The Snare

Wang Wenjing was at the second realm of the Night Patrol Envoy level, so she heard Lu Siye's murmur clearly. Patiently, she explained to this imposing big brother who knew so little:

"It's a spell specifically used to control the seven souls. As long as the person subjected to the Soul Control Art is at a lower cultivation level than the caster, the caster can control their body.

"Of course, the Soul Control Art has another use: extracting the source of a person's seven souls. To ghosts, that source is a treasure that can increase their strength.

"And the outward sign of the source of the seven souls being drained is accelerated aging."

"Accelerated aging!" Lu Siye suddenly remembered the faces of the seven victims after their deaths, which had looked far older than their ages. So that was the reason.

Wang Wenjing opened the fan in her hand, revealing a whole spread of talismans. She ran her slender fingers over them, then pulled out two.

"What are those?" It was the first time Lu Siye had seen someone use Taoist magic, and he couldn't help asking.

"These are a Soul-Calming Talisman and a Purification Talisman," Wang Wenjing explained.

She formed a hand seal with both hands and tapped the air several times. The two talismans then floated in midair as she chanted.

"Lingbao Tianzun, comfort the body and form. Disciples' souls, the mysteries of the five organs. Azure Dragon and White Tiger, ranks and banners in array. Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise, guard the body and form."

This was the Purification Mantra, one of the Eight Great Taoist Mantras.

As soon as she finished the last word, the Purification Talisman turned into a streak of golden light and sank into Chen Feiguang's body.

Lu Siye hurriedly focused his Yang energy on his eyes. He saw the thin black threads slowly fade away under the golden light.

It looked like the Soul Control Art had been broken!

But Wang Wenjing didn't stop. She formed another hand seal and began reciting the Mind-Clearing Mantra.

"The Supreme Star Lord, ever-changing without cease. Drive out evil, bind demons. Preserve life and protect the body. May wisdom shine clear, may the mind be at peace. May the three souls endure forever, and the seven souls remain undiminished."

After reciting the Mind-Clearing Mantra, one of the Eight Great Taoist Mantras, Wang Wenjing placed the Soul-Calming Talisman on Chen Feiguang's forehead.

The moment it touched his hair, the talisman spontaneously combusted without a flame, turning into specks of golden light that sank into Chen Feiguang's body.

Chen Feiguang slowly closed his eyes. Wang Wenjing helped him down onto the sofa. His home didn't have the air conditioning on, and it was sweltering in the middle of summer, so there was no need to worry about him catching a chill on the sofa.

"Just as I suspected, this really is connected to an evil organization within Jiuzhou. I never thought it would rise again after all these years."

After settling Chen Feiguang's mind, Wang Wenjing came over to Lu Siye, her expression grave.

"What organization?" Lu Siye was completely at a loss.

"The Snare! The only evil organization still surviving within Jiuzhou," Wang Wenjing said, each word measured.

"Is the Snare powerful?" Lu Siye couldn't help asking. He had never even heard of it.

"In Jiuzhou's five thousand years of history, there have been countless evil organizations. Only a few hundred were recorded in the Town Demon Suppression Division's archives, and most of those were wiped out by the Division in the struggles of history. But the Snare is the only one that still exists after more than a dozen campaigns to eradicate it. What do you think?"

"Phew..." Lu Siye drew in a sharp breath, doing his part to warm the planet.

Was the Snare powerful?

Lu Siye had no real way to judge.

But if you asked whether the Town Demon Suppression Division was powerful, he had a clear idea.

Jiuzhou had thirty-four provinces and more than six hundred cities in total. Every city had a branch of the Town Demon Suppression Division stationed there.

Each branch had at least five cultivators at the Night Wanderer Envoy level—the captains of the five elemental teams.

And from what Lu Siye had learned on the Town Watch APP, every branch director and deputy director had to be a powerhouse at least at the half-step Day Wanderer Envoy level.

The Town Demon Suppression Division headquarters in each provincial capital even had a Grandmaster stationed there, to handle Malevolent Soul-level ghosts.

The Snare's survival through more than a dozen campaigns by the Division, with its immense power, was proof enough of its strength.

"If that's the case, then this is beyond our ability to handle. We need to report it to the Town Demon Suppression Division right away." Lu Siye weighed his own meager strength before speaking.

If he only had to face some danger while clearing out ghosts, Lu Siye wouldn't even blink.

After all, if you wanted to defy fate, you had to face hardship. Even if you succeeded without it, you'd feel uneasy.

But if you expected him to walk into a situation where he was certain to die, he wasn't doing it.

"Don't worry. The time hasn't come yet. The Snare definitely won't send out experts above the Vicious Ghost level at this point." Wang Wenjing patted Lu Siye on the shoulder, her tone utterly certain.

"The time? What time?" Lu Siye looked at the girl beside him. She seemed to know a lot of secrets hidden from the world.

"Well, that's confidential for now. When it can be made public, the Town Demon Suppression Division will let us know." The girl clasped her hands behind her back, spun around, and sat down in a chair.

"Besides, I can see the Yang energy in your body is already circulating regularly. You should be able to ignite the Yang Fire of your three souls soon and reach the Night Wanderer Envoy level. We don't have to be afraid of them." Wang Wenjing tried to reassure Lu Siye.

"I'll take your word for it!"

Lu Siye gave Wang Wenjing a long look. After thinking it over, he decided to trust her.

"Hehe!" Wang Wenjing's face lit up with a smile when she earned Lu Siye's trust.

"By the way, you just broke the Soul Control Art. Could the mastermind who cast it sense that?" Lu Siye suddenly thought of something.

"No. The fact that I can undo this Soul Control Art means the mastermind is at the Night Patrol Envoy level too. At the same level, it's impossible for them to detect it." Wang Wenjing confidently patted her small chest.

For the rest of the night, the two of them stayed by Chen Feiguang's side to prevent anything from going wrong.

The night passed safely. Once the public security officers taking over arrived, Lu Siye and Wang Wenjing left Apartment 703.

Ghosts below the Blood-Robed level couldn't appear during the day, so Lu Siye felt safe leaving Chen Feiguang in the officers' care.

After leaving the residential complex, the two bought some buns and soy milk from a roadside shop and had a simple breakfast.

Then they exchanged contact information, and Lu Siye returned to Tongjiang Residential Complex.

After returning, Lu Siye, who hadn't slept all night, didn't choose to catch up on sleep. Instead, he began practicing the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill.

His goal this time wasn't to increase his Cultivation Power, but to improve his control over his own Yang energy.

After hearing what Wang Wenjing had revealed, Lu Siye felt a greater sense of urgency.

He needed to reach the Night Wanderer Envoy level before the time Wang Wenjing had mentioned arrived.

Time flew by, and night fell again.

Once it was dark, Lu Siye and Wang Wenjing appeared at Jucai District on time to continue guarding Chen Feiguang through the night.

Another peaceful night passed.

Two consecutive peaceful nights didn't make Lu Siye, Wang Wenjing, or the Public Security Bureau lower their guard.

According to the records of the previous seven cases, Chen Feiguang wouldn't be targeted until the seventh day.

On the evening of the seventh day, Lu Siye and Wang Wenjing arrived on the seventh floor early.

This time, though, they didn't openly stay by Chen Feiguang's side, in case the ghosts spotted them and decided to lie low.

Instead, they each found a concealed place to hide.