New Times, New Hell

Chapter 35 - Sacrificing the Ghost Infant

After receiving Gao Yun’s money, Father Chen told the family’s personal driver to send her home. Yu Zhengdu and them finally sat down to discuss how to deal with the belly spirit and Liu Ningan.

After everyone heard the belly spirit detail what had happened during her service to Liu Ningan and the demon priest, they finally realized that those two evil men did far more than capture wandering spirits and illegally earn money. They had also secretly done several extremely harmful deeds, such as going against the Heavens and killing others.

For example, the belly spirit’s biological mother had been covertly kidnapped by Liu Ningan and died after her abdomen had been cut open.

And the belly spirit had only been a fetus back then. She had been taken out of her mom’s womb, alive, at the calculated time. After suffering through the pain of having her living spirit collected, the infant’s spirit had been refined and provided for. Thus, she had kept growing like a regular child would’ve, all the way until the age of five. Then, the crown of her skull had been ground into powder and trapped in a willow box by the demon priest until this day.

There was another problem with this situation. The belly spirit had been sacrificed by the demon priest, so was a direct subordinate of the demon priest. The contract between mortals and ghosts belonged to the Heavens and earth. Even the Underworld couldn’t forcefully break it.

Because of this, though the belly spirit had managed to get stronger and wanted to extract revenge while the demon priest was weak after losing the duel, she actually couldn’t do anything until she could regain possession of her own skull. Before then, she was still under the control of the demon priest and wouldn’t be able to enter samsara.

Yu Zhengdu watched the little belly spirit excitedly play with her new iPad. As soon as he thought of how cruelly she had been captured by Liu Ningan before she had even been born, then trapped inside a willow box and Gao Yun’s stomach for over five years, his heart twinged with pain.

He looked at Shang Que and bargained, “How about, we come up with a way to get the little belly spirit’s skull back?”

Shang Que had seen several ghost spirits before. Many of them suffered tragic consequences. To him, the belly spirit’s experiences couldn’t be considered that terrible at all, but it had been Yu Zhengdu who had spoken up, so he didn’t say anything. He only nodded, “Okay.”

Yu Zhengdu immediately became more alert. He rubbed his hands in anticipation and declared, “Then let’s do it.”

Shang Que: “Un.”

Yu Zhengdu looked at him. He looked at Yu Zhengdu. A moment later, Yu Zhengdu asked in confusion, “Boss, um……what should we do?”

Shang Que paused for a second. “Wait.”

Yu Zhengdu: “……？”

Shang Que held his hands out in exasperation. “To get the crown of her skull back, we have to first find the demon priest. But he’s a mortal……”

Shang Que didn’t explicitly state anything, but Yu Zhengdu already understood. There were differences between the dead and the living. Though Boss had a lot of power, he still couldn’t directly locate a living person.

The Chen family only got a gist of what they were saying from off to the side; they were also extremely compassionate towards the belly spirit. Chen Siyu was a bit worried after hearing their conversation. “Is it that you can’t come up with a way to help the little belly spirit?”

Shang Que wasn’t worried at all. He only said, “When the demon priest opens the altar to cast spells, I will be able to find him……”

“How long would that take!” Yu Zhengdu looked at Chen Siyu. “Would it be convenient for you to lend me a computer? I’ll hack into Liu Ningan’s security cameras at home and in his company building to take a look……”

Shang Que: “……”

He almost forgot. Though the Underworld couldn’t control the people of the mortal realm, their company still had a programmer from the mortal realm. The type who had really great abilities……

Chen Siyu was dazed too. She looked at Yu Zhengdu in shock. “You know how to hack?”

“What kind of question is that?” Yu Zhengdu was extremely confused by her reaction. “Our company deals with the Internet ah. High tech things are more trustworthy.”

Chen Siyu: “……”

She just found out that Luofeng was actually a company dealing with the Internet?

Chen Siyu gave her own laptop to Yu Zhengdu, bewildered. Only to see him grab the computer and rapidly start typing on the keyboard while getting some basic information about Liu Ningan from the Chen family. His actions were resolute and familiar, and he instantly managed to open a few pages that nobody else could understand.

The Chen family: “……”

He was really a programmer?!

These days, the requirements for being an evil remover were already so high?

