Chapter 89: The Formation of Cursed Artifacts

Such a heavy ominous aura.
Where did Yi Zhiqiu get so many things that seemed to be Cursed Artifacts?
There were enough to form a small pile.

Walking closer, the things there shocked me even more.
There was a doll stuck with needles, a notebook with the word “death” written in red dozens of times, a blood-stained utility knife, and various other items.
Although the ominous aura of a single item was not as strong as that at a murder scene, when stacked together, the resentful energy was on the verge of materializing.

Around the pile of resentful objects on the floor, there was a circle formed by a Bagua pattern, sealing all these things inside.
This prevented the ominous aura from leaking out, causing it to accumulate inside, almost to the point of becoming tangible.

Seeing me come in, Yi Zhiqiu casually drew a talisman in the air with his fingers.
The light purple talisman transformed into spiritual light and sprinkled into the Bagua formation, instantly purifying half of the ominous aura.

Only then did he stand up and say to me with a smile, “You’re here.”
“Did you bring the school files I asked for?”

“Here they are,” I handed him the files, while looking at the pile of things on the floor and asking, “What are these?”
“They look… a bit creepy.”

“These are Cursed Artifacts that I confiscated during my patrol.”
“There are also things that were found buried in some hidden corners of the school.”
“These are all very dangerous.”
“Leaving them in the school is like having a ticking time bomb,” Yi Zhiqiu said.

So that’s what he was doing just now.
I heard the term “Cursed Artifact” again, so I asked Yi Zhiqiu, “What is a Cursed Artifact?”

“It’s a magical artifact formed by being tainted with ominous aura, also known as a Yin Artifact or Baleful Artifact.”
“You must never touch them.”
“Cursed Artifacts are extremely dangerous, harming both others and oneself,” Yi Zhiqiu said.

Here, his explanation differed from Mo Qingyan’s.
Mo Qingyan had said that Cursed Artifacts were a more dangerous and aggressive type of artifact, but their effects varied depending on how they were used.
Yi Zhiqiu’s explanation was that they were extremely dangerous, harming both others and oneself.

“Are there really so many students in our school carrying Cursed Artifacts?” I asked, genuinely shocked.
This wasn’t an act.
In my impression, Cursed Artifacts were only created through contact with ghosts, yet Yi Zhiqiu had confiscated a whole pile of them.

“Most of these were created by students who didn’t know any better and were just messing around.”
“Sometimes, in a fit of anger, they’ll cut out paper figures to curse someone.”
“Sometimes, for the sake of novelty and excitement, they’ll play with Ouija boards or Bixian.”
“It’s very easy for these things to become tainted with resentful energy or attract unclean things, forming Cursed Artifacts.”

Yi Zhiqiu continued, “The students don’t know that these things are extremely dangerous to have around them.”
“There’s no such thing as a curse or an answer without a price.”
“They have no idea what has been taken from them.”
“I can only confiscate and centrally purify these Cursed Artifacts to prevent them from affecting the students.”

His words made my heart skip a beat.
Indeed, when the Bixian made a deal with me, I paid the price of three bags of blood.
And when we summoned the Bixian, Mo Qingyan told me many taboos.

Those students knew nothing about the taboos, nor could they see ghosts.
Just as Yi Zhiqiu said, when they played with Bixian or Ouija boards, they had no idea what price they were paying.

“Is it that simple?”
“Even if you don’t know anything about ghosts and spirits, you can create a Cursed Artifact just by casually cutting a paper figure?” I found it hard to believe.
Looking at the pile of Cursed Artifacts, many of them seemed to be self-made, like the very casually made paper figures, and some were even just diaries for venting.

“Yes, because students are young and full of vigor, they are often extremely angry or extremely desperate for a moment.”
“Strong negative emotions are the easiest way to attract dirty things or form Cursed Artifacts.”
“Moreover, a magical artifact only needs to have a form to slowly develop an aura.”
“The same goes for Cursed Artifacts.”
“Once the prototype is formed, it will continuously absorb the surrounding negative energy, like a ticking time bomb that will eventually detonate,” Yi Zhiqiu added.

A magical artifact only needs a form.
Xiao Qing had told me this before.
Just like a printed talisman paper, as long as it has a proper Daoist talisman on it, it will have some effect.
Artifacts can be mass-produced as long as they are customized according to fixed symbols or styles.
Naturally, Cursed Artifacts can be too.

And Xiao Qing had also told me that the more an artifact is nurtured, the stronger it becomes, like my jade pendant which my grandmother had handled for half her life.
Thinking about it this way, it was very normal for Cursed Artifacts to absorb negative energy and become increasingly dangerous.

“Then why not educate those students and let them know the dangers of Cursed Artifacts, so they don’t play with fire?” I asked again.

“High school students your age are very rebellious.”
“Right now, it’s just a few of them playing around casually.”
“If they knew, many would seriously try it out with a ‘let’s give it a shot’ mentality.”
“And when they discover that these curses are effective, they will become even more aggressive, until they can no longer bear the price and are filled with regret,” Yi Zhiqiu said.

I deeply empathized with this point.
This was probably the same reason why the authorities couldn’t tell the public the truth about ghosts and monsters.
There would always be people who would want to use it for their own gain.
Not to mention others, wasn’t I also using a Gu insect to cheat?

“Then why are you telling me?” I asked.
I should be one of the students too.
Wasn’t he afraid that I would also use Cursed Artifacts?

“You’ve already had contact with ghosts, so it’s alright to tell you some things.”
“Judging from the fact that you were entangled by a resentful spirit afterward, it’s very likely that you will encounter supernatural events again in the future.”
“It’s not a bad thing to tell you some things in advance so you can be on guard,” Yi Zhiqiu said.

“Is it very likely that I’ll encounter supernatural events again?” I asked.
I couldn’t just ignore those words.

“Mm, according to statistics, people who have encountered supernatural events before have a high probability of encountering them again.”
“There are even many who are entangled by ghosts and monsters their entire lives, to the point of developing mental problems from the fear,” Yi Zhiqiu nodded.

“Some people are born with a rough fate, some have inauspicious birth dates, some develop a fear after seeing ghosts, which makes it easier for ghosts to latch onto them, and some are born with a natural yin body and heavy yin energy.”

“I see that your yin energy is also quite heavy.”
“I’m afraid you might easily attract spirits and ghosts, so I thought I should tell you some things in advance to avoid being unprepared in the future.”
“As long as you always wear that jade pendant, I believe it can keep you safe.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.
Yi Zhiqiu hadn’t seen that I had a Hidden Yin Physique.
But that was normal.
After all, this physique was something only males had.
He must not have thought that the current Xia Yubing was no longer Xia Yubing, but me, Luo Xiao!

But on the other hand, after getting confirmation from Yi Zhiqiu, I felt that the future was even bleaker.
My heavy yin energy made me prone to attracting ghosts.
Things probably wouldn’t be easy for me from now on.

At this moment, Yi Zhiqiu had already taken out the documents I brought and started reading them.
He didn’t ask me to leave, so I stayed in the office.
I originally wanted to see if he had any other instructions for me, but while I was waiting, I saw a stack of papers on his desk.
It was the records Yi Zhiqiu had made while inspecting the students.