Folklore and Strange Tales: At the Start, You Retrieve the Sea-Suppressing Black Iron

Chapter 129 A fake document emerges from the broken cabinet door; a little girl bites the key to guard the stall.

"Don't swallow!"

Cheng Xiaojin and Tong Kexin shouted at the same time.

Xiao Xing's teeth had already hit the copper teeth, and with a click, the black line was only half a foot away from her chest.

Tang Wanqing tossed out three copper coins, which blocked the black line at an angle, and black smoke immediately emerged from the holes in the coins.

Cheng Xiaojin stared at the broken rope around the neck of the red-clothed vengeful corpse.

"Her mother had the rope tricked her into revealing information."

Half a copper coin with the character "林" was hidden on the broken rope, covered in black grease, and was crawling into the knot.

He Xiulan's earlier statement about swallowing the key was forced out by Boss Lin using the rope.

Tong Kexin hugged Xiao Xing's shoulders tightly.

"Once the key is inside your stomach, the door will recognize you."

Xiao Xing's jaw was chattering, her keychain was hanging near her mouth, and her tongue was hitting her brass teeth, causing them to bleed.

"My mom made me swallow it."

"Your mom made you eat steamed buns, not copper."

Tong Kexin opened the key, and the black thread on the back of her hand left a red mark.

Cheng Xiaojin touched the ground with the tip of her shoe.

"Kexin, don't hold the key in your hand, put it in your bag."

Tong Kexin glared at him, broke open half of a hot bun, and stuffed the key into the filling.

The hot oil from the minced meat soaked into the key teeth, and the rusty smell overpowered the pork and cabbage flavors. The black line wrapped around half of the key was too heavy to stick on.

Tieguai Li gritted his teeth, "If the antique dealers see this, they'll kick me out of Panjiayuan."

Han Shaobai swallowed.

"This...this is a steamed bun with a house inside, it's ridiculously expensive."

Cheng Xiaojin didn't respond.

The dilapidated meal ticket cabinet opened half an inch again, and the shadow of a Buddha's belly pressed against the back of the cabinet. Inside, someone was scratching at the wooden board with their fingernails.

Tang Wanqing pressed her palm against the back of the mirror, blood seeping out from between her palms.

"The cabinet door won't close."

Zhou Banxian placed the compass face down on the ledger.

"The seventh gate has identified the account book of the childless, and Sun Daqiang fed the fake document with his blood."

Cheng Xiaojin looked at the mutton soup pot.

"Then let it vomit."

Han Shaobai clutched the ledger tightly.

"My authenticity is so genuine that it couldn't be more genuine."

Tieguai Li glanced at him.

"Your dad checked it out; it's probably only half true at best."

"Brother Li, don't come here now to tear down my doorstep."

Cheng Xiaojin shouted to the neighbors.

"Whoever has any old grievances about He Xiulan, bring them all here."

Grandpa Li slapped his forehead.

"She bought a bunch of scallions on credit before the New Year, and insisted on having it written on her tab the next day."

Aunt Wang raised her hand.

"She wrote a note about the money for the steamed buns."

Old Zhao, the shoe repairman, turned around and started tearing off the cardboard on the wall.

"Xiaoxing's shoe size is still on my stall."

Sun Daqiang lay on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and let out two cold laughs.

"A few scraps of paper, can they really be used as a property ownership certificate?"

Tieguai Li used a wrench handle to press against his chin.

"Or how about I give you half my life and see what happens?"

Sun Daqiang shut his mouth and glanced sideways at the end of the street.

Cheng Xiaojin heard the black copper coin under the eaves spinning even faster.

"Brother Li, don't let him look at the end of the street."

Tieguai Li grabbed a rag and stuffed it into Sun Daqiang's mouth.

Sun Daqiang had a rag stuffed in his mouth, his knees scraped bloody marks on the bricks, and the broken rope was still dragging him toward the pot.

The red-clad vengeful corpse was also being led by a rope, its hand reaching towards Xiaoxing, and it squeezed out half a sentence.

"Swallowing the key—"

Tong Kexin poured a spoonful of old soup onto the blue bricks that had been dragged by the broken rope.

