The Secret Room Clue

Chapter 16: Clues from the Blessed Land

What happened after entering the blessed land made He Qiong convinced he was the child of destiny. The sudden terrifying crisis caused the two sisters to let go of their grudges, willing to be with He Qiong at the same time. Facing the threat of evil spirits, he miraculously obtained several items useful against them. Although they encountered terrifying evil spirits, these spirits were like minor monsters in a game; killing them would grant stronger power. What moved He Qiong even more was that every time they worshipped a god, it was the Su sisters who did it, so the side effects that sometimes occurred during worship wouldn't fall on him. Afterward, the Su sisters would hand over the items to him. This was something only those who truly loved him would be willing to do! Of the nine people who had dinner together yesterday, only six remained tonight. Everyone knew clearly that besides Fang Zhi, the two who hadn't returned were likely in dire straits.

This statue of the Heavenly Official—Kui Xing, the God of Official Careers—gave Wu Xian three talismans to choose from: the Spirit Replenishment Technique, the Talisman Creation Technique, and the Double Activation Technique. The corridor was dark. Time was precious and didn't allow for much thought. Wu Xian wrapped the Double Activation Technique around his index finger and completed the imprint. "First Ghost, Child-Seeking Ghost Mother!" After chanting, she stood up and smiled at Yue Mei, "We've survived this long all thanks to her. Kiss the holy relic placed before you; she will protect you from the intrusion of evil spirits." After walking a distance, they arrived at a room. The Su sisters wept in each other's arms, their faces streaked with tears. The female ghost Yu Yinghua wanted to chase them out but was blocked by a gleaming silver spear. Wu Xian had no artifact that needed to replenish spiritual energy. The Talisman Creation Technique theoretically had the highest ceiling, but its randomness was too great; what if he got two useless talismans? Wu Xian had seen the Double Activation Technique before; its effect was to double the number of times the next activated talisman took effect. The effect of the Spirit Replenishment Technique was to replenish spiritual energy for depleted artifacts. After multiple god worships, Wu Xian had figured out some of the tricks.

The first-floor lobby of the inn. Thus, Wu Xian chose the Double Activation Technique. "Did you notice? A minor thunder curse only injured her hand." A pot of braised intestines with scallions bubbled away on a warm bonfire, and a group of people gathered around, sharing their day's meal. The red candle in front of the statue suddenly extinguished. Without the candlelight, the basement was pitch black, and only the light from outside the door allowed them to see some blurry shadows. He Qiong roared, "Let go of Huilan!" Wu Xian glanced at the sky; there was still some time, and he had one last place he wanted to go. He took a marble from his pocket and threw it. The marble turned into a bolt of lightning mid-air and exploded on Yu Yinghua's hand. Su Huilan seized the opportunity to break free and escaped the basement with her sister. Due to the abnormal passage of time in the blessed land, they only had one chance to eat each day, and everyone was now starving.

But even so, no one started eating first. "This thing isn't an ordinary wandering wraith; I'm afraid it's the strongest tier besides the greater wraith. That foolish boy probably hasn't realized it yet." Yue Mei followed the old woman, her expression very tense. In just two months since the disaster of evil spirits, people had gradually adapted to life with the decline of civilization. Following the guidance in a letter, she sought help from the survivors native to the blessed land. To gain their trust, she used the medicine she had painstakingly found to stabilize the old woman's condition. Only then did the old woman agree to tell Yue Mei how to avoid the 'Knocking Wraith' and the 'Breaking Door Wraith.' Su Huijin bowed with the suixiang. She received a straw figure from the statue, which then hopped over to He Qiong. The next second, terrified screams echoed from the basement. "Then... let's do it!" Yu Yinghua's emotions became agitated. She suddenly lunged forward, grabbed Su Huilan's arm, and reached for Su Huilan's head with her other hand, intending to push it into the mud. Yue Mei asked hesitantly, "She is..." The old woman smiled, revealing the three remaining teeth in her mouth. The smoke from the suixiang filled the air. But before He Qiong could see what it was. The three felt a tightening in their hearts and quickly walked towards the door, but after only a few steps, all their expressions changed drastically. The blessed land's main deity gave 'talismans,' with the effect of adding special blessings to items. "Praise Ghost Mother, offer me..." Along the way, she encountered several people wearing the same linen clothes, men and women, old and young. They all stared at her blankly, their eyes filled with a strange mix of envy, jealousy, and blatant possessiveness.

The statue depicted a woman.

The woman's clothes were tattered, her body deformed, and her face was etched with an unshakeable hatred and madness. At her feet lay a worn, black eye patch.

"Why!"

Mr. Wang's house.

Yue Mei swallowed hard. Her rational mind told her that worshipping the Ghost Mother was a dangerous act, but she had no other path left.

The ground was soft!

At some point, the solid concrete floor had turned into a muddy swamp!

Splash!

A hand covered in mud reached out from the mire!

The three watched with wide eyes as a woman, caked in mud, crawled out of the concrete. If Lu Yuzhu and Fang Zhi were still alive, they would have recognized her.

He Qiong held a gun in one hand and a pellet in the other, confronting the evil spirit with a confident smile on his lips, a truly imposing figure.

An old woman in hemp clothing, carrying an oil lamp, advanced slowly.

Wu Xian fished out a 'Double Activation Technique' from the smoke, concluding this divine worship.

"Even if He Qiong can defeat her, the props we painstakingly collected will be completely depleted!"

The old woman knelt before the statue and recited the prayer Yue Mei had heard before.

Then, under the old woman's eerie gaze, Yue Mei picked up the black eye patch.

Yu Yinghua's eyes were both sealed with cement. Tears had carved two trails down her face as she crawled through the concrete, speaking in a mournful tone.

"Zhiwu, is that you? I would never betray you, why don't you believe me?"

This woman was Yu Yinghua, the one who knocked on the door of Ping'an Hostel every day!

The Kui Star's official position granted 'techniques', which had no direct effect but could assist other divine worship items.

As for the other statues, there was too little information for Wu Xian to make a definitive judgment.

This room was on the top floor, vast and empty, with no furniture. A hole in the ceiling allowed sunlight to stream down, landing directly on a ferocious statue.

All the Heavenly Official statues, after divine worship, granted talismans.

The Su Sisters, having fled the basement in disarray, exchanged glances, seeing the terror in each other's eyes.

These gazes made Yue Mei increasingly uneasy.

The 'Talisman Creation Technique' had the effect of randomly creating two talismans.

"Yes, we are the ones who harmed A Qiong."

"It's all our fault, we deserve to die! How will we live without A Qiong!"