What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

Moreover, I felt a gaze upon me.

The gaze wasn't intense, nor did it carry any killing intent; it was more like...observation?

The guardian of the cauldron? Or some other kind of person?

I didn't look back or stop walking. I kept walking at my original pace and even took out my phone to check the time.

But his right hand, tucked into his trench coat pocket, had already silently gripped the black bone needle.

The malevolent energy within his body instantly circulated, flowing into the bone needles along his arm.

When I reached the middle of the alley, the feeling of being spied on reached its peak.

The source is... the roof to the left rear!

I suddenly stopped in my tracks, pretended to tie my shoelaces, and quickly squatted down.

Just as I crouched down, an extremely faint whooshing sound whistled past my scalp.

It was a little figure cut from a piece of yellow paper!

The paper figure was only the size of a palm, with edges as sharp as knives. If I hadn't crouched down, it could have cut my carotid artery.

When the first attack missed, the paper figure strangely turned back in mid-air, as if it were alive, and lunged at my back again.

"A trivial skill."

I snorted coldly, and suddenly rolled my squatting body to the side, while swinging my right arm backward.

"go!"

A black ray shot out from my fingertip.

Five meters is a distance that can be covered in the blink of an eye.

"puff!"

A soft sound.

The paper figure flying in mid-air was precisely pierced by the bone needle and pinned directly to the brick wall next to it.

The paper figure struggled violently, making a "sizzling" burning sound.

At the same time, the evil energy attached to the bone needles erupted instantly, setting the paper figure ablaze and burning it to ashes in the blink of an eye.

I stood up and waved my hand.

The bone needle, drawn by the evil energy, flew back to my hand on its own.

I looked up at the roof to my left and behind me.

The place was empty except for a black cat that, startled, meowed and darted into the darkness.

They run fast, though.

I walked to the wall, looked at the pile of ashes on the ground, and crushed it with my toe.

This is the technique of "cutting paper into soldiers," which belongs to unorthodox methods and is usually used to explore or test the waters.

It seems the other side doesn't intend to make a move tonight.

This is at most a small greeting.

They wanted to see just how capable I was as an embalmer.

Since you're going to play, I'll play with you.

Looking at the small patch of black ash on the ground, I didn't rush to leave.

Since they dared to test me, it means they have already located my position.

Pretending nothing happened and going home to sleep at this point would only make them think I'm weak and easily bullied, and their probing would only become more frequent and their methods more ruthless.

The best defense is always offense.

I crouched down, stretched out my finger, and gently picked up a bit of paper ash.

The ashes were still warm, and a slight stinging sensation came from my fingertips.

That was a trace of the caster's remaining spiritual power, or the residue of their heart's blood.

Folk magic practices emphasize "using objects to represent forms".

This paper-cutting of soldiers may seem magical, but it's actually just a way of separating a strand of one's "spirit" and attaching it to the paper.

I destroyed the paper figure. The caster must be feeling terrible right now, like someone has hit them hard on the head with a stick.

This gave me an opportunity.

"Trying to run away?"

I sneered and pulled the black bone needle from my pocket.

The malevolent energy within his body flowed slowly, surging into his fingertips along his meridians.

I held the bone needle, and gently touched the tip of the needle to the ash.

The malevolent energy, like a thread, emerged from the bone needle and instantly burrowed into the pile of ashes.

The once lifeless ashes suddenly trembled, and then, as if attracted by some kind of magnetic force, the bone needle abruptly tilted to the northwest.

The feeling was wonderful, like when you're fishing and the hook snags something, feeling heavy in your hand.

That invisible "thread" connected my bone needle at one end and the rat hiding in the shadows at the other.

I stood up, put away the bone needles, and strode off in the direction indicated by the needle tips.

……

To the northwest lies Jiangcheng's old industrial area, where there is a famous urban village called "Dashiqiao".

That place is a scar on Jiangcheng, and also a breeding ground for all sorts of people.

Illegal buildings piled up one after another, and power lines blocked out the sky like a spider web.

I walked through several bustling streets, the surrounding lights grew dimmer and the road surface became increasingly potholed.

After walking for about forty minutes, I stood at the entrance of Dashiqiao Village.

The bone needle vibrated more and more violently in the pocket, and even became faintly hot.

The sorcerer was inside, and no more than 500 meters away from me.

I pulled my hat brim down low and walked into the alley.

It was already late at night, and there weren't many people in the alley. Only a few hair salons still had their dim pink lights on, and inside sat several heavily made-up women, idly playing on their phones.

I kept my eyes straight ahead and my steps were extremely light.

The sense of attraction reached its peak in front of a five-story tenement building with white ceramic tiles on its exterior walls that looked quite old.

The tip of the bone needle was pointing at the leftmost window on the third floor.

The window was covered with thick black curtains, and not a single ray of light could get through.

But I could sense a chilling aura inside, exactly the same as the smell of that paper figure from before.

I did not choose to go through the main entrance.

The stairwells in such places are narrow, making it difficult to maneuver in a fight, and the other side must have placed warning signs at the entrance.

I walked around to the side of the building and glanced at the rusty drainpipe.

He took a deep breath, channeling his killing intent into his legs.

Then, using both hands and feet, he silently climbed up the drainpipe.

The height of the third floor is not difficult for me.

A few seconds later, I crouched down outside the security bars of that window.

Security windows are made of stainless steel and are very sturdy.

But I reached out, my palm enveloped in a murderous aura, and gripped the two steel pipes, exerting a sudden burst of force.

"Squeak—"

The two hollow steel pipes were bent so hard that a gap large enough for a person to crawl through was exposed.

The window wasn't closed tightly; a crack was left open for ventilation.

I held my breath and peered through the crack.

The lights were off inside, but two red candles were lit.

By candlelight, I saw an altar in the middle of the room, with scissors, paste, and a stack of yellow paper on it.

There was also a chipped porcelain bowl, half-filled with dark red blood.

A thin man wearing a gray Zhongshan suit was sitting cross-legged in front of the offering table, his hands covering his chest, his face pale, and bloodstains at the corner of his mouth.

On the ground in front of him lay a pile of scraps of paper that had been cut up.

"Damn it... how come this kid has such a strong murderous aura..."

The man coughed violently twice, his voice hoarse, "It almost scared the hell out of me... This job was a complete rip-off..."

Just as he was complaining, I gently pushed open the window.

Although the movement was very gentle, the window hinge still made a slight scraping sound.

The man reacted extremely quickly.

Almost the instant the sound rang out, he grabbed a handful of yellow paper from the table and flung it out.

"Who?!"

The yellow paper fluttering in the air suddenly expanded, transforming into more than a dozen palm-sized paper bats, baring their sharp teeth, and swarming towards the window.

"Your grandfather."

I gave a low shout and darted through the window.