txolops Chapter 8: Cinnabar Suppresses Evil, Midnight Merchants
Chapter 8: Cinnabar Suppresses Evil, Midnight Merchants
"Come in and talk."
Gu Yan stepped aside, making way for him.
He didn't lose his composure just because the other party was a pampered heiress, nor did he get carried away by the words "help me."
His gaze remained calm, even with a hint of scrutiny, appearing particularly profound in the flickering light of the solitary lamp.
Shen Youwei hadn't expected that this boy, who looked several years younger than her, would be so calm and composed.
She paused for a moment, then tightened her fox fur coat, stepping across the threshold with a chill in the air and a faint fragrance.
It was cold inside the shop, and the only charcoal brazier had long since gone out.
Gu Yan didn't start a fire, but pointed to the bench that hadn't been put away yet, gesturing for her to sit down.
"Miss Shen, let's get straight to the point."
Gu Yan stood behind the counter, his hands tucked into his sleeves to prevent the lingering warmth of his palms from escaping.
"Paper shops only serve the dead, not the living. If you need help, go to a clinic or the county government. If you need a coffin cover, Old Sun the carpenter in the east of town can make one too. Why did you come to my little, out-of-the-way shop so late at night?"
Shen Youwei sat on the somewhat greasy bench without showing the slightest disgust.
She put down the lantern, a faint bitterness on her pale face:
"Because only Master Gu's paper figures have the most spiritual power."
She looked up, her eyes filled with fear and helplessness:
"My father died suddenly three days ago, and his body was placed in the mourning hall. Everything was fine until last night, when... there was movement coming from inside the coffin."
"A commotion?" Gu Yan raised an eyebrow.
"It's the sound of fingernails scratching a wooden board."
Shen Youwei's voice began to tremble, "We invited several Taoist priests to come and see, and they all said it was a corpse transformation. They said we must use highly yang cinnabar mixed with black dog blood, draw it on specially made thick hemp paper, and cover the coffin to suppress the resentment. But..."
"But the talismans drawn by those Taoist priests spontaneously combusted as soon as they were pasted on, right?" Gu Yan chimed in.
Shen Youwei looked up abruptly, a hopeful glint in her eyes: "Master Gu really knows his stuff!"
"I don't know how to catch ghosts, I'm just a craftsman."
Gu Yan shook his head, his tone as calm as still water.
"Ordinary yellow paper cannot bear such heavy evil energy, and the person who drew the talisman is not skilled enough. To seal the coffin of the resurrected corpse, nine layers of oiled paper are needed, each layer must be soaked in strong liquor, and mixed with the blood from the forehead of a child and thirty-year-old cinnabar."
Shen Youwei only vaguely understood the paper-making technique, but she did understand the meaning behind the latter part of the difficult-to-express words.
"Master Gu, name your price, as long as you're willing to sell!"
Shen Youwei said urgently, and even tried to stand up to bow.
"One hundred taels."
Gu Yan held up a finger, interrupting her, "No bargaining, cash."
One hundred taels of silver is enough to buy a nice little courtyard in Changning County.
Asking for this price is outrageous for a paper craftsman.
Without any hesitation, Shen Youwei pulled out a stack of silver notes from her sleeve, didn't even count them, and slapped them all on the table:
"Here are two hundred taels. If you can do a good job tonight, the extra one hundred taels can be considered a reward for Master Gu's hard work!"
Gu Yan glanced at the silver notes on the table, but did not show any greed despite the huge sum of money.
He simply reached out, took one hundred taels, and pushed the rest back: "One hundred taels is money to save my life. I can't handle more than that, and I'm afraid it will shorten my lifespan."
In this world, you get what you pay for; taking more often leads to more consequences.
The Shen family's affairs are too complicated; he doesn't want to get too deeply involved. He just wants to be a passerby who takes money and does things for others.
"Wait."
Gu Yan put away the silver notes and turned to walk towards the back room.
A moment later, he came out carrying a bundle of thick hemp paper exactly the same as the one used to make the Iron Fiend that day, and also carrying a jar of ground cinnabar ink.
He didn't try to hide it from Shen Youwei and spread the papers out on the counter.
I pick up my pen and concentrate.
The indifference in Gu Yan's eyes disappeared, replaced by extreme focus.
His blood and qi began to surge with the breathing technique of "Iron Palm," and his palms gradually became hot and red.
This time, he didn't need to expend his own essence and blood as he did when making Iron Fiend, because the method of use was different, so the steps naturally had to be changed as well.
He pressed his burning hot palms onto the hemp paper, using the masculine heat of his Iron Palm to force out the moisture from the paper.
"Sizzle~"
The paper made a soft sound and emitted a wisp of white smoke, leaving Shen Youwei, who was standing to the side, stunned.
Although she didn't understand martial arts, she could tell that the skills displayed by the young man in front of her were far from ordinary.
