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The three of them drove towards Nanjun Mountain, with Xie Wanjun in the driver's seat. She reached for a bag beside her, pulled out a tablet, and handed it to Pei Huaizhi in the backseat. "Take a look at the situation inside and outside the mountain."
Pei Huaizhi took the tablet and opened it to review the relevant information. Next to him, He Guannan rested his head on his shoulder, his gaze fixed on the screen. It displayed the terrain of Nanjun Mountain, its historical significance, and some ancient military details related to the area. After reading through that, they flipped to the next page, which detailed a strange illness that had afflicted villagers near the mountain over the past two weeks. Accompanying this were several before-and-after photos of the patients. In the pictures, a common theme emerged: all those who fell ill appeared listless and emaciated, their bodies reduced to mere skin and bones by the time of their death.
Seeing the skeletal figures in the photos, they immediately understood: these sick individuals had clearly been drained of their life force by an Evil Spirit.
He Guannan exclaimed upon seeing these images, "So we have to deal with an Evil Spirit this time."
Xie Wanjun replied, "Did the President not mention this to you?"
Pei Huaizhi said, "It's not too late to find out now."
They were called to the President's office by Xie Wanjun. After listening to a few words from him, they were back in the car within ten minutes. During that brief time, they only heard about a minute's worth of conversation from the President, who never mentioned the term "Evil Spirit." Thus, they assumed this trip was simply to search for the Azure Wind Pearl.
Xie Wanjun occasionally glanced at the two in the backseat through the rearview mirror. They were sitting close together and seemed quite relaxed with each other, indicating a good relationship. When Pei Huaizhi caught her eye in the mirror, she quickly redirected her gaze forward and soon began discussing the villagers' illness.
In fact, a month ago, villagers in Pengshui Village near Nanjun Mountain had suffered from a similar affliction. At that time, personnel from the Second Department had investigated and discovered that an Evil Spirit was causing trouble in the mountains. They managed to eliminate it using a fire array. However, now another village near Nanjun Mountain was experiencing this strange illness again. Upon investigation, it turned out that the previous Evil Spirit had not been completely destroyed and had resurfaced to wreak havoc once more.
After Xie Wanjun finished explaining about the Evil Spirit and combined with what they saw on the tablet, both men had a general understanding of what was happening.
However, He Guannan was puzzled about one thing: where exactly was the Spirit Pearl located? He asked, "The Evil Spirit's location can be pinpointed using the Wind Evil Disk, but how do we locate the Spirit Pearl? We can't just search all over the mountain."
Xie Wanjun responded, "The President said that the Spirit Pearl should be with the Evil Spirit."
It was always what the President said; it seemed he had shared everything necessary with Xie Wanjun. But how did he know there was a Spirit Pearl in Nanjun Mountain? Had he received reports from the Third Department? The Third Department had reported multiple times about sightings of the Spirit Pearl's location but had always returned empty-handed when sending people to search for it. Yet here was the President expressing certainty that it was indeed in the mountain and even with the Evil Spirit—someone must have informed him whom he trusted and believed.
Could it be someone from Five Departments?
As this thought crossed Pei Huaizhi's mind, an image of someone rumored to be from Five Departments surfaced unbidden—an outline based solely on Lin Shaoqin's description and his own imagination. To his horror, it resembled that of the person who had killed his father that night. A chill ran down his spine as pain gripped his chest.
He unconsciously associated the Minister of the Five Departments with the murderer of his father. Though he claimed it was unintentional, it felt more like a subconscious belief that the Minister was indeed the one who had killed his father. At that moment, his breathing became uneven, and his chest rose and fell significantly.
Xie Wanjun noticed through the rearview mirror that Pei Huaizhi's face had turned red, and he pressed his hand against his heart. Worried, he asked, "Are you okay? Are you feeling carsick?"
Beside them, He Guannan also noticed Pei Huaizhi's condition and quickly reached out to check on him. However, Pei Huaizhi stopped him, gasping for breath as he said, "I'm fine; it's just a bit of nausea. I can adjust my breathing myself."
