The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 624 - 356: Substitute
The man in brocade’s face was also covered with frost, making it difficult for him to lower his head—this action wasn’t easy, as his cervical vertebrae had all been frozen stiff. He discovered that many holes had been bitten into his body, it seemed that his last protective magic tool had also been completely corroded, and Bai Songhan’s actions were still not prompt enough.
But now his body was also frozen, so he couldn’t feel the pain or itch for the time being, and because the wounds were frozen, the plague poison had not yet spread throughout his body with his blood.
His lower abdomen, arms, and chest had all been bitten by the Plague Seed. Some areas couldn’t be simply hacked off with a knife; the White Robed Leader’s sword flew out like lightening, gouging the flesh from his wounds. Although the man in brocade was nearly numb from the cold, he couldn’t help but groan in pain several times.
Yet the blood that flowed out was still green.
A fierce look flashed in his eyes, and he shouted at Bai Songhan: "Substitute death talisman, quick!"
Bai Songhan said in surprise, "Young Master?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
"Quick!"
Bai Songhan let out a wry smile, and suddenly two paper talismans—one black and one white—appeared in his hand. As soon as the talisman was brought out, everyone felt a chill all over. The Black Talisman seemed to have black mist swirling on it, and upon closer inspection, it was actually the appearance of numerous souls reaching out and wailing. No one doubted that if these souls could get their hands on living creatures, they would drag them down without hesitation.
"This person has so many talismans on him, one after another. What kind of talisman is this?" she clicked her tongue. Heroes of the world truly should not be underestimated; such a despicable Talisman Master actually burned away most of the plague insects released by the Plague Demon.
"I don’t know," said Changtian honestly, "but since it is said to be a substitute death talisman, then the wailing souls floating on it... aren’t they wronged spirits? Only wronged spirits would enjoy finding a substitute for death."
She had heard quite a few legends about wronged spirits. In the Southeast Coast of Huaxia, there was the custom of not going out to sea during the Ghost Festival in July, and children are warned from a young age, especially on the 15th of July, the Ghost Festival, to be extremely careful to avoid being captured by wronged spirits lurking in the water and becoming a substitute. Then, the wronged spirits can joyfully reincarnate, while the captured person becomes the scapegoat.
She gave a hollow laugh, feeling a bit chilly inside. She wasn’t afraid of demons, but she was a little afraid of ghosts...
While she was talking with Changtian, Bai Songhan had already passed the two paper talismans to the White Robed Leader. The elder stuck the white talisman on the body of the man in brocade, and held the other black talisman in his hand, looking towards the other two people besides Bai Songhan.
As the name implies, the substitute death talisman was meant to transfer the sickness, pain, and injuries of the person with the white talisman to the one with the black talisman. This technique was only known by Bai Songhan, so naturally, it couldn’t be affixed to him, which left only two other choices.
The two men weren’t fools; seeing the White Robed Leader’s gaze turn towards them, they instantly felt a chill. They had struggled to survive until now, but now they might have to die instead of the man in brocade; that would be too unjust. But if they turned and ran now, there would be no way to live afterwards.
Thankfully, the chance of survival was still fifty-fifty.
"It’s you," the White-robed Elder said nonchalantly, pointing at one of them and then walking over. The one he pointed at was a slightly short and chubby man, who disbelief filled his eyes upon seeing the finger pointing at him, and after a brief moment of shock, he let out a cry and instinctively turned to run!
Although the man in brocade had set restrictions on his subordinates he brought with him, if he died, his subordinates wouldn’t live much longer. But there was still some time before death; if tagged with the Black Talisman, he would die right now! Who wouldn’t cherish their life, even if there was a chance to live for just an additional 15 minutes?!
The person next to him was also smart, knowing that if he didn’t catch the escapee, the Black Talisman would be directly stuck on himself instead. Instantly his movements became like he was oiled, pursuing his fleeing companion.
Under the strict rules within Fengtian Prefecture, someone like the short and chubby man who backed out halfway would be sentenced to death by dismemberment, and his family would be implicated. But this guy had always been on his own, the type who, if he ate his fill, the whole family was not hungry; how could he have family members that could be controlled by the man in brocade? So at this moment, he disregarded his master, the scapegoat role, and just desperately ran for his life.
The anger in the White Robed Leader’s eyes was heavenly, his own younger brother had been personally hamstrung by him, and was now in excruciating pain. He still had to deal with the trouble caused by the man in brocade first, and to make matters worse, the scapegoat in front of him was not cooperating! Fortunately, the man who was chasing his companion threw something in his hand that caused the short and chubby man to stagger, allowing the pursuing White Robed Leader to grab him by the collar.
