Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I nodded and took a bite of the bun.

The moment the fragrant meat filling hit my tongue, I realized just how starving I was.

I sat down at the table and wolfed down my food. As I ate, I thought to myself that Master Wu really was something. Yesterday, he had been all fierce and intimidating. Today, once he saw that I could spend a whole night lying in yin and come out fine, his attitude changed completely. He was so polite to my dad and me it was almost ridiculous.

Going from arrogance to deference like that, didn’t he find it awkward?

Still, too many things had happened last night. Those two mental sisters had kept interrupting me, and I didn’t even know if I’d succeeded.

I put down my soy milk.

“Actually, last night-”

Three pairs of eyes turned toward me at once. My dad sat up straight, nervous.

“What happened last night?”

If I said it might not have worked, would Master Wu still give my dad mountain ginseng to keep him alive?

My dad was in such bad shape already. Why make him worry for no reason?

The words reached my lips, then took a turn.

“Last night, my arms and legs felt warm. There was something underground that could sense my thoughts.”

My dad nodded again and again, excited.

“Yes, that’s right!

“Xiaoyang, you did very well. That’s exactly how it should feel. You really do have talent for this line of work.”

After a pause, I added, “It’s just… I seemed to hear two women talking the whole time last night. Master Mo, did you clear the area yesterday? Could any passersby have come through nearby?

“What if someone suddenly showed up and interrupted me while I was lying in yin?”

Master Mo shook his head. He said Master Wu had stationed people around the lake. At night, they drove patrols along the roads and would not let any passersby come near.

Even if someone really did wander in by accident, while I was lying in yin, sinister energy would rise faintly from underground. Ordinary people would only feel uncomfortable all over and would not be able to stay there at all.

Never mind other people-even he and Master Wu had only stood outside for a short while after watching me enter the bottom of the grave pit last night before they couldn’t take it anymore and quickly left.

Then where had those two mental sisters come from last night?

Could they really be some kind of expert grave robbers?

Uneasy, I hinted to Master Wu that they should step up the patrols. Master Wu agreed. He even praised me, saying I was careful and responsible.

If this trip succeeded, he would directly double the payment he had promised my dad before. One portion of that would be for me.

I rested for the entire day. After a hearty brunch, I slept through the whole afternoon.

By evening, I felt that I had recovered more than half my energy.

I actually wanted to find a chance to ask my dad about Blood Bait, to see if he had ever heard of it.

But after talking to me that morning, he had been too drained. He slept for most of the day and still had not woken up.

Master Mo said the deathly aura on him was too severe, and he needed to conserve his strength. He told me not to disturb him.

“Is there still something you don’t understand that you need to ask your father?”

I shook my head.

“It’s nothing. Let him rest properly.”

When a slim new moon hung high in the sky, I was crouching at the bottom of the pit again.

The yellow talisman paper beneath me had been baked by the sun all afternoon, giving off a faint scent of sunlight mixed with the fragrance of paper. It smelled surprisingly nice.

I held a coffin nail in my hand.

This nail had been bought from an antique market. Master Mo said it had been pulled out by grave robbers when they opened an ancient tomb, so it counted as a small antique.

It was mottled with rust, and there was a layer of dried, light-brown liquid on it. I had no idea what it was.

I felt a little conflicted.

If I used this thing to cut my forehead, would I get tetanus?

Forget it. Tomorrow, after I got out, I would have Master Wu find someone to give me a shot as a precaution.

For now, I couldn’t think too much. Lying in yin was the most important thing.

I gritted my teeth and dragged the nail across my forehead.

I actually didn’t use much force. The head of the nail was blunt and covered in rust, but it was surprisingly sharp. With just a light scrape, I immediately felt a sting, and warm liquid slid down the bridge of my nose.

Flustered, I grabbed a few sheets of yellow talisman paper and wiped my forehead.

The bleeding stopped quickly. I spread the bloodstained sheets of yellow talisman paper flat on the ground, then lay down on top of them and closed my eyes.

Pain. So much pain.

The wound on my forehead split open again, like it was being burned by fire.

It also felt as if someone had shoved their fingers inside and was tearing it apart with all their strength.

I let out a muffled groan. My entire body went rigid, and my fingers dug into the ground uncontrollably.

Because of the pain, I began trembling all over despite myself.

But I clenched my teeth and endured it.

Hold on. Hold on. According to the book, once the pain reached its peak, it would suddenly disappear. The wound would feel as if it had been chilled with ice, and a wave of coolness would follow.

Sun Xiaoyang, as long as you hold on, Dad will be fine. The payment will even be doubled. That extra fifty thousand-Dad said I could spend it on myself. I could buy all the things I liked.

Although my dad earned a decent amount, he always said this line of work wouldn’t last long. He had to save money to buy me an apartment in the city and help me get a wife, so he was always stingy in daily life.

Ever since I was little, I had never had much pocket money. My clothes and shoes had always been the most ordinary kind.

Fifty thousand. I could get a new iPhone, buy a tablet, buy the sneakers I liked, and even buy an electric scooter.

My mind was a mess. I forced myself to think about the things I had wanted for so long, using them to fight against the physical instinct to run from the overwhelming pain.

Just when the pain was about to become too much for me to bear, two familiar voices sounded beside my ear again.

“Huh?”

“Ah?”