Chapter 137: Obsession Gives Birth to Spirit, Yin-Sha Nourishes the Eyes

Since the place has been found, it’s only natural to investigate further.

Louis waved his hand.

Click-click-click.

From the car’s trunk, Gu Yi crawled out along the edge and arrived before Louis.

“Go.”

Fully armed, Gu Yi immediately headed for the wooden cabin, with Louis following closely behind.

This had become one of his current habits in action: send the meat shield ahead, stay back, observe the situation, and strike when the moment is right.

It’s not that he lacks the ability to fight head-on—it’s simply more cost-effective. Otherwise, why would he cultivate this thing?

Gu Yi reached the wooden cabin and violently shoved open the door, producing a loud crash. Immediately, as if triggering something, a shrill, adolescent voice—like a broken voice box—screamed out, and thick, gnarled branches, like withered tree vines, stretched forth from every wall and corner of the room.

Thud!

Gu Yi pulled out a blade from his body and chopped through each branch, advancing relentlessly toward the source of the vines—the basement.

Like an ancient general charging through battle, he smashed through tables, chairs, and vines alike!

Louis, watching from behind with some leisure, observed these vines and noticed they moved slowly, varying in thickness. The thickest were black, thick vines with knobby, tumor-like swellings. These were rare, but the hardest for Gu Yi to cut through.

Moreover, these branches seemed to suck blood!

They writhed and absorbed blood; faint crimson glimmers flickered across their black surfaces. Fortunately, Gu Yi could do the same—he tore open the black vines sucking his blood and sucked greedily, preventing him from being completely overpowered.

When Gu Yi reached the underground entrance and could see the wooden stairs below, a tense voice came up.

“Hurry! Kill him quickly!”

With the voice, the vines accelerated sharply—even the few black, thick ones multiplied. Finally, a mass crawled up from the entrance.

It had a humanoid body, shaped by thick branches, filled inside with straw. Its head wore a tall hat; its cheeks were made of animal bones; over its heart was a stitched patch of cloth shaped like a heart.

Twisting, black, tumor-like knots sprouted everywhere, covering the entire room in seconds, wrapping Gu Yi in a storm of branches.

Louis, who had been hiding behind and observing, suddenly understood—he recognized it.

The scarecrow’s appearance reminded him of a video edit: a man, grieving his dead wife, crafted a scarecrow from animal bones and relics to keep himself company. Perhaps due to his obsession, the scarecrow came to life—and, defending its territory, killed a little girl who wandered by.

To atone, the man drove his cane into the scarecrow’s heart, sealing it, then shot himself. The farm was abandoned. Later, a bullied boy accidentally stumbled upon the scarecrow’s secret.

Using the cane, he controlled the scarecrow and ultimately used it to kill his abusive brother.

So now this is?

As Louis pondered, he stomped on a creeping vine and summoned a ball of flame. It split into two, then four, then eight—within moments, the scarecrow was completely encircled.

The scarecrow tried to extend several times, but the searing heat terrified it into stillness. Indeed, for most life forms, fire was an absolute weakness—few exceptions existed.

Hearing the commotion cease, a boy’s youthful voice called from below: “Scarecrow, finished?”

The scarecrow stared silently at the flames surrounding it, unable to respond.

“Hey! Scarecrow?”

Then a head popped up from the basement entrance. The boy had freckles, looked young and immature—barely a middle schooler—and now his expression was annoyed.

The moment he looked up, his annoyed face froze. He turned and tried to scramble back.

“Aaaah!”

He slipped and fell.

Louis glanced at the scarecrow encircled in flames, then looked down the entrance. One look made his brow furrow.

Below lay several teenagers with their necks snapped by tree branches, and several adult corpses with expressions of terror. In the corner, several blood-drained human skins were visible.

Who was responsible for these works? Obvious.

Moments later.

Outside, in the open field.

Louis toyed with the cane in his hand. It wasn’t just a cane—it resembled a staff, thick at the end, sharp, comfortable to grip, and powerful to swing. It would make a devastating weapon.

Beside him, Gu Yi held the boy like a chick, and the boy trembled, struggling constantly: “Let me go, let me go, that’s mine, give it back…”

“What’s yours? It’s mine now.”

The truth was clear: this boy was the one who had been bullied. Over the past several years, he’d turned this place into his secret base, using the scarecrow to lure and kill those who bullied others—and even adults who came searching for their missing children.

