Is Hu Sixi mad?
Wu Yun's words struck like a bomb, stirring up a tempest in our hearts.
Who was Hu Sixi? He was the figurehead of the Northeast Hu family's spirit medium lineage. While the Hu family might have more formidable existences, Hu Sixi was undoubtedly their foremost expert and the face of the family.
Now, their top expert was "mad." Not only had he killed the Sleeping Daoist of the Maoshan sect, but he had also killed Elder Heavenly Master Fang of Longhushan. If he wasn't mad, who was? This was beyond madness.
The three of us wore different expressions. Mine was one of surprise mixed with a hint of excitement. I wished for Hu Sixi to descend further into madness, the more people he killed, the closer the Hu family would be to its demise.
Even though I hadn't yet found proof that my father's coma was due to the Hu family, or that my master had retreated into the mountains because of them, all signs pointed to the Hu family as the mastermind.
Zhang Dabiao remained expressionless. I could guess his thoughts with considerable accuracy. As a spirit medium lineage, the Hu family had numerous disciples, their quality naturally varied. There were always a few scoundrels causing trouble.
This naturally attracted the attention of the demon-hunting Zhang family. Therefore, Zhang Dabiao paid no mind to whether the Zhang family members lived or died. I suspected he, like me, preferred them all dead. Although he never spoke of how his ancestors died, his demeanor suggested a deep hatred for demonic entities, a grudge unlikely to be resolved quickly.
Wang Defa's face flickered between red and black, then settled into a look of despair. He bore not only the heavy responsibility of finding the Half-Yin Realm but also the duty of guarding Longhushan and Maoshan.
Now, all their eggs were in one basket. While he wasn't directly involved, he couldn't escape the indirect connection.
Wang Defa's face was ashen. With great effort, he managed to utter, "How did Hu Sixi kill the Sleeping Daoist and Elder Heavenly Master Fang? I need specific details. This must be reported to higher authorities."
"This story needs to be told from the beginning..."
Wu Yun organized her thoughts and began to slowly recount what had transpired after their group entered the mountains.
Not many entered the mountains: besides the Sleeping Daoist, Elder Heavenly Master Fang, Hu Sixi, and Wu Yun, there were also two disciples of the Sleeping Daoist and Elder Heavenly Master Fang. Their objective was to find the Mountain Ghoul King, so the manpower was chosen for quality, not quantity.
Initially, everyone advanced swiftly. Elder Heavenly Master Fang of Longhushan had considerable research into tracking Yin energy, so the group made rapid progress. When they reached a mountain hollow, Elder Heavenly Master Fang stopped.
"The Yin energy here is quite dense. That malevolent spirit lingered here."
"Indeed, the Yin energy carries a foul scent. It should be the scent of that malevolent spirit." The Sleeping Daoist, as the representative of Maoshan, was no weaker than Elder Heavenly Master Fang of Longhushan. A brief assessment of the air confirmed their target.
Hu Sixi, as a spirit medium, didn't have the same sensitivity to malevolent energies as the Sleeping Daoist and Elder Heavenly Master Fang. However, spirit mediums possessed their own methods for tracking evil spirits.
Hu Sixi formed a shape with eight fingers on one hand, lit a yellow talisman with the other, and a faint black shadow emerged from his hand, then vanished into the talisman smoke. Immediately, a palm-sized rat made of smoke appeared before them.
Elder Heavenly Master Fang and the Sleeping Daoist showed no surprise at Hu Sixi's methods. Only Wu Yun appeared somewhat astonished, as she had never witnessed such a technique.
Looking at the lifelike little rat, Wu Yun curiously asked, "Fellow Daoist Hu, what are you preparing to do?"
"My Hu family is not suited for large-scale tracking, but our method for seeking out scents in a small area is unique. This Spirit Smoke Rat is an expert at finding scents; do not underestimate it." As he spoke, Hu Sixi placed the Spirit Smoke Rat on the ground. Without any command, the little rat sniffed here and there, then squeaked a few times at Hu Sixi and bolted in a particular direction.
"Follow, the Spirit Smoke Rat has found it," Hu Sixi said, his expression unchanged, and pursued the direction indicated by the Spirit Smoke Rat.
The Sleeping Daoist and Elder Heavenly Master Fang, without any doubts, followed suit, as did their disciples. Only Wu Yun lagged slightly behind.
As the only woman in the group, Wu Yun's thoughts were more meticulous and cautious. In her opinion, finding Yin energy left by a malevolent spirit was not difficult; in fact, anyone could do it, as she herself could.
But how could the Mountain Ghoul King, which dominated Qingfeng Mountain, easily leave Yin energy in one place for others to track? This seemed like a trap.
Therefore, on the way, Wu Yun remained vigilant, not following at full speed but holding back a third of her strength for caution. She released her่ (gu) worms around herself to guard against any unforeseen circumstances.
When Wu Yun arrived last, she saw Hu Sixi battling a monster completely shrouded in Yin energy. Each strike was a deadly blow. The monster was enveloped in Yin energy, with only a pair of crimson eyes, matching the reflection in the iron bowl.
The Sleeping Daoist and Elder Heavenly Master Fang flanked Hu Sixi, guarding him. Hu Sixi fought with fierce and swift movements, his strikes imbued with surging Yang energy, as dazzling as a small sun. Furthermore, Yin energy was incorporated into his attacks, a testament to his spirit medium abilities, making for a vibrant battle.
Just as everyone thought Hu Sixi was about to capture the Mountain Ghoul King, a sudden change occurred. Hu Sixi, who had been dominating the Mountain Ghoul King, suddenly went limp and was ambushed by the monster.
Fortunately, Elder Heavenly Master Fang, who was guarding, reacted quickly and intercepted the Mountain Ghoul King's fatal blow, saving Hu Sixi from certain death.
"How is it? Are you injured?"
Hu Sixi's face showed some embarrassment as he replied, "No injuries, just an ambush. I'm fine."
"That's good..." Seeing that Hu Sixi was unharmed, the Sleeping Daoist felt relieved. His gaze then shifted to Elder Heavenly Master Fang, while instructing his disciples to look after Hu Sixi.
It was this moment of negligence that led to the deaths of the two disciples of Longhushan and Maoshan, and subsequently, Elder Heavenly Master Fang was also severely wounded.
At this point, Wu Yun's breathing became erratic, and her hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, as if she was reluctant to continue.
No one urged her, as they all knew she needed a moment to recover. The words that were about to follow were likely more shocking than Hu Sixi's madness.
"Hu Sixi gouged out the hearts of the two disciples from Longhushan and Maoshan. He then attacked the Sleeping Daoist. Because the two disciples made noise when they died, Hu Sixi's attack on the Sleeping Daoist was thwarted, but it still left the Sleeping Daoist severely injured..."
As Wu Yun recounted, our mouths widened, and by the end, Wang Defa and Zhang Dabiao turned to look at me, their eyes filled with disbelief.
My suspicion had been correct. Another soul resided within Hu Yuan's body. That black shadow fighting Hu Sixi was an ancestor of the Hu family, intending to drag Elder Heavenly Master Fang or the Sleeping Daoist away, allowing Hu Sixi to ambush one of them, thereby eliminating them all on Qingfeng Mountain.
"Who was that black shadow?"
"It seemed to be Hu Sixi's second uncle..."