《Otherworldly Merchant》Chapter 461: The Mask’s Whereabouts
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Many people went to check on the actor’s condition. We also went. Since a heavy camera had fallen right on his head, he was unconscious at this moment. A pool of blood formed on the floor, and although he was still breathing, he would have to lie in bed for quite a long time.
While someone called the ambulance, I pulled Li Mazi and Yin Xinyue aside and said, “Guys, I have something I need to tell you. But don’t be scared.”
“What’s wrong, Brother Zhang?” Yin Xinyue was curious.
I told them my assumption. “The great mask of the Prince of Lanling is with Yi Xi!”
Since the first encounter, I had felt the heavy Yin energy around him. Then, I saw the gruesome ghost face overlap with his. It was as if he was wearing a mask.
However, I didn’t know how the Prince of Lanling’s mask worked or how he got it.
“Can you think about a solution? If things like this keep happening, we won’t be able to film this drama, and all the money we’ve poured into it will go in vain,” said Yin Xinyue.
“It’s not like I can Yi Xi about it. I’m sure he won’t ever admit it. Plus, if we offend him, something unexpected could happen to us. It’s more of a loss than a gain. We’ll need the help from someone with great credit in this film crew,” I suggested.
That person was none other than the director!
I had to let the director know that there was something wrong with Yi Xi. I asked Yin Xinyue to help me. Tonight, I’d play the part of the swindler!
The director was always busy. We had to head back to our courtyard and wait for him. When the night fell, Li Mazi and I went to the pool and brought some stuff with us.
Li Mazi wasn’t pleased. “Why do we have to come here?”
“We’re going to capture some ghosts.”
Then, I took out the Guan Yu statue from my bag and put it on the ground. I mumbled “Sorry” to the statue and used a red fabric band to blindfold him.
I cut the eels and smeared the eel blood over the statue, putting it at the side of the pool. I then advised Li Mazi, “When the statue moves, you have to untie the blindfold.”
I mixed chili powder with salt and put the mixture into a jar. Then, I walked around the pool and sprinkled the mixture.
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Although this pool was dried up, it was large. It took me almost an hour to sprinkle the spicy powder. Some footprints started to appear on the ground. I continued to sprinkle the chili powder. The footprints then appeared in an area that didn’t have the powder. I lashed the Sirius Whip a few times, and a wisp of cold wind left the pool.
“It’s moving!” Li Mazi screamed by the pool side.
“Hurry, untie the red blindfold!”
I rushed back to the pool side. The Guan Yu statue was still shaking.
Li Mazi was surprised. “Little Brother Zhang, what is the principle behind this?”
“It’s simple. I trapped the three ghosts from the pool into the Guan Yu statue,” I explained.
“What? You disrespected the god!” Li Mazi was shocked.
“I’m going to break the statue, too. I have a plan to make Yi Xi break the statue in front of the director!”
I knew it was a little disrespectful, but I had to use Guan Yu to convince the director. It would also make Yi Xi show his flaws. After everything was over, I planned to go to Guan Yu’s temple to make donations of incense and oil to compensate for my disrespectful behavior.
Since the statue had strong Yang energy, the three ghosts couldn’t escape. They kept struggling inside the statue.
I burned some paper money for them and coldly said, “Do you want that mask? You should be honest with me. Or else, I’ll imprison you here forever.”
After I said that, the ghosts stopped moving. I picked up the Guan Yu statue. It felt heavier than before.
Li Mazi and I carried the statue to the director’s room. As planned, Yin Xinyue was chatting with the director to make sure that he stayed in the room. When he saw us carrying the statue, he stood up to greet us.
“Mr. Zhang, where did you get this Guan Yu statue?”
“In the town, but you don’t have to worry. I’ve invited the spirit from your broken statue to stay in this one.” I smiled gently.
The director half-bought it. I carefully placed the statue on the altar and burned three joss sticks.
“How’s the actor that was injured this afternoon?” I asked.
