Evil Spirits

At night, Su Ti stayed alone in his room.

He analyzed the beginning and end of the kidnapping case involving his cousins.

He handled the aftermath of this incident well. There were no cameras along the way, and he got out of the car early, so there was no way they could trace it back to him.

Moreover, after this incident, Su Zihao's family would surely be more cautious. Given their wealth level, they would definitely have means to retaliate or protect themselves.

Even if they didn't, this attack alarmed the police, and the other party wouldn't dare to come a second time in a short period. Therefore, Su Ti wasn't particularly worried about the safety of Su Zihao's family for the time being.

However, there was one thing that still bothered him: the matter of that spinal worm.

Su Ti was full of doubts.

What exactly was that thing? It could make a normal person have that level of immortality, and after killing it, it could even provide me with energy.

Currently, the only things known to provide me with energy are Cursed Antiques, things dug out from piles of dead people. This strange creature can provide me with energy, so what do this thing and Cursed Antiques have in common?

Su Ti thought for a while, couldn't figure it out, so he opened his phone and called Long Yuanzheng.

Long Yuanzheng was a person from the Ancient Martial Arts world, knowledgeable and experienced, so he should know the origin of this spinal worm.

Long Yuanzheng's call was quickly connected.

Su Ti pondered for a moment, then slightly embellished today's events and told the other party.

He slightly modified the course of the incident. The incident itself was no different from beginning to end, except that the strength of the two people became Inner Refinement Second Layer.

Long Yuanzheng frowned after hearing this.

"Inner Refinement martial artists from out of town? These two actually dared to kidnap your family. Hmph, such scum deserve to be killed. If there's any trouble later, Master will resolve it for you."

Long Yuanzheng was already used to Su Ti's killing intent. Moreover, encountering such a thing, if Su Ti didn't kill them, Long Yuanzheng would look down on him and think he had no guts.

If he didn't even dare to kill when his family was in trouble, what kind of martial arts was he practicing?

"Master, I erased the traces very well. They shouldn't be able to find me."

Su Ti said this. He wasn't afraid of someone coming to his door, but simply felt that he hadn't left any loose ends, so no one would come looking for him.

Long Yuanzheng said, "It's hard to say. You haven't been in the Ancient Martial Arts world for long, and you don't know some of the rules of this line of work. Either they won't come looking, or if the force behind the two martial artists you killed really comes looking, they will definitely find you."

Su Ti was a little confused, and Long Yuanzheng explained.

"It's the fighting style. You killed them using the Golden Python Four Forms fighting style, right?"

Su Ti's pupils contracted, and he instantly understood.

"The detectives in the surface world can't find people based on this, but the Ancient Martial Arts sects in the hidden world will know if they inquire locally. Only our Dragon Gate's fighting style can cause such injuries."

"But it doesn't matter. It's fine if the force behind them doesn't come. If they do, I'll have to hold them accountable and give you an explanation."

Su Ti felt a warmth in his heart when he heard this.

"Master."

"Hmm, let's not talk about the force behind those two for now. However, this spinal worm you mentioned, Su Ti, is quite rare even in the hidden world. Even I have only heard rumors about it and haven't actually seen it."

"What exactly is that?"

Su Ti asked curiously.

Long Yuanzheng's tone became serious.

"It's an Evil Spirit."

"Evil Spirit?"

"That's right. A long time ago, I heard your senior martial brother mention this. There are some mischievous ghosts and monsters in this world, and these things are collectively called Evil Spirits."

"However, most of these Evil Spirits have fixed territories, all in deep mountains and old forests far away from crowds. Ordinary people rarely see them in their lifetime, at least I haven't seen them."

Su Ti felt something was wrong when he heard this and reminded him.

"But that person seemed to have also practiced Ancient Martial Arts, and there seemed to be a certain Ancient Martial Arts sect or organization behind him."

Hearing this, Long Yuanzheng replied.

"That's a Heretical Sect, a sect that uses Evil Spirits to practice. They assimilate with Evil Spirits, becoming half-human and half-evil, practicing by feeding on the flesh and blood of living people, and are not tolerated by society."

"However, I've only heard of such sects. As far as I know, there are none in our Nanjiang Province."

"But you don't need to worry too much. Heretical Sects are not tolerated by society and hide like rats, and they are selfish. It's unlikely they will seek revenge on you for a dead person. On the contrary, that righteous sect might send people over. If they come looking for you, tell me and don't handle it alone."