As the oil and salt were spread out, the broken rope slipped half an inch, and the dark light in He Xiulan's eye sockets dimmed a little.

"Sister Xiulan, watch the child, don't look at the rope."

Aunt Wang ran back first and slapped a few sheets of oil paper onto the account book.

"I owed 2.8 yuan for a steamed bun, and the next day they brought 3 yuan, saying they'd give 2 mao to the kids to buy candy."

Grandpa Li brought over the crumpled account paper.

"Her name is here."

Old Zhao handed over a piece of cardboard.

"Size 29, Xiaoxing's red shoes."

Han Shaobai laid out the items one by one.

Cheng Xiaojin said, "Stall stamp."

Han Shaobai paused for a moment as he held the seal.

"This chapter was stolen by Sun Daqiang."

Zhou Banxian chewed on the tobacco pipe stem.

"The stolen seal is used as the real account, and the door recognizes its old owner."

Han Shaobai pressed down on the first chapter, the missing edge of which faced the character "Lan" in He Xiulan's name. A muffled sound came from the broken meal ticket cabinet, and half a wet sheet of paper was spat out from the cabinet door.

Tang Wanqing held it up with the mirror, without touching it.

Han Shaobai leaned closer to take a look.

"Transfer document".

The three characters "He Xiulan" on the paper began to turn black, and another large fingerprint emerged from the handprint, its lines broken and messy.

Tieguai Li looked at Sun Daqiang.

"We've been exposed."

Cheng Xiaojin crouched three steps away, listening to the sounds coming from the paper fibers.

"He grabbed a dead man's hand and pressed it down the night he signed it."

The street was thrown into chaos on the spot.

Grandpa Li raised his foot to kick someone, but Tieguai Li stopped him with his leg.

"Save your breath, the living accounts aren't over yet."

Cheng Xiaojin looked at Xiaoxing.

"What did you hear the night your mother had the accident?"

Xiaoxing held the steamed bun and key, her eyes red-rimmed.

"My uncle said that signing it would save us trouble."

Sun Daqiang whimpered incoherently.

My mom didn't say anything.

Xiao Xing buried her face in the corner of Tong Kexin's clothes.

"Later, the stool fell over, and I cried. My uncle locked me in the closet and said that if I screamed, he would send me to find my mother too."

Tong Kexin lifted the long spoon.

Cheng Xiaojin looked at her.

"Don't hit him in the head."

"I know."

The long spoon struck Sun Daqiang's calf.

Sun Daqiang was writhing on the ground in pain, and the broken rope almost tightened again.

Zhou Banxian hurriedly called out.

"Preserve your life force; do not add to the life force of a violent death."

Tong Kexin tapped the edge of the spoon against the side of the pot twice.

"He got off too easily."

Cheng Xiaojin looked at the red-clad vengeful corpse.

"He Xiulan, did you hear me clearly?"

The red-clad, vengeful corpse was facing Xiaoxing, the broken rope still trembling.

"The key is in the child's hands, the account is in the neighbors' mouths, and the written agreement has also been spit out."

"If you want to take my life, we'll eat your hatred."

"If you seek justice, your child can live."

The red-clad vengeful corpse opened and closed its lips, uttering the same words as the rope.

"Swallowing the key—"

Tong Kexin gripped the spoon handle tightly.

"How did this rope break?"

Cheng Xiaojin listened for a moment.

"There was a sound of black copper coins coming from the knot. The one on the eaves was the mother coin, and the one in the rope was the daughter coin."

Tieguai Li looked up.

Which eaves?

"Opposite to Boguzhai, the second beam, in the gap between the tiles."

"I'll go."

"Don't use pliers, the back of the copper coin has the character '林' (Lin) on it, which is blackened with oil."

Tieguai Li spread his hands.

"Then I'll shoot empty-handed?"

Cheng Xiaojin saw the steamer lid in Aunt Wang's hand.

"A lid for steamed buns."

Aunt Wang gripped the steamer lid tightly.

"This guy can save people?"

"It's very hot and has a strong noodle flavor."

Aunt Wang handed the steamer lid to Tieguai Li.

"Make the scoundrel pay for the damage."

Tieguai Li weighed it in his hand.

