Chapter 13 Gaining the Upper Hand

The crowd felt a little relieved and slowly approached, but even at the door, they couldn't help but hesitate.

They were all martial artists, not fools. They knew that in dangerous situations like this, no one dared to rush to the front; everyone wanted someone else to make the first move.

As their speed slowed, the two sallow-faced men and the three hemp-clad swordsmen exchanged a look and slowly walked to the front.

Each holding a knife, they reached the door, took a low breath, and suddenly, simultaneously, pushed open the two wooden doors, one on the left and one on the right.

With a crash, the wooden doors swung open, revealing the dark interior of the ancestral hall.

Although there was firelight, most of the space inside the hall remained shrouded in darkness, making it difficult to see clearly.

Following the two men, the crowd retreated in unison. Seeing that no danger emerged, they steadied themselves slightly, and the two sallow-faced men took the lead, rushing into the ancestral hall together.

Now was the most critical moment. Whether there were hidden weapons, traps, or hidden people in the darkness, they could all strike at any moment, so everyone was cautious.

However, they didn't notice that as they entered the ancestral hall, Lu Dashaoye and Old Monkey, standing beside the donkey cart behind them, exchanged a look and nodded slightly. Lu Dashaoye then took out a new lantern and several brand-new paper figures from the cart.

Four paper figures were arranged in a row, facing the ancestral hall—or rather, facing Hu Ma and the others' backs.

Old Monkey held a white lantern, standing in the middle of the paper figures.

Lu Dashaoye took a brush and drew mouths on the blank faces of the four paper figures, then attached four pre-prepared small yellow paper strips to the positions of the mouths.

One could faintly see that each yellow paper strip had a name written on it, one of which was "Zhou Dazhuang."

Having done this, he exchanged another look with Old Monkey and nodded.

At this moment, Hu Ma and the others had already pushed open the door. Seeing that there was no danger inside, they shouted and rushed into the ancestral hall together.

Entering suddenly, their vision went dark, and everyone's nerves were stretched to the limit, fearing that danger would appear.

...But that was for others.

Hu Ma rushed into the ancestral hall, immediately maintaining his speed. He took off his bamboo hat and raincoat, threw them into a corner, and used the Ghost Climbing Stairs skill (a unique movement technique), his feet against the wall, suddenly climbing onto the roof beam. Then, he took out his steel saber and carefully watched downwards.

"Zhou Dazhuang..."

At the same moment, a clear voice suddenly appeared in his ear, as if speaking right behind his back.

Now he was on the roof beam, looking out through the latticed doors and windows, and his eyes widened.

He saw that outside the ancestral hall, beside the donkey cart, stood four paper figures. Now, each of these four paper figures had a yellow tongue in its mouth.

Looking closely, he realized that they were four talismans with names written on them.

As Lu Dashaoye cast his spell behind them, a gust of yin wind blew, and the four paper figures simultaneously opened their mouths, calling out four names, including his own.

"Huh?"

The other three weren't without defenses, but just as they were tense, they suddenly heard Lu Dashaoye calling them. He was their boss, and without thinking, they subconsciously turned their heads and saw Lu Dashaoye standing by the cart, waving vigorously at them.

They hurried out and said to Lu Dashaoye, "Boss, what's the matter?"

But when they asked, Lu Dashaoye didn't answer, still waving towards the ancestral hall.

They felt a little surprised and subconsciously reached out to push Lu Dashaoye.

Suddenly, they discovered that their palms were light and floaty, as if a gust of wind would blow them away. Caught off guard, they stood there blankly.

Until the two sallow-faced men and the hemp-clad swordsmen walked out of the ancestral hall and bowed to Lu Dashaoye, smiling and saying:

"Congratulations, Boss, the ritual is complete. You've acquired several more useful people."

Lu Dashaoye laughed heartily and said, "Almost there! Finally, I have the strength to fight my Shimei!"

"Come out, everyone!"

"..."

Following his shout, a sound of footsteps could be heard inside the ancestral hall. The martial artists who had just rushed in all walked out together.

Besides those who had come with them earlier, there were even a few unfamiliar faces.

Their faces were covered with thick yellow paper, which had been soaked in water and layered over their faces, and they stood there without a word.

"Finally, I caught up."

Lu Dashaoye smiled and said, "With these people, I'll be sure to win in the Qingyi Red Lantern duel."

These few people who had been called out finally reacted, and their hearts were filled with shock. They hurriedly wanted to return to the ancestral hall.

But suddenly, they realized that "they" had already come out, standing among the martial artists. In their eagerness, they wanted to rush into their own bodies, but as soon as they rushed in, they felt suffocated and flew out again. The terror in their hearts was beyond words.

Some were furious, cursing at Lu Dashaoye and waving their fists to strike.

"Oh, so you are martial artists after all, with quite the temper."

