Chapter Ten: The White River

An evil entity, identical in appearance to the one Tang Xiaoyu had just transformed into, slowly drifted in through the window and stood behind her.

“Get out of the way!”

The two acted in perfect harmony. Tang Xiaoyu darted into the bathroom, while Li Changqing fired six shots in rapid succession at the shadowy creature with his revolver, emptying the chamber.

Yet the shadow stood unmoved, completely unharmed, while the window behind it was shattered to pieces by the bullets.

Li Changqing wasn’t sure if his aim had failed him, or if the revolver was simply useless against this thing.

With a sudden rush, the shadowy entity floated swiftly toward Li Changqing and seized him by the throat.

The sensation was as if two iron pincers clamped down upon his neck—the strength of the shadow was immense, as if it intended to crush his throat entirely.

Pain radiated from his neck.

A dense, chilling aura emanated from the creature, seeping into him through his nose and mouth, as if he were swallowing countless blocks of ice.

“Hiss.”

“Fiery Thunder’s glare, Southern Fire Lord. Venomous flight, shaking the eight directions. True talisman forms, reveal the spirit swiftly. Hurry as commanded by law.”

He finished the incantation and slapped all the summoning talismans he carried onto the shadow’s body.

A guttural growl surged from the shadow’s throat, the sound deep and low.

Where the talismans struck its chest, flames began to burn, but within three seconds, they faded and died out.

This—

This summoning talisman seemed only to enrage the shadow, making it even stronger.

Suffocation.

Pain.

Near death.

All these sensations flooded him.

Li Changqing’s consciousness grew dim; he had never expected such bizarre power to be so overwhelming, far beyond what he had anticipated.

Was his journey in this new world about to end so soon?

At that moment, Li Changqing felt something strange within his body—the power he had suppressed with raw glutinous rice began to stir and surge inside him.

Tang Xiaoyu, hiding in the bathroom, watched anxiously as Li Changqing was lifted by the shadow creature.

“Li Changqing.”

Tang Xiaoyu bit her lip and rushed forward. “I’ll fight you!”

She threw a fierce punch at the shadow, which turned to glance at her, then seized her throat as well.

Tang Xiaoyu struggled, shouting, “Let me go! If you have the guts, fight us one-on-one! Attacking two of us at once—what kind of skill is that?”

Suddenly, a primal, beast-like growl echoed.

Tang Xiaoyu paused, realizing the sound did not come from the shadow, but from Li Changqing—

Li Changqing’s eyes had turned white, two huge fangs protruded from his mouth, and white fur sprouted all over his body. His fingers lengthened and grew razor sharp.

With a fierce grip, he crushed the hand that the shadow had wrapped around his neck.

Then, he bit savagely into the shadow’s throat.

...

Downstairs at the detective agency.

“Is this the place?” The man, looking somewhat malnourished, stopped the car and asked.

Hu Qideng, seated beside him, nodded. “This is where the shadow was last seen. That person should have already been killed by my shadow.”

Yet Hu Qideng felt something strange—he could no longer sense the shadow’s presence. How could that be?

“Let’s go up and see.”

The two climbed the stairs slowly, arriving at the door of the detective office.

The malnourished man knocked.

Quickly, the door opened.

Li Changqing, his face flushed and smiling, asked, “May I ask who you are?”

He then noticed Hu Qideng standing behind the man, his heart skipping a beat. Could this be an accomplice Hu Qideng had brought?

“No need to worry, I’m not with him. You’re safe now.” Perhaps sensing Li Changqing’s concern, the man pinched his nose as he entered the office, surveying the scene, his gaze settling on the shattered glass in the living room. “Are you alright?”

“I just accidentally broke the window, almost cut my hand,” Li Changqing replied, unable to discern the visitor’s identity. Meanwhile, Hu Qideng, unnoticed by the man, tossed something behind the sofa.

Li Changqing saw this and frowned slightly but said nothing.

“I’m with Division Thirty-Six, investigating Hu Qideng’s case. If you’re in any danger, you can call us. My name is Bai Chuan.”

The malnourished man said this, then glanced toward the bathroom, but said nothing more. He grabbed Hu Qideng by the hair and dragged him downstairs.

“Bai Chuan, Division Thirty-Six?”

Li Changqing looked at the business card in his hand.

What organization was this? Division Thirty-Six?

He hurriedly closed the door, went to the window, and watched Bai Chuan drive away with Hu Qideng.

Only then did he return to the sofa, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

Just before Bai Chuan and Hu Qideng had arrived, he had transformed into a monster.

He had completely drained that shadowy creature.

The sinister energy still swirled inside him, but was quickly absorbed by his body.

He began to feel somewhat out of control.

Yet, as he approached Tang Xiaoyu, the overwhelming force subsided and retreated.

“That man is even scarier than Hu Qideng,” Tang Xiaoyu said as she emerged from the bathroom, fear on her face. “He glanced at me just now—terrifying!”

“Also, are you alright?” Tang Xiaoyu looked at him with concern; his sudden transformation into a monster had frightened her badly.

Fortunately, after dealing with the shadow, he reverted swiftly to his normal self. Though timid, Tang Xiaoyu trusted that Li Changqing would never harm her; otherwise, she would have already fled with the money.

“I’m fine.” Li Changqing’s mind was in turmoil. It seemed this body was far more dangerous than he’d imagined.

If he lost control completely, would he truly become a monster?

It appeared he could never stop using glutinous rice.

He remembered the item Hu Qideng had stealthily hidden behind his sofa. After closing the door, he searched the sofa and soon found a small, pitch-black plaque, roughly palm-sized, nothing more than an ugly chunk of iron.

“What is this?” Tang Xiaoyu asked curiously.

“Hu Qideng hid it there while Bai Chuan wasn’t paying attention,” Li Changqing replied, frowning.

Her first reaction was to ask, “Is this thing valuable?”

“It’s iron, not worth anything.”

Tang Xiaoyu immediately lost interest, then looked at the broken window with distress. “Li Changqing, we’ll have to pay for a new window again. Your aim is terrible...”

Li Changqing placed the iron token in the wardrobe.

He didn’t know Hu Qideng’s intent, but anything worth risking to hide must have a reason.

Night had deepened.

Tang Xiaoyu, carefree as ever, slept soundly in her sleeping bag.

Li Changqing lay in bed, unable to sleep, his mind replaying everything that had happened.

He had thought the supernatural was far removed from his life, yet it had come upon him so swiftly.

And his own body, if truly monstrous, must be dealt with before it was too late.