T/N: *You don't want to be eating while reading this.
He couldn't help but loosen his hand, yet Wei WuXian saved the oil lamp just as it was about to hit the ground. Calmly brushing it against the burning fire talisman on the other hand, he lit it up and set it onto the table, "Did you make these yourself, Manager? They're quite well-made."
The rest finally realized that the people who stood in the room were not real humans, but actually paper mannequins.
The mannequins' heads and bodies were delicately crafted, the same size as those of real people. There were men, women, and even children. All of the men were "Nether Brawlers", crafted with tall, sturdy bodies and angered expressions. All of the women were fair-featured beauties, with hair in either single or double buns. Even when covered with loose-fitting paper clothes, one could still see their graceful postures. The patterns on the clothes were almost finer than those of real brocade robes-some were colored with rich, vivid ink; others were uncolored, left with ashen grays. On each mannequin's cheeks, there were two smears of blush in pretense for a living person's rosy complexion. However, none of their pupils had been added yet-the eyes were entirely white. The bolder the blush was, the gloomier they looked.
There was another table in the room. On the table, there were a few candlesticks, each a different length than the others. Wei WuXian lit them up one by one, and the yellow light illuminated most corners of the house. Aside from the paper mannequins, there were also two wreaths placed on both sides of the room. Paper gold, ghost money, and pagodas were heaped up beside the walls.
Jin Ling already had his sword slightly unsheathed. Seeing that it was only a shop that sold burial goods, he sighed with discreet relief and sheathed his sword again. In the cultivational world, even if a cultivator passed away, nobody employed the eerie, chaotic obsequies of the common folk. Since they hadn't seen such things before, after the initial scare, curiosity sprouted from within their hearts. With skin covered in goosebumps, they felt that it was even more exciting than night-hunting ordinary beasts.
No matter how dense the fog was, it couldn't seep into houses. Ever since they entered Yi City, this was the only point in time were they could easily see one another's faces, which set their minds at rest. Wei WuXian saw that they'd relaxed, and asked the old woman again, "Would it be possible for us to borrow your kitchen?"
The old woman almost glowered at the lamp, as if she disliked the presence of any light, "The kitchen is in the back. Use it as you please." After her words, she dodged into another room as though she was avoiding the plague. She slammed the door so loud that a few even shivered.
Jin Ling exclaimed, "There's definitely something wrong with the hag! You..."
Wei WuXian responded, "Okay. Hush. I need somebody to help me. Any volunteers?"
Lan SiZhui hurried, "I can come."
Lan JingYi was still standing as straight as a stick, "Then what do I do?"
Wei WuXian, "Remain standing. Don't move if I don't tell you to."
Lan SiZhui followed Wei WuXian to the kitchen in the back. As soon as they went in, they were overwhelmed by a foul stench. Lan SiZhui had never smelled such a terrible scent before. Although his head spun, he managed to stop himself from rushing back out. Jin Ling followed as well, but leapt outside again immediately after he entered. He fanned the air as fast as he could, "What in the world is this?!! What are you doing here instead of thinking up cures?!"
Wei WuXian, "Hmm? Perfect timing. How did you know that I was going to call you over? Lend me a hand."
Jin Ling, "I'm not here to help! Urgh! Did somebody kill someone but forget to bury them?!"
