Chapter Eight: The True Flame of Samadhi

After Nianxue calmed Xiaoting, the two drove to the police station.

Ye Dong suddenly asked, "Why didn't we bring Xiaoting with us to the station?"

Nianxue shook her head. "The police station is bathed in imperial energy and guarded by the Second Master’s divine presence. Righteousness overflows there—demons would retreat three times over, let alone ghosts. None would dare approach."

"Then if the station’s righteous energy is so formidable, how did the three disciples speak through Baldy and his friends?"

Nianxue had considered this before. She explained, "They planted their own blood seeds in Baldy and the others long ago. The other end of the seed was activated by Liang Lingzhi, so Baldy’s body became like a telephone line connecting them. Although the three are practitioners of the dark arts, they are still fundamentally human. Their presence in the police station is not unreasonable."

Ye Dong nodded, absorbing lessons that no textbook could teach.

When the two arrived at the station, they sensed the atmosphere was even more tense.

"You’re here?"

"Just arrived."

"No time to waste," Officer Li said. "From the testimony of Baldy's trio, we learned they offered sacrifices to a statue before every action."

Nianxue asked, "Did they describe what kind of statue?"

Officer Li frowned. "Based on their description, our colleagues sketched this image. After comparison, the recognition rate reached ninety percent."

He pulled a stack of photos from a drawer. "Here, take a close look."

Nianxue took the picture and was startled. "It’s a 'human-serpent'!"

Ye Dong exchanged a glance with Officer Li. "What is a human-serpent?"

Nianxue explained, "The human-serpent is a legendary monstrous snake—serpent face, human body, four limbs, fond of eating people, skilled in deceit, the very embodiment of cruelty and malice. They often appear in groups. Because they laugh and chat whenever they meet people, then devour them for amusement, ancient folk would flee immediately if they heard laughter in the mountains but saw no one, to avoid the human-serpent."

She continued, "Aside from knowing their worship was for the human-serpent, any other clues?"

"Yes! From the testimony and image descriptions, we identified two individuals: Lu Ye and Zhao Aotian."

Ye Dong asked curiously, "How did you pinpoint them?"

Officer Li took a breath. "Lu Ye is an internist in a private city hospital, with considerable authority in his field. Zhao Aotian runs a high-tech refrigeration company."

Ye Dong was delighted. "Did you find any evidence?"

Officer Li hesitated. "Yes. We searched their homes overnight and found numerous photographs of internal organs, with peculiar time measurements noted on the back."

Ye Dong asked, "Were they caught?"

Officer Li clenched his fingers in anger. "Yes, we caught them. And they gave up another name—Fang Qiang. He’s the real leader."

Nianxue surmised, "Human-serpents act in groups of three or five. This fits the pattern."

Ye Dong asked, "Nianxue, do you think Xiaoting’s clues are vital for the case?"

Nianxue replied angrily, "Xiaoting recalled that, during the organ harvesting, someone stood by with a stopwatch, laughing coldly. This links directly with the organ photos found in Lu Ye’s home."

Officer Li was furious, his teeth grinding as he stared at the banner on the wall: 'Eradicate Harm for the People.' His heart burned with anger.

Nianxue glared at the human-serpent photo and continued, "They measure the time of death for two reasons: to test the organs’ lifespan, and more importantly, to determine which of the twenty-plus victims suffered the longest."

Officer Li was puzzled. "The first reason makes sense, like human experimentation. But the second—I can’t see its purpose."

Ye Dong was startled. "Could they be comparing the victims’ pain, to find whose resentment at death was deepest?"

Nianxue nodded. "Exactly. That’s their aim."

Ye Dong’s eyes widened, and he drew a sharp breath, furious. "Animals! They’re not human—pure evil!"

Officer Li was just as shocked. "What’s their ultimate goal, then?"

Nianxue explained, "Xiaoting’s soul was placed in the Night Passion Wine, enduring prolonged terror and despair. So when she awakened, her first thought was revenge! She could no longer distinguish good from evil—her eyes blinded by hatred. To gain the power for vengeance, she would harm others without restraint, seeking greater magical strength."

Ye Dong pondered, nodding. "Her memories triggered her deepest fear and resentment. That explains why she gained corporeal strength after her rampage."

