Immortality: Grinding Experience Starting as a Paper Craftsman

Chapter 23 A cornered beast fights on, a paper doll dies in its place.

The explosion that shocked the entire city was ultimately classified by the government as "a cult spreading heresies and being punished by heaven with lightning."

The streets were filled with a burnt smell, mixed with the lingering scent of incense, which was rather pungent.

Zhao Feng came over in the evening.

The constable Zhao was beaming, clearly having performed a great service.

As soon as he entered, he patted Gu Yan's shoulder hard, marveling at how incredibly lucky Gu Yan was. He said that if Gu Yan had been there, even just watching from below the stage, he would probably have been burned by the phosphorescent flames.

Gu Yan could only shrink his neck and pour tea for Zhao Feng with a look of lingering fear, muttering "May our ancestors bless us."

After Zhao Feng left, it became completely dark.

There was no moon tonight, and the wind was rather strong, making the broken roof rattle loudly.

Gu Yan did not repair the roof, and even the shop door was only slightly ajar.

He is waiting.

Or rather, they're waiting for a stray dog.

He personally set up that evil-gathering formation, and he knew the power of the explosion better than anyone else.

Although it was enough to destroy the statue and the minds of the believers, for Bai Yunfei, who already possessed cultivation, it would at most cause serious injury, not death.

Given that guy's vindictive nature, once he realizes what's going on, the first person he'll target will definitely be him, the sole person who handled the matter.

squeak~

The half-open door was pushed open by a bloody hand.

A strong smell of blood instantly overpowered the smell of paper pulp in the room.

Bai Yunfei stood at the door, his daytime air of divine grace long gone.

His white clothes were burned to charred strips, half of his face was a bloody mess, and his left arm was twisted unnaturally, clearly broken.

But in his perfectly good right eye, a venomous flame of resentment burned.

"Master... Gu..."

Bai Yunfei's voice was hoarse, and each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"The idol you gave me... has a problem."

Gu Yan sat behind the counter, holding the book "The Concealing Breath Turtle-Snake Technique" in his hands. He seemed to be stunned, and the book fell to the ground with a thud.

"Master Bai? What's wrong? The idol I made was made with the finest materials; everyone saw it, it was a miracle!"

"A miracle?"

Bai Yunfei gave a bitter laugh, staggered across the threshold, and closed the door behind him.

"That's a Gathering Fiend Formation! You turned my statue of the Holy Mother into a powder keg! I don't care whose side you're on, whether it's the Demon Suppression Division or remnants of the Black Dragon Gang..."

He suddenly raised his head, and a pale white bone sword appeared in his only remaining hand, its tip pointing directly at Gu Yan's throat.

"Hand over all the silver you have, and that secret manual for making paper figures. Then... I'll skin you alive and make new human skin lanterns!"

Even with these severe injuries, he remains the same cult leader who treats human life as worthless.

He desperately needs resources to heal his wounds and vent his anger.

Gu Yan looked at the bone sword that exuded a chilling aura, a look of despair on his face:

"No! Don't kill me! The money's all in the cabinet, take it yourself!"

"Die!"

Bai Yunfei had no patience to listen to his nonsense. He sprang up like a wounded vulture, his bone sword piercing Gu Yan's chest with a sharp whistling sound.

"puff."

The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh was clearly audible.

Gu Yan stared wide-eyed at the bone sword that had pierced his chest, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth before his head slumped limply down.

"Hmph, ants."

Bai Yunfei snorted coldly, and the slight doubt in his heart dissipated as he felt the touch.

He's just an ordinary mortal, yet he actually suspected him of being a master. He must have been completely out of his mind.

He drew his bone sword, about to reach out and search Gu Yan's body.

Sudden.

His movements froze.

Because he saw that Gu Yan, whose heart he had pierced and who should have collapsed, did not bleed any more blood, but instead made a slight rustling sound.

It's like a crumpled piece of paper.

Then, under his horrified gaze, Gu Yan's body began to collapse and shrivel.

The skin quickly faded, turning into pale white Xuan paper.

What was exposed in the pierced wound was not internal organs, but several broken bamboo strips.

"What is this?!"

