"I'll get to it right away."
The two of them skipped breakfast and began preparing immediately. Fortunately, being in the antique street made it easy to buy items like copper mirrors.
Lu Fei gathered some incense ash and found a piece of yellow cloth.
By the time Tiger returned, the sun was already up in the sky. However, the weather wasn't ideal, and the sunlight was dim.
Lu Fei instructed Tiger to lay the yellow cloth in the sunniest spot in the courtyard. He unwrapped the Ghost-Headed Blade from its black covering and placed it in the center of the cloth, surrounding it with a circle of incense ash.
Finally, he positioned four copper mirrors in the cardinal directions—east, south, west, and north—facing the blade.
With this setup, the Ghost-Headed Blade gleamed like a lantern under the sunlight.
Though the method appeared simple, it had deep roots; this was called the Four-Yang Purification Array. Sunlight was the best way to neutralize the blade's killing aura.
The time needed for purification depended on the intensity of the killing aura—the heavier the aura, the longer it would take.
Under the blazing sunlight, thin wisps of black mist began to rise from the blade.
Tiger went out again to buy breakfast, and the two of them ate while waiting.
Perhaps due to their sleepless night, both started feeling unusually drowsy.
Thinking that it was broad daylight and the blade was basking in sunlight, they relaxed a bit and dozed off.
In a half-dream state, Lu Fei felt as if the sun was shrinking.
He opened his eyes, first feeling confused.
"Is it evening already?"
Then, he was stunned.
The entire courtyard was enveloped in a dense, gray fog. The fog rose upwards, seemingly blocking out the sun and darkening the courtyard.
"What kind of fog is this?"
Alarm bells rang in Lu Fei's mind. If the fog blocked the sunlight, the blade's killing aura wouldn't dissipate.
He rushed to check on the Ghost-Headed Blade.
Fortunately, the blade was still there.
However, it had shifted. Originally placed horizontally, it was now tilted, with the tip dusted in incense ash.
"This blade is trying to avoid the sunlight!"
Lu Fei sprinkled more incense ash around the area, but with the thick fog and dim sunlight, the blade emitted almost no black mist.
Just then, Tiger woke up and looked around the fog-filled courtyard in shock.
"It's summer, where did this fog come from? And why is it gray?" He had never seen anything like it.
"Tiger, go outside and check if the sun is still out," Lu Fei said.
"Okay!"
Sensing the urgency, Tiger dashed outside and returned within minutes, shouting as he ran, "There's no sun! It's turned cloudy!"
"It seems the weather has turned, giving the blade an opportunity," Lu Fei realized that fully purging the blade's killing aura today was impossible.
This fog was likely a self-preservation tactic of the Ghost-Headed Blade.
If the sun were stronger, the fog would disperse quickly and be ineffective in shielding the blade.
Unfortunately, the weather was not on their side today.
Lu Fei checked the weather forecast.
The rainy season seemed to have arrived, and the forecast showed several consecutive days of rain.
"This isn't ideal."
The Ghost-Headed Blade was a dangerous weapon; the longer it remained, the more risk it posed. They needed to find another solution.
Lu Fei thought for a moment, then brought ginger and vinegar from the kitchen to rub on the blade.
This method could also reduce the killing aura.
Some knives used for slaughtering chickens or ducks would develop a killing aura over time, becoming inauspicious. This method was a common way to dispel it.
But for something as potent as the Ghost-Headed Blade, the effect would be limited.
After some scrubbing, the fog in the courtyard began to dissipate slowly.
Clouds gathered in the sky, and it looked like it might rain.
Lu Fei rewrapped the Ghost-Headed Blade and affixed a ghost-repelling talisman to it, temporarily suppressing it.
Until they devised a better plan, neither of them could afford to be careless. They took turns sleeping to stay alert.
The morning passed uneventfully.
When it was Lu Fei's turn to rest around noon, he had just closed his eyes when he heard a chorus of agonized cries.
"It hurts! It hurts so much!"
"It's unbearable!"
This time, the voices were not just a child's but a mixture of men and women, all blending into a cacophony that grated on Lu Fei's nerves.
He felt an overwhelming urge to silence them with a cut.
The moment he realized he had this thought, he was startled and understood that the Ghost-Headed Blade was acting up again.
And it was broad daylight.
"Boss! Boss! It's happening again!" Tiger's panicked voice called from the courtyard.
Indeed, he was hearing it too.
He clutched his head in distress, feeling as if his skull might split from the noise.
Without spiritual power for protection, he was highly susceptible to the blade's influence. The power of such an evil object couldn't be resisted by willpower alone.
"Hold on! We need to get to a crowded place."
Lu Fei placed the Ghost-Headed Blade in his room, secured the door with another ghost-repelling talisman, and hurried Tiger out onto the street.
The voices in their heads gradually subsided.
They stopped, breathing heavily, and looked back at the shop at the end of the street.
"What's going on? It's acting up worse in broad daylight than it did last night," Lu Fei frowned.
Last night, only a child's cry had been heard, but today, dozens of voices screamed simultaneously.
Even with his spiritual power, Lu Fei was struggling to withstand it, let alone Tiger.
Usually, evil objects became more active at night. This was the first time he'd seen one behave so fiercely during the day.
Tiger glanced up at the sky as fine raindrops began to fall, landing coolly on their skin.
"It's raining, Boss. Could it be related to the weather?"
"Daylight, even without sun, is usually better than night. There must be another reason. I didn't expect the blade to harbor so many lingering spirits. Strangely, there are more during the day than at night."
They waited outside for a while before cautiously returning to the shop. The voices had stopped.
The Ghost-Headed Blade's influence seemed to have a time limit.
"Could it be related to the time?" Lu Fei pondered, feeling as if he'd stumbled upon a clue.
That night, they kept watch over the blade.
Around 1 a.m., the child's cries began again.
This time, they were prepared and stayed calm. Tiger affixed a ghost-repelling talisman to himself to avoid being affected by the blade's killing aura.
The night passed without incident.
But the next day at noon, the chorus of agonized voices returned.
Tiger was on high alert.
Lu Fei glanced at the clock and, to Tiger's surprise, smiled.
"I know what's happening!"
He took Tiger out of the shop, and when they returned half an hour later, the voices had stopped.
Tiger was baffled. "Boss, what's going on? Why do the voices come and go?"
"It's because of the time," Lu Fei said, removing the black cloth from the Ghost-Headed Blade. "This is a dull blade."
"Executioners had two types of Ghost-Headed Blades: a sharp one and a dull one."
"The sharp blade quickly decapitated prisoners, minimizing their pain. Families who could afford it would pay the executioner to use the sharp blade."
"But for those without family or deemed serious offenders by the authorities, the dull blade was used."
"A dull blade couldn't kill in one strike. The execution process was agonizing, creating more intense resentment in the deceased."
Tiger was still puzzled. "But what does that have to do with the time?"
"Think about it," Lu Fei said. "When were executions carried out in ancient times?"