Chapter 15: Zhu Yan Modifies the Spell Formula on the Mask
Luxianbei followed the narrow path pointed out by the old woman, winding through the old village cottages, like the tentacles of some kind of monster, with numerous forks and cramped alleys.
In the distance, mournful music, reminiscent of that often heard in mourning halls but unnamed, floated in. The sound came and went intermittently, as if disturbed by a signal.
The burnt paper money lay in black ash, still with some sparks, yet the person who had burned the paper money was nowhere to be seen; it was unclear whether they had left or hidden in those dilapidated old houses.
Looking around, the alleys surrounded by dirty yellow mud walls or worn-out concrete walls twisted and turned, extending far without revealing their destination.
If a curious person ventured here, they might very well toss aside the old woman’s warning, dive into an alley, knock on a door, ask questions, and stir up a ruckus.
I am different. Even if some stunning strippers were placed in the alley, I wouldn’t be interested, Luxianbei thought, shrugging and continuing forward.
————
Ten minutes later, Luxianbei found the South Suburb Slaughterhouse nestled in the wilderness at the foot of the mountain.
The walls of the slaughterhouse were high, and peering over them, one could only see the faded blue tin roofs of the animal pens.
On the way, Luxianbei had briefly checked information about the South Suburb Slaughterhouse in the taxi; it wasn’t just simply a pig slaughterhouse but also had breeding projects, and they were quite successful.
According to a local news report from several years ago, the South Suburb Slaughterhouse seemed to employ some special feeding techniques, and even the year before it shut down due to an urban legend incident, it was still the annual winner of the “Huacheng Pig King.”
From a distance, looking at the buildings, Luxianbei frowned slightly and took out his phone to check the time.
14:24, just past two in the afternoon; there were no dark clouds in the sky, yet the light darkened inexplicably.
Strangely, only the vicinity of the South Suburb Slaughterhouse was filled with a heavy aura, while further away, it was still the perfect afternoon sunlight.
Such a “famous scenic spot,” which the Siye Society could only seal, must involve some scientifically unexplainable phenomena to live up to its reputation… Luxianbei shook his head lightly, following the terrain downhill to soon stand beneath the tall walls of the South Suburb Slaughterhouse.
Once inside, he realized how high the walls were, nearly four meters; standing at the base, it was impossible to see what was happening inside.
Observing closely, he also noticed that the wall was divided at more than two meters high, with the lower part noticeably darker in color and showing more severe weathering.
It looked like the upper part had been raised later.
Must be to prevent outsiders from stealing their pig-breeding techniques, thought Luxianbei.
He remembered a news article from his taxi search: four years ago, a competitor of the South Suburb Slaughterhouse had sent people here to steal their techniques, resulting in a d*ath.
As for how the d*ath occurred, the news article had no follow-up reports, seemingly trying to cover something up; the incident just faded away.
Luxianbei observed the ghostly place where he would be spending the night and took out his tools, beginning his work.
There were only five locations needing reinforcement at the South Suburb Slaughterhouse for the sealing; he just needed to find those five spots and replace the aging sealing stakes to complete the task.
As Jiang Li had said, this task didn’t require direct contact with urban legends, and there was no difficulty involved.
At least, it seemed that way on the surface.
According to the sealing structure diagram provided by the Siye Society, Luxianbei quickly found a locked manhole cover surrounded by a cluster of dry and yellowing weeds.
Taking out the key, he unlocked it, pried open the manhole cover, and climbed down a four- to five-meter-deep cellar. An overwhelming stench of animal urine hit him.
Suddenly, dazzling silver light illuminated the surroundings, followed by a gentle vibration of the d*ath-Owl Badge on Luxianbei’s chest, emitting a low hum, and the cellar returned to darkness.
It seemed that entering here without wearing the Siye Society’s badge could lead to immediate attack… hey, it really felt like grave robbing.
He had discussed with Jumeng how, as a student of Ancient Chinese at a polytechnic university, to combine technical and literary historical knowledge to find a suitable career.
And Jumeng’s answer was — grave robbing.
