Chapter 125 – Night Infiltration

After walking for about half an hour, the sky darkened. Yao Wei took out three headlamps from his backpack and tossed them over: “Put these on. The light won’t be too glaring, just enough to see the path. We still have a long way to go.”

The headlamps he handed over weren’t the strong, blinding type. The faint glow only illuminated the area three to five meters ahead, enough to see the path without drawing too much attention. After everyone turned on their LED lights, Yao Wei pulled out a handful of beans from his pocket and scattered them with a clatter. In an instant, a swarm of thumb-sized mice appeared, scurrying in all directions, chirping and squeaking. Wei Yang had heard of the “Bean-Soldier Transformation” before, but “Bean-Mouse Transformation” was a first. He couldn’t help but show a look of surprise. Noticing Wei Yang’s expression, Yao Wei chuckled: “Just a little trick. When walking at night, you can’t look back. This is the best way.”

Every person has three fires on their body: two on the shoulders and one on the crown of the head. These can be seen as the external manifestations of the three souls. As long as these three soul fires remain lit, ordinary evil spirits won’t dare to approach. Therefore, when walking at night, one must never suddenly look back, especially when startled, as the soul becomes unstable and the shoulder fires can easily be extinguished. If all three fires go out, the body’s yang energy drops to its lowest, making it extremely vulnerable to possession by evil spirits.

The bean mice Yao Wei released were a type of spiritual charm derived from Taoist techniques. Normally, they weren’t particularly useful, but when they encountered evil energy, they would vanish instantly. As the caster, Yao Wei could sense the direction of the danger, thus minimizing the risk of the soul fires being extinguished. In truth, both Zeng Jingxuan and Zhang Xiuqi had similar spells, but none were as effortless as the techniques of the Laoshan Sect.

However, Zeng Jingxuan frowned slightly and asked, “Are they already setting up ambushes around here?”

They had only traveled about six or seven kilometers into the mountains, and their destination was still at least two peaks away. Even if the enemy had prepared extensively, it was impossible for them to set up ambushes across a hundred-mile radius. Since Yao Wei had already cast his spell, it meant there was indeed something nearby, which was far beyond Zeng Jingxuan’s expectations.

Yao Wei clicked his tongue: “That’s the clever part. The entire area around here is an ancient battlefield. During the day, it’s fine, but if you enter the mountains at night, there’s a high chance you’ll encounter yin soldiers—malicious ghosts. Even if they don’t possess you, they can drain half your life force. And that’s just the outer area. The deeper you go into the mountains, the closer you get to the spiritual apertures, where the yin energy is even stronger. I didn’t dare to get too close. Even three or four miles away, my spiritual vision was already useless. We’ll probably have to investigate slowly once we reach the destination.”

Zeng Jingxuan exchanged a glance with Zhang Xiuqi. The situation was worse than they had imagined. But since they were here, there was no turning back. After a moment of thought, Zeng Jingxuan asked, “How many of them are there?”

“I’ve spotted at least ten, but not all of them are Jiangtou masters,” Yao Wei replied straightforwardly.

“What do you mean?” Zeng Jingxuan sensed something more in his words and pressed further.

Yao Wei snorted coldly: “What else could it mean? Either they’re bodyguards or sacrificial offerings—or both. These people are carrying a lot of stuff. They can’t possibly carry everything into the mountains themselves, not to mention something like soul-stealing. Would they let ordinary people know about that?”

Now Zeng Jingxuan fully understood. The group had likely brought along a few ordinary people as cover, intending to “make full use of them” when the time came to activate the formation. And this was probably not the first time they had done something like this. Without saying more, Zeng Jingxuan reached into his bag and pulled out four yellow talismans, handing them out: “Yin-avoiding talismans. Stick them on for now. If we encounter yin soldiers, they’ll help block them.”

