Chapter 146: Evil Spirit [1]

"Although those heretics of the Ghost Valley Sect aren't very strong individually, there are simply too many of them, making them impossible to guard against. That's why we sought Mr. Meng's protection. At least he can send people to keep us safe."

After finishing her explanation, Liu Yuxin turned to Yan Yu and said, "Yan Yu, don't let Jing Tian's icy exterior fool you. He's actually a very kind person. It's just that the death of his parents made him unaccustomed to expressing himself..."

Zhang Jing-tian put on a gloomy face again, as if he didn't want Liu Yuxin to tell Yan Yu these things.

"So, the fellows who came to cause trouble at your shop that day were also from the Ghost Valley Sect?" Yan Yu asked.

"I'm not certain, but they definitely weren't from Dragon Tiger Mountain."

"I understand." Yan Yu nodded slightly.

Zhang Jing-tian said, "Now it's your turn. What on earth is your background, and why do you know the supreme martial arts of our Dragon Tiger Mountain?"

"This..." Yan Yu gave a couple of dry coughs. "It's a long story. Ten years ago, when I was still just a child playing in the mountains, a group of people suddenly rushed out from the woods..."

Yan Yu had no intention of betraying his master, so he leaned into his talent for making up stories and rattled off a tale that lasted a full ten minutes.

"...And finally, I learned these Daoist techniques from that mysterious person, and that mysterious person vanished completely."

Liu Yuxin asked, "Did that mysterious person leave behind a title or name?"

"He said his name was the Blame-Taking Daoist," Yan Yu replied with a straight face.

"..."

Listening to Yan Yu's story, Liu Yuxin and Zhang Jing-tian didn't show the slightest hint of suspicion.

"Sister, I think the Blame-Taking Daoist that Yan Yu mentioned sounds a lot like our Junior Uncle who has been missing for many years."

"I think so too..."

"Then... what does that make Yan Yu to us? Fellow sect brothers?" Zhang Jing-tian looked uncertainly at Liu Yuxin.

Liu Yuxin wasn't quite sure how to handle this either.

Seeing that the two of them believed it implicitly, Yan Yu actually felt a little guilty.

At that moment, Meng Guohui finally woke up. He touched his forehead and found that the strange thing was gone, immediately letting out a sigh of relief.

With Liu Yuxin's help, Meng Guohui quickly regained his color. To show his gratitude, Meng Guohui even moved to kowtow and bow, but everyone stopped him.

"Young Master Yan, from now on, I, Meng Guohui, will follow your lead!" Meng Guohui cupped his fists, then said to Liu Yuxin and the others, "Doctor Liu, your safety is also guaranteed by me!"

"Thank you, Mr. Meng."

Yan Yu had obtained a Heavenly Eye from Meng Guohui for nothing, and he couldn't have been happier. When Meng Guohui invited him to stay for dinner, Yan Yu naturally agreed.

During the meal, Yan Yu curiously asked Zhang Jing-tian, "Brother, what kind of forbidden secret text did you actually steal that made both Dragon Tiger Mountain and the Ghost Valley Sect hunt you down?"

Since the two of them had cooperated, Zhang Jing-tian's attitude toward Yan Yu improved slightly, but he still refused, saying, "This forbidden technique is far too dangerous, I can't..."

"Hey, I'm not a bad guy..." Yan Yu raised an eyebrow. "Then you can at least tell me the name of the forbidden technique to satisfy my curiosity, right?"

Zhang Jing-tian thought about it for a moment before replying, "Then you must promise not to let anyone else know about this."

"Naturally!"

"The forbidden technique I stole from Dragon Tiger Mountain is called the Yin Soul Curse."

"..."

Yan Yu couldn't help but twitch the corner of his eye.

Master, oh Master, just how many secret techniques of various sects did you manage to steal?

Stealing a supreme technique like the Palm Thunder from Dragon Tiger Mountain was one thing, but how could you even steal a forbidden technique like the Yin Soul Curse?

Yan Yu would dare to learn it now, but he wouldn't dare to use it!

"What's wrong with you?" Zhang Jing-tian asked, puzzled.

