Chapter 35: The Illness

“How many times has this happened?” The blue-robed man beside Hu Fu couldn’t help but ask urgently.

Shao Laoye’s expression grew heavier with worry. “Every single day.”

“What!” Everyone was shocked. “He leaves his body every night?”

“Yes!” Shao Laoye nodded. “Every night at midnight, my son mysteriously leaves his room. I have even sent servants to keep watch, but no matter how closely they guard, he always manages to leave. It’s as if he simply vanishes from the room, only to reappear in his bed the next morning. And on him…” Shao Laoye’s face suddenly shifted, flashing with horror. “He always carries strange… bloodstains!”

“Blood?” The cultivators’ expressions grew grim, their thoughts darkening. Disappearing at night and returning with blood—could it be…

Clang!

The tense atmosphere was shattered by a crisp sound from beneath the table. Yun Jiao’s bamboo tube had somehow tipped over, knocking into a nearby bowl of soup. The bowl fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

The already nervous group jumped in fright. Silence filled the room, broken only by the rolling sound of the green bamboo tube spinning across the tabletop. All eyes turned sharply toward Yun Jiao.

She froze, only to hear a familiar deep voice transmitting in her ear:

“Hmph, pig slop!”

His tone dripped with disdain, full of contempt that such disgusting food could even be served.

Only Yun Jiao and Bai Yu heard it.

Yun Jiao: “…”

Bai Yu: “…”

The scene grew awkward.

After a moment, Yun Jiao pressed her hand on the spinning bamboo tube, her face serious as ever. She calmly turned toward Bai Yu and said, “Sorry, his hands slipped. He’s old.”

As expected, all accusing eyes immediately swiveled away from her and landed on Bai Yu instead, full of blame.

The old man, wrongly accused: “…” Meow meow meow?

(⊙_⊙)?

Why is it me again?!

“It’s fine, it’s fine! Just one bowl, we’ll fetch another,” Shao Laoye quickly smoothed things over, summoning servants to clean up the shards before urging everyone to continue eating.

The others, though still dissatisfied, could hardly scold him over a broken bowl, so they turned away and ignored him.

Bai Yu: “…” Damn it!

He sneaked a glance at Yun Jiao’s bamboo tube, full of grievance—but dared not say a word.

·()·

He feared if the Patriarch got upset, it wouldn’t just be a bowl overturned, but the whole table flipped. True, the dishes weren’t as good as what the girl cooked—but couldn’t the Patriarch endure just a little while outside?

Yun Jiao, however, calmly opened her bag, took out a few pastries, and stuffed them into the bamboo tube. Instantly, the tube fell silent as if nothing had happened.

“Shao Laoye!” The cultivators resumed their discussion. “I suspect your son has been tainted by something far beyond ordinary evil, which is why his condition never improves. Vanishing every night at midnight—surely he is being lured away. To save him, we must first identify the culprit.”

“Indeed!” another added. “We should keep watch tonight, face the entity ourselves.”

The rest nodded, all agreeing to stay behind and investigate the truth.

“Excellent. I’ll leave my son in your hands!” Shao Laoye was overjoyed and quickly ordered servants to prepare guest rooms. “It’s still early, masters may rest first.”

None refused. After finishing their meal, they rose and followed the servants to their quarters. Yun Jiao and her companions also went to their assigned room.

———

Though told to rest, the cultivators immediately busied themselves. Some set up arrays, others pasted talismans—each determined to be the one to succeed at the exorcism.

Only Yun Jiao’s group of three did nothing.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to—it was that they couldn’t. Yun Jiao practiced spiritual medicine, Bai Yu only knew how to draw talismans, and Old Zhou was merely a fortune-teller with theories but no practical skill. Even if they wanted to prepare, they wouldn’t know where to start.

Their idleness earned them scorn. The others all but branded them conmen with their eyes.

As night deepened, tension thickened. One by one, the cultivators surrounded Shao Xian’s quarters, waiting for the evil entity to appear. The later the hour grew, the colder the air became, as if threads of chill seeped directly into their bones.

They stood guard for hours, but no anomalies appeared. Nearing midnight, the world grew darker, even the moon swallowed by clouds. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the courtyard. The already frigid air dropped further.

“It’s here!” someone cried.

Immediately, talismans were raised, magical tools drawn, all eyes fixed on the room. Yet the wind, instead of bursting in, simply faded away as abruptly as it had come. Nothing happened.

“Huh?” Everyone was stunned. Had the evil not arrived? Or had it sensed their watch? They waited a long while longer, but there was still no change, as though the gust had been mere coincidence.

“Strange,” Bai Yu muttered, frowning. “Didn’t they say it happened every night at midnight? But it’s already past…”

Yun Jiao’s gaze lingered on the tightly shut door. Her eyes darkened as she suddenly spoke. “Don’t you think… it’s too quiet in there?”

“What?” Bai Yu froze. His face drained of color as his eyes widened. “Damn! Shao Gongzi!”

He bolted for the room. The others instinctively tried to stop him, afraid he would ruin the protective seals, but Bai Yu had already rushed in.

A cry rang out: “He’s gone!”

Inside, the room was completely empty. The bed where Shao Xian had lain was vacant. Even the talismans showed no signs of disturbance, as if the person inside had simply vanished into thin air.

“This… how is this possible!” The others who followed stared in disbelief. “We clearly sealed the room with talismans!”

Yun Jiao’s eyes flicked to the bed, then turned sharply to Bai Yu. “Old man, the Tracking Talisman!”

Startled, Bai Yu quickly recovered. “Right, right!” He fumbled out a talisman, infused it with intent, and it transformed into a paper crane. The crane circled the room, then shot out the window.

“After it!” Everyone rushed out at once, chasing the paper crane. Yun Jiao’s group joined too.

The crane flew swiftly, as though locked on a target, heading straight north. Afraid to lose it, some cultivators even used Shrinking-Ground talismans to keep up.

On and on the paper crane flew, leaving the city behind, speeding up as it went.

Even with the help of talismans, the group panted heavily after more than an hour of pursuit through rugged mountain paths. Only then did the crane slow, finally halting above a desolate area. It returned to Bai Yu’s palm, ignited, and turned to ash.

“What place is this?” Hu Fu gasped for breath, scanning the surroundings. The land was bleak and barren, with nothing but human-height dead grass and scattered stones. “Where is Shao Gongzi?” The crane had followed his aura here—yet there was no trace of him.

(End of Chapter)