Chapter 481

The facts proved that Silijing was truly very important in Pangzi's heart, important to the point that not even a sentence with metaphorical sarcasm could be said. After being badly beaten by Pangzi, under the half-smiling gazes of Sun Miao and Yao Wenju, I endured Pangzi's murderous stare and slowly recounted everything about the Masked Beast to everyone.

After hearing my account, Yao Wenju frowned and asked Sun Miao, 'Where is the company's closed-circuit television?' Sun Miao bowed and said, 'In the security room; if President Yao needs it, I can take you to see!' Yao Wenju's expression unchanged, he said, 'Alright, no delay, let's set off immediately.'

Pangzi and I felt the matter was imminent, so without hesitation we put on our clothes, completed the discharge procedures, and followed Yao Wenju and Sun Miao into the car.

After arriving at the security room, Sun Miao opened the closed-circuit television footage from the day of the incident for us few. From my entry into the basement casino to my passage through the top hall, everything was clear, including my every move in the elevator, none of which escaped surveillance.

'Wait, rewind…' I pointed to a small black dot on the surveillance screen and had Sun Miao rewind. This small black dot was behind the middle-aged nouveau riche; the segment we were viewing now was exactly the part where that middle-aged nouveau riche was winning money.

The small black dot quickly enlarged—sure enough, it was the masked Pangzi who had appeared in the alley that night; in the surveillance footage he was lurking in a dark corner, secretly staring at the middle-aged nouveau riche at the gambling table.

'It's him, it's him who knocked me out!' I pointed to the gray-clothed Pangzi in the footage; that big belly of his I would never forget.

'Are you sure it's him?' Yao Wenju asked again, while Sun Miao beside him frowned and said, 'Strange, didn't he already leave?'

Sun Miao's words made Pangzi and me glance sideways; Yao Wenju turned his head, pointed at the Pangzi on the screen, and asked Sun Miao, 'Do you know him?'

Sun Miao nodded and explained firmly, 'He's one of my supervisors, though I fired him a month ago? How he's still in the casino, I'm not sure either.' Sun Miao's expression showed no attempt to shirk responsibility; he was genuinely puzzled.

'President Yao, wait a moment, I'll go fetch his files!' After Sun Miao left, Yao Wenju played with the paper crane in one hand while pressing the remote with the other to rewind the surveillance footage again. It seemed that from the moment he entered until now, his hands had never left that yellow paper crane.

At this point, as everyone scrutinized the surveillance footage closely, we all witnessed this strange phenomenon—including Yao Wenju—straightening our backs, narrowing our eyes, and staring fixedly at the screen without letting go.

In the footage, wherever the gray-clothed Pangzi passed, many casino staff turned a blind eye to him; perhaps one or two noticed him, but only showed a momentary surprise before quickly returning to normal. This was not indifference, but like a ** spell.

Such a spell definitely exists in the world; nowadays many places have seen numerous old people being deceived, or a swindler smoking in front of you, or tapping your shoulder, after which you obediently fall under his sway and then take out all your savings from your wallet, bring them home, and offer them to him.

This evil art truly exists, similar to soul-capturing technique but not the same; it incorporates herbal arts and belongs to a category of heterodox witchcraft. Through the eyes, incense, and using a slap as a command, it influences a person's mind.

Wherever the gray-clothed Pangzi passed, many people either turned a blind eye or, after a momentary surprise, immediately returned to normal; but this was enough to draw Pangzi's and my attention.

Barring any mishap, they were likely affected by the eyes of the black-clothed Pangzi, because in the surveillance footage where the black-clothed Pangzi passed, there was no Masked Beast. And whenever people appeared dazed, analysis of their movements showed they unfailingly looked toward the gray-clothed Pangzi.

'Heterodox left-way arts.' Yao Wenju angrily gave a cold snort; as a member of the Plowshare Witch Sect, he naturally had the standing to look down on many heterodox witchcrafts. The Plowshare Witch Sect and the Lu Ban Absolute Teaching are both the progenitors of witchcraft.

'This person can no longer be considered human; he has become a suit of evil armor!' Yao Wenju frowned and said coldly.

Evil armor, meaning armor made from a person, the armor of evil beasts. In the northeast, many wild immortals who have cultivated Spiritual Apertures like to burrow into people's stomachs, bite onto their bodies, and cultivate. This is precisely what evil armor is.

'You mean the Masked Beast is hiding inside this gray-clothed Pangzi's belly?' I asked, frowning.

Yao Wenju nodded firmly and said, 'The so-called Buddha statue is actually just a catalyst; anyone chosen by the Buddha statue will become the target of the Masked Beast.'

'Why would he do that?' Pangzi interjected, puzzled: 'If he wants to harm people, he could just grab anyone at random. Why go to the trouble of making a whole Buddha statue?'

