Chapter 51: Wuqi Sectarians

Xie Sui could hardly believe his ears.

Freshly killed? Did he mean ‘freshly killed’ in the way Xie Sui thought he did? Did this guy even know what he was saying?

The middle-aged woman looked at Xie Sui with the same disdainful expression. She turned to her husband and complained openly, “I didn’t expect him to be some loser who can’t even afford the ‘freshly killed’ fee. Why did the people in the sect let a hillbilly like this in? This guy probably emptied his pockets just paying the entry fee to the village.”

Discussing the life and death of their own kind as if they were talking about pigs or sheep waiting for slaughter… What made these two think they were superior? Who gave them the right to arbitrarily decide the life or death of another person? It was simply ridiculous.

Having lost the most basic sense of empathy and treating the lives of their own kind as resources to be stripped away at will, they no longer deserved to be called human.

Xie Sui flashed the couple an extremely “kind” smile. “Actually, no. I was invited here to participate in the sacrifice. I didn’t spend a cent.”

The moment they heard Xie Sui mention the sacrifice, the couple’s expressions changed instantly.

They crowded around Xie Sui with sudden enthusiasm, speaking in flattering tones. “Oh, so you’re here for the sacrifice! Please forgive our ignorance, we didn’t recognize a person of your status. Please, take the seat of honor. We wonder if we might have the honor of inviting you to our son’s wedding?”

Xie Sui nodded, not refusing them.

The middle-aged couple beamed with joy. “To have a figure like you attend our son’s wedding is truly our honor!”

They took the small paper effigies from their arms and placed them on the two coffins—male on the left and female on the right—then said to Xie Sui, “Please make yourself at home. We still have a little while to wait. The wedding can’t officially begin until the sun goes down.”

It had already been quite late when Xie Sui and the others arrived at the village by boat. Now that the sun was about to set, it shouldn’t be much longer.

Compared to Nie Pengpeng and Captain Yan, whose fates were unknown, the girl who was about to lose her life to be forced into a Ghost Marriage Alliance¹ was clearly in more immediate danger.

Xie Sui sat in a chair, looking at the two large red coffins before him with a contemplative expression.

Liu Wuyong hadn’t come with him; Xie Sui had left him back in the courtyard where the production crew’s tour bus was parked.

On one hand, he wanted Liu Wuyong to help watch over the controlled crew members. On the other hand, the situation in this village was far too eerie, and Xie Sui was worried he wouldn’t be able to protect him if things went sideways.

He would definitely have to take action soon, but the lives of over seventy people from the production crew were held in the hands of these villagers. His interference could not be too obvious.

Xie Sui’s fingers tapped on the tabletop.

He couldn’t let the villagers realize he was the one behind it… He needed to think this through carefully.

Furthermore, why was the aura of that Red-clothed Female Ghost present in this small courtyard?

Expressionless villagers were busy working in the yard. Some were making paper oxen and horses, while others were weaving red silk flowers and tying red cloth to the roof beams or between the eaves.

Regardless of gender, these villagers all shared the same numb expression. They knew a girl was about to lose her life in the upcoming ‘wedding,’ but they didn’t care. Or rather, they didn’t even care about their own lives.

After setting out the paper effigies, the middle-aged couple didn’t leave the main hall. They sat not far from Xie Sui, looking at him expectantly, seemingly wanting to say more to get on his good side.

However, seeing Xie Sui’s deep thought, they didn’t dare take the initiative to disturb him.

Having formed a plan, Xie Sui looked up at the two of them.

He also wanted to fish some information about this village out of them.

After a moment’s thought, Xie Sui asked casually, as if he didn’t really care, “You two seem like ordinary people. Through what channels did you learn about this village?”

The middle-aged man caught the implication in Xie Sui’s words.

His tone was fawning yet carried a hint of fear as he replied respectfully, “Ordinary people like us naturally can’t compare to an accomplished master like yourself. It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but despite our appearances, we are actually followers of the Wuqi Sect².”

The middle-aged woman seemed dissatisfied with her husband hogging the spotlight in front of Xie Sui. Seizing the moment he paused, she hurriedly chimed in, “We’ve been peripheral believers of the Wuqi Sect for a long time. Not long ago, we provided some valuable intelligence to the sect, which earned us the qualification to come to Wuqi Village and find a good match for my poor son. Since you’re here for the sacrifice, sir, you must be a high-ranking member of the sect?”

