Free Web NovelThe night was long, snow fell quietly, and the cold deepened.
Lu Yibei hid between the gaps formed by two rockeries, tightened the cotton Coat she had just bought, and restrained her Spiritual Energy fluctuations.
Sensing her movement, the Coat, wrapped under the cotton Coat and transformed into a thermal shirt, gently wriggled, raised its collar, and rubbed against her face.
(๑´ڡ`๑) So comfy~
Although the texture of the clothing transformed by the Coat was better at keeping out the cold than any clothing on the market.
But Lu Yibei always felt that the Coat, theoretically speaking, was also a Strange Tale, and it had "life", so it shouldn't be exposed to the air on a sub-zero night.
Perhaps it felt cold too?
Lu Yibei thought, feeling the vague sense of gratitude transmitted through the Dependent Mark (Family Imprint), a soft light appeared in her eyes, and only then did she feel at ease and began to process the remaining materials at hand.
A lot of materials for making the Paper Cicada Immortal were left over. To prevent failure, she had prepared enough materials to make three Paper Cicada Immortals just in case.
Now, she had successfully made one in one go. Although it was a bit ugly, when used with the Zhu Yan Gai (Rosy Cheeks Change) Spell Solidification Mask, it barely looked like a person.
No one stipulated that if you are ugly, you cannot be a Night Watch member, right?
It was also normal for Psychic to become ugly when drawing Spirit Marks of distorted species or evil spirit species.
Lu Yibei looked at the Paper Cicada Immortal wandering back and forth by the lake from a distance again, and shook her head helplessly.
Tsk, the running posture was still a bit too grotesque.
Without decades of gout and rheumatoid arthritis, you couldn't run with that kind of flair, inexplicably giving a sense of inspiring determination despite physical disability.
Next time I make one, I must add a few more joints.
Lu Yibei thought, withdrew her thoughts, focused on the remaining materials in front of her, and then began to make them.
This time, she decided to make some "Humanoid Self-Propelled Explosive Devices Mini" that could hold a single Alchemy Dirty Bomb.
While recalling the process of making the Paper Cicada Immortal just now, she used a small knife to thin the bamboo strips.
After being thinned, the bamboo strips were softer and easier to shape than before, making them much simpler to make. Lu Yibei quickly made a delicate little person about thirty centimeters tall.
Putting an Alchemy Dirty Bomb in the little person's belly and covering it with yellow paper, she successfully made a small Paper Cicada Immortal with short, thick limbs and a slender waist. After simply drawing eyebrows, eyes, and a nose, it looked clumsy and adorable, quite cute.
After completing a small Paper Cicada Immortal, Lu Yibei did not dot it with her ring finger blood and chant the Spell, but after marking the number "1" on its back, she immediately picked up the materials and started making the next one.
She would dot them with fingertip blood after finishing all of them, otherwise, she would have to tear open the wound every time she made one, which was really unbearable. Lu Yibei thought.
So, after spending more than an hour successfully making seventeen small paper figures, she lightly bit her right ring finger, which had already healed, quickly dotted six Paper Cicada Immortals with a touch of crimson, chanted the Spell, and then put them into the metal box one by one.
Seventeen was the limit of the metal box's capacity, any more would not fit, and the stock of Alchemy Dirty Bombs was also insufficient.
Alas, the production of calamity water has been decreasing recently, and the landlord's family is almost out of stock. If I want to continue making Alchemy Dirty Bombs in the future, I'm afraid I can only go to Fat Er Ye to purchase calamity water.
After all, it's not easy to find so much corrupted divine blood like the one in the Great Serpent God's body.
Lu Yibei thought worriedly, withdrew her thoughts, and poked her head out of the gap in the rockery to look towards the lake.
The Paper Cicada Immortal was still wandering by the lake, as if tireless, and the expected black evil forces that were supposed to intercept her did not appear.
Could it be that Shang Nanxing's deduction was wrong, and that the black evil forces did not track the Night Watch members through the bao sang cang xiao badge?
Lu Yibei frowned slightly and took out her phone to look.
Time was 21:07, gradually approaching midnight.
"..."
It's still early, let's wait and see...
Lu Yibei tightened her clothes and hid back in the gap of the rockery.
So cold, why is it that even with so many clothes on, I can't get warm at all?
