Chapter 194: Supplement (Extra Update for the Crown of Yuan Zheng's Administration)

This is the second time I have used the Paper Man Troop Summoning technique; it is slightly different from before in Peaceful Splendor. Last time I used it to search the mountains, but this time I made paper figurines for the sake of truth.

Exactly, it's about truth; ordinary troop summoning, no matter how strict, some cultivators can still tell at a glance that these are vengeful spirits.

And Yuan Zheng is a military soul; a military soul is a kind of lethal body, and its ghostly perception is stronger than that of ordinary spirits. To deceive him, I can only use the Bone-Weighing Method to weigh the ghosts' fate weight, then tailor-make paper figurines according to their weight and the size and weight of their bone meridians. Afterwards I will use a secret method to conceal the ghosts' aura. By mixing falsehood with truth, I believe Yuan Zheng's vengeful spirit will surely be fooled.

When I was carrying a large stack of paper to the rear mountainside, Song Lin and Pangzi were already sitting in front of a small cave mouth on the mountainside, lighting a fire and resting. Seeing me arrive, Song Lin immediately stood up, took a deep breath, and said, "Are you all ready?"

"Pangzi already told you," I said with a smile.

"En, I won't waste words! Just tell me what I should do, what I can do! As long as the troupe doesn't fall apart, I'm willing to do anything," Song Lin expressed his resolve in the simplest words.

"Good, since that's the case, I won't waste time. Now slowly recall the script of the Yellow Peace Campaign drama! After I summon the various vengeful spirits later, I will have you start performing, and you will begin!"

"Perform," Song Lin said, a little surprised, but quickly regained composure: "Alright, when you let me perform, I will perform."

After speaking with Song Lin, I took the bundle from Pangzi's hand, took out the Guide Rice and talisman paper from the bundle. I dipped them in black ink and wrote the yin talismans, then scattered the Guide Rice on both sides of the road. Next I planted the command flag in the formation and began chanting the incantation to open the Netherworld Ghost Gate.

"Heaven opens the earth's ghost gate, the six yin saints aid the ghost king……!" It is still the Mantra of the Great Ghost King; the sequence of the ritual, each step of the practice, I am becoming more and more proficient. However, this troop-summoning technique truly cannot be used too often; summoning netherworld spirits, besides incense oil, must be repaid with merit and fortune. Although the Yin Mountain Sect has the Dragon-Guiding Method to complement it, if used too much, the side effects are truly enough to make one choke.

As my final talisman order with the mysterious taboo fell, waves of yin-cold aura drifted from the sky, clusters of mist like ghost fire rose on the small path ahead; the thick mist dissipated, and vague human silhouettes stood before our eyes.

"All soldiers, hear orders……" the beginning of a talisman incantation, I spoke while writing the events on a draft document before the altar.

Yin Mountain sigils, including many Daoist Sect troop-dispatch sigils, have an innate restraining power over ghosts. Therefore, when we summon spirits, the ghosts must obey us. Of course, this only applies to weak loners; if resentment is strong, or if the ghosts have high cultivation, they possess a certain autonomy, with the right to negotiate with us and make demands.

The ghosts walked dumbly to the altar, wrote their names and eight characters on the main talisman text; I carefully matched each name with its corresponding eight-character lonely soul. Afterwards Pangzi calculated with his fingers, weighing out the bone weight of these ghosts.

I laid the paper flat on the ground and, using a tailor's ruler, cut each paper figurine's height according to the measured dimensions.

Although the paper figurines cut according to the bone-weighing do not need to be perfectly accurate, their weight and limb length must hardly differ from those of the ghosts.

A person's name and eight characters are Heaven; when they land, they are Earth; the flesh is Human. Only when Heaven, Earth, and the Three Powers are united can one be called a person; therefore, to be indistinguishable from a real person, one must harmonize human with Heaven.

During the cutting process, several paper figurines were scrapped. Afterwards, gradually, after becoming skilled, I sped up, spending nearly half an hour before finally gluing together twenty-three paper figurines.

"We can begin!" After gluing the paper figurines and using the command flag to summon the twenty-three souls into them, I then turned and let Song Lin start singing.