"It's more comfortable to use than the Nanyang ruler."

Han Shaobai quickly reached for the money.

"I'll pay ten."

Aunt Wang glared at him.

"Who wants your money?"

Tieguai Li used the cutting board for leverage, and slapped the steamer lid across the beam seam.

A black copper coin rolled down, spinning as it landed, before he caught it with the lid of the steamer.

When the hot steam from the bottom of the lid is released, the copper coin emits a fine, sharp sound.

The shadow of the character "林" (Lin) inside the knot trembled wildly.

Cheng Xiaojin said, "Old Tang."

Tong Kexin poured a spoonful of soup onto the edge of the lid.

The coin has stopped spinning.

Tieguai Li used a rolling pin to pry open the lid.

The reverse side of the copper coin is engraved with the character "林" (Lin), with black oil filling the gaps between the characters, and half a head of hair wrapped in the oil.

Han Shaobai's face turned pale.

"Whose hair did Boss Lin use to make it?"

Cheng Xiaojin did not answer.

He heard the bloody sounds of Sun Daqiang in his hair, and the rustling of dust on He Xiulan's hanging rope.

"Sun Daqiang sold his sister-in-law's hair."

The neighbors' curses drowned out the fire in the pot.

Sun Daqiang was digging around on the ground.

The broken rope around the neck of the red-clad vengeful corpse had come loose, and the black oil from its fingernails dripped into the steaming soup, sizzling and emitting smoke.

Xiaoxing cried while holding the steamed bun and the key.

"Mom, I won't swallow it."

The red-clad vengeful corpse lowered its head.

This time, no one spoke up for her.

She uttered two words herself.

"Good food."

Cheng Xiaojin immediately said, "Serve her food."

Aunt Wang put down the hot buns, Grandpa Li ladled out some stir-fried liver soup, and Tong Kexin poured a sip of broth from a small aluminum kettle, placing it on the rim of her bowl.

Han Shaobai pushed the account book over.

"He Xiulan, I'll change this stall account back for you."

"I'll leave you a meal at the nightclub tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Sun Daqiang began to struggle again.

Tieguai Li pressed his foot down on his back.

"What's the rush? Someone's saving your prison food for you."

The broken meal ticket counter door stopped.

The cold wind from the crack in the cabinet was drawn back in, and the black thread circled the bun key twice, but couldn't find a way out.

Zhou Banxian wiped his forehead.

"It's been pushed back halfway."

Tang Wanqing, however, stared at the cabinet door.

"wrong."

The cabinet was no longer blocked by a door.

Behind the Buddha's belly, an extra hand appeared.

The hand was slender with neatly trimmed nails, and the fingertips pressed against the seam of the cabinet as it handed out a soaked piece of paper.

There were only four words on the piece of paper.

Don't let Liu see.

Cheng Xiaojingang saw clearly that the seventh nightlight in the direction of Liu's old shop had gone out.

"Who moved the seventh lamp?"

Han Shaobai turned his head and shouted, his voice cracking.

At the entrance of the old Liu family shop, the seventh night lamp was completely extinguished, its wick emitting white smoke, while the other eight lamps all leaned towards the Liu family shop.

As soon as Zhou Banxian raised his compass, the needle pierced the old Liu family shop, making a series of clicking and rattling sounds.

"The willow branch has been opened."

Tang Wanqing's hand was still pressed against the broken meal ticket cabinet, her fingertips touching the wooden veneer of the cabinet door.

"The cabinet door cannot be removed from this side."

Cheng Xiaojin stared at the wet paper hidden in the crack of the cabinet.

Don't let Liu see.

As soon as the four words were revealed, the red-clad vengeful corpse retreated half a foot, and the green flame at the bottom of the mutton soup pot also dimmed.

When the lights went out over Liupu, the entire Liulichang night market was missing a gap, and the wind blew in through the opening.

Tong Kexin pushed Xiao Xing into Aunt Wang's arms.

"Keep an eye on the children."

Aunt Wang hugged Xiaoxing tightly, with the steamer lid placed horizontally in front of her.

"It won't get lost, don't panic."

