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As soon as they reached the innermost part of the temple, Felix Eagleclaw (Shangguan Feiyun) dragged the unconscious Charles Morin (Murong Changhai) out from beneath a few battered statues of the Three Purities. The temple roof had a gaping hole, and cold moonlight poured in, so the place wasn't too dim. Shawn Young (Xiao Yuan) crouched down to take a closer look. Charles Morin was completely out cold, his eyes tightly shut, his face a strange bluish-purple and slightly swollen, lips pale as paper, body hunched over—he looked like a frostbitten eggplant, totally withered.
Shawn was startled. He grabbed Charles's wrist to check his pulse—sometimes rapid, sometimes slow, totally chaotic. Worried, he touched Charles's forehead, which was icy cold. Glancing at his body, Shawn could even see a faint white mist rising off him. And this was late June, with sweltering heat outside, yet Charles looked like he'd just been hauled out of a meat locker!
Shawn quickly lifted Charles's eyelids and saw his pupils were shrouded in a ghostly white haze. That discovery really shocked Shawn, and his brow furrowed. He knew Charles Morin was in serious trouble this time—his life was hanging by a thread.
Seeing Shawn so grave, Felix Eagleclaw anxiously asked, "Brother Shawn, what's going on with Charles Morin? Tell me the truth!"
Shawn didn’t answer right away. Instead, he rolled Charles Morin (Murong Changhai) over and spotted a tiny short arrow at the back of his neck, right at the Jade Pillow Point. The arrow was hidden by Charles's hair—thin, small, jet-black—so if you didn’t look closely, you’d never notice it.
Felix Eagleclaw (Shangguan Feiyun) saw the strange arrow too, and blurted out, "Oh—that must be the Yan Twins of Terror’s Soulhook Arrow! No wonder I couldn’t find it before—it hit right at that spot!"
Felix Eagleclaw (Shangguan Feiyun) reached out, wanting to pull it out, but Shawn quickly stopped him. "Don’t! If you yank it out, the Corpse Spirits in all three of Charles’s Core Fields (Dantian) will go wild. Not even a Celestial Immortal could save him then!"
"Ah! So that’s how it is. I’ve always heard about the Soulhook Arrow’s reputation, but what exactly are these Corpse Spirits? I honestly have no clue!" Felix Eagleclaw exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh, that’s a Daoist thing," Shawn explained. "Everyone has three Core Fields (Dantian)—upper, middle, and lower—and each one houses a Corpse Spirit (San Shi Shen). These three are in charge of your desires and selfish thoughts. Normally, your righteous energy keeps them in check, but when your luck is at its lowest, the Corpse Spirits hurt your body from the inside out, devour your energy, and mess with your mind until you do something stupid and die!" Shawn summed it up based on the Codex of Ascension.
"So, this Soulhook Arrow is basically an evil weapon designed to trigger the Corpse Spirits (San Shi Shen) in someone’s body, driving them mad and killing them?" Felix Eagleclaw (Shangguan Feiyun) gasped.
"It’s not that simple. Everyone’s fate is made up of the Five Element Aura. The force that keeps it balanced is called the Spirit of Fortune (Xishen), and the force that throws it out of balance is the Spirit of Misfortune (Jishen)! The Soulhook Arrow messes up the victim’s Five Element Aura, uses the Spirit of Misfortune to push their destiny to the brink! It’s a vicious sorcery—locks the soul, traps the spirit, and even after the body dies, the soul can’t escape or reincarnate!" Shawn Young (Xiao Yuan) explained.
Felix Eagleclaw was stunned. "So Charles Morin’s fate is totally controlled by this dark magic? What are we going to do?!"
"Well—the Soulhook Arrow is nasty, but it won’t kill Charles Morin (Murong Changhai) right away. The Yan Twins of Terror (Yanmen Shuangsha) want to control his soul, so they can hold his fate and life in their hands! The Corpse Spirits (San Shi Shen) in his body will erupt on Void Day (Jiakong Day) every month. Today’s Gengshen Day, tomorrow’s Void Day—once that hits, he’s doomed, no matter what we try. The Yan Twins timed it perfectly. Real masters, I have to admit!" Shawn Young (Xiao Yuan) said, impressed.
"Oh no! Brother Shawn, can you save him? He’s the only heir to the Morin Family! If he dies, I’ll never be able to face Samuel Morin!" Felix Eagleclaw pleaded.
"It’s midnight now, and there’s still some time before the Corpse Spirits (San Shi Shen) erupt at noon on Void Day (Jiakong Day). But in Charles’s Seven Souls and Six Spirits (Qihun Liupo), only his Life Soul (Shenghun) remains—the rest have been snatched by the Yan Twins’ sorcery. Even if I revive him, his soul’s incomplete, and he won’t regain his mind. Unless we find the Yan Twins and break their spell—which we don’t have time for. I’ve got one emergency trick that could keep him alive for now, but it’s risky—" Shawn Young (Xiao Yuan) said.
"Forget the risks! As long as Charles survives, it’s worth it! What’s your plan, Shawn?" Felix Eagleclaw pressed.
"This method’s a bit unusual—we have to transfer Charles’s Life Soul into another living body, then seal it with a spell. That way, the Yan Twins can’t snatch his Life Soul, and they’ll have to show up. Then we’ll have a chance to break their dark magic and save Charles for good!" Shawn explained.
"Transfer his Life Soul? Shawn, what kind of body are you thinking of?" Felix Eagleclaw was baffled.
"I haven’t decided yet. It has to be a creature with spiritual energy. Time’s tight—let’s get Charles down the mountain first!" Shawn said.
"Okay!" Felix Eagleclaw had no better ideas, so he picked up the unconscious Charles Morin and followed Shawn Young out of the temple.
Outside, Shawn personally picked up the knockout-gorgeous ninja girl, leading the way down the mountain. Captain Victor Zhang and Sergeant Hannah Pan followed, and as they walked, Victor suddenly called out to Shawn, "Hey, your back looks really familiar. Have we met before?"
Shawn’s scalp tingled. This was exactly what he’d been dreading—Victor Zhang recognizing him would be a total disaster. Panicked, Shawn spun around and glared at Victor, snapping, "Fatty! I don’t know you! Quit acting friendly! I’m not in the mood—don’t push your luck!"
"Uh—I was just asking, no need to get so worked up! Geez—" Victor shrank back from Shawn’s fierce glare, feeling a chill. He muttered under his breath, but didn’t dare argue. After all, when he and Hannah Pan left the temple, they’d seen ninja bodies scattered everywhere, and Shawn had casually claimed he’d taken them all out. Facing a 'total badass' like Shawn Young, Victor wasn’t about to pick a fight. But as a cop, he couldn’t help wondering what really happened—after all, so many dead bodies meant a major case!