Mei Qing was about to ask Sun Busi about the meaning of the “ten thousand puppets” when suddenly, Sun Bussan’s voice, though deliberately subdued, still rang out clearly: “What’s the matter now, old three? No matter how many puppets there are, all we need to do is follow and find its hideout. We’ll chase the one on the left, and the right one can be left to that kid and his group.”
Mei Qing and the others had already drawn closer and overheard Sun Bussan’s words. Only then did they realize that Sun Bussan had never actually left but had remained beside Sun Busi all along, simply hidden from sight.
Sun Busi continued muttering, “A pity, a pity, young master. We brothers can’t travel with you any further—you must be careful. I heard from the eldest sister that those who master the art of controlling ten thousand puppets are usually evil folk. Without my and second brother’s protection… oh dear…”
From the side came Sun Bussan’s voice again: “Old three, why do you always chatter so? If you keep this up, the guy will vanish completely!”
Only then did Sun Busi fall silent, resuming his “reducing distance with each step” technique and chasing down the left path.
Mei Qing and the other four followed the right fork and soon saw a drifting figure not far ahead. It made no sound at all, nor did it seem to move, yet no matter how hard the four ran, they couldn’t catch up.
Yao Dingguo and Zhou Chang, both experienced martial artists, were still relatively relaxed in their pursuit. Zhao Dayou, however, was always lazy by nature and unaccustomed to such exertion. He soon found himself out of breath, clutching his belly and barely able to hold onto his teapot. What surprised everyone most was Mei Qing. Though he looked frail and scholarly, not at all like a martial artist, after an initial bout of breathlessness, he gradually grew more relaxed. Eventually, he ran as casually as if strolling through a garden, keeping pace effortlessly with Yao and Zhou. Finally, seeing Zhao couldn’t keep up, Mei Qing simply supported him, preventing him from falling too far behind.
As the group continued their frantic chase, they suddenly saw the black-cloaked figure ahead begin to twist slightly. A crack appeared from its head downward, and in no time, it split into two!
Everyone was stunned. Mei Qing immediately made a decision: “I’ll go left with Old Zhao, and you two—Yao Zi and Zhou Chang—go right. Chase!”
Without hesitation, he grabbed Zhao Dayou and dashed down the left path. Yao Dingguo and Zhou Chang turned and ran toward the right.
Zhao Dayou, half-supported and half-dragged by Mei Qing, was panting heavily, his teapot shaking in his hand, now completely empty of tea. His usually bold face had turned pale. As they neared the next fork, Zhao, almost in tears, said, “Master Mei, what exactly are we chasing here…? How can it split into copies? I’ve hunted tigers and leopards without fear, but I can’t handle ghosts and spirits! If it changes form again, don’t you dare leave me behind!”
This cowardly thought stemmed from his fear—if the figure split again, Mei Qing and he would have to split up too, each chasing a different path. The idea of facing the monster alone terrified Zhao so much that his bones felt weak and his voice trembled.
Mei Qing said nothing, continuing to drag Zhao forward. At this moment, his mind was unusually clear. It felt as if his feet moved on their own, effortlessly carrying him forward with a strange sense of ease. They hadn’t run far when they saw the black-cloaked figure turn right at a corner ahead, and Mei Qing hurried to follow.
Rounding the corner, Mei Qing was momentarily stunned. The place looked strangely familiar. He saw the black figure quickly float toward a crossroads ahead. His vision blurred for a moment, and before he could see which way it turned, the figure vanished.
Arriving at the center of the crossroads, they saw a figure rapidly approaching from the left. As Mei Qing and Zhao Dayou focused their eyes, they were stunned.
The figure was small and thin, yet its strides were long and swift, quickly closing the distance. It was none other than Sun Busi, the younger of the Sun brothers who had split up earlier.
When Sun Busi saw Mei Qing and Zhao Dayou, he was also surprised. His already furrowed brows knitted even tighter as he said, “A pity, a pity, young master… why are you here? Where did that thing go?”
Before Mei Qing could reply, a sharp voice came from the front intersection: “You fool, old three! Don’t you get it yet? We’ve all been tricked—we’ve lost it!”
Hearing Sun Bussan’s voice from another intersection, Mei Qing sighed and said, “I suppose the two seniors also encountered the creature splitting again, so you each chased separately? Never did we expect this creature to be so cunning, using a divide-and-conquer strategy to fool all of us.”
Just then, footsteps were heard coming from the right intersection. Turning their heads, they saw Yao and Zhou running toward them, panting heavily. As he ran, Zhou Chang shouted, “Master Mei! … Did you see the … monster?”
Zhao Dayou shouted, “Don’t even ask! There’s no monster—probably the thing got scared and hid. Me and Master Mei came from Nai-zi Alley and didn’t see a trace of it. The two seniors must’ve had the same experience.”
