Chapter 84: The Original Play

“Ow, that hurts!”
Yue’er fell heavily from the sky, landing hard on her backside and crying out in pain.
Fang You followed closely, crashing down as well.
Ahead of them loomed a vast cavern, its entrance gaping wide.
But before the mouth of the cave, chaos reigned. Fang You hurried forward to investigate.
The ground was strewn with shredded pieces of paper and the broken remains of puppets. The head of a paper effigy rolled away, caught by the wind.
“Paper Craft—Uncle!” Fang You saw the scene and realized a fierce battle had just taken place. He rushed into the cave.
“Master!” Yue’er followed him in.
Inside, Fang You was struck with grief:
His uncle had been impaled by a puppet, nailed to the wall, a talisman for warding off paper demons still clenched in his hand, unused.
A young man nearby coughed blood, red threads for controlling puppets wound around all ten fingers.
“You killed my uncle?” Rage burned in Fang You’s eyes, for his uncle was his only family.
“To be precise, it was my ambush that succeeded. I came to persuade He Bi’an to join the Yin-Yang Hall, to show my sincerity and help him steal the Gu King. Yet on the way, we encountered the Miao Clan Chief, and He Bi’an fought him fiercely. The poisonous insects unleashed! It was truly spectacular.”
“Taking advantage of the chaos, I ambushed the paper craftsman who came with the Miao Clan Chief. His paper-crafting skills were superb. If we had fought openly, I wouldn’t have stood a chance—but I was well-prepared.”
“I’ll kill you!” Fang You’s fury erupted; he raised his copper coin sword, ready to strike.
Suddenly, red threads descended from above, falling in an instant. Like ropes, they wrapped Fang You from head to toe, binding him so tightly he couldn’t move.
“I heard you from afar. Did you really think I wouldn’t be prepared?” Yuan Xi pressed his wound and slowly stood up.
“Master!” Yue’er hastily summoned her Gu insects to gnaw through the threads binding Fang You.
“It seems this paper craftsman meant a lot to you. You must hate me. If you wish to kill me, come find me at Puppet Town,” Yuan Xi said, staggering past Fang You. Rage and hatred filled Fang You, but he was powerless to move. He could only watch helplessly as Yuan Xi, the murderer of his uncle, left.

“Damn it!”
After Yuan Xi departed, Yue’er’s Gu finally chewed through all the threads binding Fang You.
The moment Fang You shook off the bindings, he rushed forward, desperate to slay the one who had killed his uncle—
But Yuan Xi was already gone.
Fang You broke down, weeping bitterly. His parents had long since passed away, all relatives shunned him, all ties severed. The only one who had ever cared for him, his uncle, had died here. Was his fate truly cursed? Did closeness to him bring only ruin?
Yue’er tried to comfort him: “Master, please accept my condolences.”
Unable to control his grief, Fang You clung to Yue’er and cried. Yue’er trembled at first, but then relaxed, letting Fang You sob in her arms.
He cried for a long time. From then on, loneliness would be his constant companion.
Afterward, Fang You bid farewell to the elders of Miaojiang and returned to his fortune-telling parlor in the Northern City. After some rest, he reopened for business.
Meanwhile, in a region of Shandong, Li Xinyi, the corpse-driver from Xiangxi, was leading four walking corpses on a journey.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind him. Alert, Li Xinyi manipulated his corpse-driving threads, pulling the four corpses to stand before him.
As expected, three darts shot through the air, striking the corpses and piercing holes in them.
“Traitor Li Xinyi! You murdered a family of four to practice the Blood Master Arts—your crimes are heinous! Surrender now!”
Three men, clearly up to no good, leapt out from the shadows.
“You don’t look like corpse-drivers. Did Xiangxi send you to hunt me down?” Li Xinyi turned to face them. They were robust, their bodies trained in martial arts.
“We come from Mount Dragon and Tiger, sent by the Master of Dragon and Tiger at Xiangxi’s request. We are here to capture you and bring you back. Resist, and it will cost you your life.”
The three young men spoke as they advanced toward Li Xinyi.
“So that’s it! The corpse-driving sect asked Mount Dragon and Tiger for help. But I have urgent matters. When I’m done, I’ll go to Xiangxi and accept my punishment.” Li Xinyi’s face grew solemn. “If you insist on capturing me now, I’ll have to fight for my life.”
The three exchanged glances, then seemed to reach a consensus.
“Then die here! Dragon and Tiger Palm!”
“Dragon and Tiger Energy Staff!”

“Dragon and Tiger Energy Blade!”
The three men shaped their energy into various forms and launched their attacks at Li Xinyi.
Li Xinyi countered by commanding his corpses, “Corpse Rebellion!”
The four corpses charged forward, scattering the energy attacks, sending the three men flying.
“Enough! You’ve lost. Continuing this fight will only bring needless casualties!” Li Xinyi turned to leave.
“Don’t underestimate us! Triple Energy Blast!”
The three men fused their energies and hurled them at Li Xinyi.
Li Xinyi’s corpses blocked the attack, but this strike was fiercer—the three bodies were knocked aside, and Li Xinyi was forced to retreat several steps.
“Afraid now? See how strong we are?”
“Surrender! Come with us!”
“Or else, don’t blame us for what happens next!”
The three disciples of Mount Dragon and Tiger laughed smugly.
But at that moment, a corpse had quietly circled behind them.
Li Xinyi smiled, “Why don’t you sleep for a while?”
Before the three could react, Li Xinyi commanded the corpse behind them, “Corpse Palm!”
The walking corpse swung its hand, sending all three flying and knocking them unconscious.
Li Xinyi gathered his corpse threads, pulling the four corpses back to his side, then continued forward, the corpses following in his wake.
“These four willingly let me turn them into corpses. Though the process was painful, not one of them complained. Because next—I’ll avenge them, as promised.”
Under the setting sun, Li Xinyi and his four corpses walked onward, bathed in fading golden light.