Several people were stunned when Li Mohan spoke, especially Ye Huohuo and Fang Fang. Ye Huohuo, a master of the Xuanmen arts, and Fang Fang, a thousand-year-old spirit, were unable to discern anything strange, yet Li Mohan, an outsider, saw through it. They were not only surprised but also felt a touch of shame.
"You know? What is it?" Ye Huohuo's tone was tinged with doubt.
Li Mohan narrowed his eyes. "Do I seem that useless in your eyes?" He was clearly annoyed.
It was the first time anyone had dared to question him to his face.
"Ah? N-no, I mean... I really couldn't see anything unusual and wanted to ask for your advice!" Seeing Li Mohan's darkening face, Ye Huohuo felt a chill.
Even Fang Fang took a subconscious step back, feeling a bit of sympathy for Ye Huohuo. While Li Mohan was an outstanding, wealthy, and handsome man, his mercurial temper was unacceptable.
Li Mohan's anger subsided slightly. He pointed to the houses below the hillside. "Actually, those houses look strange and unclear not because of any formations, but simply because the materials used to make them are rather special."
"Materials?" Ye Huohuo and Fang Fang asked in unison. While they were proficient in Xuanmen arts and other mystical practices, the materials used for building houses were outside their knowledge.
A Cheng suddenly slapped his forehead. "Ah, how could I not have thought of that? Our boss is truly amazing."
A Cheng's remark brought a rare gleam of triumph to Li Mohan's eyes. Ever since he met Ye Huohuo, he felt like a primary school student in front of her, knowing nothing of what she knew. Now, there was finally something she didn't know.
"What are these houses made of? How do they have this function?" Fang Fang asked eagerly.
"If I'm not mistaken, they've used a special light-absorbing paint on the outside of these houses. The reason we can see things is because of the reflection of light from objects. This material absorbs most of the light that shines on it, making the object appear blurry to our eyes," Li Mohan said calmly.
"Ah, I understand now. These people are truly cunning. Not only did they set up formations around these houses, but they also used special paint. However, the more they disguise this place, the more important it is to them. This seems like a case of protesting too much. It seems we really need to investigate who is behind this and what their purpose is." As Ye Huohuo spoke, her gaze shifted to the five assassins tied to the trees nearby.
Earlier, fearing they might escape, A Cheng had knocked them all unconscious and bound them securely. Now, it was time to use them.
Ye Huohuo walked over to the men, took a plastic water bottle from her backpack, and poured an entire bottle of water over one of the assassins from head to toe.
The assassin woke up instantly. Before he could even see who was in front of him, he began to beg, "Spare me, good sir! Spare me! I'll tell you whatever you ask!"
Ye Huohuo snorted. "How boring. You didn't even give me a chance to perform!"
Li Mohan, watching from the side, looked at her backpack with interest, his eyebrows slightly raised. "Is that bag of yours a treasure pouch? I feel like you could pull a hamburger out of it."
Ye Huohuo's mouth dropped open. "How did you know?" As she spoke, she actually pulled out a hamburger from her backpack, one that was sealed in plastic. "Do you want to eat it?"
Li Mohan looked at the hamburger she offered him, the corner of his lips twitching involuntarily. "No!" The disdain in his eyes was evident.
"He doesn't want it, but I do! I've been running around with you, fighting ghosts and catching demons. You can't possibly not give me food first! Is this what you call valuing romance over friendship?" Fang Fang, who had come to Ye Huohuo's side at some point, snatched the hamburger and took a large bite without even looking, tearing open the packaging.
But the next second, her face turned sour. "Pah! What brand is this? It tastes so strange!"
Ye Huohuo looked at her with amusement. "You're a thousand-year-old spirit; you should be able to live without eating by now. You're still so impatient. This is karma! I put this hamburger in my bag a few days ago; it must be expired by now!"
Fang Fang then remembered to look. Under the moonlight, she saw it, and her anger flared. "It's even grown mold! No wonder it tastes so strange!" As she spoke, she leaned against a nearby tree and started to retch.
The assassin, who had just been woken up by Ye Huohuo, looked completely bewildered. What was going on? They had woken him up, but what did they want to ask him? He felt like he wasn't even as important as a hamburger now.
"Are you watching the show?" Ye Huohuo smacked the assassin on the head.
"No, no, I'm waiting for you to ask me!"
Ye Huohuo hadn't expected the assassin to be so cowardly. Before she could even start questioning him, he was already volunteering information. This didn't seem like a ruthless killer at all.
She cleared her throat. "Alright, considering your attitude is somewhat sincere, I might consider being lenient with you. But if I find out you've lied to me even a little..." She juggled A Cheng's dagger in her hand.
A flashing dagger was manipulated by her like a silver spirit snake, performing marvelously. The assassin was mesmerized. If his hands weren't tied, he would have applauded her.
A Cheng watched from the side, clicking his tongue. "Good heavens, I never expected Miss Ye to be so skilled with a knife!"
Ye Huohuo released her grip, and the dagger flew like a cold light towards the assassin.
"No! I will never tell a lie." Before his words even finished, the dagger was firmly embedded in the trunk of the tree above his head, the blade less than a millimeter from his scalp.
A strange odor gradually wafted out. Ye Huohuo wrinkled her nose and practically jumped back a large step. "Is this guy a killer? He's scared himself into wetting his pants!"
"Alright, stop scaring him. Ask what you need to ask quickly," Li Mohan said impatiently, urging her on.
"Got it!" Ye Huohuo turned back to the assassin. "I ask you, what are these small houses down there for?"
"What... what are they for? I don't know. We are only responsible for outer security. Our orders are to kill anyone who approaches the houses."
Ye Huohuo frowned, staring at the assassin for a long moment. "You don't know, but you must know who gave you the orders!"
"Y-yes, it was the boss! We are all the boss's subordinates." The assassin was trembling all over, cold sweat streaming down his face.
"Doesn't your boss have a name?" Ye Huohuo was getting annoyed, wondering if she had picked the dumbest one out of the five.
"N-no, I only know him as the boss. He told us to call him that." The assassin looked like he was about to cry. "I thought these little dilapidated houses wouldn't attract anyone who would risk their lives to enter. I thought it would be easy money. Who knew there would be real danger!"
"Which one of you five is the leader?" Ye Huohuo didn't want to waste any more time with him.
Upon hearing this, the assassin's face turned even paler, his lips trembling for a long time before he managed to utter a word.
"It's not you, is it?" Fang Fang couldn't help but comment. The cowardly assassin's demeanor had already revealed everything.
The assassin immediately started crying, tears and snot flowing freely. "I was just looking for some easy work with a few brothers, and someone introduced us to the boss. He was wearing a black robe, completely covered, so I never even saw his face. He asked us to demonstrate our martial arts skills. My brothers and I had studied martial arts for a few years. He probably saw that we were skilled and told us to guard these houses. He also told us not to go inside, only to be responsible for security in the vicinity. So, we genuinely don't know what's going on inside these houses."
Seeing his expression, Ye Huohuo didn't think he was lying. It seemed that if she wanted to uncover the secrets of these houses, she would have to find the people inside. Originally, she thought that the people inside were less skilled than these five, and that these five were of higher status. Now, it seemed that these five were not even allowed into the houses, clearly indicating that their status was inferior to those inside. Although the people inside were not strong in hand-to-hand combat, they were equipped with crossbows. If they were to force their way in now, it would be difficult.
Just then, the trees, which had been calm, were suddenly stirred by an eerie wind from nowhere...