Half an hour ago.
Boom—
Under the torrential rain, a black figure streaked across the sky.
On the rooftop of a certain building, the black figure paused for a few seconds, gazing at the cluster of buildings belonging to the Folklore Research Society across West Lake.
Due to the ferocity of the rain, anything more than ten meters away was blurred into mere shadows, making it impossible for ordinary people to see the current situation of the Folklore Research Society.
They also wouldn't know that a battle beyond ordinary comprehension was unfolding on West Lake.
After a few seconds, the black figure flew out again, heading straight for the Folklore Research Society.
Just as the black figure was about to reach the opposite bank, a transparent barrier blocked its path, preventing it from getting any closer to the Folklore Research Society.
The black figure reappeared, a sharp glint flashing in its eyes beneath its hood.
"It really is the work of a descendant of Lu Ban. Such a large complex of buildings, all surrounded by a formation. Apart from the main entrance, it's difficult to trespass anywhere else."
The black figure muttered to itself, but its tone wasn't particularly worried, as if the formation couldn't stop its progress.
Its body transformed into a wisp of black mist, coalescing into a long, thin needle. Its tip pointed at the formation, and it slowly advanced.
The formation seemed unable to withstand the piercing of the thin needle; it soon developed a gap, which continued to expand.
Taking advantage of the moment the gap appeared, the black figure emerged again, penetrating the formation and successfully infiltrating the Folklore Research Society!
The gap in the formation soon healed, as if no one had ever intruded.
...
Deep within the Folklore Research Society, there was a lotus pond.
This place was remote and inaccessible to ordinary people, a "forbidden zone" known only to the elders of the Folklore Research Society.
Only a very few people were allowed to set foot here, and not even Yan Shouyi's closest brother, Long Feicheng, could.
The lotus pond was not large and was filled with lotuses. It was midsummer, the best time for lotuses to bloom.
Each lotus was larger than a bowl, hanging on its stem. In the center of the tender petals, lotus seedpods had begun to form and would soon become heavy, bearing many lotus seeds.
Outside, the rain poured down, but the lotus pond remained unaffected and tranquil.
A dragonfly intruded into the lotus pond, its wings fluttering as it landed on a lotus. After a moment's pause, it moved to a better position.
This time, it landed on the largest lotus in the entire pond.
This lotus was as large as a washbasin, and one petal could almost be used as a fan. The center of the lotus held no seedpod but was covered by a luminous shield, obscuring whatever lay within.
As the dragonfly landed on the shield, a hand reached out to shoo it away, startling the clueless insect.
This hand had only four fingers.
"I wonder how the battle is going for that brat Yan Shouyi."
The owner of the hand was Lu Jing, the former sect leader of the Lu Shan Sect, who was sitting cross-legged beside the lotus.
Ever since he was saved by Yan Shouyi, Lu Jing had abdicated his position as the sect leader of the Lu Shan Sect and remained at the Folklore Research Society to recover from his injuries.
To this day, Lu Jing's injuries had not fully healed.
When one grows old, things are different.
As a child, bumps and bruises would heal quickly. But in old age, even a small cut on the hand would take several times longer to heal, and eventually leave an ugly scar.
After this ordeal, Lu Jing appeared much older, perhaps also because of this, his temper had softened slightly.
Not far in front of Lu Jing, Wen Yuxian, with her body in a semi-transparent state, floated cross-legged in mid-air.
"Shouyi will definitely win."
Wen Yuxian said, opening her eyes. Her first action was not to look at Lu Jing, but at the lotus beside him.
Seeing that the lotus was unharmed, Wen Yuxian's face lit up with a gentle and benevolent smile.
Lu Jing also turned his head to look at the lotus, watching it sway gently in the breeze.
"This is a method taught by that expert from Penglai in the East Sea. It was used to pause the growth of Zi Tong's unborn child. Now, to restore it, we can only extract the fetus's soul and nurture it in the lotus pond. We will return the soul when the child's body in Zi Tong's womb is fully developed, at the time of birth."
"And during this period, the child's soul must not be harmed."
"Now, besides Yan Shouyi, the only idle people around are you and me, so the task of guarding the child's soul falls to us."
Lu Jing was a man of temper. Although he had become more settled now, he would occasionally lament that time waits for no man, showing a hint of denial about his aging.
Wen Yuxian maintained her appearance from before her death, still looking like a graceful woman in her thirties or forties.
However, her actual age was similar to Lu Jing's. She didn't feel it was a bad thing to stay here and watch over the child.
She even wished for the child to be born soon, so that she, as a "ghost grandmother," could hold her real grandchild sooner.
Just as Lu Jing was complaining, the dragonflies hidden in the lotus pond suddenly took flight in panic.
Even though they knew it was raining heavily outside the pond, they rushed out without hesitation!
Wen Yuxian's expression darkened—animals and insects have much sharper senses than humans. The fact that these dragonflies were so panicked indicated that a top predator had appeared in the lotus pond!
"Who goes there!"
Lu Jing quickly stood up, looking around warily.
Suddenly, a black shadow rushed into the lotus pond!
Wen Yuxian raised her hand and grabbed, controlling the black shadow from a distance.
It was a black bat, about the size of a cat!
This bat had long fangs and looked formidable. Even when caught, it struggled non-stop, baring its teeth.
"A bat?"
Wen Yuxian glanced at it, then suddenly recalled something, and blurted out, "It's him?!"
"Who?" Lu Jing asked urgently.
Before Wen Yuxian could answer, a black shadow silently appeared behind Lu Jing!
Lu Jing's pupils contracted, sensing a threat behind him.
But he was old, and his injuries had not healed. Even though he sensed the danger, he was unable to react.
The black shadow behind him suddenly extended a deformed head. The head opened its maw, revealing long fangs, and bit down on Lu Jing's neck!
"Ah!!!"
Lu Jing let out a scream.
The blood in his body was rapidly drained towards the wound on his neck. His fingers turned green and quickly shriveled...
If the attacker continued to suck like this, Lu Jing would become a dried husk within three seconds!
"Beast..."
Lu Jing struggled, drawing a short sword from his sleeve and fiercely stabbing it towards the head on his shoulder.
However, the other party had already anticipated this. Reluctantly, it released its mouth, retracted its head, and its figure disappeared into the lotus pond like a ghost.