The principle of these talismans was similar to that of limonite—they were used to isolate yang energy. If they encountered evil spirits, as long as they didn’t speak, they could slip past unnoticed. In essence, evil spirits and malevolent ghosts could only see yang energy and life force. Without these, they were essentially blind. However, the yin-avoiding talismans were only temporary; they would fail if the yin energy became too strong.

After exchanging basic information, the group fell silent and continued along the mountain path. Although Mount Xian was a developed tourist area, it was divided into outer and inner mountains. The deeper they went, the more rugged the path became, and signs of human activity disappeared. This area was already beyond the tourist zone. There were no stone steps or concrete paths, and even the dirt trails gradually vanished, giving way to dense forest.

Walking through such a forest, Wei Yang’s heart tightened. Even though he knew he was accompanied by three skilled practitioners and carried a lot of equipment, fear still crept in. It was too dark here. Logically, the forest wasn’t particularly dense, and the moonlight was faintly visible. With the four of them wearing LED headlamps, it shouldn’t have felt so dark. Yet, Wei Yang felt as if a thin veil of fog had covered his eyes, making everything blurry. The light didn’t dispel the darkness; instead, it made the distant shadows denser.

Now, not only could he not see the distant trees, but even the people beside him seemed indistinct. The forest was filled with something that felt like yin energy or death energy, and it was robbing him of his vision. This was unprecedented. Even during the previous evil formation, such an extreme effect hadn’t occurred. Was this the unique aura brought by the lingering souls of the yin soldiers?

Walking unsteadily on the dirt path, the rotting smell of the forest seeped into his bones, and the rustling of branches in the wind echoed in his ears. Suddenly, Wei Yang felt as if he had become lost, unsure whether he was in a dream or the real world. The scene before him became familiar, as if he had seen it before… Suddenly, a hand grabbed him, and Wei Yang snapped out of it. Zhang Xiuqi stood beside him, shaking his head gently and gesturing forward with his chin.

What was happening? Wei Yang looked ahead in confusion, and with just one glance, his body froze. In the previously empty, pitch-black forest, something had appeared. At first, it was just a row of faint ghostly flames, but gradually, they took shape. A group of ancient soldiers emerged from the dense forest. From their attire, it was hard to tell whether they were from the Song or Ming dynasty. Each soldier’s face was blood-red, with filthy blood dripping down their features, obscuring their faces. Their limbs were mutilated—some missing hands or feet, others with their guts spilling out, and one even casually carrying his own severed head. They formed a dense formation, marching along the mountain path as if on a military campaign.

These were the so-called yin soldiers—lingering souls from the battlefield who could neither be redeemed nor dispersed. Wei Yang felt the hairs on his body stand on end. Beside him, Zhang Xiuqi gently pulled him aside, making way for the procession. In an instant, the yin soldiers were right in front of them, silent and without any visible movement, yet they crossed the distance of several dozen meters in a flash, gliding past Wei Yang less than a foot away. Their sunken eyes didn’t look toward the sides of the path, as if they hadn’t noticed the four living people at all. They drifted silently into the distance and disappeared entirely within a minute.

Only then did Wei Yang dare to exhale the breath he had been holding. The yin-avoiding talisman on his chest felt as if it had been burned, turning into a wisp of ash. Zeng Jingxuan didn’t say anything, simply pulling out another set of talismans and handing them out. Once everyone was equipped, he followed Yao Wei and continued forward.

Wei Yang swallowed hard. This scene should have made his legs go weak and made him want to turn back, but instead, he felt a sense of relief, as if a long-awaited shoe had finally dropped. They were just a few yin soldiers, after all. Repeating this in his mind, he squeezed Zhang Xiuqi’s palm to signal that he was fine. Taking a deep breath, he held onto Zhang Xiuqi and moved forward. Zhang Xiuqi’s gaze lingered on him for a long time before finally seeming reassured and looking away.

They walked like this, stopping and starting, scattering beans and replacing talismans, for nearly four hours. Just as Wei Yang felt his legs were about to give out, the two in front finally stopped. The bearded Yao Wei let out a light breath: “We’ve reached the resting spot.”

