Chapter 169: Chapter 142: Night Travel

Wangshan City, Evil Suppression Bureau, Night Traveler’s Institute.

On the sixteenth of the ninth lunar month, equivalent to October 18th in the modern calendar.

Morning, suitable for sacrifices.

After fasting and bathing in orchid-scented water, Sang Que changed into the colorful attire and feathered crown prepared in the room.

These are crucial steps in the ritual to ask the divine for an incense burner.

Once dressed, a series of makeup processes followed: applying rice powder, painting eyebrows with willow, using madder for blush, tinting the lips, adding luster, and creating facial art.

The more procedures there are, the more solemn it appears, expressing deep respect for the divine.

These were all taught to her the day before by a woman named Wei Ziyan sent by He Buning. Each step could not be mistaken.

All these procedures align with the sacrificial process of the witches from the Chu State during the Warring States Period, from which the poem “Mountain Ghost” also originates.

Sang Que asked Wei Ziyan, who came to teach her, about the deity for this sacrifice, but Wei Ziyan was secretive, only saying that a god is a god.

After preparing everything, Sang Que, dressed in elaborate attire resembling a Chu State witch, slowly walked out of the room. She passed through the outer corridor, heading towards the plaza of the Evil Suppression Bureau’s Night Traveler’s Institute to perform the sacrificial ceremony to inherit her incense burner.

She had returned for three days, accompanying her mother to the school to request a month’s leave.

The reason they settled on, after some discussion, was the same excuse Sang Que used before to fool Jiang Zao.

Acting!

Sang Que wanted to pursue the arts, and upon learning this, the class teacher of the liberal arts class was relieved and even praised Sang Que for her potential to dominate the stage as a martial arts actress in the future.

Her current extravagant appearance indeed had a theatrical feel, but she had no opportunity for retakes; she had to succeed in one go.

Arriving at the end of the corridor before the Moon Gate, white mist drifted out, and Sang Que heard the singing style of the Warring States period.

“Bathe in orchid soup and cleanse, dressed in colorful garments like flowers, the divine coils yet lingers, brilliant and everlasting…”

She slowly walked through the Moon Gate, seeing shadows of people in black ghost masks faintly visible in the mist, their profound eyes all fixated on her through the masks.

Are there so many Night Travelers?

Sang Que kept her eyes straight ahead and continued walking, gradually seeing clearly that Wei Ziyan, who taught her yesterday, wore another styled witch outfit, holding thorns in one hand and peach twigs in the other, dancing a sacrificial dance in front of three large drums.

Behind the drums seemed to be a Divine Statue, but the mist was too thick to see even the outline clearly.

Sang Que slowly knelt down, silently listening to Wei Ziyan finish her song. During this process, Wei Ziyan lightly struck Sang Que’s back three times with peach twigs and thorns, scattering glutinous rice each time to ward off evil.

Then, Wei Ziyan brought a tray with a black ghost face mask identical to those worn by other Night Travelers of the Evil Suppression Bureau.

At the Evil Suppression Bureau, Day Travelers wear masks with a white base and red accents, and Day Travel Captains have theirs reversed with a red base and white accents.

Night Travelers have black bases with red accents, while Night Travel Captains have red bases with black accents.

Besides the masks, there are specific distinctions between Day and Night Travelers, reflected in their waist badges and official seals.

A dagger was presented to Sang Que, and Wei Ziyan, in a hoarse voice, instructed, “Offer the blood from your right palm in gratitude to the deity.”

Sang Que took the dagger, hesitating slightly.

In her right palm lay a Yansheng coin, and when in need of blood, she usually drew from her left hand.

But at this stage, there was no turning back, so she opened her right hand and cut it with the dagger.

Wei Ziyan took her hand, letting the blood pour into the mask’s mouth, then pressed Sang Que’s palm to her forehead, sliding it down slowly.

With an ethereal and eerie tune, Wei Ziyan lifted the mask with both hands, slowly lowering it onto Sang Que’s face.

