Cataclysm Chapter 6: Human Skin Painting 6; Zhu Xiaoyu

Chapter 6: Human Skin Painting 6; Zhu Xiaoyu

Translated by Shiya of Exiled Rebels Scanlations 

Editor: Karai

 

The current ‘Han Ke’ was not the real ‘Han Ke’ either, it should be said that it was the being attached to ‘Han Ke.’ And the ‘Han Ke’ downstairs was just a puppet. ‘Han Ke’ laughed, soft and sweet. Took a step forward, graceful and daintily, beautiful and attractive. “My honorable scholar, how did you find me?”

“You told me.” Chen Yang stepped aside quietly and approached the painting.

‘Han Ke’ raised her hand to cover her face with long sleeves, slightly hooked up her lips and blinked. “You don’t look like a book smart scholar. When and where did I give myself away?”

Chen Yang suddenly said, “Xiao Fengyu.”

‘Han Ke’ eyes suddenly changed, the original tenderness disappeared, and in the twinkling of an eye, her face turned grim and cold, “How did you know?”

Chen Yang pointed to the inscription on the painting not far from her, “Han Ke said that when she picked up the paper, it was blank. But now it’s painted. There is an inscription on top, Xiao Fengyu. I guessed it was your name, the portrait was you, so you’re Xiao Fengyu.”

“You guessed right.” ‘Han Ke’ walked back and forth several times, and her eyes fell on Chen Yang. Her expression was very vivid, with a charming style. This style did not belong to the original Han Ke, which meant that the female ghost was about to get Han Ke’s life.

No wonder she just let Chen Yang stall time and was not afraid.

Now the door was locked, and there was another puppet downstairs playing with the Celestial Masters. Even if those Tianshis came up here, they probably couldn’t deal with her because she was not a new young ghost, but a fierce ghost who had died over a hundred years ago.

“Xiao Fengyu is your stage name, your original name is Zhu Xiaoyu. You should have been born in the prosperous period of ‘female actresses’ in Guangzhou and Guangdong, and died at the same time.”

The prosperous period of ‘female actresses’ in Guangzhou and Guangdong was in the early period of the Republic of China. At that time, Guangzhou and Guangdong had a period of rampant bandits and collusion between officials and bandits.

“How did you know?”

Baidu. ¹

Chen Yang’s face remained unchanged, “It’s not very difficult to figure out your identity after knowing your name.”

‘Han Ke,’ no, she should be called Zhu Xiaoyu, stopped and looked at Chen Yang suspiciously. For him to know everything after only knowing a name, he must be a fengshui master. What’s more, he clearly did not have a wooden or jade inscription card given to a Tianshi. How could he still be calm and complacent when facing a fierce ghost as an ordinary person?

With such a thought, Zhu Xiaoyu dare not take him lightly.

“You have been dead for so many years that the world you once lived in is not the same anymore. You arbitrarily possess another person’s body and seize that person’s years of life. If the Hell servitors learn about this and put you to trial in the Six Palaces of LuoFeng, I am afraid even the 18 levels of hell will not be harsh enough to punish your sins.”

Zhu Xiaoyu’s unmistakable look of fear was immediately occupied by unwillingness and resentment. “I’ve been dead for over a hundred years. Every day I suffer from the feeling of dying, but I can’t be reincarnated! I only lived to be twenty-one!! My death was so tragic, my skin was stripped off and made into drawing paper, my soul was bound in the human realm so that I could not be reincarnated. My corpse was left in the wilderness, covered with mud, and never to see the sun again. No one was left to worship me, and a new corpse was buried above mine. I can’t help it. I don’t want to suffer anymore. No one worships me, I don’t even have a tombstone of my own. I am a wandering ghost and can not be reincarnated. Now, I have a chance to be alive again; no one can stop me!!!”

Zhu Xiaoyu looked mad, and her mood was volatile, which caused Han Ke’s facial expression to be distorted and ferocious. With long hair flying in the wind, she reached out to strangle Chen Yang’s neck.

Chen Yang managed to dodge the attack but just barely, he grabbed the beautiful painting, and pretended to tear it up. 

“Stop!” Zhu Xiaoyu dared not move. If the beauty in the painting was torn, she would also lose her soul.

Of course, Chen Yang would not tear up the portrait because Han Ke’s spirit was bound to the portrait as well.

