"Peacocks? No one here keeps these precious creatures, and I haven't heard of anyone keeping them in any of the villages within a hundred miles."

A woman in her fifties put the watering can back into the bucket, raised her hat, and waved repeatedly at the three people standing by the vegetable patch, revealing a wary look: "Young men, you should sell your crops somewhere else. I don't care about them."

Yan Jue was slightly embarrassed. "No, we're not here to sell anything. We heard a peacock chirping in the mountains and thought it was lost from the farm, so we came here to ask."

"That's even less likely. The farms here only raise chickens, ducks, and pigs, and no one builds them on the mountain. Not to mention the development costs, just delivering fodder is a hassle, and it wastes fuel."

"Young man, where are you from?" the old woman said, turning the tables. "Are you here to visit Bali Mountain? I'm telling you, don't go into the mountains anytime soon."

She couldn't understand why anyone would hike the mountain in such scorching heat, but she still warned, "See that sanatorium at the foot of the mountain? Just walk there. Don't go into the mountain."

"Why can't we go into the mountains?" Zhang Zizhen gave the old lady his most sweet and gentle smile. "Auntie, please tell us. We're just visiting from out of town and don't know anything. Are there any taboos?"

The old lady had been looking at the top of Zhang Zizheng's head, and now after hearing what he said, she quickly added: "Well, we don't believe in religion either. Everyone who came to the town to promote it said that we should believe in science, and we all remember that." Don't try to fool me.

Zhang Zizhen: “…”

It's hard to be a proper Taoist priest.

Yan Jue chuckled, took a half step forward to hide Zhang Zizhen's figure, and asked gently, "It's just a personal hobby of his. He wears a wig to show off for the photo album. Auntie, is there any danger in the mountains?"

This reason was quite reasonable. The old lady seemed to understand it, but when she saw Yan Jue's cheerful temperament and the silent and upright appearance of Wen Xuyang, she was no longer on guard and started chatting with him while she was still there.

"Yeah. Isn't it summer vacation? Someone's kids came back from the city and insisted on going to the mountains to play, wanting to pick wild fruits and mushrooms. There weren't many mushrooms in the middle of summer, only some wild fruits like jackfruit, nothing else to look at, but the kids were curious about everything, so the whole family went anyway."

Zhang Zizhen couldn't help but ask, "And then?"

According to the usual plot development, could it be that the family had encountered some strange and tragic event? So many days into his job, was he finally about to begin his second official duty? Each additional task he completed increased his chances of promotion, and brought him closer to all sorts of insider information.

"Then?"

The old lady had no idea how sinister Zhang Zizhen was in his pursuit of a promotion. She calmly replied, "Then the family heard the wild boar's cries in the mountains and were so scared they hurried back."

"I heard from others that the family also heard the howling of tigers, wolves and other wild animals." The old lady looked unconvinced: "I think this is outrageous. I have been married to Balishan for so many years and have never heard of tigers and wolves in the mountains."

"I'm telling you to be careful because there's a high chance a wild boar might come down the mountain. You can't defeat them alone. And aren't wild boars protected species? What if you hurt one and end up in jail? And if one hurts you, how are you going to call for help?"

This enlightenment and these words are deafening.

Yan Jue couldn't help but praise: "Aunt, what you said really makes sense. Wild boars coming down the mountain is a big deal. Have you notified the relevant departments to go and check it out?"

"I told you, someone did check it out, but after a few days of monitoring, they found nothing. I can only ask everyone to be careful and not go into the mountains in the near future."

"Oh, thank you. We won't go into the mountains. You're busy, so we'll leave first."

They found a tree and hid in the shade, and the three of them exchanged the information they had received from the old lady.

"There's no farm, so could it be a wild peacock?"

Wen Xuyang explained to the ignorant Zhang Zizhen: "There can't be wild peacocks here, just like there can't be wild pandas here."

Zhang Zizhen scratched his head: "Could it be that I stayed up late and didn't hear it correctly? I can't have heard it wrong several times, right? My memory is not that bad."

Yan Jue guessed: "Is it that some other animal does the splits? It sounds a bit similar."

"How about we go into the mountains and take a look?" Zhang Zizhen suggested, "I heard the noises coming pretty close last night, so it should be near the sanatorium. Anything that can bark that loudly must be pretty big."

"Have you forgotten what Auntie said just now that there might be wild boars coming down the mountain?" Yan Jue refused: "We don't have to go into the mountains, there's no need."

Regardless of what animal the peacock sounded like, it lived peacefully in the mountains, so there was no need for them to go and find out just for the sake of curiosity. If they were unlucky enough to encounter a wild boar, they wouldn't be able to say anything if they injured it with a talisman in their attempt to escape.