A vengeful corpse in red stood by the pot, a broken rope hanging from its neck, drops of black oil falling into the hot soup pot and being dispersed by the steam.

Cheng Xiaojin spoke.

"Sister Xiulan, watch the pot."

Tong Kexin glared at him.

"Let her guard it?"

"Her food is dirty here, and she eats from this doorway, but she can keep it a secret."

The red-clad vengeful corpse looked up at him.

Cheng Xiaojin met those empty eye sockets, but didn't move the tip of her shoe.

"If you don't kill Sun Daqiang, I'll protect the child and get the key."

"If you make a move now, Boss Lin and the Seventh Gate will be waiting to suffer this injustice."

Tieguai Li picked up the wrench.

"What about Sun Daqiang? It's uncomfortable for him to be panting here."

"tie."

"What should we use?"

"Don't touch that section of rope hanging from his house, it's dirty."

"Take the steamed buns, spread out the hemp rope, soak them in the old broth, and then tie them up."

Aunt Wang immediately pulled out a new bundle of hemp rope and tossed it to Tong Kexin.

Tong Kexin pressed the hemp rope into the old soup bowl, then took it out and handed it to Tieguai Li.

"Tie him up tight, leave him with a breath."

Tieguai Li squatted down and clasped Sun Daqiang's hands behind his back.

"Don't worry, I'm meticulous in my work, I'll make him regret being born."

Sun Daqiang mumbled a curse as half of the rag fell out of his mouth.

"You're taking vigilante justice."

Han Shaobai waved the account book in front of his face; the ink was still wet.

"Written documents, fake seals, children's testimonies, neighbors' testimonies, black oil talismans, and Lin's money—enough to make your life miserable."

Sun Daqiang spat out bloody foam.

"You don't know anything."

Tieguai Li tightened the hemp rope in his hand.

Sun Daqiang gasped in pain, his eyes darting around.

"Boss Lin said that once the seventh gate opens, the old street will change hands, and who will still care about your shabby accounts?"

Cheng Xiaojin stopped in his tracks.

"What else did he say?"

Sun Daqiang gritted his teeth.

Tieguai Li pulled the knot of the rope upwards.

Sun Daqiang forced out air from his throat.

"He said that Cheng Xiaojin was afraid to open the ashtray, so he switched to a smaller one."

Tong Kexin's face darkened.

"Xiao Xing?"

Cheng Xiaojin stared at Sun Daqiang.

"How did Boss Lin know that Xiao Xing's shadow would have a nail-like projection?"

Sun Daqiang turned his face away.

Cheng Xiaojin nudged the copper coin with the character "Lin" with the tip of her shoe.

"You gave him your child's blood."

Xiao Xing huddled in Aunt Wang's arms, a worn needle hole peeking out from her sleeve.

Tong Kexin saw that the long spoon almost flew out.

"He drew your blood?"

Xiaoxing nodded.

"My uncle said, 'If you prick me, I'll buy you candy.'"

Aunt Wang's hands trembled, and she almost dropped the steamed bun.

"brute."

Zhou Banxian's insults were even more offensive.

"Feeding the seventh branch of the family with the blood and sweat of a living child—Boss Lin is utterly despicable, lacking the virtue of his ancestors for eight generations!"

Tang Wanqing looked at Cheng Xiaojin.

"Liu Pu must not let Liu Bai see that piece of paper."

"We have to get ahead of her."

"You must not approach the threshold of the willow shop."

"I rely on my ears."

Tong Kexin picked up the small aluminum kettle.

"I'll go with you."

Cheng Xiaojin looked at the red mark on the back of her hand.

"You stay here and protect the children."

Tong Kexin didn't say anything, handed the small aluminum kettle halfway there, then took it back and stuffed it into Tieguai Li's hands.

"Take it."

Tieguai Li took the pot.

Cheng Xiaojin twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Even though I'm crippled like this, I can still enjoy being escorted by two people. That's quite prestigious."

Tang Wanqing tied the red thread to his sleeve and held the end of the thread herself.

Han Shaobai hurriedly followed, "I'll go too."

Tieguai Li turned around and said, "You stay and watch over Sun Daqiang."

Han Shaobai's face scrunched up in a frown.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to resist paying someone to beat him up."