Zhu Xiaoyu pleaded with him, “I just want to be reborn. I have been a wandering ghost for a hundred years, scorched and drenched in sun and rain, and no one has offered me any offerings…”

Towards her crying and whimpering, Chen Yang had no compassion. These ghosts were good at deceiving people, and couldn’t be trusted at all. Zhu Xiaoyu was indeed miserable, she died in her youth, after her death, her skin was stripped off and made into drawing paper, and her soul was confined by evil sorcery and suffered day and night. Having no one to worship meant one had to suffer the cold and desolation accompanied with hunger simultaneously, a misery that couldn’t be described through words.

But these were not reasons for killing someone else.

Chen Yang said, “If you wanted to reincarnate, why did you intimidate the Han family? When the first batch of Tianshis were hired by the Han family, you should have asked the Tianshis to fulfill your request, ask them to make a monument for you, and then have the Tianshis perform a ceremony to help your soul reincarnate. But you tried to kill Han Ke, and drove all the Tianshis away. Isn’t it just out of greed that you want Han Ke’s life? You’re not even sorry for your own actions.”

Even if Zhu Xiaoyu was really pitiful before she died, if she really wanted to reincarnate, she could do as Chen Yang said. However, she did not, and instead was greedy to get Han Ke’s one in a hundred good fortunes. After all, even if she did reincarnate, it didn’t necessarily mean she would get a chance to reincarnate as a human again. Even if she did manage to reincarnate as a human, her new life could have turned out to be a widow or an orphan. 

Zhu Xiaoyu could not deceive Chen Yang, so she showed her ferocity, she split the bedroom door, and ran out towards the living room.

Chen Yang said, “500,000!!” ²

Then he quickly ran over and kicked the bedroom door back. He took off the red string tied on his arm and pulled each end of the string with his hands. The bronze coin on the string slid to the middle and rang.

Zhu Xiaoyu, as if afraid of the copper coin which was full of yang energy, the ghost stepped back and pasted against the wall. When she saw the portrait that had fallen on the bed, she quickly lunged forward and tried to grab it. Chen Yang swung the red string in his hand toward Zhu Xiaoyu, and there was a faint red flash. Zhu Xiaoyu almost got beaten out of Han Ke’s body.

When Chen Yang saw that it worked, he picked up the paper and whipped Zhu Xiaoyu repeatedly. Zhu Xiaoyu screamed and was eventually pulled out of Han Ke’s body.

Chen Yang caught Han Ke’s falling body, while Zhu Xiaoyu took the opportunity to fly out of the bedroom, intending to massacre everyone. Chen Yang shouted, “Mao Xiaoli, stop that ghost!”

At this time, Mao Xiaoli, who was viewing the battle at the stairway entrance, heard Chen Yang, and a cold shiver swept over her whole body from behind her. The light above her head flickered, and she turned around and saw a bloody bag of flesh without skin coming at her.

Mao Xiaoli subconsciously lifted her hand. Her hands were covered with wet, sticky blood, and pus, which made her stomach churn with nausea. She took out the peach wood sword and the Wulei charms immediately. Thunder and fire were the fears of all evil spirits ³, so the ghost let go of Mao Xiaoli and rushed downstairs to Master Luo and Master Lu.

Downstairs, Master Luo and Master Lu were cleaning up the paper-made puppet painted with red and green. They were attacked by the ferocious ghost just when they realized that they had been deceived. They dodged to both sides to avoid a direct blow from the ghost.

Who knew that Master Luo’s apprentice would run up to the ghost and was directly taken over by the fierce ghost. In that moment, his eyeballs rolled back, his face twisted. His body was stiff, and his heels lifted up from the ground, he was tiptoeing. ⁴.

“He got possessed?”

Master Lu raised his peach wood sword and Wulei charm to poke the chest of the young apprentice but was stopped halfway by Master Luo.

“Are you trying to steal the money from me?”

“Steal your mother! He’s my apprentice!”

“The ghost has taken possession of him. He is a ghost now!”

“Fuck you!” Suddenly, the apprentice grabbed Master Luo’s neck with massive strength, Master Luo couldn’t break away. Master Lu put the Wulei charm on the apprentice and recited an incantation.

When Master Luo was saved, he tore off the charm on the apprentice and the ghost was able to move again.

Master Lu was so angry that he could only shout, “Even if you don’t want the 500,000, I want it. Don’t block me from getting rich!” ⁵

Chen Yang came out with Han Ke, who was still very weak, and he could see how chaotic it was downstairs at one glance. He asked Mao Xiaoli, “What’s happening here?”

