The two underlings abandoned Wang the Scabby and ran for their lives toward the street. Only after they had made it out of Funeral Street did they brace themselves against a brick wall and bend over, gasping for breath.
"Did... did they... not follow us?"
Gouzi leaned against the cold brick wall, his chest heaving so violently it felt ready to burst.
The two of them listened intently for a long while. Apart from their own ragged breathing, the alley was dead silent. Only the occasional bark of a stray dog came from far away.
Er Lu collapsed onto the ground beside him, his face pale as paper and his crotch soaked through. "...A ghost... There really was a ghost... Brother Scabby, he..."
"Shut up!"
Gouzi hissed at him, though he couldn't stop himself from shivering too.
That bone-chilling cold just now, and Brother Scabby's scream cut short...
He struggled to straighten up and peered back the way they had come. The alley was pitch-black; nothing could be seen in the corners untouched by moonlight.
"We can't stay here... We have to go, now!"
Gouzi hauled the trembling Er Lu to his feet. Supporting each other, they staggered toward the sound of people.
They didn't dare return to the place where they usually spent the night. All they wanted was to find a safe corner and hide until dawn.
In their panic, the two of them turned into an old street that was somewhat wider.
The outlines of shops from days gone by could still just be made out. Now most were dilapidated and shuttered, with only a few faint oil-lamp glows seeping through the latticed windows.
Some odds and ends and rubbish lay piled at the street corner, giving off a moldy stench.
The two of them relaxed a little and found a sheltered corner to sit down. Then, from the shadows at the mouth of the alley ahead, four figures suddenly emerged without a sound.
The four moved in unison, their steps crisp and efficient. They spread into a loose semicircle, neatly blocking Gouzi and Er Lu's way.
Their faces were all covered with scarves. Their eyes looked cold in the dim light, and when they swept their gaze over the two men, they showed no interest in questioning them—only the detached scrutiny one might give an object being appraised.
Gouzi and Er Lu's hair stood on end.
These weren't the night patrolmen; the police didn't carry such a murderous air. But they certainly weren't street thugs either.
"L-Lords..." Gouzi's throat was dry as he forced out a smile uglier than a grimace. "We were just passing through... We don't know anything..."
The leader, a man in fitted clothes, ignored him completely. His gaze lingered for a second on their still-frightened faces before he gave a slight nod to one of his men.
The underling moved like a ghost. Gouzi only saw a blur before an immense force slammed into his stomach.
"Ugh—!"
He grunted. The pain doubled him over like a shrimp, his stomach churning as he pitched forward against his will.
At the same time, another man struck Er Lu in the ribs in almost exactly the same way. Er Lu collapsed stiffly to the ground without even managing to scream.
Only after the two had fallen did the man in fitted clothes step forward and crouch down. He felt the sides of their necks for their pulse and temperature, then lifted their eyelids to inspect their eyes.
"Their vitality's still strong enough. They'll do."
Another man had already deftly untied two rolls of coarse burlap from his waist. With practiced movements, he wrapped the unconscious Gouzi and Er Lu separately, leaving gaps around their noses and mouths for breathing, then quickly bound them with hemp rope.
"Boss, with these two, we've got all the bait for the southeast corner," the underling responsible for tying them up murmured.
The leader nodded and glanced at the sky.
The Blood Moon had risen to its zenith, its color growing darker and more viscous. Around the edge of the moon's disc, blood-red shapes seemed to writhe slowly.
"Perfect timing."
He stood and looked at the two tightly wrapped bundles on the ground. "Take them to the rendezvous point. At the first quarter of the zi hour, the offerings must be set out on time. If we ruin Sacrificial Priest Liu's great undertaking, none of us will get away with it."
Without another word, the four split into pairs and easily hoisted Dog Leftover and Er Lu onto their shoulders. Carrying them like two ordinary bundles of goods, they strode swiftly toward the outskirts of the city.
A short distance behind them, a palm-sized Paper Doll slid silently along the ground, keeping a steady distance from the four men.
Beyond the western gate of Linhe County lay the Mass Grave Mound.
Graves covered the area, and broken stone tablets leaned at crooked angles.
The men didn't stop. They skirted several collapsed burial pits and reached a relatively flat clearing.
Seven or eight other figures in fitted clothes and face coverings stood there in silence. In the middle of them lay five human-shaped bundles, likewise bound tightly in coarse burlap.
The four men carrying Gouzi and Er Lu hurried over and placed their bundles alongside the others.
The leader bowed to a black-clad man standing in the center with his hands behind his back. "Master Liu, we've got all the bait for the southeast corner."
The man called Master Liu also wore a face covering, leaving only a pair of narrow, sinister eyes exposed.
He looked at the two new bundles. "Have they been checked?"
"Yes. Their vitality is strong. They're excellent specimens," the leader replied respectfully.
Master Liu gave a slight nod, turned his gaze to the bizarre array inscribed in the center of the clearing, then looked up at the increasingly ominous Blood Moon. "What about the other locations?"
"Reporting to Master Liu: the main sacrificial offerings for the east, north, and west are all in place, twelve in total. The supporting sacrificial kindling is also being brought in. We'll have all three hundred and sixty-five gathered before the zi hour."
Another man beside him reported in a low voice.
"Kindling..." Master Liu repeated softly, his eyes utterly impassive, as if he wasn't talking about living people but actual firewood.
"The counties of Linhe, Qingshi, and Baisha are crawling with starving refugees. The authorities can barely look after themselves, and those so-called righteous sects are overwhelmed too. Heaven has handed us a golden opportunity."
He paused, and a feverish note of anticipation crept into his voice. "At the first quarter of the zi hour, when the Blood Moon is at its fullest, we'll use the blood and vitality of these three hundred and sixty-five kindling offerings to ignite the array and nourish it for three days. Once the array has completely linked with the killing intent in the earth's veins and spread across all three counties..."
One of the men beside him couldn't help asking in a low voice, "Master Liu, three days from now... will it really drain the vitality from all three counties?"
Master Liu gave a cold laugh. "Is that all you think it will drain? Once the array is fully activated, it will mercilessly draw in the vitality flowing through the earth's veins, the blood and vigor lying dormant in all things, and even the last spark of life that refugees release as they struggle on the brink of death.
"After three days of torment, with all living beings as kindling, what we'll finally condense will be the Vitality Creation Pill—a pill that can bring the dead back to life, restore flesh to bare bones, and help members of my Sacred Sect break through their bottlenecks!"
His gaze swept over the men standing silently around him. "You've all served diligently in this undertaking. Once it's done, each of you will be granted a sliver of that life-giving essence. Longer life and greater power will be yours."
At his words, a glint of fervor flashed in every eye. Together, they murmured, "We're ready to give our lives for the Sacred Sect! May Master Liu swiftly achieve divine mastery!"
Master Liu waved a hand in satisfaction. "Take your positions and prepare for the midnight ritual. Someone must keep watch over the array's core at all times. Don't make a mistake."
"Three days from now, our great fortune will descend!"
The Paper Doll lay still behind a toppled stone beast, relaying every word and sight back without missing a thing.
Through the Paper Doll, Chen Mo watched the enormous wicked array, and a chill rose in his heart.
They were using countless living beings across three counties as fuel, all to refine that so-called Vitality Creation Pill?
What a monstrous degree of madness!
The Paper Doll didn't dare linger. It was just about to retreat quietly when Master Liu suddenly seemed to sense something. His sinister gaze snapped toward the darkness at the edge of the Mass Grave Mound, and his brow furrowed.
"Seems like... there's a little bug?"
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