Is it because the Witch Seed Power has been maintained for too long?
Damn it, so cold!
Lu Yibei thought, perhaps because of the drop in body temperature, she felt a little sleepy.
In a daze, like a hallucination, she saw a little girl selling Alchemy Dirty Bombs in the cold winter, but no one bought her Alchemy Dirty Bombs as she walked through the streets and alleys, and her pink little hands and feet were frozen and bloodless.
It was late at night, and she couldn't walk anymore. She could only huddle in a deserted corner of the street to shelter from the wind. She was really too cold, so she lit an Alchemy Dirty Bomb, and then the entire street was warm in the brilliant light...
"Buzz buzz—buzz buzz—!"
Just as Lu Yibei was about to fall into a deep sleep, the phone in her arms suddenly vibrated continuously, waking her up from her drowsy state.
Opening her eyes, the Coat had thoughtfully sent the phone to her hand through the sleeve.
Unlocking the screen and taking a look, Lu Yibei realized that she had been added to a WeChat group named 【East Yi Culture Research Project Group·Two】 by Professor Ma at some point. In addition to Professor Ma and the students led by the other two professors, his nemesis, Professor Hou, was surprisingly also there.
And the vibration of the phone was caused by Professor Ma and Professor Hou.
The reason was several cultural relics that Professor Hou and his students had bought from the antique market in the afternoon. Professor Hou believed that he had successfully recovered the cultural relics, while Professor Ma thought that most of them were fakes.
So, these two Old men started arguing.
Lu Yibei looked up at the outside, the Paper Cicada Immortal was still leisurely wandering by the lake, so she withdrew her gaze and watched the fun.
Ma Zhen: "【Picture】【Picture】 Old thief, you should read more books! How can this be real?"
Ma Zhen: "@Hou Jun You are really not good at appraising cultural relics. What are you doing here joining in the fun? Hurry back and rest. I'll call you when the project starts. Embarrassing!"
Hou Jun: "Hmph, you are short-sighted yourself, and you still have the nerve to mock others? I disdain to argue with you. Tomorrow, we will do carbon isotope analysis, and we will know the result."
Mao Sanyou: "【Eating melon emoji】"
Xin Yi: "What are you saying? What are you saying? Count me in!"
...
Lu Yibei looked at the pictures sent by Professor Ma, frowned slightly, and typed a message: "I agree with Professor Ma's point of view. Professor Hou, this bronze ware of yours is indeed a fake."
Hou Jun: "@Lu Yibei This student, it's good to express your own opinions, but academic research cannot be influenced by personal feelings!"
Lu Yibei, "..."
Is he saying that I am biased towards Professor Ma? But this is clearly problematic! Lu Yibei muttered, and typed another message.
Lu Yibei: "Professor, the shape of this bronze ware does have similarities with the cultural relics that have circulated before, but it is just a highly skilled imitation. Don't you think the meaning represented by its shape is problematic?"
Hou Jun: "What's the problem? I don't see any problem!"
Lu Yibei: "Look, isn't its shape four horses pulling a royal carriage? But what the royal carriage is pulling is gold. In ancient times, gold represented money, so..."
Xin Yi: "Horse pulling money? Isn't that an insult? Haha! 【Thumbs up】"
Mao Sanyou: "Senior Brother, be careful with your words, be careful!"
Hou Jun: "..."
Lu Yibei: "And this one 【Picture】, looking at the shape, it looks like a gold-inlaid jade belt buckle, but there is a white egret carved on it, and its head is facing to the left... This is probably not very auspicious, right?"
Xin Yi: "Hahaha, one egret goes to heaven, hahaha, Teacher is awesome!" frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Xin Yi: "This is what Senior Brother said, it has nothing to do with me!"
【Xin Yi has been removed from the chat group by administrator Hou Jun】, 【Lu Yibei has been removed from the chat group by administrator Hou Jun】...
Lu Yibei, "..."
Why is he so petty?
He clearly bought a fake, and he doesn't allow people to say it!
I think when Smelly Girl makes things, she shouldn't be so sloppy, right?
Lu Yibei was muttering, and her phone vibrated again. She took a look, and it was a message from Professor Ma.
Warm reminder: The Website is about to be revised, which may cause the reading record to be lost. Please save your 【book shelf】 and 【reading record】 in time (it is recommended to save screenshots). We apologize for any inconvenience caused!
