Reacting on instinct, Xiao Xia swiftly closed the curtains. Not only did the window have the formless restriction, but the curtains too. She hoped the double layer of protection could keep Ruan Zhan and Bao Da Tong safe.
But as she quickly stepped back after closing the curtains, she saw that they started billowing. As one corner was lifted, the stream of faint black smoke tried worming its way in. Although the majority was blocked by the restriction, a very small portion managed to enter the room.
Ruan Zhan still didn’t move, but his brows furrowed tighter.
Since he hadn’t moved, Wan Li and Xiao Xia also didn’t dare move, awaiting his instructions. They could only watch as the black smoke drifted over to Ruan Zhan. It slowly covered him, wriggling like a sinister serpent, as if searching for something. Then, it suddenly condensed into a thick black needle before ruthlessly stabbing into his shoulder!
Xiao Xia almost screamed!
She instinctively tried to go help him, but Wan Li held her fast from behind, and even covered her mouth to prevent her from making any noise! She couldn’t get free and stared in horror as the black needle bulged from Ruan Zhan’s shoulder area. It could be seen swimming around beneath his skin!
It followed Ruan Zhan’s shoulder downwards, seemingly trying to reach his heart but failing. This is turned back towards his neck, trying to drill into his brain but it failed once again! The situation seemed to frustrate it, so it repeatedly swam between Ruan Zhan’s neck and chest. To Xiao Xia, it looked like there really was a small snake inside his body, mercilessly biting him!
Xiao Xia’s heart ached intensely. She kept getting the feeling that this scene of suffering was somehow familiar, but couldn’t recall anything. Tears threatened to fall from worry.
Wan Li had already released his hold on her, but she knew she shouldn’t act or make noise randomly. She saw that Wan Li was holding his breath, his body tensed as if the moment Ruan Zhan telepathically said the word, he would pounce over and duke it out with the formless fiend!
She then looked at Ruan Zhan, whose sweat had formed a sheen over his body. Although his expression hadn’t changed, he was definitely enduring enormous suffering. However, the area where the small snake could roam was gradually shrinking, until it was eventually trapped around Ruan Zhan’s shoulder. It was forced into a small orb that throbbed beneath his skin as if it were trying to break free but failing. Then, it suddenly turned and rolled down along Ruan Zhan’s left arm.
His left arm was the one placed on Bao Da Tong’s forehead. The small orb condensed from the black smoke shot out from his arm and successfully burrowed into Bao Da Tong’s body. At that moment, Wan Li suddenly shouted, “Xiao Xia, hold Bao Da Tong’s legs down!” Then, he suddenly leapt over and held Bao Da Tong’s body down.
Xiao Xia knew Wan Li had gotten Ruan Zhan’s signal and immediately did as she was told. The moment her hands touched Bao Da Tong’s legs, the statue-like Bao Da Tong suddenly started moving, his throat emitting strange noises. Although she couldn’t tell what he was saying, she was sure the voice definitely wasn’t his, or even human!
He was no normal human, and Ruan Zhan was guarding him. Could he still have gotten possessed?
Xiao Xia’s thoughts were chaotic as she sensed Bao Da Tong’s struggles growing more violent. The noises also became louder and more urgent. It not only shook her heart, but it also inexplicably evoked a sense of fear, making her almost unable to hold on to his kicking legs.
“Hold on a little more, those are just the death throes!” Wan Li’s voice startled Xiao Xia from her fear. She didn’t know whether Wan Li meant Bao Da Tong or that clump of black smoke!
Those “death throes” were truly quite violent. Xiao Xia could only climb onto the bed and use both knees to hold one leg down while using her hands on the other. Despite this, Bao Da Tong’s tossing almost flipped her onto the floor. Since he kept twisting around, the bottom of his pants was torn by around six inches. Xiao Xia felt that his skin was boiling hot!
“He’s burning up!” Xiao Xia glanced at Ruan Zhan and couldn’t help but shout.
Along with her voice, Bao Da Tong let out a pained groan. She could tell that it was his voice this time. Simultaneously, a stream of white smoke burst from his bare chest. It was like steam being released from a boiling pot when the lid was lifted. Yet this steam contained traces of black and was completely without heat. The moment the strange smoke appeared, Bao Da Tong’s struggles also weakened until he was merely twitching slightly!
“Go check on Ni Yang.” Ruan Zhan instructed via Wan Li. “Once the photo is restored, save the file immediately.”
