Stepdaughter of a wealthy family? The little darling of a Beijing tycoon

"Natural gathering of yin energy only causes evil spirits and disrupts people's fortune, at most causing them to suffer from constant illness and disaster. But this place can cause people to disappear without a trace, neither alive nor dead, and even cause people to have opera performances at midnight, auditory hallucinations, and visual hallucinations. This is because someone has set up a trapping yin energy array to devour people's energy and lock their souls."

Lin Yueru's heart tightened: "Then...are all those missing hikers and villagers trapped inside the formation?"

"It's highly likely that the soul is trapped, while the physical body is trapped in the formation." Shen Jingshu's tone was calm, but every word was chilling. "This formation is quite old and deeply rooted. The closer you get to the center of the village, the stronger the malevolent energy becomes."

Upon hearing this, Xuanfeng's expression became even more respectful: "Senior's cultivation is profound, and you were able to see the crux of the problem at a glance. Tomorrow when we enter the mountain, we will need Senior to take the lead, and Yue Ru and I will assist from the side."

Shen Jingshu nodded slightly: "Rest well tonight. The yin energy is strongest at dawn, so it's not advisable to go into the mountains then. We'll go in when the yang energy begins to rise at daybreak."

The three finalized their plan and carefully checked the route, talismans, and magical artifacts to ensure they were fully prepared.

The night outside was dark and deep, with the distant, barren mountains stretching out in a dark, eerily silent expanse, with only the faint, almost imperceptible sound of the wind howling from the depths of the mountains.

Everyone knew that what awaited them when they stepped into that abandoned Xiaowang Village tomorrow would be far from a simple matter.

The night was silent.

The three returned to their rooms to recuperate and replenish their spiritual energy, waiting for dawn to break the deadlock.

The next morning, the three of them checked out of the hotel.

The plump hotel owner, seeing them carrying backpacks and luggage, greeted them with a friendly smile and spoke in somewhat broken Mandarin: "Where are you three headed? Judging from your accents, you're not locals, are you?"

Lin Yueru made up an excuse on the spot: "Auntie, we are college students who came to the mountains to sketch."

"Oh, so you're college students. You look like you're doing well in school. You're all good kids." The landlady nodded and earnestly advised, "But I'd like to give you a friendly reminder: when you go sketching in the mountains, don't just ask to stay overnight in any of the villages. No matter how late you play, be sure to get back to town before dark."

Lin Yueru feigned confusion: "What's wrong, Auntie? We were thinking that if we stayed too late in the mountains, we could find a farmhouse nearby to stay the night."

The proprietress quickly waved her hand, her expression showing more apprehension: "That's absolutely impossible, it's not safe in the mountains at night."

Lin Yueru pressed on, "Auntie, do you know something inside?"

The proprietress glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then lowered her voice and whispered, "I'm only telling you this quietly. Lately, strange things have been happening one after another in that Xiaowang Village. Several groups of young people, some adventuring, others like you sketching in the mountains, have all disappeared. The police have searched the mountain several times, turning everything upside down, but they've never found them, neither alive nor dead. That place is incredibly eerie; you young people, please, please don't go near there."

"I see. We were planning to go there for sketching, and a classmate told us that the scenery in the mountains there is particularly beautiful. After hearing what you said, we're a little hesitant to go."

"Don't go, don't go! Quickly find another place!" The proprietress waved her hands repeatedly, her tone very earnest. "You young people, especially the two pretty girls, need to be extra careful."

As she spoke, her gaze lingered on Shen Jingshu for a few extra moments. Shen Jingshu was strikingly beautiful, with delicate and bright eyes. The proprietress had never seen such a pretty and charming girl before, and she felt increasingly worried for the group.

The three thanked the proprietress for her kindness, shouldered their backpacks, and said goodbye. They randomly found a breakfast stall in town, each finished a bowl of hot noodles, then took out a map to check their location and drove towards Xiaowang Village.

The further they drove, the more remote and desolate the road became. When they reached the foot of a mountain, the road ended abruptly, and there was no more road ahead. The group had no choice but to park the SUV in a safe spot by the roadside, pack up their magical artifacts, talismans, and supplies, and prepare to hike into the mountains.

All three were dressed in neat sportswear and wore durable sneakers, making it easy to climb the mountain. After getting ready, they set off into the deep forest.

On their way into the mountains, Xuanfeng held a paper map, while Lin Yueru held up her phone and turned on navigation. But the deeper they went into the forest, the weaker the phone signal became, until finally the screen completely lost signal, rendering the navigation useless.

At this moment, Xuanfeng calmly took out a satellite phone from his backpack and then took out a compass and held it in his hand.

Shen Jingshu glanced at him and thought to herself, "This kid is quite thoughtful and has made thorough preparations."

Seeing this, Lin Yueru couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Haha, I knew it was the easiest mission with Senior Brother Xuanfeng! He's always so well-prepared!"

Xuanfeng smiled faintly: "I just did my homework beforehand and anticipated that the signal would be cut off in these deep mountains."

The three chatted as they walked, but their pace never faltered. After all, they were all cultivators, and this mountain path was no burden for them.

After hiking for about two hours, the outline of the village finally came into view.

The three stopped at the village entrance. Two tall wooden stakes stood there, with a wooden plaque between them bearing the simple and ancient characters "Xiao Wang Village," exuding a sense of antiquity.

"We've arrived. This is Xiaowang Village."

The three exchanged glances, none of them daring to step into the village. They all stood still, their expressions wary, their eyes carefully scanning their surroundings.

The surroundings were deathly silent; there was no sound of roosters crowing or dogs barking, and not a single human being in sight. The wind swept across the desolate village entrance, swirling up the dry fallen leaves on the ground, and a cold, damp, and menacing aura was slowly creeping towards them.

Looking around, one sees rows of mud-brick houses scattered throughout the village, their roofs covered with old gray tiles, all of them old-style bungalows. It's clear that Xiaowang Village wasn't well-off in the past; most of these houses were built and have survived from decades ago.

From a distance, there were only a dozen or so courtyards, but the whole village was eerily silent. There was no sound of roosters crowing or dogs barking, no birds or beasts in sight, not a trace of smoke or human presence. It was so quiet that even the wind seemed to have quieted down.

Shen Jingshu slowly opened her Heavenly Eye.

The moment the view unfolded, the entire village was enveloped in thick, surging black mist. The heavy yin energy, like a black fog, covered every inch of land, rising continuously from the cracks in the ground and pressing heavily on the village.

The yin energy was not the scattered chill carried by wandering ghosts, but rather a malevolent aura overflowing from the depths of the earth's veins. It was heavy and sticky, and it rushed towards you. Just standing at the entrance of the village, you could feel your body temperature suddenly drop by several degrees.

Lin Yueru also frowned and raised her hand to cover her mouth and nose. Even without opening her Heavenly Eye, her physical body could feel the chilling cold that made her feel uncomfortable all over.

Xuanfeng gripped the compass tightly in his hand, only to see the compass needle spinning wildly and rapidly, unable to pinpoint the direction, emitting a faint buzzing vibration.