"N-nothing!" Yan Yu hurriedly shook his head.

Good grief, Zhang Jing-tian was hunted down by both Dragon Tiger Mountain and the Ghost Valley Sect just for stealing the Yin Soul Curse. If news of the blue-covered book in his own hands ever leaked out, wouldn't he be hunted down by the entire world?

Yan Yu secretly resolved to quickly memorize the entire blue-covered book upon returning home and then burn it directly to avoid bringing disaster upon himself.

After dinner, as dusk fell, Liu Yuxin and Zhang Jing-tian reached an agreement with Meng Guohui to temporarily stay in Meng Guohui's villa. With the group of brothers outside providing protection, they would be relatively much safer.

Having acquired the dead man's eyeball, Yan Yu felt thoroughly satisfied. He bade farewell to the three of them and prepared to leave.

Meng Guohui called a taxi for Yan Yu. Yan Yu got into the car with Dahai, but just as he was about to leave, Liu Yuxin suddenly called out to him.

"I have something to tell you," Liu Yuxin said softly.

Yan Yu rolled down the car window and gave Liu Yuxin a breezy smile. "If you want to take responsibility for me, there's no need. I'm a very casual person..."

"You scoundrel!" Liu Yuxin retorted irritably, spitting out a breath before continuing, "Actually, today at the entrance of your residential complex, I encountered a spirit."

"A spirit?"

Yan Yu frowned.

Earlier today at the entrance of the complex, Liu Yuxin had been bending over as if stroking something. Was that the spirit she meant?

Seeing that Yan Yu was deep in thought, Liu Yuxin took a step back and watched as the taxi drove away.

Sitting in the taxi, Yan Yu suddenly felt as though he had grasped a clue.

All things possess a spirit; humans are like this, animals are the same, and even plants are no exception.

When humans die, they turn into ghosts, and when animals die, they are called spirits.

If animals harbor strong resentment or obsession at the time of their death, they transform into evil spirits.

Most evil spirits do not possess strong aggressiveness, considering that these creatures didn't possess high intelligence while they were alive.

However, certain individual animals, having lived for an exceptionally long time, gradually began to develop spiritual intelligence. The spirits they transform into after death cannot be lumped together with ordinary spirits.

Think about it carefully, and the logic becomes clear—in the mindset of the older generation, the longer an animal lives, the more mysterious it becomes, such as turtles, toads, and so on.

In rural areas, there is a saying:

"A dog shall not reach eight years, a chicken shall not see six."

Chickens, dogs, and livestock raised in households should not be kept alive for too many years. Once they are allowed to survive in human society for too long, constantly interacting with humans—listening to people talk every day and observing every action—they gradually come to understand human nature. Sooner or later, they are bound to turn into demons or spirits and commit evil deeds that endanger and harm the human world.

This was the mindset of people in ancient times. Back then, people's thinking was relatively feudal, and their views on things were too one-sided, but it was not entirely without reason.

While stroking Dahai's head, Yan Yu pondered deeply.

Everything he had experienced today was inextricably linked to "dogs." Behind all of this, things seemed far from simple.

The taxi soon arrived at the entrance of Apricot Blossom Residential Complex.

Yan Yu got out of the car, leading Dahai by the leash, and prepared to walk home.

At that moment, he suddenly felt an itch on his forehead, as if the Heavenly Eye had sensed something and wanted to pop out on its own.

Dahai also stopped in its tracks, its pitch-black eyes staring fixedly at a certain corner of the complex entrance.

"Has the evil spirit appeared again?"

Yan Yu frowned. Seeing that there was no one around to the left or right, he quietly activated his Heavenly Eye, wanting to investigate.

A small slit quickly split open on his forehead, and a blood-red eyeball rolled around briskly.

Within the vision of the Heavenly Eye, all dark and malevolent entities had nowhere to hide!

He saw a large black-backed dog standing at the entrance of Apricot Blossom Residential Complex. To Yan Yu's shock, the dog's belly was completely torn open, its intestines trailing, and only half of its head remained.

Even so, it still stood rigidly straight, as if searching for its prey.