[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h":3,"chapter-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-52":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Devouring Evil, Exterminating Demons Across All Heavens",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2266997,4426,"Chapter 52: The Missing Ancient Book","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-52",52,"\u003Cp>The room, at first glance, showed no major changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bed was neatly made, and against the wall at its foot stood a cabinet holding a television.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Further inside were three large wardrobes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear the room had gathered a thin layer of dust, yet no handprints or footprints marred it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu opened the door, raised a hand to stop the Second Grandfather, and stepped inside alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze fixed on the bedsheet, especially the area near the head of the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though no one slept in his grandfather’s room, Chu Tianshu had often wandered in there after meals, just to stroll and aid digestion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially the bed—he would sometimes, when bored, align the horizontal stripes on the sheet to intersect perpendicularly with the grain of the bedframe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just talk—he’d measured it with a triangle ruler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own bed, soaked daily with sweat and tossed about, had long since warped, no matter how many blankets he rotated; he could never make it so perfectly straight and neat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His grandfather’s bed was easier to manage, so he kept it exceptionally tidy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the stripes on this sheet were clearly crooked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu walked to the wardrobe, opened the rightmost door, leaned in, pressed against the wood, and unleashed his mental force—triggering a hidden mechanism that slid open a secret compartment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The compartment drawer was completely empty!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was where the original copy of the “Commentary on Ghost Gate Witch Medicine” had always been stored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That book was practically an antique; Chu Tianshu himself had learned from a handwritten copy kept in his own room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The original antique had remained always by his grandfather’s side, occasionally consulted and kept safe in this hidden drawer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After his grandfather passed, Chu Tianshu assumed the ancient text was safest and most familiar right where it was—no need to move it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it had been stolen!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu stared at the drawer, his breathing heavy, eyes suddenly sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using his Insight Technique, he drew in deep breaths, sensing the faint, unnatural aura left behind by the thief—residual energy clinging to the drawer and the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu carried the drawer into the living room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Erye sensed his fury and saw the empty drawer; after a moment’s thought, he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did something your grandfather left behind go missing? What could be worth stealing—was it the original scripture?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu grunted in reply, placed the drawer on the table, walked to the corner, and took a transparent plastic box—free with instant noodles—and went to the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the living room’s corner stood several large glass jars of medicinal wine, each fitted with a water dispenser tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He estimated the quantities, poured three kinds of medicinal wine, then filled it with mineral water, and stirred with a silver needle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still the heart, cut the water; water cut, heart still. Clear mind, calm waves… Reach the end of the water, sit and watch the clouds rise; heaven’s light pure, robed in radiant Xia .”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu muttered incantations as his hands kept stirring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The amber liquid, half the box’s volume, gradually turned clear under his chants and stirring, like purified water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He placed the plastic box inside the drawer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The liquid still swirled, but slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet after a full ten seconds, it continued spinning at that same steady, unhurried pace—strangely uncanny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, fine particles like bamboo charcoal ash appeared in the liquid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vortex slowed further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Erye could clearly see the particles rising from the bottom, as if materializing out of thin air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Radiant Robe Protects the Heart” incantation, when used on a person, calms the spirit and repels external evils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when applied to medicinal wine, it produces a peculiar effect akin to “yin-yang attraction.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It draws the essence of external evil into the wine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not enough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Erye knew this method well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The thief didn’t come recently—you’re only catching a trace of residual aura now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu thought, then walked to the bedroom door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only his own footprints remained inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thief must have, after finding what he wanted, used a minor wind technique to stir up all the dust, let it settle again, and erase all traces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he’d brought an electric fan and blasted the room, Chu Tianshu might have been helpless—but since he used magic indoors…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu activated his Insight Technique again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Inner and Outer Insight Technique could capture minute external details, but it also drew in a sliver of evil energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet that sliver, the moment it touched his body, was instantly neutralized by the martial artist’s powerful yang energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu lingered at the door, gathering his thoughts: “Second Grandfather, help me—if you sense any abnormal aura, take it in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Erye walked over, pulling a jade pendant from around his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One side carved with a crane, the other with a crow—black on one face, white on the other—he’d bought it at great cost in his youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dragon Spirit Seek Mountain Formula: Spirit is spirit, Dragon is substance. Don’t say only high mountains hold dragons—sometimes the true trail vanishes on flat ground…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When the dragon reaches the plain, don’t ask for tracks—just watch where water winds. Recite the Dragon Scripture without insight, ten thousand scrolls are empty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Erye held the black side upward in his palm, formed a hand seal with his left hand, chanted, and swept the jade horizontally before his eyes—yet his face showed confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I sense no abnormal aura in this room at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t rush!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s eyes flared with a brief flash of light, then drew in a deep, prolonged breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The length of that breath made Chu Erye’s gaze shift from confusion to astonishment—he couldn’t help staring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he inhaled, the faintest auras in the room—too subtle for Chu Erye to detect—flowed toward the doorway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like condensing vapor into dew!