As the last elder drew the soul-鎮魂符 on himself and uttered those words, the shadow puppet box seemed to have exhausted its strength, its hazy glow dissipating.
Zhang Wei fell silent, his gaze shifting as he watched Grandpa Tang before him.
He knew that the little boy revealed in the shadow puppet box's light was the present Grandpa Tang, and he finally understood the purpose behind his actions.
Logically.
He sympathized with and supported Grandpa Tang's desire to pass down the shadow puppet art.
But legally.
He could not condone his act of killing to borrow life.
Even though he had seen through the light that they were indeed the bad people Grandpa Tang described, even calling them bad to the bone wouldn't be an exaggeration. One of them had abandoned his wife and daughters of ten years for a mistress, while another, after asking his grandmother for 1,000 yuan, was only given 100, and as a result, he had beaten his grandmother to death.
Thinking of this.
Zhang Wei crouched down, helped up the kowtowing Grandpa Tang, and said slowly:
"Old man, no matter what, you killed someone and broke the law. You must face legal judgment, but I also know that you did this out of desperation to prevent the shadow puppet art from disappearing."
"Surrender yourself. The law shows no mercy, but it also has compassion. I will speak to the Wei Dao Si about your case."
As he spoke.
Zhang Wei seemed to sense something and looked back behind him.
He saw Lu Lianxue and Lin Tong approaching from a distance.
Seeing the bleeding wound on the elder's forehead in front of Zhang Wei, Lu Lianxue and the others were taken aback at first, but after Zhang Wei's explanation, they quickly understood the truth of the matter and learned about the old man's situation.
"Alas, I will mention this to the Wei Dao Si."
Lin Tong looked at Tang Pi, who had already kowtowed and bled profusely, and had fainted, with a complex expression.
After speaking.
He couldn't help but glance at the shadow puppet box, his admiration evident.
"I always thought that spirits residing in objects were just folk tales, but I never expected they truly existed. I will report this matter as well."
As a captain-level officer in the Wei Dao Si, Lin Tong understood very well what it meant for objects to have spirits, and even more so, that for an object to develop sentience, it required extremely harsh conditions. Judging by the gentle intelligence of the shadow puppet box, it couldn't be a malevolent spirit. How could someone who nurtured such a spirit be utterly wicked?
Lu Lianxue also had a complex expression. As she watched the old man being taken into the ambulance, seeing the tears of pleading still lingering in the corner of his eyes, she couldn't help but ask Zhang Wei:
"Zhang Wei, do you think the old man can find a successor in his final moments?"
She had already learned from Zhang Wei that this shadow puppet artist only resorted to borrowing life when his own lifespan was nearing its end. Now that he had committed another crime, his lifespan was even shorter, and he likely wouldn't live for many more days.
In response.
Zhang Wei shook his head and said:
"It's very difficult."
He hadn't found anyone in all these years, and now he only had a few days left to search. It was highly unlikely he would find someone, especially with the murder charge hanging over him.
Thinking of this.
Zhang Wei spoke frankly:
"Unless the old man dies and becomes a ghost to continue searching for a successor. But I suspect that if he searches like this, he might scare a few people to death before finding anyone. Even if he does become a ghost and finds someone, it would be difficult to teach them."
Lu Lianxue understood Zhang Wei's meaning. The forbidden art of extending life through the five elements came with a price, let alone using it multiple times. Now, he was burdened with karmic retribution, and even as a ghost, this retribution would remain. It was similar to the situation with Old Master Qiu back then; ordinary people who got close to him, without assistance to suppress it, would suffer.
With karmic retribution, especially forbidden karmic retribution, it was not easy to suppress.
Zhang Wei patted Lu Lianxue's shoulder:
"Don't think about it anymore. Let the Wei Dao Si handle it."
...
In the following two days.
The Wei Dao Si received news about Tang Pi's case. For this matter, the审理 team had a heated debate, and no one knew what conclusion they reached.
Until the third day.
Xiamen City, Wei Dao Si temporary detention center.
Zhang Wei and Lu Lianxue visited Tang Pi as scheduled. They could see that Tang Pi's lifespan was nearing its end; his hair was even whiter than before, his complexion more aged, and the side effects of borrowing life had manifested, making him look like an old man on the verge of death.
However, even so, he still did not forget to wipe down the shadow puppets in the shadow puppet box.
"Has my sentence been decided yet?"
As he wiped, he asked again. He knew his time was running out and wanted to know the result as soon as possible, just hoping for one more day to search for a successor.
As he spoke.
Zhang Wei and the other were about to reply when they heard the door open, and a voice came from the doorway.
Looking closely.
Zhang Wei's expression slightly changed:
"Mr. Wang?"
Three people entered through the doorway, all of whom Zhang Wei recognized: Captain Lin Tong, Cao Yushan, one of the heads of the Wei Dao Si for the Fujian region, and an elder who was respectfully escorted by the other two – Mr. Wang De.
"Mr. Zhang Wei, we meet again."
Mr. Wang also saw Zhang Wei and waved at him with a smile.
"Mr. Wang, why have you come?"
Zhang Wei quickly stood up to greet him, vaguely guessing the reason for Mr. Wang's arrival.
As expected.
Mr. Wang looked over with a smile:
"I was having tea with a friend yesterday and heard a bit about what happened, so I came over. By the way, where is Tang Pi?"
He said this while scanning the surroundings and soon found Tang Pi, who was being held in the detention room.
Seeing this.
He walked towards Tang Pi and, after Lin Tong opened the door, walked straight in.
Watching the two elders meet.
Zhang Wei looked at Cao Yushan and Lin Tong with some confusion. Under Cao Yushan's wry smile, he learned what had happened.
It turned out that yesterday, Mr. Wang was having tea with the friend who had given him the badge, and he unexpectedly learned from his friend that the Wei Dao Si审理 team was arguing fiercely about Grandpa Tang's case. Mr. Wang then made the decision on the spot to come.
As Cao Yushan said this, his expression was complex:
"As you know, Mr. Wang was a soldier, and Tang Pi also served in the army, wasn't he? He was in the cultural troupe responsible for performing shadow puppet plays. According to Mr. Wang, he had seen Tang Pi and his troupe leader perform."
As he spoke.
Zhang Wei and the others were surprised.
But before they could express their surprise, Zhang Wei frowned and said:
"Mr. Cao, Mr. Wang's visit to the old man should not be solely because he saw his shadow puppet performance, right?"
He wasn't foolish. Mr. Wang had only seen Tang Pi's shadow puppet performance once; there was no need for him to travel all this way by plane.
Indeed.
At Zhang Wei's question, Cao Yushan sighed and nodded with a complex expression:
"Mr. Wang is not just here to see Tang Pi, he is..."
"No!! Absolutely not!!!"
Before the words could be spoken, a voice suddenly came from Grandpa Tang's room. It was Grandpa Tang's shout.
Grandpa Tang, his weakness gone, used all his strength and shouted hoarsely at Mr. Wang:
"My life is worthless, but yours is different!! Leave! I won't look for a shadow puppet successor anymore!!"