Chapter 165: Hiss!!!! Hu Tutu?!!

Lu Yuan returned to his room, slung the pack he had prepared last night over his shoulder, turned, and walked out the door.

He didn't take the main road through the mountain gate, but descended via the small path at the back of the mountain.

This path was shorter; though somewhat harder to traverse, it could save nearly half an hour.

Morning light filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor.

Lu Yuan walked swiftly, his steps carrying a breeze, and he was down the mountain in no time.

At the foot of this mountain path was a small village called Willow Tree Hamlet.

At the village entrance was an old handler who specialized in tethering horses and renting out donkeys.

"Old man, rent me a horse."

The old handler was squatting by the door smoking a long-stemmed pipe. He looked up at Lu Yuan, squinting to recognize him.

"Going on another long trip?"

Lu Yuan nodded.

"Going to Huai Shu Gully. Round trip will take two days. Need a decent horse."

The old handler tapped out his pipe bowl, stood up, and walked inside.

"Got one, got one. A good runner just arrived the other day. Wait a moment."

Soon, he led out a blue-gray horse. Its coat was glossy, its hooves stout and strong—it looked sturdy.

Lu Yuan took the reins, swung himself onto the horse, fished a ten-yuan note from his pocket, and tossed it to him.

"Thanks, old man."

With a flick of the whip, the blue-gray horse broke into a run.

The old handler's voice came from behind:

"Daoist Priest! This is too much!!"

The voice grew fainter and fainter, finally swallowed by the wind.

Lu Yuan rode the horse along the mountain path, heading north all the way.

The horse ran fast. Trees on both sides of the road sped past, fields, villages, and hills all flashing by one after another.

As he traveled, Lu Yuan focused his mind into the space between his eyebrows.

Those three little paper figurines had been flying for four days now.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes, forming a "Spirit Communication Seal" with his hands before him.

His right thumb pressed against the base of his ring finger, index and middle fingers extended forward together, his left hand supporting his right elbow.

This was the Daoist hand seal specifically used to sense ritual tools that had been sent out.

He chanted softly:

"Essence and blood return to me, paper figurines return to me."

"My eyes are your eyes, my ears are your ears."

"Three steps a following, five steps an accompanying."

"Thousands of miles, tens of thousands of miles, do not be lost, do not be separated."

After chanting, Lu Yuan pressed the index and middle fingers of his right hand to the space between his eyebrows.

A sudden heat blossomed there.

Then, he "saw."

To be precise, he sensed.

The location of the paper figurines appeared in his mind like tiny points of light.

Now, he was simply too far from Hu Tutu. Lu Yuan could no longer directly borrow their vision; he could only rely on that faint thread of true sensation to perceive their position.

The middle one had already entered the outskirts of Heishui Lingzi and had stopped, motionless, on an old tree.

You know what, that little girl Hu Tutu had really traveled fast these past four days.

She was already at Heishui Lingzi.

Fortunately, for the Hu Family of Continuing the Lamp to perform their continuation ritual, they had to wait until night.

As Hu Tutu would say, who lights a lamp during the day?

So, even though Hu Tutu had already entered Heishui Lingzi, Lu Yuan setting out now was still in time.

Around nine or ten at night, Lu Yuan would be able to arrive.

That time would be roughly when Hu Tutu would be performing her technique!

Thinking this, Lu Yuan flicked his whip again, and the blue-gray horse ran even faster.

At noon, Lu Yuan passed through a town.

He didn't stop, just gnawed on some dry rations on horseback, drank some water, and continued his journey.

In the afternoon, the road began to narrow.

The official road turned into a dirt path, the dirt path turned into a mountain trail. The trees on either side grew denser, signs of human habitation fewer and fewer.

Lu Yuan knew they were nearing Huai Shu Gully.

He reined in the horse and pressed his hand to the space between his eyebrows again.

This time, the sensed location of the paper figurine was exactly the same as in the morning; it hadn't moved at all.

