Codex of Ascension
After vomiting up that foul, putrid water, the Yin Corpse toxin in George 'Oxhead' Gu's body was basically expelled. However, he was left severely weakened, his vitality and strength greatly depleted, and he collapsed onto the floor, falling into a deep sleep.
"Uh—he should be fine now, right?" Kazuo Sasaki asked, seeing this.
"Yeah, he’s fine now. But since he’s not a cultivator and doesn’t have true energy to resist, the Yin Corpse toxin did some damage to his body. He’s lost a lot of vitality, but after sleeping for three days and nights, he’ll be back to normal!" Shawn Young explained.
"Oh—that’s good, let him rest here for now! I’m tired too, so I’ll head back and get some sleep. You young people can chat among yourselves. Let me know if anything comes up—" Kazuo Sasaki said, glancing at Shawn Young and his precious daughter before leaving the house.
"Shawn-kun, what’s your next move?" As soon as Kazuo Sasaki left, Rachel Sasaki asked Shawn Young.
"Uh—I have to find out where Akira Danba is as soon as possible. Rachel, didn’t you use the Threadweaver Tracking Art last time to discover their hideout?" Shawn Young asked her in return.
"Yeah, that’s right. It’s in a private villa in Tsuen Wan District!" Rachel Sasaki said.
"Oh, can you pinpoint the exact location?" Shawn Young asked eagerly.
"I can, but that place is a bit special!" Rachel Sasaki replied.
"Hm? What’s so special about it?" Shawn Young continued to ask.
"That place—calling it a villa isn’t quite right. It’s actually more like a temple. What’s more, there’s a special Necroshroud set up both inside and out. This Necroshroud was created by the Nine Chrysanthemums Society using the essence of the dead, so it can block the presence of living people. If we barge in, our Yang energy will trigger the barrier and alert them! Akira Danba is slippery—if anything seems off, he’ll escape in a flash," Rachel Sasaki explained.
"Necroshroud!? No wonder my Clairvoyant Light Technique couldn’t see inside. So that’s what was blocking it!" Shawn Young realized.
"The Nine Chrysanthemums Society’s Necroshroud is pretty powerful, so we’ll need to prepare before we go in," Rachel Sasaki said.
"We’ll need a solid plan before we act. Don’t worry, sneaking in is a ninja specialty! We’ll figure out a way to break through the barrier and get inside!" Rachel Sasaki said with a playful laugh.
"We’ll need a solid plan before we act. Don’t worry, sneaking in is a ninja specialty! We’ll figure out a way to break through the barrier and get inside!" Sasaki Ryoko said with a playful laugh.
"Alright! We really do need to plan carefully, or we’ll keep getting caught off guard!" Shawn Young thought for a moment and said. Last time, he’d been lured into a trap by Wu Xiang and almost got wiped out, so he knew Danba Akira’s group would be on high alert, maybe even watching him. Shawn wasn’t going to rush in this time—their enemies were all tough nuts to crack!
"Yeah, for the plan, we’ll need someone to scout things out so we can finalize it. There’s no need to rush—my father’s people will handle the reconnaissance. It’s noon now, so Rainie and the others should be awake. Let’s go check on them first!" Rachel Sasaki told him.
"Oh—okay!" Shawn Young nodded. After Sasaki Ryoko closed the door, they left the house together, leaving Niu Tou Gu Changdong snoring away inside.
The two walked down the corridor and returned to their room, only to find Rainie Cheng and Sergeant Mandy Chung already dressed and standing there. Sergeant Mandy Chung was frowning and talking on her phone, apparently discussing something important with someone.
"Oh—you’re finally back!" Rainie Cheng said as soon as she saw the two return.
"What’s up?" Shawn Young asked quickly.
"Oh—Mandy’s on the phone. It’s Sergeant Louis Liu calling. They still haven’t sorted out that thing!" Rainie Cheng replied.
"Which thing?" Shawn Young was momentarily confused.
"Uh—it’s Wen Xiaoli’s body. They still haven’t managed to retrieve it yet—" Rainie Cheng said.
