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"Paper Zhang?"
Before Zhao Fu Sheng regained consciousness through reincarnation, she had indeed heard the Fan brothers mention the name "Paper Zhang." She had remembered it then, and now hearing them bring it up again, she seized the opportunity to inquire about this person's origin.
"Correct, Paper Zhang." Fan Bi Si said,
"The Zhang family is a prominent household in the county. They have inherited secret arts for generations, focusing on nurturing immortals. They possess extraordinary abilities and certain mystical techniques. As long as you can pay the price, their help will exceed your expectations." After pausing for a moment, a faint smile crept onto his slightly dark-skinned face,
"You'll understand later."
"Indeed." Fan Wu Jiu chimed in from the side, nodding in agreement,
"Paper Zhang is very powerful. The disaster diversion strategy was his idea..."
He shouldn't have spoken if he couldn't. Fan Bi Si glared at his impulsive younger brother angrily. He worried that Fan Wu Jiu's lack of tact might provoke Zhao Fu Sheng and cause her to reject helping them.
Fan Wu Jiu realized his mistake upon seeing his brother's glare and became nervous, not daring to speak recklessly again.
"To sum up, once you get to know him, his role will be far greater than you imagine."
Fan Bi Si reluctantly added, then impatiently glared at his brother again and urged him,
"Hurry up and bring out the Soul Fate Book for Miss Fu Sheng to review..."
This younger brother was truly inept at handling affairs.
Although Fan Bi Si was ruthless, he was particularly soft-hearted toward his twin brother. The two had been inseparable since childhood, and their bond was deep. He scolded him but couldn't bear to abandon his brother.
Seeing his younger brother's mistake, Fan Wu Jiu quickly opened the purple sandalwood box.
Inside were books, but he treated them carelessly, flipping through them haphazardly. Several books fell to the ground. Last night had rained heavily, and the muddy ground soaked the books, making them dirty and damp.
Zhao Fu Sheng bent down to pick them up. Fan Wu Jiu flipped through the books and found a red box at the bottom.
The box was entirely red, made of an unknown wood. The red hue wasn't painted but seemed to emanate from within, giving the box a lustrous, colorful surface and an underlying, subtle sense of bloodiness, which felt sinister and unsettling.
Zhao Fu Sheng frowned upon seeing it, instinctively wary of the box.
Fan Wu Jiu, after touching the box, seemed to find it unsettling and showed reverence. He then handed it to his brother.
Fan Bi Si held the box and took several deep breaths before finally opening it to reveal its contents.
Inside were densely packed blood-red vermilion talismans. The vermilion looked freshly written, still glistening as if the ink hadn't dried.
In the center lay a palm-sized emerald jade book. Fan Bi Si glanced at it and bit his lip before passing the box to Zhao Fu Sheng.
"This Soul Fate Book should be under the command of the division chief. Since Zhao Qi Ming's death, it temporarily fell into our hands. Now it returns to its rightful owner."
After speaking, he whispered,
"Fu Sheng, please forgive us. We have wronged you, and we are willing to repent and compensate. Now you no longer need us. Staying here is pointless."
Zhao Fu Sheng didn't speak but reached out to take the jade book.
The moment her fingers touched the jade book, countless vermilion talismans seemed to come alive, transforming into wriggling worm-like forms and quickly spreading to her fingers.
This bizarre and terrifying occurrence startled Zhao Fu Sheng.
Born in modern times, she had never encountered anything so inexplicable by conventional means. She instinctively wanted to pull her hand back and shake off the 'worms.'
But the talismans quickly covered her entire hand and wrist, making her feel as if her palm had been inscribed with strange markings.
As the talismans spread, her hand felt like it had plunged into ice, sending sharp pain through her and causing her to shiver.
"Poisonous?" she exclaimed.
While speaking, Zhao Fu Sheng's fingers began to numb. The parts covered by the talismans turned pale and dry, and she quickly lost control of her hand. It felt like a foreign, lifeless object from her forearm to her fingertips.
Zhao Fu Sheng wildly shook her hand, trying to rid herself of the talismans.
But the eerie talismans clung like parasites, not only inscribed on her fingers but also seemingly embedded in her bones and blood.
After experiencing this strange power, Zhao Fu Sheng, who had already learned about ghosts in this unfamiliar era, still felt a significant psychological impact.
She was trembling in terror when suddenly she felt a chill at her back.
It was as if another chill was nearing her, trying to dispel the coldness in her palm.
For a moment, she couldn't distinguish whether this was a real sensation or an illusion. Just as she was startled and unsure, the talismans mysteriously retreated into the secret box after sensing her presence.
The coldness in her palm disappeared instantly, and the numbness and sharp pain vanished.
Her heart raced, and she instinctively clenched her fist.
The feeling of losing control was gone. The connection in her blood vessels restored, and her fingers obeyed her will, forming a fist.
Zhao Fu Sheng looked at her hand with lingering unease.
Her palm was now long, pale, and slender, with a few bloodstains in her fingers.
Besides that, there were no more talismans or seals. It seemed as if the earlier scene of talismans crawling over her fingers and palm had been an illusion.
Since her reincarnation, Fan Bi Si had always felt she was composed and capable, like a completely different person. But now, seeing her show signs of unease for the first time, he knew she must have been frightened by the talismans.
