Chapter 167: “Sigh…” “Daoist…”

Lu Yuan stood in place, staring in the direction where Hu Tutu had vanished.

Moonlight shone on the pond, its surface black as ink, without a single glimmer of reflection.

The mountain wind blew over, carrying an indescribable fishy stench, as if rising from the depths of the pool.

A living person?

Hu Tutu was a living person?

A loud "buzz" echoed in Lu Yuan's mind.

No.

Hu Tutu was a paper doll.

He had seen the paper doll with his own eyes.

She harbored no malice, no evil thoughts, but she was absolutely a paper doll.

But what the Returning Light Mirror had just reflected...

Three fires, burning fiercely.

That was the fire of a living person.

A paper doll wouldn't have fire.

A paper doll isn't human, it doesn't have the three hun and seven po, it wouldn't have the yang fire atop the head and on both shoulders.

Even if the Hu Family of Continuing the Lamp's craftsmanship was incredibly powerful, capable of making paper dolls identical to living people—able to eat, speak, and smile—it was ultimately made of paper.

How could something made of paper have yang fire?

Lu Yuan's heart sank heavily.

All his tests just now—the Demon-Exposing Talisman, the Black Mirror Compass, the Seven Star Coins, the blood from the tip of his tongue, the Returning Light Mirror—all indicated that this "Hu Tutu" had no problems.

Now, coming back to his senses and thinking carefully, this lack of problems was the biggest problem of all!

How could a paper doll have absolutely no issues at all?!

Lu Yuan suddenly turned his head, looking towards the direction where Hu Tutu had disappeared.

It was pitch black over there, nothing could be seen.

To be honest, in the year, almost two years since transmigrating, Lu Yuan had encountered quite a few strange and bizarre things.

This thing wasn't enough to make Lu Yuan overly alarmed.

Lu Yuan believed in one principle: when the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a path; just handle it first.

Although that moment just now had genuinely startled Lu Yuan, if he thought about it carefully...

Actually, it was still okay.

This living "Hu Tutu" still held no malice towards Lu Yuan.

Moreover, while this living Hu Tutu was not the same as the paper doll Hu Tutu he had seen at Zhenlong Temple, the two were undoubtedly connected.

Otherwise, that living Hu Tutu wouldn't have recognized Lu Yuan, nor would she have known they ate noodles that night, not dumplings.

Was it some kind of clone technique?

Lu Yuan couldn't figure it out, assuming it was a secret technique of the Hu Family of Continuing the Lamp.

Anyway, this living Hu Tutu didn't intend to harm Lu Yuan; she was just leading Lu Yuan out, not out of malice.

Of course, it was also possible she didn't want Lu Yuan to get involved in this matter.

After all, who was Lu Yuan?

In the past, Lu Yuan only had the title of the Little Taoist in White Robes.

But now, whether it was Lu Yuan or Zhenlong Temple, they were both prominent names beyond the Great Wall.

If Lu Yuan were truly harmed here, her Hu Family of Continuing the Lamp wouldn't fare well either.

Lu Yuan pondered for a bit and felt too lazy to think much more about this matter. Anyway, he had to go to Heishui Lingzi.

To see what exactly was going on between the Hu Family of Continuing the Lamp and the Faceless Malevolent Deity.

The next second, after surveying his surroundings, Lu Yuan immediately and quietly followed.

Of course, he had to conceal his tracks.

Lu Yuan fished out three Yellow Talismans from his sleeve.

These were "Concealment Talismans," used by the Taoist school to hide one's traces.

Stick the talisman, chant the incantation, and it could mask one's aura, making it undetectable to others.

Lu Yuan first folded one talisman into a triangle and stuffed it into his left shoe.

The left foot steps on the ground, connecting with the earth's energy. The talisman tucked in the sole could mask the earth's energy, preventing any footprint aura from being left.

He folded another talisman and stuffed it into his right shoe.

The third talisman, he stuck on the back of his neck, covering it with his collar.

The back of the neck is where a person's yang energy leaks out. Evil entities often track from the aura emanating from the back of the neck.

After applying all three, Lu Yuan formed hand seals with both hands.

This time, it was the "Concealment Hand Seal."

He interlaced the fingers of both hands, palms facing down, thumbs pressing against each other, the remaining eight fingers bent and hooked onto the back of the hands.

"Heaven and Earth, Profound Ancestor, the root of all things."

"My body is not me, my form is not form."

"Three hun return within, seven po guard the palace."

"Six senses close, five perceptions blocked."

"Evil cannot see me, malevolence cannot meet me."

"Like wood, like stone, like jade, like dust."

"Urgently, urgently, as by the law's command!"

After chanting, Lu Yuan pressed his hands downward.

A cool sensation poured down from the top of his head, flowing down his spine, reaching his limbs, his fingertips, his feet.

Lu Yuan lowered his head to look at his own hands.

His hands were still his hands, but he could feel the "heat" on his body gradually retracting, shrinking beneath his skin, into the crevices of his bones.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath and strode in the direction where Hu Tutu had disappeared.

