The motel's air conditioner rattled like an asthma patient, blowing the air dry and cold. At three in the morning, Sam jolted upright in bed, his T-shirt soaked through with cold sweat and clinging unbearably to his back. He gasped for breath, that damned scene from his dream still flashing before his eyes-a garage on the outskirts of Cleveland, Ohio, a wrench hanging from a rusty tool rack, swaying with an endless creak. A man named Ellen gripped a shotgun, his knuckles white, his eyes as empty as a puppet's. The instant he pressed the muzzle under his chin, Sam could even smell that strange mix of gun oil and rust. Then came a deafening bang, and the scene warped into raging flames, overlapping with the sight of his mother Mary burning to death, frightening him so badly his heart nearly leaped out of his chest.
"Fuck..." Sam wiped the sweat from his forehead, his voice as rough as sandpaper.
In the next bed, Bai Haorui woke at the commotion and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He glanced at Sam and raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
Dean woke too and rolled over, his tone thoroughly impatient. "Sam?"
"It wasn't a dream," Sam muttered to himself, grabbing his phone and swiping rapidly across the screen. "I remember the address from the dream. Outside Cleveland. The victim's name was Ellen Miller." He shoved his phone in front of the other two. "Look, this 'suicide' was just reported this morning. He died exactly the way I dreamed!"
Dean leaned over for a glance and scoffed. "Just a coincidence. Maybe you caught a glimpse of this story somewhere and dreamed about it last night." But faced with Sam's stubborn gaze, he could only shrug. "Fine. We can check it out if you want. Not like we've got anything else to do-but let's get this straight first. If it's a wasted trip, you're washing socks for me and Haorui for a week."
Bai Haorui took the Five Emperor Coins from his backpack, shook them in his hand, and leaned toward Sam. The five copper coins spun in his palm before settling firmly, giving off a faint purple glow. "It's not a coincidence," he said with certainty. "These coins can detect energy fluctuations. This purple... I don't know what it means, but it's definitely not the aura of an ordinary suicide. Something's definitely pulling strings behind the scenes."
"Pulling strings?" Dean raised an eyebrow and grabbed the jacket draped over the chair. "All right. Let's go meet this thing."
Three hours later, the Impala rolled into Cleveland. Dean found a clothing store and rented a reasonably upscale suit, stuffed his FBI credentials into his pocket, and headed straight for the police station. "Federal Bureau of Investigation. We're here about Ellen Miller's case." He slapped his credentials onto the reception desk, his tone all business and impatience.
The officer asked few questions and quickly pulled up the file. Leafing through the autopsy report, Dean spoke quietly to Sam and Bai Haorui as they leaned closer. "Victim was Ellen Miller, forty-five. Suicide by shotgun. One shot killed him. He had a younger brother named Ben. Ten years ago, his wife Susan died in a fire. It started in the nursery."
"The nursery?" Sam's heart sank. "Like what happened to Mom?"
Bai Haorui frowned as he looked through the neighbors' complaints. "It says here people kept complaining about a child crying at their house back then, but the police never found anything whenever they came."
"Come on. Let's ask the neighbors." Dean put the file back and patted Sam's shoulder.
They found Martha, a retired nurse who lived next door to Ellen. The old woman wore reading glasses and clutched a medical notebook. Her eyes filled with pity when she spoke of Max. "That boy... Ellen locked him in the basement ever since he was little. Several times, I saw his arms covered in bruises. Even in winter, he wore thin clothes and shivered from the cold. His uncle Ben was even worse. Always calling him a 'monster,' throwing cold water on him." She sighed. "I secretly gave him bread and cold medicine, but Ellen found out. He called me a busybody and threatened to make me sorry if I interfered again. An old woman like me couldn't do anything. Oh dear."
Martha lowered her voice even further. "When Max was ten, they locked him in the basement for three days and nights. Then, somehow, a chunk of stone fell from the ceiling and injured Ellen's leg-I suppose that was karma."
Bai Haorui suddenly remembered a case in his grandfather's notes. He took out the old notebook and flipped through it. "
During the Republican era, a cargo ship belonging to Zhang Wansen, Shanghai's silk magnate, was attacked on the Yangtze River. When news that the ship had been destroyed and everyone aboard had died reached the Zhang mansion, his only son, Zhang Nian'an, who had just turned twelve, stood before the vermilion gates, clutching the jade pendant his father had given him before leaving and hoping for his return.
