Chapter 358: Lost Soul

He Lingchuan severed the ropes on the man's feet and pulled him back up. "Lead the way," he said, "Where do we need to go?"

"To the west end of the county, by Sorrowless Lake," mumbled Third Master Gan, looking around. "We're already in the west part of the county."

There were only a few abandoned thatched huts here, not far from the county center. He Lingchuan had simply brought him to this spot.

"Let's go, and don't try any tricks," He Lingchuan said sternly. "Your eldest brother was right; that sorceress is no good. A fool like you dealing with her is bound to get into trouble."

The two rode west on horseback.

The journey was marked by a light drizzle and a slanted wind, carrying the scent of early summer.

After the main road ended, Third Master Gan guided him onto a small path through the forest.

"Where are we going now?"

Soon, the path opened up, revealing a small stilted building nestled among bamboo groves on the hillside.

Behind the building was a stretch of water, likely the Sorrowless Lake that Third Master Gan had mentioned.

Living by the lake, listening to the rain in the bamboo forest, should have been picturesque. However, in the dark, rainy night, the swaying bamboo shadows cast on the lonely building's exterior walls resembled a demonic entity with bared fangs and claws.

The small courtyard outside the building was separated by a simple bamboo fence. The yard was filled with blooming flowers, and three characters were inscribed on the simple bamboo gate:"Tranquil Abode."

He Lingchuan dismounted and pushed Third Master Gan forward. The latter, with no choice, forced himself to call out:"Is the sorceress home?"

Other than the rustling of trees in the wind, there was no reply.

Third Master Gan had to call out twice more, adding "excuse me" each time.

*Creak*, the bamboo gate opened by itself.

The two walked through the empty courtyard and ascended the bamboo steps. He Lingchuan pushed open the house door, seeing a very simple arrangement inside:A table, a chair.An oil lamp was lit on the table, next to a bronze mirror with some patterns along its edge.A middle-aged woman sat on the chair.

She sat upright, hands clasped on her lap, her eyes fixed intently on the two newly arrived guests.

As the door opened, the night wind rushed in, making the oil lamp's flame flicker wildly and casting shifting shadows on the woman's face.

She had a pleasant face and a somewhat plump figure, appearing no different from an ordinary woman. She smiled faintly at the two of them:"Third Master Gan, why are you visiting in the middle of the night? And who is this?"

"Luo..." Third Master Gan barely got out a syllable before realizing his throat was hoarse. He coughed twice. "Has Luo Xun come here before?"

"He has, and he conveyed your last request," the sorceress replied. "Is there something else you need?"

"I... I want to cancel the commission," Third Master Gan said, glancing at He Lingchuan. "Cancel it immediately!"

"That was not a commission; it was a request," the sorceress said, her smile unchanged. "Third Master Gan has already made three requests. If you wish to cancel, that would be a fourth request. I apologize, but I do not accept it."

"Hey! You can't do that!" Third Master Gan protested, his face ashen after hitting a wall.

"You are the target," the sorceress said, looking at He Lingchuan and slowly standing up. "I intended to find you tomorrow, but I didn't expect you to deliver yourself right to my doorstep. Excellent, excellent."

He Lingchuan grabbed Third Master Gan by the neck, squeezing until his eyes rolled back. "If you don't cancel, I'll kill Third Master Gan. Does that not matter to you?"

"Since he made the request, it must be fulfilled," the sorceress said, turning the mirror on the table. "Regardless of whether he lives or dies."

He Lingchuan was on full alert. Instinctively, he threw two flying daggers: one aimed at the sorceress's throat, the other at the bronze mirror on the table.

After months of arduous practice, he had finally mastered the essence of the technique, achieving what Hu Min had described as "where the gaze falls, the blade and arrow strike."

However, a massive creature burst forth from the mirror, blocking both flying daggers instantly.

It was a sharp-horned bull, nearly as huge as the wild bull demon He Lingchuan had seen among Zhao Pan's army. Its two horns pointed forward, sharpened as if intentionally ground.

For such a small mirror to release such a colossal creature was visually stunning, and it gave He Lingchuan quite a shock.

The two flying daggers stuck into its body were like toothpicks poking a person; they caused only pain and anger, not death.

So it lowered its head and charged towards He Lingchuan and Third Master Gan, with Third Master Gan even being within its attack range.

He Lingchuan had no choice but to grab Third Master Gan and leap into the air.

The giant bull charged beneath their feet, crashing through and demolishing the doorway.

Before the two had even landed, a rider, horse and all, burst out of the bronze mirror and charged towards them.

He Lingchuan, unable to evade easily in mid-air, simply used Third Master Gan as a human shield in front of him.

Amidst Third Master Gan's terrified shriek, there was a *thud*, and both were sent flying, crashing out of the hut.

Third Master Gan coughed up blood upon landing, while He Lingchuan performed a backflip and landed on the flat ground outside the courtyard.

After landing, the first rider changed direction and continued charging towards He Lingchuan. At that moment, a second, third, and fourth rider also appeared. Clearly, the mirror was continuously dispatching things.

What the hell? Was there an entire cavalry unit hidden in there?

Furthermore, in He Lingchuan's eyes, both the giant bull and the riders were enveloped in swirling black energy, with several malevolent spirits clinging to their bodies.

Yes, they were the same kind of entities that had once possessed the long-tusked boars.

It was clear that these malevolent spirits were controlling their every move, like puppeteers.

