Chapter 10 Night of Sacrifice (6)
They quickly realized the clues covered a large area of the floor. One flashlight wasn’t enough, so Old Xu, Xiao Xue, and Miss Zhao turned on theirs, illuminating the area from different angles.
A complex magic circle, drawn in some dark red substance, covered the floor. Incense burners with red candles stood at each of the five points of the circle, the concrete platform at its center.
“What is this creepy thing?” Teng Ge muttered, staring at the red lines. They looked like blood. While he was Awakened, his spiritual sensitivity was low. He rarely saw ghosts and had little experience with the occult. With Zhu Ming gone, he was back to his usual bluster.
“It looks like a variation of a soul-sealing formation from Maoshan magic,” Old Xu said, “but I’m not sure.”
“There’s something inside the platform!” Teng Ge pointed, being closest to it.
Shining their flashlights, they saw that the center of the platform was hollowed out and filled with water. Something was submerged within, and two small objects lay on either side of the water-filled basin.
A fist-sized figurine, human head and snake body, rested at the bottom of the basin, completely submerged. The flashlight beams refracted through the water, making the crudely carved face appear even more sinister.
A sense of awe and unease kept them from touching it.
On the platform, beside the basin, lay a cell phone and a watch. The phone, an older model, was stained with dried blood. The watch, clearly a woman’s, was slightly rusted, its hands frozen.
Old Xu frowned. “The figurine is at the center of the formation, in the dominant position. The instance is called Night of Sacrifice. I suspect we’re supposed to make an offering to the deity.”
Miss Zhao, silent until now, finally spoke. “Remember the area covered by the barrier? This basement is right at its center. I believe the key to breaking the barrier and completing the mission is here.”
“Look at this!” Xiao Song exclaimed, picking something up from the floor. “I just stepped on a pen. And there are three sheets of paper pinned together here.”
The flashlight beams converged on his find.
The pen was ordinary. The papers were dirty. Unfolding them, they saw some hastily scribbled words:
“I shouldn’t have come to this abandoned villa with my friends. Something happened. She fell into the pond and drowned! She’s become a vengeful ghost and wants us all to stay here with her. I managed to escape, but I came back. I can’t abandon my friends. I can’t bear to see her become an evil spirit. I have to help her move on!”
The first page ended. Turning to the next, they saw several dark red bloodstains.
“It’s too late. She discovered my intentions. The formation is only half-finished. I couldn’t help her move on, but at least I’ve sealed this place so she can’t leave. Thank the gods for their mercy… I’m writing this down today. If anyone finds this, please complete the formation. Otherwise, we’ll all be trapped here. I’ve placed her personal belongings here. The steps to complete the formation are on the next page. I’ll write down everything.”
They huddled together, the flashlight beams illuminating the paper, their faces pale in the surrounding darkness.
Xiao Song licked his lips nervously and turned to the last page. It was filled with instructions for completing the formation.
“Place pomegranate, mountain lily, red dates, willow leaves, and water lilies in the incense burners at the five points of the formation. Light the red candles. At midnight, drip the blood of a […wo…man] onto the three burning candles. Light the incense and offer it to the figurine. Place […] in the center of the formation and wait for the deity to descend. You can then use the power of the figurine to suppress the vengeful ghost. Once the ghost is suppressed, the barrier will break. P.S. The longer the hair of the good […wo…man], the better the effect.”
Several words were obscured by bloodstains. They could just make out the character for “woman.” Combined with the postscript, they guessed the missing words were “good woman.”
The three pages contained little text but crucial information. After reading them, they flipped the pages over, thinking there was nothing else, but on the back of the last page, written in blood, was a single sentence: Several good women have arrived, possessed by the deity, to exorcise evil and break the formation!
A chill ran down Teng Ge’s spine. It felt as if someone was watching them. But… it didn’t seem to concern him. The message mentioned “good women.”
And the longer the hair, the better. The girl with the longest hair here was the one with the braid.
The unseen gaze lingered on Yun Zouchuan. She lowered her eyes slightly. There it was again, that malevolent, clinging gaze, closer and more intense than before.
No one else seemed to notice, too focused on the instructions.
Coincidentally, Xiao Cheng, having spent the previous day exploring the garden, said, “I remember the five items we need. Three of them are in the garden: pomegranate, mountain lily, and willow leaves.”
Xiao Xue added, “There’s a large urn with water lilies on the roof terrace.”
Teng Ge, desperate to leave, asked urgently, “What about the red dates and candles?”
Xiao Cheng reassured him, “Don’t worry, they must be here somewhere. We’ll find them. If they gave us a mission, there must be a way to complete it.”
They began discussing excitedly, seemingly accepting the instructions as the correct solution. No one asked if the “good women,” especially the one with the longest hair, were willing to participate.
Xiao Song was particularly enthusiastic. “Great! Once we complete the formation, we can seal the ghost and break the barrier!”
Those were words everyone wanted to hear. The dark, oppressive basement was suddenly filled with hope.
Old Xu coughed. “Let’s gather the items while it’s still light. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can leave.”
They searched the basement again, but found nothing else.
“Let’s go outside and look,” Old Xu said, mainly to conserve battery power.
Teng Ge turned to leave, eager to escape the creepy basement. He took a few steps, then stopped, hesitant. A dark figure stood by the doorway, backlit and silent.
He didn’t know when it had appeared… The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
Xiao Cheng saw it too and shone his flashlight. “Who’s there?!… Zhu Ming? What are you doing here?”
The figure raised a hand to shield its eyes. “Didn’t I say I’d be here? And I wasn’t standing behind you. Geez, you’re so jumpy.”
