Chapter 8: Bad Seed, Witchcraft, Folk Methods

The Supreme Witch and the Salem Witch Trials coming together? Louis could only think of American Horror Story: Coven.

In his past life, he enjoyed watching horror films during free time; for well-known reasons, he mostly watched foreign horror movies, and American Horror Story, with its ten-season run, was among the finest.

He loved the Coven season most—though the horror atmosphere wasn’t strong enough, the aesthetics and visuals were outstanding: pure, fiery, seductive—and, of course, a shared trait—utterly bitchy!

But that didn’t mean he wanted to get involved!

The danger level inside was high: zombies, the Voodoo Queen, malevolent spirits… and terrifying supernatural abilities like resurrection, teleportation, telekinesis, fire manipulation, soul out-of-body travel…

Still, he remembered Coven was set after the millennium, and it was still far from that time; the diary mentioned that the new Supreme Witch had only just ascended a few years ago, meaning the plot hadn’t even begun yet—and Coven’s story took place in New Orleans, far from him, so no need to worry.

Wait—if Coven truly existed now, and Emilia’s story was likely also from a movie… then…

In Louis’s mind, film and reality intertwined, and his cognitive barrier shattered at this moment.

“Cute, observant, deceptive little evil brat, named Emma—so that’s what she is. A bad seed.”

Louis smiled in relief.

A naturally high-IQ antisocial child, selfish, emotional, indifferent to life, killed several people by age eight, even committed patricide in the end!

All because of trivial matters.

No wonder she acted so swiftly and cleanly—it was innate!

So, would she turn on him?

Hmm, hard to say.

But there was no need to fear—after all, she was just a child, using her youth and acting skills to deceive adults; once her disguise was exposed, there was no real threat she could pose.

Children, antisocial or not—so long as they had a brain and could feel fear, nothing was beyond change.

A stick would teach her how to choose!

“For now, assume this is an American TV drama world—I’ll need to stay alert, or I’ll end up in a trap.”

Louis warned himself, then began organizing the witchcraft recorded in his diary—there were only three, very few.

① A witchcraft potion to enhance basic physical abilities, but difficult to brew, so it was subdivided into enhancements targeting individual organs.

② The Awakening Ritual for Psychic Witch Talent—through sacrifice, awaken witch bloodline, gain control over psychic power, ultimately achieving telekinesis—witches only.

③ The Blood-Draining Spell to Restore Youth—witches only.

“Physical enhancement—that’s why she’s strong and fast. Oh right, the potion used to boost charging ability in infants and young boys must be this one too.”

“The Psychic Witch Awakening Ritual—the white-eyed move that lifts and kills people? That’s definitely it. But sacrifices? Heh, according to Western tradition, it’s probably tied to demons. Pass!”

“The Blood-Draining Spell to Restore Youth—eating young girls of the same bloodline to regain youth. Tsk. Emilia must be two hundred years old by now. What’s the difference between this and cosmetic self-deception?”

The thought of some ancient hag scheming just to give birth to baby girls and eat them to restore youth made Louis feel sick—he dared not imagine further.

“Of these, only the first one is usable. At least I didn’t come away empty-handed.”

“Let me check the brewing conditions… the brewer’s blood, powdered pine needles, holly oak, baby black cat’s milk teeth, dried lizard… timing… and must be done on a full moon night—with no guarantee of success?”

Louis carefully noted down every detail—whether useful or not, he’d remember them; someday, they’d come in handy.

Then Louis began reviewing his foundation.

The Leftist Folk Canon was merely projected onto the book; its true form resided within his soul.

So even without the physical book, Louis could still access the Canon—just by thought; it would automatically respond like a smart machine, which fit the nature of an inherited treasure.

The book flipped open on its own—the next page was now revealed.

Clearly, killing Emilia had been counted among its records.

Again, the General Section of the Left Path, the Folk Methods section—due to the strength of the enemy, two pages opened at once: Yang Qi Breaks Evil, Peach Wood Crafting, Pulling Fuzz Technique, Needle Rust Method, Hearth Ash Method, Borrowing Lifespan Method · Kowtowing.

Six folk methods appeared in total.

Yang Qi Breaks Evil: Use middle-finger blood and triple yang fire as primary components; strong physique and robust health naturally strengthen yang qi—its power depends entirely on physical strength and mental vigor. It can harm evil spirits and prevent them from possessing bodies; in emergencies, spit can be used as an attack, and combining it with loud cursing enhances effectiveness.

Peach Wood Crafting: Ancient legend says peach wood formed from Kuafu’s corpse after he died chasing the sun—it represents supreme yang wood, capable of harming yin spirits, and can be fashioned into talismans or wooden swords for exorcism and protection.

Pulling Fuzz Technique: Use small, delicious snacks or pastries as bait to cloud a person’s mind, making them follow others passively—commonly used in child trafficking, hence nicknamed “Pulling Fuzz” in folk tales, prevalent in southern regions.

Needle Rust Method: Detect if a soul has been startled and left the body. Place a brand-new embroidery needle in a bowl of clear water, set it beside the bed. After fifteen minutes, if the needle rusts, the person has been startled and their soul has departed.

Hearth Ash Method: Rub ash from the household’s old stove onto exposed skin to make yin spirits unable to see you; in emergencies, throw the ash to frighten them.

Borrowing Lifespan Method · Kowtowing: A deviant branch of the Borrowing Lifespan method. In traditional custom, elders bowing and kowtowing to juniors shortens the juniors’ lifespan. This method requires daily morning and evening kowtows to one’s own descendants—each kowtow grants one extra day of life, but the cost is absolute: you must never stop, and your descendants lose ten times the lifespan you gain! (High risk of loss of control)

Six folk methods—compared to before, these seemed far more useful; some even qualified as true techniques. But most still targeted ghosts—and Louis seriously doubted whether Western spirits would even obey these Eastern methods.

“They must work, otherwise they’d be useless.”

“And this Borrowing Lifespan Method—no wonder it’s left-path stuff. Slightly demonic. Makes sense.”

Looking at his own pale, chubby six-year-old body—nah, this method was out of the question.

“Yang Qi Breaks Evil is interesting—it’s a growth-based ability. The stronger your body and the sharper your spirit, the stronger your yang qi becomes. I’ll need to pay attention to that witchcraft potion, and also train my body daily—no more late nights draining my spirit.”

As for the other folk methods, Louis planned to start using them all now—don’t wait until trouble strikes and panic. After all, this was America—anything could happen. Who knows? An evil spirit might show up tomorrow. It’s not impossible!

(End of Chapter)