At this moment, it was as if all the previous groundwork and preparations had become a joke, and all the huffing and puffing involved in scouting and setting up the formations had been in vain.

Lin Shuyou was about to tear off the Clarity Talisman on his body and initiate the spirit medium ritual. Tan Wenbin, holding an umbrella in his left hand and a shovel in his right, was also about to stand up and shield Xiao Yuan.

Intense frustration can lead some people into negativity and despair, but it can also incite a desperate fight in others. Since they had been discovered, it was time to act directly!

At that moment, Li Zhuiyuan’s hands landed on their shoulders, gently pressing down. The two, who had been about to spring into action, immediately ceased their movements. A good team allows for full democratic discussion beforehand, but in the moment of action, there can only be one will.

The young man wasn’t unable to accept being toyed with; he simply couldn’t understand the old woman’s intentions for doing so. Old Woman Yu, who had long noticed their actions, deliberately watched them set up so many formations right under her nose, only to step out at the crucial moment and deliver a mocking taunt. Even if she intended to tire them out, it didn’t make sense, as she had also given them ample time to rest. If the opponent was truly powerful and terrifying enough to do something so meaningless at will, then actively attacking now versus passively waiting for them to make the first move seemed to make no difference for them.

Most importantly, Li Zhuiyuan realized that the person was not a living corpse but a living human. This meant that while her appearance was almost identical to the “Old Woman Yu,” she was not the true “Old Woman Yu.” Regardless, Li Zhuiyuan’s first strike had to land on Old Woman Yu herself; no one else was worthy. It was this brief moment of calm at a critical juncture that brought about a new turn in events.

Suddenly, children’s laughter came from ahead. “Hehe… Haha… Hoho…”

It was the sound of many, many children laughing, but their laughter was mechanical and formal. You could even imagine their smiles not reaching their eyes, like a forced exercise in discipline. There was no child visible within their sight. Li Zhuiyuan knew that if he were to enter the spirit realm now, he would likely see a large group of children gathering around the old woman. This meant that the old woman’s recent shouts were not directed at the three of them.

Lin Shuyou, being keenly sensitive to malevolent entities, quickly understood. Tan Wenbin could enter the spirit realm, and while he didn’t possess Xiao Yuan’s keen non-spirit-realm perception, he, too, began hearing some phantom sounds. Combined with Xiao Yuan’s demeanor, he could somewhat grasp the situation.

Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin each lowered their heads, pressing their foreheads to the ground, quickly processing their nervous emotions while calming their racing heartbeats. This wasn’t fear, but rather the rapid shift in identity from nocturnal attackers to figures under a bright light, then back into the darkness. Such a quick change in roles was unbearable for most people. Only Li Zhuiyuan continued to observe the changes ahead.

The old woman’s legs now appeared very long. She held her lantern and constantly looked around, not searching far away, but more like a kindergarten teacher tending to a group of children gathered around her.

“Have you… missed your mommies and daddies…”

The children’s mechanical laughter continued, but no one answered the question. Or perhaps these “children” no longer remembered their birth parents.

“I’ll tell you… your mommies and daddies… they miss you very much, you know…”

The old woman began to swing the lanterns in her hands, as if cracking two whips. Faintly, Li Zhuiyuan could feel a slight stinging in his eardrums. This was still without entering the spirit realm; if he were to truly go into the spirit realm, he would witness the brutal cruelty of the old woman’s methods. No wonder Beibei was immediately frightened to tears when he drew Old Woman Yu’s image for her. Even recalling Old Woman Yu during hypnosis was enough to jolt Beibei awake.

Physical wounds could gradually heal with time, but mental scourging could very likely leave permanent trauma. Beibei had been sold to Wang Chaonan and his wife half a year ago. This couple was by no means good people, yet they didn’t seem to have any issues when it came to treating this “son.” This implied that even if the children had been sold, the old woman could still, through some means, retain a hold over a part of them. In daily life, it remained completely hidden, allowing them to lead normal lives, with the fear only residing deep within their sealed hearts. However, it would ultimately have an impact in the future, akin to a curse. As these children gradually grew into adults, this inexpressible fear would slowly affect their personalities, even causing their characters to become distorted.