Relieved, Teng Ge edged around her.
As Xiao Song passed, Zhu Ming snatched the three sheets of paper.
“Hey! What are you doing?!” he exclaimed.
“Nothing. I’m just curious about what’s written here. Can’t I take a look? You’ve all read it anyway,” she said, unapologetic.
Remembering how she had handled Teng Ge, Xiao Song glared but didn’t try to take the papers back.
While the others searched, Zhu Ming sprawled on the sofa, her head at one end, her feet at the other, occupying the entire thing. She fanned herself with the papers, her posture arrogant, a stark contrast to the others busily gathering materials. She looked like a slave owner overseeing her workers.
No one dared to comment. After the incident in the kitchen, they were all wary of her.
Yun Zouchuan sat on the other side of the room, her pale eyes following everyone who passed. No one approached her. She seemed unapproachable.
Zhu Ming idly played with Yun Zouchuan’s braid, her mind elsewhere. Something felt wrong. Everyone was too cheerful, the excitement of completing the mission overshadowing the fear of Lao Gao’s death. She felt detached from their enthusiasm, a nagging sense of unease.
Their efforts paid off. They soon gathered all the necessary items, though finding the red dates and candles took some time. The dates were hidden in a kitchen cupboard, the candles in the housekeeper’s room.
Everything was ready. It was still a few hours before midnight.
“Miss A-Zou,” Old Xu said gently, “why don’t you try it tonight? Don’t worry, we’ll protect you. If anything happens, I’ll save you.”
“But…”
“I’ve been to the Dark Realm three times. I have ways to protect myself. You can trust me.”
Yun Zouchuan frowned. “I was going to say… we don’t have anything to light the candles and incense with.”
Everyone: “…”
They had been so focused on finding the items listed on the paper that they had forgotten about the most crucial element: fire!
Zhu Ming stifled a laugh. While A-Zou could be slow on the uptake and lacked social graces, her intuition was sharp, and she always focused on the important details.
They hadn’t found any matches or lighters. Starting a fire was a problem.
Miss Zhao, sitting upright on the sofa, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she walked purposefully towards the kitchen.
“There’s no electricity, but the gas stove should still work.” She turned a knob, and with a click, a flame ignited.
Zhu Ming leaned towards Yun Zouchuan, whispering, “She’s actually quite smart. Just has bad taste in men.”
The final obstacle overcome, everything was in place.
“I’m a light sleeper,” Old Xu said. “I remember the housekeeper knocking around 2 a.m. The ritual needs to be performed at midnight. We should be safe going out then. Everyone remember to bring your flashlights, just in case.”
“Wait,” Miss Zhao said suddenly. “I don’t think we need so many people. It’ll just be chaotic.”
Her point was valid. Old Xu considered this. “Miss Zhao, the three of us, being experienced, will go and protect whoever performs the ritual. If anything goes wrong, we can rescue them. The others can stay inside and act as backup. Not all the women need to participate in the ritual.”
True, not everyone needed to go, but who should they choose?
All eyes turned to Yun Zouchuan. She had the longest hair.
Before anyone could speak, Yun Zouchuan nodded calmly. “Alright. I’ll do it.”
Zhu Ming’s playful expression vanished. “A-Zou, do you know what you’re saying?”
Of course she did. A flicker of anxiety crossed Yun Zouchuan’s face. “I have a bad feeling about this place. I want to leave as soon as possible. Maybe it’s the heat.”
She enjoyed summer scenery, but not the temperature. She had a low tolerance for heat, but years of living in harsh conditions had taught her to endure.
“Boss, you know I’m not very clever. I can’t think of any other ideas. If this is the right way, I’ll try it. If there’s a problem, I’ll figure out how to escape.”
She looked at Zhu Ming. “Do you have any other ideas?”
Zhu Ming paused. “It doesn’t feel right. I don’t have any concrete ideas yet.” A flicker of insight had crossed her mind, but she hadn’t grasped it. “I just feel like everything is going too smoothly, almost too perfectly.”
With the mission nearing completion, Miss Zhao’s expression darkened as Yun Zouchuan considered backing out. “Miss Zhu, we’ve tolerated your eccentricities, but isn’t it a bit much to keep obstructing us from completing the mission?”
Zhu Ming’s response was sharp. “If you’re so eager, why don’t you do it? It would be even safer, since you’re so experienced.”
Miss Zhao looked away, her face stiff. “My hair is too short.”
Xiao Song jumped to her defense. “She’s already agreed. Stop causing trouble. Are you really a ghost in disguise? We’re about to complete the mission. If you’re so capable, figure out how to do it yourself.”
Zhu Ming looked at him coldly. “Short hair, shortsighted.”
The men in the room bristled. That was a bit much!
Without a clear plan, and with Yun Zouchuan willing to participate, Zhu Ming couldn’t stop them. A quick and easy mission completion would be ideal, but something still felt off. What was it…?
Frustrated, she slapped the papers against the coffee table and stood up, scanning the group.
She had questions, and she wasn’t going to let them rest easy. Let them share her unease. “Lao Gao didn’t necessarily die because he went into the pool,” she said.
She turned and left, leaving them to ponder her cryptic words.
“What does she mean?” Xiao Cheng asked, bewildered.
Xiao Xue stood up thoughtfully and walked towards the common bathroom, Xiao Cheng following curiously.
There was nothing unusual there, except for the mop sink. It had been emptied yesterday, but the drain was clogged again, and the sink was filled with water.
The others, eager to avoid further complications, dismissed Zhu Ming’s words. They were about to complete the mission. Who cared how Lao Gao died? Maybe he had opened his door for the knocking ghost!
Leave a Reply