Immortal Cultivation and Life-Saving Guide

Chapter 324 Petrification (Happy New Year!)

The bean-sized candlelight cast a circle of light half the size of a fist on the paper man's face, dividing the paper man's face into two parts: the inside of the circle of light was bark, and the outside of the circle of light still looked like paper.

Wei Xi watched the paper man struggling on the ground with great interest, and the lantern in his hand moved slowly along the paper man.

The flickering candlelight seemed like it would go out at any moment, and wherever the light reached, the skin of the paper figurine turned into tree bark.

Unlike the half-wooden paper figures in the courtyard, the appearance of the Nei Ci is just a slightly more vivid paper figure, and the bark is only exposed under the light of the paper lantern.

Wei Xi knocked it with a bamboo knife, and then tentatively cut a thumb-sized cut.

A whimper of pain came from her blocked mouth, and she tried to kick Wei Xi away with her legs.

"So they're actually grown together," Wei Xi put away his bamboo knife and picked up a stone to press down the paper figurine's legs. "If a tree had no bark, it would be dead. Where did you get this bark?"

Upon hearing this, Aineci turned away, making it clear that she was unwilling to cooperate with Wei Xi.

Wei Xi's eyes swept across the moss on the bark, and then he smiled silently. He casually pulled out the purse that was blocking the paper man's mouth and patted his cheek twice. "Rather die than surrender? Then I'll take the lantern away!"

"It's just a lantern, take it!" Wan Nei Ci shouted at the top of her lungs, "You've ruined the Saint's wedding! Wait for the punishment from Lady Mu!"

"What do you mean by ruining the wedding? I didn't say I wouldn't comb the Saint's hair," Wei Xi said with a hint of ill intent in his tone, "I don't know whether Lady Mu will take care of it or not, but she will definitely not let you go!"

Wei Nei Ci sneered and immediately replied, "Stop talking nonsense here! You bastards! One day you will pay for what you have done!"

The paper figure had been speaking the northern Xinjiang dialect, and suddenly the word "batou" appeared, just like finding sand in rice.

"It's so stubborn that we don't even know whether it's dead or alive. Let me scare it first!"

Having made up his mind, Wei Xi thrust the lantern towards himself, and the bark of the same tree as the Nei Ci (Anecium spp.) spread from his chest to his entire body.

"Look, Madam Mu doesn't discriminate between relatives!"

Wei Xi had anticipated this scene: after all, he had been stabbed by the wood three times, and it was impossible for it to happen without a price.

According to Wei Xi's understanding, the price of this reset is erosion.

The paper lanterns illuminate the wood decay, while the memorial tablet serves as a record. As the erosion deepens, the name on the tablet becomes increasingly darker. Once the name and the tablet merge, she will die with her eyes wide open in her coffin.

After Wei Xi used a lantern to illuminate the true face of the paper man, she figured out the key.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to sow discord between the paper figurine and the wooden goddess, Wei Xi also checked the extent of his own erosion, killing two birds with one stone.

Frankly speaking, Wei Xi's situation is not optimistic: her upper body has been covered with bark quietly, and scattered bark has also appeared on her limbs.

At this rate, Wei Xi has at most two chances to reset.

Time was short and the task was heavy, so Wei Xi took drastic measures. Not only did she use a lantern to display the same bark, she also pointed out that she was a so-called "dam head." You are a lackey under the seat of the Wood Goddess, but now you are treated like a jerk!
After the verbal attack, Wei Xi saw a heartbroken expression on the paper man's face for the first time. Even though the man's face was damaged and mottled, he could not hide his sad emotions.

"You...I...Mu Niangniang! I am your believer! Why! Do you want to subject me to 'woodification'? This is the punishment for traitors..."

Hearing the word "traitor," Wei Xi was like a cat smelling fish. All these details related to the village confirmed the connection between the Longevity Wood and everything she had experienced. Furthermore, according to the inner thorn, it considered the woodification as a punishment and was unaware of all this.

Wei Xi was somewhat dissatisfied: he originally thought that this paper figure was a key figure, but unexpectedly, he was just a minor character who didn't even understand reset. He was really happy for nothing.

The howling of the minor character, Wei Nei Ci, was so heartfelt that it gave Wei Xi a headache.

She put the lantern back next to the paper figurine's face and said sarcastically, "Enough! Stop reminiscing about your days as a slave!"

"Since you're still angry, then go find Lady Mu and ask for clarification!"

The already paper-thin head of Wei Nei Ci was soaked in water, turning it into a complete paste. She cried to Wei Xi, "I...can't...contact Mu Niangniang! Only the saints in the tribe can communicate with Mu Niangniang!"

Wei Xi pretended to be impatient and replied, "Who tied your legs? Aren't you going to look for the Saint? She's getting married today, so she must be in a good mood! This is a good time for you to ask!"

With her legs still pressed against the stone, Wan Nei Ci lost her pretense of mystery and stared with wide eyes. "Will the Saint help me? She should listen to Lady Mu... I'm being punished... I'm a guilty person..."

Wei Xi couldn't understand the paper man's thinking, but she felt it was irrelevant, so she brought the topic back forcefully.

"If you find the Saint, there is at least hope."

Wei Xi looked at the paper man and an interesting thought popped up in his mind: Could it be that it doesn't know that it is a paper man?

So, whose memories do the remains of Wan Nei Ci and the other paper figurines represent? Or what role do they play?
"Who else could it be?" Wei Xi thought that Lingyin's little bird brain could figure this out. "Isn't it the people who died in the village? How many people can there be in the mountains for the Longevity Wood to weave?"

After confirming that the paper man would find the saint, Wei Xi removed the stone pressing on its legs and threw it back into the garden where it was originally used for landscaping, and prepared to go to the house to report the happy event.

"Can I hold the paper lantern?" Wei Neici asked cautiously, looking like she was relying on Wei Xi.

"No need. Your mission is to focus on finding the Saint. You don't need to worry about anything else."

The straightforward answer concealed Wei Xi's true thoughts. She was worried that the paper man's superb acting skills would trick the key props away.

This is an act of judging others by oneself, which is completely based on Wei Xi's experience of cheating and deceiving people over the years.

Wei Xi's caution actually wronged Wan Nei Ci: having been immersed in the Nanjiang tribe's atmosphere of worshipping gods since childhood, he was a love god. Now that he was given "divine punishment" by the god he had worshipped since childhood, he was in a state of confusion and had no ability to plot against Wei Xi.

Looking at the two red lanterns at the gate of the house, Wei Xi said to Nei Ci with a half-smile, "Come in, it's very lively inside!"

According to Wei Xi's experience, the mission of the paper figure responsible for leading the way will not be completed until she enters the house.

Wei Xi focused her energy on the house in the previous few times, but after seeing through the trap, she chose to place her bets in the spacious yard outside the house.

It is unreasonable for the bride's receptionist not to enter the courtyard. Looking at the determined back of Nei Ci, Wei Xi smiled slightly and followed her.

　Thank you all for your support throughout 2024! I wish you all good health and success in 2025!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)