Chapter 100: More Than a Dozen Shikigami

Night had fallen.

After dinner, Zhang Baolian glanced at the time.

“It's about time. Let’s get ready to set off.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiangnan and Wang Mei immediately began gathering the necessary items.

Zhang Baolian took out a sheet of yellow paper.

With scissors, she carefully crafted another paper doll.

Unlike before, this small figure wore a skirt.

It was a woman.

Gu Xiangnan was puzzled. “Seventh Senior Sister, are you playing house? You’re even making male and female paper dolls?”

Zhang Baolian smiled and explained, “Xiao Nan, you don’t understand. Previously, we released a male doll. Now, by releasing a female one, she will guide us on our path.”

Gu Xiangnan and Wang Mei found this fascinating.

Zhang Baolian placed the paper doll in her palm and began chanting an incantation.

When she finished, she flicked her finger, and the paper doll floated gently into the air.

It twirled a few times before transforming into a blurred human shape, flying steadily in a certain direction.

“Follow it,” Zhang Baolian ordered succinctly.

Wang Mei revved the motorcycle, and the three of them climbed aboard, closely tailing the paper figure.

The doll headed toward the city center.

Traffic gradually thickened on the roads.

Without Wang Mei’s excellent driving skills, they might have lost it.

The paper doll flew to a plaza in the city center and came to a stop.

It fell from the sky and returned to a simple sheet of paper.

“Park here. This is the place,” Zhang Baolian said.

Wang Mei pulled the bike to the roadside as Zhang Baolian and Gu Xiangnan dismounted.

Zhang Baolian picked up the paper doll from the ground.

They scanned the surroundings to find Luya Yangming.

The plaza was called Lotus Square.

At its center was a lotus pond.

It was just after dinner, and the square was bustling with life.

Groups of people strolled and chatted, some couples whispered sweet nothings.

A cluster of middle-aged women gathered by the lotus pond, dancing energetically to lively music.

In one corner, street performers livestreamed their acts, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

Amid the noisy throng,

Luya Yangming appeared, dressed in a voluminous white hunting robe and wearing a tall, slender black hat.

He walked slowly into the square.

On the Douyin platform, it was common for internet personalities to dress in eccentric costumes and perform publicly.

So his attire as an Onmyoji didn’t attract much attention; the citizens assumed he was just another streamer going live.

He walked directly to the lotus pond and stood firmly among the dancing ladies.

This disturbed the dancers, who started pointing fingers at him.

“This young man has no manners!”

“Yeah, how can we keep dancing with him standing here?”

“Hey, why don’t you go stream somewhere else? This spot is ours.”

“Don’t old folks have the right to dance?”

The group of elderly women surrounded him.

Luya Yangming paid them no mind.

He pulled out a snuff bottle and murmured an incantation.

Suddenly, Taoyao appeared on the square, her hands and feet bound with demon-sealing ropes.

The elderly women were shocked.

“Oh my, what’s going on? Where did this little girl come from?”

“Am I losing my mind? Did you all see that?”

“No way! She was just here. I remember it clearly.”

The ladies with failing memories argued amongst themselves.

At that moment, Luya Yangming produced over a dozen talismans from his chest pocket.

He bit his finger, smearing fresh blood onto the papers.

With a flourish toward the sky,

The talismans soared higher, hovering midair.

Forming hand seals, he chanted, “By my blood, I command the gods.”

Centered where Luya Yangming stood, a gust of energy surged outward.

A fierce demonic wind whipped up, sand and stones swirling violently.

The women shielded their faces, barely able to stand.

From the ground rose a massive talisman, quickly ascending into the sky.

It glowed a fiery red, illuminating the entire square.

This spectacle drew the crowd’s full attention.

The singer streaming nearby hastily redirected the camera, broadcasting Luya Yangming’s actions.

Other citizens pulled out their phones to record videos.

“There!” Zhang Baolian shouted, “Go stop him!”

Gu Xiangnan flashed forward, but it was too late.

Within the enormous talisman above, over a dozen figures descended.

“Senhime, the Demon King Shuten-dōji, Deer Lord, Yamata no Orochi, Juhikie… Manifest!”

Each introduced themselves in turn.

Everyone stood dumbfounded.

What was this?

Divine intervention?

Or a demonic invasion?

Among the livestream’s viewers was a knowledgeable netizen with the ID “OnlyLoveHatsuneMiku,” who wrote:

“Wow, amazing! That’s an Onmyoji from the Land of Fusang! Those flying down are shikigami.”

“Streamer, run! Most of those shikigami are demons and spirits. This could turn bloody soon.”

Others egged on the drama:

“Don’t go, streamer! Keep broadcasting, we’ll send you gifts.”

Indeed, gifts flooded in.

Seeing the opportunity, the streamer stayed, even moving closer for a better shot.

Luya Yangming pointed at Taoyao, commanding:

“All shikigami, obey! Feast on her immediately to increase your spiritual power.”

The dozen or so shikigami leapt forward eagerly.

Luya Yangming had established a ruthless elimination system.

The slowest to advance would be purged—not merely dismissed, but utterly destroyed.

Even shikigami feared death.

Gaining spiritual power determined their rate of progress.

By devouring Taoyao, they could grow stronger.

All wanted to consume more.

“Go!”

At his command, the shikigami surged toward Taoyao.

She sat on the ground, resigned, closing her eyes in despair.

At this critical moment,

Gu Xiangnan appeared in a flash, scooping Taoyao into his arms and leaping backward with fluid grace.

The shikigami lunged but missed.

They turned, astonished, to Luya Yangming.

Taoyao felt no pain, only the sensation of being lifted.

She opened her eyes in confusion.

“My lord?! You... you’re not dead?”

Tears streamed down her face.

Gu Xiangnan gently stroked her head.

“How could I die so easily when I’m this handsome? I’ve even bought candied hawthorns. We’ll eat them when we get back!”

Luya Yangming fixed his gaze, stunned.

The one who came to save them was Gu Xiangnan himself.

He was incredulous.

Hadn’t he already killed Gu Xiangnan?

Impossible!

He had never failed before. This must be Gu Xiangnan’s twin brother.

“Who are you?” Luya Yangming squinted.

“What? You met me at noon and already forgot your grandfather by night?” Gu Xiangnan sneered. “Did you think you could touch my people just because you killed me?”

Luya Yangming roared in fury, “Baka yarou! Then I’ll let you die again!”

With a wave of his hand,

“All of you, attack together!”