Chapter 105: Encounter

“This really puts me in a tight spot, Fat Tiger!” Chen Jin growled deeply.

Yet, the scene before him remained unchanged—the alley was just an alley, devoid of any chilling aura; no cold wind brushed the back of his neck.

Seeing this, Chen Jin started the electric bike again and rode forward, only to reach the same corner (there was just this one turn in the alley).

Then he returned once more, still beside that foul-smelling garbage bin.

“Looks like calling me Fat Tiger is useless,” Chen Jin thought.

He stopped the bike and turned it around.

Indeed, he turned the bike’s head and rode in the opposite direction.

After all, there were many routes back to the specialty store; he didn’t have to stubbornly take this corner.

He could only say this corner was too strange. At present, Chen Jin truly couldn’t grasp its truth or see through its mystery.

So, for now, he gave up on it.

But just as Chen Jin turned and rode away on his electric bike, barely two minutes passed before, at the last corner before exiting this residential alley, he found himself back beside the same garbage bin.

Still that familiar corner, still that familiar garbage bin.

Chen Jin frowned, his eyes flashing with anger.

“If I don’t show you some color, you won’t let go, huh?” Chen Jin cursed.

He then formed hand seals and chanted incantations.

With each word, an eerie energy radiated from him, flowing outward and dispersing.

“Hiss…”

Chen Jin caught a faint hiss. He thrust a hand seal upward.

Pop…

It was like piercing a thin plastic film; Chen Jin felt as if his eyes had been rinsed with pure water.

He saw a dark mist suspended in the sky, hovering above this alley, enveloping the residential area.

“What is this…” Chen Jin wondered.

“This is Yin Sha Yuan Qi,” a voice whispered near his ear.

A woman appeared atop a nearby building, visible when Chen Jin looked up.

She appeared about thirty years old, dressed and made up accordingly, and seemed to have borne children—how exactly, you can judge for yourselves.

“I’m from the Cultivators’ Association, here to observe the Yin Sha Yuan Qi in this area. Your earlier ghostly maze experience was caused by your overly strong spiritual power, which stirred these Yin Sha energies and affected you. Now that you’ve struck your spirit, the energies have vanished,” the woman explained.

“By the way, it seems you have two companions trapped over there,” she added, pointing toward the other side of the residential complex.

Chen Jin frowned. Since she claimed to be from the Cultivators’ Association, she should know those two people. Why call them his companions?

“Understood,” Chen Jin nodded. He wouldn’t act rashly but would first find those two little tails from the Cultivators’ Association.

…

The woman named Lu Yaoxi, a name she chose for herself, watched Chen Jin depart, then exhaled slowly before turning to look behind her.

On this rooftop, she was not alone; two men and two women stood alongside her.

“He’s strong. I can’t trap him,” Lu Yaoxi said.

“He cultivates ancient methods. Looks like he’s about to stabilize his spirit,” said a man with a two-pronged mustache.

“Almost there, just need to condense the True Qi of the Five Elements,” Lu Yaoxi replied.

“Oh, that’s impressive. There are probably fewer than a dozen people nationwide at this stabilization level,” remarked a youthful and beautiful young woman.

“There are more now. Didn’t someone just recently pass the Spirit Stabilization Tribulation here?” the mustached man laughed.

“This Xiahu County is really mysterious—two stabilizations in a row? And this Yin Sha Yuan Qi… tsk tsk, I’ve never seen it condense like this before,” said a robust man as he approached the edge of the rooftop.

“Enough talk. Stop wasting time and get to work,” said the last woman, her expression cold and arrogant.

“Yes, Mistress. Everything is ready,” Lu Yaoxi and the others responded together.

“Then let’s begin… Oh? He’s foolish enough to come back again?” The cold woman glanced toward the small shelter at the stairwell exit on the rooftop.

…

Hearing Lu Yaoxi’s words, Chen Jin sensed something was wrong. So, after riding out a short distance, he sneaked back and climbed to the rooftop.

Unsurprisingly, he overheard their conversation.

However, he was puzzled as to how he was discovered since he felt he was well hidden.

But since he was found out, Chen Jin stopped hiding.

He switched his phone to video mode and started recording.

He did not come out immediately, instead attempting to communicate: “Greetings, heroes. We have no past grievances or recent conflicts, right? I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear what you said just now. How’s that?”

“What did we say?” the cold woman asked coolly.

In truth, they hadn’t spoken anything of great concern, but their words sounded like villains conspiring.

“No idea. Did any heroes speak?” Chen Jin continued to bluff.

“We said plenty. What? Want to hear more?” the cold woman sneered.

The implication was clear—the more you know, the sooner you die.

“Hah, I’m done listening. I’m leaving now. Just pretend I never came, and I’ll pretend you never appeared, okay?” Chen Jin said.

“No,” the cold woman snorted.

“Oh…” Chen Jin replied indifferently.

Swoosh…

A streak of light suddenly shot forth, aiming directly at the cold woman’s face.

Pfft…

The light passed through her face in an instant.

Crash…

At that moment, the cold woman turned into a pile of shredded paper, scattered all over the ground.

The others present didn’t hesitate either and immediately attacked.

A fireball and a ball of green mist fell into the small shelter where Chen Jin had been hiding.

Bang… The shelter exploded instantly, bricks and wood fragments flying everywhere.

But Chen Jin was long gone.

Plurk plurk…

The green mist reached the stairwell entrance, instantly corroding the remaining bricks.

Unfortunately for them, Chen Jin had already moved away.

Though Chen Jin himself was not on the rooftop, his flying sword remained, streaking across the rooftop like a flash; the others couldn’t catch it and could only defend themselves for the moment.

Shh… Ding…

The robust man was caught off guard; his neck was slashed. Yet his skin was like black iron. Despite the high-speed cut, Chen Jin’s flying sword didn’t sever his neck but only sliced the skin, causing some blood to flow.

“Old Lu, where is he?” the robust man shouted.

“Can’t find him. Wait a little longer,” Lu Yaoxi answered.

“Then he must be downstairs,” the robust man said, charging toward the stairwell.

“There!” Lu Yaoxi pointed at the pile of paper scraps where the cold woman had been.

“On the first floor,” Lu Yaoxi added.

“Got it.” The robust man rushed downstairs.

…

“I’m truly generous, letting them play a VR game,” Chen Jin now stood behind Lu Yaoxi, watching the four scramble atop the rooftop platform.

Another person stood behind Chen Jin—the cold woman who had turned to paper scraps in the others’ eyes. She remained cold and aloof but seemed unable to move.

“You have quite some skill. A simple illusion trapped them all without their knowing,” the cold woman said coldly.

“Heh heh heh, my finger skills aren’t too shabby either, right?” Chen Jin smiled at her.

“…”