Chapter 90: Chapter 72: Summoned to Death

Kou Yushan was silent for a moment before slowly saying, “When the Yin Soldiers borrow the way, everyone must prostrate themselves on the ground, do not raise your head or look around, do not make any noise, and the rest, leave it to fate! Also, from now on, do not mention those four words, nor think about this matter!”

Sang Que, puzzled, asked He Shouhui nearby and learned that during every Mid-Autumn Festival, places would encounter Yin Soldiers borrowing the way. These Yin Soldiers traverse different parts of the Xuan Dynasty and randomly capture able-bodied men when passing through villages and cities.

If you’re at home, with the doors tightly shut, offering meals and paper money to soothe the Yin Soldiers in the courtyard can help avoid calamity.

It is precisely because of this that the Xuan Dynasty pays special attention to the Mid-Autumn Festival. Every household slaughters livestock and holds grand rites during this time.

But this time they fled to escape disaster, unprepared for anything. If they encounter Yin Soldiers borrowing the way, they may not escape being captured as labor.

The Deceit Dynasty is filled with danger. Thinking back to everything that happened in Xujiawan Village, Sang Que finds it incomparable. In Xujiawan Village, she could charge forward with a knife, but here, even with the Yin Child and numerous yin objects, she must abide by the rules and keep a low profile.

Kou Yushan, along with the Guard Team, did everything possible, and now all that remains is to pray.

At eleven o’clock at night, the ticking in Sang Que’s mind finally stopped, her tense nerves relaxed slightly. She hadn’t slept last night, and after a day’s journey, fatigue washed over her, making her yawn repeatedly.

Xia Chan, childlike at heart, often sleeps outside, and this time, she had already curled up under a tree, her hair occasionally moving as if on alert.

Xuan Yu snored beside Xia Chan, occasionally glancing at Li Guwu.

Sang Que stood up to stretch her limbs, thinking she’d bring some coffee next time, even chewing it dry would help stay awake.

At this moment, no Suicide Rope dared to come near, so Sang Que wasn’t afraid to look up. Suddenly, a white thing caught her eye, floating down from above, it was a copper coin-shaped paper money.

More and more paper money appeared out of thin air, drifting down like snow, and a low murmur spread through the crowd, everyone shrunk back nervously, staring at the falling paper money.

Woof woof! Woof woof!

Two black dogs barked, and Kou Yushan hastily went forward to calm them.

“Everyone stay quiet, don’t make a sound.”

Xuan Yu also grew alert, looking towards a certain direction outside the camp, a menacing growl emanating from its throat.

Sang Que swiftly grabbed the iron sword leaning against the tree, pulled out a Ghost Soldier Talisman from her bosom, and looked towards the direction Xuan Yu was watching.

Under the red moon, in the forest shrouded with yin energy, a group of ’people’ in mourning suddenly appeared, carrying coffins, solemn banners flying, paper money flying everywhere, pale white, every ’person’ silent and cold.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival’s night, these existences can also be seen by ordinary people. Some children were frightened, and before they could make a sound, their parents tightly covered their mouths, the atmosphere instantly suffocating to the extreme.

Sang Que lowered her gaze, avoiding looking directly at those ’people’s faces, and was fully on guard, watching them carry the coffin past the camp.

Bang! Bang bang!

Constant collisions and scratching sounds came from the coffin, the lid vibrating, as if there was a living person inside.

Sang Que indeed heard some faint, desperate cries.

“Help, save me, let me out, I don’t want to die, let me out!”

Bang! Bang bang!

The vibrations pounded in each person’s heart, making hair stand on end, fearing those ’people’ would suddenly turn towards the camp.

Fortunately, the coffin-carrying procession quickly passed outside the camp, walking onto the main road, slowly disappearing.

After they left, many people collapsed, drenched in cold sweat, daring to release a little bit of their fear, allowing the children to cry softly for a while.

Sang Que approached Kou Yushan, “What was that?”

Kou Yushan glanced at the distance with lingering fear. “The Ghost Coffin, if you pick up the paper money, you will be captured within seven days. Sometimes paper money can turn into Silver Coins or jewelry on the roadside, tempting people to pick it up, commonly called Life-saving Money.”

“If you accidentally took Life-saving Money, the only way to save yourself is to let someone willingly take it from your hand. Fortunately, they’ve already caught someone and didn’t stop here.”

Anything beginning with the word ghost, it’s always a Sixth Level presence, something Sang Que cannot afford to provoke right now.