Professor Ma: "Lu Yibei, well done! I shouldn't have analyzed it with that Old man based on texture and pattern, I should have started from the meaning like you did. That Old man's nose is crooked with anger, it's so satisfying!"
Professor Ma: "Alright, I won't talk to you anymore. Get some rest early. I contacted my Old friend during dinner, and he seems to know the whereabouts of several cultural relics. We will meet him together tomorrow morning."
Lu Yibei: "Okay, Professor."
After replying to Professor Ma, Lu Yibei looked up at the Paper Cicada Immortal outside and frowned.
It was already very late, but the interceptors from the evil forces still hadn't arrived.
Is it because my Paper Cicada Immortal is too ugly, or because this is the city center and it's inconvenient for them to act?
Could it be that within the evil forces, there are also clock-watching salary thieves who are procrastinating and don't want to come and intercept me, a mere reserve member?
Forget it, I'll wait and see. If not, I'll go back to sleep and play with Ancestor. I'll find another time tomorrow to take the Paper Cicada Immortal for a stroll in the suburbs.
Aside from wanting to learn how to control the Hundred-Armed Giant Power, she was very envious of the Yellow Springs Soul Chasing Talisman that Qingji had mentioned.
If it could summon back the soul of a deceased person for the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, wouldn't that mean she could summon her Old Dad back to ask him what exactly he encountered during the car accident?
Although Ancestor was unwilling to hand it over after calming down, there was always a way to get him excited again.
If push came to shove, she would just say more bad things about "Lu Yibei", and if that still didn't work, she would add some bad things about "Lu Ming"!
Lu Yibei thought.
----
After dark, the prosperity and liveliness of Jianlou Old Street did not last long before it fell silent as the sky darkened.
Not every old street is like Peony Street, where the Night Watch is stationed. The nights on most old streets are not peaceful.
And places like Jianlou Old Street, where countless lives were once sniped outside the city gate, are even more so.
Under the night sky, the dim yellow streetlights shone on the snow-covered flagstone road. A man in a military Coat with a sorrowful face slowly walked through the city gate of Jianlou. Snowflakes gently fell on his shoulders.
Suddenly, he stopped, took something out of his upper pocket, and lowered his head to look at it.
It was a light gold bao sang cang xiao badge, one of its spread wings broken. At this moment, the badge was vibrating lightly, as if warning him of something.
The man stared at the badge for a few seconds, spat silently, his sorrowful face becoming even more bitter and full of hatred, and then put the badge back into his pocket.
Twenty-three Night Watch members and reserve members who had rushed from various places to provide support had already intercepted twenty-two. The remaining two were just reserve members and were not a concern. It wouldn't be too late to deal with them later.
Now, he had more important things to do. He was going to kill a god!
The man continued forward. When he reached the pawnshop located deep in the alley, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the winding, narrow alleys all around.
Following the sound, in the alleys, figures were approaching the pawnshop from different directions.
An elegant man in a white suit holding a bone flute.
An Old man wearing a bamboo hat and a straw cape, dressed like a fisherman.
In a wider alley, a man and a woman walked side by side. The man wore a trench Coat and had a pale face, while the woman had a pair of rabbit ears and swung a rusty fire axe back and forth in her hand.
...
A moment later, the sound of a copper gong came from afar, like the night watchman of ancient times striking his timekeeping instrument.
"Dong—Dong—Dong—!"
The gong struck three times, without any rhythm but directly piercing the heart. The light from the streetlights quietly extinguished, and when they lit up again, a figure wearing a strange mask had appeared before the main entrance.
The long red hair hung down from beside the bronze mask, which was cast in the shape of a crow. The iron-black fangs emitted a violent aura, and combined with the feather Coat made entirely of black feathers, it looked like a black bird standing upright.
In his hand, he held a rusty knife.
The moment he appeared, the sleeping snores, the cries of children, the hum of old radiators operating... sounds from the ancient street faintly ceased.
All sounds fell into a dead silence in an instant. Even the cold wind, swirling with snowflakes, seemed to sense the chilling atmosphere and consciously slowed its pace.
As if sensing something, the pawnshop, surrounded by more than ten high-level Psychic and urban legend, suddenly vibrated violently, the roof tiles colliding and clattering.
