Folklore and Strange Tales: At the Start, You Retrieve the Sea-Suppressing Black Iron

Chapter 122 Scrap Iron Soaked in Brine, Panjiayuan Arsenal

"Don't let that sound into the hospital."

As soon as Cheng Xiaojin finished speaking, Tieguai Li propped up the broken wooden bolt and moved two baskets of old tiles to prop up the door panel.

The sound of iron wire dragging on the ground at the entrance of the alley followed the wall and circled the courtyard, measuring it inch by inch.

Han Shaobai, holding a rolling pin, stood at the entrance of the main room. "Brother Cheng, what's it for measuring the courtyard wall?"

"Let's find an easy place to get in."

"Did you find it?"

Tieguai Li turned around and glared at him, "If you ask a couple more questions, it will be able to hear how empty your head is."

Han Shaobai immediately switched hands to hold the rolling pin.

Master Ma placed the bronze plaque with the teacup lid on top of the iron basin, then sprinkled half a circle of incense ash around the edge of the basin. The chirping of insects under the plaque was ear-piercing, and the incense ash was shaken into fine cracks.

Zhou Banxian squatted beside the map, his compass needle pointing to the dark ditch to the north, but the compass itself slid towards Huguo Temple.

"Old Ma, this didn't come towards the yard."

Master Ma used his tobacco pipe to touch several wellheads on the map.

"It's looking for a way. Huguo Temple has a stove, Liulichang has nine lamps. Shenmen wants to send the corpse into the city, so they need to figure out the channels first."

Tang Wanqing carried the medicine basin away, away from the iron objects in the yard.

"He can't touch metal."

Cheng Xiaojin sat on the veranda, his hands wrapped in thick cloth, with drops of herbal medicine still dripping from his sleeves.

"I won't touch it, I'll be the accountant."

Tieguai Li kicked open his toolbox, and pliers, a broken saw blade, a watchmaker's knife, and half a steel file rolled all over the ground.

"Accountant, what do we use to fight the wire-wielding puppet corpse?"

"Use the cheapest stuff to fight."

"How cheap is it?"

"To the point where Han Shaobai can't bear the pain of losing his own flesh."

Han Shaobai quickly reached for his phone.

"I'll buy it, how much?"

Cheng Xiaojin looked at the pile of scrap wire in the corner of the yard.

"Old iron wire, ten yuan a bundle, the more rusty the better; pliers, five mao a pair from a secondhand stall; and also tattered quilts, gasoline cans, and tin buckets."

Han Shaobai was stunned.

"Brother Cheng, are you sure this isn't about collecting scrap metal?"

"If you can collect all the junk tonight, it will be more valuable than the magical artifacts from Southeast Asia."

Tieguai Li dragged a bundle of scrap iron wire under the lamp, and the rust flakes off.

"This thing is soft; should we use it against the puppet corpses?"

Cheng Xiaojin heard the sound of the wire hitting the ground.

"Soft is soft, but it depends on how you feed it."

"What should I feed you?"

"Aunt Zhang's vat of aged brine."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Zhou Banxian looked up.

"You're going to soak the wire in brine?"

Cheng Xiaojin gestured towards the kitchen.

"Aunt Zhang's old brine is heavy on salt and saltpeter. It has been used to soak pig offal and beef tendons. It has the smell of fire, human flesh, and fish. Iron wire puppet corpses rely on dead iron to move their joints, and they are most afraid of salt and saltpeter seeping into their crevices."

Tang Wanqing looked at him.

"You could tell from that?"

"The sound of the body being dragged through the ground was hollow and echoing. There were wires in the joints. Southeast Asians like to thread iron wires into the joints of corpses and control them through the back of the neck. When the iron wire encounters thick salt, it becomes difficult to move."

Tieguai Li used a steel file to cut open one end of the wire.

"I understand that saltpeter can absorb iron, but soaking it at the last minute isn't enough."

"Boil it until it's red-hot before soaking."

Tieguai Li laughed, "That's a nice thing to say."

Master Ma carried a half-cup of cool tea to the corridor.

"That thing outside the courtyard gate is still there."

Cheng Xiaojin placed her hand wrapped in cloth on her knee.

"Let it hear you, go back and tell Shen Jiulou that we are poor and can only afford to cook soup for him."

