Chapter 105: The Monster

"No, if something visible and palpable were growing on my body, I would feel it... wait a moment." Qi Yan first answered casually, then rolled up his sleeves to check. He reached inside his clothes, patted his chest and back, and then checked his legs. After a thorough confirmation, he reaffirmed, "Really, there’s nothing. At least for now, other than my body temperature rising and feeling a bit feverish, there’s nothing else."

Uncle Yan said to Xuanxuan, "Give Dalong a call, ask about his situation, and see if he can find a vehicle."

Xuanxuan dialed, but no one answered for a long time.

Qi Yan thought for a moment and reminded her, "His phone was charging in the room earlier; I don't think he took it with him..."

"Then let the two of us go out and find him. Xuan'er, you stay here and look after Little Ding." Uncle Yan called for Qi Yan, and the two hurried out.

In this small village, the streetlights were virtually negligible; most of the scenery was obscured in darkness.

After stepping out of the inn, Qi Yan added, "Do you think this could be a supernatural phenomenon? Because when we went to the livestock shed, I kept smelling that fragrance, and then I followed the source of the scent and saw... two young women. Thinking back on it now, it feels increasingly bizarre."

"Yes, but... I truly can't determine what it is. At least, other than what you saw, neither I nor Little Ding have any clear perception of it. But if you think about it seriously, it is indeed ominous. Just by smelling a trace of fragrance, the human body reacts like this? Even for a parasite, it shouldn't grow that fast—it's only been a few hours, hasn't it?"

Qi Yan asked again, "Doesn't Ding Lingzi carry a dark amulet as well? If there were truly an evil spirit harassing her, would she have fallen victim so easily?"

Uncle Yan shook his head and explained, "I mentioned before that the seven amulets of the Yin Palace have different effects. 'Blind Spirit' does not possess the same powerful offensive and defensive capabilities as your 'Mother' amulet; it primarily grants Little Ding deep insight and perception... which means it doesn't ward off evil."

"But I seem to have fallen victim as well. Could it be because your talisman tube sealed my dark amulet?" Qi Yan asked again.

"Exactly. Didn't I say? Although the talisman tube cannot suppress its power forever, it can do so for a period of time. Right now, your dark amulet is just an ordinary object."

As they talked, they walked along the road. Uncle Yan muttered with surprise, "That damn Dalong, where has he run off to now? Leaving without his phone, what a headache... At this hour, there are no villagers out and about, so there's no one to ask."

In truth, the most severe problem was Ding Lingzi. Even during the day, there were few specialized vehicles entering or leaving Jinyan Village, let alone in this pitch-black night.

If they had known, they should have driven here. Although it would have been further and taken more time, it would at least be more convenient than this.

Looking at the growth rate of those strange plant roots on her back... if they began to parasitize the human body when the fragrance was first smelled in the evening, then it had only been about five hours, and already Ding Lingzi was suffering to that extent. If they had to wait another six or seven hours until dawn, combined with the time to reach the county seat... there was no telling how much it would deteriorate.

Where was Hao Dalong now?

When Uncle Yan and the others began cutting into Ding Lingzi's back at the inn, he had already gone out alone to try and find a vehicle back to the city.

The situation was the same as it was now; the village was silent in the dead of night, and every household was fast asleep. The villagers didn't have as much entertainment as those in big cities, so they went to bed early.

Forget about a car; there wasn't even a shadow of a person outside. The innkeeper didn't seem to be able to contact anyone who could provide transport at this hour, so he had to find a way himself.

However, he hadn't wandered outside for long before he felt something was wrong... He, too, began to develop the same symptoms: his body felt hot and feverish. Although it was much later than for Qi Yan and Ding Lingzi, this sudden rise in body temperature immediately caught Hao Dalong's attention.

Following that, he smelled a rich, mellow fragrance wafting through the air... many times more intense than what he had accidentally caught a whiff of in the evening!

Wasn't it originally a faint, elusive scent? Now it was so strong it was like the fragrance of osmanthus or jasmine, or perhaps even more pronounced.

If this fragrance were faint, it would indeed be refreshing and soothing, but at this intensity, it was a bit cloying—like cheap perfume, particularly pungent.

