Chapter 54: A Dance of Resurrection

The White Shroud Forest—a perpetual illusion steeped in dense fog, a forbidden zone for humans situated in the desolate wilderness, and the source of countless urban legends.

Powerful magical girls could explore its depths freely. Yet, even they found themselves struggling to breathe in the pervasive mist, their minds restless.

At present, Lu Chen, too, found his breathing somewhat labored, though not from the forest’s mist.

Under the watchful eyes of Xia Shi and Gu Si, he stood clad in a Daoist robe, a rattle drum in hand, singing loudly in a clearing within the forest.

“…One dragon, good brothers, three peach gardens, Guan Yu and Zhou Yu, Hakimi, with northern and southern mung beans above, open!”

As the song concluded, Lu Chen’s body went limp, utterly spent as if he had run an all-night marathon.

The two girls clapped sparsely. Xia Shi couldn’t stifle a laugh, while Lily of the Valley, ever polite, merely lowered her head in silence.

Old Nie approached, his face alight with excitement. He grasped the young man’s hand and shook it vigorously, like a jump rope.

“Exactly, all correct! Mr. Lu, your memory is truly exceptional. If I were still a sorcerer, I would certainly invite you to be my assistant. Your voice is just a bit too soft; please speak louder when casting spells.”

“…Thank you for your appreciation. How is your side? Is the magic array set up?”

“Yes, yes. Thanks to Miss Fireworks and Lily of the Valley’s help.”

The middle-aged man nodded swiftly, then pointed towards a clearing not far away.

There, red and black ink saturated the withered grass and soil, outlining an obscure, intricate, and layered circular magic array on the ground. It immediately brought to Lu Chen’s mind the ancient murals found in archaeological sites.

A brand-new puppet lay in the center of the array, dressed in a complete set of fitted light blue children’s clothing. From a distance, it appeared no different from a human child. Had it not been for the crumpled old photograph affixed to its face, Lu Chen would have almost certainly mistaken it for a lost child.

This puppet represented the object of Old Nie’s desire for resurrection—his murdered son.

An hour earlier, Lu Chen and Xia Shi had arrived at the White Shroud Forest as planned, meeting Old Nie and Lily of the Valley.

He had initially expected merely to watch the two magical girls unleash their power and perhaps capture their heroic stances. However, the spell-casting process proved far more intricate than he had imagined.

To put it plainly, it involved a series of somewhat divine rituals, including the very dance Old Nie had performed earlier at the amusement park.

Moreover, this time, besides Old Nie, another person, not responsible for infusing magic, had to wear a Daoist robe and perform a singing-dancing-rapping routine. In essence, that person was Lu Chen.

Old Nie wiped away the condensation on his watch, then glanced at the time.

“Alright, it’s 2:23 PM now. We can almost begin the spell-casting… Everyone, please take your positions at opposite ends of the magic array.”

“Understood.”

“Okay.”

After a few acknowledgements, the four individuals stepped over the damp, withered grass and positioned themselves around the magic array.

Lily of the Valley and Old Nie stood at one end of the array, while Lu Chen and Xia Shi faced them from the opposite end.

The middle-aged man retrieved the magic book from within his Daoist robe and took two steps towards the center of the array.

Clearing his throat, he declared loudly:

“Although I’ve said this many times… I must emphasize it once more before we begin the spell-casting.

“Other matters are inconsequential. It’s fine to occasionally mispronounce a line or two of the incantation, or even to pause for dozens of seconds to rest.

“However! Absolutely do not touch the puppet!

“Otherwise, not only will the resurrection spell fail, but we will also encounter unknown problems!

“Do you understand?!”

The other three nodded solemnly in response. Old Nie took a deep breath, raised his hands, and announced:

“Then, let the spell-casting begin!”

The middle-aged man, whose throat had been damaged by fire, typically spoke with a hoarse, sharp voice. Yet, at this moment, his voice rang out exceptionally clear and resonant, hinting at the talent of a prodigious sorcerer.

He tucked the magic book back into his clothes, then pulled out a small, charming rattle drum. He shook it vigorously, moving slowly along the ink-stained path, beginning his chanting, dancing, and rapping.

Lily of the Valley flicked her earring, and her black hair instantly became dyed an aquamarine green by magic. She followed closely behind the middle-aged man, gently tapping a rhythm with her hands while infusing magic into the red ink beneath her feet.

Xia Shi nudged Lu Chen’s shoulder, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a mischievous, expectant smile as she surveyed his loose Daoist robe.

“Shall we begin too?”

“…Xia Xia, when we get back, I’m going to record a video of you in a Daoist robe, rapping, for my collection.”

The girl removed her hairpin, and a brilliant spark ignited in her pupils.

“Oh, absolutely. You can have it anytime you wish.

“But for now, let me enjoy your dance first… Whoa, don’t pull so hard, you’ll mess up my hair.”

Lu Chen gently ruffled the girl’s hair, a small reward to himself.

After replenishing Xia Shi’s energy, he raised his rattle drum like Da Gu raising his Spark Lens, and, much like Old Nie, began chanting incomprehensible incantations, dancing along the ink’s trajectory.

This was the so-called spell-casting procedure described in the magic book.

The four individuals paired up, slowly circling the ink-traced magic array.

In each pair, the leader was responsible for shaking the drum, chanting, dancing, and guiding the direction, while the follower meticulously kept pace, tasked with infusing magic into the array.

The procedure described in the book was rigid, permitting only two people per group. To address the issue of insufficient magical power, Old Nie had even modified the array at one point, increasing the number of followers to six. However, that was no longer necessary.

Spring was drawing to a close, and the weather had recently grown warmer, yet the forest remained cold and damp.

The dense fog blurred the trees and plants in the forest, clinging to Lu Chen’s forehead and body. A clammy chill seeped into his bones.

They were to circle the magic array 49 times.

When the spell-casting began, he felt a touch of shame and awkwardness. However, he quickly calmed amidst the cold and silence, mechanically repeating his dance-like advance.

“Five champions, six-six-six, seven clever ones—”

Their footsteps regularly pressed against the grass, emitting a sticky, squelching sound. Old Nie and Lu Chen’s voices rose and fell, chanting monotonous and absurd incantations.

After more than ten minutes… or perhaps only a few, Lu Chen’s peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a figure.

The figure was dozens of meters away from him, standing behind a crooked, withered tree, its form indistinct in the fog.

Startled, he wished to investigate more closely. Yet, he had to adhere to the ritual’s procedure, continuing his forward movement.

After a few muffled breaths, his steps carried him around a curve, and the withered tree vanished from his sight.

However, the doubt in Lu Chen’s heart did not dissipate.

‘What was that?’

‘A vlogger exploring the forest? A tree shaped like a person? Or perhaps a strange inhabitant of the area?’

As he pondered, a warm, concerned voice belonging to a girl sounded from behind him.

“What’s wrong? You seem a bit distracted.”

Lu Chen temporarily ceased chanting, turned to face the girl, and replied:

“There seems to be someone else in the forest. I thought I saw something just now. Did you notice anything?”

Xia Shi shook her head, bewildered.

“No. There’s no magical energy from any strange beings around, and I haven’t seen anyone else.”

The girl was currently in her transformed state, her sensory abilities far surpassing Lu Chen’s.

“Is that so? Then I must have been mistaken.”

The young man then cast his doubts aside, resuming his incantations and concentrating on moving along the ink traces.

After completing a full circle around the array, Lu Chen carefully looked towards the withered tree’s direction but found no figure.

Instead, behind a tree even closer, he saw a puppet.