtian Wu poked the ground hard with his crutch and made a hoarse sound.
"I also think this is too hasty, isn't it?"
Even Jie Geng, who always appeared gentle in front of others, expressed her dissatisfaction. She turned to look at Zhang Chunhe.
"Or is this also what Mr. Zhang meant?"
Zhang Chunhe wasn't good at speaking in front of a crowd, so usually Chen Fangqin would do it for him. It happened that Chen Fangqin wasn't around, so Zhang Chunhe could only stammer and explain.
"T-That wasn't my idea."
"That was my idea."
Yan Ran walked in front of the group and pressed down his baseball cap.
Early this morning, Xie Qianchou summoned several people to the lawn, saying he had something important to discuss. As soon as everyone gathered, Xie Qianchou launched into a barrage of insults, accusing them of poor ghost-catching skills. He then posed as Lenin from the painting "October Revolution" and threatened to challenge them to a duel.
Liao Chen took a step forward and chanted the Buddha's name.
"Amitabha, since you wish to compete, how about setting up the altar tonight and deciding who is better?"
"Not really."
Yan Ran glanced at everyone in turn.
"The ghost here has already killed someone, and last night it attacked Master Le Chen. Since everyone here claims to be able to exorcise ghosts, we should immediately capture that ghost. Otherwise, there's no guarantee that more people will be killed by the ghost. However, considering that those who remain here are all here for the 500,000 yuan, why not let's settle the matter now? The winner will exorcise the ghost immediately, take the money, and leave. Mr. Zhang, you're probably the one who wants to solve the ghost problem the most. What do you think of my idea?"
"Yes, yes, you're right."
Zhang Chunhe tried to think for a long time but couldn't come up with anything to say, so he could only say yes repeatedly.
The boss had said so, and it was hard for the others to say anything else. Then Kikyo raised her hand to signal.
"Exorcism is a very ritualistic activity. Please allow me a moment to prepare."
"no."
Yan Ran flatly refused.
"While I believe you all have a good reputation, there's no guarantee there might be some imposters among you, filling in the gaps. Otherwise, how could the ghosts here attack us so brazenly? So, for the sake of fairness, let's begin now, before anyone sets up the scene ahead of time."
"Interesting, how do you want to fight?"
Tongtian Wu stared at Yan Ran through the black veil on his face.
"It's simple. We'll each take turns using our best skills. Mr. Zhang will be the referee. Whoever he says wins wins. The outcome will be decided in one round."
"Okay, that's great, I like it!"
Tongtian Wuguai walked to Zhang Chunhe with a smile, and Zhang Chunhe stepped back unnaturally.
"Boss Zhang, you don't have any objections, right?"
Zhang Chunhe nodded quickly.
Kikyo sighed.
"In that case, please allow me to cast the spell first. I'll avoid being misunderstood as a swindler who's sneaked in."
Kikyo stood up, nodded slightly to Zhang Chunhe, then looked at Yan Ran with a smile.
Yan Ran shrugged indifferently and gave up his seat.
Kikyo was still wearing her miko's attire, her hair tied back with a red ribbon, her wide sleeves fluttering in the wind.
Jie Qianchou's gaze fell on Platycodon's red ribbon, and he frowned in thought.
Kikyo bowed slightly to everyone.
"I will summon my shikigami. This is also my most powerful spell."
Kikyo finished speaking and extended a hand. She placed her palm facing her eyes, then closed them for a moment of meditation. Kikyo opened her eyes and twisted her body. She pulled a long, white paper from her sleeve, folded it into a square, and then tore it into pieces. She placed the shredded paper in her palms, clasped her hands together, and chanted a spell in Japanese.
After a moment, Kikyo opened her hands, and the torn paper reconnected, square by square. Kikyo tore off a square, folded it several times, and folded it into a butterfly shape. She put the remaining paper back into her sleeve.
"My Shikigami's name is Chou."
Kikyo lowered her palm, and the paper butterfly actually hovered in mid-air. She waved her palm lightly, and the paper butterfly fluttered in the air as if it had come alive.
Yan Ran leaned close to Jie Qianchou's ear and whispered softly.
"Her move is the same as yours, using silk thread to control the butterfly."
Jie Qianchou stroked the stubble on his chin and didn't respond.
As if she had heard Yan Ran's whisper, Kikyo's hands danced around the paper butterfly. If she had controlled the butterfly like a puppet with strings, it would have been under one of her hands. But as Kikyo's hands fluttered, the butterfly slowly flew past her palms and finally above her head.
Jie Qianchou nudged Yan Ran with his arm.
"Master, how do you explain this?"
Yan Ran didn't understand Qianchou. She narrowed her eyes and tried to find any flaws in it.
A paper butterfly landed in Kikyo's palm, and she clasped her hands together to hold it. When she opened them again, a cloud of paper butterflies appeared within her palms. She gently scattered them into the air, and two delicate little fans materialized between her hands. With a flick of her hand, the paper butterflies seemed to come alive, flitting up and down in the air, playfully playing with each other, before slowly descending. Kikyo caught the falling butterfly with one fan, and gently pressed the other down to cover it.
