I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 258 - 226: Casting the Curse

Yu Da instructed Sang Que to hide first before he went out to meet Cui Cheng and Lu Da. After some probing, he confirmed that the two were trustworthy and then beckoned Sang Que to come over.

The four of them stood at the entrance of Cui Liu Lane, looking into the depths. The night was dark red; the alley was uninhabited, with not even a lantern hung up. Only the outer parts were visible, while the depths were pitch black, giving a very ominous feeling.

"Since we’ve confirmed the source, what are we waiting for? Let’s go in!"

Cui Cheng, being impatient, lifted his foot to walk into the alley.

"Colonel!" Lu Da hurriedly stopped him, Yu Da also reached out to prevent him.

Yu Da scratched his belly and said, "Since we’ve deduced that the Dream Ghost was intentionally lured here, Granny Zhuang’s vicinity must have arrangements to prevent anyone from disrupting the dream. We must stay vigilant."

Lu Da nodded, agreeing with the sentiment.

In the dream, they had no life-saving objects, equivalent to ordinary people, only having one life.

After some contemplation, Lu Da’s gaze steadied, "Colonel, I’ll go in first to scout. Wangshan City’s situation is unknown; the Bureau needs you more than me."

Sang Que silently looked at Lu Da, suddenly feeling admiration for the man. It seemed like situations like Wei Wu’s were exceptions; there were still good people among Cui Cheng’s subordinates.

"I’ll go with you," Sang Que said, "Two people can look out for each other."

Seeing their resolve, Cui Cheng did not refuse, but reminded them to be careful.

Yu Da found a few stones on the ground and threw them into the alley. As the stones made noise, all four heard the ’tap-tap’ of footsteps, but saw nothing else.

Sang Que retrieved a feathered arrow from her back, drew the bow, and shot an arrow into the deepest part of the alley.

The arrow sped through the air, the mist rippling like water as it was pierced, but it all ultimately vanished into silence, still with no other response.

They could only venture inside to explore.

Yu Da quickly twisted together dead branches from the willow tree beside him into two finger-thick whips and handed them to Lu Da and Sang Que.

"It’s common knowledge that willow branches can hit ghosts; these are more effective than the knives you have."

Sang Que sheathed her knife and took the willow branch.

Lu Da nodded, took the willow branch, inhaled deeply, and stepped into the alley first.

Sang Que followed closely, and upon stepping inside, it felt like entering another world. A bone-chilling cold came upon them, a bone-scraping pain made goosebumps rise all over Sang Que, feeling an overpowering pressure. Instinctively, she sensed this place was extremely dangerous.

Glug!

Sang Que heard Lu Da’s clear gulping sound; he felt the same.

But with the arrow on the string, Lu Da didn’t want to be underestimated, especially by Sang Que, the small girl. He lifted the lantern and walked ahead with the willow branch in hand.

In the silent alley, there wasn’t even the sound of the wind, only the sound of their footsteps, Sang Que trying to quiet her steps.

Though it was a straight alley, it felt endless, the surrounding courtyards identical, without differences even in the peach charm residues on the doors. The sensation of the Ghost Wall was intense.

Suddenly, the earlier ’tap-tap’ footsteps approached quickly, reaching Lu Da’s back in an instant.

"Duck!"

Sang Que shouted, forcefully flinging the willow branch.

Lu Da, upon hearing, didn’t duck as Sang Que instructed but turned around puzzled. The next moment, his stomach felt cold, and he heard the whip crack through the air.

Lu Da saw a humanoid shadow flash before him, liquid gushing from his stomach. Lowering his head, he saw himself severed at the waist, falling dead.

Sang Que looked on in horror at the scene; the whip only temporarily repulsed the spectral shadow. Without a moment’s hesitation, she turned and ran.

In an instant, the ’tap-tap’ footsteps sounded behind her, urgent, pursuing Sang Que even faster than she could run.

Cui Cheng and Yu Da outside saw Lu Da’s tragic state and nervously worried for Sang Que.

"Sang Er, stop running and be silent!" Yu Da seemed to see something and yelled a warning.

But the warning was too late; the chilling wind swept over Sang Que’s nape, the thing was right behind her, her intense anxiety preventing immediate calm.

Just three steps to exit the alley, Sang Que leaped, feet on the side walls, zigzagging her way out. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Cui Cheng seemed to see something, sprinted forward, using his body to shield Sang Que from behind.

Yu Da was utterly shocked, watching Sang Que fly past him, landing heavily on the muddy road outside.

Sang Que felt pain all over, especially her neck. She gritted her teeth and sat up, finding her vision skewed, Yu Da watching her neck in shock.

Her neck was tilted, unable to straighten, with warm, sticky liquid flowing down her neck, soaking her black clothes.

Sang Que’s heart pounded frantically as she reached for her neck.

A gaping wound met her touch, directly touching her cervical vertebra.

Sang Que’s pupils twitched, her vision rapidly darkening from the edges, her body slumped back limply.

"Sang Er!!!"

Yu Da lunged toward Sang Que as Cui Cheng, entering the alley, heard the ’tap-tap’ footsteps.

*

Outside the ruined Evil Suppression Bureau’s plaza.

After much effort and time, Xuan Yu rapidly flew in and out of the ruins based on He Buning’s description, searching for various yin objects capable of casting curses.

Xia Chan followed He Buning’s instructions to go to Cui Liu Lane and find Granny Zhuang and Wei Ziyan.

With external interference gone, He Buning suddenly realized that if he wanted to lure the Dream Ghost to plunge the townspeople into nightmares, Granny Zhuang might be the best candidate.

This concern led Granny Zhuang to take calming soup for many years, engaging in related training to help her awake from nightmares on her own.

Therefore, He Buning sent Xia Chan to check on Granny Zhuang, besides Wei Ziyan, who was in charge of ritual matters at the Bureau, perhaps she could rapidly cast curses on many people at once, making rescue more efficient.

Xia Chan had been gone for a while, and He Buning worried, but he had to trust Xia Chan.

He Buning, crouching before the rescued few, held a box of rouge in his hand. The rouge was a yin object used for casting curses, causing human-faced pustules to form on people. If not broken within seven days, the pustule matures and emits laughter, those who hear it will laugh until convulsions end their life.

This was a relatively mild curse, easily broken.

Confronted with the few people before him, He Buning most wished to save Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu, whom he cherished like brothers, even more than his father and recently found sister.

But he couldn’t. As Night Travel Captain of Xuan Dynasty, his duty allows no favoritism.

After weighing pros and cons, He Buning chose Sang Que. Though below Cui Cheng’s level, she commanded Yin Child and Evil Mist.

If Sang Que lives, aided by his yin fire, the dismemberment ability of Yin Child can swiftly deal with most Evil Ghosts, the instant teleportation skill of Evil Mist can rescue more people in the shortest time and safely relocate the majority of citizens.

If she dies, with Yin Child unrestrained, the consequences are dire.

Having decided, He Buning opened the rouge box, dipped his fingers into the crimson blush, and applied it to Sang Que’s face.

At that moment, He Buning suddenly saw a bloodstain on Sang Que’s neck split open. Before he could intervene, the wound began healing rapidly, the blood emitting a strong rice wine smell.

He Buning’s pupils narrowed, suddenly realizing something.

Next to Sang Que’s motionless body, Cui Cheng trembled suddenly. Without hesitation, He Buning extended his rouge-dipped fingers, smearing a crimson mark on Cui Cheng’s face.