Encountering Obstacles

The creaking of wheel axles ground against the empty street as Chen Mo pushed his cart rapidly toward the South Pier.

The South Pier hosted a small steamer called the Night Owl, which specialized in the waterway route between the south and Jin City, often stopping at Linhe County during the night.

The ship owner had a complicated background and was lax with cargo inspections; as long as the money was right, they would even transport coffins.

It was the preferred choice for many people and goods that needed to stay out of the light.

Chen Dachuan had taken this very ship when he brought the original owner to the Jin City ghost market years ago.

At this hour, the pier was dimly lit, with only a few scattered figures.

The Night Owl sat like an iron beast crouching in the dark water, with only a few portholes leaking a dim, yellow light.

A narrow gangplank connected the ship to the pier, where a man with a cigarette dangling from his lips stood guard, lazily collecting fares and selling tickets.

Chen Mo lowered his bamboo hat and pushed the cart forward.

"White or black?" the smoking man glanced at the large object covered by a straw mat on the cart and asked nonchalantly.

He was asking if there was any contraband hidden inside, as the shipping rates for the two types of cargo differed.

"White. Someone on the other side ordered a large piece."

Chen Mo asked for the price and handed over two silver dollars.

The man weighed the coins, grinned, and without further questions, waved him toward the ship.

"Stop! Police inspection!"

Several bright beams of light from flashlights suddenly cut across from both sides of the pier, blinding everyone.

Five or six policemen in black uniforms quickly surrounded them, led by a stern-faced middle-aged officer whose sharp gaze swept over Chen Mo and his cart.

"What are you pushing this late at night?" The middle-aged officer walked up to the cart, using his flashlight to trace the outline under the straw mat.

Chen Mo felt a jolt of alarm, but he forced a look of panic and obsequiousness onto his face, bowing slightly. "Reporting to the officer, it's a job from the shop. I'm delivering paper funeral offerings to an old client in Jin City. The old man is in a rush, so I had to catch the night boat..."

"Paper funeral offerings?" A young policeman nearby frowned, seemingly finding it ominous, and instinctively took a half-step back.

The middle-aged officer remained unmoved. He used his baton to lightly lift a corner of the straw mat, revealing the dull-colored paper armor of a Guardian General underneath.

He reached out and tapped the general's arm, producing a dull thudding sound; it was indeed thick paper.

"Open it up and let me see," the middle-aged officer commanded, his eyes fixed on Chen Mo's expression.

"Officer, that's not according to the rules."

Chen Mo showed a look of distress, lowering his voice with a hint of a sob. "The offerings are sealed. If I open them on the road, it will disturb the spirits. If the client blames me, this humble one cannot afford the consequences. Besides, this thing... it's tainted with yin energy; it's unlucky."

"Enough nonsense! Open it!"

The middle-aged officer barked, his hand already resting on the holster at his waist. "Linhe County hasn't been peaceful lately. The superiors have ordered a strict inspection of all cargo entering and leaving the ships! Who knows if you're hiding contraband in there?!"

The atmosphere turned tense in an instant.

The other policemen crowded around, their flashlight beams converging on the cart.

Chen Mo's heart hammered against his ribs, but his brain raced.

Resist by force and kill them all?

The opposition had guns, and there were many people at the pier; he would certainly be a wanted man afterward.

Open it directly? The thirty-plus kilograms of valuables would inevitably be exposed!

Even if he explained it as payment for goods, he would easily be labeled as possessing a massive amount of wealth of unknown origin—not to mention that these valuables were already linked to the Black Tiger Gang!

In a flash, he moved his mind, communicating with the Stealth Paper Puppet hidden behind the paper general.

Just as the middle-aged officer's hand was about to grab the edge of the straw mat to pull it back—

"Creak—!"

A clear, audible, and strange sound erupted from inside the heavy paper Guardian General!

A faint, chilling aura began to diffuse from the paper general.

Under the glare of the flashlights, the general's originally stiff face seemed to twist for a split second as the light and shadows shifted.

"Hiss..." Several policemen gasped in unison, their hair standing on end.

The young policeman turned pale and took another step back.

There were many eerie legends about paper crafters among the common folk.

Especially here on the pier in the dead of night, facing a cart full of obvious funeral supplies, this sudden, strange sound and chilling aura were enough to trigger the deepest fears in their hearts.

The middle-aged officer's hand froze in mid-air, his expression shifting.

Though he didn't believe in the supernatural, this aura and sound were far too irrational. "What is going on?!"

"Of... Officer! You can't touch it! I'm afraid that one is not satisfied!"

Chen Mo's eyes widened, his face filled with even greater terror. "The materials for this batch were made from bamboo near an old grave, and the paper is specially crafted yin-talisman paper; it's prone to attracting things! Once sealed, it must never be opened mid-journey! If you disturb it, everyone on this ship will be in for bad luck!"

His words were half-truth and half-lie, and combined with the chilling aura created by the paper puppet, the effect was exceptional.

The few police officers exchanged glances, all feeling a bit intimidated.

They might not fear the living, but they held an innate sense of dread toward these supernatural, ghostly things.

Especially with the recent rumors about the Fierce Tiger Gang's bizarre affairs running rampant, it made their hearts beat with unease.

Hearing that it might affect the entire ship, the ticket seller who had been squatting nearby smoking and watching the commotion could no longer sit still; he hurried over and pulled the middle-aged officer aside, the two of them whispering back and forth.

The middle-aged officer listened with an uncertain expression, then glanced back at the Guardian General exuding an icy, sinister aura, finally letting out a heavy grunt.

"Damn it, bad luck!"

He cursed, pulled his hand away from his holster, and waved irritably, "Get lost, get lost! Get on the ship! Stop blocking the way!"

With that, he stopped looking at Chen Mo and that eerie cart of paper effigies, turning around to lead his subordinates toward the other passengers waiting for inspection.

Only, his pace was noticeably faster as he left, as if he wanted to put as much distance as possible between himself and that handcart.

The ticket seller breathed a sigh of relief, shot a look at Chen Mo, and whispered, "What are you still standing there for? Get on! Make it quick!"

"Many thanks, brother!" Chen Mo thanked him hurriedly, his heart still pounding in his chest.

He dared not delay, quickly pushing the cart, carefully maneuvering it across the gangplank and onto the deck of the Night Owl.

Two deckhands wearing short jackets walked over to help push the cart into an inconspicuous corner of the cargo hold, securing it hastily with thick hemp ropes.

One of the deckhands took a curious look at the large items on the cart and muttered, "Whoa, these paper figures and horses, they've got some weight to them."

But he didn't ask any further questions; after pocketing the copper coin Chen Mo had quietly slipped him, he walked away happily.

The cargo hold was piled high with all sorts of sundries, permeated with the scents of fish, mold, and cheap tobacco.

Chen Mo found a relatively clean corner, sat down against the cold bulkhead of the ship, and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

That was close... he thought to himself.

If he hadn't left a contingency plan, things likely wouldn't have ended well today.

But he also understood that this was merely a stroke of luck.

If he were to encounter an Inspection Bureau martial artist like Yue Shan—someone with vigorous blood energy who also understood the ways of the left-hand path—this little trick would likely be seen through at a single glance.