Thinking of Jumeng’s dead fish-like but infuriatingly cute expression, Luxianbei smiled slightly, gathered his focus, covered his mouth and nose with one hand, and surveyed the surroundings using the flashlight’s beam.
In the five-meter-square dim cellar, incantations were carved on the smooth stone walls, while at the depth of the cellar, a dark mound loomed.
Taking his gaze away, he rummaged through his jacket pocket to pull out a pair of black iron-colored twin lilies. Holding one up, he swung it around, quickly, one lily turned light blue while the other became light yellow.
Stowing the lilies back into his jacket pocket, Luxianbei pulled out a red-covered notebook with a silver d*ath-Owl imprint, compared it with the color chart above, and began to jot down notes.
【Spirit Energy Fluctuation Level: D~D+
Calamity Reaction: ≤0.01%
Normal.】
Finishing his data research, he tucked the notebook away, bit the flashlight in his mouth, held the “Operation Guidelines” in one hand, and took out a peach wood hammer from his backpack with the other, moving towards the mound at the back of the cellar, carefully pulling the short sealing stakes from the ground.
The moment he extracted the stakes, an odd feeling washed over him; he felt like something was fixating on him.
In the dark shadows of the cellar, it seemed like a pair of eyes were watching.
These eyes weren’t bright, nor murky; they were emotionless, not like human eyes, somewhat lacking in spirit because they were perpetually open, never having closed, occasionally blinking, but sluggishly.
This unsettling feeling made Luxianbei very uncomfortable; he frowned, turned away, and forced down his unease, quickly pulling out the short stakes buried in the mound, then took a brand new short stake from his waist, aimed it at the hole, and raised the peach wood hammer.
“DUANG——DUANG——DUANG——!”
After the modification by Ifrit’s spirit patterns, Luxianbei’s strength far exceeded that of normal humans; one by one, he skillfully drove all three short stakes into the mound.
The tips of the stakes emitted a faint glow, and a low hum reverberated through the air.
Seeing this, Luxianbei nodded slightly. According to the description in the “Operation Guidelines,” that was sufficient to reinforce the seal.
When he bent down to collect the aging sealing stakes on the ground, he noticed that the dark gaze fixing on him had vanished unnoticed.
Emerging from the cellar, he covered the manhole and locked it. Only then could Luxianbei examine the aging short stakes more carefully.
On the silver short stakes engraved with incantations, it looked as if something had eroded them, leaving tiny cracks and mottled black rust.
————
Luxianbei’s work at the South Suburb Slaughterhouse went smoothly; he took less than an hour to complete the reinforcement and research at four sealing locations.
However, as he arrived at the last sealing site, the unexpected occurred.
An accident had happened…
The manhole cover had been somehow damaged, shattered into several pieces and discarded in the weeds, from which thick stench emanated from the dark cellar.
Luxianbei stared expressionlessly at the hole for a moment before raising his hand to unleash a Red Flame Flash.
As he mentally recited the incantation and directed his hands toward the manhole, crimson flames sprang up at his fingertips, rapidly expanding to a visible size, getting larger and larger, and larger…
What the hell! What’s going on? I just wanted to cast a small skill to probe the way, how did I accidentally activate a major spell? What now?
Under normal circumstances, the fire generated by the Red Flame Flash would only be the size of a palm.
And in the moment Luxianbei was stunned by the unexpected turn, the fireball at his fingertips had already grown enough to cover the entire opening of the manhole, then with a loud “whoosh!” it shot out.
Amplified two or three times, the Red Flame Flash, carrying violent energy, erupted in the cellar with a “bang!”, shaking the ground as if a small earthquake occurred.
“…”
A buzzing sound filled his ears; Luxianbei, covered in the black smoke that shot up from the cellar, sat on the ground, staring blankly at the manhole for a few seconds before swallowing hard, dragging his somewhat fatigued body after a significant spirit energy drain, and crawled back down into the cellar.
With such a huge fireball exploding inside, even if there were urban legends hiding, they should have been half-decimated.
Is this the amplification of the spell?
I’m dead!
Luxianbei felt secretly delighted, momentarily forgetting that his spell amplification still had a limit of 0.01 times.
