Chapter 55: You’re Awake?

The village had become very lively, with layered screams echoing through the night sky.

A few villagers living near the Daoist temple broke inside, attempting to seek help from Daoist Xiutian.

However, at their speed, they barely managed to reach the entrance. The moment those villagers saw the blood-soaked ground of the courtyard, they were forcibly dragged out by vengeful spirits thick with resentment.

Among these villagers was the boatman who had brought Xie Sui and the others to the village.

The boatman saw Xie Sui standing in the courtyard and seemed to realize something, but before he could speak, he was dragged away by a massive clump of black hair.

Souls that originally only existed in the water had crawled onto the shore at some unknown point. Those weak souls who had been drowned in the lake erupted with a terrifyingly sinister resentment. They no longer feared sealing techniques or suppression talismans. Countless long black hairs, as sharp and strong as steel wire, bit into the boatman’s body, dragging him toward the lakeshore.

Amidst the flowing masses of black hair, a small, pale face flashed by. She gave Xie Sui a grateful smile before vanishing into the darkness of the hair to continue her revenge.

Xie Sui suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion.

He was tired, both mentally and physically.

Even if revenge was achieved, the dead could not return to life. This cycle of existence ended in such a tragic manner… even if there was reincarnation or a next life, they would no longer be the same person.

He was not omnipotent. He could only grant them the power for revenge; he could not bring them back to life.

He didn’t know how many other hells like this one those damn evil cultivators had created in places he couldn’t see.

He could save this one village, but he couldn’t save every village in the world like it… just as he could save the Ghost Infants by his side, but could not save all the resentment-laden little ghosts in the world who were unable to reincarnate.

Perhaps influenced by the surrounding resentment, the killing intent in Xie Sui’s heart grew heavier.

The Wuqi Sect…

He truly wished he could find every single evil cultivator and kill them all. Most of the misfortune and suffering in this world was caused by those disgusting people who sought longevity, using others’ lives as consumables while refusing to bear the karmic consequences.

Sensing that his emotions were spiraling out of control, Xie Sui let out a soft sigh and tried his best to stabilize his mood.

He had to empower countless souls with resentment while simultaneously preventing them from being consumed by it, ensuring the malice didn’t stop them from entering the cycle of reincarnation… for Xie Sui, this was an incredibly taxing task.

Furthermore, he had to suppress the forty-plus Ghost Infants within his own body, who were becoming restless under the influence of the external resentment.

Xie Sui pulled half the cigarettes out of his pack and lit them all at once.

The cigarettes burned rapidly, producing a large amount of white smoke. As the smoke swirled, the white mist blurred the expression on Xie Sui’s face.

Although malice, death energy, resentment, and Yin Energy were extreme negatives that could strengthen a ghost’s power, absorbing too much of them would affect one’s emotions. Even the White Tiger Fetal Fiend, who could freely manipulate resentment, was not immune.

This was why vengeful ghosts burdened with resentment were almost always in a state of madness. It was difficult to remain sane when constantly surrounded by such vile, negative substances.

The negative energies that boosted power were like water from a sewer. Unlike other vengeful ghosts, Xie Sui could clearly perceive that he was bathing in that sewer water.

No one would willingly stay in a silt-filled sewer forever.

The cigarettes in his hand burned down quickly, yet the killing intent in Xie Sui’s heart showed no sign of subsiding.

Liu Wuyong poked his head out from behind a rockery in the corner of the wall, acting quite sneaky.

Earlier, in order to avoid hindering his boss while he beat those damn evil cultivators, Liu Wuyong had specifically run to the furthest point possible, striving not to hold his boss back.

Seeing Xie Sui standing alone in the middle of the courtyard, seeing the massive bloodstains and the countless fragments of flesh and bone before him, and hearing the rising and falling screams from the surroundings, Liu Wuyong let out a sigh of immense relief.

He trotted over to Xie Sui’s side. Countless flowery compliments flashed through Liu Wuyong’s mind, but in the end, he chose the simplest and most direct four words: “Boss, you’re the best!”

Liu Wuyong was not stingy with his admiration and praise for his boss. He circled Xie Sui, clapping his hands frantically like a performing seal, single-handedly creating a very lively atmosphere.

Old Liu was a perfectly qualified hype man.

Xie Sui was instantly pulled out of his negative emotions. He looked somewhat helplessly at Liu Wuyong, who was flitting about in front of him.

Being stared at by the boss, Liu Wuyong clapped even harder.

