Clinging to Thighs to Court Death

Cailian Town was shrouded in darkness, but only a few candles flickered, and soon the streets and alleys fell into silence.

Every household had tied red rope in front of their doors, and their windows were sealed with wooden strips and rivets.

The yamen, which should have maintained order, had been closed for several days. Its four walls were plastered with yellow talismans, and there were traces of black dog blood spilled everywhere.

The yamen had its own troubles, and the cries of infants could be heard from the backyard from time to time.

The mountain wind blew, scattering spirit money across the sky.

Dong.

The Night Watchman struck his gong, signaling the arrival of the night.

"Daylight fades, midnight arrives."

Wu Hong had been a Night Watchman for thirty-six years. Now in his fifties, he was childless and his hair was white, but his body was still quite robust.

"All living people have returned home, and I must patrol the streets quickly. Alas, day after day, I don't know when I'll die on the roadside."

He knew that the nights in Cailian Town were becoming more dangerous, but he had no choice but to go out.

Originally, there were two Night Watchmen in town.

Three days ago, due to the coffin that had caused widespread panic, the other Night Watchman did not patrol. Only Wu Hong continued to uphold his duty.

As a result, that person died with his intestines ruptured, and his gong inexplicably appeared inside his stomach.

Wu Hong patrolled the streets every night with a heavy heart, forcing himself to do his duty, fearing he would suffer the same fate. Fortunately, he had managed to avoid any major mishaps.

"Dong."

He followed his established route through the town.

Wu Hong moved forward by the moonlight, striking his gong every half street. It was a habit formed over decades, and he rarely missed the timing of his drumming.

He finished patrolling the western part of Cailian Town and had exactly a quarter of an hour to rest.

Wu Hong stood at the intersection of the eastern and western districts, eating the dry rations he carried. Once his strength recovered, he planned to head to the next street.

At this moment.

Wu Hong inexplicably felt uneasy, as if eyes were watching him.

He suddenly turned his head and saw a Daoist Initiate, about eleven or twelve years old, squatting by the roadside, peering intently at the Earth God shrine at the street corner.

The Earth God shrine was only half a meter in size, with a clay statue of a deity inside.

"Little Daoist Priest, you..."

Yang He did not turn around. Instead, the statue in the shrine raised its head, the incense spontaneously ignited, and the drifting smoke was incredibly foul-smelling.

Wu Hong was so terrified that he almost fainted, and the gong in his hand fell to the ground.

Is it human or ghost?!

Yang He seemed to be able to see through Wu Hong's thoughts and murmured, "I am a Daoist from Qianyuan Mountain, sent to Cailian Town by my master."

As he spoke, he tore off the incense in the Earth God shrine.

[Incense and Candle of the Earth-Bound Ghost]

[A yin object derived from the Earth-Bound Ghost, which can be refined through the 〈Dao of Earth-Binding〉. It is one of the yin objects required for an Earth-Bound Ghost to advance to a Hungry Ghost. Grinding it into powder can refine the quality of yin artifacts.]

Wu Hong had never heard of Qianyuan Mountain. He confirmed several times that Yang He was human and not a ghost.

"Little Daoist Priest, quickly put the incense and candle back into the Earth God shrine!"

"It's fine."

Yang He glanced at the Earth God shrine. The Earth-Bound Ghost inside had already disappeared without a trace. The Black Cat in his arms was warning him of danger by tearing at his clothes.

He shook his head slightly, noticing that the yang fire on his left shoulder was almost extinguished.

Yang He was certain he wouldn't be able to wait for Grandmaster Taiyi to arrive, so he might as well take the opportunity to gain some benefits. Yin artifacts would surely be valuable in the Main World.

Wu Hong trembled. His peripheral vision caught sight of the deity statue in the shadow, just half a meter away.

"There's a ghost..."

"And more are coming, quickly."

Wu Hong was startled. "Little Daoist Priest, what did you say was coming?"

"Ghosts."

"Little Daoist Priest, don't joke. Where... where are the ghosts coming from?"

Wu Hong, flustered, wanted to pick up his gong and move away from Yang He.

Because of Yang He's delay, he should have been striking his gong at the other end of the street. Now, it was too late to rush to hundreds of meters away.

