Chapter 66: Transforming Life to Death, Pretending Death for Life

The phone rang with a call indicating the delivery had arrived, but it was a monotonous, AI-synthesized female voice saying my delivery was here.
I checked the GPS on my phone; it was right downstairs at the hotel.
It seemed I had to go out and get it myself.

Xiao Qing told me to go down and get the delivery while she continued with the arrangements in the room.
When I reached the front desk, although the lobby was brightly lit, the receptionist was gone.

When I stepped outside, a delivery rider in a bright yellow uniform was standing stiffly in front of the steps, holding incense, candles, and chrysanthemums in his left hand, and a bag of fruits and white rice in his right.
He wore a mask, his whole body tightly covered, and I couldn’t even see his face clearly.

He didn’t say a word, just handed the bags over.
The moment I took them, my hand briefly brushed against his gloved hand.
There was no warmth, no human touch, as if he weren’t a living person.

But he was wearing gloves, so maybe I was mistaken.
The delivery rider turned and left without another word.
I didn’t try to strike up a conversation with him to avoid trouble.
Perhaps I was slowly getting used to this world: if you want to live long, don’t talk too much and don’t meddle in too many things.

I took the purchased funeral supplies and turned back to the room.
As Xiao Qing had reminded me, I didn’t take the elevator but went up the stairs.
I didn’t encounter anyone on the way, and it was incredibly quiet, as if I were the only person left in the entire hotel.

After returning to the room, Xiao Qing had already finished most of the preparations.
All that was left were these newly bought items.
The yellow and white chrysanthemums were placed on either side of the altar table, along with the paper effigies.

The rice was placed in front of the paper effigies, with my fresh blood poured over it, and two chopsticks stuck in.
The fruits were also placed on both sides.
The final effect looked like a mourning hall, only without a portrait or a memorial tablet, but two small paper effigies instead.

Mo Qingyan sent another message: “Xiao Qing, sprinkle Luo Xiao with Lifeless Powder, then draw a line with the Lifeless Powder behind the offering table to divide the room into two parts. Luo Xiao kneels inside, and the offering table is on the outside, closer to the door.”

“I understand. So that’s how it is,” Xiao Qing seemed to understand.
She took out the Lifeless Powder she had used before and sprinkled it on me.

This white bone powder was made from ground fragments of resentful souls and yin-aspected human bones.
It emitted a faint ominous aura that could mask a person’s life force, making them less likely to attract the attention of ghosts.

“Xiao Qing, do you understand the principle of this ritual?” I asked.
I felt completely clueless throughout the entire process and could only follow Mo Qingyan’s arrangements.
It just felt like we were preparing a sacrifice for the dead.

“It’s simple. We divide this room into two parts. The side closer to the door is the mourning hall for the dead. The other side, marked by the Lifeless Powder, is the hidden area of the living. We use the Lifeless Powder to conceal the life force on you, Brother Xiao, and attract Xia Yubing’s parents to the paper effigies that have your blood on them,” Ou Zhiqin explained.

“I think I kind of get it. Simply put, we’re using the paper effigies as my substitutes, letting the ghosts possess the paper effigies, right?” I was starting to understand.

“Right. Using paper effigies to avert disaster is a common method in supernatural events. Senior Sister Mo’s setup isn’t anything special. The most crucial part is to hide your real body so the ghosts don’t discover you before possessing the paper effigies, and what to do after they’ve possessed them,” Ou Zhiqin added.

By this time, we had finished the setup.
Xiao Qing took a photo of the scene and sent it to Mo Qingyan.
She sent back a message asking, “Are the clothes completely burned? That’s the medium that allows Xia Yubing’s parents to locate Luo Xiao. It must be completely burned.”

“It’s all burned. It produced a basin of blood, and not a single bit of ash was left,” Xiao Qing replied.
Mo Qingyan sent another message: “Good. Place that basin of blood in front of the table. Then you can leave.”

“Eh?” Ou Zhiqin cried out in surprise and quickly sent a message to confirm, “You want me to leave? But what will happen to Brother Xiao after I go?”

“You must leave. There cannot be any other living person at the scene, otherwise, something dangerous will definitely happen. As for Luo Xiao, don’t worry. Even if this setup fails, she will only be possessed. She can still be saved tomorrow.”

After reading Mo Qingyan’s message, Xiao Qing had a very conflicted expression.
Logically, she knew Senior Sister Mo was right; her staying would only interfere with the setup.
But on the other hand, she was worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle things after she left.

I saw her conflict and said, “Xiao Qing, you should go. It’s getting late. If you don’t go back soon, your parents will worry.”

Xiao Qing frowned.
She also knew it wouldn’t be safe for her to go back any later.
Plus, Mo Qingyan’s setup required no other living person to be present.
She could only nod and say, “Okay, Brother Xiao, please be careful. Do everything as Senior Sister Mo instructs. I’ll come see you tomorrow.”

After saying this, Xiao Qing left.
I saw her out of the hotel before returning to my room.
Looking at the room, now set up like a mourning hall, made me feel a chill run down my spine.

Although I had spoken lightly just now, and I really didn’t want to drag Xiao Qing into danger, I still felt very uneasy being here alone after she left, especially not knowing when those two ghosts would show up.

I could only chat with Mo Qingyan via messages to relieve my psychological stress.
I thought for a moment and asked, “How long until Xia Yubing’s parents arrive?”

“Generally speaking, it should be at twelve o’clock. The yin energy is heaviest in the middle of the Zi hour. The Painted Skin Ghost also attacked you during that time period before,” Mo Qingyan said.

I checked the time.
It was only nine o’clock.
There was still a long time to go.
So I could only wait.
Mo Qingyan pulled me and Xiao Qing into a group chat for us to chat and relieve our boredom.
I breathed a sigh of relief after learning that Xiao Qing had returned home safely.

After that was a long wait.
Around eleven o’clock, Mo Qingyan told me to go behind the offering table and kneel properly, maintaining a respectful posture.
I was not to move around, and especially not to cross the dividing line drawn with Lifeless Powder.
Only then could my safety be guaranteed.

One side life, one side death.
The Lifeless Powder and my blood were to conceal life as death and disguise death as life.
This was Mo Qingyan’s explanation for the setup.

But I remembered the Feng Shui shop owner’s description of the Hidden Yin Physique: blood easily attracts ghosts.
Mo Qingyan hadn’t mentioned this.
Did she really not know, or did she intentionally not explain it?

And after the owner did a divination for me, his conclusion was that although there were conflicts within the family, it would eventually lead to reconciliation.
Could that be referring to me and Xia Yubing’s parents?

By this time, Mo Qingyan had explained all the operational steps in the chat software, and I had already memorized them several times over.
I was just waiting for Xia Yubing’s parents to arrive.

Just as the time on my phone ticked over to twelve o’clock, a yin wind blew, and the atmosphere in the entire room instantly turned frigid.