《Lie Huo Jiao Chou》


 Prologue

    In the 21st year of the Qi dynasty, the frost descended.


    A group of knights were galloping on the official road, both people and horses covered in dust. Suddenly, the young leader shouted, "The boundary marker is here!"


    Not far away stood a stone stele over ten feet tall with blood-red characters dancing on it, fierce and threatening. It read: "Chiyuan, no living being may pass, trespassers will have their bones crushed and ashes scattered."


    In front of the stele, a middle-aged warrior with a team of guards welcomed them. The guards wore armor and held sharp weapons, kneeling in unison, "Greetings to Your Royal Highness."


    The young leader dismounted from his horse. His horse had not yet stopped, and he stumbled slightly as the warrior went forward to support him, "Be careful, Your Highness."


    "It''s fine." The young man waved his hand and asked, "Where is my...father?"


    As he spoke, someone nearby called out his nickname, "Xiaotong''er, come here."


    The young crown prince looked in the direction of the voice. It was a man in black standing alone at the other side of the stele that read "trespassers will be killed." He took a quick glance at the blood-red characters on the stele and without any hesitation, he dashed across it nimbly and knelt before the man in black, "I..."


    The man in black reached out to steady him, "Be steady, no need to rush."


    The man spoke and acted with calmness and grace. He appeared mature and dignified from behind, but when he turned his head, he revealed a face that was unmarked by time, looking somewhat eerie and out of place.


    Just by looking at this face, no one could ever imagine that he was Shengxiao, the Emperor of Qi, who had already been on the throne for twenty-one years.


    His eyebrows were like swords, not prominent, sloping into his temples. The corners of his eyes tilted downwards with a hint of tenderness and sentimentality, presenting a handsome and proper appearance.


    The crown prince stood up and called out softly, "Uncle."


    It turned out that this crown prince was not the biological son of Emperor Shengxiao. As Shengxiao had no children of his own, he adopted his late brother''s orphaned child and made him the crown prince. Shengxiao was naturally distant and cold, not fond of being close to others, so in public, the crown prince referred to him as "father," but in private, the two still addressed each other as uncle and nephew.


    Shengxiao said to the crown prince, "Walking with me on this side of the border marker, are you afraid?"


    The crown prince replied, "No. I have heard that when my uncle was young, he defeated Chiyuan, conquered evil spirits, and killed a million ghost soldiers, restoring our country. Although I am not even one or two percent as good as you, I dare not speak lightly of fearing your reputation."


    "What reputation? Do you mean infamy?" Shengxiao smiled and walked forward, "Did you hear anything just now?"


    The crown prince listened carefully for a while, but there was only the silence of the world, only the sound of the wind. He shook his head, "I didn''t hear anything."


    Shengxiao smiled, "Yes, there''s nothing to hear."


    The Crown Prince was taken aback and suddenly remembered a legend he had heard when he was young. It was said that the fiery abyss of Chiyuan was sealed with the vengeful souls of a million fallen soldiers, whose resentment reached the heavens. As a result, the fierce winds in the Great Canyon never stopped, and those standing outside the boundary marker could hear the screams and cries from the other side. But at this moment, he was walking around safely inside the boundary marker, and everything was fine except for the unbearable heat.


    The Crown Prince thought to himself, "Folklore is really just hearsay and exaggeration."


    After walking just over a hundred meters inside the boundary marker, he already felt the heat wave rushing towards him. It was already deep autumn, and the Crown Prince was only wearing a thin padded jacket, which was already soaked with sweat. The beads of sweat were rolling down his forehead, but he secretly glanced at his uncle and resisted the urge to wipe it away.


    Emperor Qi Zheng''s reputation was not very good. Those Jianghu artists fabricated stories that he was a capricious madman. They said he was born in a pool of blood from his father and brothers, and his birth was inauspicious.


    They also said that he killed his mother, killed his teacher, burned books, banned speech, colluded with evil officials, waged war and slaughtered loyalists.


    But in the young Crown Prince''s heart, this man was his only relative.


    No matter what happened, this man was always gentle and calm, and he had never seen him speak harshly or act without grace. The Crown Prince had looked up to him since he was a child. Now, as an 18-year-old heir, he could shoot the heaviest bow and govern the country with skill, but he still instinctively followed the man''s back like he did when he was a child.


    After they passed the boundary marker, they walked for over a mile, and Sheng Xiao stopped. The smell of sulfur had already begun to fill the air, and the Crown Prince was having difficulty breathing.


    "We''ll stop here for this year. If we go any further, the heat will harm us," said Sheng Xiao.


    The Crown Prince was confused. "This year?"


    "Yes, this year." Sheng Xiao reached out and pulled out the Crown Prince''s sword, which had protective charms engraved on it. When the scorching wind from Chiyuan swept over the sword, the charms on the blade turned red. Sheng Xiao plunged the sword into the ground and said, "This is the first thing I want to tell you, and it''s the most important. I''ve been entangled with Chiyuan for a lifetime, and I''ve finally achieved some results. If my estimation is correct, this sword can be pushed forward five miles every year. In less than ten years, the fire of Chiyuan should be completely extinguished, and when the fierce winds disperse and the sword reaches the edge of the cliff, you can send people from the ''Qingping Department'' to stay here permanently."


    The Crown Prince was taken aback, vaguely sensing a different meaning from his words: "Unc...Father, you..."


    Sheng Xiao said faintly, "I will pass the throne to you."


    The Crown Prince knelt down with a thump.


    In fact, the Crown Prince was somewhat prepared in his heart. During the past year, Emperor Qizheng had gone on two inspection tours to suppress the four corners of the kingdom, and gradually let go of the internal affairs, orderly paving the way for the future generation and letting the Crown Prince take the reins of the kingdom.


    But when it really came to this day, the young heir was still at a loss as to what to do.


    "I have taught you what you need to know," Sheng Xiao said without looking at him, "As for the rest...Zhang Bo and Kong Yu can be trusted. Zhao Kuan is still in prison, he is innocent, release him and exonerate the Zhao family. He will serve you well in the future. Do not speak ill of your father. If it is inconvenient for you to talk about me in the future, just blame everything on Yang Dong. That little guy is not a good person. He has been living comfortably for these years, I raised him as a gift for you."


    The Crown Prince knelt deeply on the ground: "Father, may you live long and prosperous..."


    A faint smile appeared on Sheng Xiao''s face: "What, are you planning to let me work until I am old and still breathing or till I¡¯m buried under the soil? I have been worried about you for half my life, so take some pity on me too. The edict of abdication, Zhang Bo and Feng Chun each have a copy. Old Feng was your father''s closest friend, he will protect you, don''t be afraid."


    The Crown Prince''s eyes turned red.


    Sheng Xiao stood with his hands behind his back, looking towards the direction of Chiyuan. Suddenly, he asked, "Do you remember how your biological parents died?"


    "Your child does not dare to forget for even a day."


    "That''s good," Sheng Xiao nodded, "You have grown up and know how to walk your own path. Go, Chiyuan will be destroyed, but there is still some residual warmth here, it is not good to stay here for too long."


    "What about you..."


    "I will stay for a few more days," Sheng Xiao waved his hand, not saying much, just said, "The country cannot be without a ruler. The affairs in the capital are complicated, so go back quickly."


    Emperor Qizheng''s words were final, and the Crown Prince did not dare to disobey the order. He had to reluctantly leave with his head turning back thrice. When he reached the boundary marker, he couldn''t help but glance back at the man. He saw Sheng Xiao sitting on the ground before his sword with his back to him.


    In that moment, the Crown Prince inexplicably felt a sense of farewell, but immediately shook his head, feeling that he was just dizzy from the heat. He knelt in front of the boundary marker, saluted the man in black meticulously, and then hurried back to the capital overnight, heading towards his own destiny.


    After seeing off the Crown Prince, Sheng Xiao ordered the guards to wait at the official post, and only one close attendant stayed behind.


    As night fell, the attendant came to Sheng Xiao''s side, knelt down and curled up his body. His armor fell off his body, and after a moment, his robes fell to the ground. There was actually a small bird the size of a palm that flew out and approached Sheng Xiao closely.


    "I nearly forgot about you." Sheng Xiao scratched the bird''s neck with his finger, and a very fine gold wire was hooked out from its neck. The wire was adorned with intricate inscriptions, as if it were grown on the bird''s neck. Sheng Xiao gently pinched the wire, and it instantly shattered on his fingertips. Suddenly, the bird raised its head, its body growing more than ten times in size, and its wings spread out. It lifted its head and let out a long howl, stirring up the starry sky in the southern night - it turned out to be a young Bifang!


    Sheng Xiao stood up and said, "From now on, you don''t have to monitor me or be driven by me. We are both free."


    The Bifang hesitated for a moment and timidly held onto his clothes.


    The man turned his head and looked at it, and the little Bifang shrank back and loosened its beak nervously under his gaze.


    Sheng Xiao took off his headgear, crookedly placed it on the bird''s head, and then removed his seal, finger guard, jade pendant, and other items one by one. Finally, he took off a jade-carved human-shaped pendant from his neck, took a glance at it, and casually threw it aside. The little Bifang didn''t know what important thing it was, and its feathers ruffled as it anxiously chased after the pendant, carefully holding it in its beak. But by the time it looked up again, the man had already walked away with his hair and clothes disheveled, heading towards Chiyuan.


    The little Bifang anxiously called out and didn''t care about the jade pendant anymore, flapping its wings to catch up. Chiyuan was cracked for thousands of miles, rolling with violent magma, with no grass growing on either bank. As it neared the edge of the cliff, the feathers on the Bifang''s wings suddenly ignited in black flames, causing it to scream in agony and roll to the ground, almost turning into a roast chicken, unable to move forward.


    However, Sheng Xiao had walked step by step to the edge of the cliff, his robe sleeves and boots already charred. The mask-like calm on his face cracked, revealing a hint of pleasure and madness.


    It''s still better to be a mortal.


    A mortal only experiences a few decades of joy and suffering in their fleeting life. The pain that the body can feel is always limited, often before the pain is even felt, the person is already released from it.


    But he, he might have to suffer a little.


    The little Bifang let out a miserable scream, and Sheng Xiao leaped into the sea of fire.


    The hot wind hit him in the face like flames, and his skin and flesh were quickly burned into charcoal. Layer by layer, from his hair to his skin, his blood vessels burst inside his body, blasting through the charred skin and flesh. His blood boiled, and all the meridians in his body were shattered. He coughed up a mouthful of ash, not knowing whether it was his heart or lungs.


    Next, his body crashed into the molten lava of the earth''s core. The surface of the lava had a hard shell, but his body was too strong. Falling from a towering cliff, he didn''t break apart, but instead his spine was shattered and his body was battered against the lava''s shell. Flames surged high like banners, and the earth''s core, which could melt gold and jade, opened its mouth and swallowed him whole.


    Even then, he still didn''t die.


    If a person could experience a bone-crushing and ash-rising event, then all the so-called heart-wrenching moments in the world would probably become nothing more than floating ashes on a rock.


    The ups and downs of his life, joys and sorrows, all melted together with his consciousness, being refined and purified by the great fire.


    On that day, laughter echoed through Chiyuan.


    Until the leftover limbs that could not be burned slowly sank and the disturbed lava returned to its calm state.


    "Emperor Qi Wu, the youngest son of Emperor Ping, Shengxiao.


    Emperor Ping was killed by the Yao clan and died in battle in Chiyuan. Qi Wu succeeded as emperor. In his youth, he experienced hardships and tribulations. At the age of 23, he beheaded the demon king under the city of Yong''an and changed the reign to Qizheng. He restored the country, expanded its borders, and his achievements were comparable to those of the Five Emperors. He was ruthless and cruel, and overturned the norms of society. He enjoyed his reign for 21 years before he killed himself under the fire of Chiyuan, and his body and bones were completely destroyed.


    Emperor Wen succeeded him. Ten years later, the fire was extinguished, and Chiyuan became peaceful. Emperor Wen removed the boundary markers and established the tomb of Emperor Wu."


    After thousands of years, the forest grew on the ashes of Chiyuan, and the original forest in the Chiyuan canyon became a national 5A-level scenic spot.


    Hum--


    A mysterious movement deep within the earth was felt, followed by blurry and unsettling murmurs. The noise grew louder and louder, being carried by some unknown process and pierced into his consciousness like steel needles.


    What... is that sound?


    Who dares to make such a racket?


    "I am willing to sacrifice everything..."


    "As a medium...as a medium..."


    "Under the Nine Nether Springs, the ancient gods and demons..."


    "Demon..."


    His consciousness was awakened by the noisy clamor, but for a moment, he was confused.


    Before he fully regained his senses, his perception instinctively betrayed his will. His senses, which had been dormant for thousands of years, suddenly awakened, greedily extending their tentacles and expanding outward, sucking in every fresh detail around him.


    This caused the noisy world outside to rush into his consciousness, flowing in through his senses¨C the feeling of mud, the scent of soil, the sound of the wind, the rustling of leaves, footsteps, human voices...


    "What kind of person is disturbing my sleep?" The feeling of losing control stirred up his anger, and he was momentarily furious. A foreboding black cloud surfaced in his sea of consciousness, and his thoughts manifested as sharp claws that struck back at the sound that dared to disturb him. "How dare you!"


    But just then, in the midst of chaos and restlessness, his newly awakened senses suddenly caught a faint but familiar scent, like a gentle breeze passing by. His turbulent sea of consciousness suddenly cleared, and his heart trembled inexplicably for the first time in thousands of years.


    What was that?


    His killing intent dissipated in an instant.


    But before he could capture it, the scent disappeared again.


    Wait, don''t... don''t go.


    He couldn''t remember who he was or where he was, but he instinctively wanted to keep that elusive scent. Ignoring the other noises in his ears, he struggled desperately. The next moment, his sea of consciousness shook violently, and he could feel his body. Then, there was a crisp sound, and the wind brushed his forehead. He suddenly opened his eyes, and the long-lost sunlight made him shed tears. He then realized that he was lying amidst the shattered remains of a coffin, with a small cluster of thin, fiery red bird feathers...down feathers in his arms.


    After being buried underground for who knows how many years, they had already dried up, sustained only by a faint spiritual energy of unknown origin. They dispersed at the slightest breeze, but he had just managed to grab them. The small cluster of feathers turned into floating dust in his palm, dissipating into thin air.


    He curled his fingers and looked at his empty palm for a while, then slightly tilted his head back, squinting at the billowing dust and chaos in the air.


    "Human world..." he thought, "Am I a zombie?"

 CH 1

    After every great fire, there are ants that survive - Inscription.


    On the outskirts of the capital city of Yong''an, there was a natural reserve in the Western Hills.


    Two rounds of autumn rain had passed, and most of the red leaves on the hillside had fallen. Few visitors were around, and the only sound came from the lonely evening drum in the temple. Despite the already cold weather, Xuan Ji was sweating after climbing the mountain. The Director Xiao who was leading the way walked too fast, rolling his feet like two windmills, and he ended up gliding to the back door of the mountaintop temple, leaving Xuan Ji breathless.


    Director Xiao went to open the door, and Xuan Ji finally caught his breath, teasing, "Director Xiao, we are at least leading cadres now, can you be a little more stable? I''ve been nervous all the way, afraid that you might slip."


    "Stop talking nonsense, I still have other things to do later," Director Xiao opened the door and impatiently waved his hand at him. "Hurry up!"


    Director Xiao''s full name was Xiao Zheng, he was around thirty years old, dressed in a suit without a wrinkle, sharp-featured, like a hard-to-please young man. He hurriedly walked up the steps and led Xuan Ji through the staff passage of the temple, straight to the backyard where visitors were prohibited. The backyard was empty except for an old well. Director Xiao took out his wallet and waved his work ID card in front of the well. "Remember to bring your ID card to work in the future. You need to swipe your card to enter and exit."


    As soon as he finished speaking, a light "ding" sounded from the well. Immediately after, the green stones around the well began to slowly separate, revealing a tunnel that could fit one person.


    Director Xiao lowered his head and went in, and Xuan Ji quickly followed. They walked for about a hundred meters in the tunnel before arriving at a flight of stone steps leading upwards. After following the steps back up to the surface, Xuan Ji found himself in a dense forest. Before he could get a good look, the surroundings were shrouded in thick fog, and the visibility dropped to less than one meter. Then, a white light shot out from the forest and scanned over the two of them. A mechanical voice said, "Identity verification, please wait - ding, verification passed. Good evening, Director Xiao. Welcome, new colleague. Please be careful and stand firmly."


    Xuan Ji asked, "Ah? Stand where?"


    As he spoke, the ground under his feet suddenly started to move. Unprepared, Xuan Ji stumbled backward before he could steady himself. The ground in the dense forest had become a huge conveyor belt, carrying the two of them through the labyrinth-like fog. The plants hidden in the fog were indistinct and turned into afterimages, making the scene dazzling and dizzying. After about five or six minutes, the conveyor belt gradually slowed down and came to a stop.


    "We have arrived," said Director Xiao.


    The thick fog dissipated, and Xuan Ji looked up at the magnificent building in front of him. After a moment, he slowly breathed out and said, "What an imposing sight!"


    It was a skyscraper that seemed almost unreal, with its upper floors reaching into the clouds. Two guards stood watch at the entrance, which was adorned with the national emblem and flag. The ground was paved with white marble tiles, and there was a lively golden dragon etched onto the stone. A large sign hung in the center, reading: National Bureau of Management, Prevention and Control of Exceptional Phenomena and Special Species.


    This was the legendary Bureau of Paranormal Control," one of the most mysterious "departments" and Xuan Ji''s new workplace. The introduction in the employee handbook quickly came to mind: "The Bureau of Paranormal Control is responsible for identifying, monitoring, and handling various non-natural events, as well as the movement of paranormal energy throughout the entire region, maintaining social order, and safeguarding national prosperity and stability."


    This department was responsible for managing events such as "illegal entry of vampire bats," "appearance of unknown whirlpools in the city''s rivers," and "three-headed water monster incidents."


    In addition, the Bureau of Paranormal Control was the only official organization in which special ability holders could exercise autonomy.


    According to the results of the 2010 sixth national census (internal data of the Bureau of Paranormal Control), approximately one in two hundred thousand people were special ability holders, also known as "specials."


    The official explanation for the existence of these people was that a small number of modern humans may have been careless about male-female relationships in the process of evolution, leaving some non-human blood and preserving some special genes in their descendants. Of course, this theory is difficult to verify, as the special abilities of the "specials" are so diverse that each one is almost unique, and it is difficult to obtain sufficient sample data.


    As for folk legends, they are much more interesting: it is said that in ancient times, the war between the human race and the demon race lasted for a hundred years, resulting in a long-standing blood feud. The half-breeds left by the mixed-blood demon people were rejected by both sides and were forced to band together for warmth, eventually joining the army of Emperor Qi Wu. With their help, Emperor Qi Wu defeated the demon king, and after peace was restored to the world, he established the Qingping Division to house these half-breeds. The Qingping Division was the predecessor of the Bureau of Paranormal Control, and today''s "specials" are the descendants of those mixed-blood half-breeds. Of course, anyone with a little common sense knows that this claim is pure nonsense, as the Qingping Division was disbanded more than seven hundred years ago in history, and there is no connection to the Bureau of Paranormal Control, which was established in modern times.


    In fact, the so-called "specials" are not that "special" at all. In reality, most of them are not much different from ordinary people if they do not receive special training, with at most a slightly sharper sense of hearing or vision, and a more acute intuition. They have some tiny, insignificant special abilities that are of little help in daily life.


    The Bureau of Paranormal Control only recruits people on a targeted basis every year, not open to the general public, only selecting from "specials" and ordinary people who have "participated in exceptional energy events for some reason and have been documented."


    Xuan Ji met both criteria¡ªhe was a "special," and an old friend of the Bureau of Paranormal Control.


    Director Xiao was a very dignified and elegant person, and the fact that he personally came to pick up Xuan Ji shows that they have a close relationship.


    Several years ago, when he was still Captain Xiao, he owed Xuan Ji a favor. That time, Xiao''s team went to arrest a group of illegal bats, but underestimated their intelligence and were tricked into a cold storage room by the bats, almost freezing to death. Xuan Ji, who had just finished touring the night market, was passing by in his slippers. He sat next to them and watched for a while, during which he enjoyed two kilograms of crayfish. After finishing, he wiped his mouth, made a gesture, and summoned a large fireball, which he used to burn the bats. As a result, he accidentally singed off half of Captain Xiao''s handsome eyebrows.


    Since then, Xuan Ji has had an inexplicable relationship with the Bureau of Paranormal. Because of his mysterious and unpredictable arson technique, he was once on the bureau''s watch list. Later, because of his clean record and law-abiding nature, they couldn''t find any problems and relaxed their surveillance of him, even trying to recruit him. Unfortunately, at that time, Xuan Ji was still in college and was filled with illusions of "becoming a CEO, marrying a rich and beautiful woman, and reaching the pinnacle of life". Without even thinking about it, he refused, arrogantly replying with "forgive me for being a carefree and free-spirited person for life."


    Then society taught him a lesson.


    After graduating, Xuan Ji quickly discovered that he was far less interested in making money than in spending it. His ambitions were always thwarted by eating, drinking, and having fun. After years of struggling, his biggest achievement was accepting the fact that he was going nowhere. He worked as a salesperson in a small company and occasionally did live streaming. When he was too poor to survive, he supplied content to some random marketing accounts, becoming a "money-spending" loser.


    Due to industry restructuring, their company had been struggling since the beginning of the year, and after months of struggle, it finally went bankrupt. Xuan Ji became an unemployed youth, and the marketing accounts that used to pay him for his content were reported for "feudal superstition". It seemed that troubles always came in pairs. He still had to pay rent and credit card bills. His love of freedom led him into poverty, and finally, after being beaten by society, he came to the conclusion that he needed a stable job.


    So he bought books and took courses to prepare for the civil service exam.


    It was at this time that Director Xiao, who had just been promoted, sent him a job notice.


    Xuan Ji was someone who would rather beg for food on the street than join the Bureau of Paranormal Control, especially since he couldn''t stand the militarized management of the field agents. However, this job notice was different. It was mainly for logistics personnel.


    The logistics department of the Bureau of Paranormal was completely different from the field agents. More than 80% of the staff were ordinary people, and except for having to abide by confidentiality regulations, they were no different from ordinary civil servants. Xuan Ji thought about it and realized that ordinary civil service positions were open to the entire society, with thousands of people competing for one position, including the academic elites. In contrast, the "civil servants" of the Bureau of Paranormal were restricted by the application requirements, and the competition pressure was almost non-existent.


    Sneakily, Xuan Ji asked Director Xiao which position had the least number of applicants, and then threw away his exam preparation books and went to join the Bureau of Paranormal Control. He applied for the Aftermath Department and participated in a written test and an interview. It was said that after the job information was posted, there were six candidates including him from all over the country who intended to participate in the selection. Among them, three were disqualified for reasons such as being overage, not knowing how to use the internet, or filling out important information incorrectly. The remaining two candidates, one missed the exam and the other got into an argument with the interviewer during the interview, which did not meet the requirements of having an "easygoing character".


    In this way, the cordial Xuan Ji passed through two rounds without a fight and "defeated" five candidates. Just after finishing his self-introduction during the interview, the interviewer confirmed his admission.


    On his first day reporting for duty, Xuan Ji found everything fresh and new. As soon as he stepped on the Hanbaiyu bricks at the entrance, the golden dragon moved, causing the stone bricks to shake slightly. Then, a distant and solemn dragon roar sounded, and the golden scales on the dragon''s body flickered. Its majesty and elegance flowed out from under their feet, making way for the path, and finally, the dragon climbed up a stone pillar in front of the building.


    "The dragon is a guide. There are some external administrative windows in the headquarters that can register and issue credentials. Foreign visitors are given temporary documents. The dragon will plan the optimal route based on the type of document you have," Xiao Zheng led Xuan Ji to the door next to the stone pillar where the golden dragon perched. "The staff entrance is over here."


    Xuan Ji lowered his head and rubbed his eyes, using his thumb to wipe his eyelids. A half-transparent, non-obstructing book appeared in his field of vision. One corner of the book was titled "Thousand Demon Bestiary". When his gaze focused on it, small characters appeared on the pages of the book, telling him what he saw. It usually only showed the name, but sometimes it also came with a detailed explanation.


    Xuan Ji was born with this book in his eyes, perhaps it was a special ability he had since birth. It couldn''t be taken out, and besides reading it, it couldn''t perform any other functions. Its origin was unknown, the author was unknown...the author looked like he or she wasn''t very cultured - Xuan Ji was not good at foreign languages when he was young, and when he was in college, he tried to cheat using it during the English test by opening the "Thousand Demon Bestiary" and staring at the test paper. Unexpectedly, this thing seemed to have fewer characters than the ones he knew. After hesitating for a long time, it finally floated out the characters "foreign language."


    It''s like a lousy game cheat, mostly just talking nonsense. For example, at the moment, Xuan Ji is in the lobby of the Mystical Department of the Bureau of Paranormal Control, intending to open the Bestiary and see what magical species there were here. As he scanned the crowd in the lobby, the pages of the "Thousand Demon Bestiary" only popped out the word "human" dryly.


    "Rubbish," Xuan Ji muttered to himself, "I don''t know these are called ''human''?"


    The Bestiary seemed to be in tune with his thoughts, and the word "human" disappeared, replaced by two words: mortal human.


    Xuan Ji: "......"


    He angrily closed the useless Bestiary, and his vision cleared. He looked around the lobby - from left to right, there were six partitions in total, with signs reading "Metal," "Plant," "Ice and Water," "Thunder and Fire," "Spirit or Power," and "Special and Others."


    Among them, the "Plant" and "Spirit or Power" areas were crowded with people, and visitors were queuing up, with ropes set up to maintain order. In the "Metal" area, there were only six or seven visitors, while the "Ice and Water," "Thunder and Fire," and "Special and Others" areas were basically deserted, and the staff were idle. The service window of the "Thunder and Fire" was not even open, as they were called over to help the "Plant" next door.


    "Hey, Lao Xiao, Lao Xiao," Xuan Ji grabbed Xiao Zheng and pointed to the partition sign with his chin, "What does this mean?"


    "Speak normally, don''t touch me," Xiao Zheng slapped away his hand, "What do you mean by ''what does this mean''?"


    "That partition--"


    Xiao Zheng looked at him inexplicably, "Partition? It''s divided according to the six major categories, what''s the problem?"


    Xuan Ji, full of curiosity, asked, "What are the six major systems?"


    Xiao Zheng and Xuan Ji had been old friends for many years. They would usually banter and tease each other, and had a certain level of camaraderie. However, Xuan Ji had never revealed his origins to Xiao Zheng. Until now, Xiao Zheng could only vaguely guess that Xuan Ji might come from some secret folk organization as a rare "Thunder and Fire" type, and was incredibly knowledgeable about talismans and magic circles, knowing things that were unheard of.


    But strangely, sometimes he would lack common sense on some well-known issues.


    "Superpowered individuals are classified into six major types based on their strength and attributes," Xiao Zheng said briefly. "This is the mainstream classification system used internationally in modern times, and the defining criteria for each spectrum is listed under the respective signboards. Can you read? Look for yourself."


    Xuan Ji eagerly leaned over the glass window separating them from the employee area, observing how they defined the various types of superpowered individuals.


    The closest signboard to him was "Metal," with a large sign two square meters in size that read:


    "Individuals who meet either of the following two conditions can be considered as having the Metal-type superpower.


    (1) They possess a sensing ability for any one or more metals that exceeds that of an ordinary person. This ''sensing ability'' includes but is not limited to accurately sensing the location, volume, composition ratio, forging process, and distribution of free electrons on the surface of the metal.


    (2) They are able to influence metal without physical contact, including but not limited to changing the spatial location, altering the length and shape of metal, depriving or moving the free electrons in metal, and changing the distribution of free electrons."


    "So ''Metal¡¯ refers to those who can sense and control metal," Xuan Ji said. "But what about those who can turn parts of their body into metal? Aren''t they considered Metal types?"


    "I''ve never heard of that," Xiao Zheng rolled his eyes. "You''re an adult, watch fewer Transformers."


    Xuan Ji blinked and asked again, "What about those who have multiple attributes at the same time? For example, they can breathe fire, control metal, and fly?"


    "That''s not our concern, the organizational relationship may belong to the circus." Xiao Zheng felt he was talking nonsense, his patience exhausted, and he didn''t want to bother with him anymore. He walked quickly to the administrative front desk at the end of the employee channel, knocked on the desk, and asked, "Employee number 3-1101, name ''Xuan Ji,'' is the card ready?"


    "It''s ready," the receptionist at the front desk, a pretty round-faced girl who seemed to have heard their conversation just now, smiled and said to Xuan Ji, "In the six major spectra of special abilities, except for the ''special and other'' category, the rest basically correspond to the traditional Chinese ''Five Elements'' theory. The Five Elements include ''metal, wood, water, fire, and earth,'' which interact with each other in both positive and negative ways. Therefore, although there are special ability individuals with multiple attributes, it''s unlikely for a person to have attributes that clearly conflict with each other, such as ''metal'' and ''thunder and fire''."


    After hearing the front desk girl''s words, Xuan Ji hesitated for a moment and said, "Oh," thoughtfully murmuring to himself, "I didn''t know that."


    "Come sign and pick up your card, and complete your onboarding process," Xiao Zheng beckoned to Xuan Ji.


    Xuan Ji no longer thought about special ability spectra, happily walked up to pick up the pen, and without even looking, signed his name on a pile of contracts and disclosure documents. "Do I now have a position? Can I get a hukou? Can I buy a house in Yong''an City?" he asked.


    "Yes, yes, and yes," Xiao Zheng answered coldly, "But do you have the money?"


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    "You''re an old hand at this, so you don''t need to attend the training. Your department and job responsibilities are all in the employee handbook. Your predecessor couldn''t hand over the work to you due to some special circumstances. The department office is on the 36th floor. I''ve already informed them, so someone will pick you up. Go up by yourself," Xiao Zheng said to Xuan Ji, nodding to the receptionist as if he were an emotionless delivery man. He felt that he had done a good deed and fulfilled his duty.


    After speaking, the busy Director Xiao didn''t give Xuan Ji a chance to retort. He turned and left. Xuan Ji didn''t have a chance to complain about the coldness of human relationships before he saw the receptionist stand up and say crisply, "Director Xiao, take care. Welcome, Director Xuan, to join our Bureau of Paranormal Control."


    Xuan Ji was taken aback. "What did you call me?"


    "Director." The receptionist handed him his new work ID card, which showed his position: Xuan Ji, Aftermath Department, Acting Head of Operations and Acting Department Director.


    Xuan Ji flipped the small card back and forth several times, feeling a little confused. "Aftermath Department...Director? Me? Miss, did you print the card wrong?"


    The receptionist replied, "No, Director Xuan. That''s how it''s written on the documents I received."


    Xuan Ji was shocked. "Is our department really that unconventional?"


    A trainee who hadn''t even completed the probation period was promoted directly to department director? This unit was too hasty and unreliable, wasn''t it?


    "You''re too modest," the receptionist laughed, covering her mouth. "Normally, we''re thrilled just to be able to talk to Director Xiao, but you were personally mentored by him. You must be an incredibly talented and exceptional person."


    This girl was actually a fan of Director Xiao. Although Xuan Ji was flattered, he didn''t enjoy being praised in front of him. He felt like he had benefited from Xiao''s influence and was like a nephew who had been given a position due to nepotism.


    "There are very few exceptional people in our logistics department, and anyone who is exceptional receives elite treatment. As a backup department director, it''s not surprising for you to take over the Aftermath Department. Gong, the former director of the department, fell ill and was just approved for medical retirement, leaving a vacancy. According to Director Xiao, you were once an advisor to our bureau, so you must have both the experience and the ability to take over the Aftermath Department. " While speaking, the receptionist led him inside. "Follow me."


    "Although..." Xuan Ji frowned slightly, skeptical. "Is there really such a good thing?"


    He had never won more than five yuan in the lottery and had never eaten a pie falling from the sky. Suddenly tasting this sweetness made him uncomfortable, and he felt suspicious.


    Wait a minute... Xuan Ji suddenly remembered that he had looked at the job posting and left a message in his friend''s circle asking Xiao Zheng which position was the easiest to apply for. Instead of jokingly replying with "toilet tester," Xiao Zheng had replied seriously after a moment of silence: "Aftermath Department."


    Wait, was Xiao Zheng doing this intentionally?


    But why?


    Have you heard of the principle of cheating people for their money, cheating them for sex, and cheating them to become officials?


    Xuan Ji couldn''t figure it out. He walked through the administrative hall and into the interior of the Control Bureau building. There, he saw a huge withered tree in the open space in front of the elevator. He didn''t know what kind of tree it was, but the diameter of the trunk was about a hundred meters, and it was covered with withered vines. Looking up from the bottom, he couldn''t see the top at a glance.


    Because the visual effect was too shocking, it seemed almost divine.


    Xuan Ji looked at the tree and inexplicably felt a tremor in his heart. The receptionist next to him turned around and said, "This is the foundation tree. The tree was here first, and then the headquarters building was built. Isn''t it spectacular? Shall I take you around?"


    Xuan Ji wiped his eyes and looked through the Thousand Demon Bestiary. However, he found that the pages were blank. After a while, four words floated up on the atlas with a rattling sound: "withered vines and decayed wood."


    Xuan Ji''s eyes twitched. What a useless thing!


    At this moment, his cell phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated, and three messages came in a row.


    "Emergency mission in the Aftermath Department, come to the 36th floor!"


    "Don''t dawdle!"


    "Hurry up!!!"


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    Xiao Zheng was not only a tornado of a person, but even the messages he sent were suffocating.


    "Before I came, you cheated me by saying that the Aftermath Department was a marginal group, with no competition, only eating and not working. But now, before I even report, there''s a mission. No need, miss, I won''t go sightseeing anymore. Director Xiao is in a hurry. The elevator is over there, right? You go ahead, I''ll go up by myself. Thanks." Xuan Ji said goodbye to the receptionist who was leading the way and walked towards the elevator. He also sent a voice message to Director Xiao, "You big pig''s foot."

 CH 2

    As soon as the elevator doors on the thirty-sixth floor opened, Xuan Ji''s eyes were dazzled - the entire floor was actually semi-open, with a row of large floor-to-ceiling windows facing south and a glass door in the middle, overlooking the entire capital city.


    Outside was a terrace suspended on the thirty-sixth floor, extending from the building. Xuan Ji swept his gaze over it and saw at least ten different complex arrays on the terrace. Layer upon layer of arrays expanded the space of the terrace to the extreme, and in addition to a helipad, there was even enough space to accommodate a runway for airplanes.


    Xuan Ji thought he had been idling in the mortal world for many years, seen and experienced everything, and had no more surprises, but at this moment, he was still amazed by this great artificial creation. The dazzling sunlight made him a little dizzy. He hadn''t even found the Aftermath Department''s office yet, and another elevator door opened beside him. Xiao Zheng and a few people rushed out from inside.


    Seeing Xuan Ji standing foolishly at the elevator door like a country bumpkin, Hurricane Xiao swept over him like thunder without giving him a chance to cover his ears, and took him away: "Your department''s plane is ready, you lead the team, take off in twenty minutes. Come on, let''s talk as we walk."


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    What was going on? Why was he leading the team? He hadn''t even touched the door of his own office and was already being sent on a business trip on a plane... Wait a minute, this department actually has its own plane?


    The glass door opened, and the wind swept in from the open-air runway, sweeping everyone''s hair into a mess. Only Director Xiao''s hair, full of hair gel, remained steady in the strong wind, as immovable as Mount Tai. He turned his head and stuffed a stack of documents into Xuan Ji''s arms, and said in a deep voice, "There''s been an incident at Chiyuan."


    As soon as Xuan Ji heard the words "Chiyuan," while busy combing his hair back with his hand, his eyes narrowed as if he had been hit by a glaring ray of light. "What?"


    Xiao Zheng knew he was lacking in common knowledge and thought he didn''t know what Chiyuan was, so he quickly explained, "It''s the Chiyuan Grand Canyon, but when we say ''Chiyuan,'' we don''t mean the scenic area of the canyon - the scenic area is only outside/peripheral to the canyon. The vast primitive forest in the belly of the canyon hasn''t been developed and is not open to the public."


    Xuan Ji nodded with some hesitation, "What happened at the Grand Canyon?"


    "The Chiyuan Grand Canyon is one of the high-risk areas we closely monitor. There''s a huge unknown energy field in the depths of the canyon that we can''t penetrate with our current technology, let alone study in detail. Because of this energy field, there have been frequent abnormal energy events over there, and there are still many lost ancient arrays and inscriptions in the primitive forest that can''t be understood. To this day, less than one-tenth of them can be deciphered and interpreted. Experts from the research department in the bureau speculate that there may be very dangerous things sealed in the Grand Canyon."


    Xiao Zheng interrupted Xuan Ji, who seemed to want to express his views on the "extremely dangerous thing." He hastily led Xuan Ji and several other members of the Aftermath Department onto a small plane. Xiao Zheng sat down and opened his tablet, "Let me give you a brief rundown of the matter - during the National Day holiday, several ancient trees in the Chiyan Canyon suddenly mutated. These mutated trees can move in the forest and hunt around. For safety reasons, the local sub-bureau communicated with the scenic area management and suspended reception of tourists, claiming a geological disaster. However, a small group of thrill-seekers sneaked in and live-streamed their exploration, which happened to coincide with the mutant trees'' outbreak. This is the surveillance footage from the scenic area."


    He opened a video file on the tablet. The video footage was shaky, and the signal was unstable, like an earthquake. After a moment of shaking, a shadow suddenly swept across the middle of the screen with quick movements, like a giant python hunting. It slithered with its teeth and claws close to the ground, then collided with a nearby ancient tree and immediately entwined itself around it.


    The ancient tree entwined by the "python" quickly withered, as if it had lost its vitality, and in just a few dozen seconds, it had turned into a pile of dead branches.


    It was not until then that Xuan Ji could see clearly that the "giant python" was the root of a large tree.


    This terrifying root was full and round after feeding, and then crawled down from the remains of the ancient tree, swaggering and shaking a few times, and suddenly smashed towards the camera. The screen suddenly turned black, and the lens shattered.


    Xuan Ji frowned and quickly pinched a few finger joints with his thumb. Recently, there were no solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, or meteor showers. The nearby Mars was steadily revolving and had not reached the retrograde point. There were no anomalies in the celestial phenomenon, and the almanac was not at the "inopportune time," nor was it the "time of demons." Everything seemed fine. Why did a group of trees mutate?


    "Conservatively estimated, there were at least seven or eight mutated plants this time. The tree roots filmed should be from a mutated spruce, and they quickly spread out and hunted all creatures along the way¡ªnot just plants. Our people found several large mammal corpses inside," Xiao Zheng interrupted his thoughts, "It was said that after someone was trapped, the local sub-bureau immediately organized a rescue team. They have rescued all the people, and it''s just lucky for them that they stumbled into a natural cave. However, it is uncertain how much they saw. The focus of the Aftermath Department this time is on these few people."


    The several members of the Aftermath Department on the plane echoed in unison, "Understood."


    Only Xuan Ji had not yet adapted to his position and asked in confusion, "Didn''t you say that the people have been rescued?"


    "Yes," said a staff member from the Aftermath Department next to them, "That''s why our department needs to step in now. Our job is to handle personal and property losses, negotiate compensation, calm down the ordinary people who were involved, and prevent the spread of the paranormal event causing social panic, right?"


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    That''s right, his main job now is to collect corpses, compensate losses, refute rumors, and promote the values of science to the public.


    "I didn''t have the right major before, and I didn''t have any experience when I first came here. I''m sorry." Xuan Ji laughed and turned to ask for help from his new colleagues, "Can someone give me some guidance on how we usually handle these situations?"


    When he turned around, he saw the three people behind him.


    In addition to him, there were three people in the Aftermath Department, two women and one man. The one who spoke earlier was a highly experienced middle-aged woman in her fifties, wearing stylish and beautiful "Teddy curls" and a knitted cardigan in a deathly Barbie pink color, with a row of lace edging on the collar revealing the autumn clothes, which looked rather exquisite.


    The male colleague next to her was even more exquisite, wearing a suit and leather shoes, shining brightly. Although his hairline was pitiful, he still carefully applied hair gel and neatly fixed the hollow headband on his crown, which looked like a row of barcodes from afar.


    There was also a chubby young girl who either feared the heat or feared strangers, with a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. When the new boss turned to look at her, she became so nervous that she nearly ripped her pants.


    Xuan Ji suddenly felt exhausted because he had to single-handedly raise the department''s average appearance, and he felt very tired.


    "Hello, Director, my name is Bi Chunsheng. I''m a few years older than you, so you can just call me Lao Bi." The woman with glasses spoke first. "Don''t worry, we all have a basic office process - we talk to each person one by one, and if there''s nothing serious, we just deceive them...well, we console them a bit. For those who have severe psychological trauma, we occasionally use some ''props,'' but it''s not complicated, and you''ll know when you see them. Finally, be sure to check their phones and computers, especially things that can connect to the internet, to make sure there are no traces left online. You can let Qianru - that little girl named Ping Qianru - handle that. Young people these days are very good at using computers. When our office printer breaks down, we go to her to fix it."


    It turned out that the girl who was picking at her pants was named "Ping Qianru." The girl herself was as introverted as the seam of her pants, and she was startled by being called out. She hung her head, showing a fair hairpin to Xuan Ji as if she couldn''t bear to look at him.


    Xuan Ji wanted to say something, but his mind was blanked by this mourning head. He had no choice but to smack his lips and force out a friendly smile.


    "There is one more thing you need to focus on," Xiao Zheng looked at his watch and interrupted their department''s internal icebreaking ceremony. "When we received the report, it said that there were five trapped tourists. The search and rescue team initially detected signs of life from five people in the cave. But, for some reason, they pulled out six people in the end, an extra one that nobody knows where it came from."


    Several people from the Aftermath Department looked at Director Xiao with confusion.


    "The trapped people were originally two groups of individuals who happened to meet during their escape. Both groups thought that the extra person was with the other group, so no one paid attention to it. One of the groups was trespassing in the scenic area to film, and their equipment was not turned off at the time. The whole process was recorded," Xiao Zheng continued, "After investigating the video, we found that all of the footage of this person was blurry, meaning that only his voice was recorded from start to finish."


    As he spoke, he opened another video on his computer. In the video, a man in the corner of the frame seemed to melt into the light, with only an overexposed, blurry outline visible.


    The outline said, "I''m tired of living the 9-to-5 life, so I came out to wander around."


    Although only his voice was heard, it seemed that the person speaking was smiling, with a relaxed tone and a warm and friendly voice that made people feel good just listening to him.


    Bi Chunsheng thought for a moment and said, "At the time, we were escaping for our lives, and this person seemed a bit too calm."


    Xiao Zheng shook his head. "No, the problem is here."


    As he spoke, he played several other audio clips.


    The first clip was a crisp female voice that sounded young. The girl seemed to be talking to the camera, saying, "Okay, we''re in now. Let''s just wander around here for a bit."


    The second clip was a deep male voice. "Tourism is just going from a place where you''re tired of living to a place where others are tired of living. Now, there''s traffic on holidays when people go out. I think it''s better to lie on the couch and watch others run around. Today, we''re responsible for traveling and taking you all around. Don''t forget to give us a thumbs-up if you''re having a good time, bros."


    The third clip was from another man with a slightly hoarse voice. "I don''t think it''s that difficult. Everyone has their own difficulties, right? Is the 9-to-5 life not hard? Of course it is. At least we''re free."


    Xiao Zheng said, "Three of the trapped people were live-streaming before they were in danger. These are recordings of them chatting with their audience. It may not be obvious when listening to the complete sentences, but I''ll show you..."


    "I can tell," Xuan Ji rubbed her chin. "This mysterious figure cut out words from what others said and pieced them together to make a sentence."


    Bi Chunsheng''s glasses slipped down from his nose. "Are you saying he learned how to talk from other people?"


    "Not just learned," Xiao Zheng first clipped out the four words "wander around" from the young woman''s statement, and then played the audio of the mysterious man saying the same phrase. It wasn''t very clear in the context of the sentence, and one could easily miss it, but when played separately, it gave people goosebumps.


    "Speech speed, tone, pauses, and..."


    As for me...


    I''m tired of the nine-to-five routine...


    So I came out to wander around...


    "Pay close attention to this person. It''s about time for you to set off." Xiao Zheng said, glanced at Xuan Ji, "Let me know when you come back. From now on, we''re colleagues. Let''s have a meal together."


    Xiao Zheng was probably going to explain to Xuan Ji why he had been tricked into joining the Aftermath Department.


    Xuan Ji smiled and teased him, "You''re inviting us? That''s not very generous of you, Director Xiao. Why are you so stingy? If you''re treating us, you should invite everyone in our department."


    Bi Chunsheng and the male colleague were both old hands at this, immediately joining in the act and saying they wanted to seize the opportunity to share the wealth.


    "Don''t try to fool us with cafeteria food. If you''re treating us, take us to a place we can''t afford to go on our own. Oh, and before we eat, let''s get some work done," Xuan Ji copied the weird video onto her phone. "By the way, what''s this ''mosaic'' guy''s name?"


    "Oh... he calls himself ''Sheng Lingyuan''."

 CH 3

    It took about two and a half hours to fly from the headquarters to the Chiyuan Grand Canyon. As a contemporary man, Xuan Ji has only flown first class once in his life - it was because the flight was overbooked and the airline compensated him with a free upgrade. Now he''s on a departmental private jet, lying on a large couch that can be reclined, closing his eyes and listening to the engine''s rumble. He almost feels like he had become a billionaire.


    As he was enjoying the perks of traveling on a private jet for the first time, Xuan Ji didn''t want to appear too inexperienced, so he secretly observed his colleagues'' posture on the jet. He saw that Senior Sister Bi Chunseng had already prepared props to pass the time - she took out a roll of seaweed-green wool from her bag, set it up and began knitting. Her knitting needles moved with such proficiency that it was difficult for the naked eye to follow their movements. The sweater was already taking shape, except for the two sleeves.


    The guy with the barcode on his head rushed to the small mirror next to the bathroom as soon as the flight stabilized, took out a jar of hair gel, and began meticulously styling his hair, filling the cabin with a fragrant scent.


    The girl Ping Qianru was relatively quiet, sitting in a corner and silently eating snacks from her pocket. Xuan Ji suspected that she might have a bottomless bag in her pocket, which could carry half of Walmart with her. She kept taking bags out of her pocket, and the garbage can was filled with packaging bags, but she showed no signs of stopping.


    Seeing that the other two were busy, Xuan Ji took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Bi Chunseng. He knew that the old-timers might not have completely positive opinions about a young leader who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, so he lowered his posture: "I haven''t seen anyone knit a sweater by hand for a long time. You''re so skillful. Is it for your child?"


    "It''s for my old man," Bi Chunseng was quite friendly, and Xuan Ji couldn''t tell if she had any opinions of him. "Young people nowadays buy their own things and don''t appreciate what their old mother made. They think it''s too old-fashioned!"


    Using his three-inch-tongue from his previous experience as a salesman, Xuan Ji followed her line of thought and quickly asked about Bi Chunseng''s family situation - three generations living together, taking care of her mother-in-law with her husband, with a son who just graduated from college and hasn''t moved out yet. He tactfully praised Bi Chunseng''s simple aesthetic taste and deliberately downplayed his own position, chatting about his own struggles in a big city far from home and how he reports his daily progress to his parents.


    Bi Chunseng was moved by his words, and her eyes changed as she said, "That''s right, it''s not easy for young people to be away from home! Oh, you''re from the south, right? Where''s your hometown? Isn''t it difficult to endure the winters in Yong''an? Perfect! I bought too much wool this time. When I finish this sweater, I''ll have enough to knit you a hat - what style do you like?"


    "No, no, no...I don''t need it. It''s too kind of you." Xuan Ji was trembling with fear when he saw the roll of "eco-friendly" wool. He realized he had exaggerated his pitiful situation and quickly retracted his words, "I''m not afraid of the cold. My hometown isn''t far from the place we went on our business trip today, and that place is a ghost town with no heating in the winter. We rely on shaking ourselves to keep warm.¡±


    Bi Chunsheng''s gaze peeked out from her reading glasses and she glanced at Xuan Ji. "Chiyuan?"


    "Not in Chiyuan City, it''s in the adjacent county, several tens of kilometers away." Xuan Ji replied casually, as if he didn''t care, and then changed the subject, "Is our department always in such a hurry when we go on business trips?"


    "It''s not usually like this, it''s an unexpected situation today. In general, field agents are quite careful to avoid ordinary people. After all, they are most afraid of involving ordinary people. Do you know what the ''Fifteen-People Red Line'' for field agents means?"


    Xuan Ji had dealt with field agents from the Bureau of Paranormal Control before and was quite familiar with Xiao Zheng, so he knew about this rule.


    Ordinary people were very fragile in supernatural events. In order to prevent field agents from losing control and ignoring public safety, the Bureau of Paranormal Control made a strict rule: except for major malicious and dereliction of duty behaviors caused by subjective intention and operational violations, if field agents cause the death of an ordinary person during a mission, even if they are falsely accused, each field agent present at the scene will be deducted one point, and the team leader will be deducted double the points.


    Each field agent had fifteen points. Once all fifteen points were deducted, their work permit would be revoked and they would face serious disciplinary action. Being suspended for investigation was the lightest punishment. If there was any suspicion of dereliction of duty, they could be held criminally liable. Even if they were not sentenced, they would have no future prospects.


    This was the so-called "Fifteen-People Red Line", so the first thing field agents would do when going on a mission was to do everything possible to "clear the scene".


    Bi Chunsheng continued, "They do a thorough job of clearing the scene, so we have much less work that involves ordinary people. Most of what our department does is apologize and make reparations - when field agents are not paying attention and damage a bridge or blow up a road, they leave after patting their butts, and we have to run around, act as intermediaries, and discuss compensation and repair plans."


    Xuan Ji understood a little after listening. He had switched from a sales position to a customer service position.


    "Everything else is fine, but when it comes to money, it''s troublesome. Economic issues can drag on endlessly," Bi Chunsheng said, leaning in closer to Xuan Ji and lowering his voice. "Our department''s previous leader, Director Gong, went home before reaching retirement age, claiming it was due to illness. But in reality, he had some issues, and now the bureau is investigating him."


    Xuan Ji was taken aback. He never expected there to be corruption risks in such a tedious position within the palace.


    "In addition to business trips, we also need to pay attention to public opinion," Bi Chunsheng continued, deftly winding the yarn around her little finger as she spoke to Xuan Ji with divided attention. "Several popular, strange forums and public accounts are under our surveillance. Once we discover a hot topic, we need to quickly determine whether it''s a baseless rumor or a real issue. If we find a suspicious event, we need to report it to the security department as soon as possible. This is handled by Lao Luo, and his subordinates take shifts to screen information 24 hours a day."


    "It''s me, leader. I am Lao Luo, my name is Luo Cuicui." The fragrant barcode guy came over, and when he spoke, a scent of flowers mixed with a hint of mint filled the air.


    Xuan Ji sniffed and felt that this was a fresh barcode.


    "Barcode" Luo Cuicui said, "Don''t underestimate the importance of our work. If we report a false alarm, won''t our field agents scold us for making them run for no reason? They are our ancestors, and we can''t afford to offend them."


    Xuan Ji asked, "But what if we miss something and fail to report an incident? Wouldn''t that be even more serious?"


    "That won''t happen. How many paranormal incidents are there, anyway? We only need to send field agents for the cases that were transferred from the public security department. Online rumors and self-fulfilling prophecies are rampant. Look at this," Luo Cuicui handed her phone to Xuan Ji and opened a forum for her to see.


    The post at the top read, "Help! I think my son is no longer my son."


    "It''s all like this. Our goal is not to make achievements, but to avoid making mistakes. When Director Gong was in charge, he emphasized every day that our department is responsible for handling ordinary matters and that we should never stir up trouble. We must always remember this principle," Luo Cuicui said. Perhaps feeling that she had talked too much, she quickly changed the subject and flattered Xuan Ji, "But Director Gong was also someone who knew how to compromise. Let''s not talk about him. I can tell that you are different. You are a young talent with great ability, and you have won the favor of Director Xiao. You must be someone extraordinary. Which lineage of paranormals do you belong to?"


    Xuan Ji''s smile paused for a moment when he looked at Luo Cuicui, and he lifted his eyelids slightly, asking, "What do you think?"


    He had a pair of atypical phoenix-shaped eyes, which curved when he smiled. When he smiled, it seemed like he was holding back some mischief. Often, people mistook it for a smiling expression. But now, as he looked at Luo Cuicui without a smile, she noticed that his eyelids were thin, and the color of his eyeballs was slightly light. The slightly upturned eye tails were hanging with an inconspicuous mole. As his smile faded, an indescribable sense of strangeness emerged.


    Luo Cuicui shivered from his gaze, which made him tremble for no reason. Before he could react, Xuan Ji leaned back lazily and winked at him, a bit slippery. The demon-like sharpness from earlier disappeared without a trace, as if it were just an illusion created by the angle. He had become an ordinary mortal once again, full of commonality. "Bro, do you think I''m not ordinary? Can I become an idol?" he asked.


    Luo Cuicui was quick-witted, even though he didn''t have much hair. She felt that this new boss was a bit difficult to deal with, so she didn''t dare to probe further and left.


    Xuan Ji sent him away, connected his phone to the plane''s wifi, tested the internet speed, and casually browsed the forum that Old Luo had shown him earlier. He clicked on the pinned post, which was filled with ramblings and made no sense. The author seemed to be possessed.


    After reading it for a long time, Xuan Ji finally understood what the author was trying to say from the messy description. The gist was that the original poster had a troublesome and unruly child at home who used to smoke, skip classes, and hang out in internet cafes all day. However, recently, for no apparent reason, the child had started to turn over a new leaf, not only becoming honest but also getting decent grades in monthly exams. The mother was surprised and couldn''t believe it. She began to have wild thoughts and suspected that her son had been possessed.


    When he looked at the replies below, all he saw were "paid trolls from internet addiction schools, get lost." Then, he refreshed the page, and the post disappeared, probably because someone reported it.


    He browsed through other posts on the forum and found that, as Old Luo had said, there was nothing important. Apart from a few delusional patients and online novel writers, the rest were clickbait titles, discussing the three main topics of "family gossip," "romantic relationships," and "celebrity gossip."


    After flipping through for a while, Xuan Ji became a bit bored. His eyes were tired and his vision was blurry. Old Luo and Sister Bi were discussing investing in Cambodian real estate. As a credit card slave, he couldn''t participate in such a high-end topic. So, he put on his headphones, blocked out the two financial tycoons who were planning to expand in Southeast Asia, and closed his eyes to rest.


    Maybe the special plane''s seats were too comfortable, or perhaps the plane''s vibrations were helping him sleep, but as soon as he closed his eyes, he fell asleep. And he had another dream.


