Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 999: Straight Hook

Record of the Netherworld Ghost King? Chapter 5: Confrontation of Yin and Yang (Expanded Edition) On the morning of his departure from the capital, Shen Yanzhi buried half a Chilong jade pendant in a crevice beneath the Yuhe Bridge. Liu Laoli said it was a token of the Northern Zhen Army, and if anything were to happen to him, his former subordinates would follow the pendant's scent and find the files. Morning light filtered through the carriage window, casting dappled shadows on the wooden box containing the military report. The Northern Di script on the bamboo slips seemed to come alive in the flickering light, its curving strokes resembling countless small snakes slithering. "How long until we get to the county town?" Shen Yanzhi pulled back the curtains. The willow trees lining the official road had sprouted new green leaves, but gradually withered as they approached the county town, their leaves a strange, charred black at the edges. The peach wood sword at his waist trembled continuously, the red cord on the tassel stretched straight. This was the strange phenomenon of Yin Qi condensing into substance—a hundred times more intense than the evil spirits encountered at Black Wind Ridge. Wang Hu reined in the reins and pointed at the cloud of dust ahead. "Half an hour at most. But..." His voice trembled. The outline of the county town in the distance was shrouded in a gray-black fog, as if encased in a giant clay pot. "That fog isn't right. Morning fog isn't this color." Shen Yanzhi pulled out his compass, the needle spinning frantically in the south direction, the copper needle rubbing against the surface with a harsh rustling sound. He distributed the amulets given by Liu Laoli to the accompanying descendants of the Zhenbei Army—painted on aged rice paper, the amulets were infused with the powder of Qin Yue's military talisman, temporarily warding off the erosion of Yin energy. "Everyone, brace yourself. Follow me closely once you enter the city, and don't touch anything in the black fog." As the carriage crossed the moat, wailing emanated from the city. These were not ordinary cries, but roars mingled with despair and pain, as if countless people were being torn apart. The black fog had already reached the city gates. The soldiers defending the city had long since vanished. The drawbridge hung askew over the river, a dark brown slime seeping from the cracks in the wooden planks. Stepping on it felt like stepping on rotten meat. "Mr. Shen, look at those people!" The old soldier driving the car suddenly reined in his horse, his voice trembling. A dozen civilians stood at the foot of the city wall, pacing stiffly. Their eyes were a cloudy gray, saliva hung from the corners of their mouths, and circles of dark blue finger marks adorned their necks—a sign of Yin Qi invading their heart meridians. Just as Shen Yanzhi was about to get out of the carriage, he saw an old woman stumbling toward it. Her hair was disheveled, and the silver hairpin she had been wearing pierced her scalp crookedly, yet she felt no pain at all. "My son..." She suddenly exerted force on the shaft, digging her nails into the wood, and black blood oozed from between her fingers. "Have you seen my son? He loves sweet-scented osmanthus cake..." Wang Hu drew his sword to strike, but was held back by Shen Yanzhi. He pulled a soul-calming talisman from his bag and pressed it against the old woman's forehead the moment she opened her mouth. "Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. Do not linger on the earthly path." The moment the talisman touched her brow, her body convulsed violently, a hoarse sound emanating from her throat. The finger marks on her neck gradually faded, and she finally collapsed to the ground, a look of relief on her face. "It's a walking corpse," Shen Yanzhi put away the talisman. The black blood on his fingertips quickly solidified into powder in the sunlight. "Those caught in the black fog will have most of their souls and spirits drained away, leaving only a shell controlled by resentment." He looked deep into the county town. Where the black fog was thickest, he could vaguely see the shadowy silhouette of a city wall, a striking resemblance to the Wolf City that had materialized from the underworld. The carriage drove along the deserted streets. The doors and windows of the shops on either side were closed, but the doors were covered in scratches, some stained with bloody cloth. The sign of the restaurant was hanging askew, and the three characters "Taibailou" were smoked into gray and black by the black fog. Behind the window frame on the second floor, a shopkeeper in a blue cloth shirt was standing motionless, his face pressed against the glass, his eyes staring straight at the street, his eyeballs covered with a layer of white film. "We've arrived at the county government office." Wang Hu reined in his horse. The vermilion lacquered gate of the county government office was open, and the stone lions in front of the gate had been smoked into a blue-black color, with some gray hair tangled in their manes. As soon as Shen Yanzhi got out of the car, he saw a corpse lying on the steps - it was the county magistrate. His official hat had rolled to the ground, and there was still black blood at the corner of his mouth. The collar of his shirt was torn open, revealing a blue-black palm print. The black fog filled out from the backyard of the county government office, carrying a strong smell of rust. Shen Yanzhi took out a cinnabar pot, poured some cinnabar into his palm, and mixed it with the glutinous rice he brought with him - this is the method of breaking the Yin formation recorded in the "Record of the Netherworld". Cinnabar attracts Yang, and glutinous rice calms the soul. The combination of the two can create a clear and bright place in the Yin energy. "You guard the door and don't let anyone in." He instructed Wang Hu, then stepped into the county government office on the cinnabar. The osmanthus tree in the yard was dead. The official uniform of the county magistrate was hanging on the branches, rustling in the black fog. The four characters "A Bright Mirror Hangs High" on the plaque in the main hall were shrouded in black air. Only the two characters "Bright Mirror" could be recognized, as if silently mocking. Shen Yanzhi did not enter the main hall, but walked straight to the center of the yard. With his toes, he drew a giant yin-yang fish pattern on the ground. Two yellow talismans were held down at the fish's eye with copper coins, and half of each talisman was embedded in its center. This was a Yin-Yang formation, an evolution of the Zhenbei Army's military formation, capable of simultaneously accommodating both yang and yin energies while maintaining a clear distinction. "Qin Yue, come out and see me." He placed the files he had brought back from the capital at the center of the formation and used his peach wood sword to loosen the hemp ropes binding them. As the files unfurled, countless golden rays of light streamed from between the pages, forming a wall of light around the edge of the yin-yang fish. The black mist collided with the light wall with a sizzling sound, like boiling oil meeting cold water. The black mist swirled violently, causing the beams of the county government office to creak and tiles to fall. A tall figure gradually coalesced within the black mist. The gold-dusted patterns on his black armor gleamed in the golden light, but were covered in a layer of dark brown blood rust. A spear dragged along the ground, its tip scraping across the bluestone, leaving a trail of white smoke. "What have you brought?" The Ghost King's voice was hoarser than when he was on the city wall, like iron that had been polished by sandpaper. His helmet covered most of his face, revealing only the tense lines of his jaw. The black air seeping from the gaps in his black armor was thicker than last time, condensing into a small vortex at his feet. Shen Yanzhi took the opportunity to bow to the guards: "My mother is a Taoist, and this is a magic tool to ward off evil spirits, not a weapon." The guards were attracted by the ceremonial procession of King Rui and waved their hands impatiently: "Go, go!" The Beidi characters on the bamboo slips were crooked, but Shen Yanzhi recognized the outlines of several of the characters - exactly the same as the lotus shape of the prince's birthmark. "This is the military report of that year." Liu Laoli handed over the bamboo slips, "The secret letter from the Beidi intercepted by General Qin was actually written by King Rui. It uses the Beidi characters, but contains the homophony of Chinese characters."