Song Lin without hesitation, took a deep breath, performed the war-horse stunt, clenched a fist with one hand, and began singing the opening of the Yellow Peace Campaign.

Post-modern anti-Japanese Peking opera differs greatly from ordinary Peking opera; common Peking opera, whether excerpts from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The West Chamber, or similar segments, are all about chewing over words. For example, last night's performance of Lin Chong's night raid at the Mountain God Temple, though the tune was interesting, ordinary people couldn't understand it. After the reform and opening-up, staged anti-Japanese Peking opera became different; whether it is Sha Jia Bang or Zhao Family Town, they are all in vernacular, which ordinary people can understand.

"It's time," I said, looking at the vast emptiness around, to Song Lin: "Brother Lin, we can begin."

"Wait..." Suddenly Pangzi stood up.

Pangzi propped his chin, pondered for a moment, glanced at Song Lin, then asked me: "Hai Sheng, do you think letting Lin Ge play the regiment leader who leads the National Army in resisting Japan would work? Wouldn't that be more realistic? After all, this group of newly learned ghosts doesn't have Lin Ge's skill."

"This..." I hesitated a bit, after all this is extremely dangerous; a mistake could get one's head chopped off at any moment, really no joke.

At this moment, Song Lin, standing aside, slapped his chest and loudly said: "Leave it to me, no problem!"

"Are you really capable?" I still felt uneasy. Yuan Zheng is a military soul lethal body, with keen spiritual perception. Therefore I cannot place any ritual implements or talismans on Song Lin's body; doing so would undoubtedly greatly endanger his safety. Paper figurines are fine—if something goes wrong, I can use the command flag to promptly withdraw them—but Song Lin…

"As long as the Liu Family Troupe doesn't fall, I can do anything!" Song Lin doesn't use many words to express himself, but his dark, honest face has never shown a hint of hesitation or cowardice. Those three words, Liu Family Troupe, seem to have become Song Lin's spiritual backbone.

"Alright, then let's begin!" Having come to this point, it's like an arrow on the bow that must be released. I and Pangzi can only be as careful as possible, trying our best to protect Song Lin.

"Regiment leader, outside the mountain there are ambushes on all sides; the devils have launched a fierce attack on our camp, please make a decision quickly!" As soon as the drama began, it entered a tense and oppressive atmosphere.

Song Lin and nine paper-made spirits were performing the Yellow Peace Campaign, while I and Pangzi slipped into the nearby woods. Both of them held talisman texts, ready at all times.

In the drama, the soldier spirits playing the devils number 16, while those playing the National Army are only 7. Stage Peking opera is like that—actors come and go, enter and exit. Although I had once thought about summoning more troops to make the battlefield look more intense, considering that Yuan Zheng's vengeful spirit appeared during the rehearsal of the stage play, I immediately dismissed that idea. Moreover, my magical power is limited; even if I could summon that many vengeful spirits, I might not be able to control them.

"Hai Sheng, do you really think this method works?" Pangzi leaned against the left side of the woods, staring at the actors by the bonfire, and asked me.

"It works, it definitely works!" I nodded without hesitation, aside from the specific factor of Yuan Zheng appearing on the stage of the anti-Japanese drama. Deep down I also have a feeling that tonight, Yuan Zheng will surely appear.

Song Lin tried to amplify his voice as much as possible, sending it echoing through the distant valley. As the drama unfolded, the situation intensified, both sides nearly reaching the point of clashing.

But just then, the tranquil and secluded valley suddenly surged with an oppressive atmosphere, accompanied by a breathless feeling that came with it, there was also a moving, sorrowful sadness.

"Here it comes..." My brow twitched, and I couldn't help but exclaim.

No sooner had the words fallen than the valley erupted with an earth-shaking roar; a burly black figure burst from the pitch-black night and charged toward Song Lin by the bonfire.

"Go," I lowly growled, grabbing talismans, preparing to rush out first. This black figure's momentum was overwhelming; once it moved, the surrounding troops were no match for it. So upon hearing its earth-shaking roar, as it charged furiously toward Song Lin, to protect his safety I immediately grabbed talismans and the command flag and rushed toward his position.

But at that moment, something no one expected happened; I could only watch helplessly as Yuan Zheng's ghost rushed toward Song Lin..