Chapter 394: Evil Origins (Combined Three Parts)

Xu Yuan was also taken aback—was evil already so brazen in broad daylight?

The situation at the dock was similar to that in the city.

Every corner, every shadowed, hidden spot, was a breeding ground for evil.

At night, the evil roaming the dock far outnumbered those in the city.

But during the day, they all hid diligently, daring not to show themselves.

That thing lunged with a bite like a venomous snake striking, swift as lightning.

Yet Da Fu lifted one of his webbed feet in a peculiar posture.

His wide footpad spread open—seemingly slow, yet perfectly timed—enveloping the evil’s head in one palm.

He stomped down, and with a thud, pinned it firmly to the ground.

Then Da Fu used his flat beak to peck repeatedly at the evil’s long body: peck, peck, peck.

Like a chef tossing a cleaned eel onto a cutting board and raising his cleaver: peck, peck, peck…

He chopped it into segments.

Then Da Fu swallowed each segment whole, stretching his neck to force it down.

Xu Yuan examined the evil closely.

The thing resembled a four-legged lizard.

But its body was longer and slimmer.

Behind it trailed a rat’s tail.

Its scales were coarser than those of an ordinary four-legged lizard.

The human face atop its head, after being pecked to death by Da Fu, twisted in agony and dissolved into a wisp of black mist.

That shriveled human face was a fragment of a broken yin soul.

After the yin soul dispersed, the evil’s true form was revealed.

Upon closer look, it was a rat’s face.

Xu Yuan found this strange: what kind of evil was this?

Rat tail, rat head.

Look closer at its four feet—they were clearly rat paws.

But why was its body long and scaled?

When fighting Da Fu just now, the evil had clearly been ninth-rank level.

Now, looking again… it was probably unranked, a minor evil.

Most evils followed a basic rule: the stranger the appearance, the stronger the power.

The one just now looked monstrous—clearly dangerous.

Now it was merely a twisted rat.

What puzzled Xu Yuan was how the broken yin soul had clung to the evil’s face like a mask.

After finishing, Da Fu gave Xu Yuan an annoyed look: figure it out yourself.

The meal schedule doesn’t feed me anymore—I have to go out and hunt for myself.

Xu Yuan asked: “Are you feeling unwell? Don’t just eat random things outside.”

Da Fu widened his goose eyes: what are you saying?!

You won’t feed me, and now you won’t even let me find my own food?!

Da Fu turned his head away in a huff and waddled back.

Xu Yuan didn’t leave right away—he went to the wall’s base and peered into the drain.

Something else had quickly retreated into the dark depths.

Master Xu frowned, then spat a jet of fire into the drain without hesitation.

“Squeak-squeak-squeak…”

A strange sound emerged from the drain.

This fifth-rank alchemist’s fire shot out and spread rapidly along both sides, filling the entire drain!

The drain stretched over a hundred zhang in length, with several branches along its course.

It was part of the dock’s drainage system.

No one knew how many minor evils lurked inside.

That single blast of fifth-rank fire instantly burned every evil within to death.

Most turned instantly to ash.

Only a few left behind charred bones.

Only a handful remained alive near the drain’s end, close to the canal’s outlet.

They escaped into the canal and survived.

Xu Yuan snorted: “You broke the rules first—appearing in broad daylight—don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

The survivors floated and sank in the water, muttering low, eerie curses.

Who said we appeared in daylight?

We were hiding perfectly—your stupid goose stuck its neck in and snatched us out!

Master Xu didn’t understand.

Xu Yuan turned to leave, then suddenly noticed a wisp of black mist drifting from a crack in the drain’s bricks, ten zhang away.

Just like the broken yin soul that had covered the rat’s face!

“Hmm?” Master Xu sensed something odd—he extended his hand, and his sinew core plunged into that section of the drain, swiftly dragging out a partially burned skeleton.

It was a catfish.

Its head and tail still retained the catfish’s shape.

