Chapter 617: Power Resonance

After settling Fu Xinyi, Lu Yibei and Huá Sāng briefly discussed their next step. They decided to ride the Shuishu Shou (Water Savage Beast) through the forest between the Zhenwu Mountain Scenic Area and Shizhou City, then switch to another means of transportation once they drew near the city.

With the decision made, Lu Yibei approached the Shuishu Shou, which had returned to its original size. He raised his head slightly, stroked its smooth mane, and said gently, “Big Cousin, you heard the plan we just discussed. We’ll be counting on you in a moment.”

Pfft! The Shuishu Shou snorted softly and raised its head toward Lu Yibei, as if to say, Don’t worry!

Lu Yibei nodded, leaped lightly, and swung himself onto its back.

The instant he steadied himself and straightened his back, his body entered a strange state without warning. His breathing involuntarily quickened, and he seemed to hear a vague, indistinct cheer.

Then, to his astonishment, the core entity of his mythical-type haunting began stirring even though he had not undergone a haunting transformation. The psychic energy inside him rapidly converged upon it.

Lu Yibei fell silent.

What the heck? What’s happening?

It isn’t even dark yet. Why am I showing signs of a haunting transformation?

Oh no. Am I going to transform in front of Huá Sāng?

As he worried, Lu Yibei suddenly realized that the abnormal changes in the core entity of his mythical-type haunting seemed somewhat different from those that occurred during a haunting transformation.

As his psychic energy gradually gathered, the core entity trembled gently as though cheering. A pale golden hue appeared in Lu Yibei’s eyes.

A warmth like a heated compress spread from his eyes throughout his limbs and bones. It brought an indescribable comfort that left his mind relaxed and pure, making him want to throw back his head and release a long cry.

…

The instant Lu Yibei’s body changed and weak psychic energy fluctuations surged from within him, Huá Sāng immediately sensed that something was wrong.

She waited for a moment.

When Lu Yibei continued sitting upright on the Shuishu Shou without moving, Huá Sāng frowned slightly and slowly closed her eyes. With a thought, she activated the Qi-sighting Art.

Her eyelids opened like a miraculous switch had been thrown, and a rosy light flashed through her pupils. When she looked at Lu Yibei again, she froze.

This time, besides the abnormal phantom of the Eifrit Spirit Pattern, she saw a golden shadow streaming behind Lu Yibei like a banner caught in a gale.

That golden phantom radiated a glorious, overwhelming majesty that made it difficult to look at directly.

There really is more than the Eifrit Spirit Pattern’s power inside him! Huá Sāng thought.

…

My compatibility with the power of my mythical-type haunting’s core entity seems to have increased?

As the abnormalities in his body gradually faded, the thought inexplicably arose in Lu Yibei’s mind without anyone telling him.

Along with that strange realization came an equally strange surge of excitement.

He felt an urge…

To make some big news!

Although the change brought no substantial increase to the level of his psychic energy fluctuations, Lu Yibei could clearly feel that his control over the psychic energy inside him had improved considerably.

The effect was comparable to consuming a tenth of a Completion Potion, perhaps even more.

It might not be much, but this improvement had not cost him a single expensive alchemical material. He had gotten it entirely for free!

“…”

How did this happen?

Was it simply because I rode Big Cousin?

That’s a little too… Should I find a few more hauntings or psychics like Little Cousin and Second Cousin in the future and ride them too? Lu Yibei thought.

“Roar—!”

While Lu Yibei pondered, the Shuishu Shou also released a satisfied growl.

At the sound, Huá Sāng shifted her attention from Lu Yibei to the divine beast.

The Shuishu Shou’s bell-sized eyes had narrowed slightly, and it appeared to be enjoying itself immensely. Through the Qi-sighting Art, Huá Sāng could see that the phantoms of water and thunder surrounding it had become denser and purer. Even its physique seemed more majestic and extraordinary.

Could this be… power resonance? Huá Sāng thought in astonishment.

While searching for a treatment for her out-of-control Spirit Pattern, she had once read a relevant account in an ancient book at the Great Pure Palace.

According to that text, when two entirely different powers met, yet the haunting legends associated with those powers interacted in some way, certain conditions could cause both powers to undergo subtle changes.

The annotation called this special phenomenon “power resonance.”

