Chapter 834: Chapter 617: Disappearance (Recovering Status)_2
After finishing, he waved his hand towards the door, and a stern-faced martial master with a broad back and thick waist walked in, carrying a black lacquered wooden box in his hand. Yang Xiao recognized it at first glance—it looked very much like an urn.
Setting the box on the table and opening it, everyone gathered close and discovered several paper-wrapped packages inside. They sniffed lightly and could smell the scent of burning incense.
Steward Wu took out the packages one by one and handed them to each person with great solemnity, stating that once the ancestor was found, the Earl Mansion would reward them handsomely.
Yang Xiao had grown sick of these kinds of phrases, always mentioning hefty rewards or treating them like benefactors, but in the end, what awaited them was almost always murder and the scattering of their ashes.
After accepting the incense bag, Nalan Shuo sternly emphasized to Steward Wu, "Steward Wu, let me make one thing clear beforehand, the previous offer is no longer acceptable. Once the matter is resolved, we want two hundred taels of silver each, and we want actual silver!"
Upon hearing this, Steward Wu nodded in agreement, "No problem, that is what you guests deserve, and furthermore, my master has more rewards in store!"
Yang Xiao’s face was full of smiles, but in his heart, he had already stabbed Steward Wu a dozen times. He knew all too well that the Earl Mansion’s generous reward was a euphemism for silencing them.
Steward Wu asked them to prepare, and roughly thirty minutes later, when they heard the sound of a watchman’s clapper, they could proceed.
He emphasized again that only one person could go at a time.
Before leaving, Steward Wu left behind seven lanterns, all of them White Lanterns with blood-red characters of ’longevity’ on them. Although not yet lit, just the sight of them was enough to send shivers down one’s spine.
Once Steward Wu and his team had left, and their footsteps were no longer audible, Xiang Fengchen picked up a lantern, removed the candle inside, and sniffed it just below his nose, a knowing look appearing in his eyes.
"What’s wrong?" Lou Huixiang asked.
Xiang Fengchen didn’t speak but handed over the candle to him while also taking out another candle they had bought from the incense candle shop. After comparing the two, aside from the differing colors, both candles exuded a similarly bizarre scent.
The candle from the Earl Mansion was red, while the one they brought back was white.
"This... this thing stinks so bad?" After sniffing it more, a vile stench suddenly assaulted Lou Huixiang’s nostrils, his face expressing confusion.
"Corpse Wax naturally stinks," Nalan Shuo suddenly said.
Hearing this, Lou Huixiang paused, his face showing disgust as he looked at the candle again. However, being an experienced player, he managed not to vomit or throw away the candle, as it was something Xiang Fengchen and the others had gone to great lengths to obtain.
"Candles made from Corpse Wax can summon Ghosts. It’s dangerous, but we can use it tonight. Moreover..." Xiang Fengchen took the red candle from Lou Huixiang’s hand, frowning slightly, "This candle is better than the ones we bought. This Earl Mansion has an expert."
"Could it be that guy who discovered the tracks by the well?" Yang Xiao recalled.
Hearing this, Xiang Fengchen thought for a moment and nodded, "You’re right, I also feel something off about that guy. It must be him."
"But...this person is too young." Chang Chuchu still felt a chill running down her spine as she recalled the man’s face from her memory—a very thin man, pale-faced, with high cheekbones and lifeless eyes, hardly resembling a living being.
"It’s rare in the Feng Shui Business for someone of his age to possess such skills. It seems this person is exceptionally gifted, or perhaps he has a good master." Xiang Fengchen also felt wary of this expert in the Earl Mansion, even though he had once hidden the Divine Turtle Shell to deceive him.
"Tonight, let’s carry the lanterns provided by the Earl Mansion, they will be more helpful in finding our ancestor." Xiang Fengchen then instructed everyone to take out their Life Burning Incense hidden on them, distributing them, and casually picked up one from the table, his voice becoming serious, "Everyone, this is Life Burning Incense, a good item that can save lives. Once lit, it can ensure that Ghosts will not find you for the duration of thirty minutes. More importantly, it allows you to sense the approximate location of Ghosts, preventing you from getting lost. However, the side effect is significant—it costs three years of your lifespan."
"Remember, the closer the Ghost, the more ferocious it becomes, and the faster the Life Burning Incense burns. Each person takes four sticks; handle it yourselves," Xiang Fengchen waved his hand.
"Mr. Xiang, could I take a few more sticks?" Fang Zhou asked cautiously, noticing there were still some left on the table after everyone had taken four.
"You can, but it’s pointless, you won’t need the fifth stick." For this newcomer who had rushed out last night, Xiang Fengchen maintained basic patience.
"Why?" Fang Zhou felt a sudden chill in his heart. If it were someone else, he might think the other person was cursing him. Five sticks of incense, three years per stick, would only total 15 years, and he was still young enough to afford it.
"It doesn’t work that way. Three years per stick refers to the first stick. The second stick doubles to six years, the third to twelve years, and the fourth to twenty-four years. This is just a rough estimate, limited by the quality of the incense and the person’s Life Chart. The majority of people will consume even more severely than this, and no one has ever survived after burning five sticks of Life Burning Incense," Jiang Qingluan explained.
Fang Zhou obediently took four sticks like everyone else. The incense felt slightly heavier than ordinary sticks, its surface was dark red. Thinking about the process of making this incense, Fang Zhou couldn’t stop feeling nauseous, coupled with fear.
These practitioners of the shadow market were a group he had never encountered before, each of them employing shocking methods that had overturned his worldview.