    Xuan Ji had a dream that he was in an antique small building, with a wooden beam structure, possibly a post station or something similar. The room was not big, and he could vaguely hear the noisy crowd downstairs. A person with their back to him was leaning against the window, gazing outside. The person was tall and straight, wearing black clothing like crow feathers. Xuan Ji had dreamed of this figure many times before. Since he could remember, this figure would occasionally appear in his dreams at midnight. Xuan Ji didn''t know who he was, and had never seen his face. Whenever he approached the figure within a meter in his dream, he would wake up immediately. It was as if the other person was a forbidden object that he could not touch.


    "Are you here to experience the private jet too?" Xuan Ji talked to the dream guest like an old friend because he had dreamed of this figure so frequently. He maintained a safe distance of one meter, and chatted with the figure. "How is it? My new job has style, right?"


    The figure didn''t answer, as usual, remaining silent like an exquisite sculpture. In this dream, everything except for Xuan Ji was a prop. He could rant or roll around, but it was a monologue.


    "Although it might be a troublesome position with some status," Xuan Ji retreated two steps and sat on the wooden table beside him, constantly muttering to his "old friend", "The former Director retired for no apparent reason, and Xiao Zheng was acting sneaky. Hm... It shouldn''t be just an economic problem. Ordinary corruption wouldn''t even leak within the department, and why would Lao Xiao go around in circles to find me? Also, what''s going on with Chiyuan? How could they suddenly start a rebellion? And I didn''t even sense anything..."


    As he was speaking, he suddenly stopped and widened his eyes - a gust of wind blew through the window, lifting the figure''s clothing at the window. The motion caused the statue-like man to seem to come to life suddenly. Xuan Ji''s heart trembled suddenly, as if he had stepped into another dimension. This had never happened in his dreams before!


    Then, the person with his back to him sighed, and slowly turned around -


    "Boss!"


    Xuan Ji trembled, jumping up from his seat, nearly being blinded by Luo Cuicui''s shiny lip gloss.


    Luo Cuicuiwas shouting into his ear amidst the noise of the airplane, "Wake up, we''re about to land!"


    When they landed near Chiyuan, it was already dark outside. The sub-bureau was busy encircling the mutated trees all over the mountains and was too preoccupied to attend to the logistics team. They sent an intern named Li to pick them up.


    Several illegal tourists were warded at the first hospital in Chiyuan. The hospital was located at a high ground in the parking lot and provided a panoramic view of the mountains of Chiyuan. At the moment, the sky was overcast, and the mist was hazy. Even though the car''s air conditioning was on, their clothes were still damp and sticky.


    Ping Qianru''s hair turned into a ball of steel wire. As soon as she got out of the car, she began to brush it continuously. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and Qianru stopped brushing her hair and asked with confusion, "Sister Bi, did you smell anything?"


    Xuan Ji had very sensitive hearing and turned his head, several steps away. "What smell?" he asked.


    Ping Qianru was startled by his sudden question and instinctively stood at attention as if a teacher had just called her name in class. "The smell of incense and candles from the temple," she explained. She paused and glanced at Xuan Ji''s expression, then continued, "The wind brought a hint of something fishy along with it."


    The wind blew from the direction of the Grand Canyon in Chiyuan. Xuan Ji followed the little girl''s gaze and looked back. The distant mountains suddenly turned black in his vision, as if a circle of eerie shadows had appeared. Xuan Ji was secretly surprised, and his footsteps faltered. He pinched his eyebrows and took another look. The green hills were still there, shrouded in mist, as if nothing had happened. It was as if he had just seen things.


    The intern driver, Xiao Li, asked, "Leader, is something wrong?"


    Xuan Ji shook his head, took back his gaze, and signaled him to lead the way. He was thinking that after finishing their work, he wanted to go and take a look at the Grand Canyon.


    Their mission this time was to deal with several trapped tourists who were injured to varying degrees. They looked pale and exhausted, and after being discharged from the hospital, they would be taken away by the Public Security Bureau for administrative punishment. Their ID cards and phones were confiscated, and they were inspected by Ping Qianru to prevent them from taking any inappropriate pictures.


    Bi Chunsheng took the initiative to take on the task of talking to them. As a newcomer, Xuan Ji did not dare to interfere with his colleague''s work. He quietly observed her work process for a while and found Bi Chunsheng''s conversation with the targets quite interesting.


    Xuan Ji''s previous job was dealing with people, and though he was not very ambitious, he had some basic communication skills. In his opinion, Bi Chunsheng was not particularly skilled in speaking. Although her attitude was enthusiastic, she was a bit too familiar and her body language exceeded social boundaries, making her appear lacking in discretion. If someone else said the same thing, it would easily arouse the targets'' alertness and anxiety. However, it was strange that the people she talked to behaved like they were drugged, naturally divulging their secrets.


    One girl with a broken leg recalled, "It seemed like a giant python was chasing us at the time. The snake was very strange, with an earthy color and looked like it was covered in tree bark. It scared me to death!"


    Bi Chunsheng smiled and said, "The so-called ''snake'' you saw should be the vine that was originally wrapped around the big tree. The earthquake shook the tree down, and the vines were swinging around, which looked like they were moving. It couldn''t be a real snake. Where would a giant python come from in the scenic area?"


    "No," the corrected girl was a bit confused and tried to argue, but her tone of voice weakened noticeably, as if suddenly unsure, "I think it shouldn''t be the swinging vines. It was running very fast, chasing us, and..."


    Bi Chunsheng stared into her eyes and calmly repeated, "No, that was the vine."


    Xuan Ji felt that Bi Chunsheng was almost being pedantic and could easily get into an argument with someone with a bad temper. But the girl''s expression became increasingly hesitant, and her tone of voice grew weaker. They went back and forth like this two or three times, and the girl suddenly seemed brainwashed, completely accepting Bi Chunsheng''s explanation. Even when someone else asked her, she no longer mentioned anything about "earth-colored pythons" or being "chased," as if she had amnesia.


    Xuan Ji was a bit surprised and asked Luo Cuicui next to her, "Is Sister Bi particularly powerful? What was that... how do you guys categorize yourselves?"


    "Yes, she''s a special ability user in the ''power and spiritual'' category, with a bias towards the ''spiritual'' side," Luo Cuicui proudly puffed out her chest, "There aren''t many special ability users in our logistics department, but she''s one of them."


    Xuan Ji couldn''t help but look at her and said, "Oh, sorry for my disrespect. Does that mean you''re also one?"


    "I can''t compare to her at all. My special ability is not very practical," Luo Cuicui humbly said, "I''m in the ''plant'' type of the six major categories, and my limbs can turn into plants. My fingers and toes have plant characteristics."


    Xuan Ji continued to ask humbly, "What do you mean by plant characteristics?"


    "Ah, it means they keep growing. If you don''t trim them in time, they can wear out many pairs of shoes in a year!"


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    Brother Luo should really go to the hospital to treat his special ability.


    The leading intern, Xiao Li, couldn''t help but laugh, but then realized it might not be polite and quickly coughed to change the topic, saying to Xuan Ji, "The sixth rescued person wasn''t injured, so we temporarily placed them in the family waiting room ahead."


    Xuan Ji had just followed his finger and looked up when the lights in the hallway flickered and suddenly went out. At the same time, his finger felt cold and a ring appeared on his right index finger. The ring face was a chicken-blood red stone, the size of a grain of rice, with no impurities.


    Xuan Ji''s heart skipped a beat. When no one was paying attention, he hid his right hand in his coat pocket. This ring was like the "Thousand Demon Bestiary," brought with him from birth and had always been firmly on his finger, unable to be taken off. It was even more mysterious than the "Thousand Demon Bestiary," never showing any spiritual energy or demonic activity. It was like extra hair or nails, neither hurting nor itching, and he didn''t know what it was for.


    Except for its somewhat old-fashioned style, Xuan Ji didn''t have any objections to it. Because this ring could be invisible during normal times, it could not be called out and could be treated as non-existent.


    The Chiyuan trees suddenly erupted into chaos for no reason, and the man in his dream suddenly turned around. The invisible ring appeared without his permission...


    Xuan Ji''s heart sank slightly. There were too many anomalies happening on this day.


    "The light bulb went out," the leading intern muttered, unaware, as he walked forward and said, "This person... um... seems a bit strange. You''ll see later."


    The hospital had already been quarantined by the Bureau of Paranormal Control, and there was only one person in the family waiting room.


    A man was sitting on a plastic chair with his back facing the half-closed door, fully focused on watching the advertisement on the TV on the wall. His back was straight, but not tense, as if he had received specialized body posture training. His back view was pleasing to the eye. The most striking thing about him was his long hair that reached his waist, which was unusually thick and lush, tied with a hair tie at the back of his neck, as thick as a child''s arm.


    When Xuan Ji saw the man, his vision suddenly blurred. After the ring, "Thousand Demon Bestiary" also automatically popped up, as if it had something to say. However, Xuan Ji waited for a while, but the pages of the book were all blank.


    "This is the ID he provided." Xiao Li took out an ID card from a file bag, "He said he lost his phone and didn''t have one."


    Luo Cuicui''s gaze lingered on the man''s hair for a moment, and she affectionately touched his own "barcode" on her head, muttering, "Now even young men are wearing wigs, it must be because of air pollution - Leader, can I talk to him for a few minutes?"


    "Wait." Xuan Ji raised his hand to stop him, and the ID in his hand turned into a withered leaf, then suddenly burned up with a "whoosh". The sudden flame startled both Xiao Li and Luo Cuicui.


    At this moment, the door of the family rest area, which was only slightly open, made a creaking sound and opened around the silent and long-sighing door hinge. The cold and musty smell rushed out from inside, making people inexplicably think of coffins and decayed wood embracing bones. The TV on the wall suddenly went black, reflecting a pair of eyes through the mirror-like black screen, meeting Xuan Ji''s guarded gaze...


    A mischievous smile appeared in those ghostly eyes.

 CH 4

    A spark flashed on the black screen of the TV, and the picture reappeared. It was an advertisement for a summer camp, where a group of children were playing and laughing on the playground. It was originally a very relaxing and happy scene, but for some reason, the image on the TV was stuttering badly, and the children''s laughter became intermittent and suddenly eerie.


    Ha...ha...


    The little girl on the TV was too excited, and her expression was out of control. It stopped at a grimace that was unclear whether she was crying or laughing, and there was a missing front tooth in her open mouth.


    Lu Cuicui''s legs went weak, and she stumbled backward, kicking over a metal trash can with a loud clanging sound that echoed in the winding hallway.


    Only then did Xiao Li react and asked the long-haired man, "What''s going on with you? Hey, are you a psychic? Do you really think you can get away with forging documents with psychic abilities?"


    The long-haired man in the lounge was startled by his sudden outburst. He slowly turned around, and Xuan Ji pressed his hand against Xiao Li''s chest, giving the fierce young man a shove backwards. Almost at the same time, the man who had been sitting in the lounge suddenly disappeared from his seat. In a flash of lightning, Xuan Ji raised his right hand to block in front of his neck, and there was a flash of silver between his fingers. With a "ding" sound, the mysterious long-haired man had teleported from the lounge to the doorway, and was now standing right in front of Xuan Ji, his pale hand pointed straight at Xuan Ji''s throat. Xuan Ji had a coin between his fingers that happened to block the man''s hand.


    As the coin and the hand collided, Xuan Ji had the feeling that he had hit a rock. Then he saw the face that was just inches away from him.


    The man''s eyebrows raised, his eyes slightly drooped, and the sharpness of his brow bone was filled with coldness that could keep people at a distance. But his eyes were like those of a lover, with a deep and warm look that could melt one''s heart.


    In an instant, Xuan Ji suddenly felt an indescribable sense of familiarity. With a light sound in his ear, a crack appeared on the surface of the stone on the ring on his right hand!


    This ring was fireproof, acid-resistant, bulletproof, and capable of blocking knives. He had taken it with him everywhere he went for half his life, and he had always believed that it could turn into some kind of relic after he died. Yet it was shattered so easily by a light touch!


    The originally bright and blood-red stone lost its vitality. Rust gradually appeared from the cracks, and a bone-chilling cold spread rapidly along the hand wearing the ring. The blood in his body seemed to freeze. Out of a self-defense instinct, Xuan Ji''s coin exploded, a thin layer of metallic color covered his hand, and a cluster of small flames burst out from his palm, biting the man''s fingers. The man with long hair skillfully withdrew his hand. The originally pea-sized flame instantly swelled several times and curled up his arm like a dragon made of fire.


    The man with long hair lightly exclaimed "ah". Half of his arm was on fire, but he remained calm and turned his wrist over, grabbing the "fire dragon". As he pulled and tugged, the fire burning his sleeve was like a snake caught by its neck, helplessly curling up into a small ball, clutched in his palm. His fingers didn''t even touch a speck of ash, and the skin of his palm was tinged with a warm color from the flame. Only his clothes revealed their original form: the black tactical vest he wore melted away starting from the sleeve, leaving behind a pile of tattered fabric tangled on his pale and skinny wrist. The man with long hair extinguished the flame, lowered his head and brushed his hand. The exposed half of his forearm''s clothing returned to its original state.


    His clothes were also copied from those next door. He even copied the holes on their tactical vests, but changed the color and details cleverly enough that it was difficult to notice the imitation at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, every color he wore was taken from those male tourists trapped with him, and even the thread and stitches were similar to those of the tourists'' clothes.


    The man with long hair politely nodded his head at Xuan Ji and spoke with a strange accent: "I''m sorry for my appearance." It wasn''t Mandarin or any dialect Xuan Ji recognized. Xuan Ji was slightly surprised. The man with long hair thought Xuan Ji didn''t understand him and looked back at the TV hanging on the wall, switching to poor Mandarin: "My clothes are..."


    He paused because the word he was about to use was probably an uncommon vocabulary that neither the TV nor the trapped tourists had used. The man with long hair said, with a slight frown, "...um..."


    Xuan Ji said, "It''s a visual illusion."


    The man smiled amiably, nodding his head like a host, and gestured politely to Xuan Ji to come in and sit down: "It''s good that you understand. Please come in and have a seat."


    Xuan Ji did not take his eyes off the man with long hair. He put his hand behind his back and gestured to the intern Xiao Li and Luo Cuicui not to follow him, and casually closed the door of the family lounge. The man just spoke in an ancient language. Xuan Ji had encountered many old objects before, some of which had spirituality and could say a few words. He had heard a lot of them since he was young, so he was familiar with them. Based on his unprofessional deduction, the long-haired man just now spoke a bit like the "classical language" from the era of the great Nine Provinces War over 3,000 years ago. However, he was not sure because the evolution of language in history was sometimes fast and sometimes slow. In some turbulent times, the popular official language could change within three to fifty years, and even in peaceful times, some regions'' accents could change in a few decades. The man with long hair seemed to be deliberately hiding something, and Xuan Ji became more curious.


    Who is this...let''s call him a "person" for now. Which deep mountain forest did he crawl out from?


    At this moment, Xuan Ji''s eyes, which had been stuck on the "Thousand Demon Bestiary" for a long time, finally recovered from their frozen state. The pages of the book gently shook, and a hesitant line of small characters appeared in his field of vision, with a note beside the long-haired man: "Heart-Piercing Grass Puppet".


    Xuan Ji was stunned for a moment, and then the note disappeared. The "Thousand Demon Bestiary" provided him with a more detailed explanation: Tongxin Grass is a substitute magic, which engraves the Tongxin curse on a puppet. The caster can control the puppet from miles away, and it can move, lie down, speak and talk like a real person, and share the six senses with the caster. The puppet can be made of wood carvings or clay sculptures, and the curse must be broken to see its original form.


    Xuan Ji suddenly realized - so this person is not a real human being, no wonder his hair is so long and striking.


    As he focused his gaze on the puppet of the long-haired man, the "Thousand Demon Bestiary" provided another thoughtful note: this puppet was carved from a thousand-year-old spiritual jade.


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    A puppet that tall, carved from a thousand-year-old spiritual jade, with such exquisite craftsmanship! It must be worth a whole courtyard house.


    The facial features of the puppet were handsome, but Xuan Ji didn''t know what kind of curse was on it. Staring at it for a while, he felt suffocated and couldn''t catch his breath. He collected himself and lowered his gaze to the puppet''s shoulder and neck, politely asking, "Hello, as part of my duties, may I ask who you are and why you sent such a valuable ''messenger'' to our Chiyuan area? Is there anything we can assist you with?"


    The puppet blinked and didn''t say a word, looking at him with a kind of "this cat meows quite well" expression.


    Oh, the phrasing was too convoluted. With the other''s level of Mandarin, he probably didn''t understand. Xuan Ji was helpless and had to use a more straightforward expression, "Just asking where you''re from and what business you have - you can say it in your own words, I can get a general idea."


    The puppet leaned loosely against the wall, raised his hand, and gently sniffed the fingers that had just collided with Xuan Ji''s. He calmly asked, "Little demon, with your pure bloodline, why are you mixing in with humans?"


    As the puppet spoke, a few strands of loose hair hung over his shoulders. His voice was gentle and soothing, perhaps because he struggled with Mandarin. Xuan Ji glimpsed him out of the corner of his eye and saw that the person''s gaze was unusually focused, even with a hint of indescribable fondness. He didn''t seem like a serious person.


    "What do you mean?" Xuan Ji thought warily, "Are things so corrupt now that they have to resort to seduction right off the bat?"


    "I''m sorry, but I''m the one asking questions now," Xuan Ji said. "Is ''Sheng Lingyuan'' the name you gave or your real name?"


    "I don''t remember."


    "Where is your true body?"


    The puppet either didn''t understand the question or didn''t want to answer, so he tilted his head slightly and smiled without saying a word.


    "Where did you come from?"


    "Underground."


    "Underground?" Xuan Ji didn''t know if this was a literal meaning or had some special connotation. He felt anxious and asked, "What does ''underground'' mean?"


    "I woke up from a shallow coffin underground," the person claiming to be Sheng Lingyuan said, "The coffin was rotten, so my family must have been poor before I died."


    Climbed out of the coffin...


    Xuan Ji accidentally glanced at the other person''s face and his heart started beating irregularly again. He didn''t dare to look again. It was difficult for them to communicate, and they were both guessing and confused. If he hadn''t misunderstood, this person seemed to be an old ghost. Judging from his accent, he had been dead for some years. But what was this? A resurrection?


    "Did you wake up as your true body from the coffin, or as this...puppet?" Xuan Ji asked.


    Sheng Lingyuan either misunderstood or avoided the question intentionally and only said, "I was forcibly awakened by someone, and it''s very noisy outside."


    "Who? Why did they wake you up?"


    "The man spoke incoherently, with a tone I had never heard before. At the time, my mind was not very clear, and I didn''t understand him," Sheng Lingyuan''s thoughtful gaze remained on Xuan Ji, as he spoke slowly, "After leaving the coffin, I happened to meet those friends outside, but since I wasn¡¯t dressed appropriately, it was inconvenient to show myself. Therefore, I just followed them secretly for a while. Unexpectedly, we encountered a tree demon, and I saw that my friends were completely unaware of it, so I had to imitate their appearance, transform my clothes, and lead them into the cave."


    Xuan Ji vaguely felt that something was off about this person. He squinted his eyes slightly and played with the coin between his fingers, "You could understand what those people were saying?"


    "Not entirely, but I could follow some of their words, and my friends were not very guarded against me. By observing their expressions, I could guess the meaning of some of their words. I was afraid that I would reveal too much by saying too much, so I just imitated their way of speaking and exchanged some simple greetings with them. Fortunately, everyone was in a panic, and I didn''t expose myself. However, that instrument," Sheng Lingyuan pointed to the television. The TV was no longer stuck and was now playing a subtitled TV drama, "The speech of the people in this program is clear and concise, and every word and sentence is marked. Is this used for children''s handwriting practice?"


    "Do you know simplified characters?"


    "Simplified characters," Sheng Lingyuan was very interested and repeated the phrase, mimicking Xuan Ji''s pronunciation perfectly. His ability to imitate was somewhat creepy. He answered with a smile, "I can''t read them word for word, but I can guess about fifty percent of them based on their shapes."


    Wherever this person stood, perhaps because of his jade-like body, he exuded a warm and gentle aura that made people naturally feel good about him.


    "Being forcibly awakened from the coffin without any warning, confused and unable to understand a single word of what was being said. With clothes made of grass skirts woven from tree leaves. Yet he was just busy saving people, what kind of saintly person would do that?" Xuan Ji thought, "I almost believed him."


    Suddenly, Xuan Ji realized that something was wrong with this "Sheng Lingyuan"¡ªhis tone of voice. Except for a few deliberately ignored questions, this person answered every question and was both detailed and patient in his responses. His tone was relaxed, but his words were scattered, like idle chatter with a stranger while waiting in line, to pass the time.


    If he really had been buried for thousands of years and crawled out of the ground, with everyone and everything being incomprehensible, shouldn''t his first priority be to find the one who awakened him? Even if he couldn''t find the one who woke him up, shouldn''t he try to understand what era it was and search for something familiar? Instead of sitting comfortably in a hospital watching TV and chatting idly with strangers, what was he doing with his time?


    Xiao Li, who was locked outside the door, probably thought something was wrong and called a field team stationed at the hospital. At this time, the field team, who had received the notification, arrived at the door of the family rest area and knocked, "Director Xuan, do you need help? What''s the situation?"


    What exactly are you? Don''t hide behind the puppet--


    Sheng Lingyuan reacted quickly, lifting his hand to block the coin. As he reached out to grab the coin with his five fingers, it exploded in mid-air, flames shooting out over a meter and dragging him half-way inside. Several rows of "curse-breaking" spells were burned onto the white wall behind Sheng Lingyuan, and while the jade-carved figure was unscathed, the grass rope tying his hair was burned through. His long hair fell down and the fake clothes made of dried leaves vanished, but he was not naked.


    There was another layer inside!


    The pile of illusionary clothes made from deceitful magic was licked clean by the flames, revealing a white robe with a blood-drawn totem almost taking shape, emitting a horrifying and bloody scent. The man''s once lively flesh and skin revealed a stony texture, pale with a tinge of blue. His lips, once a tender and affectionate smile, suddenly turned strange.


    Wait a minute, doesn''t the "Thousand Demon Bestiary" say that the puppet won''t move when hit?


    Where''s the Heart-Piercing spell? The source code?


    What is the bloody totem on his body?


    Sheng Lingyuan sighed and extinguished the flames on him with a wave of his hand, standing up slowly. "Little guy, you''re quite clever. You broke the curse well. Who taught you?"


    As soon as he finished speaking, the long-haired man had already rushed to Xuan Ji''s side like lightning. The edge of the coin in Xuan Ji''s hand was as sharp as a knife, and he blocked the man''s reaching hand. In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged seven or eight moves, the coins flying everywhere, and the black smoke in the family rest area had not yet dispersed before the sound of metal clashing filled the air.


    Several coins shook loose from Xuan Ji''s sleeve, bouncing and rolling around Sheng Lingyuan''s feet. Xuan Ji reached out from afar and pressed down, and the coins suddenly embedded themselves in the marble floor, forming a formation that produced several burning iron chains out of thin air, roaring and wrapping around the long-haired man in the middle.


    The "Thousand Demon Bestiary" was ignored and, upon a second glance, the annotations on the "Heart-Piercing Grass Puppet" evaporated like dew under sunlight, leaving no trace. Two bloody characters slowly rose from between the pages:


    "Demon Lord."

 CH 5

    Being ''forcibly awakened,'' ''emerged from an underground coffin,'' and ''speaking in an ancient dialect with a clear and elegant tone''...It sounded like something out of a thousand-year-old horror movie. But zombies actually aren¡¯t that scary, because when a person dies, they''re like a light that goes out. The principles behind ''refining corpses'' and ''driving out corpses'' are similar to those of a puppet on a string. The body moves under external manipulation, and the nervous system is already decayed, without any thoughts or intentions. If the preservation work isn''t done properly, it''s not uncommon for the arms, legs, heart, liver, and lungs to fall off while walking. Apart from scaring people, their combat effectiveness can be completely ignored.


    The frightening thing is when the coffin doesn''t contain a corpse. Because in addition to burying them properly, ancient people also used coffins to seal away bad things. The so-called ¡®voice that woke him up'' is likely some kind of curse or prayer.


    Someone is using forbidden techniques to summon demons!


    No wonder the heavens have been calm, but the Chiyuan has been in turmoil. It turns out to be a man-made disaster - Xuan Ji cursed in his heart. He should have thought of this earlier. It''s all because of this misleading book, the "Thousand Demon Bestiary." Where does it stand?


    The personnel outside the door heard something amiss and immediately wanted to rush in. Xuan Ji suddenly raised his hand and slapped the door from a distance. The person who had just pushed the door open was immediately pushed out. A fiery "stop" character flashed and merged into the door. The "stop" character quickly spread to the walls. In the blink of an eye, the family rest area was surrounded by flames, separated from the outside world.


    The team of personnel who were blocked outside were all thrown back. They didn''t see the process of him drawing the talisman with his bare hands, but they felt the power of the talisman. They looked at each other in shock - what kind of talisman was this? Why did someone from the logistics department carry such a powerful talisman with them?


    This is against the rules!


    One should know that the complexity of learning talismans and magic circles is so great that one or two years of training can''t even scratch the surface, so it hasn''t been included in the regular field training program. The talismans are produced in bulk by the Bureau of Paranormal Control with the help of instruments, and as a weapon, they are distributed to various department''s field operatives as quotas, like bullets. Because mishandling them can be dangerous, even field operatives must have a license to hold talismans, and the bureau strictly prohibits non-combat personnel from coming into contact with them!


    Intern Xiao Li hurriedly picked up his jaw from the ground and turned to ask Luo Cuicui, "How can your department dare to blatantly violate regulations... Hey, where did the person go?"


    Although Luo Cuicui was also a talent, he had always been in the logistics department, living a peaceful life of "being civilized and polite." Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, he had already taken small steps and hid in the corner of the hallway, listening and cautiously sticking her head out to spread rumors from afar: "Our leader is a newcomer, maybe a connection!"


    The family rest area was only about ten square meters, but the flames on the iron chains were like angry dragons, smoking the ceiling black. In theory, it would take no more than three to five minutes to preheat the room like an oven, but a cold and damp breath spread from somewhere, overpowering the heat of the flames. Water vapor was continuously heated, and the walls of the family rest area oozed water droplets.


    Xuan Ji bound the mysterious long-haired man with iron chains, but was pressed by the cold and damp vapor to the point of being unable to breathe, not knowing who was binding whom.


    Large and small water droplets rolled down the wall, leaving wet marks that gradually joined together, forming rows of text that were not any commonly used language in the world. Xuan Ji caught a glimpse of it from the corner of his eye, and his spine shuddered with inexplicable coldness.


    The pages of the "Thousand Demon Bestiary" trembled, and after a moment, it coughed up a line of annotations: Yin Sacrifice.


    At the door, the head of the field team, Yue Zhong, stepped forward and said, "Director Xuan, what happened? I am..."


    "Don''t introduce yourselves," came Xuan Ji''s distorted voice from inside the room. "Evacuate everyone within a ten-kilometer radius of this hospital immediately! Bring over all the people you can use and... report to headquarters!"


    The squad leader was bombarded with a string of orders before he could finish a single sentence. He was completely confused and wondered to himself, "Who is this guy?"


    Field operatives have always looked down upon logistics. After all, functional departments have always been superior. And logistics personnel are usually just ordinary people. Even if they have special abilities, those who are relegated to the same category as ordinary people are probably useless weirdos. Although the Aftermath Department was sent by headquarters and is administratively under the jurisdiction of superiors, local field operatives didn''t take them seriously. It''s like the attitude of ancient generals towards eunuchs in charge of the army - they hope they eat and drink well and don''t cause any trouble.


    This Director Xuan, who carried talismans illegally in broad daylight, not only caused trouble but also inexplicably assigned them work.


    He really thinks he''s a vegetable!


    The squad leader quietly studied the seal and spell on the door, patiently saying, "Leader, relocating residents is not a small matter. Transportation, supplies, and economic losses are all issues, not to mention the panic it will cause the people. Even if it''s not me, our bureau chief wouldn''t be able to make the decision. Besides, most of our people are currently in the Grand Canyon, and the mutated trees haven''t been cleared yet. We really don''t have the resources to spare..."


    Xuan Ji, impatient and interrupting again, said, "Luo Cuicui, call Director Xiao and tell him that the mutated trees are just the small symptom, and the main cause of the chaos in Chiyuan might be the ''Yin Sacrifice¡¯!"


    The squad leader, who thought he had some cunning, was still caught off guard, turning green in the face. "Director Xuan, we have a specialized team of experts to evaluate the problem in Chiyuan. Please don''t mislead the organization based on your subjective speculation!"


    Luo Cuicui piped up, "Leader, what does Director Xiao mean by ''Yin Sacrifice''?"


    Xuan Ji thought to himself, "Who should I ask?"


    The "Thousand Demon Bestiary" was like squeezing toothpaste. There was a blank space where there should have been annotations below the three words "Yin Sacrifice," and it was unclear what secrets a shoddy book could hold.


    Obviously, it was useless now. Xuan Ji could feel the malicious water vapor drilling into his bones. The flames on the iron chain were becoming weaker under the gloomy atmosphere. He forcibly pried open his teeth that were tightly clenched from the battle and hastily blurted out, "Go use a search engine!"


    The team leader of the sub-bureau thought he was talking nonsense and was so angry that he turned around and left. However, he remembered something, felt it was inappropriate, turned back, and asked Xiao Li, "You just said that person inside... the one with long hair. Is he a particularly talented person who infiltrated Chiyuan with malicious intentions?"


    Xiao Li quickly replied, "The motive is unclear now, I dare not say whether he is bad or not..."


    "I don''t care if he''s good or bad, just tell me if he''s talented!" The team leader was irritable.


    "Oh... yes, he is talented, and it seems to be mental..." Xiao Li said.


    "Being talented is enough." The team leader coldly snorted and waved his hand, leading his men to leave, regardless of the clueless ass-wiping Director Xuan.


    Regardless of whether someone is good or bad, the head of an employee does not count towards the "fifteen red lines" of the death toll. Whether they live or die, it doesn''t matter.


    Luo CuiCui ran out in small steps and shouted, "Please don''t go... Hey, our leader didn''t mean that. Director Xiao hasn''t spoken yet... Ah!"


    Xiao Zheng may have gone to check the information and told her to wait on the phone, but then there was no sound. Luo CuiCui chased after the field agents who were leaving in a magnificent manner for a few steps, looked back at the gloomy family rest area, and was hesitant to leave. Holding her phone, she was extremely anxious, "What a temper!"


    Sheng Lingyuan was being roasted over the fire, but he was still interested in listening to their conversation. With flames licking his body, he didn''t even move a single strand of his hair, and even felt quite warm. The pale face was reflected in the blood-red light of the flames. He kindly said to Xuan Ji, "The blood feud between the demon race and the human race has lasted for generations. Even if the demon race has declined, they still avoid humans and retreat to the mountains and forests. As for you, a pure-blooded little demon, why are you throwing yourself into a crowd of humans? Did you suffer some injustice at home and defect to the enemy, or did you do something wrong and get exiled by your own people?"


    Cold sweat dripped down Xuan Ji''s back, and his lips turned blue with cold, but he still refused to give up, "Old man, all fifty-six ethnic groups are now one big family. Which generation''s outdated thinking are you clinging to? You are the one who defected and got exiled, not me!"


    The iron chain that bound the demon lord was stretched to the limit and began to creak. The totem on his robe began to seep blood, and the water stain on the wall suddenly deepened in color.


    "Little demon, if you don''t release me, be careful of getting hurt." Before he even finished speaking, ice shards appeared on Sheng Lingyuan''s hair and the hem of his clothes, and the "stop" character on the door crumbled apart. The bloodstains seeped through the walls of the family rest area and a mournful cold wind swept out, shattering all the glass and emitting a sharp whistle as it squeezed through the windows and doors, as if accompanied by a dying scream. The agents who hadn''t had time to move far away were hit by the shards of broken glass. A tender green sprout of aloe vera crept out of Luo Cuicui''s collar and coiled around his neck, covering his eyes with its leaves, as if deceiving itself.


    At that moment, Xiao Zheng happened to make a video call, and in her panic, Luo Cuicui accidentally pressed the video button, transmitting the scene in its entirety to the headquarters of the Bureau of Paranormal Control, thousands of miles away.


    Xiao Zheng''s pupils suddenly contracted. He turned his head quickly and ordered the staff next to him, "Contact the director of the Chiyuan branch, immediately send more personnel, evacuate everyone from the hospital, and have them listen to Xuan Ji''s orders on-site. Old Luo, tell your director to hold on for a moment, and get someone from the ancient studies department!"


    Luo Cuicui''s vision was obstructed by the leaves of a green plant. In a daze, he stammered, "D-Director X-Xiao said..."


    His voice was drowned out by the sound of clanging iron chains. The original flames on the chains had disappeared, as if they had been sucked dry, and they turned into dull coins that flew in all directions, hitting the walls and ricocheting off them. One of them grazed Luo Cuicui''s head and embedded itself in the wall behind him, taking with it two precious locks of hair.


    It took Luo Cuicui a moment to react, but then his legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the floor, floundering and swimming in all directions like a drowning person. He used his arms and legs to crawl towards the exit.


    The moment Shen Lingyuan broke free, he had already rushed out of the family rest area.


    The arrogant field agents finally realized that Xuan Ji was not playing a joke on them, but the thick smell of blood, which was accompanied by a chill, had already filled their nostrils. They couldn''t move anymore. They were horrified to see the white shadow that flew out of the rest area like a plague. The cold and sticky water vapor rushed in through the broken window, sticking to all living things. Their bodies were frozen like fish that had been flash-frozen. In the blink of an eye, their joints were frozen stiff, and the small ice chips crawled like ulcers on their skin. The terrifying white shadow was getting closer!


    Shen Lingyuan extended a finger and hooked it under the chin of the nearest person, Xiao Li. Xiao Li''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he saw the expressionless demon lord look at him for a moment before laughing and exhaling a puff of black mist at him. Xiao Li didn''t know what the black mist was, but he instinctively felt extreme fear. That fear triggered his survival instinct, and he desperately backed away, even cracking the ice chips behind him.


    However, even if an ant struggles to the death, it cannot struggle out of a gust of wind. The gap was quickly frozen shut by the ice chips, and the black mist was about to swallow him whole.


    At that moment, a fireball like a shooting star came hurtling towards them and grazed Xiao Li''s nose, shattering the black mist.


    The thin layer of ice on Xiao Li''s body began to melt from his nose, instantly restoring his ability to move. He sat on the ground, legs curled up and almost peed his pants in fear.


    The fireball seemed to have a life of its own as it circled around him, leaving a brilliant trail of fire on the floor. It collided with the undercover agents and bounced off, freeing them from their frozen state. Although the team leader of the undercover agents was quite arrogant, he was also courageous. As soon as he regained his freedom, he pulled out a gun and fired several shots at the demon.


    It was a Mithril gun specially designed for the field agents to deal with all kinds of monsters and demons. The Mithril bullets inside would automatically avoid people and objects without any abnormal energy reactions, and chase after high-energy targets. For a moment, silver light was flying everywhere in the corridor. As the silver light passed by, a soft laugh rang out, like the helpless and indulgent laugh of a beloved child misbehaving. The team leader was a middle-aged man with a daughter in high school. When he heard the laughter, he was momentarily dazed, as if he had returned to his infancy, feeling vulnerable and wronged, wanting to be coddled.


    Just as he was lost in thought, a claw made of black mist had already grabbed his wrist holding the gun. He only felt a tingling sensation spreading from his wrist, and then half of his body lost consciousness. The Mithril gun slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, while the black mist climbed up his arm and headed straight for his throat!


    "Get out of the way!" A burst of fire rolled up and ignited the team leader''s arm in a swoop. However, the fire only used the black mist as fuel, it didn''t burn his clothes or scorch his skin. In the blink of an eye, the black mist was burned to ashes and disappeared along with the fire.


    The undercover team leader rolled on the ground and retrieved the Mithril gun, looking at Xuan Ji in shock and suspicion. "You... are you actually a Lightning-Fire type?"


    Lightning-Fire type was an extremely rare type of ability with strong offensive capabilities. Even in the External Affairs Department, it was almost impossible to find one. Almost all Lightning-Fire types were in the three major special elite forces of the General Administration - the commander of the former special forces "Thunder", and current director of the External Affairs Department, Xiao Zheng, was a Lightning-Fire type. Local branch offices might not have seen a live "Lightning-Fire" in their entire lifetime!


    What was wrong with the personnel department of the headquarters, letting a Lightning-Fire expert do the cleanup work?


    Xuan Ji said, "Keep firing, don''t stop!"


    The team leader snapped out of his trance, and the agents behind him finally reacted and took their positions, using silver bullets to snipe the demon lord. The demon lord had probably never seen silver bullets before and hesitated in the face of the dense silver light. Just as the silver bullets were raining down on him like drops, ready to turn even a stone statue into a sieve, a layer of black mist suddenly appeared around the demon lord, sweeping away all the silver bullets.


    At that moment, Xuan Ji reached out and grabbed the coins embedded in the walls and floors out of thin air. Each coin had an exaggerated cartoon face on it, either crying, laughing, scolding, or happy, arranged in a row, spinning in his palm like a row of miniature living beings. Then, the coins suddenly transformed, elongating into several iron chains, one end held in Xuan Ji''s hand, the other end flying out like a poisonous snake, hooking onto the demon lord''s limbs, tightly binding him.


    The agents were once again collectively dumbfounded - what was this? Was this monster a Lightning-Fire type or a metal type? Had lightning rods gained sentience? They had been taught that Lightning-Fire and metal were incompatible and could never coexist!


    But even Xuan Ji himself didn''t look relaxed as he tugged on the iron chains, a layer of frost forming on his eyebrows and hair. His hands were shaking as if he might lose his grip at any moment. "Quickly evacuate the people near the hospital, hurry up!" he shouted.


    One of the agents hesitated for a moment. "You..."


    "Don''t dawdle!"


    The agent was about to say something else but was stopped by the team leader, who had put aside his pride. With his experience and keen eye, he had already realized that this post-crisis management director was at least a qualified expert who could enter a special forces unit. In this kind of combat, leaving behind anyone who wasn''t capable would only be a hindrance.


    The team leader took a deep look at Xuan Ji. "Brother, remember to immediately report to headquarters and request support from the nearest special forces unit - everyone! Clear the area and evacuate ten kilometers! Let''s go!"


    That night, Dr. Wang, the head of the ancient studies department, was on the night shift at the Bureau.


    Dr. Wang wore a pair of round glasses and stooped, shuffling along to the main control room. His head, ahead of his body, extended out of his neck two li away and landed in front of Xiao Zheng. It was said that he was born in the late Ming Dynasty, and he had no other special abilities other than being old and refusing to die. He retired more than 30 times, but was rehired by the Bureau. Now, he specialized in the research of mysterious ancient books and rituals. He was knowledgeable and well-versed in both ancient and modern knowledge, like a living encyclopedia, but due to his age, he did everything slowly, so one needed to have some patience when communicating with him.


    "Yin Sacrifice...it''s really serious! This is a forbidden ritual. If it goes wrong, people may die." Dr. Wang opened his mouth like an old opera performer and spoke eloquently, making Xiao Zheng want to fast forward.


    "''Sacrifice'' is an ''evil contract.'' On one hand, it can be used to summon evil gods to descend and massacre the people, and on the other hand, it can be used to ask evil spirits to possess people and seek revenge. However, those evil gods and evil spirits are not easy to please. They will require a hundred times more repayment for helping you. Xiao Director, you asked at the right time. We just did a special topic on ''sacrifice'' not long ago, and the file should be saved somewhere...oh..."


    Xiao Zheng asked, "What is the date of the saved file?"


    "Oh...it was last week, which date was it again?"


    Xiao Zheng grabbed his computer and rushed to the archive room, dragging the power cord behind him.


    The archive room of the ancient studies department was constantly temperature- and humidity-controlled, with no light. There were rows of crystal cabinets inside, containing various original ancient books. There was a small screen on each cabinet door that could access the researchers'' annotations. With a command from Xiao Zheng, more than ten researchers rummaged through the archive, and soon found the "Sacrifice" special topic cabinet.


    "The so-called sacrifice can be understood as a kind of buying and selling contract. A sacrifice has four elements: ''sacrificial object,'' ''sacrificial host,'' ''medium,'' and ''sacrificial text.''" A researcher told Xiao Zheng, "The sacrificial object is the ''cost'' paid by the ''Party A''; the sacrificial host is the ''Party B'' that charges for the service, usually not a good person. Some scholars believe that only a ''demon'' can serve as a sacrificial host and respond to the ''sacrifice.'' The ''medium'' is the ''communication tool'' between the buyer and seller. Finally, the ''sacrificial text'' is equivalent to the contract for this transaction. It is said that this is a type of writing that cannot be written. Once it is written, the sacrifice has already taken effect. Neither party can go back on their word, and the sacrificial object listed in the sacrificial text must be in place, and the sacrificial host must fulfill the contract, otherwise, he will suffer the backlash of the sacrifice."


    Xiao Zheng asked, "Tell me specifically about the Yin Sacrifice."


    "The Yin Sacrifice is a type of ''sacrifice''. According to legend, the sacrificial host for this type of ''sacrifice'' is a very special being, a sealed demon lord. The Yin Sacrifice can unlock the seal, so it is also called the ''Summoning Demon Sacrifice''. The sacrificial object must be sacrificer, Party A, themselves," the researcher said, "As you can imagine, regardless of success or failure, the sacrificer who initiates the Yin Sacrifice will not have a good ending. It''s a kind of ''suicidal attack''."


    Xiao Zheng asked, "What the heck? What are these sealed demon lords?"


    "Our information is limited. Ancient texts say that demons can ''live forever, have endless magical powers'', and can only be sealed or left to dissipate naturally, they cannot be killed by external force. According to this description, the contemporary academic community generally agrees that the so-called ''demon lord'' is actually a kind of chaotic and harmful abnormal energy."


    Xiao Zheng was confused, "How can a ball of energy do business, or fulfill contracts?"


    "Sorry, Director, I don''t know, after all, whether it''s a ''demon'' or a ''sacrifice'', they are just legends in ancient texts, and may even be the fantastic imagination of ancient people - but...there is a damaged ancient text that once mentioned ''human-demons''. We speculate that this special abnormal energy similar to a ''demon'' can be embodied in a specific person, and this person can either control this exceptionally powerful abnormal energy...or be controlled by it, becoming a real demon lord."


    Speaking of which, that mysterious man with an unknown background in Chiyuan Hospital... Xiao Zheng''s eyes widened, "What information can we find about human-demons?"


    "Human-demons are like natural disasters," the researcher opened an electronic scanned document, revealing a mural on it, which depicted scenes of floods, earthquakes, plagues, and wars in meticulous and somewhat gruesome strokes. The picture was filled with bodies of various shapes and sizes, and in each scene resembling a human purgatory, there was a white-clothed figure that stood out, without a clear face, seeming to be only a symbol of terror, "You see this white-clothed figure, in the scene of the flood, he reaches his hand into the water upstream and stirs it; in the scene of war, two people stab each other with swords, and this white-clothed figure is holding a cup, collecting blood to drink from the tip of the sword - suggesting that all these major disasters are related to him. Did you notice that in this painting, except for this white-clothed figure, everything else is just corpses. This painting is called ¡°Demon Lord''."


    Xiao Zheng: "..."


    It''s over, Xuan Ji is probably in trouble.


    Xuan Ji not only felt cold, but also bone-chillingly cold. His hands had already been frozen by the ice chips, as if he was wearing a pair of crystal gloves that were shining with colorful light.


    Sheng Lingyuan¡ªthe demon lord lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over the blood-red totem on his body. He couldn''t be bothered to move, and his smile was like that of an old cat looking at a little bird under its paw. The more the little bird struggled, the more interesting he found it, and he coldly advised, "Little demon, you are naturally pleasing to my eyes. I liked you at first sight and don''t want to hurt you. You should retreat quickly."


    Xuan Ji never thought of himself as a face-con, but the phrase "I liked you at first sight" hit his ears and he inexplicably felt strange. He suddenly had a sense of being favored and his heart skipped a beat. His fingers holding the iron chain almost softened.


    Fortunately, at this moment, the "Thousand Demon Bestiary" which had been frozen for a long time, returned to life, and a line of annotations appeared under the "demon" entry: "The demon understands the six desires and is good at devouring people''s hearts."


    Xuan Ji was suddenly alert, and his eyes cleared up. This demon was actually trying to seduce him, shamelessly!


    "Tsk," the demon shook his head regretfully. "You''re young, but you have a firm heart. Letting you go is for your own good. I''ll tell you something. This is the ''Thousand People Sacrifice¡¯ ceremony. The sacrificial text is about to be completed. All that''s left is the final ''living sacrifice''. Why don''t you go find the one who started this and bother me no more?"


    "I''m afraid you''ll bite me," Xuan Ji sneered, and looked at the sacrificial text on the wall through the "Thousand Demon Bestiary".


    The "Thousand Demon Bestiary" finally caught up this time, and the translation of the gloomy sacrificial text slowly floated between the pages of the book. With a quick glance at the translation, a thought came to mind, and his phone automatically flew out of his pocket, hovering to his ear and connecting to Xiao Zheng''s phone.


    Before the half ringtone finished, Xiao Zheng answered: "Hey, are you still..."


    "I''m barely alive. Listen to me first," Perhaps because of his special talent, Xuan Ji spoke in Mandarin at five times the normal speed, so fast that it almost went out of tune. Only someone who had the ability to transcribe Mandarin rap could understand him. "I understand this sacrificial text. The sacrificial offerings listed on it are ''thousand people sacrifice'', and the sacrificial ritual must be completed within the phase of one month. The first live sacrifice is offered on the ''day when the moon is new'', and the last one is offered on the next ''day when the moon is new''. If I remember correctly, today is the day of the new moon!"


    Although Shen Lingyuan did not understand Xuan Ji''s rapid rap, he was extremely interested in the phone, staring at it fixedly.


    "The living sacrifice must die an unnatural death," the coldness seeped into Xuan Ji''s lungs and even his breaths were not coherent, "one month...um...within a month, one thousand people must die abnormally. It is impossible for this to happen without a sound..."


    "Contact the Public Security Department and investigate the non-natural deaths that have occurred in the past month," Xiao Zheng quickly instructed the field staff beside him, then asked, "Are you okay now? How long can you hold on?"


    "I''m not okay at all," Xuan Ji gritted his teeth, shivering, "Why isn''t there any heating in the south!"

 CH 6

    By this time it was already past 7 pm and there were less than five hours left until midnight. In the midst of the Mid-Autumn Festival in October, each day seemed shorter than the last. Outside, the streetlights were already lit and the moisture in the air was getting heavier. The entire Chiyuan Grand Canyon was engulfed in thick fog, with weak artificial light struggling to shine through, resembling faint fireflies.


    If anyone were paying attention, they would notice that the entire Chiyuan area was unnaturally quiet. Not even a single bird chirped, and even the noisy autumn insects were buried in the soil and dared not move.


    "Director Xiao, the data has been retrieved, but this may not be possible to find."


    "What..."


    "Well, the conditions you gave were too broad. Every year, there are millions of non-natural deaths in the country, with two to three hundred thousand suicides alone. There are over a thousand unidentified corpses in the urban area of Yong''an every year. Even if the so-called ''thousand people¡¯ is an accurate number, if these thousand dead people are scattered throughout the country, there won''t be any issues that can be seen from the statistical data, and that doesn''t even include the missing persons. If the killer is secretly killing people, it wouldn''t be difficult to hide the bodies for a month, and the police department might not even receive a report!"


    The situation was urgent, and Xiao Zheng didn''t have time to ask why Xuan Ji, a good young man, knew so much about obscure ancient sorcery. He turned to Xuan Ji on the phone and asked, "Is there any geographical restriction for these ''thousand people''?"


    "No," Xuan Ji''s voice began to distort. It seemed like there was wind on his end, and the sharp air currents were swirling around the phone receiver, disrupting the signal and his voice, "All you need is the ritual text... as long as the ritual text is written correctly, it doesn''t matter if it''s in the whole country... you can even go to Antarctica to kill and sacrifice, no need for a visa, just swipe your credit card. But..."


    But what came after "but" was unclear due to signal interference.


    Xiao Zheng had put the phone on speaker when he asked the question, and Xuan Ji''s words stirred up waves in his heart.


    "That won''t be on a global scale? Director Xiao, this won''t work, it''s like finding a needle in a haystack." The logistics personnel from the external affairs department was the first to come out and say, "Besides, we need a basis and procedures for file transfer. The public security system also has confidentiality requirements. This...just listening to a colleague say it, isn''t it..."


    "Director Xiao," the administrative department also came to add chaos, "Chief Huang called and asked what was going on, and asked you to go over and give him a briefing!"


    On the side of the Chiyuan Sub-bureau, not only did they not buy it, but they also blatantly shifted the blame. The operator reported back, "Director Xiao, the front-line of the Chiyuan Sub-bureau replied that there are still three mutated trees that have not been found in the Grand Canyon. He wants to confirm with you whether you mean to leave those monsters there and withdraw. How will the resulting losses be calculated?"


    The external security department of the headquarters pushed the responsibility to others, "Director Xiao, there may be some problems with mobilizing external personnel reinforcements near the Chiyuan area. The personnel dispatched from various sub-bureaus need the stamp of the headquarters¡¯ external security department before they can act. You see, do you want to talk to Director Song of the security department first? Hey? Is Director Song on vacation?"


    The research scientist who was initially eloquent about "Sacrifice" felt the wind direction was not right and quickly changed his face, "Uh, Director Xiao, about ''Yin Sacrifice'' and ''Demon Lord'' and so on, those are all unsupported legends lacking supporting materials, and there has always been controversy about them. Our ancient studies department only restores ancient books and cannot guarantee their authenticity. They cannot be used as a basis for action. Please be cautious... very cautious."


    Like a group of frogs holding a meeting, everyone was chattering in Director Xiao''s ear, and the scene was chaotic beyond measure. Everyone was hindering him, and no one was cooperating with him.


    Director Xiao had no idea how angry and frustrated he was, and he had become an unpopular "bun that even dogs ignore." What was the reason for this? It''s a long story- this summer, the head of the Bureau of Paranormal Control retired, and the newly appointed Chief Huang was an outsider, not to mention an ordinary person.


    Appointing an ordinary person to head the Bureau of Paranormal Control and manage a group of special abilities that can fly and vanish, isn''t that nonsense?


    No one believes there isn''t anything fishy going on. It has been nearly a quarter since the new director took office, but not only is he not accepted by the arrogant special abilities, he doesn''t even have any real management authority. In response, the headquarters set up a new department called the "Central Dispatch Bureau," composed of personnel drawn from the former front-line field agents, serving as a communication bridge between the ordinary director and the special abilities.


    The administrative level of the Central Dispatch Bureau is half a level higher than other departments. In an emergency situation, it can temporarily bypass other functional departments, coordinate resources, and issue direct orders. Thus, the person in charge of the Central Dispatch Bureau, Xiao Zheng, has become the "one person below and ten thousand people above" in the Bureau of Paranormal Control.


    Xiao Zheng used to be the leader of one of the three elite field forces, "Thunder." Wherever there was danger, he went there, and everything he had was earned with solid military achievements. At that time, everyone admired him, even his lack of social skills was touted as "the true nature of a master."


    However, being "promoted" by the Chief Huang was like promoting him from a "provincial governor" to a "chief eunuch." Overnight, Xiao Zheng offended the entire field security department except for the special forces.


    Some people say that he was blinded by officialdom, willing to climb up at the expense of his dignity, even willing to be a lapdog for an ordinary person. Others say that he is arrogant, with his nose in the air, pretending to be above it all, with his petty behavior now revealed since he has achieved some power.


    Everyone is an adult, so although they talk behind each other''s backs, they usually remain courteous to each other on the surface, except when something happens. When something happens, the opportunity for settling scores arises, and people will come up with words to make "betrayal by the masses" four words to be engraved on his face.


    As luck would have it, just at this moment, "click," the sound of a busy signal came from the phone, and contact with Xuan Ji suddenly stopped.


    The hallway of the hospital where Xuan Ji was located had turned into a giant refrigerator, and his phone couldn''t handle the low temperature, so it went black in the middle of the conversation.


    "Done talking?" Sheng Lingyuan was very interested in the lively "message box," and although Xuan Ji deliberately sped up his speech and spoke vaguely, he didn''t understand a word but still listened with relish. When Xuan Ji stopped speaking, he asked, "Did you manage to figure things out?"


    The face of contemporary technology could not be lost. Xuan Ji cursed in his heart while pretending to be calm, letting the phone fly back into the inner pocket of his chest, trying to keep it warm a little longer. The doors and windows of the hospital hallway were shattered, and the TV on one of the floors was still on. At this time, the sound of the TV in the hallway could be faintly heard, and the ending theme of the news broadcast played, which meant that it was at least 7:30.


    People in the hospital were quickly moved onto various ambulances and government vehicles. The noise downstairs was loud, but this floor was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, with only Xuan Ji and the Big Boss Sheng Lingyuan at an impasse. Xuan Ji stood by the window, blinked off the frost on his eyelashes, and swept a glance downstairs. Some of the patients in the hospital were not easy to move, and even with high efficiency, the field agents still needed to spend some time. He had to delay as much as possible.


    With lightning speed in his mind, Xuan Ji slowly squeezed out a smile. "This... uh, senior, it''s not even midnight yet, and since you''re new here, there''s no urgent matter, right? Why don''t we have a chat?"


    In the Bureau of Paranormal Control, Xiao Zheng was surrounded by a group of people, with countless pairs of eyes watching him. He was angry, but his face didn''t show it. The angrier he got, the paler he became, and his lips were pursed into a straight line.


    "That Director Xiao," an administrative staff member tentatively raised the phone. "Chief Huang..."


    Xiao Zheng looked up at him, and the administrative staff member felt as if lightning flashed in his eyes, startling him. The phone slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground.


    Under the incomprehensible gaze of the crowd, Xiao Zheng reached out and caught the administrative staff member''s phone, pressed the speaker button, and focused his mind. "Chief Huang, this is Xiao Zheng. Based on my 12 years of experience as a front-line field agent, I judge this to be a major emergency. If you trust me, please give me authorization. After the matter is resolved, I will report to you immediately. If there are any problems, I will take full responsibility."


    Chief Huang was silent on the phone, and everyone around fell silent with him. The previously bustling control room became deathly quiet.


    At this moment, another abrupt ring of the telephone broke the silence. A staff member stepped forward to answer it and unconsciously lowered his voice due to the quietness around him. "Bureau Dispatch Room, please speak... What? Um... Okay, I will relay the message immediately."


    The staff member who answered the call hung up the phone and said, "The head of the Chiyuan Sub-bureau called again and said the situation has changed. An external team stationed at the Chiyuan Hospital reported that the source of the abnormal energy in Chiyaun is likely located at the hospital. The sub-bureau is requesting reinforcement and... Director Xiao''s further instructions."


