Chapter 96 – A Brief Rest

Director Sun’s efficiency was indeed impressive. Soon, the police arrived to clean up the scene. Aside from the few who had initially surrounded Wei Yang, the other thugs showed varying degrees of soul loss. It was also because the Soul Binding Blood Talisman hadn’t fully unleashed its power; otherwise, these people might have died or been left mentally impaired. With over a dozen criminals apprehended in one go, including the leader of the largest human trafficking ring in the province, this was another massive case. The county police force was stretched thin, but Wei Yang and Zhang Xiuqi didn’t get involved. Instead, they took a police car directly home via the highway.

On the way, Wei Yang finally figured out why he had been surrounded. It turned out that the incident on the train where he bravely fought human traffickers had been posted as news on Weibo. The post itself didn’t include photos of the two of them, but a girl named Xiao Jiang, who had been traveling with them, had secretly taken a distant shot. As the post gained traction, the photo also made it to the trending list. Coincidentally, they were wearing the same outfits on their return trip, and combined with their boarding and disembarking locations, it was easy for the traffickers to connect the dots, leading to the ambush.

The young police officer driving the car earnestly advised them to avoid going out in public for a while until the hype died down. Wei Yang just smiled and didn’t take it to heart. He was someone who could easily change his appearance with a different outfit, and Brother Qi had been wearing a baseball cap in the photo, making his face hard to see. As long as they dealt with the people connected to Boss Zhao, there shouldn’t be any further issues.

The highway drive took a little over two hours to get home. Wei Yang didn’t let the police car enter the neighborhood, instead getting off outside and walking back discreetly. Although the trip hadn’t been long, it had been eventful enough. Now that he was finally back in his own home, Wei Yang felt as if his bones had lightened a bit.

He carefully placed Master Turtle, who had slept the entire way, into a water basin, then coaxed the Little Celestial Master, whose soul was still unstable, into drawing talismans. After taking care of both, Wei Yang flopped onto the bed. During the crisis earlier, he had been too emotionally charged to feel much, but now he was feeling drained, as if his brain had been wrung out, aching faintly. Could this be the side effects of the Bone Formation finally kicking in?

After lying on the bed with his eyes closed for a while, Wei Yang grabbed his phone and dialed the number Master Zeng had left him. Again, he got the automated message: “The number you have dialed is powered off.” After some thought, he called Sun Muhua. Soon, Otaku Sun’s excited voice came through: “Brother Yang! You’re back? I saw on Weibo, was that you and Brother Qi who fought the human traffickers on the train? Damn, how do you manage to make headlines even when you’re just going back to your hometown?”

Wei Yang quickly cut him off: “Woody, has anyone come looking for me at the shop recently?”

“Yes! Boss Wang and Boss Song both wanted us to come over for some feng shui consultations. It seems the news about the Chaoyang Community incident has spread, and our Jieshui Studio’s reputation is booming, almost rivaling Tiande Culture! Oh, and someone from Tiande also came by, saying they wanted to invite Brother Qi to some meeting. I wonder what Guo is up to…” Sun Muhua rambled on, clearly having forgotten about the kidnapping incident, as if it were water under the bridge.

Wei Yang couldn’t help but smile wryly. After Sun finished, he replied, “I’ve got some things to deal with recently, so I might not be able to focus on the business. But if a Master Zeng comes looking for me, make sure to contact me immediately.”

Sun Muhua paused, clearly surprised: “What about the shop’s business?”

“Let’s put it on hold for now. We’ve already opened the door for opportunities, and rushing to take orders might damage our high-end image. Let’s wait until Uncle Sun gets back.” A month ago, Wei Yang wouldn’t have even considered saying something like this, but now it came naturally. Compared to making money, there were clearly more important things to do.

“Oh, okay…” Sun the Otaku was clearly disappointed, but he dutifully agreed. As if remembering something, he added, “Oh, by the way, Heipi from Treasure House seems to be looking for you too. Apparently, Uncle Qi has something going on…”

This news surprised Wei Yang. Uncle Qi had mentioned he would continue investigating the Bone Formation. Could he have found some clues? His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately said, “Alright, I got it. I’ll go check it out tomorrow. Don’t forget about Master Zeng. No matter what news you hear, let me know right away.”

After finishing the call, he tossed the phone aside and let out a long sigh. The current situation felt like being stuck in limbo, neither here nor there. He had no idea where Master Zeng had gone. If worse came to worst, he might have to ask Director Sun to investigate further. Then there was the Bone Formation… He tugged on the leather cord around his neck, examining the two bone segments hanging from it, his heart filled with anxiety.

Since Xu could recognize this thing, it must be quite valuable, right? Did that mean the Bone Formation that appeared in Wang Village back then was also taken by him and his master? Would they come after the two segments he had now? And what exactly were the rules and limits of this thing? This time it had been a stroke of luck, but he couldn’t rely on that forever. There had to be some explanation. Witch Bones—could they have something to do with witchcraft? The Extinction Script seemed to be a remnant of witchcraft too. Could the clues Uncle Qi found be related to this?

