Chapter 410: Chapter 350: Borrowing a Knife to Kill_2
Based on his previous encounters with the ghost villagers, Yang Xiao knew that upon smelling the Soul-Attracting Incense, not only would they sniff greedily, but they would also open their mouths. Hence, he tried lowering the incense to just below the old village chief’s chin, enticing him to open his mouth.
But the old village chief merely tilted his head slightly downward, continuing to inhale through his nose. Concerned that time might bring more trouble, Yang Xiao took direct action, seizing the old village chief’s chin. With slight pressure from his fingers, he pried his mouth open. At the same time, a breath reeking of intense decay burst forth. Fortunately, Yang Xiao was prepared and had held his breath in advance.
A swollen, rotting tongue dangled from the mouth, still wriggling ceaselessly. The sticky tongue was coated with white bits of bone fragments and chunks of flesh, creating a revolting spectacle. However, Yang Xiao’s attention wasn’t on this. To his delight, he spotted something pressed underneath the base of the old village chief’s tongue.
It appeared to be a small black stone.
The moment he saw it, Yang Xiao knew his guess was correct. This was the hint Tong Han meant to give him.
But learning from Tong Han’s lesson, Yang Xiao had prepared even more cautiously. He had stuffed a few stones into his pocket beforehand, and now, he took them out and began stuffing them into the corners of the old village chief’s open mouth, starting with the left and then the right. His goal was to wedge the teeth apart to prevent the mouth from closing.
Throughout this process, the old village chief behaved incredibly meekly, not moving an inch and still greedily sniffing the incense.
Wary of an ambush from the other villagers, Yang Xiao occasionally glanced back to check. Thankfully, the ghost villagers were still at a distance.
There was one thing Yang Xiao remained vigilant about. Cheng Cha had specifically mentioned an old man in brown clothes who would step on shadows. Cheng Cha had nearly fallen victim to him once before.
After triple-checking for any nearby dangers, Yang Xiao steadied his nerves, lifted his right hand, parted the rotten tongue, and inserted two fingers into the old village chief’s mouth. As he inched closer, holding his breath and concentrating intensely, just as his fingertips touched the object, Yang Xiao involuntarily shuddered without reason.
Twisting his head abruptly, Yang Xiao had a sharp sense of impending danger from behind, but there was nothing but empty space behind him.
He who hesitates is lost. Steeling his resolve, Yang Xiao clenched the object hard, deducing from its texture that it was indeed a bone—a human finger bone, to be precise.
Thinking of the sinister monk, everything began to make sense. This charred finger bone was none other than the one burned while offering burnt fingers to the Buddha back then.
Yang Xiao tried pulling the finger bone out, but that’s when the unforeseen occurred. His right arm, starting from the shoulder, grew progressively cold and became unresponsive. What was even more horrifying was that looking at his own arm, Yang Xiao felt as if it were foreign to him.
He immediately glanced down at his shadow, but there was nothing around it—no ghost villagers stepping on it.
Forcing himself to remain calm, Yang Xiao knew something was wrong. If there was ever a time to be immobilized, this was the worst possible moment, but there had to be a reason for it.
The most likely culprit was the segment of finger bone. The trouble had started the instant he touched it. Reacting instantaneously, Yang Xiao suspected the arrival of the Ghost Monk, considering the bone was his after all.
With suspicion came the need for confirmation. To stand still without cause would be a waste of time. Meanwhile, the old village chief in front of him started to move as well. His milky yellow, turbid eyes gradually focused, staring coldly at Yang Xiao. The stones in his mouth clicked together, the old village chief’s teeth slowly closing but thankfully caught by the stones for the time being.
This scene sent chills down Yang Xiao’s spine. Without further hesitation and keeping his hands busy, he bent down slowly, bringing his head close to the ground and peered under his crotch to his rear.
The very next second, Yang Xiao’s breathing faltered. He saw a pair of legs standing directly behind him, clothed in the familiar worn monk’s robe, toes pointing backward, back facing him, squarely stepping on his shadow’s right shoulder.
Now everything was clear—the Ghost Monk had arrived, and Yang Xiao was facing the same dire predicament Tong Han did before.
No, it would only be more dangerous for him. No one had died that night, and he was the last one standing!
Moving the Soul-Attracting Incense now would likely result in the old village chief biting off his fingers, and escape might not be possible. But maintaining the status quo meant a certain death. Without further hesitation, Yang Xiao also decided to take a gamble. After all, if Tong Han could afford to lose two fingers, so could he!
After mentally rehearsing all his moves, Yang Xiao sprang into action. He first moved the Soul-Attracting Incense closer to the Ghost Monk. As the incense was drawn into thin air, Yang Xiao’s stiff right arm was instantly freed. He then rapidly retracted his fingers grasping the finger bone. In the nick of time, those few stones did their job, buying Yang Xiao a precious split second. It was in that instant he managed to withdraw his fingers and stealthily extract the charred finger bone as well.
"Success!"
But before Yang Xiao could revel in his triumph, a "scratching" sound came from all around, growing louder. More villagers emerged from the fog, slowly closing in.
A heavy thud gripped Yang Xiao’s heart as he acutely noticed a change in these villagers. Their hollow gazes had sharpened, each pair of eyes coldly fixated on him—or rather, on the finger bone. Their faces bore the visage of vengeful spirits, as if they viewed him as a former murderer.
In an instant, Yang Xiao realized he had struck a hornet’s nest. The moment he extracted the finger bone, he would have to face an onslaught from the ghost villagers, a scenario he hadn’t anticipated. The mission was far from over—retrieving the finger bone was just the beginning. To complete the mission, he needed to successfully return the bone to the ancestral home and hand it over to the Du Family.
