Chapter 108 – The Attack

Qugou Village was about three or four stops away from the outskirts of the city, one of the few urban villages in the city that had not been demolished or redeveloped. Due to its proximity to the train station and the cheap rent, the population here was extremely diverse—migrant workers, pyramid scheme members, and solicitors were all present. The courtyard was filled with a pungent smell, and clothes were haphazardly hung all over the place. Every night, ordinary tenants would lock their doors early to avoid trouble.

Liu Cunxin rarely frequented such places. When he went out with his master, five-star hotels and high-end villas were the norm. But the situation was different now, forcing him to hide in this dirty and chaotic village. Dodging the pile of garbage at the door, he hurried up to the second floor and pushed open the door to the innermost room.

“Uncle Sun…” Once inside, Liu Cunxin didn’t dare to act out of line and respectfully greeted the middle-aged man sitting in the room.

However, the man didn’t respond to the greeting and instead asked indifferently, “Have you found out where the book is?”

“It’s not in the provincial museum. I think that guy Yao handed it over to those who came to help. They’ve been holed up in the Central Hospital these past few days, so it seems they’ve made some preparations,” Liu Cunxin quickly replied.

“Hmph, do they think hiding in a hospital will stop us?” The man sneered, sending a shiver down Liu Cunxin’s spine.

In truth, hiding in a hospital did make it difficult to act. Hospitals were one of the few places where yin and yang energies were deeply intertwined. During the day, the yang energy was extremely strong, with people’s will to survive overwhelmingly suppressing the yin energy, and the large flow of people made it nearly impossible to perform any rituals. At night, however, the situation was the opposite. Illness weakened people’s willpower, and with mostly female nurses on duty, the yin energy became very dense. In theory, this would allow a curse array to exert greater power. However, the hospital also had many critically ill patients. Using a sleep curse like the one in the railway community could directly kill some people, and the backlash from such a spell would be extraordinarily severe. Therefore, whether it was day or night, a hospital was not an ideal place for such practices. But from the tone of his words, it seemed he was planning to charge in regardless.

Ignoring Liu Cunxin’s drastic change in expression, the man snorted coldly, “I know what I’m doing. Go and prepare. Tonight should be a night with clouds covering the moon, perfect for meeting them.”

Liu Cunxin opened his mouth but ultimately didn’t dare to say anything more. His master was already dead, he had a pile of troubles, and now he was forced to serve this junior uncle of his. He really had no standing to talk back. After all, in his sect, even death might not free him, and he wasn’t ready to die yet. With a soft acknowledgment, Liu Cunxin obediently retraced his steps back to prepare for the hospital stakeout.

Watching the young man’s retreating figure, Sun Nian’en sneered. This was the fine disciple that Senior Brother Yan had taken in. Among the five brothers in their sect, only Yan had taken a disciple early on, and look how that turned out? Not only did he lose his life due to his lack of skill, but he also left behind such a useless waste, forcing him to make this trip.

And then there was that old fool Luo Jin… Thinking of his senior brother, the coldness on Sun Nian’en’s face deepened. Without a doubt, this was another one of that old man’s schemes. With the time to search for the spiritual aperture approaching, he had used this method to send him away. If he missed the timing, the master certainly wouldn’t wait for him to return. Moreover, the spiritual aperture to be opened this time was extraordinary. If he missed it, who knew when he would encounter such an opportunity again? The thought made him anxious and irritable.

Taking a deep breath, he looked down at his wrist, where a pale white bone segment hung from a black string. Staring at this witch bone, a hint of pride flashed in Sun Nian’en’s eyes. Even if he had been sent away, the master had still given him this treasured item. After all, he was the master’s personally adopted disciple, taken from an orphanage, far superior to those stray cats and dogs. No matter how jealous that old man was, in the end, he was likely the only one who could inherit the master’s legacy.

With another cold laugh, Sun Nian’en stood up and walked over to the desk.

&&&

After speaking with Master Zeng, Wei Yang fell into silence, no longer putting on his usual clever and polished demeanor. Instead, he huddled in a corner of the hospital room, diligently practicing drawing talismans. The results might not be significant, but at least it kept him away from Zhang Xiuqi’s unconscious displays of affection—the Little Celestial Master, being accustomed to drawing talismans, naturally knew not to disturb him during this time—and it also gave him some courage to face Master Zeng. Those things he had said were not just empty words.

However, time was ultimately too short, and the person he was facing wasn’t some soft-hearted old man but a descendant of Sanliao Village with profound experience in the martial world and life. Master Zeng didn’t comment on his efforts but, as usual, calmly instructed him on the basic principles of drawing talismans and skillfully kept Zhang Xiuqi from hovering around Wei Yang.

The afternoon passed uneventfully, with nothing particularly noteworthy happening. However, after nightfall, Master Zeng spoke up, “Remember what I said earlier. They’ll likely make their move in the next couple of days. The dark moon is approaching, and that person won’t wait much longer.”

Hearing this, Wei Yang tensed up, immediately putting aside his tangled thoughts. Clearly, the people coming to seize the manuscript were the more pressing matter now. Feeling anxious, he asked in a low voice, “Do you need me to keep watch tonight?”

