Horror Camgirl - Ch. 31: Spirit-Collecting Pot
At this moment, the Herb Digger was trembling with rage, and the Wei Family had called security to drag him out.
I tugged at Tang Mingli's sleeve and whispered, “That’s a valuable item; let’s quietly buy it.”
Hearing me say “let’s,” Tang Mingli seemed pleased. We stealthily followed them out and saw the security throw the Herb Digger out the door, laughing mockingly as they tossed a leaf on him, saying, “Take your treasure and get lost.”
With a face full of humiliation, the Herb Digger carefully placed the leaf into a box, gritting his teeth as he limped away.
I rushed forward to stop him. He looked at me warily and said, “What do you want?”
I smiled and asked, “What’s your name, sir?”
“Hai Wei.”
“Mr. Hai, others may not recognize your treasure, but I do. I’d like to buy it; what do you think?” I said.
Hai Wei stared at me suspiciously: “Are you really going to buy it? Don’t tell me you’re trying to trick me?”
“Of course it’s true,” I replied earnestly.
He asked, “How much will you pay?”
I said, “I don’t have any money.”
He exploded in anger: “Are you here just to make fun of me?”
“Certainly not.” I clenched my teeth and took a box out of my bag, handing it to him. “I’ll trade this for it.”
He took it hesitantly, glancing inside, and his eyes widened in surprise.
It was a fifty-year-old Reishi Mushroom.
High-aged Reishi Mushrooms are extremely rare, and a fifty-year-old one is worth as much as a century-old ginseng.
“Trade? Absolutely!” he exclaimed, afraid I might take it back. He tossed the leaf to me, and I added, “I’ll trade, but you must tell me where you found this leaf.”
The Herb Digger said, “Once, while digging ginseng in Changbai Mountain, I got lost and stumbled into a place I’d never been before. The entire mountain was covered in heavy snow, yet that spot was warm as spring, filled with many plants I had never seen before, and I only recognized this one. Our village has passed down a legend that a century ago, a fairy used this Yanming Leaf to extend a villager’s life by an entire month.”
My heart raced with excitement, and I asked, “Where is that place?”
“I picked the leaf and left, but I’ve never been able to find it again,” he sighed regretfully. “Unfortunately, there was only one leaf on that tree; otherwise, I could have picked more.”
True Lord Zhengyang said, “What he said is true; there is a place with Osmanthus Orchids that thrives in all seasons. The place he mentioned likely has many spirit plants. When you are stronger, you can try to find it, but don’t go now; it’s too dangerous.”
I returned to the Treasure Appraisal Conference with the leaf. Tang Mingli asked, “Do you really believe this can extend life?”
I nodded firmly. He opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately said nothing.
“Now, let’s look at the last treasure of the Treasure Fighting Conference.” As the host's clear voice rang out, a Bronze Wine Pot was presented.
“Hmm?” The three judges grew serious, asking the waitress to bring the bronze pot closer for a closer inspection.
“Look at the casting technique and pattern; it seems to be from the end of the Western Zhou period, specifically from the Chu state,” Tang Zulai stroked his beard and said. “However, I’ve never seen a wine pot in this shape before.”
“I think it looks odd, but it doesn’t seem fake,” Han Yun added.
Hua Youwei remarked, “If this thing is real, it holds significant meaning.”
True Lord Zhengyang asked, “Young lady, what do you think of this bronze pot?”
I frowned and replied, “It makes me very uncomfortable; it has an overwhelming Yin Qi.”
“Haha, that’s to be expected. This thing is called a Spirit-Collecting Pot,” True Lord Zhengyang explained. “It was used by ancient shamans to collect spirits. The sealed lid indicates that it contains a spirit. If opened, with your skills, it would be very difficult to handle.”
Before he could finish, Han Yun said, “Let’s open the lid and take a look.”
As he reached to open it, I was startled and quickly stood up, saying, “Don’t open it!”
All eyes turned to me, and Han Yun looked displeased, asking, “Why can’t we open it?”
“I recognize this item,” I said.
The crowd erupted in murmurs, while the three judges laughed, their smiles filled with disdain.
“An expert doesn’t recognize it; how can a little girl know?” someone laughed heartily. “Don’t let us laugh so hard our teeth fall out.”
“Right, that’s showing off in front of the master; it’s a sign of madness.”
“Ah, today’s youth will do anything for attention, even foolish things.”
Tang Mingli stepped forward to stand beside me in support, while Wei Ran looked surprised, his eyes full of interest.
Even Yin Shengyao gazed at me intently, his eyes full of curiosity.
“Alright then,” Han Yun sneered. “Young lady, tell us, what exactly is this?”
“This is a Spirit-Collecting Pot; it was used by shamans in ancient Chu to collect spirits.” I pointed to the pot’s lid, saying, “Do you see this pattern? This is a seal. The presence of this seal indicates that there are spirits sealed inside the pot; it must not be opened, or it will bring disaster.”
The three experts exchanged glances and then burst into laughter.
