In an instant, Jiang Qingyue felt the scenery around her blur and twist, as though she were inside a rapidly spinning kaleidoscope.
Wind howled past her ears, fierce and biting.
She could only clutch Qi Wu's collar and bury her face against his chest, not daring to look at the blurred scenery racing past them.
The sensation was both unfamiliar and wondrous, as though time and space had been compressed and folded in that moment.
She could feel Qi Wu's steady heartbeat. Unlike his outward ease, it beat strong and powerful, hinting at a strength that could not be underestimated.
After only a few seconds, everything abruptly stopped.
"We're here."
Qi Wu's voice came from above her head.
"You can open your eyes now, Miss Witch."
Jiang Qingyue cautiously opened her eyes and found that he was still holding her, while their surroundings had changed completely.
They stood outside the gates of an abandoned factory, overgrown with weeds, with a faint smell of decay hanging in the air.
She hurriedly struggled to get down, and Qi Wu obligingly released her.
Jiang Qingyue stumbled a step before steadying herself, her cheeks so red they seemed about to bleed. She could not bring herself to meet Qi Wu's eyes.
She fumbled to straighten her rumpled combat suit and slightly disheveled hair, her heart pounding as though it might leap out of her chest.
"What was that just now...?"
She asked quietly, her voice still trembling slightly.
"One of my abilities. You can think of it as Teleportation."
Qi Wu brushed it off casually, turning his gaze deeper into the abandoned factory as his expression gradually grew serious.
"Ready? What's inside is much more dangerous than anything in the simulation pod."
At that moment, the curse mark on Jiang Qingyue's wrist warmed slightly, as though responding to some call from deep within the factory.
It was a presence that mingled danger with temptation.
Her curse mark seemed to crave it...
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
Then Jiang Qingyue raised her head, her gaze gradually firming:
"I'm ready, Mr. Wu."
Qi Wu nodded in satisfaction and took the lead into the factory:
"Stay close. Remember what you felt during training. This time, it's the real thing."
Jiang Qingyue clenched her fists and hurried after him.
The two entered the factory.
Nothing obstructed them along the way.
The interior was dim, the air thick with the smell of rust and machine oil, mixed with a faint, unsettling bloody tang.
Thick dust covered the abandoned assembly lines. A few pale shafts of daylight filtered through broken windows, casting mottled shadows across the floor.
Jiang Qingyue's black over-the-knee boots made faint sounds as they stepped on loose rubble.
Their footsteps echoed through the empty factory, sounding especially distinct.
She stayed close behind Qi Wu, watching their surroundings warily. The curse mark on her wrist continued to radiate a faint warmth, and the sensation of being called grew increasingly clear.
Just as they reached the center of the factory, a slightly hoarse voice suddenly came from behind a heap of discarded machinery:
"Well, well, well. Young couples pick places like this for dates these days? Quite the unusual taste."
As he spoke, an elderly Taoist stepped out, wearing faded robes, sporting a goatee, and carrying a horsetail whisk.
He looked to be in his fifties or sixties, but his eyes were bright and alert as he regarded the pair with a hint of amusement.
Jiang Qingyue's face instantly flushed again.
What did he mean, they were a couple?
They were just teammates.
Qi Wu spread his hands and said:
"We're not a couple. We're here to deal with the anomalous incident."
At Qi Wu's words, the elderly Taoist narrowed his eyes slightly and looked them up and down.
"Oh? From the 749 Bureau?"
Realizing they were no ordinary people, the old Taoist flicked his whisk and chuckled:
"So you're government people. I am Xuan Chenzi. The factory owner commissioned me to exorcise the Demon here."
The elderly Taoist, Xuan Chenzi, was an independent supernatural practitioner who had inherited the esoteric arts of the spirit medium tradition, making him something of an expert at dealing with monster-type Demons.
He stroked his goatee, his gaze moving between Qi Wu and Jiang Qingyue:
"Are you here for the same target as me?"
Qi Wu inclined his head slightly, his tone calm:
"More or less. Have you discovered anything here, Master?"
Xuan Chenzi's expression grew a little more serious, and he pointed deeper into the factory:
"At some point, a Yellow Weasel slipped into this factory."
Qi Wu considered this for a moment before saying:
"A Yellow Weasel, meaning a humanoid Weasel Demon?"
Xuan Chenzi nodded slightly.
"Exactly."
He said gravely:
"This sort of Demon is a weasel that has gained supernatural powers. They're terribly uncanny. People even honor them with titles like 'Yellow Immortal.'"
"Even you government people might not be able to handle a Demon like this."
"It takes a specialist from my spirit medium tradition to deal with one properly."
At this, Xuan Chenzi looked rather pleased with himself.
"You both look like newcomers. I imagine you aren't exactly top experts in the 749 Bureau."
"When we go in to subdue it, you can simply assist me."
At that, an almost imperceptible smile curved Qi Wu's lips. He did not object to the old Taoist's arrangements, merely saying calmly:
"Then we'll be grateful for your guidance, Master."
Seeing how cooperative Qi Wu was, Xuan Chenzi stroked his beard and nodded, looking as though he had found a promising pupil:
"Mm. It's good for young people to know when to advance and when to yield. Stay close to me, and watch how it's done."
He turned toward the depths of the factory, flicked his whisk, and adopted a solemn expression:
"That Yellow Weasel is a cunning creature. If we encounter it and it asks you something, you must be very careful."
Jiang Qingyue asked in confusion:
"What would it ask?"
Xuan Chenzi's expression was grave.
"If it asks you, 'Do I look like a god or a human?'"
"You must not answer."
Xuan Chenzi lowered his voice, his expression more serious than ever:
"That Yellow Weasel practices the sinister art of Sealing Blessing.
If it stands upright, wears human clothes and headwear, speaks in a human voice, and asks, 'Do you think I look like a human or a god?' then it has reached a critical stage."
His gaze swept over the two of them:
"If you answer 'a human,' its cultivation will be damaged, and it will take frenzied revenge. If you answer 'a god,' it can truly draw on the power of that acknowledgment to greatly increase its cultivation, making it even harder to deal with. Either answer will forge a powerful karmic bond with it, and it will haunt you."
"So the safest approach is-"
Xuan Chenzi made a gesture of sealing his mouth. "Don't answer, don't engage, and don't respond to anything it says!
The moment it asks for a blessing, strike immediately to disrupt its technique! Don't let it obtain one!"
Qi Wu nodded thoughtfully:
"I see. Thank you for the warning, Master."
He turned to look at Jiang Qingyue and saw that she was listening with rapt attention.
She had even unconsciously covered her mouth, as though afraid she might accidentally make a sound later. The sight brought an almost imperceptible flicker of amusement to Qi Wu's eyes.
"As long as you remember."
Seeing that they understood, Xuan Chenzi said no more. He turned and cautiously crept toward the deepest part of the factory.
"That vile creature's presence is just ahead. Stay close, and keep quiet."
Qi Wu and Jiang Qingyue followed the old Taoist deeper into the factory.
Unlike Jiang Qingyue, who seemed a little nervous.
Qi Wu walked with his hands in his pockets and an easy stride, as though he already had a way to bring the Yellow Weasel to heel.
Before you continue