I slay evil in the Department of the Supernatural

"Xu, Xu Lindong?"

After seeing Xu Lindong's figure clearly, Gu Yi's dazed eyes gradually regained focus.

Then he hissed again, looking at his palm, which had inexplicably been scalded and was covered in blisters like a pig's trotter.

"I..."

"You were just possessed by a wandering spirit, and it probably drained a lot of your yang energy. I was lucky enough to use the Kitchen God's Descent to scare the spirit away..."

Xu Lindong briefly explained the situation, then urged, "If you can get up, get up quickly. We need to leave here immediately; there might be other wandering spirits here!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yi shuddered, immediately scrambled to his feet, glanced back, and saw the ancient house shrouded in mist not far away. His face instantly turned ashen, as if his wife had died.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go quickly!"

Gu Yi urged him immediately.

Xu Lindong turned around and hurried along the route indicated by the recorder.

Along the way, he noticed charred burn marks and scattered bits of ashes on the ground.

These are likely traces left by Lei Chong.

"Lei Chong is very likely also haunted by the wandering spirit. He followed the safe route planned by the recorder, so if we follow it, we'll most likely find him."

Xu Lindong spoke quickly as he sped up.

At the same time, he took out the offerings he had made earlier from his backpack and began to eat them, thus restoring his extraordinary powers.

Secretly, he mobilized his merits and used the power of the Tower of Babel to calm the gradually restless supernatural substances within his body.

Having used the Kitchen God twice in succession and unleashed the zombie power within his body, he had consumed an excessive amount of extraordinary power.

At this moment, the energy within my body is surging and must be channeled and suppressed immediately to deal with any potential crises ahead.

"There are... there are still wandering spirits?!"

Gu Yi's face turned pale. He looked around in a panic, almost wanting to turn around and find another way.

I really don't want to be sucked dry again. He's already drained, not a drop left.

If I keep inhaling, I won't be able to explain myself when I get back, and I might even develop erectile dysfunction in middle age.

You can't exactly tell your wife, "I don't want to do my homework, I'm going to go out and get sucked dry by a ghost."

He was lost in thought.

Suddenly, Xu Lindong stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed intently ahead.

A raised mound of earth, shaped like a grave, was made entirely of stove ash.

The surface of the ash pile was still glowing with embers, and three incense sticks were stuck in it.

"It's Lei Chong!"

"Lei Chong buried himself?!"

Upon seeing the small mound of ashes piled up in front of him, Gu Yi, who was also a stove official, immediately recognized Lei Chong's current condition and his expression changed slightly.

Xu Lindong glanced around warily and said in a deep voice, "He's in very bad shape. Either he's suffering from a backlash from the supernatural substance in his body, or he's been seriously injured by a wandering spirit. He can only survive by burying himself in the ashes of the stove."

He paused, then continued, "He's betting that we can escape and find him."

"Fortunately, he made the right bet."

Xu Lindong said that he had confirmed there was no danger in the vicinity.

If a wandering spirit is nearby, the Tower of Babel on his neck and the Corpse Heart will react.

He immediately stepped forward, pulled out a machete from his back, and quickly shoveled away the ashes from the stove.

Beneath the mound of earth, Lei Chong's eyes, ears, and nose were revealed, his face deathly pale, as if he had lost all life.

Only the three incense sticks in his mouth were still burning faintly, and they had just been exposed to the ashes, as if maintaining some kind of balance.

"This is... the kitchen god's secret technique, 'holding three incense sticks in his mouth'!"

Gu Yi examined it carefully, recognized the method, and was slightly surprised.

"A secret technique?" Xu Lindong's heart skipped a beat.

He had heard of the secret technique; it was a niche ability that sequence superhumans had figured out on their own.

Some became family heirlooms, some were divided into different sects, and others were handed over to departments such as the Bureau of Divine Wonders, which could be redeemed based on authority and merit contributions.

Abilities like offerings, stove ash, and stove fire are relatively common among stove officials, and many extraordinary individuals can figure them out on their own.

However, if you want to unleash a powerful move like "The Descent of the Kitchen God," you'll have to rely on your strength and talent.

