Chapter 88: I Heard You’re a Doctor?
The yard hosting the funeral was huge — the only three-story building in the village. The walls were draped with white cloth wreaths, and at the entrance stood several spirit-calling banners swaying with the cold wind. Who knows what they were summoning? Only evil ghosts could appear in this village; regular souls wouldn’t dare show themselves.
A few joss paper notes were lifted by the wind, spinning around before falling, and one of them ended up floating toward Bai Yu, whether by accident or design.
Bai Yu lifted Zhao Mingyue’s hand, which looked like a ghost claw wrapped in bl**d threads, caught the joss paper, then flicked it away, watching it twirl and vanish into the night.
“Is this the evil intention of a god?”
Half-squatting on the chimney behind the three-story building, Bai Yu observed the funeral from a distance.
There were definitely living people inside this building, and quite a few: at least a dozen were moving around.
The decorations for the funeral, as well as the lights and spirit-calling banners in the yard, had been arranged by these people. After opening the main gate, they all returned to the spirit hall, dressed in mourning clothes to keep vigil.
From Bai Yu’s vantage point, she could see the big black coffin and the portrait displayed in the spirit hall. She was certain the old lady in the portrait was the same one they had seen when she and Zhao Mingyue arrived.
But here’s the kicker: since the old lady had already been carted away during the day, coffin and all, what was this coffin doing in the spirit hall?
They’ve sent everyone away, so who exactly are these folks keeping vigil for?
Of course, that wasn’t the main focus. The highlight was the “guests” in the yard.
The place was packed with people of all ages, bustling with energy, but upon closer inspection, you’d notice something amiss.
With so many “people” at a funeral, it was way too quiet.
Bai Yu wondered what these wax corpses were up to. Were they really just here to keep vigil?
“The one sent off during the day must not have been a body, but the old lady’s ghost. She’s turned into an evil ghost! Are these wax corpses here to keep her from returning, or do they have ulterior motives?”
“Every household has evil god talismans plastered on their doors; they’re definitely not to ward off wax corpses.”
“What if those talismans are to protect against evil ghosts instead?”
Bai Yu was piecing together this sparse information.
Watching the happenings at the funeral, once the wax corpses had congregated and stood still, the mourners inside the house began to take action. They stripped off their mourning attire and upper clothing, going shirtless.
Their backs were already covered in talismans, featuring symbols representing ears.
After gathering, the group began chanting, clearly defining their roles. They moved the offerings in front of the coffin, replacing them with items from the house.
Compared to the chicken and rice earlier, the new offerings were quite different.
Bai Yu saw a pair of eyeballs, a heart, a pair of ears, and a mouth, all contained in black porcelain bowls set at each corner of the coffin. Then they pulled out rotting animal innards, hair tied with red string, a bowl of mysterious black liquid, and a dead snake.
Clearly, these weren’t offerings for the corpse in the coffin. If all goes as expected, they were for the evil god, invoking its will.
After arranging the offerings, the mourners prostrated before the coffin. The leader kicked over the burning joss paper pot, and a few others teamed up to open the coffin lid.
At this point, Bai Yu was pretty darn sure about her deductions.
If she was right, the next step would be summoning the evil god’s will to encase the corpse in wax. That’s when the old lady’s evil ghost might return to cause trouble, and these wax corpses and the evil god were her biggest hurdles.
Perhaps the old lady’s ghost was among the offerings too. Only by dealing with her could the wax corpse be considered a success.
It certainly suited the evil god’s interests. A vengeful ghost would be excellent nourishment for them, a key to becoming stronger.
Just as Bai Yu pondered when to strike, the funeral suddenly took a dramatic turn.
As the ritual hit its peak, the old lady’s corpse in the coffin suddenly flew out, landing hard on the ground, toppling the offerings beside the coffin.
From within the coffin came a woman’s voice.
“d*mn it! Shut the hell up! What kind of ghostly nonsense is buzzing in my ear? You want me to roll out, huh? Not a chance!”
An even weirder scene unfolded than the funeral itself.
Inside the coffin, where the old lady’s body was supposed to be, a blonde woman sat up, cursing up a storm.
