Chapter 25.1 Gilded Baby Corpse 07
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In the lounge, He Tianna was shaken, while her assistant was tending to the injury on her neck.
The director turned to Gao Tianliang, who quickly made the decision to call the police. Then he looked back at Chen Yang and said, “Master?”
Chen Yang shook his head, remaining silent. Gao Tianliang immediately organized the people to seal off the theater and gather everyone, especially the extras and props crew. The person who had fired the gun turned out to be an extra, and the gun he held was real. The props crew member responsible for providing the gun was apprehended.
The crew member’s face turned pale as he said, “It… it wasn’t me. I had no idea. I clearly provided a replica prop gun. Director Liu, you have to believe me. Mr. Gao, I’ve been working at the company for three to four years, and we’ve never had any issues with props. I… I truly don’t know—”
He was so frightened that he couldn’t form coherent sentences. Gao Tianliang’s face darkened, exuding an intimidating aura. “Whether you’re innocent or not, we’ll find out when the police arrive.”
Chen Yang walked over, picked up the prop gun that no one dared to fire, pulled the trigger, and it discharged a blank round. He turned to Gao Tianliang and said, “It’s not a real gun.”
The props crew member breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Chen Yang as if grasping a lifeline. “It’s absolutely impossible for it to be a real gun. I double-check the props multiple times whenever I arrange them. Every prop that reaches the actors passes through my hands.”
Gao Tianliang said, “Alright. I understand.” Then he asked Chen Yang, “But if He Tianna hadn’t dodged, the bullet would have directly struck her throat.”
It was truly a terrifying moment, and the most frightening part was that the person who fired the gun tripped and happened ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴏꜰ ʜɪꜱ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴏɴ ᴀ ᴘʀᴏᴛʀᴜᴅɪɴɢ ᴘᴇʙʙʟᴇ, ᴅʏɪɴɢ ɪɴꜱᴛᴀɴᴛʟʏ. It seemed like an act of silencing.
Chen Yang walked over to the spot where the bullet had struck the ground, picked up the bullet from the indentation, and weighed it in his hand without saying a word. Gao Tianliang approached, took a glance, and his pupils contracted. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a bullet at all but a piece of paper shaped like one.
How could a paper bullet leave a scratch on He Tianna and penetrate the ground? If it was inscribed with symbols, it would be different. It would need the involvement of the Celestial Master Community as it was considered evil magic.
Chen Yang pocketed the paper bullet and headed towards He Tianna’s lounge. Gao Tianliang instructed the crew members to keep a close eye on everyone and prohibit journalists from entering. They would wait for the police to arrive and take away the body.
As soon as He Tianna saw Chen Yang enter, she dismissed her assistant and said to him, “Master, those things are targeting me again. I can’t possibly defend myself.”
At this moment, she placed great trust in Chen Yang because if he hadn’t given her a piece of paper with symbols on it, she wouldn’t have accidentally touched it due to her distracted state of mind, thus avoiding a fatal blow to her hand.
When she returned and recalled the scorching sensation of that moment, she reached into her pocket for the talisman, but unfortunately, it had long turned to ashes. At this point, what else could she not understand?
“Master, do you still have any talismans?”
“No, I’ve given them all to Mr. Xiao Gao.”
Upon hearing this, He Tianna looked at Gao Tianliang with a mournful expression. “Mr. Xiao Gao, can you spare me two?”
Gao Tianliang shook his head in refusal. “I only have a few left, not many.”
Chen Yang glanced at Gao Tianliang, and though he hadn’t counted, he estimated there were dozens of talismans in the thick stack.
He Tianna said to Gao Tianliang, “Mr. Gao, weren’t you planning to ask me out—”
“That’s not true,” Gao Tianliang interrupted her, denying it three times. “Don’t talk nonsense. I admire your principles.”
He Tianna: “……”
Chen Yang: “Now that someone has died on set, filming will likely come to a halt. From now on, you won’t need to go to crowded places. I’ll be by your side to protect you. And I have a good idea now about the person and the faction behind the plot to harm you, as well as the methods they’re using.”
“Who exactly wants to harm me?”
Chen Yang unfolded the paper bullet and lit the inscribed runes. “These are symbols of a Thai black magic practitioner.”
He Tianna was filled with horror. Even though she had never been to Thailand, she knew just how terrifying and pervasive Thai black magic practitioners could be. Their ability to harm others was virtually unstoppable, leaving people defenseless. Moreover, the spells they practiced were mostly evil and extremely poisonous.
