Chapter 25: Night Wickedness

A large mass of red light moved swiftly through the darkness.

Sixteen Spirit Hunters rode atop swift horses, enveloped within this red glow.

At this moment, faint, strange murmurs echoed in each of their ears; though the Wicked Ones dared not approach the red light’s range, they could still project illusory sounds from afar to disrupt the Spirit Hunters’ minds.

Yet most of them had faced Wicked Ones at night before, including Li Lin, the newcomer.

They all wore solemn expressions, guarding their spiritual seas and refusing to respond to those eerie whispers.

But… Bai Bufan seemed unusually excited.

He sat astride his horse, glancing left and right, like a young master out for a countryside outing.

Bai Liwei rode closer and slapped Bai Bufan hard on the head: “Don’t get so worked up, and don’t respond to those voices.”

With that, he pulled a talisman from his waist pouch and stuck it to Bai Bufan’s back.

Immediately, Bai Bufan’s excitement faded.

“What kind of talisman is that?” Li Lin asked curiously.

“Pure Mind Talisman.”

“Oh, useful stuff,” Li Lin asked eagerly: “Can you sell me two?”

He wondered if studying these talismans might help him learn the Art of Talisman Crafting.

Bai Liwei shook his head: “I only have two—I need to keep one as backup.”

“Pity.”

After these few words, no one spoke further; they pressed on in silence.

As Huang Yan had said, with sixteen Spirit Hunters riding together at speed, the Wicked Ones could not get close or catch up, making it impossible for them to gather in large numbers.

Thus, they could move safely.

After riding all night, when dawn broke, everyone’s expressions relaxed.

“Dismount and rest,” Xu Saifeng shouted as they reached a flat stretch of land.

All dismounted, led their horses to the roadside, and took out pre-prepared beans from their saddlebags to feed them.

Li Lin glanced around and said to Xu Saifeng: “Inspector Xu, we’re near Shangtikou Village, where I live—I’d like to go back and fetch something.”

“Mm, go quickly and return quickly,” Xu Saifeng nodded.

He wasn’t worried Li Lin would desert; if he did, he’d never survive in Jincheng, let alone the entire Daqi Empire.

The government was generous with Spirit Hunters, distributing large quantities of precious red rice, but also imposed strict demands on their conduct.

Li Lin patted his steed and soon returned to Shangtikou Village, fetching his red-tasseled spear and Shengxi Pills—without even greeting the Tree Immortal Lady—he hurried back to the resting point.

His main goal was the Shengxi Pills.

He sensed this mission was extremely dangerous; bringing the pills might prove crucial at a critical moment.

All Spirit Hunters were wrapped in blankets, half-reclining against large trees with eyes closed; hearing hoofbeats, they opened their eyes slightly, saw it was Li Lin returning, then closed them again.

After returning, Li Lin fed his warhorse some beans, then wrapped himself in a blanket and lay down.

Everyone was seizing every moment to rest.

Around noon, Xu Saifeng sat up and called out: “Everyone, rise—feed the horses first, then eat, then resume our journey.”

About half an hour later, the sixteen resumed their march.

The further south they went, the more desolate it became; fewer and fewer people appeared.

At first, they still encountered merchant caravans; but two days later, the imperial road was overgrown with grass, not a single soul in sight—only Wicked Shadows everywhere.

“It seems no one’s passed through here for a long time,” Xu Saifeng slowed his horse: “Why was the trouble in Bobai Town only discovered now? Who was the Spirit Hunter stationed there?”

“An Zhijian… Inspector An,” someone replied: “He hasn’t come to the county town in a long time. But Bobai Town is far from the county, and he rarely came anyway—he’d usually wait until he’d collected about half a year’s worth of blood rice before making the trip.”

“I remember now—that young man,” Xu Saifeng nodded in understanding.

The group continued onward.

Not long after, they reached an open area ahead, where a rammed-earth fortress stood.

The fortress gate was shut, and the watchtower above was utterly silent—no soldiers on duty visible.

The sixteen horses halted before the gate.

Everyone looked closer and saw a thick layer of dust covering the bronze nails on the gate.

“Is anyone inside? We are Spirit Hunters from Yulin County, here to investigate,” Xu Saifeng’s voice was loud despite his age: “Is An Zhijian here? I’m Xu Saifeng—come out and meet us!”

Echoes rolled back and forth, then faded away.

A flock of birds took flight from within the fortress.

“Looks like no one’s inside,” Xu Saifeng whispered: “Old Hou, it’s your turn—go in and open the gate.”

“Understood.”

A short, thin middle-aged man dismounted, pulled a pair of iron claw hooks tied to long ropes from his saddlebag.

He swung the hooks, hurled them, and they caught the edge of the watchtower.

Then “Old Hou” climbed the wall like a real monkey, hauling himself up the rope with speed.

After a while, the winch on the wall turned, and the gate slowly creaked open.

The group rode through the gate and saw the square courtyard inside littered with white bones clad in soldier’s uniforms.

At the center, the altar had been shattered.

Seeing this, everyone’s expressions darkened.

Xu Saifeng waved his hand: “Spread out—search everywhere. Look for any clues.”

Everyone moved at once.

About two hours later, they regrouped.

“I checked the fortress wells—no poison.”

“All were eaten by Wicked Ones—the flesh vanished completely.”

“All soldiers’ pay was still there—nothing stolen.”

“I found An Zhijian’s remains. Unlike the others, his skull was crushed badly—he must have been killed before the Wicked Ones got to him. Someone ambushed and murdered him.”

Then everyone turned to Bai Bufan.

Bai Bufan looked embarrassed: “I didn’t find anything—I don’t understand this kind of thing yet.”

Everyone found this reasonable and passed over him, turning to Li Lin.

Li Lin said: “I found the roster and counted the skulls—there were one hundred thirty-seven soldiers in Bobai Garrison, including An Zhijian, but we’ve only found one hundred thirty-six skulls—one is missing!”

He held up the roster for everyone to see.

“But I checked thoroughly—before we arrived, there was no sign anyone left the fortress; otherwise, the gate couldn’t have been closed!” Old Hou said coldly.

Everyone’s nerves tightened instantly.

That meant… someone might still be hiding inside the fortress.

Yet they had nearly turned the place upside down and found no trace of anyone suspicious.

Xu Saifeng’s face turned icy: “Keep searching—even if you turn the ground over, find that man before nightfall.”

The altar within the fortress was destroyed, and the place lay in the wilderness—once night came, it would become a Wicked One’s paradise.

Yet one person might still be alive, hiding here!

If so, he might be even more terrifying than the Wicked Ones.

Everyone sprang into action.

(End of Chapter)