Chapter Forty-Three: The Enchanting Evil Fades to Ashes

Xiao Lianshan furrowed his brow awkwardly, his voice tinged with surprise.

"Fang Yanan was kidnapped just yesterday, which means she was alive at least until the end of her shift. According to what you said, she should have died much earlier, shouldn’t she?"

"That’s exactly what puzzles me," I replied, glancing around the room with a calm air. "Someone saved Fang Yanan."

"Who? Who saved Fang Yanan?"

"The very person who wanted her dead."

Hu Zhiwen, unable to restrain himself, scowled and spoke, "I’ve done everything you asked. How much longer are you going to drag this out before telling us where Fang Yanan is? If anything happens to Officer Fang, you won’t have enough heads to pay for it."

"Stop shouting nonsense," Xiao Lianshan cut in, giving him a sideways glance as he mulled over my words. "You’re making no sense. The person who wants Fang Yanan dead saved her? Why would they do that?"

I walked to the window and pointed at the mirror. The table by the window looked as if Fang Yanan had been too busy to wipe off the dust. Not far from where the mirror now stood, a rectangular mark was visible, noticeably less dusty than the rest of the surface. I placed the mirror on the spot; it fit perfectly. Clearly, that was where the mirror originally belonged.

"Lianshan, look. This mirror wasn’t here before—it was moved."

Xiao Lianshan walked over, lowered his head, and asked, "Is there something odd about this mirror?"

"There’s nothing strange about the mirror itself, but rather its position."

"The position?"

"This mirror is angled perfectly to face Fang Yanan’s bed. From this vantage, what do you see?" I stepped aside to show Xiao Lianshan.

He leaned down to look and indeed saw the bed reflected. He glanced the other way, puzzled. "Nothing but the sky."

"And what’s in the sky?"

"The sun... Wait, Fang Yanan works at the station during the day. She only lies on her bed at night. At night... it’s the moon!"

I nodded, unhurried. "Don’t underestimate this mirror. It reflects the moonlight directly onto Fang Yanan’s bed. The moon is the source of all yin. There’s a saying: ‘Absorb the essence of sun and moon.’ But the mirror reflects light; the moon in the mirror instead draws out the yin energy from Fang Yanan."

"Oh, so the moon was absorbing her yin energy all along, which is why Fang Yanan hasn’t died unexpectedly." Xiao Lianshan’s eyes brightened with realization.

"That’s not all. The culprit placed her slippers one in front of the other beside the bed. This is called the ‘Crescent Gesture’—a Daoist mudra used to invoke yang and ward off yin, driving evil spirits far away. That’s how Fang Yanan survived until yesterday."

"Listening to you, it seems the one targeting Fang Yanan is quite skilled—even more so than Zhong Weiguo, who went after Brother Ting," Xiao Lianshan remarked.

"Skilled is an understatement. This person is versed in Daoist magic, even the ten secret arts. Their mastery of feng shui is otherworldly. Fang Yanan’s fate is in their hands. Compared to this person, Zhong Weiguo is a mere novice."

"In that case, is this person insane? They want to harm Fang Yanan, but then save her, then kidnap her. What are they really after?"

"I can’t figure it out either. Why save Fang Yanan only to act last night? If they wanted her dead, there was no need to kidnap her. So why the abduction?" I paced, frowning.

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll head downstairs. There’s still much to do," the building manager said to Hu Zhiwen.

Suddenly, a thought struck me. I hurried over to the manager and asked urgently, "What time did the two people leave last night?"

"Exactly midnight."

"How can you be so sure?"

"They left just as I was about to lock the gate. I lock up every night at twelve sharp—rain or shine, for years now. Everyone in this building knows it."

"Midnight!" I murmured, thoughtful. "Yesterday was the Dingchou day—a day when the heavenly official shuts the gates. The ‘Life-Hooking, Soul-Breaking’ spell is a sinister art. The caster chose last night to avoid taboo. Though this person saved Fang Yanan, the spell itself is a blood ritual. Without a soul as a sacrifice, the caster would suffer backlash. Today is Wuyin day, which directly clashes with Fang Yanan’s birth chart."

"You mean, Fang Yanan will... die today?"

I nodded, pacing the room in a low voice. "According to Fang Yanan’s birth chart, she is of the Kan fate, her day pillar is Water over Marsh—Marsh Reformation. Today’s fatal direction is southeast, the place of doom and severed life. Water over Marsh means water accumulating without dispersing, form unbroken but lifeless. Fang Yanan is the Tiger Crossing the Forest; only the Dragon can harm the Tiger! I know where she is!"

Hu Zhiwen hurried over, eyes wide with anxiety. "Where?"