The corner of Shang Que’s mouth twitched in a slight smile upon seeing everyone’s shocked gazes. His tone was quite pleased as he said, “He’s our company’s CTO.”

The Chen family: “&#k2026;&#k2026;”

Luofeng&#k2026;&#k2026;a “small start-up” company whose main direction of focus was a mystery&#k2026;&#k2026;

The code for the security program wasn’t too complicated. Only a short while later, the computer screen was filled with security footage. The little belly spirit’s attention turned onto this after finishing two episodes of Peppa Pig. She leaned over and pointed at a few scenes on the screen, then said, “Aiya, here. I’ve been there before. That bad person went there too.&#k2026;&#k2026;”

“The demon priest went there too?” Yu Zhengdu suddenly became alert. He turned to look at her. “Then do you know where he casts his spells?”

The little belly spirit fiddled with her fingers and hesitated a bit, then stated unconfidently, “I think, I think……”

Before she could finish speaking, her eyes suddenly rolled back until only whites remained. Her entire body started furiously shaking. The iPad fell onto the ground because she couldn’t hold onto it anymore. Yu Zhengdu was shocked. “Little belly spirit, what’s wrong with you?”

The belly spirit’s features were twisted. She held onto her head and screamed sharply, “Jiji——jiji——it hurts so much——”

“He’s calling me——” The belly spirit tilted her head back and yelled, “Jiji——He’s gotten stronger. I’m in so much pain——”

“How is that possible?” Yu Zhengdu hurriedly put a hand out to hold onto the belly spirit’s arm. But as soon as he was about to touch her, he only felt air. He watched as the belly spirit’s form faded away, then disappeared.

Yu Zhengdu looked at Shang Que in panic, only to see Shang Que shake his head. “The demon priest used the crown of her skull as the medium for his spell to summon her back. If I forcefully kept her here, he would know that she’s already left his control. Maybe by the time we made it over, he would’ve destroyed her skull. That way, she would never be able to enter samsara again.”

Yu Zhengdu felt his heart tighten. Shang Que gently placated, “Don’t worry. Since he’s casting spells now, I can find him.”

Yu Zhengdu finally relaxed a bit. But at the same time, he was quite perplexed, “Didn’t the demon priest get hurt? How come he’s suddenly opening the altar to cast spells?”

At this moment, Father Chen’s phone started ringing.

“It’s the driver.” Father Chen picked up, but not even two sentences in, his expression had already changed. He looked at everyone else, conflicted. “Gao Yun got taken away by Liu Ningan’s people.”

As soon as he finished saying this, everyone turned around in sync to look at him. Father Chen relayed what the driver had told him. Apparently, almost as soon as Gao Yun had left the Chen family, she had immediately called Liu Ningan from in the car. She told him that the belly spirit inside her stomach had been taken away, so wanted Liu Ningan to take her back in. Nobody knew what Liu Ningan told her, but shortly after, his people had stopped the Chen family’s car in the middle of the road and taken Gao Yun away.

Though the driver didn’t know what had happened with Gao Yun, he did know that the Chen family and Liu Ningan were on opposite sides, so hurriedly called Father Chen.

The Chen siblings really had nothing else to say. Chen Siyu was especially in disbelief. “How can there be someone as stupid as Gao Yun? She still dares to return to Liu Ningan’s side?”

Father Chen sighed and shook his head. “People die for money; birds die for food.”

Yu Zhengdu was contemplative. “It seems like the demon priest already knows that the belly spirit has left Gao Yun’s stomach. Is that why he summoned her back?”

Shang Que nodded. “Most likely. If the belly spirit was still possessing the fetus, the demon priest wouldn’t be able to do anything to her no matter how high his cultivation level was. But now that she’s left the fetus, she’s still under his control.”

Chen Siyu couldn’t help but cuss, “That woman is both stupid and evil!”

Yu Zhengdu still maintained his calm demeanor. He waved his hands around and said, “The most important thing now is to hurry and find the demon priest to rescue the little belly spirit.”

Shang Que said, “He’s somewhere in the southeast direction. We’ll have to keep looking for a more specific location……”

“I found him.” Yu Zhengdu suddenly turned the laptop around so that the screen was facing everyone. They all leaned down to look, only to see Gao Yun being dragged down a corridor by two large men. Her face was filled with fear as she struggled to no avail.

