Chapter 883: Chapter 640: Feng Shui Intrigues (Happy Chinese New Year’s Eve!)_2
This person is not kind-hearted; in the face of life and death, he does not possess the breadth of mind and magnanimity of Sui.
"Ghost in the well." Yang Xiao spoke up to remind, "We can lure the ghost in the well out and use it to create chaos within the Earl Mansion. Then, we can take the opportunity to escape."
As soon as these words were spoken, Jiang Qingluan’s eyes flashed with a glint of appreciation, seeing Yang Xiao in a new light. Previously, the ghost in the well was suppressed by Xiang Fengchen using the Divine Turtle Shell. Now, since the Divine Turtle Shell has been taken by the Feng Shui Master from Earl Mansion to be placed in the coffin for suppressing the ancestor, the suppression of the ghost in the well naturally disappeared. In other words, the ghost in the well is now free.
Chang Chuchu also felt that this plan was feasible; her twisted facial expression slightly eased, "Please be specific, how... how can we lure the ghost out?"
At this moment, Chang Chuchu’s ability to express was limited, Yang Xiao understood; what she really meant was how to safely lure out the ghost in the well, to target those human-ghoulish individuals in the Earl Mansion without endangering their three lives.
"Use incense to awaken the ghost, then use corpse wax candles left by Xiang Fengchen to draw the ghost out of the well into the courtyard, and finally seal the well. Once the ghost in the well feels it’s losing connection with the well, it will inevitably go mad, and then there will be chaos inside this mansion," Jiang Qingluan explained all at once.
"Xiang Fengchen is already dead, who has the ability to seal the well?" While the idea sounded good, the feasibility was lacking; after all, Chang Chuchu didn’t think anyone among them had this capability except for Xiang Fengchen and Nalan Shuo.
Moreover, even Xiang Fengchen had to use the Divine Turtle Shell to suppress the ghost in the well; now, they had nothing on hand.
"You don’t need to worry about this; just focus on what you should be doing," Jiang Qingluan gave Chang Chuchu a warning look.
It was still early now, and the three rested for an hour, because tonight was a matter of life and death, and they needed ample energy to cope.
The three agreed that once they escape the Earl Mansion, they would scatter, each setting fires in Land Temples to sever the incense offerings to their ancestors; if they survived, they would then pursue Nalan Shuo and the others. Of course, the risks involved were self-evident. Hoping that all three could survive was an impractical illusion; according to Yang Xiao’s estimation, it would be good if even one could escape.
"The houses in town mostly have thatched roofs; as we escape, we’ll set fires along the way, shouting that immortal grandpa is coming back with the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals to kill the Earl Mansion family, creating chaos to increase our chances of escape," Yang Xiao proposed.
Subsequently, Yang Xiao drew with water on the table, planning the escape routes for the three after escaping from the Earl Mansion; they must split up to increase their chances.
After finalizing everything, Yang Xiao cautiously erased the drawing on the table with his sleeve, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, "Both of you, whether we live or die, let’s leave it to fate. I have just one thing to say, don’t get caught alive by those beasts in the Earl Mansion; you know what will happen."
"Let’s move," Jiang Qingluan picked up the incense, and Yang Xiao carried a few candles made from corpse oil, which Xiang Fengchen had gotten from the owner of the incense candle shop. Now Xiang Fengchen cannot use them, so they benefit.
"What do I need to do?" Chang Chuchu followed behind them.
"Shut up; don’t cause trouble," Yang Xiao said without turning back.
"Understood." Chang Chuchu was very submissive and more agreeable than before. People are like this; they fear losing hope the most. Once they find a new direction, they have the courage to continue fighting desperately.
Unfortunately, Chang Chuchu following behind Yang Xiao and the other would not know that she already had no chance.
After observing for a moment behind the door, there was no one watching in the courtyard, which was normal, considering there was a well in the yard, hiding a Drowned Ghost, and the Earl Mansion’s informants did not dare to get too close, only keeping watch from outside.
Jiang Qingluan did not head straight for the well, but instead searched around the courtyard. Before long, she returned with a sharp-angled rock in her hand.