Under the whipping, the “children’s” laughter stopped, replaced by wave after wave of choked sobbing from adults. This was the grief of the children’s parents. Through the torment of the children, she was drawing out the sorrow and tears from the parents’ hearts. And for parents who had lost their flesh and blood, this might simply be another ordinary night, no different from any other, spent weeping in their sleep from missing their children.

Water stains appeared in the two white lanterns the old woman held, accumulating more and more, and gradually sloshing with the movement of the lanterns. But suddenly, she paused. She reached out, poked a hole in one lantern, and released a stream of half-black, half-white liquid. Then, with another sweep of her hand, she smoothed the hole shut. She appeared very angry, her eyes revealing dissatisfaction and rage, as if she had received a defective, tainted product that had nearly contaminated the good ones.

The old woman turned, taking her night’s harvest, and walked back. The “children’s” movements and the adults’ cries gradually faded. After her figure returned to the white tent, everything became quiet again, as if nothing had happened.

Li Zhuiyuan knew he had just witnessed a ritual, or more precisely, a harvest. He suddenly understood why the circus performers paid so much attention to parents who brought their children to watch. Because harvesting required efficiency. Due to objective realities, many parents loved their children no less than others, yet they couldn’t always be by their side as they grew up. However, from the circus’s perspective, their harvesting also had a cost, so they had to choose the raw materials with the highest “yield.” Furthermore, although the proportion was very low, there indeed existed parents in this world who loved their children less, or not at all. It was also common in reality for parents, after divorce and forming new new families, to view their original children as burdens. And then there were cases like his own…

When it came to himself, Li Zhuiyuan realized he truly didn’t fit into this category. Although his father had left his life, Li Zhuiyuan could understand him. As for Li Lan… even Li Zhuiyuan couldn’t say that Li Lan didn’t care about him. She resisted talking on the phone with her biological parents, having her secretary do it instead, but when her son took the receiver, she came back and picked it up herself, even though what she said was unpleasant. She would rather participate in extremely high-risk projects and display a hysterical attitude just to sever her son from her life. From another perspective, this meant that even facing life and death or suffering to the point of madness, she couldn’t erase her son from her consciousness. That alone spoke volumes about whether she cared or not.

After returning to the slope, Li Zhuiyuan said to Lin Shuyou, “Start the face-painting.”

“Alright, good.” Lin Shuyou opened his makeup box and began to paint his face. In fact, one could perform the spirit medium ritual even without face paint or theatrical costumes. If it weren’t for Li Zhuiyuan’s special circumstances making spirit invocation difficult, he could have successfully initiated the ritual that night on the school playground by simply pressing a red mark onto his face with his fingers. This wasn’t a necessity, but a sense of ritual that boosted confidence and immersion. It was like the spiritual rites performed by his great-grandfather, which, rationally speaking, were useless, yet provided immense emotional value to him and his family. Lin Shuyou was similar; he needed face-painting to switch personalities. The more he relied on this method, the more likely it was to exacerbate his personality fragmentation. It was almost inevitable that he would develop mental issues later.

“That old woman just now wasn’t Old Woman Yu. The true Old Woman Yu should still be inside that white tent. Our primary target remains there. When we make our move, we’ll all charge that white tent. You two will be responsible for clearing a path and blocking any interference, while I destroy her true form.”

“Okay.” Tan Wenbin nodded vigorously while patting his pockets and waist.

Lin Shuyou, with his face half-painted, simply asked nonchalantly, “What kind of evil spirit is it? It sounds a bit strange.”

Tan Wenbin raised an eyebrow. If the situation hadn’t been inappropriate, he probably would have flicked Lin Shuyou’s forehead and cursed, “Are you putting on an act again, damn it?”

Li Zhuiyuan replied, “Fallen Emotion Clay Effigy.”