Xie Sui waved his hand awkwardly. “Alright, alright, that’s enough. You’ve worked hard coming here with me this time. I’ll give you a bonus when we get back.”

Liu Wuyong was deeply moved, his eyes brimming with tears. “Boss, you are wise and divine. From now on, I, Old Liu, am your man. I will work like an ox or a horse…”

“Stop.” Seeing that Liu Wuyong was about to launch into a long-winded essay of praise, Xie Sui quickly cut him off. “There’s no need to work like an ox or a horse. Just come with me for a walk through the village. I need to check on the status of those ‘guests’ who came to buy things, to make sure no fish slipped through the net and survived.”

By the time Xie Sui and Liu Wuyong returned to the courtyard where the production crew was staying, dawn had already broken.

The screams had gradually died down, replaced by a lingering scent of blood that permeated the air.

Xie Sui walked into the main hall. Nie Pengpeng and Captain Yan were both safe. Nie Pengpeng hadn’t slept all night, keeping watch by Captain Yan’s side.

Looking at the still-unconscious Captain Yan, Xie Sui fell into thought.

He had to find a way to use Captain Yan to establish a connection with the Inspectorate Bureau.

Judging by the Deity Invitation Talisman on Captain Yan, the Inspectorate Bureau was not entirely unprepared for the increasing number of supernatural incidents. The higher-ups had equipped the Law Enforcement Team with corresponding armed forces and did not rely solely on external metaphysical consultants.

There was no telling if the Wuqi Sect possessed talismans that could transmit information about a member’s death. Thinking of the worst-case scenario, the fact that he had killed Daoist Xiutian might already be known to those evil cultivators.

After all, this wasn’t like the time he killed Zhang Dadao. Zhang Dadao had died within the Yin-Yang Gap, a place completely isolated from the mortal world, making it impossible for any information to leak out.

Xie Sui had too much he wanted to protect and too many things he cared about. He couldn’t afford to be as reckless as those evil cultivators.

First and foremost, his identity absolutely could not be exposed. There was no telling whether the metaphysical consultants at the Inspectorate Bureau were good or bad. Secondly… forget it, it was too much trouble. In short, whenever in doubt, just report it.

With the tragedy of this entire village as a precedent, the Inspectorate Bureau would definitely take the evil cultivators of the Wuqi Sect seriously.

As a weak, helpless, and delicate citizen who was being hunted by evil forces for reporting a human trafficking village, it was only natural for him to seek protection from the Inspectorate Bureau.

Aside from Captain Yan and Nie Pengpeng, the production crew members staying in the courtyard were all safe and sound.

Perhaps because the Wutong God was dead, the evil spells controlling the staff had lost their effect. They were no longer standing around in a daze staring at the sky; instead, they were all lying on the ground as if they had fallen into a deep sleep.

Xie Sui had just gone out to make some arrangements. Although he had returned to his ordinary human appearance, the aura of the White Tiger Fetal Fiend still shrouded the entire village.

The village was now under his complete control, in a state where one could enter but never leave. There were still some matters in the village that hadn’t been dealt with, so he had to keep the production crew here.

Even though he had killed Daoist Xiutian, the one controlling the village, Xie Sui had heard from the villagers that more evil cultivators from the Wuqi Sect would continue to arrive for the sacrifice until it began on April 4th.

If he let the production crew leave on their own, Xie Sui feared they might encounter those returning evil cultivators on the road and be captured again.

However, if Xie Sui left with the crew, he wouldn’t feel right leaving the innocent villagers behind. After last night’s revenge, the only people left in the village were those who had been abducted, most of whom were women and minors.

If he left without thoroughly resolving the village’s problems, the other evil cultivators would discover the situation upon their return. The life awaiting these villagers would be even more hopeless than before.

Furthermore, he hadn’t yet figured out what the “Water God Wuzhiqi” and “Golden Mother of the Jade Pool¹” they worshipped actually were. According to other villagers, these man-eating evil gods would only appear on the day of the sacrifice.

Xie Sui had to settle everything here completely before he could leave with peace of mind.

Therefore, the production crew had to stay until the sacrifice ended on April 4th.

Looking at the still-unconscious Producer, Xie Sui, who had been busy all night, simply leaned against the tour bus and sat down. He sat beside the Producer, waiting for him to wake up.

The Producer felt as though he had fallen into a nightmare from which he could never wake.

He wondered if it was because he had filmed too many supernatural variety shows that he was being forced to experience this.

He could no longer remember how many times he had repeated the scene before him.

