Chapter 17 Skeleton Under The Clothes 10
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Chen Yang and Du Shuo drove to Miyun Haunted House. Along the way, Chen Yang expressed his concerns, “Can Kou Xuanling handle Fang Wenwen alone? The knowledge of Ghost Dao has been lost for many years, and its techniques are elusive. I’m worried he might struggle with it.”
Fang Wenwen’s younger brother was injured by Mao Xiaoli’s Five Thunders talisman, and it was likely that she now knew about Feng Yuan and the others inviting celestial masters. They would probably take action tonight. Feng Yuan and Wei Changping went to Fang Wenwen’s villa, while Ge Qing and Ma Qiqi stayed behind.
Kou Xuanling would handle Fang Wenwen and her brother, while Mao Xiaoli was responsible for protecting the two girls. Since Fang Wenwen kept demonic spirits, she would most likely send little ghosts to kill Ge Qing and Ma Qiqi, and remove their skin.
Entrusted with the little ghosts, Mao Xiaoli’s natural talent allowed her to handle them well. As for Fang Wenwen, a witch capable of setting up a demonic formation, she was definitely a formidable opponent.
Du Shuo: “Kou Xuanling started killing evil spirits with his clan members at the age of fifteen and received an invitation to join the head office at the age of twenty. Although he can be stubborn in some ways, there’s no need to worry about his ability to catch ghosts.”
Chen Yang: “I thought you would stay.”
After all, he was an expert in Ghost Dao, skilled in suppressing, controlling, and killing ghosts. He could confidently deal with the evil entities hidden in Miyun Haunted House on his own.
“In the past three years, including this one, I’ve only taken three cases.”
Chen Yang remained silent for a while and then advised with a serious tone, “Going against the rules won’t lead to promotions.”
…Sometimes the Great Emperor of the Northern Yin felt like he couldn’t have a proper conversation with his little wife. He sighed helplessly in his heart. “I wasn’t planning to take this case initially. It was because of your position that I accepted it.”
“That’s what I suspected,” Chen Yang said with an expression that said “I knew it.” “The head office has many talented individuals, but our branch only has four employees. Even if we consider poverty alleviation, they won’t allocate ten million to our branch.”
As he spoke, he started to smile, resembling a cat stealing a treat.
Chen Yang grabbed Du Shuo’s sleeve, his eyebrows and eyes curved, his gaze filled with sweetness. “My support is unbeatable.”
Du Shuo freed his hand and affectionately held Chen Yang’s neck, “Hmm.”
“However,” Chen Yang said seriously, “People who gain without effort and indulge in leisure will eventually be fired. No boss or subordinate likes someone who just occupies a position without contributing.”
Du Shuo paused his action of massaging Chen Yang and silently withdrew his hand, taking out a bottle of canned juice from the storage box and handing it to him.
“Have some juice.”
It was important to know when to stop advising, as it could have unintended consequences. Chen Yang understood this principle well, so he opened the juice, inserted a straw, and took a big sip of the juice with pulp. The sweet taste improved his entire mood. “Would you like a sip?”
Du Shuo shook his head to decline.
After finishing the juice, Chen Yang’s hand crept towards the storage box. He had noticed chocolate and various candies inside earlier. He stole a quick glance at Du Shuo, who remained focused on driving. Chen Yang grabbed a handful of candies and was about to retract his hand.
Then he heard Du Shuo’s cold remark, “Three candies per day.”
Chen Yang paused for a moment and nonchalantly set down the other candies, keeping only five in his palm. “I no longer get cavities.”
People who have a strong love for sweets but lack self-control usually end up with cavities. When the worms inside the cavities act up, the pain becomes unbearable, causing teary eyes. Chen Yang, who indulged in sweets without restraint behind Du Shuo’s back, developed cavities and suffered from intense toothache during the night. After having one tooth filled, he was restricted in the amount of sweets he could consume.
“Either put them all back and don’t eat any today, or get only three.”
Chen Yang pursed his lips and returned two candies. He unwrapped one and placed it in his mouth, hiding the remaining two for a celebratory moment after resolving the situation.
As they reached the town of Bulao, the sky started to darken.
Chen Yang glanced down at the time, noting it was around six o’clock.
As the car continued forward, the population became sparser. The townspeople who sought respite from the evening heat could easily recognize the direction the car was traveling – yet another group of outsiders exploring the haunted mansion. It was no longer a surprising sight for them.
“Three feet above the head, divine beings exist. Show respect to ghosts and gods, not just humans.”
