The deeper I ventured into the ghost vines, the more aerial roots descended from above, leaving me with increasingly narrow gaps. Moreover, due to the lack of sunlight, these ghost vine roots showed signs of revival.
I doubted the accuracy of the information Zhang Dabiao had given me. According to him, these vampire vines did not capture prey during the day. Yet, several times, as I approached the white fuzz, they seemed to come alive, extending weak "little hands" to latch onto my clothes.
Fortunately, their grip wasn't strong enough to hold me, and I could break free. I decided to search for Zhang Dabiao's father, Zhang Pingliang, starting from the most densely populated area. I hoped the old man wouldn't venture any further in. If he truly got entangled by those white fuzzes, it would be the end for him.
Now I understood why Old Fox, even in broad daylight, wouldn't enter this place. These white fuzzes, which looked as docile as rabbits, were impossible to pull away once they clung to you. Besides, foxes had no hands or feet; their only instinct was to bite.
Old Fox was stronger than the other young foxes, but its most effective weapon was its foxfire. However, if its head were to be entangled, the only outcome for them would be death.
I cursed Old Fox for its cunning once more, broke free from the restraints on my feet, and moved towards the innermost circle. I checked my phone; there was no signal, and the time displayed was 10:15 AM.
"I didn't expect it to take nearly three hours to circle around." Seeing the battery level drop below twenty percent, I turned off my phone.
According to the divination from the Corpse Seeking Scripture, Zhang Pingliang should be within the ghost vines, and there shouldn't be dense aerial roots around him. Three hours had passed, and I had already circled this patch of vampire vines nearly three times, yet I hadn't found his location.
Initially, I thought I could locate Zhang Pingliang's physical body based on the fox carcasses. However, the deeper I went, the denser the aerial roots became, until the gaps were so narrow that even a mouse couldn't pass through comfortably. I finally stopped.
"Did I misread the divination?"
"That shouldn't be!" I shook my head, negating my own thought. Since I started learning divination with my master, and then practicing it independently, I had performed over three thousand divinations in ten years, and had never made a mistake.
My master always said I was naturally suited for the "Yin" divinations. Moreover, Yin divinations were never performed twice; this was a taboo. My master didn't tell me why, only that performing it again was inauspicious.
"It seems I'll have to venture into the very depths."
Gripping the Yin Ironwood ruler in my hand, I felt a pang of regret. Why hadn't I thought to bring Zhang Dabiao's mountain-splitting saber? With that in hand, cutting through the aerial roots of the vampire vines would have been much easier.
Hoo—
After breaking free from the white fuzzes that had once again clung to me, I gasped for air. It had been a close call just now; I had almost been ensnared by the fuzzes on the aerial roots. The gap that had seemed large enough for me to pass through suddenly opened wider just as I was about to step through.
It was only after I took off my outer jacket and threw my backpack away that I managed to escape the predicament. Fortunately, I had taken out the contents of my bag at the last moment.
Looking at the iron bowl, the Tong Ming ancient coin, and the half bottle of mineral water on the ground, I hesitated.
My phone had run out of battery and was still in my backpack. In the last moment before it shut down, I checked the time; it was already 1:30 PM. Another nearly three hours had passed, and I had searched almost the entire accessible area of the vampire vines.
Only this inner area, with a diameter of a hundred meters, remained. It was precisely because I was looking for the sparsest gaps between the aerial roots that I had made myself so disheveled.
I had never been so disheveled, not even in the village of Mo Lu. Now, I was like a stray dog, a complete disgrace.
Picking up the remaining half bottle of mineral water, I took another small sip, licked my dry lips, and suppressed my inner thirst. Only then did I have enough water to perform a divination.
I decided to break the rule.
Regardless of the rule that Yin divinations could only be performed once, my master had only told me that breaking the rule was inauspicious. But that was under the condition of being safe. Now that my life was at stake, what inauspiciousness could there be?
If I couldn't find the white fox fur that Zhang Dabiao's father carried, my exit would mean death. Not only would I die, but Zhang Dabiao, who had traveled a thousand miles, would also die. And so would Zhang Sao, and even all the villagers of Xiao Liu Village.
It was death no matter what. So why not make one last gamble before dying? Inauspiciousness was just inauspiciousness; it didn't say that performing a second divination would result in immediate death.
Having made up my mind, I took out a yellow talisman and carefully folded it into an arrowhead shape. I placed the iron bowl upright and poured the water into it.
"Heaven's origin, earth's square, illuminating eight lights; Yin's extreme, revealing true spirits. Ancestors bless my strength; one move to find people, rippling in all directions! Release—"
The yellow talisman, folded into an arrowhead, spun rapidly in the iron bowl. It gradually slowed down until the water was about to overflow, and then the arrowhead slowly stopped, pointing to a location.
Looking at where the yellow talisman pointed, my heart skipped a beat. Could it be this evil?
The arrowhead formed by the yellow talisman was pointing directly at me. Then, a blurry human figure appeared in the water. One person was holding an iron bowl and watching it intently. Behind him stood a monster completely covered in red fur. Then, the image vanished.
Damn it—
Zhang Pingliang, whom I had spent so much effort searching for, was right behind me?
Was this the consequence of performing a second divination, the so-called inauspiciousness?
I didn't dare to turn around and look back for the first time. People have three bright lamps on their heads and shoulders. Turning around abruptly could extinguish the yang fire. I was already weak in yang energy; if I extinguished the lamps on my shoulders, it would be like seeking death.
Secondly, Zhang Pingliang might not do anything to Zhang Dabiao, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do anything to me. They had a father-son bond, a deep connection of blood. I was an outsider, and moreover, he was a blood fiend. Even if I tried to explain, he might not give me a chance.
If I suddenly turned around, I might face a fierce attack from him. Not only could I not defeat him in my current state, but the surrounding vampire vines alone were enough trouble for me.
After quickly analyzing my situation internally, cold sweat streamed down my forehead. Was this how my short life was going to end?
No, I couldn't give up now. They say good deeds are rewarded. I refuse to believe that I, a good person who sacrificed for others, would die here silently. Perhaps the divination was wrong?
Yes, it must be the divination that was wrong. I confirmed this in my mind, then carefully tilted the iron bowl towards me, tilting my head to the side. My gaze was fixed on the water's surface, praying for the ancestors' protection.
When the angle was adjusted to see the area behind me, my hands involuntarily trembled. A slight ripple appeared in the water in the bowl. Fortunately, the image from the divination did not appear, which made me breathe a sigh of relief.
What was going on? I had never encountered a wrong or wasted divination before. Now, why had I obtained a chaotic divination? Was this the inauspiciousness my master spoke of?
Just then, I felt an itch in my ear, as if someone was scratching it with hair. I instinctively swatted away.
Bang—
It felt like hitting a stone, and it was covered in hair.
No way?
I remembered there was nothing above me behind me?
Damn it, no way?
Stiffly twisting my neck, I cautiously glanced with the corner of my eye. A face, slightly familiar, covered in red fur, with a pair of scarlet eyes, stood behind me. It was Zhang Dabiao's father, Zhang Pingliang.