    "But doesn''t reinforcement require Director Song from the Ministry of Public Security...?" someone asked.


    "Not necessarily. They''re already here," a somewhat unprofessional voice came from the entrance of the dispatch room. The person who spoke was a young man who looked no more than twenty years old. He was wearing a dark grey uniform with the words "Fengshen" embroidered on the collar. He had a stopwatch around his neck and looked like a physical education teacher. With a rosy complexion and white teeth, he smiled when he noticed everyone''s gaze and lifted his heels. "Fengshen Special Forces, First Team, Zhang Zhao, good evening to all the leaders. Our leader...no, our commander-in-chief happens to be out of town today, and upon hearing that Chiyuan needs support, immediately sent an authorized fax to be delivered to Director Xiao. I am also here to report to you that the Fengshen team closest to Chiyuan is already on their way."


    Fengshen was one of the three special forces teams under Xiao Zheng''s "family" at the Bureau. The other two teams were Thunder and Rain, collectively known as "Fenglei Yu" or "Wind, Thunder, Rain." Although they were nominally assigned to the Ministry of Public Security''s External Operations and Security Department, they had a high degree of autonomy.


    Especially the Fengshen team.


    Any anomalous energy events that cannot be handled within the entire region are usually referred to the Fengshen team. This special forces team has the strongest mobility and is often on business trips around the country, so they have a somewhat "disobeying superior orders when far away" meaning. Any team leader or above can directly ignore superior opinions and take autonomous action if they deem it necessary.


    Xiao Zheng never expected that their brother team would openly stand on his side. He opened his mouth but didn''t know what to say for a moment.


    Zhang Zhao walked in, smiling as he scanned the various expressions on their faces. He handed a printed document to Xiao Zheng and took a step back to salute, saying, "Director Xiao, our leader said that you are representing us, ''Wind, Thunder, and Rain,'' and if others don''t support your work, can we still move forward? We''ll wait for your instructions!"


    After a long silence on the phone, Chief Huang finally spoke, "Xiao, you represent me in handling the Chiyuan matter."


    Xiao Zheng gritted his teeth and gave Zhang Zhao a look that spoke volumes without saying a word. Without hesitation, he said, "Find a way to contact the aftermath department''s Xuan Ji. He''s on the front lines, and the phone just got cut off."


    Xuan Ji, who was on the front lines, was getting cozy with the Demon Lord.


    "I think someone like you, who can only be summoned by the gloomy ritual, has such an extraordinary appearance... um, ''appearance'' means distinguished and with great origin." Xuan Ji attempted to imitate the Demon Lord''s accent and tone, but unfortunately, this ancient dialect was like a foreign language to him - he could understand it, but not speak it. Plus, he didn''t have the Demon Lord''s amazing ability to repeat words, so his imitation sounded strange and off.


    Although Sheng Lingyuan was bound by iron chains, his posture was relaxed and his smile deepened as he watched the little demon in front of him change faces like flipping a book.


    Xuan Ji had a thick skin and sang off-key to the South Pole, but he still dared to speak loudly, "In this capitalist era, there are usually many ways to solve problems. Those who resort to witchcraft at the drop of a hat are generally foolish... um, delusional people with holes in their brains. Don''t you think it''s beneath you to respond to such a person''s call?"


    "The ritual is a way to communicate with heaven and earth. Since I was awakened by this person, there must be a connection between us. Otherwise, his blood wouldn''t have flowed into my coffin," Sheng Lingyuan said slowly, "Besides, what does it matter if it''s a matter of status or not? It''s all just a superficial reputation. I''ve long forgotten about it."


    "Well, that''s true," Xuan Ji had seen all sorts of difficult clients before. He changed his tone and flattered, "The status that mortals give you may not be important, and it doesn''t matter whether you remember it or not. But your demeanor and bearing are still here, aren''t they? I''m not blind."


    "Oh? Such bearing?" Sheng Lingyuan suddenly leaned forward, and the iron chains that bound him suddenly tightened with a clear collision sound. The dark and gloomy ritual markings crawled out of his collar and spread all over his face, black and white, making his handsome face suddenly look sinister.


    Just then, Luo Cuicui, who had already run out, received a phone call from Xiao Zheng and was ordered to bring a phone to Xuan Ji. After mustering up the courage, she finally made it to the stairs, but when she saw the scene from afar, her legs went weak and she knelt down with a "thud."


    Sheng Lingyuan didn''t even glance at her and waved his hand lightly, saying, "No need for formalities. Since the sacrificial text can bring me back to the world, it naturally has constraints on me. I have finally seen the light of day, why ruin it for myself? It''s just a human wish, a small gesture is enough."


    Xuan Ji''s eyes twitched.


    Sheng Lingyuan smiled and said softly, "It''s almost past midnight, right?"


    "L-lea-leader..." Luo Cuicui couldn''t even complete a sentence, stuttering and stammering, and kept saying "L-l-lead" with his mouth, too scared to come over. In the end, he had a bright idea, put the phone on the floor eight feet away, pushed it forward with all his might, and slid it to Xuan Ji''s feet, saying, "Director Xiao, I can''t help you here, and I''m only hindering your performance. I''ll withdraw as ordered!"


    With that, the coward turned to run, but was caught by Xuan Ji''s ankle with a lock chain and fell flat on his face. "Wait," said Xuan Ji.


    Tears streamed down Luo Cuicui''s face. "Leader, us plant-types are highly flammable and cannot go to the front line. Please just treat me like air and let me go!"


    "What''s going on? I thought you had become a martyr...the phone froze...I can''t believe it! Come back, and I''ll buy you a new box!" Xiao Zheng was holding the phone, scolding Xuan Ji on the phone, and striding into the conference room.


    "Director Xiao, the agents from all over the region are already in position."


    Xiao Zheng nodded and said to Xuan Ji, "Take a picture of the ¡®Yin Sacrifice'' text that you saw, the more complete the better. I will have someone compare the pictures to investigate. If it is a sacrifice, there must be sacrificial text on the sacrificial offering, just like putting a stamp address on a letter, right?"


    "Smart," because Luo Cuicui threw her phone too far, Xuan Ji could only shout to speak now, "Luo Cuicui, before you run away, please do me a favor! Take a picture of the words on the wall and send them to Xiao Zheng. - Old Xiao, listen to me, summoning this demon is a one-time thing, not a long-term contract..."


    Sheng Lingyuan understood the words "one-time" and "not long-term" and narrowed his eyes slightly - this brat was actually using his own words, so bold.


    Xuan Ji spoke quickly, "The reason why witchcraft is considered witchcraft is because the people who do this kind of thing usually don''t have a good ending. It''s such a hassle to summon a big demon that can only do one thing for oneself. Based on my experience, eight or nine out of ten times it''s for revenge. And it''s likely that the person behind it is in a desperate situation and lacks support. The Yin Sacrifice is not some street vendor''s trick, your elite field agents in the security department have never even heard of it. This person not only knows how to operate it, but can also kill a thousand people unnoticed within thirty days. With such ability, why go through such a big circle to kill someone? What could be their target?"


    Xiao Zheng narrowed his eyes suddenly, "An important figure under tight protection, or an unshakable power."


    If someone can operate the Yin Sacrifice, even if they are not a special ability person themselves, they must be deeply involved with special ability people and must know about the "Special Ability Court" of the Bureau. If this person is fighting alone against some heinous private force, they could come forward and report it, but they haven''t. So, it''s very likely that they know they can''t get official support.


    Either the person manipulating the Yin Sacrifice is a wanted special ability criminal, or...


    The two of them fell silent for a second and then almost said in unison.


    "Leader... cough cough cough..." The one who ran up was unexpectedly the girl with a "fear of people" - Ping Qianru.


    The hospital''s cool mist seemed to be spreading, and taking a breath from afar felt like a cold knife scraping from the throat to the lungs. With more than ten meters away from Xuan Ji and the others, Ping Qianru couldn''t catch her breath and couldn''t get any closer - who knows what kind of ability she had, but judging from her lung capacity, she not only had no combat power, but she might not even pass the school physical education test.


    The fire on the iron chain that bound the demon in Xuan Ji''s hand was already quite weak, and several times it was almost frozen out, but then he swayed and stood up. He was already at his last gasp, but he refused to let go. The great demon was waiting for the midnight hour and was not in a hurry, patiently playing with the little demon in front of him.


    The place where they were was almost like an ice store, in Ping Qianru''s view, Xuan Ji was covered with thick ice and didn''t move at all, as if he had become an ice sculpture. So she cried out with a sobbing voice, "Uh... they found a forum post that was just posted and deleted... can Director Xuan say something? I''m scared..."


    "Why do you have to be so tragic?" Shen Lingyuan said somewhat helplessly to Xuan Ji. "I see that you are young, and if you were an ordinary little demon, you might not have awakened your spiritual wisdom yet. Not only have you fully transformed, but your true form can''t be seen at a glance. Presumably, you are a naturally-born spirit creature. Before the internal upheaval amongst the demon race happened, almost all of the innate spirit creatures had already disappeared without a trace. Each one is a treasure, and it would be a pity to lose one. Listen to me, hurry and leave."


    Xuan Ji took a deep breath and said word by word, "Don''t cry, there is still air. What post? Read it."


    Ping Qianru choked, "Oh... A plea for help: I feel like my son is not my son anymore."

 CH 7

    Xuan Ji felt a bit familiar, and then he remembered he had seen this post on the plane, so he quickly glanced at it but couldn''t find the follow-up before he had to leave.


    Ping Qian had a naturally thin and gentle voice, but afraid that he wouldn''t hear her, she pressed forward against the unbearable cold and trembled while reading the post aloud, saying, "Later the original poster replied once, but the post was deleted shortly after it was posted. The content of the reply was probably about how she was a failed mother, her child didn''t tell her anything, and she could only sneak into his things while the child was at school. During this time, there were always a few strange symbols in her son''s diary. At first, they were just doodles with a ballpoint pen. She saw them but didn''t think much of it. However, recently, those symbols have become more and more dense. Yesterday, they were even drawn with blood, filling the entire book. The child''s behavior has also become increasingly strange, and she even took photos of those pictures...I...hiss..."


    Ping Qianru tasted blood and her nose felt hot, and when she reached up to touch it, she realised her nose was bleeding. The cold was too much for her and she collapsed to the ground, pushing the laptop hard, and the laptop slid to the smooth floor behind Xuan Ji.


    Before Xuan Ji could turn around and see, Sheng Lingyuan had already spoken up.


    He "recited" the sacrificial text lightly, then exclaimed, "Ah, this is interesting."


    "What?" Ping Qianru didn''t understand what he said, but when she heard the voice, she felt like a small animal facing its natural enemy, and instinctively shivered, "Did he, did he just speak?


    Can he talk? Is he chatting or cursing me?"


    "Tell Lao Xiao," Xuan Ji pried open his teeth, "The demon said that the blood lettering says ''save me''."


    Xiao Zheng heard the narration, and his hair stood up: "Find the boy, and let the local branch immediately take control of him, no matter what method! Quick!"


    If the so-called "thousand people sacrifice" is not a rough estimate, if calculated according to "one thousand people", in a one-month cycle, more than thirty people need to be sacrificed a day, and even a slaughterhouse may not be so efficient.


    The "living sacrifices" must die of non-fatal causes, and the behind-the-scenes killers are unlikely to commit crimes in one place, as this is not a small number. In a short period of time, an increase in the number of abnormal disappearances and deaths in the same area will definitely attract the attention of various security departments. Moreover, the sacrifices must die in a very concealed manner, and they must look infinitely close to normal death, or accident, suicide and other methods of dying that are not suspicious.


    The most feasible way is to curse, poison or parasitize.


    There are too many ways to operate, such as the killer can stay at a transportation hub, such as a railway station or international airport, randomly "dropping" the victims, and the victims will unknowingly be hung with a death countdown card, take a means of transportation to all parts of the world, and then unknowingly die in the place. Or, simply manipulate the living sacrifices by some means, so that not only can the time and manner of death of the living sacrifices be controlled, but also they can act as claws and attack more and more victims in a wider range before they die.


    The drastically changed boy, the dark and gloomy incantation he had written out of control, and the blood-stained incantation seeking help... It seemed like he was being controlled, and his weak personal will was still struggling for its life!


    "Call people from the Archives department, the Research department, the Ancient Studies department, and the Special Ability Medical Menter!" Xiao Zheng roared, "Give me a list of all the known dark arts that can control others!"


    "Director Xiao, the possibility of poisoning can be basically excluded. There are toxins that can cause hallucinations and be easily suggested, but to control the victim for a long time and make them write so many unknown words, we haven''t heard of it."


    "Curses are probably difficult too. There are some obscure charms that can control small animals, but the nervous system of humans is too complicated. The Ancient Studies department has read all the documents and materials within two thousand years, but has not found any relevant records."


    "Report, Director Xiao, the Special Operations Training Center said that the spiritual system is mainly used for auxiliary purposes in combat. To completely control others, it must be the best elite, but even the strongest spiritual system must maintain close contact with the target during the control period, and long-term or remote control is impossible, and the whole process is quite energy-consuming. It is likely that the target has not died, and the murderer has already had cerebral hemorrhage himself."


    "Sir, wait a moment, the Archives department staff are looking up all the files related to ''parasitism''..."


    "Locked the poster''s location!"


    At nine thirty-five, the Bureau of Paranormal Control locked the identity and location of the strange poster through the network. It was found that the poster was a single mother, with a son in the second grade who lived in the suburbs of Dongchuan City.


    The local branch''s outposts moved in droves.


    "Director Xiao, there are a total of thirteen dangerous species known to have parasitic abilities, most of which are mutated plants, but these plants usually do not have thinking ability, and after parasitism, they will quickly absorb the host, and then look for the next target after the host''s death. The only species of parasites that basically conform to your description is a butterfly... "


    "I''ve got it!" At the same time, Ping Qianru, who was the first technical geek in the Aftermath Department, showed her powerful search ability with a tablet computer, and used the intranet account to turn the Bureau of Paranormal Control''s archives upside down first.


    It is a type of butterfly, scientifically known as "Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly", and its eggs look like sesame seeds. If someone accidentally ingests them, the eggs can enter the human body and mature within 24 hours. After parasitizing, the butterfly secretes a special substance to control the human nervous system.


    "Once the butterfly is successfully parasitized, it will be completely invisible and cannot be detected by technical means. But if an fMRI scan is performed on the infected person''s brain, it will be found that the activity of the amygdala is significantly enhanced, and other evidence also shows that the infected person''s brain still has its own consciousness, but the generated neural impulses can no longer be transmitted to the relevant effector organs.


    Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly has no wisdom of its own, but it has a high imitation ability and is good at using people around the infected person as templates to control the body to do ''normal things''. After the infected person''s brain dies, the butterfly completely replaces the infected person''s brain and can survive and reproduce for a long time in this identity, and even be unnoticed by the people around for decades - then... Does this mean that you can watch your own body being controlled by something else?¡±


    Those who were parasitized knew everything, as if they were imprisoned in their own body, forced to watch but unable to do anything.


    What was even more desperate than this helpless chronic death was that no one around, even those close friends and family members who were around them day and night, noticed anything wrong with the flesh husk. They chat mindlessly with the rebellious butterfly and come and go with no thought.


    If it was really this butterfly, then in the one thousand sacrifices, only one mother had a suspicious feeling¡ªand she was a pathological mother with a strong sense of control over her son!


    At ten o''clock. In Dongchuan City, more than a dozen low-key black off-road vehicles surrounded an ordinary residential building, and the members of the task force rushed upstairs in several batches.


    In an ordinary family home upstairs, the anxious mother was sitting in the living room with a laptop, desperately searching the Internet for the contact information of some so-called "masters". Her online shopping cart was full of items with the words "enlightenment" and "warding off evil spirits". Her hair-raising son was in his bedroom and the door was not tightly closed. Through the crack of the door, his back was seen¡ªhe was wearing headphones and playing mobile phones while doing his homework, no different from a "normal" teenager.


    The mother clenched her hands tightly, her shoulders tightened. Everyone said that her son had recently been "normal" and sensible, but she was still uneasy. That indescribable fear was only understood by a mad mother who had for part of her life parasitized on her child...


    At this moment, the doorbell of her house rang. The mother trembled: "Who, who is it?"


    "Hello, we are here to check your water meter, as the property notified yesterday."


    "Oh... it''s here."


    The woman murmured in her heart. She hadn''t seen the notice, but it might have been overlooked because of her heavy thoughts recently. She got up to open the door, but there was more than one person. The woman was stunned by the gray uniform. She subconsciously wanted to close the door. A gray uniform person quickly blocked the door frame and the other pressed her throat with his hand, making a gesture of "shush" to her. The woman only felt that the fingers pressing her throat were icy cold. She was terrified and stepped back, covering her neck. She found that she couldn''t make a sound!


    The gray uniform people sneaked into the house like cats, with no sound under their feet. However, the "boy" wearing headphones seemed to have a pair of ears behind his head. When they broke in, he didn''t even turn his head and ran away as soon as he jumped up.


    "The target is jumping out of the window!"


    The woman screamed¨Cthis was the eighth floor!


    In a flash, the "boy" had leaped out of the window, and something flashed behind him--it was like a pair of huge butterfly wings, translucent and flashing phosphorescently, flying off into the night sky.


    The next moment, a whirlwind suddenly appeared out of nowhere, sweeping over the large "butterfly", and three gray-uniformed men on the roof leapt down, pulling out a big net from the air and firmly trapping him in the middle!


    Ten o''clock.


    "Report, Director Xiao, we have controlled the target! The boy is fourteen years old, and after examination it is confirmed that he is infected with a Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly. Please instruct on the next step to be taken!"


    Before Director Xiao could speak, a worker suddenly ran in anxiously, and attached to his ear said: "Director Xiao, there is an emergency situation that needs to be reported to you."


    "Say it."


    "Well, just now when we were viewing the relevant information on Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly in the archives, we found that the number and inventory of Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly pupae in the ''Dangerous Goods Archive Center'' on the twelfth floor of the underground did not match up...there was one less vat."


    Director Xiao lifted his head incredulously: "Say it again?"


    "The twelfth floor underground has a great magical array for protection, there is no abnormality, and no traces of intrusion. The archives also cannot explain why there is one less vat..."


    "The Dangerous Goods Archive Center stores first-level dangerous goods, and according to regulations, it must be counted and checked every day. What is the Archives department doing? This is dereliction of duty!"


    Director Xiao''s face was really too ugly to look at, and the worker swallowed his saliva, not daring to make a sound.


    "Isolate all the relevant personnel from the archives. Go through them one by one and investigate this!"


    There was no time for calculations, and Director Xiao squeezed out a word from between his teeth, barely suppressing his anger. "Have the scene cleanup team sent over."


    "Leader," at the Chiyuan Hospital, Ping Qianru asked Xuan Ji while holding the phone,


    "Director Xiao contacted us, asking if you know how to crack the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly?"


    "Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly..." Xuan Ji repeated the word in Mandarin, imitating the tone of a little girl, and then glanced at the picture on Ping Qianru''s laptop. He then smiled with a mixture of misfortune and pleasure, "Oh, it''s the ''Human-faced Butterfly'', not good, the Human-faced Butterfly is not easy to deal with."


    Xuan Ji glanced at the image of the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly. This time, the "Thousand Demon Bestiary" responded in time, prompting: Once the Human-faced Butterfly detects external invasion, it will perish with its host. This butterfly is not cold-resistant and will hibernate in cold temperatures.


    Xuan Ji: "Low temperature!"


    "You don¡¯t say!" Xiao Zheng''s voice flew out from the mobile phone, "Low temperature treatment will make the butterfly lose its activeness, and this process takes at least one day. Look at what time it is now, where can I go to steal you a day?"


    "There is a way. Let me teach you a trick," Sheng Lingyuan may have understood a few sentences, and he spoke casually, maybe because the ritual was about to be completed. A little blood appeared in his pale eye corners and lip cracks, but this blood did not add any life to him, but it was like a layer of red ocher on white paper, which was shocking and even more terrifying. "The last sacrifice must die at the stroke of midnight. If the death time is wrong, the caster will be in trouble. Since the sacrifice has fallen into your hands, you can''t save people, so why not kill him before the stroke of midnight?"


    Xiao Zheng: "Who is talking? Is that demon summoned by the Yin Sacrifice ritual? What did he say?"


    "He said," Xuan Ji lifted his eyelids, and his beautiful phoenix eyes were soaked in moisture, but there seemed to be firelight in the pupils, "As long as you catch the caster before the stroke of midnight."


    "Director Xiao, the boy who was parasitized by the butterfly started to draw the ritual sixteen days ago. If we push back one day, it should be the time of infection. That day, he was in the Internet cafe and mixed up for a day. We just got the monitoring record of the Internet cafe and found this person!"


    Xiao Zheng quickly walked to the video, only to see the blurred screenshot of the video, which showed a person with a small mustache holding a cigarette: "This person is..."


    "Yes, it''s one of the people we just rescued from Chiyuan, and he''s also the leader!"


    Ping Qianru heard this from the phone, suddenly covering her mouth: "They have been transferred to the county hospital... It''s over, Big Sister Bi! Big Sister Bi is with them!"


    Sheng Lingyuan looked at Qianru inexplicably, then turned his head to look at the thick fog outside the window, curling up the corners of his eyes: "There is still a moment, Little Demon, remind you again, after a moment, no matter how much I like you, I won''t be merciful."


    Xuan Ji was stunned, thinking that it was not more than ten o''clock, how could it be... He suddenly became agitated¨Cno, the "stroke of midnight" is the concept of midnight at twelve o''clock, which was influenced by the modern Western calendar. The "Midnight" in ancient times started at eleven o''clock!

 CH 8

    Xuan Ji''s first reaction was: "Fat girl, go out and notify the field team downstairs."


    Ping Qian answered plainly: "Director Xiao should have notified them already. The outside personnel at Chiyuan are now being directly commanded by the headquarters. You can rest assured."


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    There was still less than fifteen minutes left. In case Xiao Zheng and his waste of a field team didn''t catch the curse-caster, this would be the first line of defense in the face of the demon lord.


    The two of them were like guarding a bomb. The emphasis of what Xuan Ji said just now was "go out", not "notify". In order to prevent a "you should go quickly" and "no, I can''t leave you" type of melodrama, he deliberately arranged a task for her as an excuse, so that she could have an excuse to flee.


    If this girl was a little smarter, she should know that she should hurry up and run quickly.


    But this fat girl was a little dull, and didn''t understand the leader''s good intentions at all. She still worried about Bi Chunsheng who was with the suspect, and comforted herself half-heartedly: "Sister Bi has been working for almost thirty years and is still in the second line of the Security Department. Well, she is experienced and will definitely be fine! Stay calm, we can win."


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    Stay calm my ass! Video games have ruined the youth nowadays!


    "I''m telling you to go out!" In desperation, Xuan Ji didn''t beat around the bush. "Don''t bother me here!"


    Ping Qianru was a little aggrieved and a little afraid when she was yelled at by him. The young girl with her social fear did not dare to refute her boss. She lowered her head, picked up her tablet computer, and turned around to the stairs. The thick white fog outside the window poured into the broken window, and the broken glass stuck to the window sill shook, covering Qianru''s footsteps.


    At this time, several "tourists" who illegally broke into the Chiyuan Grand Canyon were on a minibus. After the intern of the local branch, Xiao Li, withdrew, he began to help evacuate the people in the hospital and was escorting these people to the nearest county hospital with Bi Chunsheng. They still need to stay in the hospital for one night to make sure that their memories are all gone.


    The driver drove very steadily. Xiao Li was drowsy in the copilot. When he received the call, his eyes were still closed.


    The injured were sleeping in a mess in the back car. Sister Bi Chunsheng was energetic and was still knitting. Her last sleeve was at the closing and was about to be completed.


    Xiao Li rubbed his face dazedly, rubbed his eyes, and glanced at the incoming call display: "Hey, captain, uh... We are almost at the county hospital. We will be there soon..."


    The field team leader on the phone interrupted him: "Xiao Li, listen to me quietly."


    Xiao Li closed his mouth, put his ear close to the microphone, and after a moment, he was so awake that he couldn''t be more awake.


    The car lights swept across them as a car passed by in the opposite direction. The young intern held the phone stiffly and glanced at the rearview mirror. In the pale car lights, he met a pair of eyes -- in the back seat, the small-mustached leader, who woke up at some point, was looking at him with three white eyes, and Bi Chunsheng next to him was still counting the knitting buttons on the wool without noticing.


    Sweat slid down from Xiao Li''s forehead.


    Over the phone, the young team leader felt the intern''s tension and lowered his voice: "Don''t show it, walk forward normally, the placement point at the county hospital has been communicated, our people will ambush at the door, don''t panic, don''t scare the snake out of the grass."


    Xiao Li bit his tongue and tried to act as if nothing had happened: "I know, captain, you can rest assured."


    Unfortunately, the field training did not teach acting skills, and Xiao Li was a mess as soon as he appeared, his voice was tense and his tone was exaggerated, and he even broke the tone at the end!


    Oh no!


    At this moment, Bi Chunsheng suddenly raised his head, looked at him faintly, and asked kindly: "Xiao Li, is it cold?"


    Xiao Li had not finished his internship and had just started working. First, he almost had an intimate contact with the big demon, then he was forced to stay in the same car with the vicious suspect, and he didn''t know what kind of luck it was. His calf began to twitch, and he showed Bi Chunsheng a face uglier than crying.


    "Hey, look at you, I said what, just close the window, but you didn¡¯t listen! Got a cold now? You kids now, if you don''t listen to the elderly, you¡¯ll suffer losses without making money!" Bi Chunsheng''s mother-like words scolded him endlessly, "Ah, later, after sending these people off, you can go home quickly - I said, how far is it from the placement point?"


    While speaking, Bi Chunsheng raised her eyelids imperceptibly and exchanged a glance with Xiao Li through the rearview mirror.


    She noticed something was wrong!


    Xiao Li''s heart fell back into his stomach with a "thud".


    "Ah, soon!" Xiao Li cleared his throat and said to the team leader over the phone at the same time, "There is a corner left, I can see the building."


    "Just a few stitches," Bi Chunsheng snorted, her face showing no clue, while slowly collecting the wool, he also woke up the few "tourist friends", "Wake up, we¡¯re almost here."


    Then she took out a bag of wet wipes from her pocket and divided them among several people: "Wipe your face quickly, wake up, don''t get blown on by the wind and catch a cold."


    At 10:52, the car slowly drove past the intersection and entered the placement point. Xiao Li looked at the plainclothes officers standing at the door with his eyes wide open, and his sweaty palm made him almost unable to hold the phone.


    "Get off slowly," Bi Chunsheng stood up and pushed out the girl with broken legs who had the most inconvenient movement first. "Let the seriously injured go first, Xiao Li, give someone a hand and help them."


    Xiao Li was tense all over, and he clenched his teeth tightly as he snatched the girl away like she was a kidnap victim.


    "Ouch!" the girl with the broken leg stumbled as he dragged her away, "What are you doing, be gentle!"


    "Gently," Bi Chunsheng''s gaze shot out from behind the mirror, and she said to Xiao Li with a deep meaning, "Don''t be in a hurry."


    Then, she quickly helped the others get off the car, either intentionally or unintentionally blocking the little mustached man. At the same time, Xiao Li''s gaze caught a glimpse of the plainclothes agents from the reception center approaching this side.


    Bi Chunsheng pushed the last person off the car, and only then seemed to have noticed the little mustached man: "Hey, there''s still one person here, hurry and get down."


    While speaking, she was about to jump off the car, as if to make room for the little mustached man.


    The plainclothes agents had moved¨C


    Somehow, the little mustached man suddenly sensed something, and his face showed a fierce expression. Just as Bi Chunsheng was about to jump down, he grabbed her neck from behind and lifted the thin middle-aged woman onto the car, tightly grabbing her neck.


    "Don''t come over here!"


    "Don''t move!"


    Bi Chunsheng''s flower mirror was smashed, forcing her to raise her head while standing on tiptoe. The little mustached man had a fierce expression on his face and large patches of text began to appear on his bare neck and face. It was ten fifty-six.


    He lifted Bi Chunsheng up and blocked his head and neck with his body, only exposing a crazy eye.


    The two sides were in a stalemate.


    "I''ll strangle her... I''ll strangle her! If you dare... dare!" The little mustached man mumbled incoherently, his cheek muscles twitched, as if he was having a seizure. He dragged Bi Chunsheng into the car, and Bi Chunsheng opened her mouth with difficulty, trying to say something, but the little mustached man suddenly twisted her neck, blocking her windpipe. Bi Chunsheng''s breathing became difficult, her face turned red, and her feet struggled.


    The little mustached man roared: "I know what your special ability is, shut up!"


    "Where''s the sniper?"


    "No good, can''t get an angle, the hostage is blocking him!"


    Xiao Li anxiously said: "But the secret silver bullets are able to dodge ordinary people, right?"


    "Dodge what! Didn''t you see that the female receptionist is also a special ability? The secret silver can''t distinguish between them!"


    10:56:59... 57.


    Every second that the second hand moved forward was like a countdown.


    57:10, 57:20¨C


    "Director Xiao, the field commander asks if you... "


    Xiao Zheng''s eyebrows pressed heavily on his eyelids.


    "If... er... if..." The plainclothes agent stuttered many times, unable to say the sentence, but everyone understood¨C would he decide to sacrifice a common employee, to break up this desperate and dark ritual?


    The Bureau of Paranormal Control¡¯s headquarters was brightly lit, in the conference room, all eyes turned to Xiao Zheng again, and at the same time, the heads of all branches around the world were waiting for his command.


    They all wanted him to oversee this "big picture," but they all felt sorry for him.


    10:58:50¨C


    "Director Xiao, one minute left!"


    Xiao Zheng had no choice but to accept his fate.


    Though the goal of the Yin Sacrifice was unknown, the extent of the damage to be caused by the demons was unknown, and the ancient studies department couldn''t give a reliable explanation; though the "thousand people sacrifice" is questionable as to whether a thousand people were really killed, and the the horrifying legends and murals need to be discussed...but the fourteen-year-old infected with the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly is real, the boy''s brain is already controlled by the butterfly, and if the caster is not resolved, he will become a sacrifice under the gaze of the entire Bureau in one minute.


    "In order to ensure the safety of the hostages as much as possible," Xiao Zheng felt that his voice was cold, he didn''t know if it was his speech or his heart that was cold, "immediately execute the suspect, no matter the cost."


    In the Chiyuan Hospital, Sheng Lingyuan seemed to have smelled the arrival of midnight, he slightly raised his head, glanced at the dim sky, and suddenly asked Xuan Ji: "You are from the Qingping Division?"


    "The Qingping Division disappeared over seven hundred years ago." Xuan Ji''s heart moved, and he asked in return, "You...know the Qingping Division? You said you couldn''t even remember who you are?"


    Sheng Lingyuan''s expression was a bit blank for a moment, his gaze spread out from the foggy mist, as if searching for some very faint memories, which made him look a bit human. But that little bit of humanity was thin, it disappeared in a blink of an eye, then he lazily smiled: "Vaguely remember something, when I saw you, a word suddenly floated in my heart ¡ª you were raised by someone since you were little, otherwise why would such a pure-blooded creature be so devoted to mortals?"


    "What pure-blooded or not, it''s all in the past," Xuan Ji replied vaguely, seemingly acknowledging the words "pure-blooded" and "raised by someone", then he asked again, "You said ''mortals'' one moment, and demons'' the next, so what are you? Not human, not a demon ¡ª a god?"


    "Childish talk," the demon lord was amused by him, "where do the gods come from in this world?"


    Xuan Ji: "......"


    He never expected that the demon lord would be an atheist.


    "Gods are just people''s projections." Sheng Lingyuan paused and after a while, he said softly, "Me? I''m probably people''s delusions...what happened before my life is too long ago, I can''t remember."


    He said this, the smile on his face faded, a cold disdain flashed, as if suddenly feeling a little bored: "Forget it."


    Xuan Ji felt something, his pupils slightly contracted, and then, all the locks tying up the demon lord broke, metal fragments like bullets flew in all directions, Xuan Ji was pushed back by the force and smashed into the ice wall behind him.


    Sheng Lingyuan raised his hand towards the window, and half of the wall of the hospital responded with a sound and shattered, he swept away the smoke, about to go out from the window. The wind flew from behind him, Sheng Lingyuan waved his hand without looking back, the coins thrown at him strangely curved collectively and passed him by.


    10:59.


    Xiao Zheng''s command was passed to the front line in an instant, the sniper who held the silver bullet felt a heavy burden on his shoulders, and the intern Xiao Li opened his eyes incredulously, as if he could condemn the cold-hearted command with his eyes.


    Just then, as Bi Chunsheng struggled, he suddenly hooked two fingers together and made a subtle gesture outside the scene, signaling for assistance.


    ¡°Wait! Big Sister Bi gave a signal that the target has been caught.¡±


    At 59 minutes and 20 seconds, the girl with the broken leg who had been cowering in fear behind the assistant suddenly shook twice before collapsing to the ground. Soon after, the other "tourists" also fell down one after another, unconscious.


    Xiao Li widened his eyes - he remembered, before they got off the car, Bi Chunsheng had given them a pack of wet wipes!


    Xuan Ji, from the Chiyuan Hospital, frowned and reached back to touch his own back. Just then, a burst of electric sparks crackled in mid-air, and a huge electric net descended from above, enveloping Sheng Lingyuan''s head. The electricity collided with the black mist surrounding him, creating a burnt smell in the air. Sheng Lingyuan was momentarily halted and lightly landed on a shattered window. Seven or eight figures dressed in deep gray uniforms, each with "Wind God" written on their collars, sealed off every possible escape route for the demon. The reinforcements from the special forces had arrived!


    Xuan Ji paused and wiped off the water on the back of his neck with his hand before lowering it.


    ¡°Wind God Two, Gu Yuexi.¡±


    The leader of the reinforcement team, a pretty girl with slightly drooping eyelids and a somewhat listless look, called out to Xuan Ji, carrying a rocket launcher that had taken over the high ground of the opposite building.


    "Is the person inside the director of the Post-Disaster Relief Department? Are you okay?"


    "Thanks, alive and well, tail and whiskers intact!" Xuan Ji replied.


    The "Wind God" team was truly the ace of the Bureau of Paranormal Affairs. In the time it took Xuan Ji to reply with just eight words, the Wind God team had already launched three waves of attacks. First, the climbing ivy downstairs in the hospital erupted and quickly "sewed" the wall that had been breached by the demon shut. In an instant, a dense and intricate net was woven. The black mist around Shen Lingyuan took the shape of a big sickle, slicing through the vines more than half a foot thick. Meanwhile, the silver bullets that covered the sky also arrived. Although the demon was not afraid of "silver," he was momentarily dazzled by the rain-like bullets and slightly turned his head, giving the opportunity for the Wind God team to launch an attack.


    What came out of the barrel was not fire or powder, but a water ball, which had a miniature "Penrose Triangle" inside


    As soon as it was fired, the water ball shattered into countless water droplets, dispersing and attaching to the dense silver bullets, which were scattered all over the black mist on the demon''s body. As those small water droplets dispersed, every brick and stone in front of Xuan Ji began to twist and distort rapidly. He immediately realized that it was a space-folding array that was tailored to this demon''s high attack and defense, almost entirely immune to physical attacks.


    At this moment, it was already 10:59:30.


    On the other side at the safe house, the small mustached man also stumbled visibly. Despite seeming to have no strength left to retaliate, Bi Chunsheng suddenly curled herself up and fiercely bumped backward.


    The small mustached man grunted in pain, grabbing Bi Chunsheng''s hair and wrestling with her in the cramped space.


    Bi Chunsheng hoarsely shouted, "You have no strength left!"


    As her voice fell, the small mustached man instinctively loosened his grip, and then he roared and contorted his features almost beyond recognition as he fiercely seized Bi Chunsheng''s throat. At this point, there were only ten seconds left until midnight!


    Ten, nine, eight¡­


    Not enough time!


    At that moment, the truck suddenly started up, and a field agent who had snuck to the front of the car suddenly grabbed one of the wheels. This was a special ability of the power type. His neck veins bulged as he yelled loudly, and he held onto the several-ton minibus with one hand, causing it to shake violently.


    Little mustache, who was already at the end of his rope, suddenly lost his balance.


    Five, four¡­


    At the last moment, Little Mustache held onto the door and struggled to death.


    He used his last remaining strength to lift Bi Chunsheng!


    Two¡­


    At this moment, a knitting needle flew out of thin air and pierced Little Mustache''s wrist. Little Mustache screamed.


    One!


    A silver light tore through the night sky, Bi Chunsheng fell to the ground, rolled and coughed, unable to catch her breath - Little Mustache had a silver-shining bullet in his eyebrow.


    It was time!


    The silver bullet exploded instantly, and Little Mustache''s whole body was swallowed by the blinding silver light.


    At Chiyuan Hospital, Sheng Lingyuan quickly flew out. The figure flashed, and he had already arrived at the opposite building where Gu Team Leader was hiding. However, it was already late, and when he was just a hair''s breadth away from Gu Team Leader, he inexplicably returned to the original point.


    The spell folded the local space into a higher dimension, infinitely looping and infinitely extending, trapping the demon lord inside.


    For a moment, all sounds were quiet.


    Until a voice broke the silence of the Bureau headquarters.


    "Director Xiao, the child is alive, the vital signs are stable, prepare to send him into the cryotherapy room for surgery."


    Xiao Zheng swayed on his feet.


    He had made it just in time and the dark ritual was interrupted!


    At the scene, Xiao Li''s feet softened - his special ability had always been very useless and he could only move some small objects through the air. Although he was an agent, he could only do some auxiliary work in the local area.


    The knitting needle that flew up just now was the first time he had successfully attacked someone in his life. He was so nervous that he was sweating all over and he had no strength left.


    Bi Chunsheng hadn''t breathed out yet when he was lying on the ground and couldn''t say anything. She just gave Xiao Zheng a thumbs up from afar.


    In the Chiyuan Hospital, a "wind god" special forces raised his electronic watch at eleven o''clock exactly.


    Although the demon was successfully captured, Gu Team Leader''s eyes stayed on Sheng Lingyuan''s body. Her expression was puzzled and solemn, as if she had seen something incomprehensible from the demon.


    Before Xuan Ji had a chance to take a breath, he heard a faint voice from the corner of the stairs: "Director Xuan! The placement point sent a message, they¡¯ve successfully killed the caster!"


    Xuan Ji stumbled: "What are you still doing here! Didn''t you say to let you not be here to get in the way?"


    Ping Qianru was confused and said: "But... But you are here, where should I go, Director Xuan? Even Old Luo is waiting downstairs."


    Xuan Ji: "You... "


    For some reason, Xuan Ji always felt that there was something wrong with her sentence, but before he could think about it carefully, an inexplicable sense of crisis suddenly flashed through his mind.


    The next moment, he heard a light laugh.


    At the same time, the Gu Team Leader changed color in shock: "All retreat!"


    Only to see that in the space folding array, the white robe stained with blood on Sheng Lingyuan''s body suddenly crawled with sacrificial text, and the dense sacrificial text made him look like he was wearing a black robe.


    Even the air seemed to tremble.


    On the top of the hospital building, a huge black vortex rose from the sky, engulfing all the faint stars, thick clouds covering the top, lightning flashing and thunder striking. Everywhere eyes could reach, all the street lights seemed to be like candles swept away by the wind, and the silence fell in large areas. The hibernating birds in the canyon could no longer bear it, fleeing into the sky in groups.


    Sheng Lingyuan smiled lightly and looked at Xuan Ji from a distance: "I wanted to let you go, but you don''t know your place."


    Before the words fell, the array that pinned him seemed to faintly appear, and all the things in the space of the array were distorted, like a kneaded clay, a sound of glass shattering, and the space collapsed!


    Immediately afterwards, the thick black fog suddenly dispersed in the Chiyuan Hospital, swallowing all the lights and all the lives - the lawns, plants, and even the snails that had just emerged on the walls were all silently submerged in the black fog and quickly decayed and withered.


    "Demon Lord" is equivalent to flood, plague, war¡­


    The demon lord''s descent is like a disaster.


    The local field team guarding the periphery of the hospital and the ace of the special forces, in the face of such power, suddenly became helpless ants.


    The ants ran frantically in great fear, and strangely, a mysterious smell entered Xuan Ji''s almost frozen sense of smell, accompanied by a chilling sense of murderous intent.


    It reminded him of a warm palace on a snowy night.

 CH 9

    Intense lightning flashed across the Yong¡¯an West Mountain, some of them directly hitting the Bureau''s building, being absorbed by lightning rods and lightning-proof arrays. The scene outside the window was a pale white. After a moment, thunder followed and reverberated in the hall. The tiles trembled slightly and then the thunder suddenly exploded deafeningly like a suppressed roar.


    The golden dragon, who was lying on the tiles near the doorway, was so scared that it swam to the corner of the wall, sticking to the wall like a lizard, not daring to move.


    "What''s going on, a sudden thunderstorm?"


    "Shouldn¡¯t there be a lightning-proof array at the foot of the West Mountain, shouldn''t there be..."


    "Wait, what is that? Is that..."


    Another dazzling lightning flashed, and all the people and objects in the Supreme Bureau building became overexposed silhouettes. When people adapted to the strong light, they found something moving on the four walls.


    "Blood... is it blood?"


    The thick liquid that was similar to blood flowed down the wall, its trajectory was strange, and gradually people could see that it seemed to be outlining something... No, it was a handwriting.


    The bloody words quickly spread to all directions. A rotten smell spread everywhere, and someone murmured, "The text, this, this seems to be the Yin Sacrifice text..."


    "But the last sacrifice didn''t die, didn''t we kill the suspect in time and rescue the victims?"


    "Isn''t the Yin Sacrifice'' already broken?"


    "Nevermind if it''s the same one or not. Why is the Sacrifice Text appearing in the Bureau building!"


    "Director Xiao," a staff member from the dispatch room broke into the meeting room, "It''s not just us. All the branches are reporting similar situations! Ahhh... Dr. Wang, the danger level hasn''t been assessed yet, what are you doing here!"


    In the chaos, Dr. Wang, who had been moving slowly, suddenly appeared from somewhere and came trembling to the wall, almost pressing his face against the blood words. Hearing a sound, he turned his head, and his already large and protruding eyes were magnified by the spectacles, looking like an old dragonfly specially dressed for mourning.


    "Blood words sacrifice," Dr. Wang said in a dull voice, "This is a blood words sacrifice!"


    "What?"


    "Director Xiao, the Yin Sacrifice succeeded! A thousand people have been offered as a live sacrifice, the blood words have been successfully formed, and the caster has summoned the legendary ''Demon Lord''. The Demon Lord has descended, and has regained its full power at the stroke of midnight, and tonight he must fulfill his promise. This... the place where the blood words appeared is the Demon Lord''s target!"


    Xiao Zheng was stunned for a moment, and his pupils shrank: "Xuan Ji!"


    The Gu Team Leader watched helplessly as Xuan Ji, who was at the forefront, was completely swallowed up by the black fog, and there was no time for any emotion, because it would soon be her turn.


    The smell of death quickly reached her, and the Gu Team Leader almost clearly felt her blood cooling quickly, and her life flashed quickly in her mind¡­


    Just then, she heard a sound like striking a match, "Sizzle" -


    A small flame emerged from the dead silence of the black fog, like an arrow of light, piercing the black fog in an instant, and the Gu Team Leader rolled away, and the cold air rushed into her throat. She turned her head abruptly, and her pupils were shrunken by a sword light.


    It was seen that Xuan Ji, who had been swallowed up by the dead air, did not die. His eyes, raised up, had a ring of flame-like light around the pupils, and a totem-like fire-red pattern in the middle of his eyebrows. The frost wrapped around him was directly sublimated. Xuan Ji held a heavy sword in his hand, about two palm widths wide, with flames painted on the sword body. A sword broke the Demon''s thick fog, and the fire light swept towards all directions, suddenly breaking open the death field.


    In a trance, the Gu Team Leader leader thought she saw the legendary ancient Demon King.


    In the dark clouds condensed over the hospital, a shocking lightning split the fog, illuminating half of the sky. Shen Lingyuan was caught off guard and had no choice but to catch the heavy sword with both hands - the Yin Sacrifice text on his two sleeves seemed to have encountered an enemy, quickly dissipating, revealing the pale color of the sleeves.


    Xuan Ji pressed the heavy sword down fiercely, smashing the Demon''s head into the hospital building, directly smashing two floors from the third floor, and the Demon''s head, together with the stone, smashed into the first floor outpatient hall.


    He wielded his sword with an aggressive style, swinging it widely and arrogantly, completely unlike his usual smooth and gentle demeanor. He no longer resembled the timid quail he had been during the intense struggle just moments ago, gritting his teeth and holding on with all his might.


    "The 36th generation leader of the Nanming Fire-Keeper, who did not want to show his destiny sword in front of mortals, not intentionally hiding and keeping," Xuan Ji borrowed the force of pressing down the heavy sword and pushed it forward two inches, the fire light almost swept to Shen Lingyuan''s face, he smiled, "Sorry, the predecessor."


    "As the 36th generation clan leader of the Nanming Fire-Keepers, I didn''t intend to reveal my life-bound sword in front of mortals, not because I was intentionally trying to hide it," Xuan Ji exerted downward pressure, pushing the heavy sword two inches forward. The flames almost reached Sheng Lingyuan''s face, and he smiled, "I''m sorry, senior."


    With a "crackle," the heavy sword actually slightly burned Sheng Lingyuan''s hands, which were normally impervious to fire and water."


    "As the 36th generation clan leader of the Nanming Fire-Keepers, I didn''t intend to reveal my life-bound sword in front of mortals, not because I was intentionally trying to hide it," Xuan Ji exerted downward pressure, pushing the heavy sword two inches forward. The flames almost reached Sheng Lingyuan''s face, and he smiled, "I''m sorry, senior."


    With a "crackle," the heavy sword actually slightly burned Sheng Lingyuan''s hands, which were normally impervious to fire and water."


    The demon lord''s calm and gentle expression cracked, replaced by a sinister look. "How dare you!" he exclaimed.


    Black mist rose from under Sheng Lingyuan''s feet, forming the head of a beast that roared and lunged towards Xuan Ji.


    Xuan Ji did not dodge or avoid the beast''s fangs. Flames surged on his heavy sword, aimed straight at Sheng Lingyuan''s throat. This time, neither of them showed any mercy. It was a battle of who could kill the other first.


    The chilling black mist had already swept up to Xuan Ji''s hair, and his heavy sword collided with the demon lord''s collar.


    Just then, Xuan Ji''s invisible ring suddenly appeared. Before he could even make sense of it, the ruby on the ring''s surface cracked, and countless fragments sprayed out like a scarlet light.


    Xuan Ji felt a sharp pain in his chest. It was as if he had been pierced through the heart by an invisible blade. He didn''t even have time to groan before he collapsed to the ground, completely powerless. This time, he really fell to his knees, with no pretense.


    At the same time, the beast''s head formed from black mist let out a painful howl and disintegrated in mid-air. Sheng Lingyuan staggered back five or six steps, as if he had been hit by something. The palm of his hand was covered in the crushed fragments of the ring''s gemstone, which had burnt it black.


    For a while, they both stood there in silence, each with a strange feeling that there was some kind of secret connection between them that could not be violated.


    After a while, Sheng Lingyuan pressed down his trembling injured hand, covered his mouth with his sleeve, and coughed up some blood. His face grew paler.


    Then he looked deeply at Xuan Ji, leaped out of the window behind him, and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.


    Xuan Ji did not pursue him - he really couldn''t, this time it wasn''t an act. He struggled to get up with his heavy sword, but failed three times. Finally, he half-knelt on the ground for a while before he could catch his breath. When he looked down, his invisible ring had become visible. All that remained was a shabby ring band and the ring''s setting. He gently pulled the ring, and the ring slid off his finger, feeling as though a part of his finger had inexplicably disappeared with it.


    It seemed to have been clinging on to him for many years, just to betray him at the critical moment.


    Xuan Ji was both embarrassed and puzzled, "What''s going on? Did the Yin Sacrifice ritual summon our ancestors'' creditors?"


    But the sacrificial victim possessed by the butterfly was not dead, and the caster had already been killed...


    Xuan Ji suddenly realized that the little mustached man might not be the caster after all!


    The illegal visitors who broke into Chiyuan entered the Grand Canyon after the mutation tree riot.


    It was said that the demon picked them up and had seen the little mustache! If the little mustache is the caster, he will keep a safe distance from the summoned devil until the contract is established because no one knows what will be summoned, and monsters are capricious. If the contract is not complete, and he is disturbed by the sacrificial text, he might get angry and kill the caster before the ritual is completed.


    And why could the boy infected by the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly use sacrificial text to seek help? Why not just shout out loud or write in plain words?


    Assuming that the reason why the boy, who became the sacrificial victim, could not control his body to shout or write freely and could only communicate with the outside world through sacrificial text was that he did not understand something, why did he choose to write a plea for help in his diary? A diary is something only you read, so what''s the point of writing a plea for help there?


    From start to finish, someone has been misleading them step by step! If no one knew about the Yin Sacrifice ritual, the caster could naturally complete the "sacrifice of a thousand people" without being noticed.


    However, because the summoned person or demon was random and the Yin Sacrifice ritual could alarm them, the demon might not be willing to cooperate with the caster''s desire to be low-key, and if the demon made too much noise, it would alert the Bureau. If they did not have enough information, they would first try to search for the sacrificial symbols, and then fall into the trap set by the caster - the unfortunate child infected with the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly would be a "firewall" to lead them to the wrong suspect.


    The little mustache himself is the final sacrificial victim!


    The demon who watched the show also knew that they were being misled!


    The caster needed to ensure that the little mustache died at the exact time of midnight, so he must have been present at the capture site and had close contact with the target.


    And this person''s special ability is very special. It can make others... even the living dead who have been infected with the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly obediently follow their pre-written script.


    Xuan Ji suddenly realized that the reason why something was off about what Ping Qianru said earlier was because her original words were "But if you''re here, where should I go, Director Xuan? Even Old Luo is waiting downstairs" - the three people in the aftermath department all came out with him.


    When the Bureau''s field personnel were in a state of chaos, everyone''s first reaction should be to follow their immediate superiors and wait for instructions.


    This was a natural reaction.


    Ping Qianru was not a normal person. She was probably the same as the little mustache, being controlled by the caster, and everything she said and did was part of the script. But who was the caster? And what was their ultimate goal?


    The chubby girl has been squatting at the door, and even Old Luo, who was scared to sprout, is waiting downstairs, but why hasn''t one person appeared?


    She knew very well that the focus of their mission this time was the Abyss, but when she arrived at the hospital, she didn''t even take a glance and immediately threw herself into "intense" work. Afterwards, she took it upon herself to escort the illegal tourists for transfer, and even left without saying hello to her new boss - this is a major taboo in the workplace, and even a slightly sensible intern would not do such a thing.


    It''s not that her emotional intelligence is low, or that she''s not afraid of offending her superiors, but she knows that Xuan Ji is confronting the demon and is afraid of meeting him early and revealing her plans!


    "Director Xuan!" At this moment, there was a "whine" from behind, and Luo Cuicui stuck his head out from behind the broken glass window of the hospital''s pharmacy. He looked around warily before crawling out on all fours, covered in green leaves and stems like a trendy potted plant. He helped Xuan Ji up.


    "Where is Bi Chunsheng?" Xuan Ji grabbed her.


    "Sister Bi? Didn''t she go to the hospital placement point with them?"


    "Give me a specific location, quickly!"


    "Oh... okay." Luo Cuicui quickly pulled out her phone and used the navigation software to search for the placement point''s location. "Here - are you looking for her? Should I try to get a car?"


    "It''s too late." Xuan Ji snatched his phone and quickly grabbed the map of the planned route on the navigation app out of mid-air with a powerful move. Luo Cuicui had never seen this kind of ability before, and looked up at him dumbfounded with his mouth agape.


    Xuan Ji lifted his heavy sword and quickly drew a symbol in the air, sparks flying everywhere, causing Luo Cuicui to exclaim in surprise.


    The next moment, he took him out, and they quickly passed countless blocks. Old Luo clung tightly to Xuan Ji''s arm, and he heard the sound of the navigation app fast-forwarding like a cassette tape. He rolled around like a fireball, his mind blank with extreme fear, and he even forgot to scream.


    Before he could catch his breath, he heard the navigation app say: "...You have arrived at your destination."


    Luo Cuicui¡¯s eyes rolled and he passed out.


    At this time, the field team at the placement point had just killed Little Mustache, and had not had time to clean up the scene. They saw a fireball rushing in from the sky, and they were frightened and ready to fight.


    Xuan Ji carried a heavy sword with one hand and carried Old Luo with the other. He walked out of the firelight. "I¡¯m in charge of the Aftermath Department." Xuan Jin waved away the fireball and threw both Luo Cuicui and his work permit to the person in charge. "Where is Bi Chunsheng?"


    "Oh, Director Xuan, you can rest assured that Sister Bi is fine. She just...uh, where is the person? "


    Bi Chunsheng had disappeared at some point.


    "Don''t give me that ''rest assured'' crap!" Xuan Ji snapped, flicking a coin out of his hand. In the instant the coin left his hand, it turned into a small fire wheel and rolled along the ground, burning a gloomy sacrificial text into the stone ground as it passed.


    "Arrest Bi Chunsheng," he said, and he was already out the door before he finished speaking.

 CH 10

    "Arrest who?"


    Xiao Zheng received Luo Cuicui''s call and was silent for five seconds. Then he couldn''t help it, and raged.


    Since he issued the order "to kill the suspect regardless of the cost", "Bi Chunsheng" has almost become his trauma.


    Luo Cuicui made a phone call that left everyone baffled, saying that Xuan Ji suspected Bi Chunsheng and this perfectly hit Director Xiao''s nerve, causing him to explode: "Say it again - I''ll arrest that temporary worker with the surname Xuan first! No, Old Luo, he just arrived and doesn''t know anything. But are you so irresponsible when you talk? What is Bi Chunsheng''s background? She has risked her life for most of her life and was awarded third-class merit. After being injured, she retired to the second line. Was that temporary worker even born when she joined the field team?"


    "I''m just relaying the message, don''t be mad at me," Luo Cuicui said aggrievedly. Wrapped in a small blanket that someone gave him, she sat huddled in the trunk of the field vehicle, sniffled, and continued to say in a muffled voice, "Our leader asked me to say this, and I''ll say it to you like this, Director Xiao. To tell you the truth, I can''t even find north anymore. I''ve been doing clean-up work for so many years and I''ve never encountered something like this...sigh, can I ask the organization to transfer me to a rear position? I had a slight arrhythmia in my physical exam last year, and I...Hello? Director Xiao? Oh..."


    Xiao Zheng hung up the phone before he could finish.


    It was already the middle of the night, and the lights of the Bureau headquarters were still on. The field agents had almost called in all the purification equipment and were spraying the walls with all kinds of substances to remove the bloodstains. The bloodstains were quickly washed away, but before they could even breathe a sigh of relief, new blood started trickling down from the walls.