But its body, like the rat’s, had become long and serpentine.

Xu Yuan used his sinew core to form a net and scanned the entire drain—but found no third similar skeleton.

Yet Master Xu felt this was no coincidence.

The evils at the dock seemed to be shifting toward a certain “form.”

Xu Yuan went straight to the Canal Office to inquire.

He hit a wall.

The local dock’s River Inspector barely glanced at the evil bones Xu Yuan brought, speaking coldly: “Master Xu, you’ve lived in the city too long—you don’t understand the evils here. Their forms are countless; nothing to be alarmed about.”

He might as well have directly mocked Xu Yuan as “a country bumpkin.”

Everyone at the Canal Dock held no affection for Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan said no more—it would only waste breath.

Xu Yuan left the Canal Office and went to his own “Yuan Sheng Hao.”

He told Yang Shu: “Gather all the clerks.”

Yang Laicai immediately called all the shop staff over.

Xu Yuan described the rat-like evil and asked: “You’re all dock workers—have you ever seen such an evil before?”

The eight clerks present all shook their heads: “We’ve never seen such an evil as you describe, Master.”

One young man asked an old man beside him: “Uncle Qi, you’ve worked the docks for decades—have you ever seen this?”

The old man thought long and hard, then shook his head: “Never. If you mean lizards with human faces, or rats with snake faces—I’ve seen those.

But a rat turning into a snake, then wearing a human face? Never in my life.”

Xu Yuan now understood.

Some lore is better learned from dock workers than from the Canal Office.

“Alright, back to work,” Xu Yuan said, then hurried off.

…

The front courtyard of the Canal Dock was solemn and imposing; the back courtyard was high-walled and deep.

The walls blocked outside views, and several luxurious annexes had been built inside.

Now, four fourth-rank cultivators and An Chengyuan lived there.

Two fourth-rank cultivators from the Fu family, along with three other Fu clan members, gathered in a dark room.

It wasn’t truly a dark room—only that the Fu family had pasted calligraphy scrolls over every window and door.

Centered on the round table sat a birdcage.

The cage was a fifth-rank crafted item!

Inside was no bird, but a leather puppet dragon stitched from human skin and hair.

The puppet dragon was only half a foot long, its tail pinned to a crossbar inside the cage by a golden nail.

The Fu family surrounded the cage, watching thin strands of strange black mist seep from it.

Even the calligraphy scrolls couldn’t block the mist—they slipped through every crack.

If a cultivator with sharp vision focused closely, they’d see these fine threads were woven from countless invisible, microscopic insects.

The insects resembled dandruff, yet also dragon scales!

The two fourth-rank cultivators were helpless: “We still can’t contain this ‘Nian Sheng’!”

【Note: Sheng, pronounced shěng, third tone, means calamity—not eye disease.】

The three who escorted the cage and puppet dragon said: “We did our utmost—layered methods ensured safe transport—but… the Nian Sheng pierced through our barriers a day earlier than expected!”

“All those evil spirits outside may already have become ‘offspring of corruption’!”

“We can’t wait any longer—we must depart at dawn!”

“Tonight… something’s bound to happen. Keep your mouths shut—no matter what occurs, not a word must leak about our involvement!”

The Fu family had always known that bringing out the leather dragon puppet was an extremely risky act.

This secret technique is still incomplete; it should never have been used so early.

Yet none of the Fu family members present considered warning outsiders.

They only thought of distancing themselves if trouble arose.

The entire Fu family had been corrupted by the Dragon Transformation Method—selfish and cruel, never caring for others.

Inside the birdcage, the tiny leather dragon puppet was alive!

It waited, eyes stitched shut, for the two fourth-rank cultivators.

It seemed to have many grievances, yet its dragon mouth had been sewn shut.

One fourth-rank said: “Young Master Hongyu, don’t blame us. It was the family that chose you—not our doing. In truth, it may not be such a bad thing for you…”

The leather dragon could not speak, but its whole body trembled, its gaze growing more venomous.

