Chapter 111: Inheritance
“Join it?”
Lu Jinzhao repeated these words.
Fu Xuesheng nodded: “Yes, at that time I was simply bewitched, my brain was full of wanting to go over, wanting to be with him, wanting to become a part of it.”
This didn’t sound very pleasant.
“But you didn’t go over.”
“Yes.” Fu Xuesheng thought for a moment: “Maybe because I didn’t complete the shadow puppet?”
“But even without completing it, that ghostly thing still had a powerful attraction to me, and that was just me watching from afar. If I got closer, I probably wouldn’t have escaped its influence so easily.”
If the shadow puppetry performed at Huo Ye’s door happened right in front of her, Fu Xuesheng had no confidence she wouldn’t get lost in it.
“Time might not be much left.” She sighed.
Lu Jinzhao pursed her lips; she was the last person who wanted to hear this message.
“So, you’re telling me this because you want me to do something?”
Fu Xuesheng wasn’t a philanthropist; she wouldn’t provide information for free.
Fu Xuesheng shook her head instead: “I have only one simple request.”
She took out a strange item, a glass bottle the size of a palm, looking somewhat dirty, filled with murky water, and soaking in the water was an ear.
“This is a supernatural item. I need you to swear on it that during the remaining time on this platform, you won’t take any subjective actions to harm me.”
She didn’t say what the price of breaking the oath would be, and she didn’t need to.
Lu Jinzhao frowned slightly: “But the message from earlier doesn’t seem worth such a big price?”
She knew clearly that Fu Xuesheng was making this request to guard against her, but she couldn’t agree to it so casually.
Fu Xuesheng thought for a moment and changed her words: “Then, before I actively harm you, you can’t take actions to harm me. Can you accept that?”
This way, Lu Jinzhao felt it wasn’t unacceptable, but she didn’t understand: “Why make such a contract with me? I’m just a newcomer.”
Fu Xuesheng smiled: “I’m used to not underestimating anyone.”
It was indeed a good habit.
However, even with Fu Xuesheng’s altered conditions, this contract was still more disadvantageous for Lu Jinzhao.
Because the initiative was still in Fu Xuesheng’s hands.
“What if I don’t sign?” she asked.
There was no malice in her tone, and Fu Xuesheng didn’t mind, slowly saying: “I’ve already signed a contract with Huo Ye.”
This was truly bad news.
“He actually agreed?”
The expression on Fu Xuesheng’s face became meaningful: “He has some confidence in himself, of course, limited to focusing on dealing with the mission and the ghost. He doesn’t want me interfering, but my contract with him isn’t exactly like this.”
It sounded like signing a contract was a more convenient way to survive.
But Lu Jinzhao shook her head: “I won’t sign this kind of contract. Change your request.”
It wasn’t her being stubborn; she knew that even if she refused, Fu Xuesheng wouldn’t immediately turn hostile.
Moreover, if other passengers really reached a desperate situation, such a contract would only put her in a passive position without any other effect.
Fu Xuesheng looked somewhat regretful upon hearing this: “Alright, I thought you’d agree, after all, our previous cooperation went well.”
Although she often said ominous things, Fu Xuesheng’s actions were completely opposite to her words; she was clearly trying hard to survive.
Lu Jinzhao was helpless too: “If you change to a fairer condition, maybe I could agree?”
Fu Xuesheng just smiled, with no intention of changing her words.
As expected.
Lu Jinzhao complained inwardly that these veterans probably all had complicated thoughts.
She had to quickly try making the human skin to complete the mission and escape, otherwise her fate was foreseeable: facing both the ghost and people.
“What about Zhong Sui? Why not try her?”
“Oh, not only won’t you sign a contract with me, but you also want to pry information from me?” Fu Xuesheng reacted quickly.
Lu Jinzhao raised an eyebrow: “How is this prying? I’m kindly reminding you.”
“Alright, it doesn’t matter. Zhong Sui is just like you, very assertive.”
It seemed Zhong Sui had refused too?
Though she thought so, Lu Jinzhao didn’t fully conclude it.