Cheng Xiaojin said, "Then you stay and adjust the accounts."

Han Shaobai shook the ledger in his hand, and Cheng Xiaojin looked at the mutton soup stall.

"He Xiulan's living expenses will have to be changed back to Sun Daqiang's name tonight."

"The seventh gate is monitoring the accounts; if you're a step too slow, it'll be looking for the child."

Han Shaobai immediately squatted down, opened the account book, and tapped the paper twice with the tip of his pen.

Cheng Xiaojin looked at Xiaoxing and asked, "Xiaoxing, whose name would you like to register the stall under?"

Xiaoxing hugged the key tightly.

"Remember, remember my mother————."

""

Han Shaobai nodded, crossed out the three characters "Sun Daqiang", and wrote "He Xiulan" next to them.

He wrote a stroke crookedly and wiped his sweat with his sleeve.

"The stall owner is dead, yet it's still considered a living meal? This ledger is too eerie."

Cheng Xiaojin looked at the red-clad vengeful corpse.

"If the children are eating and the neighbors are witnesses, and the pot is still hot, then it's considered acceptable."

The red-clad vengeful corpse raised its hand, its fingertips lightly pointing towards the ledger.

The ink on the three characters "He Xiulan" froze after the moisture passed over them.

The broken meal ticket cabinet door slid back an inch.

Zhou Banxian breathed a sigh of relief.

"It can be done."

Cheng Xiaojin turned and walked towards Liu's old shop.

After the lights in front of the willow shop went out, a bluish-white light shone through the crack in the door. The wooden door was closed, and a shadow half a palm's width appeared under the threshold. A person stood in the shadow, with only half of their shoe toes showing.

Tang Wanqing held onto the red thread.

"stop."

Cheng Xiaojin stopped three steps away.

Tieguai Li carried a small aluminum kettle in one hand and a wrench in the other.

"Liu Bai, come out and talk to me."

No one answered from inside the door; instead, the sound of fingers tapping on the wood came from the inside of the door panel.

One short beat, two short beats, stop half a beat later.

Cheng Xiaojin's ears twitched. "That's not right."

"This is the old hand gesture of the Liu family touching the door latch; it's a way of signaling for someone to make way."

Tang Wanqing asked, "Who are we making way for?"

Cheng Xiaojin looked at the half-shoe tip under the threshold.

"Give it to the things inside the door."

As soon as he finished speaking, a crack appeared in the middle of the willow-wood door, and a face was pressed into the crack, with only the left half showing.

His face was bluish, and his eyes were dark and dull.

It was Liu Bai.

But the hand he showed had black wood shavings stuck under its nails, and its fingertips were worn raw, indicating that it had been scratching itself inside the door for quite some time.

Liu Bai's lips moved when he saw Cheng Xiaojin.

Don't look at the paper.

Cheng Xiaojin stared at him.

"Someone just handed me a piece of paper and said not to let Liu see it."

Liu Bai turned his left eye toward the broken meal ticket counter, his eyeball feeling sore from turning it around.

"Something else was passing the paper."

Liu Bai pressed his hand, with its cut fingertip, against the crack in the door.

"If I could touch the cabinet, would I be here being stingy?"

Tieguai Li snorted.

"The Liu family's words are half true and half false."

Liu Bai looked at the small aluminum kettle in his hand.

"Old soup from Huguosi Temple, give me a drop at the threshold."

Tieguai Li didn't move.

"Why should I?"

"The bolt is below my waist, and the old bed covers half of my body."

"I was completely devoured by the seventh gate, and the lamp in Liupu can't make up for it."

Cheng Xiaojin spoke.

"Give him a threshold, and don't get involved."

Tieguai Li tilted the small aluminum kettle, and a drop of old soup fell outside the threshold of Liupu.

The red oil sizzled and steamed as it adhered to the wooden threshold.

Liu Bai shrank back slightly, and the bluish-white light coming through the crack in the door receded a little.

Cheng Xiaojin asked, "Who handed me the paper?"

Liu Bai looked at him, and blood vessels appeared in her left eye.

"Cheng Shouyi's old-fashioned style."

The red thread in Tang Wanqing's hand immediately tightened.