The fourth-rank grew angry: “Ungrateful wretch!”

He stopped speaking to it.

…

Xu Yuan told Miao Yu about the “perverse transformation” of the evil spirits at the docks again.

Yes, Xu Yuan believed these anomalies had been influenced by something, triggering a second perverse transformation.

As for what exactly had influenced them… Xu Yuan was eighty percent certain it was tied to the Fu family.

It was like when the Prince’s Consort arrived in Zhancheng and Xu Yuan was assassinated—everyone immediately knew it was her doing.

Everything was fine until the Fu family’s second group arrived—and then trouble broke out. If it’s not because of you, explain why it’s so coincidental?

After learning the situation, Miao Yu found it hard to decide.

He deeply trusted Xu Yuan, but he also knew Xu Yuan had already hit a wall with the River Administration—and going there himself over this matter would likely yield no results.

“To get the River Administration to act and prepare against these new evil spirits, one person’s influence isn’t enough,” Miao Yu said. “I need to approach Zhu Zhanlei.”

So Miao Yu asked again: “Do you think these new evil spirits pose a serious threat?”

If they’re no worse than the other evil spirits at the docks, it’s not worth the effort.

Xu Yuan said gravely: “No evil spirit is trivial!”

Miao Yu smiled bitterly: “Alright, let’s go find Zhu Zhanlei.”

Zhu Zhanlei lived not far from Miao Yu; all the Shanhe Bureau personnel, including Zhu Zhanlei, resided together.

It was already evening when Xu Yuan and Miao Yu arrived; Zhu Zhanlei had finished her shift, changed out of her Shanhe Bureau uniform, and now wore her usual dress.

She had lost some of her officer’s sternness, gaining instead a delicate, graceful femininity.

Xu Yuan couldn’t help but glance at her twice.

But when Zhu Zhanlei heard them out, she gave a strange smile: “You’ve come to the wrong person, Master Xu.”

Xu Yuan frowned: “What do you mean?”

Zhu Zhanlei said calmly: “You come to beg me, a woman… and then you and Miao Yu go layer by layer through the River Administration—there’s a high chance you’ll end up quarreling with their bureaucrats several times.

That wastes all your time, and by nightfall, you still might not get anything done.

But there is someone else who holds you in high regard.

She’s a favorite of Lord Luo—if you go to her and she agrees, she can mobilize the entire dock immediately.”

Xu Yuan was baffled: “Who?”

“Xu Miao,” Zhu Zhanlei said with a smile.

Xu Yuan thought carefully—Xu Miao owed him a favor.

Though he’d had ulterior motives…

But to Xu Miao, it was clearly a debt she owed him.

Xu Yuan decided to try: “You’re right, Master Zhu.”

Xu Yuan rose and bowed: “I’ll go see Xu Miao first. If she refuses, we’ll stick to our plan—you and Miao Yu will go to the Yamen and warn them to increase vigilance!”

With urgency pressing, Xu Yuan didn’t linger after speaking—he turned and left immediately.

The moment his figure passed through the door, Zhu Zhanlei’s pretty face turned cold.

“Heh, if she refuses, he’ll come crawling back to me…”

Miao Yu set down his teacup and slipped away quietly.

I heard nothing.

But I’ll have to take Brother Xu to Baiyue Pavilion more often—his female cultivators all act like men.

Brother Xu has too little contact with women—he simply doesn’t understand their minds at all.

…

After stepping outside, Xu Yuan realized he had no idea where Xu Miao lived.

He turned back just as Miao Yu emerged, and quickly grabbed him: “Do you know where Xu Miao lives…”

Miao Yu looked at Xu Yuan with pity: “You’re really going?”

“It’s a matter of great importance,” Xu Yuan said, devoted to public duty. “Even if Xu Miao mocks me, I’ll endure it.”

Miao Yu sighed: “Follow me.”

