Chapter 191 - 9: Attaining Sentience, Making a Move, Chaotic Burial Mound

Chapter 191: Chapter 9: Attaining Sentience, Making a Move, Chaotic Burial Mound

In Chen Ye’s Bloody Vision, the ornate, three-story building seemed to have transformed into a living creature.

Countless chaotic, complex thoughts filled with desire roiled and intertwined within it, ultimately converging into that eerie gray mist.

It was like a giant monster that fed on desire, lurking on this street and greedily sucking the Life Essence from every person who stepped into its domain.

’This building... has become a spirit!’

Chen Ye finally understood why Cong Bo couldn’t detect any Demon Qi or Ghost Qi, despite trying every method at his disposal.

’Because this thing isn’t a traditional Demon Ghost at all!’

’It’s a kind of... architectural Evil Spirit, born from the passions and desires of countless people and the debauched aura that has accumulated in this Money Pit over the years!’

’It has no physical form. Its power stems from the human mind, and it attacks by invading dreams.’

’These factors combined made it nearly impossible to defend against!’

Having uncovered the truth, Chen Ye didn’t linger and immediately left the alley.

He knew an Evil Spirit of this Level was not something he could handle on his own.

The safest plan was to report his findings to Cong Bo and let a professional organization like the Demon Slayer Department take care of it.

’Besides, my mission was just to find out the truth.’

’As for how to deal with it, that was a headache for Cong Bo.’

...

At that moment, Cong Bo was sitting in his room, staring blankly into space.

He had grown noticeably haggard lately. People were still dying in connection to the case, yet he couldn’t find a single clue. The pressure from all sides was about to drive him mad.

Meanwhile, there was still no word from Chen Ye, in whom he had placed such high hopes.

As he thought about this, despair washed over Cong Bo. ’I’m definitely going to lose my position,’ he thought. ’I’ll probably never hear anyone call me Chief Cong again.’

Just then, a knock came from the door.

"Who is it!" Cong Bo snapped impatiently.

"It’s me." Chen Ye’s voice came from outside.

Hearing that voice, Cong Bo’s spirits lifted. He shot to his feet, dashed to the door, and threw it open.

Chen Ye stood at the door, a smile on his face.

"S-So? How did it go?" Cong Bo stammered.

"I didn’t let you down!"

PHEW!

Cong Bo let out a huge sigh of relief. He felt his entire body relax as all his previous anxiety vanished in an instant.

Chen Ye then relayed all his findings and theories to Cong Bo in full detail.

After he finished listening, an incredulous expression appeared on Cong Bo’s face.

"You’re saying... the problem is with the building itself?"

It was no wonder he reacted this way.

After all, he’d spent half his life fighting Demons and Ghosts. He had seen everything from zombies and Fierce Ghosts to fox demons and tree spirits, but a brothel becoming a spirit and harming people? That was something he’d never heard of before.

"It’s the absolute truth."

Chen Ye’s tone was firm.

"I saw it with my own eyes last night. That eerie power is emanating from the entire Drunken Spring Building."

"It uses the women in the building as conduits to invade dreams, kill its victims, and absorb their Yang Qi."

Cong Bo unclenched his fists and paced back and forth, his expression shifting erratically.

He knew Chen Ye wasn’t one to make baseless claims.

But this situation was still far beyond his expectations.

"An architectural Evil Spirit... Dammit, how could a thing like this even exist!" Cong Bo finally cursed under his breath, then turned to Chen Ye with a grim expression.

"Brother, we really owe you this time. If it weren’t for you, the rest of us could have wracked our brains forever and never guessed the problem was here!"

His admiration was genuine.

This case had baffled him for over half a month and left the entire Demon Slayer Department helpless, yet Chen Ye had found the root of the problem in just a few days.

That kind of ability was truly astonishing.

"Now that the truth is out, what’s your next move, Lord Cong?" Chen Ye asked directly.

He was more concerned about how they would solve the problem.

A ruthless expression crossed Cong Bo’s face at the question.

"What’s my move? What else is there to do?"

He scoffed. "Now that we’ve found the root of the sickness, we have to dig it out!"

"I’m going to find Magistrate Huang right now and get this whole thing sorted out!"

Cong Bo was a man of action. After all, he wouldn’t know a moment’s peace until this matter was resolved.

He immediately straightened his clothes and headed directly for the County Yamen.

Chen Ye remained at the Demon Slayer Department, leisurely sipping tea and awaiting the outcome.

He was confident that Cong Bo could handle it.

After all, this case threatened the safety of the entire city and had already claimed the lives of officials’ sons. That, combined with clear evidence and pressure from the Demon Slayer Department, was a powerful motivator.

As long as Magistrate Huang wasn’t a complete idiot, he’d know what choice to make.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Cong Bo returned.

He wore a pleased expression, a clear sign that things had gone smoothly.

"All taken care of!"

Cong Bo plopped down into a chair, picked up a teacup, and took a large gulp.

"The moment that fellow Huang heard his personal money tree had turned into a man-eating monster, his face turned green."

"I laid out the stakes for him, and he immediately backed down and agreed to cooperate with us."

"And to avoid affecting his precious little business, he’s going to publicly announce that the Drunken Spring Building is in disrepair and needs to close for three days of renovations."

Chen Ye nodded. It was a decent enough excuse.

"So, we’ll make our move tomorrow night at the third watch."

Cong Bo looked at Chen Ye and extended an invitation. "When the time comes, Brother, would you be interested in coming with me to see it unfold?"

Chen Ye smiled and agreed.

He was also quite curious to see what method Cong Bo would use to deal with such a formless, intangible architectural Evil Spirit.