Wuqi Village, Wuqi Sect… Xie Sui’s brow furrowed.

Recalling the names Wuzhiqi and Golden Mother of the Jade Pool written on that slip of paper, Xie Sui couldn’t help but associate them with the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas recorded a country called the Land of Wuqi.

Legend had it that the people of this country could achieve longevity without external aid. They lived in cycles of 120 years, after which they would revert to youth. Even if they died by accident, as long as a fragment of their body remained in the world, that tissue could regrow into a complete person, allowing them to be resurrected.

But these were just legends. Xie Sui didn’t believe such a terrifying race of immortals still existed today.

The Golden Mother of the Jade Pool also presided over longevity… It was possible the people of this village were all members of the Longevity Cult seeking eternal life, and the name ‘Wuqi’ was merely a vessel for their desires.

Xie Sui nodded impassively. “I haven’t seen you in the sect before. What valuable intelligence did you provide?”

The middle-aged man rubbed his hands together, speaking in a tone as if he were claiming credit. “It was information about the Lin Family’s ancestral graves. Doesn’t the sect need a large amount of money recently? It’s just a pity I’m not the one in power in the Lin Family and couldn’t hand over all their assets. I could only use some worthless information to exchange for the status of a formal disciple. However, with my information, I’m sure the sect’s higher-ups will be able to swallow the Lin Family whole before long, right?”

Hearing that familiar surname, Xie Sui was stunned for a moment. “The Lin Family of Rongcheng?”

The middle-aged man looked delighted. “You know of them?”

Of course he did. Not only had he solved the Lin Family’s ancestral hall problem, but not long ago, the Lin Family had paid a high price to hire him to protect Lin Zixin.

What a coincidence. To think that after all this circling around, the culprit responsible for the Lin Family’s downfall was right in front of him.

Since this middle-aged man knew about the Lin Family’s ancestral graves, he had to be a core member of the family.

“You are from the Lin Family…”

The middle-aged man spoke up quickly, “I am the third son of the Lin Family. Currently, the family is controlled by my eldest and second brothers.” A flash of jealousy and hatred flickered in his eyes as he spoke.

Xie Sui carefully observed the man’s appearance. Compared to Elder Lin and Second Uncle Lin, this man’s physical discipline was incredibly lax. His features were somewhat distorted, squeezed by the fat on his face. If his face were a few sizes smaller, he would indeed bear a resemblance to Second Uncle Lin and the others.

He finally understood where the profligate habits of the Lin Family’s younger generation came from. Clearly, Second Uncle Lin and Elder Lin both appeared to be serious, upright individuals… so there was a Third Brother Lin. The younger generation’s uselessness was likely influenced by this uncle.

At the mention of his two brothers, Third Brother Lin couldn’t help but complain, “We are biological brothers, yet my father was biased toward my eldest and second brothers. He gave them all the family companies, leaving me with nothing but a trust fund that pays out a fixed monthly allowance. If I could just withdraw all the money from that trust, why would I have waited for them to make contributions to the Sect?”

“And even then, my brothers were reluctant. I had to use certain methods to force their hand. They’re so narrow-minded. They don’t stop to think that as long as we can achieve immortality, what do these worldly possessions matter? Making contributions to the Sect is an honor for our Lin Family!”

The middle-aged woman was equally excited. “That’s right, everyone in the Sect is a god-like being! Once you become an internal member, not only are you free from all sin and karma, but you can also use the lives of others to sustain your own longevity! Once we’ve accumulated enough ‘merit points,’ we might even be able to resurrect our son.”

Xie Sui watched the couple expressionlessly. He couldn’t turn hostile yet; now was not the time to strike.

Regarding human life as mere grass, treating living souls as tools… this couple had completely lost their minds.

However, he had gathered quite a bit of useful intelligence from their words.

It was now clear that the incidents involving the Lin Family were likely caused by the evil cultivators using Life-Swapping Talismans.

The Taoists using those Life-Swapping Talismans were backed by an organization seeking immortality called the Wuqi Sect.

