Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The more I thought about it, the more I felt the plan was feasible. I quickly took out my phone and called Master Chen again. This time, he answered quickly, and his first words were, "So, have you made up your mind?"
"I have. I'm giving you the umbrella," I said in a low voice. "But you need to show me Liu Bi. I need to confirm that he is safe."
Master Chen laughed heartily and replied, "You've made a very wise choice. The only problem is that I don't know how to show you that ghost. Should I take a photo or make a call? I can't show him to you at all."
"No need for that. Just tell me a place, and I'll bring the umbrella over. Once I see Liu Bi is safe, I'll give it to you," I continued.
Liu Bi had been captured, but he was definitely just trapped. Given Liu Bi's current abilities, even if he was confined by Master Chen, he still had the power to avoid being taken away by him. So wherever Liu Bi went last night, he should be there now.
Liu Bi was not a reckless Spirit God; he wouldn't actively seek trouble with Master Chen. Therefore, in my view, his capture was certainly a trap set by Master Chen to lure Liu Bi in.
"Alright, come to the tallest building in Tianhe District, xx Village. I'll be waiting for you here. I hope you won't pull any tricks," Master Chen said seriously, his tone carrying a hint of intimidation.
I assured him that I would arrive in an hour and a half before hanging up.
After ending the call, I quickly packed my Cloth Bag and took Liu Bi's Oiled Paper Umbrella before heading out. Once again, I knocked on my neighbor's door to borrow his car.
I knew the location Master Chen mentioned; it was in the city center. However, that area was undergoing demolition, and due to unresolved compensation issues, several households were still refusing to move out. It had been years, and it was notorious in Guangzhou for being difficult to relocate. Every time I passed by, I could see banners demanding justice. That place wasn't far from my home; if there was no traffic, it would take about thirty to forty minutes to get there. Still, I wondered what Liu Bi had gone there for last night.
The drive was smooth without much traffic. By the time I reached the vicinity, only about forty minutes had passed. I drove slowly along the roadside for a while before finding a relatively distant spot to park the car. From the gas tank, I pulled out a small bottle of gasoline and stuffed it into my pocket. Nearby was a Small Clinic where I bought seven or eight disposable syringes used for injections.
Since it was still early, there were many pedestrians on the road. Looking closely at the houses inside the area, most were in ruins from demolition; even the tallest building was only four stories high. The top floor had a room with lights on inside, but the curtains blocked any view of what was happening inside.
A dilapidated wall surrounded the crumbling village. Not wanting to search for an entrance, I found a less crowded corner and tossed my Cloth Bag and umbrella over the wall. After checking my surroundings and feeling that no one was paying attention to me, I quickly climbed over the wall.
The feeling of sneaking over the wall was exhilarating, just as thrilling as sneaking out of high school to go online, especially at the moment of landing, filled with a sense of accomplishment.
Once I crossed into the enclosure, it felt like stepping into another world—no lights, no pedestrians. Everything was stagnant and forbidden, and the place was dilapidated. A few excavators stood among the ruins, like fierce beasts ready to devour this small village that had been cast aside by the modern city.
I landed about forty to fifty meters away from the tallest building, separated by several other structures, and with the dim lighting, there was little chance of being discovered. I quickly darted behind an excavator, clearing a small space. In that space, I set up a spirit-seeking formation using Liu Bi's Oiled Paper Umbrella and his Yin Qi, specifically designed to target him. The goal was to determine whether he was in that direction.
Perhaps due to being enclosed by walls, there was no wind in this demolished village, which greatly facilitated my task. I didn't even need to light a red candle; I could simply rely on the smoke from the incense to judge whether Liu Bi was inside that building.
After several confirmations, it turned out Liu Bi was indeed trapped in that room. It seemed he was ensnared by a formation similar to a Soul-Trapping Formation. That formation must be incredibly powerful; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to contain Liu Bi.
Besides Master Chen on that floor, there were surely some thugs around—this was Master Chen's usual tactic. If there weren't any, he wouldn't have dared to call me here. The Soul-Trapping Formation could trap Liu Bi but not me. As long as I got close enough to that formation, destroying it would be a piece of cake.
Taking out my phone, I began doing something quite lacking in social responsibility: I called the police.
The operator who answered was a woman. I said, "I'm reporting that on the rooftop of the tallest building in Tianhe District's XX Village, people are gathering to use drugs."
"Are you sure? If this is a false report, you will bear criminal responsibility. Our calls are recorded, and we can trace your personal information through your number," the female officer said sternly.
I replied, "Officer, how could I joke about something like this? Please hurry. A friend of mine is inside; he said there's a batch of really good stuff and asked me to send him money. He's almost bankrupt from using drugs; I'm worried! Please send someone over quickly. I'm right here; you can locate my position if you don't believe me."
"You say you're on-site?" the female officer asked doubtfully.
I said, "I'm not on-site; I'm just downstairs nearby. Hurry up! I might get called up soon; if you come late, I'm afraid they will run away."
"How many of them are there, and do they have any weapons?" the female officer continued to ask.
I replied, "About five or six. They're just some local thugs. You need to send someone over quickly. I have to hang up; I'm afraid they'll get suspicious."