New creatures continued to emerge from the mirror, such as fox-wolves, sparrows, and even two starving tigers, all lunging at He Lingchuan.

Even if they managed to avoid those on the ground, they might not escape those from the sky.

Most critically, they had surrounded the bamboo building, forming a barrier that prevented He Lingchuan from approaching.

Just then, from the corner of her eye, the sorceress inside the house suddenly noticed a shadow flash across the rafters.

She became alert, picked up the bronze mirror from the table, and prepared to retreat.

However, the person on the rafters had already lunged, moving faster than a swooping swallow. While still in mid-air, the glint of a blade arrived.

The sorceress, along with the mirror in her arms, was cut in two by a single strike!

It was He Lingchuan's clone that had successfully delivered the blow.

Just moments before, while using Third Master Gan as a human shield, he had secretly summoned his clone, which leaped onto the rafters. At that precise moment, the rider's high leap with his horse had perfectly obscured the sorceress's view, preventing her from seeing the other "He Lingchuan" become a master of stealth on the beams.

With monsters that summoned minions, He Lingchuan already knew the principle: "To catch the bandits, first catch their leader." Without dealing with the boss, small monsters and demons would continuously emerge.

Indeed, with that single strike, the sorceress shrieked and fell, and the mirror in her arms also split into two.

It was decisive and clean.

She glared at He Lingchuan's clone, her face filled with malice. "You can't escape! You'll soon die without a trace!"

With that, her body turned to ashes, leaving only two broken mirror pieces on the ground.

He Lingchuan picked up the mirror pieces, finding that they had lost their power and were just broken fragments.

Looking outside, the malevolent spirits entwined with the various beasts and people had vanished. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances for a long time, the air thick with silence.

But in the blink of an eye, the beasts dispersed, birds flew into the sky, and even the two tigers darted into the forest and disappeared.

It was like clouds scattering in the wind.

The seven or eight riders, however, looked around in confusion, seemingly unaware of their whereabouts.

Third Master Gan lay on the ground and began cursing as He Lingchuan approached. After only a couple of curses, he felt tightness in his chest and had to cough several times before he could continue.

*Damn him*, he actually used him as a human shield.

He Lingchuan saw that despite his blood-soaked face, Third Master Gan still had plenty of breath, seemingly unharmed. So, he lifted him and jumped into the now-shaking bamboo building, pointing at the hall. "The sorceress turned to ashes after I struck her down. Is there still some entanglement between you and her?" he asked. Otherwise, why would a dying demon so confidently claim that He Lingchuan would also die soon?*Damn it all*, that ominous remark reminded him of the old turtle demon's prophecy.

"How should I know?" Third Master Gan retorted, then continued to curse. He Lingchuan retrieved a piece of torn cloth from the adjacent room and stuffed it into his mouth.

When he went outside again, the riders were still in place. Neither horses nor riders had moved much; the people on horseback seemed somewhat dull.

He Lingchuan walked over and asked, "Do you gentlemen have nowhere to go?"

One of them replied, "Where is this place?"

"Fu Nation, Wuze County. How did you get possessed by malevolent spirits?"

The men exchanged glances. The same person from before said, "We were on official business when we were suddenly overtaken by a demonic entity. We don't seem to remember anything after that."

He Lingchuan noted their dazed reactions and frowned. "The malevolent spirits are gone. Haven't you gentlemen recovered yet?"

"Somehow, our minds feel heavy, and it's hard to concentrate," the man said after a moment of thought. "Has our mission not been completed yet?"

His companions all nodded.

He Lingchuan felt a mix of helplessness and wariness facing these living puppets. "Could you first introduce yourselves?"

The sorceress was dead, so had the magical power that bound these men not yet dissipated?

The men didn't hold back, each contributing bits of information that allowed He Lingchuan to piece together the general situation. This matter was connected to Sha Cong, the Grand Tutor of the Precious Tree King of Beijia Nation. His son, Sha Xinghai, had been distraught since returning from Fu Nation.

It was determined that Sha Xinghai had lost a soul and a spirit.

The Grand Tutor's mansion was alarmed and dispatched these men to investigate and retrieve what Young Master Sha had lost.

These men had traced the matter all the way to the vicinity of Wuze County, where they encountered the sorceress and were subsequently taken in themselves.

During the time they were possessed by the malevolent spirits, their memories were almost completely blank; they couldn't recall anything.

He Lingchuan observed them and said, "Forget Young Master Sha, it seems you yourselves have also lost a soul and a spirit."

He couldn't shake the feeling that Sha Xinghai was the "distinguished guest" whom Old Master Gan had asked the sorceress to deal with.

See? Also from Beijia Nation. What's so strange about the son of a Grand Tutor, arriving in a small county town in Fu Nation, looking down on people?

The leader's name was Wu Jinsong, and he himself admitted, "That's true. We could move freely, but our perception of the outside world was like looking through a thick veil. We felt no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. Although this sorceress is dead, our lost souls haven't returned. Could they be hidden somewhere?"

Everyone agreed, "Let's search by the lake again."

In the middle of the night, He Lingchuan had no intention of staying to help them search for their souls, so he took Third Master Gan and began the journey back.

Wu Jinsong and the others still remembered to bow and thank him, and the two parties parted ways.

He Lingchuan walked about ten zhang further, and just before entering the bamboo forest again, he glanced back. He saw that the fence had fallen, the small building was half-destroyed, and the bamboo gate lay on the ground.