But instead of his father, a pack of ravenous relatives arrived. His second uncle, Zhang Wanfa, was the first to step forward, pounding the table in front of the butler. 'My elder brother is gone, and Nian'an is still a child. Naturally, I should manage the Zhang family's businesses!' His third aunt, Zhang Cuihua, chimed in, pinching Nian'an's cheek and sighing with false concern. 'Poor child, losing your father. You can live with your third aunt from now on.' His cousin Zhang Fugui simply snatched the jade pendant from his hand and weighed it in his palm. 'Isn't this my pendant? What's it doing in your hands?'
From that day on, Nian'an's life became hell. The young master who had once enjoyed fine clothes and fine food was driven into the cold, damp woodshed in the back courtyard. His only bedding was a ragged, moldy cotton quilt. In winter, he curled into a ball from the cold; in summer, insects bit him until he was covered in welts. His third aunt gave him only a bowl of spoiled rice gruel each day-'Enough to keep him from starving.' His cousin used him as a punching bag, whipping him whenever he was in a bad mood and forcing him to kneel in the snow outside the ancestral hall to 'pray for the family.' Meanwhile, his second uncle busied himself selling off the family businesses, exchanging his father's paintings, calligraphy, and antiques for silver dollars, then squandering them in gambling houses and brothels every night. When drunk, he called Nian'an a 'jinx' who had brought death upon the whole family.
Nian'an tried fighting back, only to be beaten even harder. He sought help from the butler, and his second uncle dismissed the man. He tried to escape, but the guards at the gate stopped him, and even crueler abuse awaited him. Once, he secretly saved half a cornmeal bun. When his third aunt discovered it, she actually pinned him to the floor and forced a bowl of hot porridge down his throat, burning it so badly he could not speak for half a month. Huddled in a corner of the woodshed, he watched rats gnaw away at the only photograph his father had left behind. Hatred grew like weeds in his heart-these people ate the Zhang family's food and lived in the Zhang family's house, yet tormented him in every way and would not even spare his father's belongings.
On New Year's Eve when he was fourteen, the Zhang mansion was decorated with lanterns and streamers. His second uncle drank with a crowd of disreputable friends, his third aunt directed the servants preparing the New Year's Eve dinner in the kitchen, and his cousin set off firecrackers in the courtyard with a group of wastrel young men, their laughter piercing his ears. Nian'an had been sent to chop wood, his hands so frozen he could barely grip the axe. Suddenly, his cousin rushed over, kicked him to the ground, and stuffed firecrackers down his collar. 'Little bastard, let's see if these can blow your ears off!'
The firecrackers snapped and popped inside his collar, scorching his skin painfully. His third aunt passed by and saw, but instead of stopping it, she laughed and called out, 'Fugui, don't get too carried away. Don't kill him. It'll sound bad if word gets out.' His second uncle staggered out drunkenly, planted a foot on the back of Nian'an's hand, and ground down. 'Useless thing. You can't even chop wood. Keeping you around is a waste of food.'
At that moment, Nian'an's eyes changed. Two years of pent-up despair and hatred erupted like a volcano. He stared fixedly at the firecrackers in his cousin's hand and suddenly shouted, 'Stop!'
A miracle happened. The firecrackers froze in midair, then reversed direction and exploded toward his cousin's face. His cousin fell screaming, clutching his face. His third aunt shrieked in terror and tried to run, only to be pinned by an invisible force. The embroidery needles she regularly used to stab Nian'an flew at her in a dense swarm, piercing her until she was covered in blood, rolling on the ground and wailing. His second uncle instantly sobered considerably and tried to flee into the house, but a beam fell from the ceiling and crushed both his legs. Unable to move, he could only lie on the ground, sobbing and begging for mercy.
Nian'an slowly stood, a terrifying hostility radiating from him. Tables, chairs, and vases rose into the air around him and hurtled toward the servants and accomplices who had once abused him. Chaos filled the mansion, cries and screams rising one after another. Like an asura gone out of control, he had nothing but slaughter in his eyes. Not one person who had ever bullied or humiliated him escaped.
When the wandering Taoist Master Xuanqing passed the Zhang mansion, this scene of hell on earth was what greeted him. The boy stood in a pool of blood, his eyes hollow, telekinetic power still surging wildly around him. Even the bricks in the corners trembled. Taoist Master Xuanqing frowned, took a bright yellow Calming Talisman from his sleeve, and formed a hand seal. The talisman became a streak of golden light and settled firmly between Nian'an's brows.
'With a heart clear as ice, no ripples arise; let evil thoughts scatter, and righteous thoughts grow-' The master's Heart-Clearing Mantra was not loud, but it held a soothing power, extinguishing the hostility in Nian'an's heart like a clear spring. Enveloped in golden light, the crimson gradually faded from Nian'an's eyes, and his telekinetic power slowly settled. He looked at the bodies littering the ground, suddenly covered his face, and burst into tears. 'They bullied me... They stole my family's things... I couldn't control it...'