Shang Que: “……” The battle between magic and technology. Today, technology won once again.

Because the issue was related to ghost-saving and duels, Yu Zhengdu didn’t let the Chen family tag along. After getting a more specific location, only he and Shang Que made their way over.

……

The Liu mansion: hidden room.

This was quite a large room. The walls were covered in runes drawn on with cinnabar; all four corners of the room contained banners used for summoning ghosts. The banners swayed, though there was no wind. It made the whole room appear even eerier.

A sacrificial altar had been placed in the middle of the room. It was unique from normal sacrificial altars in that the offerings placed on it were raw meat and animal organs still dripping blood. There was even a small pot of thick blood too, from which emanated the sharp scent of iron. Mixed in with the aroma of incense and burning paper, it aroused horror in people’s hearts.

A small wooden figurine the size of an adult’s hand stood on the offering table. The figurine was covered in runes drawn on with cinnabar too.

A middle-aged priest with a third eye drawn on his forehead with cinnabar held a copper bell and was in the middle of pacing in front of the sacrificial altar, eyes closed as he read incantations. With every step he took, the temperature in the room seemed to drop some more.

“From the ends of the Heavens, to the bounds of the Earth, I seek lost souls, come before my altar……Hurry and do as I command.”

After who knew how many circles, the Daoist finally finished his chant. He shook the copper bell in his hand once. Though the room was completely closed off, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew in, causing the banners in the corners to wave crazily.

The Daoist opened his eyes and saw the little girl who had appeared in front of the table. His smile was pleased as he said, “Little belly spirit, you’re finally back. I missed you to death.”

At the same time, a man’s overjoyed voice sounded out from the corner. “Daoist priest Jin, have we succeeded?”

Only to see a small bed similar to those used in hospitals located in a different corner of the room. A pregnant woman with a stomach larger than normal rested on it. Her limbs had been kept in place with tape so that she couldn’t move. Her shirt was raised over her abdomen, revealing a stomach that looked like it was about to erupt at any moment.

Gao Yun’s eyes were wide. Tears and sweat kept flowing down her face. She trembled incessantly, but her mouth was taped shut so she couldn’t say anything.

A fat, middle-aged man stood beside her. He seemed to have gone several days without rest. His face was dark and his eyebags and skin sagged. There was a third eye drawn on with cinnabar on his forehead too. If another religious master were present, they would’ve been able to tell that this was a YinYang eye, capable of seeing into other realms. His own two eyes were filled with greed as he stared at the little girl who had appeared by the altar in excitement. His voice was hoarse, “With her, we will be able to rise once more.”

Daoist priest Jin refused to make such boastful comments, but the pleased expression on his face was hard to hide. “We’re still missing the final piece. Once we take the fetus out from Gao Yun’s stomach, we can seal the belly spirit into the infant’s body and refine her into a ghost-infant. Once she is under my control, I will become undefeatable……”

It seemed like he could already see his glorious future. His gaze was cold as it fell on the little belly spirit. “I just never imagined that she would willingly leave the fetus after successfully possessing it. I wonder where the Chen family found their religious master. They didn’t even break her spirit into pieces, but just as well for me. They are really stupid to an extreme……”

The fat man was Liu Ningan. He stared at the little girl before the altar, then at Gao Yun’s swollen stomach. He laughed creepily, “This dumb woman wasn’t completely useless after all. I thought I was going to die because of her, but who knew that she would be able to provide a ghost-infant for us.”

Daoist priest Jin had told him a long time ago that in the ranks of ghost spirits, half mortal, half ghost ghost-infants were the most powerful, but there were also a lot of risks associated with them. As soon as a ghost spirit possessed the fetus inside the pregnant woman, it would definitely do everything in its power to exact revenge. But who would’ve expected that they would be able to meet a belly spirit that was willing to leave the fetus after successfully possessing it.

Weren’t the Heavens on his side?

He eagerly rolled up his sleeves and pulled out a newly sharpened scalpel from under the bed. He gazed darkly at Gao Yun and said, “Don’t worry. I cut open her biological mother too, so I’m very experienced. I won’t let you be in pain for long……”

Sacrificing ghost spirits was directly related to his future financial luck. Liu Ningan always personally participated, never letting anyone else do the deed for him.