Since he said so, He Guannan didn't press further but expressed his concern, saying, "If anything's wrong, just let us know immediately."
Pei Huaizhi nodded and then assumed a meditative posture, guiding the spiritual energy within him to flow through his meridians until the energy in his upper, middle, and lower dantians was full. Feeling his breath stabilize and his body completely relaxed, he finally opened his eyes to find that the two were no longer in the car and that it had stopped. He promptly got out.
At that moment, he saw He Guannan standing on a distant rock, running and shouting, "Guannan, why haven't I seen Xie Wanjun?"
Hearing the shout, He Guannan turned back to look. Once Pei Huaizhi got closer, he said, "She's right over there." He pointed southwest. Pei Huaizhi followed his gaze and saw a figure jumping back and forth among the branches, weaving through the forest. Not understanding what she was doing, he asked, "What is she doing?"
He Guannan swung a dry branch in his hand and replied lazily, "Setting up a formation. It's what the President said; we must set up a formation at the entrance of the village before entering."
So they had already arrived at the village entrance. Pei Huaizhi scanned the surroundings and noticed a tall white archway adorned with carved patterns standing about ten meters ahead of the car. It bore the three traditional characters for Fengjie Village. At that moment, Xie Wanjun returned after finishing the formation and saw that Pei Huaizhi was unharmed. She said, "Let's head into the village right away."
The three of them approached the archway and continued deeper inside. The peach blossoms on either side of the road bloomed vibrantly, dazzling to behold. A gentle whiff filled his nostrils with their sweet fragrance.
It was March—the peak season for peach blossoms. He Guannan had never seen such dense blooms before; he quickly took out his phone to snap some pictures as mementos.
As they ventured further in, what began as a light mist in the air thickened with each step until they were enveloped in heavy fog that blurred their vision. He Guannan walked at the back and noticed that the figures of the two ahead had vanished. He called out anxiously, "Old Pei! Where are you?"
He searched around for their silhouettes but heard no response from them. Suddenly, a hand appeared behind him and struck him on the neck; he instantly lost consciousness. Meanwhile, Pei Huaizhi turned back to see that He Guannan was missing and quickly said, "Guannan is gone." Hearing this, Xie Wanjun immediately turned around but confirmed that He Guannan was indeed nowhere to be seen. She reassured him, "There’s only this path into the village; he won’t get lost." With that said, she continued onward.
Pei Huaizhi thought to himself: "Guannan's skills are not weak; this little fog shouldn't trouble him." He then followed in her footsteps.
As they walked further in, the surrounding mist gradually thinned, and their vision returned to normal.
At that moment, standing before them, He Guannan shouted, "Why are you only coming out now?"
Hearing the voice, Pei Huaizhi looked over and saw He Guannan standing there unharmed. It was surprising that he had arrived even before them, despite having been behind them all along. Pei Huaizhi strode toward him and asked, "How did you get out?"
He Guannan recounted his experience in the mist. He had been following them closely, but as they entered the fog, he found himself trailing behind Xie Wanjun. Suddenly, he felt dizzy, and their figures vanished from his sight. After calling out several times without receiving a response, someone had tapped him on the back. When he regained consciousness, he was already here.
Xie Wanjun speculated that He Guannan must have encountered a formation within the mist. The Second Department had learned that the villagers of Fengjie Village were afflicted with a Strange Illness and had set up formations around the village's entrances and exits to prevent Evil Spirits from possessing the villagers and escaping. The primary function of the formation was to confuse and disorient both people and Evil Spirits.
After listening to Xie Wanjun's explanation, He Guannan felt a surge of annoyance. "Why didn’t you say anything before we came in?"
Xie Wanjun shot him a cold glance and replied helplessly, "The President told me that both of you have decent skills in magic. I thought that even without my warning, you would know there was a formation inside. After all, it's just a minor formation; with a little sensitivity, one can sense its presence. Besides, even if the formation affected you, you should have been able to break it. Clearly, you failed at both."
