Someone was helping Wuyou. Who? I looked closely and realized it was no one other than the shopkeeper.
He had released a restless soul from a gourd flask. It possessed the paper effigy, bringing it to life.
So the man kept ghosts.
Keeping ghosts was one of the most despised practices among feng shui masters. Those who used it took on a share of the karmic consequences.
Anyone whose ability had reached a certain level would refuse that path.
Usually, only people without much skill, but with a taste for causing trouble, resorted to keeping ghosts.
The shopkeeper was one of them.
With the restless soul inside, the lifelike effigy soon began moving, waving its arms.
It was only paper, yet seeing it inexplicably come alive was frightening.
Yueru had been eager to see everything. Now that it was actually moving, she grew afraid and hurried behind Wuyou.
A pleased look came over his face. Perhaps he thought he could finally impress the girl he wanted.
He darted in front of her, spread his arms, and shouted with all the authority he could muster, 'Wretched creature! I only let you out for a little air. Don't get above yourself. Defy me, and I'll scatter you to dust, with no chance of rebirth!'
He could almost have fooled someone. He looked like a man well versed in the Daoist arts. Unfortunately, it was all show. There was little skill behind it.
He gave the shopkeeper a look, plainly signaling him to play along. If I hadn't been there to see it, that would have been one thing.
But I was right there. I wasn't about to let their trick succeed.
I cast a spell at the effigy. It instantly slipped out of control and turned violent, baring its teeth as it lunged at Wuyou and Yueru.
Wuyou couldn't dodge in time. Standing in front of her, he took the attack. The effigy reached up, seized his throat, and lifted him off the ground.
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A grown man, he had to weigh fifty kilos or more. The effigy lifted him as easily as a little chick.
His feet hung in the air. Its grip must have been immensely strong. His face flushed red, then slowly turned purple, his lips darkening with it.
Veins stood out across his face. The sight was horrible. In another moment, it seemed, he would be strangled to death.
At last the shopkeeper hurried over.
'Wretched creature! Get back inside!' He opened the gourd, trying to draw the restless soul into it.
Letting it out had been easy. Getting it back was another matter.
The soul didn't respond. The effigy kept its grip on Wuyou's neck. The shopkeeper began to panic. He hadn't expected this.
If anything happened to Wuyou, things would go badly for him too. He hurried into the shop to find a ritual implement.
Before his talisman could touch the effigy, I used a spell to make it burst into flame.
He went deathly pale. Something seemed to occur to him, and he called out to the surrounding shops.
'What master is displaying such supernatural power here? Please withdraw it. We were wrong. We shouldn't have done this. Have mercy. Don't hold it against us. Please, stop!'
I sneered inwardly. He was clever enough to realize that someone nearby was teaching them a lesson.
Wuyou could barely speak with his throat held like that. Watching him, I thought he would be strangled in another moment.
Then a foul smell rose from his crotch. He had lost control of his bladder and bowels.
Yueru took several steps back in distaste. She was still frightened, but disgust mingled with her fear. I hadn't set out to humiliate him like this.
I had only stopped the effigy from obeying the shopkeeper. What happened afterward wasn't something I had intended.
Even if Yueru didn't hate him after this, he would never be able to face her again. It was too humiliating.
As a man myself, I could only pity him. I stepped out of the shadows.
I cast another spell at the effigy. It quieted at once and stood motionless.
It dropped Wuyou to the ground with a thud.
He gulped for air. His face, purple as an eggplant, finally began to look a little more normal.
'An! What are you doing here?' Yueru hurried over, curiosity in her voice.
She didn't dislike me. I smiled without answering, then went over to Wuyou and the shopkeeper first.
Wuyou hadn't recovered yet. The shopkeeper, however, took one look at how young I was, and his expression changed.
'Zhao Wuyou arranged this with the shopkeeper,' I explained to Yueru. 'He had the effigy brought to life so he could play the hero, save you, and win you over.'
I didn't need to say much more. She was clever enough to understand what had happened.
She looked down at Wuyou, lying on the ground, with distaste.
At first she might have felt sorry for him. Now all that sympathy had turned to disgust.
She had thought he was innocent. Now she saw it as his own fault.
And wasn't it? He had set out to make someone look bad, then lost control of his bladder and bowels in front of the girl he was trying to win over.
He could spend the rest of his life ashamed of this.
'Yueru, don't believe him! He must be behind this. He made the effigy lose control, stopped my spell from working. It's all his doing. Don't believe a word he says!'
Wuyou had recovered enough to hear what I was saying about him. He hurried to protest.