Xu Miao was a Wen Xiu, and at this moment she was reading.

Coincidentally, when Xu Yuan and Miao Yu arrived, Xu Miao was also dressed casually, not in her official robes.

Her clothes were loose and comfortable, yet the curves where they should rise rose prominently.

Cultivation power doesn’t need to be proclaimed—it reveals itself naturally in subtle, unconscious ripples.

Xu Miao’s personal maid led Xu Yuan and Miao Yu into her mistress’s study.

On the way, the maid smiled slyly: “Only those close to my mistress are allowed into her study.”

Xu Yuan kept his head down, thinking all the way about how to persuade Xu Miao to help.

He didn’t hear a word the maid said.

He wasn’t “friends” with Xu Miao—due to Zhu Zhanlei’s involvement, they’d had friction, and he’d been scheming behind the scenes over her artifact…

So Xu Yuan knew he’d have to work hard to win her over.

He needed to carefully craft his words.

But to his surprise, after hearing the full story, Xu Miao’s expression turned serious: “I was right about Master Xu—your insight is rare indeed.”

She paused, then added: “To possess such public-mindedness is even rarer.”

Her clear, bright eyes, filled with genuine admiration, studied Xu Yuan intently.

Miao Yu quickly lowered his head.

I saw nothing.

“Then please help me, Master Xu,” Xu Yuan said.

Xu Miao smiled warmly: “Don’t worry—I’ll go see Lord Luo right away.”

Xu Yuan rose to take his leave, but Xu Miao said: “Wait—I’ll change into my official robes before seeing Lord Luo. Stay a moment—I’ll see you out.”

Xu Yuan had just asked for her help—he couldn’t refuse.

So he waited.

Xu Miao emerged in her official robes and personally escorted Xu Yuan and Miao Yu to the front gate, where they bowed farewell.

As Xu Yuan and Miao Yu turned to leave, they saw Zhu Zhanlei approaching from the other end of the street, accompanied by two subordinates, swaying unsteadily.

Zhu Zhanlei spotted them leaving Xu Miao’s residence and asked suspiciously: “What were you doing visiting that wicked woman?”

Miao Yu quickly clamped his lips shut.

I won’t say a word.

Miao Yu felt deeply frustrated: I’m turning into one of those three monkeys!

…

Xu Miao acted swiftly; soon the docks were in turmoil.

Half an hour before nightfall, the Shanhe Bureau, the River Camp, and the Cao Bang moved in unison.

Led by the Cao Bang, they cleared out all hidden evil spirits from drains, ruined houses, and other hiding spots.

Some were burned and killed; most were driven away.

Then four temporary squads were organized, stationed at the four corners of the docks, ready to respond quickly if evil spirits appeared at night.

The fact that nighttime movement was not banned was good news.

Seeing the operations outside, Xu Yuan felt somewhat reassured.

Tonight, I can use the Leather Dragon to find an opportunity to devour one of these evil spirits.

This was Xu Yuan’s private motive.

These evil spirits likely emerged due to some influence from the Fu family.

Moreover, their form suggests a connection to the Dragon Transformation Method.

But if the River Administration doesn’t take this seriously and doesn’t send forces to exterminate them tonight, Xu Yuan wouldn’t dare act rashly.

He didn’t know if the Fu family possessed some hidden method to sense these evil spirits.

Swallowing one outright might expose him.

But the Canal Office had stirred into action; with so many malevolent spirits hunted down tonight, Xu Yuan could take advantage of the chaos to devour one or two.

After nightfall, one by one, malevolent spirits lifted their heads from the darkness.

Under cover of night, evil shadows writhed; grotesque mouths dripped saliva toward the living inside houses; sinister winds swept across the sky…

The malevolent spirits driven from the dock at dusk had all returned.

Some that had never been near the dock came too, drawn by the spectacle.

On every household’s door was pasted a door god.

This made them especially agitated and resentful, emitting all manner of eerie shrieks.