This explanation immediately quelled He Guannan's anger. He quickly nudged Pei Huaizhi with his elbow and asked, "Old Pei, did you sense the formation inside?"
Pei Huaizhi was at a loss for how to respond.
He was torn between telling the truth or lying. The truth was that he had indeed sensed the formation's presence inside; however, admitting it would embarrass He Guannan. On the other hand, lying would also lead to trouble for both of them.
As a member of the First Department, he prioritized its reputation above all else. Thus, he chose to speak honestly and said awkwardly, "I did sense that there was a formation inside."
As soon as those words left his mouth, it felt like cold water had been poured over He Guannan's head; his heart sank. The brotherhood they had shared for eight years suddenly felt fragile. Xie Wanjun chuckled lightly as he walked past He Guannan. Pei Huaizhi patted He Guannan on the shoulder and whispered, "It really was a helpless choice. If I hadn’t answered that way, Lao Lin would definitely not let us off easily when we get back."
If Pei Huaizhi had lied, they would surely face Lin Shaoqin's reprimand upon returning—followed by twenty laps around the training field and writing a five-thousand-word self-criticism report. They would then have to read their reports aloud in front of Lin Shaoqin to conclude the punishment. Pei Huaizhi had experienced this kind of punishment before; while he could endure scolding and running laps, writing self-criticisms was unbearable. They couldn't just copy from online sources; they had to write it themselves. Moreover, Lin Shaoqin would read each submitted report carefully and check for plagiarism—if any copying was discovered, they would have to write it again. The thought of such a painful punishment made Pei Huaizhi break into a cold sweat.
He Guannan stood there looking tormented as images of self-criticism flashed through his mind along with memories of Lin Shaoqin angrily pointing at him while scolding him. He already knew what awaited him upon their return. Just then, Xie Wanjun turned around and called out, "He Guannan! Why are you just standing there? Let’s go!"
He Guannan, coming back to his senses, weakly replied with an "mm" and then followed along.
After walking for a while, they arrived at the center of the village, where houses were scattered around. The fields were overgrown with weeds, and only a few people were seen walking along the roadside. The crowd sitting in the square turned their gazes toward them as they approached, their eyes scanning back and forth—some filled with doubt, others with disdain, and some looking utterly confused. They murmured among themselves, exchanging whispers.
The village was shrouded in a light mist, carrying a faint scent reminiscent of gunpowder after an explosion. At that moment, the sound of firecrackers echoed from a distance. Pei Huaizhi noticed that it seemed to come from the southeast. As he looked in that direction, he saw a group of men and women wearing mourning hats kneeling on the hillside, bowing their heads in reverence. He immediately understood that they were part of a funeral procession.
"Ah, another one has died. Seven or eight have passed away in the last half month," an old man with a stooped back said gloomily as he slowly approached them. Pei Huaizhi observed the old man, whose face was lined with wrinkles and hair white as snow; he walked with a slight limp. The old man kept his head down, mumbling something under his breath, but his voice was too soft to be heard.
As the old man neared them, he suddenly stopped and lifted his head to look at them. After staring intently for a few seconds, he asked, "You all are carrying bags too; are you going hiking?"
"Are we?" Pei Huaizhi realized from the old man's words that someone had come before them.
"We're here on behalf of the inspection and quarantine bureau to investigate the strange illness in the village," Pei Huaizhi replied, showing his credentials. He explained that they needed to go into Nanjun Mountain because they suspected that the strange illness in the village was caused by sick animals from the mountain, and they needed to conduct an investigation.
Beside him, Xie Wanjun felt a flicker of joy when he saw Pei Huaizhi present his credentials. Although they belonged to the Spirit Master Association, how could they possess documents from other departments? This was because the work done by the Spirit Master Association was often mysterious and beyond scientific reasoning. Whenever they arrived at a new place and identified themselves by their organization, it often led to complications and many questions. Therefore, the association provided its members with credentials from other relevant national departments for ease in investigations.
