After Grandma Tang finished tying the red thread, she found a large copper basin and started burning paper.
Seeing this scene, Tong Xiaosong and others understood. The small copper basin in the dormitory was probably also used for burning offerings.
No wonder Grandma Tang said there was an offering on Tong Xiaosong’s body; he had already stepped into the Yin.
At least Tang Yuxin knew that she was offering to the family immortal, while Tong Xiaosong didn’t even know what he was offering.
At this moment, Tong Xiaosong felt a tug on the red thread on his wrist, and he was startled.
Looking back, he saw that Gu Xuan seemed to be bored, lowering his eyes and casually pulling the red thread as if teasing a cat.
He didn’t know where he got the courage, but instinctively felt a bit annoyed. Unwillingly, he pulled back.
When he looked up and saw Gu Xuan, he suddenly realized what he had done. He had actually provoked Gu Xuan!
Gu Xuan looked at him, raised his eyebrows slightly, smiled lightly, and pulled the red thread again, teasingly.
Instinctively, Tong Xiaosong pulled it back again. The back-and-forth gave a feeling of flirting and teasing. His heart trembled, and he immediately turned away, no longer paying attention to the sensations coming from his wrist.
He found it strange. Gu Xuan gave him a strong sense of duality. Clearly, he disliked Gu Xuan, but whether it was the night of the stolen copper basin or now, he felt that the person in front of him was sincere and gentle.
The contrast that Gu Xuan presented to him was like two identical people—one selfish, arrogant, and detestable, and the other gentle, humorous, like a spring breeze.
Could Gu Xuan have a split personality?
Tong Xiaosong shook his head, stopping himself from overthinking. Instead of considering split personalities, he thought it more likely that Gu Xuan used some kind of magic on him.
Rather than analyzing the inexplicable and sudden fondness for the other person, he decided to stick to his instincts and be cautious of Gu Xuan, to avoid being bullied again.
As more and more paper burned, the flames of the paper money overwhelmed the candlelight. The flames surged, as if they were going to ignite the entire hall. Thick smoke filled the air, and everything before his eyes became less tangible.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Strangely, the smoke was thick, but it didn’t cause any discomfort. Even the flames of the burning paper seemed to lack warmth.
Kjcu Tezlc rabbv lc atf atlmx rwbxf, rffwlcu ilofifrr, ilxf j tfjvifrr mbgqrf.
Qtfc atf qjqfg wbcfs tjv yegcfv jiwbra mbwqifafis, Xgjcvwj Kjcu jqqgbjmtfv Kjcu Tezlc klat j xclof. Cwlvra fnfgsbcf’r rtbmxfv ujhf, rtf iloafv tlr jgw jcv wjvf j mea bc tlr kglra. Mgfrt yibbv oibkfv, yea Kjcu Tezlc gfwjlcfv wbalbcifrr, jr lo ecjkjgf.
As the blood flowed to the ground, it seemed like a mysterious red thread leading into the underworld.
Inopportunely, Tong Xiaosong thought of the red thread that bound him to Gu Xuan, seemingly the same color as this blood, vivid and bright.
He lifted his wrist to examine it closely, but Grandma Tang loudly recited words in a language they couldn’t understand, grabbing his attention.
It sounded like a dialect, yet resembled ancient incantations. Accompanied by the fresh blood falling to the ground, it seemed as though something not belonging to the mortal realm was about to be summoned.
Thump, thump, thump.
Three knocks echoed, and everyone turned to look at the door.
Tong Xiaosong felt uneasy; he remembered Tang Yuxin mentioning that this kind of rhythmic knocking, three knocks and then silence, was not done by the living.
At this moment, with a large red veil covering her face and blood flowing from her wrist, Tang Yuxin, seemingly guided by something, walked unhindered to the door.
She raised her hands and opened the wooden door.
The moment the door opened, a gust of eerie wind rushed in, slamming the two wooden doors against the wall with a bang.
In an instant, evil winds and gloomy breezes swirled inside the hall. The candles and braziers in front of the immortal hall danced wildly with the tumultuous wind, not only lacking warmth but also carrying a chilling coldness.
Tong Xiaosong looked towards the immortal hall in the direction of the rushing wind. The chaotic gusts momentarily blew open the red cloth covering the immortal hall, as if something had entered.
In that instant, it was enough for him to see what was inside. His blood instantly froze, and Tong Xiaosong, terrified, took a few steps back, instinctively pulling the red thread on his wrist.