Xiao Xia released Bao Da Tong and sprinted to the other room. Ni Yang had just finished the final touch and she hurriedly made him save before running back to report.
“Abomination, get the hell out!” Ruan Zhan finally spoke. The fingers on Bao Da Tong’s forehead squeezed as if pulling something out and flinging it into the air. His right hand gestured in that direction at the same time.
There was a shrill whistle as if a streamer had gone off in the air. A clump of black miasma was cut in two by Ruan Zhan’s formless wind blade. It split into pieces and was scattered by a gust of wind.
Bao Da Tong became deathly silent once again.
Wan Li stepped forward and supported Ruan Zhan who was on the verge of collapsing. “How is it?”
“He’s expended too much energy. He’ll probably wake up in a bit.”
“I’m asking about you!”
“I’m fine.” Ruan Zhan looked exhausted, as if without even the strength to move. “Get an electric fan and blow out the turbid air in this place. Have Ni Yang go rest as well.”
“Stop worrying about others.” Wan Li frowned. “You sweated too much and need to replenish water. Otherwise, you’ll get dehydrated. Xiao Xia…”
He turned to ask Xiao Xia for water but found her already standing there with a pitcher of cold water. She even held a clean towel in her hand.
Ruan Zhan drank all of the water and took the towel. “I’m going to take a shower. You guys keep an eye on Bao Da Tong. I’m guessing he’s going to feel awful when he wakes up.”
“Will you be ok?” Wan Li was a little worried. Ruan Zhan’s face was unusually pale.
Ruan Zhan nodded, indicating he was completely fine. But he had only just gotten off the bed when he was struck by a wave of dizziness. He toppled forward uncontrollably. Xiao Xia hurriedly went to catch him but she wasn’t strong enough. Therefore, she ended up being pressed down against the floor.
She had imagined getting intimate with Ruan Zhan countless times, but never expected something like this. She was completely acting as a meat mattress for him at the moment. His chest was pressed against her face. If Wan Li hadn’t lifted him up, she would definitely have suffocated.
“This guy, not forgetting to take advantage even when passing out.” Although there had been some twists and turns, the matter was still resolved after all. Wan Li was in a great mood.
But Xiao Xia didn’t think so. Instead, she was a little worried. This was Ruan Zhan’s first time passing out in front of her, making her feel flustered and uneasy. Ruan Zhan had always been strong and confident in her mind when faced with these supernatural cases. He was able to handle anything. She had never thought he was also vulnerable, having paid the price of countless suffering behind the determined mask of his.
She watched over Bao Da Tong but worried over Ruan Zhan. Luckily, Ruan Zhan recovered after some rest. Although his face was still bloodlessly pale, he had recovered his usual calm appearance after showering and changing.
Right before dawn, Bao Da Tong also woke up.
“I’m alive?” Unlike Ruan Zhan, he was filled with energy despite being a little haggard. Especially after drinking almost a bucket of water.
“Haven’t you heard? The good die young and the bad live forever.” Wan Li mocked. “Our ancestors were truly boundless in their wisdom.”
“Hey, I just took a trip to the gates of hell. Can’t you go a little easier on me?” Bao Da Tong got up from the bed and stretched his muscles. “Apart from some soreness, there seems to be no major issues.” He looked at the others, taking in their exhaustion. He suddenly felt extremely moved but also didn’t know how to express his gratitude.
“Anyhow, how did you figure out the cause of my karmic backlash, and how did you save me?” His gaze swept over Ruan Zhan, who read an ancient book without looking up at him. Wan Li didn’t seem inclined to respond either so he could only look inquisitively at Xiao Xia.
Helplessly, she recounted the events for him.
“Can you go shower first?” Xiao Xia wrinkled her nose. “It’s summer time. My bed smells all sweaty now.”
“Fine, I’m going, I’m going.” Bao Da Tong also felt he didn’t smell the best and obediently went to shower. After he left, Ruan Zhan gave Wan Li a look and also left.
Xiao Xia tidied up the room and kept glancing uneasily outside the window. However, she didn’t see anything unusual. While Ruan Zhan worked to save Bao Da Tong, he had also injured the interfering evil. Now that the room was back to normal, she suddenly felt as if it had all been a dream. She even wondered if it had really happened.
“You can turn on the AC now.” Wan Li’s voice from behind caused her to jump.
