Chapter 152
Hearing Xie Xubai's increasingly polite and respectful language, Yan Shuo raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.
His face showed no emotion, but through the overflowing power fluctuations, the ancient town of Hongyin could clearly sense his displeasure.
Yan Shuo's brutality was known to all, and even the land beneath its feet was filled with dread. It remembered the "rules" that Yan Shuo had torn apart, and trembled with fear. If it weren't an immovable area, it would probably have already fled in panic.
Xie Xubai also sensed Yan Shuo's displeasure.
I think... there shouldn't be any major problems.
After all, Yan Shuo has been angry all along. Because of his memory loss, he still hasn't found the reason why he was angry before.
I don't know why.
Perhaps it was because Yan Shuo had guided his growth many times; perhaps it was because Yan Shuo had helped him defeat the system during this illusion; or perhaps it was because, at this very moment, the gold-rimmed glasses were still secretly and stickily rubbing against his earlobe.
Xie Xubai suddenly realized that Yan Shuo, when he got angry, might not be as terrifying as he had imagined.
Xie Xubai decided to face the challenge head-on and continued to press, "Can you tell me?"
At that time, he was sitting and Yan Shuo was standing, with some distance between them, so the former leaned over to ask.
He tilted his head back, looking up at Yan Shuo with pleading eyes: "Besides you, I don't know who else to turn to."
Yan Shuo lowered his gaze, meeting directly into those bright, clear eyes. In the candlelight, it seemed as if he could find twinkling stars within them.
He looked at Xie Xubai in silence, and after a moment, raised his index finger.
A chair appeared out of thin air next to Xie Xubai's seat, and Yan Shuo sat down, raising his hand to hold up a dark cloud of mist.
Before he could make a move, the black ball suddenly leaped forward impatiently and floated happily in front of Xie Xubai.
Even before Xie Xubai took it, he sensed a familiar and comforting aura emanating from it. He asked in bewilderment, "What is this?"
Yan Shuo stared intently at the eager black mass, his brows furrowed, and his usually expressionless face finally showed some emotion, revealing a cold, forced smile.
He smirked: "The remains of Lü Xiangcai."
"..." Xie Xubai also sensed it.
He fell silent, carefully taking the black mass into his palm.
As the black mist dissipated, several pieces of pale white bone remained, covered with fine, dense cracks that spread out like a spider web, appearing as if they would shatter at the slightest touch, a truly horrifying sight.
Yan Shuo said calmly, "In the past, there was a practice called 'human sacrifice' called 'driving a foundation pile.' Some fools believed that burying a living person at the construction site before the project started would ensure the project's smooth progress. Once the project was completed, the person would become a guardian deity, suppressing evil spirits and protecting the building from fire and water, ensuring the owner's business would prosper."
"This bad habit was abolished decades later and replaced with sprinkling chicken blood to replace the symbolism, but some fools still have the evil intention to profit from these crooked ways."
"The predecessor of Shengtian Group, Hongrun Company, had an engineer who received such instructions. But that person was rather timid and did not dare to kill a living person. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he secretly bought a set of spirit bones that had been burned and recast from the black market in Hongyin Ancient Town, broke them into several pieces, shattered them, and incorporated them into cement. He then used various spiritual artifacts to build and arrange the feng shui formation."
Yan Shuo: "But what he didn't know was that there was no black market in Hongyin Ancient Town, only a ghost market, and the bone set he bought was not a spirit bone."
Instead, it was the remains of Lü Xiangcai.
Xie Xubai felt a sudden pain in his heart.
...to smash it to pieces?
Xie Xubai looked at the black lime in the bone crevice and the fine cracks, his brows furrowed suddenly, and the pain in his heart intensified. He used his spiritual power to carefully smooth it away.
Although he had never died, he learned from the evil book about enslaving dogs that after a soul transforms into a ghost, it can resonate with its own corpse, and its perception will be amplified several times.
The author of the evil book also mentioned with considerable pride that to subdue vengeful spirits, one only needs to find their corpses, tap them lightly, and none will dare disobey. This shows how much pain dealing with corpses can cause to the spirits.
Xie Xubai used his mental power to envelop the bone fragments, attempting to repair the cracks on them, and asked in a deep voice, "Who burned Lü Xiangcai's remains into bone tools and then sold them to the engineers of Hongrun Company, and those villagers?"
Yan Shuo said, "No, it was the Cen family that burned the bones, and the sale of bone tools was a deliberate arrangement by the system."
Upon hearing the name of the Cen family, Xie Xubai frowned.
