Chapter Forty-Four: Aren't You Going to Beat Me Up?

Fifty years ago, did everyone move out of Peng Village? After Hu Xiong went missing, his vehicle was left here as well. Could there be some connection between the two events?

“Mr. Bai, if you wish to go to Peng Village, drive along the highway for about three kilometers, and you'll see a mountain path on the left—it leads to Peng Village. My orders are to guard this site, so I can't leave my post,” Peng Zhilin explained, using the need to watch over Hu Xiong’s vehicle as an excuse not to accompany them to Peng Village.

“Thank you,” Bai Chuan replied, expressionless, waving away the lingering smell of smoke from his nose.

The three returned to the car, and Bai Chuan drove along the mountain road, continuing forward.

It wasn't long before they arrived—a narrow stone path leading straight into the forest. The path was about a meter wide, layered thickly with yellowed, fallen leaves.

“Wait, look,” Li Changqing noticed that many of these leaves were marked by footprints. He crouched down for a closer look. “These seem recent. If Peng Village has truly been abandoned for fifty years, there shouldn't be many people coming and going. It could be Hu Xiong.”

“Let’s go up and see,” Bai Chuan said, eyeing the dirty, scattered leaves beneath their feet. He hesitated briefly, but pressed on along the stone path, followed by Li Changqing and Tang Xiaoyu.

The trees here were tall and dense, blocking out sunlight entirely, casting the mountain road into a cold, eerie gloom.

“Mr. Bai, you have more experience. If the Class A incident is connected to Peng Village, what do you think the link might be?” Li Changqing asked as Bai Chuan pushed aside a branch blocking their way.

“The place where that malignant entity was born is likely tied to Peng Village,” Bai Chuan answered calmly. “The aura of sinister energy here is quite thick.”

“Sinister energy?” Li Changqing was curious. He glanced around but noticed nothing unusual except the chill. Tang Xiaoyu, however, hugged herself tightly and occasionally stamped her feet. “It’s freezing here, like an ice cave,” she complained.

Li Changqing picked up his felt hat. “Get inside,” he said.

Tang Xiaoyu slipped into the felt hat without hesitation—the environment was making her uncomfortable.

“You have spiritual energy, right? Try gathering it in your eyes. You’ll be able to see it,” Bai Chuan suggested.

Really? Li Changqing walked on, slowly channeling his spiritual energy into his eyes. When he looked around, he saw a faint black mist drifting along the path.

“So this is sinister energy?”

It was Li Changqing’s first time seeing it. He was fascinated; it looked much like ordinary mist except it was pure black. He reached out, but his hand touched nothing.

As they continued, Bai Chuan explained, “If someone lives long-term amidst sinister energy, their lifespan dwindles, plagued by severe illnesses.”

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the surrounding woods. It sounded as if someone was shaking the nearby trees—the leaves fell in a furious shower, like rain.

“Mr. Bai—” Li Changqing began, but as the leaves settled, he found himself alone on the path. Bai Chuan had vanished.

Li Changqing looked frantically around. No one.

“Are you still here?” he asked, pinching the felt hat atop his head.

“I’m here, I’m here,” Tang Xiaoyu’s voice came from within. Li Changqing relaxed a little, but his expression grew grave. Why had Bai Chuan disappeared?

“Li Changqing.” A strange woman’s voice called from the woods, piercing straight into his heart.

Li Changqing frowned and looked up the steps. There, a beautiful young woman stood, dressed in a red cheongsam. She approached slowly, extending a fair hand toward him.

“She’s dangerous!” Tang Xiaoyu’s anxious voice came from the hat.

Li Changqing thought to himself, did he even need the warning? In this eerie place, Bai Chuan had suddenly vanished, and now a strange woman appeared.

Narrowing his eyes as she drew near, Li Changqing slipped a handful of talisman papers from his pocket.

“Fiery lightning, Lord of the Southern Fire. Venom flies ten thousand fathoms, shaking the eight directions. True talisman transform, manifest the true spirit. By urgent command!” he recited, slapping the talisman papers onto her face.

“Ah!” The woman shrieked as the talismans ignited, burning with fierce flames across her face. The fire spread over her body as her screams echoed.

Yet she did not die. Transformed into a figure of flames, she continued advancing on Li Changqing.

He retreated in alarm; the talismans were useless.

As she approached, a cold aura enveloped him. Her hand reached out to seize him.

Suddenly, Bai Chuan leaped out from the forest. With a swift strike, her head fell to the ground with a thud.

“Are you alright?” Bai Chuan’s gaze was fixed on Li Changqing.

His abrupt appearance let Li Changqing finally exhale in relief. “I’m fine. What just happened? How did you disappear?”

“This place employs illusion magic to make me vanish from your sight,” Bai Chuan replied, his face troubled. He glanced upward. “Let’s keep going.”

Li Changqing relaxed a little. Having Bai Chuan around was indeed reassuring.

They continued up the stone path. Bai Chuan moved forward without hesitation, and within about five minutes, they reached Peng Village.

Peng Village was dilapidated. Most houses were built from stone and earth, many half-collapsed, broken tiles scattered everywhere.

At the village entrance stood an ancient yellow-horned tree, its branches thick with leaves.

Li Changqing lingered a moment, then hurried after Bai Chuan, who was already heading into the village.

The cold, empty village was utterly silent.

Bai Chuan glanced around. “It’s deserted. Let’s search the area for clues.”

“Let’s check the ancestral hall. There might be records or a genealogy inside,” Li Changqing suggested. He doubted they’d find much outside, but ancestral halls typically contained family records and documents of major village events—perhaps they would find clues from decades ago.

The Peng Village ancestral hall was not large, situated at the center of the village. Its walls were mostly collapsed, and the ancestral tablets had all been removed.

Fortunately, the building itself still stood. Dust covered every surface, and cobwebs hung thick at the entrance.

Bai Chuan stepped in, tearing away the cobwebs with a wave of his hand.

Li Changqing frowned at the sight but followed him inside.

“Everything’s been taken away,” Bai Chuan said calmly. “If you ask me, outside—”

Just then, Li Changqing smeared dust from the table and patted Bai Chuan’s shoulder with it, quickly stepping back in case Bai Chuan lashed out.

Bai Chuan stood still, puzzled. “What are you doing?”

“Won’t you hit me?” Li Changqing’s heart skipped a beat. This Bai Chuan—something was off about him.