Lin Shuyou paused, then clicked his tongue lightly. “So, she’s patching herself up.” Previously, Li Zhuiyuan had only made a vague judgment, but after witnessing the earlier scene, he was now certain. The “Fallen Emotion Clay Effigy” was mentioned in Wei Zhengdao’s book. It wasn’t a type of living corpse, but rather a method for living corpses to self-repair. Living corpses were born from resentment. After some powerful living corpses developed sentience, they would try to heal themselves, just like humans. The Fallen Emotion Clay Effigy method involved plundering emotional bonds from humanity as raw material to repair their own damage. This was a dark art that severely violated natural harmony.

The Yin family genealogy recorded that during the mid-Ming Dynasty, a member of the Yin family, while traveling, chanced upon two master fishermen by a lake. Upon learning he was a descendant of Yin Changsheng, the two masters invited him to sit and chat. Of course, in essence, he had only gained the privilege of listening in by virtue of his ancestor’s reputation. The two masters discussed Lingxiao Shangqing Tonglei Yuanyang Miaofei Yuan Zhenjun. One master said that Zhenjun had been deceived by an evil Taoist beside him, believing the saying that the two dragons could not meet. The other master smiled and said, “I fear that evil Taoist is crafting a Fallen Emotion Clay Effigy for some malevolent entity.” This Yin family ancestor concluded his travels and returned to Fengdu to take up residence at the pier. He wrote down this experience and inserted it into the family genealogy. In his account, this passage was described as hearing two masters discussing matters of heavenly deities.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t know whether the author was intentionally being evasive or genuinely unaware that the emperor with such a long prefix was Emperor Jiajing at the time. However, from this record, it was clear that the method of the Fallen Emotion Clay Effigy had a long history, and some had even attempted to use it on the imperial father and son. It was unknown which terrifying living corpse was being repaired. Clearly, Old Woman Yu didn’t have such privileges. She could only heal herself by abducting children and extracting the emotional bonds of parents towards their offspring, a path focused on quantity over quality. She was like a gravely wounded beast, lurking in a dark corner, silently licking her wounds.

The circus poster displayed an introduction to the Yu Family Circus, stating it was founded in 1950. It was a very subtle year. Just after the Dragon King Liu and Dragon King Qin families had, for some reason, ceased their lineage, she crawled out of the dark corners and began to heal herself using such sinister methods. Ultimately, with no Dragon King in the river, all sorts of vile creatures gradually crawled ashore. Her true form should have been suppressed by a Dragon King from the Qin or Liu families back then. Now, she felt capable again and began approaching A-Li, holding a lantern and delivering curses. Especially after he had issued his solemn warning, the very next day, other foul spirits and malevolent entities retreated a considerable distance, yet she dared to stand at the very front, right by the threshold, flaunting her power. This truly fit her modus operandi: doing despicable, underhanded deeds, yet gleefully wanting to be the one to stick her neck out.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t choose her as his first self-selected challenge after officially “walking the river” out of impulsiveness. Truly terrifying and powerful living corpses likely wouldn’t bother to prey on a lone orphan girl when her family was in decline. This batch that came knocking, like the “cowardly scoundrels” Liu Yumei described, were all bullies. And this particular one was the most brainless among this unsophisticated bunch. Wasn’t it just right for him to choose?

Lin Shuyou’s face was finished. At this point, there was no longer any trace of his original simple purity; his brow exuded an air of confident vigor.

“When the General Spirit possesses me, it only kills evil spirits, it doesn’t guide them. You two, especially you, stay far away from me. I’m afraid the Boy Spirit still remembers how you deceived him last time and holds a grudge against you.”

Tan Wenbin was about to speak, but Li Zhuiyuan stopped him. The young man smiled, calmly saying, “Alright.”

Lin Shuyou: “I respect your identity, but you won’t be truly helpful until you become an adult and ‘walk the river’.”

The young man: “You’re right.”

This guy’s personality contrast was even more severe than last time, perhaps because re-painting his face reminded him of the previous humiliation. Although he knew he was a descendant of the Dragon King’s family, he didn’t realize that he had already “walked the river.” This was his first trial after officially “walking the river.” No matter how foolish Old Woman Yu was, and even if her injuries hadn’t recovered, she was still a living corpse that had required a Dragon King’s personal suppression back then. Go on, do your best. He’d be thrilled if this General Spirit could solve this problem for him directly. Not to mention he hadn’t even officially initiated the ritual yet, even if the White Crane Boy had possessed him, when he was beaten black and blue, he’d still have to seek cooperation and help from him.