"From this building as a reference point, is there a lake to the southeast with the word ‘Dragon’ in its name?"

Hu Zhiwen thought for a moment, then quickly replied, "Longquan Lake!"

"Take your men there at once."

On the ride, I kept my head down in silence, unable to fathom why the person who cast the spell on Fang Yanan would go to such lengths. With their power, taking Fang Yanan’s life would be as easy as crushing an ant, leaving no trace behind. Kidnapping her and causing such a scene, mobilizing almost all the police in the district, put themselves at a disadvantage. What was their aim?

The car stopped by Longquan Lake. All vehicles lit up their headlights, illuminating the entire lake. The police organized a search along the shore. Hu Zhiwen kept an anxious watch over Xiao Lianshan and me, glancing nervously around.

As people returned from various directions, all reported nothing found. Hu Zhiwen’s face grew darker, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked.

I stared at the calm lake, then turned to Hu Zhiwen coldly. "Give me a sheet of paper."

He had no choice—Fang Yanan’s fate was now in my hands. Gritting his teeth, he handed over a piece of paper.

I wrote Fang Yanan’s birth details on it, folded it into a paper boat, and set it afloat on the lake. Then I dipped my middle finger in lake water and flicked it onto the paper boat. Though the surface was still, the boat began to drift slowly toward the center.

"Have your men follow that paper boat. Don’t lose sight of it."

As I instructed, several flashlights were trained on the boat. Longquan Lake boasts fourteen islands and as many peninsulas—its area quite vast. My gaze never left the boat as it drifted for more than ten minutes, finally coming to a halt in the water, unmoving.

"Fang Yanan is right beneath where the boat has stopped."

Hu Zhiwen glanced at me, his anger barely contained, clearly not believing a word.

"Lianshan! Into the water, now! There’s no time!" I shouted.

Xiao Lianshan, hearing my call, shoved aside the officer guarding him and plunged into the lake. Hu Zhiwen and the other officers, thinking he was trying to escape, drew their pistols, ready to fire. I stood my ground, unflinching, blocking their line of fire.

Hu Zhiwen’s patience had clearly run out; his finger trembled on the trigger, and he looked as if he would shoot me dead on the spot.

"Fang Yanan is down there, but I can’t pull her up—something’s holding her!" Xiao Lianshan called out as he surfaced.

I quickly scanned the surroundings. Close to Xiao Lianshan, on the shore, stood a phoenix tree. Unlike the others, its leaves were already withered in May.

I walked to the tree, picked up a stone, and cut my own palm. Fingers stained with blood, I formed a mudra in the air and recited loudly:

"Heaven clear, earth bright, sun, moon, and stars arrayed; spirits above and below are startled. By my command, all evil flees ceaselessly. Spirits of heaven and earth, baneful and malignant, yin and yang, pestilence and joy—be erased and destroyed. By the order of the spirit soldiers, fire curse be gone!"

Everyone present was dumbstruck. Just moments before, the tree had appeared perfectly normal. As my incantation ended, under the moonlight, red threads were revealed, entwining the entire tree and extending into the water.

"Fang Yanan is entangled by these red threads," Xiao Lianshan surfaced again to say.

I curled my middle fingers, pressed my thumbs against them, and with a forceful flick, scattered my blood onto the phoenix tree. Then I shouted,

"Evil, begone!"

The red threads on the tree blazed up and vanished without a trace.

When Xiao Lianshan surfaced again, he was carrying Fang Yanan, pale as death. Several officers jumped in to help him bring her ashore. The forensic doctor hurried over to tend to Fang Yanan. Everyone gathered around, hearts heavy, knowing how slim her chances were after so long underwater. When the doctor raised his head, his hollow eyes confirmed their fears.

He said nothing, but shook his head sadly.

I walked over in silence, took Fang Yanan’s hand, and pressed my fingers to her pulse. Suddenly, I let out a long sigh of relief and smiled.

"You... Do you have a way to save her?" Hu Zhiwen, usually a skeptic, could no longer explain what he had just witnessed.

I ignored him, knelt beside Fang Yanan, loosened her clothes, pressed one hand to her chest, pinched her mouth open with the other, and leaned down, sealing my mouth over hers.

With a sudden force, I pressed down on her chest. When I raised my head, a bundle of red thread was clenched between my teeth. Fang Yanan began to cough violently, water gushing from her mouth.

Seeing her revived, Hu Zhiwen let out a long breath and collapsed to the ground, grinning at me like a fool.

Just then, a policeman rushed over, his face urgent as he reported to Hu Zhiwen, "Captain Hu! We just received word—the police station in our district was robbed!"