“Brother.”

The sound echoed clearly and steadily in the quiet atmosphere.

Bai Fanlu saw that the end of the red jade cane, which had been pressing against his chin, was now held in Xiao Liu’s hand. He pushed it back slightly, moving it away from Bai Fanlu’s face.

At the other end, the cane was still gripped by the person inside the palanquin.

“Xiao Liu,” Bai Fanlu said in a low voice, signaling him not to act impulsively. Around them, the people instinctively backed away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

But Xiao Liu kept a firm grip on the cane, subtly shifting his body to stand in front of Bai Fanlu, his other hand hovering protectively at Bai Fanlu’s side.

Bai Fanlu couldn’t see Xiao Liu’s expression at that moment, but as he followed the length of the cane, he caught a glimpse inside the lifted curtain of the palanquin. The lower half of the man’s face was visible, and his thin lips curved into a playful smile.

Before he could speak, a soft, gentle voice came from within the palanquin.

“Let him go.”

The words were followed by two low coughs, sounding weak and hoarse, making it difficult to discern whether the speaker was male or female.

Bai Fanlu guessed that the person sitting next to the Lord of Yingzhou was likely the mermaid, the one referred to by the townsfolk as the Lord’s wife.

Following this gentle command, without any hesitation, the cane was withdrawn. Xiao Liu, caught off guard, stumbled forward as the cane was pulled back. Bai Fanlu quickly grabbed him, preventing him from falling under the palanquin.

“Immortal Brother, are you alright?” Back among the crowd, Xiao Liu asked Bai Fanlu in a low voice.

Hearing the familiar way Xiao Liu addressed him, Bai Fanlu realized that the earlier “brother” was likely an attempt to protect their identities. He thought to himself that, while the boy often seemed foolish and naive, he could be quite clever in critical moments.

However, Bai Fanlu was genuinely surprised by how Xiao Liu had fearlessly stood in front of him.

Bai Fanlu shook his head. “Next time, don’t be so reckless. You forget, I’m stronger than you.”

Xiao Liu smiled sheepishly. “You’re right, I know.” But then he added, “But I couldn’t stand seeing that man poke you with a stick.”

After saying this, he moved closer, reaching out to touch Bai Fanlu’s chin. “It’s all red… does it hurt? Let me rub it for you.”

Bai Fanlu quickly grabbed his hand.

While everyone else around them kept their heads down, not daring to breathe, the two of them were still whispering to each other.

Bai Fanlu first checked the reactions of the people around them, then glanced at the palanquin moving away in the distance, its crimson veil slightly lifted by the wind.

Although he only caught a glimpse of a side profile, Bai Fanlu distinctly felt that the person’s gaze had lingered on him for a brief moment.

It was strange. That day, all over the streets and alleys of Yingzhou, people were talking about one thing—the sacrificial procession had, for the first time, not selected any victims. It seemed as though the Lord and his wife had simply gone out for a stroll and then returned, without incident.

Apart from the nearby residents, no one knew about the incident in the middle of the procession, or the identity of the white-clothed person who had almost been chosen.

But Bai Fanlu couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

It wasn’t just the sensation of the cane against his chin; the lingering gaze from the Lord’s companion left him feeling as though he were sitting on pins and needles.

Moreover, it was highly unusual. How could it be that he had barely entered the city when, just after, there was an unscheduled sacrificial procession?

Bai Fanlu discreetly inquired at the inn and learned that there had already been ninety-eight sacrificial ceremonies, with one person taken each time, totaling ninety-eight individuals.

Bai Fanlu immediately recalled the “Nine-Nine Corpse Array” from the original story.

The difference was that in the original tale, when Yun Zhan and the protagonist arrived, there had already been ninety-nine ceremonies, but now there had only been ninety-eight.

Only one more to go… A strong intuition told Bai Fanlu that if he didn’t act soon, something terrible might happen by the end of the night.