Taoist Master Xuanqing sighed, crouched down, and gently patted his back. 'Child, evil brings its own retribution. They deserved their punishment. But if you let hatred consume you, you will become a monster and throw your own life away.'
The master investigated what had happened and learned that Nian'an had awakened his telekinetic power only after suffering extreme abuse, not because he was evil by nature. Seeing the innocence that remained in the boy's eyes, he decided to take him as a disciple. 'I will teach you the Heart-Clearing Mantra and the Spirit Control Technique, teach you to hold true to yourself and use your abilities to do more good.'
Nian'an traveled far and wide with Taoist Master Xuanqing, who renamed him Qingxuan, meaning 'clear away inner demons and aid the world through the mystic arts.' He devoted himself to cultivation, learning not only to control his telekinetic power but also to fully understand the principle of 'unity of heart and nature.' Years later, Taoist Master Qingxuan became a renowned extraordinary practitioner of the Republican era, taking on injustices-punishing cruel wealthy gentry, rescuing trafficked children, and driving away harmful evil spirits.
When people asked why he treated evildoers so ruthlessly yet was so gentle toward those with kind hearts, Taoist Master Qingxuan would always stroke the Calming Talisman at his waist and remember that bloodstained New Year's Eve at the Zhang mansion. 'I have seen the worst of human nature, and I nearly became part of that evil myself. Now that I wield extraordinary powers, I ask only for a clear conscience. Any evil that happens before my eyes, whether committed by humans or ghosts, I will see through to the end!'
And the Calming Talisman Taoist Master Xuanqing had used to quell his hostility was later copied countless times by Taoist Master Qingxuan and given to those trapped in suffering and on the verge of losing control, while he went to kill those evildoers himself-he never forgot that winter's snow and blood." Bai Haorui closed the book. "Max probably awakened some kind of ability too. Let's find him first and help him steady his mind. Don't go charging straight into a fight."
"How do we find him?" Dean asked.
Bai Haorui plucked a hair from Sam's head, tucked it into a piece of yellow talisman paper, lit it, and held it in his hand. The ashes did not disperse when the paper finished burning. They gathered together and pointed northeast, their pattern vaguely resembling an inverted pentagram, somewhat like the Anchor Point Symbol they had seen before. "With an Energy Tracking Talisman," he explained. "The demon mark energy you two carry comes from the same source. It can locate him."
The three drove northeast. Half an hour later, they stopped outside an abandoned factory on the outskirts of town. Its iron gate was badly rusted and stood ajar. Faint noises came from inside.
"He should be in here." Bai Haorui put away the talisman paper and took out his peachwood sword and several Calming Talismans.
Dean drew his silver dagger and lowered his voice. "Sam, you go first. Try talking to him. Bai, bring up the rear and be ready with those talismans. I'll watch our surroundings in case the kid tries anything."
Sam nodded, pushed open the door, and entered the factory. Discarded metal barrels and machine parts filled the dim workshop, dust drifting through the shafts of light. "Max?" he called softly. "I'm Sam. We're not here to hurt you. We're here to help."
A noise came from a corner, and a frail figure slowly emerged. It was Max, nineteen years old and thin as a rail, with tangled, yellowish hair and a particularly conspicuous, ugly scar on his left wrist. He wore a faded hoodie with sleeves extending past his fingers. His eyes were full of fear and hostility, like a startled wild animal's.
"Help me?" Max sneered, his voice terribly hoarse. "What can you help me with? Help me forget the days I spent locked in the basement starving? Or help me wipe away the scars on my body?"
Dean and Bai Haorui came in too. Dean was about to speak when Max suddenly erupted. "Stay back!"
The moment he spoke, all the surrounding metal barrels rose into the air with a clang and hurtled toward the three of them. Dean reacted quickly, shoving Sam aside and dodging away himself. The barrels crashed thunderously to the ground. Bai Haorui hurriedly took out a Heart-Linking Talisman and recited an incantation. The talisman flew toward Max with a whoosh and stuck to his chest.
Instantly, fragments of images flashed before Bai Haorui's eyes-a dark, damp basement, Max huddled in a corner with his stomach growling from hunger; a drunken Ellen whipping him with a belt and calling him "the monster who killed your mother"; Ben carrying a bucket, throwing cold water over him and forcing him to kneel on broken glass, threatening, "Tell anyone and I'll burn you to death"; Max at ten, locked in the basement for three days, shivering all over, when a stone suddenly fell from the ceiling and struck Ellen's leg...
"I know what you went through." Bai Haorui pulled his thoughts back, softening his tone. "None of that shit was your fault."