The Producer knew he was dreaming. He knew he was trapped in a recurring nightmare, unable to escape.

He felt as though he had been split in two. His soul had left his body and was floating in mid-air, coldly watching his physical form repeatedly act out this looping play.

He watched himself receive calls from Camera Crews A and B. He watched himself lead the remaining staff onto the bus after learning that the guests had all found the correct route to the village.

He watched himself sitting in the production crew’s tour bus, watching the driver head toward the village.

The bus traveled along the mountain road, the familiar white mist rose, the vehicle stopped, and then a group of people suddenly appeared in the distant bushes.

The Producer sighed silently in his heart. That group of people stood up-except they weren’t people in the bushes, but a cluster of floating human heads without bodies.

The moment he made eye contact with those heads, the Producer felt the world spin. When he woke up again, he found himself back several hours prior, at the base of the mountain where they had set up camp.

He watched with a numb expression as he received the calls from Camera Crews A and B again, watched himself board the bus into the mountains in total ignorance… over and over, without end.

Legend said that those who committed suicide would endlessly repeat the scene of their death.

He was probably dead already.

The Producer closed his eyes wearily.

How much longer would this torture of infinite loops last? He didn’t believe he had committed any heinous crimes, so why was he the one suffering through this inexplicable ordeal?

Was this retribution for filming supernatural variety shows and using ghosts and monsters as entertainment? If so, wasn’t this karma a bit too unreasonable?

When he opened his eyes again, the Producer froze.

His perspective was inverted. He seemed to be lying on the ground, and the first thing he saw was the grey, hazy morning sky.

The darkness of night had not yet fully receded. In the hazy blue sky, a few faint glimmers of starlight were still visible.

The Producer’s expression was vacant.

This wasn’t right. At this stage of the loop, he should be sitting in the bus. Next, the directing team should be confirming the filming schedule for the variety segments, then the logistics team should be asking about the room assignments for guests and staff, followed by the driver slamming on the brakes, and finally, those heads appearing…

What was happening now?

Before the Producer had much time to think, an exquisite, handsome, yet deathly pale face appeared before his eyes.

“You’re awake?”

Xie Sui casually took a camera handed to him by the “person” behind him and shook it at the Producer.

“Do you want to continue filming the supernatural variety show?”

Hearing Xie Sui’s question, the Producer failed to react for a moment.

First of all, he didn’t have amnesia; he recognized Xie Sui. He knew this face wasn’t a living doll or some paper effigy, but a civilian guest personally invited by his company’s director to participate in the show.

He also recognized this village. This was their filming location. Judging by the surroundings, he was currently in the courtyard of a villager’s home.

But could someone please tell him what that thing was, clinging to Xie Sui’s back and handing him a camera?

Wrapped entirely in a mass of long black hair with only her face exposed, the deathly pale female ghost felt a bit shy being stared at by the Producer and lowered her head. As she moved, an unknown black liquid dripped from her pitch-black eye sockets, leaving two dark tear tracks down her ghastly white face.

The Producer’s breath hitched as he watched her body, half inside the tour bus and half draped over Xie Sui’s back.

This definitely wasn’t special effects, and it wasn’t a holographic projection… because he had just seen this female ghost reach inside the bus, grab a camera, and hand it to Xie Sui with his own eyes.

The Producer didn’t dare look at the ghost anymore, nor did he dare meet Xie Sui’s gaze. He could only lower his head in silence.

He needed to calm down. He needed to properly process exactly what was happening right now.

However, as soon as the Producer looked down, he saw a one-eyed man staring back at him curiously from the shadows on the ground between him and Xie Sui.

Noticing the Producer’s gaze, the one-eyed man raised half his body out of the shadows and offered a friendly smile with a mouth covered in stitched-up scars.

The Producer blinked. He looked at Xie Sui, looked at the female ghost, and then looked back at the one-eyed man.

Vaguely, he thought he saw layers of transparent infant faces, like human-faced sores, surfacing all over Xie Sui’s body. Then, Xie Sui casually pressed those hideous baby faces back down one by one, acting as if nothing was wrong.

The Producer completely gave up on thinking.

He forced a very bitter smile, crossed his hands over his chest, and lay back down with a peaceful expression.

He must still be trapped in a nightmare and hadn’t woken up yet.

Otherwise, how could he see so many ghosts out in broad daylight? And why would one of those ghosts take on Xie Sui’s appearance, holding a camera and asking him if he wanted to film a variety show?

Translator’s Notes