Chapter 286: Bloodstained Boomerang

Wang Popo died.

Her death gave Wu Xian and the others their first harvest from the blessed land.

First, at the spot where she turned to ash, two black baleful incense sticks remained.

Second, on the table inside the inner room, two statues had appeared: one of the Water Official—Guangde Dragon King, and another of the Earth Official—Yao God Zhu Yin; both statues came with matching incense burners and candles, whose glow brightened the room.

Lastly, behind the two statues lay two blank bamboo tally sticks.

Outside, there was still no moonlight.

Wu Xian dashed out quickly and picked up the two baleful incense sticks.

He kept one for himself and casually tossed the other to Jian Lingyu; since they had both contributed equally to killing Wang Popo, the spoils should be split evenly.

But Wang Popo, who had been obliterated by a single lightning strike, was worth two divine offerings—this surprised Wu Xian.

Upon closer thought, it made perfect sense.

First, Wang Popo had eaten her own meat soup; second, she had been poisoned by Jian Lingyu; third, Wu Xian's Lightning-Calling Spell was stronger than ordinary offensive talismans.

Every slight increase in spiritual cultivation strengthened the power of talismans; though the boost was minor, it was real.

Then the three returned to the inner room.

The two statues needed no discussion—each Lotus Juanren took one; the question was, what were the bamboo tally sticks for?

Wu Xian picked up one bamboo tally stick.

On it was written his name and birth details; when he flipped it over, a sentence was clearly inscribed on the back.

Three burial vessels are proper for interment.

Blue-and-white plate, blue-and-white bowl, blue-and-white slender-necked vase.

Wu Xian narrowed his eyes; the words on the tally stick must be part of the correct funeral rites, and if he was right, each person's inscription was likely different.

He set the tally stick down, and the characters vanished; the entire stick spontaneously ignited.

It seemed the bamboo tally stick was single-use, meant for only one person.

Jian Lingyu also picked up the other bamboo tally stick and received the information she needed.

Su Xuan, who had watched the entire process, still hadn't shaken off the cold and let out a bitter laugh; he knew these items were vital for survival.

But he also knew he had survived the freezing only because these two had helped him—he had no right to demand a share of the spoils.

Then Wu Xian and Jian Lingyu each selected a statue and made their offerings; for the first time since entering the blessed land, their combat power increased.

Wu Xian chose the statue of the 'Guangde Dragon King'.

He had encountered this statue many times before, but always worried the weapon would hinder his movement, so he never worshipped the old dragon king.

But this time—

Wu Xian's White Phantom Playing Cards ability had upgraded; he could now store any weapon obtained from worship inside the White Phantom Playing Cards, so the moment he saw Guangde Dragon King, his interest flared.

After the baleful incense was burned—

In the damp mist, three weapon silhouettes drifted.

Dragon-head Cane: Cast in gold, imperial weapon sealed by the Heavenly Wave Mansion, capable of striking down corrupt monarchs and treacherous ministers, able to harm evil spirits; the golden dragon carved atop the statue could be activated for a single-use special attack.

Phoenix-Wing Gilded Fork: An ancient general's weapon, three meters long, radiating the murderous aura of battle, devastating in power, capable of slaying evil spirits.

Bloodstained Boomerang: A weapon of an exterminated foreign tribe, stained with blood; once thrown, it returns upon contact with blood, and during flight inflicts multiple cutting strikes…

Each of these three weapons had its merits.

The Phoenix-Wing Gilded Fork was likely the strongest in raw damage, but it had no special effects, and even after a month of fitness training, Wu Xian had no confidence handling such a three-meter-long behemoth.

The Dragon-head Cane's head was large, making it a blunt weapon, and its single-use special attack made it appealing.

But after careful consideration—

Wu Xian still chose the final weapon: the Bloodstained Boomerang. No other reason.

It could attack from a distance, which was safer than swinging a cane at evil spirits, and its multi-strike capability might better accumulate the 'Thunder Wrath' effect.

After securing the boomerang, Wu Xian stored it in his Playing Cards; on the other side, Jian Lingyu had also completed her worship.

Suddenly—

Wu Xian frowned.

The window of the thatched hut was papered with oil paper, but the paper had many small tears; through those gaps, he saw the moon outside was brighter than before.

This meant the moonlight had appeared!

And Li Juxian and Du E had not returned.

Wu Xian hesitated only two seconds before striding to the outer door and, under Jian Lingyu and Su Xuan's startled gazes, slid the bolt shut.

The thatched hut was broken everywhere, yet the door bolt was unusually sturdy.

Before either could ask—

Wu Xian told them what he had heard from Wen Chao and his own analysis.

Under the moonlight—

Evil spirits might appear, trying to lure them into opening the door; to prevent them from inadvertently letting danger in, Wu Xian needed to share this information.

No sooner had Wu Xian finished speaking—

Outside the outer door, a shadow appeared, pounding on the door.

"Open up! It's me, Li Juxian!"

The three exchanged glances; they all realized trouble had come.

Should they open the door or not?

Everyone had been transported into coffins or jars; theoretically, Li Juxian returning now was perfectly normal, and since moonlight held danger, not letting him in might kill him.

But Wu Xian had just warned them that something in the moonlight might try to deceive them into opening the door—and now, knocking came immediately; how could they not be wary?

Wu Xian looked down at the bolt; his mind was already made up, and he moved instantly to stop Su Xuan—they were close friends, and Su Xuan might impulsively open the door for Li Juxian.

But unexpectedly, Su Xuan was also calm.

"Do you know? The name Li Juxian is just what everyone calls him, so he accepted it—but he's always referred to himself as Old Li."

Outside, Li Juxian flew into a rage and cursed.

"Fuck, Su Xuan, you're quibbling over words now? I'm about to die—why act so picky? You should've clarified who I am right away!"

Su Xuan fell silent for a moment.

"Let me ask you again—if you were desperate to get home, what would be your first reaction?"

"Of course, I'd knock on the door."

Su Xuan shook his head: "No—this door was never locked before, so your first instinct should've been to pull it open. But you knocked immediately, as if you knew it wouldn't open…"

Wu Xian smiled. He had noticed the bolt right away too.

Outside, Li Juxian fell silent and walked away, his footsteps fading into the distance.

A moment later, someone else ran up in a frenzy, yanking hard on the door twice—so hard the doorframe nearly came loose—and when he found it wouldn't open, he shouted loudly.

"Open the door! Let me in!"

"I'm Old Li—I just escaped from that jar outside. There's a monster there—it's taken my form and is trying to trick you into opening the door."

"But I'm the real one—hurry and open up! The monster's coming back!"

(End of Chapter)