At this moment, all the paper figures in the entire room came alive.
Those paper figures wore ferocious and fierce expressions.
Though they made no sound, they all raised their paper hands and lunged at us.
Wu Jing, terrified, retreated to a corner, filled with dread…
I held a peach wood sword, slashing left and right with ruthless strikes.
Each sword stroke could overturn a paper figure.
Old Mo wielded a pair of peach wood axes with broad, sweeping movements.
With "crackling" sounds, he chopped at the heads of the paper figures.
Although there were many paper figures here, their strength was not significant.
In the blink of an eye, a large number fell, transforming into waves of green ghost fire
That burned with a "crackling" sound throughout the room.
Old Mo and I, one on each side, cut down all the dozen or so paper figures in a flash.
During this time, Old Mo and I both discovered.
That the heads of these paper figures were adorned with black talismans.
As soon as the paper figures' heads were broken, these black talismans would burn, emitting wisps of black smoke.
Following this, the paper figures would be reduced to nothing by the netherworld fire.
These paper figures were not alive; they were all controlled puppets.
This was the art of puppetry…
When I struck down the last paper figure in the room, the room was already filled with paper ash.
Still, the old ghost was nowhere to be seen:
"Old Mo, that old ghost isn't here," I said coldly.
"This old fellow is really good at hiding. If he's not in this room, he must be in one of the other two," Old Mo grumbled fiercely.
I nodded and started walking towards the exit.
But as soon as we stepped out, we froze.
The corridor was now densely packed with paper figures.
These paper figures, with their eyes wide open, tilted their heads and stared motionlessly at us.
Seeing these paper figures, I felt no fear, only a darkening of my expression:
"It seems this old ghost still wants to fight us a few rounds!"
"Him? No matter how many paper figures show up today, we'll tear them all apart," Old Mo said dismissively.
With that, he hefted his axes and charged towards the pile of paper figures on the other side of the corridor.
Seeing Old Mo make a move, the paper figures also pounced.
There were no roars or growls, only the "sizzling" sound of paper rubbing against paper.
As Old Mo charged forward, he let out several shouts:
"Sweep the Thousand Armies, White Crane Spreads Its Wings, Snake Form Follows, Dragon Form Pierces Hand…"
Old Mo roared with such passion, and though he was a bit chuunibyou, he was truly brave when dealing with Yin-corrupted spirits.
Facing these paper figures, I didn't even need to act.
Old Mo had already torn apart all the paper figures in the corridor…
Old Mo fought with increasing fervor, even getting excited.
It was like harvesting leeks; the paper figures fell one after another, offering no resistance.
Because the corridor was narrow, I followed behind him, occasionally finishing off a stray, and keeping watch.
Soon, all the paper figures on the entire floor were cleared by us, not a single one left.
Apart from a pile of thoroughly burned paper ash, the old ghost was still nowhere to be found.
"Damn it, we've killed all the paper figures. How can we still not find that old ghost?" Old Mo frowned.
He looked at the pointer of the Sha-tracking Compass in his hand; the needle indicated that the source of the malevolent energy was still within this building.
I stared at the Sha-tracking Compass, then looked at this netherworld corridor:
"If that ghost is still here, he can only be on the rooftop. Let's go take a look!"
With that, I grabbed my peach wood sword and ran towards the rooftop.
Old Mo grunted and quickly followed.
"Wait, Daoist priests, wait for me…" Wu Jing shouted.
Only by staying close to us could he feel a sense of security.
Soon, I passed through the dim staircase.
I kicked open the rooftop door with a single kick and arrived on the roof.
As soon as I got there, I saw a white and green paper figure standing rigidly not far away on the rooftop.
The paper figure emanated waves of chilling aura, and faintly, a trace of malevolent energy flowed out.
It was clearly very different from the paper figures we had encountered before.
It could be confirmed that this was the Qing Dynasty old ghost we were looking for.
"You really made us search hard!" I said calmly, looking at him.
Old Mo and Wu Jing also ascended to the rooftop.
The white paper figure looked at us, its expression also sinking.
Then it spoke in the voice of the old ghost:
"Daoist priests, leave a line for people, so you can meet again in the future."
"Hmph, well said. Did you leave a line for your living gamblers?" I retorted coldly.
If Wu Jing hadn't found us, he would have died tonight.
He would have become one of the ghost slaves in this Lucky Fortune Mahjong Hall.
Letting him go? A fool's dream.
Meeting again? Meet his ass…
"So, you insist on pursuing this to the bitter end?" the Qing Dynasty old ghost spoke again.
Old Mo was dismissive and replied directly:
"Nonsense, why else would we go through all this trouble? Tell us! Whose incense offerings are below? Explain it clearly, and we'll make your death less painful. Otherwise, you'll die miserably!"
As he spoke, Old Mo's chuunibyou aura vanished, and his gaze became sharp.
The Qing Dynasty old ghost felt the powerful cultivation emanating from Old Mo, knowing he was no match.
Fighting me and Old Mo to the death would be no different from seeking death.
Neither Old Mo nor I rushed to make a move.
It wasn't out of fear.
It was because we felt there might be another secret behind this old ghost.
Who set up that ancestral tablet?
Who lit that strange black incense?
Who stuck those black talismans in the heads of the paper figures?
This wasn't something a single ghost could do.
Furthermore, this ghost's cultivation was not high.
Yet, he could create so many paper figure puppets and set up such a life-and-death casino.
I suspected he had backing…
Since we were here, we had to cut the weeds and remove the roots.
We couldn't leave behind any trouble that would cause us problems later.
Under our threat, the Qing Dynasty old ghost knew that if he didn't reveal something, he would surely die.
In his desperation, he spoke again:
"Daoist priests, although this minor ghost's cultivation is not high, I have wandered the human realm for a hundred years. I am now operating this gambling house under orders."
After speaking, he cupped his fists, showing respect to the person behind him.
Old Mo and I also narrowed our eyes slightly.
Our guess was correct; this old ghost did have backing.
This life-and-death gambling house was not as simple as it appeared…
"Heh! So, the one behind you has quite a background?" I asked coldly, with a half-smile.
Hearing this, the Qing Dynasty old ghost's expression turned serious, and he continued:
"My master is immensely powerful, beyond your ability to provoke. If you, Daoist priests, show magnanimity and spare this minor ghost, this minor ghost will leave this place and mend his ways. I will never appear before you Daoist priests again. Furthermore, I will remember your kindness and send you a Human Vitality Yang Longevity Pill. It will extend your lives by three years as a gift to express my gratitude. However, if you kill this minor ghost, you Daoist priests will gain nothing. My master will surely find you Daoist priests and cause you trouble. It might even bring disaster to your families. Daoist priests, this minor ghost speaks the truth and stands by his word. Tonight, I only seek to live. I implore your great kindness, Daoist priests, to spare this minor ghost. From tonight onwards, I will absolutely not appear before you Daoist priests. Nor will I act recklessly in Qing City, operating this life-and-death casino and engaging in this trade of lifespan. But if you Daoist priests insist, this minor ghost can only fight you to the death. I only seek to live…"