Wandering Gods of Day and Night
Chapter 195 - 160 Sheep Horn Hand Seal_2

Chapter 195: Chapter 160 Sheep Horn Hand Seal_2

The coffin was sealed shut, covered with numerous strange talismans, and then sent off to Hui Feng Medical College.

Li Chengfeng reluctantly bade farewell to Zhou Xuan, saying, "I’m sorry, Young Master. I really wanted to have a chat with you, but I’m in a hurry to go study the corpse, so..."

"Hurry up and research. If you find anything significant and it gets published, don’t forget to write—originally discovered at Zhou’s Purification Shop on East Market Street."

"..." Li Chengfeng.

Zhou Xuan was essentially claiming credit in advance. Since he’s not the one doing the research anyway, he’ll just earn some free advertisement.

...

Li Chusheng’s corpse was finally taken away, and upon entering the shop again, the peculiar hunger sensation was gone.

However, Zhou Xuan still didn’t let anyone linger in the shop. "Better safe than sorry," he said. "Let’s close up for the afternoon. Don’t rush home yet; let the shop settle down for a bit."

"Then I’ll go play cards."

"When have you ever not played cards," Zhou Xuan mocked Yun Ziliang.

"I’ll go find Hua Zi to hang out."

"Perfect timing. I’ll head to the Old Painting Pavilion to take a rest." Lv Mingkun felt emotionally drained today and thought he needed the dense Yin Sha Qi of the Old Painting Pavilion to replenish his energy.

"I..." Zhou Xuan had just started to speak,

Si Ming impatiently interrupted, urging, "Young Master, about the tattoo?"

"I’ll come to your place to do the tattoo," Zhou Xuan replied.

Anyway, the Flower-picking Handprint tattoo was halfway done, but it still required sacrificial offerings. Whomever used this tattoo would need to provide a sacrifice.

Si Ming’s tattoo was intended for his daughter, Si Yuer. But since Si Yuer hadn’t come and something had happened at the shop, Zhou Xuan figured it might be better to visit the Si Mansion.

"Sounds good," Si Ming eagerly agreed.

...

Zhou Xuan carried the half-finished tattoo and got into Si Ming’s car.

The car headed toward the Si Mansion.

Along the way, Zhou Xuan noticed something unusual. Pointing at the numerous restaurants along the street, he said to Si Ming, "Old Si, have you noticed that today, all the restaurants seem to have more customers than usual?"

"Really?" Si Ming looked out through the car window, scanning the surroundings but seeing nothing unusual.

"I forgot—someone like you, so wealthy, wouldn’t pay attention to small diners and shops."

Zhou Xuan kept observing, and a peculiar feeling grew within him.

He felt as though Mingjiang Prefecture’s ground had sprouted a giant, writhing mouth that was endlessly consuming.

"Perhaps the appetite of this mouth isn’t too large yet, so the changes aren’t obvious. But as time goes on, I’m afraid its hunger will grow insatiable."

Mingjiang Prefecture was sinister—truly sinister.

...

The car stopped in front of the Si Mansion, and Si Ming graciously invited Zhou Xuan inside, saying, "Young Master, the house wasn’t prepared for your visit, so please forgive us."

"It’s all good, all good," Zhou Xuan replied with a polite gesture of clasping his fists.

But upon entering the mansion, he realized that the wealthy man’s version of "unprepared" was far superior to what a middle-class family could offer with careful planning!

The most affluent household Zhou Xuan had visited before was the Dai Mansion in Ping Shui Prefecture.

The Dai Mansion was massive—its yard large enough to row a boat. At the time, Zhou Xuan thought that was the peak of wealth.

Now he realized the Dai Mansion was merely big and spacious, but it couldn’t match the refinement of the Si Mansion.

The Si Mansion’s layout embodied the essence of southern courtyard gardens.

The corridors twisted and turned, with flowers and greenery cleverly arranged. Walking along the pathways truly felt like "one step, one scene," as if you had stepped right into nature.

Si Ming led Zhou Xuan to the Blessing Hall and had the servants bring out a spacious wooden table, so Zhou Xuan could work on the tattoo.

Fruits and pastries, of course, were a given.

There was even a dedicated tea lady, seated at a small table nearby, steeping tea for Zhou Xuan.

"The life of the wealthy—so simple and dull," Zhou Xuan remarked.

After sipping two cups of tea, he put away his casual attitude and leaned over the table to continue working on the Flower-picking Handprint tattoo.

"Young Master, I’ll go fetch Si Yuer. You carry on," Si Ming said.

To create a serene environment for Zhou Xuan, Si Ming not only left himself but also dismissed the tea lady, leaving behind only two steaming cups of tea for Zhou Xuan’s convenience.

Now alone, Zhou Xuan no longer hesitated. He concentrated all his Perception into the Bone Teeth tool, swiftly moving his brush across the human skin canvas.

The Flower-picking Handprint was a small design, simple in structure compared to the Heavenly Official Blessing tattoo. Naturally, it didn’t take long to finish.

But strangely, as the last stroke landed with the Bone Teeth, no phenomenon occurred.

"Why isn’t there any sign?"

Zhou Xuan picked up the tattoo, inspecting and listening intently. The pattern remained unchanged—no Buddha sound, no Buddha Bell ringing.

"This doesn’t make sense."

Zhou Xuan channeled his Perception into the tattoo—it required a sacrifice. Without the offering, it was merely a lifeless object.

As expected, his Perception yielded nothing.

"What’s going on here?"

Zhou Xuan held the tattoo, pacing while examining it. Unknowingly, he reached the window of the Blessing Hall.

Sunlight poured through the window, illuminating the human skin canvas bearing the tattoo.

Suddenly,

A phantom figure materialized above the Flower-picking Handprint design. It was a humanoid figure with a goat’s head!

Zhou Xuan couldn’t help but recall the ancient legend from Jing Country, which spoke of an Ancient Buddha whose head was stolen by a goat-headed humanoid monster.

According to Yun Ziliang, the Ancient Buddha lacked a head, so the authenticity of this legend was questionable. But regardless, the goat-headed humanoid creature and the Ancient Buddha were inherently opposing forces—always at odds, utterly incompatible.

Yet bizarrely, Zhou Xuan’s tattoo brought the Buddha and the goat-headed beast together. Why was that?

Holding the tattoo, Zhou Xuan began to ponder whether it was appropriate to sell this tattoo to Si Ming.

While he was still mulling it over, Si Ming returned with Si Yuer.

Si Yuer, bold by nature, approached Zhou Xuan directly upon seeing him, gazed at his face, and said, "So the tattoo master has such impressive presence?"