Han Shaobai answered the phone and repeatedly urged the other end to bring old wire, pliers, tattered quilts, gasoline cans, and double the money.

Tieguai Li leaned towards him.

"Why double it?"

"Tell them to hurry up."

"Spendthrift."

"Brother Li, for the first time tonight, I feel anxious because I haven't spent enough money."

Tieguai Li connected the welding torch, the blue flame touched the iron wire, and the smell of rust filled the yard.

Tang Wanqing pulled Cheng Xiaojin back half a foot.

"Sit further away!"

"I feel like I'm sitting inside the wall."

"Not enough."

"If it's any farther, I'll have to move to the old man next door's house to soak my hands."

Tong Kexin's call came in, and as soon as she turned on speakerphone, the sound of pots boiling over from Huguosi Temple came through.

"What are you doing in your yard? I can smell burnt iron here."

Tieguai Li called out on his phone.

"Making weapons."

"What should we use?"

"Scrap iron wire".

There was a brief pause on the other end of the phone.

"Cheng Xiaojin's idea?"

Cheng Xiaojin coughed twice.

"Manager Tong, your tone sounds like you don't trust your business partners—"

"I'd rather believe scrap wire than your honest hands. The gray circle at Huguosi Temple is still holding up. I've refilled it twice at the street corner. Old Li didn't sleep; he insisted on guarding the stall."

Old Li's voice squeezed in from a distance.

"Tell Little Gold that my leg is still there, and the price of tofu pudding will go up tomorrow!"

Cheng Xiaojin shouted into his phone.

"It's okay for the price to rise, but don't dilute it with water; the water isn't clean right now."

Tong Kexin didn't laugh.

"They retreated from the well for a while and headed north."

Master Zhou examines the compass.

"It matches up."

The sound of Aunt Liu cursing came from the phone again, and Tong Kexin quickly hung up. The sound of the wire outside the courtyard gate also stopped.

Master Ma glanced through the crack in the door and noticed a small black watermark outside the incense ash line.

"I'm gone."

"Where did you go?"

Cheng Xiaojin looked north.

"Go call the main person."

Tieguai Li picked up the first red-hot iron wire and pressed it into the old brine vat.

White steam billowed from the vat, and the salty, fishy smell filled the yard.

Han Shaobai was so overwhelmed by the fumes that he almost fell into the medicine basin.

"Does this smell count as a weapon?"

Zhou Banxian pinched his nose.

"It can suffocate half of them."

Tieguai Li lifted the wire, its surface covered with a shiny black salt crust.

He bent the wire with the pliers, but instead of collapsing, it bounced back into his hand.

"That's interesting."

Cheng Xiaojin said, "Weave a net, with barbs, but not too dense. The puppet corpse is strong, so leave the mesh about the size of a fist, just enough to hook the joints."

Tieguai Li squatted down and started working, his hands moving so fast that Han Shao rolled his eyes.

"Where's the whip?"

"Yes, that's also necessary. The puppet corpse has long arms, so you'll be at a disadvantage in close combat. Use your whip to wrap around its arms, and then look for the back of its neck."

Tang Wanqing looked at Cheng Xiaojin.

"You already know the weakness?"

"We have to hear it in person. The methods of making wire puppet corpses vary. Some control the chest, some control the waist. Shen Jiulou won't use ordinary stuff."

Master Ma suddenly spoke up.

"The Shen Clan's authentic puppet corpse, the thread returns to three sections."

Zhou Banxian chimed in.

"The back of the neck?"

Master Ma nodded.

"Twenty years ago, Shouyi left a saying: 'When the Shen family kills, the hands don't move, but the neck cracks first.'"

Cheng Xiaojin's gaze fell on the old ashtray.

"Before my dad fell out with Shen Jiulou, he must have dismantled one of the bodies."

Mr. Ma did not deny it.

After finishing his second call, Han Shaobai looked up and said, "The flea market said they'd deliver in half an hour, but they asked why I'd be collecting old quilts in the middle of the night?"

Tieguai Li didn't even raise his head.

"Let's talk about the ritual."

"I told you, they raised the price."

"For the production crew."

"They said the film crew wouldn't need to bring mouse-smelling blankets at night."

Cheng Xiaojin said, "Then let's say that Han Shaobai bought it to keep as a collection."

Han Shaobai held back for a long time.

"Brother Cheng, you can't use my reputation like that."

