Chapter 113: Impermanence II Between Yin and Yang
When Meng Caiyun came to his senses, he found himself at the entrance of a long alley.
She was still wearing the green long dress she wore to play Lady Liu, and she only had the Imperial Spirit Scissors tucked into her waist with her. She didn't even have a cell phone - but she guessed that at a time like this, a cell phone would be of no use.
That’s right, she guessed that she had entered a “formation”.
I'd clearly recited prayers for salvation beforehand, so why did this happen again? What was the core of the formation? Was it the remnants of the Nightmare Ghost's evil spirit, or was it Madam Liu's lingering spirit, transforming from a local deity into an evil spirit?
Walking in the long and dark alley, Meng Caiyun was at a loss.
Until she arrived in front of a moon-shaped cave, she vaguely heard someone sobbing softly.
After that, the surrounding sounds flooded into my ears like a tide: the hawkers' calls, the wheels of cars rolling over the stone slabs, the crowing of chickens and the barking of dogs, and the whispers of tea drinkers on the roadside.
But she could only hear the voice, not see the person. All she could see were shadows moving back and forth, so faint they seemed transparent. Occasionally, one would suddenly pass through her body, catching her off guard and bringing a chill that chilled her hair.
Meng Caiyun hesitated and took a few steps toward the moon-shaped door. He saw a girl squatting at the foot of the wall, her face facing inward, her head buried in her arms and crying.
A brand new red couplet has just been posted on the door: The spring breeze is always a guest, and good fortune will always be with you.
"Little girl," Meng Caiyun cautiously bent down and patted her shoulder, surprised to find that his palm could actually touch something solid. "Why are you crying?"
The squatting girl was wearing a lilac-colored top with wide sleeves and Burmese-style pants with a dark blue waistcoat on the outside. She had a thick and sleek braid hanging behind her head, and her outfit looked like it was from the early 20th century.
She turned her head, with her bangs and tear marks on her tender face. She was only sixteen or seventeen years old, indeed still a child.
"The cakes I bought at Baxizhai are lost," the girl's bright black eyes were now filled with tears. "I said I would bring them to my brother. He's been looking forward to it for a long time, but in the end... wuwuwuwu."
Meng Caiyun was sharp-eyed and noticed that when the girl was talking, she saw a thin piece of paper stuck to the wall. She calmly reached out and picked it up, and found that it was the paper figure that Meng Zhao always carried with him.
Why are Ah Zhao's paper figures here? Did they also enter the formation?
She silently grasped the paper figurine in her hand, and at the same time comforted the girl: "Don't worry, don't worry, where is the Baxizhai you mentioned? I'll help you look for it."
The girl was startled, wiped away her tears with her fingers, and murmured, "It's just around the corner, opposite the Sanfeng Foreign Company, next to the teahouse."
"Then wait for me!" Meng Caiyun waved at her and continued walking towards the direction covered by mist.
Along the way, a thick layer of fog enveloped every twenty steps, like entering an immersive side-scrolling adventure game. The shadows moving around were wandering NPCs, and the girl she had just met was a character she could actually touch, perhaps sharing some connection.
She had to think about how to break this formation.
Following the route the girl told him, Meng Caiyun found the Baxizhai restaurant.
The store is very conspicuously located, with a large black lacquer plaque with gold lettering. A glass box embedded in the rosewood counter displays twelve grids of seasonal snacks, while a shelf beside it is filled with small jars of gold-painted tea powder. If you sniff carefully, you can even smell a faint scent of jasmine. On the innermost wall hangs a snowflake clock, a top-quality imported product from overseas. Coincidentally, at the exact hour, an enamel bird jumps out briskly.
Meng Caiyun knocked on the counter. "Is anyone there?"
There was silence all around, and as expected, no one answered.
She tentatively extended her hand: "If you don't say anything, then I'll take it myself?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a dark figure appeared behind the counter. Although it was pitch black, Meng Caiyun seemed to feel that the figure was "staring" at him. He leaned over and asked in a low, sinister voice, "Who is the dead man? ... Who is the sinner?"
