Codex of Ascension
Shawn Young glanced up and spotted the middle-aged man blending into the crowd, pointing and gesturing, riling up the villagers against the police officers trying to keep order. He shoved and shouted, clearly enjoying the chaos.
“Hmph, that guy’s really the pot calling the kettle black!” Shawn Young snorted, then turned to see Rachel Sasaki standing calmly nearby, watching it all unfold. He walked straight over to her.
“Rachel—I need to talk to you about something!” Shawn Young said as he approached Rachel Sasaki.
“Mm-hmm—go ahead—” Rachel Sasaki replied sweetly.
“Did you notice these villagers are being stirred up by someone?” Shawn Young asked her.
“Hehe—of course I noticed! And the one stirring them up is that man over there!” Rachel Sasaki laughed, pointing at the middle-aged guy.
“Oh, you noticed too? Haha, that makes things easier!” Shawn Young paused, then smiled.
“That guy has a Malice Aura—only murderers have that kind of energy. He’s also cunning, so if I’m not mistaken, Shawn, you’re planning to deal with him, right?” Rachel Sasaki asked.
“Mm-hmm, exactly! That’s what I wanted to discuss with you. I’m going to expose him and let the world see his crimes!” Shawn Young said with a grin.
“Hehe—sure! How do you want me to help?” Rachel Sasaki laughed.
“Oh, here’s the plan—” Shawn Young leaned in and whispered something to Rachel Sasaki.
Rachel Sasaki listened to Shawn Young’s idea, giggled, then said, “Hehe—you’re so naughty—but this sounds fun! Watch me!”
With that, she turned and walked into the nearby woods. Shawn Young, curious, followed her in.
Rachel Sasaki quickly plucked a strand of hair from her head, deftly wrapped it around her slender right finger, and after a few twists, formed a strange talisman. She chanted softly and tossed the talisman into the air.
“Whoosh—” A streak of blue light shot through the air, swiftly flying out over the pond beyond the woods, circling once before plunging into the water.
Soon, something astonishing happened. Ripples spread across the surface of the large pond, and at its center, bubbles began to rise—“gurgle—gurgle—”—in a big cluster.
“Pop—pop—pop—” The bubbles burst one after another, making a series of eerie sounds.
The loud popping noises drew the attention of the police and villagers outside the cordon, who had been caught up in the commotion. Everyone paused, turning their gaze toward the pond.
Suddenly, the bubbles scattered, and a spinning vortex appeared in the middle of the pond. The whirlpool grew larger and emitted a strange humming—“whooo—whooo—whooo”—like a giant funnel forming under the water.
“Ah—what is that thing?”
“Oh my god—what’s happening under the pond? How can this be?!”
Seeing this bizarre scene, the villagers all cried out in alarm, forgetting their quarrel with the police as their attention was completely captivated.
Hidden in the woods, Shawn Young saw the timing was right. He grabbed a handful of dirt, picked up some fallen leaves and twigs, and arranged them on the ground in the shape of a person. Then he chanted: “Wind, rise! Clouds, move! Soul, return! Clouds stir the soul, wind gathers the spirit—by urgent decree—Release!”
Finishing the spell, Shawn Young sprinkled the dirt onto the human-shaped figure he’d made on the ground.
“Boom—” A burst of white light flashed, and the figure made of twigs and leaves started to gather together, gradually forming a hazy silhouette.
Shawn Young formed a sword gesture with his right hand and pointed. The shadowy figure floated up from the ground, shot out of the woods at high speed, and plunged into the pond.
“Splash—splash—” The giant whirlpool made another strange noise. Soon, something emerged from the swirling water and drifted toward the shore.
Everyone stared wide-eyed—a giant woven sack, swollen and waterlogged, floated to the surface. The bag was puffed up like it was filled with air, looking especially creepy.
“Ah—that, what’s with that big bag?!”
“Yeah! That huge bag just appeared out of nowhere, and it looks like there’s something inside—” The villagers exclaimed in shock.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man hiding among the crowd turned pale with fear—he knew exactly what that big bag was!
At that moment, Rachel Sasaki, hidden in the woods, let out a soft snort, formed a hand seal, and pointed at the big bag—“Boom—” With a muffled sound, the mouth of the bag split open and a thick white mist burst out, instantly forming a blurry human shape on the shore!
The scariest part was that the blurry figure let out a series of mournful cries—a piercing female voice, carried by a chilling wind, swept over the villagers, echoing—
“I am Wen Xiaoli—Zhang Dushan, give me back my life—”
“Zhang Dushan—you killed me—and dumped my body here—give me back my life—”
“Oh my god—a ghost—” The villagers watching were terrified, faces pale. Now they understood why the police had cordoned off the area—it really was the scene of a grisly crime.
Seeing the situation turn in their favor, Liu Yongming quickly grabbed his megaphone and shouted to the villagers: “Alright, this is now a major crime scene under police control. Anyone not involved, please leave immediately!”
As soon as he finished, the villagers scattered like a tide. They realized that causing trouble now would be pointless!
The middle-aged man tried to slip away with the crowd, but a sudden gust of wind blew in. The blurry figure flew above the villagers, scattering a cloud of gray mist. Everything became hazy, and no one could tell east from west.
Another piercing cry echoed from the sky: “Don’t leave—Zhang Dushan—Zhang Dushan—you can’t escape—give me back my life—”
The villagers panicked, and someone suddenly shouted, “Who the hell is Zhang Dushan?! Get out here—don’t drag us all down with you!!”
“Yeah, yeah! Whoever the hell is Zhang Dushan—get out!”
“Damn you—Zhang Dushan, you bastard, hiding here—get out—don’t bring trouble on us—”
Soon, someone among the villagers recognized Zhang Dushan and unceremoniously shoved him out of the crowd—it was the middle-aged man!
(End of chapter)