Dong!

The crisp sound of the gong echoed.

Wu Hong froze in place, only to see a figure standing at the end of the street.

He recognized at a glance that the figure was the other Night Watchman who had recently died in Cailian Town, but his body was distorted, and he was no longer human.

It's a ghost! A Night Watchman Ghost!!

The Night Watchman Ghost stared intently at Wu Hong, its narrow tongue licking its lips.

Dong dong dong.

The gong sounded repeatedly.

The Night Watchman Ghost drew closer to Wu Hong step by step.

"L-Little Daoist, save me! It's a ghost, ahhhh!!"

Wu Hong had placed all his hope in Yang He, who remained expressionless. He casually picked up the gong stick that had fallen to the ground.

Dong.

Yang He struck the bronze gong forcefully, and the Night Watchman Ghost's gaze shifted.

[Gong Stained with Resentment Qi]
[A low-grade yin object derived from Ghost Blood. When heard by the living, their heart rate will gradually synchronize with the striking sound.]

Yang He tucked the two treasures into his robes, especially the incense and candles, storing them close to his body within his inner lining.

"Let's go."

"Little Daoist, did you… did you supercede the ghost?"

"It's not that simple."

Yang He turned into a secluded alley, with Wu Hong following closely behind.

"I just made the ghost set its sights on me."

Wu Hong looked back. Although the Night Watchman Ghost was no longer visible, the occasional sound of the gong indicated that the ghost was still approaching.

"Old man, are there any mud figurine vendors in Cailian Town?"

"Yes…"

"Take me to where he usually sets up his stall."

"Huh?"

"Hurry."

Wu Hong didn't dare to delay. Although Yang He was barely an adult and dressed sloppily, his words seemed to carry an undeniable authority.

The two soon arrived at a street corner near a teahouse.

Wu Hong gasped for breath while Yang He, utterly exhausted, clutched his chest. The yang fire on his left shoulder had extinguished, and yin qi had begun to seep into his flesh and bones.

"Little Daoist, has Mud Man Zhang already become a Malevolent Spirit?"

The stall on the street corner was placed in the shadows, and the light from the lantern was dim. A middle-aged man was obsessively shaping various mud figurines.

"En, the one I'm looking for is the ghost."

Wu Hong's eyes widened, and his legs went weak as he collapsed to the ground.

Yang He stepped forward. The middle-aged man's neck stretched out half a meter to greet him, staring at Yang He with bone-chilling eyes and muttering indistinctly.

"I'd like a mud figurine."

"Wh-Who do you want me to sculpt?"

"Sculpt me, as quickly as possible." Yang He glanced into the distance. The Night Watchman Ghost had silently reached the street corner, and the earth-bound ghost was also stirring.

"Alright."

Mud Man Zhang worked swiftly, and a lifelike clay sculpture gradually took shape.

Simultaneously, Yang He's body emitted the sound of colliding bones, and his skin turned bruised. The mud sculpture correspondingly developed scars.

"Is that enough?"

Mud Man Zhang grinned, as if he could already foresee Yang He's demise.

[Mud Figurine of the Substitute Ghost]
[A yin object derived from the Substitute Ghost, which can be refined through the Path of the Substitute. It is one of the yin objects required for the Substitute Ghost to advance to a Hungry Ghost, and can also be used in the refinement of Corpse Puppets.]

"That's more than enough."

Yang He obtained three yin objects and yin artifacts, feeling content. The yang fire on his right shoulder also extinguished.

Three ghostly shadows overlapped, preparing to devour the delicious Daoist Initiate. Wu Hong covered his eyes, unable to face the fear in his heart.

The yang fire above Yang He's head extinguished, and the Daoist Initiate's remaining vitality vanished.

[Your character Daoist Initiate has suffered severe damage. The role-playing lore has ended.]

The moment his consciousness returned.

A third arm emerged from his chest, and in Wu Hong's astonished gaze, it crushed three weak ghosts before transforming into a sixth finger.

Wu Hong trembled and said, "An immortal! An immortal has come to save us!!!"

[Thanks to Detective Pikachu, Jiong Tu, and Logic Exhaustion Ghost Path for the rewards.]