Song Sanlang explained, “My uncle and I were extremely cautious on our journey. Before settling in this place for the night, we even lit a Wenlu Incense to check for danger. Only after confirming it was safe did we decide to stay.”
“I’m also a light sleeper, and any sound would wake me. But that night, there wasn’t the slightest disturbance. Yet when I woke up, my third uncle was gone along with the two-piece corpse.”
Li Yanchu nodded thoughtfully.
The so-called Wenlu Incense was a type of folk ritual tool, commonly used by mystics and wanderers. When traveling through desolate mountains or wild terrain, they would light it at night.
If there was malevolent presence nearby, the incense would burn unevenly, two short sections and one long, signaling that the place was unclean and urging immediate departure.
Wang Chongshan spoke up, “Shall we split up and search?”
Li Yanchu gave him a glance and shook his head. “Absolutely not. We stay together. We shouldn’t separate.”
Wang Chongshan hesitated for a moment, and was about to say it would slow them down, but considering Li Yanchu was a professional ghost-hunting Daoist, he held back any objection.
The truth was, Li Yanchu was almost certain this case involved a malevolent spirit. And in such situations, splitting up was basically the beginning of a horror story cliché. So, the group of seven, all armed with blades, stepped into what was once called Zhang Family Village.
It was high noon, the time of strongest yang qi in the day. And since they were all trained fighters, with abundant qi and blood, they were less vulnerable to spirit attack. Staying together only made their collective yang qi stronger.
Li Yanchu came to save lives, but he had no intention of risking the officers just to rescue a stranger. He could never understand why, in dramas or movies, people were always willing to sacrifice a bunch of comrades to save one person. His principle was simple: do everything possible to avoid putting those beside him in danger.
Led by Song Sanlang, they headed deeper into the village, and soon arrived at the very spot where the two corpse bearers had stayed that night. It was a dilapidated courtyard, fenced in by a wooden palisade, now rotted and crumbling.
One glance revealed the old, half-collapsed house within. Li Yanchu and the others did a quick inspection inside the house and soon stepped out into the courtyard.
“Daoist Master Yanchu, I don’t see any useful clues here,” Wang Chongshan said, one hand resting on the hilt of his blade. “Why don’t we search somewhere else?”
“Wait,” Li Yanchu said, his tone low and steady.
Ever since cultivating using the methods in The Yellow Court Classic, his five senses had become far keener than those of an ordinary person. And right now, he was picking up on something strange.
He reached into the small satchel he carried and pulled out a tiny vial. Lifting it carefully, he applied two drops of liquid to his eyes.
Ox tears was a substance said to let one see things no normal person could. With his vision now attuned, Li Yanchu looked around carefully, scanning the area with slow precision. But still, there was nothing unusual. It was high noon, the time when yang qi was at its peak. By all logic, anything evil should have long since retreated.
Am I being too paranoid? he wondered silently.
Wang Chongshan, growing tense, asked, “Daoist Master Yanchu, did you see anything?”
Li Yanchu shook his head. “This place... something feels off. I suggest we don’t wait for dusk. Let’s retreat before it gets dark.”
Before Wang Chongshan could respond, Song Sanlang suddenly stepped forward, his tone anxious. “Daoist Master Yanchu, my third uncle’s fate is still unknown. He could be alive or dead, and we need the authorities to search further. If we retreat now... I fear he won’t survive.”
Hearing this, Li Yanchu remained silent, while Wang Chongshan thought it over. In truth, he agreed with Li Yanchu’s caution. But, as the head constable of Wei City, his instincts as an investigator ran deep. And the moment he heard “missing corpse, two-piece body”, he knew they couldn't walk away just yet.
If trouble were to break out near the Qingyi Temple Festival, it wouldn't just be on his head, even the magistrate himself would have a hard time escaping blame.
Wang Chongshan pondered for a moment, then said, “Very well. Let’s continue searching for two more hours. If we still find nothing, we’ll return for now.”
Seeing that even the county’s head constable had made such a decision, Song Sanlang had no choice but to yield. The group pressed forward once more.
The four officers couldn’t help but feel moved. Ever since the beginning, Daoist Master Yanchu had been looking out for them. He’d advised against bringing a large party, and deliberately chose to come at high noon, when yang qi was strongest. It was clear he valued their lives and didn’t want them caught up in misfortune in such a cursed village.
Rustle, rustle. It sounded like footsteps.
“Who’s sneaking around pretending to be a ghost!?”
Wang Chongshan drew his long sword with a sharp ring, and immediately rushed toward the source of the sound. Meanwhile, Song Sanlang, unexpectedly swift and agile, followed close behind.
Seeing this, Li Yanchu’s eyes flickered with hesitation. In situations , it was usually one of two outcomes: either the ones who give chase end up in trouble, or the ones who stay behind get caught by something worse.
He called out, “Be extremely careful!”
Then, without a second thought, he took off after them. Humans were creatures of emotion, and sometimes, that emotion pushed one forward before logic could stop them. After all, he and Old Wang had shared two meals together, so there was at least that much of a bond.
The four armed officers exchanged glances, then drew their blades without hesitation and followed after them.
Li Yanchu's movement technique was swift and smooth, like light skipping across water. In just a few flickers of motion, he had already caught up with Wang Chongshan and Song Sanlang.
But all three men... came to an abrupt halt. Even though it was broad daylight, a strange, hair-raising chill crept up their spines. There on the empty grassland were a set of footprints slowly trailing off into the distance. It was as if an invisible person was walking away before their very eyes.
The three looked at one another, and both Wang Chongshan and Song Sanlang wore deeply unsettled expressions. Li Yanchu, on the other hand, remained relatively calm, though there was a trace of confusion in his gaze.
“This place... is strange,” he murmured.
Broad daylight, and yet haunted? What was even more unsettling was that he couldn’t discern the nature of it. This was no ordinary haunting. Something here was off, deeply off.
After a moment’s thought, Li Yanchu reached into his pouch and pulled out several Five-Emperor Coins[1], handing them to Wang Chongshan and Song Sanlang.
Just then, the four officers finally caught up. One of them, with sharp eyes, caught sight of the still-forming footprints on the grass, and gasped. “There really is something unclean here... It's a ghost!”
The group of officers were visibly shaken, and their hands were trembling as they gripped their swords. “Let’s get out of here! This place is way too cursed!”
Wang Chongshan turned to Li Yanchu. “Daoist Master Yanchu... What now?”
Li Yanchu fell silent for a moment before speaking, “We’ve come this far. Being afraid won’t help us now. Everyone, place a Five-Emperor Coin in your mouth. Let’s see if it offers any protection. If it doesn’t work... then we leave. No sense in staying here just to throw away our lives.”
He was the first to place the Five-Emperor Coin in his mouth. This type of coin could temporarily suppress the body’s yang qi, allowing one to glimpse unclean things that were normally hidden.
And sure enough, his surroundings began to change. The ruined, desolate village vanished before his eyes... In its place appeared a completely different world.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and wood, and lush greenery surrounded them in all directions. In the distance, he could even see rice fields swaying gently in the breeze.
Wang Chongshan also placed the coin in his mouth, and as a chill wind swept through, his vision shifted as well.
“Daoist Master Yanchu, this is...?” he asked, his voice edged with disbelief. Thɪs chapter is updated by N()velFire.net
Song Sanlang’s eyes widened too, filled with astonishment.
Everything they thought they knew about this place had just been overturned.
1. The Five-Emperor Coins refer to five round copper coins with square holes, symbolizing the power of the five directions and the five elements. They are believed to ward off evil and attract good fortune. ☜