    Xiao Zheng threw his phone aside and leaned on the table in the meeting room, bowing his head deeply.


    Suddenly, for no apparent reason, he thought of the last time he saw the former bureau chief. The previous bureau chief was one of the founding elders of the Bureau, who had just retired in the first half of this year at the age of ninety. He had dedicated his life to the bureau and after leaving his post, he seemed to have suddenly lost his purpose in life. His once strong body suddenly collapsed, and he fell ill and passed away a month later.


    Since he had just retired, all the department heads in the bureau had gone to visit him, but none of them had seen him. In the end, only Xiao Zheng was allowed to enter the sickroom.


    Xiao Zheng still remembers that sickroom to this day¡ªthe floor, walls, and even the ceiling were filled with ancient secret spells that ordinary people could not see. As soon as he entered, he felt as if countless eyes were going through his life frame by frame, trying to uncover his slightest evil thoughts and drag them out for judgment.


    In a cold sweat, he saw the old bureau chief struggling to open his eyes and say a few words to him.


    The first sentence was: ¡°There will be a big mess in the bureau.¡±


    The second sentence was: ¡°Old Huang was brought here after I filed a report. The bureau needs him and it isn¡¯t easy for an ordinary mortal to stay rooted, so I¡¯m leaving you with him. I know you¡¯re still clean.¡±


    The last sentence was barely audible, and Xiao Zheng had to lean in close to the old man¡¯s mouth to hear him repeatedly saying: ¡°The waters in the Aftermath Department run too deep.¡±


    Xiao Zheng didn¡¯t have time to ask what these words meant. Just like he still doesn¡¯t know why the old bureau chief chose him¡ªafter saying these few last words, the old man closed his eyes and never woke up again.


    Not long after that, they received an anonymous tip letter accusing Former Aftermath Department Head Gong Chenggong of corruption and bribery. The letter vaguely mentioned the causes and consequences of Gong Chenggong¡¯s bribery, but it clearly described his methods of collecting payments, accounts, and money laundering processes. Before the bureau had finished its investigation, Gong Chenggong suddenly fell into a coma, attracting a group of experts for diagnosis, and the cause has yet to be identified.


    It was then that Xuan Ji joked and asked him which position was the easiest to get, and Xiao Zheng answered him ¡°Aftermath Department¡± without thinking.


    The waters in the Aftermath Department run too deep¡­


    ¡°Director Xiao?¡±


    Xiao Zheng snapped back to reality and closed his eyes tightly. In a deep voice, he ordered, ¡°Help me check the file of Bi Chunsheng from the Aftermath Department.¡±


    "Xuan Ji is probably a human-shaped broom star. Wherever he goes, there is trouble. He was sent out to maintain stability temporarily, but he caused so much trouble that he almost blew up the entire Bureau. What''s the use of such talent in logistics? They would be better off working in sabotage behind enemy lines!


    "Bi Chunsheng was born in 1963 in Yong''an. After graduating from nursing school, she worked as a nurse at Beicheng Second Hospital. She got married in 1985 and had a son in 1987. She did not show any special abilities before this."


    "In 1988, due to our bureau''s negligence, two mutated pythons that were under custody escaped and collided with a moving train while on the run. At the time, there were more than 2,000 passengers on the train in imminent danger. Fortunately, the former field agent in charge, oh, the old chief, reacted promptly and controlled the situation, saving the people on the train from disaster."


    "At the time, the statement we released to the public was that the ''train derailed.'' When Bi Chunsheng''s parents, husband, and son, who were on the train, heard the news, Bi Chunsheng, who was on duty at the hospital, became emotionally excited and exhibited special abilities, which were captured by the bureau''s monitoring network."


    "After training and passing the political review in September 1989, she was absorbed into our bureau''s security department. Because she was grateful to the Bureau for saving her family, she has worked hard and made outstanding achievements for so many years - she was awarded the third-class merit once, and was named ''outstanding field agent'' for seven consecutive years. She only applied to transfer to the logistics department last year due to injuries."


    Xiao Zheng asked, "Is that all?"


    "Yes, Director. That''s Bi Chunsheng''s resume."


    The more Xiao Zheng listened, the more he felt that Xuan Ji was talking nonsense. This Bi Chunsheng''s story could easily be included in the bureau''s official propaganda brochure - her family was saved by a hero, she was grateful and inspired to follow the path of a hero, and eventually became a hero herself.


    From small love to great love, from "for the small family" to "for the big family," is there anything more positive than this?


    "Director Xiao, um... the comrades from the Chiyuan Sub-bureau asked if we should cooperate with Director Xuan?"


    Xiao Zheng replied impatiently, "Cooperate with what? Are you capable of cooperating with that guy?"


    "Uh..." What does that mean? Does he agree or disagree?


    ¡°Send a team of emergency investigators to Bi Chunsheng¡¯s house. I will apply for a search warrant immediately.¡± Xiao Zheng took a breath and said, ¡°If the family has any objection, just say that this is a special period, please ask Bi Chunsheng and her family to understand, and this matter must be kept strictly confidential. It is related to the reputation of the old hero. No one is allowed to talk about it outside - if Xuan Ji is wrong, I will personally make him kowtow to her.¡±


    ¡°Director Xiao,¡± At this time, another investigator ran over, whispering in Xiao Zheng¡¯s ear, ¡°We traced the lost butterfly eggs¡­ Can I have a word?¡±


    The investigator pulled Xiao Zheng aside and whispered as if he didn''t want anyone to see, ¡°Director, this matter is a bit strange. The jar of butterfly eggs was lost 30 years ago, and a record was left when it was lost, but then it was somehow canceled.¡±


    Xiao Zheng was stunned - could it be so long, thirty years ago? And why did the suspect keep the butterfly eggs for so long, only for something to happen now? Were they using it as home decor?


    "What did you mean when you said that there was a record of this?"


    "You know that the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly is a level one dangerous material. When the inventory was taken, one can was found to be missing. The files department was in panic. After the inventory, they immediately reported it - at that time, we did not have an electronic database, only paper files. But the butterfly eggs were not found, and the records mysteriously disappeared. The only thing left in the files was a letter that erased the record...Gong Chengguo from the aftermath department had signed it, and the old chief approved it."


    Xiao Zheng''s mind buzzed and his palms were cold with sweat. He looked up at the four walls that kept oozing out blood words, feeling that the entire building was covered by a huge shadow. Under the pale lights, the shadows floated, as if there were many monsters hidden.


    "Let me...let me think first."


    The air at the county hospital''s placement point was full of the rotten smell of blood and the smell of the Yin Sacrifice from the great demon, which was almost choking - it was the smell of the person who had been cursed by the Yin Sacrifice. The coins that Xuan Ji had shot out were rolling towards the smell of the Yin Sacrifice, and after he hastily instructed Luo Cuicui, he began to chase after the coins.


    The group of field agents were struck by his dramatic departure and instinctively followed him. They chased the coin to the inpatient building of the county hospital, where it hit the building and sparked like a firework, shooting up into the sky. The agents followed Xuan Ji''s lead and looked up, following the sparks with their eyes all the way to the rooftop.


    Standing on the roof of the hospital building was a person.


    The coin with fire was like a small lantern, flying to the roof and then hovering at a distance of about five or six meters from Bi Chunsheng. It illuminated her face, and people saw the sacrificial characters crawling on her face. She seemed to be a great criminal, had been branded, and was about to be sent to the underworld.


    It was Bi Chunsheng.


    "I thought they would let me take over from Gong Chenggong, but I didn''t expect someone new to be parachuted in," Bi Chunsheng combed her hair and said in a low voice. Her words echoed from the roof, as if they were ringing in everyone''s ears. "When I heard the rumor, I knew that this paratrooper must have a background. I wanted to settle this matter before you came, but I didn''t expect it to be one day too late...it must be fate."


    Xuan Ji raised his head with the heavy sword: "People who lose usually say ''fate''. Sister Bi, why are you stealing my lines?"


    Bi Chunsheng''s hair swayed in the murky night breeze, her pink sweater gleaming strikingly in the darkness. She still looked the same, her hair done up in the most voluminous of ¡°Teddy curls¡±, her face dotted with yellowish freckles, all the marks of a weariness worn by time. She was a living embodiment of the stereotypical image of an ¡°Auntie,¡± reminding one of square dances, scarves and matchmaking, not to mention her loud and inappropriate volume.


    But strangely, when she stood atop the winds of the night, draped in funeral wear, she seemed to have transcended these mundane descriptions. Perhaps, it was only when these seemingly soulless bit-players ripped themselves bloody, would one be surprised to realize that within those prop-like shells lived a full range of emotions.


    Xuan Ji caught something in her peripheral vision and, upon closer inspection, saw a few of the men on the mission, who had followed him, had clambered up the side of the building behind Bi Chunsheng, ready to ambush her.


    Xuan Ji¡¯s scalp tingled. Those fools! Bi Chunsheng had been doing field work for nearly thirty years, how could they not know her field techniques?


    By this point, the few field operatives had already reached the rooftop, and had each produced their weapons, pointing them at Bi Chunsheng.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    ¡°Put your hands where we can see them! Don¡¯t speak!¡±


    Xuan Ji yelled: ¡°Back off! Don¡¯t come near her!¡±


    Unfortunately, the few field operatives sent to bring her back had not heard him¡ªBi Chunsheng¡¯s special ability was her voice and the few field operatives had on soundproof earmuffs, probably to prevent being mesmerized by her at the last minute.


    Xuan Ji: ¡°......¡±


    Which genius had come up with this idea, unbelievable!


    The next moment, the few field operatives suddenly froze in place. It turned out that the rooftop had been filled with Yin Sacrifice text¡ªit was so dense it seemed pitch black, and was hard to make out at first glance. The moment the few lively field operatives stepped onto the rooftop, it was as if a fat raccoon had fallen into a trap, immediately bound by the sacrificial text, the temperature around them dropping by ten or so degrees, nearly reaching freezing point. Then, with Bi Chunsheng as the center, the familiar thick fog began to spread outwards, Xuan Ji''s heart sinking.


    Sure enough, the next moment, a man with long hair slowly stepped out of the fog, looking around curiously. This demon lord marveled: ¡°This street is so wide, and the walls of the courtyard so grand, is this the imperial capital? Why are there only a few people from the Qingping Division?¡±


    Bi Chunsheng suddenly turned around, and gradually, an ecstatic look appeared on her face, she muttered to herself, almost incoherently: ¡°It¡¯s true, it¡¯s actually true!¡±


    Sheng Lingyuan heard this and turned his gaze, studying her for a moment, before muttering: ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s a Human Candle, no wonder.¡±


    Because of his old-fashioned manner of speech, only Xuan Ji could understand his words: "Human Candle?"


    Sheng Lingyuan shot him a glance but didn''t answer. He then switched to Mandarin, which he learnt hastily from television and his recent experiences, and asked Bi Chunsheng gently: "Was it you who woke me up? What happened? Who bullied you?"


    His speech was already slow, and his Mandarin was not fluent, hesitating between words and seeming wary, making people feel as if they were being treasured by him.


    Bi Chunsheng seemed to have been reminded of her lifetime grievance by his words, and her eyes reddened abruptly.


    "It''s okay," Sheng Lingyuan smiled at her, "You can talk as long as you like. No one will interrupt you."


    "Bi Chunsheng," Xuan Ji reminded her coldly, "If I were you, I would be more careful. The one you called out is not an angel who grants wishes."


    "Then there''s no need for you to worry," Bi Chunsheng turned to him and suppressed the fragile expression that flashed across her face. She sneered, "The contract between him and me has been established. I''ve paid the money, but the goods haven''t been delivered yet. He won''t touch me until he''s settled the debt, or he''ll suffer a thousandfold retaliation from the curse."


    Sheng Lingyuan stood with his hands in his pocket, his expression calm, as if he didn''t understand what she said.


    At the same time, Xiao Zheng avoided everyone and went to the chief¡¯s office.


    Chief Huang was informed of the situation in Chiyuan and hurriedly rushed from home. Unlike the old chief with an active field background, it¡¯s much less easy for an ordinary mortal like him. He can rely on experience to deal with administrative work, but when it comes to the current chaos, he doesn''t understand what those special abilities people are doing.


    "I was just looking for you," Chief Huang stood up, "What''s the situation outside now?"


    Xiao Zheng didn''t answer, but closed the door. He whispered, "I''ll explain to you later, Chief Huang. I have a search warrant here, requesting to investigate the home of former field agent Bi Chunsheng who has now retired to the second line. I''d like to ask you for approval."


    "Bi Chunsheng? Is she one of us? " Chief Huang only knew a few people in the department. He took the document and asked blankly, "Which department is it from? What''s going on?"


    Xiao Zheng slowly raised his head: "It has something to do with a jar of Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly eggs stolen from the bureau 30 years ago."


    Chief Huang suddenly stopped.


    "Chief," Xiao Zheng said in a deep voice, "It was the old chief who reported this in person and asked you to take over from him. Do you know of this matter?"


    Chief Huang was silent for a moment, then signed the search warrant and handed it to Xiao Zheng. He sighed and said, "In this position, I''m sitting on tenterhooks everyday. I wanted to handle it properly before this bomb exploded, but I didn''t expect it to be so fast..."


    Xiao Zheng: "Do you know the reason why Gong Chenggong, the former Director of the Aftermath Department, was reported?"


    Chief Huang waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down, and lit a cigarette: "Ah...where should I start? Xiao, you are from the Field Operations Department. You guys hate the Fifteen-People Red Line, right?"


    "The first principle of the security department''s field agents is to protect ordinary people," said Bi Chunsheng, on the roof. "The ''special individuals'' must not harm ordinary people, and if any harm is caused to ordinary people, except for subjective intent or negligence, each field agent will be deducted one point. The person in charge will be penalized double, and if fifteen points are deducted, the person will be suspended. This is on the first page of the work manual. Director Xuan, perhaps you haven''t had a chance to read the manual yet? Let me enlighten you. If any major problems occur during the field work or if fifteen points are deducted, the aftermath department must immediately produce an evaluation report."


    Xuan Ji frowned, not understanding why she was reciting the regulations of the Bureau of Paranormal Control.


    Bi Chunsheng''s face bore a bleak smile. "Thirty years ago, two mutated pythons escaped. During the chase, the person in charge was careless, allowing the pythons to collide with a train as it crossed a bridge and the train fell into the river. The pythons took the opportunity to consume the life force of the passengers, and less than one-tenth of the two thousand passengers survived."


    "That''s impossible!" a field agent shouted, taking off his earphones. "The Bureau has never had such a huge accident since its establishment! A disaster that killed over two thousand people could not be concealed from the news!"


    Bi Chunsheng spoke softly. "Yes, that''s right. Then, where did those dead people go? Has Director Xiao found out where the jar of butterfly eggs went?"

 CH 11

    The second batch of field agents rushed over after receiving Xiao Zheng''s instructions. Before they had a chance to stand still, they were hit by this scene and their three views were shattered in a row.


    At that moment, everyone present was silent, and were chilled by the cold fog.


    The wind started to blow, thunderclouds began to gather in the sky, and ominous electric sparks flashed restlessly in the dark clouds. The distant thunder rumbled intermittently, like a secret and short curse.


    Only Sheng Lingyuan lowered his eyebrows, as if he was an immortal in a painting, looking at the strange and extraordinary things in the world without any surprise.


    Xuan Ji kept an eye on Bi Chunsheng while also being wary of the "dangerous object" behind her that was like a timed bomb. Perhaps it was a lingering effect from the exploding ring earlier. Whenever he saw Sheng Lingyuan, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe and causing him to squirm uncomfortably.


    He underestimated the danger of the Bureau. In total, he had taken on this broken logistics job for less than twenty-four hours, and his work permit was not even hot yet. His heart had already become so desolate that he didn''t feel like doing anything anymore.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk sense, Sister Bi,¡± Xuan Ji cautiously took a breath, trying to ignore the feeling of a hollow chest, and seriously discussed with Bi Chunsheng, ¡°Assuming what you said is true, that a major incident happened 30 years ago, and the person in charge at the time covered it up by stealing the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly eggs and letting them parasitize the dead bodies, so that the dead could live on with their original identities - how did you know about this? Were you an eyewitness? If not, who told you and do you have any evidence?¡±


    As he spoke, he glanced at the heavenly demon out of the corner of his eye. Upon hearing his words, the heavenly demon lifted his elegant eyebrows and revealed a look of "I see" - it turned out that after all the commotion, he didn''t really understand the formal language in the regulations that Bi Chunsheng had just mentioned.


    "What''s going on," Xuan Ji''s heart felt even more world-weary. "Am I being treated like a ''translator''s note''?"


    "How would I know?" Bi Chunsheng looked at him with a compassionate gaze. "Director Xuan, you don''t think this is a one-off situation, do you?"


    ¡°How did the saying on the internet go? When you find the first cockroach at home, your family probably already had tens of thousands of them.¡± In the quiet chief¡¯s office of the Bureau of Paranormal Control, Chief Huang¡¯s voice was like dripping water at midnight, hitting people¡¯s hearts with fear, ¡°If this is the first time, who would dare put thousands of butterfly eggs in dead bodies? Little Xiao, you should be able to think of it, in fact, as early as 30 years ago, this was already a secret ¡®normal¡¯ practice for many people... sigh, the ¡®Fifteen-People Red Line¡¯ is for public safety and the original intention is good, but everything has two sides, it will also bind the hands and feet of our frontline comrades, because once deducted points, it is a ¡®team problem¡¯.


    "Among your comrades who have been through life-and-death situations, there may be more than one who have reached the red line and have run out of points. In extreme situations, some agents would rather risk their own lives than cause their comrades to lose points. In recent years, over half of the cases where our field agents have sacrificed their lives were related to this rule. As someone who comes from the field, you should understand this," Chief Huang said.


    Xiao Zheng couldn''t say anything.


    "There is a very detailed ''professional guide'' circulating among the field agents. Every intern who joins the field agent team will try to learn from the veterans, find out which team members under whose command have the fewest penalty points, which ones are more radical, and whose team members are ''disposable.'' The height that a field agent can reach in the end, in addition to personal abilities, is ultimately determined by who has the fewest penalty points - some have even summarized the ''mystical'' rules in it. For the first two years of work, one must not be penalized. Field agents who haven''t gotten off to a good start in the beginning will not have a smooth career later on."


    "Fifteen-People Red Line" is the thin ice beneath the feet of every frontline field agent, the rope around their necks, and the tight curse on their temples.


    "So there are some people in the field work, when they encounter difficult incidents, casualties over the line, they will go to Gong Chenggong to ''think of a way''. ¡±Chief Huang looked at Xiao Zheng¡¯s numb face, and continued, ¡°That is, with that butterfly egg, the dead ¡®did not die¡¯, the field agents were relieved, the victims¡¯ families felt grateful, and the aftermath was covered with a facade. Everyone was happy.¡±


    Xiao Zheng struggled to find his tongue: ¡°Who are there...¡±


    ¡°I don''t know. Since the establishment of the Bureau, the waters of the various departments are too deep. I haven''t found any clues yet. But ... in the Security Department, you can think of some, um, old leaders of high moral standing, most of them know this thing, even if not for themselves, sometimes in order to protect some good seedlings...¡± Chief Huang looked deeply at Xiao Zheng, and the words behind him did not continue.


    Xiao Zheng did not react at first, and then he shook fiercely, and his blood was frozen.


    He was a rare Lightning-Fire type, and possessed the rarest ¡°Pure Lightning" special ability.


    The current special ability spectrum and the traditional "Five Elements" theory are somewhat similar. "Water controls fire", generally speaking, lightning-fire will be relatively disadvantaged when facing ice and water, but Pure Lightning is an exception. Xiao Zheng entered the Bureau as a privileged person. During the internship, he was directly admitted to the special forces. He had a smooth journey all the way and even had better luck than others¨Cmore than a dozen years of field work, from the most junior member to becoming the commander of the ¡°Thunder¡± special forces team, countless battles of all sizes, accompanied by countless meritorious services, only three points were deducted, which can be called a great miracle.


    Is this really luck?


    Or was someone secretly protecting him all the way?


    The old bureau chief''s last words "I know you are still clean" was to praise him for keeping the rules, or the sigh of the "bureau insiders" to the protected person in the dark?


    Is he really... "clean"?


    At this time, his phone rang¨Cthe investigation team sent to Bi Chunsheng''s home has arrived at the destination, asking him about the progress of the search warrant.


    Chief Huang asked him to fax the search warrant to the office, and listened to the investigator¡¯s report: ¡°Bi Chunsheng and her parents live together. His father died not long ago, and her mother is still healthy. Her lover used to be a middle school teacher. Already retired, in order to save more downpayment money for the child, he is now teaching tuition outside. The couple has a son who is single and has just graduated and is trying to go for a postgraduate... Chief Huang, Director Xiao, we are at her door. "


    Chief Huang interjected, ¡°Excuse me, I have a question. If a person has been possessed by the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly, and the person is already dead, meaning the body is just being manipulated by the butterfly, is there any way to detect it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult, Chief Huang. What it is, our instruments can only detect the possession before the infected person¡¯s brain has completely died by detecting inconsistencies between brain activity and body reactions. If the person¡¯s brain is already dead, the butterfly will completely take control over the infected person¡¯s nervous system, and it will merge with them. So you could say that the person has grown a brand new nervous system and our instruments can¡¯t detect it. Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­Well, open it and have a look.¡±


    A person¡¯s personality, outlook, and habits are constantly changing. The phrase ¡°you¡¯ve changed¡± is a common one seen in various literary works. It is a normal thing for ¡°the calm surface of the pond to be disturbed by ripples¡±, and what¡¯s often followed is an overly melodramatic plot rather than ¡°opening up the skull to have a look.¡±


    When Xiao Zheng heard this, he suddenly had a bad premonition.


    Chiyuan and Xuan Ji stared at Bi Chunsheng and suddenly noticed that the thick fog surrounding the rooftop was not only emanating from the big devil, but also a small part from Bi Chunsheng!


    Her outline was already blurred in the fog, as if she was about to dissolve into it. Her originally slightly dark and yellowish skin color had unknowingly turned deathly pale, displaying a waxy texture.


    ¡°Human Candle¡±?


    Did she really kill a thousand people? How did she do it? What were the identities of these thousand people, and how did they die without anyone knowing?


    ¡°Eight years ago, my field team was assigned to capture a suspect using dark magic. At that time, the suspect was hiding in a small community with a high population density. Afraid of affecting innocent bystanders, my partner and I carefully planned an ambush. Unexpectedly, an accident still occurred. Just as the suspect was about to be caught, one of the juniors in our field team was too nervous and revealed our plan. The suspect then escaped into the community garden. He had the lives of dozens of people in his hands. Knowing he would die if he was caught, he found himself surrounded and had no way to escape, so he jumped over the wall and blew himself up. We had no time to evacuate the garden and eight people died. My partner and I were both responsible, and he was going to be held twice as accountable. He was directly crossing the red line, and I couldn¡¯t think of anything at that time¡­My partner told me not to be afraid and that he would think of a way.¡±


    "It was then that I first learnt that these heroes, who had only military merit and no fault, had such a way of operating - using butterflies to parasitize in the bodies of the dead, as if nothing had happened... I will never forget the expression of my partner consoling me: ''Such cases are not uncommon.''


    "Do you know how I felt then? I didn''t rejoice for having escaped a disaster, nor did I have trouble sleeping from a guilty conscience. I... I was scared. How many ''survivors'' were no longer human? My whole family were ''survivors''! Were they... were they really, or just an illusion?


    "From that day onwards, I was paranoid like a madman; whenever my family spoke to me, I would frantically think if they used to be like this, if they said it with this intonation, if they had already changed without me noticing. My son came back from school and ordered a dish he didn''t usually like - I couldn''t sleep for half a month because of that small thing.¡±


    Everyone in the room was chilled to their bones, for Bi Chunsheng''s special ability was ''language''. The same words, even if meaningless, would be believed unquestionably when said by her. By just a few words, everyone was almost brought to a state of terror and despair.


    Xuan Ji suddenly furrowed her brows. If Bi Chunsheng''s psychokinesis had such a strong hypnotic power on others, then... what about on herself? Would her special ability worsen her obsession and confusion when an uncontrollable thought kept looping in her mind?


    "For the past eight years, I almost drove myself mad with these thoughts... I wanted to know the answer, yet I was afraid to. When I had a chance to retreat to the second line, I instinctively chose the Aftermath Department... Hah, what good would that do - Gong Chenggong was too cunning and had too much influence in the bureau; how could I find out anything?


    "I became increasingly agitated, until recently, Gong Chenggong was suddenly investigated and disappeared. My suspicions were proven true, then... my father passed away at this critical juncture.¡± Bi Chunsheng''s sunken eyes suddenly shed tears of blood; her face started to deform and collapse, like a melting wax figure. "Eighty seven years old, a long life, dying from heart failure, without any sin at his death; his relatives and friends all envied his peaceful passing. What about me? I sent them off like a walking corpse, and then... then I couldn''t help myself, I snuck back in the middle of the night and opened my father''s skull before the cremation, and I saw... I saw..."


    The moment the old man''s skull was opened, all her nightmares became true.


    It had been thirty years, and the family she had been living with all this time were nothing but puppets manipulated by the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly.


    "Why? Why do I have to watch this?!" Bi Chunsheng screamed in a sharp, desperate, animal-like roar.


    "Shh..." Sheng Lingyuan crouched down and gently cradled her warped face, wiping away the blood from the corners of her eyes, and letting out a sigh of "Poor thing."


    He then switched back to his ancient, elegant voice and softly said to Xuan Ji: "The human candle, an intermediary between the evil and the yin of the world, must discard their human body, sever their nature, and give up everything to be a demon. Little demon, do you know what ''everything'' means?"


    Xuan Ji was taken aback.


    At this moment, a security guard ran over and handed him a phone: "Director Xiao is looking for you."


    "We...just sent someone to search Bi Chunsheng''s house," Xiao Zheng''s voice sounded strained over the phone, "and we found three corpses, Bi Chunsheng''s mother, husband, and son, and their heads...were all open."


    Xuan Ji widened his eyes, and Sheng Lingyuan stared at him from afar through the thick fog. The devil''s eyes were cold and heartless, yet almost merciful.


    For a while, nobody said anything, only Bi Chunsheng''s inhuman wail resounded through the fog, getting thicker and thicker. A young security guard was so overwhelmed by the shrill sound that he leaned against the wall and vomited.


    After a long silence, Xuan Ji suddenly raised the phone and asked: "Were all of her family members really parasitized by the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly?"


    Xiao Zheng: "No."


    Xuan Ji felt a cold stone in his stomach.


    "We found traces of the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly in her husband''s brain, but none in her mother and son''s. They were normal people, the true survivors..." Xiao Zheng paused for a moment, "...from back then."


    "Kill them all!" Bi Chunsheng grippingly grabbed Sheng Lingyuan''s sleeve with a mumbling like that of an undead, "I want you to kill them all!"

 CH 12

    The winds howled on the roof and the Yin Sacrifice text flew up, binding Sheng Lingyuan like shackles.


    At the same time, the thunderclouds that had been brewing for a long time finally erupted, a sharp clap of thunder tearing through the night sky and directly smashing into the hospital building. Everyone''s faces were exposed in the pale whiteness, like a mural on the road to hell.


    However, in an instant, the flesh and blood on Bi Chunsheng''s face had melted away and she was left with a shriveled skin draped over her rugged skull.


    She knelt on the ground, like a withered corpse in a legend of despair.


    Sheng Lingyuan stopped smiling, bent down and stroked the top of her head. He asked, "Who do you want me to kill? Those who use the ''human-faced butterfly'' to replace the dead? With them killed, can you be relieved?"


    Bi Chunsheng''s lips could no longer cover her teeth, and two rows of teeth trembled.


    Sheng Lingyuan asked again, "Then, if we also bury those who know the ins and outs but remain silent, can you be relieved?"


    A ghost fire-like light appeared in Bi Chunsheng''s eyes, and her fingers twisted his cuff.


    "Still not enough, right?" Sheng Lingyuan sighed, the withered small curls springing out from between his fingers, "What should I do with you?"


    "I want... the truth to come out..." Bi Chunsheng''s voice sounded like the sound made when rubbing bones, "I want them to give me an explanation..."


    Sheng Lingyuan nodded: "It should be."


    "No, the explanation is not enough, I also want... I also want them to taste my pain a thousand times..."


    "Hmmm," Sheng Lingyuan nodded, "It''s not difficult, anything else?"


    Every time she said something, a line of rituals was added to Sheng Lingyuan, and Sheng Lingyuan listened very carefully, almost with a sense of treasuring.


    However, at this time, Bi Chunsheng forced out the last few words: "I also want... Chiyuan..."


    Sheng Lingyuan''s face suddenly changed slightly, and he slowly raised his eyes: "Hmmm?"


    It could have been that this demon was not very good at Mandarin, and was naturally puzzled when hearing an unfamiliar word. But Xuan Ji was struck by his own intuition, and the "hmmm" inexplicably made him startled.


    In the blink of an eye, Xuan Ji struck the ground with the heavy sword in his hand, using its force, jumped into the window extended from the third floor, then stepped on the window sill with the toes of his feet, jumped to the roof, and fell next to the several trapped field agents.


    The Yin Sacrifice text on the roof of the building surged towards him, and Xuan Ji slashed towards the ground with a sword. The fire on the heavy sword instantly pushed the rituals back one square meter, and several field agents were temporarily freed.


    "I want... Chiyuan''s fire to be reignited..." Bi Chunsheng was immersed in her own world, mumbling, the rituals on the ground suddenly turned blood red, rolled up into a bunch, drilled into Sheng Lingyuan''s spine, "I..."


    Xuan Ji turned his head and shouted at the field personnel who were stupidly standing aside: "Why are you still standing there! Retreat!"


    The several field agents obeyed subconsciously, pulled up the protective devices on their bodies and jumped off the roof. Just before their feet left the ground, Bi Chunsheng suddenly jerked, and the violent wind rose from Sheng Lingyuan''s feet and roared in all directions.


    Xuan Ji rushed toward him and was in time to grab Sheng Lingyuan¡¯s sleeve, but the sleeve tore away immediately. He was swept away by the fierce wind and he fiercely wedged his heavy sword into the cement of the rooftop. Both hands clutched desperately onto the sword handle, turning him into a flag that was waving in the wind.


    He saw that the five fingers of Sheng Lingyuan, which had been tenderly caressing Bi Chunsheng''s head, suddenly retracted with no warning and plunged into her skull. Bi Chunsheng''s eyeball was squeezed out of its socket, and blood gushed out of her head. She was so shocked that her face was blank.


    Sheng Lingyuan straightened his back and looked down on the woman lying on the ground, "No."


    The Yin Sacrifice had come to an end. The "host" of the ceremony, the demon, tore up the "contract" of the Yin Sacrifice text on the spot and arrogantly killed the person who cast the spell. It was unknown if this had ever happened before, and even the offering document froze for a moment. Then, the Yin Sacrifice text was furious and floated from him, turning into a sharp blade that counter-attacked.


    The demon¡¯s body, which was as hard as a stone sculpture, was instantly torn bloody, and yet his face still showed a smile.


    "Wait!" Xuan Ji instinctively spoke, "No..."


    A gust of wind shredded his words and a nauseating smell of blood rose in the fog on the rooftop. The only sound that could be heard was the "click" of the five fingers embedded in the skull.


    "I have always been afraid of being bound."


    The fierce wind blew Sheng Lingyuan''s long hair. The crazy Yin Sacrifice text seemed to want to strangle him alive. His skin cracked and then his flesh and blood were peeled off layer by layer, revealing the veins and bones underneath... Yet, he seemed not to feel it, and the exposed bony hand still firmly nailed into Bi Chunsheng''s skull, sinking inch by inch.


    Blood mist sprayed on Xuan Ji and his sword. Both him and his sword could not avoid it.


    The devil slightly tilted his head towards Xuan Ji. His originally handsome face was now unrecognizable, and the remaining patches of flesh and skin could not cover the white bones, but Xuan Ji could still feel that he was still smiling. His shoulder was still straight, and his collarbone was hooked on the broken cloth on his clothes. It was quite elegant!


    The devil, who had been cut to pieces by the Yin Sacrifice text, was like a nightmare. Everyone should have been happy, but Xuan Ji did not know why he could not bear to look, so he closed his eyes.


    The demon said slowly, "You dare to touch my reverse scale."


    Bi Chunsheng''s face was full of fear. She squeezed out a few words with difficulty from her throat: "Aren''t you afraid... of having your bones crushed and ashes scattered?"


    "Humph."


    Bi Chunsheng''s voice became a mosquito-like buzz: "Aren''t you afraid... of your soul flying away and your spirit..."


    Sheng Lingyuan laughed and Xuan Ji felt a chill down his spine. The patterns of flames at his brows involuntarily emerged. Then he heard the heavenly demon say, ¡°That¡¯s something I could only dream of.¡±


    Before his voice had died away, the rooftop exploded with a loud ¡°bang¡±, half the building was lifted up, Xuan Ji and his sword were thrown out of the building together. The bones of the man laughing wildly were scattered and at that moment, Xuan Ji seemed to hear thousands of people crying out in despair beside his ears. He was deafened for a moment and had no time to think, so he instinctively rolled off the rooftop and picked up a slow-moving agent when he landed, throwing him desperately towards the distance.


    In the blink of an eye, the lightning struck like a downpour and Xuan Ji, who was a step slow, was swallowed into the electric light.


    The entire Chiyuan area, consisting of three cities and seventeen counties, lost electricity on a large scale.


    Eighty-one thunderbolts struck at the same place simultaneously, and all the plants around it caught fire. Thick smoke and tongues of fire spread, human voices, car noises... All were extinguished in the angry divine punishment. Whether it was special ability humans or ordinary people, they were all like grains of sand in the flood, struggling to escape desperately. Heaven and earth seemed to turn upside down for several rounds. After a while, the shocking thunder subsided slightly, and before people''s overloaded sight and hearing recovered, the sky leaked and a heavy rain poured down.


    The fire was extinguished.


    On the rooftop, the crazy woman and the even crazier demon she had summoned had both turned into flying ashes, without leaving a trace.


    The hospital building had almost become a ruin. Apart from Xuan Ji, there was no other living being.


    Xuan Ji was kneeling on the ground with a pair of huge flame-colored wings on his back, which enveloped him. After the thunderstorm, the wings flickered and then turned into tiny points of light, disappearing.


    The bloody heavy sword slammed to the ground with a "bang", and Xuan Ji''s vision went black and he fainted.


    When Xuan Ji woke up, he was already in the hospital.


    He crawled up with gritted teeth, feeling that something was wrong all over his body, as if his bones had been disassembled and reassembled... His neck was also crooked. He pulled out the needle from his hand and tried to straighten his neck while remembering what had happened before, and at the same time he felt that something strange was missing from his body, as if something was missing.


    What was missing?


    Wallet?


    No, his wallet and accessories were almost the same, and shouldn''t have such a strong presence.


    Is it the phone?


    Oh, right, his phone was frozen to death by the demon in Chiyuan Hospital, and he hoped the bureau could reimburse him.


    Although it was inconvenient not to have a phone, but... This strange feeling seemed not to be caused by a mere phone. Xuan Ji moved his shoulders uncomfortably. He always felt that when he woke up, his whole body bones were lighter by a few catties, and he felt unstable.


    What was missing?


    It was not his phone, but something else. Xuan Ji struggled to get up. He felt that he was missing something, something important.


    At that moment, the door of the hospital ward opened, and Xiao Zheng walked in carrying a one-meter-long cloth bag.


    Xuan Ji straightened his neck and groaned in pain, "Ah!"


    Xiao Zheng threw the cloth bag onto his hospital bed, and the single bed creaked in despair, almost collapsing from the weight.


    "Hey, you ungrateful grandson!" Xuan Ji quickly dodged away in surprise, "What''s this?"


    "Your stuff."


    Xuan Ji opened the cloth bag and was shocked to see his sword, which was stained with blood and hadn''t been wiped. Xuan Ji was stunned and then twisted his neck, suddenly understanding why he had that strange feeling of lightness in his lower back¨C his spine was empty!


    This sword was his life-bound sword, which was inserted into his spine every time he summoned it. After killing the enemy, it would automatically return to his back. This sword had a very aloof temperament, as if it didn''t want to be seen by any outsiders¡­ so why didn''t it return to his back this time?


    "According to the regulations, any objects with special abilities must be reported to the bureau. It''s a small matter, but this thing is too eye-catching," Director Xiao pulled up a chair and slumped down. He had been busy at the headquarters all night and had flown over without waiting for the day to dawn. He rubbed his face tiredly and said with exhaustion, "But with all the chaos yesterday, I guess no one noticed."


    Xuan Ji wrapped up the sword and asked, "How is it?"


    "The Yin Sacrifice ritual text has now disappeared and we haven''t found Bi Chunsheng''s corpse."


    "Any casualties?"


    "The field agents outside the Chiyuan were seriously injured, and the others only had minor injuries. Fortunately, no one died."


    "When the building collapsed, there was an agent who was close by. I threw him out. Is he okay?"


    "Yes. He thought you had sacrificed yourself to save him and he was so upset that he was given a sedative and put to bed in the room next to yours."


    "That''s not good," Xuan Ji gritted his teeth, "When he wakes up, I have to stay away from him and avoid him seeing my handsome and graceful self, otherwise he will insist on thanking me with his body."


    Xiao Zheng stared at him with a blank expression, not smiling or rolling his eyes at his inappropriate joke. He took out a cigarette box from his pocket, fiddled with it in frustration, then remembered the hospital didn''t allow smoking and reluctantly put it away.


    Seeing this, Xuan Ji stopped joking and stretched out his arm. A coin flew out from his palm and landed on the door of the single bed room, forming the character "stop". He then extended his arm and opened the window next to the hospital bed: "No one comes in, you can smoke¨COld Xiao, are you okay?"


    Xiao Zheng threw a box of cigarettes into Xuan Ji''s arms. The two of them, who were uncivilized, each spewed clouds and fog in the ward, and the room was instantly filled with human sorrow.


    "The Ji Qingchen shot dead by us¡ªthe one with the small mustache¡ªwas an ordinary person," Xiao Zheng said. "Because he was infected with a butterfly, he showed some abnormal energy features, so he could not escape the mithril bullets. Yesterday, although he was already completely controlled by the butterfly, the person was still alive. The real cause of death was being shot by bullets."


    Xuan Ji opened his mouth¡ªcausing the death of an ordinary person due to misjudgment was a serious dereliction of duty.


    "Deducted two points from me...It''s nothing, I still have eleven points after deducting them. I don''t think I''ll have many chances to directly command battles in the future, so it''s enough." Xiao Zheng waved his hand with a strong fatigue, "The most ironic thing is that I was wrong yesterday, bearing the torment and ordering Bi Chunsheng to be sacrificed, ensuring that Ji Qingchen was killed before the dawn of the night, and it turned out to be a ''correct command to minimize losses'' and a reason for exemption from responsibility. Adding the fact that the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly was exposed, it seemed that other things were not counted, so I was just kept in office for investigation."


    Xiao Zheng seemed to be debating internally about something, furrowing his brows and taking two deep puffs of his cigarette. The cigarette crackled softly and then he exhaled a disordered cloud of smoke, continuing, "If a normal person witnesses an abnormal event, we have to erase their memory, usually with instruments and drugs, but it still causes some harm. Whenever Bi Chunsheng went on an external mission and saved a normal person, she never let the clean-up team take over, instead using her own special ability to alter their memory herself. Her spiritual-type special ability is much gentler than instruments, but it takes time, and it''s troublesome... But she probably doesn''t mind the trouble. I don''t think these are tasks that she has to do, but rather the ones she likes to do the most."


    This is her belief, this is the meaning she once firmly adhered to.


    Xuan Ji sat cross-legged on the bed, holding the cigarette without saying a word, just listening. He pulled the bunch of flowers from the bedside and folded a simple ashtray with plastic wrapping paper, throwing it between the two.


    "Those who have been saved by her, have their memories modified, and have kept in touch with her for a long time. Bi Chunsheng specially made an address book for these people, that address book..."


    Xiao Zheng tried several times and couldn''t say the rest of the words. Xuan Ji knocked off the ash, and said lightly to interrupt him: "The people in the address book have already become walking corpses controlled by the butterfly, right?"


    Xiao Zheng¡¯s gloomy mood was cut off by his official tone, and he could not help but pause.


    "It''s not hard to guess," Xuan Ji slightly shrugged with indifference, "She spread the butterfly eggs?"


    "She sent out gifts with butterfly eggs mixed in them, and then sent an audio message telling the other person that the food would expire soon, asking them to eat it quickly. Her special ability was hidden in the audio message. Those people were all modified by her special ability and trusted her, so they were especially susceptible to suggestion. Even if they didn''t like the food, they would open it and have a try after hearing the message. When these people were completely infected by the butterfly and lost control of their body, she would call them and tell them the truth."


    Many illusions were broken, and the victims understood that they were killed by the person they trusted the most.


    The immense resentment produced by this will become the nourishment of the Yin Sacrifice.


    Xuan Ji remembered Bi Chunsheng''s blank face that gradually melted away: "Is her language special ability also effective for the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly?"


    "Yes, humans have their own emotions and instincts, if the target itself is very wary and hostile, it will reduce the effect of the spirit-based special ability. But Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly has no ''ideas'' or emotions. It just controls the host''s body according to external information, which is easier to be affected by the spirit-based special ability than humans. The Ancient Studies Department even thought that the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly might be the earliest tool of some malicious spiritual forces."


    Xuan Ji sighed: "No wonder she can control the boy to write with the Yin Sacrifice text."


    Xiao Zheng was silent for a moment, then said: "When we found the bodies of her family, the bodies were quietly lying on their own beds, the bodies had rotted, and the walls and floors were written with sacrificial texts, which covered up the smell of the corpses, so the neighbors did not notice. Her lover died without rotting because he was parasitized by the butterfly... Maybe when his head was split open, the murderer was too excited and the sweater was torn at one corner."


    Xuan Ji asked vaguely while holding a cigarette: "Was the sweater seaweed-green in colour?"


    Xiao Zheng didn''t hear clearly: "What?"


    Xuan Ji shook his head wearily.


    "Her son and mother were in their respective rooms, covered with blankets. Her lover''s body was in the master bedroom, and there were traces of someone lying down next to it. From that time... or maybe since eight years ago, she had already gone crazy."


    For eight years, she lived in a restless nightmare, suspecting that her loved ones were fake husks all the time. Until she found the butterfly parasites on her father''s corpse.


    Nightmare became reality; she probably could no longer distinguish between illusion and reality.


    Her battle companions, who had been entwined in life and death, turned out to be the hidden masterminds. Then, what she had decided to fight for her lifetime was just a ridiculous scam?


    When she went mad and knocked open the heads of all her family, she found that her mother and son were not parasitized. What kind of feeling was it?


    How many layers were there in this underground hell? What level did one have to fall to for the voices to be heard by the evil spirits wandering the underground?


    For a moment, both of them were silent, until their cigarettes had burned to the end. Then, Xuan Ji remembered something and asked, "What about the child who was parasitized by the butterfly? Is he alive?"


    "Yes, the cryogenic surgery was successful. He should be able to recover back to normal after a while. We have isolated the butterfly that was taken out. However, this cannot be concealed anymore. This is the biggest scandal since the establishment of the bureau... Maybe that was her purpose. Chief Huang has been called away by the higher-ups, and they haven''t returned yet."


    Xuan Ji: "Are the child and the last offering also people saved by Bi Chunsheng?"


    "No," Xiao Zheng shook his head, "The two of them had no connections with Bi Chunsheng or the Control Bureau before. They didn''t even know each other. The only common point is that they were both from Dongchuan. But Bi Chunsheng had never been to Dongchuan, so this is really strange. The investigation team is digging into their social relationships. In addition, where did the parasitized butterfly come from, and how did Bi Chunsheng know about the Yin Sacrifice ritual... All these are not clear yet."


    Xuan Ji extinguished his cigarette and raised his eyelids: "I originally thought Bi Chunsheng chose to retire to the Aftermath Department because of her special ability, but it wasn''t, right, Old Xiao?"


    Xiao Zheng was shocked.


    "This isn''t hard to guess," Xuan Ji lifted his eyelids to reveal a pair of cold eyes. Looking bored, he casually picked up the shaken-off cigarette ash, pinched it piece by piece and threw it into the plastic ashtray. His movements were slow, and his words came out slowly as well. "The one who conspired to manipulate the mortality rate with the ''Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly'' should be my predecessor in the aftermath department, right?"


    Xiao Zheng didn''t make a sound and tacitly agreed.


    "You know that the Aftermath Department has deep waters, and it is difficult to get involved. Therefore, you deliberately brought me, an ''outsider'' carp, to try to break the ecology of the Aftermath Department. I am a person who is afraid of trouble and death. If I had known in advance that this was a position with ¡®little money, lots of trouble, and full of landmines¡¯, I would have run back to my hometown with a debt on my back. So you didn''t mention it beforehand, and you wanted to deceive me first... Old Xiao, time has passed and my old friends are gone. I, a homeless youth from the north, have had very few friends in these years. You cheated me like this. Can you bear it? It''s too heartbreaking."


    Xiao Zheng was speechless, looking up at Xuan Ji.


    Xuan Ji''s eyes still twinkled with a smile, but upon closer inspection, the fullness of the smile seemed like a burden, hanging heavily on his droopy eyelids. His eyes were youthful and bright, but because the weight of the smile was too heavy, they carried a strange sense of weariness. In that moment, Xiao Zheng suddenly realized that Xuan Ji was like his smile - sincere but soulless, treating everyone as brothers but without truly connecting with them.


    Xuan Ji was usually very relaxed, his edges and corners all contained within the limits of an experienced social animal, as if there was no bottom line. Until he revealed his alienation to Xiao Zheng, who realized his boundary of rejecting people to a thousand miles away.


    "I...I really don''t have anyone to trust." Xiao Zheng said somewhat embarrassedly, "I even suspect that there is a ''shadow of a butterfly'' on my resume..."


    Xuan Ji smiled and thought to himself: "Do you still need to suspect it?"


    If everyone is mixed up very badly, only a few people have good luck, there is probably something wrong in it.


    Xiao Zheng could be considered a true " son of heaven." He came from a privileged background, and even more remarkably, his family was harmonious without any ridiculous "rich family feuds." Being an only child, he was showered with affection from a young age. When his family learned about his unique abilities, they didn''t treat him as a freak but instead took pride in him.


    At the age of eighteen, Xiao Zheng officially joined the Bureau while simultaneously pursuing an undergraduate degree and training with the Security Department. After graduation, he directly entered one of the "Three Specials," Thunder, and climbed the ranks rapidly. Now, this young talent has entered the power core of the official organization for special ability people.


    Then his three views of the world were broken into slag.


    "It''s okay, Little Xiao. If you float around in society, how can you avoid getting cut by a knife? It''s just that you haven''t been cut yet, so it''s time to make up for it. At your level, being put on probation is basically just a formality, don''t worry about it," Xuan Ji said.


    "As for that butterfly incident, since you had no idea about it before, there''s no need to think too much about it in the future. Sometimes it''s better to remain ignorant. Don''t get too caught up in these Schr?dinger''s truths - isn''t Bi Chunsheng a warning from the past?"


    Fate and history are like "second-order chaotic systems", intertwined with cause and effect.


    If Bi Chunsheng hadn''t been so paranoid about those things, she wouldn''t have been driven half-mad by her mental abilities and she certainly wouldn''t have desecrated a corpse by opening her father''s skull. She would have retired as a hero, with the glory that she deserved, and gone to dance in the square, travel and visit the Bureau during holidays to give lectures to the young people. Her husband may have been just a shadow of thirty years ago, but her mother and son were at least alive.


    Life is like a dream, and whether it''s people or butterflies, who can say what is more real than the other?


    Xiao Zheng didn''t accept this meaningless comfort.


    He said lowly: "I don''t understand. In the end, why is there such a ''Fifteen-People Red Line'' rule that eats people at its core?"


    "Why is it that people with special abilities can''t see the light in this society? Why do they have to prioritize protecting ordinary people? Why is it that when in danger, people with special abilities are the ones who have to be sacrificed and abandoned? Are people with special abilities inferior to others? Should their lives be discounted and sold off?"


    As Xiao Zheng vented, Xuan Ji''s gaze swept over his empty right ring finger. The spot where a ring used to be was now just a white circle. He deftly transformed a plastic ashtray, shaping the ash and cigarette butts in the center and folding the outer ring into a strange flower, which he then placed on Xiao''s coat. Only then did he say, "Yong''an West Mountain is a nature reserve."


    Xiao Zheng was stunned. "What..."


    "Twenty miles to the south, which is also our neighbor in the Bureau, is the West Mountain Wildlife Conservation Center. The ''Conservation Center'' is surrounded by fences, and if wild animals are obediently ''protected'' inside, they will have food and drink as ''human friends.''


    But if they break free and run around outside, then...sorry, ''friend,'' they will be knocked down at best, and killed at worst." Xuan Ji got off the bed, and moved around as if partially paralyzed, picking up his heavy sword and swaying it toward the door of the hospital room.


    "The Bureau is just like the Conservation Center, and the ''Fifteen-People Red Line'' is one of the fences that nobody is allowed to cross. Xiao Zheng, you''re not a child anymore, how can you not understand this? That''s why I, a wolf in sheep''s clothing, only wanted to have a few scraps to eat, and didn''t want to get mixed up with you all."


    Xiao Zheng thought he was going to run away on the spot, and stood up in a hurry: "Wait, where are you going?"


    "Ah¨Ccalm down, I''m not planning to resign for the time being. The devil summoned by the Yin Sacrifice ritual may have some origins with my family. I''m going back to my hometown to get some information, please give me a week off, Director Xiao."


    Xuan Ji pulled open the ward door and remembered something. He turned back and said to Xiao Zheng, "Remember to compensate me for my mobile phone, and if you dig any more holes for me, you have to pay more money."

 CH 13

    After the thunderstorm, the air in the Chiyuan Grand Canyon was full of ozone. As the gloom dissipated, the mutated trees that were creating chaos everywhere also died, as if their vitality had been overdrawn. They turned into several piles of dead branches and withered leaves, and the fallen petals fell into the flowing waters. The Bureau still couldn''t relax, and several field teams were still patrolling back and forth in the Grand Canyon - this was what Xuan Ji saw from a high place, and he was in mid-air.


    Xuan Ji''s back wings, which had protected from the thunderbolts, were completely unfolded, with a wingspan of seven or eight meters and a height of more than one person when rolled up. However, although it was huge, it didn''t seem too heavy. Every feather on the wings was condensed with flames, and it moved with the wind. The scorching fire roasted the air around him, folding the light and shadow, giving a feeling of virtual lightness, like a burning cloud passing by in a mirage.


    Anyway, airplanes could not fly in the sky above Chiyuan, and even the Bureau''s special planes had to stop nearly a hundred kilometers away in the north, so he was not afraid of being seen.


    Xuan Ji claimed to be ¡°free and unrestrained, loving freedom¡±, a ¡°wild¡± special ability person, which was actually a lie.


    No matter how marginal, special ability people are still ¡°people¡±, he is not.


    He didn''t know what he was, so the demon summoned by the Yin Sacrifice called him "Little Demon". He had no objection.


    He never had a childhood, nor would he age. He was born with this face and seemed to never change. He looked at all beings with eyes that saw the Thousand Demon Bestiary, and could see their "orders, families, and species", but when he looked into the mirror, the blank paper formed by the white mist always had nothing, only a lonely line of words: Nanming Fire-keeper.


    As for what kind of species the "Firekeeper" is, whether it is a human or a demon, an imported or a local species... the useless Thousand Demon Bestiary knows nothing.


    Ten years ago, when he first came out of the mountain and into the world, he was staring at the magnificent mountain road and couldn''t find his way north when he heard an ominous roar. Following the sound and flying over, he encountered a car accident - the tire of the car burst, and the driver handled it improperly, flipping off the mountain road. Xuan Ji rushed in before the car exploded and dragged the people out.


    The car was a father and son. The father was driving, and Xuan Ji gave him a breath. The child in the back seat did not fasten the seat belt in time, and died on the spot before rescue.


    Around him were wild mountains and ridges. When Xuan Ji first came, he didn''t know how to save them or who to call, so he thought of a secret method called "Listening to the Corpse". "Listening to the corpse" means that within one or two minutes after the person just breathed, a feather is inserted into the ear of the corpse, and the feather turns into a ball of fire and drills into the corpse''s brain. He can hear part of the deceased''s memories before death, but how much he hears and what content he hears depends on what the deceased was thinking before his consciousness dissipated.


    Generally, people who die in accidents will instinctively try to seek help in extreme fear before death. Xuan Ji wanted to take a chance and see if he could find any clues on how to seek help. Unexpectedly, the teenager might have hit his head hard when the car overturned, and he passed away without any reaction. In his last moments, he was only filled with some mundane daily trivialities.


    Xuan Ji, in a daze, tried to save his unconscious father''s life, and half-understood the mortal youth''s longing for worldly matters.


    The teenager had just been accepted to university and was on his way to a school in another place when the accident happened. Home, school, the longing for the future, the longing for the girl he had a secret crush on, all these vivid youth flooded into Xuan Ji''s ears, and in a very short time, disappeared with the corpse becoming colder.


    At this moment, the unconscious father opened his eyes briefly. Due to excessive blood loss, he mistakenly thought Xuan Ji was his child, tightly gripping his hand and mumbling "Don''t be afraid" again and again, and covering Xuan Ji''s hand with blood in the process.


    Sticky and warm, like a spiderweb, Xuan Ji was dragged into the mortal world.


    Xuan Ji followed the father''s muddled instructions and, by sheer luck, managed to turn on their phones and fiddled with them for half a day, eventually successfully calling the police.


    Then he buried the teenager''s corpse and, with a little sleight of hand, replaced the teenager''s identity - not completely changing his face, but just changing his clothing and temperament according to the teenager''s appearance, confusing people''s senses and making people who knew the original owner feel that he had been like this before.


    "Xuan" was the original owner''s surname, which he liked upon hearing it, so he kept it.


    "Ji" was what he changed when he understood the modern household registration system and went to the public security bureau. As his identity was over 18, the process was quite troublesome - but even though it was troublesome, it still had to be changed, because "Ji" was his real name, he didn''t know who came up with it, and it was born with him. Ancient people said "names and fate are connected", and modern psychology also believes that names are related to the subconscious. He felt like he should be called this.


    Just graduating from high school is a major turning point in life, especially for teenagers who go to university in another place. After a semester, their character and habits often change a lot, and their family and friends won''t pay too much attention. Consequently, "Xuan Ji" had an identity and became a person with a background story. Even the investigators from the Bureau hadn''t been able to detect any problems with his resume.


