By the time Uncle Huzi and I arrived at the home of the carpenter surnamed Meng, the sky had already gone completely dark.
The place the old man lived in was in utter disrepair. Part of the courtyard wall had collapsed and hadn't been fixed. The house itself was an old building from decades ago—desolate and gloomy.
Uncle Huzi walked up and knocked on the dilapidated courtyard gate.
He knocked several times, but no one responded.
"Maybe he's not home?" Uncle Huzi said, sounding doubtful.
"There's definitely someone here," I replied, taking another glance at the run-down house. I could see a swirl of eerie, shadowy energy surrounding it—this was definitely the place.
Uncle Huzi stopped knocking and simply pushed the courtyard gate open, stepping in first.
When we entered the yard, we noticed that wild grass had grown all over, clearly left unattended for a long time.
As we approached the front door, a violent cough erupted from inside the house—clearly an elderly person.
"Is anyone home?" Uncle Huzi called out.
Before long, we heard footsteps, and then the door creaked open. A hunched old man stood in the doorway, eyeing us warily.
Uncle Huzi and I froze for a moment upon seeing him.
The old man's body was withered, his eyes bloodshot. He coughed repeatedly, and a thick aura of death swirled above his head—he looked like he didn't have much time left.
"Who are you looking for?" he asked weakly, struggling to suppress another cough.
"I'm Wu Jie, here to pay my respects to Master Meng," I said politely, cupping my hands in greeting.
"Wu Jie or Liu Jie or whoever—you've got the wrong person. Go away," the old man snapped, trying to shut the door.
But Uncle Huzi blocked it with one hand. "Master Meng, we're already here. Wouldn't it be more courteous to invite us in for a chat?"
The old man glared at him, gave a cold snort, and turned back into the house.
Uncle Huzi took that as an invitation and walked right in. I followed close behind.
As soon as we stepped inside, the old man started coughing violently again—like he was about to cough up a lung.
After a long while, he spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm and finally calmed down.
"What do you want?" he asked coldly.
Uncle Huzi found a small stool and placed it beside me. I sat down and looked directly at the old man. "Sir, your health is in terrible shape. Using the Nightmare Array to harm others has clearly backfired. Was it really worth it?"
The old man raised his head and stared at me, his facial muscles twitching. "What are you talking about? I don't understand a word. Speak plainly."
"Master Meng, I know you're with the Luban Sect. We're in the same trade—why don't we stop beating around the bush and speak frankly?"
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then suddenly chuckled, his tone shifting. "I underestimated you. Didn't expect you to track me down so quickly."
That was as good as a confession.
"I owe you for going easy on me last night. Had you gone full force, I probably wouldn't be standing here now," I said with a smile.
"You're young, but you've got some real skill."
"Compared to you, Master Meng, I've still got a lot to learn," I replied.
Suddenly, the old man stood up and swiftly backed away several steps. Gone was the feeble, dying appearance—in its place was a swift and agile figure.
He backed all the way to a corner of the room and pulled away a black cloth.
Beneath it stood two paper figures—just like the ceremonial paper effigies sold at funeral supply shops. One boy, one girl, both with pale faces and blood-red lips—eerily lifelike.
The old man formed hand seals and began chanting rapidly.
A sudden chill swept through the room. Windows rattled violently, and furniture began to tremble. The paper dolls abruptly came to life, letting out bone-chilling laughs as they moved toward us with surprising speed.
That's when I noticed—each paper figure was holding a real knife.
"Be careful, Young Master!" Uncle Huzi shouted, quickly stepping in front of me.
In the blink of an eye, the paper dolls were upon him, swinging their blades fiercely.
Uncle Huzi was nimble, dodging back and forth, evading their strikes. One of the blades slammed down on a table and instantly split it in half—sending a shiver down my spine.
The paper dolls were covered in strange, arcane symbols—clearly created through powerful rituals.
Such craftsmanship was awe-inspiring. No doubt, this old man was a true master of the Luban Sect.
The dolls fought viciously, slashing at Uncle Huzi with relentless aggression. He was starting to get overwhelmed.
One of the paper warriors suddenly bypassed him and rushed straight toward me.
Seeing this, I instinctively backed away. I had never faced anything like this before.
The doll was fast. I found myself backed into a corner with nowhere left to retreat.
"You had the guts to come here—do you have the luck to walk out alive?" the old man snarled.
As he spoke, the doll raised its blade and swung it down at my head.
I'd learned a fair amount of martial arts from my master over the years. Steeling my nerves, I sidestepped just in time to dodge the deadly strike.
The blade slammed into the wall, carving out a massive chunk of plaster.
The doll spun around and charged at me again.
By now, I had already pulled out a Cloud Thunder Talisman. I gave it a quick shake and chanted,
"Heaven and Earth are the origin, all energies return to root—thunder, come!"
With that, I flung the talisman at the paper doll.
The doll was still charging forward, knife raised, when the talisman landed on its chest.
With a loud crack, the talisman ignited. Moments later, blue flames erupted from the doll's body, and within seconds, it was reduced to ash.
The old man gasped in shock. "How dare you destroy my Paper Armor Warrior!"
I wasn't done yet.
The second doll was still attacking Uncle Huzi. I rushed over, pulled him aside, and hurled another Cloud Thunder Talisman.
It struck the remaining doll dead-on.