Chapter 8: Paper Figurines

Their faces are also quite unique. Upon closer inspection, their features appear as if they have been painted on, with rosy cheeks, bulging eyes, and red lips, resembling a painting affixed to their faces. A sudden glance can be particularly unsettling.

While I was frantically hitting my own head and shouting my most encouraging slogan, Team Leader Zhang, seeing me like this, rushed over in one step and grabbed my hand

Oh my, it turns out there is one on my head as well

Oh my mother

The chubby guy gave me a brief instruction, and then I found myself abandoned in place while he irresponsibly ran off to a relatively safe corner in the hall, where he started dancing to the disco music. As he danced, he sang: "The sun sets in the west, darkness falls, every household closes its door, the main road is blocked for vehicles, the small road is blocked for pedestrians, the magpie and the old pigeon rush to the uncle, the house sparrow and the wild pigeon rush to the eaves, nine out of ten households are locked, only one household's door is open, if you ask why the door is open, it's to invite the gods with drums and gongs, ah hey yo"

I fell to the ground, clutching my stomach, and shouted "Mom". I felt utterly despondent; this paper-made ghost soldier was simply too fierce. One kick nearly broke my intestines. At that moment, I couldn't care less about the fat guy's instructions. Whoever was willing to take the hit could do so; I couldn't risk my own life. After that moment, I got up and ran directly towards the back of the stairs leading to the second floor of Villa X, with only one thought in my mind: I needed to find a safe place to hide first.

Nima, nima, nima

Strange, where is that sound coming from

Brother Gao, there is a little ghost on your head

The stout man shouted, and upon hearing this, both Zhang and I immediately looked up, only to discover that there were actually two people crawling on the ceiling of the hall above us

This indeed left me with a sense of emotion, and there are truly many intricacies within this line. If it weren't for today, when I accompanied Team Zhang and the librarians on this trip, I might have never known that these ghost-catching masters are also divided into categories such as Southern Maos and Northern Horses.

Fatty, save me!

Something happened above us

As soon as I heard it, a layer of goosebumps rose on my body; indeed, there was one on my head as well. At that moment, I disregarded everything else and, in a frenzy, shouted loudly while slapping my own head.

Silence everyone

Grass

The fat man finally regained some composure as he spoke, and he repeatedly said to me: "Gao Ge, these paper figures are part of the 'Paper Doll Yin Soldier Technique' from Maoshan magic, and they are extremely malevolent. In ancient times, these were the very things summoned as Yin soldiers during wars. I need to invoke a deity to deal with them. For now, you help me hold them off for a while, and I will summon the celestial beings to come assist you."

As Zhang spoke, both the胖子 and I immediately fell silent, holding our breath to listen carefully. Indeed, around the hall, we heard a series of faint "whooshing" sounds, seemingly produced by the wind stirring up scraps of paper. However, in this hall, we saw no scraps of paper or any signs of wind, and we had no idea how the "whooshing" sounds were being made.

It is strange, why have those flower patterns disappeared

Suddenly, a loud clamor erupted, and at the same time, I clearly saw what those two strange figures were. They were not human at all; rather, they were paper effigies made of white paper, identical to the kind sold in funeral homes, crafted from bamboo strips and white paper.

And I immediately said: "Don't you think that during the day we revealed some clue, and that the people from the Orchid family noticed something and hid those four strange flower screens?"

I beseech the Flying Sword Deity to descend to the mortal realm and slay the chaotic demons. May all who harm me be unable to act wickedly. Through the ritual of the flying sword, may calamities be eliminated. Flying Sword Ancestor, hasten as per the decree!

At the moment I fell to the ground, the paper effigy of the ghost also executed a genuine move, delivering a kick that struck my abdomen, causing me to roll over and knock down a large number of decorations in the hall, resulting in a most embarrassing situation

As I ran back while shouting, my calves were still no match for those two paper figures of the underworld. Before I could take a few steps, I was caught up by the two paper figures behind me. One of them kicked me hard, sending me sprawling on the ground. At the same time, the other paper figure chasing me rushed over and delivered another kick to my forehead. In an instant, I was kicked into a daze, unable to distinguish east from west or north from south. One of them kicked me hard, sending me sprawling on the ground. At the same time, the other paper figure chasing me rushed over and delivered another kick to my forehead. In an instant, I was kicked into a daze, unable to distinguish east from west or north from south.

But where have I ever seen such a scene? Growing up, the most I had done was a few brawls, and the most impressive was a few one-on-one fights with Guo Dashan from our class. However, none of that could compare to these ghostly creatures. At that moment, I only felt a flash before my eyes, and then I was struck four or five times on the head by that paper-made ghost, which knocked me straight to the ground

However, when I crawled and rolled to the back of the stairs, I was filled with regret. I saw that behind the stairs leading to the second floor of this X villa, there were actually two paper figures. Moreover, the four large vases emitting green gas that I had seen yesterday were also here. At that moment, the two paper figures were opening their mouths wide, greedily consuming the green gas that was billowing out of those vases. Upon seeing me approach, they simultaneously let out a strange cry and lunged towards me. Furthermore, the four large vases emitting green gas that I had seen yesterday were also here. At that moment, the two paper figures were opening their mouths wide, greedily consuming the green gas that was billowing out of those vases. Upon seeing me approach, they simultaneously let out a strange cry and lunged towards me.

We are going to the hall

I curiously asked, and upon hearing this, the chubby man blushed a little and then said: "Gao Ge, you may not know, but my abilities are somewhat special. In our circle, we categorize them as Southern Maos and Northern Ma. I belong to the Northern disciples, and I need to perform a shamanic ritual to summon spirits before I can have the ability to exorcise ghosts. Normally, I am no different from an ordinary person."

