See the Law of Deception

Chapter 111 Inheritance (17)

"Join them?"

Lu Jinzhao repeated these words.

Fu Xuesheng nodded: "Yes, I was completely obsessed at the time. All I could think about was going there, being with him, and becoming a part of him."

That doesn't sound very appealing.

"But you have no past."

"Yes." Fu Xuesheng thought for a moment, "Perhaps it's because I didn't finish the shadow puppet?"

"But even if I don't finish it, that thing still has a strong attraction for me. And this is just from a distance. If I were closer, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to get rid of its influence so easily."

If the drama that unfolded at Huo Ye's door were to happen right in front of her, Fu Xuesheng wasn't sure she could avoid losing herself.

"Time may be running out," she sighed.

Lu Jinzhao pursed her lips; she was more unwilling to hear this news than anyone else.

"So, what do you want me to do by telling me all this?"

Fu Xuesheng isn't a philanthropist; he wouldn't provide her with information for free.

Fu Xuesheng shook his head: "I only have one simple request."

She took out a strange object, a small glass bottle about the size of a palm. It looked dirty and was filled with murky water, in which an ear was soaking.

"This is a supernatural object. I need you to swear an oath to it that you will not do anything that you intend to harm me during the rest of your time on this platform."

She didn't say what the consequences of breaking a vow would be, nor was it necessary to say.

Lu Jinzhao frowned slightly: "But the news just now doesn't seem worth such a high price?"

She knew in her heart that Fu Xuesheng made this request because he was wary of her, but she couldn't just agree to it so easily.

Fu Xuesheng thought for a moment and then changed her mind: "Then, before I intentionally hurt you, you can't intentionally do anything to hurt me. Can you accept that?"

In this way, Lu Jinzhao felt it wasn't unacceptable, but she didn't understand: "Why do I have to sign such a contract? I'm just a newcomer."

Fu Xuesheng smiled and said, "I'm used to never underestimating anyone."

That's a good habit, actually.

However, even with Fu Xuesheng's changes to the terms, the contract still held a greater disadvantage for Lu Jinzhao.

Because the initiative is still in Fu Xuesheng's hands.

“What if I don’t sign?” she asked.

There was no malice in her tone, and Fu Xuesheng didn't mind. She simply said slowly, "I have already signed a contract with Huo Ye."

This is really bad news.

"He actually agreed?"

Fu Xuesheng's expression became meaningful: "He is quite confident in himself, of course, only when he is focused on dealing with the mission and the ghost. He doesn't want me to interfere. However, the contract between us is not exactly what it is now."

It sounds like signing a contract is a more convenient way to survive.

But Lu Jinzhao shook his head: "I won't sign this kind of contract. Change your request."

It wasn't that she was being stubborn, but rather that she knew that even if she disagreed, Fu Xuesheng wouldn't immediately break off relations with her.

Moreover, if other passengers are truly in dire straits, such a contract will only put them in a passive position and will not serve any other purpose.

Fu Xuesheng said with some regret, "Well, I thought you would agree, after all, we had a good working relationship before."

Although she often said things that sounded ominous, Fu Xuesheng's actions were completely contrary to her words; she was clearly trying hard to survive.

Lu Jinzhao sighed helplessly, "If you offered a fairer condition, maybe I could agree?"

Fu Xuesheng simply smiled, showing no intention of changing his mind.

really
Lu Jinzhao thought to himself, these old guys are probably all scheming.

She must quickly create a human skin sample to complete her mission and escape, otherwise, the outcome is predictable: she will have to face both ghosts and humans.

"Where's Zhong Sui? Why don't you try talking to her?"

"Oh, so you not only refuse to sign a contract with me, but you also want to get information out of me?" Fu Xuesheng reacted quickly.

Lu Jinzhao raised an eyebrow: "How can this be a platitude? I'm just offering a friendly reminder."

"Okay, it doesn't matter. Zhong Sui is just like you, very opinionated."

It seems Zhong Sui also refused?

Despite this thought, Lu Jinzhao did not completely accept it.

"Alright, have you thought it through? What kind of compensation are you planning to offer?"

"Then I'll only ask you one question, but you have to swear that you must answer me completely truthfully. Of course, you can listen to my question first."