Tieguai Li threw the first barbed wire fence to the ground.

"Your reputation is worth less than thirty dollars.

He stepped on the edge of the net and used pliers to remove the barbs.

"Give me a bucket."

Han Shaobai pushed the broken bucket over.

Tieguai Li lashed out with his whip, and the old brine wire caught on the barrel skin. With a quick tug, the iron skin cracked open, the edges curled with salt crust.

Han Shaobai's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Is this really a ten-dollar wire?"

Cheng Xiaojin leaned against a pillar, his face pale, and he still had a sharp tongue.

"Ten yuan for materials, fifty cents for pliers, and the rest depends on Brother Li's family's unscrupulous skills."

Tieguai Li cursed, "Get lost."

Tang Wanqing handed over the hot medicine.

"drink."

Cheng Xiaojin picked it up and smelled it.

"I think even water monkeys would avoid it if they smelled it."

"drink.

""

Just as Han Shaobai was about to laugh, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

Tieguai Li raised his hand, and all movement in the courtyard stopped.

Someone outside called out, "The secondhand goods that Young Master Han requested have been delivered."

Han Shaobai moved towards the door.

"So fast?"

Zhou Banxian flipped the compass, but the needle didn't point to the door; it was pointing diagonally towards the entrance of Huguosi Street.

Master Ma reached out to stop Han Shaobai.

"First, ask for the code."

Han Shaobai was stunned.

"I didn't set a code."

A voice outside shouted again, "Torn quilts, scrap wire, and pliers are all on the tricycle."

Tieguai Li walked to the back of the door, carrying his newly made iron wire whip.

Which secondhand shop?

"Old Qiu from Tianqiao".

Tieguai Li squinted.

"How many fingers does Lao Qiu have on his left hand?"

There was no sound from outside the door.

Han Shaobai asked in a low voice, "How many?"

Tieguai Li ignored him.

After a while, the sound of wheels turning could be heard. The tricycle hadn't gone far and stopped at the entrance of the alley.

Then, the sound of the iron wire dragging across the blue bricks returned.

There are two more dishes this time.

Zhou Banxian's compass needle bounced wildly in the pan, finally pointing towards the entrance of Huguosi Street.

Master Ma grabbed the map.

"Luring the tiger away from the courtyard."

Cheng Xiaojin stood up, but Tang Wanqing pressed her back down.

He looked at Tieguai Li.

"Brother Li, bring a net, a whip, and pliers."

Tieguai Li slung the two barbed wire fences over his shoulders.

"Walk."

Han Shaobai picked up a bundle of scrap wire, but his foot slipped.

"Should I go too?"

Cheng Xiaojin glanced at him.

"You stay and guard."

Grandpa Ma leaned on his pipe.

"I'll guard the courtyard, Xiao Jin. You're only allowed to listen, not to lay a hand on me."

Tang Wanqing tucked the silver needle into her sleeve.

"I'm looking at him."

At the entrance of the alley outside the courtyard, the bell of a tricycle rang once, the sound muffled.

Cheng Xiaojin walked to the door, where the black watermark in the crack had already faded away.

Tong Kexin's phone rang again from the direction of Huguo Temple.

This time, no one spoke.

The only sound coming from the receiver was the sound of an iron grate being cut open from below.

"satisfying?"

After Cheng Xiaojin finished shouting, all that could be heard on the other end of the phone was the sound of cutting iron, and Tieguai Li had already pushed open half of the courtyard gate.

The tricycle at the entrance of the alley was leaning to one side, its cargo bed stuffed with tattered quilts and scrap wire, and an old cloth bag hanging from the handlebars.

Two wet tracks from the wheel dragged to the base of the wall; the delivery person had vanished.

Zhou Banxian stuck half a foot out while holding the compass, and the compass needle veered towards the handlebars.

"Don't touch that bag!"

Tieguai Li didn't reach out; he flicked the tip of his wire whip upwards.

The cloth bag was opened, and three copper coins rolled out, with thin black threads threaded through their holes, the ends of the threads so neat they were almost glaring.

Tang Wanqing glanced into the depths of the alley.

"The person has been taken away."

"6

Han Shaobai pressed himself against the door, the color draining from his face.

"Old Qiu?"

