Chapter 74: [It

A streak of Qi shot out, instantly parting the lake water; a figure beneath the surface was tightly bound by the Qi and yanked upward, slamming heavily onto the shore.

The figure was unmistakably a small monster.

Like the previous two monsters, its head was covered in matted, dusty gray hair, soaked and plastered to its skull by the lake water; its face was grotesque, features twisted, mouth gaping to reveal a chaotic array of crooked fangs.

But its body was slender and smaller than the previous two monsters, roughly the height of an ordinary child.

The small monster lifted its head, struggled briefly, bared its teeth at the old man, and let out a guttural roar.

The old man squinted at it, then slowly walked forward and raised his right hand…

Crack!

A massive slap, wrapped in Qi, struck the monster's left cheek, sending it stumbling sideways.

Crack!

Another massive slap landed on its right cheek, sending it stumbling to the left.

When it raised its head again, the small monster no longer roared; each cheek bore several distinct finger marks.

Its eyes, however, had grown much clearer.

Seeing the old man raise his hand once more, the small monster instantly curled into a ball, hugged its head, and emitted a fearful whimper.

"Hmm, you three must be a family. Solitary mountain ghouls are rare enough, but to have developed even a trace of spiritual awareness… impressive." The old man squinted at the small mountain ghoul: "Your malevolent energy is strong—you've killed plenty. I ought to have cut you down with one sword. But I'm just now refining a magical artifact that requires malevolent energy to nurture—you're perfectly suited."

After a moment's thought, the old man pointed a finger; a streak of Jin Guang sank into the small mountain ghoul's forehead. Instantly, its body trembled, rolled over several times on the ground, its bones stretching and contracting, its head and form shifting, and coarse gray fur sprouting across its body.

Finally, it stopped moving—now appearing as a large monkey-like creature crouched on the ground.

The old man's voice was cold: "My artifact is sealed within your spiritual awareness. It will drain your yin-malevolent energy daily for ten years. When your malevolence is fully absorbed, you'll have barely survived another decade."

Hmm, that boy next door keeps a demonic tortoise; I, an old man, keep a large monkey—hardly a loss of face.

With that, the old man reached out, seized the large monkey, and vanished in a flash of light.

Several minutes later, the girl on the lakeshore shuddered and slowly awoke, letting out a scream.

"Monster! Monster!!"

Then she froze, looking around.

I… where am I?

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Before dawn, a black sedan slowly drove into the forest path.

At the forest's edge, the car stopped; Chu Keqing stepped out, wrapped in a wool coat, first gazing up at the forest beneath the dawn, then inhaling sharply.

A solemn expression crossed her beautiful face as she murmured: "There's a scent of malevolent energy…"

"Master Zi," her assistant hurried up, holding out a wooden box with both hands.

Chu Keqing took her Bai Yu compass in one hand and slowly walked toward the forest.

From within the forest path, two police cars slowly emerged and drove past Chu Keqing.

Chu Keqing frowned as she watched the police cars depart, then murmured: "The police were here—something must have happened. Go ask."

The assistant nodded and turned to make a phone call.

Chu Keqing stood at the forest's edge, gazing into the trees, one hand holding the compass, the other forming rapid hand seals as she calculated swiftly, then used Wang Qi Shu to observe closely—suddenly she drew a deep breath, bent low, and stepped into the forest.

"Master Zi?" Her assistant gasped: "It's damp and cold inside the forest—You…"

Chu Keqing waved her hand: "Quickly gather information, then come find me in the forest."

Without regard for her pristine white wool coat, now dampened by dew from the treetops, she stepped slowly into the woods.

At midnight, Chu Keqing awoke suddenly from her dream; possessing cultivation and considerable spiritual power, enhanced by Wang Qi Shu, she had sensed the direction of the blood-malevolent energy.

Though by the time she noticed it, most of the blood-malevolent energy had already dissipated, the lingering resonance of the malevolence still piqued her interest.

