Upon hearing Ye Huohuo mention that the incident almost resulted in a fatality, all three individuals looked even more somber. This time, even Cai Bei refrained from interrupting, all awaiting Ye Huohuo's further explanation.
Ye Huohuo took a sip of her now cold water, "Initially, my talismans were in an experimental phase, only able to slow down the decomposition of corpses by less than half the usual rate, so nothing unusual occurred.
However, as I continuously improved them, I discovered that as the decomposition rate of animal carcasses accelerated, the souls of newly deceased animals that I had processed were lingering in the mortal realm, unable to proceed to the underworld.
With no other option, I had to find ways to help them transcend. Fortunately, these were animal souls, and their consciousness was relatively easy to control, so the situation was still within my capabilities. Moreover, my curiosity was piqued, and I always wanted to see what my limits were.
What was the shortest time required to turn a corpse into pure white bones? At the same time, I was looking for solutions to this side effect.
Since my subjects were all carcasses of stray animals, and to be frank, mostly dead rats, there was a period when I specifically bought rat poison and distributed it in various residential areas, just to obtain dead rat bodies."
Ye Huohuo shook her head with a self-deprecating sigh as she spoke, "Looking back now, I must have been possessed. With my continuous improvements, I eventually reached a point where a dead rat could basically turn into white bones within three days.
For larger animals like cats and dogs, it wouldn't take more than five days. However, I never experimented with human corpses. Although I did entertain the thought of stealing a corpse from the mortuary for an experiment, I still had my principles. At most, it was just a thought; I never dared to act on it.
But eventually, things started to spiral out of control."
As Ye Huohuo spoke, a flicker of fear appeared in her eyes.
She had always presented a fearless demeanor; even the sight of a severely decomposed corpse, such as in the case of 'giantism,' hadn't made her flinch. For her to display such an expression, whatever she was about to describe was clearly extraordinary.
Li Mochen instinctively placed his hand on Ye Huohuo's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. His intention was simply to comfort her.
However, this gesture was misinterpreted by Cai Bei. He was well aware of his sister's feelings for Li Mochen, and Li Mochen had never explicitly rejected her, which led Cai Bei to believe that Cai Xiaoxi still had a chance.
But seeing Li Mochen's repeated protectiveness towards Ye Huohuo, and now this seemingly intimate gesture, he felt a pang of sorrow for his foolish sister.
Perhaps his earlier targeting of Ye Huohuo had also been partly fueled by his affection for his sister.
Ye Huohuo felt the warmth and kindness emanating from Li Mochen's hand on her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she continued her story.
"My final few experiments revealed a significant problem: as the speed of bone ossification increased, the souls became increasingly difficult to control.
They also began to exhibit aggressive behavior. The last time, it was a rat that had died less than a day before..."
Li Mochen felt Ye Huohuo's body tremble slightly as his hand rested on her shoulder. He involuntarily increased the pressure and squeezed her shoulder again, helping her to relax.
"I didn't expect its resentment to be so intense. I was still young then, and while I could handle dispatching ordinary souls, dealing with those carrying such heavy resentment, even in an animal, was very difficult for me.
I tried every method I could think of, but the harder I tried, the stronger the rat's resentment grew. It eventually transformed into a vengeful spirit with the power of a black evil spirit, second only to a fierce ghost.
At that time, I had only recently descended the mountain and was renting a small room of less than forty square meters in the city. That vengeful spirit grew larger and larger, almost filling the entire room, forcing me into a corner.
Looking at its blood-red eyes and claws as sharp as knives, I felt it could tear me into pieces with a single swipe.
In that moment, I was truly terrified. With no other recourse, I disregarded the need to keep the room sealed to prevent the evil spirit from escaping and harming others. I yanked open the door and ran out.
It was midnight, and the area where I lived was quite secluded, with few people moving about at that hour. But fate was not on my side..."
Recalling her five-sha constitution that day, she gave a helpless wry smile, "Just by chance, a man returning home from a night shift crossed my path. The giant rat spirit that was chasing me from behind suddenly fixed its gaze on that man. It turned out it had developed sentience and wasn't trying to devour my soul, but rather find someone to possess.
Compared to me, who understood the metaphysical, ordinary people were much easier targets for possession.
By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late; its soul had already entered the man's body to a large extent."
Ye Huohuo bit her lip tightly, fine bloodstains appearing between her teeth. She was desperately trying to control her emotions. She was only a teenager then, and it was her arrogance that had harmed someone. That psychological scar had always been buried deep within her heart.
Bringing it up now was akin to reliving it all over again.
Cai Bei cleared his throat, "Although I don't believe in ghosts or gods... what happened next? Did the man die?"
Liu Keqiang poured a cup of hot water and placed it in Ye Huohuo's hand. When his fingertips brushed against hers, he felt how cold her hand was and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
For murderers who had killed countless people, harming one or two might not even cause a ripple in their psychological state. But for a kind-hearted person, being responsible for someone's death could truly become an insurmountable obstacle in their life.
He looked at the slightly frail girl before him, who at such a young age seemed to have endured immeasurable hardship. She was like a blade of grass in a storm, soft yet resilient.
This experience was likely the most difficult for Ye Huohuo to recount. If she hadn't encountered this particular pattern today, she might have kept it hidden in her heart forever.
The past events were narrated by her in a fragmented manner.
She cupped the hot water mug in her palm, warming her hands. Her fingers, stiff from the cold, moved slightly. She licked her dry lips before continuing with difficulty.
"Seeing that situation, I panicked. I had forgotten my master's warning that with my cultivation at the time, I couldn't control the force of my actions and shouldn't use Palm Lightning on living beings. I bit my middle finger, quickly drew a talisman on my palm, and slapped a Palm Lightning directly at the man's chest.
Due to my insufficient cultivation at the time, Palm Lightning already possessed considerable force, and coupled with my haste, I couldn't properly gauge the power. I struck with almost all my might, effectively shattering the rat's evil spirit.
However, it also injured the man's soul, nearly rendering him a vegetative state. It was only later that my master intervened and saved the man.
Afterward, my master severely reprimanded me, saying that many people in the Xuanmen sect shared my initial intentions. Perhaps it started as mere fun, but later they either became obsessed with creating all sorts of bizarre talismans for their unspeakable purposes or were exploited by others for various benefits.
In any case, they eventually became people who caused harm, becoming villains scorned and hunted by everyone in the Xuanmen sect.
In reality, I wouldn't have dared to do such a thing again even if my master hadn't said anything. It was from that moment on that I destroyed all materials related to that talisman.
I thought that besides me, no one else in this world knew about this talisman. I never expected... I never expected... I truly never expected that something I had already destroyed would be used by someone to transform people and refine corpses!"
Sadness, regret, and anger flickered in Ye Huohuo's eyes. She clenched her fists tightly, "Captain Liu, I will assist you with this case unconditionally. If there's anything I can do to help, please just say the word.
I also want to know who it is and how they learned of this talisman and its usage!"
A hint of killing intent lurked in her eyes. This person was likely someone close to her. Who could it be?...