The rock was about the size of two fists. Jiang Qingluan walked to the edge of the well, under the stunned gaze of Chang Chuchu, placed her left hand on the edge of the well, then grabbed the rock with her right hand and smashed down mercilessly. Once, twice, blood splattered, forcibly smashing off two fingers, deeply shocking Chang Chuchu, leaving her mouth agape.
Yang Xiao had anticipated this moment when devising this plan, although he originally intended to sacrifice one of his own fingers. He hadn’t expected this fierce woman to act without fuss or bargaining; she just did it.
Cruel, resolute, this is a ruthless character who surpasses Tong Han in the art of Feng Shui by a substantial margin.
Clenching his teeth and enduring the pain, Jiang Qingluan, with her crippled left hand, managed to pick up two severed fingers. She stepped back and used her right hand to dig a hole in the ground.
The commotion here was not minor, Yang Xiao was constantly attentive to the sounds outside, fortunately, no one came to investigate.
He buried the two severed fingers inside the pit and refilled it with soil, forming a small mound. Yang Xiao took a cloth from his bosom and approached to dress Jiang Qingluan’s wound, but she deterred him with a sharp glare.
Inserting the prepared long incense into the mound, Jiang Qingluan looked up at the moon phases. After a complex ritual completely different from what Xiang Fengchen conducted, Yang Xiao took out a white wax candle, planning to use it to gradually lure the Drowned Ghost out of the courtyard when the ghost in the well reacted.
However, after a long wait, no strange sounds emanated from the well. Based on past experiences, the stimulated ghost in the well should first rise from the well’s muddy bottom to the water’s surface and then climb out from the well through the dilapidated well rope.
"Didn’t...didn’t it succeed?"
Chang Chuchu asked quietly, not expecting such a long effort to result in failure, and causing Jiang Qingluan to lose two fingers in vain—a significant loss. Indeed, without the necessary skills, one should not attempt delicate tasks. Comparatively, Jiang Qingluan’s meager abilities can’t hold a candle to Xiang Fengchen.
As the person involved, Jiang Qingluan was even more shocked than Chang Chuchu. She stared blankly at the well mouth for a long time, unable to snap out of it, "Gone... "
Chang Chuchu, hiding behind, was startled, "What’s gone?"
"The ghost, the... the ghost in this well is gone!" Jiang Qingluan uttered these words almost trembling.
"What?!" Chang Chuchu was greatly alarmed.
Yang Xiao was equally astonished, but unlike Chang Chuchu who only knew how to be shocked, Yang Xiao was proactive. He immediately stepped forward, took the candle from his hand, pushed Jiang Qingluan aside to a safer distance, and then lit the candle himself, placing it near the well mouth.
This move undoubtedly frightened Chang Chuchu, who retreated several steps in nervousness, increasing the distance from Yang Xiao and the well as cold sweat formed on her forehead. She suspected Yang Xiao had gone mad, daring to light a candle made of corpse wax by the well with a ghost in it—this was clearly inviting death!
Yet, after a full thirty seconds of waiting, nothing unusual happened, and the well remained eerily quiet.
Soon, Yang Xiao’s brow furrowed. The candle’s flame, originally a normal orange-red, started to dim visibly, slowly turning into a sinister pale green in the pitch-black night, looking like a ghostly fire.
At that moment, a buzzing sound echoed in Yang Xiao’s mind. The change in the candle indicated that the ghost was still present; the method employed by Jiang Qingluan was not at fault—there was something wrong with the well!
The well was still suppressed, and the ghost inside couldn’t escape!
But...how could that be?
The Divine Turtle Shell used to suppress this well was supposedly taken by a Feng Shui Master who sided with Earl Mansion and placed in a coffin to suppress the ancestors.
One object cannot suppress two evils; this was a rule since ancient times. If the Turtle Shell was still suppressing this well, then... what was suppressing the ancestors?
What exactly was placed inside that coffin?!
"Terrible..." Yang Xiao’s face was ashen, resembling death itself.