Yao Wenju glanced at Pangzi, then took a puff of a cigarette, extinguished the butt, and said, 'Some spiritual bodies feed on human resentment, while others use the seven emotions and six desires to enhance their cultivation.' After speaking, he rubbed his nose and gave a self-mocking laugh: 'Greed is the driving force of human progress, yet it is often also the fatal flaw that plunges people into the abyss.'

Pangzi and I instantly understood. Looking at the surveillance footage, the Masked Beast Buddha statues were all thrown by this gray-clothed Pangzi into some inconspicuous corner, after which many greedy people picked them up and claimed them as their own, thereby provoking the gray-clothed Pangzi's stalking.

Thus, even if the Masked Beast is truly evil, it has its own rationale: it only harms greedy people who pick up the Buddha statue and claim it as theirs. This explains why, when I chased the middle-aged nouveau riche wearing a Masked Beast statue, a gray-clothed Pangzi appeared to intercept me. In short, the Masked Beast is merely a catalyst, and the gray-clothed Pangzi is the hidden **oss behind the scenes.

'President Yao, this is his file.' At that moment, Sun Miao pushed in with a file, then handed it to Yao Wenju—unexpectedly, Yao Wenju said it wasn't needed and pushed the file away with his hand.

Yao Wenju sat down, continuing to play with the yellow paper crane in his hand; slowly he closed his eyes, as if meditating, or as if asleep!

Not to mention me, even Sun Miao stood there for a while, utterly bewildered; standing behind Yao Wenju, he was neither standing nor sitting, feeling extremely awkward.

Suddenly, Yao Wenju flung open his tiger eyes, and astonishing colors burst forth in his pupils.

'Command,' he formed seals with both hands, his seated body instantly straightened, and he bellowed a command. In that second, the paper crane actually spread its wings, soared upward, and flew out the window.

Afterward, Yao Wenju remained seated, toying with his jade thumb ring, silent. After a while, a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth; he rose and walked smiling toward the outside of the security room.

'Come with me.' He waved at us without turning his head.

Pangzi, biting into an apple, asked in surprise, 'Where to?' Well, it seemed wherever Pangzi went he could find something to eat.

Yao Wenju said, 'Naturally to find that Pangzi.' After the paper crane soared for a moment, he seemed to already know where that Pangzi was.

His words made Pangzi and me exchange glances, we each swallowed our saliva, and quickened our steps to meet him.

Yao Wenju, too, seemed far from ordinary. Although I don't know the name of that technique, merely from an appearance he could use sorcery to pinpoint a person's location precisely. I ask myself: without knowing one's birth date and time, I could not do it as easily as he does.

After getting in the car, Yao Wenju kept his hands crossed and resting on his knees; no matter how the vehicle jolted, his posture remained unchanged. Perhaps this is one of the rituals when the Plowshare Witch Sect activates a technique, or perhaps it is a finger gesture.

In short, throughout the journey Yao Wenju directed Sun Miao's route. He also brought no bodyguards, and after we three left the door, we directly got into the car.

The car set off from the casino, traveled about half an hour, and Yao Wenju had the vehicle stop at a crossroads. After Sun Miao parked the car, Yao Wenju led us into a lane that, while not prosperous, was not exactly dilapidated either.

Yao Wenju stopped in front of a two-story building on the street, pointed at it, and said, 'This is the place.'

The house's light seemed somewhat dim, as if it had been moldy for a long time with no one living there. That was our sole impression upon pushing the door open and entering; moreover, the whole house seemed to have a strong fishy odor, and besides the fishy smell there was also the scent of peanut oil.

The furnishings were also very simple; tables and chairs were plainly visible, and the first floor could hardly conceal anyone.

'Up to the second floor!' Yao Wenju said succinctly.

Since I was nearest the stairs, when Yao Wenju gave that order I instinctively went up to the second-floor staircase. Stepping onto the first landing, nothing untoward occurred.

But just as I reached the second-floor stairwell and stepped a foot into the hall, a huge fist came whistling from my side toward me.

Feeling that gust of cold wind coming, I instinctively dodged using my bodily reflexes; just then, Yao Wenju behind me stepped forward promptly and tightly gripped the fist that was attacking me.

The owner of that fist was exactly the gray-clothed Pangzi who had attacked me in the alley earlier. The true culprit finally appeared at this moment.

This was the first time I, and also we, got a clear look at the true culprit's appearance; from the moment I saw him, I was certain he was merely a puppet, because his expression was dull, his complexion dark, only his eyes were somewhat strange.

Our eyes locked, and I suddenly felt dizzy; shadows overlapped again before my eyes, as if I had been knocked out once more.

'Roar.' A low growl, like a drumbeat, like a deep beast's rumble, a mysterious and ancient aura suddenly swept over, shaking my body and spirit; yet it was precisely this low growl that allowed me to regain consciousness.

The source of that roar was none other than Yao Wenju, who had tightly gripped the gray-clothed Pangzi's fist.

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