The alliance with Buakaw was like dropping a solid anchor amidst a turbulent undercurrent. This once-dominant boxing champion operated with a direct and efficient style. He quickly handed over market affairs to a trusted lieutenant and personally acquired a weathered-looking, yet powerful, old pickup truck.
"Let's go. I know a side road that'll get us to the south faster, bypassing the main checkpoints." Buakaw, a strong-smelling, locally-produced cigarette in his mouth, patted the steering wheel. "We'll pass by a few places where the boxing brothers used to hang out. We can ask for information on the 'Shadow Snake.'"
Lin Xingyun had no objection. He sat in the passenger seat, feeling the pickup truck's tread through Bangkok's maze of alleyways. The view outside the window shifted from a bustling market to a slightly run-down suburban area, finally merging with an old highway that snaked along the edge of the tropical jungle. The hustle and bustle of the city gave way to the scent of rubber trees and the humid, earthy air. He glanced down at the inside of his left arm. The "ghost eye mark" seemed even darker in the dimly lit carriage, resembling an ugly birthmark or a half-closed, malicious eye. Ever since his alliance with Buakaw, the feeling of being watched hadn't diminished. Instead, it would occasionally pierce him with a stinging pain, as if reminding him that the hunter in the darkness hadn't given up. Buakaw expertly steered the car, avoiding potholes, as he spoke in his heavily accented English, "The 'Shadow Snakes'... I heard some of the older generation mention them when I was fighting undercover. They say they're an ancient organization lurking in the shadows of the Gulf of Siam and the southern islands. They worship not the golden Buddha statues of temples, but something... even older and more sinister. They specialize in using insects, grasses, human hair and nails, and even more sinister things to cast spells. They've definitely become more active since the Spirit Rain."
Lin Xingyun listened silently, correlating Buakaw's words with the fragmentary knowledge of curses and evil spirits in his mind's "Star Spirit Atlas." This "ghost eye mark" was clearly an extremely malicious application of psychic power, not only for physical torture but also for mental erosion and location tracking.
"We must find a solution quickly," Lin Xingyun said gravely. He tried to channel his psychic energy to cleanse the mark, but the surface seemed covered in a greasy, oily mess. His psychic energy struggled to penetrate, and instead, it stimulated the "eye" to open a little, sending a chill down his arm.
Buakaw glanced at him and grinned, "Don't worry, my brothers are all over this road. If those guys show up, we'll definitely dig something up."
On the evening of the first day, they stopped in a small riverside town. The town was famous for its floating market, but now it seemed a bit desolate. Buakaw led Lin Xingyun to a nondescript riverside restaurant with a faded curtain hanging at the door. The owner, a skinny old man with a missing front tooth, smiled warmly, yet with a touch of awe, upon seeing Buakaw.
Several plates of authentic southern Thai cuisine were served: a rich, sour and spicy tom yum soup, perfectly grilled river fish, and a dish of fragrant golden curry. Buakaw devoured his food while whispering to the owner in Thai. Lin Xingyun didn't fully understand what he was saying, but he could make out scattered phrases like "men in black," "strange rituals," and "heading south."
After dinner, the innkeeper's expression grew serious. He carefully glanced around, then fished out a small cloth bag from under the counter, handed it to Buakaw, and whispered a few more instructions.
Back at the town's only sparsely furnished inn, Buakaw opened the bag. Inside were a few tufts of dried, strangely colored flowers and a small talisman that looked like it was carved from some animal bone, engraved with a twisted, serpentine pattern.
"The old man said there's been a mysterious group of men in black lately, heading into the mountains. They seem to be searching for something 'ancient.' They left this near an abandoned shrine." Buakaw handed the talisman to Lin Xingyun. "Does this pattern have anything to do with the organization you know about?"
Lin Xingyun took the talisman and felt a chill in his hand. He could even sense a faint, sinister energy, the same source as the mark on his arm. The spiritual energy from the Star Spirit Atlas within him spontaneously circulated, generating a sense of repulsion. "Yes, it's them. This talisman... seems like a token, or perhaps an unfinished medium for a curse."
