Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

Without stopping, looking into the distance and getting closer, Zhou He soon followed the peddler into the birch forest.

The two men in black followed at a leisurely pace.

He didn't say anything, just kept his distance and followed behind Zhou He.

Taking advantage of a moment when the trees blocked his view, Zhou He took out a knife from the box in front of his chest, thought for a moment, and then took out the road sign and stuffed it into his pocket.

Clutching the knife, Zhou He looked up and suddenly realized the peddler was gone.

Before me stretched a dense forest of trees, their tall shadows blocking out the sun.

It seems somewhat different from when I arrived.

There was no path in sight, but there were no dead branches or fallen leaves underfoot, just yellow earth with a few weeds here and there.

He felt a little nervous.

Is this some kind of technique?

Zhou He forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart, and without caring about anything else, he silently found a direction and continued to walk forward.

The man in black behind them also seemed to have disappeared.

As Zhou He walked among the shadowy trees, he felt the weight of his own body growing heavier.

He wanted to sit down and rest for a while, but then he remembered the taboos mentioned in the old hunchback's memory, so he frowned and continued.

After walking for about half an hour, the forest should have come to an end.

This road is also in the old hunchback's memory.

Although he had never carried real wild meat, he still followed the same route when carrying domestic meat.

Zhou He frowned deeply, realizing that something unexpected must have happened that he was unaware of.

But for now, all we can do is keep moving forward.

On the other side, two men in black also walked in silence.

They didn't rely entirely on their sense of direction; rather, the slightly taller man held a stick of incense in his hands. The flickering incense and the smoke seemed to have a spirit, guiding the two in the direction they were chasing.

The direction shifted erratically, sometimes north, sometimes east; after a few more steps, the smoke would suddenly drift in the exact opposite direction.

Without hesitation, the man in black and the two followed the direction the smoke indicated.

Before they knew it, they had walked for an unknown amount of time. They stopped when the incense stick burned into the palm of the man's hand.

Before my eyes, the shadows of the trees still swayed, obscuring the sky and blocking out the sun.

The taller man nodded to his companion.

His companion understood and took out a small, black altar from his bundle, decorated with gold thread along the edges.

The tall man found a relatively flat spot on the ground, instructed his companion to put down the offering table, and then took out several short sticks from the bundle behind him.

Align the mechanism and screw it in; it will then form a triangular frame.

He took a deep breath and slowly took off his black clothes, revealing a strong and capable physique with snow-white skin, like silk.

His companion knelt before the offering table, quickly and efficiently making a lamp and lighting it, then taking out an incense burner to offer as a sacrifice.

As the smoke from the cigarette began to rise, the shorter man stood up and took out a small wrist knife from his bundle.

The knife is short but has a good curve, making it a handy tool for skinning.

The tall man knelt down with his back to him, facing the offering table, nodded, and said:

"Aze, hurry up and get things done."

Aze nodded to each of them, took a deep breath, placed the knife over the oil lamp to roast it, and began to chant:

"I--"

"One call travels a thousand miles, a second call travels ten thousand miles."

"When you call upon the gods, they arrive; when you call upon them, they arrive immediately."

"Lord Taochuan above, your disciple Bao Ze below."

"Burning incense, lighting spirit lamps, and making offerings to ancestors."

"May God descend upon the world and distinguish between good and evil!"

After finishing his chant, Bao Ze, knife in hand, landed steadily on the tall man and whispered:

"Kuan-ge'er, I've drawn your portrait... please bear with it."

After saying that, Bao Ze began to prepare for the ceremony.

Bao Kuan knelt before the offering table, holding up the lamp in his hands.

His eyes were fixed on the light, and he dared not move an inch.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, but he was completely unaware.

Not long after.

He was completely unaware of this, and kept muttering something to himself.

The sound was drowned out by the crackling of the oil lamp and couldn't be heard clearly.

By the time the "painting" was finished, the shorter Bao Ze was covered in sweat and his face was pale.

He didn't say anything.

He reached into a green aluminum water bottle, took a sip of water, and then gestured that he was ready to move on to the next step.

With its beard and hair fully depicted, and its eyes wide open in anger, it is incredibly lifelike.

Bao Ze took a handful of dried cypress incense and handed it to the oil lamp held by Bao Kuan to light it.

"bass".

The incense burned, flames shooting into the sky, and a vague shadow let out a cold snort.

Bao Ze held the lit cypress incense stick and completed the relevant procedures according to the ritual.

He casually tossed aside the burnt cypress incense sticks, sighed, and said:

"I'm going to frame the painting, Brother Kuan, please be patient... Don't move it, or the old man will be unhappy."

Bao Kuan was already in a daze.

He was drenched in cold sweat, and his face was even paler than paper.

Hearing this, he could only grit his teeth.

"Whoosh!"

With swift movements, Bao Ze hung the prepared "portrait of the old man" on the previously prepared tripod and kowtowed.

Even Ah-Kuan, who was in poor condition, managed to maintain his composure and knelt down in front of the portrait.

The smoke from the cigarette rose gently.

The shapes formed a human face, exactly as Aze had drawn, with fierce eyebrows, bristling beard and hair, and endless killing intent in his eyes.

"Have you found that thief?"

A face formed from wisps of smoke asked a question, its voice causing the surrounding birch trees to rustle loudly.

"Yes, sir. We've found him. He's a peddler named Chen Erlu, and he's in the woods with his accomplices right now."

The wisp of smoke gave another cold snort and drifted toward the hanging human skin painting.

The moment it collided with the human skin, the blue smoke dissipated.

The human head painted on the skin opened its eyes and let out another cold snort. The skin slowly flew up, floated into the air, and then began to grow fleshy buds like tentacles.

The fleshy buds intertwined and clung together, growing in a coordinated manner. Soon, the skin was no longer recognizable as skin; it resembled an inflated bladder with a human head drawn on its surface.

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, the tentacle-like fleshy ball made of human skin exploded open and then instantly closed up again.

The surrounding birch trees, standing in layers, were all uprooted and lined up to rush towards the fleshy ball.

Not far away, Zhou He, who was walking with his head down, suddenly heard a loud bang.

Looking up, you can see a small ball of flesh floating in mid-air, with the surrounding trees like ants being swept away by a river, rushing towards the ball of flesh.

A person was drawn on the fleshy ball, with white hair and beard, and wide-open, angry eyes.

The eyes are looking at you.