Lu Yuan opened his eyes, looking at the mountain path ahead.

The sun had already begun to slant westward. In another couple of hours, it would be dark.

He needed to reach Huai Shu Gully before dark, then enter the mountains.

He flicked the whip.

The blue-gray horse whinnied and charged into the mountains.

The mountain path grew steeper and narrower.

Trees on both sides blotted out the sky and sun, and the light dimmed abruptly.

It was clearly afternoon, yet it felt like dusk.

Lu Yuan paid no mind to this.

Holding the reins with one hand, he periodically pressed the other to the space between his eyebrows, sensing the paper figurine's location.

After another hour of riding, Lu Yuan reined in the horse and dismounted.

He tethered the horse to a tree, patting its neck.

The horse snorted and lowered its head to graze.

Lu Yuan shouldered his pack, took a deep breath, and strode into the mountains.

There was hardly any path left here; the horse couldn't go further. The rest depended on Lu Yuan himself forging ahead.

The sky had completely darkened.

The moon hadn't risen yet. The mountain forest was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Lu Yuan fished a talisman paper from his pack, folded it into the shape of a small lantern, and chanted, "Fire, urgently, as by the law's command."

The talisman paper *whooshed* into flame, hovering by his shoulder, illuminating a three-foot radius.

This was "Talisman Fire"—it didn't burn the hand, wasn't extinguished by wind, specifically for traveling at night.

He walked over fallen leaves and scattered stones, stepping deep then shallow as he advanced into the mountains.

The path had long vanished. He relied entirely on the compass for direction and the sensation in his heart.

After walking for about half an hour, the moon climbed over the eastern mountain ridge.

Moonlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting mottled shadows in the forest.

Those shadows swayed with the wind, as if something was peering from the darkness.

To be accurate, there *were* things.

But they were just little nuisances.

The [Vanquish Demons and Exorcise Evil] system didn't mark them; Lu Yuan relied entirely on his own Spiritual Sense.

In a place so remote and devoid of Vitality Energy like this, it would be strange if there *weren't* these little nuisances.

Lu Yuan stopped, pressing his hand to the space between his eyebrows.

The sensation was still there.

That paper figurine was still squatting on that old locust tree, unmoving.

He opened his eyes, frowning.

Something was wrong.

Logically, now that the distance was closer—at most seven or eight *li* left—he should be able to see things by borrowing the paper figurine's eyes.

But just now, when he tried, the sensation at his brow felt blocked by something, fuzzy and indistinct.

He could only sense the location, but couldn't "connect" no matter what.

It was like looking through a thick pane of frosted glass.

Lu Yuan took out a piece of yellow paper, bit the tip of his tongue, drew a "Thousand-Mile Eye Talisman" with the blood, and stuck it to his brow.

Chanted the incantation.

Useless.

His brow was a chaotic mess; he couldn't see anything.

He took out another "Spirit Communication Talisman," folded it into a triangle, and clasped it between his palms.

Chanted again.

Still useless.

That sense of obstruction grew stronger, as if something was desperately suppressing Lu Yuan's technique.

Lu Yuan's heart sank.

This was...

Something was intercepting the connection to the paper figurine.

This didn't panic Lu Yuan too much. If that was the case...

Then it precisely proved one thing!

The Faceless Malevolent Deity was right here!!

All of this was naturally related to that Faceless Malevolent Deity!

Otherwise, he, a genuine Celestial Master Realm practitioner...

Of course, Lu Yuan wasn't fully recovered yet, but even if not completely restored, he was now seventy to eighty percent recovered.

Among the Daoist practitioners beyond the Great Wall, that was considered formidable.

Whatever could intercept Lu Yuan's methods must be that Malevolent Deity!

It's not necessarily that the paper figurine was discovered by the Malevolent Deity or something; perhaps it was due to the Malevolent Deity's evil aura, or something similar.

Anyway, this served as a reminder for Lu Yuan.

This Faceless Malevolent Deity was probably quite powerful. He needed to be cautious and careful, not careless or reckless.