Before them was a mountain hollow. A large chunk of rock jutted out from the cliff, forming a flat area about ten meters long and three to five meters wide below, like a windblown cave. Compared to the lush grass around it, this patch of ground was strangely barren, with only a few red plants growing by the mountainside.

Zeng Jingxuan nodded at the sight: “True Yang Position. It’s safe here. Let’s rest for a bit.”

With those words, Wei Yang’s tense nerves finally relaxed, and he slumped to the ground. Four hours of mountain trekking, constantly on guard for the sudden appearance of yin soldiers, unable to speak—it had been mentally exhausting. Although he was the least burdened among the four, he was still carrying a backpack and hauling Lao Ye. He was completely drained.

However, as soon as he sat down, the others showed no intention of resting. Yao Wei opened his backpack and began setting up outdoor equipment, seemingly preparing to camp. Zeng Jingxuan, meanwhile, took out a compass, examined it carefully, and whispered something to Zhang Xiuqi.

It was then that Wei Yang remembered—these four hours were just the beginning. Their mission was far from over. Knowing how dangerous the mountains were at night, they had chosen to enter now precisely to prepare in advance. Most Jiangtou formations were composed of yin energy and could only be activated at night. If someone had set up a formation ahead of time, it would be easier to discover and trigger it at night. The enemy was in the open, while they were in the shadows. The enemy was strong, while they were weak. Now was the time to be cautious, to dismantle the enemy’s setup beforehand so they could break the formation directly during the soul-stealing process, avoiding any traps laid by the enemy. And that was exactly why they were sneaking through the dark.

Taking a deep breath, Wei Yang set down his backpack and carefully took out Lao Ye. With all four claws on the ground, the turtle seemed to wake up, yawning and looking around. Spotting something, it tilted its head and waddled toward the cliff edge. Wei Yang’s heart skipped a beat, thinking it had sensed something, but before he could stand up, Lao Ye had already plopped down in front of the red plants, retracted its limbs into its shell, and dozed off.

Wei Yang couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. He was about to go retrieve the turtle when Zeng Jingxuan approached and asked, “Ah Yang, are you okay?”

Wei Yang quickly got up and forced a smile: “Physically exhausted, but otherwise fine.”

Compared to these martial artists, his skills were far from sufficient. Zeng Jingxuan nodded: “I need to go scout the area with Xiao Qi. We’re almost at the inner mountain region and need to check the terrain in advance. You and Xiao Wei rest here for a bit. We’ll be back in two hours.”

“What?” Wei Yang was a bit shocked. Were they going to dismantle the formation now? And even if they weren’t taking him, shouldn’t they at least take Lao Ye?

Zeng Jingxuan glanced at the snoring turtle and smiled slightly: “It’s not Zi Hour yet. The compass will be affected until Yin Hour. It’s better to use it after the yin and yang energies begin to transition. You two rest for now. We’ll set off in about three hours.”

Understanding, Wei Yang didn’t argue further but said earnestly, “Be careful on the road.”

The scruffy “Xiao Wei” chuckled: “Don’t be so polite with them. The capable should do more. Here, Ah Yang, there’s a sleeping bag. Get some rest. Hmm, this turtle really knows how to pick a spot to nap…”

With Yao Wei’s distracting chatter, Zeng Jingxuan nodded at Wei Yang and left with the Little Celestial Master. Watching their retreating figures, Wei Yang sighed, not bothering to engage with the chatty Yao Wei. He took off his jacket and shoes and climbed into the sleeping bag.

Seeing him fall asleep so quickly, Yao Wei, who hadn’t managed to pry any gossip, clicked his tongue. He took out four small wooden blocks from his waist and placed them in the Four Symbols positions. Yawning, he leaned against the cliff wall, keeping his eyes fixed on the direction Zeng Jingxuan had gone.

The night was dark, and the moon was shrouded by clouds.