And then there was Xiao Liu. Bai Fanlu rationalized that, at the very least, to avoid dragging him into this, they should leave Yingzhou City as quickly as possible and wait for Yun Zhan before making any further plans.

With this in mind, Bai Fanlu suddenly realized that Xiao Liu was no longer by his side.

They had been walking together on the street just a moment ago—Bai Fanlu gathering information while Xiao Liu, his mood already lightened after the earlier incident, was exploring the shops and attractions with youthful curiosity.

He was probably distracted by something interesting, Bai Fanlu thought. He retraced his steps but still couldn’t find him.

He recalled their last conversation, vaguely remembering Xiao Liu asking if something looked nice, to which Bai Fanlu had replied that it did. Then Xiao Liu had said he would go buy it.

It was pearls! Bai Fanlu remembered—they had passed by a pearl shop earlier.

He quickly headed back to the shop. Inside, there wasn’t a single customer, and the atmosphere was cold and desolate. Bai Fanlu found it odd, but before he could say anything, the shopkeeper heard his footsteps and timidly peeked out from behind the counter.

Seeing Bai Fanlu, the shopkeeper straightened his crooked hat and bowed. “What would you like to see, sir? Our shop has…”

“Sorry to interrupt, shopkeeper. I’m here to ask if a young man wearing gray clothes, about this tall, came by just now?”

As soon as Bai Fanlu gestured, the shopkeeper’s face changed dramatically. “You… you’re that young man’s friend?”

“What happened to him?” Bai Fanlu immediately sensed something was wrong.

“He… he was taken away by two officers.”

“Officers?!”

Seeing Bai Fanlu’s expression, the shopkeeper lowered his voice. “You must be from out of town, right? That young man looked like it too. Let me tell you, those ‘officers’ work for the city lord…”

The Lord of Yingzhou? Why would he take Xiao Liu? Could it be because Xiao Liu offended him? Pretending to let him go but secretly planning revenge?

The shopkeeper continued, “You’ve heard of the sacrificial procession, right? They take someone every time, but today they didn’t. Your friend is probably… well!”

Bai Fanlu knew what the shopkeeper’s sigh meant—it was a bad omen.

But, “He didn’t resist when they took him?”

At that time, Bai Fanlu should have been nearby. If there had been any commotion, he would have noticed right away. Xiao Liu was also street-smart, so it didn’t make sense for him to be captured so easily.

“Would resisting do any good? We’re just ordinary folks…” The shopkeeper paused, then muttered to himself, “But now that I think about it, he didn’t seem to resist much…”

Bai Fanlu gritted his teeth, fearing that Xiao Liu had deliberately not resisted, not wanting to alert him.

What he had feared had finally happened.

The Lord’s mansion of Yingzhou, from the outside, looked like any ordinary official residence. But upon looking up, one could notice that the sky above this area—right by the East Sea’s edge—formed a distinct boundary, as if a thin but heavy layer of air loomed over the building. Standing before it brought an inexplicable sense of oppression.

There were two guards at the gate. Bai Fanlu observed them from a distance before deciding to leave temporarily.

He couldn’t storm in, but he also couldn’t leave Xiao Liu behind.

Bai Fanlu thought of the cemetery. He could enter the Lord’s mansion through the secret passage there. If he was lucky, Xiao Liu might be held in the underground dungeon.

Without delay, Bai Fanlu decided to head to the cemetery immediately. Before that, he needed to do something—send a message to Yun Zhan via a green bird.

Though he didn’t want to see Yun Zhan, the situation involved an innocent person. If he couldn’t handle it alone, stalling for time until Yun Zhan arrived would at least provide a backup plan.

After the sacrificial procession, the gates of Yingzhou reopened, and Bai Fanlu easily left the city, quickly reaching the cemetery in the mountains behind. It was also the public graveyard of Yingzhou.

Even in broad daylight, with the sun shining from the east, this area was perpetually shrouded in a cold, eerie mist. It felt strikingly similar to the oppressive atmosphere of the Lord’s mansion.

As soon as Bai Fanlu stepped into the place, he instinctively heightened his alertness.