It resembled the way compatibility increased when a Spirit Pattern’s corresponding power shared similarities with its holder’s personality and habits, yet the two phenomena were not entirely the same.

High compatibility with a Spirit Pattern inevitably increased one’s strength. Power resonance, however, could do more than raise the compatibility of both powers. Sometimes one side benefited while the other was damaged. In other cases, both sides suffered.

For example, suppose a psychic possessing a Nezha Spirit Pattern encountered someone with a White Dragon Spirit Pattern harassing a young girl. If justice flared in the first psychic’s heart and he rushed forward to beat the offender half to death, it might trigger power resonance and irreversibly affect both of their powers.

However…

What exactly was the power hidden inside Lu Yibei?

Why would it resonate with the power of the Mountain-Guarding Divine Beast?

Could it be some kind of Heroic Spirit-type power? The Shuishu Shou carried a portion of Qilin’s power, while powers associated with Qilin in legend belonged either to sages or kings…

As Huá Sāng pondered, Lu Yibei suddenly called out and interrupted her thoughts.

“Hey, why are you standing there in a daze? Let’s go!”

Huá Sāng came back to herself, looked at Lu Yibei beckoning to her, and nodded.

She bowed toward the Shuishu Shou, climbed onto its back, and reached out with both hands to grasp the hem of Lu Yibei’s clothes.

“Hold on more tightly. You saw what happened to your junior sister. Be careful not to fall…” Lu Yibei reminded her.

Huá Sāng hesitated. Her cheeks reddening slightly, she timidly wrapped both arms around Lu Yibei’s waist.

The next instant, the Shuishu Shou raised its front hooves and charged forward.

————

5:05 p.m.

The first traces of dusk had appeared along the horizon.

The magnificent rolling mountains between the Zhenwu Mountain Scenic Area and Shizhou City were washed in a faint rose hue.

Azure lightning flickered within the dense green forest.

Then a low roar rolled through the mountains like muffled thunder. A powerful jade-colored figure, as agile as a dragon, burst from the woods and leaped across a ravine. For one second, it seemed suspended in the sunset before descending steadily into the forest on the other side and continuing its thundering passage through the mountains.

On the Shuishu Shou’s broad, solid back, Lu Yibei leaned slightly forward, gripping its pale golden fur in both hands like reins. Behind him, Huá Sāng timidly encircled his waist while instinctively maintaining a careful distance—not too close, yet not too far.

As she secretly watched Lu Yibei’s profile bathed in sunset, Huá Sāng gradually lost herself in thought. Then she suddenly felt the phone in his pocket vibrate.

She opened her mouth to alert him, but his jacket moved first, wriggling by itself.

Huá Sāng’s heart lurched. She released her hands, and if the Shuishu Shou had not stopped at that moment, the jolt might have thrown her off.

Lu Yibei patted the Shuishu Shou’s neck to signal it to halt. Then he took the phone his jacket passed through his sleeve. One glance at the screen made his expression darken.

Two messages were displayed, both sent by Lin Nian through the haunting chat group.

The first read: 【I’ve released the rumors you asked me to spread. More than twenty psychic factions have already set their sights on those two men.】

The second read: 【According to reliable information, a doctor named Yang Yichen at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital has sold Ziheche through Moyue Pifeng for years. If the buyer pays enough, he can even provide one taken fresh. I think he may be the person you’re looking for.】

Lin Nian truly deserved her title as Shizhou City’s Know-It-All. In just over two hours, she had identified a black-market dealer who might sell living placentas to Hu Chuan.

Noticing the change in Lu Yibei’s expression, Huá Sāng steadied herself, leaned slightly to one side, and asked, “Did something happen?”

Lu Yibei raised the phone and held it before her.

Huá Sāng frowned slightly after reading the first message. When she finished the second, she could not stop herself from saying, “Scum…”

“Should we go to the Maternal and Child Health Hospital now?” Lu Yibei asked.

“Yes.” Huá Sāng nodded.

————

Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Shizhou City.

A faint odor of disinfectant drifted through the clean, brightly lit consultation room. The hands of the clock on the wall turned slowly, producing a soft tick-tock.

Behind the desk, a fair-faced young doctor wearing glasses stared at the young woman seated opposite him. Her lower abdomen bulged slightly. After a long silence, he spoke. “Ms. Wan, have you made your decision?”

The woman’s body trembled faintly. Her slender fingers gripped her skirt so tightly that the fabric wrinkled beneath them.

