Chapter 96: Trouble
When Mi Shen learned that Mu Lichuan had captured two ninjas, his expression was one of shock, and he rushed over immediately.
"This…" Staring at the two men dressed in black, covered in bloodstains and completely stiff, he couldn’t help but suspect they were already dead—except their eyes were still unnervingly alert.
"Relax, they won’t die. To prevent them from committing suicide, I used a paralysis spell. No use if they’re dead," Mu Lichuan said indifferently. "Take them back. As for how to handle the rest, that’s your problem."
"They have poison capsules in their mouths. You’d better pull out all their teeth to check."
The two ninjas widened their eyes in disbelief at Mu Lichuan’s words, clearly understanding him. As for Mi Shen and his subordinates, their faces remained expressionless, but the twitching at the corners of their mouths betrayed their shock at his ruthless approach.
Mi Shen nodded in understanding. "I’ll leave a few men with you." Since the first attempt had failed, there would undoubtedly be further action.
"What would I do with them? Add more obstacles for myself?" The young man raised his head, frowning at Mi Shen.
The special forces soldiers referred to as "obstacles" felt a flicker of indignation but had to admit that against the unknown, they’d likely be slaughtered. They had no experience dealing with R-country’s ninjutsu, let alone capturing ninjas.
"They can handle the bodies for you, so you don’t scare passersby," Mi Shen replied coolly. If another incident occurred, they would deal with it—he couldn’t be there all the time.
Mu Lichuan thought that made sense. He could kill, but disposing of bodies was troublesome. Not to mention the issue of the Yin-gathering area.
As if reading his mind, Mi Shen said, "The Yin-gathering area is too complicated. Even though many have moved out, some stubborn families remain. They’re unhappy with the government’s compensation, so…" He trailed off, but the implication was clear.
"Can’t you just scare them? Ordinary people believe in superstitions anyway, and that place is already seen as cursed," Mu Lichuan said, exasperated by the government’s inflexibility.
Mi Shen hesitated, then muttered, "The government is supposed to eradicate superstitions, and now you’re telling me to scare them?"
"The government decides what’s right or wrong. Don’t wait until things blow up to clean up the mess—by then, it’ll be too late." In an era of instant news and social media, suppressing information was nearly impossible.
The special forces soldiers tuned out the conversation. Their Young Master Mi was being advised to use trickery and promote superstition—this was completely overturning their worldview.
Soon, the two ninjas were dragged away, and Mu Lichuan went about his life as if nothing had happened. Whether the higher-ups were in chaos was none of his concern. He was just a small fry—he’d done his part, and the rest was beyond him.
____
"Young Master Mu, there’s trouble. A death occurred in Zhu’an Village—the victim was skinned alive, and their body was covered in black energy. Master Chen confirmed it," reported the special forces soldier assigned to Mu Lichuan.
Mu Lichuan, who had been about to head home, paused. "I’m not a government employee." To him, this was beyond presumptuous.
He was just a student. If not for his involvement in the supernatural, he’d be an ordinary high schooler—not someone the government should be dragging into their problems.
He’d already followed his conscience by reporting the Yin-gathering area and urging action, but the government’s sluggish response made him wonder if they just wanted to use him as their enforcer.
The country had plenty of cultivators. Those old geezers spent all their time meditating—couldn’t they do something for the people?
"Young Master Mu, you’re a consultant for the Cleaning Company. Young Master Mi said if they couldn’t handle it, they should ask for your input," the soldier said. Though battle-hardened, he still felt a chill under Mu Lichuan’s gaze.
Mu Lichuan realized he’d been tricked into this role. "Haven’t you hired anyone else yet?" The inefficiency was staggering—or maybe someone was just too cheap to pay for competent help.
The soldier, Zhao An, had no idea. He just followed orders. Awkwardly, he accepted the talisman Mu Lichuan handed him.
"Take this." Mu Lichuan pulled out an Evil-Warding Talisman. After all, the man had been following him for days—it’d be a shame if he died.
Zhao An took the yellow talisman gratefully. "Thank you, Young Master Mu." Though he didn’t fully understand its purpose, he knew it was a life-saving charm.
Having interacted with masters before, he knew how precious talismans were—they weren’t something they could just buy on the street.
Mu Lichuan didn’t respond. If this was related to demonic cultivators, he’d have to investigate. Or maybe his enemies were stirring up trouble.
____
Zhu’an Village, already half-abandoned, felt desolate and eerie. Without human presence, the Yin energy had grown stronger. The holdouts, stubbornly refusing to leave, were likely already suffering the effects—misfortune plaguing their lives.
The body had been covered, but the family was still making a scene. Their foreheads were dark with impending doom—prolonged exposure to Yin energy led only to ruin.
To the uninformed, it might seem like they’d crossed the government. But in truth, they were fighting a losing battle—against something far worse.
As the saying goes: The common people dare not oppose the rich, the rich dare not oppose the powerful, and none dare oppose ghosts.
They were courting death.
When Mu Lichuan entered unhindered, the family grew even more agitated.
"Why can a high schooler go in, but we can’t?" a middle-aged woman shrieked, tears streaming down her face.
"He’s a special consultant. Not under our jurisdiction," a policeman said sternly, blocking her. "If not for your loss, we’d have arrested you already."
"You’re covering this up! My husband is dead, and you’re keeping us out!" Her voice was hoarse with grief and fury.
Mu Lichuan had no interest in dealing with them, but if more deaths occurred, the government would be blamed.
Before the woman could continue, a cooling sensation spread across her forehead, calming her rage. The family stared in shock.
"That’s a Calming Spell. To clear your minds before something unclean takes hold," Mu Lichuan said flatly. Malevolent spirits loved possessing people like this, amplifying their anger until they did something irreversible.
The airport incident had been similar—an innocent man, controlled, had killed several people. Innocence didn’t matter then, blood demanded repayment.
"That’s our father inside. Can’t we even see him?" a young man pleaded, voice breaking. "We refused to move because housing in the capital is too expensive. Where else could we go?"
"You sure you want to see? You might regret it," Mu Lichuan warned. Unless they were trained for this, the sight would haunt them.
"We’re not afraid!" the young man insisted.
Mu Lichuan nodded. "Fine. Let them in."
The policemen exchanged glances but relented. What happened next was above their pay grade.
Inside, Gu Yongsheng and Chen Decheng were setting up a barrier to contain the demonic energy.
"Young Master Mu!" they exclaimed, surprised to see the family.
"They wanted to see the body. Let them," Mu Lichuan said coldly. Some truths came with consequences.
When the young man lifted the shroud, he staggered back. The woman vomited.
Mu Lichuan frowned—the corpse was already corroding, pitted and decaying from demonic energy.
"Now that you’ve seen, leave. Let the dead rest." What he didn’t say was that the man’s soul was likely already destroyed. Souls tainted by demonic energy had no chance of reincarnation.
"But… how did he die like this?" the young man whispered, horrified.
"Knowing won’t help you. Go." Mu Lichuan had no more answers for them.
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