Tieguai Li kicked the copper coin outside the incense ash. Cheng Xiaojin listened to the metallic sound from his phone, his hand wrapped in bandage resting on his knee, and blue water dripped from the seam of the bandage onto the brick surface.

"The iron grate at the entrance of Huguosi Street has been opened."

Master Ma came out of the main room and tossed the old cloth bag to Tieguai Li.

"Three pairs of pliers."

He looked at Cheng Xiaojin.

"Little Jin, three things to remember: don't touch the corpse demon, don't touch the iron wire, and don't touch the well water."

Cheng Xiaojin raised his hand, which was wrapped up like a dumpling, and said, "Whoever I touch now will be unlucky, don't worry."

When we arrived at Huguo Temple, the streetlights were dim and the braised pots were still turning over, with oil slicks rolling around the edges.

Tong Kexin stood by the pot, holding a long-handled iron ladle horizontally in her hand.

Aunt Liu and Aunt Zhang led several neighbors back to the stall, each holding a tool—a pot lid, a rolling pin, an enamel basin—and no one made a sound.

The iron grate of the sewer at the street corner was cracked in two, with a smooth break, no sparks, and no saw marks.

As soon as Tong Kexin saw Cheng Xiaojin, she slammed the spatula against the edge of the pot.

"Who sent you?"

"I feel uneasy when I suddenly stop hearing you yelling at me on the phone."

"Feeling at ease now? Stand back."

Cheng Xiaojin took a step back, her heel stopping outside the gray circle.

Has it shown itself yet?

Liu pointed to the street corner with a pot lid.

"It peeked out briefly, then disappeared again."

Aunt Zhang held the rolling pin, her palms covered in flour.

"That thing looks like a human, but it doesn't cry or breathe."

Old Li sat by the tofu pudding stall, the ginger cloth on his lap had been changed a few times, and the strainer was crooked from his grip.

"There was a wire around her neck, I saw it."

Tieguai Li kicked the barbed wire aside, revealing salt crusts hanging from the barbs along its edge.

"Everyone step back from the pot, don't crowd around and become targets."

Tong Kexin stopped blocking the way and pressed the iron spoon into the soup, which quieted the sound of the pot.

"Listen."

She glanced at Cheng Xiaojin's toes.

"If you dare move forward, I'll hit you with the handle of a spoon!"

Cheng Xiaojin squatted about ten steps away from the street corner, his ear facing the bluestone ground, but not touching the ground or reaching out.

Tang Wanqing stood to his side and behind him, one end of the medicated cloth wrapped around his wrist, the other end held in her own palm.

The sound of metal wires tightening came from below the iron grate.

Tieguai Li wrapped the iron whip around his left arm and held the pliers in his right hand.

"They're here."

A human-shaped object flipped up from the sewer.

His skin was pale and bluish-white from being soaked in water, his hair was plastered to his scalp, and his eyelids were half-open.

His mouth was stuffed with black wire, and thin iron wires were wrapped around his shoulders, elbows, knees, and ankles from under his skin.

With each step it takes, its joints make a clicking sound, as if the abacus beads are hidden in the crevices of its bones and can be manipulated.

A young man in the neighborhood opened his mouth to call out.

Aunt Liu slammed a pot lid on the wooden pillar next to him.

"Don't call back the soul!"

The puppet corpse raised its head, twitched its nostrils twice, and turned its body towards the stew pot.

Cheng Xiaojin spoke.

"First find a lively atmosphere, then find a hot spot."

Tong Kexin turned the fire down.

Will a smaller fire affect the well?

"Just don't let it go out."

The puppet corpse stepped onto the blue bricks and veered towards the edge of the pot.

A discarded metal trash can was blocking the road. It reached out and grabbed it, tearing the metal can open and scattering pieces all over the ground.

The two lights upstairs went out.

Aunt Zhang looked up and started cursing.

"No one is allowed to turn off the lights! Whoever does will be eating spoiled cabbage tomorrow!"

Someone behind the window quickly pulled the light cord back on.

Cheng Xiaojin tapped the brick surface twice with his heel.

"Brother Li, don't face it directly. It has a string in its wrist; if you grab it, it'll get twisted."

Tieguai Li lowered the tip of his whip.

"Listen to what?"

"Wait for it to get a new head."

Tang Wanqing flicked out two red threads, the ends of which wrapped around the puppet's ankles close to the ground.

