CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 51: JOINING FORCES

At the side door of the Skywell Building, Xu Yichao used security guard Old Tian’s key to open the roller shutter door on the side and sat on the track of the door waiting for Sang Que to come out.

He checked his phone from time to time, gripping his crowbar cautiously, alert to the surrounding noises.

After waiting for three minutes, a cat’s meow came from inside the building.

"Little Heizi!"

The black cat ran down from the upstairs. Hearing Xu Yichao’s voice, it hissed angrily at him; then, as if sensing something, it lifted its head to look at a certain spot in the Skywell Building.

Those emerald green eyes shone with an unusual light, and after a moment, the black cat licked its mouth, remembering the promised can from someone, it ran to Xu Yichao’s feet and rubbed his leg with its head very perfunctorily.

Meow~

The black cat called out, turned its head, and walked toward the watch shop ahead. Seeing Xu Yichao standing dazed and not following, the black cat clawed the air, hissed in intimidation, and flicked its head towards the watch shop.

Xu Yichao then understood, "You want me to follow you?"

Meow!

A very short and powerful call, affirming it.

After contemplating a moment, Xu Yichao decided to follow the black cat to the watch shop ahead, watching the black cat squat in front of the large pendulum clock opposite the entrance, wagging its tail.

The time on the large pendulum clock and other clocks in the shop were still set at 12 o’clock, with no change.

"What does this mean?" Xu Yichao scratched his head, not understanding.

After he asked, he suddenly noticed the black cat’s eyes were filled with disdain, with a bit of helplessness, and then a struggle.

Then the black cat stood up, scratched at the ground twice with its paws, and turned around, squatting down with its backside facing the large pendulum clock.

In a flash of understanding, Xu Yichao realized!

*

Inside the Skywell Building.

Xu Shufen, clutching the Mountain God Statue, sat exhausted against the railing, looking at the three rooms in front of her, all with the number 404.

Vaguely, she saw her deceased old companion, dressed neatly in a Zhongshan suit, standing at the stairway’s entrance, waiting to take her down.

Xu Shufen smiled, "You go on your own, following me every day, how am I supposed to dance with other old men in the square."

"Without you, it’s not like I can’t survive, I didn’t give up when the kids left, and I didn’t give up when you left, today, I won’t give up even more."

Holding the Mountain God Statue, Xu Shufen grasped the railing and stood up again.

*

Inside Room 404.

Sang Que saw countless strands of hair emerging from everywhere, quickly wrapping around and enveloping the Yin Child, forming a new black cocoon pulsating like a heart, filling the space above the ruins.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

In the three heartbeats, Sang Que didn’t see any counterattack from the Yin Child, nor felt it drawing power from her body.

Before the hair came at her, Sang Que decisively drew out an Arrow, affixing the last three Ghost Soldier Talismans in her pocket onto it.

Yan Daozi’s single Ghost Soldier Talisman had only hurt the Yin Child, now that the Yin Child was consumed by village resentment, the power of one talisman surely wouldn’t be enough.

The bowstring was fully drawn, the originally silvery arrowhead turned jet black as ink, emitting wisps of black smoke due to the overwhelming power of too many Ghost Soldier Talismans, and the arrowhead was gradually cracking.

Whether it works depends on this shot!

Countless black hairs attacked from the ceiling and floor, and Sang Que released the arrow.

The Arrow shot through the air like the wind, piercing through the interwoven hair net, tracing a fiery black streak in the air, striking the center of the black cocoon.

The three tadpole-shaped runes exploded, imprinting fiercely on the black cocoon.

Flames burst forth, the black cocoon burned fiercely, and all the hair turned to ash in the blink of an eye, fluttering down.

Sang Que’s palm grew increasingly hot, rapidly absorbing the power of the village resentment.

Bang——

Another clock chimed, and time was about to rewind one minute ago!

Sang Que clenched her molars, so angry she wanted to throw the bow, was she really supposed to open the gate and lead the village resentment to Black Mountain Village?

She turned to look at the large door behind her.

At this moment, the clock amidst the ruins suddenly shattered without warning, the black cocoon amidst the blazing fire tremored violently, walls crumbled, and the ceiling cracked, large chunks of concrete falling.