Li Zhuiyuan was now too lazy to waste words with him. He knew that Lin Shuyou operated in three stages: Lin Shuyou, himself with face paint, and the White Crane Boy. This “face-painted him” had developed a strong personality but hadn’t gained any actual power because the ritual hadn’t begun. He was in the “arrogant but weak” phase. There was nothing much to discuss with such a person.

“Creak…”

The door to the white tent in the distance creaked open again. The old woman from earlier seemed to have removed her makeup and changed into ordinary clothes. Aside from a slight resemblance to Old Woman Yu in appearance and stature, she looked more like a hunched old hag. The old woman walked out, making soft chirping sounds like cicadas. Soon, from the adjacent tent, emerged the young woman who had been performing “Falling in Love with a Python” during the day. The young woman helped the old woman, and together they walked towards the very end, where a larger tent, likely housing the troupe’s supplies and equipment, was located.

Li Zhuiyuan said in a low voice, “The opportunity is here. Act now!”

Lin Shuyou tore off the Clarity Talisman from his body, pulled a half-arm-length trident from his backpack, then twisted his neck, muttered incantations, and his entire demeanor changed instantly. “Evil spirits and wicked ways, only to be slain, not absolved.”

The moment he finished speaking, his eyes transformed into vertical pupils, and the White Crane Boy possessed him. The White Crane Boy lowered its head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan. Li Zhuiyuan met its gaze. Perhaps because there was a genuine powerful evil entity ahead, the White Crane Boy didn’t settle the score from being tricked last time. Instead, it performed three steps of praise, two illusory and one real, its figure moving alternately as if leaving afterimages, heading straight for the old woman and the young woman.

Tan Wenbin said in surprise, “Not there, it’s…”

“Brother Binbin, it’s the same, let’s go!”

Li Zhuiyuan ran towards the white tent, with Tan Wenbin close behind. The original plan was for all three of them to charge the white tent, but Li Zhuiyuan had already made contingency plans when formulating it. Since the White Crane Boy would naturally seek out the most powerful malevolent entity present, he might as well let it go. Whether it attacked proactively or defended passively, it could still serve to stall the opponent. As long as the tool served its purpose.

Running to the white tent, Li Zhuiyuan lifted the tarp curtain and stepped inside, directly facing the clay effigy of Old Woman Yu on top of the water vat. In an instant, Old Woman Yu’s clay effigy began to tremble. “Has she recognized me?” The effigy trembled even more violently, as if crying for help.

“Binbin, smash her vat!”

“Here I come!”

Tan Wenbin dropped his Rosheng Umbrella, gripped the Yellow River Shovel with both hands, and with all his might, smashed it towards the water vat.

“The umbrella…” Li Zhuiyuan hadn’t expected Binbin to drop the umbrella, but it was too late to remind him. He could only shift his own position to stand behind Binbin.

“Bang!”

The water vat shattered, and some of the black water inside inevitably splashed out, a small amount landing on Tan Wenbin. Tan Wenbin was suddenly overwhelmed with sorrow. With his first love still present, it was as if he suddenly had many, many children, and all of them had been abducted and taken away from him. His heart ached, felt bitter, and was incredibly uncomfortable. Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

“Brother Xiao Yuan… why am I… so sad… boo hoo…”

“Guard the entrance.”

The water vat was shattered, but the clay effigy, supported by stilts beneath its feet, remained unwavering in its standing posture. Li Zhuiyuan stepped before her, his eyes widening as he entered the spirit realm. In his new vision, the clay effigy before him was entirely enveloped in black mist, its body covered in cracks, like a ceramic object that had shattered into pieces and then been painstakingly glued back together, piece by piece. She had largely patched herself up, with the only missing part being her eyes, which were still dark, empty sockets. Given a little more time, her eyes could also be repaired, and even if she remained tattered, she would at least be complete. No wonder she dared to be the first to provoke them; she must have believed she would soon be back on her feet.

