Chapter 0010: Train Terror

I helplessly shook my head, took a piece of paper from the table, and prepared to go to the restroom

This is not the first time I have encountered such a situation; I suddenly recalled what Zhou Jing said to me before leaving, and I felt as if I had been struck by lightning.

Of course, what I am guarding against is not people, but that kind of thing

Conservatively estimating, currently in the antique industry, less than 10% can discern the origin of this hundred-edged knife, and I still have this level of confidence.

I too felt a pang of sympathy, after all, it was because of me that Old Master Zhou encountered trouble, so I immediately spoke a few words of comfort to him

I stood at the door for a long time, and seeing that he didn't say a word, I felt a bit frustrated: "Can't you just say what you need to say? Can't you see that I'm really holding it in? Haven't you heard that holding it in isn't a disease, but it can be life-threatening?"

What follows in the book are the rules and intricacies of the art of Faqiu. I merely glanced through it and skimmed over the content. In the blink of an eye, I had abandoned two-thirds of the book. Fortunately, when I reached the end, I finally found something that piqued my interest—Faqiu and the expulsion of evil spirits

Although I was scared inside, having experienced this kind of troublesome situation several times, I was no longer as panicked as before. I slowly stepped back to the car window, leaning against it to gather my strength, preparing to kick the door directly. Even if I couldn't kick it open, it would still alert the train attendant to come and rescue me. However, before I could take action, I felt a pair of cold hands pressing against my waist, embracing me from behind.

Who would have thought that this kid, Zhou Jing, would still ignore me? I suspect he still holds a grudge against me, firmly believing that I am the culprit responsible for his grandfather's death

Wait a moment

The book begins by discussing how to locate tombs, referring to this skill as "Xunlong Dianxue," which is essentially a method of geomancy. However, I have no interest in such matters; after glancing through a few pages, I gave up. I do not intend to enter tombs in the future. Firstly, those who work in this field are often left with mere "peanuts" as compensation. Secondly, my fate is too weak; even acquiring an antique can lead to a series of unfortunate events. If I were to enter a tomb, it would simply be inviting trouble for myself.

You cannot go to this restroom

I don't know if it's because I ate something unclean combined with catching a chill from the air conditioning, but my stomach pain is truly unbearable. I spent more than half an hour in the bathroom before finally feeling a bit better. After getting up to flush and pulling up my pants, I was just about to go back to sleep when, at that moment, the bathroom door wouldn't open. No matter how hard I tried, the doorknob just wouldn't turn!

Upon seeing his appearance, I mistakenly thought he was reminiscing about someone, and I began to feel a sense of longing for my own grandfather. After all, he is just a child of around ten years old, and he probably has not been apart from his grandfather. Suddenly parting from Old Master Zhou must be quite distressing for him.

Uncle Li booked a train ticket for after eleven o'clock at night, traveling directly from Taiyuan to Nanchang, Jiangxi. However, Nanchang is not our final destination; upon arrival, we still need to take a vehicle to a small county town called Yujian County in Yingtan City. There, we must find a person named Zhang Jinya in the suburbs. This individual was introduced to me by Old Master Zhou, but he did not specify what Zhang does, and we are not very clear about it either. However, the thought of enduring over thirty hours on the road is quite bothersome to me. With my small frame, how can I possibly endure a train journey of over one thousand kilometers without feeling completely exhausted?

What the hell are you fussing about, if you keep dragging this out any longer, I will have to pull my pants up!

Nonsense

Zhou Jing suddenly raised his head and glanced at me. Under the dim lights of the train, his complexion appeared somewhat strange and slightly pale. He slowly said, "Listen to me, if you don't want to die, wait here for a while before going!"

Uncle Li also knew that my health was weak, and I could hardly endure sitting on a train for over twenty hours. Therefore, he booked a soft sleeper ticket for me. Fortunately, it is not a holiday now, and there are not many people on the train. The three of us occupied one soft sleeper compartment. Since this is not a trip for leisure, I was not in a very good mood. After getting on the train, I exchanged a few brief words with Uncle Li and then went to sleep in my clothes.

I am also uncertain about this matter, but "The Secret Art of Tomb Raiding" states that all foul entities are extremely afraid of weapons that have been stained with blood. Even a butcher's knife is greatly feared. My hundred-slaying knife has been buried in the tomb for so many years, and the dark red bloodstains in the blood groove are still very evident. I do not know how many lives it has taken before; it is undoubtedly a "divine artifact" for warding off evil. Bringing it along can only be beneficial, especially since I am going to Jiangxi this time to resolve my own issues. It is inevitable that I will have to deal with such entities, so it is better to be prepared.