    Xuan Ji swooped over the Chiyuan Grand Canyon from high altitude, flew directly into the depths of the canyon that the Bureau didn''t dare to enter, and plunged into the depths of the dense forest. When he descended, he brought down a few leaves, and the bright leaves were instantly ashes before they even touched the ground.


    The eerie silence here allowed one to see the half-empty sky, the ground, and even the spiderwebs solidified in the bushes through the "Thousand Monster Bestiary"... All of them were ancient formations, layered upon one another, full of murderous intent.


    Xuan Ji flew through the canopy of trees blocking out the sky, landing and folding his wings. Putting on his shirt, he fastened the mother-of-pearl buttons as he walked in, each step precisely falling in the gaps of the formations, passing through the alarming clusters of them with ease.


    Following a intermittent stream, he arrived at the foot of a mountain deep in the Chiyuan Canyon. Xuan Ji mumbled something, and with that, a flame rose from his palm, quickly disappearing into the ground. Immediately after, the ground shook, a sigh coming from the depths of the canyon as if a barrier had been opened. The formerly silent forest suddenly became alive with noise, countless whispers of bird cries and bug hums. Vines like snakes dangled down, rubbing against Xuan Ji affectionately as the ancient trees slowly moved to the sides, making way for a path.


    Passing through the path made by the ancient trees, the view suddenly opened up. It was a hundred-zhang-wide canyon, lush with grass and trees and streams flowing. On both sides were steep cliffs, and in the middle of the canyon was a vast... ancient city.


    This was the Chiyuan Canyon where "all living things must stop and any intruder will be crushed to dust".


    This was the place of his birth.


    The ancient city in the canyon was like the Pompeii buried under volcanic ash, or the Atlantis hidden in the depths of the sea. It was full of deathly aura, and not a soul to be seen.


    In the center of the ancient city was a pitch-black stone carving of a giant tree, dozens of meters tall. Every branch and leaf was extremely realistic, as if they could sway in the breeze. South of the stone tree was the highest point in the whole valley, upon which a large hall stood facing south, with two wings each with a temple, engraved with huge flame totems. The totem was identical to the mark on Xuan Ji''s forehead.


    Following the large hall and temples, there were large and small courtyards, corridors and bridges, stone monuments, and murals faintly visible.


    Like a specimen frozen in place.


    As soon as Xuan Ji stepped into it, the ruins-like ancient city suddenly "came alive". Black fog came out from the ground, cliffs, stone gaps and dense forest, dispersing into the air and taking various forms. Some were human-shaped, some were just bones, some were half-human half-beast... and some were just a bunch of limbs put together, circling him merrily.


    Then, a piercing neigh sounded, and from the black fog, a group of cavalry rushed out, galloping through the air and quickly arriving in front of Xuan Ji. The iron hooves of the warhorses were lifted high, and the riders on the backs of the horses, like ghosts, alighted and formed bodies, bowing to him.


    Xuan Ji waved his hand: ¡°Don¡¯t make it so grand every time, the times outside are no longer the same, you are making me feel like an old feudal lord.¡±


    The leader of the swordsmen stepped forward, pushing away his black mask on the face, revealing a face that could scare people to death¡ªonly one eye, the rotten skin on the face sticking the five senses together, and the left lower jaw revealing mottled white bones.


    He smiled at Xuan Ji with this face and made a hoarse voice from his throat: ¡°Clan leader...back...home...safe?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s been a while since you¡¯ve come back,¡± Xuan Ji responded, ¡°Dao Yi, you¡¯ve worked hard to take care of the family. Has that crazy person digging graves in the nearby disturbed you all?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Knight ¡°Dao Yi¡± said, ¡°I was about to...dream...of you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°¡®Fu Qi¡¯ and ¡®Jian Shi Er¡¯ want to...return their souls to the heavens and earth.¡± As Dao Yi spoke, the evil face showed a complex expression, both desolate and seemingly yearning, and two swordsmen stepped forward, taking off their armor and kneeling at Xuan Ji''s feet.


    One of them had no head, his neck was empty and there were only some wafting mists; the other was blackened, and there were occasional red spots on his body. Looking closely, it turned out that those "red spots" were all sparks - he was like a charcoal in a fire pile, and when a gust of wind swept through, he would suffer from the pain of burning.


    Xuan Ji sighed. In his eyes, the "Thousand Demon Bestiary" that was not closed marked the identity of these "swordsmen" ¡ª "weapon spirits".


    It is said that the ancient battlefield in the Chiyuan area once left a large number of ancient cold weapons. One of them was a special weapon, which was called "Divine Weapon" in ancient books. In Xuan Ji''s opinion, it should be called "Ghost Weapon". It greatly reflects the persecution of the people by the old society - they are all ¡°refined¡± with living things.


    Using secret techniques to merge living creatures alive into the refining furnace, after the device is formed, there will be ¡°weapon spirits¡±, these weapon spirits are imprisoned in the device body forever and ever, enslaved by people.


    In ancient times, smelting technology was limited, and even the "divine" knives would rust after years of use. Once the weapon that served as the body had a problem, the weapon spirit would almost be abandoned - some weapon spirits would rot with the weapon, and some wouldn''t be rotted in time and lost their minds first...until the device body was completely rotten, these weapon spirits would follow suit.


    Xuan Ji didn''t know how powerful the "Divine Weapon" was at the time, but he knew how tragic these weapon spirits were.


    These weapon spirits abandoned in the ancient battlefield had no master, they were his neighbors, his people and his friends. From birth, Xuan Ji was only accompanied by them. He didn''t know why, but all the weapon spirits spontaneously submitted to him, even those who had gone crazy, and could be quiet for a while around him.


    The spirits called him "Chief of the Fire-Keeping Tribe", and when they could no longer bear the torture, they would go to Xuan Ji for help to destroy their own bodies and beg for relief.


    "Alright," Xuan Ji said softly, "Then... let''s go to the altar first."


    The altar was behind the great hall in the south, surrounded by thirty-five stone tablets, inscribed with the birth and death dates of the deceased. According to Dao Yi, they were Xuan Ji''s previous thirty-five "Fire-Keepers", which could be roughly equivalent to "ancestors and ancestors".


    After the death of the previous Fire-Keeper, the next one was born, and Xuan Ji himself was "born" in this cemetery. His early memories were already blurred, he only vaguely remembered that he couldn''t move at that time, and he seemed not to need to eat, drink, or defecate.


    Listening to Dao Yi''s description, he felt that he might be a slow-growing sweet potato or potato - germinating on the corpse of his predecessor.


    The altar was spotless, and the bodies of two seeking relief spirits had already been arranged in the middle of the altar: a broken axe and an ancient sword corroded beyond recognition.


    The spirits were all very familiar with this matter, and they all stepped forward, bidding farewell to the Fu Qi and Jian Shi Er.


    Most of these crippled spirits could no longer speak, so they just silently gathered together to each send the other on a journey, and then dispersed to stand around the altar. Fu Qi and Jian Shi Er knelt down to Xuan Ji, and then their bodies flashed and disappeared into the broken axe and ancient sword.


    Xuan Ji was like a delicate craftsman, taking the white cloth from Dao Yi. He knelt on the ground and meticulously wiped off the dust on the two wounded soldiers. He didn''t know how he knew all this. Suddenly, a cloud in the sky was blown away by the wind, and the brilliant sunshine fell on the altar. Just then, the rust on the sword was wiped off by the white cloth, and a corner of the sword engraving was exposed in the sun. The characters were not clear, only the head of the grass character was left.


    There were too many characters in the grass character, so it was impossible to guess. Anyway, it must not be "Moxie". The spirits of these weapons are all nameless and insignificant, neither beneficial nor harmful to the world. It seems that they were born just to suffer in this fate.


    After Xuan Ji wiped the body of the rusted weapons, he asked, "No regrets?"


    The wounded spirits were silent.


    Xuan Ji asked the same question three times in a routine manner, and after waiting a moment, the two spirits did not come out again, which meant they had no regrets.


    "Thanks for your care over the years. I''ll send you off," Xuan Ji said softly as he pressed his hand to his chest and said, "Brothers."


    He then pinched his chest as if plucking out a fireball. Xuan Ji held the fireball in his hands and the two broken weapons on the altar flew up by themselves, circling around him with a hint of reluctance before diving into the fireball.


    Xuan Ji closed his eyes.


    When the fireball touched the weapons, it immediately surged and swallowed the weapons cleanly. The flame suddenly turned pure white and could melt gold into jade. In the blink of an eye, the two broken weapons melted into Xuan Ji''s palm.


    Two vague figures rose from the flames in mid-air. One was tall and the other was short. They were not the shadowy forms of dark spirits.


    The tall one was a thin scholar with patched clothes but neatly trimmed beard, looking poor yet dignified. The short one was delicate and petite, her hairstyle and posture vaguely resembling a young girl, a stark contrast to the blood and fleshy weapon spirits - this was what the spirits looked like before being refined into cutting weapons.


    Through the flames, Xuan Ji caught a few glimpses of their lives as living beings, but it was as chaotic and short-lived as ¡°Listening to the Corpse¡±, and the scenes of the past disappeared with their figures in the flames.


    The other weapon spirits stared at the flames on the altar for a long time until it gradually dimmed and extinguished in Xuan Ji''s palm. Then they dispersed like wandering souls.


    Every time, Xuan Ji found it hard to guess what the weapon spirits were thinking. At first, he was afraid that after watching the funeral, they would line up to borrow fire from him, after all, death has a demonstration effect. But later he found that it was worrying too much. Although the weapon spirits could not understand the joys and loves of life, they were still willing to continue living.


    Until they really arrived at the end of the mountains and rivers, they would carefully choose their own end and bid farewell to the world solemnly.


    Xuan Ji sat alone on the altar, his thick, smooth outer shell briefly peeling away. His expression was indifferent, and the brilliant sunlight revealed a hint of loneliness. He listened to the sound of insects chirping in the stone forest, suddenly feeling the urge to light a cigarette.


    At that moment, there was a "crack" sound in his ear, and Xuan Ji suddenly paused and looked towards the sound.


    A crack had inexplicably appeared on a stone tablet in the stone forest.

 CH 14

    Divine beings cannot protect the people of the world, they are already rotten beneath the pear tree - Foreword.


    Sheng Lingyuan had thought that he had been struck by the Heavenly Thunder, his body shattered and his soul scattered, and that he could finally rest in peace for a good ten thousand years. But he was unexpectedly awakened for the second time before he could even finish his nap. Last time, he was a bit grumpy when he woke up, but this time he was so numb that he couldn''t even bother to show his temper.


    The backlash from the Yin Sacrifice was really unforgettable. Even though his body was already gone, his divine consciousness was still trembling with pain, and every thought was torture. Technically, he had no body left to play dead with...so what was going on?


    Couldn''t these younger generations find another demon to worship instead?


    Chaotic sounds of drumming and gongs rang in his ears, with a man shouting and gasping inside, but Sheng Lingyuan couldn''t make out what he was saying. He listened with patience for a while, but couldn''t understand a single word, and his headache became even more intense. He wondered to himself, "What kind of monster is crying at the gravesite?"


    Just then, footsteps drew near, and someone helped him up. The lingering pain lingered in his consciousness, so Sheng Lingyuan''s senses were very dull. It took him a while to realize that the person had a piece of cloth of unknown material and was rubbing him all over like kneading dough.


    Sheng Lingyuan suddenly opened his "eyes" and saw a face close to his, with the other person''s nose almost touching him, every eyelash distinct and drawing a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes with clear amber-like irises. The only flaw was the dark circles under their eyes, which detracted from their appearance.


    Sheng Lingyuan was stunned and saw the person exhale on him and then rub him again with the cloth, muttering, "Why can''t I clean it?"


    Sheng Lingyuan: "..."


    Audacious!


    He recognized this as the little demon of Chiyuan with many tricks, and didn''t know how he had fallen into this guy''s hands. He saw the little demon muttering to himself and backing away a little, and Sheng Lingyuan realized that his perspective was strange... it was as if he was lying in the other person''s arms.


    The little demon had changed into a peculiar-looking garment, milky-white in color. It was made of some kind of material that was spun into fine threads, and its workmanship was exquisitely detailed. Even though he was living in the mortal world, his life seemed quite comfortable and well-to-do, or he wouldn''t be wearing such a delicate outfit.


    Although he didn''t understand why the little demon was dressed like a sheep, the soft fabric rubbed against him, and the feeling was very comfortable. The little demon''s body temperature was transmitted through the clothes, warm and cozy. Sheng Lingyuan sighed silently, and the post-traumatic effects of being mutilated suddenly eased a bit, and his mind became clearer.


    He then tried to feel his body - it was subtle. He found that he seemed to be separated from his surroundings by a layer of something, able to "see" and "hear," but these sensations were not coming from his five senses.


    Is he attached to some kind of tool?


    "I''ve never seen this before," the little demon, Xuan Ji, picked up the small "flat box" that could transmit sound over long distances, and Sheng Lingyuan heard him command the "box," "Search the internet for ''how to clean blood stains off swords and knives.''"


    The small box emitted a flat female voice and replied, "This is a webpage related to ''how to clean blood stains off swords and knives.''"


    "The bathhouse can wash... what the hell! Oh, it''s a gaming forum. Use a silk scarf to wipe...hiss, isn''t that obvious?" Xuan Ji frowned, and after thinking for a while, he said to his phone, "Search the internet for...um, ''how to wash pants stained with menstrual blood.''"


    Sheng Lingyuan: "..."


    Although he didn''t understand, his intuition was that it was nothing good.


    This small demon belongs to the fire element, but has at least one magical artifact made of gold on its body. Although they only briefly clashed, Sheng Lingyuan could tell that he was not as simple as he seemed on the surface. In terms of strength alone, he was equal to, if not surpassing, those ancient demons that had long since disappeared.


    What''s strange is that his cultivation level is not very impressive - for example, he didn''t want to show his hand in front of mortals at first, didn''t even dare to draw his sword, and lacked common sense in many ways. He was like an ignorant child who held a treasure trove of gold but didn''t know how to use it. Was it because he grew up among mortals without the guidance of elders?


    But if that''s the case, where did he get this incredible power?


    Was he born with it? What kind of being is he exactly?


    As Sheng Lingyuan thought about it, he felt a bit uncomfortable, mainly because the little demon was too impulsive. One hand held a "small box" and kept chattering, while the other hand had nothing to do and was tapping along to the rhythm on his body... It was bad enough that he was tapping away, but after a while, he started singing along with the drumbeat, originally a male roar that turned into two people howling, but they weren''t even in the same key.


    "Tsk," Sheng Lingyuan''s thoughts were interrupted by the noise, and he came to a conclusion, "Maybe he''s a donkey."


    Just then, something made a "ding-dong" sound, and the little donkey''s singing was interrupted. He responded loudly and temporarily spared Sheng Lingyuan''s ears, then got up and left.


    Sheng Lingyuan was left behind, feeling that he was lying on something like a narrow and long bed, extremely soft. As he sank into it, he marveled at the room.


    The space was cramped, mainly because the roof was too low, with a square white roof that couldn''t be seen through, like a coffin, but it was just barely enough, and ordinary people wouldn''t hit their heads on it. The lighting inside was very good, with no walls on one side facing south, all windows, and a thin gauze curtain half-drawn in front of it. The large patches of sunlight freely flowed into the room, covering half of it. Like the place called "Hospital" earlier, the windows were also covered with luxurious "crystal stones", but they looked much cleaner and brighter than the hospital.


    In the middle of the ceiling was a "disc". Sheng Lingyuan guessed that it was for lighting, similar to what he had seen in the "Hospital", although the shapes were not exactly the same, but the hanging positions were roughly the same. The other furniture around was also very strange. At first glance, it seemed rather poor, with unknown pieces of rough wood pasted together, but upon closer inspection, it seemed like each one had some kind of mystery, which made him hesitant to make any conclusions.


    The room wasn''t spotless, but it wasn''t messy either, and it was very comfortable...just a bit noisy. In a corner cabinet was a square box, within which was a black disc spinning, some unknown evil object. From it, a man''s voice kept continuously screaming.


    At this moment, a youth whom Sheng Lingyuan had never seen before walked in with the little demon. He greeted the guest familiarly: "Sit, what would you like to drink?"


    The guest was quite well-proportioned, wearing a dark blue "robe". There was some gloom between his eyebrows and eyes. Sheng Lingyuan carefully looked at him for a moment and thought, "Human, but seems to have a bit of the taste of a Thunder Beast."


    He suddenly had an epiphany and thought, "Right, the little demon said that the Qingping Division had been missing for nearly a thousand years. Those mixed-blood half-demons are probably only left with a faint trace of bloodline if they have descendants up to now."


    The guest was Xiao Zheng. Director Xiao looks exhausted and almost had a stroke when he entered the room and was hit by the loud death metal music. He painfully presses his temples and says, "Can you use your magic to turn off that terrible sound system? Are your neighbors deaf that they haven''t complained yet... give me a bottle of water."


    "It''s a workday, in broad daylight, and I¡¯m on my day off. Everyone else is not at home." Xuan Ji took out a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator and threw it to him, and then moved Sheng Lingyuan off the sofa and propped him up in the corner of the wall.


    Sheng Lingyuan felt the object he was possessing was more than half his height and quite heavy. It made a dull sound when it hit the ground.


    He suddenly had a vague guess, and when Xuan Ji left, the excessively clear mirror in the corner of the room reflected...


    Sure enough.


    He thought with a headache, "It really is the little demon''s sword."


    The sword was over three feet long and very heavy. Sheng Lingyuan remembered that the little demon had pulled it out of his own spine, and it should be his magical weapon. The little demon seemed to belong to the fire element and naturally had a fierce yang energy. As the most incompatible with yin and cold things...


    And he himself was the most yin and cold thing. But the little demon''s magical sword not only did not reject him, but seemed to be carefully nurturing him.


    Just as Sheng Lingyuan was trying to figure out the mystery, Xuan Ji sat down with his legs crossed and fished out a plate of nuts from under the tea table, asking Xiao Zheng: "Have you been working overtime for the past few nights?"


    "Mm, I have a general understanding of Bi Chunsheng''s situation. I investigated the agent who first told her about the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly, and it was consistent with what she said. Our technicians checked her intranet account and found that she repeatedly and frequently browsed cases that your predecessor Gong Chenggong participated in and completed, and kept a close eye on all personnel above the squad leader and those who didn''t pass the ''Fifteen People Red Line'' score...including me."


    Xiao Zheng was really thirsty, and looked rather embarrassed. He then chugged half a bottle of mineral water, squeezing the bottle and making a "gagaga" sound.


    "We also retrieved the surveillance footage near Gong Chenggong''s residence. Bi Chunsheng had been following Gong Chenggong for a long time, but the whistleblower letter may not have been written by her¡ªat least we haven''t found any evidence yet. The letter clearly stated Gong Chenggong''s bribery and corruption methods, and I personally think Bi Chunsheng didn''t have enough time to check it out so clearly, and she also wouldn''t have had the sanity to write a whistleblower letter, but would have started to torture Gong Chenggong directly."


    Xuan Ji asked, "So she only investigated and didn''t take any action against Gong Chenggong?"


    "No, she didn''t have the chance. Although Gong Chenggong was an ordinary person, he handled many people''s memories in the aftermath department, and had too many of his own secrets. He was always very careful in this regard¡ªhe wore 24-hour shielding instruments to protect himself from mental attacks, and not just one.¡±


    Xiao Zheng shook his head. "Bi Chunsheng was always suspicious and disbelieving of the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly until she opened her father''s skull and confirmed it. By then, Gong Chenggong had already been secretly controlled and had fallen into a coma.¡±


    "Where did she get the butterfly pupa?"


    "It was the one stolen by Gong Chenggong thirty years ago. We found it in her home, and there was still half a can left. Following her vehicle recorder, we found several properties¡ªall of Gong Chenggong''s, recorded under several shell companies. The companies were held by someone else, very concealed. We didn''t know about them before, but it should have been found out by her during the investigation. One of them had recently reported a theft, and the police had gone, but since nothing was lost, the case was dropped. There was a very concealed secret room in the property, and there were traces of abnormal energy objects that had existed there before. It should have been the place where Gong Chenggong stored the butterfly pupa. The only thing that is still unclear is...where did she learn the Yin Sacrifice ritual from?"


    Xuan Ji grabbed a handful of pistachios and ate one after another without taking a break.


    Xuan Ji grabbed a handful of pistachios, eating one after the other without pause.


    Actually, there was another doubt in his mind, he didn''t know if anyone had heard it...perhaps they thought Bi Chunsheng was just talking nonsense since the situation was so chaotic. After Bi Chunsheng summoned the demon, the demon was actually quite willing to help her seek revenge, and was quite friendly to her summoner. But suddenly it changed its attitude after Bi Chunsheng said ¡°Chiyuan¡±.


    Why did Bi Chunsheng suddenly mention Chiyuan?


    What request did she make of Chiyuan that allowed her to pinpoint the demon''s weak spot, so much so that it was willing to risk being struck by lightning and breaking its contract?


    ¡°As for the case of the field agents colluding with Gong Chenggong to hide the casualty numbers, the Bureau has already officially opened a case.¡±


    Xuan Ji snapped back to reality with an ¡°Ah¡±.


    ¡°In theory, this case is only to assist the department, but this time it''s the Aftermath Department that caused the trouble...¡±


    ¡°Understandable, I understand.¡± Xuan Ji kept nodding his head. After all, he was new, so this had nothing to do with him.


    He figured that since he was getting paid without having to work while the investigation was going on, it would be like getting a vacation.


    Xuan Ji said contentedly, ¡°The organization can rest assured, we will immediately put down our current work and fully cooperate.¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you have to cooperate with?¡± Xiao Zheng waved his hand in anger, ¡°What the Bureau means is that I''ll take the lead for the self-investigation, but since this involves so many people, from field agents to logistics, I''m not sure I can do it so cleanly, so it''s best to have someone who has no interests or ties with any department in the Bureau oversee it.¡±


    Xuan Ji reflexively flattered the leader, ¡°The chief thought of everything, the leader really has the skills.¡±


    Xiao Zheng: ¡°He''s talking about you.¡±


    Xuan Ji was taken aback at first, then he raised his eyebrows in confusion.


    He did get into the Bureau on his own merit, but to say he was appointed as the director of the Aftermath Department on his own merit was shameless.


    He was just the outside help that Xiao Zheng had asked for to investigate the Aftermath Department ¨C Xiao Zheng just didn''t expect that the Aftermath Department that he couldn''t find anyone for, after some investigation, would come back to bite him in the head. But to an outsider who didn''t know all this, it seemed like the two of them were a team.


    What was the Bureau Chief''s meaning in asking him to oversee Xiao Zheng? Did he trust his revolutionary will and selflessness?


    Xiao Zheng said quietly, ¡°Yes, it''s you. I was afraid he wouldn''t understand, so I explained to him that you came to work in the Bureau, and that I was the one who recommended you, but he still...I don''t understand what he means.¡±


    ¡°Who are we to each other, don''t act innocent around me.¡± Xuan Ji spat out the pistachio shell,


    ¡°The Bureau''s meaning is four words - ¡®Don''t make a big fuss.¡¯¡±


    Xiao Zheng gave him a despairing look.


    "Okay, let me ask you," Xuan Ji said, "whether the butterfly larvae or eggs, or whatever they are, that your field operatives put on people, aren''t you afraid that they will spread among the crowd?"


    "That won''t happen," Xiao Zheng said, "the jar of butterflies collected by the bureau should have been specially processed. Once they parasitize, they stop reproducing. When the host dies, the butterflies die with them."


    Xuan Ji threw up his hands. "Well then, if it''s not contagious and has no social harm, why investigate it?"


    Xiao Zheng had known him for a while and had a hunch that he was about to see a live performance of "lies from a dog''s mouth." His temples began to throb in anticipation.


    Sure enough, Xuan Ji said, "People who have been parasitized by butterflies live their lives peacefully, and their family and friends don''t even know about it. Everyone lives a stable and peaceful life. What''s wrong with that? If this matter is really investigated thoroughly, and it turns out that tens of thousands of people have been infected with butterflies, what are you going to do? Are you going to arrest them all and cremate them one by one?


    "Old Xiao, the Bureau is an institution that maintains social security and stability, not one that creates panic in society. It''s like our sanitation department. We have to clean up even the most filthy messes with gentle toilet paper...even if we can''t clean them completely, we can''t use sandpaper to grind out people''s lives."


    His tongue must have had some special function, as he nibbled on nuts while giving a long speech with proper intonation and emphasis, not missing a beat.


    Xiao Zheng had known that he was a person without any sense of values, but he didn''t expect him to be so unscrupulous. He was almost enraged by his nonsense about "cleaning up messes" and slammed his hand on the table, snatching the nut dish away from him. "Is that what you call speaking like a human being? Why are you still nibbling on something! You parrot!"


    Xuan Ji remained emotionally stable and didn''t engage with him. "The ''Fifteen-People Red Line'' is a ''collective responsibility system.'' Those who covered up deaths and injuries with butterflies back then, some of them did it out of self-interest, but I believe that some of them did it to protect their brothers. Now, digging up the past, even if some people have nothing to hide- like you- can you be sure that your former boss didn''t use them?"


    The man''s words made Xiao Zheng''s pupils shrink as he lifted his eyelids with a smile that was not quite a smile. "If you''ve used it, how can you prove that you, as a beneficiary, were unaware of its effects?"


    Xiao Zheng had no response.


    Did he really not understand what Chief Huang was implying? It was impossible. After so many years in the unit, even if he was straightforward, he was not a naive fool without any thinking ability.


    He just didn''t want to think.


    Xuan Ji was a friend, a close friend, and in private conversations he didn''t mind offending him. In just a few words, he had peeled away the layer of hypocritical gentlemanliness that Xiao Zheng had put on. His conscience was laid bare, leaving him feeling ashamed and embarrassed.


    "So, are we just going to let the living continue to suffer... and the dead die in vain?"


    Xuan Ji was a person with a cold exterior but warm interior, and when he heard Xiao Zheng''s lost words, he thought to himself, "Isn''t that the norm?"


    After sending the lost and bewildered Xiao Zheng away with a bowl of toxic chicken soup, Xuan Ji skillfully cooked himself a meal of three dishes and one soup. Once he was full, he went to his study, holding his favorite sword, the blood stains on which he could never clean off. He put on gloves and carefully opened a small box, taking out a small stack of bamboo slips.


    These bamboo slips were all brought out from the ancient city in the depths of Chiyuan, and were said to be ancient texts collected by his predecessors. Due to improper storage, the protective talismans on them had long since lost their effect, and the bamboo slips had almost rotted away.


    Xuan Ji didn''t know what to say about this, except that "misfortune comes to the door". Of his first 35 predecessors, if even one of them was not a spendthrift and lazy person, they should have known to transcribe and back up these fragile items.


    This time, the only thing he brought back from Chiyuan were these slips, because Xuan Ji couldn''t stay for long. One reason was that he had just started working and didn''t have much vacation time, but another reason was that he was staying well, when suddenly a stone tablet next to the altar shattered - first cracking, and then not giving him any time to fix it before shattering into pieces.


    Xuan Ji''s first reaction to the crumbling tablet was not "I should fix up the ancestral altar," but a kind of indescribable panic.


    It was as if his endocrine system had suddenly malfunctioned. There was nothing wrong, but his body was producing a large amount of hormones related to "fear," and a voice in his mind was urging him to run, as if if he stayed in Chiyuan any longer, there would be some kind of calamity.


    Xuan Ji only had time to hastily gather a pile of ancient books related to the "heavenly demon" and "lifebound sword" before fleeing. He returned to Yong''an three days ago and completed all the necessary procedures for his new job, and he now has a good understanding of the department''s management system. Xuan Ji''s most pressing need now is to figure out how to wipe the blood off the lifebound sword and return it to his back. He has found that the longer he is separated from the sword, the more restless he becomes for no reason.


    Since the lifebound sword left his spine until now, which is less than three days and two nights, Xuan Ji has reached the point where he cannot sleep without holding the sword. If he falls asleep and accidentally lets go, he will wake up within three seconds. Last night, he woke up more than twenty times because of this, and every time he closed his eyes, he was plagued by chaotic dreams. If this continues, he will surely suffer from nerve exhaustion.


    "Brother Sword," Xuan Ji rubbed the sword with his fingers and used its cold touch to calm his mind, "what''s the matter with you?"


    Sheng Lingyuan, annoyed by Xuan Ji''s pestering, glanced around the study and noticed that there wasn''t much serious stuff inside.


    Instead, there was a large crystal cabinet on one wall filled with rows of "sculpted dolls," all of which looked the same and had no spiritual power. It was obvious that they were all ordinary toys.


    He wondered to himself, "Did this little brat only just stop nursing?"


    After Xuan Ji "charged" the sword for a while, he carefully placed the lifebound sword next to his action figure cabinet and began to research. Although Dao Yi was loyal and reliable, he was really too old and sometimes confused, often unable to remember things. Xuan Ji suspected that he might have just grabbed everything with the word "demon" in it, regardless of whether it was relevant or not.


    The ancient books were difficult to read and many of the characters were unclear. They were already difficult to understand, so Xuan Ji had to hold a dictionary and read them word by word, even though progress was extremely slow.


    "Dongchuan...Witches book...it doesn''t seem to be this one." Xuan Ji put that bamboo slip aside, "The ''Concentrating Mind and Dispelling Demons Scripture''...seems to be about physical training, not related...The ''Demon Stone Legend''...what a mess!"


    Recently his sleep has been really poor, and he just finished eating... Of course, he may not be cut out for research in the first place. Xuan Ji studied at his desk for a while and felt that the characters in the ancient books were becoming more and more blurry and his eyelids were getting heavier. Before he knew it, he fell asleep with his head on the dictionary.


    It was pitch black all around, and Xuan Ji realized he was dreaming. He had a feeling that this "lucid dream" was trying to tell him something, so he didn''t try to break free, but continued walking forward to see what he would encounter in the dream.


    Suddenly, he bumped into something. Xuan Ji rubbed his fingers together, and a small flame appeared on his fingertip. He saw a huge iron door in front of him, covered in a bright red seal that seemed strangely reminiscent of the broken face of his ring.


    The surface of the iron door was uneven, as if it were engraved with something. Xuan Ji curiously moved the flame closer to one of the protrusions, and the iron door was illuminated by the flame. He was suddenly shocked - it wasn''t an engraving at all, but a clear handprint!


    Xuan Ji subconsciously stepped back a few steps and looked up, only to see the entire iron door covered with handprints, footprints, and traces of who knows which part of the body being slammed against it, as if... something inside was repeatedly slamming against the door, trying to break it open!


    At this time, there was a loud "bang" from inside the iron door, and the flame in Xuan Ji''s hand quivered violently before extinguishing.


    In the darkness, the sound of flesh slamming against the iron door kept coming, muffled and frantic, sending chills down people''s spines.


    Xuan Ji''s neck hair stood on end, but strangely, under such huge fear, the iron door felt like a black hole, exerting a strange gravitational force, and he couldn''t help but reach out to touch it, instead of turning and running away.


    Just as his hand was about to touch the iron door, a sharp bell rang in Xuan Ji''s ear, and a dazzling light rushed into the terrifying dream, and Xuan Ji''s consciousness quickly separated.


    When he woke up, he heard a groan of extreme pain in the sound of the iron door slamming: "Your Majesty..."


    Xuan Ji opened his eyes in a cold sweat, blanking out for two seconds before reacting that it was his cellphone ringing. He rubbed the ridges pressed onto his face by the dictionary and exhaled a foul breath: "Director Xiao, did you have a new instruction or did you just wake up?"


    "Something is wrong with that parasitized boy," Xiao Zheng interrupted him. "The butterfly on his body is infectious!"

 CH 15

    The lobby of the Bureau was in a mess after being struck by lightning summoned by the Yin Sacrifice ritual. The ground lobby to the tenth floor were all sealed off and under renovation. Even the trees were surrounded by a tight layer of protective steel plates.


    Xuan Ji had no choice but to take a detour and enter from the parking lot.


    The sixtieth floor underground of the headquarters building was the "Isolation Room", used to store all kinds of dangerous items that they did not yet have a method to to resolve, with three security checks at the entrance.


    Xuan Ji could not let go of his sword, so he unknowingly brought the heavenly demon with him into the headquarters. Sheng Lingyuan was forced to be scanned by the security scanner three times in the sword, and his temper nearly erupted.


    When Xiao Zheng called, the heavenly demon was in the sword, closing his eyes and meditating. He didn''t originally plan to close his eyes, but the fragments of bamboo slips the little demon had a familiar scent that he was quite interested in. He hoped that after the little demon spread out the bamboo slips, he could have a suitable angle to take a look. Who knew that after looking at it for a few lines, he would fall down and sleep soundly.


    There may be some connection between the master of the sword and the original sword. As soon as he fell asleep, a strong drowsiness quickly came from the sword body, forcing the demon in the sword to take a nap.


    Xiao Zheng''s call not only interrupted Xuan Ji''s nightmare, but also woke up the heavenly demon in the sword. Upon waking up, Sheng Lingyuan felt cold in his heart. Because this sword body was like a top-notch cosy resort, it was too comfortable. After staying in it for a while, his sea of knowledge had already calmed down, and the unbearable pain from the Yin Sacrifice backlash had almost completely disappeared.


    There was something strange about this sword body.


    Sheng Lingyuan hated to look at beautiful things. Anything that did not bring pain, or even made him feel comfortable, would make him vigilant, because temptation often hides traps. The last time he was awakened by the Yin Sacrifice ritual, Sheng Lingyuan was in a daze and didn''t understand what the summoner was saying, but the resentment and killing intent in the words were clearly visible. He could roughly guess what was going on.


    So who trapped him in the sword this time?


    The master of the sword, the little demon himself, was the most suspicious. Although he always looked like he knew nothing, and even showed his heartbeat and breathing, there was a dark spirit beside his bed. Did this kind of pure-blooded demon really have no suspicion at all?


    What is his purpose?


    Xuan Ji didn''t know that he was being plotted about by the sword in his hand. As soon as he entered the isolation room, before he had time to greet Xiao Zheng, he saw several people pushing a low-temperature cooler box quickly passing by him.


    "Who is this?"


    "A field agent. When looking for the boy, he was on the front line," Xiao Zheng stepped forward, "After coming into contact with the boy, several frontline agents have similar ''sudden change of sex'' symptoms, but they are all manifested in some small things. If it weren''t for the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly incident that made everyone in the bureau uneasy, these symptoms might have been ignored. The consequences can be imagined¨Cit takes about fifteen to thirty days for Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly to spread from infection to death. We have secretly isolated all the people who have been in contact with the boy in the past month¨Ccome and see."


    Xiao Zheng said, while leading Xuan Ji into a room with a "danger" sign on the door. In the middle was a glass cover with three layers inside and three layers outside. Inside the cover was a butterfly, very small, about the size of a fingertip.


    "This butterfly was taken from the boy and is still alive."


    There was a magnifying glass on the glass cover, which was convenient for observation. Xuan Ji had never seen a Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly, so he went closer. He saw that the butterfly was shining with five-colored fluorescence, and there was a small face on each of its left and right wings. Looking closely, the "face" could even move. First, there was a pair of smiling faces. As soon as Xuan Ji approached, the "smiling faces" disappeared. The face on the left wing of the butterfly changed to fear... and the face on the right wing was crying.


    "Did I scare the butterfly to tears?" Xuan Ji wondered in his heart, "Am I so ferocious?"


    Before he could see clearly, the butterfly''s wings flapped quickly in the glass cover, hitting the four walls repeatedly, and then suddenly disappeared.


    Xuan Ji unconsciously leaned back.


    "It''s just invisible. Don''t worry, it can''t get out of the sealed box, it''s still inside." Xiao Zheng paused and looked at Xuan Ji with a frown, "But usually Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterflies only become invisible after infecting humans. Turning invisible outside of the body has never happened before. Why did it become abnormal when it saw you?"


    "In ancient times, there were closed moons and shy flowers, sinking fish and falling geese," Xuan Ji touched his face, "How about it, Director Xiao, do you think my flowery moon looks were enough to make the butterfly a little shy?"


    Xiao Zheng: "..."


    Why didn''t the eighty-odd thunderbolts split this thing up?


    Xuan Ji found a chair and sat down: "What''s the difference between this special butterfly and the ones that have been ''sterilized'' before?"


    Xiao Zheng opened his laptop and released an enlarged photo: "You see, the one on the left is the butterfly separated from Bi Chunsheng''s husband''s body. Look closely, there are three black lines on the butterfly''s abdomen - the one on the right is what you just saw, there is nothing on the abdomen. According to historical records, these Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterflies were sealed by some ancient special masters. With fewer and fewer special people in the later generations, it was difficult to keep these dangerous items, so they were handed over to the bureau. We guess that when the ancients first sealed the butterfly eggs, they may have done something special to ensure that they would not spread in the crowd after infecting humans."


    Xuan Ji: "What is the transmission method of this special butterfly?"


    "It looks like it''s a contact transmission."


    "Great," Xuan Ji gave a thumbs up and said dryly, "Zombies in a biochemical crisis still have to take a bite ¨C have you checked the butterfly eggs that Bi Chunsheng stole?"


    "The Research Institute is simulating an emergency hatching in a human environment to test whether these butterflies have reproductive ability," Xiao Zheng said, "The result has not come out yet."


    "What about that little mustache? The last sacrifice, what about the butterfly on him? "


    "The last sacrifice, Ji Qingchen, was shot in the head by a mithril bullet, and the butterfly on him was also killed by the bullet, so it can''t be confirmed."


    "That''s troublesome," Xuan Ji leaned back and said softly, "I don''t know whether to hope that the investigation will find a problem or not. If it is confirmed that the larvae used by Bi Chunsheng have mutated, then... it''s better that the butterfly on the child was released by her, otherwise it''s over."


    Xiao Zheng was scared by his midnight ghost story.


    "The things that Bi Chunsheng does have a time limit, clues, and traces that can be followed. It''s not a problem if it takes a lot of work to investigate. But if the butterfly on that child''s body was infected from elsewhere, then... who gave it to him? Before it was transmitted to him, how many people were infected? Is it possible that this thing is already spreading widely in the crowd - maybe now everyone in the world, except for the two of us, has become a walking corpse controlled by butterflies... Maybe even we are butterflies, but we just don''t know it yet, and we''re still playing the game of "cops and robbers". As Zhuangzi said, ''Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?''."


    Xiao Zheng''s face turned green from what he said: "Dreaming my ass, shut up!"


    "Director Xiao, let''s embrace the optimistic spirit of revolution and think rationally," Xuan Ji slowly shifted the tone of the conversation. "Nothing in this world is new. If there is a possibility of a large-scale butterfly infection event, it must have happened before in the 5,000 years of our history. It wouldn''t have waited until now to happen to you. And you are not the chosen child, either."


    "Get out!" Xiao Zheng first frowned and then slightly wrinkled his brows, hearing the meaning of the words, "Slow down, what do you mean?"


    Xian Ji said: "Have you ever thought that for this species of butterfly, been an ''eunuch'' is the norm?"


    "You mean that these butterflies may not reproduce sexually..."


    "I mean that these butterflies don''t reproduce at all."


    Xiao Zheng: "Don''t talk nonsense, how can there be animals that don''t reproduce in the world..."


    "Yes, there are," Xuan Ji retorted. "Isn''t that what mules are for? Young master, you don''t have to worry about farming."


    Xiao Zheng was silenced by him.


    "I suspect that these butterflies, like mules, are the ''wisdom'' of our ancestors - Comrade Xiao Zheng, do you really think that the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly is naturally born? If it really is like that, what is the difference between the human brain and the pig brain for parasites, why does this thing only parasitise humans?"


    Xiao Zheng shivered, not knowing what he was thinking.


    Xian Ji pointed at Xiao Zheng''s chest vaguely with a smile: "Monsters, demons, ghosts, and strange creatures, which one is more vicious than human hearts?"


    As he spoke, he used the back of his index finger to rub back and forth on the blade, his fingers were dexterous and dangerous, as if playing with fire. The sword was not put back into the "sheath", so it was hung outside, the body of the sword was thick and simple, with only two sharp edges that formed two lines, and the unclean blood stains on it were like some kind of ancient totem, adding a bit of dangerous atmosphere.


    As the pain from the backlah subsided, Sheng Lingyuan''s senses became more and more sensitive. At this time, he could already feel the sound of blood flowing under Xian Ji''s finger skin from the almost imperceptible touch on the blade. The heavenly demon was very patient and not afraid of being touched, but just looking at that small section of blood vessels hidden under the skin, a sense of hunger and thirst that had been separated for thousands of years suddenly surged up, almost making him unable to concentrate on what the two were saying.


    He found himself wanting to drink blood.


    Sheng Lingyuan calmed down and thought that he should not have had such an appetite before, although his memory was like a broken sieve, completely empty, he didn''t think he had this kind of appetite before. He couldn''t tell whether he simply wanted to drink blood or was only interested in the blood of this little demon. He savored the waves of heat and burning, feeling it was a bit novel.


    At this time, Xian Ji seemed to have sensed the danger, and his fingers shrank suddenly. He said to Director Xiao: "Do you still remember what the Bureau''s archives said about the ''Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly''?"


    Before Xiao Zheng could answer, he recited it himself: "''Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly'', parasitic organism, first-level danger, only parasitises humans. Larvae and eggs can hibernate for a long time. Once they grow into adults, they no longer have the ability to parasitise new hosts. When they leave the original host or the original host dies, the adults often die within a short time, usually within an hour."


    Xian Ji pointed to the glass sealed box behind him - the little butterfly appeared again as soon as he left, quietly lying on the glass wall: "Look at it, it has been taken away from the host for a few days, right? I see that it is still in good shape."


    Xiao Zheng took out a crocodile-skin wallet from his pocket: "From now on, I''ll give you a hundred yuan for every minute you can speak human language."


    Rumour had it that Xiao Zheng was a rich second-generation and his family had a mine, and that he worked not for money, but for self-realisation. It seemed the rumours were true!


    "Okay, Dad!" Xuan Ji straightened up upon hearing the offer, and his tone immediately softened.


    Without a second thought, he composed himself, "The reason why people infected with the ''Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly'' are not easily detected is also due to this aspect - think about it, if butterflies can survive outside the human body and reproduce inside it, what kind of scene would it be? After the infected person dies, a large group of colorful butterflies will fly out of the seven orifices of their corpse. Father, we may have already seen countless horror versions of ''The Butterfly Lovers'' live on stage.


    Before he finished speaking, a researcher wearing a full isolation suit ran in, panting: "Director Xiao, the test results are out! The half-jar of insect eggs taken from Bi Chunsheng''s house are all non-reproductive processed butterflies..."


    "So the question is," Xuan Ji stroked his chin, "what is so special about the boy from Dongchuan?"


    "We have investigated all of the boy''s social relationships, and he has no direct or indirect contact with the Bureau. The only person he has been in contact with in this incident is the last sacrifice, Ji Qingchen," Xiao Zheng said quickly. "Ji Qingchen is nothing special either. He was also saved by Bi Chunsheng. He usually makes money by making videos and live streaming, but nothing decent. He disappears whenever there is an incident. He has been walking around at night and sometimes encounters ''real ghosts''. The carnivorous beast incident he experienced was handled by Bi Chunsheng."


    "He is the last sacrifice, so ''nothing special'' is already very special," Xuan Ji said. "This little-mustached man has put out more than forty short videos and over a dozen live streams. I have gone through them all these past few days..."


    Xiao Zheng was taken aback. He didn''t expect Xuan Ji, who seemed like a layabout, to be so meticulous in his work. In shock, he asked: "You watched them all? In just a few days?"


    "Yeah," Xuan Ji shrugged inexplicably. "In my spare time. When I''m taking a bath, going to the toilet, eating... When I eat alone, I also ''eat streams''. What do you use to accompany your meals?"


    Xiao Zheng: "Books."


    Xuan Ji was also shocked: "Are you sick?"


    The internet-addicted youth and the iron-blooded veteran looked at each other, both feeling that the other was incomprehensible.


    Director Xiao needed him, so he had to temporarily agree to disagree. He asked: "What''s wrong with his videos?"


    "Most of the content in these forty-plus short videos are him solving ''paranormal problems'' for others. He talks vaguely, and it''s obviously a swindler''s trick. A group of people follow him regularly, and they tell others how the ''master'' saved them.


    "Is that what they call ''network water army''?"


    "It''s not necessarily. The narrators vary in level, and each person has their own unique version. If it''s a water army, the water is too real and sincere. Although the versions are different, the experiences they tell are similar¡ªthey encountered a master somewhere one day, the master calculated that there was a disaster, they didn''t believe it at first, but after going back for a few days, they were ''possessed by a lonely ghost'', with symptoms of ''clear mind but body out of control''. They desperately sent out a distress signal, but their family couldn''t understand it, and in the end, it was the master who saved them. How about it, does it sound familiar?"


    Xiao Zheng pondered for a moment: "You mean that Ji Qingchen might have come into contact with the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly or something similar before?"


    Xuan Ji narrowed his eyes and smiled, looking like a dandy without a backbone. He raised his sword to shine on his face, then glanced at his watch and took five hundred yuan from Xiao Zheng''s wallet without hesitation.


    "Five minutes and twenty seconds. Since we¡¯re friends, I won¡¯t count the twenty. Get the plane ready. I''m going to Dongchuan to investigate Ji Qingchen''s eight generations of ancestors. " Xuan Ji returned the wallet to Xiao Zheng. In front of the researcher, he said nothing, only smiled meaningfully. "Don''t worry."


    Xiao Zheng was stunned for a moment and suddenly understood his meaning - rest assured, if this was the only butterfly mutation event, as long as it was investigated, the impact could be minimized and it wouldn''t be a big deal.


    For some reason, Xiao Zheng was not relieved, but instead felt a lump in his throat.


    Xuan Ji picked up the heavy sword and left, and the person in the sword was still guessing the words he didn''t understand: "Prepare what plane?"


    In the Bureau, everyone was in a panic due to the self-investigation, and the Aftermath Department was so busy that they wished they didn''t exist.


    When Xuan Ji entered the office, he felt like he had stumbled into a botanical garden - everywhere were freshly cut green luo leaves, packed in plastic mineral water bottles and hung in a row in the corner of the wall.


    Luo Cuicui explained nervously: "Leader, when I''m nervous, my fingers and toes will grow crazily, and I can''t control it, so I have to cut it off... Uh, do you have any instructions today?"


    The green was certainly eye-catching, but when he thought that some of them were grown out of Old Luo''s socks, Xuan Ji felt that the whole office was filled with a strange smell, and his feet stopped and he stepped back: "Luo Cuicui, Ping Qianru, and... uh... forget it, I''m not familiar with them. You two find someone else and come with me on a business trip to Dongchuan. Other comrades can take care of the office when they are not busy."


    The staff management manual of the Aftermath Department had some rigid regulations, such as when the number of people in the business trip team was not less than four, the department''s special plane could be used to save costs. Since Bi Chunsheng was not here, a young man in a hoodie was temporarily called out to make up the number. Thirty minutes later, he, Xuan Ji, Luo Cuicui and Ping Qianru got on the plane together.


    The man in the hoodie was called Yang Chao, in his twenties, with eight eyebrows, a neck that seemed shorter than normal, and a face of sorrow at a young age. He was carrying a stack of books.


    "This is our department''s little Yang," Luo Cuicui introduced, "he is especially good at memorizing books, knows everything, you can ask him many things, faster than getting documents from the Bureau."


    Before Yang Chao could greet Xuan Ji, he sneezed a few times, making his facial features look like a pig and a dog.


    Xuan Ji: "Uh... If you¡¯re not feeling well, don''t force yourself, it''s not an issue to swop with someone else."


    "It''s okay, Director, I have rhinitis, and I''m prone to illness when I''m nervous and anxious." Yang Chao took out a wrinkled mask from his pocket and put it on, and said in a muffled voice, "I can do it."


    Xuan Ji was not very relieved, feeling that this person was not very reliable, but he hesitated for a moment and still said nothing - let''s go, after all, it''s just to make up the number, and it''s better than summoning a big demon.


    "Why do you bring a book on a business trip?"


    "To review for the exam," Yang Chao answered honestly, "in case I pass the exam, I have to resign, so I want to save some money. Our department has allowances and meals on business trips, so I can save one day''s meal expenses. Thank you colleagues for giving me the opportunity."


    After listening to his thrifty words, Xuan Ji unconsciously thought of his bank card balance, and couldn''t help but feel sad: "Ah, let''s go then."


    "Qianyang." Thought Sheng Lingyuan, he "looked" from the sword, just as Yang Chao glanced this way, as if he had met the sword''s gaze, he was startled and sneezed almost enough to make the plane fly. This amused the great demon, who remarked, "Despite having diluted bloodline, your perception is quite sharp."


    At this time, the plane began to announce takeoff.


    Sheng Lingyuan was still thinking whether "takeoff" had any implied meaning, when the plane had already accelerated along the runway, and with a numbing roar, it left the ground and pulled towards the sky.


    The heavy sword that was not properly placed fell down due to inertia, and Xuan Ji subconsciously stretched out his hand to catch it. His palm was just on the sword blade, and this sword that was pulled out from his back cut his hand open - blood flowed down along the sword groove.

 CH 16

    The two people inside and outside the sword were stunned. In theory, the life-bound sword should not be able to cut himself¡ªotherwise, Xuan Ji would have been paralyzed a long time ago if he had inserted the sword into his back every day.


    Sheng Lingyuan didn''t expect that this iron "chicken" could run two steps and then take off. He was distracted for a moment, and the sword blade touched the human skin and flesh. The desire for blood overwhelmed his rationality. When he came to his senses, it was too late.


    The skin on the human hand is thin and the blood vessels are numerous. The heavy sword was embedded in Xuan Ji''s palm, and the blood flowed like a fountain. The sword¡¯s groove was filled in the blink of an eye. Luo Cuicui heard the noise and looked out. "Oh my God!" He was so scared that she sprouted. The green vine grew panickedly and circled around her neck. He said greenly, "Blood! My mother! So much blood! Quickly stop the car... no, that... hurry up and save your life!"


    Old Luo shouted hard, and he shrank so quickly as though he was afraid of being touched by the blood.


    Ping Qianru finally jumped up in a panic, forgetting to unlock the seat belt, and the chocolates and fish skins rolled all over the ground. Only Yang Chao was still calm. He was about to come and help when he just took two steps. This sneezing monster raised his head to the sky and prepared to erupt. Xuan Ji was afraid that the wound would be stained with a lot of mucus, so he quickly refused his kindness.


    The sword blade seemed to be embedded in his palm, greedily sucking his blood and qi.


    Sheng Lingyuan had a "since it has come, then accept it" temperament. Since he had cut it, he simply sucked the blood to his heart''s content. He seemed to have been hungry and cold for a long time, and he drank a bowl of hot meat soup. Even if his mouth was burned by the hot soup, he still didn''t want to spit it out. More and more fresh blood poured into the sword body. His mind suddenly became much clearer, and his vision suddenly expanded. For a moment, he could even see all the people and things in the cabin through the heavy sword.


    In the noise of the plane, Xuan Ji seemed to hear a sigh of "how fresh..." in his ear.


    Xuan Ji''s arm was trembling, and he didn''t care about fire being forbidden on the plane. With the other hand dipped in blood, he quickly drew a complex rune on the sword body. The heavy sword burned. With a "bang", it fell off from his palm, and the voice in his ear hummed lightly, but it seemed to ignore this attack and hummed lowly and laughed.


    Before the fire alarm sounded, Xuan Ji stretched out his hand and gathered the flames on the sword body into his palm. When the fire swept past, he saw a pair of gentle and affectionate eyes in the reflection of the sword body. They were red from the fire, but still smiling, with a creepy gentleness.


    Ping Qianru finally broke free from the seat belt and ran over like a gust of wind. Xuan Ji was afraid that she would touch this dangerous sword, so he stepped on the heavy sword on the ground and pushed it under the seat. Sheng Lingyuan had just benefitted, and he didn''t care about the honor or disgrace of being stepped on.


    "Director, are you okay, Director? Where did you cut it? "Ping Qianru was shocked by the blood on the ground and asked with a crying voice, "Is it the aorta?"


    Xuan Ji said helplessly: "Girl, do you expect me to be okay?"


    "Wait, we have a first-aid kit. I''ll find it for you. You can hold on for a while." Ping Qianru ran around in a hurry and turned back to call, "Hold on for a while!"


    "Ah," Xuan Ji nodded helplessly to her, "Slow down, don''t fall."


    After all, the life-bound sword was the life-bound sword. As soon as it left his palm, the wound began to heal on its own. In a few words, the severed muscles had begun to repair themselves. Xuan Ji supported his wounded hand and his gaze fell on the sword handle exposed under the seat. His expression was unfathomable.


    He was silent for a moment, and then he lowered his voice with the noise of the plane and said, "You are a bit ungrateful... this ''majesty''?"


    Xuan Ji began to doubt his life-bound sword. It was from the pile of classics that Dao Yi gave him before his noon break¡ªit was from the tattered "Dongchuan Witches Book". It said that the heavenly demon is "a great power fallen, leading the demon qi of heaven and earth into the flesh, even if the flesh is destroyed, if its will arises again, there will still be the gathering of demon qi and the return to the human world. The name of the human demon cannot be spoken or thought of, and it must not be disturbed".


    In short, no matter what it was at the beginning, once it changed from "human" to "demon", it became another kind of existence. The original shell was like a bottle of water, and when the bottle broke, the water would definitely spill, but under certain conditions of time, place, and people, the spilled liquid still had a chance to gather together.


    Theoretically, demons can attach to other things with spirituality.


    Xuan Ji didn''t know if his sword counted as "spiritual", although it had never made a sound before and had never shown any potential to become a spirit, but Xuan Ji always felt that it was not a dead thing. Since he had memory, this sword had been with him all the time, it seemed to be able to catch every subtle thought of his, even those that he hadn''t reacted to himself.


    And the mysterious and inseparable connection between man and sword suddenly disappeared after the sword was splashed with demon blood.


    The sword became colder and colder, and at the moment when Xuan Ji was awakened by Xiao Zheng''s call at noon, he had a strong feeling - as if there was another person''s breathing in the sword.


    What really made him sure that there was something wrong with the sword was actually the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly. When he approached the butterfly, the pair of smiling faces on its wings changed, one changed to a frightened face, and the other changed to a crying face - the fear was understandable, they all said he belonged to fire, fire was the natural nemesis of these things, and the butterfly seeing him was probably equivalent to seeing a large crematorium.


    But what about the little crying face?


    If the butterfly had no extra ability to evolve besides its extraordinary longevity, it could only be that it felt the existence of another person... or something else.


    Xuan Ji was born in the raging fire, and his life-bound sword should theoretically be avoided by all evils, and nothing evil should be attached to it. But if it was that heavenly demon... it was not impossible for such a strange thing to happen, after all, even the ring was protecting the demon.


    The demon head said something when he killed Bi Chunsheng regardless of the Yin Sacrifice contract, and only Xuan Ji, who was closest to him, heard it. There were two words in the sentence that made him pay attention, one was "I" and the other was "you all".


