46: Chapter 46 Multiple Setbacks and a Draw

Demon Ghost World.

Three zhang away, the Hanged Ghost stood with its back to him. White silk ribbons hung from its wide sleeves; one end was tightly wrapped around the roof beam above, while the other continuously poured Yin Qi into the surrounding illusion.

Wu Xi did not make a sound.

He suddenly crouched low, the three Tentacles at his elbows instantly tensing, muscles knotted like fully wound springs, every fiber coiled with explosive power.

He turned the sacred fork bell in his hand.

This object was engraved with distorted runes that were neither human nor ghostly; the moment it touched his palm, a rhythmic tremor burrowed into his bones, like the heartbeat of a living creature.

One step, the soles of his feet skimming the ground without stirring a sound.

Two steps, the tremor of the Tentacles and the heartbeat of the sacred fork bell perfectly synchronized; the power of the invisibility spell wrapped around him like a film of water.

Just as he was about to take the third step.

The Hanged Ghost's neck suddenly snapped with a crisp "crack," twisting a full one hundred and eighty degrees backward!

Wu Xi's heart skipped a beat, and several Tentacles lashed out, violently pressing his entire body to the ground!

That faceless visage "paused" in his direction for three breaths.

With another "crack," its neck twisted back, and it continued to hang its head, controlling the illusion with the white silk.

Three breaths later.

Wu Xi lunged forward! He was already behind the Hanged Ghost.

The four Tentacles at his elbows shot out simultaneously, tightly binding the Hanged Ghost's arms and twisting them into a knot, rendering it completely immobile.

He raised his hands high, holding the sacred fork bell!

"Ding—"

The sacred fork bell rang.

A visible ripple of sound waves exploded from the three-pronged tip of the sacred fork bell, forming a cone that slammed violently into the Hanged Ghost's back!

"Bang!"

A bowl-sized bloody hole instantly exploded in the Hanged Ghost's back. Before the pitch-black, filthy blood could even spray out, it was instantly vaporized into red mist by the sacred power contained in the sound waves, leaving not even a scrap behind.

Even more fatal was the illusion; like a bronze mirror struck by a hammer, it instantly filled with spiderweb-like cracks. The cracks spread from the Hanged Ghost's body, covering the entire space in the blink of an eye.

"Crack—"

The illusion shattered.

The moment the illusion shattered, Mr. Xiangli and Niu Fei were ejected almost simultaneously.

Both were covered in wounds; half of Niu Fei's body was frozen purple by Yin Qi, his heavy axe had several large notches, and his eyes were so red they looked like they were bleeding.

"Holy shit!" Niu Fei froze for half a second, then erupted into a roar of wild joy, "I'm out! I'm finally out!"

Mr. Xiangli's reaction was several times faster than his.

The Mohist ruler slid from his sleeve in an instant; the remaining foot-long steel bar had edges ground thinner than willow leaves. He stepped to the side of the Hanged Ghost, flipped his wrist, and slashed horizontally with the ruler, moving so fast only an afterimage remained!

"Sshhh—"

The steel cut from the Hanged Ghost's throat all the way to behind its ear.

The Hanged Ghost's faceless head tilted, and before it could hit the ground, Niu Fei's heavy axe came whistling down from above, hacking it fiercely!

"Bang!"

With that one blow, the bright red wedding dress, along with the bones and flesh inside, was cleaved clean in two!

Pitch-black filthy blood splattered onto Niu Fei's face, scalding him so badly he grimaced and his skin began to smoke, but he didn't notice at all; he swung his axe again, smashing the Hanged Ghost's head into smithereens.

"It's dead! That bastard is finally dead!"

Mr. Xiangli sheathed his ruler and turned to look at Wu Xi. "Wu Xi, are you alright?"