At this moment, the two paper figures suddenly lunged at Zhang and the Fatty as if they were living beings, clawing and flailing, and in an instant, they knocked both Zhang and the Fatty to the ground, and the two men began to wrestle with the two strange figures

What on earth are you doing

My goodness! Team Leader Zhang, Fatty, there are two more monsters here, and those four large vases emitting green gas are also here

At this moment, I am completely bewildered by this fat guy. While I am working hard, this fool actually has the energy to sing and dance. How thick-skinned can a person be

Just as the fat man and I were speculating, Team Leader Zhang made a serious gesture for us to be quiet, then perked up his ears to listen carefully. "Do you hear that? Is there some kind of movement?"

Upon re-entering this hall, my nerves immediately tensed up. The four flower screens emitting green gas during the day had quite a shocking effect on me, and I still feel a bit scared when I think back on it. However, this time when we entered the hall, we did not see those four flower screens at all, and even the faint cries from the floor were gone, which took me by surprise.

Captain Zhang spoke, and then I saw him draw a two-foot-long bronze sword from behind his back. This sword was what he had brought with him, carried on his back the whole time. At that moment, I even joked that it was quite impressive for a police officer like Uncle Zhang to be in such a position, carrying a sword instead of a gun.

I muttered a few words, then jumped up and looked out the window of Villa X's hall to see if the sound came from something outside the villa. However, at that moment, before I could take a closer look, the fat man beside me pointed above our heads and shouted loudly.

I instinctively cursed, completely taken aback by these two inhuman creatures. At that moment, the two strange figures on the ceiling saw that we had discovered them, and they let out a series of croaking, eerie laughs before lunging towards us

The chubby man explained carefully, which suddenly made me understand certain things. No wonder he had never shown any exceptional abilities; it turned out he needed to exorcise spirits and consult books, and also perform rituals to summon deities.

I was kicked in turns by three paper-made ghost soldiers, and my entire skeletal structure felt like it was about to fall apart. I could barely stand and could only seek help from the nearest fat man.

Do not move, I will take care of him. You will give yourself a concussion if you keep filming yourself

What the hell is this thing

I speculated, and the fat man also nodded in agreement, "There is a possibility of that."

However, at this moment, I cannot afford to complain. When the fat man jumped up to dance the "Disco," the paper figure I had kicked out should now be called a ghost soldier. In any case, after this monster rose, it lunged towards me, its two wide hands made of bamboo strips resembling two large grinding wheels, creating a whooshing sound as they came crashing towards me.

However, compared to Team Leader Zhang, the胖子 was far inferior. When facing that paper-mâché monster, he did not employ Team Leader Zhang's systematic fighting style; instead, he only knew how to wildly swing his fists. In just a few moments, he was at a disadvantage, being pinned to the ground by the paper-mâché creature, with his face turning a deep purple, and his eyes nearly rolling back in his head.

But when I saw this, I became anxious. At that moment, I did not know where I found the courage, seeing that the fat man was almost being choked to death, I shouted and rushed forward

Fatty Wang Dayi was also quite surprised, not expecting such a result

After I patted the fat man a few times, he finally managed to catch his breath, breathing heavily, "Oh dear, oh my, but, but his grandmother nearly suffocated me."

While the fat man gestured to me, he also hurriedly spoke to me

After Zhang's two consecutive strikes, the chubby man, somewhat slow to react, touched his head and muttered something. This took me by surprise, and I instinctively asked, "Chubby, you are a special personnel of the special case team, how did you not notice the little ghost on your head just now?"

However, at this moment, I understood the reason why Captain Zhang wielded the copper coin sword. This object was indeed formidable. I saw Captain Zhang swiftly strike the heads of me and the Fatty with the copper coin sword, and with two loud thuds, I witnessed the little ghost riding on the Fatty's head dissipate into a wisp of blue smoke. At the same time, a plume of smoke also rose above my head. This made me realize that Captain Zhang's simple two strikes had directly eliminated the little ghost that was riding on both me and the Fatty.

Just as the胖子 and I were discussing the South Mao and North Ma, Team Zhang led us forward once again, entering the hall of Villa X

However, this fat man seemed completely oblivious to my words, continuing to dance the "Disco" while singing irritatingly: "Old Immortal, if you don't come, I'll move; I'll move on March 3 of next year. The farmers who move won't farm, the workers who move won't go to work, the Queen Mother will be too lazy to pay for the Peach Banquet, the Nine Heavens Fairies will descend to the mortal realm, the young bachelors will be hard at midnight, and the young widows will get up in the middle of the night, feeling pressured... Oh, my!"

Are you alright? I said, while patting the back of the chubby person to help him catch his breath

These two individuals are quite peculiar; not only do they move in a stiff and jerky manner, but their clothing appears to be made of white paper, which is exceedingly rigid. As they crawl slowly, they produce a series of rustling sounds, which is very strange

I kicked up with my foot and struck the paper figure on the jaw. Although the paper figure was incredibly strange and immensely strong, it was ultimately a physical object. After I kicked it, it immediately rolled backward. Seizing this opportunity, I grabbed the fat man's arm and pulled him up.

It must be said that Team Leader Zhang is truly a capable individual. Faced with the paper effigy monster, he remained calm and composed, wielding a copper coin sword. While rapidly reciting incantations, he deftly thrust the sword, and in just a few moves, he managed to dismantle the paper effigy that had pounced on him. At the same time, Team Leader Zhang leaped up and delivered a series of powerful kicks, sending the paper effigy retreating repeatedly, all the while making a cacophony of squawking sounds.