Shortly after the courier left, an executive car slowly drove past the gate of the Zhang family's small villa; a man in the front passenger seat, used his DSLR camera to take photos of the house from various angles. He then activated his earbud, and communicated with someone. "Lord, from following the courier that delivered the item, we finally found the address of the person who ordered that stone spirit mask."
"What took you so long?" A deep, dark voice resounded on the line.
"It's mainly because this family doesn't live in the main city, but in the outskirts of Qinghai city in this neighborhood…"
"Neighborhood?"
"Yes, Lord. I think if we send someone in to retrieve it…"
"This is a lawful society, remember? The world is harmonious, why be so grouchy?" There was a dark chuckle on the line. "To still buy a house in the outskirts during this era… this family probably isn't much. Have you investigated their background?"
"Not yet. But our technicians have already secretly infiltrated the cultivation police department system to check the demographic survey; we should have some idea soon," the man replied.
"I see. I'll send someone over round tomorrow to negotiate. If you can use money to solve something, there's no need to resolve to being violent."
"The Great Lord is truly so kindhearted!"
"Unexpectedly, we were still too late. If we had been quicker buying that mask from the shop, we wouldn't have gotten into this." The person on the other end of the line couldn't help sighing. "But, bear in mind, that this mask should under no circumstances fall in the hands of other outsiders. Keep a close eye on them, understand? It would be best for us to own it."
"Lord, if this subordinate may be granted the permission to ask a question, is the reason why you're so afraid of this mask falling into someone else's hands because of the mask's curse?"
"That's only one thing of it."
The voice sounded a little grim. "It's true that this mask can cause bad luck. But the real horror is the raw power of Devil Monarch Xu Muyan, the God of Malevolence spawned by this mask… there's a high chance that the mask will force them to seal an agreement sooner rather than later. In the end, it will turn into a superior spirit form and obtain power that cannot be suppressed. According to our intel, the way the mask seals an agreement is quick and graphic: as soon as the person puts it on, the eyes will glow white as the swirling circle on the forehead flickers with red light. Then the hooks will pierce the chin and forehead."
"Then isn't this family in danger?"
"The spirit mask also has a sense of preference when choosing a host. It's not interested in the old or weak, and it particularly loves young bodies…"
"… Young bodies?" The man grinned mischievously
"Shut the hell up. Not in that way, idiot." The person on the other end sighed.
"Right, right, my bad, Lord." Hearing the Lord of the Kingdom's reply… he had remembered that the person who answered the door looked like a young student…
"Okay! Last question, Lord! If the mask has sealed the agreement by tomorrow, what should we do?"
On the other end of the line, the tone turned heavy. "The only thing you can do, is to kill the other party before the mask achieves its superior spirit form, then take it away by force. That's the only way I can think of. When you go in tomorrow, make sure to spot if they have any marks on their forehead and chin."
"Understood." The man solemnly ended the call.
…
It wasn't like Xero hadn't had experience with online shopping before, and he had also heard of Jie Tong Express. This delivery company, which claimed that their delivery time is max twenty four hours, enjoyed an excellent reputation in the cultivation world. It was also their speed and service that made it all the way enjoyable.
Returning to his room with the delivery package, Xero stared at the fifteen packets of custard bun snacks, and was lost deep in thought. No wonder positive ratings were the highest in the market and industry for years with Jie Tong Express. This temptation… who could resist it?!
Xero was itching to open the package; the inside of the box had been layered with plastic wrap, which was not only shock absorbent but also waterproof. This somewhat old-looking spirit mask had been further wrapped in linen bandages which was used in Egypt for mummies… that meant that this mask was abnormal…
This cursed mask, which had scared the seller so much that he insisted on selling it, looked a little sinister, as if every frightening thing was crafted into it. There were sharp teeth on either side of the mouth; furthermore, it had a swirling circle on the forehead which looked like it could glow and a long hook protruding from each side of the mask like claws… at first glance, it resembled a shark's tail. The eyes were diamond shaped and were made of epoxy resin further coated with a red and yellow film that reflected the light a little.
When Xero turned off the light, the mask had a fluorescent effect.
Looking closer, he saw details that hadn't been added in the online image; there were fine cracks on the sides that definitely wasn't caused because of tears or wears…
Xero's premeditated guess was that the merchant that had crafted this mask hadn't known that they were using primeval black crystal stones to make it. It was inevitable that using subpar techniques would cause cracks as it was being made.
Fortunately, it wasn't anything serious — just minor cracks, it couldn't be seen on the online image unless under close proximity under the naked eye.
In the end, it was a six yuan mask, express delivery included, including sent over custard bun packets… Xero felt that if he gave the seller a bad rating, he would be too cruel.
He had a habit of reviewing goods which he bought online.
After confirming receipt of his package, and giving the seller a five star positive rating, he started to write out his review.
Just as he was writing his comment, he received a message from the employee from the New Millennium Shop of Masks: "It seems our friend has received the goods! Thank you for your five star rating!"
Xero thought that it was probably an automated response, but unexpectedly the employee sent another message. "Someone gave us a call yesterday… the delivery may have been lost, which really gave us the creep…"
Someone had called for information?
But he hadn't made a call at all!
Was this coincidence, or was someone investigating him again?
Xero cupped his chin as he pondered.
He hadn't asked for anymore details though.
If he considered the worse case scenario that someone was monitoring his online shop records, then no doubt are they probing the very chat between him and the employee.
He stared at the spirit mask. Had he caused some trouble for himself?
Xero stood in front of the mirror and put the mask on, his eyebrow raised.
Four minutes later…
He took off the spirit mask and shook his head…
From his preliminary evaluation, the mask didn't seem to have any damn use…
But given the seller's story about the curse, he figured it wouldn't be so bad if he kept in his room for a while.
"Son! Come down for dinner!" At that moment, Mother Zhang's voice sounded as she yelled.
Xero took a short sigh, then casually put the mask on his desk.
Thump !
After the room door shut, the spirit mask shuddered, as its hooks shook violently…
This was the first time in years that he had come such a person with such thick layers of skin!
What the hell!
The hooks couldn't pierce his skin at all, f**king shit!