    "You" seems to imply that there is someone behind Bi Chunsheng, and "I" reveals more information.


    Before the great chaos ¨C to be precise, before the first "Pingyuan War", "I" meant "I", theoretically anyone could use it. Later, when the emperor''s ambition expanded and began to conquer the Chiyuan, he made this word something that only the royal family could use. People who said this out loud were either people born before the Ping Dynasty, or some emperors after that, or leaders of some minority ethnic groups imitating the Central Plains system. And the demon head said "Qingping Division" when he was in the Red Marsh Hospital. The Qingping Division did not exist before Qi Ping Emperor, it was an original institution created by Sheng Xiao, the son of Ping Emperor and the Great Emperor of Qi, so the demon probably belonged to the second group.


    Xuan Ji decided to be vague and pretend to try.


    Unexpectedly, as soon as his words fell, he heard a hoarse voice laughing low beside his ear: "So what do you want me to do to repay you?"


    This sentence was nothing, and then there was an even more shocking sentence - Xuan Ji heard the demon head in the sword say: "Want to cheat me? This little demon is not small in courage."


    Xuan Ji''s mind was blank for a moment, and then his whole body''s hair exploded: "Damn, he can hear what I''m thinking!"


    At the same time, Sheng Lingyuan in the sword obviously "heard" his swearing, and realized something.


    These two people belong to the type with thousands of tricks and fathomless eyes. Unexpectedly, one day they were forced to "understand each other''s minds" with a stranger whose position was unclear.


    They were connected even more tightly!


    The reactions of the two were quite consistent. Almost at the same time, they emptied their brains and forced themselves to focus on one thing, cutting off all thoughts ¨C Xuan Ji began to count Luo Cuicui''s hair on his head, and Sheng Lingyuan in the sword recited an incomprehensible ancient scripture.


    People with deep minds can control their microexpressions, and some masters can even accurately arrange their body language, but who can control their own brains?


    Comrade Luo Cuicui was rather finite, Xuan Ji soon counted them all, and a thought still could not help but emerge: "I''ve seen a ghost, what broken situation is this?"


    Sheng Lingyuan recited his ancient scripture with grinding teeth.


    Xuan Ji''s thoughts ran wild: "The Bureau has pitted me, and they haven''t paid my fourteen months'' salary yet, this matter is not over."


    Although Sheng Lingyuan''s scripture that he was reciting was incomprehensible to anyone else, Xuan Ji could tell from his intonation that he had repeated one sentence three or four times, and then he couldn''t help but let out a sentence: "I will cut the one who initiated the Yin Sacrifice ritual into a thousand pieces."


    Xuan Ji''s mind stirred: "So there is someone who initiated the Yin Sacrifice rituall? Is Bi Chunsheng really just a puppet on the surface?"


    He threw out a question, and two voices came out from Sheng Lingyuan''s side at the same time.


    One was the unhurried and relaxed tone he used when he spoke, accompanied by a light laugh: "You guess."


    The other was cold: "Nonsense."


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    Master Demon, you are so sharp.


    Sheng Lingyuan''s contradictory response was instinctive, and after he said it, he reacted: "What does ''sharp'' mean?"


    "Sharp means..." Xuan Ji couldn''t explain clearly for a moment, his mind was in chaos, and the noise in his heart gathered into a group, finally converging into a sentence, "I''m going crazy, what a mess."


    No one on the plane knew that in the blink of an eye, the calm and wooden Xuan Master and his sword had a chain reaction in his mind. Ping Qianru took out the first-aid kit and ran back: "How is it? Master, I''ve never used this first-aid kit before, do you know how to use it"


    "Give me a wet tissue first." Xuan Ji raised his injured hand for her to see, and the wound that had been bleeding profusely was now only left with a shallow white mark, "Then tell me, the carpet cleaning fee can be reimbursed, right?"


    Ping Qianru stared at his intact hand in a daze.


    Xuan Ji: "Sorry, you came too late, you didn''t get to see it healing."


    The good thing about the special world is that everyone''s special abilities are not too similar, so when everyone finds that the other person has some incredible abilities, most of them are not too surprised. The last time Ping Qianru went on a business trip with this new boss was unforgettable - thunder and lightning, fire and ice, and two buildings were blown up. Compared with this, the wound healing quickly seemed not so shocking, so she just shocked for a moment, accepted the setting, and started to help him clean up the blood.


    Xuan Ji emptied his mind through the mechanical wiping work, and Sheng Lingyuan recited the classics and histories back and forth several times. After cleaning up the blood, the two finally calmed down from the chaos.


    Then Xuan Ji found that his "thirst for the sword" had relapsed, and the strong sense of anxiety was even more fierce than before. He was like a hungry ghost seeing steamed buns, and the craving of an addict broke all rationality. Xuan Ji endured with inhuman perseverance for five minutes, and then his rationality collapsed, and he "asked" the heavy sword out from under the seat with both hands, trembling and started "sucking the sword".


    Sheng Lingyuan: "Impudent!"


    Xuan Ji avoided the sword edge, desperately rubbing the cold sword body: "I said, Senior, you don''t want us to be like this, do you have any ideas?"


    Sheng Lingyuan was brief and concise: "Let me out."


    Xuan Ji: "Do you think I don''t want to? I don''t even know how you got in!"


    Sheng Lingyuan didn''t say anything out loud, but he thought darkly in his heart: "Once the owner of the sword dies, the life-bound sword will destroy itself."


    Xuan Ji forcibly suppressed the impulse to stick his face to the sword body, and said in despair: "OK, great lord, you¡¯re welcome to try."


    Sheng Lingyuan looked at Xuan Ji''s neck artery from the sword body, and his voice was very dangerous: "Little demon, I am parasitized in this sword, and I will be able to control the sword body in time. If you don''t want to be headless in your dream one day, it''s better to break the sword."


    Xuan Ji sighed: "But I don''t have this skill."


    His "separation anxiety" with his life-bound sword was not only unbearable without touching the sword for a while, he couldn''t even think of breaking the sword in his mind. As soon as he had this thought, he was in pain all over, as if his own body was smashed. Besides, his sword was immune to fire and water, and could melt gold and break jade. Even if he was willing to give up, he really didn''t know how to break it.


    They were forced to be honest with each other and hiding was no longer an option, both of them knew what was going on. Sheng Lingyuan found out that the little demon was as he had guessed, completely clueless and ignorant. Xuan Ji found out that the big demon had no memory and his memory was like a fog, no beginning and no end.


    The two of them had exposed each other''s shallow depths, so they could only stand side by side in a deadlock amidst the sound of the plane engine. While thinking of how to kill each other, they also had a hint of sympathy for each other in this strange tacit understanding.


    After a while, Xuan Ji started to actively solve the problem. He tried to put aside his grievances and negotiate with the big demon who was connected to his mind: "Senior, why don''t we try to share information and be honest with each other? I think that in life, we can tell people everything, right?"


    Before he finished speaking, Sheng Lingyuan heard the little demon say uncontrollably: "Like hell."


    The big demon also chuckled and said: "That''s right, what you said makes sense."


    Along with the thought of "like hell" that was sent back.


    Next, the two of them quickly exchanged insults with their minds. Xuan Ji saw that this was not a solution, so he fully demonstrated the glorious qualities of modern society, bending and stretching, and quickly adjusted his mentality: "Senior, although we both want to send each other to the end, no one can do it in a short time, right? You don''t want to be so exposed either."


    Sheng Lingyuan didn''t explain, he understood the meaning of "privacy" according to the context. After a moment of silence, Xuan Ji heard him go through a lot of spiritual techniques that he had never heard of in his mind. Before he could "hear" clearly, Sheng Lingyuan said: "Unite the mind and enter a state of concentration, and you can eliminate distractions."


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    Sheng Lingyuan: "You don''t even know what entering a state of concentration is?"


    Xuan Ji did know what it was, the ancient books of his clan had detailed how to enter a state of concentration. People who enter a state of concentration do not need to eat or sleep, and are not affected by external objects ¨C he understood the principle, but now it was working hours, his colleagues were discussing the case and waiting for him to assign tasks, and he was closing his eyes and meditating next to them, how could that be possible?


    What''s more, he couldn''t do it either.


    Sheng Lingyuan thought he had heard it wrong: "What can''t you do?"


    Can''t enter a state of concentration?


    How did you grow up then?


    Xuan Ji may have some physical defects, he couldn''t even learn meditation. When he was working in the company before, the company''s employee assistance program invited a psychological counselor to take the employees to do "positive meditation" exercises, which was similar to meditation. Xuan Ji didn''t need much guidance, and he could easily enter that "body and mind as a mirror" state, but every time he was "awakened" by an inexplicable fear and panic for no reason, it was as if there was a mechanism on his body to prevent him. After trying twice or three times, he started to instinctively reject this activity, and he never participated in it afterwards.


    "This is interesting, I have never seen someone who can''t enter a state of concentration before, it really is a big world, full of surprises," Sheng Lingyuan saw his memory, and then said very casually, "It doesn''t matter, I will do it."


    "Wait a minute," Xuan Ji shouted to him, "Senior, you... you are knowledgeable, isn''t there a better way? Entering a state of concentration is inconvenient."


    Sheng Lingyuan entering a state of concentration unilaterally could indeed isolate the two from each other''s perception. This was equivalent to erecting a door in the unexpectedly connected sea of knowledge between the two. The only problem was that this door was "locked" - the big demon could open it whenever he wanted.


    Sheng Lingyuan''s voice carried a smile: "It can''t be more inconvenient than it is now, so it''s settled."


    Xuan Ji: "No! I don''t agree, this is unfair!"


    The big demon laughed out loud, without hesitation, in the blink of an eye, there was no sound from him. Xuan Ji could only vaguely hear the long and even breathing in his original sword.


    Damn it!


    The plane threw the broken negotiations and the bitter aftertaste behind, and flew to Dongchuan.

 CH 17

    "Director, headquarters sent over the information about the last offering of the Yin Sacrifice ritual, Ji Qingchen," Ping Qianru carefully examined Xuan Ji''s face, feeling that it was full of the numbness of despair from being strangled by fate, "Um... do you want to hear it?"


    Xuan Ji, whose privacy was now at risk, said with a gloomy face: "Speak."


    "Ji Qingchen, born locally in Dongchuan, was expelled from high school for fighting. After that, he worked for a while in a pyramid scheme organization, which was later disbanded by the police. He then worked in a folk shop as a casual laborer for a year. Perhaps inspired by this experience, he later became obsessed with "occultism" and began selling folk remedies, fortune telling, and other things, accumulating a lot of experience in fraud and deception. In recent years, with the development of the internet, he has been attracting attention by posting bizarre videos online, while also scamming people offline."


    "He''s also a swindler who specializes in ''Internet Plus.''


    You young people may not know the tricks of these swindlers in the area, so let me tell you,'' Luo Cuicui may have felt that his previous performance in front of the new leader was not heroic enough, and he was eager to show his presence and restore her reputation.


    She quickly added, ''First of all, you have to specifically target people who are rich, idle, superstitious, and imaginative.''


    "Are you talking about the boy who was infected by the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly?" Yang Chao joined the discussion. "I remember he lives with his mom?"


    "That child''s parents are divorced, and the mother and son rely on the child support provided by his father to make a living. His mother doesn''t have a formal job, and besides playing mahjong, she watches her child all day," Ping Qianru lowered her head and flipped through the information. "But the child''s father is in business and is quite wealthy. He gives a generous amount of child support every month, so the mother and son can be said to have ''plenty of money and free time.''"


    Luo Cuicui said: "Yes, after investigating the background of the victim, the first step is to let the child go ''undercover'', preparing a script like ''who are your family, what happened recently''... "


    Yang Chao hesitated and asked, "Are there still people falling for this kind of thing? Don''t they have public service announcements on TV every day?"


    "The gullible ones don''t watch public service announcements, and besides, there''s the next step - ''acting mysterious.'' First, talk about the past of the victim''s family. If they don''t believe it and suspect that I''ve investigated them, then I''ll predict their future. Generally, I''ll say something like ''you have a bit of financial luck this month'' or ''you need to be careful in the next few days, someone''s trying to trip you up.'' Eight or nine times out of ten, it''ll be accurate," said Luo Cuicui, spitting as he spoke.


    "For example, when your investment matures, your company gives you a bonus, or your stock goes up, that can be considered ''financial luck,'' right? The scammers target people who have money, so it''s normal for them to have some extra income every month. Or, if it''s the end of the year, end of the quarter, or end of the semester, whether you''re working or studying, you''re busy, and it''s normal to have a little problem in the midst of all that, which can be explained as ''usual bad luck,'' or of course, it could be explained as ''someone trying to trip you up.''


    "If the scammer is really unlucky and the victim has no extra income or problems, then it''s also easy to handle. They can find someone to throw five yuan in front of the victim''s house or have a few hooligans puncture the victim''s car tire, and then say that it was predicted - at this point, people who were a bit skeptical can believe it about seventy to eighty percent."


    Ping Qianru asked curiously: "How can you make the victim believe it completely?"


    Old Luo raised a finger and shook it: "Don''t take money."


    "Don''t take money?"


    "Yes, don''t take money. As long as you¡¯re not paid, you can say anything. The last step is to tell the victim ''you will have a disaster of blood and light at a certain time, my Taoism is too shallow, I can''t save you'', don''t say it too clearly, be vague, for example, ''you know who you have offended'', let the victim figure it out himself, and then run away before the victim comes to the door for the second time. If you don''t take a penny and run away, the victim will be more and more afraid when he goes back, and when people are afraid, they will have no reason."


    Yang Chao rubbed his always red nose: "What if the victim is scared away and seeks help from others?"


    "No way, even swindlers in the jianghu have their own turf. Everyone knows each other in a certain area. If you want to stay here for a long time, no one will stop you.¡± Xuan Ji took over the conversation and turned to Ping Qianru, ¡°Fatty, you make up an identity and leave a message under the video of that little mustached man. What were the symptoms of those who were cheated before?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they said it was like epilepsy, and also like being possessed. They were babbling and raving, they knew what was going on in their minds, but it was like they were ''possessed'' and couldn''t control their bodies. They could only occasionally take advantage of the ''possession'' when the ghost was tired and send a message for help to their families...except for the last boy, all the messages for help were written in ordinary words. Director, you don''t think these jianghu swindlers are really using Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly to hurt people and swindle money, do you?¡±


    Xuan Ji''s expression was somewhat solemn.


    According to the records in the Thousand Demon Bestiary, the typical host of a human-faced butterfly parasite does not have such a symptom of ''ghost possession''.


    When the butterfly first landed on a person, it would imitate the host in everything. Whatever the host thought, the butterfly would make the body do it. So at first, the host would not feel that their central nervous system and body circuits were cut off. After a few days, the host would find that there were some uncontrollable small movements, such as twitching and trembling, but most people would think that they were just too tired and wouldn''t think too much about it, until the butterfly controlled the host unconsciously and suddenly removed the disguise and no longer followed the host''s own thoughts. The host would suddenly ''lose'' control of their body and be completely helplessly trapped in their body until their brain died.


    But the butterfly on that boy''s body was already a mutant species. It was feared that these swindlers had somehow obtained the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly eggs and created a mutant species through their reckless actions. They had no idea how terrifying this thing could be and were just playing with fire.


    But then again, both the Thousand Demon Bestiary and the heavenly demon called the butterfly a ''human-faced butterfly''. The atlas did not write where the butterfly came from. Does the Demon Head know?


    Xuan Ji''s gaze fell on the heavy sword in his hand, wanting to pull the heavenly demon out and ask.


    As soon as this thought arose in his mind, the originally meditating Sheng Lingyuan suddenly experienced a huge shock in his spiritual sea. He was startled awake and his divine senses were almost injured. A sound like the striking of a Huangzhong bell reverberated in his ears, asking "Where does the human-face butterfly come from?"


    Sheng Lingyuan''s ear buzzed, and in that moment, Xuan Ji felt that the connection between him and the heavenly demon in the sword was re-established. Countless messy memories surged into the other''s mind, and a few shocking pictures flashed by¡ªthe corpses on the ground, men, women, old and young, piled up in thousands, and all the dead eyes were looking at him.


    Xuan Ji felt a chill in his back, but before he could understand it, those messy pictures and thoughts were suppressed again.


    Sheng Lingyuan''s thoughts fell silent again, and he was forced to enter the state again.


    "Director?"


    Xuan Ji was startled by Ping Qianru''s voice: "Hmm...what?"


    Ping Qianru was very good at observing words and colors. She always felt that there was a hint of shock on his face: "Do you have any other instructions?"


    Xuan Ji waved his hand: "No, everyone should go and do their work."


    After a moment, a "high reward for help" post quietly hung under the video that Ji Qingchen would never update again.


    Ji Qingchen''s place was where all kinds of swindlers and superstitious enthusiasts gathered, and not long after the fishing post was put up, they received various private message replies.


    The people from the Aftermath Department searched and collected various information separately. Xuan Ji pretended to browse web pages and slowly ran his fingertips over the sword. He thought of the scene just now and had a vague guess in his mind, deciding to conduct an experiment.


    He stared at the heavy sword, concentrated his energy, and thought in his mind: "Mr. Demonic Person who likes to float in wine, do you like to eat green peppers?"


    If Sheng Lingyuan had a physical body, he would have been driven crazy by Xuan Ji''s interference - his meditation was interrupted again, but this time it wasn''t a voice that broke into his consciousness. Instead, it was an unfamiliar plant scent, both spicy and strange, with a strong smell of grass and wood.


    Xuan Ji immediately felt the sword grow several degrees colder, and a surge of killing intent rushed towards him. He hid his face behind the computer screen, and the small mole in the corner of his eye rose up, revealing a wicked smile: "Oh, it looks like you don''t like it."


    Sheng Lingyuan had strong self-control and quickly suppressed his emotions: "What do you want?"


    "A new round of negotiations."


    "Say it."


    Xuan Ji crossed his legs and said, "You see, senior, you can activate and release the meditative state without my permission, which makes it very inconvenient for me. As the sword¡¯s master, I can also knock you out of the meditative state without your permission, which will also make it very inconvenient for you. Why can''t we agree on a way of getting along that is comfortable for both of us?"


    Sheng Lingyuan: "For example?"


    "Knock on each other''s doors, and let''s all be polite, sir." Xuan Ji said, "You promise to give me a signal before and after each meditation session, and I promise to save up any questions and not bother you unnecessarily. How about that?"


    The heavenly demon was good at sweet talk. If he were in the business of telecommunications fraud, he would surely have a remarkable record. But in reality, he didn''t like to waste words. As soon as Xuan Ji finished speaking, he felt a sudden movement in his heart. Then, a simple and elegant wooden door appeared in his consciousness. The door was propped up by a stone frame, and the two clean door panels had few decorations, except for the natural patterns on the wood itself. There was no door handle, and a pair of smoothly polished stones were inlaid where the handle would be.


    It looked like it could be knocked on.


    As soon as Xuan Ji thought of this idea, he heard a "ding" sound, like the sound of a silver bottle lightly colliding, and a long resonance emanated from the stone inlaid on the door.


    Sheng Lingyuan said succinctly, "This will be our signal.""


    After finishing speaking, the two door panels "snapped" shut automatically from the inside, representing that Sheng Lingyuan had cut off the contact between the two using a meditation method.


    Xuan Ji likes anything with a sense of design and has a collecting addiction¨C his entire bookshelf is filled with figurines. He usually can''t resist antique furniture and old record shops, and because of his collection of odds and ends, he rented a two-bedroom apartment in a prime location and lived in poverty.


    As soon as he saw this door, he was struck by something and was fascinated by it for a long time. He regretted that the things that others had put in his consciousness couldn''t be captured with his phone.


    What did this person, who called himself "Sheng Lingyuan," do before he became a demonic being? His taste is so good. However, the design of this door doesn''t seem to be the style of the Central Plains people; it''s more like that of an unknown ethnic group.


    Xuan Ji suddenly became curious about the identity of "Sheng Lingyuan."


    At this moment, Ping Qianru interrupted his appreciation of the artwork, "Director, look at this reply."


    Underneath their post, someone had sent a question: "Are these symptoms that appeared after the tenth of last month?"


    "This is a new account," Ping Qianru said. "The tenth of last month... isn''t that the time we deduced the boy was infected with the butterfly?"


    Xuan Ji made a short-term agreement with the heavenly demon, his thoughts temporarily liberated, and his brain began to function again. He immediately focused his attention back and asked, "Ask him how he knows."


    Ping Qianru immediately replied as instructed, and the other party sent a private message after a while without answering and asked another question: "Where does your bewitched relative live?"


    Xuan Ji pulled up a map of Dongchuan and pointed to a certain area, and Ping Qianru replied, "In Beixiaoba."


    The "relative" that Xuan Ji and the demon king were talking about was not fabricated out of thin air- they had borrowed the identity of a real person. This person was a small-time thug who lived near the infected boy''s home. He idled around all day, robbed children of their pocket money, and was quite despicable. He had a conflict with the infected boy after the boy was infected with the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly, probably because he was particularly brave in his attempt to rob the boy. He appeared to be quite chubby and unfortunate enough to be chosen as a host by the butterfly, and he is currently being secretly quarantined by the Bureau of Paranormal Control.


    The other party responded quickly this time, "He''s from Beixiaoba, so does he know this boy?"


    A picture was attached below, and it was the infected boy.


    Both sides exchanged a few words back and forth, and the other party was able to extract various pieces of information about their fabricated identities. Xuan Ji and the others could basically confirm that this was an informant who knew a lot and was likely the undercover agent of Ji Qingchen who never appeared in public.


    At the end, the other side said: "I know Teacher Ji. He recently went on a long trip and is not in the local area. Before he left, he left something with me, probably expecting someone with a connection to him to come and ask for help. I can try to help you, but don''t expect too much, be prepared for anything."


    Finally, the other person said, "I know Teacher Ji. He''s been traveling lately and isn''t in town. He left something for me before he left, maybe for someone who''s meant to find him for help. I can try to help you, but it might not work, so be prepared."


    Ping Qianru immediately replied, "Whatever amount of money you want is fine, as long as you can save the person."


    After hesitating for a moment, Ping Qianru quickly added a sentence under Xuan Ji''s signal, "I can give you half of the money first. Whether it works or not, you don''t have to return it as long as you can help me contact Teacher Ji."


    The other party, seeing that they were foolishly rich, responded quickly. As soon as Ping Qianru finished talking about giving the money, they immediately provided a time and location to meet, without any masterful aura.


    Xuan Ji said, "Let''s go!"


    The plane flew through the clouds, and the emblem of the Bureau of Paranormal Control on the tail fin was edged in gold by the sun. It was a pattern of two vines tightly wrapped around a sword. It landed at Dongchuan Airport with a whistle.


    The field agents of the local sub-bureau were isolated because they were suspected of being infected with the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly, but fortunately, the reception car and driver were still available. The people of Dongchuan were rich, and even the level of the public bus was two grades higher than that of the economically underdeveloped area of Chiyuan Grand Canyon.


    As the car drove on, the heavenly demon probably needed to take a breath. Xuan Ji heard a "ding" from the depths of his sea of consciousness and immediately collected his thoughts and prepared himself.


    Although Sheng Lingyuan had no conscience, he was really polite. As long as he didn''t reach the point of turning his face and killing people, this heavenly demon was not stingy with his thoughtfulness. After "knocking on the door," he waited for a while, as if giving Xuan Ji time to straighten out his clothes. Then Xuan Ji''s consciousness had a faint noise--another consciousness "woke up" from a state of concentration.


    Sheng Lingyuan didn''t come out to "take a breath". He wouldn''t be so restless that he couldn''t sit still for even a moment. For a cultivator who was able to go into seclusion and concentrate on cultivation for ten days or even a month, it was strange that he suddenly had a lot of distracting thoughts as soon as he arrived in Dongchuan.


    Has he been here before?


    He couldn''t remember.


    Dongchuan was a big city with complex roads and bridges and towering skyscrapers. It was also the peak season for local tourism in mid-autumn, so the roads were congested with people.


    As they moved with the flow of traffic, they were close to dusk when they arrived in the city. Walking side by side with a red sunset tour bus, Sheng Lingyuan looked out through the sword blade standing vertically by the car window and saw a group of middle-aged and elderly people wearing small orange hats singing loudly at him, "Fearless and unyielding, brave fighting, until those opposing are completely eliminated!"


    Sheng Lingyuan: "..."


    What kind of place is this, how can it be so noisy?


    After moving for about half an hour, they finally arrived at an intersection. The tourist bus turned a corner, and Sheng Lingyuan''s view suddenly opened up. He saw the suburbs of Dongchuan City at a glance. The distant mountains were like black ink, the clouds were not flowing, and the stars of lights gradually rose from the foot of the mountain and dissipated between the clouds and mists.


    Xuan Ji''s temples suddenly jumped inexplicably, and he felt a picture flashed in the sword''s heart - under a huge pear tree, the petals were like snow, and several children with blurred faces jumped from the tree, and a few incomprehensible songs came from a distant place...


    That scene disappeared in a flash, and Sheng Lingyuan realized that his thoughts had leaked out, and immediately concentrated on eliminating distractions.


    Xuan Ji inexplicably floated a melody in his heart, which just matched the song just now.


    Sheng Lingyuan in the sword was stunned: "How do you know this song?"


    "Familiar," Xuan Ji scratched his face, "Maybe I heard it somewhere... Some shops like to play niche songs - what is this?"


    There was no sound from Sheng Lingyuan''s side, not knowing whether he forgot or did not want to answer, Xuan Ji felt that he was looking at the scenery outside the window intently, emptying his thoughts, and unkindly began to loop a single song in his head.


    When they arrived at the agreed place with the criminal suspect, Xuan Ji''s head had been washed clean and only this foreign language song was left.


    The place where they prepared to catch their fish was a small park rarely visited by people. Old Luo drove a van and pretended to be the poster, pulling Yang Chao along. After Yang Chao''s protests were ineffective, he temporarily acted as the unlucky child who had been "possessed" and was tied up into a zongzi with layers of bandages, his face painted with bruises and swelling, creating a miserable "possession" effect, and was placed in the back seat of the van.


    Xuan Ji and Ping Qianru sat in another car and waited.


    Ping Qianru looked at Xuan Ji hesitantly, not daring to ask. Their department''s mysterious new director was replaying the news broadcast of the day on his laptop computer, as if doing a "listen-only" listening test, occasionally quietly repeating one or two words, as if preparing to play translator to a foreign friend.


    Ping Qianru had always been afraid of others'' gazes. After the third grade of elementary school, she basically lost the ability to raise her hand to answer questions in class. For the "fishing action," she could only provide technical support and was afraid that Director Xuan would improvise and give her a cameo.


    Suddenly, a "rustling" sound came from the walkie-talkie, and Luo Cuicui reported, "Director, someone is coming."


    Xuan Ji quickly closed his laptop with a "snap." He had excellent night vision and could see from afar a middle-aged man with a wispy beard. He walked to the agreed place with a bent waist, hunched back, floating steps, a heavy illness on his face, a vigilant and frightened expression, and moved around surreptitiously.


    Being interrupted while following the broadcast to learn Mandarin, Sheng Lingyuan said, "Hey," and interrupted, "What a fierce and murderous aura."


    "What does that mean?" Xuan Ji asked. "Does this guy kill people too?"


    "No," Sheng Lingyuan looked through the car window for a moment, "It came from elsewhere."


    Luo Cuicui got out of the car to greet the goat-bearded man and said something to him. Old Luo had a miserable expression, giving him the perfect image of the victim''s family. The man looked at him for a moment, hesitated, nodded, and then pointed to the car next to him, indicating that he wanted to see the "possessed" person.


    Old Luo quickly opened the rear compartment of the bread car and took out Yang Chao to show him. The interior of the bread car was dimly lit, and Yang Chao''s appearance was in place. There seemed to be a faint resentment floating above his head, which could be said to be quite sincere in being "possessed." However, Xuan Ji noticed that the moment the car door was opened, the goat-bearded man did not even glance inside the car, and his feet moved back a step.


    Wait a minute... Something is wrong. The other party has sensed something!


    Xuan Ji made a decisive move: "Catch him!"


    Luo Cuicui immediately grabbed the man''s arm and said, "Master, where are you going? Don''t leave!"


    The goat-bearded man pushed him hard, turned and ran, but was hooked by the overgrown green ivy at his ankle and fell flat. Before he could climb up, Xuan Ji had already stopped him. At that moment, a huge black hole suddenly appeared behind the goat-bearded man, and several white bone claws stretched out from it. One of them caught the goat-bearded man''s neck, and the others grabbed Xuan Ji. Xuan Ji raised his hand and raised the heavy sword. The sword blade was burning, and when it hit the white bone, it made a tooth-aching sound.


    Xuan Ji and Sheng Lingyuan had a high degree of tacit understanding at this critical moment. Xuan Ji thought: "Take the opportunity to kill the demon in the sword!" Sheng Lingyuan thought: "If this little devil can die like this, wouldn''t it be clean?" Xuan Ji ignored it and sent the heavy sword into the white bone claws. At the same time, he felt that the other end of the sword was stuck on his hand, and the sword body quickly transmitted the blood gas to him¡ª


    The friendship alliance between the two was like plastic, and it broke just like one too.

 CH 18

    The unlucky heavy sword weighed dozens of kilograms, and Xuan Ji''s hand was stuck to it. His wrist was forced to twist in a very awkward position, and he couldn''t use any strength. The black flames rushed towards him, and the sword was also stuck by several white bone claws, leaving him in a dilemma.


    Seeing the situation was not good, Xuan Ji immediately changed his attitude: "Senior, I was possessed just now. I am a jerk. How about we unite and face the outside world together?"


    Sheng Lingyuan was gentle and polite, and he replied, "Good."


    After that, they continued their efforts to break the sword and to use each other as a shield. They had a high degree of tacit understanding and were truly a pair of bad friends who had met each other too late.


    The white bone claws appeared out of nowhere and were incredibly powerful. However, the two of them were not afraid, as one could summon lightning and the other could repel evil spirits. Originally, they didn''t take the strong fighting power of the white bone claws too seriously. Unfortunately, no matter how powerful one''s fighting power was, it was no match for their internal conflict. The cold black flames greedily surged along the sword and quickly enveloped Xuan Ji''s entire body under Sheng Lingyuan''s deliberate guidance. At this time, the black hole that had extended its white bone claws emitted a powerful gravitational force and sucked in goat-bearded man, Xuan Ji, and Sheng Lingyuan, who were trapped in the sword.


    With a "snap," they disappeared, leaving only Xuan Ji''s broken wristband and a stunned Luo Cuicui, who was watching the whole process up close. From his perspective, Xuan Ji was like someone who was trying to give himself to the white bone claws even though they didn''t want him. He looked as eager as an old father who would throw pork belly into the bowl of his child who was trying to lose weight. He finally succeeded in being captured!


    Luo Cuicui was amazed by the concept of "leading the charge" and "unwavering commitment." He rushed forward with his green vines swaying in the wind, and grabbed Xuan Ji''s lost wristband. Tears filled his eyes as he choked up and said, "This must be a martyr, right? He must be a martyr!"


    Xuan Ji, the "martyr," and his sword were dragged into the darkness. As they fell, the goat-bearded man had already passed out and was no longer conscious. In that instant, Xuan Ji quickly grabbed his collar, and at the same time, a pair of huge wings burst out of his back, tearing his clothes apart.


    Dazzling flames danced on the wings, cutting through the darkness. Sheng Lingyuan was caught off guard, and his breath - if he still had any - suddenly stopped as his eyes were burned by the wings. His vision was glued to the dazzling wings, and his head was struck by a sharp pain, as if someone had hammered his skull open.


    At the same time, all the sounds around Xuan Ji suddenly disappeared from his ears. Before he could even react, the heavy sword in his hand suddenly became scorching hot, and he felt a burning sensation in his palm!


    Xuan Ji was not afraid of fire, he would often test the temperature of the oil and fire when cooking, so he had never felt the sensation of being burned before. He initially thought that his palm had been pierced by something sharp, but then the sword seemed to change its nature, becoming denser than a neutron star, and directly pulled him down - the sword handle still stuck in his hand!


    The force of the fall was unstoppable, and Xuan Ji was like a moth trapped in a spider web. Even flapping his wings like an electric fan was of no use, and he was dragged down along with the sword.


    He could only curse Sheng Lingyuan''s ancestors in his heart, while wrapping the huge wings around himself. With a loud crash, Xuan Ji slammed onto the ground like a fireball, and the flexible wings bounced him up and rolled him over ten meters away, leaving him feeling as if his shoulder blades were about to shatter from the pain. The wings suddenly disappeared, and his upper body, including his sweater and coat, became a dark beggar''s attire. He saw stars in front of his eyes and almost passed out, struggling to catch his breath. After a while, he finally recovered and found that he had successfully let go of the sword handle, which was now lying beside him, and the heavenly demon inside was either dead or unconscious, without even a thought in his mind.


    The goat-bearded lay motionless next to him, and Xuan Ji quickly checked his breathing, thankfully finding that he was still alive. He breathed a sigh of relief, and then checked his own body for any broken bones.


    With a movement, he heard a crisp sound under his feet.


    "Hmm? What did I step on?"


    Xuan Ji hesitated for a moment before snapping his fingers, and a small flame rolled out from his fingertips.


    As he shone it downwards, he exclaimed, "Holy sh*t!"


    He leapt up, his wings unfurling once again, suspending him in mid-air. The burning light on his wings illuminated the ground, revealing that this eerie place was incredibly vast. Wherever the light reached, there were human bones covering the ground, stacked layer upon layer, as far as the eye could see. Bones of all shapes and sizes stared up at the sky, and from Xuan Ji''s perspective, it seemed as if they were all fixated on him. The dark eye sockets glinted with an eerie light from the flames.


    "Senior...hello? Hey, senior, are you still alive?" Xuan Ji felt goosebumps all over his body, and his throat was dry. He reached out and his heavy sword floated up from the ground, accompanied by a swarm of reluctant white bones.


    Having learned his lesson from before, Xuan Ji didn''t dare touch the hilt of the sword, keeping his hand a safe ten centimeters away from it as it hovered beside him. "Say something, this place is too creepy...hello?"


    For a while, the sword remained still, and just as Xuan Ji began to doubt the signal strength of this place, he heard Sheng Lingyuan say, "Don''t make noise..." His voice had become distant, as if he was separated by something.


    Xuan Ji thought to himself, "Wait, why can''t I hear what he''s thinking anymore?"


    With no response from Sheng Lingyuan, Xuan Ji confirmed his suspicion: the door constructed by Sheng Lingyuan in their shared consciousness had disappeared.


    Sheng Lingyuan had no time to deal with these issues. He felt cold, and the warm flames on Xuan Ji''s wings only made him feel colder, like he had fallen into an icy abyss. He couldn''t remember anything related to these wings, but he inexplicably felt that they were familiar... and terrifying.


    It was strange. He was a reckless person who feared nothing, so why was he scared now?


    Sheng Lingyuan simply couldn''t remember anything, and under the watchful gaze of the bones, his head felt like it was going to explode. Many dusty memories were clamoring to be unearthed, all jumbled together without any rhyme or reason, wailing, screaming, and howling... and someone screaming shrilly, "Where are you? You fraud, where are you!"


    The sound was heart-wrenching, every word was like thorns and thistles, scraping past his ears as if it wanted to tear off his flesh. Just then, a hand suddenly reached out and tentatively grabbed the hilt of his sword. The hand was slender, not as thin and weak as a young person''s, nor was it particularly thick and reliable, but it was dry, warm, and filled with vitality and liveliness. With a gentle grip, it brought Sheng Lingyuan back to reality.


    The screams and cries suddenly receded into the distance, and Sheng Lingyuan''s ears cleared. He heard the voice of the little demon say, "Hey, it seems like our ''telepathy'' is broken. Can you feel it?"


    Sheng Lingyuan: "...yes."


    Really.


    He listened carefully and couldn''t hear what Xuan Ji was thinking. But at the same time, the desire to drink blood emerged once again.


    This made Sheng Lingyuan suddenly have a vague guess: "Be careful not to get blood on me."


    Xuan Ji immediately reacted, "Do you think it''s because of the blood that we were like that just now? What''s the principle behind it?"


    Sheng Lingyuan didn''t answer, but looked down at the pile of corpses beneath his feet.


    Xuan Ji was probably an adept at being two-faced and didn''t feel embarrassed at all. He boldly suggested to Sheng Lingyuan, "Hey, you know, even though you tricked me, I tricked you too. So let''s just call it even and I''ll forgive you."


    Sheng Lingyuan sneered, "Your generosity knows no bounds."


    "It''s all good," Xuan Ji flapped his wings and flew up a bit, "Since our main conflict is resolved and we''re both in trouble now, and we don''t even know where we are...let''s rebuild our relationship, what do you think?"


    Sheng Lingyuan thought it was a good idea. After all, they were both perfectly in sync when it came to being treacherous and deceitful. They could easily tear each other apart if something went wrong, without feeling any guilt. They got along easily and happily.


    "I know where we are," Sheng Lingyuan said, "Hold your breath."


    Xuan Ji: "Huh? Why..."


    "Shh, haven''t you heard it yet?"


    Xuan Ji shuddered and, along with Sheng Lingyuan, held his breath and concentrated for a moment. He heard a whispering sound - like a small group of people murmuring something together in a large auditorium that could accommodate thousands of people.


    At the same time, he noticed that the goat-bearded man he had thrown into the pile of bones was moving.


    "That person seems to have stood up," Xuan Ji told Sheng Lingyuan, but felt that something was wrong and flew up a bit.


    The fire fell on the goat-bearded man, who rolled his eyes and tilted his head to one side, clearly still dizzy. Like a puppet on a string, he stiffly lifted his legs and jumped around in place, giggling like a mischievous child with a "giggling" sound.


    Something was moving inside his loose coat, and Xuan Ji stared at it intently. As the goatee man danced, his movements became larger and a small piece of white bone slipped out of his sleeve and bounced on the ground twice before wriggling back into his pants!


    Beneath his clothes, the bones were controlling his movements!


    "What the hell is this..." Xuan Ji said.


    "This is the tomb of the witch people," Sheng Lingyuan said softly.


    Xuan Ji thought he heard a hint of weakness in the demon''s voice.


    "What? What kind of tomb is this mass grave?"


    "Witch people, have you never heard of them?" Sheng Lingyuan was silent for a while, then whispered, "After thousands of years, even their names are forgotten."


    Xuan Ji frowned slightly. He had seen the words "Dongchuan Witches Book" on some of his family''s old bamboo slips, and that was where he found records of "heavenly demon" incidents.


    Dongchuan... Witches ¨C so witches weren''t a sect, but a real race that had existed?


    Were they ancestors of minority groups?


    "My history isn''t very good, what do you mean by ''witches¡¯?" Xuan Ji asked.


    Sheng Lingyuan spoke a language that Xuan Ji had never heard before.


    "Hmm?" Xuan Ji said.


    "This is the language of the witch people," Sheng Lingyuan said. "Teach it to them."


    Xuan Ji hesitated for a moment, recalSheng Lingyuan Lingyuan''s tone, and repeated the convoluted "gurgling" sound and the white bone movements.


    Sheng Lingyuan wondered, "Why do you suddenly trust me without asking what it means?"


    Xuan Ji shamelessly said, "Ah, I''m just a simple person who doesn''t like to think too much."


    Sheng Lingyuan scoffed at this nonsense and didn''t bother to mock him.


    After a brief moment of "heart-to-heart communication," the two of them probably had a better understanding of each other. Essentially, they were of the same kind, and their perspectives on things were actually quite similar. Although they wouldn''t hesitate to fight to the death, they were both very good at creating a harmonious and friendly atmosphere when there was no conflict of interest. Since they could no longer hear each other''s heartbeat, their main conflict had disappeared, and they were not in a hurry to get rid of each other for the time being.


    If Sheng Lingyuan wanted to come out of the sword, he would have to rely on Xuan Ji to figure out a way, unless he wanted to be trapped in the sword and be used as a javelin by the skeletons in this pit. Otherwise, it was really unnecessary to harm the sword''s owner here.


    The white bones on Goatbeard''s body "heard" this sentence of non-standard shaman language and slowly turned to Xuan Ji, "looked" at him, and then staggered forward.


    Sheng Lingyuan: "Follow me."


    Xuan Ji: "Where are we going?"


    "Didn''t you ask me where the human-faced butterfly came from?" Sheng Lingyuan''s voice sounded somewhat distant. "The origin is here."


    Xuan Ji''s heart jumped and he quickly followed. As they flew a few hundred meters with the staggering Goatbeard, there was still no end in sight, and he couldn''t help asking, "How many bodies are there here in total?"


    "Forty-one thousand, six hundred and thirty-six," replied Sheng Lingyuan.


    "...What?" Xuan Ji was shocked for a while before saying, "How did you know, did you count their heads?"


    "Of course, I know," said Sheng Lingyuan calmly. "I killed them all myself."

 CH 19

    If someone says "I have killed someone," then that person is definitely a murderer; if someone says "I have killed thirty-six people," then that person is a murderer who can be on TV and become the protagonist of a legal program. But if someone says, "I have killed forty-one thousand six hundred and thirty-six people"... then he is probably a web-addicted teenager who is obsessed with games.


    Xuan Ji first exclaimed in confusion, then his focus involuntarily shifted: "You don''t even remember who you are, but you remember such a big number?"


    Is this heavenly demon an ancient accountant?


    Sheng Lingyuan ignored him.


    Xuan Ji asked again: "Or did you just remember something?"


    After a while, he heard the person in the sword make a vague "Hmm" sound.


    Xuan Ji immediately regretted it. He felt like a big idiot who had bought high before the stock market crash. When he was able to use the heavenly demon¡¯s brain as a search engine earlier, the heavenly demon couldn''t even remember his own name. Now that he was disconnected, that guy said his memory was recovering!


    However... someone whose memory is recovering must have a very confused mind right now, right? Can he take advantage of this opportunity?


    "Um... your Majesty," Xuan Ji turned his treacherous heart in his stomach and took the opportunity to test him, "did you have to calculate the number of heads after defeating a city precisely like this? Those who are bad at math can''t join your team... Is the witch tribe your enemy?"


    "No," Sheng Lingyuan was momentarily absent-minded, and he didn''t even correct the title of "Your Majesty," "The witch tribe has always been our ally. They consider themselves human... Look at the shape of those bones, they are exactly the same as human bones."


    The information in this sentence was too much for Xuan Ji. His pupils shrank, and in a flash of lightning, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.


    What does that mean?


    What does it mean for the "witch tribe to consider themselves human, so they are allies"?


    Isn''t war fought between people and people? Are they fighting against dogs?


    No...the war was not a human-to-human war, but the great Nine Provinces War three thousand years ago! The Emperor Ping, whose name was Jun, was a lover of war. According to ordinary historical records, during his reign, the southwestern ethnic minorities grew stronger, and there were many frictions between the border people and the people of the Central Plains. Unfortunately, Emperor Ping did not have "cocaine" or "weed" to keep him entertained, so he decided to personally lead his army with his two adult sons to conquer the rebellious region.


    The army marched mightily towards the Chiyuan, with the operation codenamed the "First Battle of Pingyuan", and succeeded in conquering the region. In the First Battle of Pingyuan, an emperor, two princes, and many nobles and military elites died, which put an end to the country''s fortunes. Afterwards, the map was burned, the jade seal was shattered, the empress fled, and the capital fell. With no one to rely on, people from all over the country and different ethnic groups had to establish their own power and thus began a chaotic period of more than 20 years. This period is known as the "Great Melee Era" in history.


    As for the specific ethnic group of the "southwestern ethnic minorities", there are many hypotheses put forward by the academic community, but each has its own loopholes. After all, three thousand years is too long, and too many things cannot be investigated. The physical evidence that can be preserved is rare and scattered throughout the country. Even now, a single exhibition hall cannot be established, because most of the valuable cultural relics are in the Bureau''s Ancient Studies Department, and they are all sealed.


    The Ancient Studies Department has a complete archive, which contains all kinds of relics from the Great Melee Era, all of which contain extraordinary energy. The truth is that the so-called "southwestern ethnic minorities" were not the ancestors of humans at all. They were non-human races that existed alongside the human race, separated by the Chiyuan Grand Canyon.


    In 1981, the Bureau successfully deactivated a formation in an outer area of the Chiyuan region and discovered a cave with the remains of a giant bird skeleton, weighing as much as 300 kilograms. There was a stone tablet at the entrance of the cave, which was inscribed with the words "Tomb Guardian, Bifang Clan Yan Ming."


    The stone tablet still retained traces of thunder and fire-based abilities. After careful detection and comparison, it was found to match the residual energy on the skeleton. Therefore, it is believed that the bird skeleton belongs to a highly intelligent bird with a considerable cultural level. In other words, this bone belongs to a highly intelligent bird with a relatively high cultural level. Its physique is very similar to the legendary ''Firebird Bifang''. The Ancient Studies Department believes that these non-human races are likely to be the prototypes of the ''monsters'' in folklore.


    The Great War was actually the only calamity caused by a war between humans and non-humans in history.


    It ended with the succession of the Emperor Sheng Xiao, the successor of the last Emperor Ping, during the Great War.


    This Great Emperor of Qi is said to be the illegitimate child of Emperor Ping, born in the same year as the First War of Pingyuan, and he never had a good day since his birth, either fleeing or wandering, growing up in the chaos of war, and later suppressing the chaotic hordes of demons with his own power, beheading the Demon King, establishing boundary markers and the Qingping Division, leaving an indelible mark on the annals of history.


    In the later period of his rule, Emperor Wu showed an unusually cold and ruthless side, and eventually descended into complete madness... His remains were nowhere to be found when he jumped off the cliff of Chiyuan, and the mausoleum of Emperor Wu later generations found only contained a tombstone.


    This great demon was born during the Great War, his corpse was in Chiyuan, he belonged to the human race, and he was called "Your Majesty" as if it were normal...


    Could he be¡­


    Xuan Ji shook his mind¨C no, no, wait, how many races have been erased in the Great War and are still unknown today. There are also many allies attached to the human race, some of which worship the Chinese human culture, and have inherited the human cultures. Or some ancient ancestors who worshiped evil spirits and evil demons, inviting such an enemy to call him "Your Majesty", are also possible.


    In short, it can''t be that one!


    Otherwise... That would be too ironic, the Emperor who saved the human race from disaster is not human himself - what is this?


    The gods can only be sacrificed and devoured by the demons. Can only a more violent demon suppress the demons?


    Xuan Ji firmly denied his guess and quickly regained his composure.


    He held the heavy sword and felt the coldness from the iron, remembering the language of the witches that Sheng Lingyuan had just taught him. Although he didn''t understand what it meant, Xuan Ji always felt that the tone was very gentle... It''s like an old friend who comes from afar, bowing down and asking the children playing at the door, "Can you take me to see your elders?"


    "What is a witch?"


    "The witches have lived in Dongchuan since ancient times, believing in the land and spirits of mountains and rivers, whether the wind is harmonious or disasters are continuous for years, they have never left their homeland, because this clan has always believed that people are like grass and trees, leaving their homeland is leaving their roots, which will bring disasters.¡± Sheng Lingyuan no longer spoke Mandarin that he was not very familiar with, and had switched to his own accent.


    Perhaps because he had been listening to it a lot lately, Xuan Ji found that listening to the ancient language was not as difficult as it was at first.


    When Sheng Lingyuan spoke, his voice seemed to be infused with the aura of time and space from another world, appearing distant, ancient, and solemn. "The witches are skilled in ''cursing''. You asked me about the origin of the human-faced butterfly. The human-faced butterfly is not a living creature; it is a kind of curse that was refined by the witches¡¯ ancestors using secret methods. It was originally used at funerals."


    "Funerals?"


    "Yes, the witch people believe that the human-faced butterfly can communicate with the yin and yang," Sheng Lingyuan said softly. "Some of the deceased may have left in a hurry, and their families sometimes feel uneasy, thinking that they have something left unsaid. They would invite the great saint of the clan - the person who presides over the annual festival - to come to their home and conduct a ritual. The great saint would place the human-faced butterfly into the mouth of the deceased. In less than a day, the deceased would be able to open their eyes again, walk and talk with their family, meet the people they should meet, say what they should say. Then the great saint would remove the human-faced butterfly and bury the deceased in peace."


    Xuan Ji was stunned. "We always thought this thing was just a parasite...it''s so magical?"


    "It is still a parasite," Sheng Lingyuan replied indifferently. "Funerals and condolences have always been the delusional wishes of the living. When a person dies, they are like a light extinguished. Where do all these endless ghost stories come from? It''s just a ceremony. Even if it''s the Witch Clan, if there is a dispute over the deceased''s property, it will be left to the clan leader to decide. They won''t use the human-faced butterfly to ''bring the dead back to life'' and ask them questions."


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    The persona of His Excellency, the atheist, remains unbreakable.


    "Dongchuan... Dongchuan is a treasure land. The land is fertile, the products are abundant, the spiritual energy is compelling, and the climate changes greatly. Sometimes it changes from cloudy to sunny to rainy to snowy in a day, and there are strange sights like the autumn moon illuminating spring flowers and lotus pond reflecting snow. Even the water is sweeter than in other places, so it also gave birth to many strange and precious treasures that are not found outside."


    Walking behind the wobbling goat-bearded man with a sword in hand, Xuan Ji felt increasingly strange listening to Sheng Lingyuan''s words. Although Sheng Lingyuan''s tone was light, his words were carefully chosen and full of nostalgic meaning, just like... he was describing his hometown.


    "So, it''s only natural for them to be coveted by others. Throughout history, whenever living beings have been in conflict, it ultimately comes down to what grows in the land."


    "So, they use butterflies to protect themselves," Xuan Ji said. "Because besides being able to ''resurrect'' the dead, these butterflies can also parasitize living beings. Does the Witch Clan have some kind of spiritual ability that can control butterflies, just like how people who raise Gu insects can make these insects obey them?"


    Sheng Lingyuan sneered, "The Witch Clan has a long history, and their curses are vast and profound. The human-faced butterflies are just minor skills, unworthy of being used to protect their people."


    Xuan Ji listened with a mix of fear and trepidation. If the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly, which had caused chaos in the Bureau, was just a "minor skill", then what kind of powerful curses did they possess?


    "When the monster army passed through Chiyuan, the human race was like millet in the ground, lying there waiting to be harvested, unable to resist, and was almost annihilated by the monsters. Later, they were able to turn the tide with the help of the hidden Witch Clan. The witches, in the most perilous of times, revealed the secret of their curses to the human race... because they felt they were also human, and had an obligation to help."


    "In that case," Xuan Ji asked strangely, "The Witch Clan seems to be the heroes of the nation. Even if not many people in your era could read or write, and passing down documents was difficult, there should still be oral traditions, right? How come they died out so silently without leaving any traces?"


    "What childish talk... You little demon, what have you been eating to grow up like this? Do you really not have any clan prejudices?" Sheng Lingyuan first laughed lightly, then thoughtfully said without waiting for Xuan Ji''s reply, "Well, now you''re all mixed up, there''s no more distinction between clans."


    Xuan Ji was confused: "Hmm?"


    "They think they are human, but humans don''t think they are of the same kind," Xuan Ji said, stunned. "You mean..."


    "Human-faced butterflies..." he said, referring to what they call "Mirror Flower Water Moon" butterflies. "Now, if you mention them, isn''t everyone filled with dread? In those days, it was just the tip of the iceberg of the witches'' spells. I ask you, if it were you, in the same boat, would you believe the witches unreservedly? Do you think that ''people'' with such a hidden power would be content to cower in the corner of Dongchuan and not compete with the world?"


    Xuan Ji understood his implication, incredulously saying, "Wait, are you saying that the witches were wiped out not by enemies in war, but by their allies!"


    Sheng Lingyuan answered in a nonchalant tone, "Yes, so you have to be careful here."


    Xuan Ji''s mind raced: "So then, what role are you..."


    Before he could finish, there was a pitiful scream from the goat-bearded man on the ground.


    The goat-bearded man, who was lucky to have woken up, opened his eyes to find himself in a "dream-wandering ghostly realm". His clothes were filled with jumping bones, and he almost died of fright. He frantically jumped and rolled on the spot, crying and flinging the bones off his body, and his pants were instantly soaked.


    Xuan Ji disdainfully wrinkled his nose: "How annoying...I say, are these guys a bit angry?"


    Sheng Lingyuan coldly laughed: "Worry about yourself first."


    Before his words had finished, the ground began to make a faint "gurgling" sound, growing louder and louder. Xuan Ji lowered his head and saw that all the bones were shaking, as if they had been "awakened" by the urine. The skulls were bouncing and turning towards Xuan Ji, opening their mouths.


    Xuan Ji: "Er...suddenly with so many eyes on me, I''m a bit embarrassed. I was just joking, but why are there really flashlights appearing?"


    He saw countless tiny lights flying out of the skulls'' mouths, and a charming glow rising from the dense white bones, making the white bones look soft, as if they were smiling.


    That was countless Mirror Flower Water Moon butterflies flapping their wings.


    "Damn!" Xuan Ji cursed, and quickly dived down, using his blazing wings to disperse the terrible ghost butterflies. He didn''t want to catch him with his hands, so he picked up the heavy sword and fished up the smelly goat-bearded man.


    Sheng Lingyuan: "......"


    This little devil is taking his life for granted!


    However, although the ghost butterflies were afraid of fire, they couldn''t resist the large number of them. Burning one batch, another batch would come, and the glow became brighter and brighter, illuminating the witch''s mound like a bright day. Xuan Ji wanted to fly up, but after flying twenty meters, he found that he had reached the top!


    He didn''t know if this ghostly place was a tunnel or a cave, and didn''t know where the exit was. All around him were Mirror Flower Water Moon butterflies.


    Xuan Ji was covered in goosebumps. Suddenly, he caught sight of a dark place - it looked like a cave, and the butterflies were avoiding it, making it stand out even more in the darkness. Without thinking, he thrust the goat-bearded man towards the cave and dove in.

 CH 20

    Chief Huang was about to reach out and push the door, when Xiao Zheng, half a step behind him, quickly caught up: "I''ll do it."


    Xiao Zheng was wearing a plain ring, with a circle of runes inscribed in it. When the ring touched the door, a sharp white light quickly flashed through the runes, and the door made a "clicking" sound.


    Xiao Zheng''s expression was unchanged, he stepped in first and opened the door for Chief Huang. He quietly said, "Don''t touch anything here, it''s not safe at the ''Penglai Conference''."


    Chief Huang''s face grew serious, but he was not flustered. He patted Xiao Zheng''s shoulder and stepped in - it was an old-style hotel''s conference center, rented out in its entirety. There was a temporary sign at the door that read "Penglai Cultural and Art Conference".


    Chief Huang and Xiao Zheng, accompanied by several field agents, walked into the building and the door shut behind them with a loud "bang". At that moment, the sound from outside the conference building was completely silenced.


