I furrowed my brows and said gravely, "Brother Zhang, I believe you. The matters in the village depend entirely on your arrangements. It was because you didn't believe me earlier that problems arose. If you don't believe me again, by the second watch, there might be more hungry ghosts lurking around, and it would be less likely for them to escape. I am still alive; I can't avoid it."
"The paper figures can carry souls, if you find it inconvenient, I can make a smaller paper figure for you to wear and carry with you." I added further.
In fact, it is not too troublesome to exterminate Zhang Tui's soul at present.
But the people from the ghost pavilion went into Qi Jia Village with me, and none of them left, only me. That poses an even bigger problem.
I not only want Zhang Tui to leave, but also want him to leave safely.
In fact, even if I encounter "danger", Zhang Tui should not have any setbacks.
"Brother Luo, this..."
Zhang Tui's face still displayed a look of hesitation.
My hands clasped together, and I said solemnly, "Brother Luo swears to heaven that I have no intention of harming Brother Zhang today. I just want to quickly bring Brother Zhang out of danger! If I break this oath, the ghosts will dig out my heart!"
I spoke that sentence with utmost decisiveness and speed.
Zhang Tui's eyes widened in shock immediately!
"Brother Luo... You... You..."
"There is no time to delay, Brother Zhang. I have sworn a poisonous oath, and you still don't believe me!?" I urged again.
Zhang Tui no longer hesitated. He took a step towards the paper figure.
The paper figure trembled twice and immediately became lively. The face without any features gradually took on the likeness of Zhang Tui's.
"The atmosphere is so thick with evil energy. Did you use human skin, and there are many other evil objects?"
Zhang Tui's voice remained hollow, and his movements were stiff, but he was much better than the former ghost body.
"The materials used are quite a lot, Brother Zhang. First, please take your own things. I sprinkled chicken blood in front of the door earlier. Now go and dig it up some; otherwise, you won't be able to leave."
I did not explain it in detail. My gaze swept across the hall and saw an excavator and a hoe standing by the side of the house wall.
Taking up the hoe, I hurriedly walked to the gate of the yard.
In a few strokes, I dug away the layer of earth at the entrance, uncovering the chicken blood.
At this time, Zhang Tui's paper figure quickly walked out from the hall.
I could see that the paper figure had become bulging, as if it had been stuffed with many things.
Beside Zhang Tui, there was also a "person" who was tiptoeing.
Clearly, that was the ghost that Zhang Tui had taken care of.
Just from the appearance, the ghost was short in stature and looked like a dwarf. I didn't know what abilities he had.
It stared at me with a sinister expression, its caution unwavering.
However, Zhang Tui had no doubt about me.
"Brother Luo, carry my dead body on your back." Zhang Tui reminded me.
"Hmm?" I was slightly puzzled.
"I can't use it anymore, but it's still somewhat useful." Zhang Tui added.
With his words, I began to ponder.
I picked up the body and left the yard with Zhang Tui.
Zhang Tui's paper figure moved very stiffly, with every move taking a long time. However, the speed wasn't slow, and the ghost accompanying him vigilantly looked around the surroundings.
I didn't move forward, so I didn't see the old woman from last time.
The two of us stepped off the embankment and hurried towards the field beyond.
After a while, I noticed something was wrong with the weeds. They were slightly shaking, clearly indicating that something was approaching.
"Brother Luo, throw it away." Zhang Tui reminded me again.
Without hesitation, I threw the body with all my strength, and Zhang Tui's corpse was propelled a great distance.
A whooshing sound came, and I saw at least five or six old women emerge from the weeds, dashing towards the spot where the body fell!
None of them paid any attention to us at all!
I only felt a chill run down my spine.
How many old women are here!?!
Thankfully, with the body as bait, the old women were lured away.
With a nearly running speed, I and Zhang Tui finally exited the field and reached the safe area...
Once here, my sun temples were pounding non-stop, and my heart was thudding wildly.
It wasn't until I walked up the village road that I heaved a heavy breath.
Zhang Tui turned around, staring at the deep village behind the fields with a sinister expression, showing the same fear.
"When we leave the village later, we can wait for Luo Hushu at the village entrance. Perhaps he will find an opportunity to come out. Zhao Xire is suppressing the counterattack, so he should also be able to come out." I tried to make my breathing even, and spoke with great caution.
Zhang Tui remained silent, and after a while, the paper face revealed a bitter expression.
"Perhaps so. If Luo Hushu can come out, he can still live. But if he doesn't come out within three days, he won't be able to survive. The spellbinding techniques have many limitations, especially when his body was eaten..."
A slight chill ran through my heart.
Black magic?
After a pause, Zhang Tui shook his head again and said, "Zhao Xire is done. The ghosts he raised are torn-up souls of infants, which he exchanges for obedience using their blood. Such fierce ghosts require a lot of blood each time they eat, and once the limit is exceeded, the ghost will consume people. Since there are no people in Qi Jia Village to help Zhao Xire suppress the counterattack, he can only be devoured."
For a moment, I was silent.
Zhang Tui sighed and said, "We still underestimated the danger in Qi Jia Village. The problem lies with me. I didn't fulfill my role and instead became a hindrance. Luo Hushu spent a lot of effort to get my body out, which is why he was forced into this situation."
His words actually made me feel more apprehensive.
Luo Hushu should have been stronger. Was he consumed by the old women?
In the next second, the ghost accompanying Zhang Tui disappeared silently.
He continued, "Let's go out first, Brother Luo. Later on, you can tell me in detail what happened, and we can review it together."
"Zhao Kang's soul dissipated like this, there are some problems. Before, the Night Demon ate up all the earth's energy, and it spared him. This means that at that time, the Night Demon was afraid of something."
"I suspect that there is something wrong with this. The problem may lie in the fact that after his soul was scattered and swallowed, there might be a ghost that took something crucial from him. It is that thing that can lead us to find the true plague demon, or a medium related to the plague demon."
Zhang Tui's words made me more vigilant towards him several times over.
Does he really believe that the Plague Demon exists!?!
Of course, I couldn't refute it. That would be too obvious.
"Perhaps, but we need to get out as soon as possible. I think this place isn't very safe either. After all, there's a retribution ghost within the safe range."
After I finished speaking, Zhang Tui nodded and followed the village road out.
I casually walked on the right side of the road and slowed my pace slightly.
Occasionally, I winced as I looked at my right arm.
Zhang Tui's paper figure's head occasionally looked at me and whispered consolingly, urging me to keep going, as Qu Wei would be waiting outside to provide assistance. As soon as we left, he would immediately arrange for me to receive treatment.
I forced a smile and whispered my thanks.
Zhang Tui waved his hand and said, "As brothers, there's no need for such formalities."
I no longer said anything, but merely kept my head down and followed Zhang Tui.
Zhang Tui seemed to be used to this pace, neither slowing down nor speeding up, leading the way.
A few minutes later, Zhang Tui first passed through a small side path.
My eyelids twitched, and I made a deliberate exclamation, "What? There's a side path here?"
"Brother Luo!" Zhang Tui turned around, with an extremely cautious and alert expression on his paper face: "Don't wander around. What road is there here?!"