“Alright, have you decided? What reward do you plan to exchange for?”
“Then I’ll just ask you one question, but you have to swear to answer it completely truthfully. Of course, you can hear the question first.”
Lu Jinzhao: “Then tell me what the question is first.”
A hint of helplessness appeared on Fu Xuesheng’s face: “Are all newcomers this vigilant now?”
“So, my question is… Do you plan to complete the shadow puppet using the materials you currently have?”
If Lu Jinzhao answered yes, she could observe her outcome; if no, then she needed to guard against Lu Jinzhao.
Lu Jinzhao’s face remained calm, but inwardly she marveled: what a perfectly aimed question. Fu Xuesheng knew she wouldn’t answer overly intrusive questions but wanted more from her answer, so the question was slightly “greedy,” but that greed was exactly what she could exploit.
“I can answer this question,” Lu Jinzhao said affirmatively.
“Then, let’s start the oath.”
After Fu Xuesheng spoke, her expression became serious. She held the glass bottle in her right hand, placed her left hand on the cap, and cautioned: “Absolutely, absolutely do not lie.”
Then, she opened the lock tightly sealing the cap. The next second, a chilling breath spread out along with the slowly lifting cap.
Lu Jinzhao felt goosebumps quietly rising on her arm; it was her body instinctively sensing some kind of threat.
She suddenly felt discomfort, as if… some invisible existence was standing behind her, watching her through some medium, observing her every word and action.
“Lu Jinzhao, please answer truthfully: in the coming time, do you plan to complete the shadow puppet using the materials you currently have?”
The instant Fu Xuesheng asked the question, an extremely intense sense of being spied on swept over Lu Jinzhao’s entire body!
Accompanying it was a fear like encountering a fierce ghost and an ominous feeling.
She was certain something had definitely been released after Fu Xuesheng said those words.
And that thing had locked onto her.
Malice, greed, cold killing intent, and inhuman distorted things—she seemed to sense them in the air, even though in front of her there was only an ear soaking in water.
She couldn’t lie.
Lu Jinzhao was certain of this now.
The air seemed to thicken, invading her body with every breath, her limbs as if locked by heavy mist, making it hard to move. She seemed compelled to answer Fu Xuesheng’s question first.
Fortunately, this question wasn’t hard to answer.
“Yes, I will complete the shadow puppet using the materials I have now,” Lu Jinzhao said affirmatively.
She was indeed telling the truth.
The next second, those chilling, heavy, damp sensations receded like an illusion.
The water in the glass bottle became even murkier.
Fu Xuesheng also breathed a sigh of relief and quickly resealed the cap.
She smiled at Lu Jinzhao again: “Then I’m relieved. Looking forward to your good news.”
Lu Jinzhao smiled too, but inwardly thought that this was indeed good news for Fu Xuesheng.
Ji Xiangchen’s situation wasn’t particularly clear yet, but with her as a pathfinder, there would likely be more to know.
If she disappeared like Ji Xiangchen later, many things could be concluded, and if she didn’t disappear but left a corpse, even better—new materials would appear.
Either way, Lu Jinzhao planned to try, which was good news for Fu Xuesheng.
She might even share the news with others, like Huo Ye with whom she had a contract.
But… that wasn’t the most important.
After Fu Xuesheng left, Lu Jinzhao locked herself in the room and began rushing to make a new shadow puppet.
However, when she was immersed in the process and didn’t feel much time had passed, the sky gradually darkened.
Lu Jinzhao puzzledly looked up at the lit candlestick, not understanding how it got dark when she hadn’t even felt hungry.
“Is it supernatural phenomena affecting the weather?”
The ghost on this platform seemed to appear only at night; would nightfall come faster, and daytime arrive more slowly?
Would the speed of nightfall get faster each day?
Would the sky light up again as time passed?
After realizing time was clearly insufficient yet it was dark, these questions flashed quickly through Lu Jinzhao’s mind.
But soon, she reached a conclusion.
“Perhaps… the ghost here isn’t limited to appearing at night, but after entering night, the environment becomes more like the stage for shadow puppetry?”
