Zhang Fang fainted as soon as he met my eyes.

I squatted down in front of Zhang Fang and checked his breathing. "His seven *po* (unconscious souls) are damaged, and his intelligence has begun to decline. I estimate that it won't be long before he becomes like a child, but I don't know which stage he'll be stuck in."

Ye Yang patted me on the shoulder. "Thanks for your trouble. I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

A warlock's biggest fear is an uncooperative client.

If Zhang Fang really turned into a child of a few years old, that would be fine; children that age know how to listen.

But if Zhang Fang got stuck in his *zhong er* (middle-schooler, referring to someone with delusions of grandeur) phase, that would be fatal.

Children at that age are rebellious, and if they really get their backs up, they'll go against you. Who knows what trouble they might cause us!

Ye Yang was choosing to run away in a timely fashion!

I rolled my eyes at Ye Yang. "Lao Liu, tomorrow, make an appointment for me with the client. It has to be Dai Ning'an. I have something to ask her."

If I wanted to know the reason for Zhang Fang's sudden mental regression, I had to find Dai Ning'an.

Only she could explain what happened after Zhang Fang was captured. I suspected that Zhang Fang's problem originated with Dai Ning'an.

The next morning, Ye Yang indeed ran away.

What I didn't expect was that Ye Yang would encounter trouble before I did.

Ye Yang hadn't even reached Xiao Shan Village when he was stopped by someone. They said that a large tomb had been discovered in Xiao Shan Village, and the Bureau of Cultural Relics was developing the tomb there. Not only were outsiders not allowed to enter, but even the original villagers had to be evacuated first.

As Ye Yang looked past the roadblock, Xiao Chun gently tugged on Ye Yang's sleeve. "Look at the information Lao Liu got you."

According to the information, Xiao Shan was originally a complete mountain. From a distance, it looked a bit like a steamed bun thrown on the ground, the mountain's shape as round as if it had been carved. It didn't even have a name.

It was probably in the 1960s that the mountain suddenly split in the middle. Overnight, from the top of the mountain to halfway down, a crack two or three meters wide appeared.

Normally, mountain splitting isn't that rare in the Northeast. The Northeast is rich in coal and iron, and mining has been going on since the Japanese invasion of China. In some places, the ground under the mountains has been hollowed out, and the land subsides, making the mountains prone to cracking.

Xiao Shan's peculiarity was that after the mountain split, it would emit a whistling sound. Sometimes, the whistling sounded like a ghost crying, and it wouldn't stop all night.

This matter caused a sensation at the time.

Some people said that it was the sound of wind blowing through the cracks in the mountain.

Others said that it was a sound coming from underground.

The older generation, however, said that immortals were hiding in the mountain.

The matter of the mountain making whistling noises caused panic for a time.

Later, the military came and sealed off the mountain, blasting off the northern half of the split Xiao Shan peak. Only then did the mountain become silent.

The explanation in the newspapers at the time: the ghostly whistling was the sound made by the mountain wind passing through the cracks. The military blasted away half of the mountain cave. With the opening gone, the ghostly whistling also disappeared.

Lao Liu, however, felt that this explanation was not credible.

The southern half of Xiao Shan's peak was clearly easier to blast, and there was nothing under the mountain, so there was no need to relocate residents. Why did the military have to blast the northern peak, even destroying the houses of several families under the mountain in order to blast the mountain? Wasn't that a waste?

Moreover, Xiao Shan wasn't an isolated mountain. There were several other mountains around it. The wind was blocked by the mountains, so it couldn't have blown straight through the cracks. How could it have made such a loud noise?

At that time, there was no internet, let alone Weibo or WeChat. Even if someone speculated, it wouldn't have caused much of a stir.

Over time, no one mentioned why Xiao Shan could make sounds anymore. However, the mountain was named Xiao Shan (Whistling Mountain).

The matter of Xiao Shan making sounds was no longer mentioned at the time. However, twenty or thirty years later, the matter of Xiao Shan producing treasure stirred up another wave.

No one knew who spread the word that Xiao Shan held hidden cultural relics, so some people wanted to go into the mountain to try their luck, but they all returned empty-handed.

The Bureau of Cultural Relics at the time also sent experts to take a look, but the experts quickly rejected the idea that Xiao Shan held treasure. Gradually, no one took Xiao Shan seriously anymore.

After Ye Yang finished reading the information, he said, "What's going on with the discovery of the large tomb this time?"

Nie Xiao Chun said, "Wait, I'll find the information for you."

Not long after Nie Xiao Chun left, Ye Yang saw someone walking towards his car. When the person got closer, Ye Yang saw the Yin energy on them.

That person was being controlled by Nie Xiao Chun.

Nie Xiao Chun said, "A Professor Lu from the Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics is particularly fond of Xiao Shan and often wanders around Xiao Shan. Over time, he actually discovered cultural relics in the mountain."

"There is no accurate information on what exactly was discovered. However, Professor Lu is looking for an assistant. I think you can sneak in and try."

Ye Yang couldn't help but frown. "I don't have Li Po's skill in turning into a ghost. How can I sneak in?"

"Find Lao Liu!" Nie Xiao Chun said, "He now has connections throughout the provincial capital. Have him find a way to get you an identity. The identity doesn't have to be too high, just a handyman will do. We just want to get inside, right?"

Lao Liu quickly replied to Ye Yang: Professor Lu is looking for an assistant. Lao Liu used his connections to arrange for Ye Yang to interview for the assistant position as an archaeology intern.

Ye Yang only needed to take a look inside, so an interview opportunity was enough.