Chapter 42: A Horde of Demons Dancing Wildly 35

Wu, the proprietor, slowly pulled out a stack of papers from his bosom, his movements exceedingly careful, as if cradling a precious treasure. One by one, he laid each sheet flat atop the so-called “Divine Ink.”

The pristine white paper was soon saturated, and at the same time, the eye-shaped motif drawn in ink transferred onto the sheets—just like the papers Shi Xianyu had seen on the puppets’ faces. The eye pattern was a signal—a harbinger. The white paper, now imprinted with eyes, began to rise ever so slightly above the water’s surface, like blooming lotuses, stems and leaves thrusting upward. Yet these stems and leaves were not the verdant beauties swaying in a lotus pond, but cruel constructs, shaped from the dissolved flesh and bone of young maidens.

The bright red hues, upon breaking the surface, turned pitch black as if steeped in ink. They became viscous, blurred, sprouted hands and feet, and transformed into soulless shells—one by one, they stepped from the pool.

The newborn puppets brushed past Shi Xianyu as they went. She stood frozen at the edge, her legs stiff, her hands and feet icy cold.

Restless ghosts!

The term flashed through her mind.

They had stolen the girls’ skins, refined their flesh and blood into puppets, and sent them forth to wreak havoc in the city. These things were nothing less than vengeful phantoms.

What should she do?

Her mind went blank, as if she’d lost the ability to think. Even her limbs felt numb; she could not even muster a tremor.

Was she truly going to die here? …What a joke! She hadn’t even used the pearl bestowed by the deity yet; it was far too soon to speak of giving up. Besides, she still had the fire talisman Shen Xiao had given her.

Whether it worked or not, she had to try!

…

After seven or eight puppets emerged from the pool, Wu ordered them to retrieve the demon core, including the eight who had escorted Shi Xianyu to the cave—those too joined the mission.

The eye beneath the water seemed at last to relax, slowly closing.

Having seen off the Grand Preceptor, Wu finally turned his attention to Shi Xianyu. To his astonishment, she was still conscious—usually, anyone entering the pool would quickly lose awareness and sink beneath the surface.

He then supposed she must be a cultivator of considerable skill; it was no wonder she could endure so long.

Wu, after all, was but an ordinary man, reliant on the dark arts taught by the Preceptor. Seeing Shi Xianyu unharmed, his first reaction was a guilty fear.

But soon he noticed her expression—terror, rigidity—she was utterly motionless.

“Though she hasn’t yet lost consciousness, it surely won’t be long now, will it? The Grand Preceptor’s curse is unmatched; even an immortal would succumb…”

Wu let down his guard and moved closer, intending to push Shi Xianyu into the water and send her on her way.

He drew near and raised a hand—

Suddenly, Shi Xianyu turned, clutching something, and rushed at him!

In an instant, a surge of electricity struck Wu in the chest, as if lashed by a steel whip!

What spell was this?! Wu doubled over in pain, shocked and terrified, but before he could rise, Shi Xianyu jabbed the stun baton hard against his neck!

The current shot straight to his head! His vision exploded in sparks, his tongue convulsed! Overcome by a wave of nausea, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed, unconscious.

Afraid he might revive too quickly, Shi Xianyu jabbed the stun baton at the back of his neck several more times for good measure.

Her heart raced wildly; her recent actions had relied wholly on a desperate surge of courage. Now, her hands and feet were limp; she could barely stand.

There was still that strange, unknown eye-monster in the water—she couldn’t just leave it unchecked.

But she knew no exorcism. To seek help, she’d have to cross a vast, deserted forest. The cave lay halfway up the mountain; she didn’t even know how to descend. To wander the mountains at midnight—getting lost would be the least of her worries. If she fell from a cliff, she’d be truly doomed.

Shi Xianyu weighed her options and found the hope of rescue vanishingly small. Yet to face the eye alone filled her with dread.

Whatever the cost… she had to try everything she could!

She rummaged through her belongings, searched her sleeves and patted her chest, hunting for anything even remotely useful.

A tiny canister of pepper spray—poured into the pool, it would be diluted to nothing. Her dagger was too short; she’d have to get dangerously close to stab the eye. Then there was the special fire talisman from Shen Xiao, which looked formidable—but the problem was, the eye was underwater…

Shi Xianyu despaired. She felt cornered, trapped with nowhere to turn.

Just then, her hand brushed against her sash, which felt oddly bulky. She paused, curious, and pulled out the contents—

Heavens!

How could she have forgotten?

Shi Xianyu gazed with a mix of shock and joy at what she held—a heating pack from self-heating rice!

—When she and Shen Xiao and Lin Yuan had camped outdoors, they mostly ate grilled meat. She’d cooked the rice as porridge with a tiny pot, keeping the heating pack for later, both to warm food and to avoid polluting the environment. She’d carried it with her ever since.

She never imagined it would come in handy today!

Shi Xianyu was elated. The pool was shallow, and she had several heating packs—if she threw them all in, maybe she could cook the eye alive!

Without hesitation, she grabbed a heating pack and hurled it at the eye!

With a splash, the pack landed on the eyelid and the water temperature immediately began to rise! The eye snapped open!

Seizing the moment, Shi Xianyu threw a second pack, this time striking the eyeball itself!

Though the eye could not speak, its frantic twitching and convulsions beneath the water were all too apparent. Tiny bubbles streamed from the heating pack. Shi Xianyu did not pause for an instant—she threw a third, a fourth, a fifth!

Some hit the eyeball, some the lid, others skidded aside. But wherever they landed, the pool’s temperature soared.

The eye thrashed even more violently.

It looked like a giant, endlessly writhing, one-sided fried egg!

Alas, Shi Xianyu could not wait for the “egg” to turn golden and crisp. Instead, she saw it suddenly swell to several times its former size, as if enraged. The eyelids flushed bright red; blood vessels crawled across the whites. The remaining pupil shrank and shrank, oozing inky blackness, while a piercing shriek erupted!

The sound was like a kettle boiling, shrill and unbearable!

Shi Xianyu clapped her hands over her ears, trembling in terror—fear, pain, panic, helplessness, all crowded her heart.

Before her, the water receded like a retreating tide, replaced by an endless flood of ink surging toward her—

She had underestimated her foe, foolishly believing a few heating packs could vanquish it. Now, her comeuppance was at hand!

The ink swelled, expanding, coalescing into a human-like silhouette.

Shi Xianyu, terrified and desperate to flee, managed only two staggering steps before her legs gave way and she collapsed onto the cold stone floor.

Pale as death, she watched the pitch-black figure draw ever closer, her teeth chattering with fear. Just as the darkness loomed above her, she raised a shaking hand and slapped Shen Xiao’s fire talisman onto it!

Boom!

Golden flames erupted, wrapping the ink and the eye in a blazing embrace.