mousepad-d2 Chapter 73: The Second Time I Soaked My Hands, a Ghostly Shadow Appeared
Chapter 73: The Second Time I Soaked My Hands, a Ghostly Shadow Appeared
When Cheng Xiaojin tossed aside his old pipe, a pinch of cold ash fell out of the bowl.
The dust fell onto the table and didn't spread.
It was piled up into a very small vertical hook.
When Master Ma saw the hook, his hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air.
Cheng Xiaojin held onto the edge of the table, the scene before her eyes still lingering. The seat where her father, Cheng Shouyi, had sat was empty, but the back of the chair still carried a trace of old smell, along with the scent of tobacco and the muddy smell of damp rubbing paper.
Tong Kexin helped him up.
"What did you see this time?"
Cheng Xiaojin rubbed his temples.
"I saw my dad here, freeloading on tea."
Master Ma looked at the pipe.
"What did he say?"
"The Seventh Non-Energy".
The main room fell silent again.
Tang Wanqing closed the compass box, her brows furrowing even more.
"It's not a good thing to see old photos right after the start of the event."
Cheng Xiaojin looked at her.
"Miss Tang, you really know how to chat. I've just made some progress, and you've given me a critical condition notice."
Tang Wanqing pouted.
"You can't distinguish between feeling evil and reading memories right now. Cheng Shouyi touched that pipe just now and left a mark. As soon as you touched it, you were pulled in, which means your yin orifice opened too quickly."
Zhou Banxian squatted down beside him and looked at Cheng Xiaojin's hands.
"The second hand soak can't be delayed any longer. The red powder has dissipated, which is just the right time to force out the remaining moisture from the palm lines."
Master Ma nodded.
"Bubble."
Cheng Xiaojin looked out of the courtyard.
Night had fallen, and the alley was silent except for the occasional car passing by in the distance.
"Now?"
Tieguai Li rolled up his sleeves.
"You want to wait until dawn? When it's light, that bastard with the nose scar will block the alley entrance. Are you going to take a basin out and perform a handwashing demonstration for him?"
Cheng Xiaojin thought for a moment.
"It's not impossible; charging a fee could help recoup some of the costs."
Tong Kexin pressed him back into his chair.
"Shut up, get out of here."
Aunt Zhang went to the stove to boil water.
Master Ma took out the copy of the Xin Jin Restoration Method given to him by Liu Bai from the hidden compartment, and then took out the abacus made of lightning-struck wood and iron beads. One corner of the iron beads had been ground down, revealing a dark iron color.
Tieguai Li took a small file and scraped off the iron filings little by little.
He doesn't speak while working, takes off his prosthetic leg and places it on the edge of the table as a footrest, his whole body is close to the light, and his hands are so steady that it's frightening.
Tang Wanqing glanced at the iron filings.
"There aren't many iron filings left in the same system, so don't waste them."
Tieguai Li didn't even raise his head.
"I know, it's more valuable than your copper coin sword."
Tang Wanqing's face darkened, and Cheng Xiaojin quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Everything is precious, everything is precious. We're poor but united right now, so let's not fight amongst ourselves."
Zhou Banxian was preparing the medicine on the side.
The well water in Master Ma's courtyard cannot be used directly, as the well's energy has been targeted by the Yin Water Evil. Aunt Zhang drew a jar of water from the old well next door in advance, with red paper pasted on the mouth of the jar, and placed it by the stove to keep it warm.
Three qian of aged mugwort ash.
A pinch of iron filings from the same system.
Yellow paper ash, half a pinch.
Add a drop of blood from Cheng Xiaojin's tongue.
Cheng Xiaojin's lips twitched when he heard the last item.
"My tongue has been working overtime today."
Zhou Banxian said, "It's fine if you don't need to. After soaking, all ten fingers will be under the control of the water."
Cheng Xiaojin stuck out his tongue and touched the tip of his teeth.
"I feel like I'll bleed to death sooner or later..."
The copper basin was placed in the center of the main room.
This basin is a size larger than the one used to deliver the food earlier. It has old copper patterns on the rim and is an old item that Master Ma collected when he was young. It is usually kept in the storeroom and was only taken out tonight.
After the well water was poured in, the surface of the water was very clear.
When the mugwort ash falls, it doesn't sink; it first circles the surface of the water before slowly dispersing.
When the iron filings were dropped into the water, a faint rustling sound came from the bottom of the basin.
Cheng Xiaojin looked down and, after his senses were activated, he could clearly feel the things in the basin moving.
The well water carried a slight coolness from the ground.
Artemisia ash has the warmth of burnt dried grass.
The iron filings from the lightning-struck wood iron bead are the most special; they are cold yet hard, and they can match the metallic energy in his bones.
Tang Wanqing wrapped the red thread around the copper basin three times and placed the compass beside it.
"Two hours, don't take your hands out during that time, and ignore whatever you see."
Cheng Xiaojin looked at the copper basin.
"What if you see money?"
"Don't bother with it."
"That's quite difficult."
Tong Kexin stuffed a towel into his mouth.
"If it hurts, bite it. Stop arguing."
Cheng Xiaojin looked at the towel.
"Boss lady, has this towel been washed?"
Tong Kexin pressed the towel into his mouth.
"I just wiped down the stove."
Cheng Xiaojin immediately became obedient. He put his hands into the copper basin, and as soon as the water covered the backs of his hands, ten dark blue fingers floated to the surface.
Those ten fingers weren't his hands.
They emerged from underwater, their nails blackened and their fingertips wrinkled, gripping the back of his hand one by one.
Cheng Xiaojin let out a muffled sound, and Tong Kexin pressed her hand on his shoulder.
