Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Domestic Violence Village Five

The night was not a time when human ancestors were accustomed to activity. The ancient fear of the night gave rise to countless legends, such as wolf demons, and ghosts.

However, for ghost hunters, working at night was routine, and ghosts were constant, intimate clients.

The Shuixi Gate stood on the surface.

The time was approaching 9 PM.

The first half of the night had passed.

The dog barking had quieted, and the desolate construction site in the wilderness barely showed signs of human presence.

The students of the Fengling Institute were working enthusiastically.

Under the direction of Yan Jun and a few second-year students, a group of them followed Qin Lin's mapped out chart of yin energy level lines, densely placing yang energy talismans on the broken purple blocks.

Most first-year students lacked practical experience—after all, one couldn't measure everyone by Ming Yue’s casual “平头哥” [a nickname that suggests a no-nonsense, stoic attitude] attitude toward life and death.

Therefore, it was easy to hear many first-year students expressing excitement when they saw the small sparks of yin and yang clashing.

Yan Jun was in charge of setting up defenses around the area where the tea tree's yin energy was most concentrated.

The yang talisman was placed into a shallow pit of 30 centimeters, covered with tea leaves, and the energy waves triggered by the yin-yang clash caused the signal receiver in the ear to emit a series of tonal fluctuations.

"..."

What kind of nonsense patent is this from the acoustics department?

Yan Jun furrowed his brows as he adjusted his earplugs, the static interference buzzing loudly, with only sporadic, broken public frequency conversations coming through.

The conversation couldn't be listened to carefully.

After hearing it, he felt his heart race, as if his throat were about to leap out.

Ming Yue's voice was distorted by the sound interference, making it unclear whether she was referring to “a dozen” hands, but it was definitely more than ten.

Yan Jun's heart raced.

The power of living yin objects was clearly described in the books.

Long-buried yin energy can give life to objects.This "object" is a general term, it could be a corpse bone or an ordinary item.

At this moment, the students of the Fengling Institute in levels 17 and 18 were dealing with corpse bones that had come to life.

Of course, "living beings" do not equate to having a soul—

A soul consists of three souls and seven spirits. Even in places rich in nutrients for raising corpses, like ancient city walls, it would take at least a hundred and eighty years to produce a flawed soul.

Moreover, the creation of a soul requires the combined essence of the living, the yin and yang of the mortal realm—something that the general yin atmosphere alone cannot provide.

The laws of heaven divide the responsibilities, and the right to create a pure soul belongs only to the mortal realm.

What Ming Yue and the others encountered underground were merely "yin objects" with the lowest form of intelligence.

But—

But—

Yan Jun's heartbeat quickened, faster and faster.

But, the granting of intelligence to yin objects depends not only on the yin energy environment's vitality but also on a deciding factor.

What the living being’s object is.

Besides the unclear number of ghost hands underground,

There might also be a human head.

Yan Jun nervously thought.

No! This isn't right!

If there is more than one hand, then there could also be more than one head!

Yan Jun, who was quick to make inferences: "…"

He felt his heart was about to explode.

Not far from the riverbank, Jin Yuanbao was slacking off, playing on his phone, while beside him, Jun Weiran occasionally looked up at Yan Jun. Yan, their leader, was half-kneeling on the ground, looking tense, one hand adjusting the earplugs, the other taking notes.

Jun Weiran's gaze was firmly fixed on Yan Jun's earplugs.Jin Yuanbao: "…"

This wall-climbing act, really, it's enough to watch for a lifetime.

Pride has no way out, Old Jun.

Jin Yuanbao took a few steps forward and patted Yan Jun:

"Boss, how’s the situation underground?"

Yan Jun didn’t hide anything: "Not clear."

"The signal keeps cutting in and out, from the description, it seems like new living yin objects have appeared underground."

Jin Yuanbao: "…"

Jin Yuanbao: "Holy crap! There’s more!"

At that moment, Jun Weiran immediately walked over: "Do you need backup?"

Yan Jun immediately refused: "Old Jun, you can’t do it."

"I know you're worried, but you're born with heavy yin energy. You can’t go down!"

Jun Weiran’s expression wasn’t frustrated.

Yan Jun sighed and didn’t comfort him.

"I'm anxious too, but none of us can go down."

"Besides, the work above ground isn't finished yet. If we mess up the surface work and disturb the underground, that would be a real crime."

"I’ll go talk to the second-year seniors."

Ming Yue truly couldn’t remember how many hands she saw in that fleeting moment.

But right now, she was speaking without reservation, fully reporting the situation on the public frequency.

There was no response on the public frequency.

Silence like ice.Qin Lin, as expected of the leader of this project, immediately caught on to the point that Ming Yue could offer insight:

"Junior, can you hear me? How did you subdue the skeleton hand last time?"

The darkness ahead grew denser, with Ming Yue’s left ear wearing the signal receiver, and a faint rustling sound in her right ear. She remained vigilant and dutifully answered:

"I can hear you, Senior."

"The ghost hand from last time was swept by the yang energy talisman. A simple yang energy radiation weakened the yin energy, and after a struggle, it was captured."

Struggle? Struggle?

Qin Lin: "…"

A few awkward, low coughs came through the public frequency, the tense atmosphere suddenly turned into something comical thanks to Ming Yue.

Qin Lin let out a difficult laugh, "So, what you're saying is that a simple yang energy talisman can be effective, right?"

Ming Yue clearly responded with a "Mm."

The static noise in the earplugs grew more pronounced again, and a female voice came through on the public frequency:

"Thanks for sharing your experience, Junior."

"However, we need to be cautious. The worst-case scenario has already occurred—We’ve also detected a significant amount of yin energy traces in the No. 2 cave using the revealing powder."

"At the same time, I want to remind everyone of an oversight: the first skeleton hand that Ming Yue caught—do you all remember? The Shuixi Gate police station said the bone might belong to a female corpse unearthed last year."

"Who remembers what was missing from that female skeleton?"

Public frequency: "…"

Ahead, everything was pitch black, the yin energy heavy with the thick, earthy stench, making it almost unbearable to smell.

The visibility grew narrower and narrower, the flashlight only illuminating the area within three feet.

Ming Yue simply turned off her phone’s flashlight.

Everyone was a ghost hunter; everyone had the ability to see yin and yang.

At this moment, with the darkness and intense yin energy, can’t you "see"?

No one responded on the public frequency. It was strange.This is wrong.

This doesn't feel right.

This question is so easy to answer, why is no one speaking on the public frequency?

Ming Yue's heart was pounding. She kept her eyes wide open, carefully watching the path beneath her feet, while answering: "The hand and the head."

Liu Tianran, who was holding onto Ming Yue's clothes, looked at her in silence.

What time is it, and she’s still trying to answer first?

The senior sister gave her approval on the public frequency: "That's right."

Qin Lin’s voice then came through, sounding unusually tense:

"What did you say? Say it again?"

The senior sister was nonchalant, "I said the hand and the head are correct."

Qin Lin’s voice sounded even stranger: "Of course, I know the hand and the head are correct. I personally recorded that PDF."

"I’m talking about you."

"There are 38 second-year students in the Ghost Institute, and I’m familiar with each and every one of their voices."

"But I’ve never heard yours before."

"Who are you?"

Ming Yue: "…"

Ming Yue: "O口O!!!!"

Ming Yue quickly turned around, synchronizing with Liu Tianran to shout out in unison, like a famous painting.

Oh my god!

Who was talking just now!!!

Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!Liu Tianran’s voice trembled with anxiety:

“This is bad... this is really bad!”

“The radio receiver! How did it end up in someone else’s hands!”

“Where is the person who should have had it?!”

Hearing this made one’s heart drop cold.

The dense yin energy wrapped around every underground living being like a tight vest, clinging firmly to their chests.

However, with such explosive news, the public frequency remained eerily silent.

Ming Yue quickly thought through the situation.

When the concentration of yin energy is extremely high, it causes distortions or failures in the five senses to varying degrees.

Deafness and blindness are the most common dangers!

Ming Yue herself had encountered visual distortions in extreme yin environments many times!

Perhaps no one was shouting on the public frequency—not because no one tried, but because the signal couldn't be recorded, and no one could hear it.

As for the other possibility—whether the seniors had encountered an accident, Ming Yue forced herself to suppress the overwhelming anxiety and thought it was unlikely—

This wasn’t a shallow, idealistic trust.

It was an objective evaluation of the quality of the students in the institute.

The Fengling Institute’s national ranking in the field wasn’t just about theoretical excellence.

Everyone in the institute was a chosen one, with each cohort having its own "chosen" individual.

There was no way a few skeleton heads could subdue them!

Danger, maybe.

Death? No way.Ming Yue was still confident about this point.

Now, there was only one thing to think about—

If the female voice was truly caused by a living yin object, how should it be dealt with?

How to resolve the crisis on the public frequency? The communication issue was the top priority!

Also… If others really could hear Qin Lin and the female voice speaking but couldn't respond, why was there no issue with receiving and transmitting signals on Ming Yue’s side?

Thinking of this,

Ming Yue pulled out a revealing talisman and rubbed it to ignite the air.

The talisman paper showed intense black yin energy traces.

The deeper they went, the denser the yin energy became.

Theoretically, they should be getting closer to the source of the yin energy.

Covering the radio receiver, Ming Yue quickly communicated with Liu Tianran behind her.

The female voice continued to press forward on the public frequency:

"Squad leader, you really hurt my feelings."

"You say you don’t know me, but then I’ll say I don’t know you!"

"What did I say wrong? Did I trick the junior?!"

"But you! Always saying I have a problem, saying who knows, maybe the ghost here is you, not me!"

This back-and-forth, biting response was truly exquisite.

No less than a live debate.

"…"

Qin Lin was suffocating.

He was usually calm and good-natured, but now, he was about to explode.

The only support on the public frequency appeared.Ming Yue's laughter came through the radio, light and clear:

"Let’s keep the peace, Senior Brothers."

"Is it a person or a ghost? We’ll know with one try."

"How about someone recite the Fengling Institute’s motto for me?"

The female voice: "…"

Qin Lin: "…"

Qin Lin was almost laughing out loud.

Ming Yue was truly a little clever devil.

Words have no weight.

What truly has power is the humanity that has been chanting and singing them for thousands of years.

In the world of yin and yang, the underworld and the ghost hunters are like two ends of a scale, one spreading yin, the other gathering yang.

The mottos of various spiritual institutes across major universities are sacred mantras carved into the hearts of every serious student over a century, bringing them to battle across the South and North of China, exorcising ghosts and slaying demons, undefeatable and invincible. In critical moments, reciting the motto can break the yin and drive away evil, gathering the mighty yang energy of righteousness in the heart.

Qin Lin spoke in a low voice:

"Thank you for the reminder, Junior, I was the one who panicked."

"Our Fengling Institute’s motto is: Strong and methodical, cautious and virtuous."

"We shall fight for our entire lives across the two realms, maintaining the order of yin and yang."

The ghost head: "…"

The female voice immediately muted her microphone, and no matter what, she refused to speak again.

Qin Lin: Heh, challenging my junior? I’ll destroy you.

As the female voice withdrew, waves of sound surged through the public frequency like a rising tide, with everyone’s voices returning in a cacophony.

"Damn it! Qin Lin, you’re something else! You scared the hell out of me just now!"“Ming Yue is mighty!”

“Damn it, stop messing around, you guys! You’re scaring the hell out of me!”

“Ahhh, Qin Lin, don’t trust that evil ghost! My receiver just suddenly cut out, I don’t know why!”

Qin Lin immediately asked, “Did you find the receiver now?”

The senior sister answered firmly, “Found it!”

“As soon as the motto was recited, that shadow ran away! I was about to chase after it!”

Qin Lin reminded, “Stay calm, protect yourself!”

While Qin Lin was speaking, in Cave No. 3, Ming Yue received the wind talisman from Senior Sister Liu Tianran and combined it with the ordinary fire talisman she had drawn herself—

Wind and fire met, and the yin energy retreated.

The weak yang energy fire ignited, and in an instant, the surrounding darkness cleared up significantly. The power of the wind talisman blew the orange-red flames toward the front of the cave—

Yin and yang are opposites.

The direction of the yang fire was—

Ming Yue and Liu Tianran exchanged a glance and spoke in unison: “The source of the yin energy is ahead!”

They made a quick decision and started running forward.

The cave suddenly wasn’t narrow anymore. The previously tight, winding path now allowed them to stand tall and stride ahead—

A corner appeared.

Ming Yue was quick to react, grabbing Liu Tianran, who was about to fall forward. She pulled out a cleansing incantation charm and pressed it to her throat, then took out a yang energy talisman, rolled it into a ball, and tossed it into the darkness around the corner—

Sure enough.

Before the talisman ball even touched the ground, it ignited along its trajectory, flames flickering, and surrounding it was a thick black mist, with a faint blood-red hue.

Liu Tianran quickly sampled the scene, biting her pen as she said, “Impressive!”

“This is the first time I’ve seen blood-colored yin energy.”Ming Yue quickly pulled the overly scholarly senior sister aside, whispering, “This means there’s something particularly strange here, Senior!”

“We’ll study it later!”

After speaking, Ming Yue took out two Earth God talismans and slapped one on her own head and the other on Liu Tianran's, pulling her forward toward the corner!

Liu Tianran stared at the swaying talisman patterns that were right in front of her: “…”

Oh my god!

Ming Yue, you little genius!

Why does a freshman like you know how to draw an Earth God talisman!

As they rounded the corner, it felt as if a waterfall of yin energy rushed through their skin, leaving them with a strange feeling of clarity.

The space in front of them suddenly expanded.

Ming Yue and Liu Tianran shivered from the coldness of the yin energy, goosebumps rising all over their bodies.

The surroundings were eerily silent, even the sound of falling leaves could be heard.

Then, a leaf really did fall, making a faint rustling sound.

A thick tea fragrance spread amidst the bloody, yin-filled atmosphere.

Before them stood a mass of tree roots.

Ming Yue stared in awe at the massive tree roots. They were tangled in knots, twisting and spiraling in one place, with roots as thick as arms, all packed tightly together. They deeply penetrated the soil, quietly drawing in nutrients from the surrounding material.

On closer inspection, between the dirt and roots, there were broken bodies scattered everywhere.

Half a leg, a small portion of a stomach, a piece of buttocks, and even torn female reproductive organs, strangely shaped and scattered around, black blood and pus-filled blisters growing all over them, slowly writhing.

“…”

Ming Yue’s gaze landed on a half-dismembered head. It was trapped between two tree roots, one of which had pierced through her eye. The eyeball, like a squashed beef ball, had burst, and the gelatinous crystalline substance fell to the ground.

So many.

So many women.Liu Tianran's voice tightened, "Ming Yue, look beneath those tree roots."

"Those... those bones, no, wait, they’re not bones, they’re flesh, Ming Yue, they’re flesh!"

Ming Yue’s voice became strained, "Yeah."

"This isn’t fresh... these... they’ve been nurtured by the yin energy, the 'flesh' has regrown."

"This... this is the tea tree forest we mapped last week—the underground of the tea tree forest."

"Senior, I think," Ming Yue swallowed hard, "the group domestic violence case at Yuehai Yuting can be filed now."