Chapter 419 - 297: Yin Spirit

Hua Guangcan said faintly.

After class, the disciples had dinner and were walking back to their rooms.

Zuo Dongrui and his group walked together.

"Zuo, that kid Zhao Xing was way too rough. Why didn’t you report him today?"

"Yeah! The cuts on our faces are all the proof we need. If we raise a stink about him beating up fellow disciples and pull a few strings, we can make sure he’s in for a world of hurt."

"That kid was ruthless yesterday. My sides are still aching. Zuo, we did this for you. You can’t just let us down."

"..."

The group spoke to Zuo Dongrui in hushed tones.

"That kid’s been doing well lately, and he’s got the Dharma Transmission Steward’s attention. Besides, we started it, so we were in the wrong. The Dharma Transmission Steward probably won’t take our side. Let’s not rush this. Once I contact my family, I’ll make sure..."

Zuo Dongrui said, his expression dark.

But in the next moment...

PAT!

An arm draped over his shoulder, and two fingers pinched an acupoint on his neck. His body instantly went numb and his voice died in his throat. He couldn’t muster an ounce of strength.

"Zuo, I learned a lot from today’s lecture. I was hoping to discuss a few things with you. Why don’t we have a little chat over there?"

A calm voice spoke up. The group froze on the spot. By the time they snapped out of it, Zhao Xuanqi had an arm around Zuo Dongrui’s neck and was dragging him into the woods beside the path.

Soon, agonizing screams echoed from the woods. The remaining lackeys exchanged terrified glances and immediately scattered.

This went on for three straight days. In the end, Zuo Dongrui had to use his family’s connections to pressure Hua Guangcan. Hua Guangcan intervened, compensating Zhao Xuanqi with ten vials of Blood Strengthening Pills before Zhao Xuanqi finally backed off.

Of course, this was only a temporary ceasefire. After all, while he was in the School, he couldn’t take things too far. But once he left and recovered a certain amount of his strength...

...it would be time to completely settle the small karmic debt attached to Zhao Xing’s body.

...

...

「Seven days passed in a flash.」

The basic training concluded. Under Hua Guangcan’s guidance, the group of New Disciples left the sect’s mountain gate and entered Guming County. The local Government Office had specially designated an area for them as a garrison. Every morning, after their lessons, the New Disciples were assigned to patrol teams led by senior disciples. Their patrol duties lasted until dusk. Afterward, they would return to the garrison to continue their studies before finally resting around nine at night.

Every day was incredibly full, exhausting, and... tedious.

At first, the New Disciples on patrol for the first time were understandably anxious, worried about coming face-to-face with terrifying Evil Spirits.

But after a while, they discovered that wasn’t the case.

First, they patrolled during the day, which wasn’t peak time for Evil Spirits. Although there were many hidden dangers within the city, you wouldn’t just stumble upon one.

Furthermore, their mission wasn’t to eliminate Evil Spirits. Specific combat operations were handled by dedicated teams.

Their job was to assist the local Government Office in visiting citizens who might have been exposed to these afflictions, as well as to record and compile the relevant information.

’It’s a bit like the neighborhood canvassing done by police back on Blue Star in my past life.’

Zhao Xuanqi went along with the others, secretly using his Life Primordial Qi to recover his strength. He had already completed his practice of the Fierce Form Pile Skill and entered the mid-stage of the Cross-Training Realm.

Throughout this process, he kept a low profile, simply listening, watching, and learning. After all, what he needed most right now was a better understanding of this world.

A week after arriving in Guming County, the situation finally changed.

Although his strength already far surpassed that of the other New Disciples, Zhao Xuanqi deliberately kept his progress in training from being too conspicuous, matching the pace of Peng Lin and Shen Hong.

A week after the patrols began, Peng Lin and Shen Hong both mastered the knack of activating a Blood Qi Rune to generate Blood Qi, officially stepping into the Blood Strengthening Realm. Zhao Xuanqi did the same.

Once in the Blood Strengthening Realm, one could generate Blood Qi, which could harm Formless Yin Spirits. By circulating their Qi and Blood, they could also resist possession by Evil Spirits to some degree. This was considered the true threshold of cultivation, where one finally possessed a measure of self-preservation.

