Chapter 171: Did you not know that talking too much can get your tongue cut off?

Chapter 171: Did you not know that talking too much can get your tongue cut off?

Chi Shen followed the paper figure out of the room.

Ghost Face, who had been beside Chi Shen, suddenly darted in front of him, peeking over his shoulder to inspect the illuminated room.

The room, though dated, appeared normal — a typical drawing room with a couch and tea table. A fruit bowl even sat atop the table.

Ghost Face's gaze first landed on the fruit bowl, then roamed the room's corners. While nothing seemed amiss, an eerie chill crept up his ghostly face, and every trace of his spectral energy screamed a warning: Danger lies within!

"Be cautious, this place is eerie," Ghost Face whispered.

Chi Shen nodded in the darkness, offering no verbal response.

The Paper Man's strides had an ethereal grace, its lantern swinging unpredictably. Chi Shen, unhurried, trailed behind toward the third floor.

The third floor also featured a lit room. The Paper Man paused at the door, its mouth opening to emit a blood-red message: [Please rest here for a moment, awaiting the others.]

"Is the Yuan family next?" Stepping just inside the doorway, Chi Shen asked, "There's no need to wait then. Lead on."

The Paper Man lingered at the entrance for a moment, its papery eyes seemingly full of confusion. Yet, it doesn’t recognize people by sight. After a brief hesitation, a new message emerged: [The representative of the Yuan family, please follow me.]

Soon, they reached the fourth floor. This time, Chi Shen didn't even enter the room, standing at the door, he chuckled and fumbled in his pocket, pulling out the remaining tokens, "Let's get this over with. How many more floors?"

The Paper Man’s papery head shifted, "gazing" at the string of tokens.

Chi Shen stared back, blinking innocently, urging it to hurry up and not waste time.

Without any further delay, the Paper Man pivoted and headed upstairs, only then emitting a message: [Representative of the Zhong family, please follow.]

Upon reaching the fifth floor, the Paper Man, skipping the previous invitation, projected: [The Wang family's representative, follow me.]

Both man and Paper Man proceeded without hesitation, advancing towards the sixth floor.

Catching up, Ghost Face remarked, "What are we doing? Playing a floor-climbing game? Can't we just get to the point?"

Chi Shen pondered, "It might be a necessary procedure, like in video games. We need to pass each checkpoint to trigger the next storyline. If we disrupt the quest giver now, we might get stuck here forever."

Ghost Face, unfamiliar with gaming, responded in confusion, "Huh?"

Chi Shen tried again, "Simply put, don't alert the enemy."

Ghost Face paused before exclaiming, "By representing everyone, aren't you doing just that? Are you misinterpreting the phrase?"

The Paper Man leading the way suddenly halted, turning its head as if “looking” toward the direction of Chi Shen’s shoulder. Ghost Face shivered, quickly scrambling down from Chi Shen's shoulder and sliding into his pocket.

With Ghost Face silenced, the Paper Man resumed its journey, guiding Chi Shen further upwards.

While Chi Shen leisurely climbed, elsewhere in Harbor City a tense atmosphere prevailed. Despite the citywide festive mood, the Special Security Bureau seemed particularly on edge.

On major holidays, the citizens of Harbor City had grown accustomed to the ubiquitous police presence. Though there were more officers than usual this year, it didn’t hinder the festive spirit of the inhabitants.

Outside a major shopping mall hung a sign indicating its closure for the Lunar New Year. The locals found this rather odd. Usually, during the New Year period, every store would go to great lengths to promote sales. It's surprising to see a store voluntarily forgo potential earnings.

"I heard there's a fire safety issue, so they're not allowed to open. They're in the process of rectification."

"Really? I heard someone died there!"

"Let's not talk about such things during the New Year."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Passersby exchanged comments, but eventually moved on, figuring it had little to do with them and soon diverted to other topics.

A police car was parked at the entrance of the mall. From a distance, it did seem like a crime scene. However, on closer inspection, a sign on the police car read: "Lunar New Year Mobile Service Center for Public Convenience."

The side door of the police car was open, and inside sat an officer in uniform. Beside the car stood a parasol and a small table. Two individuals in black sat next to the table. Although not in uniform, their presence gave off the impression that they too were law enforcement.

Uncle Zhang and a younger man sat there. As members of the Special Security Bureau, their presence was due to some ghost-related incident at this location.

Earlier in the day, a cashier at the mall had died. After investigation, they ascertained that this was one of the locations where Bai Ximing had released malicious spirits. The spirit acted out prematurely, taking a life, which led to their discovery. They quickly sealed off the mall, preparing to exorcise the ghost and were now waiting for the right time, hence their vigil outside.