Lu Jinzhao: "Then tell me what the problem is first."

A hint of helplessness appeared on Fu Xuesheng's face: "Are all newcomers this wary these days?"

"So, my question is... do you plan to complete the shadow puppet making using the materials you currently have?"

If Lu Jinzhao answers yes, she can observe Lu Jinzhao's fate; if Lu Jinzhao answers no, then she needs to be wary of Lu Jinzhao.

Lu Jinzhao remained calm on the surface upon hearing this, but inwardly she was amazed. It was a perfectly timed question. Fu Xuesheng knew that she wouldn't answer any excessive questions, but she wanted to get more out of her answer, so she asked a question that seemed a little "greedy." But it was precisely this greed that she could take advantage of.

“I can answer that question,” Lu Jinzhao said confidently.

"Then, let's begin the oath."

After Fu Xuesheng finished speaking, her expression turned serious. She held the glass bottle in her right hand and placed her left hand on the bottle cap, and instructed, "Absolutely, absolutely do not lie."

Then, she unlocked the tightly sealed latch on the peeling lid, and the next second, a chilling aura spread out along the slowly lifted lid.

Lu Jinzhao noticed goosebumps appearing on his arms; it was his body's instinctive response to a threat.

She suddenly felt uneasy, as if an invisible entity was standing behind her, watching her and observing her every word and action through some medium.

"Lu Jinzhao, please answer truthfully: in the time you have, do you plan to use the materials you currently possess to complete the shadow puppet making?"

The moment Fu Xuesheng asked the question, an extremely strong sense of being spied on swept over Lu Jinzhao's entire body!
Accompanying this is a sense of fear and foreboding, as if encountering a vengeful ghost.

She was certain, absolutely certain, that something was released after Fu Xuesheng said those words.

And that thing had its eye on her.

Malice, covetousness, chilling killing intent, and inhuman deformities—she seemed to sense these things from the air, even though all she had in front of her was a water-soaked ear.

You must not lie.

Lu Jinzhao has now confirmed this.

The air seemed to thicken, seeping into her body with each breath. Her limbs felt as if they were locked in heavy fog, making it difficult for her to move. It seemed she had to answer Fu Xuesheng's question first.

Fortunately, this question is not difficult to answer.

"Yes, I will use the materials I have to complete the shadow puppet making," Lu Jinzhao affirmed.

She was indeed telling the truth. The next second, those cold, heavy, and damp feelings vanished like an illusion.

The water in the glass bottle became even more cloudy.

Fu Xuesheng breathed a sigh of relief and quickly put the lid back on.

She smiled again at Lu Jinzhao: "Then I'm relieved. I look forward to your good news."

Lu Jinzhao also had a smile on his face, but in his heart he was thinking that this was indeed good news for Fu Xuesheng.

Ji Xiangchen's situation is not yet entirely clear, but with her scouting ahead, we can probably find out more.

If she were to disappear like Ji Xiangchen, many things could perhaps be put to rest. But if she didn't disappear and left behind a body, that would be even better, as new material would emerge.

In any case, Lu Jinzhao's intention to give it a try is good news for Fu Xuesheng.

She might also share the news with others, such as Huo Ye, with whom she has a contract.

But none of that is the most important thing.

After Fu Xuesheng left, Lu Jinzhao locked himself in his room and began to rush to make new shadow puppets.

However, as she was engrossed in the process of making the product, she didn't even realize how much time had passed, but the sky gradually darkened.

Lu Jinzhao looked up at the lit candlestick with some confusion, wondering how it had gotten dark when she didn't even feel hungry.

"Is a paranormal phenomenon affecting the weather?"

The ghosts on this platform seem to only appear at night, and the night falls even faster. I wonder if the day will arrive even later?
Will night fall faster each day?

Will the sky ever brighten again as time goes by?

Realizing that there wasn't enough time and it was getting dark, these questions flashed through Lu Jinzhao's mind.

But soon, she came to a conclusion.

"Perhaps... the ghosts here don't only appear at night, but rather the environment here becomes more like a shadow puppet stage after nightfall?"

“The living conditions for passengers will likely become even more difficult going forward.”

