Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 194

Baihe Tongzi was a little doubtful for a moment. Who was the fake between him and the one opposite him?
Why, it even has a talisman needle!

Li Zhuiyuan continued to make seals with his hands, while his eyes were fixed on the talisman needle in the masked man's hand.

The sealing and breaking evil talisman needles are exactly the same.

But how is this possible!

Li Zhuiyuan himself was lacking in the art of talismans, and the talismans he used were all drawn by A'li. The three talismans of Qingxin, Fengjin and Posha were derived from the records in Wei Zhengdao's book and were created by Wei Zhengdao himself.

There must be many talismans in the world that have similar effects to these three talismans, but if even the appearance and patterns look exactly the same, that is absolutely impossible.

Therefore, Li Zhuiyuan speculated that this talisman needle might just be a facade.

The hands on the coffin changed at an increased speed, and from a distance, double images appeared.

Li Zhuiyuan forced himself to keep up. He could feel that the amount of deduction had been raised to a higher level at this moment.

The boy raised his eyes, the doubt in his eyes faded, replaced by certainty.

That’s right, the talisman needle is indeed fake.

If the talisman needle is real, then the next step will be to leave it to the effect of the talisman needle to play out on its own, and there is no need to suddenly increase the amount of deduction by such a large amount.

Aren’t talismans, formations, and the like meant to provide convenience and save effort?
Why does it become more tiring and complicated when it comes to you?
Because what you are deducing now is actually the effect after the talisman needle enters the body.

In this Nuo puppetry, all forms are just forms, including Sanbu Zan's body movements and the phantom of the trident. They are all presented just for the sake of presentation, just taking a shape. The actual effects are all forcibly replicated through deduction.

It's like a piece of wood is randomly chopped with a knife to make a dent. If you want to replicate it, you have to make careful measurements, carve it carefully bit by bit with a small carving knife, and then polish it patiently, and finally restore the dent perfectly.

The deduction speeded up, and the black shadows that merged into the white cocoon were the tools and raw materials.

This really is... such a luxury and such a waste.

Compared with this, Xu Yijin's heavy suitcase seemed as light as a feather.

At least she could still lift or carry her suitcase, and she couldn't always stay here without going out or moving away.

Then what's the point of learning Nuo opera puppetry?
It is very mysterious, but to me, it has no value at all.

This method of using a cannon to kill a mosquito is really unrealistic.

Li Zhuiyuan's eyes gradually turned red and his brows furrowed.

Zhao Yi noticed this and was immediately shocked: Is this a case of losing one's mind and going insane?

This situation is not uncommon during perceptual learning. Once it happens, the patient may faint immediately or become unconscious at the least.

Hey, don’t scare me. What should I do if something happens to you?
Zhao Yi reached out to pull Li Zhuiyuan, but even though he grabbed his arm, the young man's hands continued to form seals, as if he was trapped in it and couldn't stop at all.

Below, the masked man inserted the talisman needle into his body, and his aura rose rapidly. In comparison, the White Crane Boy, who only inserted three incense sticks to ask for directions, had no improvement except for extending the duration of one round.

The masked man rushed forward again, and this time when the two sides fought, the boy was completely at a disadvantage. He was beaten to the point where he could only defend and dodge. He had no choice but to take a kick from the other party, and use the force to bounce himself away and keep some distance.

He also took out a handful of talisman needles and said, "Come on, let's do the acupuncture together."

Being beaten by a fake, the boy was really angry.

Behind him, a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of Li Zhuiyuan's mouth, but the red in his eyes was fading quickly, and his eyes returned to calm and clear.

Zhao Yi, who was about to forcibly wake the boy up, blinked in disbelief after seeing this scene.

No, are you able to recover so quickly after being possessed?

Previously, Zhao Yi was worried that something might have happened to Brother Xiaoyuan. Now that he saw that the man surnamed Li was fine soon, he felt a little uncomfortable again.

Li Zhuiyuan had no time to deal with Zhao Yi in front of him, and shouted to the boy in front of him:
"Don't insert the talisman needle!"