After all, they were the ones who volunteered to go there, so it can't be considered an accident.

Zhang Zizhen didn't necessarily need to know what it was. Since Yan Jue and Wen Xuyang both disagreed, he gave up the idea.

It was getting late and the weather was getting hotter, so the three of them didn't go shopping and went back to the sanatorium.

Zhang Zizhen hadn't slept all night and was now so sleepy that he couldn't even open his eyes, so he went to catch up on his sleep. Wen Xuyang returned to his room to handle official business and practice diligently. Yan Jue stayed in the room alone, and for a moment he didn't know what to do.

Normally, he'd be scurrying around shopping malls or performing arts venues at this time, but now that he was suddenly free, he felt a bit lost. It was like when he'd just quit his job. He could sleep in naturally, but his biological clock forced him to wake up at six in the morning, which was really frustrating for a while.

I have nothing to do, so I have to practice.

Sitting cross-legged, Yan Jue closed his eyes and calmed his mind.

When a loud ringing sounded, he opened his eyes and came to his senses. Apart from the confusion in his eyes, the only thing he could feel was the particularly uncomfortable buzzing in his stomach.

"Teacher, I'm sorry." Ah Qing knelt beside his hand on his lap with tears in her eyes. "I accidentally pressed the button and didn't know how to turn it off. I'm sorry for waking you up."

"It's okay." Yan Jue touched Ah Qing's head, "Why are you here? I didn't..."

As he spoke, he picked up his phone and closed the app that Ah Qing had accidentally opened. Before he could finish his words, he stood there with his eyes wide open.

The current time on the phone was clearly displayed as 4:20.

"Ah Qing, wait a moment."

Yan Jue only had time to say a word before he rushed out of bed, opened the curtains and looked outside. He then checked his phone and saw that it was normal. He couldn't believe it and said, "I slept for so long?"

Although he had indeed fallen asleep quietly during his training due to excessive concentration and relaxation, he had never slept for this long, from around 8 am to 4 pm. After such a long absence, Brother Wen probably thought something had happened to him.

"Teacher?" Ah Qing looked puzzledly at Yan Jue, who was standing by the window in a daze. He walked to the pillow and held up a piece of paper: "Teacher, an uncle left a note for you when you were sleeping."

Yan Jue went to pick it up, moved his legs, and took a step forward when he realized something was wrong.

After sitting cross-legged for so long, his legs should have been as numb as yesterday, making people want to saw them off, but no, his legs were intact and relaxed, no different from usual.

Seeing that the teacher stayed there again, staring at his legs, Ah Qing scratched his head and wanted to call Noel to ask the teacher what was going on.

Something seems to be wrong with the teacher, it's broken...

"Hehehe, hehehe..."

Ah Qing was horrified: "Teacher?"

Yan Jue rushed to the bedside, picked up Ah Qing and rubbed his cheek against hers, "Ah Qing, I really started practicing!"

A detective once said: Eliminate the impossible, and whatever remains, no matter how unbelievable, must be the truth. ① Why was he able to sit cross-legged for so long without any problems? The only reason he wasn't sleeping was because he was sensing spiritual energy and entering a state of meditation.

Although he has not yet been able to fully draw in the energy, he believes that he is not far from success.

"Ah Qing, are you hungry? Do you want some snacks?" Yan Jue put the dizzy Ah Qing down, took out a large box from the drawer and opened it. "Look, I brought a lot of variety. Which one do you want?"

Ah Qing looked at Yan Jue, and after understanding what was going on, he put on a big smile and said happily, "Congratulations, teacher, you are awesome!"

The teacher had explained to him why he was moving, and he was happy for her when she said he had achieved his goal. But after that, he started to worry about what to eat.

After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward and took a piece of Yuhua Stone: "I'll eat this."

"good."

After unremitting efforts and letting Ah Qing taste all the harmless minerals he could buy, Yan Jue finally figured out the taste of different minerals in Ah Qing's mouth.

Metals such as gold, silver, and aluminum taste salty to Ah Qing; jade and the like taste cool and sweet; rainflower stone and agate taste a mixture of sweet and sour; ordinary stones have no taste, while dyed stones taste astringent or bitter to Ah Qing; of course, whether dyed or not, ordinary stones are the same as nothing to Ah Qing.

As for the coal he was curious about, it had a crispy, salty, biscuit-like texture in Ah Qing's mouth. The spirit stone had a warm, sweet taste and could provide Ah Qing with a large amount of energy.

While Ah Qing was eating snacks, Yan Jue picked up the note left by Wen Xuyang. It said that he didn't see him during the meal and couldn't contact him, so he opened his door with his key. Seeing that he was practicing, he didn't disturb him and gave the note to Ah Qing to pass on.