Tieguai Li cursed, "Using his father to lure people in again, is this never going to end?"

Liu Bai did not argue.

"It says on the paper not to let Liu see it, right?"

Cheng Xiaojin raised his eyelids.

"You saw it?"

"When the cabinet door spits out paper, my bones will rattle first."

"The bolt on the seventh door of the Liu family's house moves, and my bones move too."

Cheng Xiaojin clamped the rolling pin tightly.

"Where did the nail shadow in Xiaoxing's shadow come from?"

Liu Bai's face turned even paler. "Shen Jiulou has changed his mind about taking the blame."

"He didn't just force you to open the tank."

Tang Wanqing asked, "Does he want a child?"

Liu Bai's fingers gripped the crack in the door, and wood chips fell down.

"Children are light-hearted but heavy-hearted."

"The gatekeepers will use her to mend the first gate."

Tieguai Li tightened his wrench.

"Explain it more clearly."

""

Liu Bai stared at Cheng Xiaojin.

"If you don't open the ashtray, he'll use her to open the first crack for you."

Cheng Xiaojin stood still.

Liu Bai continued, "There's a way to save her."

Tang Wanqing interrupted him, "If you want to open the ashtray, then forget it."

Liu Bai glanced at her.

"No need to open the tank."

Tieguai Li did not believe it.

"You can suddenly become a good person again? Has the sun risen from under the ice in Liulichang?"

Liu Bai pressed his hand against the crack in the door, and ash dripped from his fingertips.

"Use that piece of paper."

Cheng Xiaojin asked, "How do I use it?"

"Cover the child's shadow with paper."

"The paper still carries the old spirit of Cheng Shouyi, enough to block the seventh gate for a stick of incense."

Tang Wanqing frowned.

"And then what?"

Liu Bai pressed half his face against the crack in the door, his voice coming out from inside the wood.

"Return it to He Xiulan's side where she was eating."

"Let the mother press the nail shadow back under the child's shadow."

Tieguai Li spat.

"Going around in circles and ending up back at the pot, it's infuriating just hearing about it."

Cheng Xiaojin heard another breath behind Liu Bai.

The breath pressed against the back of her shoulder, each breath matching the sound of fingernails in the ashtray's inner lining.

Cheng Xiaojin stared at Liu Bai. "Who's behind you?"

Liu Bai pushed half his face into the crack in the door, without answering, but instead tapped a vertical hook on the inside of the wooden door with his fingernail.

Then, another person knocked from inside the door.

What was typed out was the checkmark that Cheng Xiaojin had written incorrectly when he was a child.

"Stop knocking."

As soon as Cheng Xiaojin uttered the name, the second sound of fingernails from inside the willow shop paused for a beat.

Tang Wanqing tightened the red thread.

"What did you hear?"

Cheng Xiaojin stared at the crack in the door.

"That's not the hook my dad usually uses."

Tieguai Li reached for the wrench.

"But your face changed just now, it was scary."

"Because I wrote it wrong when I was a child."

Inside the door, Liu Bai's face was pressed against the crack, and dust dripped from her fingertips.

"Did Cheng Shouyi teach you?"

Cheng Xiaojin ignored her and spoke into the doorway.

"When I was seven years old, I copied the vertical hook on my grandfather's cigarette box, and tucked the tail in half a bit."

"My dad tapped the back of my hand with chopsticks and said, 'The Cheng family's hook should be extended outwards, not retreated inwards.'"

Tieguai Li asked, "The one inside the door, is knocking to make you shrink back?"

Cheng Xiaojin nodded, "It was my mistake."

A second fingernail clicked from inside the door.

One vertical line, one curved line, and the tail tucked in.

Cheng Xiaojin's shoe tips rubbed against the old soup stains on the blue bricks.

"Who taught you that?"

There was no answer from inside the door.

Liu Bai said, "If you pursue this now, Xiao Xing won't last even an incense stick's time."

Cheng Xiaojin looked at him. "What's your hurry?"

Liu Bai's fingernails dug into the door frame.

"The Seventh Gate is eating my back bones, do you want to come in and see?"

Tang Wanqing flicked her wrist, and the red thread was pulled outside the threshold.

