Although I don’t know the specific year or how long it has been since the creation of this illusion, what Xie Zhe said is not wrong. An old house, you always look like it has seen its age. Peeling wall coverings, cracked beams and columns, and loose bricks and tiles are all clear symbols. Even some illusions, magic circles, and barriers will have similar traces that can be seen by Onmyoji.
"Then how are you going to crack it?" Han Chang asked with great interest, "A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. You also said that the person who set up this formation is probably not that easy to mess with. You have to think clearly. This is not about whether it can be done, but whether it will cost your life if it is not done.”
Xie Zhe exhaled heavily through his nose, not sure if he was expressing his dissatisfaction.
"I know it well, but you are worrying too much. Miss Ye and I went out to observe the terrain here and look for some opportunities, so I will trouble you to stay here and watch over the child. If anything goes wrong, you should also deal with it. Gotta get it.”
"...Okay, you go."
Han Chang also thought about it. Although he really wanted to see what Xie Zhe could do, Feng couldn't help it, and Miss Ye couldn't help it if something happened. There seemed to be no other choice but for him to stay here.
So Ye Linghua followed Xie Zhe out. He first found the tallest building in the village, moved a ladder, and climbed to the top. It was a building with a chimney, maybe a kiln or something, but they didn't go inside. Ye Lingquan watched from below and couldn't help but feel a little worried. Because the height of this building is obviously not enough, at least not enough for Xie Zhe to see every corner of the village. He rolled up his sleeves, twisted the hem of his clothes to one side, and climbed a short distance up the chimney. Seeing that he had no worries or concerns, Ye Lingyu didn't dare to blink. When I was a child, I heard about children who could climb trees and dig out bird's nests. Ling Quan thought it was very impressive. Now that I saw such agility with my own eyes, I was both emotional and worried.
Fortunately, he didn't stop for long. Xie Zhe let go of his hand, fell halfway down the chimney to the ground, and then patted the soil. Ye Lingquan was startled and said to him: "How dare you jump down like this? What if you break your leg?"
Xie Zhe was stunned for a moment, probably no one had ever said such a thing to him before. He paused and told her not to worry. If he wasn't afraid that these buildings would fall apart easily, he would have jumped on them without looking for a ladder.
"Your skills... are so good." Ling Huan sighed, "I didn't even notice..."
She looked Xie Zhe up and down and felt that his body was not strong, but she didn't expect that he had actually been trained. She suddenly felt a little bit strangely sad, and finally realized that compared to powerful monsters like him and Han Chang, could she really hold them back?
Her loss wasn't obvious enough, at least she didn't show it deliberately. In a sense, Xie Zhe was a "careless" person, and he didn't hear anything wrong with her words. He just "modestly" said that he knew a little bit about Qing Gong.
"In fact, I don't have the ultimate talent in Onmyojitsu. Mutsuki-kun also said it bluntly at the beginning. But he felt that as long as I learned some skills in both magic and martial arts, I would be better than most people. I Now I don’t know what my level is… maybe it’s just too high or too low.”
They walked along the road together and checked several other places. On the way, Xie Zhe said some things intermittently, and Ling Huan mostly asked questions. She learned that Xie Zhe had grown up in a monastery during his childhood, not to be ordained as a monk, but that Mu Yuejun had greeted the abbot very early and told him that he could come and go freely. Learn something. It can be said that the eyes of Liudao Impermanence are really accurate. When he was a child, he lacked friends and didn't like to talk, but he was very diligent in observing. Although he only clumsily imitated and watched roughly regardless of the methods or martial arts training, these things that remained in his heart could not stop him from pondering over them all day long. Over time, I actually figured out a lot of things on my own. What's more, all kinds of people often go in and out of temples and visit Buddhism. He also meets all kinds of people and knows all kinds of things.
He later traveled to many places with his mother. When he arrived at a place, others were looking for playmates, but he liked to look for places like book halls, temples, and martial arts schools. Those who were allowed in would squat aside and watch, while those who were not allowed in would climb over walls and climb trees. They would find a place where they could see and take a peek. Keep it in their mind and do the same in unoccupied places at night.
Xie Zhe went to several places, all of which were inconspicuous corners and far away from the center of the village. However, there are not many households in the village itself. He left behind some charms. He dropped a drop of his own blood on each charm, and hung a round, small silver bell on each charm. Ling Huan didn't understand and didn't ask. In this way, they visited almost every corner of the village and saw every scene of the ruins. Naturally, the bodies of many dead humans lay there. Ling Huan was still wary at first, but after seeing too much, he learned to look away immediately. After all, the dead cannot be resurrected. Some of the bodies were complete and some were incomplete. They are not much different from those seen before.
Not much difference…
"Speaking of which, why are these bodies still so well preserved after so many years?"
