Bai Hanyan, with a look of confusion, leaned into my ear and asked what was going on. I briefly explained it to her.
After listening, she snorted dismissively and whispered, "What era is this? Still believing in this stuff?"
I didn't reply, thinking to myself that she might not believe it, but these crew members certainly did.
Chen San sat on a chair. Others brought a table in front of him, placing a Seven-Star Sword, a red bellyband, and an incense burner on it.
Once everything was ready, someone lit three incense sticks and placed them in the burner.
Old Yuan stood behind Chen San, his arms wrapped around his waist.
"Begin," Yang Hanxue said.
Soon, Chen San lowered his head, his head gently swaying, much like an ancient scholar reading, bobbing his head and shaking it.
After about ten seconds.
Suddenly!
Chen San's whole body began to convulse, trembling all over, as if he were having an epileptic fit.
That wasn't all; he then jumped up abruptly, only to be pulled back into the chair by Old Yuan.
"Heh heh heh..."
Chen San let out a series of strange laughs, his voice somewhat shrill.
While he was "twitching" in the chair, he suddenly lifted his head. His eye sockets were filled entirely with white, staring fixedly ahead.
Seeing this, I couldn't help but swallow.
His eyes were wide open. Logically, even if he rolled his eyes, you'd still see some of the eyeballs. But at this moment, there was nothing in his gaze, only a chilling white!
"We respectfully invite the Third Prince!"
Old Yuan shouted. Immediately, two people came forward and stripped Chen San's clothes off.
He was extremely thin, his ribs protruding sharply. He was nothing but skin and bones.
Moreover, his body was covered in scars, some of which were terrifyingly long. It was unclear how he got them.
When Bai Hanyan saw Chen San's physique, her brows furrowed. She was clearly somewhat frightened.
Next, someone put the bellyband on him.
After the change of clothes, Old Yuan released his grip on Chen San.
The moment he let go, Chen San leaped onto the table. With a peculiar expression on his face, he squatted on the table, scanning the crowd. Finally, he stopped when he saw me!
He stared straight at me. Honestly, at that moment, I began to panic.
Although I didn't believe in this sort of thing, such a situation could still make one's heart pound.
Fortunately, he only stared at me for a few seconds before shifting his gaze.
He picked up the Seven-Star Sword from the table, performed a front flip, and jumped off the table. His back was hunched, and he moved with strange steps, circling the table.
After about three or four laps, he took the Seven-Star Sword, put it behind his back without a word, and began to hack at his own back with great force!
Just as I was somewhat surprised, he had already struck several blows.
Honestly, I was afraid he would hack himself to death.
After all, Chen San's physique was far too frail, not at all like someone who could withstand such damage.
Soon, blood flowed freely from Chen San's back, but he showed no signs of stopping, the strange smile still plastered on his face.
The scene before me was so grotesque that my palms began to sweat.
Just as I thought he would continue to hack at himself, he suddenly rolled on the ground. Then, a woman's voice came from his mouth: "The Third Prince is here, cease your insolence!"
Hearing this voice, I was stunned. I looked at Song Bing, who also wore a look of surprise. Bai Hanyan, even more so, leaned towards me, her hands gripping my arm.
As the voice faded, Chen San, still holding the Seven-Star Sword, rushed towards the door.
Old Yuan, seeing this, quickly ran forward to open the door, and then Chen San dashed out.
No one followed him. Everyone remained seated in the hall, some with their hands clasped together, praying incessantly.
The open door allowed the fog outside to gradually seep in.
However, it also helped dissipate the smell of incense and candles within the room.
No one spoke. The room was eerily quiet, and we could only sit there obediently.
About ten minutes later, Chen San's figure appeared at the doorway. The moment he stepped inside, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and fell straight to the ground.
This left me dumbfounded!
"It's over! Even the Third Prince couldn't stop the ghost mist..."
Someone said.
Old Yuan quickly rushed forward to check Chen San's condition.
"How is he?" Yang Hanxue asked, walking over.
"He's fainted..." Old Yuan replied.
"Have someone carry him down to rest."
"Alright..."
The ritual ended in this manner, much to everyone's surprise.
The three of us returned to our room. Song Bing had a grave expression on his face.
I asked him what was wrong.
He frowned and said, "Is the ghost mist really real?"
I chuckled, "Brother Song, don't overthink it..."
Before I could finish, Song Bing said, "Mr. Xiang, didn't you notice that several people were missing during today's Mazu worship?"
Hearing him say that, I truly hadn't noticed.
"The two people who were fighting this morning weren't here earlier," Song Bing said.
"Perhaps they were in the engine room," I suggested.
"Those two were willing to fight over a protective amulet. Would they miss something as important as the Mazu worship?"
Upon reflection, I thought he had a point.
While it made sense, what did it prove?
Could it be that those two had also kicked the bucket?
"I'm going out," Song Bing said, standing up.
"Where are you going?"
"There are some things that need to be clarified. Otherwise, we won't know anything and won't be able to prepare..."
I wanted to dissuade him, but before I could even speak, Song Bing had already left the room.
It was just Bai Hanyan and me left. She looked at me, seeming to have something to say.
"What's wrong now?" I asked.
"Just now... when Chen San came back, did you see a shadow behind him?" Bai Hanyan asked timidly.
"A shadow? I didn't see anything."
"I... I saw it. That shadow looked like... like Niu Gang..."
"Are you sure?"
Bai Hanyan shook her head, "I'm not too sure..."
"You might be too tired. You should get some sleep."
Bai Hanyan pursed her lips, "You're not going anywhere, are you?"
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay here with you. Sleep soundly," I reassured her.
She sighed with relief and lay down on my bed.
I sat in the chair, trying to make sense of things, but I had no clue.
After a while, Bai Hanyan's steady breathing could be heard, indicating she had fallen asleep.
I couldn't help but yawn.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
The sudden knocking at the door immediately jolted me awake.
I turned my head and looked at the door, which wasn't locked, and asked, "Who is it?"