Chapter 12

Chapter 12

By the time we returned to the red brick house in the village, the sky had turned pitch black.

The fluorescent light on the ceiling flickered, casting a dim, sickly white glow. Several piles of straw were tossed into the corners, and in the center of the room sat a square table. On it was a plate of steamed buns, a pot of water, and surprisingly, two small side dishes.

Watching us enter, Boss Hou shut the door and pointed toward the straw.

“Eat. Once you’re done, sleep there.”

After a full day of labor, the others were already exhausted. Brother Da was the first to charge forward, grabbing a bun and devouring it ravenously. The elderly group followed suit. Only Jiang Haoyan and I stood to the side, our mouths watering.

Boss Hou looked at us suspiciously. “Why aren’t you two eating?”

Jiang Haoyan shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”

Just as he spoke, his stomach let out a long, loud growl.

I waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, stop pretending. There’s something wrong with these buns. We’re not eating them!”

Boss Hou froze for a moment, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed.

“Hahaha! As expected of Master Qiao. I knew I couldn’t fool you. It’s just a pity you realized it too late.”

He clapped his hands. At the signal, Brother Da and the elderly group, who had finished their buns, suddenly clutched their throats. Their eyes rolled back as they collapsed onto the floor, limbs going limp. The door was kicked open, and a group of burly men in suits marched in, wielding knives and clubs.

“Master Qiao, hand over the ‘Classic of the Green Satchel,’ and we might just let you live.”

My heart skipped a beat. The *Classic of the Green Satchel* was said to have been passed down by Huang Shigong during the transition from the Qin to the Han Dynasty; it was the first Feng Shui text in Chinese history to be recorded in writing. The version circulating today consists of only about four hundred words, but very few people know that the true, complete version contains over four thousand. It has always been held by the Qiao Family.

“An antique like that? I handed it over to the state long ago. You should go ask the museum for it.”

Seeing that I wasn’t responding to either threats or reason, Boss Hou lost his temper. With a wave of his hand, the thugs brandished their weapons and prepared to charge. I quickly ducked behind Jiang Haoyan, poking my head out to shout, “Close the door! Release the hounds!”

Jiang Haoyan blinked. “Huh?”

Just as I finished speaking, a piercing sound erupted from outside-the sound of long fingernails scratching violently against the wooden door. It was enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.

A gust of yin wind swirled through the cracks of the door, accompanied by a thick, putrid stench of decay. Standing right by the entrance, Boss Hou nearly gagged.

“Damn it, who’s out there?”

Boss Hou called out a few times, but there was no answer. One of the thugs, unable to stand the smell, covered his nose and went to open the door, cursing as he did.

“Shit, we’re doing business for the boss! What the hell are you-AHHH!”

In the next second, the man was tackled to the ground by a ragged old man. After a brief fit of convulsions, he went still.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events, freezing in their tracks to stare at the doorway. Four ragged figures stood outside, covered in mud and weeds. They had green faces and protruding fangs, their hair as messy as dried straw. They ranged in age from young to old, their arms hanging at their sides with sharp claws extending long past their sleeves.

Jiang Haoyan sucked in a sharp breath. “Holy shit… Jiangshi?”

I quickly reached out to cover Jiang Haoyan’s mouth, pulling him back toward the pile of straw.

“Don’t talk. Just watch.”

Before Boss Hou and his men could react, a few of the thugs tried to test the Jiangshi with an attack. They quickly discovered that their opponents were invulnerable to blades and possessed Herculean strength. Panicking, the men began to flee in all directions, screaming in terror. Boss Hou scrambled out after them, and the Jiangshi gave chase. Within moments, the house was cleared of everyone but us.

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Chen Zhen and the others are infected with corpse poison, so the Jiangshi won’t bother them. Let them stay here for now. We need to find Liu Xiong and get out of here as soon as the sun comes up.”

Jiang Haoyan looked hesitant. “But didn’t Brother Da say you can’t leave this village?”

“Psh, how hard can the formation be? It’ll just take a little time. Let’s go.”

I grabbed Jiang Haoyan’s arm, but we had only taken two steps toward the door when disaster struck.

Brother Da, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly leaped up as I passed him. He kicked Jiang Haoyan aside and pressed a knife to my throat.

“Master Qiao, you’ve got some real skill, being able to summon Jiangshi.”

Brother Da let out a cold sneer. As he spoke, he suddenly raised the blade and slashed toward my neck with ruthless, lethal intent.

I was already holding my Dragon-Seeking Ruler, intending to use it to find Liu Xiong. In that split second, I thrust the ruler in front of me. The dagger slammed into the bronze tool with a crisp *clang*. At the same time, Jiang Haoyan let out a roar and charged head-first into Brother Da.