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Chapter 36 Ghostly Sculpture

The bell rang crisply.

Perhaps because there was one more person with them today, the streets were unusually quiet that night. The strange occurrences did not intensify. The faces in the stairwells merely lingered at the doorways, watching Zhou You and his companion intently, but dared not take any further steps.

One by one, the red lights in the windows went out, leaving only the sound of their footsteps on this old street.

After walking for a long time, it was Zhou You who spoke first.

"Master, never mind, let's just call you monk, it sounds better that way. Weren't you going to stop me just now?"

"What are you saying, benefactor?"

Zhou You grinned.

“Monk, don’t joke around. You know perfectly well what the consequences will be if that security captain stays there. As Buddhist disciples, aren’t you always supposed to be compassionate? I thought you would stop me.”

Perhaps the darkness had a great effect on him, causing his emaciated body to become even more hunched. After a long while, the old monk finally replied.

"Buddhism does have the saying that one can become a Buddha by laying down the butcher's knife, and there is also the method of Buddha converting demons and heretics, washing away their sins and returning them to the path of light—but compared to these, this humble monk actually prefers a saying from Confucianism."

The old monk paused for a moment, then continued.

"If you repay evil with kindness, what will you repay kindness with? Repay evil with justice, and repay kindness with kindness. I could have helped him then, but what about those innocent people he killed? When they are killed by ghosts, who will help them?"

"Therefore, everything he suffers is his karmic retribution, and I simply do not interfere."

Zhou You's voice stopped abruptly, and then it was the old monk's turn to ask a question in return.

"Then, benefactor, this old monk would also like to ask you, why are you not flustered at all? You are already dead, so why do you still act so nonchalantly after learning of your own death?"

Zhou You simply smiled.

"I guess I've just gotten used to being dead."

The old monk was speechless for a moment, but seeing the other person's calm face, he opened his mouth but did not ask any more questions.

After walking for a while, the two sides came into view of the distant crossroads.

"Monk, we've arrived at our destination. Which side do you choose?"

Upon hearing this, the old monk looked over and suddenly frowned.

"The thing in the middle has the strongest resentment; it should be the subordinate whose whole family was killed. The thing on the right is dark and gloomy, with a vague feeling of being watched; it's probably the son whose eyes were gouged out. The thing on the left is intensely yin; you can feel a resentful aura from a distance; it's probably the daughter whose face was peeled off—in terms of seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, let's start with the left one."

Having said that, the old monk shook his face, and with a flick of his fingernail, he actually split the skin in two through the gaps between the two sides.

"This is the first one. I won't waste my magic power. Please make the first move. When we pass by it, stick the first one on its face. Then, when we come back, stick the second one on. But please remember, do not make any unnecessary movements, and do not provoke it. Otherwise, the skin will not stick on, and we will both die."

Zhou You nodded in agreement.

Speechless all the way.

Several tens of minutes later, the two arrived at the first strange location, but just as they were about to step inside, the old monk suddenly stretched out his thin, bony arm and pulled Zhou You directly into a shadowy area.

"Wait a minute!"

"Monk, what's wrong with you?"

The other person put their index finger to their lips, making a shushing gesture.

"There is a situation."

Zhou You followed the other person's gaze, but immediately stopped moving.

The female ghost was different from the one he had encountered before. She wasn't curled up on the ground with her knees drawn up to her chest. Instead, she kept wandering between the streetlights, holding a pile of entrails and chunks of flesh in her bloody hands, occasionally tearing at them as if in a fit of rage. Zhou You carefully examined her for a while by the light of the lamplight before he could vaguely spot a familiar mouth among the mangled mess of flesh.

—Damn, you've finally met your match!

Someone who was gloating immediately wanted to give the middle finger to the wreckage, but his sleeve was pulled back by the old monk next to him.

“Benefactor, this situation is not right, not right at all. Normally, this monster would never become like this. Someone must have disturbed it before, causing it to go on a killing spree, which led to its resentment going out of control and turning it into this state. I just don’t know who it was, benefactor?”

The man coughed lightly, then put on an extremely serious face and said to the old monk.

"Then monk, do you have any ideas?"

The old monk thought for a while, then his gaze suddenly became hesitant.

"Yes, there is, but I'm afraid you'll have to make some sacrifices."

"What sacrifice?"

"I might need a piece of your flesh, benefactor—I'm truly sorry, but if I weren't already skin and bones, I wouldn't trouble you."

But to the old monk's surprise, after hearing these words, Zhou You immediately and generously spread his arms.

"Which piece of meat, and how big?"

—After all, he caused this mess himself, so he has to clean it up himself.

The old monk was stunned for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

"The meat doesn't need to be too big, a little over three qian (approximately 15 grams) will do. The cut of meat doesn't matter, but it's best to avoid getting too much blood on it."

Zhou You took out a knife, rolled up his sleeves, first selected a spot where he wouldn't bleed too much, and then, without even looking, he started slicing!

A piece of pinkish-red flesh immediately fell to the ground, accompanied by a suddenly grinning face.

"Monk, you don't need to look at me like that. I self-harmed way more often than this yesterday, and I'm kind of used to it now." Zhou You took out the Yun Gu ointment, feeling its disgustingly slippery texture as he applied it to his wounds. "Now that I've given you the flesh, what are you planning to do?"

The monk did not reply. Instead, he picked up the piece of flesh, wiped off the dust, and then took out a carving knife from his robe and carefully began to carve.

Zhou You remained silent, crossed his arms, and watched quietly from the side.

Layers of Sanskrit gradually emerged on the piece of meat. Zhou You didn't understand the writing, so he couldn't see anything wrong with it, but for some reason, he had a very strange feeling.

This looks a bit eerie.

But before he could think it through, the old monk had already finished the last stroke. He then took out two incense sticks, carefully broke them in half, and inserted them into the top of the piece of meat.

Then, he knelt down and softly recited scriptures to that thing.

—And then something incredible happened.

Accompanied by a soft laugh that seemed to come from nowhere, the lump of flesh gradually transformed amidst the chanting. Skin, fat, and connective tissue merged, twisted, and shaped. In a few seconds, it had become a lifelike statue.

And the statue depicts Zhou You's face.

The old monk suddenly coughed, as if the past few minutes had exhausted all his strength. He struggled to his feet and then solemnly placed the statue into Zhou You's hands.

"Benefactor, the ghost sculpture is complete. Now it's up to you!"

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(End of this chapter)