"He won't come in."

Liu Bai looked at her, his lips tightening slightly. "The Zhenlong lineage only knows how to restrain people. No wonder they couldn't guard the Seventh Gate twenty years ago."

39

Tang Wanqing said coldly, "Liu Bai, if you're thinking of stirring up trouble, I advise you to save your breath."

Tieguai Li was amused.

"Miss Tang is quite eloquent today, hey, that's rare."

Cheng Xiaojin adjusted the tips of his shoes.

"The paper can only hold a stick of incense; who would go and get it?"

"I'll go."

Tieguai Li turned around.

Cheng Xiaojin called out to him.

"Don't use your hands, use the ledger folder."

Tieguai Li returned to the dilapidated meal ticket counter, where Han Shaobai was squatting on the ground revising accounts, his forehead smeared with ink.

"Brother Li, how's Liupu?"

"Half a face, half a sentence, half a pot of bad water."

"Where's the paper?"

"Clip it in the ledger."

Han Shaobai turned to the blank page and tucked the wet paper in the crack of the cabinet.

As soon as the paper was put into the ledger, the ink on He Xiulan's page warmed slightly and stopped smudging.

Zhou Banxian leaned closer.

"This paper has a strong old smell, don't touch it directly with your hands."

Tieguai Li clamped the account book between two rolling pins, cursing and swearing.

"I've never dealt with account books like this in my entire life. I'm truly impressed."

On Xiaoxing's side, the black line peeked out from under the cabinet door again.

Aunt Wang stepped back while holding the child. The red-clad vengeful corpse stood by the pot, its neck half-raised by a broken rope.

Tong Kexin held a long spoon horizontally in front of her.

"Come any closer, and I'll throw your in-laws' pot on me."

Blood flowed from the empty eye sockets of the red-clad vengeful corpse, but it did not approach any further.

Cheng Xiaojin turned around from in front of Liupu.

"Xiao Xing, don't let the paper touch your chest, cover your shadow."

Xiaoxing nodded, her lips turning white from biting them.

Tieguai Li placed the account book beside her feet and used a rolling pin to open the pages.

The wet paper slid out, covering the tiny nail shadow in her shadow.

Tang Wanqing noticed that the edges of the paper had turned black.

"It might not even last for the time it takes to burn an incense stick."

Cheng Xiaojin asked Liu Bai, "What do you want to suppress it for?"

Liu Bai said, "A mother knows the food, a child knows the door, and the neighbors know the debts."

Tieguai Li shouted from across the street, "Say something I've never heard of before!"

Liu Bailian shrank back into the doorway.

"I also want a coin that shouldn't be in the mortal world."

Zhou Banxian slapped the compass.

"A copper coin with the character 'Lin' in it?"

"right."

"Hold the mother coin tight, put the child coin in the rope, and use the mother coin to press down on the little apricot's shadow heel."

Tong Kexin looked at the black copper coin that had been covered by the steamer lid.

"This thing is so dirty, is it going to crush a child?"

Liu Bai said, "The source of the dirty money's shadow is where it was attracted, so we should put it back in."

Tang Wanqing asked, "Who's pressing down?"

Liu Bai looked at Cheng Xiaojin.

"Cheng Jiaxin is the most reliable."

"no."

Tang Wanqing and Tong Kexin stopped them in unison.

Cheng Xiaojin smiled.

"Liu Bai, you've got a pretty good plan."

Liu Bai's lips moved slightly.

"Then let the child press it themselves."

Tong Kexin's face turned cold.

"Are you going to use the child as a substitute again? How shameless!"

"If she doesn't suppress it, Dingying won't acknowledge her."

"I'll do it."

Xiao Xing spoke, her voice thin, but she didn't shy away.

Aunt Wang hugged her tightly.

"No way, what do you know, you're just a kid."

Xiaoxing looked at the steamed buns and keys on the ground.

"That's my mom's stall, I have to take it back."

Tong Kexin squatted down in front of her and put the bun containing the key into her palm.

"You take the food, but not the dirty money."

Xiaoxing nodded.

"Um."

Cheng Xiaojin said, "Dirty money shouldn't touch the skin; wrap the copper coins in a bun wrapper."

