[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-there-is-a-malevolent-spirit":3,"chapter-there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-61":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","There Is a Malevolent Spirit",{"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},2263167,4416,"Chapter 61: 60, Three Men Make a Tiger","there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-61",61,"\u003Cp>60. Three men make a tiger\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the red veil, the bride extended her slender, jade-white fingers and lightly rested them on Zhou Chang’s wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strands of thought-threads on Zhou Chang’s wrist instantly tensed as if struck by lightning, each one rigidly stretched taut!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next instant, all his thought-threads received a terrifying boost, transforming from clusters of faint white-translucent, blood-red, or iron-wire-like threads into streams of water, which then instantly froze into ice filaments!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biting cold surged from each ice filament, spreading in vast patches through Er Zhouyang’s lotus-root body!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhouyang’s nourishing thoughts were frozen en masse by this chilling aura; within moments, all his nourishing thoughts were utterly congealed, wrapped in ice threads, and flowed out of his mouth as a phantom, multicolored stream!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Bai! I didn’t mean to harm you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you spare me this once?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My cultivation is just one step away—I’m only one step away…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within the stream of transformed nourishing thoughts, Er Zhouyang’s murmurs continued to echo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lotus-root filaments still coiled tightly around the lotus-root spirit essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bride, Bai Pandi, who had lent Zhou Chang a hand, vanished in a blink, reverting to the swaying nine-joint lotus root in the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiue’s face flickered in and out among the nine joints, smiling faintly at Zhou Chang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All thought-threads that had streamed from Zhou Chang’s body returned to their original state, as if they had never become water or frozen into ice filaments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gazed at the stream of Er Zhouyang’s nourishing thoughts swirling around him, and twisted the bone ring on his finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within the bone ring, where the six Kong Dongs of Ao Zanben resided, flickering lights darted out, vying to devour this hard-won nourishment until nothing remained—then the six Ao Zanbens slipped back into their holes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, if another suitable vessel appeared, Ao Bai Ma and the third Ao would likely have a chance to emerge from the bone ring and breathe the outside air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Zhou Chang suddenly felt a tremor in his heart, and he turned his gaze to the lotus-root spirit essence before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silk-like filaments enveloping this human-shaped lotus root shimmered with a silvery glow in the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each filament flowed and contracted like a water thread, rapidly absorbed by the lotus-root spirit essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time in over a hundred years of stillness at the bottom of this deep pool, buds began to sprout on the lotus-root spirit essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hum…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The multicolored nourishing qi filling the pool converged from all directions, surging into the lotus-root spirit essence, causing the buds growing upon it to sprout tender green roots and leaves, the broad leaves rising upward and spreading across the entire surface of the Bride’s Pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lush green lotus leaves swayed in the cold pool wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst the endless leaves, a white-pink lotus bud timidly emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lotus-root spirit essence, now sprouting a single bud at the pool’s bottom, withered and darkened; the spiritual essence that once filled its form had been entirely consumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lotus-root spirit essence gradually withered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the lotus bud blooming upon the pool’s surface slowly opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blooming lotus shed its petals, one by one, in red and pink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clear pool water lifted Zhou Chang’s body to the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He surfaced amid the swaying lotus leaves and swam to the side of the lotus pod, now stripped of all its petals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though stripped of its petals, the emerald lotus pod remained vibrant with life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lotus pod bore nine holes, yet not a single lotus seed remained inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chang seized the lotus pod; his soul suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to shed his physical shell and enter the nine apertures of the lotus pod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The nine apertures of the lotus pod correspond precisely to the nine orifices of the human body!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Using this as a false vessel to house the soul—what a wondrous application!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This transformation, painstakingly engineered by Er Zhouyang, now lay entirely in Zhou Chang’s hands!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yin Mother—Lady Lishan—had crafted countless “ Mingkezi ” identical to Zhou Chang; every trait possessed by these shells, Zhou Chang himself fully possessed, and any ability or endowment acquired by these shells, Zhou Chang could inherit without obstruction upon encountering them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was no different in essence from Er Zhouyang’s shell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhouyang had nurtured this hard-won shell into this “lotus-root spirit essence”—now it was ready for Zhou Chang to take at will!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Zhou Chang snapped off the lotus pod, brimming with spiritual essence, and tucked it into his robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby, lotus leaves swayed, and a crimson figure veiled in a red veil surfaced at the same moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She faced Zhou Chang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even through the red veil, Zhou Chang felt her piercing gaze upon him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky was just beginning to lighten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dawn’s first light pierced through the dense trees, falling upon the surface of the Bride’s Pool, shimmering with ripples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chang gazed at the crimson figure, now glowing brighter in the morning light; his expression unchanged, he was about to speak—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a faint voice called from behind the crimson figure: “Aunt Bai…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that voice, Zhou Chang’s face showed no change, but inside, he relaxed deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Bai Xiue’s voice rang out, the icy gaze fixed upon Zhou Chang—once nearly solid—vanished instantly; his vision blurred, and where had the veiled Bai family grandmother gone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Bai Xiue, dressed in gray robes, smiled at him with pursed lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s nearly dawn. We should go back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiue extended her arm, pale as a jade lotus root.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chang smiled in return, reaching out to grasp her fingers—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A red veil flickered faintly behind Bai Xiue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind that veil stood seven women, each with lotus-root apertures for faces, watching Zhou Chang with varied expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go, go, go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chang withdrew his hand and swam straight toward the shore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky was just beginning to lighten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Households across Qingyi Town stood neatly at their doorways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along every alley and street, figures stood silent and still on both sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the dim, heavy sky, their expressions were hard to discern, but all remained silent, waiting; eyes moved through the crowd, scanning, drifting—slowly, a suppressed, profound atmosphere took root among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until someone struck the bell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A synchronized, chilling chant rose from one mouth to another, spreading from one street to the next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In every district of Qingyi Town, the same chant echoed: “One man does not enter a temple, two men do not gaze into a well, three men do not embrace a tree…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One man does not enter a temple, for a single mind is weak; alone in a wild temple, he risks having his nourishment devoured by its ghosts and spirits, birthing a thought-demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two men do not gaze into a well, for human hearts are fickle, and ghosts and spirits dwell beneath wells, in rivers, in water—often luring one to push the other in, to feast upon their nourishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three men do not embrace a tree…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An ancient saying says: Three men make a tiger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The delusions and mutual suspicions of three people are enough to summon a thought-demon and brew disaster!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knows whether that ordinary-looking tree might become the final resting place for a hanging ghost?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Sanji glared fiercely at the neighbor standing across the doorway, making the man dare not glance his way again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lowered his eyes, yet felt more and more gazes turning toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The malice, suspicion, and wariness in those gazes made his spirit tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no doubt: should any opportunity arise, these watching eyes lurking in the shadows would become demons wielding sharp knives, rushing to tear open his chest and gut, pulling out his heart to question him again and again—Had he broken Qingyi Town’s rules?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Sanji tightened his tattered coat, glancing instinctively at his senior brother beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senior brother Yang Rui muttered to himself, now making a orchid-finger gesture, now flashing a strange, eerie smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sensed Zhou Sanji’s gaze, turned his head to meet it, and instantly returned to normal: “What is it, younger brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Sanji shook his head, pulled the trembling Shi Danson closer to himself, lowered his eyes, his gaze filled with anxiety: “People are going mad…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whole of Qingyi Town is mad…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where is my little grandson?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1396,"2026-06-19T18:47:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","66d35eb3c52a81f24df6a1ed586581111e64ea3a64f4bf93a4c1b33e01cf57d0","there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-62","there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-60",209,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthere-is-a-malevolent-spirit-cover.jpg"]