[Everyone, look! Why are there suddenly so many little footprints on this dirt road?]
Little footprints gradually appeared in the loose dirt, leading deeper into the fog.
At the same time, the little girls’ voices grew clearer.
“Come here, come here, big sister. Hurry…”
They called to A Xá as if welcoming a guest from afar.
“Don’t be afraid. Repeat after me.”
“Three Pure Ones, let your radiance steady my mind and spirit. With firm resolve, keep evil far from me.”
…
“I found… I found it!”
After walking for a long while, A Xá stopped in front of a massive tree and raised her camera. Its branches and leaves were thick and lush, and the leaves rustled.
The fog gradually cleared, revealing the entire tree.
Countless red cords hung from its branches, with long locks of hair tied to them.
Most of the hair belonged to the little demons.
The Strange Records of the Occult Gate described an ancient and cruel sacrificial rite.
Girls born in a yin month on the full moon were chosen and raised in dark cellars, never allowed to see sunlight. When they turned eight, their hair was cut and woven into a formation, then tied to a tree growing in a yin place to inform the gods how many people would be sacrificed this time.
After that, some were hanged from the tree. Trees belong to Wood and correspond to the Xun position;
next, some had stones tied to them and were drowned in a pond. Ponds belong to Water and correspond to the Kan position;
some were buried alive, corresponding to the Kun position.
…
The last children would be burned alive, corresponding to the Li position.
The process required many children born in a yin month on the full moon. To get enough, they imprisoned women and made them all conceive at the same time. The unborn children were taken from their mothers’ bodies before their due dates.
Every step of the sacrificial rite was horrifically cruel. It was a forbidden art that no one in the Huyền Môn was ever allowed to practice.
When I saw the young child spirits in Ai Thôn, I had my suspicions, but I still hoped I was wrong. I prayed A Xá wouldn’t find that tree.
But the truth was otherwise.
“Little Master, what’s wrong?”
When I’d been silent for a while, A Xá asked.
I sighed softly and shook my head, composing myself. “What comes next will be very dangerous. A Xá, are you ready?”
“Yes! Go ahead, Little Master. I can’t get out anyway, so I have to try, no matter how dangerous it is.”
“Good. Go to the southeast side of this tree, three finger-widths from the trunk, and dig a hole as deep as you can.”
A Xá quickly finished digging the hole.
“What now?”
I paused, then said, “A Xá, I need you to drip a few drops of blood into it. Your fate is unusual. Using your blood as a guide and drawing on the evil energy of this tree, I can summon the gods and spirits to pinpoint your location and find Ai Thôn.”
Who wouldn’t be afraid of being asked to drip blood in a place this eerie?
Sure enough, the comments began to go wild:
[Don’t trust her. Blood isn’t something you can just spill wherever. How do you know this kid isn’t trying to use you to raise a little demon?]
[I thought you two were in on it at first, but I just asked a relative who’s a Taoist priest to watch the livestream. He says the yin energy here is overwhelming and there really are ghosts. Ma’am, I can’t believe you weren’t lying to us.]
[Then you definitely shouldn’t spill blood. That’s terrifying!]
A Xá had encountered ghosts and demons since she was little. She surely knew her blood would attract all kinds of filthy, unknown things.
At that moment, A Xá pressed her lips together, hesitating.
“Forget it.”
I gave a soft laugh. “If it really angers the old demon behind all this, that would be trouble. I’ll think of another way.”
“No!”
A Xá lifted her head and looked at me through the screen. “Little Master, I trust you! No one has ever been willing to help me. Everyone thought I was crazy and sent me to an orphanage. When I was little, I dreamed someone told me to wait—to wait for the person destined to appear, who would help me escape this situation. I think you’re that person. Maybe I came here to show you the way.”
With that, A Xá picked up a sharp stone and cut into her palm.
Fresh blood welled up. As a drop fell to the ground, a demonic wind swept in, nearly knocking everyone off their feet.
Ghostly cries rang out again.
