Chapter 46 Dumplings

Faced with Yang Sheng's probing question, Chen You paused for a moment before letting out a cold sneer.

"Naive!

Do you really think Maoshan arts are so easy to learn?

Besides, your destiny is plagued by malevolent spirits, making you inherently prone to attracting those Yin and evil ghosts.

Once you learn Maoshan arts, spiritual energy will gather around you, making you an even easier target for those spirits.

I advise you to resign as soon as possible, otherwise, you might not survive seven days."

Since Chen You did not agree, Yang Sheng did not press the matter further.

After all, that was a secret art of his sect; how could it be taught to an outsider so easily?

Therefore, Yang Sheng stood up directly and said, "Then I won't disturb you any longer, Brother You. However, I have no intention of resigning. Even if I do quit, I'll make sure I survive the seven days first."

Just as Yang Sheng turned to leave, Chen You suddenly said, "Wait."

Yang Sheng turned back. Chen You tore a page from a ledger and used soy sauce to draw a talisman on it.

The moment the talisman was completed, Yang Sheng could clearly sense a surge of spiritual energy gathering upon the paper.

"Maoshan Taoism isn't something anyone can learn. It's not that I refuse to teach you, but that I dare not teach carelessly.

Although your martial arts are quite formidable—more than enough to be a dual-flower red pole in a triad—that doesn't necessarily mean you're cut out to be a Taoist priest.

Besides, I can tell you harbor quite a few secrets, and it seems you are protected by auspicious deities and accompanied by spiritual entities.

I have no interest in prying into your background or your secrets. Take this talisman for now; activate it with your fresh blood at a critical moment to use it.

As for learning Maoshan arts, talk about it after you manage to survive tonight."

Yang Sheng took the talisman, waved his hand, and said, "Thanks, Brother You."

Taking the talisman, Yang Sheng glanced at it. The description provided was very simple.

"Exorcism Talisman: A Maoshan talisman capable of suppressing ghosts and evil spirits. Its power depends on the user's spiritual energy."

Yang Sheng had developed a sense for spiritual energy after obtaining the Dharma-Borrowing Spiritual Seal, but he still didn't know how to describe it or measure its magnitude.

After all, it wasn't physical strength, which provided an intuitive concept.

However, since he had acquired the Dharma-Borrowing Spiritual Seal, using this talisman should not pose any problem.

During the daytime, Chungking Mansions only felt somewhat gloomy, completely lacking that eerie, ghostly atmosphere.

Yang Sheng inspected the building floor by floor, but since he could not enter the apartments, he remained unsure of the situations inside.

Moreover, the door covered entirely in talismans that Uncle Shui had pointed out during their patrol the other day gave Yang Sheng a distinct sensation of malevolent Yin energy radiating from within.

This was something Yang Sheng had failed to notice before acquiring the Dharma-Borrowing Spiritual Seal.

Naturally, Yang Sheng did not recklessly tear off the talismans to investigate what lay behind the door.

He was no idiot character from a horror movie, driven by morbid curiosity to court death by investigating everything.

Taking advantage of the daylight, Yang Sheng wandered around the vicinity of Chungking Mansions, but he gained nothing.

This world seemed to consist only of Chungking Mansions and a few surrounding buildings; everything else was shrouded in a thick fog. Yang Sheng himself could not penetrate the mist, as if some invisible force was blocking his way.

Furthermore, aside from Chungking Mansions, Yang Sheng could not enter any of the other buildings, as though they were merely static backdrops for Chungking Mansions.

Yang Sheng even waited at an intersection, hoping to follow others outside or ask if they could see the mist.

Yet, the moment this thought crossed his mind, the surrounding time seemed to freeze, rendering him completely immobile.

Only when he abandoned that thought did things return to normal.

By now, Yang Sheng understood; this must be a rule, a rule imposed upon him by this world.

Apart from obediently completing the task and leaving, it seemed there were no shortcuts to take.

Having figured this out, Yang Sheng tucked the talisman inside his coat and patiently waited for the night patrol.

On the second night, Yang Sheng picked up his flashlight as usual and stepped into the dark corridor.

Following the death of Mrs. Ho and the ghost infant on the second floor, the entire second level was peaceful. Aside from the habitual chill, no unusual activity occurred.

He walked up the stairs to the third floor just as the elevator chimed, and a young woman with an alluring, curvaceous figure and heavy makeup stepped out.

She had charming features, wore a tight-fitting cheongsam that accentuated her figure, walked with a swaying gait, and reeked of alcohol, as if she had just returned from a nightclub.

Catching sight of Yang Sheng abruptly, the woman giggled, patted her ample bosom, and said, "You gave me a fright! You must be the new security guard, right?

You can call me Mrs. Poon. I often work the night shift and come home late, and that good-for-nothing husband of mine never bothers to pick me up.

How about this? From now on, whenever you're on the night shift, you'll be responsible for escorting big sister here home.

