At first, they didn't understand what I meant, but when I had her blast into the air, her pair of anthropomorphic little eyes suddenly lit up, like two sparkling little stars.
"Received."
Bai Ling'er, who had been mocked for half the day, opened her small mouth and a white beam, many times thicker than her body, shot straight into the air like a fountain.
As I predicted, the white beam did not penetrate the Buddhist sect's suppressive barrier but collided with it in mid-air. Bai Ling'er's attack triggered the barrier's defensive measures, and a large golden '卍' character appeared out of thin air above.
The golden '卍' symbol emitted a dazzling light and a trace of warmth. We felt comfortable, but it was not so pleasant for the ghost, the shadow ghost.
"Ah! You... you are so vicious, to use this method..." The shadow ghost let out a shrill howl. Golden runes transformed into threads that wrapped around the shadow ghost, and where the golden threads touched, wisps of light smoke emerged, as if a red-hot iron wire had been bound to him.
Bai Ling'er's attack did not stop, because as soon as it stopped, the suppressive barrier would no longer be active. I quickly said to Zhang Dabiao, "Use the Heart-Piercing Nails to pin him to the ground."
Zhang Dabiao nodded without any fuss. While the shadow ghost could still be seen, he used the Heart-Piercing Nails to pin him, as Bai Ling'er could not attack the suppressive barrier indefinitely.
Moreover, they had just entered the territory of Beishan Mine Town. Prolonged combat could easily attract unnecessary trouble. If they attracted a big one, it wouldn't be fun.
Zhang Dabiao was very quick. He grabbed the shadow ghost's hand, stepped on the ice, and drove a nail in. The thumb-thick Heart-Piercing Nail went through the palm and out the back of the hand. The shadow ghost cursed in pain.
"You beasts, when I break free, I will turn you into jerky and then extract your souls to hang on trees and swing..."
"Dream on!" Zhang Dabiao sneered, and then drove another Heart-Piercing Nail into his other hand, followed by his legs and feet. In total, ten Heart-Piercing Nails were inserted all over his body, leaving only his head free to move.
At first, the shadow ghost could still curse with each nail driven in. When the last Heart-Piercing Nail was inserted, the shadow ghost could no longer speak, only glaring at Zhang Dabiao with malicious eyes.
"Done!" Zhang Dabiao clapped his hands, looking at his masterpiece with satisfaction.
After confirming that the shadow ghost could not break free, I asked Bai Ling'er to stop attacking. Even for this short while, Bai Ling'er had consumed a large amount of spiritual energy. As soon as she stopped attacking, she coiled on top of my head.
"I'm exhausted, let me rest for a bit."
Because of the Heart-Piercing Nails, the shadow ghost's form did not hide again but became very faint, almost blending with the surrounding colors.
"Tsk tsk... why does this guy look so much like a chameleon?" Zhang Dabiao smacked his lips, looking at the shadow ghost he had pinned in a spread-eagle posture.
"You're the chameleon, your whole family are chameleons..."
Zhang Dabiao was not very good with words. He didn't expect that after just one sentence from him, the shadow ghost would retort more than ten times, not only cursing Zhang Dabiao himself but also his family. Zhang Dabiao was so angry that he wanted to use his strongest Heart-Piercing Nail to finish him off.
"Brother Zhang, don't kill him, I still have questions to ask."
"Mm!"
Zhang Dabiao didn't really intend to harm the shadow ghost. He was just annoyed by being cursed by a ghost for the first time in his many years of life. With a twist of his wrist, he poked several holes in the shadow ghost with the Heart-Piercing Nail, turning the shadow ghost's curses into wails.
After being tortured by Zhang Dabiao, the shadow ghost became much more obedient, not even daring to look at Zhang Dabiao, lest he use the Heart-Piercing Nails on him again, as it was too painful.
Looking at the shadow ghost pinned to the ground, I also marveled inwardly. The Heart-Piercing Nail that Zhang Dabiao kept in his hand was a magical artifact passed down for many generations. Ordinary Yin spirits would die upon contact and perish upon being pierced.
Even a fierce ghost would be immobilized on the ground after being pierced once. However, the shadow ghost before me, apart from wailing, did not appear weakened. Even the intensity of its cries did not change much. This was too strange?
Suppressing my curiosity, I said sternly, "I have a few questions for you. I hope you answer truthfully."
The shadow ghost curled its lips and showed a mocking expression, "Pah, I was just scaring you guys, but how did you treat me? What if you don't let me go? You can't kill me, and you can't get out. In the end, you'll still die here? Then we'll see how I play with you."
Hearing this, my teeth itched a little. This guy was a typical case of not learning his lesson! He had completely forgotten what Zhang Dabiao had done to him just now.
"Brother Zhang..."
"Coming!" Zhang Dabiao held the Heart-Piercing Nail in his right hand, occasionally tapping his left hand, acting out the scene of torture and interrogation to perfection.
Seeing this, the shadow ghost's face twitched, and then it forced a smile that was uglier than crying, "I'll answer your questions honestly, won't I? Don't... don't stab me again. If you stab me a few more times, I won't be able to live. Ask quickly."
"Who are you? When did you come here? Are there any other 'sui ke' besides you?"
"Who am I? I've forgotten this question for too long. I've also forgotten when I came. As for the 'sui ke' you mentioned... there are many here, but they are all entrenched in Beishan Mine Town and rarely appear in the outer areas."
Hearing that the 'sui ke' generally did not come to the outer areas, I felt a little relieved, which meant we were safe for the moment. But then I started to worry again. Judging by his tone, there were many 'sui ke' in Beishan Mine Town.
"How many 'sui ke' are there in Beishan Mine Town? And what's the deal with all the withered bones on the ground? Don't tell me you ate them?" Fearing he wouldn't answer honestly, Zhang Dabiao had the Heart-Piercing Nail flicker in front of his eyes with good coordination.
The shadow ghost seemed not to see Zhang Dabiao's threat. After a moment of thought, it said, "Ever since I gained consciousness, I've only seen people come in and never seen anyone go out. Therefore, I don't know exactly how many 'sui ke' there are. As for these withered bones, they were intentionally thrown here. Every month, at the beginning of the month, a team of 'people' from Beishan Mine Town brings these bones with bloodstains and piles them up at my residence. It's truly disgusting..."
Listening to the shadow ghost's rambling words, I didn't ask any further. Because I always felt like I had grasped some clue, yet it felt like I had grasped nothing, always feeling like something was missing.
The shadow ghost shouldn't have appeared as a bound earth spirit, unless it had a strong obsession at the time of death, forcing itself to remain in place. But what kind of event could make it willingly stay within a few hundred meters and not leave?
And then, the people of Beishan Mine Town transporting withered bones with bloodstains here, what was the purpose of that? The Yin energy in the surroundings was already heavy enough, and they kept piling up withered bones with bloodstains. Was it to turn this place into a place of extreme Yin and malevolence?
Bang bang—
Just as I was pondering the clues, a banging sound came from under my feet. The sound was not loud, but in the dead silent surroundings, it was exceptionally prominent.
Zhang Dabiao casually swung his saber, piercing a hole in the ice. Then Huang San's voice came from underground, "Oh dear, I say, Big Zhang, are you trying to kill me? Why are you using your saber directly?"
Zhang Dabiao knew he was in the wrong and chuckled, offering no explanation. Instead, he turned to examine the shadow ghost pinned to the ground.
Huang San struggled to climb out from underground and then whispered to me, "Young Master Song, there's something underground."
"Something? What is it?"
"A person."