Ma Baihu had just regained his strength when he heard Chen Xuance, with a look of simplicity, asking what this accursed thing was.
The thought of its origins involuntarily recurred to me, and once again, I couldn't hold back a bout of retching - but there was nothing left to throw up, my stomach was already empty.
He's too distraught to think, it's obvious that some seemingly honest guy is deliberately messing with him.
Chen Xuance saw the wisdom in holding back. He knew that if he continued to show off, he would end up getting beat up. So, he started taking the small porcelain bottles and slowly inhaling them.
The sequence of waking up is strategic. First, wake up all six members of your team, then go wake up the others in the group.
The ones who bullied and insulted him were put last.
In the newcomers' talk of Group Xuan, it's clear that if one can't wake up after three breaths, there's no need to wake up.
Before long, most of the people from Huang's second group woke up, standing in a row facing the wall, vomiting en masse.
One of the few remaining was Chen Xuance, who hadn't woken up.
He remembers it clearly, the first time he joined the Demon Suppression Division on a mission, it was this son of a bitch who robbed him. He almost didn't make it to the next day.
The courtyard is vomiting, and so is the outside.
Chen Xuance slapped his forehead and sprinted to his spot. It was pitch dark, and his bedding and belongings were still there, just in case they were spilled by the animals.
Fortunately, Li Gou protected his East Ma Baihu. Just as he was recovering, he heard Chen Xuance, with a naive expression, asking what this damned thing was.
The thought of where this thing came from involuntarily ran through my mind, and I couldn't help but retch again - but there was nothing left to throw up, my stomach was already empty.
He's too distraught to think. It's obvious that some seemingly honest guy is deliberately messing with him.
Chen Xuance saw the wisdom in retreating before further provocation. He knew better than to show off again and risk getting beaten up. Thus, he started peacefully using the small porcelain bottles to inhale one by one.
The order of waking up is strategic. First, wake up all six members of your team, then go wake up the others in the group.
The ones who bullied and insulted him were put last.
In the newcomers' talk of Group Xuan, it's clear that if one can't wake up after three breaths, there's no need to wake up.
Before long, almost everyone from Group Huang 2 woke up, standing in a row facing the wall, vomiting en masse.
One of the few remaining was Chen Xuance, who hadn't woken up.
He remembers it clearly, the first time he joined the Demon Suppression Division on a mission, it was this son of a bitch who cheated him. He was almost doomed to never see the sun rise again.
The courtyard is vomiting, and so is the outside.
Chen Xuance slapped his forehead and sprinted to his designated spot. It was pitch dark, and his bedding and belongings were still there, just in case they were spilled on by the animals.
Fortunately, Li Gou protected his belongings and wasn't sprayed with the flower spew.
After vomiting for a while, everyone finally came to their senses and realized that something had happened.
Chen Xuance is quite mischievous, not even covering the small porcelain vase. He doesn't mind the smell.
After hearing it for too long, it's become numbing.
Boss, do you recognize this? It's a treasure given by the head of Group Xuan 2. Without it, you guys probably wouldn't have woken up.
Chen Xuance, with an honest look on his face, pretends to ask, while Li Gou's eyes widen. The 'Xuan' group is known for its good stuff, and while it might be a bit smelly, it actually works.
"Xuan Ce, have I been treating you well, Brother Li?"
He's got an idea, and Chen Xuance isn't going to indulge him. He mutters,
Boss, you can't take mine. It's a cherished item from the Xuanzi Group. The scented sack from Lord Baihu alone costs ten silver, and mine isn't cheap.
Regardless of whether the newcomers in Group Xuan 2 still want this item, he's prepared to sell it first and decide later.
Li Gou is quite frank. He has been working at the Demon Suppression Department for three to four years and actually has some resources to his name.
I won't take advantage of you either. How about fifteen silver ingots?
"The leader still has a grand manner."
In this way, with someone else's item, it was sold for fifteen silver.
After Li Gougo paid the silver, he took the small porcelain bottle and sniffed it again before his nose. "Wow, it's really strong!"
It's just finished, and put away.
Coincidentally, Ma Baihu, who had just returned, saw Li Gou's action of smelling the porcelain vase.
Over a hundred people are now awake, and the entire Buddhist temple is filled with the fragrance of vomit.
Without knowing when, after a loud 'crack', the dazzling starry sky appeared above, and the stoned man knew that the matter was over.