Li Zhuiyuan profoundly realized how correct it was to choose his own target and follow the karmic thread. Not only did this give him the upper hand, but he also managed to act before the opponent could fully recover. His hands slipped into his pockets, pressing the inkpad, then drawing talismans on each of his arms. Next, his thumbnails scraped across his ring fingers, drawing blood from the fingertips, which he then used to draw another layer of talismans on his arms. Immediately after, the Protective Talismans drawn by A-Li herself were laid out and plastered all over his arms. Finally, Li Zhuiyuan bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, splattering onto the talismans. Since it was a surprise attack and he had this one chance, he had to use his full strength. Even if ordinary people knew these techniques, they couldn’t layer them in this way. Only the young man would take time to study this in his mind while lying in bed at night.

With everything ready, Li Zhuiyuan’s eyes were bloodshot. He formed hand seals, first sliding his right thumb down to his left fingertips, then his left thumb down to his right fingertips. Then, both thumbs simultaneously pressed towards Old Woman Yu’s empty eye sockets! This was her vulnerability, her biggest weakness at the moment.

“Boom!”

A powerful wave of air swept out, and a piercing shriek emanated from within the clay effigy. Blood gushed from its body. All her years of repair, all her years of silent endurance, accumulated step by step, were forcibly ignited by the young man at this moment.

“Thud… thud… thud…”

The clay began to peel away, gradually revealing the dark, rotting, writhing flesh underneath, like a humanoid monster. She spread her arms and clawed forward. Li Zhuiyuan dodged sideways. The instant her hands touched the ground, a pit was clawed out of the earth, and dirt flew everywhere inside the tent. When she swept her arms horizontally again, Li Zhuiyuan anticipated her movement and circled behind her. Her hand touched the tent wall, and with a “whoosh,” the entire tent was overturned and torn away. She was blind, severely wounded, yet even in her current state, she still possessed terrifying destructive power. She was searching for Li Zhuiyuan, looking for the young man who had ruined her efforts.

The moment she tried to turn around again, Li Zhuiyuan used his hands to pull and his legs to push, climbing directly onto her towering back. Thanks to frequently riding on Runsheng’s back, Li Zhuiyuan was extremely skilled at this maneuver. For this blinded beast, the most dangerous place was paradoxically the safest. More importantly, he still had to continue drawing her blood!

Li Zhuiyuan formed hand seals, invoking the Twelve Edicts of Fengdu to burn the deceased souls with karma fire. The last time Li Zhuiyuan dealt with the corpse demon at the construction site, he used this very move to completely send that snake on its way. At this moment, in reality, the view around the young man’s hands warped and twisted. Immediately after, his hands plunged downward, his fingertips digging into the opponent’s eye sockets.

“Aaaahhh!!!”

The screams rang out again, and this time, they were even more agonizing than before. Because earlier, Li Zhuiyuan had destroyed her accumulated healing, and now, he was attempting to fundamentally eradicate her! Previously, when the Dragon Kings of the Qin and Liu families suppressed her, they couldn’t completely eliminate her because even if her physical body was destroyed, her resentment remained, which gave her the chance to return. But this time, she had already expended a large amount of resentment to reform. If she were dispersed again now, she would be completely erased. Perhaps that Dragon King at the time had thought he or his descendants could finish the job later, but he hadn’t anticipated such a drastic change befalling his family, which allowed these scoundrels to seize the opportunity to revive.

Under the burning of the karma fire, Old Woman Yu had become deranged. She even neglected to search for the young man on her back, instead spinning in circles and howling like a madwoman. Such a huge commotion naturally awakened the entire circus troupe. Many people emerged from the trucks and tents. But after they got down, some began to spin in circles, some started fighting each other, and others knelt on the ground, weeping. The inner circle formation set up earlier was now effective. For ordinary people who didn’t understand formations, it was like encountering a high-level spiritual maze the moment they got out of bed.

