Chapter 85: Is There Something Strange About the Shaman Official?

The spy’s corpse had not only been dragged into the strange fog, but had also been carried off by the snake? Then, was the one raising these creatures in the hidden realm truly the shaman? No, that couldn’t be! Suddenly, Shanglu recalled that the witch had once said the hidden realm would never release baleful energy into the outside world. By that logic, what the shaman was raising in Yunhua Mountain was not a hidden realm at all. It was the strange fog—it was baleful energy! Or rather, it was some sinister entity that had released baleful energy!

Shanglu’s thoughts suddenly turned to the bloodied meat paste San Niang had given him. Could it be that the monstrous snake on the verge of transformation was exactly what the shaman was nurturing within the hidden realm? The villages shrouded in strange fog inside the mountain, and all the people who had been snatched away by the fog and the Bi Gao snake during this time, had all become feed for that transforming monster!

It was even possible that the rumor about a hidden realm appearing in Yunhua Mountain had been deliberately spread by the shaman. The purpose was to draw in demons, ghosts, and spies, so that monster could feast until it was sated and complete its transformation without a hitch!

But there was one thing Shanglu couldn’t understand: weren’t hidden realms filled with spiritual energy and treasures? Wouldn’t that be enough to feed the monster? Why insist on providing it with blood and flesh? Was the shaman not afraid that such actions would attract the attention of the Shamanic Court or the Imperial Court, bringing utter destruction down upon himself? Or perhaps, this was not just his personal scheme. Perhaps it was a task entrusted to him by the Shamanic Court, or even the Imperial Court itself?

If this was merely the shaman’s own doing, Shanglu knew he must quickly find a way to report his discovery to the county magistrate and the registrar, so they could immediately escalate the matter and ask the Shamanic Court to send someone to purge this evil. But if it was the latter… then this nation was rotten to its very core, and truly doomed!

A whirlwind of doubts and suspicions filled Shanglu’s mind, sending cold sweat streaming down his back. He couldn’t help but wonder if he should immediately lead his constables away from this place, lest the shaman decide to feed them to the monstrous serpent lurking in the mist, waiting to transform. But if things weren’t as he suspected, would that not mean they’d be charged with desertion in the face of the enemy?

Before Shanglu could make up his mind, a faint sound drifted down from the sky. He looked up quickly and saw a figure flying overhead at great speed, heading toward their right. It was a paper figure riding on a paper bird. But it wore no tall hat, so it was probably not the same one they’d encountered before.

Shanglu was the first to spot the paper figure riding its bird. When he looked up, Liu, the deputy constable, and the others followed his gaze and gasped in surprise.

“Chief Shang, that’s the area Old Huang and his men are patrolling. Why is that paper figure heading there? Did something happen to them?”

“Let’s go take a look.”

Shanglu put aside his suspicions for the moment and led Liu and the others in pursuit of the paper figure. He didn’t know what trouble Old Huang’s group might have encountered, but as the head constable, he had to check for himself.

Fortunately, he still had the shamanic talismans and exorcist mask. Though he suspected the shaman of foul play, as long as the shaman hadn’t moved against them, these items were still their defense. Yet, if the shaman truly meant them harm, those very talismans and masks could become deadly weapons against them! He needed to find a way to be prepared…

As Shanglu ran, he considered possible countermeasures. There were no paths in the forest, so they hacked their way forward with ox-tail blades as they ran, which cost them some time before they finally reached the area Old Huang was responsible for.

From afar, they spotted Huang, face twisted in anger, cursing loudly, with several white-clad constables trailing behind, trying to calm him. But there was no sign of the paper figure or any demons and spies. Nor did Huang and his men look like they’d been in any danger.

Startled by the noise, Huang and his men drew their blades and shouted for the intruders to identify themselves. When they recognized Shanglu and his group, they were quite surprised.

“Chief Shang! Old Liu! What brings you here?”

“Old Huang, nothing happened to you here?”

Liu was surprised as well, since they seemed unharmed. Huang bristled at the question—had it not been Shanglu, he might have cursed outright.

“What kind of question is that—are you hoping something did happen to us?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Liu explained hastily. “We saw a paper figure riding a bird flying this way and feared you were in danger, so we followed it here. I’m glad you’re all right.”

Once Huang understood, his expression softened somewhat. He bowed to thank Shanglu and Liu for their concern, then, still muttering, recounted what had happened:

“We took a wrong turn and accidentally left the mountain. We were just about to turn back when that paper figure on the bird chased us down, cursed us out, and ordered us to return to our patrol immediately, or else we’d be executed on the spot for desertion. Damn it, I’ve never in my life been threatened by a paper man! If it weren’t for the shaman’s authority, I’d have torn it apart and pissed on it for good measure!”

“Old Huang, don’t boast—you think you could tear apart those paper figures with your cultivation? Just hope they don’t tear you to pieces instead!” Liu, though he hadn’t seen the paper figures in action, had witnessed the ghostly hand dispatch a spy in an instant. He told the tale to Huang and urged him not to provoke the paper figures, lest worse befall him.

Huang was visibly shaken, though he stubbornly refused to admit it.

“Paper figures or not, I’m not afraid. Damn it, when I get back, I’ll burn them a paper wife and seventeen or eighteen paper kids. Let’s see if they still have the energy to scold me then.”

Shanglu remained silent. From Huang’s account, he gleaned a crucial detail: as soon as Huang and his men left the mountain, the paper figure chased them down and drove them back. So the paper figures in the sky weren’t only searching for demons, ghosts, and spies that had entered the mountain—they were also keeping watch on them.

But was this surveillance merely to prevent desertion, or was there some deeper intent? For instance… was the shaman really planning to feed them to the monster lurking in the mist, and so set the paper figures to watch them, preventing any escape?

If possible, Shanglu would have liked to lead his constables out of Yunhua Mountain at once. But what happened to Huang proved that running was futile and would only alert their enemies. He would have to find another way.

As Shanglu pondered, a look of shock appeared on the faces of several constables beside him. They pointed behind him.

“Look! The fog is rolling down the mountain!”

“Wow, what a sight!”

Shanglu whirled around to see the monstrous fog on the mountain surging down like a breached dam, billowing toward them with overwhelming force, threatening to engulf them all!