After Swapping Identities With My Archenemy - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: The Request for Canonization

Jiang Huaiyi was scared stiff. She froze on the spot as the paper doll lunged toward her. Behind her, Song Rong let out a piercing shriek, and the hall instantly dissolved into chaos.

Those targeted by the paper dolls began to flee in every direction. Jiang Huaiyi heard a sudden, thunderous roar beside her ear, and the paper doll in front of her was sent flying out of her sight.

It turned out Chu Lianxue had landed a heavy punch directly on the paper doll. Around them, wails echoed as tables and chairs flew through the air. The once-tidy hall had become a battlefield.

Chu Lianxue slapped her shoulder hard. “Don’t just stand there! Move!”

Jiang Huaiyi followed tremulously. She couldn’t shake the habit of her legs turning to jelly whenever she was terrified. She tried her best to maintain her composure, appearing calm on the outside, but in reality, she was struggling to even walk.

Song Rong followed closely behind. The group reached a platform behind the main hall. Along the way, Chu Lianxue kicked several paper dolls to pieces; before they could retaliate, she set them ablaze. The shadowy souls inside fled instantly, making Jiang Huaiyi frown.

If they’re caught, they should be burned to ashes along with the paper, she thought. She wasn’t the only one who noticed this flaw; Chu Lianxue also looked deep in thought.

The group lifted a large table, propped it up in a corner, and hid behind it, planning to wait until the fighting subsided. Jiang Huaiyi watched her Senior Sister’s ready-to-fire Lightning Seal and suppressed her own urge to act—she didn’t want to expose her identity.

Beside her, Song Rong tugged at her sleeve. “Are we just going to hide here? How do we get out?” Terrified, she pressed closer to Jiang Huaiyi, nearly trying to squeeze between the two women.

Jiang Huaiyi patted her back comfortingly. “It’s okay. We’ll leave after the fighting stops. Don’t worry, I’ll lead you out.”

They weren’t far from where Shen Wensi was hiding, but the curtain only fluttered once before going still again. Jiang Huaiyi wondered why Shen Wensi was ignoring the chaos. Even her Senior Sister was staying put.

Suddenly, someone outside bellowed, “There’s a member of the Orthodox Sect here! Daoist, come out and help me!”

As soon as one person spoke, others followed. Cries for help rang out continuously.

“Where is the Daoist? Save me! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to be taken away!!”

“You under the table! Come out! If I die, I’m taking you down with me!!”

Seeing that the group remained unmoved, a man who had seen Chu Lianxue start the fire earlier let out a shrill scream, drawing a massive amount of attention toward their corner. However, his voice was cut short. Chu Lianxue, visibly annoyed, tossed a fireball a burning talisman precisely into the man’s mouth.

His voice stopped instantly. His body, already at its limit, collapsed and was promptly bundled up and carried away by the paper dolls. Seeing the man’s fate, the others immediately shut their mouths.

Mu Ze spoke up mockingly, “Daoist Chu is truly compassionate and kind-hearted.”

Chu Lianxue’s sword whistled out of its sheath, crossing the space between them to rest directly against Mu Ze’s throat. “Say one more word?”

Mu Ze surrendered completely, closing her eyes and mouth.

Jiang Huaiyi watched the bickering calmly, meeting Song Rong’s terrified and confused eyes. She heard Song Rong whisper, “Is this… really okay?”

Jiang Huaiyi replied, “Of course. Just because someone reads the Tao Te Ching doesn’t mean they have morals. Morality is often just a hypocritical tool used to kidnap the kind-hearted.”

Chu Lianxue looked at Jiang Huaiyi with surprise and nodded in approval, reaching out to shake her hand. “Well said. Better the fellow Daoist dies than this poor priest. Let them fight for now; we’ll rest.”

Chu Lianxue decided she liked this “Junior Sister’s friend.” Looking at her approachable face felt very comfortable. Jiang Huaiyi gave a sweet smile, her heart racing with excitement. It had been so long since she’d spoken to her Senior Sister like this. If she could maintain this, maybe she could return to her normal life soon.

As Jiang Huaiyi felt a surge of secret joy, the table in front of them was suddenly flipped over. Their cover vanished.

The four of them stared at the butler who had just entered. Jiang Huaiyi had seen him when they first arrived. Then, he had looked like a normal person; now, he appeared ancient and decrepit, yet his body remained robust and powerful, showing strength far beyond an ordinary old man.

Looking at his wrinkled face, Jiang Huaiyi felt a sense of familiarity. He was so hunched he practically resembled a walking stick. Such a figure should have struggled to walk, yet he stood firm.

The three people behind the table were dazed. Chu Lianxue withdrew her sword from Mu Ze’s neck. Mu Ze immediately started cursing, “Old man, what are you doing? Put the table back!”

The old man chuckled, setting the table upright and revealing a set of sharp fangs. He leaned in close to Jiang Huaiyi’s face. Despite the foul air of the room, she could clearly smell the stench of blood on his breath.

