Moonlight stretches the shadow of the old locust tree by the west gate into twisted, clawlike shapes. A passerby’s sobbing cries drag through the utterly silent streets. The cloth shoes of the seventh missing person now sway from a branch.
The blood jade at Lin Manyan’s fingertips suddenly burns like a branding iron. Red veins spread wildly, tracing a pattern that binds souls, and the child’s final, indistinct cry of “Mother” on the altar three years ago pierces her ears in an instant. Forged from an ancient ancestor’s soul bone, this divine artifact is the key to protecting the old city, yet also a curse that has haunted her for half her life. Her beloved, Chen Huaixia, has returned, and now watches the blood jade on her chest with icy eyes. It is the “peace” purchased with their child’s life.
A locust tree spirit spins translucent soul cocoons inside its trunk. A puppeteer uses bone strings to make walking corpses fight one another. A blue-flame barrier seals the water source beneath the Twin Dragon Springs, and the skin of villagers who drink the polluted water rots away in patches... Seven calamities cling to Lin Manyan like a festering curse. Gripping the blood jade, she fights on at every step: from a timid woman who trembles at the sight of demons, she becomes a guardian willing to slice her palm and temper the jade with her blood. She will uncover the truth behind the blood jade’s imbalance of yin and yang, and shatter the frost-covered wall between her and Chen Huaixia.
The yang jade pendant Chen Huaixia carries trembles violently when it meets hers. The still-healing bite marks on his neck expose the truth of his abduction by the black-robed figure, while the prophecy “When the blood jade cracks, all evil shall emerge” clings to him like a spell. When a tide of corpses from the ancient tomb on the Lalin River smashes through the city gates, the High Priest of Evil appears with a cold smile behind his bronze mask. In the instant Lin Manyan burns her soul to rouse the jade, Guanyin’s sweet dew and the King of Hell’s soul-returning incense intertwine in a bloody mystery. Amid the fireworks of the old city’s temple fair, blood seeps from a mute peddler’s blood-jade fragment. When Nian’an’s phantom touches the jade, its red veins burst open like a lotus. In the shadows, the “yin” character on the coin between the black-robed figure’s fingertips reflects the countdown to the next calamity.
Among the seven works by Mr. Hu Mang, I like this suspense novel the most. The plot is novel and curious, which makes me able to read it continuously. Give it a thumbs up and encourage you. The purpose is to keep this style engaging for you in the subsequent plots. Effort!
I like this kind of suspense novel. It has the style of Mr. Pu Songling and the profound flavor of life in the Northeast region. Especially the storyline is suspenseful and thrilling, and the chapters are suspenseful. I like it. I will follow the storyline to the end of this book.
I like this kind of suspense story, the more the merrier.
This long suspense novel is really good. The story is novel, twists and turns, and a bit curious. It is a bit creepy and scary after reading it. It's more or less like the paintings written by Master Pu Songling. I hope the author will work hard and write more suspenseful and thrilling storylines.
Among the seven works by Mr. Hu Mang, I like this suspense novel the most. The plot is novel and curious, which makes me able to read it continuously. Give it a thumbs up and encourage you. The purpose is to keep this style engaging for you in the subsequent plots. Effort!
I like this kind of suspense novel. It has the style of Mr. Pu Songling and the profound flavor of life in the Northeast region. Especially the storyline is suspenseful and thrilling, and the chapters are suspenseful. I like it. I will follow the storyline to the end of this book.
I like this kind of suspense story, the more the merrier. This long suspense novel is really good. The story is novel, twists and turns, and a bit curious. It is a bit creepy and scary after reading it. It's more or less like the paintings written by Master Pu Songling. I hope the author will work hard and write more suspenseful and thrilling storylines.