“The weather really is unusually hot and it’s uncomfortable without the AC. But won’t something use it to sneak inside if I turn it on?”
“It’s fine now.” Wan Li understood what she meant. “Ah Zhan has modified the restrictions. It’s completely safe!”
The restrictions around the building definitely prevented spirits from entering. However, there had definitely been some gaps this time when faced with such powerful things. Ruan Zhan had been at a loss for a while on how to fix things. Earlier, he had a flash of insight as he recalled the book Master Long had given him. He had flipped through it before but hadn’t read it in detail. After recalling a relevant passage, he hurriedly read over it. As expected, he had truly found a way to patch up the holes in his wards.
That way, things became much more comfortable. Bao Da Tong, whom they were all worried about, recovered his usual energy. Although Ruan Zhan told him to take it easy for a few days, there didn’t seem to be any issues. Wan Li also relaxed. The temperature was cool and refreshing. Under these circumstances, despite Ruan Zhan urging them all to rest, especially since Xiao Xia had work in the morning, they all voted to discuss what Ruan Zhan had learned. They wanted to know where their enemies had come from.
“You really have a dog’s recovery rate, like in that one cartoon.” Wan Li couldn’t help but jab at seeing Bao Da Tong in high spirits. “An hour ago you were covered in cracks, like a hardboiled egg!”
Unusually, Bao Da Tong didn’t retort. His attention was focused on Ruan Zhan’s report so he merely pointed at Wan Li threateningly before saying to Ruan Zhan, “So, where did they come from?”
“They are excavated relics.” Ruan Zhan said simply.
“What? What excavated relics?” Bao Da Tong asked.
Truthfully, they had all wanted to ask since they were all confused. None of them had expected this answer.
“Remember when I said Zhang Jia Lin’s aura formed into a red lotus? Hadn’t we agreed that fiend and human alike all unconsciously incorporated things they frequently encountered or had deep impressions of into various aspects of life. It’s basically an instinct.”
“You did say that.” Bao Da Tong spoke up. “Therefore, we had guessed that those two, let’s assume it’s two for now, one being Zhan Jia Lin and one being Lil’ Tong, were related to lotus flowers in the past.”
“Don’t forget the mud.” Wan Li reminded them. That was information Yang Yang had provided.
Ruan Zhan nodded. “That’s right, it’s all related. Or rather, this is where those two fiend children came from. If I’m not mistaken, there are two harmful abominations. They both came from Creek’s Head Village.”
“But that’s in the Xi’an province.” Wan Li sighed. “Why would they come from so far away? But there’s an issue with the timing. Lu Yan’s husband Zhang Zi Xin went missing five years ago. Were they already here at that time? Or did something else unexpectedly happen? Also, since we’re suspecting Lu Yan, is she human, fiend or ghost? Why would she come find us?”
“These things will all become clear bit by bit, don’t fret.” Ruan Zhan said. “What’s most important is that we’ve found the source of the matter, and found their birthplace.”
“Stop interrupting him, let him finish!” Xiao Xia stopped Bao Da Tong from opening his mouth again.
“Bao Da Tong has some credit for this matter.” Ruan Zhan spoke calmly, but it wasn’t clear what he was praising. “If he hadn’t found out about the Creek’s Head Inn from Zhang Zi Xin’s friend, we wouldn’t have been able to find the nest of evil so quickly. It’s a very remote and impoverished place. But it was in such a place that something strange happened five years ago. That matter had blown up, appearing both on local news as well as reports of the weird and supernatural. Otherwise, Zhang Zi Xin wouldn’t have heard about it. He naturally didn’t believe it, and merely wanted to solve this supernatural case before publishing a book. How could he have known he would vanish?”
“Therefore, just because it’s never been seen before doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t exist.” Bao Da Tong summarized. “It’s better for people to keep an open mind.”
“Do you think Zhang Zi Xin’s death, or rather disappearance, is really related to the case at Creek’s Head Inn?” Xiao Xia asked.
Although they had suspected this was the case before, she still wanted Ruan Zhan to confirm it. Although he had no direct evidence, his intuition made him feel very certain so he nodded his head.
“Ugh! You guys are frustrating me to death!” Wan Li interrupted. “What ‘excavated relics’ did the villagers at Creek’s Head Inn dig up?”
“Water vases. Water vases covered with painted red lotuses. The locals called them ‘Lotus Vases’!”
