"Found it?" Fang Huixin asked with a hint of excitement.
The paper artisan shook his head, remaining silent. Instead, he took out another piece of yellow paper, this one appearing somewhat old, clearly made from aged paper.
This type of yellow paper has another name: offering paper, used specifically for venerating the founding ancestors. Generally, the longer this paper has been offered, the better its effect. My master’s soul-seeking talismans were made with this kind of paper.
This time, his expression was grave. He first paid respects to the four directions, then lit a stick of incense. He quickly cut out another paper figure. He still did not give the paper figure eyes, but he touched the apex of its forehead, the celestial eye position, with the tip of the incense. It looked as if it had a third eye.
"Go!"
With the paper artisan's command, the paper figure leaped from his hand and landed on the ground with a "thump." It felt as if it wasn't a paper figure but a real person that had jumped from his hand.
After landing, the paper figure glanced at Li Zuoquan's corpse, then hopped towards the cave. Its speed was astonishing, and in the blink of an eye, it had rushed into the cave. The paper artisan quickly followed.
Fang Huixin was somewhat stunned by the scene. She wanted to follow but was also a little scared. Seeing me looking at her, her face flushed, and she said sternly, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and follow." With a stomp of her foot, she gritted her teeth and followed.
Watching them walk into the cave one after another, I looked at Zhang Dabiao in surprise. "What are they doing? Are they trying to find Li Zuoquan's wandering soul?"
Zhang Dabiao shook his head, replying with some uncertainty, "It looks like it, but also not quite. Li Zuoquan's wandering soul was already collected by Fang the Taoist. It's not that easy to find. Let's not worry about it for now; let's just follow and see."
I don't know what the paper artisan saw. By the time we reached the cave entrance, he had already rushed inside, leaving Fang Huixin lingering at the entrance, her face etched with worry.
Seeing her pacing back and forth, I curiously asked, "Why didn't you go in?"
Fang Huixin snorted coldly, "It's pitch black inside. Who knows if there are any wild beasts hiding in there."
I was completely convinced by her stubborn attitude. If she was scared, she should just say so; what was there to be ashamed of? Perhaps this was a common trait of wealthy people!
Just as I was about to say a few more words to her.
Roar—
A furious roar echoed from within the cave, filled with malevolence. Immediately after, the sounds of "ping pong pong" fighting ensued.
"Damn it, something's happened."
Zhang Dabiao lifted his shirt, and the mountain-splitting saber appeared in his hand. He was about to rush in, but I stopped him. He looked back at me in confusion.
"It's pitch black in the cave, and we don't know the situation inside. Rushing in blindly could lead to us being at a disadvantage. That paper artisan is no ordinary person; he shouldn't be in danger for a while."
As soon as I finished speaking, Fang Huixin became anxious, "Song Qingyun, I order you to go in and save him immediately, or don't blame me for being impolite."
Fang Huixin's words stunned me. After two or three seconds, I came back to my senses, and my expression turned grim. "Fang Huixin, don't forget that we only have a cooperative relationship. I am not your slave or your employee. What right do you have to order me? If you think you can do it, then go in and save him yourself."
My words completely silenced Fang Huixin. Her expression changed several times before she said in a deep voice, "Master Song, I apologize. My tone was too abrupt just now. Please find a way to go in and see what's happening. He can't be harmed!"
I am not an unreasonable person; I just dislike being forced to do things I don't want to do. Since she apologized, I decided to go along with it.
However, I was also somewhat curious about the relationship between the paper artisan and her. Why was Fang Huixin so concerned about him? But now was not the time to ask, so I had to suppress this thought.
"Brother Zhang, get ready. I'll be right back."
Following my memory of where Li Zuoquan stored his supplies, I ran towards it. The tent was torn to shreds, and the supplies were scattered everywhere. Fortunately, the box containing the lighting equipment was still intact.
I opened it and took out the only three working wolf-fang flashlights. I ran back and handed two of them to Fang Huixin, saying, "Later, you follow behind us and provide light. Whether we succeed depends on you."
Fang Huixin nodded her head rapidly, like a chick pecking at rice.
With everything prepared, I placed a Tianqiao Seal on Zhang Dabiao. Zhang Dabiao took the lead, I was in the middle, and Fang Huixin followed at the rear.
The wolf-fang flashlights lived up to their reputation. Just the one in my hand illuminated the cave roughly.
I saw the paper artisan standing near the cave entrance, occasionally sending out one or two paper figures to assist the red paper figure in combat. The red paper figure he summoned had now grown to the size of a normal person and was locked in a fierce struggle with a monster covered entirely in black fur.
Zhang Dabiao moved one step ahead of me and immediately recognized what was fighting the red paper figure. He exclaimed, "Holy cow, how is there a black-furred zombie here?"
Zombie?
Upon hearing this, my hair stood on end. I was quite unnerved by zombies. The impression Sui Wan'er's borrowing of a corpse to return to her soul had left on me was too profound. I subconsciously shone the wolf-fang flashlight over.
I saw a zombie, covered in black fur and wearing modern clothes, fighting the red paper figure. The imposing red paper figure had already lost more than half of its body; defeat was only a matter of time.
Seeing that the wolf-fang flashlight had an effect on the black-furred zombie, the paper artisan quickly called out, "Shine it on its eyes, give me a moment to breathe."
Only then did I notice that at the paper artisan's feet, a layer of yellow paper had accumulated. I didn't know how many paper figures this guy had summoned. However, looking at the small half-empty backpack hanging from his waist, I estimated that he wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
"What do we do now? This thing is a black-furred zombie, much more powerful than a fierce ghost." Zhang Dabiao snatched the wolf-fang flashlight from Fang Huixin's hand and, along with me, shone it on the black-furred zombie, forcing it to roar repeatedly but not daring to advance. He also couldn't resist teasing the paper artisan, "Pretty boy, you really know how to stir up trouble. How did you find this thing? Is it your second uncle?"
Facing Zhang Dabiao's teasing, the paper artisan merely snorted and did not reply. If it weren't for the current danger, I suspect he might have started fighting Zhang Dabiao.
The brightness of the wolf-fang flashlight was sufficient. Shining it at close range could blind people, but it wasn't enough to deal with the black-furred zombie. To deal with it, fire was needed.
"Alright, Brother Zhang, stop messing around. Since it's daytime, it won't dare to go outside. Let's quickly go outside to get gasoline and set it on fire, otherwise, once it gets used to the light of the wolf-fang flashlight, it will be difficult to deal with."
Clearly, carrying things wasn't suitable for Fang Huixin. I was about to hand the flashlight back to her, so she and the paper artisan could shine it on the black-furred zombie together while Zhang Dabiao and I went to get the gasoline.
However, when I turned around, I saw that Fang Huixin had collapsed on the ground and fainted. I cursed "useless" in my heart, then snatched the wolf-fang flashlight from Zhang Dabiao and threw it to the paper artisan.
"You hold on here for now. We'll go get the gasoline."