That night, Lin Xingyun meditated in his simple hotel room, attempting to further refine his spirit core and gather more power to counter the mark. However, late in the night, a strong sense of danger awakened him!
The room was dark; only moonlight filtered through the window, casting a faint speck of light on the ground. But he keenly sensed something wriggling in the shadowy corners of the room! Not a physical object, but the shadows themselves, twisting and converging!
It was the pursuers of the "Shadow Snakes"! They'd located us by the mark!
Lin Xingyun abruptly jumped out of bed, waking Buakaw next door. "Something's happening!"
Almost as he spoke, several "little snakes," each as thick as a finger, composed entirely of inky black energy, suddenly leaped out from the shadows in the corners of the room! Silent yet lightning-fast, these shadow snakes swooped down on Lin Xingyun's face and the marks on his arms!
Lin Xingyun was prepared, instantly activating the "Shadow Snake Witch Mark" on his palms! He clasped his fingers like knives, infused with spiritual energy, and traced pale gray lines in front of him, like weaving an invisible net. The incoming shadow snakes collided with the net, making a soft, hissing sound, like ice and snow meeting the sun, dispersing. But more shadow snakes continued to emerge from the shadows on all sides!
"What the hell!" Buakaw burst through the door and rushed in, startled to see the black snakes swarming around the room. But he was a seasoned warrior, and he roared furiously, his entire body surging with energy, a red glow pulsing beneath his bronze skin! He didn't understand mental attacks, but his powerful life energy and fierce punches alone were a powerful deterrent to the evil!
He swung his fists, creating a scorching blast. Wherever his fists reached, the shadow snakes, like insects thrown into a blazing fire, uttered a faint shriek before dissipating into smoke!
However, these shadow snakes seemed endless, their primary target clear: the mark on Lin Xingyun's arm. A particularly sturdy snake dodged Buakaw's fists, slyly bypassed Lin Xingyun's defenses, and bit down on the ghost eye mark!
Lin Xingyun felt a piercing pain and icy chill in his arm, as if his very soul were being torn apart! He groaned and was about to unleash the full force of his dagger when, suddenly, an eerie, ethereal voice, like a chant or a sob, emanated from outside the hotel window!
The sound seemed to possess a magical power, causing all the shadow snakes in the room to freeze in unison! Then, as if summoned by some kind of force, they ceased their attacks and retreated like a tide, merging back into the shadows and vanishing without a trace, leaving only a chilling atmosphere and a faint smell of decay filling the room. The battle erupted suddenly, then abruptly ended.
Buakaw cautiously walked to the window and looked down. The street was deserted, the only sound rustling through the banana leaves in the night wind. "Damn it, playing tricks!" he cursed, his expression grim.
Lin Xingyun clutched his stinging arm. A dark blue hue had formed around the mark. "They're not attacking directly, more like... reinforcing the mark, or perhaps performing the preliminary steps for some ritual. That voice just now was directing these shadow snakes." He felt a chill run down his spine. This organization's strangeness and formidability had exceeded his expectations.
Buakaw walked back and picked up the snake-shaped talisman he had obtained earlier. He discovered that it had been covered in fine cracks, completely devoid of its spiritual power. "It seems they've sensed what the old man gave them. This is a warning, a demonstration."
After this battle, neither of them felt any desire for sleep. At daybreak, they set off without stopping, heading straight for the southern Thai border. "We can't wait any longer to find out." Buakaw sped off, "We have to get to Indonesia as soon as possible and find the man who can remove the black magic you mentioned. These guys are like shadows, and next time they come, they might not be these little snakes."
Lin Xingyun nodded, watching the rainforest speed past outside the window, his sense of urgency growing. The mark on his arm was like a death clock, constantly counting down, and the enemy in the darkness had already bared its ferocious fangs. The journey to Indonesia was destined to be turbulent.
(End of Chapter 5)