Dawn mist clung to the guesthouse floor where Feng mixed cinnabar. Swirling dog blood and incense ash darkened the porcelain bowl. Drafts lifted corners of Yin Breaker talismans, revealing yellowed Annals pages labeled "1998 Addendum". The blind man gnawed cold mantou by the doorframe, cane tip fishing a bronze bead from cracks: "Moss in Lord Grey''s vault reacts to corpse oil mixed with bronze powder."


    The temple''s rear wall fissure had widened. Feng''s boots crunched charred debris, rot and rodent stench assaulting his senses. The blind man prodded remaining bronze doorframes — his cane''s embedded compass needle spun wildly: "Kan floods, Li smolders — lock core at Zhen position, 10cm deep!"


    The mute girl produced tweezers from her tactical belt, swabbing corpse-oil bronze paste into keyholes. Feng wedged Annals into the door crack, damp pages falling open to "Nine Orifice Locks": "Yin locks require earthly moisture." Groundwater seeped through bricks as verdigris flaked away.


    Bang!


    The hidden compartment ejected ash clouds. Feng shielded his face, flashlight beam revealing:


    Faded ledger: "30% lifespan harvested, 20% tithed to netherworld"


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Bronze guard plaque: "Night Patrol Bureau - Bing-Xu 79", reverse smeared with bloody fingerprint


    Half-burnt contract: "Ghost Festival (7th lunar month) 9-11 PM, phantom sedan required" stamped with temple seal


    The blind man seized Feng''s arm. Paper money rustled outside as the girl snapped open her umbrella — three shadows materialized on the canopy. Two faceless netherworld guards dragged Paper-Chen through fog, his corpse-oil twine scraping blood trails.


    "Bing-Xu 79 stands here!" Feng blocked their path, slamming the plaque onto the altar. "Nether Code Article 7: Unauthorized detainment warrants tongue excision!"


    The faceless guards'' void-like faces split into bloody maws: "Obsolete... edition..."


    Paper-Chen snapped his twine bonds: "Burn, bastards!"


    Corpse-oil flames erupted three meters high, forming spectral faces. The girl''s umbrella deflected green fire, talismans sizzling through mist walls. Guards retreated as Paper-Chen rolled beneath the altar, black soul-mark branding his neck.


    "Submit ledger... before 9 PM..." The guards dissolved. Paper-Chen vomited squirming maggots with each word: "Lord Grey''s vessels... refined not lifespan..."


    Feng examined the soul-mark with tweezers: "Requires lightning-jujube wood carving substitution sigil."


    Annals flipped open: "Soul-marked mortals must petition City God within three days."


    The blind man''s cane tapped urgently: "Jujube wood''s west mountain. Before Ghost Festival 3 PM—"


    Thunder drowned his words. The girl already shouldered their gear pack. Rain drummed temple eaves as storm clouds shrouded distant peaks.