Meng Caiyun took a step back and muttered to himself, "Is this a secret signal?"
While she was thinking, the Baxizhai that was just full of dazzling goods was swept away in the blink of an eye. The black shadows, cakes and clocks all disappeared, leaving only an empty and dark shop.
Meng Caiyun was startled and looked around, but didn't find any other changes, so he had to bite the bullet and go back.
She took out the paper figure from her pocket, wondering if she could contact A Zhao and the others through this thing.
How to do this?
Meng Caiyun touched his chin and thought for a while, then closed his eyes, gathered his spiritual consciousness at his fingertips, and drew a talisman on the paper man's body.
Fu Cheng.
She suddenly opened her eyes, and the spiritual consciousness attached to the paper man suddenly took effect. Although everything she saw was pitch black, she could at least hear familiar voices talking in her ears.
After a little identification, it turned out to be Meng Zhao and the others.
Meng Caiyun was delighted and tried to infuse more spiritual awareness into the scene. The dark picture gradually gained a little color, which was a bit like a thermal imaging scene. When she closed her eyes at this moment, she could only observe Meng Zhao, who had a spiritual connection with the paper man. Just as she was about to speak to the other party, she found that the "paper man" could not make any sound.
A Zhao's paper figures can also be considered a kind of weapon refining technique. In order to prevent the paper figures from getting out of control, a layer of sealing technique is usually applied to them.
Meng Caiyun quickly lay on Meng Zhao's shoulder, trying to attract his attention, but he didn't even look at her and just slapped her to the ground with his hand. She didn't give up and found another chance to get close to him. Fortunately, Meng Zhao was quite sharp and he suddenly freed himself from his control.
The two finally got in touch.
Someone immediately asked, "...Sister Meng, what do you mean by us being in different dimensions?"
Meng Caiyun recognized Bai Heng's voice and replied, "I think we should be in the same place, but maybe not in the same timeline. It's a bit like being separated by yin and yang."
Bai Heng said nervously, "If we can't find the exit, will we really be trapped in the underworld?"
Meng Caiyun laughed out loud: "No, even if I'm trapped, my side is more like the underworld!"
Meng Zhao: "...what are you talking about?"
"No wonder we can't contact each other," Bai Heng rubbed his arms. "My devices have no signal inside. It's a relief to have the paper figurine as a medium."
At this point, she complained, "I should have just been an off-site support. Unless my brother gets kidnapped again, I'll never go out on field duty again!"
Meng Zhao was speechless. He couldn't help but change the subject back on track. He lowered his eyes to look at the paper figurine in his palm and asked, "Is there anything unusual nearby?"
"I met a little girl," Meng Caiyun briefly recounted his experience, then asked earnestly, "By the way, who of you brought any food? It's urgent."
Everyone was stunned and hadn't reacted yet.
Bai Heng shyly pulled out a beautifully packaged biscuit from his pocket. "How about this? I bought a lot for my idol's endorsement and haven't finished it yet..."
The fat man scratched his forehead and asked, "But how do we get it over there?"
Meng Zhao, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly raised his hand and pointed at the charred corner of the wall: "It's easy, just burn it, right?"
"It's not that simple," Bai Heng patted him, "Don't sacrifices always require lighting a pair of incense sticks as a guide, and then placing fruits and snacks on the side?"
The paper figurine nodded: "Xiaobai is right."
Weiwei rummaged through her waist bag: "I don't have any candles, can a lighter be used instead?"
Meng Zhao squatted down, twisted the incense ash on the ground, pondered for a while, and said, "I'll have to make do with it."
He took out two new paper figures and stood them in the black ash, muttering something to himself. In less than a minute, the two paper figures shivered and hugged each other, and began to burn from the soles of their feet. The flames licked the paper surface, making loud crackling sounds.
Bai Heng quickly bent down and put the cookies on it.
After waiting for a while, the paper figure on Meng Zhao's shoulder exclaimed, "It really works! I got it."