As a cultivator, how could she not investigate such an occurrence?

Though the forest remained dim at dawn, Chu Keqing, confident in her cultivation, feared nothing and walked calmly through the trees; she did not know how long she walked, yet eventually emerged from the forest and reached the wild lake in the mountain hollow.

"The malevolent energy here is even denser."

Chu Keqing frowned, glanced at her compass, then fixed her gaze on the lake.

Yin-malevolent energy had gathered within the lake.

This place is dangerous… Chu Keqing shook her head.

According to the compass readings, the lake occupied the yin position of this hollow, the coldest and most yin spot—any malevolent energy would naturally flow toward it.

Because of the water, the yin-malevolent energy, once flowing here, became trapped and stagnated over time, inevitably giving rise to inexplicable phenomena.

She walked along the lakeshore, studying the ground… someone had been here.

As she reached the forest's edge, Chu Keqing's eyes brightened.

A small tree nearby had been snapped clean through, as if torn apart by some force; its trunk split into four pieces. She stepped two paces forward and saw another tree fallen—clearly shattered by direct impact.

She stared at the trees, then reached out and lightly pinched the broken trunk.

Qi flowed through her entire body; instantly, she felt her fingertips surge with Qi, gently washing away a faint trace of malevolent energy clinging to them.

It was like fire meeting fuel—a sudden shift that gave Chu Keqing a clear suspicion.

At that moment, her phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket—it was her assistant. After answering, she said coolly: "I'm at the wild lake in the mountain hollow. Come find me."

After hanging up, she walked further into the forest, then stepped out and continued searching around the lake.

The assistant arrived quickly—this time by car, entering via the forest path, then taking a side road that circled to the wild lake.

Seeing Chu Keqing standing by the lake from afar, the assistant hurried out of the car—but she was not alone; another man, middle-aged, wearing a black leather jacket, stepped out behind her.

Chu Keqing saw the man and smiled politely, walking over with a cool tone: "Director Wu, what brings you here?"

"Madam Chu, you're too kind!" Director Wu shook her hand and chuckled: "When your assistant called, I was nearby. Hearing you were here, I simply tagged along."

Director Wu was the official in charge of the nearby scenic area and knew Chu Keqing.

Because this scenic region housed several temples and Daoist monasteries, home to many Xuan Sect practitioners, they often held rituals during festivals to attract tourists—and thus frequently interacted with figures like Chu Keqing, a leading name in Jin Ling's Mystic Art circle.

"Has Director Wu come to work at the scenic area so early?" asked Chu Keqing.

"Ah!" Director Wu shook his head. "I'm not that hardworking. Something happened in the scenic area at midnight—I came here before dawn."

Since the two knew each other well, and the matter wasn't complicated or confidential, Director Wu treated it as casual chat and recounted the story.

"Last night, the police received a report from a girl who said she was attacked inside our scenic area. She lost her phone, ran out alone from the mountains, escaped the forest trail, and reached the highway, where she flagged down a passing vehicle and called for help."

"After the police arrived, they followed the girl's description and searched the mountains—but found nothing."

Upon hearing this, Chu Keqing smiled faintly: "Really, nothing at all?"

Director Wu pursed his lips: "Strange. The girl said she encountered some kind of monster—a hairy thing, with a bloodied maw and long arms and legs."

"She also said that when the monster appeared, her dog tried to protect her, fought it, and was bitten to death."

"She ran out herself, but somehow fainted beside the lake—there, that lake."

"And then?"

"Then, the police searched the area for a long time and found nothing. They even had our scenic area staff join the search, crawling through the forest."

"There was no monster at all."

"But we did find some damaged trees. The old forester here examined them and said they were probably crushed by something like a wild boar."

"You know—recently, the ecology has improved, and the number of wild boars in these mountains has grown. Didn't last year's news report a wild boar running down into the city?"