With an air of calm, she got up and brushed herself off.
“Why bother with these lonely souls? You’d be better off following me. You’ll be stuck in this mountain hollow for the rest of your life, got it?”
“And quit yapping at me!” She kicked a mournful person in the face, deftly using their body to boost herself out of the coffin.
The blonde whipped her hair back, pulling out a rubber band from who-knows-where and skillfully tying her hair into a ponytail.
“Now that I’m here, when your believers summon you, it’ll be for me specifically.”
Puff!
Two mourners had their throats slashed by the blonde, and the surrounding folks didn’t even see her move.
“I’ve been hiding for so long because I lacked power, but that’s about to change. Collaborating is the smart move — or you should be thankful that I found you first.”
She stabbed a believer rushing at her right in the eye, then kicked another away.
Seemingly by accident, but not really, she crushed the porcelain bowl containing the ears with a stomp, grinding the already rotting ears into mush.
After tossing aside the bodies, the blonde took a few steps forward, feigning retreat when a man charged at her, even tripping over herself.
“What are you scared of, huh?”
Flames ignited at her fingertips, her palm sharpened like a blade, slicing the man’s throat, the fire erupting upon touching bl**d, consuming him entirely.
“Anyone else want to chat? Step up!”
The kn*fe twirled in her hand as she took a step back. The onlookers were on edge, her gaze sweeping over the wax corpses, landing briefly on Bai Yu.
“The ceremony has started; why not come out now? We might have a civil conversation.”
“Fire Demon, your words still sting like before.”
Bang!
Two wax corpses were sent flying, and from among them emerged a woman cloaked in ragged strips of cloth, clearly someone who had blended into the wax figure crowd.
The shredded strips weren’t the issue — she had tried wearing the wax corpse skin but found that the flesh crumbled like stone upon contact, so she opted instead to embrace the curse, wrapping it around herself while keeping it in check.
In doing so, she became one of Ping Shan Village’s “own” and didn’t waste time hiding anymore.
As for the curse’s power, who cared?
Clutching a spiked axe, the short-haired woman stepped forward, facing the Fire Demon at a safe distance.
“Let’s split the gains. We grab the power and take out anyone else who shows up. I suspect there’s more than one evil god lurking here, so let’s gobble it all up later.”
It was still early in the game; accumulating power at this stage was crucial. Failing to act would let others gain momentum first and get ahead, and being behind meant d*ath.
“Fair enough, but I need to know who you are first,” replied the Fire Demon, putting away her kn*fe but grinning wider.
“I am… a doctor.” The short-haired woman returned the smile.
“The axe-wielding doctor?” The Fire Demon’s face darkened; the previously sheathed kn*fe was back in her hand, flame flickering up the blade as she lunged toward the woman’s throat.
“Hahaha, relax, sister! Just kidding!” The short-haired woman dodged easily, “Scorpion, want to take care of our guest?”
In an instant, the Fire Demon’s kn*fe aimed for the woman’s throat, only for her face to return to a smile. “Fine.”
Nearby, Bai Yu glared coldly at the two. She condensed the bl**d threads in her hand into a long kn*fe and leaped off the rooftop, blade pointing to the ground, slowly advancing towards the funeral yard.
The long kn*fe whirled, decapitating wax corpses left and right, slicing a path through to the yard, with a sizable pile of wax corpses slumped behind her.
“What’s your name?” Scorpion asked, retreating a few steps to stand beside the Fire Demon.
Behind the mask, Bai Yu’s expression didn’t shift. Just holding the kn*fe, she stood still, exuding a pressure that made it hard to breathe, even before any blows were exchanged.
The silver mask and long leather coat combined with that sharp aura and long kn*fe made her a formidable presence.
Scorpion and the Fire Demon sensed already that they had a bad feeling about this.
Clang!
The bl**d-thread kn*fe shot out, and Bai Yu controlled Zhao Mingyue’s body to step forward, almost mirroring the speed of the kn*fe’s trajectory.
As the crimson blade approached, Scorpion’s pupils constricted — it was too fast; she could barely raise her hands to block it.
