The darkness lasted for what seemed like the time it takes to burn a single incense stick.
When Pei Yunfan regained consciousness, he found himself still standing at the bottom of the well, but the surroundings had drastically changed. The blood-red formation on the ground slowly rotated, while the seven female ghosts circled around them. Gongsun Zhi stood at the center of the altar, holding a bronze oil lamp, its flame an eerie shade of green.
"Welcome to the 'Eight Desolate Poisonous Puppet Formation,'" Gongsun Zhi's voice echoed off the walls of the well. "Once this formation is activated, it will never be broken unless the souls of eight pure Yin bodies are sacrificed. You three, plus this girl, make up the final four."
Pei Yunfan turned his head to see that Li Muyan and Bai Suxin had also regained consciousness. The three of them stood back-to-back, protecting the bound girl in the middle.
"Don't waste your effort," Gongsun Zhi mocked. "In this formation, your Taoist arts and martial skills will be reduced to only a third of their original power. You can try for yourselves."
Li Muyan attempted to cast a spell, but sure enough, the golden light at his fingertips dimmed. Bai Suxin blew her jade flute, but it produced only mournful, discordant sounds.
Only Pei Yunfan's blade still gleamed with cold brilliance.
"Oh?" Gongsun Zhi raised an eyebrow. "This blade of yours... is rather interesting. Let me see—"
Before he finished his sentence, the seven female ghosts lunged simultaneously. Pei Yunfan swung his blade to meet them, the light of his strikes as pure as snow, but each blow felt like striking through cotton, with the force mysteriously sapped by the formation. Even more troublesome was that the ghosts did not die or suffer any permanent injury; severed limbs turned into black smoke upon hitting the ground, and soon reformed.
"Pei, strike the lamp in his hand!" Li Muyan suddenly shouted, "That's the eye of the formation!"
Hearing this, Pei Yunfan feigned a strike to drive back the ghosts and leaped directly toward Gongsun Zhi. His attack was as fast as lightning, his blade aimed straight at the bronze lamp.
Gongsun Zhi did not dodge. He merely blew at the lamp's flame.
The eerie blue flame flared up, transforming into a serpent of fire that coiled around the blade. Pei Yunfan felt a cold, sinister energy running through the sword, numbing his entire right arm and nearly causing him to lose his grip.
"This is a fine sword," Gongsun Zhi lamented, shaking his head, "But the person wielding it still lacks a bit of skill. Had it been thirty years ago, I would have considered taking you as an apprentice..."
Before he could finish, an unexpected change occurred.
A booming Buddhist chant rang from above the well. "Amitabha!"
Golden light pierced the darkness, illuminating the bottom of the well. As soon as the golden light touched the formation, its momentum faltered. The seven female ghosts let out painful shrieks and retreated.
Gongsun Zhi's face shifted in terror. "The monk from Daci En Temple?!"
A rope was lowered from the well's mouth, and a figure slid down it—an unexpected sight indeed. A young monk, no older than twenty, with clear eyes and a handsome face, dressed in an old, worn robe and holding a nine-ringed staff. With each movement of the staff, the rings clinked together, resonating and causing ripples in the formation.
"I, the monk Xuanbei, have come by the abbot's order to exorcise demons." The monk bowed his palms together, his gaze fixed on Gongsun Zhi. "Benefactor, the ocean of suffering is boundless; turn back now and be saved."
"How dare this little monk meddle!" Gongsun Zhi laughed viciously, urging the formation. The blood-red light surged, attempting to suppress the Buddhist light.
Xuanbei remained unhurried. He sat cross-legged, placing his staff before him, and began chanting scriptures. The murmur of his prayers grew louder, reverberating throughout the well. With each word, the staff brightened, and the Buddhist light clashed against the blood-red glow in a deadlock.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Li Muyan drew a talisman from his pocket, bit his fingertip, and drew a blood rune. "Heaven and earth without bounds, I borrow the laws of the cosmos—break!"
The talisman flew out and adhered to the foreheads of the seven female ghosts. They froze in place, and golden flames ignited on the talismans. The red threads binding their ankles were severed.
The moment the red threads snapped, the ghosts' expressions became blank, and then slowly softened. They exchanged glances, looking down at their translucent bodies as though they were recalling something.
"We... are dead?" the lead ghost in red muttered.
Bai Suxin spoke softly, "Ladies, the ones who harmed you are standing before you. If you wish to reincarnate, you must let go of your obsessions."
The seven ghosts looked at one another, their eyes now burning with resentment.
Seeing the situation shift, Gongsun Zhi lunged toward the bound girl. "In that case, I'll offer her as a sacrifice to the formation!"