Wild boar?

Chu Keqing recalled the trees she had seen smashed in the forest. She smiled softly: "And then?"

"We did find the girl's dog."

"Ah, that dog was truly tragic. When we found it, only half its body remained. Based on the girl's account and the scene investigation, it was definitely her dog—a large breed, a Husky."

"We suspect the girl came into the mountains to paint and sketch, returned late, and encountered a wild boar out foraging."

"Her dog was killed by the boar, and she fled in terror."

"As for the monster—that was probably just an illusion born from shock."

Illusion… Chu Keqing smiled, said nothing, and slowly replied: "Yes, people under shock often lose their wits and imagine things."

"Exactly!" Director Wu nodded, sighing. "The girl was both unlucky and lucky—she encountered a wild boar attack, yet suffered no serious injury, only fright. She's lucky to be alive."

"We're relieved too! If someone had died in the scenic area, the investigation and blame would've made it impossible for any of us to survive the New Year. Fortunately, nothing major happened."

As he spoke, Director Wu asked Chu Keqing why she had come so early.

Chu Keqing gave a casual excuse and shook her head: "Lately, my mind's been unsettled. I wanted a quiet place for meditation. I remembered there are a few temples and Daoist shrines here with retreats for meditation or seclusion, so I came to take a look."

Director Wu immediately laughed: "If Madam Chu plans to stay here temporarily, we'd be delighted! You're a well-known figure in the Jin Ling Daoist sect."

Chu Keqing smiled but said nothing—she had indeed adopted a Daoist identity for convenience while traveling.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries and declining Director Wu's invitation to visit the management office, Chu Keqing had her assistant drive him back, while she remained by the lake, wandering.

Her certainty grew stronger about one thing:

It wasn't a wild boar.

Gray fur, a bloodied maw, fangs everywhere, long arms and legs, humanoid shape.

Shan Kui!

Chu Keqing frowned… Normally, Shan Kui were rare, and even if they existed, they usually avoided humans…

"Could it be the lake? Has it been tainted by yin-sha energy for too long?"

She recalled this wild lake—year after year, several reckless people drowned in it.

This wild lake had existed for countless years. In recent decades, authorities had repeatedly urged, warned, and posted signs beside the lake and at the mountain's base, forbidding swimming…

But there were always those reckless souls who sought thrills.

Good advice cannot save a man determined to die.

Over the years, how many ghosts had died here? The accumulated sha energy must have grown thicker.

As she thought this, Chu Keqing reached the edge of the forest and suddenly exclaimed, "Huh?"

The dead leaves and twigs on the ground were clearly trampled.

But the tracks were only one set—and ended right here.

She didn't know this spot was where the monster that had chased Chen Yan had been cut into dozens of pieces by Gu Qingyi, then dissolved into black mist.

Chu Keqing crouched down, reached out, and felt along the ground for a moment—then suddenly trembled!

Her fingers slowly pinched between them a scrap of paper, no larger than half a thumb's width, nestled among the dead leaves!

She brought it close to her eyes—and recognized it: talisman paper!

And not just any talisman paper—it was a charred remnant, after the talisman's power had been released but before it had fully burned away!

Chu Keqing's body jolted.

She didn't just recognize it as talisman paper—she recognized its origin!

Earlier, when Luo Qing had been retaliated against by Elder Chen Yan, the talismans he used were made from this exact paper!

The material was ordinary, considered common fare in the occult world—Chu Keqing had even visited the shop that sold this kind of talisman paper.

"Was it Elder Chen Yan who slew the Shan Kui here?"

Chu Keqing's eyes lit up!

Logically, while the paper was the same, many people bought it—it might not have been Chen Yan.

But…

She refused to believe that in Jin Ling City, besides Chen Yan, there was another cultivator who used this paper.

The odds were simply too slim.

Talisman masters weren't as common as cabbages.

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【A few votes~】

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