Chapter 15: Conflict in the Taiwan Cypress Forest

The mist in the red cypress forest grew denser, the leaves visibly damp. When they first entered, the sounds of insects and birds were clearly audible. Now, all had vanished, leaving only the rustling of branches stirred by the wind.

Li Xuan drew out the Heavenly Canopy Ruler, hesitating slightly before pressing the Fengdu Treasure Seal firmly onto its surface. He spoke solemnly, "Disciple is in distress. I earnestly beseech the Great Emperor of Fengdu of the Northern Underworld, the Great Emperor Ziwei of the Northern Pole, the Great Emperor of Mount Tai’s Eastern Peak, and Marshal Tianpeng to protect me!"

A vivid red imprint appeared on the ruler, the four characters seeming to drip with fluid. The ruler trembled in his hand, its temperature rising noticeably.

When the mist touched the ruler, it sizzled, emitting faint black smoke...

As dusk approached, the outside sky darkened, and the dense canopy made the forest almost pitch-black.

Suddenly, Chen Letong let out an unintelligible sound—like a wild beast’s growl. Her small hands shot out from behind, clutching Li Xuan’s neck. Her fingernails extended slowly, piercing the skin and drawing blood!

Li Xuan winced, breaking free from his bindings and flinging Chen Letong to the ground.

This adorable six-year-old girl had dark lines spreading from the corners of her eyes. Her teeth snapped repeatedly, saliva dripping as her hoarse voice became clearer: "Wh-what’s my name?"

"Ask your mother," Li Xuan replied sharply, fully aware that Chen Letong had lost her sanity.

Her neck cracked audibly as her head twisted unnaturally, limbs bending backward at odd angles, her body sprawled face down like a spider-shaped doll.

Li Xuan’s eyelids twitched in disbelief—he hadn’t dared to bend his Ultraman figures that way as a child.

Chen Letong’s saliva pooled, her facial features nearly merged into one as she hoarsely roared, “I’m so hungry… why won’t you feed me?”

She twisted her head side to side, spotted some leaves, bent her legs, and suddenly leapt up, biting several leaves before dropping down.

This was bad.

Despite Li Xuan’s watch, Chen Letong still managed to eat something in those last two hours.

The Zhou Canggong and A Qinggong couple were truly doomed.

Li Xuan lunged forward, gripping the Heavenly Canopy Ruler with both hands and pressing it against Chen Letong’s neck, pinning her briefly against a tree stump. Then, with a rough finger, he pried the leaves from her mouth.

But Chen Letong bit down hard, nearly severing his finger. Her sharp teeth scraped off chunks of flesh and blood.

She sneered, swallowing the flesh.

“Heavenly Canopy, Heavenly Canopy, Nine Profound Killing Child…”

Li Xuan was stunned. He immediately chanted the Heavenly Canopy Curse; the ruler grew scorching hot, the engraved characters and symbols glowing faintly golden.

A searing mark burned across Chen Letong’s neck. She writhed in pain, clawing desperately at Li Xuan’s arms.

—

A sudden sharp pain struck Li Xuan’s right cheek, exposing raw flesh that quickly reddened, blood flowing freely.

With his left hand gripping Chen Letong, he raised the Heavenly Canopy Ruler with his right, plunging it forcefully into her abdomen while continuing the curse. A flicker of golden light shimmered.

Chen Letong screamed, black liquid spewing from her throat onto the grass, instantly corroding the plants. Numerous caterpillar-like creatures wriggled within the pool, along with the small pieces of skin she had just swallowed.

She collapsed weakly, her eyes slowly losing their madness.

“Uncle…”

Li Xuan knew the ruler had shattered the dark force within her. Relaxing slightly, he leaned nearby, catching his breath. “I just helped you drive away the evil. Don’t be afraid…”

The mist thickened but did not disperse, swirling like white milk.

He lifted the feeble Chen Letong onto his back again, pressing the Fengdu Treasure Seal onto her forehead just in case.

Outside the forest, beams of light flickered—police were arriving.

Li Xuan scanned the area, spotting a bush with a small pit beneath it and quickly crawled inside.

Chen Letong fainted once more...

Such a pitiful little girl.

As the beams drew nearer, several men in police uniforms swept their flashlights around. They found a motorcycle lying nearby.

One officer said, “The bike’s here. The forest’s soft soil means he couldn’t have gone far! But we can’t waste time—we must find this sick trafficker before he drags the girl deeper into the mountains.”

A younger officer asked, “His face looks unfamiliar. I’ve studied a bit of psychology and can read microexpressions. I get the feeling he might be trying to save the girl.”

This was the same officer who had been in the passenger seat of the last police car, holding a gun and shouting but hesitating to fire.

An older officer fell silent for a moment, recalling Li Xuan’s earlier words before entering the cypress forest—that the girl was possessed and needed time to be freed, and that once the time elapsed, he would willingly return her.

If he were a trafficker, why go to such lengths?

Moreover, there were inconsistencies: the young man was named Li Chegan. He had been renting a place near the complainant Li Ruonan’s home for over a week.

The little girl Chen Letong had moved into the rental with her foster guardian and godfather from the welfare institute a few days prior. Neighbors said Li Ruonan had visited twice but was driven away by Li Xuan. And today, Li Ruonan came back wielding a fire axe, causing a scene. The police arrived amid their dispute.

Given the timing and the axe-wielding disturbance, her call was clearly premeditated.

—

If Li Chegan was a trafficker, why bother kidnapping a girl with a paralyzed lower body? And why did both her foster father and biological mother know where she lived?

All these were suspicious.

The officer was puzzled but knew that since the biological mother had reported it, their priority was to find the child.

Until the truth emerged, anything could happen.

Just then, the young officer shouted, “There’s blood here…”

The officer hurried over, stepping through dead leaves, and sure enough, under a tree lay specks of blood. More shockingly, a pool of black liquid writhing with insects was nearby.

This... seemed truly supernatural.

He recalled Li Xuan’s mention of three hours to lift the curse.

Only three hours?

Before he could speak, he noticed his colleague beside him had vanished. Darkness enveloped the area, and the flashlight illuminated only swirling white mist.

The mist formed a small vortex, shifting.

Something moved within it.

The officer raised his gun, creeping closer cautiously, voice lowered as he slowly disengaged the safety.

His pupils constricted violently. Inside the mist’s vortex appeared a face smeared with blood on one cheek.

It was the young man—Li Chegan!

His grim, blood-streaked visage terrified the officer, who was about to pull the trigger.

But Li Xuan acted faster. With a fierce swing, he knocked the gun aside using the Heavenly Canopy Ruler, grabbed the bending officer by the collar, dragged him into the pit, and covered his mouth and nose.

“Officer, I am not a trafficker! Don’t shout—please give me a chance to explain. If I meant harm, you’d be dead already…”

The officer nodded.

He spotted the unconscious Chen Letong nearby. Her fingernails bore traces of blood, and the wound on Li Xuan’s face was clearly from her scratching.