His first reaction was that the Cen family wished they could grind Lü Xiangcai to dust, even torturing his corpse after death to prevent his soul from finding peace. Lü Xiangcai would surely be devastated if he learned the truth.
Fortunately, the reality was not as cruel as he had imagined.
Yan Shuo said, "Shortly after Lü Xiangcai drowned, the villagers who participated in the murder were captured by the Xingzhou army stationed outside the town and imprisoned one by one in the dungeon. However, before they could be dealt with, the war outside spread to Hongying Town. Most of the Xingzhou army was recalled after learning of Lü Xiangcai's death at the Cen family. The remaining villagers were powerless to resist the bandits and were slaughtered."
“Looking back at the cause and effect, if Lü Jiu hadn’t detained them in that desolate mountain town where no one could cry out to heaven, and destroyed the boats and blocked all the passages, they would not have had no chance of escape before the bandits attacked.”
"Those villagers were brutally murdered, they died unjustly, and their resentment is boundless. They have inflicted their hatred on Lü Xiangcai, forming a curse that prevents him from being reincarnated."
Xie Xubai suddenly understood: "So the Cen family..."
Yan Shuo: "The old lady of the Cen family is kind and gentle. In addition, she devoted herself to Buddhism in the second half of her life and developed a faint spiritual awareness. She dreamed day and night that Lu Xiangcai's spirit was restless and cried blood and howled in pain."
"To appease her, the Cen family found a highly virtuous monk to burn Lü Xiangcai's remains into bone tools to suppress the overwhelming resentment in Hongying Town."
"Firstly, to prevent excessive resentment from giving rise to evil spirits. Secondly, to settle the karmic debts of Lü Xiangcai's past, and to atone for his original sins through the torment of suppressing vengeful spirits."
Once all the vengeful spirits in Red Poppy Town have been successfully converted, Lü Xiangcai will be able to pass away peacefully.
If no system interferes, those resentful spirits will be successfully converted after several decades or even a hundred years.
Now that Lü Xiangcai's remains have been removed, the resentful spirits have nowhere to vent their hatred, and have awakened all the evil spirits, including the long-dead Luofutu, forming a ghostly realm that wreaks havoc in all directions.
Although Lü Xiangcai was born and died in Hongying Town, he was reborn and integrated into Hongrun Company, becoming a byproduct of the company. His "household registration" naturally needed to be updated.
His soul was also repeatedly struck during this process, his memories of the past became very blurry, and his cognition was affected.
Between the two, Hongrun Company naturally gained control over Lü Xiangcai.
The struggle between those who wield power is always brutal and ruthless, a fight to the death. Hongrun Company fears that Lü Xiangcai will be taken away by Hongyin Ancient Town, and in fact, Lü's fate is indeed not in his own hands.
Therefore, it would rather shatter Lü Xiangcai's soul than let him leave even a step, thus hindering the strengthening and expansion of other [rules].
Repairing remains is no easy task, especially with bones that have been pulverized once; a slight mishap can cause irreparable damage.
Xie Xubai tried his best, but could only close the gaps a little, not restore them to their original state. He dared not use too much force, so he simply used his mental energy to weave a cloth bag and carefully put the bone fragments inside, hoping to collect a spiritual artifact to nourish the bones in the future.
Yan Shuo was still silently staring at Xie Xubai's wrist.
Although Xie Xubai had concealed the handcuffs to avoid attracting attention, he could not hide them from God's eyes.
Xie Xubai suddenly thought of something and asked in surprise, "Hongrun Company refused to let Lü Xiangcai go. The system intervened and interfered with the rules, which is why his soul returned to the Hongyin Theater. So how were these bone fragments, which were embedded in the cement, taken out and taken away smoothly?"
Before he finished speaking, the shadow beneath his feet suddenly trembled, and tiny tentacles darted out of the shadow with glee, their tips still covered in black grime, chirping as if seeking praise.
[I painstakingly carved this out of the wall, bit by bit! Bye-bye, aren't I amazing!]
Xie Xubai was quite surprised. He had been immersed in the play for many years and hadn't seen the little tentacle. He immediately hugged it happily, brushed off the dirt from the tips of the tentacle, and praised with a smile, "Hmm, Little One is really amazing!"
However, with Xiao Yi's size and "meticulous" hands-on skills, he managed to pry Lu Xiangcai's almost completely shattered remains out of the wall piece by piece...
While patting the small tentacles, Xie Xubai lowered his voice and asked Yan Shuo, "Excuse me, is Shengtian Group still in existence?"
"..." Yan Shuo remained strangely silent for a while. Upon closer inspection, one could see that his eyebrows were twitching slightly, as if he were thinking of some unbearable scene.