Before long, the five members of the Xuanzi Group, who had seemingly vanished, returned, with the group leader, Qianhu, holding a round ball wrapped in white cloth.
"How many have died?"
Upon seeing his subordinate who stayed behind, Qianhu Xiao Zhuo asked.
"Your Excellency, I haven't had the chance to tally the numbers yet."
It's pitch dark, how can you count?
The shabby-looking man from the hundred households had the good sense to send someone to check outside the courtyard to see how many had died. He wanted to go himself, but he was so dizzy from vomiting that it was difficult for him to walk.
After a short while, Ma Baihu approached the Qianhu and said, "Sir, a total of six people have died. Team One Yellow has lost three people, each of them worth one copper, while Teams Two, Three, and Four each lost one person worth two copper coins."
The thousand-household head nodded, without saying much, but his face looked a bit unpleasant.
Today, he was careless and thought that he had been traveling all day and had added more wood to the campfire, so he didn't arrange for anyone to keep watch.
Well, now, one careless mistake and six people are dead.
If the Ghosts' Night Parade is not handled properly, there's sure to be a rebuke when we get back.
Copper One-Qian is dead once it dies, and every three months, new people who pass the probation period become Copper One-Qian. Copper Two-Qian is much harder to obtain, and these are the truly valuable members of the Yellow Character Group who can really do the work.
These have little to do with Chen Xuance. When Lord Qianhu returned, he stared fixedly at the white cloth ball in his hand.
A row of words surfaces in my mind:
"The Nightmare Ghost weaves dreams with Yin energy, and in its dreams, it devours people's souls. There's one with a thousand five-hundred years of cultivation, one with a thousand eighty years, and one with two thousand five-hundred years. Truly formidable!"
This is a treasure!
Chen Xuance leaned in close to the general flag, Li Gou, and asked with a smile,
"Boss, what's the usual treatment for such captured ghosts?"
Li Gou already knows that everyone is haunted by the nightmarish ghost. He actually knows how to deal with it, and there's nothing to hide.
Assuming Chen Xuance was just curious, Li Gou put on a scholarly demeanor and explained,
Xuan Ce, Brother Li wants to tell you that what's sealed away in the hands of Lord Qianhu should be a Nightmare Ghost. This thing isn't easy to deal with; it won't disperse.
The only way to bring it back is to take it to the Demon Suppression Department and then deliver it to the Dao Xuan Temple in the west of the capital city. It must be placed inside the Whale Bell, and only after the bell sounds for 36 days, coupled with the grand monk's ritual, will it dissipate.
Chen XuanCe scratched his head, his honest face filled with surprise, 'Is it that much trouble?'
Li Gou's desire to teach others was satisfied. With a scholarly expression, he nodded and said, "Well, this sort of thing isn't easy to handle. It's inherently a matter for the nightmarish. It's sort of a rare ghost, and only Lord Qianhu, Xiao Zhuo, has the experience to handle it. Anyone else would've been half dead by now."
This saying is not unfounded; the Nightmare Ghost is notoriously tricky, unlike other spirits that follow the same patterns.
Nightmarish spirits lurk and plot to harm, and the most challenging part is that they can't be dispelled.
"Boss, if I say I can handle the Nightmare Ghost, do you think Lord Qianhu will entrust the seal to me?"
Chen XuanCe didn't bother why Xiao Zhuo had such experience. The confidence he had in saying so was due to a scripture that surfaced in his mind.
The 'Duhun Scripture' can guide ghosts with a cultivation of less than three hundred years. There is also a small note that he overlooked, stating that this scripture requires magical power to recite, and without it, it consumes one's essence, energy, and spirit.
"What are you bragging about?"
Chen XuanCe received a slap on the back of his head and turned around to see that it was Ma BaiHu who had returned.
After his report, he received instructions to bring everyone back to a different location and start cooking.
After a sleepless night, it'll be dawn in another hour. Why not have breakfast and set off early? By then, we'll have reached the Da Huai Shu Village.
Chen XuanCe felt that there was still a chance to make a last ditch effort. He approached Ma BaiHu and whispered, "Sir, you know I'm from the Jiangnan region. There were always children in my village who were affected by night terrors. Later, a monk came to beg for alms and taught us a scripture. After that, no more children in our village were affected by night terrors. I think it might be somewhat effective, right?"