The red thread, when touched by the black water, darkened in color, but still tripped it up by half a step.

The puppet looked down at the lines, its neck twisting at an angle that a living person couldn't do.

Cheng Xiaojin's ears twitched.

"There's a pre-existing sound on the back of the neck, but it hasn't been fully revealed yet."

Tieguai Li circled around from the side, his iron whip sliding out along the ground and hooking onto the puppet corpse's left knee.

The puppet turned around and swept its arm horizontally.

Tieguai Li used his prosthetic leg to push against the brick surface and slide away, his cuffs were torn by his claws, and cotton wadding spilled out.

"Hurry up, did you hear me?"

The sounds of pots, pans, and wires mingled together.

Cheng Xiaojin didn't look up, and tapped the ground again with her heel.

Just before the puppet corpse changed direction, a short, tight cracking sound came from the back of its neck, with a slight snap.

He raised his hand and tapped a spot on the back of his neck.

"The third section, half an inch to the right."

Tieguai Li grinned, "Alright."

The puppet corpse had already pounced on Aunt Liu, but Aunt Liu held up a pot lid to block it, without backing down.

"Come on, get over here and I'll let you taste my pot lid!"

Tieguai Li rushed out from the side, his iron-wire whip striking the puppet's arms.

The salt crust from the old brine seeped into the corpse's skin, and the iron wire in the puppet's shoulder became tangled.

"Miss Tang!"

Tang Wanqing used a red thread to stick to the sole of the puppet's foot, dragging its right foot to the side.

Tieguai Li pressed against his back, and the pliers gripped the back of his neck.

*Snap!* Only a thin thread broke.

The puppet body tilted slightly and grabbed Tieguai Li's shoulder with its backhand.

The fingernail dug into the cotton-padded jacket, leaving only half a finger between it and the flesh.

Tong Kexin grabbed the salt bag from beside the stove.

Cheng Xiaojin immediately shouted.

"Don't hit its face, hit the back of its head, make it bow its head!"

The salt bag hit the back of the puppet's head.

The puppet's neck slumped forward, and the skin and flesh on the back of its neck were torn open by the iron wire, revealing three intersecting black lines.

Tieguai Li put the jaws back in.

"We've caught them this time."

My heart snapped! The thickest wire broke.

The puppet corpse collapsed, its hands still gripping Tieguai Li's shoulders, and it was already kneeling on the ground.

The fine threads inside the skin were still twisting, getting more and more tangled and chaotic.

Aunt Zhang held it in for a long time before finally uttering a sentence.

"Can those five-cent pliers really work?"

Tieguai Li pried the puppet's fingers off its shoulder.

"It's expensive, so why doesn't it stand up for itself?"

The neighbors wanted to laugh, but they held it back.

Cheng Xiaojin did not respond.

He stopped with his heel and tilted his ear towards the street corner.

Seeing his reaction, Tong Kexin lifted the iron spoon out of the soup.

"besides?"

From inside the sewer opening, a second series of joint sounds came up.

Then comes the third one.

When Zhou Banxian arrived at the street corner, he had just raised his compass when the needle swung around the third position and was then pulled back by the north.

"Three."

Tang Wanqing pulled the bandage back.

"retreat."

Cheng Xiaojin did not move forward; her gaze remained fixed on the severed back of her neck.

"The first one scouts the way, the next two have even thicker lines."

Tieguai Li shook the pliers, and a piece of the jaws broke off.

"Two more."

In the sewer at the street corner, two pale and bluish hands gripped the edge at the same time.

Tong Kexin inserted a large ladle into the braised pot, and as the soup noodles were stirred, the aroma of salt and oil wafted across the street.

"The pot is still hot."

Aunt Liu picked up the pot lid and shouted upstairs.

"Knock on the pot!"

As soon as the sound of the basin began, two wire puppet corpses rolled up from under the iron grate.

They didn't look at their fallen companion; instead, they surrounded the pot on the left and right.

Cheng Xiaojin looked deeper into the street corner.

Below the black waterline, the shadow of a small bronze plaque with the character "Shen" flashed briefly along the brick seam before sinking back into the ditch.

He cursed.

"Shen Jiulou can't wait any longer."

Before the words were even finished, both puppet corpses made a sound from the back of their necks at the same time.

The fire under the pot was licked by a cold wind, turning half of it blue.