"Before, they were just standing outside the door and knocking. Last night, they started making noise to attract passengers. What will they do tonight?"

Lu Jinzhao had a bad feeling. She didn't dare to stop and sped up her work to continue making the shadow puppets.

She had a feeling that tonight would definitely not be like the previous two nights, where she could simply hide in the house and get through it safely.

"This platform is really difficult."

Completing the mission seems like courting death, but failing to complete it will also lead to death.

Even simply waiting quietly for a turning point seems to pose a threat of death.

The method that everyone currently believes might be a way out requires someone to die to complete it.

Either way, they're going to die.

It's like every road leads to the underworld.

She hasn't even confronted a ghost directly yet, but she's already used a supernatural item, and her body is in a terrible state due to the side effects.

"I can still use the candle to defend against one more ghost attack. Besides that, the bell only has less than two minutes of use left. The wooden box can be used, but I can't bleed it this time. My body can't withstand too much blood loss right now. I can only chop off a finger for it. However, compared to the first time I used it, the cost has increased. I don't know how many fingers I'll need."

As Lu Jinzhao made the shadow puppets, he was also thinking about it in his mind.

She didn't consider the sheepskin at all; unless she was desperate and facing certain death, she would never trade with sheepskin again.

However, although she seemed to have more cards up her sleeve than before, and her resources were quite plentiful, Lu Jinzhao knew in his heart that this was by no means safe.

Each transaction with the wooden box would require her to pay an exponentially larger sum. Even if she didn't have to pay any subsequent costs, just the items she was trading would likely become unaffordable after one or two more transactions.

The candle is a one-time use card; once it's played, it's gone. The bell also doesn't have much time left. She must devise a plan to maximize her chances of survival.

"Therefore, I cannot directly assemble the new shadow puppet after it is made. I must first find out where the master is."

Once you've located your master, assemble the shadow puppets before he disappears, complete the task of making the puppets, and then present them to your master.

"If possible, I would prefer to leave the shadow puppet making process at the very last step, just one step away, and then, when I find my master, complete the making in front of him."

That way, there's no need to worry that when she goes back to finish assembling, her master will have disappeared.

At that time, she had to face the attacks after completing the shadow puppetry all by herself.

Lu Jinzhao had a premonition that this would not be a one-off attack.

"But facing your master directly is also dangerous."

Not to mention, completing tasks in front of one's master.

"Master" would definitely not want to see her complete the mission.

It's extremely dangerous; it might not be much safer than making shadow puppets where the master can't see them!

"I need to carefully consider which method to use."

Fortunately, the production of the new shadow puppet will take some time, so she can take her time to think it over.

However, the platform wouldn't give her that much time to be single-minded.

With only an hour left before nightfall, Lu Jinzhao sensed something was wrong.

Is the candlelight dimmer tonight?

In the process of making shadow puppets, she had to bury her head even lower in order to see more clearly.

As the candlelight grew dim, Lu Jinzhao heard some sounds.

The sound was very faint at first, intermittent, and she had to concentrate to listen carefully to make out that it seemed to be the sound of a wooden fish.

Lu Jinzhao secretly thought things were going badly.

Among the accompanying instruments for shadow puppetry, one of the most important percussion instruments is the wooden fish.

The appearance of this sound is definitely not good news.

Sure enough, the initially faint sound grew stronger and stronger, accompanied by the appearance of other musical instruments.

Like the overture before a grand curtain rises, the sounds of folk instruments seem to strike the hearts of the listeners directly, drawing everyone's gaze to the source of the sound.
—The very center of the compound.

The place where "Master" died.

--clang!

It was the sound of cymbals being plucked and struck. Upon hearing this buzzing sound, Lu Jinzhao almost couldn't help but drop the tools in his hand and stand up from his seat!

She immediately sensed something was wrong.

She wasn't startled, nor did she stand up on her own; rather, her figure rose involuntarily, as if being controlled.

Her gaze immediately fell on the old shadow puppets on the workbench that had not yet been assembled.

As the second clang rang out, the scattered shadow puppet limbs seemed to vibrate in the air and moved inexplicably.

That movement caused its limbs, which were originally scattered messily on the table, to move closer to its body.

It's two chapters long, but I'm too lazy to split it into chapters!