After the Ghost Coffin passed, the area around the camp became quiet once again, and everyone’s anxiety lingered, except for Xia Chan, no one could sleep peacefully.

Occasionally, cries, children’s laughter, and cries for help could be heard from the forest, keeping everyone in constant fear, tormented.

Liu Tianyou and the old village head, with the young, uncontrollable children, recited sage writings quietly to divert their attention.

Just past midnight, an eerie yin wind suddenly arose in the forest, the temperature dropping sharply, chilling to the bone.

A flock of red-eyed crows circled overhead, cawing and unwilling to leave.

Kou Yushan told Sang Que that those were blood crows, appearing in flocks at night, and as long as you didn’t provoke them first, you would be fine. If you anger the crows, they will peck your eyes blind.

“He Shou’an~”

From deep within the forest came an ethereal, ghostly call, everyone could hear it, and all looked fearfully at He Shou’an, nestled in Qin Fangru’s arms.

“Hee hee~ He Shou’an~”

He Shou’an trembled with fear, clutching Qin Fangru’s clothes tightly.

Qin Fangru’s face was also pale, she covered He Shou’an’s ears, “Don’t be afraid, we’re not afraid, mother’s here, won’t let them take you away.”

Sang Que later learned that when she summoned He Shou’an’s soul in the forest that time, she called his full name many times, and He Shou’an’s soul responded, leaving him remembered by the Evil Spirits in the forest.

As long as he is in the forest on overcast and night days, he will be tormented by Evil Spirits.

But at that time, without calling the full name, they couldn’t summon back He Shou’an’s soul.

He Baosheng and Qin Fangru knew this, so they never said anything to Sang Que, as long as He Shou’an never enters the forest at night his whole life, he can still live.

This is also why Kou Yushan repeatedly emphasized to everyone not to call anyone by their full name in the forest. As long as when being called you don’t respond, and once you are out of the forest, under the sun, or back home, there is no issue.

Many families call their children Erlang, Sanniang, and so forth, for this reason. Even Skinny, who deliberately lets everyone forget his real name, is always called Skinny.

It’s not that they don’t have names, but this is the safest. Real names have very important purposes in the Deceit Dynasty, even when praying to Ghost God for blessings, your real name is needed.

In the Deceit Dynasty, everyone receives at birth a Life Scroll with their real name and eight characters of birthdate written with vermillion and rooster blood.

The Life Scroll has the effect of the Soul Stabilizing, preventing infants from being disturbed by Evil Spirits for three years. These were also mentioned in the Ming Zhang Notes, the Life Scrolls of Li Guwu’s two children were originally written by Yan Daozi.

“He Shou’an!”

The voice suddenly jumped from deep within the forest to just outside the camp, closest to He Shou’an, where the lines soaked in black dog blood lit up with a red glow.

“He Shou’an!!”

The voice turned from playful to angry, and red lights flashed in succession along the thread soaked in black dog blood, the crows overhead squawked restlessly, the tension rising suddenly.

It was as if an invisible Fierce Ghost was angrily striking at the camp’s perimeter defenses, trying to break in and snatch He Shou’an away.

At this moment, a child with hollow eyes and blue skin appeared at the camp’s edge, lifted a hand and made a grabbing motion, a wisp of black smoke dissipating from her palm.

A malevolent being not reaching the Second Layer, much like the Suicide Rope.

The voice stopped, everyone watched in fright as the Yin Child disappeared into the darkness, their respect for Sang Que deepened greatly, many even wearing flattery on their faces.

Qin Fangru had tears in her eyes as she looked at Sang Que, her lips moving, “Thank you, thank you, thank you…”

This time being saved doesn’t mean being saved forever. He Shou’an’s future is destined to be difficult.

“Ah!!!”

Another scream suddenly erupted from the back of the camp, everyone couldn’t help but turn their heads to that side, all the bonfires around the camp inexplicably extinguished in that moment.

Under the blood-colored moon, tree shadows clawed at the sky, a rooster squawked and flopped, a woman with disheveled hair crouched under a tree, back to everyone.

She violently tore at a rooster, blood splattering everywhere, chicken feathers covering the ground, and the hemp rope meant to form a circle broken, the severed ends flailing weakly in the wind.

The woman slowly turned her head, a mouthful of feathers and blood, expression feral and smiling.

Li Family Widow!

Coo coo~

The baby lying in the bamboo basket beside her held a rattle, laughing eerily.

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