    The field agents warily surrounded Chief Huang, the only ordinary person present, with Xiao Zheng leading the way. The alarm lights of their special power monitors kept flashing. Suddenly, Xiao Zheng stopped in his tracks and looked up at a stone sculpture at the top of the stairs ¨C the sculpture was originally an ornament of the hotel conference building, depicting a graceful little fairy, but the stone material was cheap, making it look a bit creepy.


    The stone fairy stood with a green-faced melon-seed shaped face, with a missing piece that seemed to have fallen off, as if to frighten someone.


    As they approached, the stone sculpture suddenly moved, making a sound as it turned half a circle, turning from side to face Chief Huang and them, then gliding towards them, almost close enough to touch them. The field agent next to Chief Huang stepped forward and stood in front of him, almost face to face with the gloomy stone fairy.


    Xiao Zheng raised his eyebrows suspiciously, thinking that the other party was deliberately trying to intimidate the ordinary Chief Huang.


    Although Chief Huang was an ordinary person who could not shoot water or fire, he was not an incompetent person to be able to reach this position. He kept a calm expression, raised his hand to press the shoulder of the field agent, and politely bowed his head to the stone sculpture: "Is this the legendary ''Jade Lady''?"


    The stone sculpture backed up a few centimeters, opened its mouth and spoke in human language: "Chief Huang, long time no see - Xiao Team Leader... No, it should be called Director Xiao now, you¡¯re still as energetic as before. "


    Xiao Zheng nodded with great care and said nothing.


    "Please come with me." The stone sculpture looked deeply at Chief Huang, dragging its heavy stone body and sliding towards the elevator, "Your old friends have arrived."


    The Bureau is the only official agency for special power management, but not all "special abilities people" are official personnel.


    Due to the hereditary nature of those with special abilities, there are many special ability families and sects. They have a deep source of knowledge, are trained from an early age, and the secret techniques of each school are not disclosed publicly. There are many special ability masters with strong individual capabilities. These well-known masters often look down on the so-called "official personnel" and are unwilling to be managed by them.


    From the official point of view, these people are all potential factors contributing to social instability and must be supervised.


    Finally, both sides compromised and agreed to set up the "Penglai Conference" as a self-regulatory organization for special ability organizations, led by the leaders of major special ability forces, and the Bureau also has a seat in it.


    The stone sculpture took the people of the Bureau to a large conference room on the second floor of the building. The conference room may have been renovated in the last century: white walls, several decorative maps hanging on the walls, two rows of cheap red and brown conference tables, and on the tables, nothing but thermos cups and enamel pots.


    The participants were seated in two rows, regardless of gender, with an aura of power - the hairline was high, the corners of the mouth were low, and "their full wisdom could not be hidden, with potbellies protruding out".


    As soon as Chief Huang and Xiao Zheng entered the door, the big shots turned their heads in unison, and various subtle glances fell on Chief Huang.


    Although the Bureau has strict confidentiality regulations, the news still spread out as though they had wings. The news of the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterflies shocked the special ability circles of the whole country.


    After the news leaked, countless inquiries came one after another. In the Penglai Conference, except for the Bureau, several representatives unanimously pushed for an emergency session of the "Penglai Conference" to ask the Bureau for an explanation.


    The circle was full of people, only two seats were empty, as if they were specially reserved for them. Xiao Zheng saw the arrangement at a glance - the Bureau was the official representative, and it was natural for them to sit in the main seat at the Penglai Conference. Although when the former chief was in charge, he had voluntarily given the main seat to an elder, he still remained sitting next to the main seat.


    However, the seat arranged for Chief Huang was not only far away from the main seat, but also several hundred miles away.


    What does this mean?


    Ordinary people are of a lower class?


    Director Xiao felt a chill, and his brows furrowed as he was about to lose his temper. However, Chief Huang seemed to have anticipated his outburst, as he held him back without making a sound and shook his head. Chief Huang then greeted the old lady in the seat of honor, as if nothing had happened, and pulled Xiao Zheng to an empty spot and sat down calmly, seemingly paying no attention to these small movements.


    The old lady sitting in the seat of honor had white hair, looked to be around sixty years old, was not tall, and had light makeup on. There was even a small silk scarf tied neatly around her neck. She spoke and moved gently, and her manners were exceptionally dignified, giving her an old-fashioned lady-like air.


    "Little Huang, is it?" The old lady asked slowly. "I''m already so old, I don''t need to introduce myself, do I?"


    Chief Huang: "Old Lady Yu."


    Old Lady Yu was the host of the Penglai Conference. She usually lived in the northeast, and even the big shots had no idea of her full name. Even though she was only a few years older than Chief Huang, she still called him "little Huang" with a kind expression, and neither Chief Huang nor the old director of the Control Bureau dared to feel offended.


    Some people said she was already over three hundred years old, while others said she was even older than that, and was an old "Qingping Division official".


    "Little Xiao is much more restrained than when I last saw you. Seeing you young people grow up, with a new wave replacing the old, I can rest assured," Old Lady Yu spoke coldly and politely to Chief Huang, and when she turned to Xiao Zheng, her tone was much more kind, as if she was talking to her own child.


    Xiao Zheng gave a reply, not taking it seriously, as Old Lady Yu had seen too many "waves" come and go, and there was no room for her to be kind.


    Sure enough, after the brief exchange of pleasantries, Old Lady Yu''s tone changed: "Everyone is busy, let''s just get straight to the point. Little Xiao, I read your explanation--so, what you mean is that the Bureau just wants to do an internal investigation, and handle it quietly?"


    Xiao Zheng felt this was inappropriate, especially when Old Lady Yu seemed to be talking only to him, as if Chief Huang wasn''t there.


    There was a gap between extraordinary and ordinary people. The Bureau, as an official organization, didn''t dare to admit this gap out of political correctness, while the special ability masters were unrestrained.


    It''s as if they weren''t born of mortal parents, and were instead part of a semi-immortal race with exceptional abilities throughout their extended family.


    Xiao Zheng came from an ordinary family and couldn''t stand this condescending attitude. He had a bad temper and immediately decided not to give face, ignoring Old Lady Yu and turning to Chief Huang saying, "I''m sorry, leader. It''s my fault for not doing a good job explaining things."


    Chief Huang smiled and was unfazed: "It''s alright. We¡¯re here today to explain the situation."


    Old Lady Yu had cultivated great poise and composure and didn''t show any sign of displeasure when the younger generation disrespected her. She took a printed document from someone nearby and put on her reading glasses. "Your department''s explanation states that ''considering the implanted Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly won''t cause any further harm, in order to minimize public panic and maintain social stability, we decided to quietly resolve this matter.'' How do you know the butterfly won''t spread among people? I heard that more than half of the field agents in your Dongchuan Branch haven''t been able to come to work lately."


    Xiao Zheng replied, "We''ve listed our reasons..."


    "Do you think that Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly is not contagious and that this one is just an accident? Yes, I saw it," interrupted Old Lady Yu. "But what you''re saying is just speculation. Even if your speculation makes sense, how do you know there isn''t a second mutated butterfly?"


    At that moment, Xiao Zheng''s phone on the table vibrated, with the words "Luo Cuicui" jumping up and down. He glanced at it and hung up without a word: "We understand your concerns, so we immediately sent people to Dongchuan to investigate the source of this mutated butterfly. We believe we will soon have an answer for everyone..."


    Old Lady Yu interrupted him again, gently this time: "So that means you still don''t know."


    Xiao Zheng frowned.


    Old Lady Yu smiled and squinted her eyes at him. "The Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly may not be a living fossil, but it''s close enough. So many ancient texts have been lost, who can claim to understand these things? Even if your agency has many talented people who understand it, who can come out and guarantee that this butterfly infection incident was an accident and there definitely won''t be a second one? Then what does it have to do with our demand for a third-party investigation into the Bureau of Paranormal Control? From the former chief of your agency down to his subordinates, they have all engaged in favoritism and fraud, using dangerous public property to fabricate casualty figures. The evidence is solid, and we deserve an explanation."


    Chief Huang, who was standing nearby, interjected: "Old Lady Yu, I don''t know where the rumor about the former chief¡¯s ironclad evidence came from, and the current evidence is not enough to convict him. That''s just the word of the suspect Bi Chunsheng, who even..."


    "Anyway, if you say it''s just the word of one person, then it''s just the word of one person," a man in black Zhongshan suit sitting next to Old Lady Yu interrupted, speaking very quickly and in a sharp and piercing voice.


    "If you close the door and do something inside, who can see it? Oh, when the time comes, you¡¯ll just find a little scumbag from who knows where to push out into the limelight, and this bucket of shit will be put on his head. How can we know what''s going on inside? Right, Little Wang?"


    Chief Huang said helplessly to the man in the Zhongshan suit, "You''re Master Yue De, right? Hello, my surname is Huang. Things are like this, the comrade in charge of self-inspection this time is very capable. He participated in stopping the Yin Sacrifice ritual and confronted the demon summoned by the suspect for several hours. His resume is also very clean, and he wasn''t with the personnel involved in the case before..."


    Old Lady Yu calmly said, "Chief Huang, if you are willing to let a newcomer with a ''clean record'' investigate, why not let a more impartial and clean third party investigate? What''s the difference?"


    Master Yue De said in unison with her: "Even if the new people are innocent, they still receive funding from the Bureau. If they find out something, they still need the approval of the ''organization,'' right? Besides, they may not be so innocent! I heard that this person came in through the back door, and just after passing the exam, they inexplicably became the department head. Oh, how amazing - did they get 250 out of 100 on the test? How could you know that they wouldn''t abuse their power and break the law?"


    Chief Huang, from the Bureau, had to say: "Of course, we also regulate..."


    "We''re here to discuss regulation right now!" Master Yue De pounded the table, "Penglai is where you want us to come together, great, we''re here. You make a pile of regulations for us and send someone to monitor us, and we understand that we need to cooperate with the government''s work. Now that you''ve made a mistake, and suddenly regulation becomes hard, right? You sit in your office in Yong''an, shielded from the wind and sun, but this time the butterfly infection occurred right at our doorstep!"


    These influential people all have their own territories of power, such as Old Lady Yu in the northeast and Master Yue De controlling the Dongchuan area. The boy''s family infected with the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly was within Master Yue De''s sphere of influence.


    It is said that Master Yue De was born in the late Qing Dynasty and had a strong desire for power. He was like a good fighting dog, placing more importance on face than life. He had countless disciples, and if something happened in the local Dongchuan branch, they had to send someone to pay respects to him before they could move an inch.


    He raised his voice even higher: "Every family should send someone to form a regulatory team under the Bureau, and we must supervise each other!"


    Chief Huang smiled bitterly and said, "As a state institution, I can''t just create whatever I want..."


    "Okay, then we won''t interfere with each other. We''ll mind our own business in the future, and you at the Bureau won''t need to send anyone to inspect what we''re doing in the local areas."


    The meeting table quickly became chaotic, and Chief Huang tried several times to interject, but to no avail.


    When the old chief was still around, he could still control the situation. Now that the old director is gone and the office has been hit by a series of incidents, Xiao Zheng is young, and Huang is just an ordinary person. These arrogant old experts at the Penglai meeting didn''t take the Bureau seriously at all. Xiao Zheng sighed, and at this moment, his phone rang again, and it was Luo Cuicui once more.


    Xiao Zheng was usually tough as steel, and he rarely used the word "hopefully," but before he picked up the phone, he thought, "I hope the Aftermath Department has some good news."


    "Director, I have to report something to you..." Luo Cuicui''s voice had a hint of crying, tearfully reporting the "good news" that Xiao Zheng had been hoping for, "Our boss has died heroically! He was dragged into a black hole by a bunch of bone claws and disappeared in an instant!"


    Xiao Zheng almost couldn''t catch his breath.


    Luo Cuicui asked tearfully, "Director Xiao, when can I transfer to another department?"


    Xuan Ji''s nose itched, and he turned his head and sneezed, feeling like someone was cursing him.


    Seeing him rushing towards the cave without hesitation, Sheng Lingyuan quickly stopped him: "Hold on, what are you doing?"


    Xuan Ji replied: "Don''t you see the butterfly chasing me... damn, this sounds unlucky."


    "It''s just a butterfly, why are you running?" Sheng Lingyuan replied disinterestedly, "Your nature belongs to fire, they can''t inhabit you."


    "They can inhabit this guy!" As he spoke, Xuan Ji had already rushed into the cave in a hurry. When he landed, the wings on his back immediately turned into dots of light and disappeared. He threw the goat-bearded man aside, "Hello, senior, did you not notice there was another living thing that could breathe? It¡¯s also smelly and warm!"


    "This man is a swindler and not a good person. What does it have to do with you?" Sheng Lingyuan''s tone became urgent, "Don''t go any further!"


    Xuan Ji suddenly became suspicious. Sheng Lingyuan had never spoken at this speed before, and his tone was unsteady.


    "Senior," he deliberately stretched his voice, "with words like that, your understanding is so low! I''m an official, how could I see someone become a victim of the butterflies and stand aside? Does that make sense?"


    "Stop right there!" Sheng Lingyuan shouted with a hint of anger.


    "What''s wrong, senior? Do you know something about this cave?" Xuan Ji blinked.


    Sheng Lingyuan avoided the question again, "If you are afraid of the butterfly, you should know that where they don''t dare to go is not a good place to be at. Let''s go, I''ll find a way to get you out of here."


    "Do you know the way out?" Xuan Ji asked.


    "As far as I know, there is an altar in the witches¡¯ tomb, and there is a mechanism there that opens a secret passage to the surface." Sheng Lingyuan quickly regained his calm and gentle tone, saying to Xuan Ji, "I was planning to ask these white bones to take us to the altar, but this person ruined our plans. However, the altar should not be far away. Listen to me, take the people and leave. You have real fire on your body, so the butterfly won''t come near you for a while."


    As soon as he spoke, his voice sounded like it was sweeping through Xuan Ji''s ears, with a low and ambiguous seductive meaning, which did not sound like a good thing.


    Xuan Ji''s ears tingled, and his eyes suddenly became dazed.


    Why did Bi Chunsheng go crazy when he heard his words: "Who bullied you?", and almost cried?


    This person seemed to have a strange charm, and his words were like a finely woven net, gently and skillfully covering people, giving them the illusion that they were fully and sincerely loved by him. All the grievances, sadness, and difficulties that they did not want to share with others, could be poured out here.


    He involuntarily stopped moving forward.


    "This little demon is young and talented," Sheng Lingyuan''s voice was warm and gentle like a spring breeze, but his heart and lungs were as cold as ice as he planned, "Pure-blooded demons are proud and reluctant to associate with other races. It is usually very difficult for their offspring to survive. Such a little demon is usually well-protected by the clan and will not be allowed to suffer in the mortal world. He calls himself the clan leader..."


    "Even butterflies dare not go ahead, with so many dangers. How can you handle it with a mortal by your side?" The little demon lacked love, and he was doted on by Sheng Lingyuan, who sighed and deliberately softened his tone with a hint of doting, "You are so reckless, yet the elders of the clan dare to let you out, which is really worrying."


    Xuan Ji was convinced by his words and became obedient. After hesitating for a moment, he took the heavy sword from which the goat-bearded man was dangling, grabbed his collar, dragged him towards himself, and coquettishly murmured, "Okay then."


    Saying that, he turned back and walked as if sleepwalking.


    The entrance where they came in was already bright as day, covered with thousands of mirror moon butterflies crawling on it. The butterflies did not dare to chase after them and could only gather together and try to probe inside. However, Xuan Ji seemed to be completely unaware of these deadly bugs and stepped into the encirclement of the butterflies step by step.


    "Follow me," Sheng Lingyuan softly enticed him, "I won''t harm you."


    The fluorescence on the butterflies had already illuminated Xuan Ji''s face, reflecting his pair of unfocused eyes.


    Sheng Lingyuan silently smiled: "Good boy..."


    Before he finished speaking, a violent burst of fire suddenly erupted from the heavy sword. Sheng Lingyuan''s eyes were instantly blinded by the flash. The heavy sword hacked towards the entrance, burning the countless butterflies into a blaze of silver and gold, with a pungent scent of burning.


    "Elder, when have you ever kept your word? Even saying that you won''t harm me," Xuan Ji chuckled. After burning the butterflies, he took a big step and walked straight into the cave. "Won''t you harm me this time?"


    Sheng Lingyuan: "..."


    "Even if you''re above ground or underground, you''re probably several thousand years old, right? Your moral cultivation can''t keep up. You''re speaking nonsense without blushing," Xuan Ji shook his head and lectured the heavenly demon while tapping the ground lightly with his sword tip. "Are you blushing now?"


    The heavy sword hit the hard stone slab, making a clear "clang" sound, and echoing continuously. It seemed like there was a very spacious area ahead.


    Xuan Ji carried both the person and the sword, and he seemed to carry them effortlessly, walking lightly towards the echoing sound.


    As he walked, he kept talking, trying to educate the big demon: "You''ve come here, so I have to enlighten you on our modern values. We believe in equality and justice. Let''s put justice aside. With your current level of morality, you''re still far away from it. Let''s talk about equality¨Cwhat is equality? It means that every living thing, whether it''s special or ordinary, good or bad, has equal rights in my eyes. Even if he''s really plotting to harm others for money, I still have to protect him equally before he''s handed over to the public system..."


    The big demon was probably annoyed by him and fell silent.


    "...Your ancient system of emperors and officials is already outdated, do you understand? Your political correctness is very incorrect, I..." Xuan Ji''s endless words suddenly stopped when he saw the place in front of him. "I...my great uncle''s..."


    He followed the narrow mountain cave to a spacious area where there was a small stagnant pool of water. For some reason, the water did not dry up. Vines with small flower buds grew on the walls of the cliffs that he had never seen before. They were like small light bulbs, emitting a faint glow.


    As soon as Xuan Ji walked in, the strange flower buds suddenly bloomed like welcoming guests. The cave was illuminated as if the lights were turned on, and a milky-white halo softly descended, warmer than the gaze of a lover. Xuan Ji''s first reaction was to hold his breath and cover the goat-bearded man¡¯s mouth and nose to prevent breathing in the unknown plant pollen.


    He only had two hands, so he naturally put his heavy sword aside.


    The sound of the heavy sword falling to the ground startled the stagnant pool, causing ripples to form. The white flowers were also disturbed by the sound of the metal hitting the ground, and they all turned red before wilting and turning into liquid, flowing down the walls like blood, flowing towards the sword from all directions.

 CH 21

    Xuan Ji had travelled far and wide, visiting many botanical gardens, but this was the first time he had encountered such an odd creature that could bleed to death with just a few words. It was too late to save it.


    Since his "departure from home", his destiny had been especially bumpy. Being possessed by a demon was one thing, but at least the demon seemed to be quite hygienic, maybe even fragrant. But if he was to be covered in this ¡°flower¡¯s menstruation¡±, how would he be able to put his sword back on his back?


    Did a man''s back have to bear so much?


    At that moment, Xuan Ji really wanted to just throw the goat-bearded man on the ground. But as a youth who had been indoctrinated with the "Five Principles and Four Virtues" for many years, although this human life he was carrying smelled bad, he really couldn''t bring himself to let go. With no other choice, he stretched out his feet and used all his strength to thrust the sword into the sky, then he grabbed the goat-bearded man and flew after the sword, intending to use his feet to grab it and save it from the "blood soup".


    However, at that moment, the blood-like flower juice flowed along the four walls and suddenly, ignoring the gravity of the earth, made an unnatural turn in mid-air and sprayed out sideways.


    The flying blood-like flower juice weaved a red glow in mid-air, and when it touched Xuan Ji''s wings, it immediately evaporated and turned into a faint mist, forming a layer of peach blossom fog, which was almost spectacular. But before Xuan Ji could admire it, the originally unconscious goat-bearded man suddenly screamed and moved, and a few drops of flower juice splashed onto his hand. The skin and flesh on the goat-beard''s hand was corroded by a strong acid, and several shocking black spots appeared immediately, waking him up in pain!


    The flower juice was indeed poisonous!


    In the blink of an eye, the red mist from the flower juice seemed to be getting thicker and thicker, and the goat-bearded man was exposed to the "mist", his skin starting to rot, like a human being burned by fire.


    The pink mist quickly rose to the top of the cave and condensed quickly when it encountered the cold mountain rock, then fell like rain. Although Xuan Ji the birdman did not produce acid rain, he inadvertently became the transporter of acid rain!


    Xuan Ji had no choice but to take care of the living first, and had no time to take care of his sword. He curled up his legs and hugged his huge wings around himself, forming an impenetrable shield to cover himself and the goat-bearded man.


    At the same time, the heavy sword that he had kicked into the air with his foot was accompanied by the "blood rain and stench", and it fell into the pool with a ¡°bang¡±.


    The pool was not deep, and the heavy sword fell to the bottom when it fell in, and Xuan Ji saw from the gap in his wings that there was a stone platform three meters square under the pool, and something on the stone platform¡­


    The next moment, Xuan Ji suddenly opened his eyes wide -


    On the stone platform was an open coffin, and his sword was falling straight into the coffin!


    Before he could go to pick it up, a chill flew through his chest, like a steel spike piercing his heart, cold, hollow and painful. A"crack" sounded in Xuan Ji¡¯s ear, as if something had broken, and he couldn''t breathe for a moment.


    Blood-like flower juice poured into the pool, and the clear pool turned red in an instant -


    At the same time, in the depths of the distant Chiyuan altar, the patrolling spirits suddenly stopped in unison, and Dao Yi felt something and turned back, looking towards the altar, and another stone tablet cracked inexplicably!


    The spirits all fell in front of the cracked stone tablet, and Dao Yi stretched out his rotten hand cautiously, trying to put the cracked stone together, before he touched it, the stone tablet made a light sound and broke into powder in front of the spirits. Then, a white light burst out of the broken stone tablet and flew eastward like a fiery arrow.


    The spirits looked at each other, and the cold armor clattered in the wind, they were too old, their memories were as rusty as their bodies, and they couldn''t remember what the cracked stone tablet meant, but... it seemed to be something very terrible.


    As the sword fell into the pool, Sheng Lingyuan felt that all his seven orifices were blocked, his senses became numb, his heartbeat became abnormally present, as if something wanted to protrude through the thin muscle, through his chest. Sheng Lingyuan didn''t want to know what it was, for a moment, he inexplicably felt fear in his heart, hoping that the blood-like water could coagulate into a cocoon, wrap him in it, let him close his eyes and ears, and hide until the end of the world.


    But... there is no place for him to hide in this world.


    Sleep, catching a breath, rest... for him, all are delusions.


    His memory was like an awakened monster, opening its eyes and opening its bloody mouth to him.


    The sword "vibrated" and made a buzzing sound, and the cave trembled, and all the flowers withered at the same time, and a dangerous whirlpool was stirred up in the pool with the coffin as the center, and then the water surface suddenly sank little by little, as if something was sucked into the coffin.


    Xuan Ji took a breath of relief from the sudden palpitation, and was surprised to see that the bloody liquid in the pool was sucked up by the coffin, and when the pool returned to clear, the coffin "came to light" ¨C


    The coffin emerged from the water, and the sword that had been lying in it was gone. Inside was a... "person".


    Xuan Ji was unsure whether to call it a person.


    The goat-bearded man¡¯s eyes were rolling wildly in its sockets, fainting and then waking up again, suspended in mid-air, "dead and alive". He was about to go crazy, and even Xuan Ji¡¯s hair couldn''t help but stand on end. He thought that after seeing "lightning strike and bones scattered" up close, he would be able to watch all kinds of horror movies from ancient to modern times without any taboos.


    But this "person" exceeded his imagination... because its body was not human-shaped.


    Inside the coffin was clearly a charred corpse, head and feet indistinguishable, with no part of the bones and flesh fully intact. Its waist was broken, and the upper and lower halves were barely stuck together by charred flesh.


    And yet, this charred corpse was still able to move!


    The bones on its body "crackled", and then, with a "puff", white and bony fingers pierced through the charred skin. The bones moved around, automatically looking for their own positions, and soon pieced together a slender skeleton, and veins and flesh grew on the skeleton...


    Xuan Ji shivered violently, and in an instant, he felt the flesh and skin grow layer by layer, seeming even more painful than when the Yin Sacrifice backlash cut layer by layer of flesh back at the top of the building - he remembered when the Yin Sacrifice counterattacked, the demon stood motionless on the roof, smiling until he was reduced to ashes.


    But now, the "charred corpse" was still struggling, its hands tightly grasping the coffin, and the inch-thick bronze coffin was pinched and deformed by it alive.


    Like a silent scream... because the vocal cords and tongue had not grown yet.


    Just by watching, Xuan Ji felt his whole body burning, and he couldn''t help but sweat.


    It took a full quarter of an hour for the flesh and bones on the "charred corpse" to grow completely, and then blood-red flesh grew on the body, followed by cascading hair, covering the entire coffin. The hands that were tightly gripping the coffin finally dropped weakly, making a light sound.


    The fingers were pale and slender, wet, like jade that had been washed for thousands of years.


    Xuan Ji recognized these hands - he had just fought them not long ago.


    The heavenly demon that had been struck by lightning had come out from the sword!


    At this time, the water in the pool had dropped nearly two meters from the beginning, and the entire stone platform under the water was exposed.


    Looking down from a high place, the stone platform was full of dense lines, and the lines were actually two layers.


    One was engraved on the stone, which Xuan Ji had never seen before, but according to experience, it was not a decoration, but rather an unknown script.


    The other layer was painted with pigments, which he was familiar with - it was the Yin Sacrifice.


    After the water calmed down, Xuan Ji hesitated for a moment, and carefully landed on the stone platform. He stepped aside to avoid the strange characters on the ground, and heard a chaotic and hurried breathing.


    "Er... that..." Xuan Ji tentatively asked, "Are you... alive?"


    The person in the coffin seemed to respond with a movement, but did not answer.


    Xuan Ji searched around the coffin for a while, and finally found a blank space without any writing near the coffin, and put the goat-bearded man that had already fainted with his tongue stretched out aside. It was not until then that he realized that something was missing.


    "Wait," Xuan Ji thought, "Where the hell is my sword?"


    Xuan Ji came to his senses and a string of questions squeezed out of his mind in order.


    What is this situation?


    Wasn''t the heavenly demon cut to pieces by lightning? Where did the body come from? How did it come back to life?


    These were minor details, but the most important thing was - the heavenly demon "came out", where was his sword?


    Before the demon head "possessed" his sword, his sword was like part of his body, able to move according to his will. After the heavenly demon possessed his sword, he suffered from "separation anxiety from the sword", and would go crazy if he was away from it for a while. But this time, he couldn''t sense the sword at all, and the inexplicable separation anxiety evaporated!


    Xuan Ji stepped up to the coffin, looking for a sword. But before he had a chance to move, his eyes were fixed on the person inside the coffin.


    He recognized him from the fight he had with Sheng Lingyuan at the Chiyuan Hospital. The person in the coffin had the same face, body, and even the same amount of hair as the one from the hospital. But Xuan Ji felt that this person was different from the demon in the Chiyuan Hospital.


    The one in the hospital had disappeared right before his eyes, and even a vacuum cleaner couldn''t pick up the remains. Also, the Sheng Lingyuan in the Chiyuan Hospital didn''t have any "liveliness" to him, as if he couldn''t feel pain or show any emotion. Even if he was struck by lightning, it only made people feel scared. It was like seeing a tree struck by lightning.


    But now, the person in the coffin was "alive". Xuan Ji could almost feel his pain.


    He was lying silently in the coffin, as if he was trying to lift himself up. His sharp shoulder blades seemed to be piercing through the tight skin, trembling silently with each suppressed breath.


    Xuan Ji saw this moment, and was suddenly overwhelmed by an indescribable emotion. It was a mix of sorrow and joy, and even his soul trembled. It was like a thousand-year-old grudge had been resolved, and like he had been lost in the endless darkness for an unknown amount of time before finally seeing a glimmer of light.


    He had never experienced such joy and sorrow in his life. His soul seemed to have left his body, and Xuan Ji was stunned for a moment. He almost shed tears and pressed his chest involuntarily.


    The person in the coffin was as white as if he hadn''t seen the sun in a thousand years, with jet black hair. A shocking line of dried blood ran down his side face, connecting to the red corners of his eyes, as if it was a line of tears. The strong contrast was piercing, and it created a powerful impact.


    And¡­


    He wasn''t wearing any clothes.


    Wait a minute!


    Xuan Ji snapped back to reality and broke free from the strange emotion. He had been staring at a naked man! He could be arrested for peeping!


    "Erm, well... I didn''t do it on purpose. You just popped out without saying anything..." Xuan Ji quickly looked away, and the scene he had just seen seemed to be stuck in his retina. He blinked hard and fumbled around his body, trying to find something to give the person some clothes. But he was out of luck. His coat and sweater had been burned by the wings when he came in and out, and he wasn''t used to wearing underwear. If he took his pants off, he would become an embarrassment.


    "Erm... how about... I take this guy¡¯s clothes off and give it to you? Is that too flashy for you?"


    Sheng Lingyuan ignored him and reached out a hand to the side of the coffin, weakly gesturing.


    The withered vines that had been full of "blood flowers" suddenly moved, intertwining with each other. They imitated the "double helix needle" on Xuan Ji''s sweater and wove a long robe, which fell onto the man.


    But Sheng Lingyuan seemed to be unable to bear the weight of even a single piece of clothing.


    The whole person was pressed down by the robe that had fallen off. Xuan Ji instinctively reached out to help him, but halfway through, he stopped, not understanding why he had such an impulse.


    At this moment, he heard Sheng Lingyuan murmuring something.


    Xuan Ji held his breath: "What?"


    The person spoke slowly, as if squeezing it out from between his teeth, with a trembling voice.


    "Who... who opened his coffin...?"

 CH 22

    "Open the coffin? Whose coffin?" Xuan Ji was startled, "Is there someone in this coffin? Who is it?"


    Sheng Lingyuan suddenly raised his head, his eyes were even redder. Xuan Ji followed his gaze, but didn''t see anyone. He first heard the sound of water, then got a shock as the goat-bearded man beside the coffin was gone!


    It turned out that while one of them was stuck in the coffin and couldn''t climb up, and the other was panicking, who knew if the goat-bearded man was awake or was pretending to faint, he took the opportunity to jump into the pool and swam away in one direction. Xuan Ji followed the sound of water and saw that there was a hole that could accommodate one person on the stone mountain wall. When the water level was high, it was covered by water, but now it was exposed.


    The goat-bearded man must have known early on that there was an exit, and his dog-digging posture was quite standard. It seemed that he had been here before!


    Sheng Lingyuan''s hand, which couldn''t even fasten his clothes, suddenly grabbed the air. The blue veins on the back of his hand jumped, and the goat-bearded man in the water was sucked out directly. Flying out of the water surface, his head facing the ground, he was about to fall to the stone platform beside the bronze coffin.


    "Ahh!" Xuan Ji opened his wings and glided over. In an instant, he shifted and grabbed the goat-bearded man''s ankle before his head was smashed into a watermelon. "My big senior! This is a mortal person, not a lead ball. Who do you think is as hard-headed as you... Hey!"


    Xuan Ji felt a violent force suddenly "suck" the goat-bearded man in his hand away. The goat-bearded man''s feet were in his hands, and his upper body was slanted and sucked into the coffin. A white and blue hand stretched out from the coffin and firmly grabbed his throat.


    Sheng Lingyuan completely ignored Xuan Ji''s existence. His voice was hoarse and harsh, like blood-stained iron plates rubbing against each other.


    He asked word by word: "Who. Opened. The. Coffin?"


    The goat-bearded man struggled, his face flushed and blackened, and his neck made a dangerous sound. Xuan Ji suspected that the devil was about to twist his head off with his bare hands, so he hurriedly rushed forward and grabbed Sheng Lingyuan''s wrist: "Let go, you are going to strangle him!"


    However, when he touched Sheng Lingyuan''s hand, Xuan Ji was shocked again. This hand... was different from how he was at the Chiyuan Hospital. It was actually warm, with a pulse, and seemed to have low-grade fever, it was a bit hot!


    He couldn''t help but step back in shock. At this moment, a sharp mobile phone ringtone sounded, echoing like thunder in the cave. Sheng Lingyuan was probably exhausted and was pressed by Xuan Ji on his pulse. His hand finally loosened and he fell softly into the coffin. Xuan Ji grabbed the goat-bearded man and fumbled for his mobile phone in a hurry.


    His mobile phone had no signal since he entered this blasted place, otherwise it would have been ringing like crazy thanks to Luo Cuicui and the rest. It was quiet for most of the day, who knew why the call could get through, and he actually had two bars of signal.


    The incoming call was displayed as Xiao Zheng¨C


    Xiao Zheng was at the conference table of the Penglai Conference, almost being choked to death by Luo Cuicui¡¯s report.


    Xuan Ji sometimes liked to do things his way, Xiao Zheng has known him for a while and knew his style. As the former commander of the special forces, Xiao Zheng never doubted the strength of this "temporary worker". Who knew that this guy who had been tasked to "wipe their butt" would drop the ball at this time.


    There were dozens of accusing mouths around him, making it as noisy as a wet market. On the phone, Luo Cuicui sniffed relentlessly.


    Old Lady Yu obviously felt something was up and her eyes flashed: "What''s wrong, Little Xiao, is there something urgent going on in the bureau?"


    Luo Cuicui sobbed over the phone: "Director Xuan has gone in. What do the rest of us do? You have to call support for us! The local branch office has been isolated, but what about the local boss in Dongchuan? No matter what, you have to hurry up and find someone to save us!"


    The local boss of Dongchuan was Master Yue De. This poisonous old guy from the Qing Dynasty dressed himself up like an unearthed zombie, separated by half a conference table, and watched them being ridiculed with a smirk.


    Xiao Zheng couldn''t take it anymore and stood up, facing everyone''s meaningful gazes, he stormed into the restroom. Once inside, he quickly took out four soundproof and leak-proof talismans from his wallet and stuck them on the four walls. He first pacified Luo Cuicui, the panicking waste from the Aftermath Department, then contacted the special forces for nearby reinforcements, and ordered them thrice to "send the elite".


    After a long conversation, Xiao Zheng was exhausted and felt a great pressure. In order to relieve his anxiety, he unconsciously dialed Xuan Ji''s phone. To his surprise, it connected on the eighth or ninth tone.


    Both the caller and the receiver were shocked. As soon as the call was connected, they almost said the same thing at the same time.


    Xuan Ji: "What''s the situation?"


    Xiao Zheng: "What''s going on?"


    "I''m asking you what''s going on!" Xiao Zheng stood up from the toilet with a "tss" and his voice was suppressed in his throat, shooting out like a gun. "Do you want to make me anger me to death or boil me alive? What the hell are you doing? Where did you go off to die? Where are you now?"


    "Don''t mention it, it''s hard to explain... Well, I may be in a grave now." Xuan Ji lowered his head and looked at the shocking stone platform under the bronze coffin and Sheng Lingyuan. He saw the person lying in the coffin, breathing faintly, with wet hair and withered vines entwined, like a ghost who had just taken over the body and had not yet had time to get used to it.


    Xuan Ji was dazzled by the ghost, and he was out of sorts for a moment, and accidentally said nonsense to his superior: "This grave is a bit special, there is a coffin in it..."


    How obvious is it, if you don''t put a coffin in the grave, do you want to put in a steamer? Xiao Zheng was already angry, and when he heard this nonsense, he was immediately furious: "Then you just lie down in it, don''t come out again!"


    "No, listen to me, the situation is a bit complicated," Xiao Zheng¡¯s screaming finally woke Xuan Ji up. He forcibly tore his eyes away from Sheng Lingyuan, "There was an army of Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterflies in this grave, and they just chased me for a long distance... I''m fine now, I don''t know if there is any pest control device near the coffin, anyway, the butterflies dare not come here ¨C this bronze coffin is placed on a stone altar, surrounded by many spells that I can''t understand. But in any case these spells are around the coffin... As you know, it''s either to call a soul or bind a corpse, and definitely to lay the soul to rest. This coffin has been opened recently, and it is now empty. The spells around it have been written with paint by someone, and the original spells have been destroyed by the sacrificial text. The suspect for this tomb robbery may be in my hands now, just wait for a bit."


    Xuan Ji held the phone and cautiously walked between the heavenly demon and the goat-bearded man, using himself to separate them. He faced Sheng Lingyuan, ensuring that he could react first if the demon made a move, then selected the hands-free call option and stepped on the goat-bearded man¡¯s important bits: "See see if you dare pretend to faint again!"


    The goat-bearded man was halfway through fainting and jerked back awake. Facing Xuan Ji''s tall bird-like figure, he was so scared that he shouted out loud.


    "What are you crying for, does my grandpa look like a corpse with a green face and fangs?" Xuan Ji said unpleasantly, "You unlucky guys even dare to dig graves, even digging into a mass grave of ten thousand people, I really admire you."


    The goat-bearded man¡¯s voice was trembling like a wave: "I, I, I, I didn''t do this kind of digging grave evil, it was, it was, it was Old Lang, it was Old Lang who forced me to do it with them..."


    Xuan Ji: "Who is Old Lang?"


    "Old Lang is, is, is Ji, Ji Qingchen! Old Lang''s real name is Ji Qingchen!" The goat-bearded man twisted his buttocks on the ground, trying to get rid of Xuan Ji''s foot, "It''s all him! I don''t know anything! Ah! Great Immortal, spare me, Great Immortal..."


    The goat-bearded man was in the middle of speaking, who knew what he say, his voice suddenly broke. He rubbed his buttocks on the ground, desperately shrinking back. Xuan Ji glanced at Sheng Lingyuan in the coffin and saw him sitting up with cold eyes, glaring at the goat-bearded man with a laser-sharp gaze.


    Xiao Zheng heard the desperate scream and asked Xuan Ji in confusion, "What did you do? If you want to beat him up you should do it later, clarify the situation first."


    "It''s not me, it''s..." Xuan Ji hesitated. For a moment, a strong resistance surged up in his heart, blocking his throat and preventing him from revealing the existence of Sheng Lingyuan.


    Xuan Ji lightly bit his tongue and thought to himself: It must be the demon¡¯s spiritual attack.


    The demon''s spiritual attack was pervasive, and if he was not careful, he would be influenced by him. Compared to him, Bi Chunsheng''s language ability was completely at a kindergarten level. No wonder the demon was said to eat people''s souls.


    Xuan Ji quickly converged his thoughts and concentrated his attention to block Sheng Lingyuan''s gaze, and asked the goat-bearded man, "What did you and Ji Qingchen come here for last time?"


    "Looking... looking for a small black can..."


    Xiao Zheng heard it through the phone and immediately asked, "What is a ''small black can''?"


    Perhaps because of the heavenly demon¡¯s intimidating stare, even if Xuan Ji was blocking in the middle, the goat-bearded man was still extremely scared. When he saw Sheng Lingyuan''s long hair draped on the bronze coffin, he was so scared that he peed his pants. Incoherent, he answered whatever they asked.


    "The... the small black can is their treasure, and it''s all ''good things'' dug out from the ground... They said one can is a ''curse'' and one can is a ''curse breaker''. First, they give the victim a curse, and then they pat the curse breaker on the person''s forehead, that person will d-definitely get better! Then you can get as much money as you want. Old Lang s-s-said¡­t-this way we can get rich fast, I tried to persuade him saying it was too evil, but he refused to listen¡­"


    Although he said it incoherently, Xiao Zheng and Xuan Ji both understood ¨C it was similar to what Luo Cuicui guessed on the plane. Ji Qingchen had a prop that could make people have symptoms similar to "being cursed", and there was a corresponding "cure" to cure it.


    They gave the victims the curse themselves and then cured them, deceiving the victims.


    Xuan Ji: "What is this thing - the so-called ''small black can''? Does Ji Qingchen use it alone?"


    "It was bought from the black market before, and they all use it... Masters, masters all use it! Otherwise, there wouldn''t be so many customers... Even the real masters, the masters of Yue De, their disciples also use it!"


    Even with the soundproofing talisman, Xiao Zheng lowered his voice: "Who did you say? Say it again!"


    The goat-bearded man was so scared that he was almost mad. He shook his teeth and vented something, screaming hoarsely: "The disciples of Master Yue De do this kind of thing, I know! Master Yue De has eight hundred disciples, and whoever has what achievements every year must be reported to the master. If you can''t report it, the master will say that you are not diligent in your practice and will be expelled!"


    Xuan Ji was so pained that he said, "What? They are doing this business, and they can''t even escape the ''KPI''?


    Xiao Zheng: "Shut up!"


    The goat-bearded man trembled violently.


    Xiao Zheng slowed down his speech and said almost word by word, "So, what you mean is, because the local weather is good, all kinds of monsters are safe, and the disciples of Master Yue De can''t complete the master''s ''slaying monsters and demons targets'' every year, so they ''create'' some monsters to make peace?"


    No wonder the old zombie was desperately jumping up and down. He must have known that Ji Qingchen was related to his disciples and grandchildren, and he wanted to use the bureau to cover up the situation!


    At this time, Sheng Lingyuan in the coffin laughed coldly.


    Xiao Zheng thought it was Xuan Ji, and said, "What are you laughing at? Don''t be so dark and mysterious next to you. I''ll settle accounts with you later!"


    Xuan Ji: "... "


    What a big pot.


    "Old Lang... Old Lang was delirious before and who knew where he got the connection. He got a small black can and said it was blood money... He made the money, and I... I just helped him with a few small things and got some pocket money... Really! It has nothing to do with me!"


    "Stop talking," Xuan Ji gave him a kick, "What''s the matter with this tomb robbery?"


    The goat-beaded man''s eyes were shifty. His vitality was like a cockroach. He had just been so scared that his three souls and seven spirits were scattered, and in a moment he seemed to have adapted a little and started to prepare to make up nonsense. He was also a talent.


    At this time, Sheng Lingyuan took a deep breath, propped up the bronze coffin and stepped out.


    As soon as the goat-beaded man looked up at him, he was almost immediately overwhelmed by a huge fear. He wanted to kneel down at the feet of Xuan Ji: "I said! I...I...I will explain! Don''t come over!"


    "The curse in the small black can he got at first was used up, he tasted the sweetness of using it and wanted to find someone to make more. Later, he found a way, it seemed to be...the disciple of the Master Yue De. Old Lang invited them to eat for tens of thousands of dollars, begging here and there, the more he couldn¡¯t get it, the more anxious he got. Later, there was a little girl who slept with him, she said that the old man got drunk and said that their ''things'' were dug from the ground and now they were gone, even within the sect they were fighting very fiercely over them...Old Lang was confused, and he asked her to trace where it was dug... "


    The goat-beaded man said a long string of words like a string, it was hard for Xuan Ji to understand it: "So you guys were bolder than you should have been, ran to the address she gave to dig the tomb, and wanted to dig out the ''small black can'', and finally dug out a mass grave of ten thousand people?"


    Goat-beaded man: "We...we...we don''t know..."


    Xiao Zheng: "What mass grave of ten thousand people?"


    "I''ll explain it to you later," Xuan Ji squatted down and grabbed the goat-beaded man''s collar. "Who painted these pigments on the ground?"


    The goat-beaded man''s face was distorted in the faint light of the mobile phone screen: "It was also Old Lang...I don''t know where he got it from...He said this was an amulet, in case there was something underground, be prepared...We hired a group of ''earth masters'', and...and tomb thieves, with the map stolen by that woman, we dug all the way...all the way to here, and saw this... "


    He raised his hand tremblingly and pointed to the bronze coffin.


    Sheng Lingyuan was probably cold, his hands were blue and his fingers lightly swept across the patterns on the bronze coffin. He was in a trance, his expression was cold and empty, and Xuan Ji didn''t know what he was thinking.


    "The group of tomb robbers, when they saw the coffin, it was like they took drugs and went crazy. An old man told them not to move things here, because he looked at this place and felt that the feng shui was not right. He said that it must not be a good death to be buried in such a place, and these people must be unable to reincarnate forever...The old man also said that the coffin was surrounded by water on four sides, and the curse on the stone platform was fierce. Although he didn''t know what it meant, it seemed to be suppressing evil spirits...But they didn''t listen, someone said that the bronze coffin looked like an old object from the Nine Provinces War period. Thousands of years have passed, the crust has moved several times, the feng shui has changed, and the coffin is so well preserved, there must be a treasure inside... "


    A group of people argued chaotically, and the greediest and most shameless ones finally won.


    Xuan Ji: "So you opened the coffin?"


    "No no no! Not ''we'', it''s them! They! I told them not to open it!" The goat-beaded man denied, "Old Lang said to draw the ''amulet'' first, to be at ease. Several of them drew that...that thing on the stone platform, and then they burned incense and bowed to the coffin... "


    Xuan Ji was speechless: "You are still quite ceremonial, what, civilized tomb digging?"


    The goat-beaded man raised his head, and the light of the mobile phone was reflected in his eyes, dimly, like a ghost fire: "When they opened the coffin, only I and the old grave robber didn''t dare to go over. The group of people opened the lid together, and a strange floral scent rushed out of the coffin. I saw...saw a...person''s corpse inside... "


    Xuan Ji asked, "You don¡¯t say?"


    Could such a big coffin possibly contain something other than a person?


    "A...person..." the goat-bearded man swallowed hard, his voice hoarse. "Not bones! Not a dried corpse! Intact from head to toe, like he was asleep...arms and brows pierced into the coffin with long nails..."


    Xuan Ji heard a "click", Sheng Lingyuan stood up from the coffin expressionlessly, pushing the bronze coffin in.


    "The grave robbers immediately knelt down...but it was like they were bewitched, calling out ''treasure'', all swarming around it. Even the nails on the corpse were plucked off...because they were fighting over the loot, one of them suddenly drew a knife and stabbed his comrade to death on the spot...blood filled the coffin...but...but I clearly saw that there was nothing in the coffin besides the corpse!"


    A condensed water droplet rolled down the cold mountain walls and fell into the pool with a "plop", the thin ripples rolling outwards. Xuan Ji felt a chill on his bare back.


    "I was scared out of my wits. But those grave robbers had red eyes, like they had a deep grudge against each other. Something was wrong with that idiot Old Lang, he didn''t go up to grab the treasure or run, he just stood there dumbly, almost getting split in two by the red-eyed grave robbers. I grabbed him and ran with the old grave robber...we almost didn''t make it out! Because the water in the pool suddenly rose up and almost flooded the hole we dug when we came in. Me, Old Lang...and that grave robber, we rolled and crawled out together. The old grave robber didn''t even ask for his remaining payment and ran away."


    "I thought it was a nightmare, but after...after a few days, Old Lang came looking for me. He said that when the grave robbers were fighting, he secretly took a small jade box from the corpse''s chest. On it was carved a butterfly, the jade...the jade was almost transparent, inside were a few sesame-sized black seeds, just like the ''curse'' in the small black jar...but there was no curse..."


    At once, Xuan Ji realized that the black seeds the goat-bearded man spoke of were likely mutated butterfly eggs: "Have you used it? How many?"


    "J-just one," the goat-bearded man said sadly, his face tearful. "But it was different...the ''curse'' those people ate before, Old Lang could control them. We could predict people¡¯s futures without a doubt and everyone trusted it. But this time, we couldn''t control it at all...Old Lang said it was bad, that he had eaten the wrong thing, and that something had happened, so he didn''t dare show his face and said he was going to hide elsewhere. He didn''t say where, he and I couldn''t act together or else if someone saw, we would be exposed. Who knew..."


    Who knows, Ji Qingchen inexplicably died a tragic death in the Chiyuan Grand Canyon.


    But why did Ji Qingchen go to the Chiyuan Grand Canyon?


    Was this predestined or a coincidence? He was the last sacrifice in the Yin Sacrifice ritual, and there was a Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly on his body. Where and when did he contract the butterfly?


    When the grave robbers were fighting in front of the coffin, they must have been under some kind of mental attack and had an illusion. But why was Ji Qingchen immune? Was he born with a special talent, or was he already controlled by the butterfly then?


    The Yin Sacrifice in the Chiyuan Grand Canyon almost overturned the entire Bureau. The sacrificial text and the bloody characters on the mysterious witches¡¯ grave seemed to be just the tip of a huge conspiracy.


    "I didn''t dare show my face, so I asked someone to look for the so-called ''closed-door disciple'' of Master Yue De. But he couldn''t be found, he was gone as though he¡¯d evaporated into thin air. I...I had no choice, the money was spent and I saw your message on the internet. I thought it was one of the fattened sheep Old Lang had cheated before but didn''t have time to collect money from..."


    Xuan Ji was amused by him: "So you''re here to inherit the legacy?"


    Wait!


    He suddenly realized something was wrong. From what the goat-bearded man said, something happened here with a few grave robbers fighting around a corpse. What happened to the ancient corpse? The blood? The grave robbers?


    The goat-bearded man cried dramatically, tears streaming down his face. "I didn''t mean to, I just wanted to see what was going on and if I could help someone out... Even if it wasn''t useful, it was the thought that counted, right? Of course, if I could get a bit of travel expenses out of it... Who knew that when your colleague opened the car door, I would smell that... That smell..."


    Xuan Ji immediately asked, "What smell?"


    "Flowers... Rotten flowers, sweet and smelly... I can never forget the smell when they opened the coffin... " Hu said, his voice suddenly stopping. He nervously twitched his nose, his pupils widening in fear, and his whole body trembling. Xuan Ji subconsciously followed him and sniffed the air. The pool was damp and poorly ventilated, and had a rotten smell. He took a deep breath and smelled the smell of flowers mixed in with the rotten smell.


    Hu muttered softly, "This is it... This is it..."


    As if in response, bubbles suddenly began to form in the pool.


    Someone laughed, in a clear voice like an immature teenager, echoing in the eerie cave. Then, he said something in what was probably the witches¡¯ language, and Xuan Ji only understood one word. It was said in an unstandardized tone in the witch language -


    He said, "Lingyuan."


    Xuan Ji''s phone signal was interrupted again, and Sheng Lingyuan''s already pale face was almost evaporated.


    The teenager''s voice hummed a familiar tune. Before Xuan Ji could make out the tune, the goat-bearded man screamed and jumped more than three feet, almost crashing into Xuan Ji - only to see the bodies bubbling underwater crawling up!


    Immediately, there was a loud noise, the sound of hurried footsteps, the sound of people talking loudly... Coming from the cave where Xuan Ji came from.


    It seemed that a large group of people were coming this way.


    But that road... Outside that road, weren''t there only forty thousand bones?


    Xuan Ji kicked one of the bubbling corpses back into the water, grabbed the goat-bearded man in his arms, and turned to Sheng Lingyuan: "Hey, can you walk?"


    Sheng Lingyuan looked at him blankly, seemingly dazed, and Xuan Ji cursed. He rushed forward and dragged the demon away.


    "Do I have nothing better to do, what am I taking care of him for?" he thought absurdly, his grip on Sheng Lingyuan''s wrist not loosening, flying towards the half-exposed cave. Just as he landed at the entrance and retracted his wings, he had not yet had time to stand firm, and a certain kind of inexplicable crisis surged up. Almost at the same time, Xuan Ji''s hand got heavier, and the goat-bearded man fell without a sound.


    A thin line shot from between the goat-bearded man¡¯s eyes, piercing through the back of his head, and Xuan Ji''s hand was stained with brain matter and blood. The murderous "thin line" then wrapped around Xuan Ji''s arm, but it burned when it touched him.


    The eerie singing in the grave was interrupted by the exclamation, and at the same time, a long shadow appeared in the cave. The voice said in a tone that Xuan Ji could barely understand: "Demon!"


    Sheng Lingyuan finally reacted. He slowly pushed Xuan Ji away. The cave was too low for him to stand up straight. He had to lower his head slightly.


    Holding the stone wall, he stood unsteadily and whispered a name: "Aluojin."


    At this time, Xuan Ji reacted to the song he had heard before - it was the tune of a nursery rhyme. He had heard it in Sheng Lingyuan''s memory, accompanied by a picture of a pear tree. He didn''t know why he could remember a few words.

 CH 23

    The narrow tunnel lit up with a faint light and a person emerged from the darkness, holding a small white flower that glowed.


    The person was slender and their throat only slightly raised, appearing to be a genderless young teenager. They had long hair tied in a braid, and a wooden mask with a mischievous face tied to the back of their head. The mask was smiling brightly and the person also had a bright smile, with a large and lively right eye, clear and black and white, very pleasing to the eye.


    If it weren''t for the blood hole in their forehead, this person would have been like one of those exotic teenage idols on TV.


    Xuan Ji frowned and looked around, then at Sheng Lingyuan - who was this person? He had never heard of the name "Aluojin" before. But the goat-bearded man had said that the "corpse" in the coffin had its forehead nailed to the coffin, and this person''s forehead also happened to have a blood hole, so the coffin was probably this person''s bedroom.


    What was going on recently? Was corpse fraud becoming popular?


    This was witches¡¯ grave, and there were more than forty thousand corpses sleeping in the great bed outside, while this teenager had a "single room" - it was clear that they were an evil ruling class.


    Sheng Lingyuan had just mentioned it, what was the name of the person in charge of the Witch Clan?


    Xuan Ji asked: "Are you the leader of the Witch Clan...or that ''saint''?"


    The masked person was both ancient and a foreigner, probably not even able to speak the "Mandarin" of his time, let alone Xuan Ji''s modern style. He probably didn''t understand, and tilted his head, opened his eyes wide, and showed a serious and curious expression on his face. This was a very childish action, often seen in kindergartens and literary performances.


    People over the age of twelve who make such pre-school moves are either fools or neurotics.


    But for some reason, it looked natural on this strange masked person.


    It was as if...he was innocently convincing.


    "Leader." Sheng Lingyuan answered for the person, "He was the last leader of the Witch People, Aluojin."


    Aluojin understood his name and smiled, revealing a pair of lively and cute little tiger teeth.


    Xuan Ji looked at the big demon beside him with the corner of his eye: "Do you know him? Is he alive or dead?"


    "What do you think?" Sheng Lingyuan glanced at him, Xuan Ji''s wings couldn''t be opened, so he could only fold them sadly on his back, and Sheng Lingyuan''s gaze swept over the folded wings, his gaze cold, as if he didn''t want to look at it any more, "The Yin Sacrifice ritual summoned him, what do you think he is."


    Xuan Ji was full of cold sweat, and secretly opened the Thousand Demon Bestiary in his eyes.


    The Thousand Demon Bestiary didn''t drop the ball this time, and quickly gave him an answer: Heavenly demon.


    Another heavenly demon! Are they starting to be mass-produced recently?


    Xuan Ji slightly tilted his head, using the Thousand Demon Bestiary to aim at Sheng Lingyuan.


    However, between the pages of the Thousand Demon Bestiary, there was once again a blank.


    Xuan Ji sighed in his heart, it was not surprising, he didn''t know what was wrong with this broken book, it seemed to get a virus every time it touched this Sheng Lingyuan, last time it was gurgling for a long time, first saying that the big demon was a puppet carved from jade, and after half a day, it said that he was a demon, this time¡­


    Just as he was secretly complaining, the Thousand Demon Bestiary vaguely revealed a word.


    At least this time it was better than last time, Xuan Ji quickly looked carefully, only to see that the Thousand Demon Bestiary hesitated for a while, and then jumped out a word: evil.


