Volume One: The Soul-Gathering Gourd and the Soul-Igniting Lamp Chapter 72: The Ancient Lamp Ignites the Soul!
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Sparse moonlight drifted across the night, and cool winds swept through the darkness.
Three petty hoodlums lingered furtively before the door of the incense candle shop.
A sharp crack echoed in the air as they pried open the shop’s window without hesitation.
After scanning their surroundings, the trio slipped one by one through the window.
The scrawny thug stretched out his hand, fumbling along the wall for the light switch.
With another abrupt snap, the drawstring for the shop’s light was yanked clean off by the fool.
Smack—
Before the little thug could utter a curse, he was struck hard on the back of his head by Wolf, whose face was twisted in a fierce scowl.
“You idiot! Are you trying to announce to the world that someone’s here?”
The little thug looked at Wolf with aggrieved eyes and then asked, “Wolf—how are we supposed to do this without the lights?”
Scar-faced Wolf raised his hand and slapped him again.
“Moron! Don’t you have a lighter? We’re already here; shouldn’t we check behind the counter for any cash?”
At that, the two thugs finally understood.
Click—click—
The flickering glow from two lighters illuminated the room.
The three thugs were instantly frozen with terror, their faces pale, their bodies trembling.
Cold sweat poured from their heads as their blood rushed up, for they were confronted by two paper effigies, their faces twisted in mocking smiles.
Shaking, the three fools took a long moment before they could muster the courage to curse.
“Damn it, Xiao Qiang, that bastard! He made us vandalize the incense shop—what a wicked thing to do!”
After venting his anger, Scar-faced Wolf raised his hand and smacked the little thug’s head.
“What are you standing around for? Hurry up and find the cash! Once we’ve got it, we’ll pretend we’re done and leave.”
With their orders, the two thugs used the faint light from their lighters to search the counter.
Scar-faced Wolf, meanwhile, reached for a nearby teacup, gulping down cold tea to steady his nerves.
In no time, the two thugs were rifling through the counter, searching for anything of value.
Inside the ledger, they found seven or eight small bills.
Anyone who’s smoked knows that a lighter can’t be kept lit for long.
Not only will the flame die out, but the metal wind guard will become scalding hot.
“Hiss—so hot!” The scrawny thug shook his fingers and stuffed them in his mouth. Then he spotted three ancient books and a soul-burning lamp beneath the counter.
The chubby thug, holding his lighter, whispered, “Isn’t that an oil lamp?”
The skinny thug grabbed the soul-burning lamp and set it atop the counter.
As the chubby thug reached for the old books, he heard a click.
The skinny thug had already relit his lighter, using the flickering flame to ignite the lamp.
In a flash, a strange green light erupted from the soul-burning lamp.
Whoosh.
The three arrogant thugs were instantly reduced to a pile of ashes.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The green light spread out, followed by a series of explosions—the bulbs and glass in nearby shops shattered. Even the security cameras atop the utility pole sparked and fizzed.
Sun Qiang, smoking not far away, saw a flash of green and was swept off his feet by the blast.
“What the hell was that?”
Getting up, Sun Qiang felt his scalp tingle and cold sweat break out all over him.
Driven by intense curiosity, the fool crept to the door of the incense shop to investigate.
Peering through a crack in the window, he found nothing on the floor but three sets of clothes and shoes.
At once, Sun Qiang realized something was terribly wrong.
Chilled to the core, he stumbled away into the night, his soul seemingly fleeing his body.
The scene shifted to a small courtyard.
Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou sat on stone benches, drinking beer.
An empty crate of bottles lay beneath the stone table.
Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue, meanwhile, cradled her gluttonous pet furball, feeding it snacks as she drank.
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Suddenly, Xiao Yulou’s phone screen lit up with a phone number.
This lecherous Daoist grinned and answered.
“Hello—Bureau Chief!”
“……”
“What am I doing? Drinking beer, of course!”
“……”
A few seconds later, Xiao Yulou frowned, his expression showing that something was wrong.
After he hung up, Gu Mo asked curiously, “Brother Xiao, what’s happened?”
Xiao Yulou belched, his eyes wide as eggs, and asked, “Brother Gu… have you forgotten something important?”
Gu Mo laughed aloud. “Just say it! What could I possibly forget?”
Xiao Yulou’s face turned grim. “Brother Gu, where are your Underworld artifacts?”
Gu Mo grabbed the gluttonous furball and pried open its mouth.
Sure enough, the soul-burning lamp and the other Underworld relics were nowhere to be seen on its shelf.
“Damn! I left those things under the counter!”
Xiao Yulou’s face twisted in dismay.
“Brother Gu, Bureau Chief just called—something happened at the incense shop!”
At that moment, the rumble of a car echoed from outside the courtyard.
As soon as the car stopped, Liu Haiyang rolled down the window and called out, “Mr. Gu, Daoist Xiao, get in, quickly!”
Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou exchanged glances, grabbed the gluttonous furball, and rushed to the car.
Bang bang!
After two thuds, Xiao Yulou, reeking of alcohol, looked at Liu Haiyang and asked, “Haiyang, what on earth happened?”