Meng Caiyun opened her eyes and looked at the extra cookie in her palm. The colorful packaging was covered with Chen Songling's brilliant grin. She ripped it open without mercy, took out the snack inside and handed it to the girl. "Here, the owner of Baxizhai said that this new product is for you as compensation."
The girl took the letter doubtfully, carefully wrapped it up with a floral handkerchief, and put it in the bamboo basket she was carrying.
She shyly raised her head and thanked him, "Thank you. My name is Fang Cai, and I live behind the garden. Next time you come over, I'll treat you to some pancakes my mother makes."
Meng Caiyun thought the girl's smile was pretty. Her fluffy hair, with a few strands of hair sticking out, made her look like a cute puppy. He couldn't help but want to reach out and touch her head, but then he felt it was inappropriate, so he patted her shoulder instead. "You're welcome. Do you know where this place is?"
"This is the mansion!" Fang Cai looked stunned, as if she believed from the bottom of her heart that this place was well-known to everyone in the world. Her tone was a little incredulous: "Here, there, and the whole piece of land in the back are all mansions!"
"Fang Cai! Where's she gone?"
A stern female voice floated out from behind the door, and as if unable to find the person, it gradually faded away.
When Fang Cai heard the voice, she stuck out her tongue in embarrassment, stopped talking, said "see you later" in a hurry, and trotted to push the door open and walked in.
Meng Caiyun held onto the door frame, followed quietly, and sneaked into the moon-shaped door.
She closed her eyes and asked, "A Zhao, how are things over there?"
I heard the team members exclaiming, "The door suddenly opened. It couldn't be opened before. It's really strange!"
Meng Caiyun curled his lips and thought to himself that if the two sides were indeed "connected", then it would be easy.
In front of me is a small courtyard in the shape of a Chinese character "U". There are corridors around it. The eaves are carved with Pixiu and lions. The totem paintings are lifelike and look magnificent.
Fang Cai was not far away, squatting down and handing biscuits to a skinny little boy.
The boy was wearing a linen jacket and a blue sweat towel tied around his waist. He was no more than four or five years old, and he looked confused and dazed.
Meng Caiyun squinted his eyes and looked carefully, only to find that there was something wrong with the boy's eyes hidden under his overly long bangs. His pupils were grayish white, and he looked like a skinny little blind man with a pale face.
Fang Cai rubbed the other person's head: "Is it delicious?"
The boy clutched the biscuit tightly, stuffing it into his mouth eagerly and with great care, nodding his head: "Hmm, Hmm!"
Fang Cai said happily, "Eat slowly. I'll buy it for Xiao Wu from now on."
"Fang Cai—Fang Cai?"
The person who came finally came back from the corridor. It was a young woman wearing the same dark blue waistcoat, but with a purple cheongsam underneath. When she smiled, she looked just like Fangcai, with small dimples on the corners of her mouth.
Fang Cai spun nimbly, inadvertently blocking the boy's way, and lowered her voice to urge him, "Hurry, Mom is here. Don't tell me I brought you snacks, okay?"
The boy was so scared that he swallowed it in two or three gulps. His face turned pale from choking, but he still nodded repeatedly.
Fang Cai then turned around and said with a smile: "Mom!"
The woman glared at him, her eyes casually passing from the boy to the girl, and she frowned, "Oh my, where are you going out again? Don't run away so often, it won't be good if the wife sees you."
Fang Cai pouted: "The wife is not here, she took the eldest daughter back to her parents' home."
"Then you can't just sit around doing nothing," the woman said, holding her shoulders. "Silly girl, your mother told you to show up in the west courtyard more often, why didn't you listen?"
Fang Cai frowned and turned away, ignoring her. "Those are all weird people over there. I don't like being with them. Mother, you shouldn't have told those people about my eldest and third sisters."
The woman tapped her forehead with her fingernail and scolded her with a smile, "What do you know? Your second brother wants to curry favor with her but can't even get in line. He just hates that he can't marry into her family like the eldest and third brothers did... Never mind. You'll understand when you grow up."
