When Yin Huan was almost desperate, she suddenly heard a series of broken sounds coming from the distance.
The sound was the same as when she broke the clay doll, and it was getting closer. She was a little confused, and she saw that almost all the puppets stopped stiffly and turned their heads. Soon, a green light flashed, and the several standing puppets in front of them were all broken from their waists and fell to the ground, revealing their hollow structures.
"...!"
Ye Yinyuan was surprised to find that the few puppets that fell were the last ones left. After they no longer blocked Yin Quan's sight, all the previous puppets fell to the ground without exception, except for one knife-wielding man, broken and broken. Some of the intact hands even hooked their fingertips, twitching nervously like real humans.
"well enough."
The tone didn't sound like he was asking her, but rather he made a conclusion after observation. It doesn't even have a subject, but it seems a bit indifferent. In fact, what came from under the curtain was a slightly cold, low female voice. If Yin Huan was forced to use a metaphor, she really couldn't find anything pragmatic. Just like... a falling meteor, short and heavy, passing by in a flash, cherishing every moment that appears. The curtain was made of white thin silk, somewhat long, reaching past the shoulders and ending at a person's elbow. Under the thin silk, the outline of a human face can be seen. She was wearing a long purple dress, which seemed to be a men's blouse, and the middle coat was lilac.
She held a ring-head knife in one hand. When Yin Huan looked at her with lingering fear, he put the knife into its sheath.
The scabbard is nothing special. According to Yin Huan's observation, it was an ordinary wooden scabbard wrapped in linen and painted. But there's something about that knife that's worth paying attention to. Look at the color...what material is it? Copper? Or is it just something painted over the bronze? Her father was very interested in swords and she knew a little bit about it. Weapons are generally made of bronze and black iron, which are hard and wear-resistant. Red copper is extremely pure copper. Only in recent years can such purity and color be achieved. It is usually made into objects that symbolize status, such as wine glasses, palace lanterns, and statues of gods. After all, higher purity brings higher value. But it is not suitable for use as a sword either emotionally or rationally. Copper is softer and not conducive to cutting, and it is very cold in winter and very hot in summer. so……
"Why are you here?"
This time it’s a serious question. Although the woman's attitude still seemed harsh, since she had taken back her weapon, she should not be regarded as a threat. After all, the people who needed to be saved in the dangerous situation just now didn't have much fighting ability. It's just that she turned sideways, specifically blocking Yin Huan's view of Huanshou Dao.
Yin Huan shook his head helplessly, pointed to his mouth, and waved his hand to indicate that he could not speak. The woman frowned slightly under the curtain, feeling suspicious in her heart. Yin Huan kept asking Ying Yuejun for help in his heart, but he only got this answer:
"Hmm... What a strange woman, I've never seen her before."
Yin Huan secretly complained in his heart. No matter how you think about it, this is what the woman should say to her. But fortunately, she understood what she meant and didn't embarrass herself much. She knelt down, picked up an arm of the dummy and looked at it for a while, then threw it away, picked up half of the head and stood up, taking a good look at it in the last light of day. Yin Huan got a little closer and found that the woman was very tall, not much different from Guixiangu. Although her hair is long, it is rolled up low on the back of her head, making her look smart.
"I don't know how you got here, but it's better to stay away from this place. You are an ordinary human, but this is the stronghold of monsters. It's time for you to go back."
When she spoke, she would pause in some places, as if it took a lot of effort to finish a sentence in one breath. And to be honest, her voice makes people feel...a little old. The voice never gets old. If the voice is well maintained, it will still look like a girl even in old age. There are many elderly people in Yin Huan's family who have young voices. Yin Huan couldn't guess how old the woman under the thin silk was, and he didn't know how to answer. He just shook his head helplessly. go back? Back to where?
Perhaps seeing her confusion, the woman asked:
"Could it be that you are lost?"
Yin Huan thought for a long time and had no choice but to nod. This is a very convenient understanding.
"Where is home?"
Yin Huan shook her head, she didn't know how to answer.
"Oh, you can't talk."
It was completely dark, and the woman suddenly turned and left. Yin Huan was a little scared and quickly followed her. She casually threw the "head" somewhere. It hit a stone and broke into several pieces. The residue burst into Yin Huan's legs, and she subconsciously closed her feet. But the woman seemed to be just wandering around, occasionally bending down to pick something up. Yin Huan realized that she was collecting firewood. So she also picked around the woman, trying to find some useful dry branches. The woman's night vision seemed to be better than hers, and after a while, she completed the task she had set in her mind.
She walked to a place and threw all the firewood on the ground. By the time Yin Quan turned around, the fire had been lit somehow. She walked to the bonfire with the firewood that she could hold in one hand, bent down and carefully placed them on the ground, then chose a seat not far away and sat near the woman. Yingyue Jun stopped talking for some reason, which made her even more frightened.