Finally, he calmly stated, "It's alright, it won't interfere with official business, it can be fixed tomorrow."
Looking at Yan Shuo's seemingly calm and icy face, Xie Xubai raised his eyebrows slightly, and a barely perceptible smile flashed in his eyes.
Yan Shuo would not tolerate Xiao Yi's mischief and trouble-making. If it weren't for the other party's instruction or tacit approval, Xiao Yi would probably be forcibly suppressed before he could even lift a brick.
This was a version of Him that Xie Xubai had never seen before.
The little tentacles nestled in Xie Xubai's arms, rubbing against him, bathed in the gentle caress of golden spiritual energy. They were so comfortable that their suckers expanded, and they began to snore.
Humans have been so busy lately, and it felt like it hadn't been this close to humans in a long time. Overjoyed, it called out to them repeatedly.
Bye-bye, bye-bye.
It pointed upwards, and a cloud of black mist shimmered with light condensed at the top.
I also have a memory of him here, I'll give it to you.
During Yan Shuo's hibernation, Lü Jiu was the temporary guardian of the little tentacle, always keeping an eye on it and often hitting it, just like Yan Shuo with its fiery temper. However, it wouldn't tolerate it and would usually retaliate on the spot.
Little Tentacle dislikes Lü Xiangcai, but also feels that he is willing to play with her and is a decent person, though she can't say she cares about him much.
But it knew that Xie Xubai definitely wanted to rescue Lü Xiangcai.
Breaking through the realm of intrigue and the rules is often based on cognition. The deeper the understanding, the stronger the cognition, and the more skillful the action will be.
The little tentacle spoke in a soft, sweet voice, as adorable as a child eagerly showing off a treasure to their parents. Xie Xubai couldn't resist kissing it and said with a raised eyebrow, "Thank you, Xiao Yi."
Yan Shuo paused, glanced discreetly at his thigh, and then looked at the part of his body where the little tentacle had been kissed.
Xie Xubai couldn't wait to open that memory.
Although the memories unfold from the perspective of a small tentacle, it allows one to overlook the whole picture and see all the scenes around Yan Shuo from every angle.
It can even see through things; if you stare at it for a little longer, you can see through the high walls of buildings and onto the streets and pedestrians that are blocked behind them.
The tiny tentacles don't have eyes as defined by science. Perhaps in their "field of vision," the world has always appeared vast and macroscopic.
The memory is brief, and the surrounding architecture is unfamiliar. I can vaguely make out the approximate location from the landmarks—the company in front of me is Shengtian Group.
At that time, Shengtian Group was a small company on the verge of bankruptcy. The decorations were dilapidated, the scale was small, and the place was deserted. The glass door was covered with small advertisements, the tables and chairs inside were crooked and overturned, and folders and papers were scattered everywhere, making it look empty and desolate.
Back then, Yan Shuo looked exactly the same as he does now, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, and a handsome appearance.
But his eyes were much colder than they were now, as black as ink, as deep as a pool, devoid of any warmth or light.
It was as if he were merely a passerby in this world, unmoved by external things, so no matter how long the years passed, they left no trace on him.
Yan Shuo walked past the entrance of Hongrun Company without veering off course, appearing to be merely passing by.
Two passersby stood together in the shade of a nearby tree, one of them holding a camera and looking very interested.
The other person was much more uneasy, glancing around nervously, occasionally showing fear at the signboard of Hongrun Company, and urgently advised: "I've already said that this company is haunted, and people have almost died several times. Why did you still come here? Why don't we leave?"
"Nonsense, if it weren't for the rumors that this place is haunted, I wouldn't bother coming here!" His companion patted the camera in his hand dismissively, a smug grin spreading across his face. "This company has been plagued with problems ever since it was built. There must be something fishy going on inside. If we can crack its secrets and film it, we'll definitely get a lot of views!"
"Besides, it's daytime now, the yang energy is strong, even vengeful ghosts wouldn't dare to come out, what are you afraid of?"
"but……"
"Alright, let's go! I finally managed to get these keys. It's only because the company is liquidating these past few days that no one's coming over. If we miss this opportunity, we won't get another one!"
Xie Xubai had already seen Lü Xiangcai pasted behind the glass door.
At this time, Lü Xiangcai drowned. After being forged into a skeleton by a fiery array, he guarded the vengeful spirits for nearly a hundred years, and was also affected and tormented by their resentment for nearly a hundred years. After being pulverized and encased in cement by a heartless merchant, he had long since gone mad.