Considering the recent rumors in the entertainment industry about raising little ghosts, it made He Tianna shudder even more. It was evident that she had become the target of someone’s deep-seated hatred, going to the extent of hiring a Thai black magic practitioner to harm her.
“Is there a way to counteract it?”
“Knowing their background and their usual methods of sorcery, it shouldn’t be difficult to deal with them.”
“What kind of sorcery do they use?”
Chen Yang didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stared at the talisman in his palm for a while. Then he put it away and said, “Let’s discuss it later… By the way, what about the disciples of Celestial Master Cao? Weren’t they sent by your manager to handle the troubles you’ve been facing?”
He Tianna frowned, visibly displeased. “I have no idea where Sister Jin Yang found this person.”
“How did you know each other before?”
“Celestial Master Cao suddenly appeared in the industry and quickly gained fame. Many celebrities turn to him when encountering strange occurrences. There was a video circulating before about TV King Duan where it was rumored that he had been possessed by the little ghost he raised. Celestial Master Cao was hired to resolve the issue.”
Chen Yang furrowed his brow. “So, you all contact Thai magicians, sorcerers, and black magic practitioners, raise little ghosts, worship the Four-Faced Buddha and White Dragon King, yet none bothered to consult with the celestial masters of our own country?”
“That’s them. I won’t entrust my dreams to gods and spirits. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Maybe they had a smooth and successful start, but ultimately, their methods aren’t righteous. They will inevitably face repercussions and pay a price ten times greater than what they gained.
Chen Yang looked at He Tianna in astonishment, not expecting her to have such insightful understanding. “You’re absolutely right. It’s better to rely on oneself than to seek gods and Buddhas.”
“Can we only deal with the sorcerer at night? Master, I’m scared now. I can’t calm my mind, and I’m afraid to be alone or with other people. I fear dying without even realizing it.”
“Here’s what we can do.” Chen Yang turned to Gao Tianliang. “Mr. Xiao Gao, why don’t you accompany Miss He Tianna? You have talismans with you, and in critical moments, you can give one to Miss He Tianna.”
Gao Tianliang hesitated but seeing He Tianna’s fearful expression, he couldn’t help but feel pity. How could a grown man compare to a timid little girl?
“I’ll protect you.”
In the evening, Zhang Qiudao returned and placed an old bronze object on the table. “Today, I helped someone in the ancient town who was possessed. I obtained this item from him. By the way, he used to work at the Longdao Ridge but was dismissed after being possessed.”
Chen Yang picked up the bronze object, about the size of a palm. It had a humanoid body with deer antlers, furious eyes, and a tongue wrapped around its neck. Neither fully human nor fully beast, its presence made one uncomfortable.
“A Ming artifact?”
Chen Yang immediately recognized the origin of this item. Zhang Qiudao nodded, “Yes, it’s a Ming artifact found underneath the Longdao Ridge.”
Ming artifacts, also known as underworld artifacts, were objects used in the tombs of the deceased and were associated with dark and mysterious practices. The object before them wasn’t an ordinary Ming artifact. It was a tomb guardian beast. In ancient times, to prevent wandering spirits and malicious ghosts from disturbing the deceased, tomb guardian beasts were placed inside the tombs.
“Are there ancient tombs beneath Longdao Ridge?”
Unlikely. Chen Yang immediately dismissed his own question. Considering the history of Longdao Ridge, it had always been a strategic military location, witnessing frequent conflicts and battles. Afterward, it became a notorious burial ground following a massacre. No one would be foolish enough to build tombs atop a haunted location.
Ming artifacts possessed an inherently dark and sinister nature. Besides being burial companions, they also served another purpose—to “suppress evil spirits!”
Longdao Ridge served as a gateway to the underworld, with a heavy aura of malevolence. The possibility of malevolent forces arising could not be ignored. However, in recent years, unless accidents occurred during construction resulting in casualties, it had no impact on the feng shui of the ancient town. This suggests the presence of a suppressive object at Longdao Ridge, and the tomb guardian beast could likely determine what it was suppressing.
“Have you discovered anything else?”
“According to the local elders, when Longdao Ridge was being developed, they unearthed a stone coffin underground. Inside the coffin was a lifelike female corpse dressed in a red bridal gown, clutching a collection of burial items. At that time, this area was isolated so information was difficult to spread. By the time the government received the news, the developer had already excavated the stone coffin, greedily taking all the burial items and even selling several of them. Later, they believed it was an ancient tomb complex and feared that the government’s discovery would hinder their development, so they ordered the suppression of the news. When they continued digging, they uncovered eight more coffins in different locations. Inside each coffin was a set of white bones that turned to ashes upon exposure to light. Afterward, a series of deaths occurred, with a total of eight individuals losing their lives. Misfortune befell the developer’s family as well. Unable to conceal the truth any longer, they reported the matter to the government, and several Supreme Clarity Celestial Masters were summoned to reconfigure the area, suppressing the incident. They strictly warned that Longdao Ridge should never be developed, but instead be turned into a green belt or park. No one should enter or exit Longdao Ridge after dark. Unfortunately, people are willing to risk their lives for wealth.”