Bai Yunfei felt a chill run down his spine, a cold sensation shooting from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

"A substitute? A paper doll?"

"Who was that who spoke to me just now? And who was it that I killed?"

"Master Bai, you've ruined my stand-in. This is a master-level piece of craftsmanship, very expensive."

A calm voice suddenly rang out from the dark corner of the shop.

Bai Yunfei suddenly turned around.

Among the row of paper figures against the wall, one that had been standing still suddenly came to life.

It raised its hand and tore off the mask from its face, revealing a handsome face with a hint of helplessness.

It was Gu Yan who was completely unharmed.

This is the true usage of 【欺天诳地】.

If Gu Yan is willing, every paper figure in this room can be him, and he can be any paper figure.

"You're a cultivator?!"

Bai Yunfei now understood that he had kicked a hornet's nest, and a hornet's nest so hard it could break a leg.

Without a second thought, he turned and rushed toward the door.

Escape! We must escape!

Unfortunately, it's too late.

Before he could even touch the door, a huge black shadow had already blocked his way.

The Yin Iron Rakshasa's mountain-like body created a suffocating sense of oppression in the narrow shop.

Its chest-mounted Reverse Scale Heart-Protecting Mirror gleamed with an eerie light, and three black tentacles, like venomous snakes, emerged and instantly coiled around Bai Yunfei's limbs.

"Let me go! I am from the White Spirit Cult..."

Click.

The Yin Iron Rakshasa was not programmed to listen to his nonsense.

Its large hand suddenly closed, crushing Bai Yunfei's right arm that was holding the sword, and then its other hand gripped his head.

Gu Yan walked up to him, looked at the incense master who was still struggling desperately, and shook his head.

"If you're going to do business in your next life, remember to operate with integrity. Also, don't trespass on burglaries."

"Let's do it."

"Bang!"

Red and white things splashed.

The world is quiet now.

Gu Yan skillfully dodged the splattered blood, and even had the leisure to straighten his sleeves.

[Killed the leader of the White Spirit Cult (severely injured).]

[Gained pure divine soul power.]

[Paper-making skill experience +800.]

Gu Yan stepped forward and began his favorite part.

Loot the corpse!

Since this guy is the leader of the incense shop, he must have some good stuff on him.

He rummaged through the pile of tattered white clothes for a while, finding only some silver notes and poison.

Finally, he found a small, exquisite pouch carved from the bone of some unknown animal at his waist.

Although the pouch was only the size of a palm, it felt heavy in the hand, and the opening was not tied with a rope, but sealed with a faint spiritual light.

"Storage bag?"

Gu Yan's eyes lit up.

This is standard equipment for cultivators, and it is a hundred times more precious than any gold or silver jewelry.

He tried to channel a wisp of his vital energy into the area, and the uncontrolled spiritual light was easily broken through.

Consciousness probed into it.

The space is small, about the size of a single cabinet.

But what was inside made Gu Yan's breath catch in his throat.

Besides a few bottles of labeled pills, a small fragment, no bigger than a palm and as white as mutton fat jade, lay quietly in the corner.

The fragment was covered with densely packed small characters, the first three of which were written in ancient seal script:

"Paper Cuttings to Form Soldiers"

Gu Yan's hands trembled slightly.

If the previous paper-cutting techniques were merely the pinnacle of folk crafts, then this book, "Paper Cutting into Soldiers," truly marks the threshold into the realm of supernatural powers.

This is a high-level variant of the legendary Taoist art of turning beans into soldiers; it is a true art of killing!

"What a fine White Spirit Cult! What a money-giving boy!"

Gu Yan put away the storage bag, feeling great.

He glanced at the headless corpse on the ground and ordered the Yin Iron Rakshasa to drag it to the backyard.

It was the same familiar process: looting, burning, and scattering ashes.

Half an hour later.

The paper-making shop returned to calm, with only a faint sandalwood scent in the air, which Gu Yan had specially ordered to mask the smell of blood.

He made a regular paper figure and placed it where it had been pierced.

Late at night.

Gu Yan closed the doors and windows, sat under the lamp, and took out the fragment of the jade slip.