Liu Haiyang, focused on driving, looked somber.
“Daoist Xiao, Mr. Gu’s incense shop was broken into…”
Gu Mo, in the back seat, was baffled.
“What? Someone robbed the incense shop!”
Liu Haiyang frowned at the road ahead and sighed.
“Not only that—three sets of clothes were found inside. All the bulbs and glass in the area were shattered, and even the surveillance cameras weren’t spared.”
Gu Mo’s heart tightened, but Liu Haiyang’s next words were the real crux.
“Moreover, those three men are fugitives wanted for murder, known as the Three Wolves of Cold North.”
Hearing the name, Xiao Yulou and Gu Mo were even more bewildered.
“Why would fugitives break into my shop? There’s barely three hundred in the ledger. Did they pick the wrong target?”
Liu Haiyang managed a bitter smile.
“The staff from the 749 Food Company will arrive soon. The boss has already informed us—this case will be handed over to them.”
At the mention of this mysterious organization, the name Li Hetang flashed in Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou’s minds.
Any supernatural event linked to them never bodes well.
……
Soon, Liu Haiyang executed a sharp turn and parked by the roadside.
The incense shop was already surrounded by a curious crowd.
A throng of pajama-clad aunties gawked, their gossiping voices filling the air.
“Oh my! Something big happened! My bulbs exploded!”
“Sister Li, maybe the voltage is unstable?”
“What are you thinking? This isn’t the nineties—why would the voltage be unstable?”
“Then what’s the reason? Even the public servants are out!”
“Don’t mention it. Look around—almost every shop’s bulbs and glass are shattered! Something must’ve exploded!”
“Sis, it’s so late… don’t scare us!”
“Sister, I’m not trying to scare you!”
Then two aunties huddled together and whispered.
“I heard there are terrorists in town. The bulbs and glass were blown out by grenades!”
“Sis, isn’t that a bit far-fetched?”
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And so, the two gossipy aunties let their imaginations run wild.
……
Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou followed Liu Haiyang to a large tree across the street.
Bureau Chief, dressed in plain clothes, sat on a boulder.
Seeing Liu Haiyang bring Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou, Bureau Chief handed over a black plastic bag.
Inside were Gu Mo’s three ancient books and the Underworld artifacts.
Gu Mo thanked Bureau Chief profusely.
But Bureau Chief waved his hand and smiled broadly.
“No need for formalities. If I’d been a minute later, the Food Company folks would’ve taken these things.”
Gu Mo’s heart warmed.
Xiao Yulou pulled out cigarettes and passed them around.
After a few puffs, Bureau Chief gazed toward the incense shop and spoke quietly.
“Brother Gu, how did you provoke the Three Wolves of Cold North?”
Gu Mo replied with a bitter smile.
“To be honest… I just returned to Beihuang Town. I don’t even know who they are.”
Bureau Chief sighed.
“Haiyang already told you the basics. The Three Wolves of Cold North are fugitives wanted for several murders, but suddenly they broke into your shop. That’s odd…”
He took a deep drag and continued.
“What’s even stranger is, after breaking in, they didn’t take anything but left behind their clothes and shoes!
At the scene, there were abandoned crowbars, handles, and two lighters. It’s as if the three fools saw something terrifying and ran off naked?”
The more Bureau Chief spoke, the more uneasy he felt, his expression changing.
“I’ve been doing this job for over thirty years, but I’ve never dealt with a case like this!
No matter what, those fugitives shouldn’t have fled without their pants!”
Just then, Liu Haiyang’s phone vibrated.
After a brief call, Liu Haiyang looked at Bureau Chief and said, “Boss, the team has restarted the surveillance. The three fugitives entered, but never came out.”
Everyone’s heart tightened.
Xiao Yulou, meanwhile, entertained a bold hypothesis.
With a flick of his robe, he looked at Gu Mo and said, “Brother Gu, have you ever used a lighter to ignite the soul-burning lamp?”
Gu Mo shook his head.
“On the seventh night, before I could light it, the lamp ignited itself, but…”
He paused, glanced at Bureau Chief and Liu Haiyang, then continued.
“The flame from the soul-burning lamp looked more like ghost fire.”
Hearing this, Liu Haiyang and Bureau Chief broke out in cold sweat.
“What? Ghost… ghost fire!”
Gu Mo nodded grimly.
Xiao Yulou took a deep drag on his cigarette, frowned, and said,
“In that case, those three never escaped!”
Liu Haiyang frowned. “If they didn’t escape, did they just vanish?”
Xiao Yulou curled his lips in a mischievous smile.
“When mortals are burned by the underworld fire, they’re reduced to ashes. Otherwise, why would only clothes and shoes remain?”
As he finished, a cold wind swept through, making everyone shiver, their scalps tingling.
The phrase “reduced to ashes” had always belonged to movies and novels, but hearing it now felt beyond belief.
At that moment, a truck roared up, bringing a gust of wind.
As soon as it stopped, a squad of armed personnel began to cordon off the scene.
The crowd in front of the incense shop scattered like frightened birds.
And the enigmatic Li Hetang appeared once more, ghostlike as ever…