Yinhun

"We need to find someone to ask."

Chen Mu's social circle was extremely limited.

When it came to gathering secret information, Jie Jia was the only person he could think of.

That old man was a master assassin with a mysterious organization behind him. His intelligence network was the best informed.

At West Market, Chen Mu made his way to Tianyi Hall with practiced ease.

The moment he stepped inside, he could not help but freeze.

He backed out and looked up at the signboard. Tianyi Hall—he had come to the right place.

Yet there were no coffins or antiques in the shop now.

Three ropes had been strung across the ceiling, each hung with folded triangular Peace Talismans.

Four or five antique shelves stood on the left, holding rusty bronze mirrors, wooden swords marked by black lightning-shaped cracks, exquisite pagodas hung with tiny bells...

Every single item was meant to ward off evil and protect a residence.

Malevolent Spirits had just started causing trouble in the city, and you immediately started selling Exorcism Artifacts?

Chen Mu calmly glanced at Jie Jia, who sat behind the counter on the right with narrowed eyes.

"Why am I not surprised at all?"

"What is it?" Jie Jia asked flatly.

Chen Mu subconsciously looked around.

He leaned closer to the counter and lowered his voice. "What's going on with the Malevolent Spirits causing trouble in the city?"

Jie Jia's eyes slowly rolled as he glanced at Chen Mu. A flicker of surprise passed through them.

Then his expression returned to its usual stillness. He extended his right index finger and pointed into the air.

Following his finger, Chen Mu saw the Peace Talismans gently swaying overhead.

Chen Mu was utterly baffled.

Jie Jia said nothing. His eyes rolled again, glancing at Chen Mu's left sleeve.

Chen Mu's face immediately darkened.

"Why can you find where I hide my money pouch every single time?"

Chen Mu understood.

"You want me to buy something? Fine!"

Gritting his teeth, Chen Mu reached up and yanked down a Peace Talisman.

"Can you tell me now?"

"Five taels." Jie Jia flipped his right hand over and held it out before Chen Mu.

Chen Mu: "..." What a money-grubber!

He could only obediently pay up.

After all, the man had a monopoly on information.

Jie Jia turned his hand palm-down, and the five taels of broken silver vanished.

"Qingshan County Office has an Exorcism Mirror. Nothing will happen," Jie Jia said calmly.

Chen Mu immediately relaxed.

An Exorcism Mirror? The County Office had such a treasure?

Then another doubt arose. "That's not right. Malevolent Spirits have been causing trouble in the city lately, and quite a few people have died."

"Some always slip through the net," Jie Jia said flatly.

Chen Mu froze.

"Then what if I run into one?"

Jie Jia glanced at Chen Mu. "Accept your fate."

Chen Mu's chest tightened at once.

"What exactly are these Malevolent Spirits?" Chen Mu asked irritably. "Is there any way to counter them?"

Malevolent Spirits had not existed for merely a day or two.

Great Liang had coexisted with them for who knew how many centuries.

There had to be some way to deal with them.

Jie Jia's eyes rolled toward Chen Mu's left sleeve.

Chen Mu: "..."

Residence Number Three, west side of Ping'an Ward.

Chen Mu sat in the pitch-black room, muttering to himself.

"Yinhun..."

Jie Jia had told him that most Malevolent Spirits were caused by Yinhun.

These monsters were formless yet tangible. Ordinary people could not see them unless the creatures wanted to be seen.

Yinhun were best at transforming into all kinds of horrifying things.

They frightened people into madness, then took advantage of the chance to devour souls and seize spirits.

Most of the ghosts, monsters, and Demons in folk legends were their transformations.

If an ordinary person encountered one, they were almost certainly doomed.

Fortunately, Yinhun were not impossible to fight.

First, it was best to have an Exorcism Artifact, such as the Exorcism Mirror at the County Office.

Unfortunately, he did not have one.

As for the things Jie Jia sold... better not mention them.

Second, the Body Tempering Technique had to reach mastery.

A mastered Body Tempering Technique possessed incredible effects and could offer a slight ability to resist.

But he had only reached Bone Strengthening.

Third, cultivate a special martial art.

Certain special martial arts had some restraining effect on Yinhun.

But even searching all of Qingshan County might not turn up a single one.

"Jie Jia is so fearless. Isn't he afraid of Yin Soul Monsters?"

A treasure? A cultivation technique? Or a mastered Body Tempering Technique?

The next day.

For once, Chen Mu did not practice martial arts.

After breakfast, he hurried early to Eight Directions Pavilion to listen for news.