Seeing their potential, Hua Guangcan consulted with the three of them and reassigned them from the patrol division to a combat team. This meant they would now officially begin to deal with Evil Spirit incidents.

「Guming County, Tea Fragrance Street.」

Four figures in simple gray robes walked down the street.

The man in the lead was powerfully built, with a square jaw, thick eyebrows, and piercing eyes. He walked with a commanding, tiger-like presence.

Chen Zhanyun, a disciple of the Red Heart Sect at the peak of the Blood Strengthening Realm.

Following behind him were three younger, more inexperienced disciples: Zhao Xuanqi, Shen Hong, and Peng Lin, on their first extermination mission.

Of the three, Zhao Xuanqi’s expression was as placid as ever. Shen Hong appeared calm on the surface, but a trace of nervousness flickered deep in his eyes. Peng Lin was much the same.

Secretly observing their expressions, Chen Zhanyun said with a smile, "Don’t be nervous. It’s just a low D Class affliction. An experienced disciple who’s just entered the Blood Strengthening Realm could handle this alone. I’ll hang back and provide support. You three go first. Let’s see what you’ve got."

At these words, the nervousness in Peng Lin’s eyes grew even more intense.

The four of them walked briskly. Not long after they entered Tea Fragrance Street, a local resident came up to greet them and lead the way.

"The masters from the Red Heart Sect are finally here! This is wonderful! Old Man Zhang’s wife can be saved!"

"Yes, she’s been talking nonsense and making strange sounds all night. It’s terrifying."

"Sigh... with all these evil afflictions plaguing the city, when will life ever get back to normal?"

"..."

The residents chattered amongst themselves.

The four paid them no mind and soon arrived at the location.

A constable from the Government Office had already cordoned off the small, one-story house with a rope to keep people away. Faintly, Zhao Xuanqi could hear a woman’s jumbled, muffled speech from inside. It didn’t sound like a single person, but more like many people whispering, punctuated by other strange noises.

Chen Zhanyun glanced at the house, gave the constable a brief salute, and asked, "What’s the situation?"

"The woman’s condition is stable for now. We have her tied up, but she hasn’t had any food or water for half a day and won’t stop talking. If we don’t treat her soon, her life could be in danger."

"Sigh. Normally, we wouldn’t need to trouble you for this kind of low-level affliction. If the City God were still here, petty filth like this would be purified in an instant. But now, we have to rely on you," the constable said, shaking his head.

"You’re too kind. It’s our duty."

Chen Zhanyun nodded to the constable, then gave a meaningful look to Zhao Xuanqi and the others. They stepped over the rope and approached the house. The eerie sounds from the woman inside grew clearer.

"Get ready. Draw the Blood Qi Runes on both your hands. When dealing with any kind of affliction, you can’t let your guard down. Be fully prepared," Chen Zhanyun said to the three, his expression turning serious.

The three nodded. They took out Cinnabar from their pockets and drew Blood Qi Runes on their palms. Chen Zhanyun did the same.

Chen Zhanyun placed his hand on the door and shoved it open.

CREAK!

The door let out a soft sound. At the same time, another "CREAK" came from inside the room. It wasn’t the door; it was the woman’s voice, mimicking the sound of it opening.

They looked inside. In the simple, crude room, a middle-aged woman lay on a bed, trussed up tightly. The whites of her eyes were showing, and drool trickled constantly from the corner of her mouth. Her expression was vacant and twisted, creating a truly bizarre sight.

Her throat was trembling faintly, and all sorts of strange sounds emanated from her slightly parted lips.

It sounded like a crowd of people whispering and murmuring, mixed with faint, rustling noises. As they stepped into the room, a distinct TAP-TAP-TAP sound emerged from the woman’s mouth, clearly mimicking their footsteps.

Zhao Xuanqi’s eyes narrowed as he recalled the information from the mission briefing.

The case was on Tea Fragrance Street, involving a Mrs. Zhang who had been possessed at night. It was said that any sound in her vicinity would be repeated from her mouth, that she responded to everything. The affliction was suspected to be a Low D Class evil, a type of Yin Spirit.

An Echo Worm.