In return, big sister will make you feel very comfortable. How does that sound?"

As she spoke, Mrs. Poon chuckled seductively and leaned against Yang Sheng, pressing herself against his chest. A pungent wave of perfume instantly filled his nostrils.

Yang Sheng's expression remained unchanged as he calmly replied, "You even added a housewife persona to yourself; you really understand a man's mind.

But did you know that as people age, a certain natural scent clings to them?

No matter how much perfume you use, you can never mask that elderly odor.

Auntie, or should I say, old granny?"

The expression of Mrs. Poon, who was pressed close to Yang Sheng, shifted abruptly. Ten sharp bone spurs suddenly emerged from the fingertips of the hand wrapped around his back, wreathed in sinister black mist.

Yet right at that moment, Yang Sheng had already activated Blood-Pledge, delivering a fierce kick straight to Mrs. Poon's lower abdomen that sent her flying backward.

Before Mrs. Poon could crash into the wall, Yang Sheng moved faster still, biting his finger and retrieving the Exorcism Talisman from his storage space.

As his fresh blood seeped into the talisman, Yang Sheng could clearly perceive a portion of his mental energy being drawn out, while wood-attribute spiritual energy from the surroundings involuntarily surged into the talisman.

As the talisman erupted with a brilliant flash of light, Yang Sheng slapped it squarely onto Mrs. Poon's face.

Mrs. Poon instantly let out a piercing, miserable scream, and the black mist on the ten bone spurs vanished in an instant.

Yang Sheng's Imperial Guard Saber descended from mid-air. Mrs. Poon hastily raised her hands to block, but her bone spurs were shattered directly by the blade.

With another shriek, her hands were left dripping with blood.

Realizing she had no chance of victory, Mrs. Poon displayed astonishing agility, leaping straight up onto the ceiling. Her limbs twisted grotesquely as she hung suspended overhead, her head rotating a full 180 degrees to glare down at Yang Sheng as she attempted to flee.

Five Fierce Military Spirits!

Golden light condensed instantly, and the military spirit manifested behind Yang Sheng as his golden Imperial Guard Saber swept horizontally across the void!

A golden blade glare illuminated the entire corridor instantly.

Mrs. Poon was knocked crashing back down right in front of Yang Sheng by the blow. The next moment, Yang Sheng thrust his saber straight through her chest, piercing her completely!

Remembering the lesson learned from the undying ghost infant, Yang Sheng even gave the Imperial Guard Saber a twist inside her before pulling it back out.

Mrs. Poon's body collapsed to the ground, twitching twice before her alluring appearance rapidly withered away, transforming her into a woman in her seventies.

Before Yang Sheng could step closer to investigate, the corpse rapidly dissolved into flying ash, scattering across the floor.

"Obtained Dharma-Borrowing Spiritual Seal: Water."

Following Mrs. Poon's demise, Yang Sheng's mental perception clearly caught the presence of water-attribute spiritual energy in the surrounding air.

Looking at the ashes on the ground, Yang Sheng recalled Chen You mentioning that the remains left behind by these spirits must not be left unattended, as they would otherwise accumulate Yin energy.

Therefore, Yang Sheng searched around, found a plastic bag, scooped all the ashes inside, and decided to hand them over to Chen You for disposal tomorrow.

While cleaning up the ashes, Yang Sheng spotted a handbag left behind by Mrs. Poon. Inside was a room card key labeled 344.

After a moment of thought, Yang Sheng took the key and cautiously unlocked Room 344. This time, the interior appeared completely normal, filled with various cosmetics and clothes, with no other abnormalities.

Just as Yang Sheng was about to leave, a strange scent caught his attention.

He opened the refrigerator and discovered that it was completely packed with wrapped dumplings.

Frowning slightly, Yang Sheng tore open a dumpling wrapper, and a peculiar aroma wafted out.

The dumpling filling smelled intensely rich, yet sickeningly sweet and cloying, evoking an almost nauseating sensation.

Suddenly, Yang Sheng's pupils contracted. He spotted something embedded within the dumpling filling.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the severed half of an infant's thumb!

He instantly guessed what kind of filling these dumplings contained.

With a heavy slam, he shut the refrigerator door, turned around, locked up, and left.

Glancing at his patrol progress, which had updated from 1/7 to 2/7, Yang Sheng did not hesitate in the slightest, turning and heading straight back to his security guard room.

Seven patrols over seven days, requiring the elimination of seven spirits to complete the task.

Initially, Yang Sheng had expected the spirits to grow progressively stronger, but Mrs. Poon's strength seemed far inferior to that of the ghost infant.

Even without the talisman to suppress her power, Yang Sheng felt confident he could handle her on his own.

If every spirit's strength was this weak, Yang Sheng figured smoothly completing the task would be quite simple.

Of course, such thoughts were merely passing fancies; Yang Sheng had no intention of letting down his guard or growing lax.