Worse still, he’d ordered the scarecrow to kill anyone who accidentally wandered near. The place gained a sinister reputation, which was why Louis had come.

In short, he’d transformed from avenger and antihero into the abuser, the perpetrator.

The dragon slayer became the dragon?

Louis tapped the cane against the scarecrow. “How many have you killed?”

The scarecrow fell silent, as if thinking, then used vines to write a “15” on the ground.

“How many did he order you to kill?”

A “14” appeared.

So you’ve only killed one person on your own since you were born?

Louis tapped the cane, watching the scarecrow stand motionless, awaiting orders. A thought struck him—this thing was obedient. It obeyed whoever held the cane.

Perhaps he could keep it. He already had one scarecrow; one more wouldn’t hurt.

He twisted his wrist, drove the cane into the ground, and leaned on it as he issued an order to the scarecrow.

“What are you going to do?”

“No! Help!”

“I don’t want it anymore, I don’t want it, please, let me go…”

“….”

The boy’s voice shifted from rage to pleading, from pleading to wailing, then finally to silence.

It took only seconds.

Louis didn’t watch. He turned his attention to the place with the densest yin-sha energy.

He found it quickly—the basement where the farmer had killed himself. It was the coldest spot, and with over a dozen deaths here, the sha energy was strongest.

Louis carefully sensed it, nodded, and decided: sufficient for initiation.

Without delay, he began.

Willow water, cow’s tears, locust tree sap, chicken blood mixed with cinnabar, combined with soil from the yin-sha site, stirred into a pale red paste.

Apply this paste to the eyelids, close the eyes, and do not open them for twelve hours.

Sitting quietly in the basement, he felt a growing chill on his eyelids, seeping into his eyes. Now, Louis’s eyes faintly perceived strange shifts of light and shadow.

It seemed as if cold, yin energy was drilling into his eyes, cleansing his eyeballs.

This process required twelve hours daily for seven days, fully transforming the eyeballs—only then would the technique succeed.

Gu Yi stood guard at the basement entrance, eyes alert. Then the scarecrow returned, dragging a corpse drained of blood. As it moved to descend, Gu Yi extended a hand to block it.

The two monsters stared at each other.

One crimson, one black.

Silence.

Moments later, the scarecrow paused, sat down at the entrance, and joined Gu Yi in guard duty.

Sunset, moonrise.

Time passed quickly.

Deep night, stars sparse, moon bright.

Louis opened his eyes. His irises were now pure as the sea—clear, luminous, strikingly beautiful.

Looking into the pitch-black basement, every object was sharply visible, as if darkness didn’t exist—this was powerful night vision.

“Already this powerful before even entering the realm? This Spirit Eye technique must be no ordinary thing.”

Louis stood, pulled out the cane, and stepped out of the basement. He glanced at the two guardians flanking him—one on each side—and for some reason, felt they were competing for his favor.

He shook his head. Just monsters. They couldn’t have such awareness.

Looking at the scarecrow, Louis thought: “Can you shrink?”

Silence—again, as if thinking.

Moments later, the scarecrow’s thick vines retracted, tightening until it was only half the size of a normal human—like a grade-schooler, or a dwarf.

Louis smiled. “Good.”

He took the two monsters out of the farm. The driver was still there, fast asleep.

Louis didn’t wake him. He had the two monsters enter the trunk, then sat in the driver’s seat and started the car.

Hum!

The car started, its slight vibration jolting the driver awake. Instinctively, his hand went to his waist holster—but when he looked up, he saw it was Young Master Louis.

“Young Master, let me drive.”

Louis waved him off. “No need. You’ve waited all day—rest. I’ll call you when needed.”

Hearing Louis’s firm tone, the driver dared not argue. He nodded and sat uneasily in the back seat as the car began moving.

Seeing this, Louis began chatting with the driver.

He learned the man was Italian. His father brought him to America because life in their homeland had become unbearable. Naturally, they clustered together and joined the Cano family.

There was no choice—racial discrimination in America was extreme back then.

Even Italian immigrants faced discrimination and low status.

Sometimes they were even worse off than Black people. At least the latter could shout, “You dare discriminate against me?!”

And slap a “racism” label on you. Italians had only their guns.

So the driver’s family were loyal supporters of the Cano family. Later, after earning some merit, they were assigned to Louis, witnessed many unbelievable things, and became his trusted confidants.

(End of chapter)