Lu Yuan looked down at the black-mirror compass in his hand.

The compass needle was still quivering slightly, pointing northeast.

That was the direction of the black water pool, also the direction where the paper figurine was.

Lu Yuan held the compass in his palm and took out the seven Seven-Star Coins.

Seven copper coins strung on a red cord, originally used for locking souls.

But they had another use!

He wrapped the Seven-Star Coins around the compass, the red cord winding three times, the coins precisely lodged at the seven directions on the compass edge.

Then he bit his left middle finger, letting a drop of blood fall onto the black mirror at the compass's center.

The blood drop was instantly absorbed by the black mirror.

The mirror surface flashed briefly.

Lu Yuan held the compass with both hands, closed his eyes, and began to chant:

"Heaven clear, earth numinous, Seven Stars guide the way."

"Essence and blood as the guide, the compass as the eye."

"Thousands of obstacles, ten thousand blockages, break and open the path."

"I invoke the decree of Supreme Elder Lao Jun!"

After chanting, he abruptly opened his eyes.

The black mirror on the compass began to show images.

Not clear images, but fuzzy, watery, ripple-like shadows.

But Lu Yuan could understand them. They were the path he had walked, the outline of the mountain forest, the direction the moonlight fell.

Most importantly, a tiny point of light appeared in the black mirror.

That was the paper figurine's location.

Using his essence and blood as a guide, the compass forcibly broke through part of the "evil aura" blockade, pointing him a way.

Lu Yuan held the compass, following the direction of the light point.

After walking for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, an old locust tree appeared ahead.

The tree was huge; several people linking arms couldn't encircle it. Its branches and leaves were dense, like a giant umbrella.

Moonlight shone on the tree, casting a large patch of deep black shadow.

Lu Yuan stopped and looked up.

On a branch, a small thing was squatting.

It was the paper figurine.

Motionless, as if fixed in place.

Seeing the motionless paper figurine, Lu Yuan sucked in a sharp breath.

If the paper figurine was here, then under normal circumstances, Hu Tutu should also be here!

To be precise, she should be in the surrounding area.

Because, being mindful of those "gods" following behind Hu Tutu, the paper figurine wouldn't follow too closely.

But the distance wouldn't be too far either.

Lu Yuan looked around.

Nothing unusual.

No black mist, no movement, nothing at all.

The danger alert from [Vanquish Demons and Exorcise Evil] also hadn't triggered.

Lu Yuan took out the "Thunder Ancestor Command" talisman from his pack and hung it on his belt.

Then he walked to the old locust tree and looked up at the paper figurine on the branch.

"Come down."

He said softly.

The paper figurine wobbled slightly, as if it understood.

But it simply couldn't move.

As if something was pressing down on it, preventing movement.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan frowned.

He took out a Yellow Talisman from his robe, rapidly chanted an incantation, and then threw it at the tree.

The talisman paper flew into the air and *whooshed* into flame.

The firelight illuminated the entire tree.

On the branches, faint, thread-like things could be seen, wrapped around the paper figurine.

The threads were black, blending with the night. You couldn't see them without looking carefully.

Lu Yuan's expression darkened.

These were "Spirit-Binding Threads."

Threads condensed from a Malevolent Deity's own aura, specifically used to trap spirit-type entities.

The paper figurines weren't spirits, but they carried Lu Yuan's essence and blood, his true substance, making them half-spiritual entities.

No wonder they couldn't fly.

He drew the Exorcism Dagger from his waist.

The dagger body was black, but the blade edge gleamed with a faint light under the moonlight.

Lu Yuan gripped the dagger and climbed up the tree trunk.

Reaching the paper figurine, he gently sliced with the dagger.

The black threads, upon touching the blade, immediately snapped, emitting a *sizzling* sound, like something being scorched.

Lu Yuan reached out and grabbed the paper figurine.

The moment it touched his hand, Lu Yuan felt a slight struggle.

The paper figurine seemed to be tugged by something, trying to escape his grasp.