Wu Xi was pulling his Tentacles out of the Hanged Ghost's remains. The sacred fork bell was still vibrating in his palm, and the numbness crept up his arm to his shoulder. He shook his hand, stuffed the sacred fork bell into the animal-skin pouch at his waist, and said in a calm, flat voice, "I'm fine. Is the illusion cleared?"

"It's cleared." Mr. Xiangli's gaze lingered on the animal-skin pouch at his waist, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but he didn't ask further, only pointing toward the darkness ahead. "Let's go. The Cave Master's manor is just ahead."

Niu Fei wiped his face with his sleeve, smearing it more and more until he was covered in black and red blood, looking even fiercer. "Damn it, when I find that bastard Cave Master, I'll chop him into eighteen pieces!"

The three of them followed the stone path forward.

The road grew wider as they walked; the old locust trees on both sides were withered like dead men's claws, their branches intertwining to form a pitch-black archway overhead.

There was no sound of insects or wind, and even the footsteps of the three of them were completely swallowed by the surrounding darkness.

After walking for less than half an incense stick's time, the manor's perimeter wall appeared in their view.

The two-zhang-high green brick wall was topped with glazed tiles that, under the pale moonlight, emitted a cold, eerie green glow like the eyes of a beast.

The main entrance consisted of two vermilion-lacquered doors, with fist-sized copper nails driven into the panels, arranged in the shape of ferocious beast heads.

Wu Xi raised his hand and pressed it against the cold door panel. Several hair-thin Tentacles extended from his palm, clinging to the door crack and slipping inside silently.

Tentacle Lady's vision was instantly shared. Behind the door was a screen wall, and behind that was a winding corridor, with rows of red lanterns hanging from it.

"Enter."

Wu Xi retracted the Tentacles, applied slight force to his wrist, and pushed forward.

"Creak—"

The three of them crossed the threshold, and just as their feet touched the ground, Wu Xi suddenly felt a sticky, slippery sensation under his soles.

He looked down sharply, his pupils instantly shrinking to the size of needle points.

There was blood on the ground. It wasn't splattered blood, but blood used for drawing.

Deep red grooves spread from beneath the screen wall like tree roots or blood vessels, covering the entire floor of the front courtyard.

The blood in the grooves was still flowing slowly, carrying a sweet, nauseating stench that rushed straight into his nostrils.

It was the blood of living people. It had not been drawn long ago; it still held body heat and hadn't cooled yet.

In the center of the blood array, seven sandalwood boxes were neatly arranged. The lids were all open. Inside were no gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, or paintings; there were people.

Seven living people, men and women, old and young, were tied with hemp ropes into a fetal, curled-up position, their mouths gagged with hemp balls so they couldn't make a sound. Only their eyes were wide open, filled with extreme fear and despair.

On each of their wrists and ankles was a wound deep enough to see the bone, and fresh blood was dripping, drop by drop, along the grooves at the bottom of the boxes into the blood array on the ground.

"Drip."

"Drip."

"Living sacrifice." Mr. Xiangli's voice was extremely low, almost pressed against Wu Xi's ear. "The Seven Yin Life-Extending Array. That bastard Cave Master is using living people to extend his life!"

Niu Fei's fists clenched until they cracked, his knuckles turning white, veins bulging on his forehead, and his eyes practically spitting fire. "These damned beasts! I'll slaughter him!"

He raised his foot to rush forward, but Wu Xi reached out and pressed firmly on his shoulder.

"Don't move." Wu Xi's voice was as cold as ice. He raised his hand and pointed to the end of the front courtyard. "Look ahead."

At the end of the front courtyard was an octagonal pavilion.

The pavilion was built exactly on the 'Life Gate' position of the blood array, with eight vermilion pillars, upturned eaves, and a circle of copper bells hanging from the corners.

Inside the pavilion was a stone table with an unfinished game of Go on it, where two people sat facing each other. Between them knelt a person—it was none other than the Master of Yinsui Cave.

