Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When the other mannequins saw what had happened, they lunged at me like they had gone mad. The child sitting on the window opened its mouth and sprayed out a cloud of black mist.

A sharp, fishy stench hit me. My throat burned, then turned sweet, and I spat out a mouthful of blood.

How despicable. It had poison hidden away too. What kind of ancient poison was this? It was insanely potent.

Wave after wave of dizziness crashed over me. I could barely stay on my feet.

A mannequin shaped like an old woman threw itself at me from the side, pinning me hard beneath the pile of mannequins. I grabbed it with both arms and groped all over its body, but I couldn’t find the sheet of human skin.

The human skin was sewn onto each mannequin, but the placement was different every time. Some were deliberately stitched into hidden spots like the top of the head or the crotch. It was nearly impossible to find in a hurry.

My head grew heavier and heavier. Forcing myself to hold on with my last breath, I flung out several more paper talismans.

Boom-

Flames roared around me. I seized the chance to break free from the mannequins and charged to the window. Bracing myself with one hand, I was about to vault out.

The child mannequin opened its mouth to bite me. I flipped my palm and shoved a copper coin into its mouth, wedging it along the seam of its jaw so its mouth was stuck open.

Then I slapped a Ghost-Subduing Fan Seal across it and sent it flying.

I tumbled out the window and hit the ground. The cold air outside cleared my head a little.

Struggling to my feet, I staggered forward and ran. Several mannequins climbed out through the window and chased after me.

As I ran, a figure appeared up ahead. My heart tightened, and I called out tentatively, “Who’s there?”

The figure heard my voice and sped up, rushing toward me. Its body cut through the gray fog, and only when it was almost right in front of me did I finally see it clearly.

It was another mannequin.

It wore a blue denim jacket and black sweatpants, with a beige cotton head on top. Its familiar black button eyes kept swiveling.

“Fuck!”

I had nearly forgotten. In this village, every single household had mannequins standing outside too!

I cursed inwardly. There was no way I dared face it head-on right now, so I could only change directions and run west.

In the thick fog, mannequins would rush out every now and then, joining the pursuit. Before long, a whole crowd was chasing after me.

The intense exertion made my blood circulate faster. My head hurt worse and worse, and I felt like I was drunk. I could barely see what was in front of me.

Forcing myself to recite the Heart-Cleansing Mantra to stay conscious, I fled all the way until a splash of bright red suddenly appeared before my eyes.

Brilliant red ribbons fluttered in the wind, piercing through the gray fog and entering my sight.

I had run into the wedding canopy.

Most of the vengeful ghosts had dispersed, but a dozen or so were still gathered there, feeding on the remains.

A figure wriggled on the ground, his entire body a bloody mess. Somehow, he still had one breath left in him and was struggling to crawl toward me.

“Qiao Moyu-save-save me-”

“Jiang Qingsong, you’re actually not dead yet?”

The vengeful ghosts seemed to take pleasure in tormenting him. They had flayed both his legs and ripped out the bones, but they hadn’t killed him. They had intentionally left him alive so he could watch his friends and family die right in front of him.

When those vengeful ghosts saw me come in, they instantly gathered closer, malice flashing in their eyes as they watched me like predators.

I couldn’t run anymore. I dropped onto the ground.

The swarm of mannequins cut through the fog and charged into the wedding canopy, stopping right in front of me.

Jiang Qingsong’s eyes suddenly widened. He looked at the mannequins, then turned to look at the vengeful ghosts behind him before bursting into laughter, coughing up blood as he laughed.

“Hahaha, you bitch. So this is where you end up too.”

“Die with me. Cough, cough. You filthy whore. This is all your fault. All your fault!”

“Come to hell with me!”

I sat on the ground. Vengeful ghosts in front, mannequins behind, and a scumbag beside me. I was truly trapped in a dead end.

My face turned ashen, and a trace of despair rose in my eyes.

Was it finally time to take that step?

Was it finally time to use my trump card?

No. I refused to accept this. There had to be another way. There had to be.