Volume Three: The Fox Immortal's Tomb - Chapter Thirty: The Ghost-Sealing Talisman

We stood there, staring blankly at the paper figures and horses filling the room. The artisan had arranged them into a bustling marketplace scene, and under the dim lighting, it looked startlingly lifelike.

Xu Tian was equally stunned by the craftsman's work. "This is truly exquisite," he remarked. "I feel as if I’ve stepped right into a market."

I nodded in agreement and walked over to one of the figures to get a closer look. Unlike typical paper effigies, which are often daubed with garish red cheeks, every figure here featured intricate, specialized makeup. Furthermore, they were all crafted to the height of a full-grown adult. I couldn't help but admire the artisan's remarkable skill.

Noticing our awe, the proprietor smiled with satisfaction. "Are you satisfied with my work?"

"Your technique is impressive," I replied, nodding. "I see you’ve applied such detailed makeup to all of them. Were you in this line of work before?"

The man shook his head. "I used to work at a funeral home, specializing in reconstructing and applying makeup to corpses."

That explained it. Without that background, even the best-made paper figures wouldn't have looked so startlingly vivid. I scanned the room, but noticing the absence of any young female figures, I asked, "I see effigies of all ages here, but why are there no young women?"

The proprietor stiffened. "Are you looking to buy a paper effigy of a young woman?"

I nodded. His expression immediately turned grave. "Young man, let me warn you: buying such an effigy here in Goutou Village is not a good idea."

Xu Tian, Li Kun, and I exchanged glances. It seemed the artisan was aware of the local situation.

The proprietor continued, "To be honest, we paper artisans mostly make figures of young boys and girls. We never make young women. There is a saying in our trade: a woman’s constitution is inherently yin-heavy. If you craft one into a paper figure, it attracts malevolent entities. If you truly insist, I can make one for you, but if something goes wrong, don't blame me for not warning you."

"Don't worry about that," I replied. "We have our own use for it."

He nodded. "And what age should this female figure be?"

"Eighteen," I said.

"Very well," he agreed. "Wait in the main hall." He checked his watch and added, "I can have it finished by seven-thirty. Just give me a moment."

Li Kun blinked, surprised. "That fast?"

"I have the base models ready," the artisan explained. "I just need to apply the makeup and the clothing. Since this is a custom order, however, the price will be..."

Xu Tian waved a hand. "Will one hundred yuan suffice?"

The artisan’s face lit up instantly. "That’s plenty! Please wait, esteemed guests, I’ll have it ready as soon as possible." With that, he hurried into the back room.

I nodded to my companions, and we retreated to the main hall. Not long after, the artisan emerged holding a brush. "It’s ready, gentlemen. Come and have a look."

We followed him back into the room. Standing before us was a paper figure about 1.65 meters tall, secured to a yellowish wooden board at its feet. To make it appear more realistic, he had even added a wig. With the makeup and the hair, it looked just like a young woman of eighteen or nineteen.

"Well?" the proprietor asked with a smile. "Are you satisfied?"

We all nodded. "Excellent work, boss," Li Kun said. "The wig makes it look so real."

Xu Tian turned to Li Kun. "Old Li, I'll leave this to you."

"Huh? Leave what to me?"

"Carrying it back, of course! You don't expect Old Liu and me to do it, do you?"

The proprietor stepped forward. "There’s no need to carry it. Where are you staying? I can drive it over. Carrying something like this is bad luck—it’ll ruin the figure."

Li Kun chuckled in relief. "Good, I didn't want to carry a paper girl on my back anyway. That’s creepy."

The artisan carefully wrapped the figure in a clean cloth and lifted it with great care. He placed it on a two-wheeled cart, and we made our way back.

Once we returned to the quarters provided by the village head, I checked my phone. It was past eight in the evening. It was time to finalize our plan to take down the skin-peeling ghost.

We sat on the large bed in the side room, smoking. "Old Liu," Xu Tian said, "this bait should lure the ghost in, but how do we kill it?"

I drew the Soul-Severing Blade from my holster. Xu Tian and Li Kun stared at it, bewildered. "Old Liu," Xu Tian asked, "you intend to stab a ghost to death with that?"

"Exactly," I said. "She has harmed too many people. I won't let her die easily."

"Is that why you asked for the chicken and black dog blood?" Li Kun asked.

"Yes," I confirmed. "We’ll place the paper figure in the courtyard. I’ll wait in the main room, and you two stay in this side room. The problem is containment. If she tries to flee, the three of us won't be able to stop her."

Xu Tian reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a yellow talisman. We were stunned. Li Kun snatched it from his hand. "Old Xu, a talisman? Is this real or fake?"

"Careful, Old Li!" Xu Tian warned. "I got that from the old man. Do you have any idea what that’s worth?"

Li Kun dismissed it. "It’s just a cheap prop, isn't it? They sell them by the stack for a yuan at the night market." He flicked it carelessly.

"That single talisman was worth a hundred thousand yuan five years ago!" Xu Tian snapped. "If you ruin it, we’ll never catch that ghost."

Li Kun’s hand froze. He looked at Xu Tian, wide-eyed. "Ten thousand? Five years ago? Old Xu, were you scammed?"

Xu Tian rolled his eyes and snatched the paper back. "My old man bought it from a master five years ago. He kept it like a family heirloom. If I hadn't gone to him about this, he never would have parted with it."

"What does it do?" I asked.

Xu Tian handed it to me. "It’s called a Ghost-Sealing Talisman. If you stick it to a wall, it locks down a twenty-meter radius. My old man said that if you open your 'Heavenly Eye,' you can see a golden net covering the area. Any spirit that touches it feels like a living person being burned by red-hot iron. They can't escape. Living people, however, can pass through it without harm."

"Is there a time limit?" I asked.

Xu Tian shook his head. "He didn't say, but if it has that kind of power, I doubt it. If we stick it to the wall, I suspect it could trap that ghost forever."

An idea struck me. "If that’s the case, we don't even need to fight her."

They looked at me expectantly. "How so?"

"Spirits fear sunlight," I explained. "If the talisman traps her, we can just wait until dawn. Once the sun rises, she’ll dissipate on her own. We won't even have to lift a finger—we can just go to sleep and wake up to find her gone."

Li Kun clapped his hands. "Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? We don't have to risk our lives at all!"

"Exactly," I said. "We’ll get some sleep, and by morning, she’ll be nothing but smoke. Then we can focus on dealing with the Headless Ghost."