Furthermore, they were frantically hoarding wealth… It was hard not to suspect that the choice of this filming location for Zhou Yayun’s company’s variety show was also related to them.

After all, entertainment companies and celebrities were the wealthiest targets. A simple extortion attempt could easily net millions, or they could just replace someone and seize the entertainment company for themselves.

But judging by the ferryman’s behavior, the villagers didn’t seem to know about the production crew’s arrival. Instead, they thought the crew members were sacrifices he had brought along.

Perhaps the Wuqi Sect was divided into several different factions? The ones hoarding wealth and the ones killing people weren’t the same group, so information didn’t flow between them?

Forget it, no use dwelling on these unimportant details.

The situation was now obvious: this village was one of the strongholds for the organization behind the evil cultivators using Life-Swapping Talismans.

If Xie Sui’s initial goal was merely to save the innocent production crew members and destroying the village was just a secondary thought, his desire to wipe this place out was now much stronger.

One could never kill enough of those disgusting evil cultivators.

Xie Sui spoke with the couple for a while longer, but aside from a bunch of nonsensical praise for the Wuqi Sect, he didn’t gain any more useful information.

Seeing this, Xie Sui didn’t bother continuing the hollow conversation. He was afraid that if he listened any longer, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from killing them right then and there.

Noticing Xie Sui’s lack of interest in further talk, the couple tactfully fell silent and quietly left the main hall to prepare for their son’s wedding.

Once they were gone, Xie Sui stood up and continued to study the wall behind him.

The aura of the Red-clothed Female Ghost was still inside this wall, a fact that bothered him deeply.

Xie Sui tapped around, hoping to find some kind of mechanism while waiting for the Ghost Marriage to begin.

The sound of his tapping wasn’t a dull thud. The feedback was somewhat chaotic, giving him the impression that the wall was hollow and filled with uneven packing material.

If there weren’t villagers in the courtyard outside, Xie Sui would have simply released a ghost to phase through the wall and investigate.

Just as Xie Sui turned his gaze toward the coffin, intending to pry off a wooden plank to dig into the wall, a white mist appeared out of nowhere and instantly filled the entire hall.

A tall figure, carrying a “sandbag” over his shoulder, staggered through the white mist toward him.

It was actually Captain Yan, covered in blood.

Seeing Nie Pengpeng, who looked green in the face while draped over Captain Yan’s shoulder, Xie Sui felt a sympathetic pang in his own stomach.

Captain Yan was likely used to carrying sandbags during training, but this posture was quite unfriendly to the stomach of the person being carried.

Though surprised by Captain Yan’s strange entrance, Xie Sui didn’t delay and quickly moved to meet them.

As he got closer, Xie Sui felt the aura of the Guan Jiang Shou and the Deity Invitation Talisman… Even though the aura of this bane of all evil was very weak, it still made Xie Sui’s scalp tingle.

As expected of a government agency, they were well-prepared. This Deity Invitation Talisman, which allowed the user to be possessed by the Guan Jiang Shou, was likely a life-saving measure prepared by the Inspectorate Bureau for members of the Law Enforcement Team.

After setting Nie Pengpeng on the ground, the guiding incense above Captain Yan’s head went out, and the phantom of the talisman on his back instantly burned to ash. As if he had completed his final mission, he collapsed straight forward.

Xie Sui hurried to catch him, only to be dragged down by the heavy weight of the 195cm, 90kg Captain Yan.

Nie Pengpeng was still clutching her stomach and crouching on the ground, completely failing to react in time.

She watched helplessly as Xie Sui landed squarely on top of Captain Yan, delivering a friendly-fire blow to the already heavily injured and blood-depleted captain.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Xie Sui quickly sat up and, acting as if nothing had happened, swiftly pressed his hand against Yan Nanxing’s chest.

Taking advantage of the lingering aura of the Guan Jiang Shou and the fact that the surrounding white mist had not yet fully dispersed, Xie Sui stopped holding back and exerted his full strength.

With the Guan Jiang Shou’s aura helping to mask his presence, he wasn’t afraid of being sensed by the Xuanmen.