The secret techniques are different, with a more unique style, and can also be redeemed in the Department of Mysteries.

However, it requires the authority of a Level 1 Executive Officer and sufficient merit.

Xu Lindong had noticed it before, but because he was short of money, he didn't investigate it further.

"Given his current condition, is it possible to dig him out and take him away?"

Xu Lindong looked at Gu Yi, who seemed to know more about this secret technique.

Gu Yi shook his head, then nodded. "I'm not too clear on the details either, but logically, since it's already safe, we can dig it out first."

As for the incense in his mouth, it's best not to touch it; it's likely used to suppress the extraordinary substances within his body.

"That makes sense," Xu Lindong agreed.

He recognized the three sticks as stove incense, which functioned similarly to the calming incense used to suppress the restlessness of the underground sequence.

Lei Chong is probably on the verge of suffering a backlash from his extraordinary abilities.

The two immediately took action and dug Lei Chong out of the ground, without touching the incense in his mouth the entire time.

However, the incense had already burned more than halfway, and if they couldn't escape before it burned out, the situation would probably be dire.

"You hold him, we'll get out of here."

After Xu Lindong finished speaking, Gu Yi immediately picked up Lei Chong, who was still holding the incense stick in his mouth, and carried him in his arms.

Gu Yi is also a seasoned veteran of society, realistic but also sensible.

Xu Lindong is capable and reliable; you can't go wrong by listening to him.

Gu Yi had no objections and cooperated readily.

Xu Lindong wasn't idle either; he took advantage of Gu Yi picking up Lei Chong.

He quickly squatted down, carefully selecting some dark-colored old stove soil whose supernatural power had not yet been exhausted, and dug it out, putting it into his backpack.

He recognized it at a glance as the kind of expensive item that Sili had exchanged.

I spent 800 merit points to get two kilograms before, and now there are at least six or seven kilograms left on the ground.

He would feel a pang of regret if he didn't take it with him and just left it there, just like a normal person seeing a pile of gold but not picking it up and taking it with him.

After he finished packing most of it, he looked up at Gu Yi, who had a subtle expression, and asked, "Do you want it? Lei Chong probably won't chase after you when he wakes up. He's obviously very wealthy and doesn't care about this little bit."

Gu Yi quickly shook his head: "I brought enough, no need."

Xu Lindong didn't stand on ceremony and put them all into his bag.

He finally understood that these veteran executives were all well-off and had no idea about the poverty of a newcomer like him.

"withdraw!"

After scooping out the ashes from the stove, Xu Lindong got up, picked up his bags, and left.

Gu Yi quickly followed, carrying Lei Chong who was holding the incense stick.

He looked at the young man in front of him, who was covered in packages and carrying a strange-looking chimney pipe, and his eyes couldn't help but look at him strangely.

This young man usually seems quite amiable, like an ordinary, harmless college student.

But when danger strikes, their sharpness is revealed, like a drawn sword, cold and ruthless, hurting anyone who gets in their way, yet they remain extremely calm, not reckless or mindless.

Now, Gu Yi has witnessed his greedy side as well.

"Being greedy is good, being a little greedy is good too. It's better to cater to someone's preferences than to be a cold, hard stone!"

Gu Yi thought to himself, quickened his pace, and caught up with the powerful young man in front of him.

...

Meanwhile, deep within the sinkhole, inside the ancient ancestral hall courtyard.

Three figures stood in the courtyard, their auras fierce and their bodies disheveled.

One person's right arm was severed at the elbow, and the break was a bloody mess.

The other person was covered in clay-like mud and sand, but the wounds emitted a strong stench of decay. The flesh was turned inside out and kept peeling off, resembling a rotting corpse, a horrifying sight.

Only the middle-aged man in the middle was in slightly better condition.

He was wearing a tattered ancient general's armor and carrying a heavy, golden tiger-headed broadsword. The armor was covered with cuts and dents, but he himself was not seriously injured.

He was Zheng Feng, the director of the Eastern District of the Jiangcheng Bureau of Mysteries.

The three of them stared intently at the depths of the ancestral hall opposite, where several black coffins were shaking violently, emitting eerie sounds and scraping noises...

...