The little belly spirit had just been summoned back and hadn’t regained consciousness yet. Her head hung lowly as she stood in front of the altar, not reacting to her surroundings at all. But Gao Yun had already realized something from where she was tied onto the bed. She shook like a leaf, gaze desperate as she kicked her legs, trying to escape. But even after she had used all of her strength, she didn’t manage to loosen her bonds one bit.

The sharp and cold blade landed on Gao Yun’s stomach, creating a thin line of blood. Gao Yun’s nerves were on edge. She stopped breathing for an instant, then her eyes rolled back and she passed out.

Liu Ningan scoffed. “It’s better that she’s passed out. Otherwise, she might affect my performance.”

He tightened his grip and was just about to thrust the blade down, when a large “peng” sounded. The door to the secret room, previously covered in runes, got aggressively kicked open. It crashed against the walls on both sides.

Two long and thin shadows emerged from outside, backlit.

Yu Zhengdu rested his hands on his hips and yelled, “Demon priest, evil merchant. You’re under arrest. Hurry and squat facing the wall while holding your heads!”

Liu Ningan was first dazed before squinting and asking, “Who are you? How did you get in?”

He had placed a lot of importance on this spell-casting ceremony. There were several bodyguards stationed all around.

“The bodyguards can’t stop them.” Daoist priest Jin was unbothered. He laughed coldly, “You must be the religious masters the Chens hired. You truly have some skills.”

Yu Zhengdu raised his head and puffed out his chest. “It’s good that you know. Quickly! Surrendering will half your punishment.”

As soon as Liu Ningan heard that they were on the Chen family’s side, enmity appeared in his gaze. “So it was you guys.”

“You’re here just in time!” Daoist priest Jin roared with laughter. “I was originally planning on personally finding you guys for revenge, but you’ve come here yourselves, saving me quite a bit of trouble.”

He shook the copper bell in his hand and pointed upwards. “Do you still think I’m the me of the past? Hurry and look. What is that.”

Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que raised their heads to look. With this, they finally realized that on the ceiling of the room, an abundance of runes had been drawn on with cinnabar. The ceiling was square and the runes covered every inch of it. At first glance, it seemed like an enormous magical seal.

But the pattern on this magical seal……seemed a bit familiar.

Daoist priest Jin’s laughter became even more unrestrained. “I wondered why the Chen family suddenly got so strong, so hired someone to secretly investigate. Who knew that I would find a jade stone with a seal on it from the Chen’s daughter. What a pity that they’re all idiots. None of them knew how valuable this seal really was. But then again, that isn’t their fault. Today, probably not many recognize this seal. And even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to use the true power of the magical seal like I can……”

As he spoke, he observed Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que’s expressions, trying to identify terror on their faces. But even after his entire spiel, the two of them still didn’t react at all. It seemed like they weren’t feeling any emotions.

Daoist priest Jin felt a surge of anger in his heart. His tone was threatening, “Unknowledgeable youths, do you know what this is?”

Yu Zhengdu nodded. “The Ghost King of Luofeng Mountain’s seal.”

Daoist priest Jin: “……”

Daoist priest Jin had to swallow the explanation about to come out of his mouth. He asked in a daze, “How did you know?”

The Ghost King of Luofeng Mountain’s seal had long since vanished from the mortal realm. Even the masters of large temples only recognized the Fengdu Ghost Summoning seal that was based on the Ghost King’s seal. Daoist priest Jin himself had only coincidentally heard of someone mentioning the magical seal before. He had always thought it was a rumor, but thankfully his cultivation level was quite high. After getting his hands on Chen Siyu’s jade, he managed to recognize the uniqueness of the seal.

Even so, he had still spent quite a bit of time duplicating the seal, and also practiced meticulously before being able to slightly borrow some of the power of the ghosts of Luofeng Mountain. But just this was enough for him to overpower the rest of the Daoists.

The youth before him couldn’t be that old. Besides, he was dressed like a homebody. How could he recognize this seal?

But Yu Zhengdu completely ignored him. He was in the middle of staring at Shang Que, speechless. “Boss, so the reason he suddenly got so strong, is because of you?”

“It wasn’t me, I didn’t do anything,” Shang Que furiously denied. “He’s lying!”

The author has something to say:

Daoist priest Jin: Ghost King of Luofeng Mountain, please lend me some power!

Shang Que: No. Get out.

Daoist priest Jin: ????????