Pei Yunfan had long anticipated this. He raised his left hand, and three copper coins shot out, striking Gongsun Zhi's wrist. Forced to retract his hand, Gongsun Zhi hesitated for the briefest moment. That was enough for Xuanbei's chanting to rise in pitch, and the staff exploded in a brilliant burst of Buddhist light!
"Great Sun Tathagata, Vajra's wrathful eyes—break!"
The Buddhist light surged like a tidal wave, instantly shattering the blood-red formation. Gongsun Zhi screamed as his bronze lamp exploded. He was thrown backward, crashing into the wall of the well, and spat out a mouthful of black blood.
With the formation shattered, the bottom of the well returned to its original state. The seven female ghosts' figures began to fade, and they bowed gracefully before disappearing into wisps of glowing light.
"They have been released..." Xuanbei sighed, his face pale as paper from the immense exertion.
Li Muyan and Bai Suxin rushed to untie the girl's ropes. The girl, now freed, collapsed into Bai Suxin's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Pei Yunfan, however, stepped forward toward Gongsun Zhi.
Gongsun Zhi lay slumped in the corner, gasping for breath, yet his eyes still glowed with malice. "Heh... Heh heh... Do you think this is over? I was just a pawn in the game... The real 'Poison Immortal' has already awakened... The Eight Desolate Poison Formation will eventually cover Chang'an..."
"Who is the Poison Immortal?" Pei Yunfan pressed the tip of his blade against Gongsun Zhi's throat.
Gongsun Zhi grinned, revealing bloodied teeth. "Him... He's the one you least expect..."
Before he could finish, Gongsun Zhi suddenly bit off his own tongue, black blood pouring from his mouth as he died in a final, violent spasm.
By the time the body of Gong Sun Zhi and the evidence from the well were brought back to Wannian County, it was already dawn.
Pei Yunfan sat in the interrogation room, his desk laid out with the items taken from Gong Sun Zhi's corpse: a half-scroll of the ancient text Toxic Puppet Twelve Chapters, Volume Seven, several human skin masks, a bronze token engraved with a mandala flower, and an unsent letter.
The letter contained only a single line: "The goods are ready, please deliver to the Starview Tower."
"Starview Tower..." Li Muyan leaned in to look. "Isn't that the abandoned tower in Chóngrén Alley? It's said to have been used by the Sui Dynasty's astrologer, Yuán Tiāngāng, but after strange occurrences, it was sealed off."
Bai Suxin examined the half-scroll of the ancient text, her brows furrowing. "The methods for crafting toxic puppets recorded here are even more sinister than I imagined. They require using living people as test subjects, extracting their vengeful spirits, and then adding seventy-two types of poisonous herbs... no wonder those female ghosts are filled with such intense resentment."
Xuan Bei, sitting in the corner recuperating, opened his eyes. "I have heard that, in its prime, the Toxic Immortal Sect had over ten thousand followers and built its main temple deep in the Zhongnan Mountains. Thirty years ago, the imperial court purged the sect, and it's said that the leader, the Master of Ten Thousand Poisons, was killed, but his body was never found."
"Perhaps he was never really dead," Pei Yunfan murmured. "Gong Sun Zhi said before he died, 'The Toxic Immortal has already awakened.' If what he said is true, then in Cháng'ān..."
Before he could finish, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside the door. The unscrupulous general Wang Hu barged in, his face grim.
"Péi County Magistrate, something's happened!"
"What's going on?"
"This morning, when the city gates were opened, three corpses were discovered outside Chūnmíng Gate. The manner of death is bizarre..." Wang Hu swallowed. "They were unscathed, but their faces were twisted, as if... they died laughing."
"They died laughing?" Li Muyan raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, and on their faces, someone had drawn a mandala flower with cinnabar."
Pei Yunfan immediately stood up. "Where are the bodies now?"
"They've been taken to the funeral home."
At the funeral home, three bodies lay side by side on mats of straw.
Just as Wang Hu had described, the dead all wore grotesque smiles, their mouths twisted into an impossible arc, nearly reaching their ears. Even more unsettling was the vacant, wide-eyed stare, as though they had witnessed the most joyous event before dying.
Pei Yunfan crouched down for a closer inspection and noticed tiny red puncture marks at the back of their necks, as if they had been pricked by a needle.
"It's poison," Bai Suxin murmured, using a silver needle to probe one of the red marks. When she withdrew it, the needle tip was dark. "And a fast-acting, deadly poison. It's enough to seal the throat at the sight of blood."
Li Muyan, however, was staring intently at the mandala flower drawn on the dead faces. "This painting style... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."
He pulled out the bronze token from Gong Sun Zhi and compared it. Sure enough, the brushstrokes and design were almost identical.