By now, Yao and Zhou had reached them, both drenched in sweat. After a closer inquiry, it turned out everyone had the same story—the monster had split into four, and finally vanished at this crossroads.
After a whole night of frantic chasing, they ended up with nothing. The moon had already tilted westward, casting a hazy glow. Standing at the crossroads, their long shadows stretched across the street, and no one spoke.
After a while, Zhao Dayou muttered, “Master Mei, since we’ve already lost it, maybe we should just…”
Mei Qing didn’t respond immediately. He frowned in thought for a moment, then asked Zhao Dayou, “Zhao Jingli, you know this area well. From where we started to here, are you familiar with all these places?”
Zhao Dayou chuckled and patted his belly proudly, “Of course! There’s no corner in the capital that Old Zhao doesn’t know!”
He pointed toward the intersection they had come from and said, “This one is called Nai-zi Alley. It’s said that in the previous dynasty, an emperor’s wet nurse lived here, so people named it this way. Further ahead, where we turned, is called Kengwa Lane. Beyond that is Renyi Alley… next to it are Heishui Ditch and Xisanhu. Further still is where we started—Tianshui Street—and now we’re at Liyu Crossing. It’s all one continuous street.”
Only then did Mei Qing realize why this street looked familiar. Looking around, he saw rows of shops lining the street—it was indeed the same street where they had first begun chasing the monster.
Zhou Chang said, “What good is knowing the names? This area spans several miles. Even in Liyu Crossing, there are countless shops—where could we possibly search?”
Sun Busi stood silently, eyes lowered, seemingly indifferent. Sun Bussan also remained quiet. It was clear that the two considered themselves superior experts, and now that they had lost the creature, both were embarrassed.
Mei Qing thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. He squatted down, picked up a small stone, and drew a few lines on the ground before turning to Zhao Dayou and saying, “Zhao Jingli, according to what you said, isn’t the monster’s path actually circling back?”
Everyone listened, watching the faint white lines Mei Qing had drawn. As they mentally traced the paths each had taken, they realized that although they had split up, the overall route they had chased formed a large circle.
Zhao Dayou, most familiar with the terrain, was the first to exclaim, “It really is circling! Why would this thing not hurry home but instead lead us in circles? Could it be a donkey spirit?”
This was because in the countryside, donkeys pulling millstones were often blindfolded and made to walk in circles, hence Zhao’s remark.
Mei Qing smiled and said, “It’s circling because we’re following it. Do you remember when we entered this circle, the talisman lost its target? In my opinion, it must have used this circling maneuver to secretly remove the talisman. At the time, we were too far away to see if anyone appeared.”
Sun Bussan’s voice echoed through the air: “You definitely wouldn’t have guessed this part, so I’ll have to tell you. We high-level experts naturally considered this possibility and have been observing in secret ahead of you. Although we missed the moment the talisman was removed, the creature was definitely alone—no one else appeared.”
Mei Qing nodded and said, “Then there’s no need to say more. The one who removed the talisman probably didn’t truly remove it but merely used a sealing technique to temporarily suppress the child talisman on the object. Otherwise, if the child talisman had been truly removed, the mother talisman we’re using for tracking would have been destroyed immediately. Since the mother talisman is still with me, it means the child talisman has simply become untraceable—likely sealed. The one who cast the sealing spell must be nearby, secretly using magic to block our tracking, then allowing the puppet to split and escape while returning home.”
Zhao Dayou asked doubtfully, “Even if that’s the case, this area is still vast—where can we go chasing now? Besides, Master Mei, you mentioned that parent-child talisman thing is already sealed. How can we find it again?”
Mei Qing smiled and said, “Since the sealing spell was cast remotely, the caster must be nearby. Since the figure kept circling, the one who cast the spell must be in the central area formed by Tianshui Street, Nai-zi Alley, Heishui Ditch, and Renyi Alley!”
“Exactly!” Sun Bussan’s sharp voice suddenly rang out, startling everyone. “Since the child talisman hasn’t been completely removed, we just need to hurry over there. When the spell is removed, there will be fluctuations in spiritual energy, allowing us to detect and capture the culprit. But you all run too slowly, and your cultivation is too shallow—watch my technique!”
With Sun Bussan’s sharp cry, the air in front of them suddenly shimmered. Several small talismans appeared, each landing on Mei Qing and the other three. The others didn’t notice much, but Mei Qing, with his sharp eyes, saw the characters for “Jia Ma Divine Running” written in cloud script. He could also sense the flow of true energy within them.
Then, from beside his ear, Sun Bussan shouted, “Go!” Instantly, they felt a surge of energy beneath their feet, propelling them forward instinctively. Before they knew it, they were rushing straight toward a wall without stopping. Zhao Dayou cried out, “Mommy!” while the others were startled too—only to feel a gust of wind beneath their feet, lifting them as if they were flying on clouds. In an instant, they soared over the rooftops and glided forward lightly.
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