Mao Xiaoli, “The ghost possessed the apprentice.” She pointed to the little apprentice and then said, “They are trying to kill each other.”

The Han couple downstairs saw Han Ke and rushed over to her. Mrs. Han unexpectedly tripped during the rush. Knowing that Mrs. Han was their employer, the ghost left the apprentice and possessed Mrs. Han instead.

As soon as Han Jiashan helped his wife up, he was picked up by the throat.

Chen Yang handed Han Ke to Mao Xiaoli, went downstairs and flung the red string to entangle Mrs. Han’s wrist. Mrs. Han screamed and retracted her hands.

After Han Jiashan was saved, he said in a meek voice, “Save my wife.”

Master Luo and Master Lu saw Chen Yang walk out of the bedroom unscathed and looked at Han Ke who was safe and sound at the stairway entrance, and then they all understood. It seemed that this youth was not just some overzealous teenager but a gifted genius full of talent.

Judging at the ghost’s power, it might have been cultivating strength for at least 50-60 years. If they had to deal with the ghost alone, even they might sustain severe damage. Chen Yang was able to force the ghost out of Han Ke’s body alone, and could also make the female ghost in Mrs. Han feel fear, so it could be seen that he was an expert.

In this business, age was not the standard to measure one’s cultivated power, but talent.

Han Jiashan said again, “Save my wife, and I’ll add 200,000 more.”

Master Luo and Master Lu had a heart attack, but Chen Yang said, “There is no need for that. 500,000 is enough.”

Then he drew the red string out and began to whip Mrs. Han.

The actions stunned the Masters as it never occurred to them that the boy would be so direct. Generally, it was very challenging to drive away ghosts attached to the body, either one seized the time when the ghost had its guard down and puncture the possessed’s middle finger or opened an exorcism ceremony.

To directly beat the ghost like this… it was too simple to work. However, the next second, they were so surprised that their chins almost hit the floor, only to see that the ghost was pulled out of Mrs. Han’s body. It wanted to go back to Han Ke’s body, but Mao Xiaoli took out the Wulei charm insidiously.

As a last resort, she wanted to possess Han Jiashan.

Master Luo and Master Lu were guarding in front of him, but the ghost was not afraid. She pounced fiercely towards them. As soon as the ghost neared the two, a red string wrapped around the ghost tightly and he dragged it away. Chen Yang stepped on the head of the fierce ghost and raised his hand to chant, “The Black Emperor’s spirit book, Tianpeng’s treasured seal. Rise, wind and fire, crumble the mountains, dry the trees…”

Suddenly, dark clouds covered the moon, and earth was silent. The pale electric light flickered a few times and finally went out, leaving the villa in darkness. The Han couple were frightened, but they dared not speak. Han Ke firmly grasped Mao Xiaoli’s arm. Mao Xiaoli opened her phone to illuminate the area. Turning her head, she saw Master Luo and Master Lu looking at her in a daze.

“What? Why are you looking at me? You don’t have a flashlight app on your cell phone?”

Yes, we have one. So they took out their cell phones for light and made the room bright. Chen Yang was still chanting at high speed, “…Generals, hear my command, destroy evil. Urgently arrive like the Great Emperor of Fengdu’s decree.”

The last sentence came to the other Tianshis’ ears like a roaring thunder descending from nine levels of sky above. This was actually the incarnation of the Great Emperor of FengDu, which can be used to summon the Hell servitors and deemed their lives. FengDu was an extremely scary place in the eyes of both demons and even the Tianshis. It was more terrible than the 18 levels of hell.

In the Six Palaces of the Underworld, ordinary people and good people couldn’t go in. Only absolute evil would be brought there and judged. Not only would the Emperor of FengDu judge wicked ghosts, but also evil spirits, demons, and even evil gods. All of which had to go through the judgment of the Six Palaces of the Underworld.

The owner of the Six Palaces of the Underworld was the Northern Yin Fengdu Emperor ⁶, under which were the five lower Kings, under them are seventy-two divisions, who commanded the 18 levels of Hell, and beneath them were various ChengHuang(city governors). Taoism respected gods and those who worked beneath the main gods.

There was no way anyone could summon a God so OP.

… Of course, Chen Yang was not summoning the Emperor of Fengdu, he was just summoning a Hell servitor, but that was equally frightening to evil ghosts.

 

 

 

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