Although this book is written in ancient characters, I learned a considerable amount of them during my childhood alongside my father and grandfather, making me somewhat of an expert. Not to mention the ancient Chinese scripts such as oracle bone script, bronze inscriptions, seal script, and stone drum inscriptions, I can also discuss foreign hieroglyphs and the most mysterious tadpole script, so reading this book poses no difficulty for me

I silently cursed under my breath, quickened my pace, and rushed into the restroom, slamming the door shut with a bang

I muttered a curse under my breath, this kid is really too much. Although I do bear some responsibility for your grandfather's matter, it was truly an unintentional mistake. How was I to know that divining for me would lead to trouble for the old man? Is it really necessary for you to make things difficult for me now? Even when I need to relieve myself, you are obstructing me. I was just about to say a few words to this kid when my troublesome stomach started acting up again, and this time it was worse. The pain made beads of sweat the size of soybeans roll down my forehead incessantly. I was too lazy to argue with this kid and turned to head to the restroom. Just as I stepped out, I heard a series of clattering sounds coming from the soft sleeper compartment. This kid, Zhou Jing, actually chased out from the soft sleeper compartment, shouting behind me: "Hey, you can't go to the restroom, and you didn't bring your talisman!"

It is now summer, and the air conditioning in the compartment is set quite low, while I am dressed lightly. Perhaps due to catching a chill, around 3 o'clock in the morning, I was awakened by a severe abdominal pain, feeling as if the intestines in my lower abdomen were twisted together. The pain made me shiver all over, and I quickly rolled out of my bunk to head to the restroom

The carriage was dimly lit, as the conductor had turned off all the lights in the aisle. Only the pale moonlight streamed in through the windows, casting an eerie glow over the place.

What is even more bizarre is that the temperature in the bathroom is plummeting, cold and damp, making me shiver all over

At present, I replaced the scabbard of that Baibi knife with a more ordinary one and set off with Zhou Jing and Li Shu. After arriving at the train station, I found that checking in the Baibi knife was not much of a hassle, as this knife is preserved in extremely good condition. If you only look at the blade after changing the scabbard, it is almost comparable to some of the knives and swords available today, showing no signs of decay whatsoever, and it does not resemble something that came out of a tomb at all. Not to mention the security personnel, even someone like me who also deals in cultural artifacts would likely not recognize the origin of this item if they lacked a discerning eye. After all, this knife is preserved in extremely good condition. If you only look at the blade after changing the scabbard, it is almost comparable to some of the knives and swords available today, showing no signs of decay whatsoever, and it does not resemble something that came out of a tomb at all. Not to mention the security personnel, even someone like me who also deals in cultural artifacts would likely not recognize the origin of this item if they lacked a discerning eye.

Damn it, could it be that I've encountered something filthy again

Zhou Jing suddenly called out to me. I turned my head to look and found that he was still staring at those white toad tortoise shells, but his brows were tightly furrowed, and I couldn't tell what he was pondering.

Uncle Li has already gone to sleep, and the soft sound of his snoring echoes in the carriage. However, Zhou Jing, who is sitting opposite me, is still awake in the dead of night, curled up in a corner of the bed with his legs crossed. In front of him lies the white toad tortoise shell that belonged to Old Master Zhou. I never expected that Old Master Zhou would pass this fine item on to him. The little fellow is intently gazing at the white toad tortoise shell scattered on the bed, lost in thought.

In order to conserve our energy, Uncle Li, that little brat Zhou Jing, and I did not go out all afternoon. With nothing to do, I sat on the sofa and began reading that book "The Secret Techniques of Tomb Raiding"

This is a large system that provides a very detailed introduction to the causes of various malevolent entities and what can counteract them. After reading it, I was greatly astonished, as I never expected that these filthy things in the world could have such profound intricacies. Just a glance allowed me to fully comprehend it, and before I knew it, it was already past 10 PM, the time to head to the train station. Uncle Li and Zhou Jing were basically ready, and I was the only one left.

... ...

This bathroom is so cramped, and the door won't open. If I happen to encounter something dirty, I would truly be like a turtle caught in a jar, with nowhere to escape

In fact, I do not have much luggage; I only brought a few changes of clothes. After some hesitation, I decided to take the dagger for self-defense.

Well, we have lived for about twenty years, so we shouldn't stoop to the level of a child