After Long Yuanzheng's instructions, Su Ti hung up the phone.

He sat on the bed and pondered slightly.

Evil Spirits?

It seemed that this world also hid another side that he didn't know about, and that side was even more hidden than the Ancient Martial Arts world. Even old people in the Ancient Martial Arts world like Long Yuanzheng knew little about it.

He originally wanted to inquire about where he could encounter such Evil Spirits so that he could have another source of energy, but if Long Yuanzheng didn't know the specific location...

At this moment, Su Ti was startled.

He remembered the tomb raiding group he encountered during the day.

Xu Lao had told him about ghosts and monsters, and Long Yuanzheng said that Evil Spirits were mischievous ghosts and monsters. So, was it possible that these two were the same thing?

Thinking of this, he picked up his phone and dialed Xu Lao's number.

The call connected quickly, and Xu Lao's voice came from the other end.

"How is it? Has Your Excellency changed your mind?"

"No, I wanted to ask you about ghosts. I seem to have encountered something similar."

"Hmm, tell me."

Su Ti described the situation before and after the spine worm possessed and left the body to Xu Lao.

Xu Lao pondered for a moment after listening and replied.

"What you encountered, if I'm not mistaken, should be a Corpse Puppet Worm."

"Corpse Puppet Worm?"

"That's right, this is a type of evil spirit born underground. It's originally a common insect, but because it absorbed Yin energy for a long time, it gradually turned into an evil spirit."

"This worm can parasitize corpses and control them, which is why it's called a Corpse Puppet Worm."

"However, it's not that it can't parasitize living people. Living people who are parasitized will gradually lose their sense of pain, enjoy eating human blood and flesh, and also lose all their vital points. Even if they lose their head and brain, they can continue to fight under the effect of the Corpse Puppet Worm."

"It is said that some Heretical Sects in certain provinces will use this Corpse Puppet Worm to practice their techniques and turn themselves into immortal bodies without weaknesses."

Xu Lao's words perfectly matched what Su Ti had seen!

Moreover, compared to Long Yuanzheng, Xu Lao clearly knew more and was more detailed, even knowing the specific name of the evil spirit!

Su Ti thought to himself that he was indeed a tomb raider; he had seen many evil spirits, and he had specialized knowledge in this field.

"So that's how it is. I wonder if Xu Lao can tell me more about evil spirits."

Evil spirits, like Cursed Antiques, could increase Su Ti's energy, so Su Ti was naturally very interested.

Xu Lao laughed heartily and said.

"Actually, knowing this kind of knowledge isn't very useful, because it's hard for normal people to encounter evil spirits. These things are all born on Yin Meridians. Even if you know they exist, it's like listening to a story; you'll never see their true form."

Long Yuanzheng had also said this. Evil spirits were in deep mountains and old forests, far from human habitation, and ordinary people rarely saw them in their lifetime.

After hearing this, Su Ti fell into thought and after a while asked.

"Then, will you encounter evil spirits in the tomb you're going to raid next?"

"Most likely." Xu Lao said seriously. He had said this to Su Ti before and now added.

"Because that tomb is built on a Yin Meridian. Tombs generally built on Yin Meridians have a very high probability of producing evil spirits. Although we haven't been there in person yet, we've already prepared ourselves for encountering evil spirits."

That tomb was too dangerous, and even with Xu Lao's strength, he didn't dare to venture in easily. This was the reason he had invited Su Ti before.

Going without enough strength was just seeking death.

Su Ti pondered for a moment after hearing this and replied.

"In that case, I'll go with you."

Xu Lao was overjoyed after hearing this.

"Really!"

Su Ti responded with a sound.

"However, I have one condition. The split is still as you said before, three-tenths is fine, but if there's a gain, I want to choose first. If there's a premium, I'll compensate you."

"No problem, no problem, we'll do as you say!"

Xu Lao had already seen Su Ti's integrity before. Being able to trade fairly even when he could have double-crossed, with such a partner, there was no need to worry about greed!

This was also the reason Xu Lao invited Su Ti. Having only martial power wasn't enough. One should know that they could completely use money to invite martial artists with higher martial power, but the place Xu Lao was going was remote and without legal constraints. Once there was a huge gain, the stronger the invited martial artists were, the more dangerous they would even be!