Old Monkey carried the white lantern, following beside Lu Dashaoye. Seeing that the paper figures seemed to be swaying in the wind, and the flame inside his lantern was flickering, as if it were about to go out, he smiled and formed a hand seal, pointing at the flame in the lantern. The flame rose and burned brighter.

Then he smiled and said to Lu Dashaoye, "These people coveted silver and wanted to retrieve the treasure for the boss."

"But they didn't expect that the treasure the boss wanted to retrieve was them."

"..."

"Treasure?"

Lu Dashaoye sneered and said, "The Taisui Lord is the real treasure."

"Besides the Taisui Lord, people are treasures."

"My Shifu is biased, only passing on this Yellow Official Paper trick to me, but giving the more valuable techniques to my Shimei. But this Yellow Official Paper trick is enough. As long as I refine these treasures well, I won't have to worry about not rising in the Qingyi Gang."

"Once I become the Qingyi Gang's Great Protector, I'll take my people to find my old man, and have a good chat with my lovely Shimei..."

"No matter what treasure Shimei obtains, wouldn't she have to obediently hand it over then?"

"..."

Old Monkey laughed along, saying, "The things in the old Mǎjiāwā tomb?"

"Shimei was one step ahead, I'm afraid I can't compete with her. Even if I control these people, my chances are only fifty-fifty..."

Lu Dashaoye thought, muttering, "Don't rush with the others yet, let's refine these treasures first. Whether I go inside to snatch the treasure from Shimei or retreat directly, it will be a profit."

As he spoke, he walked to the front of the people who had come out of the ancestral hall.

Among them, three were the martial artists whose souls had been called out, and the fourth was wearing a bamboo hat and raincoat, of course, Hu Ma.

Unlike the others, these three only had a thin layer of yellow paper pasted on their faces, which could tear at any time.

"I'll teach you to submit."

Lu Dashaoye took out another stack of yellow paper from his pocket. It looked like it had been used before.

The thick stack had already stuck together, and one could vaguely see human facial features.

He smiled and walked towards these people, saying, "This trick of mine was passed down from prison."

"There, prisoners who disobeyed were tied to chairs, and yellow paper was pasted on their faces, then water was poured on them, layer by layer, pot after pot, until they couldn't breathe and couldn't open their eyes."

"By the time they died, even their souls couldn't escape, and they only turned into human faces on the paper."

"This trick is called 'Adding Official,' but in our sect, it's called Yellow Official Paper."

"..."

As he spoke, he turned to the paper figures, knowing that their souls were inside, and specially wanted them to submit, so he spoke in detail:

"Now you've been caught by my spell, and your souls are blocked outside. If you want to come back, you can, but remember to obey from now on. Even if it's to jump into a pot of boiling oil, you must jump in without hesitation."

"Otherwise, I'll scatter you and replace you with another soul."

"..."

Those martial artists whose souls had been called out immediately became even more furious and terrified, floating and spinning around him.

Old Monkey watched the flame in the lantern he was holding flicker, knowing that they were still making a fuss, but he didn't care at all.

Even he had been caught by the spell, what could these vulgar martial artists do?

He watched as Lu Dashaoye pasted yellow paper after yellow paper on the faces of these martial artists.

Finally, it was the young watchman's turn.

He sighed softly: This kid was quite compatible with him. He had originally wanted to take him as a disciple...

...

...

Also watching Lu Dashaoye, about to paste the yellow paper on "himself's" face, Hu Ma, hiding on the roof beam inside the ancestral hall, gently dropped to the ground.

He had the watchman's special skill, landing without a sound. He stood quietly, separated by a wall, and sighed softly towards Lu Dashaoye, Old Monkey, and the others outside, raising his hands and bowing slightly.

The Four Ghosts Bow to the Door (a unique and powerful technique).

At the same time, Lu Dashaoye was about to paste the yellow paper on the face of the bamboo hat-wearing Hu Ma.

Because the bamboo hat was in the way, he reached out to remove it.

But suddenly, at this moment, Hu Ma in front of him suddenly let out a low "chi" laugh, and the yellow paper was blown slightly.

It was a woman's voice.

"Not good."

The moment he heard the woman's voice, Lu Dashaoye reacted. His heart was shocked, and he was about to escape.

But at this moment, the yellow paper on the face of the bamboo hat-wearing person was suddenly blown away, revealing a delicate and beautiful face.

Standing in front of the yin wind-filled ancestral hall, surrounded by a group of people with yellow paper on their faces, the mischievous and smug expression on this face made people's hearts tremble with fear. Before he could really escape, this person had already opened her mouth crisply and sweetly, calling out a name:

"Lu Bangchui..." (Lu Club - a derogatory nickname)

The moment the name was uttered, Lu Dashaoye's expression was as terrifying as if he had seen a ghost.

(End of Chapter)