Chapter 63: Who Is the Leaker? (Please Add to Favorites and Continue Reading)

“Old Peng has gone to fetch the shaman, so I came over specifically to report the situation to you, Chief Constable,” Wei Hao said as he ran up to Shang Lu, breathless, and recounted what had happened:

“Tonight, after drinking your promotion wine, Chief Shang, Du Feng said he wanted to patrol a few more rounds before returning to the yamen, so we went with him. At first, Du Feng was perfectly fine; nothing seemed out of the ordinary. We checked a few places in the city, found no trace of Yuan Guilong or the others, and decided to head back to rest.

Halfway back, Du Feng said he urgently needed to relieve himself and ran into an alley. We waited outside for him, but no matter how long we waited, he didn’t come out. Feeling something was wrong, we hurried in to look for him.

We found Du Feng standing in the alley, facing the wall, behaving very strangely. His facial expressions kept shifting. One moment, his face was twisted with rage as he shouted, ‘Speak! If you don’t, I’ll kill you!’ The next, he was full of anger, yelling, ‘Get out of my body!’ and ‘I don’t know, it’s useless to ask me!’ and other things like that.

Not only that, he even started choking himself with his own hands—nearly strangled himself to death. We were so startled by Du Feng’s bizarre state. Old Liu, who once assisted the shaman with some uncanny cases, immediately judged that Du Feng was possessed, entangled by something foul, and led us to restrain him to prevent self-harm.

But the thing possessing Du Feng wouldn’t let go—it kept torturing and interrogating him! None of Old Liu’s methods worked, not even feeding him boy’s urine and the like…”

After hearing Wei Hao’s account, Shang Lu’s suspicions grew. He asked, “What was the evil spirit possessing Du Feng trying to find out?”

“I’m not sure, but I think I heard them mention Yunhua Mountain.”

“Yunhua Mountain?” Shang Lu’s brows rose.

Was the evil spirit after the secret realm within Yunhua Mountain?

If so, then the paper effigy that slipped into his home earlier was also trying to capture and interrogate him for information about the secret realm?

After all, the common thread between himself and Du Feng was that both had investigated Yunhua Mountain—he had even entered the strange mist.

If the evil spirit truly sought the secret realm in Yunhua Mountain, it was only natural they would target those involved and try to probe the truth.

Collecting the events of the night in his mind, Shang Lu felt he was close to a clue and asked, “Where is Du Feng now?”

“In Ox Horn Alley,” Wei Hao replied, now catching his breath. “We wanted to bring him back to the county office, but his body felt as heavy as if filled with lead—impossible to move.”

Shang Lu decided on the spot to head to Ox Horn Alley to assess Du Feng’s condition—and see if he could subdue the evil spirit clinging to him.

But the person manipulating the paper effigy must not be let off, either.

Shang Lu swiftly issued orders: “Wei Hao, you and the others needn’t return to Ox Horn Alley. Gather more men and conduct a city-wide search. If you spot anyone with burn marks, seize them immediately! And be on your guard—the man is dangerous, skilled at controlling paper figures. Take full precautions and don’t let yourselves get hurt. Also, send men to the funeral parlor—secure everything and everyone there. Don’t let a single thing escape, not even the paper figures. And send word to Chief Niu—have him oversee the search and put the entire city under curfew. I fear tonight’s strange events are not isolated!”

“Yes, sir!” Wei Hao responded at once.

Considering that Shang Lu was out on the street with his sword instead of resting at home at this hour, Wei Hao couldn’t help but suspect, “Chief Shang, did something strange happen to you as well?”

“That’s right,” Shang Lu nodded without hesitation. “Earlier, a paper effigy broke into my house. I destroyed it.”

Wei Hao drew a sharp breath, frowning. “What’s going on tonight? Possessions, paper figures… Why are so many evil spirits gathering all of a sudden?”

Shang Lu was just as puzzled.

It was no surprise that evil spirits would covet the secret realm. Though the place was rife with strangeness and danger, it also promised great fortune and spiritual treasures. The emergence of a new secret realm was bound to attract sorcerers and evil spirits alike, all vying for opportunity.

What was bizarre was how they learned of the secret realm’s existence in Yunhua Mountain. This was top secret! The county magistrate and registrar had repeatedly ordered all those in the know to keep silent—never to let word leak out. Outsiders only knew that Yunhua Mountain was shrouded in rain and mist—they had no idea a new secret realm had formed within.

Who had leaked the information? Was it the late Chief Ma? Or those others summoned for questioning by the two shamans that night? Surely it couldn’t be the shamans themselves—there was no reason for that.

Shang Lu thought that these mysteries could only be unraveled by capturing one or two of the evil spirits. The one possessing Du Feng might just be the breakthrough.

After parting with Wei Hao and the others, Shang Lu sprinted toward Ox Horn Alley. Wei Hao, following Shang Lu’s instructions, dispatched two constables back to the yamen to summon reinforcements, while he and the rest began searching the area. As for the funeral parlor, they would wait for backup before sealing it and detaining those present. For now, two sharp-eyed constables were sent to keep watch.

Shang Lu, moving at full speed, soon reached Ox Horn Alley. From a distance, he saw the flickering light of lanterns and heard the constables shouting over one another:

“Hold him down! Hold him!”

“We can’t—he’s too strong!”

“Don’t let him bite his hand—pull it out of his mouth!”

“Ah! He bit me—it hurts like hell!”

As Shang Lu drew closer, the scene became clear. Several men clung to Du Feng—one grabbing his arms, another covering his mouth. Yet Du Feng’s strength was far greater than usual; the constables couldn’t restrain him and were thrown off.

Immediately, Du Feng shoved his own hand into his mouth, gnawing at it with such force that the flesh tore and blood gushed, but he seemed utterly oblivious to the pain. As he bit his own hand, his face twisted, he barked harshly:

“Tell me everything you know! Otherwise, you won’t live through tonight—I’ll make you eat yourself!”

Though the face was Du Feng’s, the voice was nothing like his: cold, shrill, like metal scraping glass, sending shivers down the spine.

“I don’t know—even if you kill me, it’s useless,” came a muffled reply from Du Feng’s own mouth—this time, his true voice.

Unlike the other constables, Shang Lu, with the divine clarity of his liver spirit, saw a wisp of gray, sinister vapor coiling around Du Feng’s throat. It was this gray mist that controlled Du Feng’s body, forcing all these grotesque actions.

He judged this malevolent gray mist to be the evil spirit possessing Du Feng.

It had to be driven out—otherwise, even if the spirit was banished, Du Feng’s life would still be at risk.

But how could he force the spirit out of Du Feng’s body?

Turning the idea over in his mind, Shang Lu quickly conceived a plan.