He had encountered too many partners who double-crossed for huge profits, so his subordinates were all trustworthy people. He wouldn't dare to bring anyone he didn't trust with him!

"Alright, since I've decided to join, don't call me Your Excellency anymore. Just call me Su Xiu."

For caution, Su Ti didn't give his real name but used a fake one.

"Okay, okay, just as Brother Su Xiu says. I'll set off at eight o'clock the morning after tomorrow. We'll meet at the same trading spot as today. See you there."

After agreeing on the time with Xu Lao, Su Ti hung up the phone and let out a breath.

As the saying goes, wealth moves people's hearts.

Originally, Su Ti had no interest in tomb raiding or adventure, but after learning that evil spirits could provide him with energy, he suddenly became full of interest in this adventure.

Because tomb raiding could not only get Cursed Antiques but also potentially encounter evil spirits, Su Ti was naturally willing to take this risk for such a win-win situation.

The next morning, the police came to the door.

They were there for the kidnapping case of Su Qiaoqiao and Su Yuwei from yesterday.

After investigation, after the two were kidnapped, a mysterious person drove Su Yuwei's car, tracked them all the way, caught up and killed the two kidnappers, and called the police to rescue the hostages.

Although the hostages were successfully rescued and the kidnappers were punished, this was not punished by law after all. Although the mysterious person's actions were righteous, he was still suspected of intentional homicide and needed to be found and brought back for investigation.

Although there was no surveillance throughout the kidnapping incident, the only witness Li Shifu was dead, the dashcam was removed, and there were no fingerprints or other traces at the scene,

Su Ti, as the last witness to leave, was highly suspected.

It's highly likely that Su Ti was the mysterious person who drove Su Yuwei's car, caught up with and killed the kidnappers, and rescued the two women from them.

Therefore, Su Ti was unsurprised to be taken to the police station for questioning and to give a statement.

Su's Father and Su's Mother also went along, looking surprised. It wasn't until they met Su Zihao and his two daughters, who were also giving statements at the police station, that they learned about Su Yuwei and Su Qiaoqiao's kidnapping, which greatly shocked them.

After giving his statement, Su Ti also pretended to be completely bewildered.

"Something like that happened? I didn't know. I got out of the car and left. I didn't even know you were kidnapped. But it's good that you two are okay."

He wore an expression of extreme shock and regret, mixed with relief. No one in the Su family found any flaws in his act.

"You! You're so careless! I told you to take Qiaoqiao and your cousin, and they were kidnapped right in front of you, and you didn't even know!"

Su's Mother poked Su Ti's head with her finger, speaking with disappointment.

Meanwhile, Su Zihao immediately stepped in to smooth things over.

"Hey, sister-in-law, don't say that. Su Ti had already left at that time and didn't see it. It's not his fault."

He knew very well that if that mysterious person hadn't appeared and saved his two daughters, even if Su Ti had seen the scene and called the police, it wouldn't have changed anything in the end and might have even made things worse.

Therefore, Su Zihao didn't blame Su Ti at all.

As for the possibility that Su Ti was the mysterious person who saved his two daughters, Su Zihao hadn't even considered it.

If Su Ti had that ability, why would he have been kidnapped by underground black boxing recently?

However, Su Qiaoqiao and Su Yuwei, who knew he might have some skills, were half-believing, half-doubting. But the same question remained: even Li Shifu, a Tongli Stage martial artist, was killed. If Su Ti had that strength, why was he kidnapped himself recently?

Coupled with Su Ti's genuine look of bewilderment and shock, the two women dismissed their suspicions.

After a round of statements, the police still didn't find anything and finally sent Su Ti and the others back home.

Despite such a major incident, and although the mastermind Su Luo had been apprehended, under the effect of being a startled bird, Su Zihao still applied for covert police protection, citing fear of retaliation. He also hired multiple bodyguards at his own expense to watch over his two daughters.

Leaving aside Su Zihao's situation.

On the morning of the third day after the kidnapping incident, at an abandoned factory in the suburbs.

"Let me introduce you. This is Cao Man, my goddaughter."

Xu Lao said with a smile, introducing her.

Cao Man was the woman with a steel whip hanging from her waist. She was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wearing camouflage military uniform, with a ponytail, no makeup, and a beautiful face. She looked very capable.

"Hello."

"Just call me Su Xiu. Please take care of me from now on."

Cao Man nodded. She was clearly not good with words and retreated to the back.