She looked up at the doctor and asked with a sob in her voice, “Doctor Yang, is there really no way to save these two children?”

“Well…” The man frowned slightly and answered seriously, “Ms. Wan, I believe I already explained the situation clearly. Given your current physical condition, if you insist on keeping both children, childbirth may put your life in danger.”

“May…” the woman murmured. She bit her lower lip, stared firmly into the man’s eyes, and said, “Doctor, I’ve made my decision!”

An almost imperceptible flash of delight crossed the man’s eyes. “Then I’ll arrange the procedure immediately—”

“No, Doctor Yang. I’ve decided to give birth to both children! You said my life may be in danger, not that it certainly will, correct?” the woman interrupted.

With that, she stood and quickly left the consultation room.

Crack!

The instant the door closed, a sharp sound echoed through the quiet room.

The man called Doctor Yang stared darkly at the door, holding the shattered remains of a pen. He muttered, “Heh. A mother’s love—how noble. You think refusing the operation will let you protect those two children…?”

As he spoke, he slowly rose, removed his white coat, and left the room.

————

“Xiao Liu, don’t send any patients to my room for now. I’m going to get something to eat. I’ll be back in half an hour.”

“Sure thing, Brother Yang!”

After notifying the registration desk, Yang Yichen walked down the corridor toward the exit.

Deep twilight lay beyond the windows, and his footsteps echoed through the hall. Before he had gone far, his figure vanished into the crimson dusk.

————

In a small garden concealed by greenery near the hospital’s rear entrance.

A young woman with a slightly rounded abdomen sat on a bench beside a flower bed. She clutched her medical record tightly in one hand and held a phone in the other, roaring at the person on the line.

“Work, work! All you ever care about is work! Do you know what the doctor told me at today’s prenatal examination?!”

“If it won’t work, then give them up? What kind of tone is that? Do these two children mean nothing to you…?”

“Fine, I understand! Don’t say anything else. Go back to your work!”

The woman ended the call forcefully, lowered her phone, and stared hollowly at the lush little garden as darkness gradually swallowed it.

After sitting dazed for a while, she slowly curled inward, wrapped both arms around her shoulders, and finally broke down in loud sobs.

Hidden in the shadows, Huá Sāng witnessed the entire exchange. Her fist clenched, and complicated emotions filled her eyes.

Just then, the sky went completely dark, and the night devoured the final trace of light. A rustling followed. A girl with long pinkish-white hair emerged from the bushes beside Huá Sāng, while a tiny horned head poked from her collar.

“I’m here to take over. What’s the situation?”

“…” Huá Sāng glanced at Lu Yibei, who had disappeared briefly and now returned, and replied irritably, “This is the woman who just left Yang Yichen’s office. He left shortly after she did.”

“So she may be Yang Yichen’s target?” Lu Yibei asked. “Then why are you still standing here? Hurry up and do it!”

“Do what?” Huá Sāng tilted her head.

“Knock her out and take her away!” Lu Yibei replied.

“Wouldn’t that alert the enemy?” Huá Sāng frowned. “If Yang Yichen notices something is wrong and informs Elder Wang and Hu Chuan…”

“Then we simply don’t let him notice anything is wrong,” Lu Yibei interrupted.

As she spoke, she sent a thought through the familiar mark to her jacket. The next instant, the red-and-white color-block tactical jacket rustled and transformed into a white maternity dress and pale yellow knitted cardigan identical to the young woman’s clothes.

Huá Sāng stared expressionlessly at Lu Yibei. Her gaze slowly descended and stopped on her lower abdomen.

“Oh, that’s easy!” Lu Yibei said unconcernedly when she noticed the look. Then she lowered her head toward the Shuishu Shou. “Big Cousin, saving one life earns more merit than building a seven-story pagoda. Help me out!”

Before the Shuishu Shou could respond, she abruptly pressed its little head down through her collar and stuffed it against her lower abdomen.

“This should work, right? Hurry up, knock that woman unconscious, and take her away. I’ll deal with the doctor!”

As she spoke, Lu Yibei expertly took out the solidified mask of the Face-Changing spell formation and placed it over her face.

Huá Sāng looked at the slight bulge the Shuishu Shou created beneath Lu Yibei’s clothes, and a complicated look flashed through her eyes.

“…”

No one plays these games better than you!