Kikyo chanted the spell again, turned around and opened the fan, and a group of gorgeous butterflies fluttered and scattered.
Kikyo put away the paper fan and looked at Zhang Chunhe.
"My shikigami will find the evil spirits and lead them straight to their lair. Then I will use the magic-breaking arrows to eliminate them."
Yan Ran tugged at Jie Qianchou.
"How does she do this? Do you understand?"
Jie Qianchou lowered his hand from his chin.
"She must be using a hand-painted trick. Just now, she closed her eyes in deep thought, actually sensing the wind direction. She needs to be performing this trick with the wind at her back. The paper she's using must be special prop paper, very light and easily levitating. The slight movement of her palms created a breeze that set the paper butterflies in motion. Finally, when she turned around, she tucked the paper butterflies into her sleeves and pulled out the real ones she'd prepared." "Are you pretending to know something you don't? I clearly didn't give her time to prepare. Who would carry around a bunch of butterflies for no reason? Besides, wouldn't that suffocate the butterflies?"
“Who would carry a piece of toilet paper with them at all times?”
Yan Ranbai understood Qianchou at a glance.
Tongtian Wu walked out slowly.
"The Shikigami, huh? They're too gentle. If we want to deal with demons, we have to use methods more vicious than theirs."
Tongtian Wu slowly took off the black veil on her head, and several people stepped back when they saw her true face.
Tongtian Wu's face was old and ferocious, with dry and yellow hair piled on her head like weeds, her eyes were full of yellow turbidity, and her face was covered with wrinkles crisscrossed like a leech stuck on her face.
"Are you scared? Haha, haven't you always looked down on me?"
Tongtian Wu stared at Jie Qianchou with his cloudy eyes. Jie Qianchou swallowed his saliva and wanted to explain.
"Respecting the elderly and loving the young is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation. What I mean is, you have to love and care for me."
There was a small bar on the edge of the lawn, with some drinks and fruits on it. Tongtian Wu took out an empty bag, walked to the bar, and casually put a few apples in it.
"I'm a wizard. If I want to exorcise ghosts, I'll naturally use witchcraft."
Tongtian Wu walked towards the crowd carrying a bag.
"Don't use witchcraft casually. If you do, it's either you or me who will die."
Tongtian Wu walked up to Zhang Chunhe and motioned him to take an apple out of his bag.
"Since you want to fight, I can only use a few tricks to open your eyes."
Zhang Chunhe thought for a long time, and reluctantly took out an apple from her bag.
"This apple was taken from you. Don't be afraid. Try it."
Zhang Chunhe wanted to refuse, but when he looked at Tongtian Wu's face, he felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn't help but take a bite of the apple...
Nothing happened.
Tongtian Wu grinned at Zhang Chunhe, an expression uglier than tears. Zhang Chunhe's face twitched, and he quietly took a half step back.
Tongtian Wu asked several people to take an apple from the bag in turn, and she finally walked up to Jie Qianchou.
"I've already eaten."
Jie Qianchou said expressionlessly.
Tongtian Wu shook the bag in his hand.
"I don't like apples, thank you!"
Jie Qianchou's expression changed instantly, and he was all smiles.
"You're scared."
Jie Qianchou retracted his smile and reached into the bag. He felt around for a while but didn't find any traps, then took out the last apple. The apple looked ordinary, but Jie Qianchou didn't want to eat it.
"Witchcraft is a very magical spell. My witchcraft will cause youth to decay quickly, hehe, just like... this."
Before Tongtian Wu finished her words, a hand suddenly emerged from her black robe. It quickly grabbed the apple in Jie Qianchou's hand and crushed it. Countless insects—caterpillars, centipedes, cockroaches, and more—fell from the apple, many of which landed on Jie Qianchou.
Jie Qianchou quickly knocked off the bugs on his body, and he quickly retreated, moving away from Tongtian Wu.
Tongtian Wu did not follow him, but just sneered at the embarrassed Jie Qianchou.
"My witchcraft can sometimes turn something rotten into something magical."
Tongtian Wu slowly turned around and pointed her finger at the ground. A white light suddenly appeared, blinding several people. When Tongtian Wu turned around again, she had transformed into a tall beauty.
Her long black hair fell from her head like a black waterfall, her skin was smooth and wrinkle-free, and her eyes curved into two crescents when she smiled, making her look very charming.
"How about it, Yan Ran. Do you still want to fight me?"
Yan Ran had already run 800 meters away from the bugs on the ground. She looked at Tongtian Wu and finally snorted.
Tongtian Wu walked up to Zhang Chunhe.
"Boss Zhang, do you think there's any need to continue the competition?"
Zhang Chunhe had already thrown away the apple in his hand. He looked at the aggressive Tongtian Wu, not knowing what to say for a moment, and his gaze shifted to Chen.
Liao Chen had been keeping his head down and eyes closed, silent until he opened his eyes, a cold look in them.
"The sea of suffering is boundless; turning back is the shore."
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