Looking down, a few broken "Spirit-Binding Threads" still clung to the paper figurine.

Though severed, the threads were still wriggling slightly, like earthworms in their death throes.

Lu Yuan pinched those threads with two fingers and pulled.

*Sizzle—*

A soft sound, and the threads completely snapped, dissolving into a wisp of black smoke that dissipated.

Only then did the paper figurine become completely still, lying limply in his palm.

Lu Yuan brought the paper figurine close to his eyes, examining it carefully.

This was the earliest one sent out, the one that had been following Hu Tutu all along.

The seal script on the paper figurine was still there, but the color had faded considerably, as if worn down by something.

The edges of the paper figurine were slightly curled in a few places, as if scorched by fire, or as if something had brushed against it.

Lu Yuan frowned.

These were signs of erosion by evil aura.

This paper figurine had followed Hu Tutu into Heishui Lingzi, trailed her for four days, and finally been trapped on this old locust tree.

What it had seen, the path it had taken, everything it had felt was still "recorded" on it.

But how to make it "speak"?

Ordinary spirit communication arts were useless now. This area was covered by the Malevolent Deity's "evil aura," and spells were heavily suppressed.

Just now, he used the compass and Seven-Star Coins to forcibly break through the evil aura—that relied on the power of ritual tools.

Now, to read the "memories" stored on the paper figurine, a more direct method was needed.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment, then took out a piece of yellow paper from his pack and spread it on the ground.

He placed the paper figurine in the center of the yellow paper, then took out a cinnabar brush from his robe.

The brush tip loaded with cinnabar, he didn't immediately write. Instead, he closed his eyes and formed a "Trace-Chasing Seal" with his hands.

Right thumb pressing the ring finger, index and middle fingers extended together, left hand gripping the right wrist, thumb pressing the back of the right hand.

This was the Daoist hand seal specifically used to trace the "memories" of objects, also called the "Returning Light Seal."

He began to chant:

"Heaven and earth, profound ancestor, the root of all energy."

"Extensively cultivated through ten thousand kalpas, proving my spiritual power."

"Within and beyond the three realms, only the Dao is revered."

"The body has golden light, covering and illuminating my form."

Reaching this point, he opened his eyes and pressed the index and middle fingers of his right hand to the paper figurine's brow.

On the paper figurine's brow was a tiny red dot—the drop of essence blood Lu Yuan had placed there initially.

"Essence and blood as the guide, the paper figurine as proof."

"Events of three days, reappear before the eyes."

"Thousands of obstacles, ten thousand blockages, do not conceal the truth."

"Urgently, urgently, as by the law's command!"

After the final line, he pressed down with his finger.

The paper figurine trembled slightly.

Immediately after, Lu Yuan's vision blurred.

Lu Yuan "saw."

Not clear images, but intermittent, old film-like fragments.

He saw Hu Tutu walking on a mountain path, the two little buns on her head swaying.

She walked slowly, stopping now and then to pick a wildflower or a leaf.

Moonlight shone on her, on her little face, clean and pale.

He saw her walk past the black water pool.

The pool water was ink-black, reflecting the moon.

She squatted by the pool's edge, reached out as if to touch the water, withdrew her hand halfway, mumbling something.

He saw her circle around the black water pool and head towards the back mountain.

The mountain grew steeper, the trees denser. Hu Tutu climbed up step by step.

Reaching halfway up the mountain, she stopped and looked back.

She was looking in the direction where the paper figurine was hiding.

But she didn't discover the paper figurine. She just glanced, then continued forward.

Then—

*Pat!*

Lu Yuan was slapped on the back from behind.

Lu Yuan: "???"

"!!!"

That sent a shiver down Lu Yuan's spine, raising goosebumps all over.

Lu Yuan tightened his grip on the Exorcism Dagger and whirled around.

And when he saw the person behind him, Lu Yuan's pupils couldn't help but contract sharply.

Hiss!!!!

Hu Tutu?!!