Chapter Twenty: The Bloodstained Copper Coin

The paper figure was light; Boss Zhou easily hoisted it onto his shoulder. Carried by Boss Zhou and illuminated by the oil lamp in the room, the red rouge and smile painted on the paper figure’s face looked especially eerie. Boss Zhou shuddered, recalling the scene when he had purchased the paper figure.

“Living people are useless. Only those who require it will buy…” The strange peddler’s stuttering words were chilling beyond measure.

Boss Zhou had wanted to lash out at that moment. By those words, wasn’t he being called a dead man? Yet, thinking of the dream he’d had—the one where his deceased wife came to find him—he’d bought the paper figure on a whim, intending to burn it as a servant for his late wife in the afterlife.

“If I burn it, I should be safe.” Boss Zhou carried the paper figure into the courtyard and set it upright on the ground. For some reason, under the moonlight, the paper figure appeared even more disturbing, its smile gleaming with an eerie glow.

A chill ran through Boss Zhou’s heart. He hurried to the woodshed to fetch a fire striker and returned to the courtyard.

With a sharp crack, the fire striker fell to the ground. Stunned, Boss Zhou stared ahead.

The paper figure... was gone!

It had been standing in the courtyard moments ago, but when he returned with the fire striker, it had vanished. He was the only person in the house; how could the paper figure disappear without a trace?

Cold sweat streamed down Boss Zhou’s back. He remembered a legend: when offering sacrifices to ancestors, it was best not to use paper figures under strong moonlight. Moonlight belonged to the yin, and paper figures were meant for the dead. If bathed in vibrant moonlight, misfortune could easily occur.

Sweat dripped from Boss Zhou’s forehead, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably. Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder.

“Husband... I’ve missed you so much…” A voice, plaintive and mournful, echoed from behind him. Boss Zhou turned instinctively, and the sight froze him to the core.

A paper figure’s head rested on his shoulder, the vivid rouge and bizarre smile under the moonlight looked almost lifelike.

A roar filled Boss Zhou’s mind; his eyes rolled back, and foam frothed from his mouth as he fainted.

“Husband... husband…” The paper figure staggered toward Boss Zhou, its face twisted in a grotesque smile, reaching out toward his unconscious form…

“Got you.” At that moment, the paper figure’s movements halted. A voice sounded behind it.

Turning its head, it saw a man approaching slowly, holding a strange iron spike.

The paper figure’s smile grew even more uncanny, abandoning Boss Zhou and walking toward the man.

“Husband... husband…” Each step was accompanied by a chilling moan.

Fang Mu licked his lips; the Ghost Pierce flickered through the air, leaving a fiery trail and slicing the paper figure in two.

Once struck by the Ghost Pierce, the paper figure burst into flames, reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye.

A clear, ringing sound followed—a blood-stained copper coin fell to the ground.

Fang Mu picked up the copper coin, noting that the bloodstains persisted. Boss Zhou remained unconscious, oblivious to all.

A strange cooing noise sounded nearby. Fang Mu looked toward the source and saw several peculiar birds perched on a large tree, their eyes glowing emerald green. When Fang Mu looked their way, the birds’ green eyes vanished, and they tumbled lifelessly to the ground.

“They’ve set their sights on me?” Fang Mu mused. He stowed the blood-stained copper coin and left the Zhou family shop.

...

It was unclear how much time had passed before Boss Zhou awoke from unconsciousness, staring at the pile of ashes in confusion.

“Was it all an illusion? Did I burn the paper figure myself?”

...

Zhao the Butcher’s home, Jinglong County.

“Father, please don’t visit me in my dreams anymore. I’ll burn a servant for you right away, so you can fulfill your filial duties for me in the other world.”

Zhao the Butcher knelt by the brazier, burning paper offerings and bowing repeatedly.

Behind him stood a lifelike paper figure.

With his back to the paper figure, Zhao the Butcher burned paper, unaware that under the moonlight, the paper figure’s eyes moved in a disturbingly animate way.

Not only did its eyes move, but its expression became even more human.

“Father, my journey is long ahead. Please don’t come to find me again. I’ll burn the paper figure for you right now.”

As he spoke, Zhao the Butcher reached behind him absentmindedly, only to find nothing.

“Huh? It was right behind me, wasn’t it?”

Puzzled, Zhao the Butcher was about to turn around when he noticed a dark shadow appear on the ground in front of him.

Swallowing hard, Zhao the Butcher’s heart pounded wildly. He spun around quickly and was confronted by a terrifying pale face.

A sharp pain stabbed his chest; the paper figure’s hand plunged into his chest cavity.

A blood-red heart emerged, and with a grotesque smile, the paper figure crushed it.

With a dull thud, Zhao the Butcher collapsed to the ground, life drained from him.

Strange bird calls echoed from the nearby tree.

The paper figure marched stiffly toward the tree where the birds perched…

...

The next morning, Fang Mu was awakened by urgent knocking.

He had wandered the streets after leaving the Zhou family last night, searching for any sign of the peddler, but to no avail.

Creak—

He opened the door and found a constable anxiously waiting.

“Brother Fang, you’re finally out!” The constable exclaimed, “There’s been a death in the county! The magistrate wants you to investigate right away—the manner of death is extremely bizarre.”

Fang Mu paused. Another death?

The peddler must still be in Jinglong County; the presence of those strange birds had made that clear.

A murder at this juncture was almost certainly connected to the peddler.

Fang Mu went inside to retrieve his wooden box and followed the constable to the scene of the crime.

They ran all the way, and upon arrival, Fang Mu frowned.

“The victim is Zhao the Butcher?”

He knew Zhao from his time in Wilds Village; he’d often bought meat here.

No onlookers remained—the county officials must have cleared them away.

The constable led Fang Mu inside, explaining as they walked.

“Zhao the Butcher didn’t sell pork today. His neighbor passed by and saw the front door open, and Zhao was already lying in a pool of blood.”

Upon reaching the site, Fang Mu studied the corpse in silent contemplation.

Zhao the Butcher’s body lay on the ground in a gruesome state, a massive bloody hole in his chest.

“Brother Fang, please examine the body,” the constable said, gesturing to Zhao’s corpse.

Fang Mu nodded and inspected the body thoroughly but found nothing noteworthy.

The only change was his corpse-touching skill.

[You touch the damaged corpse and acquire a blood-stained copper coin. Effect unknown.]

“A blood-stained copper coin... Money? Could it be the peddler…”