Despite being aware of the danger, some still believed that they would be the exception and sought to exploit the land for development.
“Stone coffin? Does it have a tomb?”
“No.”
“Without a tomb, there is no reincarnation. Eight coffins suppressing corpses—a sign of omen.”
Zhang Qiudao: “Are the eight coffins similar to the Eight Coffin Corpse Yard?”
“More or less. Both are meant to suppress evil spirits. However, at Longdao Ridge, it’s a case of nurturing malevolence with malevolence, and then suppressing malevolence with malevolence,” Chen Yang explained carefully, noticing Zhang Qiudao’s confusion. “It’s an ancient formation. The eight coffins and the stone coffin are all used as corpse-sealing coffins to suppress the malevolent corpses inside them. And those malevolent corpses inside the eight coffins are used to suppress the malevolent corpse inside the stone coffin. That’s the essence of suppressing malevolence with malevolence.”
The corpse-sealing coffins suppress the malevolent corpses within the coffins, and the malevolent corpses within the coffins are buried according to the positions of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, serving to suppress the malevolent corpse within the stone coffin.
“What’s the origin of the female corpse in the stone coffin? How could she be so malevolent that the Eight Coffin Corpse Yard method must be used to suppress her? The Eight Coffin Corpse Yard was originally used to suppress the Dragon Malevolence.”
“The female corpse isn’t malevolent. It’s Longdao Ridge itself that is malevolent.”
Zhang Qiudao was puzzled.
“Longdao Ridge has always been a chaotic burial ground and a gateway to the underworld, so its saturated with malevolent energy. The female corpse was meant to suppress the malevolence of Longdao Ridge. However, the one suppressing the malevolence cannot undergo reincarnation, becoming trapped in the stone coffin, brimming with resentment. The Yin energy and malevolent aura of Longdao Ridge transformed the female corpse into an evil entity. While the eight coffins suppress the female corpse, they also require the sacrifice of human lives to nourish her, ultimately turning her into a complete malevolent being or even allowing her to attain the status of a Rakshasa.”
Therefore, this was actually a formation of mutual restraint and interdependence. The malevolent corpses within the eight coffins, the female corpse in the stone coffin, and the ghostly nature of Longdao Ridge simultaneously suppressed and nurtured each other. However, once the female corpse transformed into a Rakshasa, the formation would be broken, and resentment would surge. Within a short period, numerous accidents resulting in fatalities would occur throughout Q City.
There were three major dragon veins in the country, all originating from Kunlun. Among them, the Southern Dragon passes through Q City, and Longdao Ridge was precisely like a beheading blade hanging on the dragon vein. If the Ghost Portal opened and the feng shui was destroyed, it would be equivalent to severing the dragon vein into two segments. The dragon veins were indispensable, and even the loss of one would have a significant impact on the country’s fortune.
Zhang Qiudao’s expression grew serious. “It’s actually related to the dragon veins?!”
Chen Yan: “That’s also my speculation. It’s possible that the female corpse hasn’t transformed into a Rakshasa yet. It’s also possible that even if she does, it may not have a major impact on the Feng Shui and dragon veins of Q City.”
Shaking his head, Zhang Qiudao said, “When it involves dragon veins, regardless of whether it’s speculation or not, I must inform the Daoist Association and the head office. However, Longdao Ridge is situated in an important position along the dragon veins, and it shouldn’t have been subject to human development.”
“So, it’s just my speculation. Perhaps Longdao Ridge isn’t significant enough to affect the feng shui of Q City.”
However, Zhang Qiudao had already conveyed the seriousness of the matter to the Daoist Association and the head office. Given its significance to the dragon veins, it was immediately reported to the relevant national departments. The Daoist Association stated that they would send someone to investigate the situation, and the government acted swiftly. That very evening, individuals arrived in the ancient town to halt the development of Longdao Ridge.
Unfortunately, despite these efforts, there were still casualties that night.
By now, four people had been killed, and there were still four more malevolent corpses needed for the eight coffins.
Chen Yang: “Any news from Celestial Master Cao’s side?”
“No news.”
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