Chen Yang had a slight feeling and turned his head to look. The bustling sounds of the town behind them quickly faded away, leaving no houses or people in sight.
The car broke down halfway, but fortunately, they could already see the haunted mansion from their position, partially concealed within the dense canopy of ancient locust trees. Although the sun had yet to set, the nearby villa seemed engulfed in darkness.
Even from a distance, the sight appeared unsettling and fear-inducing, gripping their hearts and making each breath feel tense and unsettling.
“Such a strong presence of Yin energy.”
Du Shuo stepped out of the car and walked over to Chen Yang, placing his hand on his shoulder. Seizing the opportunity when Chen Yang turned his head, he leaned down and kissed him. After a playful exchange of kisses, he pulled away and commented, “It’s too sweet. Let’s try a different brand next time.”
Chen Yang: “It’s broad daylight, show some restraint.”
Du Shuo turned around, his gaze deep and contemplative. “Do we really need restraint even when eating a candy?”
His words held an implied meaning, leaving it unclear whether he referred to candies or something else entirely.
Chen Yang pressed his fist against his lips and let out a soft cough. “After being married for so long, we still engage in these games…”
Muttering with a touch of disdain, a suppressed smile appeared on the corner of his lips.
The haunted house stood as a three-story villa with a garden. The garden was filled with dense ancient locust trees, their branches and trunks resembling spooky and terrifying figures. As they approached, the Yin energy grew stronger, accompanied by a noticeable drop in temperature.
The air remained eerily quiet, devoid even of the sound of insects. It was truly a characteristic of a haunted house.
Chen Yang pushed open the iron gate, realizing that the lock was merely ornamental. The gate emitted a distinct “creak” sound, which echoed conspicuously in the serene surroundings. As he stepped inside, an unpleasant and raucous crow’s call suddenly pierced the air.
Chen Yang raised his head and noticed a group of large black birds flying out from the cluster of ancient locust trees nearby, heading towards the distance. Against the pale sky and the backdrop of the rundown and gloomy mansion, an ominous feeling permeated the air.
“The decline of the Ghost Dao and the rise of the Celestial Master Dao is not just due to its strict requirements for practitioners, but also because those who delve into the Ghost Dao cannot control their own greed.”
Practicing the Ghost Dao allowed one to control ghosts. Even celestial masters couldn’t resist using their abilities and ghosts to profit themselves, let alone practitioners of the the Ghost Dao, which had a stronger ability to control ghosts than practitioners of the Celestial Master Dao. During the peak of the Ghost Dao popularity, raising ghosts became a prevailing practice.
After engaging in raising ghost, one became increasingly dependent on ghosts and became greedier, easily straying onto the path of evil. It was ultimately a deviation from the righteous path and a loss of Yin virtue. Just like Fang Wenwen, who was once a respected witch in Shu region, but now had a trail of lives in her hands.
Chen Yang: “By the way, today is the third day. You haven’t mentioned the third crucial clue.”
Du Shuo: “A skeleton beneath the clothes.”
Chen Yang paused for a moment, suddenly realizing, “No wonder this sinister creature is so cunning and vicious. It’s a skeleton, after all.”
A skeleton was the remains of a person’s bones after death. When they were alive, they were human beings. Through some fortunate circumstances after death, they transformed into demons, consuming flesh and blood to nourish themselves and retaining their intelligence from when they were alive.
According to “Miscellaneous Records from Youyang,” during the Tang Dynasty, Duke Jiang Chu visited the Chanding Temple. During a banquet, he noticed a beautiful woman who never showed her hands. Someone pulled at her clothing and discovered that beneath her clothes were nothing but white bones and skeletal remains. It turned out that this skeleton had transformed into a spirit and infiltrated the banquet to absorb human essence and nourish itself. Similar accounts can be found in the “Extensive Records of Taiping Era,” which recounted the story of a young girl performing in a market who had her linen garment torn open, revealing a skeleton underneath.
It was clear that the transformation of skeletons into demons had existed since ancient times. Once they became demons, these skeletons tended to blend in among crowds and feed on the life essence of humans. They may appear with flesh-filled faces and limbs like ordinary people, but underneath their clothes, they were nothing but skeletons.
Chen Yang came to a sudden halt and turned sharply, exclaiming, “Are you tricking me?”
Du Shuo had mentioned that he would provide one clue each day for Chen Yang to guess the true form of the monster. Now, if he revealed the the demons’ true nature, it could no longer be considered something Chen Yang figured out.
In simpler terms, Chen Yang had lost.
“Nonsense,” Du Shuo said, “I personally practice the principles I teach you.”