Although Baihe Tongzi did not understand, he chose to obey and took back the talisman needle.

The opportunity gained by being kicked was also wasted.

The masked man attacked again, and Baihe Tongzi could only try his best to deal with him and hold on.

It's not a good idea to keep fighting like this. I may not be able to hold out until the opponent's time is up.

But soon, a turning point appeared.

The masked man's body began to crack, and sounds of cloth tearing could be heard. He looked like a deflated ball.

Just at this moment, the two sides exchanged punches again. The boy had prepared himself to be hurt, but he did not expect that after the two fists exchanged, he stood still without moving, and the masked man's arm was broken instead.

Even though he didn't know what happened exactly, the boy would not let go of this opportunity.

He immediately took the opportunity to press forward, and stabbed the masked man with the trident. The masked man waved the phantom trident in his hand to resist, but the effect of the magic dissipated before the phantom made contact, and the trident disappeared with it.

"Wow..."

The White Crane Boy cut off the masked man's head.

The masked man who lost his head staggered backwards, and various parts of his body began to fall off as he retreated.

Among some fragments, Li Zhuiyuan saw human bones.

The bones were revealed for only a moment, and soon flames rose, burning all the fragments into ashes.

The White Crane Boy stood there holding a trident, panting and looking a little dazed.

Today's fight was a mess from beginning to end.

But fortunately, he listened to the young man and did not insert the talisman needle into himself, otherwise his medium would have to lie down again.

It would be unwise to fall unconscious in such a strange place and become a burden to the team.

The boy is very concerned about Lin Shuyou now. If something happens to Lin Shuyou, the bond between him and the boy will be broken.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Did you see it just now? White bones."

Zhao Yi: "I saw it. It's human bones. So, these shadows in the wall are all people."

Li Zhuiyuan: “He’s dead.”

Zhao Yi: "It seems that there is no need to emphasize this."

It's unrealistic to expect to live a healthy life after being trapped here for so many years.

"No, it needs to be emphasized, dead!"

Previously, Li Zhuiyuan was indeed possessed, because his thoughts had reached a dead end and kept running wild.

He knew that the puppetry of Nuo opera was very profound, otherwise he would not have persisted in imitating and learning it until now. However, when its practical value was severely criticized, Li Zhuiyuan fell into deep self-doubt.

Fortunately, he figured it out quickly.

This puppetry is indeed excellent. The reason why there is a gap between it and the reality is, firstly, because the hands on the coffin performed very well, and secondly, because the performance was really too good.

The former is because those hands present the most standard and perfect Nuo opera puppetry, and the latter is because the special environment here allows it to be extravagant with ease.

But this does not mean that there is no solution, which is... reducing costs and increasing efficiency.

It is known that those black shadows are corpses. Although they have undergone some changes after being soaked here for a long time, corpses are still corpses after all. There are many of them here, but there are even more in the outside world.

Theoretically speaking, as long as the corpse is relatively intact, this Nuo puppetry can be used on it.

As for the huge consumption in deduction, it is easier to solve.

Influenced by the records of the deceased Xu Yijin, the puppet created by these hands can only replicate the abilities used by the imitator under the current rules. Because they know what they are doing but not why, this leads to a huge increase in the cost of deduction.

There is no need to do this.

For example, with the “Puppet White Crane Boy” mentioned earlier, when Li Zhuiyuan performed this puppet technique, he didn’t need to deduce many things because he already knew how to do it.

The "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra" he mastered was more complete and comprehensive than the system of officials and generals.

If it weren't for the fact that those evil spirits were unwilling to descend upon him, he could have become a better medium than Lin Shuyou.

Long ago, when the two sides had a conflict on the playground, he pretended to ask General Sun to leave, and Baihe Tongzi couldn't tell the truth from the false.

As for the talisman needle, there is no need to deduce it. You have it in your hand and can just equip it directly to the puppet.