“He is no longer in danger, but the doctor told me that he has a concussion. He needs to rest for a while.” The director offered us cigarettes, but we gently declined.
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He sighed. “Our film crew has a few hundred people, and they’re afraid that something unexpected might happen when we shoot the drama. Mr. Zhang, Miss Yin told me that you have a lot of items that can change one’s fortune. This year, I always feel unlucky. Could you sell something to me?”
“It’s true that otherworldly items can change your fortune, but the price the users have to pay is really high. If you’re careless, unexpected disasters can happen.” I tried to steer the topic into another direction. “Actually, I think your fate and fortune are really good. You don’t need to add anything, just do some subtracting.”
“Mr. Zhang, what should I subtract? Is there anything bad around me?” asked the director.
“I don’t want to hide it from you. Someone in your film crew possesses an extremely dangerous otherworldly item. That’s why an unexpected incident happened this afternoon,” I told him mysteriously.
“I’m listening!” the director pricked up his ears.
“I’ll ask you something first. These days, has Yi Xi changed?”
“Why do you ask? I don’t think so.” The director looked puzzled. He shook his head.
“Is there anything else that has changed?” I continued.
The director contemplated. “Oh yeah. In the beginning, we thought he wasn’t a perfect choice for the male protagonist. During his first audition, I thought that he had a feminine aura that wasn’t suitable for the manly protagonist. When I listed his shortcomings, he was mad at me. Sigh, he’s a talented kid, but his temperament is really bad.”
“What happened after that?”
“His agent implored me and asked me to give Yi Xi another audition. I gave him another chance. The second time, the feeling he brought was completely different. He acted perfectly, and I made him my male protagonist!” The director still felt strange when he said that.
I guessed it was because Yi Xi had gotten the mask.
The Prince of Lanling was very handsome, and he lacked masculine features. That was why he always wore a ferocious, ghostly mask. From a certain point of view, this mask could give people confidence.
However, I knew it didn’t just offer confidence.
“All right, I’ll tell you. There’s something wrong with Yi Xi!” I told the director.
“Mr. Zhang, what do you mean? Do you doubt my eyes? I don’t make mistakes when I choose my actors and actresses.” The director didn’t sound pleased.
“No, no, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not talking about his acting skills. He has something evil with him. To check it, can you call him here? As long as he enters this room, you’ll see,” I said.
The director half-believed and half-doubted me. He called Yi Xi and told him that he needed to discuss the script with him. Yi Xi agreed to come.
Yi Xi would always bring that mask with him. As long as he entered the room, the three ghosts would become excited and break the statue. The director would see the problem then.
Soon, Yi Xi came in. He smiled and said, “Director, why did you call me here so late? I just removed my make-up and was about to return to the hotel.”
When he saw us, he was a little surprised. “Oh, you told me to come to discuss the script. Why are these guys here?”
I glanced at the statue. It didn’t move. Yi Xi isn’t keeping the mask on his person?
“Mr. Zhang said that he needed to see you. Mr. Zhang, you should tell him yourself.” The director smiled embarrassedly.
I was at a loss. While I was trying to find an excuse, Yi Xi’s agent came in. The Guan Yu statue on the altar began to shake hard. After a short crackle, the statue broke into countless pieces. A wisp of cold wind escaped the statue.
As soon as the three ghosts escaped, they plunged toward the agent. However, right when they were about to reach him, they perished and disappeared as if they had banged into a deadly, invisible wall.
Everybody in the room saw the statue break. The director was bewildered. His eyes repeatedly shifted between the statue and the agent. “Xiao Song, are you keeping something bad with you?”
The agent said, “I’m not. Director, why are you doubting me? I’m sure those swindlers have done something to the statue.”
Then, he turned and left. I stepped forward to stop him. “You can go and check the statue to see if I have done anything to it! If not, you’re the problem! Do you dare to show us the thing you’re hiding beneath your clothes?”
The agent instinctively pulled his collar together and tried to look calm. “Nonsense. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
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