Chen Yang looked annoyed and said, “You’re just being stingy with rewards!”
Du Shuo: “You won’t be lacking in rewards, but half of it will be deducted.”
Having half was still better than having nothing at all.
“What’s the reward?”
Just as Du Shuo was about to answer, he looked up and saw a large lump growing on the trunk of a nearby ancient locust tree. The lump slowly split open, revealing facial features that resembled a human, which appeared particularly terrifying.
Chen Yang took off the red string from his wrist, holding one end in each hand, and vigorously whipped the lump on the tree. The whole locust tree cracked open, and the lump was shattered. Accompanied by a scream, the tall tree collapsed, revealing the white bones and partially decayed corpses underneath its roots.
There were also some hair, teeth, and torn clothing visible. It was evident that these were the remains of people devoured by the locust tree.
Without hesitation, Chen Yang relentlessly whipped the entire malevolent spirit-infested locust tree until it dissipated completely. In an instant, a mournful wind swept through the locust forest, intensifying the sense of terror. It seemed as though the lurking spirits inside had sensed the imminent danger.
“Planning to run?”
The entire ancient locust forest was shrouded in chilling energy, causing harm to numerous innocent travelers. Chen Yang swiftly dispersed them, his steps mysteriously light and nimble, accurately identifying the possessed locust trees and attaching spiritual talismans to them.
With a foot firmly planted on the ground, he turned around and raised his hand, chanting, “…By the decree of the Ghost Emperor, evil shall be vanquished, malevolence shall be extinguished… All that is not upright shall face the wrath of the Five Thunders, and submit to their divine judgment. Stay still, heed the command with urgency, as if bound by sacred decree.”
The Five Thunder Spirit Talismans each played their role, blasting the locust tree inhabited by wandering souls and wild ghosts into two pieces. Simultaneously, the wandering souls and wild ghosts were obliterated to ashes. Thunder and fire were inherently feared by myriad ghosts. Chen Yang’s Total Thunder Control Talisman pushed the use of the Five Thunder Spirit Talismans to the extreme.
Du Shuo strolled over leisurely and asked, “Did you enhance the Five Thunders Spirit Talisman?”
“I’ve seen Mao Xiaoli use it a few times, and it proved quite effective. It’s the most efficient for widespread lightning strikes.”
“Under the decree of the Ghost Emperor?”
“Considering my practice of the Ghost Dao, I’m afraid I can’t summon the same level of power as the revered Daoist masters.”
“Why not invite the Great Emperor of Fengdu?”
Just a mere Ghost Emperor, was he really that powerful?
Chen Yang: “Why use a sledgehammer for a simple task?”
Du Shuo’s peculiar mood unexpectedly improved.
The two of them arrived at the entrance of the villa, and before they could take any action, the door swung open. Inside, it was completely dark, resembling a voracious monster.
Chen Yang: “Are they trying to provoke us?”
Brazen.
Side by side, they stepped into the villa, and the door slammed shut behind them. The previously darkened villa suddenly illuminated with a haunting blue and green ghostly glow, revealing the aged cobwebs clinging to the furnishings. Directly facing the staircase was a massive portrait.
The portrait depicted four individuals with eerie expressions.
“Welcome… guests.”
A rough and raspy voice echoed, catching Chen Yang’s attention. Underneath three sets of clothes sat skeletons, their faces and hands strangely plump, fixedly staring at them from the sofa on the left.
On the tabletop lay a body, only the skull, hair, teeth, and bare limbs remained, accompanied by a backpack and a camera. Presumably, it was an adventurous traveler who had met a gruesome end.
The younger person, likely the eldest from the Fang family, stepped forward and spoke, “The flesh of a celestial master must be different from that of ordinary people.”
Chen Yang swiftly lashed out with a red string, mercilessly striking the demonic spirit before him, nearly reducing it to pieces. “Too much nonsense.”
The three demonic spirits simultaneously shed their flesh to reveal white bones. One of the bones bore a crimson hue, resembling blood. The red string struck like a blow against steel and bones, leaving only faint marks.
“…Under the authority of the Five Ghost Emperors, the Seventy-Two Departments. Heed my command, assume your true form. Act swiftly to capture the evil spirits. Urgent as the Great Emperor of Fengdu’s decree.”
_____
[A/N]
“Miscellaneous Records from Youyang” is a collection of strange tales from the Tang Dynasty. Honestly, the ancient people possessed a rich and awe-inspiring imagination that surpasses that of modern times. There are one or two stories that I find genuinely terrifying upon reading them myself.
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