The moment he spoke, Jiang Huaiyi knew exactly who he was.

“Do I look like a person to you?”

Fine fur began to sprout from his wrinkled face, and his features became unnaturally pointed—utterly different from a normal weasel. Jiang Huaiyi realized in an instant: this was the weasel that had escaped from Xinmin Villa!

Her fear was instantly replaced by rage. She landed a heavy punch right on its hard face. The butler transformed fully into a weasel and was sent flying several meters away. Her hand throbbed with pain, as if she had punched a steel plate.

She shook her hand and cursed, “You look like a piece of sh*t to me.”

“Requesting Canonization” (Tao Feng) is a supernatural power possessed by animals nearing the end of their cultivation. But seeing how much evil this creature had done, it was clearly not on the path to a righteous end. When such an evil spirit asks for a “blessing” or “title” from a human, the person being asked becomes burdened with a lifetime of spiritual debt, regardless of whether they grant it or not.

This weasel knew it couldn’t achieve divinity on its own, so it was trying to drag Jiang Huaiyi down with it. Once entangled, it would be a fight to the death. Jiang Huaiyi stopped hiding. She was afraid of ghosts and afraid of weasels, but when a creature stepped on her head like this, she had to act.

A trace of terror flickered in the weasel’s beady black eyes. In just a few days, this person had gone from being scared to death to punching a tooth out of its mouth. It didn’t realize that even the most timid person has a breaking point.

Jiang Huaiyi had used up her courage with that punch. Her stomach churned, and her hand was already bruising. The weasel, now desperate, charged at her. It was nearly half the size of a human. Others, struggling against the paper dolls, began to flee toward their cleared space.

Jiang Huaiyi couldn’t care about the others. The moment the weasel chased her, she bolted. Not screaming like the others was the greatest “face” she could give Shen Wensi’s persona.

Reaching the end of the hall, Jiang Huaiyi made a sharp turn and crawled under a large table. She looked back to see the weasel slam headfirst into the wall, seeing stars.

She let out a silent laugh, but suddenly felt something grab her ankle. She tripped and fell forward. Looking down, she met a distorted, grinning face it was one of the men who had been tied up and left on the floor.

Before she could scream, her collar was grabbed, and she was lifted into the air. She scrambled to her feet. Just as she turned to thank her savior, she heard Song Rong scream, “Xiao Jiang! Run!!”

She instinctively tried to bolt, but a hand pulled her back and an arm wrapped around her.

Shen Wensi’s voice drifted into her ear. “Where are you going?”

Jiang Huaiyi looked at the slender hand on her shoulder and gave a brilliant smile. She had almost forgotten Song Rong’s claim that Shen Wensi was a “native.”

“I thought there was danger, so I ran by instinct.”

In the distance, Song Rong watched the two of them in a harmonious embrace. She was panting heavily, a single thought echoing in her mind: It’s over. My only hope of getting out has been possessed by a ghost.

Jiang Huaiyi relaxed, placing her hand on Shen Wensi’s waist. Now that she had stopped, she realized how exhausted she was. She leaned against the table. “Why did you only come out now? Your servants all turned into paper dolls. What do we do?”

Most of the people in the hall had been captured, though some hadn’t been attacked. Her Senior Sister and Mu Ze stood nearby with indifferent expressions. Song Rong, not having time to think, hid behind them. Chu Lianxue punched a paper doll chasing Song Rong, sending it flying like a rag.

The wind howled, flapping the scraps of paper still stuck to the bamboo frames. As the last person was bundled up, a torrential rain began outside. The sky changed from the previous clear blue to a murky, earthy yellow. Everything inside was illuminated.

The paper dolls that still held souls transformed into real people, and the broken paper limbs became severed body parts. Amidst the carnage, Jiang Huaiyi noticed a pale, severed hand on her own ankle. She shrieked and shook it off. The hand was terrifyingly white, as if drained of all blood—like a long-dried wax figure. It hit the floor with a wet thud.

The hall was filled with groans. The paper dolls, now real people with missing limbs, lost their fierce demeanor. Limping, they carried the group of people tied to the poles outside.

With most of the people gone, those remaining looked at Jiang Huaiyi and roared in fury: “I knew it! You two are in league! You’re from the outside too—how could you collude with the things here!”

Song Rong watched them from afar. She felt something inside her shatter. Seeing the intimacy between the two, it was clear they had known each other for a long time.

Chu Lianxue and Mu Ze also walked toward them, leaving Song Rong alone. Song Rong remembered how she had confidently claimed the person over there was a “villain.” That villain was now holding her “lifeline,” Xiao Jiang, and casting an inscrutable glance her way.

The heavy, serious expression on Jiang Huaiyi’s face vanished, replaced by a look of ease. Outside, the rainy sky held no thunder, but in Song Rong’s heart, a storm of lightning and gale had just begun.

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