Chapter 51: Pulling Strings, Cutting Threads, Slaying Evil
By the stream, Chen Shi and Li Tianqing stared at the porcelain fish lying on the riverbed, their faces grim.
Though they lacked the immense power of someone like Xiao Wangsuan, they knew something dire had occurred. The fish, once alive, were now transformed into porcelain, a clear sign of the evil wrought by the monstrous Bodhisattva at the kiln factory.
“How could that thing suddenly awaken?” Li Tianqing muttered, puzzled.
Chen Shi was about to answer when a piercing scream split the air. Both boys spun around to see one of the merchants, who had been arguing moments earlier, suddenly yanked into the sky as if by invisible strings.
Looking up, Chen Shi’s eyes widened in shock. A grotesque creature loomed above, its elongated body stretching several times the length of a human. It resembled a monstrous hybrid of man and insect, with seven or eight long limbs that bent like bamboo joints.
The creature’s hands—if they could be called that—were thin and spindly, with unnaturally long fingers. Its many limbs spread wide as it squatted mid-air, staring down at the people below.
Its head bore some resemblance to a human’s but was grotesquely distorted, with a wild mane of tangled hair and a mouth that stretched unnaturally wide. The merchant it had captured was quickly pulled closer, his screams abruptly silenced as the creature shoved him whole into its gaping maw.
Li Tianqing’s face paled. “That’s an evil creature—String Puppeteer!”
Chen Shi’s heart sank. “Evil spirits shouldn’t appear during the day...” It was broad daylight, though the sun’s light was dimmed by a crimson haze. Chen Shi recalled his grandfather’s teachings: evil spirits were creatures of the night, feeding on the strange energies of moonlight to awaken.
“Why is it active now?”
Li Tianqing’s excitement broke through his fear. “This is the true form of a String Puppeteer! The books only showed vague sketches. People rarely see its full form because it only hunts at night. But we’re the first to see it clearly!”
Indeed, the monster’s details were striking under the daylight.
“It doesn’t even have wings!” Li Tianqing exclaimed. “The books were wrong. This thing hovers in the air—what need has it for wings?”
The creature began to release fine, nearly invisible threads from its body. These silken strands drifted downward, catching the sunlight briefly before disappearing from sight.
The threads fell perilously close to the remaining merchants.
“Don’t move!” Chen Shi shouted, waving his arms to warn them. “Stay still!”
But fear had already taken hold. Ignoring his warning, one man bolted, abandoning his goods as he ran. He stumbled straight into one of the threads.
The thread stuck to him instantly. The moment it was disturbed, the creature in the sky sensed it. The man was yanked into the air with terrifying speed, his screams echoing as he rose toward the monster’s gaping maw.
Li Tianqing joined Chen Shi in shouting, “Stand still! Don’t run!”
But panic had taken over. The remaining merchants and their animals scattered, their desperate movements tangling them in the nearly invisible threads.
Now ensnared, they struggled to break free, but the sticky threads clung stubbornly to their skin, clothes, and even the fur of animals. The String Puppeteer began reeling them in, but the sheer number of captives slowed it down.
Chen Shi’s mind raced. Spotting a large boulder, he darted up the hill and hefted the stone over his shoulder. “Tianqing, get ready with your Six Yin Jade Wheels!”
Though puzzled, Li Tianqing immediately summoned his Divine Embryo, his jade wheels spinning into action.
Chen Shi hurled the boulder into the air. It struck one of the threads and stuck fast.
“Brilliant!” Li Tianqing exclaimed, understanding Chen Shi’s plan.
One by one, Chen Shi threw more boulders, each one sticking to the threads and adding weight. The String Puppeteer, already struggling to lift its captured prey, now found itself dragged closer to the ground.
As the creature descended, Li Tianqing seized the opportunity. With a shout, he sent his spinning jade wheels slicing through the air. The invisible threads shivered as they were struck, and the wheels slashed deep into the monster’s grotesque body, sparks flying on impact.
Meanwhile, Chen Shi continued hurling stones, forcing the creature lower. Soon, it was within their reach.
Its massive body was grotesque up close, its long limbs thrashing as green ichor oozed from fresh wounds. Furious, the monster tore at its own threads, but Chen Shi pressed the attack.
Grabbing a thousand-pound stone, he leaped high into the air and brought it crashing down on the creature’s head.
Boom!
The impact cracked its skull, but the monster lashed out in retaliation. One of its legs struck Chen Shi square in the chest, sending him hurtling into a cliffside with a sickening thud.
“Tianqing, finish it off!” Chen Shi’s voice echoed through the dust as he dragged himself upright, wincing.
Li Tianqing redoubled his efforts. Jade wheels spun faster and struck harder, carving into the creature’s carapace. One well-aimed strike pierced through its head, and the String Puppeteer’s body convulsed violently before collapsing to the ground.
The boys collapsed beside the smoldering remains of the creature.
“What even is this thing?” Chen Shi asked, his voice hoarse.
“Evil,” Li Tianqing replied, panting. “Beyond explanation, beyond understanding. They’ve been here since our ancestors arrived in Xiniu New Continent.”
Chen Shi recalled the strange patterns on the creature’s body. The markings resembled talismanic symbols, intricate and precise.
“Those symbols…” Chen Shi began, his thoughts racing.
“What about them?” Li Tianqing asked.
Chen Shi grinned. “I have an idea for an experiment. Black Pot! Come here!”