I know this skill, I have the equipment, and I am familiar with the fighting methods and routines. Wouldn't the cost of maintaining this puppet be reduced in an instant?
By analogy, with the Qin's Observation of Dragons physical training technique that Run Sheng practiced, he understood the profound meaning of valve operation better than Run Sheng himself. He was also more familiar with the distribution of evil spirits in his body than Run Sheng. After all, he personally helped Run Sheng suppress it, so he could also follow suit and create a Run Sheng puppet.

Next is Tan Wenbin. Tan Wenbin’s ghost-controlling technique was designed by himself, but the two resentful babies are not easy to find. If he can’t catch a wandering ghost nearby, he won’t bring Tan Wenbin out.

Finally, Yin Meng...

Well, it's just cute. In short, it's the most cost-effective to make a puppet based on your partner.

"Snapped!"

Above the coffin, the ten fingers were clasped together again.

Ten black shadows slid down from a green stone cone above and all merged into the white cocoon at the tip below.

The reason why the masked man collapsed in the last round was that he was made of five black shadows, and his mass could not support the load pressure after the talisman needle was inserted.

Li Zhuiyuan predicted this in advance based on his analysis of the number of black shadows in the first two rounds and their displayed strength, and that's why he notified the boy not to provoke him.

But now, the other party has improved the teaching quality. Ten black shadows are condensed into the next masked man, and its quality will definitely be up to standard and can withstand the effect of the talisman needle piercing.

Zhao Yi: "How about we just end it like this? I just discovered that this puppetry is good, but it doesn't seem to be practical at all."

Li Zhuiyuan said nothing.

Zhao Yi continued to persuade him, "I know you may not be willing in your heart, but sometimes, there is nothing you can do about it. If you are not satisfied with this opportunity, don't you have the next one?

I suspect that the reason why the masked man exploded on his own was because the number of black shadows used to condense was not enough. Look now, ten of them slid down in one breath. The white cocoon was stretched so big, but it hasn't fallen down yet. I'm afraid the new one should be able to perfectly exert the previous strength.

Even if this is solved...it can still appear again. Maybe next time it will use more shadows to gather and create a bigger one."

Runsheng shook the Yellow River shovel in his hand and said, "We can go down and help."

Yin Meng nodded.

Tan Wenbin held his chin with his hand and was thinking. He felt that the three of them seemed unable to go down. It was just a feeling, and he had not figured out the specific reason yet.

Zhao Yi: "You must not go down now. Those hands are following their rhythm step by step. If you go down, it may disrupt the rhythm of the questions. It was originally one-on-one, but after you go down, it will become two-on-two, three-on-three, and it will become a complete chaos."

Tan Wenbin nodded suddenly. This must be the reason why Brother Xiaoyuan only let Lin Shuyou go down to fight at the beginning.

This Zhao Sanyan is really smart.

He is the smartest person he has ever met, except for Brother Xiaoyuan.

Runsheng reached out and patted Tan Wenbin on the shoulder and said:
"It's okay. No matter how good the gold and silver mules out there are, they can't compare to our own mules."

“I really didn’t think about that.”

Tan Wenbin was not at all jealous of Zhao Yi, and even felt sorry for him because he had already lit a lamp and sailed across the river. This was because Tan Wenbin's position was to shout at the bow of the ship, not a wise general. The reason why he often made guest appearances was not because he was so smart, but purely to serve as a foil to his peers.

Zhao Yi pointed at the long white cocoon that was hanging down:
"Look, that thing is already in labor. When this masked man comes out, the situation will be difficult. We can only survive this round at best. Beyond this round, the situation will be out of control."

Li Zhuiyuan: “Yes.”

Seeing that he had been persuaded, Zhao Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Why don't we rush over and seal the coffin back before that thing comes down?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "It has not been fully performed yet, and I haven't fully learned it yet. I have to finish this round."

Zhao Yi: "It really doesn't matter whether you learn this or not, unless you..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Well, I have improved it."

Zhao Yi: “…”

Young Master Zhao clenched his fists and wanted to pound his chest, but when he thought of the fragility of his heart, he was afraid that he would die from the pounding, so he could only pound the ground.

Li Zhuiyuan: "This is a good opportunity. I don't want to miss it. I want to learn it completely."

