The first book was "Annals of Spring and Autumn: Gongyang Commentary," which every Confucian scholar in Great Yan had to read, and the second was a military manual, "Thirty-Six Martial Arts Books • Volume Eight."
This was to pay respects to the ancestors, as the Wang Family had passed down both literary and martial traditions for two hundred years.
It happened every year and was not considered strange.
But at this time.
As if sensing the aura of the Weird on him, the "Annals of Spring and Autumn: Gongyang Commentary" seemed to come to life, slowly writhing and transforming into something else.
The original paper quietly turned into a dark yellow leather, as if covered with uncleaned blood vessels and nerves, evoking very unpleasant associations.
The title "Annals of Spring and Autumn: Gongyang Commentary" also gradually changed into what looked like red-black characters written in blood... "Corpse Account Scripture"!
There was no need to open it; just staring at it for a moment, Wang Yuan's mind seemed to be filled with layers of illusions.
A heavy stench of decay, as if it went straight through the eyes and drilled into the brain.
In his ears were the sounds of wooden fish, shrill wails, and the mutterings of madmen, all combining into a scripture that was completely nonsensical:
"Fangzhang Corpse King, claiming one hundred and six; seek old targets four, teeth green tongue gray; drinking wind body horizontal, ghosts feast demons consume..."
"For those between life and death, Qi gathers and disperses thus. Immortal and undying, yet man's horizontal plans are called life and death.
There are the newly dead, the bloated dead, those smeared with blood... waiting for death, with no distinction between ranks..."
Upon seeing the "Corpse Account Scripture" that seemed to be transcribed on human skin, a thunderclap exploded in Wang Yuan's brain.
"No wonder, using a Deceit Object recorded with evil knowledge as bait, how ruthless! How absolute!"
Clearly, Wang Yuan was not just unlucky to encounter the Weird.
It was Wang Yunhu and his conspirators who had not placed their hopes on elusive luck.
Once they made their plan, they acted decisively, pushing Wang Yuan, who was already standing at the edge of a cliff, forcefully from behind.
The already dangerous "Corpse Sacrificial Ceremony" combined with this "Corpse Account Scripture" was no longer about attracting shadows, but directly inviting deceit!
More importantly, the tomb-guardian Wang Family, who passed down literary and martial traditions, had no inheritance of magic, so Wang Yunhu must have colluded with outsiders. This was a magician's method!
Wang Yuan's eyes flickered.
He couldn't help but doubt, if it was just for the sake of these mere thousand acres of land, would practicing such witchcraft that could kill a noble not be feared for causing a family to be eradicated?
Using such means against a "fool" was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito, wasn't it?
But before he could think further.
Banging—! Banging! Banging!
From the distance, the sound of a gong rang out, slow then quick.
"Harmony in heaven and earth, everlasting prosperity, midnight, midnight!"
No sooner had the night watchman's chant ended.
A stench of river water stewed with countless rotten fish abruptly exploded in Wang Yuan's nostrils.
One of the general conditions for a Weird to kill.
— A grand assembly of Yin Yang, where water and fire harmonizes; at midnight, creatures of Weird kill!
Then the Weird that had been staring motionlessly at the "Corpse Account Scripture" suddenly looked up.
Her disheveled black hair parted to both sides, revealing a horrifying face with one side bloated and decaying and the other covered in fish scales.
It was as if a corpse had been soaking at the bottom of the water for countless years, as well as a fish demon that had gone awry in its transformation.
She stared with eyes dead as fish, and with a sinister tone, asked Wang Yuan:
"Young man, do you think I look more like a human or a fish?"
The tiny pupils seemed to contain a hint of expectation.
At the same time, Wang Yuan also found that he had regained control of his brain.
But he didn't rush to answer; he bit his teeth tightly and stared dead at that extremely terrifying ghostly face.
He knew, all of these were the standard routines of the Weird.
If I answer I'm like a fish, the other party will surely become furious and forceful.
But if I answer I'm like a person, the outcome won't be any better either.
According to other case records over the years, there's an 80% chance that the "Weird" will use my answer to drain my Qi Fortune and blessings, leading to my absurd death within a few days.
It seems no matter how I answer, it's death either way; the only difference is sooner or later.
As Wang Yuan's thoughts raced, the Female Ghost spoke again:
"Young man, do you think I look more like a human or a fish?"
Although her tone was unchanged, the temperature inside the ancestral hall dropped again.
Wang Yuan knew he had to answer or the other party might attack directly.
But he also knew that he absolutely could not show fear at this moment. Once his courage dispersed and his Qi-Blood weakened, the opponent would take advantage of the opening.
So he put on a solemn face, and amidst the expectant gaze of the "Weird", he shouted loudly:
"You ask if you look like a human or a fish?
I think you're just like... a 'yiyi monster' with a height of 148, no features, and twin ponytails who cries a lot after a punch—!!!"
As soon as he finished, the Female Ghost involuntarily took a step back as if she had indeed been punched hard, and her figure also shrank by seven inches out of thin air.
"Ying?"
Her dead fish eyes became filled with confusion. She could understand every word, but she could not understand them strung together.
For a moment, she couldn't even decide whether to kill or not.
Before she could react, the invisible force that paralyzed Wang Yuan's entire body suddenly shattered.
Without hesitation, he jumped off the sacrificial platform and bolted.
The small cleverness for the moment was no match for the huge difference in strength between them. Now the urgent priority was to drag the beasts waiting outside into the fray to become his scapegoats.
Only by feeding this "Weird" might there be a chance to cling onto life.
Whoosh!
Like lightning, Wang Yuan had never run as fast in his life, and it only took him five steps to burst through the doors of the ancestral hall.
Escape seemed close at hand.
"Come quickly...
Unfortunately, Wang Yuan, encountering a "Weird" for the first time, still underestimated the power of the "Weird".
As soon as he cried out, his legs were entangled from behind by hair like seaweed, and his body was dragged back into the ancestral hall, smacking down on the ground with a "plop".
The doors of the ancestral hall, representing hope, slammed shut as well.
The next moment.
Countless hairs moved like snakes on the ground, aiming to burrow into Wang Yuan through every orifice and pore, planning to consume him inside out.
Obviously, he had given the wrong answer!
And this time, it wasn't just Wang Yuan's body that was starting to freeze, but his thoughts as well:
"My consciousness has barely been clear for a day and it's already the end for me?!"
"God, Buddha, Taoist, Bodhisattva, Allah, God, ancestors, Heavenly Master, Zhong Kui, Taoist Yimei... save me!"
As expected.
Wang Yuan's last-minute prayer to every deity he could think of embarrassingly failed.
However.
Just as those hairs were about to pierce his skin and enter him,
Rustling...
In the deepest part of Wang Yuan's consciousness, a book with the golden ancient seal characters "Small Book of Life and Death" on the cover suddenly materialized from virtual to real, its radiance surged.
Light beam shot out from Wang Yuan's eyes, turning their color into a gold-green!