Chapter 169 - 168: The Red Handkerchief

Chapter 169: Chapter 168: The Red Handkerchief

A phantasm of a giant, earth-yellow boulder descended, instantly enveloping the palm-sized paper sedan.

Under He Xiaotian’s control, it rapidly shrank.

In a matter of moments, a fist-sized stone, solidified from Inner Strength, fell into his hand.

"Let me out!"

A faint, almost imperceptible voice drifted out from within.

He Xiaotian picked at his ear and whistled.

"And that’s a wrap."

Ever since his Unyielding Rock Qi Seal reached +10, he had been able to solidify his Inner Strength.

Of course, he could only do this when using that special attribute. Under normal circumstances, it was still impossible.

When he returned to the quiet room, a golden light flashed.

Immediately after, the black mist filling the entire courtyard vanished in an instant.

"Where’s the head?"

"In the wardrobe."

Shouyangzi pointed to the wardrobe against the wall. He Xiaotian walked over, reached inside, and after a bit of rummaging, pulled out a human head with a paper talisman stuck to its forehead.

"I’m leaving these two with you. Keep a close eye on them. Don’t let them take the chance to escape."

After that, the two of them continued their stakeout, waiting for any uninvited guests.

The next day, the sky began to brighten.

The old Taoist leaned against the shattered door and yawned.

"I say, Scholar X. It’s been a whole night. How about we have a vegetarian meal and get some sleep?"

’How old do you think I am?’

’He Xiaotian just had to make me stand watch with him all night.’

’Come on, you’re young and strong, full of energy. Pulling an all-nighter is nothing to you.’

’But this old Taoist is really at his limit!’

"Fine, go get some sleep. I’ll interrogate this head and the paper effigy. Just be on time for guard duty with me tonight," He Xiaotian said, nodding as he watched the red sun rise in the east.

The old Taoist’s heart filled with delight when he heard the first half of the sentence.

’Finally, I can eat a hot meal and then have a wonderful sleep.’

But the second half of the sentence nearly made him slip and fall.

’What the hell?’

’I still have to stand watch tonight?’

’You might as well just kill me!’

But then he glanced at Daoxuan, who was leaning against the wall, sleeping soundly while hugging a human-faced sunflower.

Shouyangzi gritted his teeth. ’For my disciple’s sake, I won’t stoop to your level.’

He Xiaotian took the paper talisman off the head’s forehead and patted its face.

"Zzz... Zzz..."

"..."

’You’re having a pretty good time for a prisoner, sleeping through the whole night.’

"Wakey wakey, it’s morning."

"Zzz... Zzz..."

He Xiaotian thought for a moment, then raised his right hand and slapped it hard.

SLAP!

"Who?!"

The head’s eyes flew open in a rage. ’Doesn’t he know I’m a bastard when I just wake up?’

"Me."

"???"

It looked at He Xiaotian, and its expression changed instantly, becoming utterly sycophantic.

"Sir, last night I was just passing by. I heard a loud ruckus inside this temple and couldn’t help but come over to see what the commotion was about. You see... maybe you could let me go?" Its attitude changed faster than a Sichuan opera face-change.

"I ask, you answer. If I’m satisfied with your answers, I’ll consider it. But if I think there’s something wrong with what you’re saying, then sorry, but I’ll send you straight to the west to become a novice monk at Ling Mountain." As soon as he finished speaking, the head immediately nodded in agreement.

"Sir, rest assured, I will tell you everything I know."

"What exactly are you?" He Xiaotian asked. If you were to call the head an evil spirit or a grotesque, it didn’t have that kind of sinister aura. On the contrary, its speech and mannerisms were no different from a normal person’s.

It was just a head, with no body.

’If you said it was a person, not even a ghost would believe you!’

"Sir, I’m a person, really, I’m a person. I just know a little trick, it’s called the Flying Head Skill." Then the head began to talk nonstop, explaining its origins.

It turned out the head was a successor of the Red Handkerchief Sect. So, what was the Red Handkerchief Sect?

To put it bluntly, they were the stage magicians of ancient Hua Country.

Legend has it that the founder of the Red Handkerchief Sect was a remarkable woman from the late Han Dynasty named Hong Yi.

The name Hong Yi wasn’t her real name, just a moniker.

And there are mentions of this woman in unofficial historical records and notes.

Although there were only a few sentences, many legends of the ’Eight Outer Guilds’ spoke of her heaven-defying Illusion Technique.

It was rumored that Hong Yi once performed on the street. She took a hemp rope, and with a flick of her hand, the rope stood straight up from the ground like a bamboo pole. She then climbed up the rope, which was so long that one could not see its top.

When the onlookers saw that she had been up there for a long time without coming down, a brave person went to pull the rope. But the moment they touched it, the rope went limp, and the person who had climbed to the top was nowhere to be found.

He Xiaotian stroked his chin. ’Where have I heard this story before?’

"Hold on, are you trying to trick me into thinking I haven’t read ’Stealing Peaches’ from Pu Songling’s *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*? Except for the part about the dismembered child who gets put back together, it’s basically the exact same story!"

The head looked like it wanted to cry but had no tears. ’Oh, come on, sir! Pu Songling was from the Qing Dynasty. My founder was from the late Han Dynasty. What’s so strange about him hearing about this trick and writing it down with some artistic embellishment?’

"Sir, I’m really not lying to you. I am from the Red Handkerchief Sect. If you don’t believe me, then Illusion, Pill, Sword, Bean, or Ring... pick any one, and I’ll perform it for you."

’What the hell are you talking about?’

’You’re just a head. Performing sword-swallowing would be a piece of cake for you.’

"Forget it. You came to Snake Mountain for the Netherworld Fissure?"

"Yes, yes, yes, sir. Other than that, I really have no malicious intent. I even got rid of some of the evil practitioners and malevolent spirits lingering on Snake Mountain. And the master of the paper sedan, she also took out quite a few people."

"Can you guarantee that everyone you killed was a bad person?"

"Of course! How many good people are there who raise ghosts? Especially those with fierce, malevolent auras and resentment so thick you can see it with the naked eye. If people like that aren’t evil practitioners, what are they, followers of the righteous path?" the head replied with absolute certainty.

"Alright, I believe you." In any case, He Xiaotian truly didn’t detect any malicious intent from him. When answering, the head had met his gaze directly, without a hint of evasion or hesitation.

’If I’m really being tricked, then this successor of the Red Handkerchief Sect is a better actor than an Oscar winner.’

’Then again, with acting skills like that, why bother with stupid magic tricks? Wouldn’t it be better to just go be an actor and make money?’

"Hehe, sir. You see how cooperative I’ve been, telling you everything I know without holding back. I’ve laid all my cards on the table, no secrets. So, could you maybe let me go now? This Flying Head Skill of mine can only last for seven days at most. After seven days, I’ll kick the bucket."

The head didn’t know that the specific timeframe he’d given had made He Xiaotian change his mind.

"In that case, I’ll let you go in seven days."

"?!" The head panicked. ’Didn’t you promise you’d let me go if I told the truth?’ "Sir, you can’t do this!"

"Do what?" He Xiaotian asked back with a slight smile.

"Didn’t you say you’d let me go if I cooperated honestly?"

"I said I’d *consider* it. And now I’ve considered it. I’m not letting you go for the time being. What, you got a problem with that?"

"..."

’Alright, you win.’