“Next, the survival environment for passengers will probably become even more difficult.”
“Before, it was just knocking on the door from outside. Last night, it started making noises to attract passengers. So what will it do tonight?”
Lu Jinzhao had a bad premonition; she didn’t dare stop, speeding up her work on the shadow puppet in her hands.
Her intuition told her tonight absolutely wouldn’t be like the previous two nights, where staying in the room would safely get her through.
“This platform… is really tough.”
Completing the mission seemed like courting death, but not completing it would also lead to death.
Even just quietly waiting for a turn of events seemed to face death.
And the method everyone currently thought might be a way to survive also required someone’s death to complete.
Either way, death.
It was like every path led straight to the underworld.
She hadn’t even directly confronted a ghost yet and had already used a supernatural item, her body trapped in a miserable state due to side effects.
“I can still use the candle to block one ghost’s attack now. Besides that, the bell has less than two minutes left. The wooden box can be used, but I can’t bleed this time—my body can’t handle excessive blood loss. I can only chop off fingers for it, but compared to the first use, its price has increased. I don’t know how many fingers it will take…”
Lu Jinzhao calculated in her mind while making the shadow puppet.
She completely disregarded the parchment; unless desperate and facing certain death, she absolutely wouldn’t trade with it again.
Her trump cards seemed more abundant than before, but Lu Jinzhao knew this was far from safe.
Each transaction with the wooden box required a massively increasing portion. Even if she didn’t pay later prices, just one or two more trades and she probably couldn’t afford it.
The candle was a one-time card—gone after use. The bell’s remaining time was far from enough. She had to devise a plan to maximize her survival.
“So, I can’t directly assemble the new shadow puppet after it’s done. I must first find where Master is.”
Confirm Master’s location, then before Master disappears, assemble the shadow puppet, complete the make shadow puppet mission, and display it in front of Master.
“If possible, I should best leave the shadow puppet making at the final step, just one step short, then when finding Master, complete it in front of it.”
This way, no worry about Master disappearing when she went back to assemble.
Otherwise, she’d face the attack after completing the shadow puppet alone.
Lu Jinzhao had a premonition it wouldn’t be just one attack.
“But facing Master directly is also very dangerous.”
Not to mention completing the mission in front of Master.
“Master” definitely wouldn’t want to see her complete the mission.
Extremely dangerous—perhaps not much safer than completing the shadow puppet where Master couldn’t see!
“I must consider carefully which method to use…”
Fortunately, the new shadow puppet still needed some time; she could think slowly.
However, the platform wouldn’t give her that much undisturbed time.
Just an hour from dark, Lu Jinzhao sensed something wrong.
Was tonight’s candlelight becoming more hazy?
During shadow puppet making, she had to lower her head more to see clearly.
As the candlelight grew hazy, faint sounds reached Lu Jinzhao’s ears.
The sounds started very weak and intermittent; she had to focus carefully to discern they seemed… like the sound of a wooden fish?
Lu Jinzhao thought badly.
Among shadow puppetry’s accompanying instruments, one of the most important percussion was the wooden fish.
This sound’s appearance was definitely not good news.
Sure enough, the originally weak sound grew stronger, accompanied by other instruments appearing.
Like the prelude before the curtain rises, the folk instrument sounds struck directly at the listener’s heart. Everyone hearing it involuntarily followed the sound to its source…
—The center of the courtyard.
Where “Master” died.
—Clang!
It was the sound of cymbals being struck; hearing the buzzing, Lu Jinzhao almost uncontrollably dropped her tools and stood up from her seat!
She felt a sudden sense of foreboding.
It wasn’t from being startled or standing up herself—her figure involuntarily stood up as if controlled.
Her gaze immediately fell on the unassembled old shadow puppet on the workbench.
With the second clang, the scattered shadow puppet limbs seemed vibrated by the air, moving inexplicably.
That movement drew its originally disordered limbs on the table closer to the body.
Two chapters’ worth of words, but too lazy to split chapters!