After a few steps, Lu Yuan stopped again.

No, this still wasn't enough.

The other side was, after all, one of the Ten Families beyond the Great Wall, especially...

After these incidents, he couldn't truly treat the other side as a seven or eight-year-old child.

That living Hu Tutu might still be guarding against him following again.

Lu Yuan pondered for a moment; he still needed to use the "Replacement Method."

Lu Yuan fished out another piece of yellow paper from his sleeve and, in a few quick cuts, shaped it into a small human figure.

He placed the paper doll on the ground and chanted:

"Paper doll replaces me, I replace the paper doll."

"You go east, I go west."

"Beyond three steps, we do not recognize each other."

"Urgently, urgently, as by the law's command!"

After chanting, Lu Yuan blew a breath onto the paper doll.

The paper doll swayed unsteadily as it stood up and began walking step by step along the path leading out of the mountains.

It walked quite convincingly.

Lu Yuan watched the paper doll walk into the distance before finally turning and heading in the direction where Hu Tutu had disappeared.

This time, Lu Yuan walked very slowly.

Each step landed on fallen leaves, which made a faint rustling sound.

But this sound was covered by the mountain wind and didn't carry far.

Moonlight leaked through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows in the forest.

As he walked, he took out the Black Mirror Compass from his chest.

The compass needle was trembling slightly.

Following the compass's guidance, Lu Yuan passed through grove after grove of trees, crossed one small slope after another.

The moon rose higher and higher.

The night wind grew colder and colder.

Finally, Lu Yuan stopped, hiding behind a large tree, and cautiously peeked out.

Ahead was a valley.

In the valley stood a dilapidated temple.

It was very small, just a single room, with half the roof collapsed, vines crawling all over the walls.

At the temple entrance, a lamp was lit.

The lamplight was strange, not yellow, but a bluish-white, faint and eerie, like ghost fire.

Next to the lamp, a small figure was squatting.

Two little hair buns.

An earthy blue bundle.

Hu Tutu.

Lu Yuan couldn't distinguish which Hu Tutu was which with the naked eye.

He could only use the Returning Light Mirror to check.

But now, at such close range, especially since Lu Yuan didn't know what else was around, he didn't dare act recklessly.

Of course, which of these two Hu Tutus was the living person and which was the paper doll...

That wasn't important to Lu Yuan at the moment.

Lu Yuan didn't need to distinguish that; he just needed to see what the Hu Family of Continuing the Lamp was planning to do with the Faceless Malevolent Deity.

It wasn't necessarily true that the paper doll Hu Tutu was good and the living Hu Tutu was bad.

It was possible both had issues, or neither had issues.

So, distinguishing them wasn't important.

Lu Yuan's relationship with that paper doll Hu Tutu wasn't that close anyway; they had only known each other for a day.

Lu Yuan had just let Hu Tutu eat a few meals at Zhenlong Temple.

What was strange to Lu Yuan now was...

There was only one Hu Tutu down there, so where was the other one?

Moonlight shone into the valley, casting the dilapidated temple in a ghastly white.

The lamp at the temple entrance glowed faintly, its bluish-white light illuminating a small patch of brightness.

The small, squatting figure beside the lamp moved.

Hu Tutu slowly stood up, turned around, and faced the dilapidated temple.

Moonlight fell on her face, on her two little hair buns.

That fair, clean little face looked somewhat different now.

Not fear, not nervousness, but a kind of... an indescribable seriousness.

As if she had become a different person.

She reached down, untied the earthy blue bundle from her waist, and placed it on the ground.

The bundle was opened.

The contents inside were clearly visible under the moonlight.

Three candles. Not ordinary red candles, but white, slender ones, with intricate, winding patterns carved on them.

They looked like talismanic scripts, or perhaps some kind of ancient symbols.

A small incense burner.

Made of bronze, palm-sized, its body covered in green patina. Beneath the patina, cloud patterns and thunder patterns could faintly be seen.

A stack of yellow paper.

Neatly cut, with talismans drawn on them. These talismans weren't from the Taoist school; they were winding and twisting, resembling the shape of some animal or the outline of mountains and rivers.

There was also an oil-paper package, bulging, its contents unknown.

Hu Tutu took these three items out one by one and arranged them on the ground.

She arranged them very seriously.

Each item placed in a fixed position.

The candles were inserted three feet directly in front of the temple door, forming a straight line.

The incense burner was placed one and a half feet behind the candles.

The stack of yellow paper was placed to the left of the incense burner, the oil-paper package to the right.

It looked like she was setting up some kind of formation.

After arranging everything, she straightened up and patted the dust off her hands.

Then she raised her head and looked at the dilapidated temple.

"Faceless Venerable."

She spoke.

Her voice wasn't loud, but in the silent valley, it was clearly audible.

The voice was different from usual, less crisp, more steady, as if... as if she were reciting some formal document.