Just as she managed to deflect the blade, Bai Yu’s foot landed.
With one kick, Scorpion was sent flying while Bai Yu advanced upon the Fire Demon, the blade cutting through the air with a chilling wail, drawing a flash of bl**d across the Fire Demon’s throat, slicing through her short kn*fe, causing sparks to fly.
A jab to her abdomen delivered by Bai Yu broke through her body as the kn*fe turned, but with the close distance, she could only swing the handle of her blade heavily toward the Fire Demon’s face.
Quick on her feet, the Fire Demon endured the punch and grabbed the blade’s handle with her hand.
Boom! The flames erupted as the bl**d piercer stabbed through her hand, but instinctively leaning back saved her head from being pierced.
Bai Yu staggered back, glancing at her right hand, which bore the scars.
Charred bl**d-thread shells peeled off, replaced by new layers.
Compared to the Fire Demon’s injuries, hers barely counted as minor.
Axe crashing down from above with great force.
As Bai Yu evaded, a steel spike shot in to predict her movements.
This strike didn’t need to inflict serious harm – just nicking her would ignite the poison hidden inside.
The long kn*fe sliced at an awkward angle, severing the steel spike, revealing the odorless, colorless toxin that fizzled on the ground.
With one failed strike, dozens of steel needles flew toward her from various angles.
Bai Yu stepped back, the long kn*fe slashing through all steel needles, effortlessly maintaining the upper hand while still holding back.
“Hehehe, it’s been a while, Doctor.” The Fire Demon sealed her wound with flames; while it hurt, at least there’d be no bloodflow — a massive concern during battle.
“Do you really consider this kind of evil god worth your time?”
Bai Yu said nothing and noticed a couple of heads from the wax corpses by her feet. She moved her leg to kick their heads towards the duo.
Then she raised her hand and sliced through with several strokes; the bl**d-thread kn*fe flew out, dividing into hundreds of smaller blades that sealed off every escape route for the two.
She cleaved the wax corpse’s head open and quickly found her myriad of kn*fe blades had already arrived before her.
Even someone as experienced as Scorpion couldn’t help but mutter a curse while quickly resorting to her trump card.
She tossed out something that, once the kn*fe blades shred it, released a colorless, odorless toxic mist that completely obliterated the bl**d-thread blades.
Her long leather coat whipped forward, sending the mist scattering.
Suddenly, she hesitated, planting her weight on her left foot, twisting her body to swing her right foot to kick away the incoming axe.
With the axe veering off uncontrollably, Scorpion tried to steady herself but it was already too late.
The blade tore through the air, and with a thud, the severed, bloodied hand flew into the air, still gripping the axe.
“Whoa! So fast!” Scorpion was in disbelief.
Bai Yu stepped forward, this time anchoring her weight on her right foot, her left leg kicking upward aiming for Scorpion’s chin.
Like a reflex, both Scorpion and the Fire Demon raised their hands to block their chins, leaning back.
Bai Yu’s foot nearly brushed against Scorpion’s chin, but the bl**d-thread blade cut into a bit of flesh.
In that instant, Scorpion felt something.
At her chin, bl**d-thread began to grow wildly, blossoming into a bloody lotus that stripped away chunks of flesh.
Scorpion was still just a regular person at heart, albeit a bit tougher than average; the pain from her injury was beyond what her willpower could endure.
The blade sliced through her throat, a spray of bl**d erupting.
Scorpion staggered back two steps, disbelief washing over her face, and just before her consciousness faded, she felt a wave of relief.
Was this the end of her suffering?
Truly deserving of the title “Doctor.”
The long kn*fe vanished from Bai Yu’s hand as she ignored the Fire Demon entirely, turning right around to leave.
As the Fire Demon watched Bai Yu walk away, she touched her chin.
Not stepping in to save anyone moments ago was mainly because she caught Bai Yu’s gaze; she understood Bai Yu’s intentions.
“Does that mean I have your trust…?”
She didn’t understand why the Doctor didn’t k*ll her, but the feeling of being given a second chance was genuinely nice.
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Vote, please, sob sob sob.