"Bear with it."
The water in the copper basin began to boil, even though there was no fire, the water was boiling violently.
The dark blue color retreated from Cheng Xiaojin's fingertips, being pulled away little by little by the shadows of his fingers in the water. When it reached the base of his fingernails, the shadows suddenly grabbed him.
Ten underwater fingers gripped his knuckles and dragged him to the bottom of the basin.
Cheng Xiaojin had a towel in his mouth, and sweat was dripping from his forehead.
He saw a face appear at the bottom of the basin.
It's not He Xiaoman.
The face was old, the skin was swollen from being soaked, white foam hung from the corners of the mouth, and the eyes were staring at him.
Then the second one, and the third one.
The water was full of faces.
There were men, women, the elderly, and children.
They opened and closed their mouths, counting the same number.
"Fifty-seven."
Fifty-eight.
"Fifty-nine."
Zhou Banxian muttered a curse under his breath.
"The Yin Water Sha is joining the fun again."
Tang Wanqing pushed the compass towards the edge of the copper basin, and the needle pressed down to the Kan position.
Don't let him hear it.
Tong Kexin lowered her head and whispered in Cheng Xiaojin's ear, "Listen to me."
Cheng Xiaojin was biting a towel, so her face was obscured; only her voice could be heard.
"Aunt Zhang from Huguosi Street said that of the 200,000 yuan compensation He Xiaoman received, the He family still had 60,000 yuan left. Her brother's engagement fell through because the woman heard that her sister's death was not explained and broke off the engagement."
Cheng Xiaojin's eyelids twitched.
Tong Kexin continued, "He Laosan is still gambling. Liu Guilan told fortunes at the temple fair, saying that her daughter appeared in her dream to bless her. Don't worry, I'll remember this debt."
Cheng Xiaojin managed to force a laugh, but the towel was blocking it, preventing him from actually laughing.
The faces at the bottom of the basin receded a few inches, and the bluish-green color finally faded from the first phalanx to the nail root.
The pain shifted to a different location; his fingertips began to feel numb, and after the numbness subsided, he gradually regained sensation.
The rough texture on the edge of the copper basin.
The fine particles of mugwort ash in water brushing against the skin, the hardness of iron filings sticking to the nail.
These feelings returned after a long time, and Cheng Xiaojin steadied his hands.
Two hours is a very slow time.
Aunt Zhang added water to the kitchen three times, while Grandpa Ma sat in the main room. Tieguai Li collected the remaining iron filings into a paper bag, his eyes fixed on the copper basin.
Tang Wanqing changed the copper coins twice, and each time she picked up the coins, the surface of the coins was covered with gray water.
Towards the end, the shadows of the ten fingers in the basin faded.
The bluish tinge on Cheng Xiaojin's hands receded to the base of her nails, leaving only the edges of her nails still showing a bluish tinge.
Zhou Banxian breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's done."
Tong Kexin took the towel out of Cheng Xiaojin's mouth.
Cheng Xiaojin opened his mouth.
"The food from the stove tastes good."
Tong Kexin raised her hand to hit him, but seeing that his lips were bloodless, she lowered her hand.
"How's your hand?"
Cheng Xiaojin lifted his hands out of the water.
Water dripped down my fingertips and into the basin, making a clear sound.
He touched the Qianlong Tongbao coin on the table, which only took a few seconds.
"real."
He then touched the ordinary copper coin that Master Ma had casually placed aside.
"The imitation is mediocre, the edges are too soft."
A glimmer of hope finally appeared in Master Ma's eyes.
"What percentage?"
Cheng Xiaojin thought for a moment.
"About 40%, I can distinguish between tempered glass screen protectors and plastic screen protectors."
Tang Wanqing handed over an old mirror.
"Touch this."
That old mirror was taken from the storeroom by Master Ma. The bronze back was dark, the mirror surface was covered in dust, and there was a circle of patterns engraved around the edge.
The moment Cheng Xiaojin touched it, his fingertips went cold.
He saw a woman sitting in front of a mirror, combing her hair.
Clumps of hair fell out and landed on her knees.
There was a smell of medicine and the sound of crying in the room. Behind the woman stood an old woman, holding a bowl of black soup.
"Drink it, and you'll have a son."
Cheng Xiaojin immediately let go.
The old mirror fell onto the table with a dull thud.
He looked at his fingertips.
"Where did this mirror come from?"
Mr. Ma said, "I got it from a secondhand shop; I didn't look at it closely."
Tang Wanqing wrapped the mirror up.
"After opening your yin orifices, things that have been touched by yin energy will actively seek you out. The more you touch them, the faster you will deplete your yin energy."
Cheng Xiaojin shook his hand.
"Okay, I've been promoted from quality inspector at Panjiayuan to specialize in checking dirty items. From now on, anyone who gets involved in a haunted house will be charged per item."
Zhou Banxian glared at him, "Don't try to price yourself with your life."
Tieguai Li picked up the copper basin.
"Where should the water be poured?"
Tang Wanqing said, "In the corner of the courtyard, away from the well."
Tieguai Li carried the basin to the corner of the courtyard.
Cheng Xiaojin wanted to go along, but Tong Kexin stopped her.
"Sit down."
There was a drain in the crack of the bricks in the corner of the courtyard. Tieguai Li slowly poured the basin of water into it. As soon as the water touched the crack, water seeped out from the crack. The water was black in color and churned back up against the copper basin.
Zhou Banxian's expression changed, and he took a few steps over and squatted down.
The black water in the grout between the floor tiles did not dissipate.
Each stroke, carefully placed, forms a line of characters.
The day after tomorrow, don't measure the seventh.