————
The black smoke still lingered in the cellar as Luxianbei nodded while holding his hand and looking around, and upon finding that the stone walls had only been blackened and not damaged, he walked towards the mound deep in the cellar.
Approaching the mound, he noticed that the originally three sealing short stakes had been pulled out two, leaving only one, which was also corroded and blackened.
Frowning, he took out the twin lilies from his pocket, and in an instant, the two flowers changed to deep blue and orange-yellow, respectively.
Looks like the spirit energy leakage is quite serious!
However, this situation still falls within a relatively safe range.
Luxianbei muttered, took out his notebook, and wrote down notes.
【Spirit Energy Fluctuation Level: C~C+
Calamity Reaction: ≤0.02%
Unstable.】
“Cough cough——!”
After finishing the record, Luxianbei coughed lightly, bent down, and was about to pull out the remaining short stake when he sensed that peculiar gaze again.
It was unblinking, watching his every move and thought.
It felt as if it were hiding in a place unreachable by humans, a sensation reminiscent of stars in the sky, but while stars hung in the distant night sky, this pair of eyes seemed to be right behind him.
Let them watch then; peeping won’t cost them anything.
Moreover, with me being as handsome as I am, there are plenty of people who glance at me on the street; who do they think they are?!
As if encouraging himself, Luxianbei muttered a few words in his heart, grasped the short stake tightly, exerting force to pull it out, and then took out the last three new stakes, stuffing them into the hole, and raised the peach wood hammer to strike down hard.
“Puff——!”
When the hammer struck down, the anticipated sound didn’t come; instead, there was a muffled noise, like something fleshy being pierced.
The feeling was soft, as if there were a mass of flesh hidden within the mound.
Thanks to the flashlight’s beam, Luxianbei saw dark red bl**d oozing from the stakes and cracks in the ground, a wave of rotten bl**d smell instantly rushing into his nostrils.
Then, the mound began to squirm, with tiny bits of soil rolling off its surface, as if some creature were about to break through the ground.
Seeing this, Luxianbei fluttered for a moment, his gaze sharpening as he raised the peach wood hammer and forcefully drove the remaining two stakes deep into the soil.
“Puff——puff——!”
With two light sounds, the foul bl**d splattered all over him, and the mound trembled twice before falling silent.
————
A moment later, in front of the South Suburb Slaughterhouse.
While scrubbing the foul-smelling bl**d from himself, Luxianbei called Jiang Li.
“Beep—beep—!”
After a few busy signals, a cold yet strangely pleasant voice reached his ears.
“Hello? Luxianbei? Have you completed your task?”
“Completed. Such a simple task is no big deal for me,” Luxianbei replied.
At this point, he paused, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately decided to temporarily conceal the incident regarding the seal being damaged.
He would still have to spend the entire night here! For safety, he needed to deal with the urban legend situation before reporting anything.
But if he reported now that the seal had been compromised, the Siye Society could arrive at any time.
What if he encountered those four unlucky souls he’d never met while trying to get checked, and the Siye Society’s personnel barged in? How would he explain that?
Surely, he couldn’t say he came here at night to play mahjong? That would add another person to the mix! Luxianbei thought.
Noticing Luxianbei had fallen silent for a considerable time, Jiang Li inquired, “Luxianbei? Is there something going on?”
“Ah, um… no, I was just wondering if there’s a bonus for completing this task; if it’s a decent amount, I should consider a few transactions,” he replied.
“……” Jiang Li was silent for a few seconds before saying lightly, “If nothing’s wrong, just come back early.”
After saying that, she hung up.
Luxianbei put away his phone, turned to glance once more at the door of the South Suburb Slaughterhouse, feeling as if something was watching him in the shadows behind the door, blinking darkly, and as he looked over, it quickly vanished.
————
The South Suburb area was already far from the city, and combined with the gruesome stories about the South Suburb Slaughterhouse, it was even more difficult to catch a ride nearby in the afternoon.
While Luxianbei stood by the roadside waiting for the Didi driver to arrive from afar, he encountered a peculiar man.
The man wore a dark fisherman’s hat, pulled low to shadow half his face, dressed in black clothes and pants, with his coat unzipped halfway, revealing thick bandages wrapped around his shoulder, which were slightly stained with bl**d.