Those hands were like red-hot branding irons; wherever they touched, the paper became flat and hard.
Gu Yan's calligraphy flows like dragons and snakes.
What he drew on the paper was not a Taoist talisman, but a sealing pattern recorded in the art of paper making: the "soul-locking pattern".
The red cinnabar meanders across the yellow hemp paper like flowing veins of blood.
With each stroke, the proficiency panel flickers slightly.
The experience gained from crafting this special magical artifact far exceeds that of making ordinary paper figures.
Time passes little by little.
The sounds of wind and snow outside the window have faded away, leaving only the soft rustling of a brush against paper in the shop.
Half an hour later.
A thick paper cover, about the size of a coffin lid, covered with intricate red patterns and exuding a faint warmth, was placed on the table.
"call."
Gu Yan let out a long breath, a fine layer of sweat appearing on his forehead: "It's done."
As the last stroke was completed, the notification on the panel appeared as expected:
【Crafting exquisite ritual implements: Paper coffin cover for warding off evil spirits】
Quality: Excellent
[Effect: Seals away evil spirits, isolates the inside from the outside, and can suppress zombies or vengeful spirits under a hundred years old for three hours.]
[Paper-making skill experience +80!]
[Paper Making Technique (Mastery): 566/2000]
It's finally complete.
A flood of profound insights into the art of paper-making suddenly filled Gu Yan's mind, and he was overjoyed.
After mastering the skill, one is no longer limited to making inanimate objects; one can even try to create soldiers from paper.
But he remained expressionless, carefully rolled up the paper cover, and handed it to Shen Youwei:
"Take it back, cover the coffin, and nail the four corners shut with peach wood nails. Remember, before dawn, no matter what sounds you hear inside the coffin, do not open it."
Shen Youwei accepted the scroll as if it were a precious treasure. The warmth emanating from it brought a long-lost sense of security to her cold body. "Thank you so much, Master Gu! Youwei will never forget this!"
She bowed deeply, picked up the lantern, and prepared to leave.
"Miss Shen."
Just as she was about to step out the door, Gu Yan suddenly called out to her.
Shen Youwei turned around: "Is there anything else you need, Master Gu?"
Gu Yan looked at her fair, jade-like neck, which was exposed outside the fox fur coat.
Beneath the skin, there was a faint black line, about the size of a hair, spreading upwards along the blood vessels. It was almost invisible unless you looked closely.
That's a sign of being possessed by evil spirits, and also some kind of mark.
"This coffin cover only treats the symptoms, not the root cause."
Gu Yan spoke calmly, as if he were talking about a trivial matter, "Your father's resurrection was just a trigger; the one who truly provoked something is probably yourself."
Shen Youwei's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and she almost dropped the lantern in her hand.
"When you get back, if you feel cold, drink more hot water and avoid dark places. Also..."
Gu Yan paused, his gaze piercing through the wind and snow to the dark night sky. "If anyone from the Black Dragon Gang comes looking for you, don't trust them. Just run. Run to where there are lots of people."
That's all I have to say. Goodbye.
After saying that, Gu Yan turned around and walked straight into the dark inner hall without looking at the beautiful girl again.
The door was closed.
Shen Youwei stood in the wind and snow, looking at the tightly closed wooden door, clutching the scroll of paper in her arms tightly, the panic in her eyes gradually turning into determination.
inside the house.
Gu Yan did not go to sleep.
He leaned against the door, listening to Shen Youwei's footsteps slowly fade away, his gaze becoming increasingly sharp.
He smelled a scent on Shen Youwei just now.
It wasn't the scent of cosmetics, nor the stench of a corpse.
Instead, it had the same fishy smell as the black dragon token he had destroyed.
That's the smell of "Master Yin".
This eldest daughter of the Shen family has already been reserved by that mysterious being.
Gu Yan touched the scalding hot 100-tael silver note in his pocket, having no intention of helping.
Once the money is taken and a reminder is given, the cause and effect are considered settled.
But he also knew that the tree might wish to remain still, but the wind would not cease.
Now that I've interfered in the Shen family's affairs, that "Master Yin" will eventually take notice.
We must become stronger faster.
Gu Yan walked to the corner and ripped off the oilcloth covering Tie Sha's body.
Now that the art of paper-making has been perfected, it's time to upgrade this exquisite paper figure.
And with that book, "Iron Sand Palm," perhaps with this hundred taels of silver, I could go to the pharmacy and get a few doses of genuine secret medicine to break through to the minor mastery level.
Although the effects of Iron Palm are far inferior to Paper-Strike Technique, in terms of becoming stronger, the benefits are far less than those of Paper-Strike Technique.
However, without the power of the Iron Palm technique, even if he had mastered the craft of high-level paper puppets, he would still find it difficult to create them.