Han Shaobai stared wide-eyed.

"Another package?"

Tieguai Li used a rolling pin to pull out the Lin character copper coin.

"You know what, this steamed bun really made a difference today; it's more expensive than yours."

"Brother Li, I paid for these steamed buns."

"Then you can be considered half a contributor to the steamed bun's success."

Tong Kexin tore off a piece of the bun wrapper, wrapped the copper coin in it, and placed it next to Xiao Xing.

When the copper coin was covered by the bun skin, the black oil from the character "林" seeped out, and the bun skin immediately turned bluish.

Xiaoxing reached out to take it.

Cheng Xiaojin interrupted.

"Wait for your mom to agree."

Everyone looked at the red-clad vengeful corpse.

He Xiulan stood by the pot, the broken rope slowly dangling down.

She looked at the steamed bun key in Xiaoxing's hand, and then at the dirty money wrapped in the steamed bun skin.

After a while, she raised her hand and pressed it against her chest.

Tong Kexin said, "She agreed."

Xiaoxing pinched the edge of the bun with two fingers and pressed it to her own shadow's heel.

The black line shrank into a ball.

The shadow of the nail, covered by the wet paper, sank downwards.

Zhou Banxian stared at the compass.

"There's a chance."

Inside the willow shop, Liu Bai let out a muffled groan.

The door crack widened by half an inch, and the half of her face that was exposed drooped down, held up by something behind her waist.

Tieguai Li shouted, "Liu Bai, what kind of mischief are you up to now?"

Liu Bai peeked through the crack in the door, his fingernails peeling off completely, and ash leaked through his fingers.

"The seventh gate cannot be pressed."

Cheng Xiaojin heard the sound of iron hooks dragging on the ground coming from deep within the willow hut.

The sound was deep, muddy, and muffled as the wooden latch was pulled open.

The iron hook dragged half a wooden sign, which had three nail holes and a hole in the middle.

That's where the nail is driven into people's hearts.

Someone inside the door was writing on a wooden sign, scratching at the wood with their fingernails until they found the Cheng family's missing hook.

Cheng Xiaojin's eyes became bloodshot.

"That's not my dad."

Liu Bai was pulled by the red thread, his breathing becoming intermittent.

"Are you sure you heard me?"

"My dad won't use my misspelled words to ask for help."

The second sound of fingernails falling from inside the door stopped.

A woman's voice came from behind the wooden sign.

"Little Jin".

The color drained from Cheng Xiaojin's face.

Tieguai Li felt a chill run down his spine.

"Who?"

The sound rang out again.

"Xiao Jin, don't trust Liu Bai."

Tang Wanqing looked at Cheng Xiaojin.

"Your mother?"

Cheng Xiaojin didn't answer. He took the cigarette out from behind his ear, twirled it between his fingers, and then put it back in.

He had seen old photos of Lu Mingzhu and heard Master Ma mention her; she spoke softly with a slight rise in her voice at the end.

The sound from inside the door also rose at the end.

But the sound came from inside the old cabinet, hidden beneath a hollow wooden cavity.

Cheng Xiaojin stared at Liu Bai.

"Did you hear that?"

Liu Bai's fingers were gripping the door frame.

"I heard you."

Whose voice is that?

Liu Bai did not answer.

The woman inside the door called out again.

"Xiao Jin, open the ashtray, Mom's in there."

Tang Wanqing's red thread directly wrapped around Cheng Xiaojin's waist.

"Don't move."

Tong Kexin called over from beside the pot.

"Cheng Xiaojin, you dare to take one step forward!"

Cheng Xiaojin stood still, the tips of his shoes rubbing an oily mark from the old soup stains on the blue bricks.

"My mom never calls me Xiao Jin."

Tieguai Li was stunned.

"what?"

Cheng Xiaojin looked up and gazed into the depths of the crack in the door.

"She calls me Cheng Xiaokou."

The woman's voice inside the door stopped.

The next moment, behind the wooden door of Liupu, someone forcefully carved out three characters.

Cheng Xiaokou.

The wet paper at Xiaoxing's feet was pierced through the middle by the nail's shadow.