Sunshine Boy knew Hao Yunsheng would be reluctant. "I’ll go find the Life Materials for a Life Substitution Wood Child," he said.
Sunshine Boy called on the Book Listener and the Foodie. They first found dead branches and leaves from the old pagoda tree to use as the primary components, then gathered the other Life Materials.
Soon, the three of them found a deserted spot.
"You two, keep an eye out for me."
While the other two stood guard, Sunshine Boy created three Life Substitution Wood Children in a row. He then consumed three "Bait" Fate Grids, infusing them into the wooden figures.
A thick branch formed the torso, with thinner branches for the limbs. A bundle of pagoda tree leaves, balled up, served as the head.
Strands of hair were scattered over the leaves, and the neck was attached using Hao Yunsheng’s fingernails.
His Magical Power drained, Sunshine Boy’s face was a little pale. He tucked one of the dolls securely against his body and handed the other two Life Substitution Wood Children to the Book Listener and the Foodie.
"These Life Substitution Wood Children require not only a Fate Grid, but also body materials willingly given by someone with powerful luck," Sunshine Boy explained. "The process also consumes a great deal of power, which is why I haven’t made any before. Unfortunately, my Grade Level is limited and I didn’t have many Life Materials, so while these can take the brunt of an injury, they might not be able to save you from death. You’ll have to make do."
Next, Sunshine Boy took a box from the book trunk on his back. He attached a sheet of Talisman Paper to it, and after a brief discussion, the three of them gave it to the Foodie.
The three returned to the common room. Sunshine Boy looked at the assembled Night Guards and said, "Next, I’m going to make some Wooden Talisman People. They’re mainly for blessings and to ward off defilement. I can’t say how effective they’ll be, but they should easily resolve minor evils and small calamities. For those who are willing, you must swear an oath that we will not harm one another and will work together. If you don’t swear, the Wooden Talisman People will be useless."
The Night Guards were skeptical. Some of them swore the oath, while the rest just watched.
Hao Yunsheng and his three subordinates remained completely still. The Captain also said nothing.
Sunshine Boy used the pagoda tree wood to make nine ordinary Wooden Talisman People. He gave one to each of the seven men who had sworn the oath, and the remaining two to the Book Listener and the Foodie.
A few more men then swore the oath, so he made another three.
In the end, out of the eighteen people present, thirteen now had a Wooden Talisman Person. The five who remained empty-handed were the Captain, Hao Yunsheng, and his three subordinates.
In the common room, the Night Guards simply stared at one another, a heavy silence hanging between them.
It was as if an invisible wall had risen, separating the two groups.
Sunshine Boy sized up the three men standing behind Hao Yunsheng.
One was tall and thin, with fair skin.
Another was coarse and swarthy. Half of his face was covered in pockmarks, while the other half was dotted with two black moles.
The third man was tall and powerfully built, his right hand gripping a spiked Wolf Fang Club that extended above his head.
"Masters of the Night Guard, what are you doing? Come now, inside." Wang Laoshu entered, beaming as he carried a pile of supplies.
The men exchanged glances and followed him inside.
They saw Wang Laoshu lay out a large spread of red paper and scissors. He said with a grin, "This afternoon, we need to sprinkle the cleansing water and erect the Hundred Blessings Warehouse. The delivery itself won’t be until tonight. The village is short-handed, so I was hoping you masters could help out by crafting some ’Fu’ characters to paste on the Hundred Blessings Warehouse. It’s a shame, though. In the past, offerings to the Lady of Delivery always required two Hundred Blessings Warehouses. Today, the matriarch must be in a good mood; she’s only putting up one."
The Night Guards exchanged confused glances.
Only after Wang Laoshu had left the common room did the Captain speak. "This task of crafting the hundred blessings is likely related to the Deceit. We can’t be careless. Does anyone know how to do it?"
The Book Listener stood up. "There is a saying: ’Once autumn’s touched, a hundred blessings are crafted.’ Everyone, follow me. I have some skill in these crafts. Try to only do the work, and do not speak."
’Sunshine Boy thought about it for a moment and understood. It was about the words themselves. To speak of "cutting" blessings would be terribly unlucky, as the word for "cut" sounds just like the word for "reduce." The verb they were using for the crafting, however, must sound like "add," which would be auspicious.’