"It was drawn by the same person." Xuan Bei suddenly spoke up. "I've seen a similar painting style in the murals at Dunhuang. This is the 'Western Region Mandala Secret Pattern,' originating from Tianju. Only someone well-versed in Sanskrit and mantras would paint this."
"Western regions..." Pei Yunfan murmured thoughtfully. "Have the identities of the victims been confirmed?"
Wang Hu handed over the paperwork. "Yes. These three men were all foreign merchants from the West Market, from Persia, Sogdiana, and Tianju, respectively. What's strange is that they didn't know each other and didn't do business on the same street."
"But they're all dead, in the same manner, with the same symbol on their faces," Li Muyan stroked his chin. "This shows that the murderer wasn't just killing randomly but had a specific target. Foreign merchants... the Toxic Immortal Sect... the Western regions..."
Bai Suxin suddenly spoke. "Do you remember that letter from Gong Sun Zhi? 'The goods are ready'—could these foreign merchants be the 'goods'?"
"Using live people as goods?" Pei Yunfan felt a chill. "But who would he deliver them to? To Starview Tower..."
The four of them exchanged glances and spoke in unison:
"Tonight, we go to Starview Tower!"
The Star-gazing Tower stood at the northwest corner of Chongren Alley, a seven-story wooden pagoda, dilapidated from years of neglect, looming like a massive beast in the dusk.
To avoid alarming the enemy, the four of them dispersed and infiltrated the building. Pei Yunfan and Li Muyan entered through the front door, while Bai Suxin and Xuanbei guarded the back door and side window.
Inside, cobwebs filled every corner, and dust had accumulated. The first floor was desolate, save for a broken celestial map painted on the wall. The second floor was cluttered with old, dilapidated furniture. It wasn't until the third floor that they encountered something unusual.
This level was neatly arranged, with a stone table in the center, upon which sat a single oil lamp. Beside it were three wooden boxes, each labeled with the names of the three Hu merchants.
Pei Yunfan carefully opened one of the boxes, and to his surprise, it contained a lock of hair, a fingernail, and a piece of parchment covered in strange symbols.
"It's a curse," Li Muyan murmured. "Taking personal items and casting spells upon them can kill from a distance. These Hu merchants weren't poisoned—they were cursed."
"And the Mandala flower on their faces?" Pei Yunfan asked.
"It's likely a mark of the curse, signifying they've been 'offered' to some entity." Li Muyan's expression darkened. "I've seen this in ancient texts—some cults mark their sacrifices with specific patterns."
Suddenly, a faint noise came from downstairs.
The two immediately extinguished the lamp and hid in the shadows. Moments later, they heard footsteps on the stairs. A figure in black robes appeared, holding a lantern as he ascended the stairs. He walked straight to the stone table, examined the wooden boxes, nodded with satisfaction, then pulled out a ceramic jar and poured its contents onto the three boxes.
The liquid, a dark green color, emitted a pungent odor. The moment it touched the boxes, they ignited with an eerie blue flame.
The man in black began chanting, and within the flames, three distorted faces appeared—those of the three Hu merchants. Their mouths gaped open, as though they were screaming in agony, but no sound escaped.
The chanting grew faster, and the flames grew higher. Just then, Xuanbei leaped in through the window, his staff striking the black-robed man's back. "Demon, cease your madness!"
The black-robed man reacted swiftly, sidestepping the blow and scattering a handful of black powder. It ignited upon contact with the air, forming a green fire wall that blocked Xuanbei.
"The bald monk from Daci'en Temple... still lingering in the world of the living!" the black-robed man hissed in a hoarse voice, his age indiscernible.
Pei Yunfan and Li Muyan sprang from their hiding spots, surrounding the man in black. Realizing the danger, the black-robed man took out a small pellet and smashed it to the ground. With a loud bang, thick smoke filled the air. By the time the smoke cleared, he had disappeared.
"Earth escape technique!" Li Muyan cursed, stamping his foot. "He's gotten away!"
Bai Suxin joined them, shaking her head. "No one left through the back door. He must still be inside."
The four split up to search, finally discovering a hidden door on the fifth floor. Behind it was a narrow, deep passage that led downward.
"Shall we pursue?" Li Muyan asked.
Pei Yunfan stared at the dark passage, recalling the words of Gong Sun Zhi before his death. With resolve, he made up his mind: "Yes! But don't split up. His methods are treacherous, and we'd be in danger if we went alone."
Xuanbei lit a fire stick and led the way. The passage was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. After walking for about a hundred paces, they emerged into a vast underground stone chamber.
The chamber was roughly ten feet square, with walls covered in Mandala flower carvings. In the center, there was a stone platform, upon which lay a skeleton dressed in tattered purple ceremonial robes and a golden crown.
"This is..." Bai Suxin gasped.