A pottery jar filled with foul blood rolled into the dock.

The foul blood emitted a stench of rot; when it reached a house’s doorway, the odor drifted through the window.

The weary homeowner, exhausted from the day’s labor, smelled a tantalizing aroma.

Already hungry, he nearly couldn’t resist opening the door to find it.

Fortunately, his hand had already grasped the bolt—but at the last moment, he held back.

“It must be a malevolent spirit outside!”

The jar jolted, its foul blood sloshing.

The scent grew even stronger.

The homeowner slapped himself hard, then stuffed his nostrils with rags, breathed through his mouth, and returned to bed.

The jar wobbled, the foul blood clattering inside, as if cursing.

In the night sky, an invisible thread drifted by, ignoring the jar entirely.

This thing was incompatible with its nature.

The thread drifted further, then collided head-on with a pale-white “spirit aura.”

Yet it simply passed straight through the aura.

Finally, it spotted a monstrous fish, its body oozing pus, whiskers tangled like claws around its lips, using its transformed, webbed fins to crawl up from the canal, inch by inch toward the dock.

The thread landed on its body.

It fully merged within.

Suddenly, yin fire ignited in the fish’s eyes.

Its body rapidly elongated.

It greedily devoured the surrounding minor malevolent spirits.

Still ravenous, it began hunting indiscriminately.

As it consumed more, its body grew swiftly—soon stretching over ten feet long—when it suddenly raised its head—

Within ten zhang, spectral souls were pulled by an indescribable force, gathering before it.

But it hesitated, picking and choosing—none seemed satisfactory.

In anger, it blew them all apart, then continued writhing, searching nearby.

As it passed a row of houses, that indescribable force suddenly tore out a dozen souls from within!

The sleeping occupants were snatched from their dreams!

Yet on every door of those houses, door gods were pasted—yet not one reacted.

Finally satisfied, it gazed at the dozen souls, finding each beautiful, struggling to choose.

It selected one first, placing its face upon its own.

Then it opened its mouth and swallowed the rest, storing their faces to wear in turn.

…

Those “Nian Sheng” drifted through the night sky, endlessly seeking suitable targets.

One of the “Zi Nie” happened to drift near the house where Xu Miao led the guard.

Everyone suddenly felt their souls tremble, like lantern flames in the wind.

All except Xu Miao collapsed at once.

Their souls had been pulled away!

Xu Miao was horrified; she quickly recited the “Song of Righteous Qi,” and the soul-tugging sensation shrank back into the darkness like a beast startled by fire.

“How could this be!” Xu Miao thought. “Is this not a malevolent spirit, but human malice? Door gods are pasted—how could a spirit’s trick penetrate?!”

She gripped her talisman brush mountain in one hand, clutched a stack of calligraphy sheets in the other, and carefully pasted them behind the door; peering through the crack:

A malevolent spirit, exactly as Xu Yuan described, stood outside, head held high in triumph, selecting the souls!

But this one was far larger than Xu Yuan had described—ten feet long, as thick as a water barrel.

The souls floated like waterweeds.

Dazed and unaware, they drifted above its head.

Xu Miao was even more stunned: Is this truly a malevolent spirit?!

But how had this spirit bypassed the door god’s prohibition?!

Xu Miao had no time to ponder—those souls, if devoured, would die for real.

She quietly pushed open the door and hurled her brush mountain.

BOOM!

The brush mountain transformed into a stone mountain, crashing down with crushing weight—the malevolent spirit was instantly pulverized into pulp!

…

Pi Long raised its head from the river.

It fixed its gaze on the Zi Nie drifting along the street nearby.

The Zi Nie suddenly sensed it, turned its head, and saw Pi Long.

On its human face, clear envy and hatred appeared: How dare you look more like a dragon than I do!

The Zi Nie erupted in rage, charging forward: If I eat you, I’ll become even more like a dragon!

(End of Chapter)