"Uncle Zhang, after the daytime incident here, Bai Ximing changed our meeting time in the evening. This sudden situation seems to favor us; he surely wasn't prepared," said the younger man, sipping his hot tea.

Uncle Zhang shook his head, "It's not that simple. This might be a display of his strength, signaling that he's released numerous ghosts throughout the harbor city, forcing us to meet him."

Only core members knew certain details, such as Bai Ximing changing the meeting time more than once, or the exact level of the malevolent spirit inside.

The young man took another sip, "Speaking of which, is it true that Chief Zhang Yao from the Zhang clan is personally handling this? This incident must be grave. I've never heard of the chief leaving the capital before."

Of course, the fact that Chi Shen was representing them at Bai Ximing's designated location was confidential. The subordinates were kept in the dark.

Uncle Zhang nodded and then, with a look of sudden realization, said, "Why is Xiao Fang taking so long in the restroom?"

"I'll call him," the younger man quickly reached for his phone.

No answer.

"I'll go look for him!" The young man rose, phone in hand.

"Wait," Uncle Zhang halted him, "Let's go together."

The nearest restroom was by the mall's side entrance, now enveloped in darkness since the mall was closed. As they approached, they were hit by an overpowering smell of blood and decay.

"Uncle Zhang?" The young man stammered, looking towards the dim green glow of an emergency exit sign in the darkness, "What... what's that?"

A bloated, dark silhouette was hunched over the emergency exit, grotesquely feasting on a mutilated body. The source of the ghastly smells.

Zhang's face drained of color. He was certain this spirit was different from the one in the mall. He had familiarized himself with the mall spirit's appearance earlier in the day. This was a new, malevolent entity. Although it didn't seem as potent as the mall's spirit, it would still prove challenging.

"Get back," Zhang whispered urgently.

But it was too late.

The ghoulish entity looked up, revealing not one, but two heads. One head continued to gorge, while the other fixed its gaze on them. The next moment, with a swift motion, the creature tore off the feasting head and tossed it aside. Before they could react, the monstrous creature lunged at them.

"Delicious, delicious food," the creature rasped, its voice sounding like tearing paper. As steam rose from the freshly devoured organs, the two-headed horror charged forward.

"I..." Zhang Shu stared in astonishment, "I'm just a diviner with no combat abilities..."

Inside the old office building, Chi Shen had finally met with representatives from every family. At that moment, he stood in front of the last illuminated room. The paper figure barely paused before regurgitating another note: [If you don't want the entire harbor city to be buried with you, please follow me, Master Chi Shen.]

At this moment, Chi Shen gently tapped the paper figure on the shoulder, "Wait."

The paper figure's shoulder caved in slightly where he touched it, with paper fragments sprouting from the spot. The drawn expression on its face shifted, its eyes turning a bloody red, and sharp teeth began to protrude inch by inch from its mouth.

However, Chi Shen paid it no mind and walked straight into the last lit room.

The decor in this room was identical to the others he'd visited. As Chi Shen scanned the room, he noticed various ominous entities cunningly hidden from view. If a member from one of the great families were to enter, their chances of leaving alive would be slim.

Chi Shen approached the sofa, and instead of sitting, he swiftly lifted its leather, revealing a mummified corpse crawling with vermin.

Upon exposure to light, the mummy twitched. It raised its withered hand to pick out an insect from its eye socket, appearing as though it was about to rise.

But Chi Shen didn't grant it that opportunity. He produced a windproof lighter from somewhere, ignited a piece of the sofa's leather, and tossed it in.

The sofa ignited as if doused in gasoline, burning rapidly. The mummy didn't react at all and was quickly reduced to ash.

In the bright flames, Chi Shen waved at the mummy with a smile, "Goodbye, and you're welcome."

After saying that, he turned to leave. After a few steps, noticing that the paper figure remained stationary, he looked back and asked, "Aren't you guiding me anymore?"

The paper figure swiftly retracted its protruding fangs, and its eyes reverted to black in an instant. It seemed as though nothing had been amiss. As for the sunken shoulder, it managed to reform itself with a little effort. The lantern shone a bit brighter as it swiftly spat out a line: [The path ahead is dark; please watch your step, Master Chi Shen.]

Chi Shen: "Huh?"

The paper figure smacked its lips and quickly replaced its message: [My apologies for the oversight, Master Chi Shen. Let me guide you right away.]

Having conveyed this, the paper figure started moving, taking the lead. After a few steps, it turned its head 180 degrees and, while walking, displayed another message: [Tea awaits for you upstairs, prepared by the master. Please don't fret.]