Yin Shou Shu

Chapter 263 Xiong Dacheng

In the house, where a chilling wind blew, a vengeful ghost took its seat.

Two candles were lit outside the door, their flames flickering and turning a ghastly green in the darkness.

The green candlelight cast an eerie and sinister glow over the room.

On the main seat directly opposite the gate, a ghostly figure, whose face and form were indistinct, sat there, as if shrouded in a layer of black mist, making it impossible to discern its condition.

Ran Qing, sitting in the host's seat, spoke coldly, announcing the start of this ghost banquet.

"...The host and guests took their seats."

The ghostly figure on the main seat tilted its head, seemingly looking at Ran Qing.

Ran Qing leaned on the human head cane with her left hand and gently tapped the small drum in front of her with her right.

The dull drumbeats echoed outwards. Ran Qing's lips remained still, but the man-headed staff in his hand opened its eyes.

The head that looked exactly like Ran Qing made a sound.

"A cup of sake is offered to the spirits, and half a stick of incense illuminates the departed souls."

"The host and guests have taken their seats... We offer our guests a cup of wine to mark the end of their lives! Would the host and guests like to drink it?"

After saying "human head," Ran Qing paused on the staff, and a paper figure behind him stepped forward and poured half a cup of mineral water for the ghost shadow as a substitute for wine.

Ran Qing was inevitably nervous about attending the ghost banquet for the first time.

He began his performance strictly according to the contents of "Witchcraft and Spiritual Arts".

This ghost feast is the longest section of the "Witchcraft and Ghostly Arts," occupying a total of six pages.

The document details various precautions and taboos, as well as the steps for the opening, middle, and closing stages.

The first step in inviting the ghost to the table is to offer it a cup of wine to sever its soul.

If a guest drinks the "Soul-Severing Wine," the events that occurred before the ghost's death will be reenacted during the banquet. The phantom of the murderer who killed the evil spirit will enter from outside and join the feast.

If a guest refuses the Soul-Severing Wine, then the phantom of the evil spirit's former relative will appear outside the door, and this close relative's phantom will also take a seat.

Neither the living nor the evil spirits at the banquet can move. The phantoms from outside can kill the evil spirits, and may also kill the living people attending the banquet.

Ran Qing hoped the ghost would refuse the Soul-Severing Wine, because the arrival of the murderer who killed the ghost would make the situation even more dangerous.

This is also a small trap in the "walking in the underworld" persona.

After all, normal people don't want to drink with strangers, and those irrational, resentful ghosts are even less likely to cooperate with the drinking at a banquet.

Using rituals that incorporate various small traps and leverage the power of rules to kill vengeful spirits is precisely what spirit mediums excel at.

As soon as Ran Qing finished asking her question, the ghost sitting in the main seat suddenly reached out and drank the small half-cup of water that the paper figure had poured for it.

Suddenly, a hearty laugh rang out from outside the door.

"...Hahahaha...I heard there are people drinking here, quickly bring me a bowl and chopsticks!"

A cold wind blew in from outside the eerie green gate.

A burly, strong figure walked in, laughing loudly.

This burly man was tall and muscular, with a face full of scars and a sinister grin that sent chills down one's spine.

He dragged a large knife in his left hand and carried a bloody human head in his right, and forced his way into the house and found an empty seat to sit down.

The empty seat it was sitting in was right next to Ran Qing.

Ran Qing immediately smelled a pungent, bloody odor.

He frowned as he looked at the burly man, who resembled a ruthless executioner or a bandit from a folk tale who killed without hesitation.

Was this the person who killed the ghost in the tree?

However, the burly man was clearly wearing modern clothing.

He wore green liberation shoes, and his belt was tied with a hemp rope. He looked disheveled and dirty.

Long Zongshu suddenly said, "...It's Xiong Dacheng who raises ghosts! He came to my house once, I've seen him!" Long Zongshu actually recognized the identity of this burly man.

“My grandfather said that this person is no good. He not only raises ghosts, but also harms people. The ghosts he raises are of unknown origin!” Long Zongshu warned.

The burly man wielding the large machete grinned, but showed no reaction to Long Zongshu's revelation.

After all, it was just an illusion; it wasn't the real Xiong Dacheng sitting here.

But upon hearing these words, Ran Qing's heart skipped a beat: "Raising ghosts..."

Could it be that the ghost in the tree was placed here by Xiong Dacheng?
Was he also the one who set up the altar for all ghosts?

Even if it wasn't Xiong Dacheng who set up the Ghost Platform, it's highly likely that it's related to him.

Ran Qing was utterly astonished when an unexpected clue suddenly appeared.

He looked at Xiong Dacheng's phantom, then at the blurry ghostly figure sitting in the main seat.

Ran Qing struck the small drum and said, "Please, the murderer, drink a cup of wine."

The paper figure standing to the side stepped forward and poured a small cup of water for Xiong Dacheng's phantom.

The burly man grinned, but his eyes were empty and dull, and only his sinister and violent aura grew stronger.

After the paper figure poured the wine, Xiong Dacheng grinned and drank a cup.

All the water passed through the phantom's chest and dripped onto the ground.

But the murderer drinks alcohol, and then proceeds to the next stage.

Ran Qing struck the small drum and said, "Please, murderer, untie the head and show the dead to everyone."

This is the first step in uncovering the ghost's face.

As Xiong Dacheng's phantom untied the strips of cloth wrapped around the man's head, a pale, lifeless face appeared in the sight of everyone present.

The head died in an unexpectedly peaceful manner, without any of the painful death one would expect from a vengeful ghost.

As Xiong Dacheng untied the cloth strip from the person's head, the head of the previously indistinct, pitch-black ghostly figure was revealed.

It was the same pale, lifeless face of a dead person.

The man, around forty years old, had loose skin and puffy eyes. His unfocused, vacant eyes stared coldly at everyone.

No matter which direction the people at the banquet sat in, they all felt the gaze of that dead face fixed on them.

At this point, the face of the vengeful ghost was revealed to everyone.

Once the layers of black mist on its body are peeled away and its full appearance is completely revealed, this vengeful ghost will become fish on a chopping board, unable to resist.

However, in this process, it can also use the ghost feast to harm people...

Ran Qing watched the ghostly figure warily.

But then, the deathly pale face suddenly grinned, revealing a sinister, eerie smile.

"Xiong Dacheng, if you want to kill people and raise ghosts... isn't there someone here you can kill?"

As the deadpan voice faded, the phantom wielding the large sword slapped its forehead and stood up abruptly.

"Yes! You reminded me!"

Xiong Dacheng's phantom looked at Ran Qing with a sinister gaze, then at Mo Li beside Ran Qing.

The cold gaze swept back and forth across their necks, as if searching for the right spot to strike.

Xiong Dacheng grinned and said, "Isn't there some excellent live meat right here!"

No one at the banquet could get up, but Xiong Dacheng's phantom stood up and walked directly toward Ran Qing.

The enormous blade was aimed directly at Ran Qing's neck.

(End of this chapter)