Chapter Six: Breaking the Hex

Everyone looked at Liang Lingzhi, whose face was set with determination, then glanced at the oiled umbrella where Xiaoting was, and all nodded in agreement, for they knew that among those present, no one wished to help Xiaoting more than Liang Lingzhi did.

That night, after Nianxue had explained in detail the various matters and taboos concerning the sorcery, she followed Officer Li into the prisoner monitoring room.

The three prisoners sat as if on pins and needles. The bald one asked in terror, “Officer Li, I’ll answer any question you have! Please, don’t make things hard for the two of us, I beg you!”

When Officer Li didn’t respond, the man with the scar quickly added, “Sirs, how many times must we repeat ourselves? We truly have no memory of what happened afterward! Please, just sentence us already! These past days, I’ve been living in constant fear—it’s truly unbearable!”

“You bastards! Still whining!” Mu Xiaobao, brimming with pent-up anger, slapped the bald man so hard he was left dazed.

Before the bald prisoner could plead, An Dachun delivered another slap. The big and the small—both their hands moved swiftly, raining blows on the three prisoners, leaving their faces swollen and bruised. It was a deeply satisfying sight.

Liang Lingzhi clenched his fists tightly. After giving each of the three a punch to the face, he turned to Ye Dong: “Ye Dong, do you want to throw a few punches?”

Ye Dong sneered, “No need. These three scum will soon be half dead anyway. Catch your breath and get ready.”

Officer Li pretended not to see a thing. Only after the big and small duo had thoroughly vented their anger did he finally step in, “That’s enough.”

The two, curling their lips in disdain, spat, “Lower than pigs and dogs!” and ruthlessly stuffed rags into the prisoners’ mouths.

Meanwhile, Nianxue had set up the ritual array and asked Liang Lingzhi again, “Liang Lingzhi, have you memorized the incantation?”

Seeing Liang Lingzhi roll up his sleeves and nod vigorously, she said, “Let’s begin the spell; time is of the essence.”

Everyone instantly fell silent.

Liang Lingzhi interlaced his fingers into the gesture of the Eight Trigrams, and chanted, “Exalted Star above, ever-changing and unceasing. Expel evil, bind spirits, guard life, protect the body. Wisdom clear and bright, mind calm and serene. The three souls endure, the spirit never falters.”

The three prisoners were terrified, shaking their heads and pleading as Liang Lingzhi prepared to perform the ritual on them, tears and snot running down their faces.

Ye Dong, unmoved by their distress, leaned in to ask Nianxue curiously, “What kind of incantation did you teach him?”

She replied softly, “This is the ‘Calm Spirit Incantation.’ It helps those practicing the Dao or leading rituals to purify their body and mind, dispel distractions, stabilize their spirit, and enter a state of clarity. It also serves to protect the soul. Watch closely.”

Ye Dong nodded, and watched as Liang Lingzhi took out a small knife, cut a long gash in his own palm, and let his blood drip onto the heads of the three prisoners.

The scene was particularly bloody and strange—utterly unlike any ritual Ye Dong had witnessed before.

He exclaimed in amazement, “What on earth is he doing!?”

Nianxue explained, “When casting the curse, the priest’s blood is needed as a guide; when breaking the curse, the blood of the person lifting the curse must be used. This is what’s known as ‘blood to break the curse.’”

Everyone nodded in understanding as Liang Lingzhi began chanting again: “Qianluo Dana, the profound might of the heavens. Sever demons, bind evil, save the multitudes. Banish wickedness, drive out poison. By the law, let it be done!”

As the incantation ceased, Liang Lingzhi squeezed more blood from his palm, then, with a swift motion, slapped the bloody hand onto the heads of the three prisoners.

After delivering the blow, he quickly withdrew his hand and once more formed the gesture of the Eight Trigrams.

From the literal meaning of the chanting, Ye Dong could guess that these spells were meant to drive the poison from the three men’s bodies.

Nianxue quietly instructed, “Everyone, stay alert—don’t get distracted!”

The clock’s second hand ticked: tick-tock, tick-tock.

Soon, as Liang Lingzhi’s expression began to change, Nianxue warned, “Be careful, everyone! If things become dangerous, and our lives are at risk, the police are to shoot these three at once!”

The terrifying tone of her words made everyone clutch their ropes and handcuffs more tightly. Officer Li and his colleagues gripped their pistols, ready to draw them at any moment, and the atmosphere in the interrogation room turned oppressively tense.

The three prisoners, already frightened by the bizarre ritual array, were now further terrified by Nianxue’s chilling declaration. They tried to scream, but with rags stuffed in their mouths, all they could do was stare wide-eyed at the blank wall before them, tears of fear streaming down their faces.

Suddenly, their muffled sobbing ceased.

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, tightening their grip on whatever weapons they held.

The interrogation room was dead silent.

Then, a cold, chilling man’s laugh slowly emanated from the bald prisoner: “Well, well—someone actually dares to meddle with our blood curse.”

But even more shocking than the sudden male voice was the emergence of a sinister, venomous female voice from within the scarred man: “My dear junior brother, it seems your blood curse wasn’t vicious enough.”

Though the woman’s voice was soft and gentle, it carried an indescribable malice and ghostliness.

Another prisoner, the one with the tattooed arm, let out a strange laugh. “Senior sister, isn’t it lively here? Judging by the scene, they don’t seem to take you very seriously.”

Everyone felt a chill—weren’t the three prisoners facing away from them? How could they see?

Ye Dong’s heart sank. “Could the mastermind behind these crimes actually be a woman?”

Though Officer Li and his colleagues had braced themselves, the bizarre and terrifying spectacle made them swallow hard, pistols trained on the prisoners now possessed by evil spirits.

The ropes binding the prisoners rattled as they struggled, and their chairs began to tremble, as if they might break free at any moment.

Suddenly, the three prisoners spat out the rags and shouted, while Liang Lingzhi’s face turned even paler! Sweat poured from him like rain, and he seemed to barely maintain the Eight Trigrams gesture, using all his strength just to keep his hands from being forced apart.

Nianxue gripped her ancient coin sword and shouted, “Demon, show yourself!”

She burned a yellow talisman and thrust her sword into the bald prisoner’s back. The chilling male voice let out a disdainful snort, “Little girl, you have some skill, but how do you expect to defeat the three of us alone?”

Nianxue took a deep breath, “You three are trapped—surely your powers are greatly diminished?”

The sinister female voice chuckled darkly, “You’re more perceptive than you look. Junior brother, don’t harm yourself over something so trivial—let’s withdraw.”

The two junior brothers echoed, “Yes, senior sister. Girl, we’ll meet again!”

As the three finished speaking, the prisoners fell silent. After a long moment, Nianxue finally relaxed and lowered her coin sword—only for Ye Dong to suddenly shout, “Not so fast!”

At the very instant her sword was lowered, a black worm—about the length of a pinky finger and a bit thicker than a toothpick—shot out of the prisoners’ heads and sped toward Liang Lingzhi!

Nianxue’s heart leapt—there was no time to raise her sword...