He exuded a thick, dark aura of resentment, his eyes were bloodshot, and he stared intently at the two people who were gradually approaching, his lips stretched into an almost excited grin that reached his ears.
Xie Xubai knew he was doomed, but he was powerless to stop it.
After all, this is just a clip from the past, not even a dream.
The two reckless individuals, completely unaware of the danger lurking ahead, obliviously took out their keys. A tattered yellow talisman was pasted on the door, which the cameraman, without even looking up, mistook for an advertisement and ripped off, exclaiming, "What the hell is this?"
This tug clearly broke an invisible seal, causing Lu Xiangcai's resentment to surge.
As soon as he opened the company gate, he transformed into a damp, cold aura and rushed out, creating a huge hurricane that caused billboards to crash to the ground and tree branches to shake wildly.
The two reckless individuals didn't see anything clearly before being violently thrown into the air and crashed to the ground unconscious.
Lu Xiangcai landed beside them and stepped on the cameraman's face.
Seeing the other person scream in agony, his lips curled into a wild, unrestrained grin, as if the suffering of others could soothe his pent-up rage: "Thank you both, young brothers. If it weren't for your help, I don't know how long I would have been stuck in this godforsaken place, hahaha—"
After he finished speaking, he kicked the cameraman hard again, sending him flying several meters away.
Xie Xubai watched Lu Xiangcai's arrogant and domineering behavior from the side, and saw the immense pleasure that flashed in the other party's eyes when he hurt people. Suddenly, he felt a little sad.
After kicking the man, Lü Xiangcai seemed to feel it wasn't enough.
He has been in pain for too long, how can such a small amount of catharsis be enough?
So Lü Xiangcai reached out his hand, smiling, and stretched it towards the throats of the two men.
Changes in one's state of mind will directly reflect the true nature of the demonic entity.
When the thought of harming others without cause first arose, Lü Xiangcai's sinister appearance became increasingly sinister.
In the blink of an eye, his arms were covered with hideous lividity, sharp claws grew from his fingertips, and the shadow beneath his feet trembled excitedly, making him no different from a vengeful ghost.
Xie Xubai desperately wanted to stop him, but he had no physical form in the fragments of his memory and could only watch helplessly as Lü Xiangcai fell into the abyss, never to return.
Don't do that, Lü Xiangcai!
Xie Xubai was heartbroken and wished he could rush over and drag the person away. He shouted angrily, "Don't do anything wrong, don't torture yourself like this!"
We all know that killing, harming, or injuring others will never bring you true pleasure—you've never truly felt any pleasure.
Lu Xiangcai's hand, which was gripping the two men's necks, suddenly stiffened without warning.
He seemed to hear a sound, twitched his ears, looked around, but didn't see anyone. After a moment of silence, he muttered, "Strange."
Seeing his appearance, Xie Xubai guessed a possibility, his heart suddenly raced, and he quickly shouted a few more words.
However, Lü Xiangcai did not react at all, as if their earlier dazed listening was just a hallucination.
But after this interruption, Lü Xiangcai's murderous intent gradually faded, or rather, he was so preoccupied with the nameless voice that had suddenly appeared that he couldn't even think about killing to vent his anger.
He slowly stood up, and the two passersby who had been jerked awake scrambled to their feet in panic and ran away in a panic.
Lu Xiangcai ignored him, looked around, then looked up and stared at the empty blue sky and white clouds.
"strangeness."
No one can be found.
Who's calling me?
Why don't you come out?
Lu Xiangcai looked around, seemingly a little more awake, but his face was full of confusion: "Where is this?"
Why am I here?
"Hey!" he shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth and pointing at the deserted street, "Does anyone know me? Is anyone here?"
No one responded.
At this time, the area had not yet been developed. It was too far from the economic zone, remote, and had no customer traffic, making daily life extremely inconvenient. Its only advantage was the cheap rent.
The person in charge of Hongrun Company originally planned to build a large warehouse here to do e-commerce or freight business, but after several ghost stories and incidents, he had to give up.
Lu Xiangcai paused, then suddenly felt an indescribable fear. He raised his voice and shouted hoarsely, "Whoever called me earlier, come out! Anyone will do, just one person, tell me who I am!"
Still no one responded.
The air was eerily still, the autumn wind rustled, causing the withered leaves to sway slightly, and the vast blue sky carried an indescribable sense of desolation.
It was as if he was always alone.
Lu Xiangcai was stunned. Suddenly, he felt something hit his palm, and his eyes felt hot. He couldn't help but look down.
As he lowered his head, the tears welling up in his eyes fell again, a large drop landing with a scalding heat on his wrist, which was covered in lividity.
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