Chapter 64: with translation of chapter title

Our goal for this trip is clear: Jin Wuya wants to find the killer who harmed his master, and I want to obtain that piece of Golden Scale.

To achieve both, we must start from the rain-summon Formation Array at Jiyu Si; that's why we two, knowing there's a trap, patiently waited until October 1 arrived.

But now, I haven't seen Jin Wuya for over half a day, yet that top lottery slip is already pressed against the corner of my left mouth.

But I'm not panicking; with Feng Wu in hand, I have a certain self-defense capability.

Moreover, the timing is off.

We six chosen sacrifices, each collapsing one by one in the evening; calculating the time, it's only around 8 p. m. now, still nearly four hours until the early morning of October 1!

The sealing slip, sealing slip, is meant to be driven horizontally into the dead person's mouth after death, and with certain auxiliary practices, it can seal the mouth.

Logically, what they should be doing now is… set up the formation!

Yes, before midnight, hurriedly and tightly set up the rain-summon Formation Array.

Sure enough, I soon smelled a faint scent of cinnabar.

The tip of that top lottery slip was dipped in cinnabar, and it dotted my left mouth corner, right mouth corner, and brow center, leaving marks.

I was puzzled: why dot the brow center?

Next, I felt my ankle exposed; soon, a red rope was wound around my right ankle.

I cautiously opened my eyes a slit and saw that the red rope wound around my ankle seemed to be hanging down from above.

Along the red rope, small copper bells were strung at intervals; strangely, those copper bells clearly had tongues inside, yet upon collision none made a sound.

I dared not move too much, fearing discovery that I wasn't fainted, which would cause trouble.

After the little monk finished winding the red rope and went to fetch the fire basin, I dared to slightly adjust my posture, straining my narrowed eyes to look toward the other end where the red rope extended.

Upon looking, I was startled, my whole body jolted.

The other end of the red rope was wound around that verdant bronze seat bell, and at that moment, the bronze seat bell was suspended high above, directly below sat the lotus with six petals, on which the former abbot's corporeal body sat cross-legged.

Inside the seat bell, where a copper tongue should have been hung, a person was instead suspended!

That person was hung upside down, feet up, head down, unconscious.

Clearly, it was Jin Wuya, who had been missing for over half a day!

Chaotic footsteps sounded from nearby; several little monks carried fire basins and placed them beneath our suspended feet.

I instantly thought: if later we are hoisted up, our heads will be exactly facing that fire basin!

The little monks kept bustling about, busy.

They placed candles on the petals of the six-petal lotus, set a ring of water tanks around our perimeter, the tanks filled with lively jumping fish, and arranged the Altar, offering tables, etc., to the west.

The whole process was lengthy and tedious.

I lay on the ground, eyes closed, my mind racing with many chaotic thoughts.

Soon the ritual will begin; how should I first free myself, then rescue Jin Wuya?

Has Li Qingying made any deployments these past two days outside? Can she arrive in time to rescue us?

How can I successfully obtain that piece of Golden Scale embedded in the former abbot's forehead?

……

As time passed second by second, the sky originally with a high-hanging bright moon was gradually shrouded by dark clouds.

Wind rose around; I only felt the surrounding temperature seemed to keep dropping.

That temperature drop was not coolness, but cold.

Yin cold!

I don't know how long later, with a booming sound, the seat bell above suddenly rang.

Someone struck the bronze bell!

But the bronze bell had no copper tongue inside; instead, Jin Wuya was hung there!

The body colliding with the interior of the bronze bell produced a dull, muffled sound.

Yet the plaques hanging on the surface of the bronze bell clattered noisily!

How ironic!

The owners of those wooden plaques prayed to the Buddha for blessings, yet in the end, whether their wishes were fulfilled or they were instead drained of their fortune remains unknown.

As the bronze bell rang one after another, the sound of striking the wooden fish and chanting sutras came from the Altar side.

It seems the time is approaching midnight; this is the prelude to the imminent ritual.

Soon, the girls around me who had remained unconscious woke up one after another; they blinked open their dazed eyes and then began to scream in panic.

I also opened my eyes.

Before I could even look around, the red rope on my right ankle suddenly tightened; next, my body was lifted, continuously hoisted upward.

The girls' terrified screams filled my ears.

Not long after, all six of us were suspended beneath the bronze bell.

One foot bore the weight of the whole body; the ankle soon was rubbed raw by the red rope.

Head hanging downward caused congestion, very uncomfortable.

I heard the red‑dressed girl shouting loudly.

From her initial questioning to later begging for mercy.

After her pleas went unanswered, she began to curse the Great Master Yin Xuan and Jiyu Si with all her might; receiving no response, she started to cry, unwillingly recounting how hard these years have been, her life of toil constantly exploited…

This reminded me of the day I met her.

She had originally come before the Buddha to make a wish; at the moment she drew the top lottery slip, she was that happy.

At that moment, she felt she was about to completely turn her luck around?

Yes, she indeed turned her luck.

Only, it wasn't a turn for the better, but a turn toward misfortune.

Dong… drip-drip…

Accompanied by another muffled bronze bell chime, the time reached midnight of October 1.

At the same moment, I clearly saw blood falling from the direction of the other five girls, dripping into the burning brazier below.

One drop after another.

Only then did I notice that what was burning in the brazier below was not paper money or the like, but oil.

A waxy yellow, viscous liquid, it burned with a blue-green flame, and waves of foul stench filled the entire space.

That… is corpse oil?

But… where is the blood coming from?

Why have the other five girls already started dripping blood, while I haven't?

Then I felt waves of heat rising from the spot between my eyebrows, as if something wanted to burst out from within.

It turns out the little monk earlier dabbed cinnabar on our foreheads not as a mark, but to draw blood?

I strained to lift my head and look toward the nearest girl, and indeed I saw a patch of blood at her brow.

Brow blood, it condenses a person's purest essence and qi.

Using cinnabar to pierce the brow, drawing the brow blood into the formation… this is to extract the six girls' souls and spirits!

No wonder just a dab of cinnabar could cause the girls' brows to split open on their own.

Also no wonder I wasn't affected.

I have Feng Wu protecting me; they want to take my essence, but it won't be easy!

As fresh blood kept dripping down, the girls' spirits quickly grew hazy.

Even the red‑skirt girl's curses and lamentations gradually weakened.

Surrounding yin wind surged upward, swirling and twining around the red cords on the girls' ankles; the little bells on them suddenly began to jingle.

Only I here remained unmoving.

Soon, Master Yin Xuan stood below me, gazing up at my bald head.

Then he waved his hand, and the red cord suspending me slowly lowered.

And in his hand appeared a dagger flashing with cold light!

He intends to directly bleed my brow!

I was about to summon Feng Wu to counterattack when the red cord on my ankle jerked and stopped.

Above, Jin Wuya's voice suddenly rang out: "Old bald donkey, you've done too much evil—your retribution… is coming…"