We were all frozen stiff, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. Then the joker, who'd cracked that lame joke earlier, broke the silence. "What the hell are you guys waiting for? Just go in already!" he urged, his voice full of urgency. "Don't you remember all those freaky ghosts we ran into five years ago? I'd rather take my chances inside than deal with that nightmare again."
The cold-shouldered dude closed his eyes, deep in thought. After what felt like forever, he finally nodded. "You're right," he said. "Let's do this."
I couldn't help but ask, "What kind of ghosts are we talking about here?"
"The kind you never wanna see again in your life," the joker replied mysteriously, stepping forward with determination.
I had this grand image of the Taiyin Palace in my head, something majestic and royal. But as we got closer, my expectations were totally shattered. It was just a run-down temple in some forgotten village. If it weren't for the faded sign, I'd never believe this dump was the legendary Taiyin Palace.
As we reached the entrance, the cold-shouldered guy raised his hand to stop us. He pulled out a sword from behind his back—a weapon I'd never seen him use before. It wasn't your average blade; it was a mini heavy sword with black steel and intricate golden patterns. Later, the joker told me it was an eight-sided Han sword from the Han Dynasty, a seriously powerful weapon.
The joker claimed this was the same sword Yue Fei, the legendary general, had used. I was skeptical, but I kept it in mind. Honestly, if it weren't for the cold-shouldered guy and his sword during our trip to Bao Village, I might not be here to tell the tale.
For folks like Jin Chan, who lived in this dangerous world, that black iron Han sword was a part of him. It's what let me act tough later on, but I won't get into that now.
After the cold-shouldered guy drew his sword, the joker also got serious, pulling out his military knife. Seeing them both armed, I followed suit, grabbing my ink stick and golden hook. It was the first time I really used them, and I felt this weird, familiar energy, like they were part of me, giving me an unexpected sense of comfort.
"Let's go!" the cold-shouldered guy commanded, pushing the door open. Inside, instead of the powerful Miao people we expected, we found a group of about ten college students. We were all stunned.
The students were just as shocked, their eyes wide with fear as they saw our weapons. One of them, probably the leader, stammered, "We're just students. We don't have much money..."
"Huh, you think we're robbers?" I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous this was.
"Shut up!" the cold-shouldered guy snapped. His tone, along with the joker's continued wariness, made me uneasy. I glanced at them nervously, wondering why they were still so on edge around these harmless students.
"Are there any others here?" the joker asked, his military knife still ready as he stared down the lead student.
"Are there any others?" the student echoed, clearly confused.
"We're not robbers. We just want to rest here for one night," the cold-shouldered guy said coldly, finding a spot to sit down. I quickly followed suit, and the joker joined us, though he kept his eyes peeled for any danger.
As we settled in, the joker spoke up, his voice low. "I can't shake the feeling that something's off about this."
"The master from Miaojiang is probably among these students," the cold-shouldered guy said casually, his eyes closed like he was meditating. "He's got his own reasons for hiding. Since he doesn't wanna show himself, we'll let him play his game. We'll rest here tonight and go our separate ways tomorrow."
"Are you just gonna sleep like that?" I asked, my voice full of anxiety. "Aren't you afraid they might curse you or something?"
"If the master of curses wanted to kill us, he would've done it the moment we walked in," the joker replied with a grim smile. "But who knows? Maybe we're already filled with maggots inside."
When I heard what he said, I felt a bit uneasy, but then I remembered the period guy's playful antics along the way and figured he was just messing with me. I rolled my eyes at him, annoyed, and went back to resting, though I kept my ears open, curious about what these college kids were up to in this creepy place.
There were eleven of them in total—four girls and seven guys. The girls were all pretty hot, but one with short hair really stood out to me. She had this innocent, charming vibe that was hard to resist, especially for someone as jaded as me.
The other three girls were definitely good-looking too, but they didn't have that same youthful, captivating energy.
When we first walked in, the college kids gave us suspicious looks. I mean, we were dressed in military-style gear and armed to the teeth, so we didn't exactly look friendly. But when they saw we were just there to chill and weren't a threat, they relaxed a bit and started talking about their plans.
Since the temple was pretty small, I could easily hear their conversation.
From what they were saying, it sounded like they were all students from Chengdu University. Apparently, they'd secretly formed some kind of paranormal club or something. They'd heard rumors about a haunted village in this forest and decided to come here as a group to get a thrill.
Listening to them chat, I couldn't help but laugh. These days, students seem to love chasing danger. Why not stick to more normal hobbies? Instead, they're all about ghosts and monsters.