He heard that someone had died in Guluo Alley in the south of the city last night. Their eyes had been gouged out, and their legs twisted like pretzels. The sight had been unbearable.

The County Office constables had already sealed off Guluo Alley in the southern part of the city.

Chen Mu's heart pounded uneasily as he listened.

That afternoon, he went to Tianyi Hall again to seek advice.

The old man was a money-grubber, but money was all he recognized.

If he had a special cultivation technique, perhaps Chen Mu could buy a copy.

"Leave it to fate," Jie Jia said flatly.

Chen Mu immediately despaired.

This feeling of having his life out of his own hands was simply too unbearable.

Thinking that there might be a Yin Soul Monster hiding beneath his bed when he went home that night, Chen Mu felt every hair on his body stand on end.

"There's really no way?" Chen Mu refused to give up.

Jie Jia did not even acknowledge him.

"Last time, I saw someone selling Exorcism Talismans in the black market. They said Taoists from Qingfeng Temple drew them," Chen Mu probed.

"Want one? I'll give you ten percent off," Jie Jia said.

Chen Mu: "..." So you were selling those too!

"Do they work?" Chen Mu asked with a trace of hope.

"Anyway, no one has ever come back for a refund," Jie Jia said calmly.

Chen Mu: "..." Why does that sound wrong?

If they worked, then of course no one would return them.

But if they did not work...

How the hell could anyone come back for a refund?!

Chen Mu could only return home looking utterly dejected.

"I'm just an ordinary commoner. No matter how unwilling I am, there's nothing I can do."

"Qingshan County is so large. It can't be that I'll happen to run into a Malevolent Spirit, right?" Chen Mu comforted himself.

"Forget it. I should just avoid going out whenever possible."

"I won't go where there are lots of people, I won't go where there are few people, and I'll stay far, far away from places where Malevolent Spirits have appeared."

"Ugh, leave it to fate..."

West Market, Tianyi Hall.

Early in the morning, Jie Jia opened the doors.

As usual, he swept and wiped the inside and outside of the shop until they were spotless.

Then he sat upright behind the counter.

For the past few days, the entire city had been abuzz over the Malevolent Spirits causing trouble.

The evil-warding treasures in his shop had been selling rather well.

As for whether they worked? Only those who truly encountered a Malevolent Spirit would know.

Several groups of customers came one after another that morning.

One wealthy household had even purchased an Exquisite Pagoda from him.

He had earned a full sixty-six taels of silver!

Jie Jia was so pleased that his eyelids lifted a fraction higher.

Around noon, just as he was preparing to head out for a meal.

An enticing fragrance drifted into his nostrils.

His mouth immediately began producing saliva on its own.

He had only smelled such delicacies back in Great Liang's capital, at Number One Under Heaven Pavilion—the kind of taste that hooked one from the depths of the heart.

There were no restaurants nearby. Who was cooking? How could they possess such skill?

Shaking his head, he was about to leave.

Then his heart suddenly stirred. Why did this scent seem so familiar?

Without thinking, he followed the smell out of Tianyi Hall.

He rounded the street corner and headed toward the residential area behind Tianyi Hall.

As he walked and sniffed, the more he smelled it, the more familiar it became.

For some reason, a familiar figure suddenly flashed through his mind.

Then he looked at the residence before him. It was pressed right up against Tianyi Hall's rear wall?!

With a leap, Jie Jia jumped into the courtyard.

He looked up and saw a familiar figure wearing an apron and carrying a plate of food.

Chen Mu: "..."

"What a coincidence. How about sharing a bite?"

Jie Jia: "..."

That smell was becoming more and more familiar.

"Don't misunderstand. I really didn't add anything to the food this time," Chen Mu said sincerely.

"Why are you here?" Jie Jia asked with a dark expression.

Chen Mu explained earnestly, "I had someone examine this place. They said it's a Treasure Land with excellent feng shui. Living here can avert disasters, resolve troubles, and prolong one's life."

Jie Jia looked at Chen Mu speechlessly.

Couldn't you come up with a more believable excuse?

"You didn't move here because you want to use me to intimidate Yinhun, did you?" Recalling Chen Mu's actions over the past two days, Jie Jia's eyes flew wide open.

You guessed that I'm not afraid of Yinhun, so you moved right next to me?

What do you take me for? A residence-protecting stone?!

"Old Jie, honestly, your misunderstanding of me runs far too deep!" Chen Mu sighed helplessly.

Jie Jia's face immediately darkened.