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Erye felt a strange aura flickering faintly before Chu Tianshu’s nose and mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black jade pendant shot forward, flicked once before Chu Tianshu’s face, and snatched up the aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That should be enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Erye hurried to the table, pressed the black side of the jade against his forehead, slid it down to his nose, inhaled sharply, then blew gently onto the wine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the wine’s surface, invisible fingers seemed to jab with a black brush—dozens more particles appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mere sorcerer could use mental force to activate yang energy—or suppress it temporarily to contain external evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When necessary, they could complete simple rituals using only their mouth and nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His grandfather had always been clean when piercing people with needles, but when piercing evil things, he’d liked to lick the needle tip first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That lick might have boosted yang energy—or drawn in the evil itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the licker knew what effect it added—extremely convenient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu had no such habit; he simply held the needle in his hand, recited the incantation several more times, then placed the silver needle on the water’s surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The needle did not sink—it floated at the center, then suddenly spun, like a compass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But its point now pointed southeast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu sealed the plastic box, grabbed it, and walked out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait—you should ride a bike. Walking all the way’s too exhausting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Erye went to the hallway to push out Chu Tianshu’s electric scooter. “Where’s the key?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu glanced at it. “It hasn’t been charged in a month.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His grandfather had once left a car, but Chu Tianshu had wrecked it while treating a patient possessed by evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he received compensation afterward, his medicine dosage increased, so he never replaced it—only bought two spare electric scooters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second Grandfather, go home. I walk fast enough now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he stepped beyond the river, he saw a vehicle marked “Public Security” descending the high slope at the village entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How convenient—he stopped and waited a few minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car pulled up, and Lin Suozhang stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, you really had a break-in?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Suozhang handed Chu Tianshu a sealed plastic bag containing a phone, then noticed the box in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still using the silver needle tracking method? You didn’t even see the thief—how can this work?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu said: “This isn’t an ordinary thief. Can you give us a ride?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Suozhang tensed. “If it’s not ordinary, what did he steal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t tell me it’s some big case—I’m about to retire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he opened the passenger door and added, “Let me call the station, get a few officers to join us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Erye walked over: “No need. Your local officers don’t even carry guns—just flashlights, sticks, and riot forks. Calling others won’t matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll go with Tianxu. We’ll check the place first—no need to rush into action.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Erye opened the back door and got in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once inside, Chu Tianshu watched the silver needle’s direction for guidance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They climbed the village slope, turned a corner, drove onto the road a short distance, then turned onto a narrow lane leading to the neighboring village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they descended the entrance of the neighboring village, Lin Suozhang suddenly remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Driving the Public Security vehicle straight there—won’t that be too obvious?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Erye sighed: “Old Lin, you’ve been too comfortable these years—everything makes you jump. This is just a village security car, not one of those sirens-wailing city bureau vehicles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The security office’s vehicle driving through nearby villages was not uncommon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Lin rebutted: “The city bureau’s cars aren’t all blaring sirens—they usually go undercover, and you wouldn’t recognize their vehicles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as they said this, they spotted it in the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About two hundred meters ahead, several cars were parked on the bridge and path of one household in the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large crowd was coming and going, some in plainclothes, others in uniforms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu glanced at the silver needle—it pointed directly to that household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Lin’s expression changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, it really looks like the city bureau.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drove closer, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out to inquire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu also got out, but stayed away, standing beside the car and watching the household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He focused intently; not only could he hear Director Lin’s conversation with the others, he could even hear every sound inside the house, room by room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second Master Chu got out, his expression startled: “Isn’t this Kong Wenju’s home?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu turned his head: “Do you know him, Second Grandpa?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He lives in the neighboring village—we’re all insiders, so we’ve dealt with each other before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second Master Chu said, “But what exactly he cultivates, neither I nor your grandfather knew—we only heard he had some expertise in antiques and curios, and ran an antique shop in town.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bah, his house might have some real pieces, but everything in his shop is pure craftsmanship.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second Master Chu grew angry, “Back then, your grandfather even treated him for illness—if this scoundrel stole from your family, I’ll spit right in his face!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu murmured: “You probably won’t get the chance to spit on him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the city bureau officers, Kong Wenju had indeed committed a major crime, but this case didn’t fall under Director Lin’s jurisdiction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Kong Wenju stole calligraphy, paintings, and rare books from several collectors in the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His methods were bizarre—victims couldn’t explain how they’d been robbed; even their safes had been opened, as if they’d taken out the items themselves and handed them to the thief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he seemed to be a first-time offender, lacking experience in such matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bizarre methods alone weren’t enough—he stole only from people he already knew and frequently interacted with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After questioning the victims, the city bureau drew a network of connections and immediately narrowed the suspects to a few, including him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then they checked: his antique shop had been closed, and he’d left town several days ago—essentially confessing without a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for exactly where he’d gone, the city bureau officers were cautious and didn’t reveal it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu got back in the car, borrowed Second Master Chu’s phone, and called Baishui Ge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2001,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","df7922efde7eac47aed1beddbe0b521f52fef4d3a69ad70c16ff21faf5388165","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-53","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-51",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]