Nie Pengpeng saw a golden point of light suddenly appear between Xie Sui’s brows. Immediately after, a vast array of golden talismans surfaced on his pale skin. The densely packed golden sigils made him look like a brilliant, glowing radiator of light.

It was a bit blinding.

If Xie Sui’s ghostly, eerie appearance back at Shao’s Restaurant had made Nie Pengpeng doubt he was human, she was now absolutely certain he wasn’t.

Nie Pengpeng had seen male leads in movies and TV shows who came with their own background music, soft lighting, or high-level beauty filters… but this was the first time she had ever seen someone turn themselves into a self-illuminating searchlight.

Xie Sui’s hand, pressed against Yan Nanxing’s chest, made a grabbing motion. A golden phantom of an infant appeared out of thin air over the chest before dissolving into golden particles that merged into the captain’s body.

Yan Nanxing, whose aura had been growing increasingly faint, saw his heartbeat gradually stabilize as the infant appeared. His torn wounds stopped bleeding, his breathing became steady, and his complexion even began to regain some color.

The fetus is formed from hidden Qi, and Qi breathes from the presence of the fetus. When Qi enters the spirit, there is life; when the spirit leaves the form, there is death. Knowing that spirit and Qi can provide eternal life, one holds fast to the void to nourish them. [Note 1]

Fetal breathing is brought from the womb, the essence of human life, but neither ordinary people nor those of the Xuanmen can master it at will. Practitioners might be able to sense fetal breathing, but they cannot actively utilize it.

The reason the White Tiger Fetal Fiend was so highly sought after by the Xuanmen was that possessing it allowed one to freely mobilize their own fetal breathing. Not only would one’s cultivation progress by leaps and bounds, but it also served as a reusable second life. As long as the soul had not left the body and the physical vitality was not completely severed, it could protect that final breath, keeping the injured in a stable, near-death state.

If one could completely refine the White Tiger Fetal Fiend, integrate it into the body, and master its use, it was effectively a form of longevity.

Xie Sui condensed Yan Nanxing’s fetal breathing and reintegrated it into his body, preserving his life.

After this, he would just need to be sent to a hospital for blood transfusions and stitches. Until then, as long as Xie Sui didn’t die, Yan Nanxing would remain in this state, and his injuries would not worsen.

As the white mist gradually cleared, Xie Sui quickly withdrew his aura.

The golden light vanished along with the mist. Nie Pengpeng and Yan Nanxing, who was lying on the ground, appeared out of thin air in the main hall where the Ghost Marriage was being held.

Nie Pengpeng stepped forward, checked Yan Nanxing’s breath, felt his forehead, and then let out a long sigh of relief.

She hadn’t expected Xie Sui to actually know healing spells. She had made the right gamble.

Xie Sui looked at the disheveled Nie Pengpeng and asked, “What have you two encountered in the village over the past two days?”

Nie Pengpeng snapped out of her daze and began to recount their experiences.

As she spoke, Xie Sui’s expression grew increasingly grim.

He hadn’t expected the Wutong God to be in this village as well. Why was this place such a mess? How many evil gods were there?

And then there were the snake-bodied monsters and the face-changing monsters…

The snake-bodied thing was likely related to the Longevity Cultists of the Wuqi Sect. The Xuanyuan Clan, a long-lived race recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, was said to have human heads and snake bodies. The face-changing monster was probably something bred by those evil cultivators; it didn’t have much combat power and wasn’t a major threat.

What Xie Sui found strange was Liu Wuyong being inexplicably targeted.

From what the face-changing monster said, its master seemed more wary of Liu Wuyong… Just how had Old Liu offended them?

He began to feel a bit worried about Liu Wuyong, who was still back at the courtyard.

Xie Sui stood up and hid Captain Yan behind a nearby screen, gesturing for Nie Pengpeng to hide as well. Then, he took custody of the Red-clothed Female Ghost who had been following her.

The Red-clothed Female Ghost had been following Nie Pengpeng, yet Xie Sui could still sense the presence of a female ghost within this house.

Combined with what he had learned from Nie Pengpeng—that the Red-clothed Female Ghost was familiar with the village terrain and had even helped them find food—Xie Sui roughly understood what was going on.

With the Red-clothed Female Ghost here, he wouldn’t need to lift a finger for the upcoming Ghost Marriage.