"Hm? Really? The 'Eightfold Soul Lock' evil formation has already been broken, and the spell suppressing her soul has dissipated. Why haven’t they been able to recover the body?" Shawn Young said in surprise.
"We—we don’t know either. They’ve been working over there for two days, but still haven’t managed to get the body out! They said they’ve bundled up the big bag, but it just won’t come up to the surface. It’s really strange—" Rainie Cheng said.
"Huh? How could that happen?" Shawn Young was baffled. Normally, with the evil formation broken, the bag containing Wen Xiaoli’s body should have been retrievable.
At this moment, Sergeant Mandy Chung hung up the phone and turned to Shawn Young. "Shawn, you came back just in time. Sergeant Louis Liu and the others want you to go over and check things out—something weird is going on."
"Oh—got it! No time to waste, let’s go right now!" Shawn Young said.
With that, everyone sprang into action. Rainie Cheng drove her car, taking the group straight to Dingjiu Village, and they once again arrived at the big pond.
Around the pond, a yellow police cordon had been set up. Many villagers were gathered, watching the commotion. Inside the cordon, Sergeant Louis Liu and a group of officers stood by the pond, looking worried, while a few exhausted, soaking-wet divers rested on the shore.
"Oh—Master Shawn, you’re finally here! Now we’ve got hope." Sergeant Louis Liu brightened up when he saw Shawn and the others, immediately coming over to greet them.
"So, Sergeant Louis Liu, what’s the situation?" Shawn Young cut straight to the point.
"Here’s the thing—our divers have been trying to recover the big bag with the body from underwater. The ropes are all tied up, but we just can’t get it ashore, not even to the surface. When we went down to check, there wasn’t anything snagging the bag, but no matter what we do, it won’t come up. It’s really weird! Master Shawn, do you think it’s some kind of supernatural thing again? If so, that’s seriously scary—" Sergeant Louis Liu was still shaken from the previous incidents.
"Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be that bad! Let me take a look—" Shawn Young reassured Sergeant Louis Liu, then began to inspect the pond’s surroundings.
Shawn Young scanned the area. Aside from the big chinaberry tree, which still looked creepy, the evil aura of the 'Eightfold Soul Lock Formation' had completely vanished. He didn’t spot anything unusual, which made him feel even more puzzled.
"Huh? How could this be? Sergeant Louis Liu, you’re sure there’s nothing underwater snagging the bag?" Shawn Young asked, puzzled.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing! We’ve been at it for two days, and all the obstacles underwater have been cleared! That’s why it’s so weird! How could this happen—" Sergeant Louis Liu shook his head.
"Uh—I don’t see anything unusual either. Here’s what: clear the area and get the villagers to leave. I’ll perform a ritual to see what’s really going on!" Shawn Young said after thinking it over. He didn’t want ordinary people watching him use magic—it was too shocking and could cause trouble.
"Okay, got it!" Sergeant Louis Liu replied at once, then turned and led the officers outside the cordon to start clearing the area.
The villagers had come for the spectacle, hoping for some gossip to share over tea. Now that they were being driven off, many were annoyed, grumbling at the officers. Some hot-tempered ones even cursed at the police, making the scene quite chaotic.
Shawn Young hadn’t expected the villagers to be so bold—even cursing at the police right to their faces. He couldn’t help but marvel at how local law enforcement in Hong Kong was so different. If this happened on the mainland, those 'unruly types' would have been hauled off to the station and left to feed the mosquitoes!
As he watched, Shawn suddenly noticed a burly, middle-aged man in a red vest and big shorts who was especially loud, shouting and shoving the police along with a few thuggish young men, cursing nonstop.
It was only when Shawn caught sight of the man that he froze—he’d glimpsed a faint red mist rising from the man’s forehead. This aura was unusual; ordinary people didn’t have it.
"Huh—that’s the Bloodlust Veil. Did this guy kill someone? Is he doing this on purpose?" Shawn recognized the aura and muttered to himself.
The truth was, the red mist above the man’s head was called the 'Bloodlust Veil'—a supernatural aura that appears when someone has killed a living creature with strong vitality. The smarter the victim, the thicker the Bloodlust Veil. Killing different creatures produces different auras, but only murder leaves behind a red mist!
(End of chapter)