Chapter 168
Chapter 168
What had happened to Jiang Yingxue was hardly uncommon in the internet age.
Far too many people found themselves swept along by capital, unable to break free. What they thought was the opportunity of a lifetime to soar to the top ultimately became a knife pressed against their throats.
But the crux of Jiang Yingxue’s case wasn’t the capital behind it all. It was the Bronze Bell.
I spoke up at the right moment, cutting through Jiang Yingxue’s sorrow and steering the conversation back on track. “When did you first realize something was wrong with you? And what made you suspect the Bronze Bell?”
Jiang Yingxue collected herself and said, “I’m extremely busy. Sometimes, when work piles up, I don’t go home for days. But ever since late August, whenever I sleep at home, I always have dreams.
“In those dreams, I hear the sound of a Copper Bell, and in an instant, I’m transported back to Xiangxi. It’s as if I’m still holding the Bronze Bell and practicing Corpse Driving. I also keep hearing someone calling me over and over, right until I wake up.
“After that, things kept getting worse. My mind started becoming unstable, and I was always zoning out. I made frequent mistakes while filming, lost more and more weight, and looked increasingly sickly.
“I thought I had some serious illness, but the hospital couldn’t find anything wrong with me. Then one day, I happened to see the Bronze Bell on my display shelf and began to suspect it might be the cause. I spent a fortune hiring an occult master to examine me. He said an evil spirit had latched on to me, so he performed a ritual and took the Bronze Bell away.”
Li Qingying was engrossed in the story. “And then?”
“My condition did improve somewhat after that,” Jiang Yingxue said. “But it didn’t last long. The master’s health began to deteriorate too, and he secretly brought the Bronze Bell back and stuffed it into my shoe rack. My nightmares returned, and my condition worsened even faster than before. I no longer dared to trust any of those so-called masters. Then I met Boss Jin…”
“Ahem.”
Jin Wuya suddenly covered his mouth and coughed twice, cutting Jiang Yingxue off.
Realization dawned on me. So he was the one who had been spreading word about me.
“Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, I truly came here because of your reputation.” Jiang Yingxue took my hand and pleaded earnestly, “I don’t ask for anything else. I only want you to take this Bronze Bell off my hands. As long as it isn’t near me, I’ll be fine.”
I shook my head and dashed her hopes without hesitation. “Miss Jiang, if I’m not mistaken, your problem is indeed connected to the Bronze Bell, but it’s only a medium. Even without it, there could still be corpse-suppressing talismans, burial shrouds, soul-guiding candles, and any number of other things. You can’t guard against them all.”
Jiang Yingxue froze, her eyes immediately misting over. “Th-Then what am I supposed to do? I don’t want to die!”
She was on the verge of breaking down, but her desire to live helped her pull herself together again. She pleaded, “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, what exactly is wrong with me? Please show me the way.”
I answered her with a question. “An inheritance like the Corpse-Driving Art isn’t something to be treated lightly. It comes with many rules. When you went to Xiangxi to learn the Corpse-Driving Art, didn’t the master who taught you explain those rules?”
“He did.” Jiang Yingxue searched her memory carefully. “Master said there were three kinds of corpses one could drive and three one could not. The three that could be driven-”
I cut her off. “That’s not what I mean. Didn’t your master tell you that when a practitioner of Corpse Driving drives a corpse, they must extract a wisp from their own Souls and infuse it into the corpse to control it properly? That way, when you go east, the corpse won’t go west, and it will be less likely to rise and run amok?”
I knew about these things because, when I was thirteen or fourteen, I became obsessed with Uncle Ying’s movies. I watched them over and over again and never got tired of them.
Back then, Granny was always by my side, folding paper ingots and making spirit money while chatting with me about anything and everything under the sun.
Once, Granny brought up Xiangxi’s Corpse-Driving Art and briefly mentioned some of its taboos.
“Extracting Souls?” Jiang Yingxue was dumbfounded. She said in disbelief, “I only went there to shoot a video. It’s not like I actually intended to inherit the Corpse-Driving Art. Everyone knew it was all just for show, didn’t they? How could they possibly extract my Souls or anything like that?”
I asked, “Before you officially began Corpse Driving, did your master make you do anything strange? Like cutting off some of your hair or nails? Or giving him blood from your finger…?”
“Yes!” Jiang Yingxue immediately realized what I was getting at. “Before we officially began Corpse Driving, my master burned a talisman in a bowl, mixed in blood from my middle finger, and splashed it over the corpse. He said it was to ward off evil and prevent the corpse from reanimating midway through Corpse Driving… Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, are you saying my master lied to me?”
“Miss Jiang, let me give you a word of advice. Some things should never be touched carelessly, especially ancient, secret arts that aren’t passed down to outsiders. How could they possibly let an outsider like you inherit one so easily?” I said. “Since they agreed to let you inherit it, they might have claimed they were merely cooperating with your video, but the truth is that they’d already set their sights on you. Of course, they were probably afraid you’d run away if they told you the truth, so they took a more roundabout approach.”
The moment Jiang Yingxue cut her middle finger, mixed her blood into the Talisman Water, and splashed it over the corpse, she became a true corpse driver.
“Every person possesses Three Hun Souls and Seven Po Souls. They used that ritual to extract a wisp of your Souls and implant it into the corpse, completing your inheritance of the Corpse-Driving Art,” I continued. “But after finishing that job, you left Xiangxi in a hurry, completely unaware that a wisp of your Souls had been left behind. Once everything had settled down, they came up with a plausible excuse to mail you the Bronze Bell. Miss Jiang, your master is summoning you back to Xiangxi.”
Jiang Yingxue was so terrified that she couldn’t even speak.
She gripped my hands even tighter and asked, “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, what am I supposed to do? I don’t want to be some damn corpse driver! Please help me. I’m begging you.”
I shook my head. “Xiangxi is too far away. Besides the Corpse-Driving Art, Gu Sorcery was once widespread there as well. I…”
What I wanted to say was that a fragment of Jiang Yingxue’s Souls was under her master’s control. With our abilities, there was no way we could summon that fragment back over such a vast distance.
Our best option was to make a trip to Xiangxi ourselves.
But that was their territory. If we went, there was a good chance we would never return.
The risk was far too great.
Jiang Yingxue was alive, which made this case a Yang Pawn.
And I had every right to refuse a Yang Pawn outright.
Jiang Yingxue’s situation was certainly pitiful, and I had once enjoyed her videos and admired her. But I wanted no part in anything that could cost me my life.
Yet just as the words reached my lips, I suddenly stopped.
Gu Sorcery… The Buddha Eyes were connected to Gu Sorcery.
Hui Moqiong had said before that the Miao Frontier was too far away for his reach to extend there.
Then, if I made a trip to Xiangxi and ventured deep into the Miao Frontier, I could help Jiang Yingxue while also taking the opportunity to investigate Gu Sorcery.
It would be killing two birds with one stone…