Chapter 106: Finally Revealed

"If I am not mistaken, this place must be the lair of that green-clad female ghost!"

Cui Yue was startled and hurriedly looked around. "Here?"

Suddenly, he felt his foot trip over something. Looking down, he realized he had stepped on a human femur.

"What do we do now?"

Old Monster Huo raised an eyelid and chuckled softly. "Wait."

"How can you be so sure that what is buried in Yunshan Village is its main body? It could just be a remnant soul, for all we know!"

"Intuition."

Cui Yue was dumbfounded. Is there any accountability in the way you speak, Old Monster Huo? Can you base your claims on any facts?

Are we really just waiting for the ghost to show up? If that skinless, faceless freak doesn't appear, are we expected to spend the night in this Yunshan Village?

Old Monster Huo juggled several Five-Emperor coins in his hand, scattering one every five steps. After walking about thirty-five steps, he had tossed seven coins, distributing them around the perimeter of the mass grave.

Cui Yue watched Old Monster Huo’s unfathomable expression, not daring to let out a full breath. Only after the old man had finished throwing all the coins did he lean in and whisper, "Old Monster Huo, what are you doing? Setting up an array?"

Old Monster Huo stopped and gave a soft huff. "If I told you I was bored and just playing a game, would you believe me?"

Cui Yue spat in disgust. *Don't bother,* he thought, *given your personality, that sounds exactly like something you would do.*

"We can't just let it lead us by the nose forever. We have to give it something to be terrified about, don't we?"

Hearing this, Cui Yue felt a bit more at ease; at least the old man was doing something productive. He didn't know what else Old Monster Huo was busy with, so he could only wait by the mounds. Before he knew it, the sky had begun to darken.

Suddenly, Cui Yue noticed that the femur he had stepped on earlier was gone. Had a wild dog dragged it away? Turning around, he realized something even more unsettling: the scattered white bones that had been all around them were now nowhere to be seen. Strange—did they sprout legs and run off on their own?

"Old Monster Huo, don't you feel like something is wrong?" Cui Yue asked cautiously.

"I do, indeed..."

Cui Yue slapped his thigh and hurriedly said, "Look, look! My intuition was right! I just felt—"

Old Monster Huo continued, "You’re just spouting nonsense. There hasn't been a single thing 'right' about this place since we stepped into Yunshan Village!"

"No, that's not it! I mean, haven't you noticed that there were piles of things over here and over there just a moment ago?" Cui Yue gestured with his hands.

"Didn't notice!" Old Monster Huo replied flatly.

Cui Yue was fuming. He waved a hand, deciding to drop the subject. *I’ll just pretend I didn't say anything. Our horoscopes are clearly incompatible; I don't want to say another word to you!*

Two more hours passed. Cui Yue, growing impatient, finally spoke up. "Old Monster Huo, do you really think that thing will come?"

"Heh heh. It will definitely come."

"On what grounds are you so sure? Don't just spout nonsense!"

Old Monster Huo turned his face, flashed a sinister smile, and stared at Cui Yue. "Because of you."

Cui Yue felt a chill run down his spine, his entire body breaking out in goosebumps. "Because of me? Because of what?"

Old Monster Huo sneered. "Because of what? You swallowed its remnant soul. Did you think it would just let it go and spare you?"

A wave of dread washed over Cui Yue, his calves cramping in terror. Looking at that detestable face, Cui Yue cursed him internally. *This old bastard, he’s been using me as bait!*

Yet, oblivious to the danger, Old Monster Huo patted Cui Yue on the shoulder and comforted him with a straight face. "Don't worry. You swallowed its remnant soul; it won't just sit by and watch. It will definitely come. It might even be right on our heels—it's only a matter of time."

Cui Yue swallowed hard and took a deep breath, trying to calm down and suppress the urge to tear the old man limb from limb. *I finally realized you aren't just slovenly, mercenary, and small-minded—most importantly, you are despicable!*

Suddenly, a sinister wind began to howl, and black clouds pressed down upon them...

***

In Shangwan Village, at the Chen household, Secretary Chen sat in a lounge chair, rubbing the bone flute in his inner pocket, his heart heavy with worry.

Chen Sanwa tore off a corner of a newspaper, rolled a cigarette, tucked it into his mouth, and squatted on the threshold, smoking in silence. Before he had even finished one, he threw it to the ground in frustration and ground it out with his foot.

"Big Brother, what are you thinking? Tell me already, you're going to be the death of me!"

Secretary Chen lifted his eyes and sighed. Chen Sanwa paced back and forth in the room, agitated and anxious.

"Sanwa, can't you sit still? You're old enough to know better; why are you still so restless?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Sanwa raised his eyebrows and shouted, his emotions erupting. "Restless? How can you expect me to be calm! People are going to die! That cousin of ours was considered part of the Chen family, and look what happened to her! What is this? It's a warning to us! If we don't do as it says, can you guarantee that the next one won't be you or me?"

"Things haven't reached that point yet. Besides, I sense that there’s been a hitch on its end. It might not be able to concern itself with us for the time being."

Chen Sanwa didn't care about any of that; he assumed his brother was just trying to soothe him. *You say there's nothing to worry about? Then how did Chen Bailian die?*

"How has it not reached that point? Tomorrow is the final deadline. Do you really think we can escape this?" Chen Sanwa loudly questioned Secretary Chen, venting all the fire in his heart.

"Enough!" Secretary Chen suddenly sat up from his lounge chair and barked.

Chen Sanwa was startled. Seeing his brother genuinely enraged, he finally shut his mouth and retreated to the threshold, looking dejected.

"As for the current situation, let's not act rashly. I had hoped to use those two as sacrifices, but who knew they actually had some skills—they even saw through the Feng Shui trap set by the Opera Madame for the Chen family! However, if they truly can break our village's curse as they claimed, then everyone will be happy. If they can't..."

Chen Sanwa snorted, unconvinced. "And if they can't?"

"Even if they can't, the Opera Madame won't be able to blame us. We aren't the ones who invited them here."

"But what about that 'Eight Perils Array' they were talking about..."

Secretary Chen gave a cunning laugh, unimpressed. "I think that’s just a way to scare people. If they really had something that powerful, why would the Opera Madame need to demand sacrifices from us? At most, it's just like before—only meant to gather Yin energy."

Hearing this, Chen Sanwa finally found his footing, and the weight on his heart lifted. "But what if those two were just bluffing us and have already run away without a trace?"

"Hmph! What to do?" Secretary Chen’s expression suddenly shifted, and he gestured across his throat with his hand.

Chen Sanwa understood immediately and gave a silent nod. "Big Brother is as thoughtful as ever!"

Secretary Chen closed his eyes in satisfaction and let out a long breath. As it turned out, he had long ago struck a deal with the Opera Madame: as long as the quota of sacrifices was met, the curse on the Chen family would be broken, freeing them from generations of suffering and releasing him from his duty as the Opera Madame's spirit medium.