Inside the supply tent, the old woman stood before the cages holding Xu Dong and Liangliang. Two cages, one large and one small, imprisoned the “father and son.” Their hands and feet were bound, and their mouths were gagged with cotton, so they could only make muffled sounds through their noses.

Sister Rou reached out and removed Xu Dong’s gag, asking sharply, “He’s not your son?”

Xu Dong turned his head to look at Liangliang in the adjacent cage, his eyes filled with distress, then he glared fiercely at Sister Rou and said, “He is.”

“Thud!” Sister Rou kicked Xu Dong to the ground. She gnashed her teeth, furious. During today’s collection, one wisp had an issue; though it could change color, its quality was impure. This meant that while there was parental affection, it was not from direct bloodline. In short, this wisp was not only unusable but also contaminated the rest of the batch. It had been fine yesterday, but today there was a problem. And today, this was the only new collection. For Sister Rou, a child could be kidnapped or unloved by parents, and at worst, could be resold as a defective product. But the most infuriating kind was one that could seemingly change the water’s color yet had no actual blood relation.

“You’re not this child’s birth father! His real parents have no concern for him, so what the hell are you worried about here?!” Sister Rou relentlessly kicked Xu Dong in the cage, leaving him bruised and bleeding from the nose, vomiting blood. Earlier, she had planned to send Xu Dong to a black coal mine so he could stay alive and continue to provide the “concern” essence. Now, she wanted him dead.

Suddenly, the old woman standing beside her began to tremble. She abruptly reached out and grabbed Sister Rou’s arm. “What? Something happened?” Sister Rou was also greatly alarmed. Forgetting about executing Xu Dong, who had ruined her efforts, she and the old woman rushed out of the tent together.

But just as they emerged, a trident appeared before them, lunging directly at the old woman. The old woman’s previously hunched body instantly straightened. She first pushed Sister Rou away, then single-handedly caught the trident. After a struggle, the trident stopped an inch from her brow. Seeing this, A-Rou wanted to help but was halted by a glare from the old woman. She immediately understood and ran outwards.

The White Crane Boy’s vertical pupils scanned towards her, about to intercept. But then the old woman ducked, simultaneously evading the trident, and flipped her hands, revealing two lantern sticks in her palms, with which she delivered a swift blow to the White Crane Boy’s chest. The White Crane Boy’s body jolted, its hands released, and the trident, having missed, fell downwards. Its hands quickly re-gripped it, using the momentum to thrust the trident into the old woman’s back, then yanked it fiercely to one side.

“Rip…” Her robe, along with a layer of skin and flesh, was directly torn off, revealing the old woman’s body hidden underneath. All the flesh on her body seemed to have gathered on her face. Below her neck, she was as emaciated as a dried corpse; even an elderly person on their deathbed wouldn’t be this bony. Two bones in the old woman’s back began to dislocate, clamping the trident. She straightened up again, her rigid shoulders striking the White Crane Boy’s arms, knocking them aside and forcing the White Crane Boy to lose its grip on the trident.

Next, the old woman prepared to dart away. Something had happened to the clay effigy, and she had to go there now. The disarmed White Crane Boy continued to press forward, throwing punches to intercept her. The old woman struck it with the sticks in her hands. The White Crane Boy didn’t dodge, enduring both blows. With a “crack,” its arm dropped limply. Yet its other hand reached out, grabbing the old woman’s body—more precisely, a section of bone—and yanked her backward. The posture was like a person lifting a humanoid spider. Immediately after, the White Crane Boy slammed the lifted person violently onto the ground.

“Thud!” An imprint shaped like a human body was left on the ground. The old woman lay there motionless.

Just as it prepared to reach for the trident to further mutilate its prey, the old woman’s legs suddenly elongated, extending to the White Crane Boy’s feet. With a sudden forceful tug, the White Crane Boy swayed backward but managed to brace itself and maintain its balance. However, the old woman seized the opportunity, using the leverage to flip herself upright. She then swung the two sticks at the White Crane Boy’s head. The White Crane Boy seemed to know it couldn’t avoid the attack, so it didn’t try. Instead, it controlled its one usable arm, clenched its fist, and smashed it into the old woman’s chest.