Zhao Yi raised his red fist and blew on it. Thanks to the fact that the gap between life and death had opened again, his whole body was soft and weak. He smashed the ground with his fist for so long but didn't even break the skin.

"But have you ever thought about what would happen if it still hasn't finished performing in the next round?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Then find a way to complete it."

The boy raised his head and looked at a green inverted cone high in front of him.

He stopped his hands and began to form seals, but this time he no longer followed the rhythm of the hands on the coffin.

This is his own rhythm.

Zhao Yi's lips began to twitch.

He actually learned a lot, but he didn't have the determination and bravery of the young man, so he dared to use it directly.

Inside the green rock wall above, there was a black shadow that seemed to be pulled and began to move towards the inverted cone.

Li Zhuiyuan was a little awkward when he first started, mainly because he was not familiar with the terrain here. He tried three times in a row but failed to get the black shadow to slide down.

However, on the fourth time, he finally got into the hole.

The black shadow slid down and entered the white cocoon at the tip.

Zhao Yi: "You can take it down and make a puppet."

Li Zhuiyuan: “Not enough.”

The boy continued to pull the second black shadow, letting it slide down, and then he began to pull the third one.

There are abundant raw materials here and we can use them locally. If we miss this village, we will not have this classroom.

The third...the fourth...the fifth!

Li Zhuiyuan did not be greedy and did not condense ten black shadows like his opponent did. He only chose five, which was the number used by his opponent in the previous round.

The five black shadows have now all entered the white cocoon.

The young man crossed his fingers and arched them upwards!
"Snapped!"

The white cocoon fell and hit the ground.

The hands above the coffin in the distance made the same movement, and the white cocoon that contained ten black shadows also fell down.

Two pools of white appeared on the floor of the arc hall, both squirming madly.

Probably stimulated by this situation, the hands on the coffin now performed movements that they had never done before. As the hands changed, there seemed to be a faint white light flowing.

Zhao Yi: “It worked.”

Li Zhuiyuan continued to make hand seals while looking at his white calluses. At the same time, he had to continue to pay attention to the movements of his hands and learn.

The young man was able to do three things at once, but under such high-intensity circumstances, his efficiency would inevitably decrease, and the pressure was simply too great.

There was already a human figure standing up in the other person's pool of white cocoons, while in his own pool, he was still kneeling, and was a little shaky, with an unstable center of gravity.

This is a very embarrassing situation. If the other party can run, jump and fight next, and my puppet has not yet been formed, then the other party just needs to come over and crush my puppet.

Li Zhuiyuan forced himself to keep up and squeezed his brain power. Sure enough, his puddle began to stand up, but at the same time, he felt liquid flowing out of his nose. It was a nosebleed.

He is still in the puppet-making stage and has already started bleeding from the nose before the battle even starts. If he forces himself to finish it, he will probably end up with bleeding eyes or even blindness due to overdraft.

The main reason is that learning this aspect takes up too much energy, but the problem is that my original intention is to complete the learning of this set of puppetry. If not focusing on it, what else can I focus on?

And this is not like a book, where the words are recorded and can be read slowly and repeatedly;

Many parts of the performance of those hands may only be seen once, and if you miss it, you will miss it forever.

Gotta find a way.

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and looked at Zhao Yi beside him. Fortunately, the solution was right in front of him.

Zhao Yi shuddered at the sight and asked, "What are you doing?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Help me."

Zhao Yi: "Why?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "You have nothing to do anyway."

Zhao Yi: “That’s not a reason.”

Li Zhuiyuan: "If I overdraw and pass out, what will you do when I meet the Yu family next time? What's more, there are more dangers ahead. If I am not awake, my people will only focus on protecting me and leaving."

Zhao Yi: "You...are so shameless."

Li Zhuiyuan: “Speed.”

Zhao Yi sighed, stood up, put his right hand on the gap between life and death on his forehead, and put his left hand on Li Zhuiyuan's head.

Li Zhuiyuan and Zhao Yi closed their eyes at the same time.
Walking in the dark!

(End of this chapter)