At the same time the scent appeared, Hao Dalong felt as if someone was following him. This wasn't a bustling city street, but a quiet country road in the dead of night, so he naturally noticed the anomaly more clearly.

Without changing his pace, he suddenly turned around without warning... The empty road was so quiet that there wasn't even a shadow of a cat or dog. On both sides were the villagers' houses, none of which had any lights on.

He narrowed his eyes and observed intently for a long while, but indeed found nothing unusual.

Hao Dalong was not only a former soldier, but over the years, he had also witnessed many bizarre and strange things alongside Uncle Yan. His experience in certain areas could be considered quite seasoned; his vigilance and psychological resilience were far superior to his younger days in the Northeast.

He continued walking as if he didn't care, but in his heart, he began to heighten his vigilance and paid closer attention.

The feeling that someone was following him didn't come from hearing clear footsteps, but rather from a deep, instinctive intuition. Everyone has this kind of sensitivity, especially in moments of extreme silence, when it becomes more pronounced.

For instance, when walking on a night road, one always feels as if something—not necessarily a person—is following behind.

In any case, it was the dead of night when everyone was asleep, and it would be the same everywhere. Besides, after walking a large circle, he really hadn't seen any vehicles that could be borrowed, not even a dilapidated small truck...

Feeling a bit uneasy, he decided to return to the inn first. It wasn't out of cowardice, but his experience over the past few years had taught him that once he truly felt fearful and strange, even if it were only a feeling, it was best to leave before the cause was determined. He had suffered losses many times before due to wishful thinking.

He turned to head back, but this time... he no longer saw just an empty road.

...

About half an hour later, when Qi Yan and Uncle Yan walked along the same road he had traveled, Uncle Yan's foot stepped on a small, hard object.

It wasn't a small stone. He stopped and picked it up... It was a metal tube with a hanging chain, about the thickness and length of a pinky finger. A look of shock appeared on Uncle Yan's face again. "This is... the life-talisman tube I gave to Dalong?"

He quickly opened the outer metal cap, but the rolled-up talisman paper inside was gone, leaving only the empty shell...

Hao Dalong had worn this on his person for several years. Unless he was bathing, he didn't take it off, even when sleeping. He hadn't brought his phone when he went out, but he would never have gone out without this.

Looking at the black rope chain, the frayed ends clearly showed it had been forcibly torn apart!

Uncle Yan's heart sank, his turbid eyes staring blankly, leaving Qi Yan beside him puzzled...

...

At the same time, outside Jinyan Village, in a dense forest on a nearby hill, in a patch of fertile land overgrown with mugwort... two human heads lay back-to-back, both facing upward in different directions.

On the left was long hair, and on the right was short hair. These two pure and beautiful faces looked exactly the same.

There was no expression on the faces of these two beauties. Their features were exquisite to the point of near-perfection, without a single flaw, and even their eyes were hazy and intoxicated.

Their lips trembled slightly, emitting two sounds that were melodious, soft, and... eerily sorrowful. It sounded like they were reciting a poem, but the content... was bizarre and unfathomable. It was completely incomprehensible, and the rhythm was a call-and-response...

"Dreams always return to the old home~~ The water flows and cannot stop~~"

"The water flows and cannot stop~~"

"Rotten fragrance guides the soul and urges death~~ The hundred herbs grow endlessly~~"

"Endlessly... growing~~"

The tone was very faint and very slow. The two beauties' heads slowly turned an arc on the grass, changing direction, but still facing upward...

"Falling into heartbreak~~ Intoxicated and enamored~~"

"Leaves cover the withered bones~~ The Yellow Springs demand a life~~"

"Mmm~~~"

"Ah~~"

They both let out a soft moan and closed their half-open, beautiful eyes.

In fact... they couldn't even be considered complete human heads. Beneath their pointed chins were a few leaves shaped like maple leaves, but dark green, almost black. And then... a cluster of things like a group of snakes slowly unfurled. Each one was three fingers thick, very agile, and extremely flexible.

The two beautiful heads were supported by these snake-like things, writhing and rolling on the grass, occasionally making faint, sticky sounds...

Beneath them was Hao Dalong’s brawny, ox-like body. He lay prone in the grass, face down, his limbs limp, unaware of life or death, letting those disgusting "tentacles" wrap and entwine around him...