“Bang! Bang! Thud!”

The old woman was sent flying. The White Crane Boy stood still, blood gushing from its head, its body swaying, and the vertical pupils in its eyes beginning to unfocus. Its chosen target was indeed correct. Before Li Zhuiyuan broke open the true Old Woman Yu’s shell, this old woman, who strongly resembled Old Woman Yu, was the most powerful entity in this circus troupe.

At sixteen, she was sold to a landlord by her own parents, suffering brutal beatings and torture. After the landlord died, she was even forced to be buried with him. Fortuitously, they hadn’t bothered to provide her with a good coffin. After being buried alive, she had painstakingly dug her way out of the grave with her bare hands. Dragging her bloody hands, she stumbled like a lone wandering spirit to a riverbank, where she found an earthenware jar. A gentle voice emanated from the jar, comforting her in that moment. From then on, she became its servant. She didn’t care that she was becoming more and more like it; she considered it her honor and reward. Reviving it was her life’s greatest obsession.

“No one can disrupt the Old Woman’s revival, no one!” She growled, reaching to adjust her caved-in and shattered ribs. Fragments broke off, which she pulled out and discarded onto the ground. This was to ensure that her subsequent actions would not be impeded. At the same time, she voiced her internal question: “Why is there a General Spirit here?”

The White Crane Boy’s body was already teetering. It pulled out three incense sticks and inserted them into its crane crown. The incense ignited by itself, guiding the path to the Underworld. The blood flowing from its forehead quickly congealed and stopped, and its limp arm slowly began to lift. At that moment, a piercing shriek rang out. Simultaneously, Li Zhuiyuan had already begun damaging Old Woman Yu’s true form, also attaching karma fire to it. The old woman’s face showed anxiety. She tried to advance, but as soon as she stirred, the White Crane Boy likewise stepped sideways, blocking her path.

Tan Wenbin was in great distress. He was still weeping for the children he had never had but now lost. Originally, he had obeyed orders and guarded the entrance to the white tent. But then the tent was torn away, and the gatekeeper suddenly had no gate to guard. He saw Brother Xiao Yuan clinging to the bloody monster’s head, digging his fingers into its eyes. He wanted to help, but the monster was truly ferocious; a casual swipe could generate a wave of air, and its stomping could create deep pits in the ground. Tan Wenbin felt that if he got any closer and was scraped by the monster, he would instantly be reduced to a bloody pulp. Immediately after, the circus troupe members awoke, and Tan Wenbin prepared for a group brawl. Then the formation took effect, trapping these people one by one, unable to move. Tan Wenbin had assumed a pose for nothing, and could only watch Brother Yuan continue to play matador while he stood alone in the wind, shedding tears. He even wondered how he was supposed to describe his contribution to Runsheng and Yin Meng after this damn thing was over. Tell them he only smashed a vat?

Fortunately, fate did not disappoint his tears. Tan Wenbin saw a figure stumble and dart in from outside. It was Sister Rou. Her face was covered in slap marks, her lips were split, and her nose was bleeding. Compared to others in the circus, she was truly ruthless with herself, using such extreme methods to break through the formation’s influence and enter here. Unfortunately, she didn’t know how to use formations, nor did her mother-in-law. They could only follow the blueprints “Old Woman Yu” had given them in their dreams. Primarily, this method was used to abduct children during performances. Parents who lost their children would return home in a daze, forgetting where they had been or what they had done that day. When Li Zhuiyuan watched them set up their performance tent that afternoon, he recognized the troupe’s level of formation skill, which was why he unhesitatingly secretly set up the formations right at their doorstep.

Upon seeing the bloody body spinning and roaring madly in place, Sister Rou’s eyes widened in fury. Originally, according to their progress, success was imminent, and she, like her mother-in-law, would receive “Old Woman Yu’s” blessing. But unexpectedly, tonight, most of their past efforts had been wasted. This meant that even if she wanted to start over, she would have to retrace the path her mother-in-law had walked for decades. She didn’t want to, she was unwilling. She was still young; she didn’t want to become like her mother-in-law!

