1442 Kitsune
stay silent and still.He drew a short sword with its sheath from behind his waist, and tapped the scabbard on the ground. Something unseen emerged from within his scabbard, and I saw the newspaper be...Men are afraid of the third watch, women are afraid of noon.
This is an old saying from years gone by, but I don't really think there's any basis for it.
In the old days, due to the low level of medical care, people basically gave birth at home, and nutrition wasn't as good as it is now.
Adding to this, Chinese people also place great importance on birthdates and the Eight Characters of their birth. They believe in making up for any perceived deficiencies, which is how this old saying came about.
Our ancestors divided the year into 24 solar terms and 12 hours based on celestial stems and earthly branches. They also combined this with the concepts of Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements. According to their belief, men are composed of Yin spirits and Yang souls. Those born during periods of extreme Yin energy would be affected by it, leading to an impact on their physical body, which is the Yang soul.
The same woman is a yang soul and yin spirit. At noon when yang energy is at its peak, the yin spirit will also be affected, leading to poor health.
"All of this is just 'feudal superstition' from the old days. Even people like us in the know don't really care about it anymore. This She Laotai looks quite elderly, could she be a true believer"
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My brother is absolutely not going to give up. His grandfather's waiting for a female companion over there, and who knows what could happen if we drag this out all night.
"Old Lady She, we came here on purpose. We drove for a long time and finally found you. We're willing to pay ten times the usual fee. Please hurry up and make us a female paper figurine. We'll wait right here. As soon as it's done, we'll take it away." My brother said urgently.
The old woman let out a disdainful hum: “You say you’ll do it just because Young man, this line of work has taboos… My family doesn’t set up paper figures at night!”
"Why Are you going to braid a girl's hair in the morning and a boy's in the afternoon Do you have time for that" My brother didn't understand what this old lady was afraid of.
The old woman narrowed her eyes: "There are rules in this house, talking too much is useless... My paper figures aren't made at night... You should go."
If this were a man, my brother might be more rough about it. But this seems to be just an old woman and a child. The old lady is frail and the child looked thin and pitiful. I couldn't possibly go and bully them. My brother gave me a look, meaning for me to try and ask nicely.
"That... that old woman, we were introduced by an acquaintance. Because things are urgent, we can't wait until tomorrow. If you have any taboos, just say so, we don't mind." I said in a low voice.
The old woman squinted at my face: "Girl, your tone is quite big. Don't think you're extraordinary just because you have a different aura... You don't mind taking responsibility, but I do!"
I saw that she was angry, so I quickly said: "Please don't be angry. We are young and inexperienced, and if we have offended you in any way, please forgive us. The main reason we came is because our elders at home insisted on meeting you, and we had no choice but to pester you. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to go back and report."
The old woman frowned: "I haven't concerned myself with worldly affairs for many years, I only make paper figures to make a living. What are you, young one Don't you have elders to guide you"
"We're from the Mu family!" Archie said, with a hint of pride.
"The Mu family" The old woman frowned: "…Which Mu family, how come I've never heard of it"
"Um... but our old master said he wanted to come and ask you for a paper doll... You two aren't old acquaintances, are you" Aqi asked in confusion.
My brother pushed Archie away, signaling him to be quiet. He turned to the old woman politely and said, "What exactly is it that you're avoiding To be honest with you, we're not just ordinary people who know nothing. Just tell us what's on your mind so we can broaden our horizons and have an answer for our elders at home."
When the old lady saw that we wouldn't leave, she also felt helpless. She certainly couldn't beat my brother in a physical contest. She couldn't push open the door or pull on the security gate outside.
He could only huff and puff, "Since you're a professional, come in then!"
We were afraid she would change her mind, so we rushed into the room.
"Whoa!!" Archie was even more scared than me. He jumped right when we walked in.
There was only one rather dim warm-light table lamp in the room, placed on a wooden table covered with various tools.
The entire house was filled with... paper people.
Look closely, these paper figures are incredibly lifelike. Some wear jackets, some have small hats, some kneel on the ground, and some sit on benches.
Their faces were either ashen or sallow, looking very much like human beings under the dim light.
And in the corners of the house, there were paper offerings of horses and chickens, and even a figure of an executioner holding a big knife.
This looks like a spooky house, if there were a few more... hanging from the ceiling... that'd be the kind of Halloween haunted house attraction you see at an amusement park.
The lights were dim, and the little kid stood in the shadows, watching us warily. My brother tried to lighten the mood and joked, "Kid, aren't you afraid standing so far away What if the paper man suddenly moves"
The child seemed a little resentful, muttering in a low voice, "My paper figures could always move..."
Old Madam She turned her head and glared at the child, who immediately shut his mouth and said nothing.
"Children speak freely... I don't have a place for guests to sit here, because it's already full of 'people'... Make your point quickly—" The old woman looked down on us.
My brother didn't care about all that. He saw a few old cushions on the tool table, so he picked them up and gave them to us. He himself threw one on the ground and sat down cross-legged, looking like he wasn't leaving.
Jiang Qiyun stood at the door, her sleeves raised. His aura was cold and solemn, making me feel like the paper figures in this room were trembling slightly.
Ha ha...
The old woman accidentally knocked over a small bamboo knife from the table beside her. My brother raised an eyebrow slightly, reached out to pick it up, and handed it back with both hands, saying: “Old lady, why are you so nervous We're really not bad people.”
Then Old Madam She stole a glance at me, her eyes wide with alarm, as if she had seen a ghost.
I looked back at Jiang Qiyun. Could it be that this old woman felt Jiang Qiyun's aura
"... You be quiet, don't scare the old lady, she's so old..." I hugged the worn-out cushion and didn't dare to sit down. I leaned against the door and whispered to Jiang Qiyun.
Jiang Qiyun didn't take it seriously. He glanced at the display in the room and said disdainfully, "This old woman is no ordinary person. All these messy ghosts in this room will naturally flee when they see me. She's not afraid of the yin energy; she's afraid of the aura on your body."
I frowned. “What have I gotten on me… Isn’t it just the aura from when you and Yin Su Bai were facing off before…”
Jiang Qiyun frowned and said, "Yin Su Bai... he's very strange. If we talk about his position in the divine hierarchy, he might be lower than me, but his power is far greater than mine. He has much fewer constraints and reigns supreme in the demon realm... I don't understand why he would rather limit his own magic power, even dissipating part of it, to enter the mortal world... His current power is difficult to control, so he won't make a move easily."
" ...He's looking for Archie with a corpse. Could it be someone important to him, someone he couldn't let go of even in death" I guessed.
Jiang Qiyun smirked and said, "Mu Xiaqiao, don't be so sentimental. To gods and demons, mortals are just...mortals."
I was taken aback for a moment and asked uncertainly, "Then I'm just an ordinary person too. Wouldn't you think I'm insignificant"
"How many times have I told you" He frowned. "You're my wife, a mortal How many mortals receive such treatment I even have to clean up after you."
"Ahem, you two can keep flirting at home. Look, you scared the old lady," my brother reminded me.
As expected, She Lao Tai's eyes widened in fear: "Miss, you... you... who are you talking to What kind of person is behind you!"ho are committing the sin of manipulating souls!” Luo Hu Xingjun swung his sword violently to the side, a burst of light flashed, and the ghosts in that direction seemed to be scorched into blue smoke...