“Little lady, have you watched too many horror movies? I’ve been an appraiser for decades and have never seen any spirits or monsters,” Han Yun laughed mockingly, waving his hand. “Alright, alright, step aside, don’t disturb us any further.”
I frowned and said, “Mr. Han, it’s better to believe in what might be than to dismiss it. If you open it with so many people present, it won’t just be a simple matter.”
Hua Youwei sneered, “Who is your teacher? What qualifications do you have? What academic works have you published?”
I felt a bit embarrassed and replied, “None.”
A nearby audience member scoffed, “You’re nothing and dare to spout nonsense in front of the experts? Mr. Pan, how could you let someone like this in?”
Wei Ran’s expression turned a bit unpleasant, but he remained still. He didn’t trust me, but he believed in my master behind me. If this was truly my master’s intention, then perhaps it was real.
At this moment, Han Yun was already twisting the lid of the bronze pot. My face changed dramatically: “Don’t!”
Tang Mingli moved, rushing forward with lightning speed to snatch the pot away. Han Yun shouted angrily, “What are you doing? Security!”
I stared wide-eyed at the bronze pot, which now had its lid opened, in Han Yun's hands.
Silence.
Han Yun exclaimed, “I told you, there are no spirits! I think you are just putting on an act. Mr. Wei, I’ll make it clear today: if they don’t leave, I will leave immediately.”
Wei Ran hurried over to mediate. After all, Han Yun was a respected expert, backed by the Han family, and he could not afford to offend him.
Han Yun was unyielding, insisting that we leave, so Wei Ran had to say, “Madam Yuan, Tang Shao, how about we go upstairs for some tea?”
Before he could finish speaking, a piercing scream suddenly erupted. A wealthy lady sitting in the front row stood up, terrified, pointing at the bronze pot in Tang Mingli's hand.
From within the pot, a black mist began to waft out.
True Lord Zhengyang exclaimed, “A spirit has emerged! Fortunately, it’s just a Vengeful Ghost; everyone, get away!”
I immediately shouted, “Quick, step back!”
Tang Mingli tossed the bronze pot onto the stage, and the black mist grew thicker. The guests in the front row panicked and fled, even Han Yun showed a look of fear.
“Old Han, let’s go,” Hua Youwei urged him. “Even if it’s not a ghost, it could be a bomb!”
This gave Han Yun an out; he turned and ran, causing chaos in the venue.
I pulled out some Cinnabar from my bag and drew a Talisman on my Peach Wood Dagger, then leapt forward to stab at the black mist.
The black mist moved swiftly, suddenly darting into the body of the slowest woman. She shook violently, her eyes rolling back, and she turned to lunge at me.
I aimed my sword at her chest, but I heard Wei Ran shout, “Don’t hurt her; she’s the mayor’s wife!”
I felt like crying.
I redirected my strike, hitting her shoulder instead. The Peach Wood Sword couldn’t harm a physical body and didn’t pierce her skin, but the Vengeful Ghost possessing her was injured. It let out an angry roar and punched me in the chest, sending me flying.
Tang Mingli rushed up to confront the Vengeful Ghost. True Lord Zhengyang said, “We can’t fight it head-on; we need to expel it from this woman’s body.”
I drew a Talisman with Cinnabar in my palm. While Tang Mingli distracted her, I quickly moved behind her and slapped the center of her back hard.
She let out a low cry, and the black mist erupted from her mouth, swirling in the air as it searched for its next host.
“Girl, this won’t work,” True Lord Zhengyang said. “This place is filled with ordinary people. Although those possessed by the Vengeful Ghost won’t die, they’ll suffer greatly. You need to trap it first.”
I remembered a method for trapping ghosts mentioned in a small booklet. I bit my fingertip, mixed the blood with Cinnabar, and drew a Formation on the stage. Then, I took out several small red flags and placed them at five points.
At that moment, the Vengeful Ghost had possessed a middle-aged man. I shouted, “Mr. Tang, draw it over here!”
Tang Mingli was fighting it, and several security guards were trying to assist. However, they hesitated to act decisively due to the man’s identity.
Tang Mingli punched the middle-aged man in the face, then twisted his arm behind his back and forced him over toward the Formation.
“Good, now! Use the Spirit-Collecting Pot to capture him!” True Lord Zhengyang instructed.
I grabbed the bronze pot from the ground and infused it with Spiritual Energy. The pot surprisingly glowed with a faint golden light. I quickly aimed the pot’s opening at the middle-aged man.
He showed a look of intense pain, letting out a horrifying, beast-like scream as his body contorted grotesquely.
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide, and black mist gushed out, all of it sucked into the pot.
I swiftly closed the lid, finally letting out a sigh of relief, cold sweat covering my forehead.
“You’re quite talented, girl,” True Lord Zhengyang remarked. “I thought that with Spiritual Energy depleted and the legacy of the Dao lost, there would be no one left to carry on the teachings in the mortal realm. It seems I was mistaken.”
A thought sparked in my mind. Did he want to take me as his disciple?
I immediately ran to the backstage, finding it empty, and knelt down, giving a respectful bow toward the sky, saying, “Master above, please accept this disciple’s bow.”
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