He was wearing a dark black robe, his back to them, his shoulders trembling like leaves in an autumn wind, yet he dared not utter a single sob; his head hung extremely low, almost touching the cold stone floor.

The two playing were an old man and a young one.

The old one sat on a stone stool, his figure hunched, but he wore a brand-new crimson official robe with a white pheasant insignia embroidered on the chest, the regulation attire of a fifth-rank Prefect.

He held a black piece in his hand, his knuckles thick and calloused; he lowered his head, his goat beard hanging to his chest, his eyes narrowed into slits, staring intently at the chessboard as if watching a game that would decide life and death.

The young one looked to be just over twenty, dressed in a dark brocade robe with dark gold python patterns embroidered on the cuffs.

He sat bolt upright, his spine like a quenched spear, his fingers long and clean, holding a white piece suspended in mid-air, hesitating to place it down.

The pale moonlight shone from the side, leaving his face half-lit and half-dark; his nose was high, his lips pressed into a straight line, revealing no hint of joy or anger.

The entire manor was deathly silent, with only the sound of chess pieces landing on the stone board.

"Click."

The white piece fell. The sound was not loud, but it was like a hammer, striking violently against the hearts of Wu Xi and his two companions.

The young man suddenly spoke, his voice clear and bright, carrying a hint of casual, lazy amusement: "Wonderful, truly wonderful. Prefect, this move of yours, the 'inverted boot,' has managed to bring a dead game back to life, outplaying me by one move. In this game, I have lost by half a point, and I admit defeat."

He raised his head and looked at the old Prefect opposite him.

The old Prefect did not speak. He held the black piece in his hand, slowly rotating it between his fingers for half a turn, then suddenly let out a "hehe" laugh.

"Luo Prince Mansion." The old Prefect finally spoke. "I truly did not expect that, apart from heroes like the First Young Master, the Luo Prince Mansion also has young talents like you, Third Young Master. The future is secure. Truly, the future is secure."

He raised his cloudy eyes, his gaze crossing the chessboard, passing over the kneeling person, and pinning itself straight onto Wu Xi and his two companions.

"It seems we have guests."

The Third Young Master did not turn around. His hand remained pressed on the stone table, his fingertips lightly tapping the white piece that had just been placed.

Once, twice, three times.

He suddenly smiled again. "Prefect, these three are retainers from my mansion. They were delayed on the road and arrived a step late, disturbing your refined mood. They deserve to be punished."

"Third Young Master, you and I have been playing this game for a full two hours. From the stars filling the sky to the moon setting behind the mountains. You have one hundred and forty-seven white pieces, and I have one hundred and forty-eight black pieces. There are three 'Ko' situations and four 'atari' situations on the board, repeating back and forth; neither of us can kill the other."

The old Prefect's voice suddenly rose. "With a multiple-Ko cycle, by the rules, it is a draw. But the wager we set earlier... it didn't account for a draw. How should we settle this?"

The Third Young Master turned his head.

His gaze slowly swept over Wu Xi, over Mr. Xiangli, and over the furious Niu Fei.

Finally, his gaze fell back onto the old Prefect's face, the smile at the corners of his mouth unchanged.

"What is your suggestion, Prefect?" he asked.

The old Prefect grinned, first pointing at the Cave Master kneeling on the ground, and then pointing at Wu Xi and the other two.

"My proposal is—" He spoke word by word, each word like a poisoned nail, driving fiercely into everyone's ears, "Let these three newcomers decide his life or death."

Niu Fei's breath hitched, and Mr. Xiangli's hand instantly pressed onto the ruler at his waist.

The Third Young Master smiled. He released his hand and gently placed the white piece back into the chess box.

"Very well," he said, his voice so calm that not a hint of emotion could be heard. "As you wish, Prefect."

He turned his head and looked at Wu Xi and the others, that lazy smile still hanging at the corners of his mouth.

"You three, come here."

"Help me see how this dead game should be played."