“With it on, you are no longer a subject of the king, nor a child of your parents, nor an ordinary citizen. You are not yourself; you are a Night Traveler under the command of the divine, tasked with quelling all evil spirits and slaying malicious ghosts of the world.”

The Evil Suppression Bureau does not report directly to the Emperor; it is managed by the Taoist Sect, Buddhist Sect, and the current Prime Minister.

As the mask settled on her face, an untimely sense of déjà vu arose in Sang Que’s mind.

She felt like Zizunbao wearing the golden headband.

With the ceremony complete, Sang Que calmed her thoughts and kowtowed to the presence shrouded in thick mist ahead.

With each bow, she felt a warm current emanating from the mask, infusing into her heart.

After three bows, the surrounding mist dissipated, and besides her and Wei Ziyan, the plaza was devoid of anyone else, with no Divine Statue in sight.

Sang Que was momentarily bewildered. She distinctly remembered seeing other Night Travelers in ghost masks amidst the mist. Hadn’t she wondered if Wangshan City’s Evil Suppression Bureau had so many Night Travelers, busy as they all were outside?

Wei Ziyan noticed Sang Que’s confusion and softly explained, “They were heroic souls of the past, witnessing your ceremony. Always carry the mask with you, don’t lose it. Go to the Merit Office to collect your waist badge, official seal, and other items. Someone will teach you how to use the mask and official seal.”

Wei Ziyan, exhausted, left with the thorns and peach branches.

It was from Wei Ziyan that Sang Que learned that in the vast Evil Suppression Bureau, there were initially only Wei Ziyan and Granny Zhuang as women.

They were both part of the Merit Office: Granny Zhuang managed the archives, while Wei Ziyan was responsible for all sacrificial matters within and outside the Evil Suppression Bureau, all considered clerical duties.

The entire Evil Suppression Bureau was quite curious about Sang Que, the new female member.

Previously, people from the Merit Office had heard that another clerical assistant was joining. They were stunned into silence when they learned Sang Que joined the most dangerous Night Traveler division.

The personnel at the Evil Suppression Bureau were extremely occupied, so even with the significant event of new recruitments, no leader came to give a speech.

Qin Ze had already undergone the ceremony the day before and was off for orientation training.

With her mask on, Sang Que scanned the surroundings, finding no one, then hurriedly opened her right palm. Her healing ability had already started to seal the wound. She tried to sense the Yansheng coin, staring at her palm for a while,

but the imprint of the Yansheng coin did not appear!

Sang Que felt a sudden sinking feeling and dizziness, quickly pulling the mask from her face, feeling cold throughout as the plaza’s wind swept over her. She tried sensing the Yansheng coin again.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes…

Sang Que almost turned to stone, holding her breath, until finally, she saw the imprint of the Yansheng coin starting to appear at the edges.

She sighed with relief; as long as it was still there, it was fine.

If she couldn’t return home because of joining the Evil Suppression Bureau, she’d be scared to death.

Why there was such an impact, Sang Que couldn’t understand for now. It seemed the identities represented by the two items conflicted.

After all, the Evil Suppression Bureau is the Evil Suppression Bureau, and Nine Songs is Nine Songs. Serving two families, she couldn’t have all the advantages.

Checking the clock, it took ten minutes for the Yansheng coin’s imprint to fully appear.

This meant that after using the Evil Suppression Bureau’s mask, she couldn’t use Open Gate to escape potential danger for ten minutes.

She needed to be more cautious in the future.

Her mother had also warned her not to rely too heavily on the Yansheng coin or the Open Gate. Every power in the Deceit Dynasty came with a price, so didn’t the Yansheng coin also? It’s just that she hadn’t felt it yet.

Sang Que put down her hand, returning to the room where she had dressed, planning to change and remove her makeup, then head to the Merit Office to collect her items and start her training.

The Evil Suppression Bureau doesn’t rely entirely on Yin Walkers to exorcise ghosts. The majority of Day and Night Travelers aren’t Taoist or Buddhist disciples, but ordinary people.

She must learn the ghost exorcism methods from the Evil Suppression Bureau carefully.

And how much incense the mask brings, she’ll see tonight in the Lower Nine Netherworld.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep