A dark, moonless night.Hu Xiaoyue and I quietly left the village, heading towards the abandoned factory area northwest of the town. She had changed into an old cloth dress I'd found at the bottom of a trunk—a dress left by my mother (the style was old-fashioned, but she wore it with a unique charm). She covered her conspicuous long hair and ears with a headscarf, and temporarily concealed her fiery red tail with some kind of magic. However, the swaying of her hips as she walked still carried a captivating allure, making me afraid to look at her too long.
Her injuries had healed about 60-70%, and she could move freely, but her face appeared exceptionally pale in the night. She seemed curious about everything in the human world, glancing around as she walked, but her eyes were clear, and she was highly vigilant.
"My benefactor, stay close to me and don't wander off. The atmosphere there is chaotic, filled with the greed, anger, and delusion of humans, as well as the sinister aura of ghosts and demons; it's easy to lose your mind," Hu Xiaoyue whispered, her voice carrying a hint of ethereal clarity in the night wind.
I nodded, gripping the copper coin sword and talisman hidden in my sleeve. Tonight's purpose was merely reconnaissance; I wouldn't act unless absolutely necessary.
Far from the village and the town's main road, the further northwest we went, the more desolate it became. Crooked tombstones and abandoned graves began to appear by the roadside, the piercing cries of owls echoing in the night—we were approaching a mass grave.
Ahead, a dark shadow appeared—seven or eight dilapidated factory buildings connected together, their walls mostly collapsed, windows shattered, like a pack of monsters crouching in the darkness. This used to be the town's agricultural machinery factory, long abandoned.
But at this moment, deep within this desolate ruin, a faint light shone through, along with the indistinct, suppressed voices and the clatter of some kind of machinery.
Hu Xiaoyue stopped, closed her eyes, and her nostrils flared slightly, as if trying to detect the subtle scents in the air. After a moment, she opened her eyes, her amber pupils gleaming faintly in the darkness, and pointed to a relatively intact three-story building at the deepest part of the factory: "There it is. The most vibrant atmosphere, and the strongest yin energy and wealth-related aura. There are… traces of a formation fluctuation, very rudimentary, but it can block out some sound and light."
Something fishy was definitely going on! They even set up a formation. Although Hu Xiaoyue said it was rudimentary, it was enough for an ordinary person.
"Can we go in? If we don't get caught?" I asked.
Hu Xiaoyue nodded. "That formation can stop mortals, but not me. I'll lead you around to the side; there's a gap there, where the aura is weakest."
She gestured for me to follow, her figure as nimble and swift as a cat in the night, moving lightly and quickly through the shadows of the ruins. I followed behind her, trying to walk as quietly as possible, but my heart pounded uncontrollably.
After navigating several piles of scrap metal and collapsed walls, we arrived at the side of the small building. Sure enough, there was a window, half-collapsed, hastily covered with a broken wooden plank. Hu Xiaoyue gently pushed, and the plank slid open silently, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through. A wave of heat, a mixture of smoke, sweat, cheap perfume, and some other, colder aura, rushed out.
Hu Xiaoyue went in first, and I followed closely behind.
Inside was an abandoned workshop, filled with rusted machinery and debris. But now, a sizable space deep within the workshop, enclosed by heavy canvas, was emanating light and the sounds of people.
Hu Xiaoyue pulled me behind a huge, dusty punch press. From there, we could barely glimpse the inside through gaps in the canvas.
One glance was enough for me to understand.
A casino. An underground casino hidden in an abandoned factory!
Inside, smoke filled the air. Several tables were set up, some for poker, some for dice, and a few slot machines with cheap lights flashing. Dozens of gamblers, men and women alike, mostly dressed plainly, but their eyes filled with greed, excitement, or despair. Shouts, curses, and the clatter of chips filled the air.
Several burly men in black vests, with shaved heads and tattoos on their arms, moved about warily, clearly there to keep watch.
And in the corner of the casino, at the largest gambling table, I saw Chen Fugui!
He sat in a boss's chair, a cigarette dangling from his lips, legs crossed, a glamorous, scantily clad woman massaging his shoulders beside him. A pile of chips lay before him; he seemed a regular, perhaps even… one of the shareholders?
He watched the gambling, whispering something to a middle-aged man in a suit, with slicked-back hair, who appeared to be the casino manager, a smug smile on his face.
Sure enough! Chen Fugui wasn't just involved; he was likely one of the masterminds behind this underground casino! Using his position and location to engage in such illegal activities—no wonder he exuded such a sinister aura!
"It's not just gambling," Hu Xiaoyue's voice whispered in my ear, tinged with coldness. "My benefactor, look over there."
She gestured for another corner of the casino, separated by a screen, where several sofas were set up. Several shady-looking men were flirting and groping several scantily clad, heavily made-up young women. The women's eyes were numb, their smiles forced.
"And over there," Hu Xiaoyue pointed to an inconspicuous little door at the back of the casino, where a burly man with an expressionless face stood guard. "Behind that door, the yin energy and resentment are heavy, mixed with… the smell of blood and medicine. It's probably not just a rest room."
My heart sank. Prostitution, gambling, and possibly drugs! That bastard Chen Fugui is utterly wicked!
But tonight's focus wasn't on cracking down on prostitution, but on investigating his connection to the village's evil deeds. I carefully observed the atmosphere and the people in the casino.
Soon, I noticed something unusual.
The atmosphere in the casino, besides the stench of human desire, did indeed contain a faint, familiar, cold, sticky feeling. Although it was masked by the heavy smell of smoke, alcohol, and sweat, I could still vaguely discern—a subtle resemblance to the scent on Liu Yan, on Xiao Fen's mark, and to the thing at the bottom of the river! Only fainter, more mixed.
Could it be that Chen Fugui set up the casino near the mass grave not only for concealment but also to exploit the yin energy there? Or perhaps he used some kind of method to "collect" the evil energy from the village for this purpose? For example… to distract gamblers and make it easier for the house to win? Or perhaps to nourish some other evil entity?
Just as I was concentrating on sensing the energy, the small door to the casino suddenly opened. A tall, thin man in a white coat and mask, whose face was obscured, stepped out, carrying an empty metal tray. He walked straight to Chen Fugui and whispered a few words in his ear.
Chen Fugui frowned after listening and waved his hand. The man in the white coat nodded and turned back behind the small door.
Not long after, the small door opened again. This time, two people came out. The one in front was none other than Li Xiulian! She had changed into relatively clean clothes, but her face appeared particularly sallow and haggard in the dim lighting of the casino, her eyes somewhat vacant, and she clutched a small cloth bag tightly in her hand. Following behind was an old man, thin as a bamboo pole, dressed in a black silk jacket, with a thin, mustache-like gait. The old man had small eyes, but they gleamed with a sharp light. He toyed with two shiny walnuts in his hands, and emanated an extremely unpleasant stench, a mixture of incense and decay.
"A sorcerer!" Hu Xiaoyue's voice carried a hint of gravity. "His skills are not high, but he follows crooked paths, and he has many sins to his name."
My heart leaped. Li Xiulian was indeed connected to this place! This mustache-wearing old man was very likely the sorcerer behind her evil methods, instructing her to harm others!
I saw Li Xiulian walk up to Chen Fugui, hand him the small cloth bag, and whisper something, her expression respectful yet fearful.
Chen Fugui took the bag, weighed it in his hand, and casually tossed it to the casino manager beside him. The manager opened a corner of the bag, looked inside, nodded, and took out a wad of cash from under the table, handing it to Li Xiulian.
Li Xiulian took the money, counted it, and a greedy, pleased look appeared on her face. She quickly stuffed it into her pocket, bowed to Chen Fugui and the old man with the rat-like whiskers, and then hurriedly left the casino, disappearing into the night.
That stack of money…was it "reward"? Li Xiulian had harmed someone (like Zhou Xiaohong?), and somehow "collected" something (soul? essence?), and brought it here to exchange for money?
Meanwhile, the old man with the rat-like whiskers strolled over to Chen Fugui, and the two began to talk in hushed tones. The old man frequently glanced around the casino, especially at the slot machines and the largest gambling table, his fingers secretly calculating something. Occasionally, he would flick his fingers, seemingly releasing some invisible powder or aura into the air.
With his movements, the cold, sticky atmosphere in the casino seemed to become slightly more active, and the eyes of several gamblers placing large bets became even more fanatical and dazed.
It really was him! Using evil magic to influence the game, ensuring the house always won! Chen Fugui hiring such a wicked sorcerer to oversee things—he's truly willing to do anything for money!
Then what about the things happening in the village? The parasitic evil spirit on Liu Yan, the water ghost in the river, Xiao Fen's mark, and Zhou Xiaohong's disappearance…are they all related to this old man with the rat-beard? Perhaps, he was even behind it all? Is Chen Fugui his collaborator or employer?
As I was trying to sort things out, Hu Xiaoyue suddenly tugged at my sleeve and whispered, "My benefactor, something's wrong. Something's noticed us."
I was startled and followed her gaze. In the center of the gambling den, the old man with the rat-beard suddenly stopped talking to Chen Fugui, abruptly turned his head, and his small, gleaming eyes, like two will-o'-the-wisps, stared directly at the old punch press where we were hiding!
A look of doubt and wariness crossed his face, and his nose twitched slightly, as if he were sniffing something.
Oh no! Was he disturbed by Hu Xiaoyue's demonic aura? Was it my pure Yang energy? Or had he sensed our spying?
"He's spotted us!" Hu Xiaoyue whispered. "Run!"
Without hesitation, we immediately retreated from our hiding place and ran back the way we'd come in through the broken window.
Behind us, the old man with the rat-whisker's shrill shout rang out: "Who goes there? Stop!" Then came the angry roars and hurried footsteps of the burly men guarding the casino!
"Quick!" Hu Xiaoyue grabbed my wrist. Her hand was icy and soft, yet possessed an irresistible strength, pulling me at an abrupt increase in speed, almost without our feet touching the ground as we rushed towards the window!
Just as we squeezed through the crack in the broken window, we heard a loud bang from the workshop behind us. The broken wooden plank blocking the window had been kicked away! Several burly men wielding clubs and looking menacing came chasing after us!
"Split up! Meet at the usual spot!" Hu Xiaoyue said urgently, giving me a gentle push before disappearing in another direction like a wisp of red smoke, vanishing instantly into the dark ruins.
The burly men hesitated for a moment, most chasing after Hu Xiaoyue in the direction she had vanished, while the remaining two grinned and lunged at me: "You little brat! Daring to scout this place! You've got a death wish!"
My heart pounded. I knew I couldn't outrun these local thugs. Gritting my teeth, I turned to face them and drew my copper coin sword from my sleeve!
"Damn it! You've got a weapon!" one of the burly men cursed, swinging his club at my head!
I dodged to the side, my copper coin sword slicing towards his wrist! The tip touched his skin, and the man screamed in agony. Black smoke rose from his wrist, as if branded with a hot iron, and the club flew from his hand!
Seeing this, the other man, both shocked and enraged, drew a dagger from his waist and viciously lunged at me!
Just as I was about to parry, suddenly, from the shadows of the nearby ruins, a furry, fiery red tail silently emerged, lashing out like a steel whip across the back of the burly man's neck with a sharp crack!
The man didn't even utter a sound before collapsing to the ground.
It was Hu Xiaoyue! She hadn't gone far!
"Go!" Her figure flashed from the shadows, grabbing my still-stunned grip, and we started running again.
This time, we encountered no resistance. We weaved and twisted our way through the area, quickly shaking off our pursuers and leaving the abandoned factory area, plunging into the vast darkness of the night.
Only after running a considerable distance and confirming our safety did we stop, leaning against an old locust tree, panting heavily.
"Miss Hu, are you alright? Thank you so much for earlier!" I looked at her; her breathing was a little rapid, and sweat beaded on her forehead, but her eyes remained bright.
"It's nothing, just a few mortals." Hu Xiaoyue shook her head, her expression grave. "However, we've been discovered. That sorcerer, and Chen Fugui, will definitely be more vigilant and will investigate our identities."
I nodded, still shaken, but mostly filled with a sense of relief and anger.
We've found out! Chen Fugui is not only a corrupt official, but also a villain who runs an illegal casino, colludes with sorcerers, and uses evil magic to harm people for profit! Li Xiulian is his henchman! Most of the evil things happening in the village were probably orchestrated by that old man with the rat-beard, probably to collect some kind of "material" (like women's essence or souls?) for their use in the casino or for other evil deeds!
Liu Yan, Xiao Fen, Zhou Xiaohong… they are all victims!
Grandpa's death…could it also be related to one of their "plans"? Did Grandpa discover it, and that's why he was silenced?
A chilling rage burned within me.
"Miss Hu," I said, my eyes resolute, looking at Hu Xiaoyue, "this Chen Fugui, and that sorcerer, must be eliminated! Not only for the villagers, but also for my grandfather!"
Hu Xiaoyue looked at me quietly, her amber eyes reflecting the distant glimmer of light. After a moment, she nodded gently: "My benefactor saved my life, so I should naturally help him. However, the other side has a sorcerer and power; we need to plan carefully."
"I know," I took a deep breath. "Let's go back first and tell the 'Mutual Aid Society' everything we saw tonight. We need more eyes and ears, and we also need…a meticulous plan."
In the darkness, Hu Xiaoyue and I walked back side by side. Although we had just experienced a perilous situation, and although the enemy was powerful and evil, my heart was more resolute than ever before.