At the same time, a more powerful demon was heading this way.
“With my spirit’s eye, I summon your soul. I respectfully call upon Lord Trọng Quang! Appear!”
A gigantic shadow appeared, surrounding A Xá and driving back the little demons that had been stirring.
“Heaven above, earth below, reveal the phantom’s trail. Seek!”
As soon as the words left my mouth, a thin silver thread tied itself to my pinky and pointed in one direction.
“Found it.”
3
I reminded A Xá, “The gods and spirits I summoned are protecting you. Nothing will happen to you. Remember, don’t leave this tree before I come back!”
“Got it!”
I left the livestream, stood up, and got ready to go to Thần Miếu Thôn.
An Mạn arrived at my home with several men in black suits and knocked on the door.
She looked apologetic. “Miss Hạ Hầu, these men are from the Hứa Group. Mr. Đường has gone missing, and no one at the Bureau is available to take charge, so I had to bring them to you.”
The man in front glanced at me and frowned. “How much time did Mr. Hứa give you, and you still haven’t found the young lady? If you want to brush me off, you shouldn’t have picked a child.”
An Mạn’s expression turned cold. “Assistant Trương, this is Miss Hạ Hầu Thu, the only Psychic Master in the world. The entire Supernatural Affairs Bureau is no match for Miss Hạ Hầu alone. If you want to find someone, show her some respect.”
An Mạn was the Supernatural Affairs Bureau’s princess. When she got carried away, I genuinely worried she might slap Assistant Trương.
I hurried to reassure her. “There’s no need to get angry. I’ve found the location of Thần Miếu Thôn.”
“That’s wonderful! Miss Hạ Hầu, you’re amazing! Then let’s hurry and find Mr. Đường!”
Assistant Trương was still skeptical. “You believe a child? I don’t have time to play games with you. Miss Hứa has been missing for nearly a week. If she isn’t found, Hứa Group will immediately stop funding the Supernatural Affairs Bureau. Every one of you useless freeloaders will be out on your ear!”
This time, before An Mạn could speak, I snapped my fingers. Assistant Trương’s mouth instantly sealed shut, and he couldn’t open it.
I said coolly, “You come in the door yelling. You have no manners.”
Assistant Trương’s face turned crimson. His lips still wouldn’t part, and fear gradually appeared in his eyes.
I smiled. “Hứa Ngôn Ngôn has gone missing, and instead of calling the police, your boss came to a special organization like the Supernatural Affairs Bureau. When he sent you here, didn’t he tell you we’re all a little unusual?”
An Mạn puffed out her chest. “Exactly! How did someone with so little common sense become an assistant?”
Assistant Trương realized he’d failed to recognize a truly important person. He bent over and apologized.
I snapped my fingers again, lifting the seal on his mouth. He gasped for breath.
“I was too hasty. I’m sorry. Please, Little Master, save our young miss.”
As I watched the silver thread around my pinky gradually become wrapped in black qi, my expression darkened. “Tell me, Thần Miếu Thôn is a thousand miles away. How did the evil thing there target Hứa Ngôn Ngôn?”
Assistant Trương evaded the question. “How could we know what an evil thing is thinking?”
I sneered. “Those of us in this line of work believe in science, too. No matter how powerful an evil thing is, snatching someone from a thousand miles away is absurd. Hứa Ngôn Ngôn is only seven. If someone didn’t take her, did she fly to Thần Miếu Thôn to get herself killed?”
Assistant Trương was speechless.
I continued, “Thần Miếu Thôn has both a real and an illusory side. Over time, the real village was buried underground long ago. That’s why Hứa Ngôn Ngôn and Đường Hành were pulled into an illusion of Thần Miếu Thôn. A living person can’t enter an illusion.”
Unless someone has a special fate like A Xá, they can’t enter Thần Miếu Thôn in their real body.
I looked at Assistant Trương. “My guess is that Hứa Ngôn Ngôn’s body is still here in the city, and only her soul has left it. Am I right?”