"Exactly. And since she died recently, her memories of that trauma aren’t fully restored, which explains why she still showed mercy and spared Liang Lingzhi."

Officer Li analyzed, "So you’re saying those practitioners ultimately want to capture Xiaoting’s increasingly powerful soul?"

Nianxue nodded, cursing, "Those villains deliberately set Xiaoting’s soul loose, waiting for her to harm people. Once she gained power, she would find Baldy’s trio. The practitioners used them as bait, luring Xiaoting to them as a vengeful ghost, then capturing her with their arts!"

Ye Dong’s fists clenched, knuckles cracking. "Such poisonous hearts! Worse than beasts!"

Officer Li asked, "What use do they have for capturing Xiaoting as a vengeful ghost?"

Nianxue pointed to the human-serpent photo on the table. "They intend to use the human-serpent’s power to refine Xiaoting’s soul, enhancing their own dark arts."

Ye Dong was astonished. "There’s such a method?"

Nianxue thought, "But Father once said—anyone who can refine a vengeful ghost’s soul must possess earth-shattering power. Yet those three practitioners don’t seem to be at that level. Could they have a higher, more powerful leader?"

Officer Li muttered, "We cannot let these villains roam free any longer! I’ll personally oversee the investigation, interrogate each suspect. You two rest for now."

Before Ye Dong and the others could say anything, Officer Li, eyes bloodshot, had already donned his coat and left the office.

The room fell silent, save for the ticking clock on the wall.

Nianxue noticed Ye Dong sitting motionless in his chair. She asked with concern, "Ye Dong, what’s wrong?"

She saw Ye Dong staring at the banners on the wall—'Eradicate Harm for the People' and 'Punish Evil, Reward the Good'—lost in thought, not responding. Thinking it was anger, she gently pressed his hand.

"Your hand! It’s burning hot!"

The moment she touched Ye Dong’s palm, she instinctively withdrew her hand, astonished.

Hearing her exclamation, Ye Dong came back to himself. He looked at his hands in shock. "Nianxue, my hands are on fire!"

"On fire?"

"Look at these flames—they’re covering my hands!"

Ye Dong raised his hands, shaking them vigorously, but the flames did not diminish; they only grew stronger.

Nianxue asked in alarm, "Are your hands burned?"

Ye Dong stared at them, dazed. "No, the fire isn’t hurting me."

Without hesitation, Nianxue began chanting, "Heaven and Earth’s mysteries, root of all energies. Through countless eons, I attain divine power. Open the heavenly eye, see the origins. By law, act swiftly!"

Ye Dong saw Nianxue activate her heavenly eye and asked, "Nianxue, what do you see?"

Nianxue stared at Ye Dong’s hands, disbelief in her gaze. "It’s the True Samadhi Fire!"

Ye Dong was incredulous. "Samadhi Fire? The kind the Supreme Elder uses in Journey to the West?"

Nianxue nodded quickly. "Yes, exactly that Samadhi Fire!"

She then peered into Ye Dong’s body, and was utterly shocked. His organs formed a cauldron, his heart a furnace, with blazing fire refining something deep within.

Nianxue had never imagined Ye Dong possessed such innate talent. She pressed him, "What were you thinking when you sat down just now?"

Ye Dong answered without hesitation. "I thought of entering the righteous path, punishing evil, saving the people, spreading goodness!"

Nianxue praised, "What a noble resolve: 'Enter the righteous path, punish evil, save the people, spread goodness!' You’re refining the fruit of goodness in your heart! Ye Dong, congratulations—you’ve gained immense fortune!"

Ye Dong was puzzled. "Fortune?"

Nianxue smiled. "You haven’t formally entered the path, yet you possess Samadhi Fire—isn’t that fortune? Let me teach you how to extinguish these flames. Calm your mind and follow me—it’s simple."

She pressed her index and middle fingers together, swiftly rotating them three times, then pressed her left fingers to her brow, right fingers to her left elbow, guarding her chest, and intoned, "Stop!"

Ye Dong took a breath, calmed himself, and focused on the word "Stop." Instantly, the Samadhi Fire vanished from his hands.