Everything was a tangled mess, making Wei Yang’s head spin. He let go of the bone segments and sat up from the bed. Whatever, he’d take it one step at a time. For now, he needed to focus on the immediate issues. Slipping on his shoes, he headed to the kitchen. It was almost mealtime, and there were two mouths to feed at home.

&&&

The area around the train station was always a mixed bag, especially for a provincial hub station. With a daily flow of over a hundred thousand passengers, the surrounding facilities ranged from hotels and restaurants to bathhouses and massage parlors. Naturally, there were also plenty of parasites who relied on this behemoth for survival, whether they were pickpockets or streetwalkers hustling customers. Day and night, they were busy with their “business,” trying to squeeze as much profit as possible from the passing crowd.

In the alleys a couple of blocks away from the station, there were also many hourly-rate rooms with shady operations. No ID was required, and there were no surveillance cameras or police raids. As long as you had money, you could rent a room. However, the conditions were so poor that aside from some migrant workers, not many people would choose to rest in such a corner of the world, let alone come alone.

But there were always exceptions. Just as the sky was darkening, someone bypassed the alley entrance and quickly entered a small inn, asking in a low voice, “Do you have any rooms available?”

“Fifty yuan an hour, two hundred for the deposit,” the owner, a middle-aged fat man, replied without looking up from the dumb variety show he was watching on TV.

Without a word, the man handed over two large bills. The owner yawned, pulled a key from the counter, and handed it over: “Room 205 on the second floor. No hot water. If you want food, come down and buy it yourself…”

As he spoke, he instinctively looked up and was unexpectedly stunned. The person in front of him was strikingly good-looking. Even though he wore a hat that covered most of his face and had an injured arm, there was still an aura about him that set him apart from ordinary people. He didn’t seem like the type to stay in a no-name inn like this. However, after a brief moment of confusion, the fat owner blinked and mechanically handed over the key, muttering, “…If you want ‘room service,’ dial 001. There’s a discount for overnight stays.”

The man ignored him, took the key, and headed upstairs. The fat owner frowned, puzzled, as if he couldn’t quite remember what he had just seen. But since the money was already in his hand, he didn’t think much of it and went back to watching TV.

The man’s footsteps were light as he made his way upstairs. Soon, he reached Room 205. Opening the door, a musty, stale smell hit him. Unfazed, he stepped inside. These inns were all single rooms with no bathroom facilities. The bed was a simple wooden plank, and the sheets were yellowed, making it unclear whether they had been washed.

The man set his backpack on the table, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a yellow talisman. He carefully tore it into pieces, poured some mineral water over them, and then tossed the scraps into the trash bin nearby. This talisman was called the Misting Talisman. It wasn’t particularly powerful, but it could momentarily distract people, making it hard for them to see the user’s face. In the past, some rogue Taoists had used it to commit crimes and evade the authorities, leading to its prohibition by the Taoist sects.

But for him, this was a lifesaving talisman.

With a bitter smile, Zeng Jingxuan stood up and carefully closed the curtains. For the past half month, he had been on the run, fleeing from the north to the south, then sneaking back, all to shake off the pursuers on his tail. This time, he had indeed underestimated the situation, thinking too little of that person’s influence. Who would have thought that an old recluse could still wield such power?

The best way to evade Taoist tracking was to blend into places bustling with people, like train stations, where the mix of yin and yang was chaotic. Ninety-nine percent of divination techniques would fail here, and most tracking spells wouldn’t work either. As someone from Sanliao Village, he was well-versed in this and naturally wouldn’t miss the opportunity. However, train stations were also hubs of all sorts of people. If someone had connections in both the underworld and the law, it would be easy to track him down. He had been cornered twice before and had no choice but to resort to this trick. Thinking about it, the Misting Talisman was something his brother-in-law had taught him…

His thoughts drifted for a moment, but Zeng Jingxuan quickly snapped back to reality, taking a deep breath. He had circled around quite a bit, and the tails that had been following him seemed to have mostly disappeared. Today, he hadn’t seen a single one. Earlier, he had secretly performed a divination and found that the pursuers had indeed run into trouble. This was a great opportunity to escape. After a short rest, it was time to find a way back. He wondered how Xiao Qi had been doing during this time?

Thinking of his nephew, Master Zeng’s face showed a faint smile, but it quickly faded. He had indeed found some clues, but they were still too few. He wasn’t sure if the two of them could follow the trail and uncover the final answer. It was a pity his Taoist skills were still too weak. If he could be stronger, like his sister or brother-in-law, he wouldn’t have to worry about retrieving Xiao Qi’s Heavenly Soul.

The light in his eyes dimmed slightly, and Zeng Jingxuan sighed softly. Without further hesitation, he walked over to the narrow, dirty bed. He needed to rest quickly and continue his journey at night. Lying down on the bed, still fully clothed, he fell into a deep sleep almost immediately, exhausted from his ordeal.