A few seconds later, a faint golden light shone from the crack under the door.
Soon after, with a "boom" like a scorching thunderclap, a blazing golden light swallowed the pawnshop, and the ground trembled.
The violent impact created a wave, sweeping broken tiles, bricks, and beams dozens of meters away. Dust filled the air, and a massive figure emerged.
That seemed to be a giant turtle. Its thick and powerful limbs supported its enormous body like stone pillars. Its long neck rose high like a giant python, and a pair of brilliant golden eyes hung in the air like lanterns. Its nostrils were like chimneys, expelling large amounts of white gas with every breath.
This was Turtle Elder's true form, the Snake-Necked Turtle General.
After a few seconds of silent confrontation with the intruders, Turtle Elder suddenly moved, raising his forelimb and stomping down fiercely towards the front.
The person draped in the black feather Coat, seeing this, did not retreat but advanced, taking a step forward. Flames immediately erupted from beneath his feather Coat, engulfing his body, and then he fiercely threw a punch towards the forelimb.
Thus, a roar erupted, and the air wave swept out again, reaching hundreds of meters away...
----
"Boom—!"
A loud noise suddenly echoed in her ears. The drowsy Lu Yibei shivered and woke up with a start. She composed herself and sensed the presence of the Paper Cicada Immortal, slightly stunned.
The Paper Cicada Immortal... exploded?
Could it be that the evil forces who came to intercept me have already appeared?
After a brief thought, Lu Yibei's gaze sharpened. She stealthily peeked out from between two rockeries, craning her neck to look towards the lakeside, and saw the golden-haired girl whose clothes were tattered from the explosion.
The girl, covered in injuries, looked at her "companion" on the ground, who was now just a head. She opened her mouth, blackened by smoke, and slowly exhaled a wisp of black smoke. She was stunned for a long time before walking forward, trembling as she turned over the head lying face down on the yellow earth. She turned on her phone's flashlight and leaned in.
The girl saw clearly. Under the pale light, beneath the half-melted plastic mask stuck to it, was a "human face" of spiritual pollution level. Her face °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° instantly turned pale, and the corners of her mouth twitched stiffly twice.
Then...
A piercing scream of terror echoed across the Lianzi Lake at midnight.
"Ghost, it's a ghost—!"
Looking at the girl who immediately used a speed-enhancing Spell and turned to run, Lu Yibei rolled her eyes.
Ghost my ass!
That's art, understand?
The psychological quality of this generation of evil forces isn't very good!
After complaining a couple of times in her mind, Lu Yibei tapped the ground with her toes and leaped up, using her movement technique with the help of the Pseudo-Divine Travel Armor, chasing after the girl and keeping close behind.
Judging from the Spiritual Energy fluctuations that surged within the girl when she screamed just now, her strength should only be around 0.2 serpents, not too strong.
Even in her current physical condition, if she responded cautiously and launched a daring sneak attack, Lu Yibei was 120% confident she could kill her. The probability was quite high.
She didn't expect them to send such a strong Psychic just to intercept a reserve member.
It's a good thing the information was asymmetrical, otherwise, they would probably have sent an enemy at the one-serpent or even one-new-rabbit level.
In that case, if the interception failed and they figured out her strength, she would have no choice but to abandon the Professor and run away.
Lu Yibei thought, slowing down several times to maintain a distance of over five hundred meters from the girl. Then, unknowingly, she arrived near the Tangcheng Four Seasons Hotel.
From a distance, seeing the Tangcheng Four Seasons Hotel building, Lu Yibei stopped and lay in wait on the roof of a low-rise building across the street.
Then...
Noticing that the girl entered the hotel through the back door, she paused for a moment, waited for two or three seconds, and then moved again. She cautiously approached the hotel's back door, put down her metal box, took out a Paper Cicada Immortal from it, chanted a spell, and controlled it with her mind, making it walk into the hotel.
After the little paper figure wandered around the back door lobby and found no Spiritual Energy fluctuations, Lu Yibei walked in, looked around, and her gaze fell on the elevator.
7? Did she go to the seventh floor? But aren't the people staying on the seventh floor all members of this research project team?
Could it be that besides Hu Yue, there's another suspected mole within the project team?
Damn it! A mole is by my side again?