Sister Rou noticed the young man on top. “It’s you?” She prepared to step forward and pull the young man off, because for some unknown reason, “Old Woman Yu” was only spinning in agony, completely oblivious to the young man on her back.

“Buzz!”

A Yellow River Shovel blocked Sister Rou’s path. Tan Wenbin said, weeping: “Boo hoo… Woman… your opponent… is me.”

The weeping ceased abruptly, and Tan Wenbin didn’t wait for a response and directly swung the shovel. Sister Rou dodged, supporting herself with her hands on the ground. Tan Wenbin, holding the shovel, swept it horizontally again. Sister Rou sprang up, avoiding the shovel while also lunging towards Tan Wenbin. Tan Wenbin raised the shovel, attempting to swat her away, but just as he lifted it, the woman’s left hand grabbed its edge. She lifted the shovel head, then advanced her shoulder along the handle, her right hand clenched in a fist, about to smash it into Tan Wenbin’s face.

As Tan Wenbin retreated, he reached out and pressed a mechanism on the shovel handle. Sharp sawteeth emerged from the shovel handle.

“Pfft…”

Sister Rou’s shoulder was pierced, and she stopped in her tracks. The Yellow River Shovel was originally a precise, multi-functional assembly tool with many small techniques for its use. Runsheng could just hit people with it, relying on brute force over technique, but Binbin had read Brother Yuan’s design manual in detail. However, the wound wasn’t deep. While Sister Rou held the shovel with one hand, she lifted her leg and kicked at Tan Wenbin. Tan Wenbin had intended to pull the saw to cut her, but the problem was, the woman was incredibly strong. He used all his might, but couldn’t move the shovel an inch. Seeing the woman’s kick coming, he had no choice but to release the shovel, retreat, and fall awkwardly to the ground. Ultimately, although Sister Rou wasn’t as powerful as her mother-in-law, she followed her mother-in-law’s path. Such a person was no longer within the scope of ordinary practitioners. In the end, she would also become like her mother-in-law now, neither human nor ghost.

Sister Rou pulled the shovel from her shoulder. Ignoring her wound, she swung the shovel, intending to smash Tan Wenbin, who was on the ground. Just then, Tan Wenbin reached into his pocket, grabbed a handful of something, and flung it at her. Immediately, everything in front of him turned white. Sister Rou was greatly alarmed and dodged sideways. When it touched her wound, a sharp pain shot through her.

“Lime?”

Tan Wenbin didn’t feel cheap at all. As an ordinary person facing a group of monsters, wasn’t he allowed to find some supplementary means for himself?

“Die!” Sister Rou roared, pushing through the white cloud with the shovel. But just as she prepared to strike, she halted. Because the young man who had stood up in front of her was holding a pistol, aiming it directly at her.

“Boo hoo… Don’t move… If you move again, I’ll shoot… boo hoo…”

Sister Rou’s gaze followed the muzzle’s direction. Immediately, she pressed down, and seeing the gun barrel lower as well, she raised the Yellow River Shovel in her hand, holding it in front of her. Next, a pained expression appeared on her face as multiple bones throughout her body began to dislocate, in exchange for a burst of instantaneous power.

Tan Wenbin’s vision blurred. The woman vanished, then reappeared directly in front of him. Holy hell! With this demonic speed, a gun could only be used for suicide! In that moment, Binbin experienced what his old man had felt when he shot at Lin Shuyou. Back then, Lin Shuyou, not yet possessed and not directly confronting, could still instinctively evade bullets as a martial arts practitioner. If he were possessed and intended a direct attack, whether Officer Tan carried a handgun or not would truly make little difference.

Tan Wenbin had no time to re-aim the gun. He only felt his wrist squeezed by a force, forcing him to let go. Then he was kicked away and landed on the ground. Sister Rou reached out, took the pistol, turned, and aimed the muzzle at Tan Wenbin’s forehead.

“Bang!”

“Ah!”

Tan Wenbin let out a shriek as a yellow plastic pellet dropped from his forehead, leaving a small red mark. Sister Rou stared at the muzzle in disbelief.

A toy gun?