Li Muyan raised the lamp to get a closer look. On the golden crown, four Sanskrit characters were engraved: "Wan... Du... Zun... Zhe..."
"The corpse of the leader of the Poison Immortal Sect!" Xuanbei gripped his staff tightly. "No wonder it wasn't found thirty years ago; it's been hidden here all along!"
Pei Yunfan approached the stone platform and noticed that the skeleton was holding a scroll of silk. He carefully unrolled it. The text, written in cinnabar, was densely packed with strange symbols, not Chinese characters, but something foreign and cryptic.
"It's the secret script of the Poison Immortal Sect," Bai Suxin said after a moment of inspection. "It describes the full formation method for the 'Eight Desolate Poison Puppet Formation'... and... the ritual to awaken the 'Poison Immortal.'"
"But isn't the Poison Immortal 'Wan Du Zun Zhe'?" Li Muyan asked, confused.
"No," Bai Suxin's face turned pale, "The Poison Immortal is a deity they worship. According to this, the Poison Immortal requires a 'blood feast' every thirty years—sixty-four pure Yin or Yang bodies must be sacrificed to keep it immortal. The last sacrifice was thirty years ago. The next one is..."
"This year," Pei Yunfan said solemnly.
Suddenly, a chilling wind swept through the stone chamber, and the Mandala flower patterns on the walls seemed to writhe, as if alive. Green flames ignited in the empty eye sockets of the skeleton.
"Those who trespass upon this sacred place... shall die..."
The skeleton spoke!
It slowly sat up, its golden crown falling off to reveal an empty skull. The green flames flickered in its eye sockets, emitting a terrifying, ominous glow.
Xuanbei took a step forward, his staff slamming into the ground. "Amitabha! Even a dead skeleton dares to cause trouble!"
He began chanting the Diamond Sutra, and light from his staff spread, clashing with the green flames. The skeleton let out a piercing screech, and the entire stone chamber began to shake, dust falling from the ceiling.
Li Muyan quickly set up a formation, pasting talismans on the walls. Bai Suxin blew into her jade flute, the sound pure and clear, attempting to suppress the evil energy emanating from the skeleton.
Pei Yunfan, however, focused on the scroll the skeleton was holding. He suddenly noticed a small line of text:
"The Poison Immortal is not a god, but the poison within the human heart. To break its curse, one must find the 'Purifying Lotus of the World.'"
The Purifying Lotus of the World?
As he pondered this, the skeleton suddenly lunged, attacking Xuanbei with its bony hands like claws, aiming for the monk's throat. Xuanbei raised his staff to block, but the skeleton's strength was overwhelming, bending the staff.
Pei Yunfan drew his sword and struck at the skeleton's neck. The blade clanged against it, leaving only a white mark—this skeleton was as hard as iron!
"Attack its eye sockets!" Li Muyan shouted.
Bai Suxin adjusted her flute, now producing a sharp sound wave that struck at the skeleton's green flames. The flames flickered, and the skeleton's movements slowed. Xuanbei took this chance to strike the skeleton's chest, unleashing a burst of Buddhist power, sending the skeleton staggering back.
The skeleton roared in fury, and the entire chamber began to collapse. Rocks tumbled, blocking the entrance of the passage.
"It's going to bury us alive!" Li Muyan shouted.
In the midst of the chaos, Pei Yunfan noticed a hidden compartment beneath the stone platform. He dashed over and kicked it open, revealing a white jade lotus, translucent and glowing with a soft white light.
The Purifying Lotus of the World!
He grabbed the jade lotus and raised it high. As it shone with radiant light, the skeleton screamed in agony, and the green flames quickly extinguished. The brittle bones scattered across the floor.
The collapse ceased.
The four of them collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. After a long pause, Li Muyan let out a bitter laugh. "This is no job for humans... we almost became the burial offerings ourselves."
Xuanbei put his palms together in prayer. "The matter here is resolved, but the remnants of the Poison Immortal Sect remain. The black-robed man's ability to control the remains of Wan Du Zun Zhe means he must be a high-ranking member of the sect."
Pei Yunfan tucked the jade lotus and scroll into his robes. "We'll talk more when we return to the yamen. This place is no longer safe."
They cleared the passage and returned to the surface, now deep into the night. The Star-gazing Tower stood in the moonlight, silent and still, as if nothing had happened.
But Pei Yunfan knew—this was just the beginning.
Beneath the peaceful facade of Chang'an, dark currents were already stirring. The Poison Immortal Sect, the mysterious black-robed man, the impending Poison Immortal sacrifice... and Gong Sun Zhi's last words, "The most unexpected person."
He gazed toward the Imperial City, its lights shining brightly—this was the heart of the Tang Dynasty.
If the Poison Immortal Sect's plot was truly