And they even came to this godforsaken place. Let me tell you, Eight-Borough Village is definitely haunted. With this group wandering in, they're probably not gonna make it out unscathed.
I was about to warn them to leave, but then I remembered what the period guy had said earlier: don't get involved in other people's business. Who knows what that curse master had planned for them? If my warning messed up his plan and he came after me, I couldn't handle the fallout.
So, I just kept listening to their conversation without saying anything.
Just then, one of the chubby guys opened his laptop and said, "I heard that outside this Taiyin Palace, you can see the ghost soldiers passing by at night. Should we go check it out?"
Hearing that, I got curious. Ghost soldiers passing by? That sounded pretty interesting.
Especially when those words were mentioned, the aloof guy and the period guy both twitched. Clearly, they had some bad memories they didn't want to relive.
"I think we shouldn't go. According to the info, the ghost soldiers are too dangerous. If something happens to us..." At that moment, a skinny guy with glasses chimed in.
"Wang Xuebing, don't be such a wimp. Why did we come here? Isn't it to experience some paranormal stuff? You're scared of everything. You might as well go home and let your mom feed you milk," the fat guy who spoke first shot back.
Wang Xuebing opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but seeing the tense vibe, he kept quiet.
Then, the guy who seemed like the leader spoke up, "Let's split into two groups. One group takes the camera and goes out to see if they can catch the ghost soldiers passing by. The girls and Wang Xuebing stay here. It's getting late, and the forest is pretty dangerous."
"Six," Menstrual Brother suddenly laughed, his cold laugh giving me the chills.
[
Here's the lowdown on all the cool stuff in Chapter 4, Volume 2:
Octagonal Han Sword
- What's it like?
- This bad boy's got eight edges, representing the Eight Trigrams, and weighs exactly 3.7 pounds.
- Made from super rare black gold, with some meteor iron from the Big Dipper thrown in for good measure.
- Ghost-busting powers:
- The sword guard's got these ancient "Edict" characters that can bust through the Yin realm.
- When you swing it, it sends out 17Hz sound waves that scare off vengeful spirits.
The Passage of the Ghost Soldiers
- What's the deal?
- Basically, it's a bunch of angry ghosts from a massacre back in 1942.
- Every month on the 15th, the whole bloody scene plays out again.
- Watch out:
- If you look these ghosts in the eye, you'll start bleeding from everywhere.
- Step in their blood, and bam! You're one of them.
Wu Jin Soul Binding
- What's on the sword?
- It's got the whole "Du Ren Jing" scripture carved in tiny letters.
- There's also a cinnabar charm tube in the blood groove for extra mojo.
- Catch:
- After taking out 100 ghosts, you gotta dunk it in black dog blood.
- The user's cursed with bad luck and loneliness – tough break.
Ink Rod Spirit Communication
- What makes it special?
- The handle's from a 100-year-old locust tree that can sense ghost vibes.
- The golden hook's got secret constellation characters for extra mystic points.
- How it works:
- First blood contact? You're bonded for life.
- Anyone else tries to use it? Ouch! Barbed mechanism says no.
The Occult Society Contract
- What's up with this club?
- To join, you gotta sign a "life and death statement" – basically a death contract.
- Their logo's got a spirit-summoning array hidden in it.
- Real purpose:
- They're providing live sacrifices for Miaojiang witch doctors.
- Also collecting souls of people born at specific times – creepy, right?
Chrysalis Substitute
- What's this worm trick?
- It makes a life-bound worm look just like a student – perfect disguise.
- The real body's chilling in a copper coffin in the Taiyin Palace cellar.
- How to spot it:
- Look for three chrysalis-shaped scales behind the ears.
- Their shadow looks like a bug – dead giveaway.
Three Prohibitions in the Palace of the Moon
- Survival tips:
- No fires after 7 PM – it attracts wall painting ghosts.
- Don't close your eyes before 11 PM, or you'll hear corpse whispers.
- No eating or drinking between 5-7 AM – the well's connected to a blood pool.
The Record of the Army of the Underworld
- What's in this old book?
- The underworld army grows by 1,942 every 60 years.
- The commander's ghost from that year brings up the rear.
- How to break the curse:
- Collect seven "coins for the afterlife."
- Set up a seven-star lantern array at the top of Taiyin Palace.
All this stuff shows how weapons and magic are totally intertwined. Each weapon's got its own backstory, setting the stage for the big human vs. ghost showdown. The student team's true identities hint at how modern cities and ancient magic are secretly connected, showing how fate can be a real jerk sometimes.
]