"The Hu Family of Continuing the Lamp, Hu Tutu, has come to continue the lamp."

Her words fell, and the valley fell into complete silence.

Only the night wind blew, rustling the leaves.

There was no movement from inside the temple.

Hu Tutu waited for a while, then spoke again:

"I know you're in there."

"Come on out."

As she spoke, her tone carried a hint of negotiation, as if talking to a person, not to a malevolent deity.

There was still no movement from the temple.

Hu Tutu tilted her head to look, then sighed.

"Alright then, if you won't come out, I'll just start on my own."

As she spoke, she squatted down and picked up the three white candles.

One by one, she inserted them into the ground.

Not in a straight line.

But in a triangle.

The apex pointed towards the temple door.

The base faced herself.

After inserting them, she picked up the small bronze incense burner and placed it right in the center of the triangle.

Then she fished out a small porcelain bottle from the bundle, pulled out the stopper, and poured into the incense burner.

What poured out was black powder.

Fine, like ash, or like soil.

After pouring, the powder formed a small mound inside the incense burner.

She fished out three sticks of incense from the bundle.

Not ordinary incense, but very thin, black incense sticks.

The incense sticks also had talismanic scripts carved on them, denser and finer than those on the candles.

She inserted the three incense sticks into the incense burner, into that pile of black powder, forming a triangular arrangement.

Then she stood up, took two steps back, stepping outside the triangle.

She formed a hand seal in front of her chest.

The hand seal was strange, not a Taoist finger technique, nor a Buddhist mudra.

Left palm facing up, right palm facing down, the fingertips of both hands facing each other, as if holding an invisible ball.

She closed her eyes and began chanting:

"Heaven and Earth, dark and yellow; the universe, vast and desolate."

"Sun and moon wax and wane; stars and constellations arrayed."

"Cold comes, heat goes; autumn harvest, winter store."

"Leap months complete the year; pitch pipes harmonize the yang."

This wasn't a spell.

This was the "Thousand Character Classic."

Lu Yuan was stunned.

This...

This was the Continuing the Lamp spell?

Hu Tutu continued chanting:

"Clouds rise to bring rain; dew condenses into frost."

"Gold is born from beautiful waters; jade emerges from Kunlun's ridges."

"Sword named Giant Que; pearl called Night Light."

"Fruits prized are plums and cherries; vegetables valued are mustard and ginger."

Still the "Thousand Character Classic."

She chanted quickly, as if reciting from memory, not chanting a spell.

But there was a strange rhythm in her voice.

That rhythm didn't come from the words, but from the cadence of her breathing.

With each line she chanted, her breath deepened.

After every four lines, her breath paused for a moment.

When she reached "Sea salt, river fresh; fish swim, birds soar," she stopped.

Then she opened her eyes and looked at the three black incense sticks inserted in the incense burner.

"Rise."

She said softly.

As soon as the words left her mouth, the three black incense sticks simultaneously ignited.

No flame.

No smoke.

They just burned, the tips glowing with three points of red light.

The red light wasn't ordinary firelight, but a deep, thick red, like congealed blood.

Hu Tutu looked at the three points of red light and nodded.

Then she squatted down and picked up the stack of yellow paper.

One by one, she lit them on the three white candles.

The white candles ignited.

The flame wasn't yellow, but bluish-white.

Just like that lamp.

Exactly like the lamp at the temple entrance.

Hu Tutu threw the lit yellow papers one by one into the bronze incense burner.

The yellow papers fell into the black powder and burst into flames with a "whoosh."

The flames leaped half a foot high.

Also bluish-white.

But within those bluish-white flames, something else could vaguely be seen.

Like shadows, writhing in the fire.

Or like faces, one after another, flashing by.

Hu Tutu watched the fire and began chanting again:

"First continue Heaven and Earth, second continue Yin and Yang, third continue ghosts and gods, fourth continue the four directions."

"Fifth continue the five directions, sixth continue the six harmonies, seventh continue the seven stars, eighth continue the eight trigrams."

"Ninth continue nine nines, tenth continue perfection."

This time it wasn't the "Thousand Character Classic."

But it wasn't some profound spell either; it sounded like a folk rhyme.

Yet her voice had changed.

It became low, hoarse, becoming... becoming unlike a little girl's voice.

As if several voices were layered together.

Lu Yuan frowned deeply upon hearing it.

This...

This was Continuing the Lamp?

Just as Lu Yuan was thinking this, a change suddenly occurred in the valley.

The flames of the three white candles all leaned in one direction.

Leaned towards the temple door.

The fire in the incense burner also leaned in that direction.

The lean was severe, as if something had emerged from the temple.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan perked up; it was coming out!

The Faceless Malevolent Deity?!

And just as Lu Yuan widened his eyes, preparing to get a good look at this Faceless Malevolent Deity.

A sighing voice came from behind him:

"Sigh..."

"Daoist Priest..."

"Didn't I tell you to leave..."

Hu Tutu's voice abruptly sounded behind Lu Yuan.