As if understanding his fear, the other end of the red thread gently tugged.
Tong Xiaosong looked at Gu Xuan and strangely understood the reassurance in his expression.
This alleviated some of his fear, but he still couldn’t forget what he had just seen.
Inside the immortal hall were photos of lifeless black-and-white corpses, each image extremely horrifying, with not a single intact body.
Some were victims of car accidents, their bodies contorted in eerie angles.
Some had half their bodies engulfed in a cement mixer, leaving only a head with wide-open eyes.
There were those who jumped off buildings, their forms distorted beyond recognition.
Others were strangled to death, their eyes bulging with hatred.
Countless resentful spirits emanated from these black-and-white photos.
It was hard not to wonder what exactly the so-called ‘immortal hall’ was.
As Grandma Tang’s chanting grew louder, the wind became more chaotic, carrying an indescribable stench.
Suddenly, a loud bang!
The double wooden doors were closed by the wind.
In the next moment, Tang Yuxin suddenly screamed in agony.
Grandma Tang’s chanting finally stopped, but the whirlwind inside the hall continued unabated, seemingly targeting Tang Yuxin as its center.
The dark red veil was swept into the air by the wind, revealing Tang Yuxin’s continuous screams.
Seeing Tang Yuxin’s appearance, everyone widened their eyes in horror, unconsciously moving away from her.
At this moment, Tang Yuxin emitted an exceptionally mournful howl, but her facial expression was contradictory.
Her eyes were wide open, excited as if they were about to pop out. The corners of her mouth were lifted high, trembling with the wailing.
She was clearly in pain, yet her expression was a near-crazy excitement and joy. It seemed as if some other entity was using her body to express the exuberance of returning to the mortal realm.
The fresh blood from Tang Yuxin’s wrist splattered everywhere with her increasingly frenetic movements, reminiscent of the chicken that died tragically during the day, almost identical to the current scene.
The paper effigies around, bearing eerie smiles, were covered in blood spots. Even Wu Mabo, Wen Dong, and Ke Lin couldn’t avoid getting stained, but Gu Xuan and Tong Xiaosong remained clean, as if protected by an invisible barrier.
Tang Yuxin convulsively fell to the ground, resembling someone suffering from a fit. The ground was covered in blood, and her expression gradually revealed hatred and ferocity. The mournful screams from her mouth gradually turned into low growls and hoarseness, as if she was uttering something incomprehensible. All one could feel was the soaring resentment and hatred.
After almost tearing her throat with a piercing scream, everything suddenly became calm.
Tang Yuxin lay on the ground, gasping heavily. Her eyes were hollow, tears streaming down, gradually regaining focus.
After choking for a while, she weakly and unsteadily got up from the ground. She picked up the remaining paper money on the floor, added it to the brazier, and exhibited a calmness akin to dead ashes.
After burning the paper money, she picked up the paper effigies on the chairs one by one and placed them in the brazier until everything inside the room was burnt. Only then did she approach the immortal hall, lit incense, performed a few bows, and used incense ash to smear the wound on her wrist, stopping the bleeding. Grandma Tang then took out a red cloth to bandage Tang Yuxin’s wrist.
Grandma Tang approached Wu Mabo and the others, untied the red threads from them, and it seemed like the ritual to receive the immortal was over.
In the instant the red threads were untied, Wu Mabo seemed to just catch a whiff of the thick smoke inside the house. He coughed and rushed out of the door, standing in the pitch-black courtyard, gasping for air. Following suit, Wen Dong and Ke Lin, whose red threads were also removed, rushed out coughing.
Seeing this, Tong Xiaosong, who stood in the thick smoke unaffected, raised his wrist to examine the mysterious red thread. To his surprise, he found his wrist empty – the red thread had disappeared at some point.
Looking up at Gu Xuan, he noticed that Gu Xuan had already walked into the courtyard to avoid the smoke.
Tong Xiaosong rubbed his wrist, feeling a bit strange. Could it be that the red thread fell off without him noticing?
It seemed like the only plausible explanation; it couldn’t have penetrated his body and bound to his soul without him realizing.
Although he didn’t feel the need to cough, he followed everyone into the courtyard. Except for Gu Xuan, no one noticed Tong Xiaosong’s brief pause inside the house. Everyone was still immersed in the shocking scenes that had just unfolded, unable to shake off the fear and astonishment that had gripped their hearts.
Oooo this gives me HuaLian vibes. (✿◡‿◡)
Poor tang yuxin… The ritual sounds so painful 😭