Mr. Feng Shui's Folk Anecdotes

The jade pendant on Wu's father's neck was a sickly green, exuding a chilling, ghostly aura. I yanked it off and stuffed it into a red cloth. Just as his complexion began to stabilize, Young Master Kang kicked the door open, followed by two bald monks. Their eyes were sharp, filled with murderous intent.

"Playing tricks!" Young Master Kang sneered, his face filled with disdain. The monks suddenly flung their prayer beads towards me, the beads slicing through the air like projectiles. The wind from their impact was intense and relentless. Afang leaped down from the rafters, agile as a panther. With a flick of her peach wood sword, the beads exploded into black ash, filling the air with a scorched odor.

"Dogs of the Black Lotus Sect, how dare you use Buddhist relics?" Afang pointed her sword at Young Master Kang, her aura sharp and oppressive.

His face changed suddenly, and he drew a bone dagger, lunging toward me. The blade gleamed with a foul stench, as though soaked in countless bloodshed.

I grabbed the salt jar and tossed it onto the floor, creating a salt circle. Young Master Kang stepped right into it, and the soles of his shoes began to smoke with a sizzling sound. He let out a pained cry, retreating with his face contorted in agony.

But the two monks suddenly ripped open their robes, revealing blood-red lotus tattoos on their chests, a sight so shocking it was almost unbearable.

"Stop them!" Afang threw a talisman, and as it burned in mid-air, it transformed into countless golden sparks.

I grabbed a wooden stool and smashed it against the window. The glass shattered with a loud crash, sending sharp shards flying.

Young Master Kang jumped out of the window, throwing a harsh threat over his shoulder: "Wu Yun will be a sacrifice sooner or later!" His voice echoed in the night, sending a chill down the spine.

The room fell silent. Wu Yun crouched in the corner, trembling with fear and confusion.

I spread out the red cloth, revealing the jade pendant. On its inner side were the engraved characters "Mojiang," and the patterns resembled the soul-locking spell from the Secrets of the Moya — ancient and mysterious.

"This spell locks away souls. Someone altered the burial clothing," Afang traced symbols with her fingers, her brows furrowed. "The Black Lotus Sect is looking for the Three Yin Bloodline, and Wu Yun is of the Yin, their next target."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wu Yun suddenly screamed. She tore open her sleeve, and her arm revealed twisted, dark river-like veins, winding like a poisonous snake. "I dreamt of being bound to a bamboo raft... the water was full of white bones!" She collapsed into uncontrollable sobs, her tears streaking down her face, filled with dread.

Afang pulled me aside, whispering urgently: "There's a River God altar ruin at Mojiang Lake. We must go tonight!" I glanced at the faint red lotus mark on Wu Yun's neck, and a heavy feeling gripped my heart. A sense of impending doom washed over me.

At midnight, the mist over Mojiang Lake was thick, as if it had turned into ink.

Afang led the way with a lantern, the light flickering. I gripped the copper coin given to me by Grandpa Wu, its cold touch offering some comfort.

A shadow flitted through the reed beds, and Wu Yun clutched my arm tightly, her nails digging into my flesh.

"Crouch down!" Afang suddenly shouted, her voice like thunder. An arrow made of bone whizzed past my head, embedding itself in a tree. The arrow trembled. Dozens of figures dressed in black robes closed in, the leader holding a soul-calling banner, on which twisted ghostly faces seemed to scream.

"Hand over the Yin Maiden!" The black-robed figures shouted in unison, their voices terrifying. I bit my fingertip, letting blood drip onto the burial clothing. The paper effigy instantly grew to half human height, howling as it charged at the black-robed men, a cold, ghostly wind swirling in its wake.

Afang's peach wood sword pierced through the soul-calling banner, black blood splattering onto her face, cold as ice. Suddenly, Wu Yun froze, her eyes glowing green. She raised her hand to seize my throat. "Sacrifices… all must die!" Her voice was hoarse, inhuman.

I grabbed her wrist and pressed a talisman to her forehead. She shrieked and collapsed, her body convulsing. From her sleeve slid a broken piece of jade — it perfectly matched the missing piece of the cursed jade! "This jade is the key to the River God's sacrifice!" Afang knocked out the last cultist with a swift blow, her movements clean and efficient. "To the altar, quickly!" Her eyes were filled with urgency.

At the center of the ruins stood an ancient stone altar, covered in symbols, mysterious and old. As I pressed the jade fragment into the indentation, the ground shook violently. The water of the lake churned into a whirlpool, as if some great beast was awakening.

A woman's corpse, entangled in algae, rose from the depths. The algae swayed like eerie long hair in the flowing water.

"Twenty-one years…" The woman's corpse lifted her head. Her face, eerily similar to mine, froze me in shock. In that moment, my mind went blank, a flood of questions surged within me, and my heartbeat nearly stopped.