The Book Listener took a pair of scissors and a sheet of red paper. Just as the others were reaching for theirs, Hao Yunsheng lunged forward. He grabbed two sets of scissors and paper, keeping one for himself and handing the other to the Captain. His three subordinates followed his lead and snatched up their own supplies.
The others frowned at the four of them.
A pair of scissors and a sheet of red paper now lay before each of the eighteen men.
The Book Listener spoke slowly. "Now, follow my instructions. After each step, you must lift your work slightly so I can clearly inspect it and make sure you haven’t made a mistake. There are many ways to craft a Fu character—fine methods and simple ones. I’m only going to teach you the simplest method now. Watch carefully. Pick up the square sheet of paper. Everyone, do it with me. No distractions."
After speaking, the Book Listener pinched the paper between his hands and raised it.
Everyone else did the same.
"First, fold it in half. Once you’re all done, hold it up so I can see."
The Book Listener finished his fold and showed it to the others.
The men folded their square sheets of red paper on the table, then held them up.
Hao Yunsheng, however, remained seated. Thinking it was too simple, he just gave his folded paper a dismissive wave. After a moment’s hesitation, his three followers did the same.
The Book Listener looked toward Hao Yunsheng. "The room is dark. Unlike you cultivators who have Entered Grade and possess a Spiritual Eye, I can’t see clearly."
"It’s so simple, it doesn’t matter," Hao Yunsheng retorted.
The others looked at Hao Yunsheng. They knew he was still holding a grudge from when the Book Listener had exposed him earlier. Seeing how simple folding paper was, he was clearly unwilling to play along.
The Book Listener shook his head. "Now for the next step. Take the part you just folded and fold each side back again."
The Book Listener continued his step-by-step instructions, and the others followed along. After each fold, they held up their work for him to see.
The paper folding was simple. At one point, a Night Guard said something, and the Book Listener’s voice grew stern. "Speak as little as possible."
The Night Guard quickly fell silent.
When everyone had finished folding, the Book Listener held the folded red paper in his left hand and the scissors in his right. "Now, watch very carefully. Pinch it right here, hold it at this angle, and start your cut from this position. Do you see? Good. Now everyone, hold up your paper and let me see first."
Most of the men raised their paper slightly. Even Hao Yunsheng’s three followers held theirs high. Only Hao Yunsheng himself remained motionless.
The Book Listener carefully inspected the position of everyone’s scissors, then nodded. "Alright. Now, cut with me."
SNIP...
With the faint snip of scissors, a corner of red paper fell away.
The others all made their cuts as well.
"Next, another fold, and start the cut from here..."
"Now, use your fingernail to score the red paper with this pattern, then cut along the lines..."
Everyone meticulously followed his every move. Soon, the first "Fu" character was completed.
The men carefully unfolded the "Fu" characters before them and breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Everyone’s "Fu" character looked more or less the same.
The Book Listener smiled as well. "I appreciate everyone’s cooperation. We’ve finally finished one. The next ones should go much more smoothly. However, we need to make a hundred of these ’Fu’ characters, which means five or six per person. I still hope we can proceed as we just did—it may be slow, but safety comes first. Of course, I won’t force you."
Feeling the atmosphere lighten slightly, the men breathed another quiet sigh of relief.
As they started on the second character, everyone followed the procedure just as before.
Hao Yunsheng acted as before, refusing to raise his work for the Book Listener’s inspection, but he stared intently at the man, studying his movements more seriously than anyone else.
After they finished the fourth character, the Book Listener smiled. "Everyone’s too tense. Being so stiff will only make things harder. Let’s take a break and have some water. But remember, we’re still in the middle of crafting the ’Fu’ characters, so remain cautious."
"Everyone listen to the Book Listener," the Captain ordered.
The Book Listener whispered to Sunshine Boy and the Foodie, "Try not to speak. We don’t know which word might be taboo here."
The two of them nodded.
With the crafting of the ’Fu’ characters paused, the atmosphere in the room improved considerably. Slowly, the men began to chat amongst themselves.