"It may be an illusion, or it may be kept alive by magic."
"Oh...that's it."
By the time they returned to the still intact hut on the edge, it was almost dusk again. They had been hungry for a long time. When they walked in, they saw Han Zhang and Feng eating dry food. Ling Huan quickly asked for a cold cake, but Xie Zhe refused. He said he didn't expect it would take so long, but it was delayed until he was about to meet the devil. He must do it as soon as possible to reduce the possibility of evil spirits appearing. After all, the time of encounter is when the unclean things are most powerful.
At this time, Ling Huan was embarrassed to continue eating. Only Han Chang didn't care and kept chirping in their ears, as if he did it on purpose.
Several people arrived at a slightly central location in the village, but not exactly in the center. This is the middle point circled by connecting the places where Xie Zhe placed the charms according to specific lines. There is a tall pole here, with a broken and rotten piece of cloth hanging on it. It is dirty and black. The original color may be dark blue or something like that. The huge cloth was nailed to it, motionless in the windless dusk, like a heavy corpse hanging on it.
I wonder if this was back then...
They all looked at Feng in unison. He only looked up at the pole once and had no reaction.
Xie Zhe raised two fingers, closed his eyes, and muttered something. Soon, rustling and crisp ringing sounded all around, one after another, and became more and more intense. But now there is no wind at all. Ling Hu understood that it was the bells he had set that were ringing. They probably resonated in some way, making a rustling sound like the flapping wings of a swarm of insects. For some reason, she was a little scared. Han Chang found it quite novel, and he watched everything that happened with great interest.
Suddenly, his expression became serious.
"Thank you, Master, for your hands..."
Ling Huan and Feng also looked over. The fingertips he raised to his lips overflowed with blood, which was already flowing along the fingers on the skin and seeping into the gaps between the fingers. But he didn't realize it, and even if he was reminded by Han Sheng, he remained indifferent. They didn't dare to interrupt easily, so they could only look on worriedly. Amidst the dense ringing, Ling Hu heard the sound of something tumbling. She raised her head and saw the piece of cloth struggling and dancing on the pole, but there was still no wind.
There was a big bead of sweat on her forehead, even though it was very cold now. The sun is setting in the west, and it is finally time to meet the devil. Ling Huan felt dizzy and raised her face to look at the sky. The remaining clouds seemed to be moving a little too fast. She wondered if she was the only one who felt this way. She felt a little weak, probably due to high mental stress. The mottled and long shadows cast by the clouds also swept across the ground quickly in her eyes, reminding her of a not-so-appropriate metaphor - the passage of locusts.
"How are you?"
Han Chang noticed something strange about her and stepped forward to hold Ling Yu's shoulders. He looked back at Xie Zhe. He seemed a little nervous, but he still didn't stop his current action. The weirdest thing was Feng, he was standing there, swaying. Like the last crumbling dead leaf on the branches in the autumn wind.
The first scream before nightfall came.
It was like a clarion call for charging. They knew what it meant - in a sense, time had really sped up. Although Xie Zhe himself was also confused, this was not his wish and it was definitely not his point. What magic can do. I'm afraid it's some kind of resistance to this illusion. The killing was about to begin, but there was no one where Feng had been standing. Han Chang stabilized Ling Yu, let her sit down gently, and then quickly looked around to find Feng's shadow.
Feng didn't know when he stood under the high pole. When Han Shan saw him for the first time, the cloth on it fell heavily and fell on him, covering and wrapping him.
Was the cloth originally dark red?
Even though she was buried in the heavy cloth, Kaede didn't make any struggle. Han Chang glanced at Xie Zhe, who never stopped, and then slowly moved there. He swallowed and smelled the air. Now, the atmosphere here is very mixed, and it is difficult for him to identify it. So he frowned, gritted his teeth, and pulled away the heavy cloth.
It was empty below.
Han Chang was startled and immediately turned back to look in Xie Che's direction. Soon enough, a long red knife rushed towards Xie Zhe from a distance. The situation may have exceeded all of their expectations. Without thinking much, Han Chang rushed forward and pushed the owner of the knife away from the side. Some sparks flew out of his hand, and the boy holding the knife was pushed far away.
He looked at his palm and saw some burnt marks on it. Han Chang sighed softly and looked up at the knife-wielding man. For this little boy, the knife was indeed a bit long and heavy. Dao Dao looks about four feet tall, and a ten-year-old child who lacks nutrition is even shorter than it. How did he pick up the end of a knife that long?
"Maple" holding the knife has no face. Han Chang took a breath of air and took a few steps back to Xie Zhe's side.
"Tell me, is this in your default setting?"
"...Not here." Xie Zhe finally stopped and opened his eyes.
"You are joking?"
"But this technique can still be broken - buy me a moment."