"Okay, sir, we've already pinpointed your location. Please ensure your safety and don't act rashly. I'll contact the Drug Enforcement Team right away and have them send someone to check it out," the officer said, likely confirming that I wasn't making a false report.
I pretended to be anxious and said, "You need to hurry! When you come, don't turn on the sirens; it will scare them off."
"Our team understands that. Please make sure you stay safe; they will definitely arrive within twenty minutes. If they try to leave, please find a way to stall them," the officer said before hanging up, presumably to contact her team.
I chuckled softly as I put away my phone. The reason I reported that they were using drugs was that Master Chen must have set up the Soul-Trapping Formation, which definitely required red candles. Having candles around would look a lot like drug use, and when the police arrived, they would surely think it was a gathering for drug use. After all, who lights candles at home for no reason? I also held onto a sliver of hope that if any of them actually had drugs on them, it would be perfect. Who could say for sure if these thugs had drugs?
I quickly put on the gloves I had brought from home and tore open the packaging of the syringes. Then I burned all the packaging and loaded the syringes with needles in hand. I took out a bottle of gasoline from the Cloth Bag and poured some on my gloves and Liu Bi's umbrella, estimating that the police should be arriving soon.
After finishing these tasks, I stood up and walked toward the building, holding a syringe in my left hand and Liu Bi's umbrella in my right.
As I reached the last corner, I saw Master Wang standing downstairs, probably waiting for me. It made sense; Master Wang knew me, and it was most appropriate for him to stay below as lookout. I casually tossed one syringe over there and then stepped around the corner toward Master Wang.
To my surprise, Master Wang didn't scold me when he saw me; instead, he spoke like an acquaintance: "You're here! My Master is waiting for you upstairs; let's go. Why do you have so many syringes?"
I waved my hand at him and said, "Self-defense! I rushed over and forgot to bring anything for protection; I just bought these at the clinic over there."
"Haha, what a useful thing! You're such an idiot; let's go up; they've been waiting for you for a long time."
I chuckled and said, "It doesn't matter if it's useful or not; just lead the way."
"Alright, follow me," Master Wang replied as he walked ahead. "Why do you smell so strongly of gasoline?" He turned back to ask.
I raised the syringe in my hand and said, "You really aren't afraid, are you? I'll stab you with this." I mimicked Master Xiao's rogue demeanor and pretended to chase after Master Wang.
Master Wang seemed to have a fear of me; upon hearing my words, he didn't care whether I smelled of gasoline or not and dashed upstairs.
I secretly laughed and chased after him, shouting, "Don't run! Don't run! Damn it, I'll kill you!"
We quickly reached the fourth floor, where Master Wang stumbled and pushed open the Door Conflict. I swung the syringe at his back, but it scattered across the floor. I quickly placed the umbrella down, took off my gloves with my right hand, and pulled out a lighter to ignite the gloves before tossing them inside.
The gloves were soaked in gasoline and caught fire instantly, producing a beautiful blue flame.
Inside, there was a cacophony of noise and curses. I couldn't afford to think too much; with one hand holding the lighter and the other gripping Liu Bi's Oiled Paper Umbrella, I stepped through the door.
As soon as I entered, I saw several thugs standing inside. Master Wang sat in a chair, looking at me with confusion. Liu Bi was in a corner on my right side, indeed trapped by a Soul-Trapping Formation. However, it seemed less complex and powerful than I had imagined. Upon closer inspection of Liu Bi, my anger flared.
Liu Bi was bent over against the wall, one hand pressed on a cabinet covered with seven or eight different colored talismans. The other hand hung limply by its side. It straightened up only when it saw me enter and calmly said, "Bro, you really came! Hurry up and leave."
The reason for my fury was that Liu Bi's hand pressed against the cabinet was pinned down by a long wooden nail—clearly one of those special Peach Wood Nails. The long nail pierced through Liu Bi's palm and into the crack of the cabinet. A talisman hung from the Peach Wood Nail, but it was too far away for me to see what kind it was. So this is how the Soul-Trapping Formation managed to trap Liu Bi; it was pinned down by the Peach Wood Nails.
"What are you trying to do? Burn an umbrella?" Master Chen asked.
I shifted my gaze away from Liu Bi and angrily looked at Master Chen, saying, "Is this what you call safe and sound?"
"Heh, 'safe and sound' was your own words, not mine. So, you see this ghost too, huh? Can I have the umbrella now?" Master Chen replied slyly.
I chuckled lightly, calming my expression as I said, "You smell the gasoline, right? If I just move my finger, this umbrella will be set ablaze."
"Bro... don't..." Liu Bi exclaimed anxiously.
Ignoring Liu Bi, I continued, "Master Chen, let Liu Bi go first. I promise that once he is safe, I'll give you the umbrella."
What I needed to do now was buy some time until the police arrived. As soon as they showed up, I would walk over and destroy his Soul-Trapping Formation, then tear off the talismans on it and get Liu Bi out of there.
Master Chen clearly didn't understand my intentions; he just laughed heartily and said, "Do you think I'm a fool? You little brat, I've already put away my Five Spirits. Do you think I'll have another chance once I let him go?" His tone was relaxed, as if victory was assured. Perhaps he had heard Liu Bi's plea and was even more convinced that I wouldn't burn the umbrella.
Comment 0 Comment Count