Sang Que swiftly dove to the side, expecting to land in a pool of blood, but the blood and maggots on the ground had vanished, leaving only thick dust.

When she raised her head, the village resentment had been burned to ashes by the Ghost Soldier Talisman, the Yin Child, in a disheveled state, still stood there, clutching the heart left by the village resentment, tilting its head to swallow it whole.

Gulp!

Sang Que heard a clear swallowing sound, and her breath stalled.

Immediately after, the Yin Child vanished, a chilling fear spread from behind, making Sang Que’s scalp numb.

The Yin Child was behind her!

A cluster of hair-like black filaments expanded from the Yin Child’s pulsating chest cavity, swiftly wrapping around Sang Que’s undefended back.

In the nick of time, a man seemed to appear out of thin air, wielding a black wooden ruler, striking down hard.

"Evil Ghost, do not harm people!"

An aged voice echoed simultaneously, Xu Shufen also seemingly appeared out of thin air, stood at the doorway, and tugged the red cloth off the Mountain God Statue.

The scattered hair was dispersed by the wooden ruler, the Yin Child’s body suddenly went rigid, unable to move.

Sang Que, inspired, stood up and turned around, using her right palm, infused with the power of the Eight Trigrams, struck fiercely on the top of the Yin Child’s head.

Bang!

The Yin Child was dispersed with a single slap, turning into black smoke and rushing into Sang Que’s palm, re-sealing back into Sang Que’s body.

But this time, the Yin Child was branded with the ’Mountain Ghost Seal’, to be entirely under Sang Que’s control.

After finishing all this, Sang Que was nearly depleted, staggering back, supporting herself on an old sofa reduced to its frame.

The room was still the same room, only now ruins, no longer pristine, stinking of rotting corpses, with eerie green phosphorescence flickering overhead.

Through this bit of green phosphorescence, Sang Que saw the haggard Zheng Wujun, and propped against the wall, Xu Shufen who had covered the Mountain God Statue again.

Zheng Wujun was still alive, so who was that on the ceiling earlier?

Sang Que lifted her head, her pupils trembled once more at the sight on the ceiling.

It was...

The skeletal remains of the entire family of the brothers from the Brother Watch Shop!

They were twisted together in an eerie manner, entirely embedded in the ceiling, with the phosphorescence emanating from the bones.

Snap!

A name badge fell in front of Sang Que, with ’Nurse: Xu Jiayi’ written on it.

Zheng Wujun looked deeply at Sang Que, "This should be beneath the Brother Watch Shop, let’s head out first."

He asked no questions, stumbling over, and helped Xu Shufen up to leave.

Sang Que gathered her things and quickly followed, she had many things to ask about tonight, about the village resentment.

And tonight she also came for another matter, to consult Xu Shufen about the Black Mountain Village map she found at Yan Daozi’s place.

*

Brother Watch Shop.

Xu Yichao poured a stream of Child urine over it, and the large pendulum clock cracked entirely, startling Xu Yichao.

Taking off his red vest, wiping his hands clean, he stared at the cracked large pendulum clock, "Little Black, quickly come, there seems to be something inside!"

Xu Yichao found a red cloth bundle hidden inside the pendulum clock, he was a bit afraid, wanting to summon the black cat to ward off evil, but found the black cat had jumped into an empty shen kan nearby, licking its paw clean.

Xu Yichao had to use the crowbar to pry the item out himself.

The outer layer of the red cloth was already damaged, and as Xu Yichao hooked it, the item inside dropped right out through a tear.

It was a palm-sized, jet-black, peculiar little figure, covered in golden and red patterns.

Xu Yichao was inexplicably fascinated, intending to pick it up for a closer look.

"Don’t touch that thing!"

An aged voice called out, Xu Yichao shivered suddenly, hurriedly withdrawing, looking up to see Xu Shufen and Sang Que, exclaiming in delight.

"You’ve finally come out!"

Xu Shufen, clutching the Mountain God Statue, took out an old red cloth from her pocket, wrapping the little figure lying on the ground.

She carefully inspected the cracked large pendulum clock, sighing softly.

Soon enough, Zheng Wujun emerged, red-eyed and silent, carrying Zheng Letian’s body out.

"Let’s go, come to my place, we’ll slowly talk everything over, make sense of tonight’s events," Xu Shufen said softly.