The old man glanced at the credentials and listened to Pei Huaizhi's confident explanation. He chose to believe him and said, "Those who enter the mountain either die there or die in the village. Are you sure you want to go in?"
The old man's tone was serious and earnest. Without hesitation, Pei Huaizhi replied, "Of course we want to go in."
The old man sighed deeply and turned to point them in the right direction. "Just keep going straight ahead until you see a tall cypress tree. After that, continue for a bit longer until you reach the foot of the mountain." He paused for a moment before adding, "Go now; make sure you're back before dark. If you don't return before nightfall, you'll never come back."
They understood what he meant all too well. To learn more, Pei Huaizhi pretended not to understand and asked deliberately, "Old man, what do you mean by that?"
"The mountain is very sinister," the old man explained with a sigh. "In the past half month alone, villagers who went mushroom picking in there returned infected with this strange illness—no medicine can cure it; when they die, their bodies are nothing but skin and bones." He continued lamenting, "Some people have gone into the mountain and haven't come back; we don't even know if they're alive or dead now—I suspect most of them are already dead. Ever since this strange illness started in the village, no one dares to enter the mountain anymore. A few days ago, a group came saying they were going hiking; I warned them against it, but they didn't listen and insisted on going in—now we haven't seen them since."
After finishing his words, the old man walked away. The three of them continued forward along the path indicated by him.
Every household they passed had garlic hanging at their doors and talismans posted up, indicating that the villagers believed there were evil spirits in the mountains, and they used these items to ward off malevolence. At that moment, a child about five or six years old approached, holding a woman's hand with his right hand while clutching a yellow talisman in his left, on which red symbols were inscribed. As they walked towards them, Pei Huaizhi's eyes brightened when he noticed the yellow talisman. He immediately stepped in front of them, pointed at the talisman in the child's hand, and smiled as he asked, "May I ask where this yellow talisman came from?"
Xie Wanjun and He Guannan followed closely behind. The woman first scrutinized them before tugging at the child's hand and asking, "Xiao Tuan, where did you get that yellow talisman?"
The child's round eyes fell on the talisman as he replied blankly, "A long-haired big sister gave it to me."
After the child answered, the woman hurriedly pulled him away.
Earlier, when Xie Wanjun heard Pei Huaizhi inquire about the origin of the talisman, she had also caught a glimpse of it. The symbols on the yellow talisman struck her as slightly unusual; she couldn't quite pinpoint what was odd about it, but it was different from any symbols she had seen before—somewhat peculiar and unfamiliar to her.
She looked at Pei Huaizhi and saw him deep in thought. She wondered if he had also noticed something different about the talisman and asked, "Did you find anything unusual about that yellow talisman?"
Pei Huaizhi candidly replied, "The way the symbols are drawn is unique; I've never seen anything like it. They say it's a symbol pattern, but it looks more like some kind of totem."
"Isn't that what hangs on the wall in the President's office?" He Guannan chimed in. He had also glanced at the yellow talisman earlier and found the pattern somewhat familiar but couldn't recall why at that moment. "I didn't realize it before, but now I remember—it’s exactly like that design in the President's office."
Upon hearing this, Pei Huaizhi and Xie Wanjun recalled what He Guannan mentioned; indeed, it was as he said. However, they still didn't know what the symbol pattern specifically meant. In any case, it seemed to be used for warding off evil.
The three continued on their way and after about ten minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the location of the cypress tree mentioned by the old man.
This cypress stood over forty meters tall, lush with branches and leaves. There were other cypress trees around as well, but this one was particularly prominent and could be seen from afar. A few steps away was a graveyard; in short, this place was a cemetery. They could feel that the temperature here was noticeably lower than in the village. He Guannan suddenly sneezed and took out his phone only to find there was no signal. "The signal cuts off here; once we entered the mountains, we definitely lost reception."
"This is a remote area; it's not like we're in a suburban city. It's normal not to have signal here," Xie Wanjun said as he took out a locator from his bag and handed one to each of them. "Keep this on you; it can track your location. As long as it doesn't break, it will always pinpoint your whereabouts."
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