There are also many broken clay limbs nearby. The firelight magnified their shadows and cast them on the ruined walls, making them look really scary. I don't know if the shaking shadow is caused by the flames or if something is really moving. Occasionally, the sound of rubbing pottery pieces can be heard. Yin Huan looked around, and after a few glances he didn't dare to look back, so he stared at the flames in front of him. Sometimes her eyes hurt from the burning, so she would look away and look at the sky, occasionally glancing at the woman. The woman's curtain was raised to the brim of her hat, revealing a cold and sharp face. Her age was between mid-twenties and mid-thirties, and Yin Huan couldn't guess. No matter what, her voice shouldn't be that "old". She understood that it might just be a temperament, a feeling. After all, the woman's tone was so tired, gloomy and unhappy. The woman's cheekbones are slightly high, and the corners of her mouth are slightly drooped, which makes her eyes even more indifferent, as if she is arrogant. But when she looked at the woman, she found that she was always staring straight at her. She didn't know whether it was because she didn't look away at all, or it was just such a coincidence. This made her feel a little scared. But compared to those horrific stumps, this doesn't seem to be a big deal.
The night in the forest was very cold. She stretched out her hands to warm the fire, occasionally rubbing her thin arms. She suddenly remembered that her winter clothes were packed in her meager luggage—or rather, it was just these two pieces of clothing. So she took out the snow awning. The snow canopy was already a little dirty, but under the light of the fire, the osmanthus flowers embroidered with gold threads on it still shone brightly. She tried gesturing in front of the woman to ask if she needed some extra clothes.
"No need." She immediately understood what she meant and refused.
Just when Yin Huan had just put it on, she saw something and said, "Why would a young lady from a rich family like you appear in a place like this?"
In front of the fire, Yin Huan frowned slightly, not knowing how to answer. Even if she could speak normally now, the question itself would make her feel confused. Because it was too complicated to explain, and...she didn't know how she ended up in this situation. But no matter what, staying in the residence prepared by Shui Wujun made no more sense to her, and she did not regret her choice.
"I am Chenxing," the woman said suddenly, "but it seems that telling you... is of no use."
Although the words were a bit hurtful, Yin Huan still understood her good intentions. She seemed less indifferent than before. Chenxing reminded her again of Shui Wujun, who was also such a cold and unrestrained woman. However, Mizumu-kun is more talkative and kinder than her. Probably just because she had just met this person.
"It's not the first time I've seen those puppets. I saw one in a nearby town, and it was still moving. I traced it and found that it came there from the spiritual vein. You seem... to have very strong spiritual power. It will make them come alive. The last one, I don’t know how it moved, maybe someone came... and disturbed it."
Yin Huan opened his eyes wide and felt that Chen Xing was so brave. These things are so scary. The more human-like they are, the easier it is to arouse fear in people's hearts. If she encountered them, she wouldn't be able to hide, let alone investigate them. She looked at Chenxing with some admiration, but Chenxing turned his attention to the bonfire.
"People like me... are called rangers. These things are all business. I have to survive."
Yin Huan nodded slightly to show that he was listening.
"The doll is made of pottery... it has not been glazed yet and has been fired into porcelain. However, I don't know what the originator actually wanted to do or how far he went." Chenxing's voice became lower, as if he was talking to himself, "They don't have Eyes, but will look back at something strange, maybe... some kind of instinct."
Indeed, Yin Huan recalled that when she was killing all the way from behind and rushed to him, the puppets closest to him all turned around, but their eyes were obviously empty. Is it listening? It shouldn't be, after all, there's nothing inside them. It's not like you can hear sounds if your ears are pinched out. But according to that, even if you have eyes, you may not be able to see. She also started thinking along with Chenxing. As for how they operate, we still have no clue.
"There are monsters here." Chenxing continued, "But they are not chaotic. They are probably...very calm monsters. Then, they will only attack humans. Why? They will not attack me."
Yin Huan's eyes widened a little. She was a little surprised. Could it be that Chenxing was not a human being?
"I'm probably still a human being," Chenxing glanced at her and saw through her mind, "I'm just not as ordinary as you."
She must not be an ordinary person. How could an ordinary person do this? Maybe it's some kind of immortal, like a ghost fairy. Yin Huan looked at her with a little more longing in his eyes. However, Chenxing's eyes were still so lifeless. She seemed to lack a kind of... vitality.
So, the puppet only picks on ordinary people like her? I really don’t know why, being ordinary has become a sin. Yin Huan felt sleepy as he thought about it. After she relaxed, she felt exhausted all over and her hands and feet were a little sore. I think it may be that when Yingyue Jun borrowed her body, he used too much force and made many moves that she couldn't do on her own. It's also possible that the act of "possession" itself is very laborious... She didn't know very well, she just felt that those two words that she suddenly thought of seemed scary and appropriate. But Yingyue Jun has gone somewhere, and now no matter what she thinks about, there is no response.
She was too sleepy. Beside the warm firelight, she slowly closed her eyes. She had a dream and saw Lord Yingyue again in her dream. This time, she used the face of a melancholic beauty. She didn't say much, but suddenly said that she had something to deal with, and it was about those puppets during the day. It probably won't be long. As long as she stays with Chenxing, there shouldn't be any danger.
How is this...what a mess! How can you pin everything on the person you meet for the first time?
Without giving her a chance to say anything, Yingyue Jun hurriedly woke her up from her dream.
