This celestial master cultivates both physical and magical arts; why did you provoke him?

In response to Fang Zijian's question.

Xia En clicked his tongue and then said, "Nonsense! What do you think?"

"Those lightning bolts you just saw..."

"You saw it?"

"I saw it."

Xia En nodded: "Go back to sleep."

Fang Zijian was stunned: "That's it?"

"Otherwise what?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll tell others?"

Xia En looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"You want to tell everyone?" He pointed to himself. "Do you think anyone will believe you?"

Fang Zijian fell silent.

Indeed, if he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, and someone had told him that someone had struck lightning with their hand and taken down three evil creatures in three seconds, he would have thought that person was out of their mind.

"Besides," Shane patted his shoulder, "you're a reporter, right?"

Fang Zijian nodded.

"Then you'd be even less likely to say it."

Why?

"Because if you tell anyone, no one will believe you; instead, people will think you're crazy."

Xia En said, "What will you do then? Will you still be able to work as a reporter?"

Fang Zijian opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Xia En withdrew his hand and yawned: "Alright, go back to sleep. We have important business to attend to tomorrow."

"What important matter is it?"

"Investigate that underground passage."

Fang Zijian's eyes lit up: "I'll go with you!"

Xia En looked at him and remained silent for two seconds.

"Okay," he said, "but on one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"Don't get in my way."

Fang Zijian nodded vigorously.

Xia En turned and walked into the building.

Fang Zijian followed, took a few steps, and then looked back.

The female ghost named Cuihua was squatting on the ground, using a strange method to gather the black water into a ball, and then stuffing it into a jar that she had found from somewhere.

Seeing him turn around, the female ghost gave him what she thought was a friendly smile.

That face, that face as white as chalk, with two black holes in its eye sockets, paired with a grin that stretched all the way to its ears.

Fang Zijian felt a chill run down his spine, quickly turned around, and dashed off after Xia En.

The next morning at eight o'clock, at the entrance of Qingheju.

Xia En stood on the steps, holding a steamed bun in her hand, eating while looking at her phone.

Fang Zijian came out of the building with dark circles under his eyes. When he saw him, he greeted him weakly.

"morning."

"Didn't sleep well?"

What do you think?

Fang Zijian rubbed his eyes. "My neighbor is a Taoist priest who can unleash thunder, and there's a female ghost lurking in the backyard. How am I supposed to sleep?"

Xia En stuffed the last bite of the bun into her mouth: "You'll get used to it."

"Can you get used to this?"

"Yes." Shane clapped his hands. "I've been like this since I was a child."

Fang Zijian was silent for two seconds, then decided to change the subject: "Where are we going today?"

"The old town," Shane said. "Find that underpass."

"How do I find it?"

Xia En thought for a moment: "Let's ask someone first."

"Who?"

"That criminal investigation team member from last night, Chen Guodong."

An hour later, at the Old Town Police Station.

After listening to Xia En's words, Chen Guodong remained silent for a full minute.

"You mean," he said slowly, "that the real culprits in the disappearances are four evil entities?"

"Three," Shane corrected him. "I took down three last night, and I also subdued the other one."

"You accepted it?"

"It means they've been incorporated."

"She helps me with the work now," Shane said.

Chen Guodong fell silent again.

He had been a criminal investigator for twenty years and had seen all sorts of bizarre cases, but this was the first time he had ever heard of "recruiting evil beings."

"Where's the evidence?" he asked.

Xia En took out his phone from his pocket, showed him the photos, and handed them to him.

The photo shows the bronze plaque and that strange eye symbol.

"What is this?"

"Found on one of the evil creatures."

Shane said, "They say someone is summoning them, coming from the underground passage. This symbol might be the mark of that summoner."

Chen Guodong stared at the symbol for a long time, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

"I've never seen this before."

"That's normal." Xia En put his phone away. "You police are in charge of people, but we're in charge of people who aren't people."

Chen Guodong: "..."

Why does this sound so awkward?

"Then what do you need me to do?" he asked.

"Underground plans for the old city," Shane said. "Are there any old tunnels, air-raid shelters, or anything like that?"

Chen Guodong thought for a moment and said, "Yes."

He pulled a roll of yellowed blueprints from the cabinet and spread it out on the table.

"This is a map of the old town from the 1960s. A number of air-raid shelters were dug back then, but they were later abandoned and most of them were filled in."

Xia En leaned closer to take a look.

The drawing was covered with dense lines and symbols. After looking at it for a while, he pointed to one of the dots and asked, "Where is this?"

Chen Guodong leaned closer for a look: "The old grain depot site. There really is an air-raid shelter underneath, quite large one."

"And now?"

"It's been abandoned for decades, and the entrances and exits are all sealed off."

Xia En nodded, took out his phone, and took a picture.

"Okay, I'll go take a look."

Chen Guodong hesitated for a moment: "Should I send someone with you?"

"No need, Captain Chen."

Xia En stood up. "Too many people will only cause trouble."

He walked to the door, then turned back: "By the way, the wall in the backyard of Qingheju collapsed last night. Could you please tell them that I did it and that I'll pay whatever compensation they ask for?"

Chen Guodong was taken aback: "How did you collapse it?"

"Some evil spirit bumped into it."

Chen Guodong: "..."

Well, he couldn't refute that reason.

Two o'clock in the afternoon, at the site of the old grain depot.

It was called a grain depot, but it was really just a few dilapidated red brick buildings with broken doors and windows and vines climbing all over the walls.

The surrounding area was a large wasteland, overgrown with waist-high weeds.

Xia En stood in front of those houses and looked around.

Fang Zijian followed behind him, looking around: "Is this it? It doesn't look like there's anything here."

"Underground, not above ground," Xia En said, taking three talismans from his pocket and handing two to Fang Zijian. "Here you go."

Fang Zijian took the talisman: "What's this?"

"Amulet," Shane said. "Keep it close to your body, don't lose it."

Fang Zijian quickly put the talisman into his pocket.

Xia En folded the last talisman into a triangle, held it between his fingers, and walked towards the houses.

We walked through the wasteland and entered the house in the very center.

The inside was empty, with broken bricks and tiles scattered all over the floor and moss growing in the corners.

Xia En circled around and finally stopped in a corner.

There was a rusty tin cover there, with several large stones pressing against its edge.

Xia En bent down and moved the stones aside.

Each stone weighed dozens of kilograms, but he lifted it with one hand as if it were a plastic bag and tossed it aside casually.

Fang Zijian's eyelids twitched as he watched from the side.

After moving the stones, Shane lifted the metal cover.

Below, a black hole was revealed, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

A damp, musty smell wafted over, mixed with a faint, fishy odor.

Xia En squatted down and peeked inside.

It was dark; I couldn't see anything.

But he could sense that the yin energy was even stronger than it had been in the well the night before, so strong that it was almost solidified.

"This is it."

He stood up, turned to look at Fang Zijian, and said, "You wait here."

Fang Zijian was taken aback:

"Aren't you taking me down with you?"

"Why would I take you down there? To cause me trouble?"

"I……"

"Stop talking nonsense." Xia En interrupted him. "If I'm not up here in two hours, go find Chen Guodong and tell him to seal this place off."

Fang Zijian opened his mouth as if to say something, but when he saw Xia En's eyes, he swallowed his words back.

"Then... be careful."

Xia En nodded and jumped into the black hole.