He smiled and explained,
"Rest assured. You are the ruler of this division. These talismans won't harm you. If anyone else tries to tamper with the Soul Fate Book, they'll be dead in an instant."
After saying that, he added,
"These talismans were drawn by the court. The ones on the book were painted by General Jia Yi, who also controls ghostly creatures. It's said that his spirit has reached the煞 level and can communicate with spirits. These talismans are rumored to be ghostly language. Even from a thousand miles away, Jia Yi can use ghostly language to kill..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Fu Sheng shuddered.
Fan Bi Si's words didn't comfort her. She knew nothing about ghostly matters, but the ghostly creatures were so terrifying. The fact that ghostly language couldn't harm her implied a deeper reason.
She instinctively touched her back, feeling the coldness dissipate along with the ghostly talismans on her hand. The chill vanished completely.
"..."
But Zhao Fu Sheng didn't relax. She felt the unease from her nightmare returning.
It was as if a pair of cold, sinister eyes were watching her, making her uncomfortable all over.
She turned her head to look around, and this movement caught the Fan brothers' attention. Fan Bi Si cautiously asked,
"What's wrong?"
She furrowed her brows, suppressing her unease, and shook her head,
"Nothing."
Her expression looked grim, clearly not as she claimed. Though Fan Bi Si was suspicious by nature, he only guessed she might have witnessed the talismans' power and realized their implications. Hearing him say they were 'ghostly language,' she might have been frightened.
After all, she was just a young country girl...
Since he had a request, he reassured her,
"Don't worry. Though 'ghostly language' is terrifying, it won't harm our own people."
"Our own people?"
Upon hearing the phrase 'our own people,' Zhao Fu Sheng became even more uneasy. Fan Bi Si explained,
"To enter the Demonic Suppression Division, one must first enter the Soul Fate Book."
Zhao Fu Sheng took a deep breath.
She sensed Fan Bi Si's next words wouldn't be pleasant.
These Fan brothers weren't good people, but Fan Bi Si claimed they were bound by the Soul Fate Book. Therefore, he had to humble himself and beg her. She remembered that the original Zhao Fu Sheng had also signed a contract with blood when joining the Demonic Suppression Division.
"Once your soul is lit, you'll be under the Soul Fate Book's control. It decides your life or death." Fan Bi Si said calmly.
"Does that mean surrendering your life to others first?" Zhao Fu Sheng was startled and asked.
"Yes."
Compared to Zhao Fu Sheng's shock and anger, Fan Bi Si remained calm.
"Ah, this..." Zhao Fu Sheng was at a loss for words. After a while, she勉强 recovered her composure and said,
"The Demonic Suppression Division is so vast. You said most people who join are extraordinary. Even some are spirit controllers. Would they agree to this?"
"There's no other way."
Fan Bi Si shook his head,
"Those in the court are far more powerful than you can imagine. Ordinary spirit controllers how could they contend with the court?"
The horror of ghostly creatures far exceeded general imagination. Fighting alone against malevolent spirits had a very low survival rate. Only teamwork was most effective.
"The court has many people and abundant resources. Once in the Demonic Suppression Division, if trouble arises, you can seek help from the court."
Here, he grinned,
"Besides, spirit controllers' lifespans are inherently short. Added to the influence of malevolent spirits, if there's no restraint, they could be a disaster for ordinary people."
"But..." Zhao Fu Sheng was about to speak again when Fan Bi Si interrupted,
"Anyway, isn't enjoying life under the court favorable? At least after joining the Demonic Suppression Division, power and beauty will be within your grasp. As for being constrained by the Soul Fate Book, as long as you don't betray the court and don't attempt to leave, the ghostly curses won't activate. Naturally, you'll be safe."
Zhao Fu Sheng didn't dare to agree with his view, but she didn't intend to persuade him either. Her priority was to find a way to escape the Soul Fate Book's constraints and break free from the Fan brothers' control.
Suppressing her unease, she looked at Fan Bi Si.
He had been speaking for so long just to ask her to temporarily remove their names from the Soul Fate Book.
"Help us brothers extract our souls. If done through your hands, we'll have about a month to find another Soul Fate Book to house our souls—" He urged her.
Zhao Fu Sheng hesitated and reached out again for the jade book.
This time, the ghostly language seemed to recognize her presence and didn't attack her. She successfully retrieved the book and held it in her hand.
"Fu Sheng, our brothers will be eternally grateful..."
Fan Bi Si thought she had taken the book and assumed the matter was settled. Even he, usually calm, couldn't help but show joy in his eyes.
But he rejoiced too soon. After Zhao Fu Sheng took the book, she didn't do as he said. Instead, she looked distressed.
Fan Bi Si's words were true.
The power of these talismans was frightening, but she didn't sense any hostility from the ghostly talismans.
Zhao Fu Sheng realized she was trapped in Wan'an County. This place was plagued by ghosts and abandoned by the court.
Her complexion turned slightly pale. Suppressing her unease, she shook her head,
"Not yet. I have some questions. Continue."
Fan Bi Si's smile froze instantly. Fan Wu Jiu's expression turned gloomy. About to speak, Fan Bi Si took a deep breath, glared at his younger brother, and smiled again,
"What else do you want to know? We will answer everything."
"...