Sam slowly approached Max. "The fire that killed your mother wasn't an accident. Like my mom's, it was the Yellow-Eyed Demon's doing. It tampered with all of us when we were little and gave us special abilities. I have an ability too. I know it's hard to control, but you don't have to bear it alone."
"Control?" Max's eyes were bloodshot. "Why should I control it? When they were abusing me, why didn't anyone come control them?" He abruptly raised his hand. His telekinetic power erupted, and the factory's iron gate slammed shut with a clang. A startled cry came from a corner-Ben was actually there too, trying to sneak away.
Max's telekinetic power lifted Ben straight into the air. Ben went white with terror, flailing his arms and legs. "Max, let me go! Your dad made me do it all!"
"Shut up!" Max roared. "You all deserve to die!"
Dean rushed forward to stop him, only to be lifted into the air by his telekinetic power, suspended and unable to move. "Bai! Throw those fucking talismans already!" he shouted. "If you don't use them now, I'm gonna be a meat patty!"
Bai Haorui hurriedly took out some mugwort, lit it, and threw it to the ground. Green smoke rose as he began chanting the Heart-Clearing Mantra. "With a heart clear as ice, no ripples arise; let evil thoughts scatter, and righteous thoughts grow!" At the same time, he flung out several Calming Talismans. They stuck around Max, giving off a gentle golden light.
Max's emotions slowly settled, and his telekinetic power weakened. Dean hit the ground with a thud, rubbing his arm and grimacing. "Thanks, but could we be a little faster next time? My poor back nearly broke." Ben fell to the ground too, then scrambled away on his hands and knees.
Sam seized the chance to walk up to Max and spoke softly. "I know you hate them. If it were me, I'd hate them too. But killing them won't make the pain go away. It'll just make you a wanted man. You've still got your whole life ahead of you. You can't ruin it over those animals."
Bai Haorui added, "Your abilities came from a demon, but aren't you still the one who decides what to do with them? Taoism teaches 'unity of heart and nature.' I can teach you to control the energy through talismans and meditation, so it won't turn around and hurt you."
Max fell silent for a while. A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes, but they quickly hardened with resolve again. "It's too late." He shook his head. "I've already killed my dad. Ben has to die too." He suddenly unleashed his telekinetic power, forcing Bai Haorui and Dean back, then turned and ran outside.
"Stop him!" Sam shouted.
The three hurried after him, but Max ran fast. With his familiarity with the terrain, he disappeared in the blink of an eye. "He must've gone after Ben!" Dean swore. "Son of a bitch! Ben can't have gotten far. Split up and look!"
Half an hour later, they found Max in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. Ben already lay dead on the floor. Max clutched a stone, his eyes frighteningly empty. When he saw the three enter, he did not resist. He only looked at Sam and said softly, "I'm free."
He suddenly raised the stone and smashed it into his own temple. Sam cried out and rushed over, but it was already too late. Max collapsed, blood flowing from his forehead, his breathing growing weaker and weaker.
Bai Haorui hurriedly took out a Life-Extending Talisman, stuck it to Max's chest, and began reciting an incantation, but the talisman quickly dimmed. "It's no use. The injury's too severe." He sighed and took the talisman back.
Max looked at Sam, his lips pulling into a faint smile. "I hope you can live out your life well... Don't end up like me." With that, his head fell to one side, and he stopped breathing altogether.
Sam crouched on the floor without speaking for a long time, unconsciously touching his wrist-there was a hidden demon mark there. "Will I end up like him too?" His voice was low, tinged with fear. "Headed for destruction in the end?"
Bai Haorui patted his shoulder. "Taoism says, 'You create your own fate.' A demon doesn't get to decide your destiny. I'll help you. We all will."
Dean brought over two beers and handed them to Sam and Bai Haorui. "That poor kid. If someone had dared to step up and help him along the way, it wouldn't have come to this." He cracked open a beer can and took a gulp. "But don't overthink it, Sam. You're not him, and we won't let you become him."
Sam took the beer but did not drink, only staring blankly at Max's body. Bai Haorui noticed a charred pendant fall from Max's pocket. He picked it up and saw an inverted pentagram engraved on the back with a flame motif set into it-the very Anchor Point Symbol they had seen before. The system panel in his mind displayed a notification: [Anchor point type: bloodline node. Same origin as Sam's and Leo's marks. The Yellow-Eyed Demon anchors special children through fires.]
"The Yellow-Eyed Demon." Dean's expression darkened when he saw the pendant. "What the hell is it trying to do? What's it selecting these kids with special abilities for?"
Bai Haorui handed the pendant to Sam. "Whatever it's trying to do, we'll stop it."
Sam gripped the pendant tightly and nodded.
Dean patted Sam on the back. "All right, time to go. Leave this to the police."