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    What the hell! This broken thing has one hundred percent gotten a virus!


    Sheng Lingyuan''s hand rested on the wet stone wall of the tunnel, and heard the strange masked person say in a manner from three thousand years ago: "Are you happy to see me, Brother Lingyuan?"


    "Like a startling dream." Sheng Lingyuan muttered, he was stunned for a while, then sighed, and stretched out his hand to the shadow, his weak voice more like a lover''s whisper, softly, "Aluojin, come here, let me see you."


    This was said in the witches¡¯ language, and Xuan Ji couldn''t understand it, but maybe he had been fooled by the heavenly demon too many times, as soon as he heard this warm and soft tone, he unconsciously stepped back to the side, feeling that this person was up to no good.


    Aluojin was not as quick-witted as him. When he heard Sheng Lingyuan''s ridiculous words, he stared blankly at the man in the withered grass robe, and a blush rose on half of his face. The blush then spread to the eye sockets, and even the mask on his left face turned into a crying face, and he said pitifully: "I was locked up here alone. I don''t know how long I have been here. I was forcibly awakened by those people with the Yin Sacrifice ritual. I want to go out and see... Where is this? Is this still Dongchuan? Why are there so many mortals in Dongchuan? What are they saying, I can''t understand a word."


    Sheng Lingyuan said softly: "Hmm, I know."


    "I followed that person," Aluojin pointed to the corpse of the goat-bearded man, "and then I felt your breath, so I pulled you over... Lingyuan, it''s really you, I... Am I dreaming? I miss you so much."


    Sheng Lingyuan''s head did not move, his eyelids slowly lowered, then opened again, nodding with his eyes, and he replied almost inaudibly: "I know."


    Aluojin walked towards him step by step, "Brother Lingyuan, what about the clansmen?"


    At that moment, Xuan Ji saw a fleeting sadness on the face of the great heavenly demon, so fast that he thought he was wrong.


    Aluojin seemed to be bewitched. He slowly grasped Sheng Lingyuan''s outstretched hand and said sadly in a low voice: "There are so many fun things outside. I don''t understand what they are doing. But the paintings on the wall can move, the iron worms running on the road are buzzing, in the evening, everywhere is colorful lights, the streets are full of sweetness, it seems that there are markets every day, more lively than the festivals..."


    Aluojin''s voice suddenly dropped: "They are all so happy, Brother Lingyuan."


    Sheng Lingyuan''s throat moved slightly, and he tightened his hand.


    Xuan Ji couldn''t understand the language of the witches, but he could read the air. Intuitively, he gave a warning in advance: "Be careful!"


    Before the words were finished, the expression of grievance on Aluojin''s mask suddenly became ferocious: "But why are they so happy, I hate it so much..."


    Suddenly, a large bunch of vines surged out from behind him - it was the kind that would "bleed" on the cave wall, carrying an ominous fragrance, rushing towards Sheng Lingyuan, and dragging Xuan Ji along.


    Xuan Ji lamented: "Damn!"


    Almost at the same time, Sheng Lingyuan violently dragged Aluojin over, grabbing his throat in a lightning-like move. Aluojin was half a head shorter than him, and he was heavily pressed against the wall, his feet off the ground. The vines wrapped around his hands, and the places they touched were immediately torn open. Sheng Lingyuan seemed as if he didn''t feel pain, he didn''t look at the wounds on his body, and he silently said something, and a buzz came from behind. Then, a few black long nails flew out of the pool, each of them was half a foot long. Sheng Lingyuan caught one in his hand, and lightning-like directly nailed it into Aluojin''s eyebrows, firmly nailing the mask person''s resentful expression in place!


    Blood splashed on his chin and neck, and the places it touched burnt. The bloody wounds sizzled, and then quickly healed at a visible speed.


    Sheng Lingyuan''s expression remained unchanged, still full of love, whispering softly to the mask person''s ear: "If you are unhappy, just close your eyes and don''t look."


    Xuan Ji: "... "


    Who was he warning to be careful just now?


    This is clearly two wolves biting each other!


    The features on Aluojin''s mask flattened, and he looked at Sheng Lingyuan blankly. He said intermittently: "When I opened my eyes... I saw you, thinking it was a dream, but it turns out... it''s not a dream."


    Sheng Lingyuan did not answer, and skillfully nailed several long nails into Aluojin''s four limbs.


    "You are real, Your Majesty." Aluojin suddenly changed to the ancient elegant voice, "Who else can be so heartless except you? Who is worthy of being this ruthless emperor?"


    Xuan Ji understood this elegant voice and caught his last title. In an instant, he looked up incredulously at Sheng Lingyuan''s back, suspecting that his ears had been infected with the virus like the "Thousand Demon Bestiary".


    He couldn''t pass the level four of the ancient language listening test, but... if he didn''t hear it wrong, did this kid just say "Emperor"?


    The last long nail pierced through Aluojin''s body with a "clang" as it wedged into the stone. The masked person was now motionless, and an eerie silence filled the area. All Xuan Ji could hear was his own heart pounding.


    "You..." he stared at Sheng Lingyuan, but changed his words mid-sentence, "Your..."


    Suddenly, the cave began to shake, interrupting Xuan Ji''s words. The narrow passage collapsed at both ends, trapping both of them inside.


    A maniacal laughter echoed from all directions, it was Aluojin, who had been nailed to the stone!


    On the ground, Yang Chao sat in the back seat of the car, eyes closed in a trance-like state, holding Xuan Ji''s watch in his hands. Neither Old Luo, the driver, nor Ping Qianru dared to make a sound, afraid of disturbing him as he "communicated with the universe".


    Who would have thought that Yang Chao and the "universe" would chat endlessly. Just as it was time for dinner, Ping Qianru was so hungry she couldn''t take it anymore. She carefully took out a nut from her pocket and quickly threw it into her mouth, but Yang Chao suddenly opened his eyes and Ping Qianru immediately stopped chewing.


    Yang Chao: "Sis, can you give me something to eat?"


    Ping Qianru: "..."


    She stuffed the entire bag of nuts into Yang Chao''s arms: "How about this? Did you feel anything? Are we getting closer?"


    Yang Chao was also a special ability user, but in the aftermath department, so he was mostly useless. He was considered a "spiritual type", but not a supportive battle type like Bi Chunsheng. He was very sensitive and could feel the strong emotions of those around him, and he could also roughly sense the position and physical condition of the owner through objects - of course, this special ability was not as accurate as a working dog, so it was rarely used, making his skills even more rusty.


    "Well, I can''t say for sure. You know I''m sometimes sensitive, and just now I suddenly didn''t feel anything at all." Yang Chao said with a frown, "Either we''ve passed it, or..."


    "Shh," Ping Qianru interrupted him, patting Old Luo''s seat, "We must have passed it. Old Luo, turn around!"


    "Turn around! You can''t turn around on the highway! We don''t know when reinforcements will arrive," Old Luo said wisely, "With just the few of us looking for Director Xuan... if we could be relied on, why would we be in the aftermath department?"


    At this moment, Yang Chao''s phone rang.


    "Hello, Director Xiao..." After listening for a moment, Yang Chao sat up straight, "Director Xiao sent the ''Wind God'' team to us and asked us to send a location!"


    Almost at the same time, at the Penglai Conference room, Master Yue De''s cell phone also shook. The old man in a black Zhongshan suit took it and looked at it. Someone had sent him a WeChat message: "The Bureau is making a small move. The ''Wind God'' just landed at Dongchuan Airport."


    Master Yue De replied without a sound: "So what, we are not afraid of shadows."


    After a while, a message was quickly retracted from the other side: "Master, they got off the plane and seemed to be heading straight for our ''Mine''. What should we do?"


    Master Yue De''s face suddenly darkened.


    The so-called "Mine" was an ancient tomb. It was the treasure left by the ancestors of Master Yue De''s sect in the Dongchuan area. When it reached Master Yue De, the upper part of the ancient tomb had been dug up almost completely. If you go further down, no one can come back alive.


    Special ability holders are more sensitive than ordinary people, and they can feel the danger of the forbidden area without being reminded. Therefore, Master Yue De has never had the idea of going down to explore since he was a child. Anyway, just the periphery is enough to benefit them for several generations. There are countless ancient books there, a small part of which are written in ancient Chinese, and more texts with ghostly characters that make people feel confused. Master Yue De organized a group of linguists to try to decipher these ghostly characters. So far, only a small part has been deciphered, which is not enough to let them understand the unknown words. Just the part that can be understood has made them dominate Dongchuan and stand out among countless peers.


    In addition to ancient books in the ancient tomb, the most precious things are some ancient "curses".


    The concept of "curses" is recorded in ancient Chinese texts that have been unearthed, and it is unknown who translated them. The power of curses is that even ordinary people can use them with the right props, some of which have very powerful destructive effects. However, miraculously, there is a corresponding solution to each curse, and no after-effects remain after the curse is broken.


    This is the secret behind the success of the group led by the Yue De sect.


    Since ancient times, people have gone to temples to pray to gods and Buddhas only when they had something to ask.


    When the wind and rain were good, the temples of the gods of rivers and land were overgrown with weeds. If cats caught all the mice, they would be asked to leave home soon. For seventy years there were no wars or major disasters, and most people lived in peace and contentment.


    Occasionally, something happened and the people from the Bureau would come to intervene in the guise of "security". They were supported by the government, with salaries paid by taxpayers, but the Yue De sect''s followers had to rely on themselves.


    The Yue De Sect''s followers were always ready to answer his call, and tens of thousands of disciples could not be supported by nothing.


    In times of peace, there was no room for "masters" to use force, so it was impossible for the mysterious and high-ranking "masters" to go to work and earn money. It was not easy to make a living, so the Yue De Sect''s followers had to work hard, with one person playing two roles - both the bad guys who cursed people and the "saviours" who saved the world. His disciples first cursed people and then came out to break the curses and collect money. The big bosses knew what was going on.


    Master Yue De swept his gaze across the conference table, and this was almost an unspoken rule in the industry. If it were revealed, no one would be able to escape.


    Master Yue De put the porcelain cup on the table and thought to himself: if you dare to come, then I won¡¯t let you leave.


    But before he could give instructions to his disciples, a news popped up on his phone: "A 4.2 magnitude earthquake occurred in Changning Province at 11:19, the epicenter was in Dongchuan, and the epicenter depth was 0 kilometers."


    "Master," the message from his disciple came first, "the ''mine'' just had an earthquake!"


    At this moment, Xuan Ji''s feet were on the "epicenter", and at the moment of the collapse of the cave, he was ready to be hit by the rocks. Unexpectedly, the floor beneath his feet disappeared and he stepped on air, and it was dark everywhere.


    The breeze blew, the smell of mud came to his face, mixed with the chirping of birds and cicadas.


    Before Xuan Ji could pinch a spark to light up, someone with a torch ran over from not far away, wearing clothes similar to the weird Aluojin, and screaming in the witches¡¯ language.


    Xuan Ji reached out to stop him: "Hey, wait..."


    But the man "passed" through him and ran straight to the wooden house at the end of the path.


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    What kind of horror movie scene is this, is he dead or the other person dead?


    At this moment, a hand suddenly pressed on his shoulder, and Xuan Ji instinctively shrank his shoulders and turned around, pressing his fingers with sparks against the other''s neck, and the sparks lit up Sheng Lingyuan''s face stained with blood.


    "What is this place? Is it an illusion? You..." Xuan Ji suddenly remembered the seemingly "emperor" words Aluojin said before, and instinctively addressed him more respectfully. "Who is your..."


    What is his origin?

 CH 24

    Sheng Lingyuan''s gaze passed over him and after a long pause, he replied, "No, I¡¯m not."


    They were now on a small hillside, the grass and trees were lush, and rows of small dwellings were nestled between the mountain roads, barely visible in the woods. They were not tall but round and stumpy, and from a distance, they looked like clusters of hidden mushrooms. This night was a new moon, and the stars were like waves, making their hearts involuntarily calm down.


    Xuan Ji didn''t know if the other party understood what he had just asked, and he was thinking about changing his words and asking again when Sheng Lingyuan slowly said, "This place... this is not... ''Illusion Realm''."


    When Sheng Lingyuan first arrived in this world, his head was empty. He was full of enthusiasm and curiosity about everything around him. He could imitate the accent and pauses of what others said after hearing it once, and he would try to understand its principle and use whenever he saw something new.


    But... memories came back, almost like an unwelcome guest.


    The recovered burdens from his past life were extremely heavy, weighing down his heart so much that he had no strength to look around. Sheng Lingyuan was like an ancient sword just unearthed, and the cold sword body touched the air and soon oxidized with rust spots, and even the blade was dull.


    He spoke the common language awkwardly, which was worse than how he had spoken at the Chiyuan Hospital.


    "This is a curse, one of the seven evil curses of the Witch Clan, called... ''Retracing''." Sheng Lingyuan slowed down his speech, and in the dim environment, he couldn''t see his face, which made him sound almost gloomy. His tone was like an old man, which inexplicably made Xuan Ji think of the rusty artifacts in his home. "My... I think the one I nailed on the wall is a substitute, and the curse... is in the blood of the substitute... He probably knew that I was in a hurry to nail him back in the coffin, and I was careless."


    "What is ''Retracing''?"


    "It''s... " Sheng Lingyuan opened his mouth, but he forgot how to say the word for a moment. His voice was like a dry and broken stream, and after a long time, he continued, "When I see him, my memories will come up, and whatever I remember will be experienced again. If there is a past that can''t be resolved, I will keep going around in it until I die in it."


    That is to say, "Retracing" is a memory that may be infinitely cycled!


    "Wait, let me think," Xuan Ji turned his head and saw the "witch" who had just passed through his body and smashed open the door of the wooden house at the end of the small road. He was still speaking the witches¡¯ language and Xuan Ji didn''t know what he was saying.


    He couldn''t help but sigh, "Today is really long day."


    Originally, he just wanted to fish for a group of Jianghu swindlers, but he didn''t expect to catch a shark, and the shark dragged him into the water with him.


    The connection between Ji Qingchen and Bi Chunsheng was not clear. First, he was inexplicably dragged into a pit of ten thousand people, and before he could understand what was going on with this crazy unlucky place, a dead person came out of the coffin. The two heavenly demons whispered in the witches¡¯ language for a long time, and Xuan Ji didn''t understand what kind of things they had shared. Now he was dragged into a strange curse.


    Xuan Ji inexplicably thought: "And what does the feud between these two heavenly demons have to do with me?"


    He was just a poor civil servant who had nowhere to claim his broken clothes. Why did those two have to fight first, killing his suspect, and then dragging him into the water?


    What did he do wrong? Is there a nickname called "Pond Fish" that he doesn''t even know?


    "Also, elder, I''m actually quite embarrassed to say this, but, ''returning what is borrowed, and borrowing again becomes possible¡¯, right? Can you return my original sword to me first? It''s not that I''m stingy, I''ll definitely give you this one if I have two, but the truth is... I really don''t have another one."


    "I''m sorry," Sheng Lingyuan said, trying to explain, but due to his limited vocabulary of modern Chinese, he was unable to organize his words. After a while, he could only apologize with a hint of embarrassment, "That''s mine."


    Xuan Ji was shocked. Some people actually had the audacity to be so blunt and shameless!


    "I''m sorry," he said, "Whose is it? Did I hear something wrong?"


    "That is my..." Sheng Lingyuan opened his mouth, but forgot the words, so he gave up and returned to his own accent, "Skeleton."


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    The language barrier was really a big problem. He felt he might have heard something wrong again.


    "No, I probably really didn''t understand. You said earlier, my sword," Xuan Ji stretched out his arms to gesture, "That wide,one used for cutting people¨Cthe sword, is your ''skeleton''? That is... what''s left after death..."


    Sheng Lingyuan nodded faintly: "Corpse."


    "Then what am I?" Xuan Ji''s voice was a little off-key, "A handsome limited edition urn for ashes?"


    Sheng Lingyuan''s expression was faint and he didn''t pay attention, not even understanding.


    "When I jumped into the Chiyuan Sea of Fire," Sheng Lingyuan said softly, "After death, my bones were not completely burned, and my remains were scattered."


    Xuan Ji: "..."


    Jumping into the Chiyuan Sea of Fire... He really was... but how could it be possible?


    When Aluojin said "Your Majesty" and "Emperor", Xuan Ji still suspected he had heard it wrong. Since ancient times, apart from the legendary ancient gods, the only one who could be called "Emperor" by the foreign tribes was the Great Qi Emperor Sheng Xiao.


    Because he had set things right, he had achieved the impossible with a mortal body, and was respected and feared like a descending god.


    No... The Emperor Sheng Xiao in the history books was a fierce-looking iron-faced man! He was big and burly, with a figure similar to the four great heavenly kings, which was very in line with the character of the Emperor of Martial Arts.


    How could he be a little white-faced flirt?


    Xuan Ji opened his mouth, too many questions swirling in his mind, and he was suddenly at a loss for words.


    "The corpse was probably picked up by your ancestors," Sheng Lingyuan didn''t pay attention to him, and then continued, "Using the ancient method of ''nourishing the corpse with life force''."


    Xuan Ji lost most of his thinking ability and repeated the phrase he had never heard of in a daze: "Nourishing... what ancient method?"


    Sheng Lingyuan treated him like a little demon who had grown up amongst humans¨Cthat is, like a wolf child, not lacking in soul and wisdom, but definitely lacking in much common sense.


    So he patiently explained: "It is to infuse the life force into the corpse, nourishing it with the body. After many years, an intact corpse can be preserved without decay, and an incomplete corpse can be nourished by vitality. Sometimes, enough spiritual energy can be accumulated to repair broken limbs and wounds. You may have received the inheritance of the clan when you were too young to remember¨Cas for why it was a sword, because your life force belongs to the metal-type. ''Nourishing the corpse'' requires infusing the life force, and when the corpse is not separated from the living body, it often appears in the form of the life force."


    Sheng Lingyuan paused here and said faintly: "But I''m also curious. I thought your life force belonged to the fire-type, but I turned out to be wrong. I guess the various tribes have been mixed up these years."


    Xuan Ji stumbled to find his tongue: "Then you... you have been in my back, so the one at the Chiyuan Hospital before was..."


    A fake?


    Or something pretending to be a demon, using the Yin Sacrifice ritual to call out the Emperor, what''s the point?


    How could the Emperor be a demon!


    Sheng Lingyuan: "That is a ''Heart-Piercing Grass Puppet''... You should know what that is, right?"


    This had been mentioned by the "Thousand Demon Bestiary". However, a nerve on his eyelid suddenly twitched, and a shadow suddenly flashed through his mind¨Cthe "Thousand Demon Bestiary" had said at the beginning that the man was a jade-carved "Heart-Piercing Grass Puppet puppet". He had not made a mistake!


    But if a jade-carved Heart-Piercing Grass Puppet puppet could be at a "heavenly demon¡¯s" level, then what about the original body?


    "That Heart-Piercing Grass Puppet was something I had been with since before I died. It often acted as my eyes and ears, and could understand my spirit. When I left, I left one guard behind. It must have been him who buried it. The Yin Sacrifice ritual woke me up, and before my real body woke up, I borrowed the Heart-Piercing Grass Puppet body to answer the ritual.


    ¡°I received the backlash of the Yin Sacrifice ritual, and it was only because you were carrying my real body nearby that I was able to return to my body when the lightning struck. It was just that my soul was shaken for a moment, and I didn''t remember anything."


    Sheng Lingyuan stretched out his fingers and said, at this moment, he vaguely remembered that he didn''t want to answer the ritual at all, and he wanted to kill the person who disturbed his long sleep.


    Right, why did he open his eyes and come back to the world at that time?


    He was about to recall, but suddenly there was a sharp pain around his temples. Sheng Lingyuan frowned slightly.


    This corpse was cultivated too ¡°well¡±, and even his headache before he died was preserved.


    Xuan Ji''s heart slowly sank¨Cthis "Emperor" was definitely not a human.


    The Emperor Sheng Xiao had been dead for three thousand years. Even if the so-called "ancient corpse preservation" could make him as alive as before, it was still just an animated corpse. When people die, their souls and spirits scatter, and ghosts and monsters have always been illusions of self-deception. The body is not a shell that can be put on and taken off at will.


    He first entered the jade-carved puppet body, and then was hit by thunderbolts back into his own corpse, like flowing clouds... This was written in the "Dongchuan Witches Book", only immortal creatures have such a form of life.


    But the Emperor, why did he become a demon?


    What did the history books miss?


    The usual playful smile on Xuan Ji''s face disappeared. He subconsciously held his breath and asked, "My...ancestor, how were they related to you?"


    Was he a relative? Why did they take such care to cultivate a corpse.


    The pain around Sheng Lingyuan''s temples began to spread, and his head was about to burst. However, there was a smile on his face, and he answered slowly: "My corpse is immune to water and fire, and can be used for many purposes. Your ancestor was very talented and brave. It was really impressive."


    Xuan Ji was inexplicably stabbed by the hidden malice in the words. In the darkness, his eyes dimmed for a moment. At the same time, he felt that the malice was unreasonable¨Cthe Emperor of Martial Arts was a famous lone star in history, and it was said that he killed his master and relatives. It is estimated that his relatives and friends are all gone. Even if there is some malice, it should not be directed at him personally, but at his ancestor three thousand years ago.


    Nowadays, young people have no concept of clans, and ancestors before the eighteenth generation will be ignored even if they are scolded on the street.


    But Xuan Ji''s heart was so uncomfortable that he couldn''t breathe for a moment, as if the inexpressible deep affection had been betrayed.


    At this time, a loud noise interrupted his musing. There was a commotion at the foot of the mountain, and someone shouted in the witches¡¯ language.


    Xuan Ji quickly collected his inexplicable emotions, poked his head down the mountain, and saw a group of people holding torches, surrounding a man and quickly climbing the mountain. The big man was carrying someone and shouting from a distance. Although Xuan Ji couldn''t understand, he guessed from the scene that he was asking someone to help.


    The whole clan was alarmed, and the lights were lit in houses on both sides of the mountain road. The drowsy witchpeople put on their clothes and came out to take a look.


    The quiet night was broken, like a metaphor.


    Xuan Ji: "That is..."


    "It''s me," Sheng Lingyuan said softly, "The one leading is the old clan leader from back then, and the one he''s carrying is me."


    At this moment, rustling noises arose from the bushes nearby. Xuan Ji lowered his head and saw a small head popping out from the bushes. It was a seven or eight year old boy, at an age that even dogs would despise. He had round grape eyes, a small braid, and his hair was all messed up.


    Xuan Ji stepped back half a step: "You scared me, this brat looks too much like the corpse from just now."


    "Mm," Sheng Lingyuan''s gaze fell on the boy, and after a while he said, "This is Aluojin."


    "Wha..."


    At this moment, the man carrying the person passed by them. Xuan Ji could clearly see the teenager he was carrying.


    The teenager had long hands and legs, but his body seemed to have not caught up yet. He was thin, and wrapped in a big cloak, only revealing a pale small face, and blood continuously flowed down from his fingertips.


    At the highest point of the hill, an old man welcomed them from the wooden house. He was dressed very formally. Xuan Ji guessed that he was the spiritual leader of the Witch Clan, and seemed to be called "Great Sage" or something.


    The firelight illuminated the small wooden house, and only then did Xuan Ji realize that there was no door ring on the door of the wooden house. Instead, two special knock stones were inlaid on it, which was exactly the same as the door Sheng Lingyuan had erected in his sea of knowledge.


    So it turned out that this was the building of the Witch Clan, no wonder it was full of a sense of foreignness.


    The old man who walked out of the wooden house took over the injured teenager, and the witches who were watching whispered to each other. Little Aluojin, who had a bunch of small braids on his head, curiously crawled in from under the adults'' feet, tiptoed to look around, chattering: "Is that the little prince? Is it him? Let me see, let me see!"


    Xuan Ji couldn''t help but ask: "Was your Majesty injured?"


    "Just a common occurrence," Sheng Lingyuan stood outside the crowd, not approaching, and looked far away at his own tattered self. After a few moments of confusion, he said, "My father died in the Chiyuan, the country collapsed, the imperial city turned into a monster city, the human race declined, and people wanted hope, so a prophecy came out... I guess it was fabricated by the capable courtiers around my mother, saying ''The emperor''s son born from a million resentful souls will carry his father''s blood and personally destroy the monsters''.


    "You mean..."


    "Yes, me. Such a baseless rumor can only deceive the unenlightened people and monsters. Surprisingly, they really believe it. I was a thorn in the eyes of the monster king since I was born, and he has been chasing me since I was a child. When I was ten years old, I got separated from my teacher and was betrayed by my own clan. Three big monsters chased me all the way to Dongchuan. All twelve of my guards died, and when I reached a dead end, I was saved by the witches. "


    Sheng Lingyuan said this and looked back at the mountain with a few dim lights. His voice was slightly vague, "The witch''s hometown is a Paradise. I hid in this Paradise for six years."

 CH 25

    As they spoke, the memories began to slowly push forward.


    Sheng Lingyuan and Xuan Ji were also swept up in the flow of time.


    The young prince, who was exiled with his people, was still recovering from his injuries and resting by the window.


    Suddenly, a strange and ugly bug flew in and landed directly on his forehead, causing mischievous laughter from the children.


    Although Sheng Lingyuan was only ten years old, he had already been fleeing in endless fear for ten years and had long lost his childishness. He neither had the same experience as the naughty children nor was he interested in indulging them.


    Calmly, he pinched the bug and released it outside, speaking in the unfamiliar language of the witch people, "If you cause trouble again, I''ll tell your father."


    The snickering ceased and, after a moment, Aluojin''s head popped out from the tree.


    He glared at Sheng Lingyuan with a puffed-up chest and then scurried down the tree with his little entourage.


    As a young boy, Aluojin was filled with curiosity about Sheng Lingyuan and wanted to play with him, but he didn''t know how to approach him.


    Being the only son of the tribe leader, he was spoiled by the tribe and had always been the center of attention. The other children in the tribe followed him around like little ducklings.


    In his mind, he didn''t even consider the concept of "putting aside his pride and actively making friends."


    He believed that simply walking around someone''s window was already a huge favor, and that the prince of the human tribe should be thrilled to join them.


    Little did he know that the fallen prince of the human tribe didn''t want to bother with him.


    Aluojin was infuriated, but at the same time, his "the more you can''t get, the more you want" mentality was growing stronger. The more Sheng Lingyuan ignored him, the more he wanted to show off in front of him.


    So every day, he led a group of followers to harass and disturb the peace of the Great Sage''s small wooden house.


    The young prince''s temperament had long been honed. He remained calm and collected, and when he was annoyed, he would use his ultimate move: "I''ll tell your dad."


    It never failed.


    Aluojin''s frequency of being beaten by this increased rapidly, and his love-hate relationship with the human prince was one-sided, leaving him gnashing his teeth in anger.


    Before he could even set foot on the ground, Sheng Lingyuan had already learned to communicate in the language of the Witch Clan and even learned their writing.


    The history books say that the Emperor Wu was "enlightened and intelligent," but they didn''t mention that this monarch could mimic the speech of a parrot faster than anyone else.


    At first, Xuan Ji thought that Sheng Lingyuan was just a natural genius with an incredible memory.


    He couldn''t help but compare him to the group of college students who had spent over a decade memorizing grammar rules but still couldn''t speak English clearly.


    It wasn''t until later that he realized that Sheng Lingyuan''s ability was simply a matter of survival.


    During the chaotic era of the Nine Provinces, no one had the luxury of promoting "Mandarin".


    The languages of different ethnic groups and regions were vastly different, some not even belonging to the same language family.


    In order to survive in this turbulent world, young Sheng Lingyuan had to quickly master the dialects and blend into unfamiliar environments. It was a skill he needed to stay alive.


    However, even for the prestigious Sheng Lingyuan, learning the written language of the witch people was a great challenge.


    Their script was written on a type of local tree leaf and at first glance, it resembled ancient Egyptian writing. The characters were all large circles enclosing smaller circles, lacking the sharp strokes of Chinese characters.


    Like their houses, the script was endearingly simple yet incredibly complex, revealing a deep cultural heritage.


    At the top of the mountain, next to the Great Sage''s wooden house, there was a place that resembled a modern library. It housed a vast collection of texts, and even outsiders were free to come and go as they pleased.


    Even to contemporary people like Xuan Ji, the openness and level of civilization of this ancient tribe were quite astonishing.


    After only a few rounds of exploration in the Dongchuan area, he had already overturned all of his previous impressions of the witch people. The witch people were the birthplace of parasitic butterflies, and they possessed all sorts of unimaginable spells.


    From the name "witch," there was an eerie feeling that emanated from it.


    Adding to that was the eccentric Aluojin.


    Xuan Ji couldn''t help but have preconceived notions about the image of the "witch people," thinking that they were similar to the "dark wizards" in movies - everyone dressed like Arab women, only revealing their eyes. They would then gather around a bonfire day and night, discussing who to curse to death tomorrow.


    But in reality, Dongchuan was not at all gloomy. The way of life for the witch people was even lively and warm.


    Everyone was quite lazy, leaving their cows and sheep halfway through grazing to take a nap somewhere, but if they got lost, it didn''t matter because in a few days, someone from the tribe would help find them.


    Children here began their education at the age of five or six, and the entire tribe was literate.


    In the evenings, when there was nothing to do, everyone would gather at the square on the mountaintop to have fun. The tribe leader and the great sage would also attend, and everyone would sit together without any distinction, singing, dancing, telling stories, and even debating some primitive philosophical questions endlessly.


    "I think this place is just as impressive as the ancient city of Athens," Xuan Ji muttered to himself.


    "Why do they have to call themselves the ''witch people''? It sounds so scary."


    "In their own writing, they refer to themselves as ''people who live in the forest on the hillside''," said Sheng Lingyuan. "The term ''witch people'' was what outsiders called them. Does it sound scary? Perhaps those who called them that had their own fears."


    "The children of the witch people also call you..."


    "Lingyuan?"


    "I thought it was a pseudonym."


    "I don''t even remember my real name, let alone which one is a pseudonym," Sheng Lingyuan raised his eyebrows and smiled. "My given name is rarely mentioned by others. ''Lingyuan'' is a milk name given by my elders. It sounds more familiar and rolls off the tongue easier."


    It is said that ancient people placed great importance on the meaning behind names, but the two characters ''Lingyuan'' sound rather ominous... especially for someone who was born during such a special period.


    Xuan Ji thought to herself: What kind of ill-intentioned elder would give such a name?


    He followed the young Sheng Lingyuan around the witch people''s tribe, watching the boy enjoy his days like a vacation. Every day was spent resting, reading, consulting with the Great Sage, or helping with herbs. His biggest annoyance was the mischievous child, Aluojin, who constantly bothered him.


    The curse of the past can trap people in their memories.


    Xuan Ji thought he would see gruesome scenes in the memories of the Emperor, but instead, they were endlessly following a young boy in their daily routines.


    Sheng Lingyuan in these memories always looked like a ten-year-old child, with no signs of growing up.


    "Wait, Your Majesty," Xuan Ji hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "You said that if there is something that cannot be shaken off, then we will be trapped in a memory and keep going in circles. Are we trapped now?"


    Sheng Lingyuan glanced at him with an indifferent expression that said "this doesn''t concern me."


    Suddenly, Xuan Ji realized that the more agitated this person became, the more distant his attitude became.


    If Xuan Ji didn''t know that he was currently trapped in a young man''s dream and unwilling to wake up, he would almost think that this person was flawless.


    Could he also be weak and self-deceiving?


    Could he also be trapped in a certain memory, unable to escape?


    For a moment, Xuan Ji felt that the Martial Emperor, who had always been put on a pedestal, was like a flesh-and-blood person.


    The fragility of the strong and the courage of the coward were equally thrilling.


    His tone involuntarily softened, "But we still need to find a way out, right? What do you think..."


    Before he could finish speaking, Sheng Lingyuan nodded lightly and said, "Hmm, makes sense."


    Xuan Ji: "..." He didn''t even have a chance to give a long-winded persuasion.


    "It''s human nature to avoid the difficult and focus on the easy, and I''m no exception," Sheng Lingyuan thought for a moment, then calmly said, "These events from my past are too distant, and I can''t make sense of them at the moment. So, why don''t you just ask me what you want to know, and I''ll try to recall along with your questions, and see if we can jump out of these irrelevant trivialities."


    "Your Majesty," Xuan Ji couldn''t help but speak up, "If it''s something that can trap you, how can it be irrelevant?"


    Sheng Lingyuan seemed to find this little demon''s sensitivity inexplicable, and looked at him with a smile, "Alright then, how do you want to proceed?"


    In front of him, Xuan Ji always felt a sense of helplessness in wasting emotions - to discuss his weaknesses in such a matter-of-fact way, this mysterious and inscrutable Majesty didn''t seem like a person at all.


    Without waiting for him to speak, the surroundings began to shake as if awakened by his words.


    Obviously, Sheng Lingyuan had strong self-control and had abandoned this warm and peaceful memory of his youth.


    Suddenly, the peaceful village of the witch people shattered into countless pieces in front of them, like a smashed vase. They fell into a dark night, and before Xuan Ji could steady himself, he saw the back door of the chief''s house creak open.


    Little Aluojin was holding a bundle in his arms and slipped out, heading straight down the mountain.


    He looked aggrieved, with a red and swollen palm on his left hand.


    He must have been beaten up thanks to the "tattletale" for some unknown reason, and couldn''t take it anymore, so he ran away from home.


    Xuan Ji asked, "What''s wrong with him now?"


    "He stole the ''Soul Shock Spell'' from the Great Sage and put it under my pillow," said Sheng Lingyuan. "The Soul Shock Spell can stir up the most fearful things in one''s heart, but it''s actually a good thing. Fear and terror are both illusions, once you see through them, they will pass. It was originally used by the Great Sage for his own cultivation, and later on, I often carried it with me. However, at that time, the clan leader and the Great Sage were too cautious with me because of my young age, fearing that they would scare me. When the clan leader found out, he was furious and publicly punished Aluojin. He couldn''t bear such injustice and secretly ran away that night."


    Xuan Ji heard a slight movement next to him, turned his head, and saw the young Sheng Lingyuan coming down from a big tree, looking at Aluojin''s back.


    After hesitating for a moment, Xuan Ji followed him.


    "Excuse me..."


    "I couldn''t sleep that night," Sheng Lingyuan said calmly. "The spell may be effective, but it''s still a strong medicine. I was startled the first time I tried it and didn''t dare close my eyes at night."


    The Witch Clan had some contact with the outside world.


    Regularly, people would dress up as ordinary civilians and go out to buy and exchange goods. Although Aluojin had never gone with them, he clearly knew the way.


    As he cried, he crawled through the barrier set up by his clan at the foot of the mountain and left the protection of the Witch Clan.


    He thought the outside world was vast and boundless.


    Otherwise, why would an outsider''s child be so precious?


    He didn''t expect that he would experience the harsh reality of the world just after leaving the Witch Clan.


    The Witch Clan lived peacefully and without conflict with the world, but their mysterious magic and supernatural powers made the human race afraid of them, and even the demon race was intimidated by them.


    Therefore, even though they knew that Sheng Lingyuan was hiding in the mountains of the Witch Clan, no one dared to act rashly.


    In this situation, Aluojin, who ran away from home, was like a gift sent to them from a thousand miles away. As soon as he appeared, he was caught in a net.


    The demon race had been at a loss for months, knowing that Sheng Lingyuan was in the Witch Clan but unable to enter. Unexpectedly, they received divine assistance when they accidentally captured Aluojin, and were overjoyed.


    That night, they hung Aluojin in a cage and celebrated, eating and drinking in front of him - of course, they were eating people.


    The wine of the demon clan was mixed with blood, and in the big pot, they stewed soup made from the bones of infants. The tiny skeletons floated in the boiling water, some still with bits of flesh clinging to them, revealing their appearance before death.


    The main course was a beautiful young girl, still alive, with her organs cleaned and her life suspended by demonic magic. They sliced meat directly from her body and boiled it in the water, half-cooked and served with blood, accompanied by her screams.


    After the meal, the girl''s legs were reduced to white bones, yet she was still alive, her face pure and flawless.


    The girl who was eaten alive went insane, and Aluojin, who witnessed everything, was on the brink of madness.


    Little Aluojin was thrown into a thatched hut with the girl whose legs were now just white bones. The girl''s eyes were empty, staring straight at him, and she laughed all night.


    Aluojin cried all night in front of her.


    As Xuan Ji was forced to watch from the sidelines, his whole body went numb. His wings instinctively spread out from his back, but as soon as his fiery wings


    appeared, they were pushed back down by a cold hand that was unafraid of fire.


    "It''s always been like this, there''s no need to panic," Sheng Lingyuan said coolly.


    "If we were in your position, the human race wouldn''t show any mercy either. This is an old debt from thousands of years ago, and it has nothing to do with you younger demons."


    "I''m not..." Xuan Ji blurted out, wanting to say that he wasn''t a "demon," but he swallowed his words halfway through.


    What was he if not a demon?


    He definitely couldn''t be considered human.


    Xuan Ji felt a sudden sense of loneliness for no reason, as if he had no clan, no peers...and no history.


    Just then, little Aluojin from the memories had annoyed the little demon who was watching over him, and the demon was about to kick him.


    But suddenly, a dagger appeared from behind the demon and cleanly sliced his neck.


    The demon fell silently to the ground, and Aluojin, who was lost in his emotions, stared numbly at the person who had just arrived - the human prince, known as the "tattletale".


    He wiped the blood from his face, skillfully caught the demon''s body, and dragged it to the side, as if he had done this a thousand times before. His dagger was inscribed with a spell to subdue demons, and he used it to easily cut through the iron cage that had trapped Aluojin.


    With one hand, he lifted Aluojin out and handed him a jar of spells, saying, "Go."


    Aluojin stumbled out a few steps, but found that Sheng Lingyuan had not followed.


    He hurriedly turned around and saw Sheng Lingyuan covering the girl''s eyes with his hand. He leaned down and whispered something softly in her ear.


    The girl trembled and muttered nonsense unconsciously. Sheng Lingyuan stared at her for a moment, then raised his hand and gave her a swift death.


    The spell that had been hanging over her was cut off by the dagger, and the girl was finally liberated from the muddy world.


    Her eyes even cleared for a moment.


    If there were such things as spirits, would she dare to come back and be reincarnated again?


    Sheng Lingyuan put down the girl''s body and grabbed Aluojin, "What are you standing there for?"


    Aluojin was being dragged along, tears streaming down his face that he couldn''t wipe away.


    He choked out a small plea, "I...sob...want to make her a piece of clothing...brother, can I make her a piece of clothing?"


    It was the first time Aluojin had called him anything other than "hey," "annoying ghost," or "tattletale."


    Sheng Lingyuan didn''t let go of him, nor did he look at him.


    He spoke softly in the language of the witch people.


    Xuan Ji couldn''t understand the language of the witch people and asked, "What are you saying to him?"


    Sheng Lingyuan didn''t answer.


    What he had said at that time was, "One day, I will close the eyes of all those who died unjustly, and collect all the unburied bones."


    He was shamelessly boastful, and that sentence would haunt Aluojin for the rest of his life.


    The ancestral motto of the witch people was "never leave Dongchuan."


    But after this battle, the young clan leader''s heart had already drifted to the vast and cruel human world.

 CH 26

    The witch people are not a warlike tribe, and their temperament is relatively mild - you can tell from their "curses" dug out from the graves.


    Almost all of their curses have corresponding counter-curses, and there are no after-effects once they are lifted.


    This is not easy, it''s like killing someone is easy, but reviving them is difficult.


    Unless one claimed that the ancient witch ancestors could foresee the future and designed a set of curses specifically for the fraudsters thousands of years later, it would only mean that the curses they created back then were only for self-protection.


    Not to mention that the two children couldn''t even come into contact with any evil curses.


    The "curses" that Sheng Lingyuan brought out were basically just pranks that the children in the tribe played, and they were of no use.


    The two teenagers were forced to hide and evade, and were chased by ferocious demons all the way, looking very worn-down.


    As they traveled, the villages became desolate and wherever crows gathered, there were always corpses with missing limbs. Little Aluojin felt that crying was too weak. Tears were worthless, and certainly not worth the girl''s life.


    But he couldn''t help it.


    He stared hard at Sheng Lingyuan''s back, trying to use his gaze to hold back his tears.


    He saw blood for the first time in his life, witnessed the lives of others being treated like weeds, and his heart was torn apart.


    His initial fear finally turned into fuel for anger, anger at the cruel world, and anger at his own weakness.


    But Xuan Ji was not eight-year-old Aluojin, and it wasn''t so easy for him to shed tears.


    He watched coldly for a while before asking, "I have a disrespectful question, Your Majesty. Is your memory real?"


    Sheng Lingyuan''s gaze remained fixed on the two young boys as they walked away.


    He turned his head slightly towards them and asked, "Why did you ask that?"


    "You said earlier that the demon king ordered your pursuit, and that the demon clan knew you had taken refuge in the territory of the Witch Clan, which is notoriously difficult to deal with, right?" Xuan Ji said.


    "If there was a very important target, like Your Majesty, and a group of very formidable opponents, like the Witch Clan, I think any rational decision maker would send the most reliable people to carry out the mission. You said that the three great demon generals pursued you into the Witch Clan. I''m not very knowledgeable about history or common sense, so I don''t know what a ''demon general'' is, but if you say that all twelve of your guards died on the escape route, then it must have been very powerful. Although both of you are big shots, you were just a little over the legal age limit and had a jar of prank curses, yet you managed to successfully escape back then? I think that''s a bit unusual."


    Sheng Lingyuan turned his head from a few steps away, looking at him meaningfully, "What do you mean?"


    Xuan Ji was dressed in ragged beggar clothes, with his jeans rolled up and covered in mud, looking like a non-mainstream punk youth.


    He spoke very respectfully and his tone was sharp without mercy.


    His curved smiling eyes were full of vigilance.


    "I''m just raising a doubt," Xuan Ji smiled and looked back at Sheng Lingyuan without dodging, "It''s also possible that the demons just happened to have upset stomachs that day, or maybe they were allergic to the witchcraft of the Witch Clan."


    Sheng Lingyuan thought to himself, "This little devil, he''s hot-headed but cold-hearted, with a heart full of thievery and deceit. He''s burned all his wings with his own fire."


    Quite impressive.


    People who are too hot-headed never grow up, like Aluojin, who didn''t end up well.


    Suddenly, Sheng Lingyuan asked, "Has my teacher left a name in history?"


    "Your teacher...oh, yes, he has. His reputation is quite impressive," Xuan Ji reminisced for a moment. "Even the children downstairs have memorized his story. ''Emperor''s teacher Dan Li, with a face like a beautiful woman, served Emperor Wu with deep planning for several years. He helped restore the country and became a prime minister. But five years later, he was beheaded...''"


    The last sentence was originally a test question, and Xuan Ji almost blurted it out before realizing who he was talking to and biting his tongue just in time.


    "But five years later, he was beheaded in the market."


    Yes, in the glorious achievements of this Emperor Wu, there was also the fact that he ''killed his teacher.''


    Sheng Lingyuan''s eyes were pitch black and silent, and the light around him reflected like flames on an icy surface.


    Xuan Ji misspoke, quickly changing the subject and pretending to be clueless.


    "Ah...well, speaking of which, is he really as handsome as they say? You know, just from the line in the history books that describes him as having a face like a beautiful woman, this IP will be popular for another five hundred years. I''ve watched several TV dramas about him, and he''s married several Mary Sues in each one. By the end, I was so confused about who his actual love interest was."


    "What... IP?" Sheng Lingyuan was completely confused by Xuan Ji''s words and could tell from his expression that it wasn''t a serious conversation.


    He shook his head and his eyes curved slightly, "Dan Li has never married in his lifetime, and only has one confidante by his side. I cannot reveal her name, but it is not that... that Sue. Do you all enjoy making up these kinds of things about historical figures now?"


    Xuan Ji instantly felt relieved, "Don''t worry, we didn''t make up any rumors about you."


    Sheng Lingyuan''s eye twitched and his expression was a bit strange, both amusing and ridiculous.


    Xuan Ji said, "Because the historical records say that you are... quite mighty and powerful."


    Nine feet tall, like the Heavenly King of Great Strength, cutting people like slicing melons.


    "Ha... full of righteousness, able to shield rumors."


    As soon as a young girl sees your portrait, she becomes paralyzed and can no longer jump around.


    Sheng Lingyuan was speechless for a moment, which was rare for him.


    "Thank you for sparing me," he said with a smile.


    The deep coldness in his eyes disappeared completely as he calmly talked about his former teacher whom he had personally executed, as if he were chatting about his high school homeroom teacher after dinner.


    This made Xuan Ji momentarily doubt the authenticity of historical records - if Emperor Wu did not have a face full of whiskers and a beard, then... were those rumors of ''killing relatives and teachers'' also made up by later generations to gain popularity?


    "What kind of person is Dan Li, the Emperor''s teacher?"


    Sheng Lingyuan squinted his eyes and looked into the distance.


    His smile lines at the corners of his eyes suddenly flattened upon hearing this question.


    After a while, he continued with his casual tone, "He was a genius, both in literature and military strategy. I grew up by his side, and he taught me everything. Even after his death, people still worship him and build shrines for him. They see him as a god. I had to issue a decree to ban it, but it didn''t work. So, I had to resort to severe punishment - anyone who dares to carve or paint Dan Li''s image will be considered a rebel and their entire family will be executed."


    The wind in the valley suddenly became eerie, sending shivers down one''s spine.


    Sheng Lingyuan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze still fixed on the distant valley.


    Suddenly, it began to collapse, indicating that his memories were slipping into even darker places, yet his expression remained unchanged.


    "Didn''t you think it was too easy for the two of us to escape from the demon clan? Indeed - if I''m not mistaken, Dan Li should have been nearby at the time. He worked hard to raise me, so naturally he wouldn''t let me die."


    Xuan Ji was shocked and forgot to use honorifics. "Are you saying..."


    "I thought I was running for my life, carrying twelve guards who died for me, being chased to the Witch Clan. But in fact, all the dangers were carefully planned."


    Sheng Lingyuan''s eyes showed no hint of a smile, but his lips twitched slightly.


    "Kid, let me teach you something. There are no coincidences in this world."


    This monarch was not only an atheist, but also a conspiracy theorist.


    However, Xuan Ji didn''t have time to think about it as the world collapsed beneath their feet in an instant.


    Xuan Ji grabbed Sheng Lingyuan and they both fell deeper into the abyss. The feeling of weightlessness engulfed their bodies and Xuan Ji resisted the urge to spread his wings and fight against the memory space.


    The outline of the entire event had already surfaced in his mind - during the War, although the human population was far greater than that of the demons, they lacked core combat power. Human cultivators didn''t have many years of cultivation and magic tools, and were barely able fight against the demons. Ordinary people who encountered demons and monsters were basically at their mercy.


    A small demon could easily breathe out poisonous gas and slaughter a village as if it were child''s play.


    At that time, the royal family was scarce, and the human race was without a leader.


    All the desperate people placed their hopes on a vague and flawed prophecy, even if the protagonist of the prophecy was just a child in his early teens.


    The only chance for the human race to turn the tide was to seek as much help as possible.


    Among them, the witch race was crucial.


    Not only were they powerful, but the witch race also invented spells that could be made into special tools, which even ordinary people could use as weapons.


    The only problem was that the witch race never left Dongchuan, despite being friendly.


    They were peaceful and indifferent, without any desire for power.


    Even the high-ranking officials of the Ping Emperor could not persuade them, let alone the current group of dogs of the fallen nation.


    In Dongchuan, there are mountains and a natural barrier, as well as a great formation laid out by the witch tribe, which isolates them from the outside world.


    No matter how bloody and chaotic it is outside, people can "hide in small buildings and become one."


    Why would they want to come out and wade through muddy waters?


    Coercion and temptation were ineffective, so Dan Li came up with a third option, a desperate plan - the young prince was only ten years old, weak and helpless, at the end of his rope.


    With the witch tribe''s mentality, they could not possibly stand by and watch an innocent child die.


    As long as this child sets foot on the witch tribe''s mountain slope, one foot of the witch tribe will be pulled into the human tribe''s camp.


    The big shots only care about their own interests, but the hearts of young people still hold true feelings.


    In troubled times, true feelings are a rare and valuable weapon.


    All the passing mentions in history books have countless hidden motives.


    In the memory space of ''Retracing'', countless stories flew by quickly.


    Aluojin chose the figure he wanted to follow, and since then, he seemed like a different person.


    The young generation of the witch people centered around him, no longer content with peace like their ancestors. They were full of energy and eager to leave their mark on the world.


    Six years later, after years of bitter fighting, the human race finally broke through the encirclement of the demon race outside Dongchuan and sent people to welcome back the lost prince.


    Aluojin had a heated argument with his father, the clan leader, and left with the rebellious young people, embarking on a dream to bring peace to the world.


    Xuan Ji''s mind flashed with many messy fragments, none of them particularly pleasant.


    They must have had a tough time at the beginning.


    Leaving Dongchuan, the 16 or 17-year-old Sheng Lingyuan officially ascended to the throne.


    By then, he already looked like a grown man, except for being a bit too thin from hardship.


    His facial features and physique were not much different from the man in front of him, but he seemed like a completely different person.


    The young emperor always looked exhausted, and unless he was meeting someone, his face might not have been washed clean. He seemed like he could fall asleep standing up with a sword in hand at any moment. There was a circle of fuzz on his lips, which he would scratch with a knife that had just been used to kill someone. He was almost a bit sloppy, which was why he left behind a portrait that looked like a demon.


    But when he opened his eyes, there was a light in them, as solid as a rock in the wind and rain, shining with a breathtaking brilliance.


    Those were eyes that could attract people to follow him.


    As Xuan Ji met the gaze of the young man, his heart suddenly twisted.


    Just then, the young emperor hurriedly passed by him.


    Without thinking, Xuan Ji reached out and stopped him, but the two people from different times and spaces passed through each other.


    "What am I doing?" Xuan Ji curled his fingers.


    Suddenly, they landed on solid ground.


    Coming back to his senses, Xuan Ji saw Aluojin chasing after Sheng Lingyuan with his pigtails flying.


    The young man from the Witch Clan was only fourteen or fifteen years old, slower in development than his peers, and shorter than Xuan Ji''s shoulder. He bounced around like a middle school student rushing to a physical education class.


    Xuan Ji couldn''t help but feel that there should be a "Minor Protection Law" written into his flying pigtails.


    "This Aluojin... he became the clan leader at such a young age?"


    "Ah," Sheng Lingyuan chuckled coolly. "Good question."


    In the next moment, the scene before them collapsed once again. Xuan Ji felt a tremor beneath his feet and heard a roar.


    "Let go of me! Get out of my way!" Aluojin''s eyes were bloodshot as he broke free from the grasp of three or four young Witch Clan members and charged out of the tent.


    "Young clan leader, don''t be impulsive!"


    Just as Aluojin charged out of the tent, a fast horse came to a sudden stop in front of him. The horse stopped too abruptly, lifting its front legs high and nearly throwing its rider off its back.


    The rider on the horse''s back was none other than the young Emperor of Humanity, who was injured somewhere and had his chest wrapped in bandages. Blood seeped through the bandages, and he stumbled a bit when he dismounted, clutching the reins tightly to keep from falling.


    As soon as Aluojin saw him, his eyes were filled with red threads that looked like they were about to drip blood.


    He struggled to say, "Brother, they''re talking nonsense... aren''t they?"


    Sheng Lingyuan''s lips turned green, but he didn''t make a sound.


    "They''re talking nonsense! They don''t like me, so they make up lies to deceive me! Isn''t that right?"


    Suddenly, the young Sheng Lingyuan lowered his head, his handsome face seemed to be cut by sharp pain.


    He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and said in a hoarse voice, "Half a month ago, the letter you sent back to the clan through the route in western Sichuan... was intercepted by the Feishu Clan. The messenger was made into a human puppet and sent to the clan. The clan leader... didn''t investigate it in time... Aluojin!"


    Aluojin swayed and knelt down in despair.


    In that moment, the old ghost Sheng Lingyuan from thousands of years in the future and the young emperor from back then both reached out their hands and gently pressed them on Aluojin''s head and the back of his neck, respectively.


    Across time and space, the two Sheng Lingyuans'' hands touched each other.


    Same bones, same flesh, but the old ghost''s hand was pampered and exquisite like a snow sculpture, cold and beautiful.


    The young emperor''s hand, on the other hand, was covered in small and large scars, calluses on his palms, and a red mark left by a horse''s reins, as if it had warmth.


    The sight of the two hands together was heart-wrenching, even the old ghost himself felt it and quickly withdrew his hand.


    "That day was Chinese New Year," Sheng Lingyuan paused and said to Xuan Ji, "It doesn''t really have anything to do with the Witch Clan, but they are curious and love to celebrate, so they join in for the festivities and drinks. There''s not much to do in the army, and after three rounds of drinking and wrestling, some people start playing music and singing. One young brother started singing a hometown tune, crying as he sang because his parents and siblings had all died in the war and he had nowhere to go. Aluojin listened silently for a while, and that night, he wrote a letter home for the first time, entrusting it to the most trustworthy person to secretly deliver it to his clan...even I didn''t know about it until after the incident, he didn''t want me to think he was weak - but it turned into a big mistake."


    Xuan Ji immediately asked, "Who was this so-called ''most trustworthy'' person?"


    Sheng Lingyuan let out a sigh and pulled his hands back into the sleeves of his robe made of dry grass. "It seems like you have guessed it," he said.


    "Aluojin hastily led his people to flee with me, without any preparation. They didn''t even know a few words of the human language and were completely clueless. When I first took the throne, I was overwhelmed and naturally neglected the matter of taking care of the young chieftain of the Witch Clan. It fell to Dan Li, the meticulous imperial tutor. Aluojin and he hit it off immediately and privately told me that there was something about Dan Li that reminded him of the Great Sage, making him feel familiar," Sheng Lingyuan said. "So he followed him and referred to him as ''teacher''."


    Suddenly, Xuan Ji felt that something was off.


    "Dan Li" was a very important person, whether positively or negatively, but until now, he had not seen this person in Sheng Lingyuan''s memory.


    In this ''Retracing'' memory space, every detail is vividly textured. The faces and actions of every person are crystal clear.


    Up until now, Xuan Ji has become familiar with the young emperor''s attendants, important ministers and generals, and even the witch people.


    But how could Dan Li be missing from this group?


    According to His Majesty, Dan Li should be close to him and Aluojin.


    But back then, there was no internet, so how could they be close without being in the same circle?


    Countless possibilities flashed through Xuan Ji''s mind, and suddenly, his gaze sharpened. He shuddered and slipped his hand into his pocket. In that book, "Dongchuan Witches Book," there was a passage about the relationship between humans and demons, and a sentence that read, "Demons devour the human heart, and cannot be trusted."


    Xuan Ji calmly asked, "So the old clan leader was killed by this fatal letter from Aluojin, and Aluojin succeeded him. The Witch Clan and the demon clan became mortal enemies, and the entire clan officially sided with you - what year did this happen?"