“No,” Master Zeng shook his head. “Xiao Qi has already set up a warning system. This is a hospital after all. If they try to force their way in, they’ll definitely trigger the traps. Just wait.”

Although Master Zeng’s words were confident, Wei Yang still couldn’t sleep that night. Something in his heart weighed heavily on him, making him restless and uneasy. He tossed and turned on the sofa until midnight before finally dozing off. However, less than half an hour after falling asleep, a chill ran down his spine, and he abruptly sat up from the sofa!

Someone was here! No, not someone—something had appeared!

Wei Yang’s eyes were wide open, but at this moment, he felt like he couldn’t see anything in the room clearly. A faint mist was spreading through the room, silent and gloomy, making even the two hospital beds just a few steps away from him appear blurry. He wanted to shout out, but his throat felt blocked, as if stuffed with cotton, and he couldn’t even let out a gasp. Just as he was growing frantic, a cold voice came through the darkness.

“Xiao Qi, move.”

Following the voice, a figure emerged from the mist, coming into Wei Yang’s view. Zhang Xiuqi took two steps to the window, pushed it open, and with a flash of sparks, three short incense sticks ignited between his fingers. In the dark room, the three points of light flickered, and the rising smoke drifted straight out the window. With this action, something in the small garden below seemed to light up.

In the sky, thick clouds obscured the night, and in this darkness, the light became even more distinct. Wei Yang blinked and suddenly realized that it wasn’t actual light but something like the glow of a spell. The three trails of smoke acted like long chains, pulling the light points and drawing them into the sky. As the light illuminated the area, the thick fog in the room retreated with a whoosh, moving as if it were alive.

The heavy pressure on his body also suddenly dissipated. Wei Yang staggered to his feet and asked nervously, “Master Zeng, are they here?”

Master Zeng also stood up from the bed and gestured for him to stay put. “It’s a karmic curse. Stay where you are.”

Unlike with the Soul Doll or the Fox Immortal, Wei Yang’s Bone Formation seemed to have no reaction to the so-called “karmic curse,” so he didn’t dare to act rashly. Zhang Xiuqi, however, didn’t hesitate. He tossed the incense into the air and turned to rush out the door. Master Zeng didn’t stop him but instead picked up his compass and walked step by step to the window. He grabbed a handful of copper coins and casually tossed them out the window.

With just this light toss, the white light swirling in the air suddenly scattered, enveloping the coins. Then, the glowing coins fell in a fan shape. This formation was called the Heavenly Star Formation, which used the power of the stars and the formation’s energy to catalyze the movement of the Seven Passes in a small area. Whether for defense or attack, its power was formidable. To set up this formation, Master Zeng had already made all the preparations—from deliberately choosing a VIP room on the 9th floor to having the Little Celestial Master bury the formation in the garden during the day. If the opponent was like the one from the railway community, this would surely leave them half-dead.

However, the opponent was different. Master Zeng wasn’t as calm as he appeared. He could sense that the enemy was on a different level. Unlike the person who had used the Clashing Curse Formation, someone who could use a “karmic curse” in a hospital was in an entirely different league.

The so-called “karmic curse” was a type of curse that used malevolent spirits, specifically the resentful energy of recently deceased people. It was more vicious than any animal curse. However, there were two difficulties in controlling a karmic curse. First, malevolent spirits often couldn’t distinguish friend from foe and would attack indiscriminately. Second, the deceased used in the curse had to be within their first seven days of death and unable to comprehend their own death, ensuring the resentful energy remained at its strongest. Given these strict requirements, unless the curse master killed someone to obtain a spirit, it was difficult to perform a true karmic curse.

Moreover, a hospital at night was a typical place where yin energy was amplified. Once a karmic curse was activated, the dead spirits attracted by the curse formation would be numerous. This wouldn’t just be a formation—it would create a true Yin Gathering Pool, dragging everyone trapped within it down with it. If something went wrong, many lives could be at risk. How could the opponent dare to use such a malicious formation? Did they think they could avoid heavenly retribution?!

However, no matter how shocked he was, Master Zeng’s hand didn’t tremble in the slightest. He placed the compass on the windowsill, bit his tongue, and drew a line in the Heavenly Pool with his true saliva. The previously wavering needle suddenly stopped shaking, standing straight in the center of the compass. Master Zeng glanced at the direction the needle pointed, picked up a yellow talisman, and tossed it in that direction. The talisman didn’t drift away with the wind but instead hovered in the air. Three seconds later, it burst into flames with a hiss!

As the flames flickered, the scattered copper coins on the ground also began to glow. The thick clouds blocked the moonlight, but they couldn’t obscure the stars in the sky. The starlight seemed to respond to the formation’s pull, casting a faint glow downward.

With a muffled bang, a sound came from somewhere in the garden. Master Zeng let out a sigh of relief. He knew that was the sound of the opponent’s curse formation’s core being destroyed. However, before he could fully exhale, his body suddenly trembled.

“Wait! Where’s Xiao Qi?”