Among the villagers working busily in the courtyard with numb expressions, a few noticed Nie Pengpeng and Yan Nanxing appearing in the hall, but they showed no reaction.

No one asked how the two had appeared. They simply stared dully at the work in their hands, looking like soulless walking corpses or puppets being controlled by someone else.

The sky gradually turned pitch black. The faint sound of suona horns drifted from the distance, and the red lanterns hanging under the eaves lit up one by one.

An icy wind blew from nowhere, fluttering the red silk hanging from the roof. It made the candle flames inside the red lanterns flicker and sent the white, circular paper money with square holes drifting into the dark night sky.

The world seemed to consist of only three colors: red, white, and black.

The villagers in the courtyard walked outward mechanically. The sound of the suona grew louder, and the middle-aged couple who had been busy elsewhere returned to the main hall.

They gave Xie Sui a fawning smile and then took their seats facing the main door.

Once the couple was seated, the small male and female paper effigies on the coffin actually sat up.

The ink-dotted eyes of the paper dolls twitched, and their mouths opened, emitting a piercing screech like nails on a chalkboard: “The auspicious hour has arrived! Bring in the groom and the bride!”

A man and a girl dressed in red walked in from outside.

The man’s joints were stiff, and his gait was bizarre. Even the thick layer of powder could not hide the obvious cadaveric spots on his face.

The girl looked to be only about fifteen years old. Her elaborate wedding attire could not hide her youthful innocence.

Her life was about to end before it had truly begun, yet there was no fear on her face, only the same numbness as the villagers in the courtyard. Though she was a living person, she gave off the same feeling as the dead man beside her.

The girl held a red silk ribbon in her left hand and a knife tied with red silk in her right.

When they reached the coffin, the two paper dolls spoke again: “The auspicious hour has arrived! Send the bride on her way!”

The girl took a step forward and personally handed the knife in her hand to the female paper effigy.

The middle-aged woman sitting in the chair feigned a wipe of her tears, though it was unclear whether she was grieving for her son’s remains or moved by the fact that her son finally had a companion.

However, just as the paper effigy raised the knife to strike the girl, an extremely cold aura suddenly erupted, instantly crushing the paper figure into fragments.

The sharp long knife fell to the ground without making a sound.

The heavy, tangible resentment was so thick that the middle-aged couple found it difficult to breathe.

The two of them stood up in terror, looking around frantically.

The sudden sense of crisis made them forget that this was the wedding they had long anticipated for their son. If it weren’t for their son’s corpse and the girl blocking the doorway, the two of them likely would have bolted for the exit.

The sound of cracking plaster rang out. On the wall directly facing the main door of the hall, the bricks and stones collapsed, and a dense mass of skeletal remains tumbled to the floor.

The entire house used for this Ghost Marriage had actually been constructed using the bones of women.

The sudden turn of events left the middle-aged couple stunned.

The middle-aged man instinctively looked at Xie Sui, who was still sitting in his chair, seemingly unmoved. With a trembling voice, he asked, “Master, is this… a standard part of the Ghost Marriage process?”

Xie Sui tapped his finger on the table and said expressionlessly, “Yes, it’s a standard part of the process.”

Before the couple could even breathe a sigh of relief, they heard Xie Sui continue, “A guest felt that your son was too lonely. How could one bride be enough? A wedding should be a lively affair, after all. So, she decided to send you down there to reunite with your son.”

A red shadow emerged from behind Xie Sui.

The Red-clothed Female Ghost stared at the two of them with venomous hatred. Blood-red tears rolled down her cheeks, turning into a crimson mist that filled the entire hall.

Against the backdrop of the blood mist, the hall appeared even more festive.

Looking at that terrifying ghostly figure, the middle-aged couple’s legs gave out in fear, and they collapsed directly onto their knees.

The two people who had just been casually deciding the life and death of another had now become the helpless prey on the chopping block.

The author has something to say:

[Note 1]: Excerpted from the “Daozang³” (Taoist Canon).

Translator’s Notes

• white circular square-holed paper money: Joss paper (zhiqian) designed to resemble ancient currency. It is burned or scattered at funerals and during ghost-related rituals as an offering to the deceased or spirits.