He carried a large backpack slung over one shoulder, stuffed to the brim.
When the man spotted Luxianbei, he seemed to have completely overlooked him, glancing left and right briefly before hurriedly making his way toward the South Suburb Slaughterhouse.
Initially, Luxianbei didn’t think much of the suspecting man until he withdrew his gaze, prepared to lower his head to continue playing on his phone, when a strange thought flickered in his mind.
【He’s secretly watching you.】
Have I recently become more attractive? Why do they all seem to love sneaking glances at me… Luxianbei was taken aback, abruptly turning to look back, his gaze colliding with the man’s scrutinizing look.
As their eyes briefly met, panic and confusion flickered across the man’s pale face; he shivered slightly, confusion evident as he quickly averted his gaze, and hurriedly dashed into the dilapidated cottages, disappearing from sight.
Luxianbei, “…”
Was he planning to go to the South Suburb Slaughterhouse?
Could it be he’s also one of those who will be reviewed tonight?
Why is he here so early?
Confused, Luxianbei thought, and before he could conclude anything, a family car pulled up next to him, the driver rolling down the window and calling out, “You must be [Bai Xiaohua’s wife], right?”
Luxianbei, “…”
Though he wasn’t very willing to admit it, he still nodded and got in the car.
I’ll change my ID sooner or later! Sitting in the car, Luxianbei thought secretly.
……
In the evening, at the Amber Hall.
The cool and poised girl sat in a wheelchair, facing the massive floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the sunset dipping below the horizon. The bl**d-red glow bathed her long hair in a layer of red.
Moments later, a door creaked open behind her as the little maid Ahua approached with a rectangular brass box.
“Miss, the new prosthetic has arrived. Fat Second Grandpa from the Ghost Market said that wearing this alchemical prosthetic will make you indistinguishable from ordinary people.”
“Mm.” Jiang Li nodded, turning her wheelchair to face Ahua, smiling gently, “What about the other matter? Didn’t you say you encountered a girl selling [Zhu Yan’s Modified Spell Locking Mask] last time? Did you manage to buy it this time?”
“I did get it, but Miss…” Ahua scratched her cheek in confusion, “Is it really necessary to disguise yourself?”
Jiang Li shook her head slightly, smiling gently, “This time, there are actually five reviewers in that urban legends chat group!”
“If you think about it, anyone brave enough to participate in such a review will have some ability, and many spirit ability users in Huacheng recognize me.”
“Ahua, what if an operative of the Siye Society goes to participate in an event suspected of being a urban legend organization, and is recognized? It would definitely cause a lot of trouble.”
“I understand, Miss.” Ahua nodded and opened the brass box, taking out the mask.
Seeing the deformed and low-quality plastic mask in Ahua’s hand, Jiang Li’s mouth twitched slightly.
It was the first time she had seen someone sealing spells in such a ridiculous object.
Jiang Li took the mask from Ahua and put it on her face. Unlocking her phone, she opened the browser, typed “girl,” clicked on the image search, randomly opened a picture, looked at it several times, embedded the girl’s appearance in her mind, and infused the mask with spirit energy.
At the moment the spirit energy was injected, the plastic mask suddenly melted, adhering closely to Jiang Li’s face, then swiftly wriggled, morphed, and extended… Within a few breaths, her appearance transformed into a slightly cheeky black-skinned blonde beauty.
She glanced at the mirror that Ahua brought, nodding in satisfaction, “Looks good, the quality seems alright, but I wonder how many times it can be used.”
As she spoke, she looked up at Ahua, grinning widely, revealing a “nuclear evil” smile.
Ahua suddenly recalled her childhood shadow of being robbed and bullied by troublesome girls, shivering slightly, and coming back to her senses scolded, “Miss, what are you doing!? That smile is terrifying.”
Jiang Li tilted her head in confusion, “Terrifying? I thought I was practicing a polite smile after talking to Li Xuan for a long time for this disguise?”
“Was that merely practice?”
“Right.” Jiang Li nodded seriously.
Ahua, “……”
I thought you were still threatening him over Luxianbei’s matter.