According to the original story, the exit to the secret passage leading to the demonic energy fissure was beneath the twenty-fourth tombstone from south to north. It was an empty tomb, with no inscription.

Bai Fanlu found the tombstone easily and pressed down on it, twisting it with force. With a rumbling sound, the ground opened up to reveal a hidden passageway.

The passage, sealed for so long, released a rush of foul-smelling, stagnant air as soon as it was opened.

Bai Fanlu quickly covered his nose and mouth, waiting for the smoke to dissipate before bending down to enter.

Once

 inside, the passageway entrance automatically closed behind him. Though he knew it could be reopened from within, the sudden darkness still made Bai Fanlu swallow nervously, his heart pounding.

The passage was pitch black, and the ground felt slick and wet beneath his feet. Bai Fanlu took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, gathering his composure before beginning to cautiously make his way forward.

According to the book, this passage didn’t have any special traps; it was just that the routes were convoluted and complex. When the protagonist and Yun Zhan escaped from the dungeon, they got lost in here, eventually finding the demonic energy fissure by following the sound of water.

Bai Fanlu closed his eyes. His hearing was sharp, so this wouldn’t be too difficult for him.

The location of the fissure was across an underground river, so there would be the sound of running water.

As Bai Fanlu walked, he listened carefully. He reached a dead end, feeling the wall with his hand. He pressed his ear against it, confirming that the underground river was on the other side.

He stepped back, placed his palm against the wall, and a circle of cold light radiated from his hand. Like a spider’s web, cracks spread from the bottom, and silently, the wall crumbled to dust.

The scene before him was no longer shrouded in darkness; a small section of the cave was illuminated, and what lit it up was a deep red scar-like object at the far end of the cave.

The underground river’s water was dyed red by the light from that thing, flowing slowly like molten lava, or perhaps more like the blood of some giant beast.

Seeing it with his own eyes was far more shocking than the book’s description.

The so-called demonic energy fissure, when Bai Fanlu saw it for the first time, struck him as something alive.

And the scar embedded in the stone wall was like an eye, rolling and turning, coveting the intruder.

The closer Bai Fanlu got, the more he felt as if something was secretly watching him. But all around, there was only silence, save for the sound of the flowing water.

Crossing the underground river, Bai Fanlu approached the fissure. There was no time for hesitation; he needed to initiate the seal quickly. If successful, he could then focus on rescuing Xiao Liu, increasing his chances of success even if he encountered the Lord.

Bai Fanlu clasped his hands together, and a purification array gradually appeared before him.

As his mind focused, the array took shape bit by bit, glowing intermittently on the blood-red scar, until finally, with a swish, it was imprinted onto the stone wall.

A rumbling sound echoed as the ground trembled lightly underfoot.

Bai Fanlu had prepared himself, but the anticipated attack from the demon spirits didn’t come. Instead, the light imprinted on the wall began spinning rapidly, and the blood scar seemed to twist faintly.

Had it… worked?

Bai Fanlu hadn’t expected the sealing process to go so smoothly. The scene before him matched the description in the book, indicating success, but Yun Zhan had been ambushed by demon spirits during his sealing attempt, so Bai Fanlu had been bracing himself, yet nothing had happened.

Could it be because of his identity?

Bai Fanlu sensed something was off.

Suddenly, a violent churning sensation erupted in his abdomen, followed by a heavy blow! Bai Fanlu gasped sharply, his legs buckling as he dropped to one knee.

“……”

The discomfort intensified, and Bai Fanlu recognized it as the third type of power that had long been dormant within him.

If it had been a small venomous snake before, it was now like a giant python, writhing madly inside him, as if it were about to burst through his body.

Cold sweat dripped from Bai Fanlu as he clutched his stomach, curling up on the ground with his forehead pressed against the floor. This position brought a slight measure of relief, allowing him to maintain a sliver of clarity.

The tremors in the ground transmitted through his brow, and he heard footsteps approaching.

Someone was coming!