Fang Cai pouted: "I don't want to understand."
The woman didn't bother to pay attention to her and snorted, "The young master should be awake by now. Go wash the diaper on the bed and come back to our room later to see Xiaoliu."
Fang Cai looked back calmly, and saw that the boy was no longer there. She breathed a sigh of relief and nodded: "Hey!"
There was only the sound of footsteps in the yard, and no other movement.
Meng Caiyun hid in the corner of the corridor, closed his eyes, and asked, "Have you entered the yard?"
There was silence on the other side for a while.
Meng Caiyun asked again, and then he heard Meng Zhao's voice: "Come in."
"What's the situation over there now?"
After a long while, Meng Zhao finally answered word by word.
"The eyes are filled with wounds, and the smoke from the ruins covers the bones."
His tone was normal, but these eight words carried an unbearable weight, weighing on the hearts of everyone present.
Behind the door lay a shambles of crumbling walls and decay. The once-carved and painted porch had been reduced to charred ruins. Black ash, mixed with dried blood, had burned indelible brown marks into the bluestone slabs. Occasionally, a sliver of white peeked through this horrific color, a forlorn fragment of bones. Calling this scene hellish could be an exaggeration.
Meng Caiyun was stunned, opened her eyes and looked around in confusion - where she was, there were still green willows under the eaves, orioles singing and swallows chirping, and the clear sky without a trace of haze.
What exactly happened during this period?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind like a bolt from the blue. She couldn't help but shudder and tremble her shoulders, her eyes wide open in disbelief.
This place...could it be...
The door behind Meng Zhao slammed shut with a harsh, shrill creaking sound.
He quickly shouted for alert. Fatty and Weiwei stood on both sides, took out the thunder guns at their waists and went on alert. After a moment of silence, the thick fog in front dissipated and a figure limped out from it.
“That’s…!”
It was a skeleton wearing a tattered cheongsam. She hugged the swaddling clothes tightly in her arms, and two faint ghost lights were filled in her empty eye sockets.
She walked slowly, her bones dragging on the stone slabs, making a slightly harsh rustling sound. With every step, her joints clicked, as if they would fall apart in the next second.
A hoarse, unpleasant murmur emanated from between the dangling, prolapsed jaws: "...Who is the dead man? Who is the sinner?"
"Such a strong resentment, is she the core of the formation?" The team members were shocked and confused. The flashes of the lightning spear shot out one after another, and in a blink of an eye, the concubine's colored cheongsam was riddled with holes.
The pink skeleton shook a few times, still standing there, with its detached mandible swaying comically. She asked the inexplicable question over and over again, slowly moving forward.
Meng Zhao calmly summoned the paper figures and instructed the team members to take their positions. Then he extended his hand and said without turning his head, "Bai Heng, come here!"
Bai Heng behind him heard the sound and approached Meng Zhao.
Meng Zhao reached back, pulling Bai Heng close behind him. The moment he tilted his head, he was caught off guard by a pale, gray skull. The cheongsam-clad skull had appeared within a foot of his face. Its distorted, sharp voice tore at his eardrums: "Who is the dead man? Who is the sinner?!"
Meng Zhao quickly pulled Bai Heng away from the resentful red-faced skeleton in front of him. The overwhelming number of paper figures condensed into white silk and nailed into the pale bone gaps, wrapping around to form chains that shackled her in place.
"team leader!!"
As soon as I looked up, I saw the team members looking at the ruins not far away with horror.
He suddenly had a bad premonition and looked in the direction he was looking. He saw Bai Heng trapped by a few thin logs randomly inserted into the stone pestle. No matter how hard she struggled and cursed, she could not escape.
Meng Zhao felt a chill in his heart.
Wait, that's Bai Heng? So what he's holding onto now is...
He held his breath and turned around, only to see a snow-white face like a paper man lying before him, with long braids and bangs, and the corners of his mouth almost reaching his ears.
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