How did Wen Xuyang know that he was practicing and not sleeping? Was there something he didn't know?

Thinking of this, Yan Jue asked for Wen Xuyang's location, took Ah Qing in his arms and went to his room. As soon as he entered the room, Zhang Zizhen was there too.

"Brother Yan, I heard you succeeded?" Zhang Zizhen's eyes were full of the desire to poke a hole in Yan Jue. "What does it feel like to draw in Qi? Is it like in the novels, cleansing your bones and marrow to expel the dirt in your body?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't succeeded in drawing in the Qi yet." Putting Ah Qing on his shoulder, Yan Jue pushed him away and asked, "Why are you here?"

"I heard what Brother Wen said at noon. I saw that he left a note for you, so I guessed you would definitely come, so I waited here early in the morning." Zhang Zizhen's eyes were glued to Ah Qing again, "Brother Yan, this is..."

Yan Jue introduced the two of them to Ah Qing and said simply, "This is Ah Qing. Everything else is confidential. You can't tell me anything. Don't ask me anything. I won't tell you anything."

He sat down on the sofa, looked at Wen Xuyang curiously and asked, "Brother Wen, how did you know I was practicing?"

"I called you a few times and even pushed you, but you didn't react. I guessed." Wen Xuyang was also curious. "Do you have any special feelings?"

Zhang Zizhen quickly came over and sat down, listening attentively. However, his eyes couldn't help but drift towards Ah Qing, causing her to hide behind Yan Jue's neck.

After gathering Ah Qing to prevent him from falling, Yan Jue touched his nose and said embarrassedly, "I don't know either. When I woke up just now, I thought I was asleep. It was only when I realized that my legs were not numb after sitting cross-legged for several hours, and there was nothing unusual, that I guessed that I was in a state of meditation, not asleep."

"Nothing? Nothing special happened?"

Yan Jue spread his hands: "No. For special things, perhaps I can only feel them after I have truly drawn in the Qi."

Zhang Zizhen was not disappointed. He clenched his fist and said, "Very good. Next, I will work hard to sit cross-legged for several hours without numbness in my legs!"

Wen Xuyang glanced at him when he heard that. When Yan Jue noticed that, he felt that the look was full of complaints like "Is this guy a fool?"

"Brother Yan, can I stay in your room while you practice tonight? The fact that you can enter a state of meditation means you've attracted spiritual energy. What if I can also gain some enlightenment?" Zhang Zicheng said sincerely, "I'll just sit on the floor. It won't take up any space."

"Sure, Brother Wen, come too." There was nothing wrong with agreeing to this.

Wen Xuyang nodded: "Excuse me."

After agreeing on a time and finishing his work, Yan Jue could finally pay some attention to his stomach. He went to the cafeteria to ask the chef to make him some noodles. After eating, he excitedly returned to his room to play games with A Qing and Noel, and announced his good news.

Honestly, this is really hard not to share.

That night, the three of them gathered in Yan Jue's room. The sofa was a bit narrow, so Zhang Zizhen and Wen Xuyang had to sit on the floor. Yan Jue felt a little embarrassed to sit alone on the bed, but asking the other two to come up would have been a bit awkward. Since there was a carpet on the floor, he didn't say anything.

Following his usual routine, he carefully closed his eyes, imagining the location of his acupoints and calling upon his spiritual energy. He didn't know how long it had been, but just as he was drifting off and about to lose consciousness, he suddenly felt a few glowing lights like fireflies in the darkness before his eyes.

He focused carefully and watched clearly as the fluorescence grew more and more.

"roar--"

Suddenly, a roar of an animal was deafening, so close that it seemed to be ringing next to his ears. Yan Jue was startled and opened his eyes to look out the window.

"tiger?"

The two people on the ground also stood up with serious expressions. Wen Xuyang quickly walked to the window to see what was happening outside. Unexpectedly, when he pulled the curtains, a yellow cat jumped up from the windowsill and disappeared onto the wall three meters away.

At the same time, the lights in the sanatorium were brightly lit and voices gradually rose.

Zhang Zizheng's voice was a little weak: "Brother Yan, there is something wrong with my eyesight. Why did it look like the cat had three tails just now?" There was no place to stand outside the window, so how did the cat stand there?

"You're not mistaken."

Wen Xuyang, who was closest, said in a deep voice, "There are indeed three tails."

"Cat demon?" Yan Jue was surprised. "Was there a tiger roar just now? There are tigers in Bali Mountain?"

Wen Xuyang pulled out his phone contacts. After the tiger's roar, the sanatorium would definitely contact the relevant departments. He had to get them to intercept this incident first. The tiger was nothing, but if he accidentally ran into a cat demon, there would be an explanation.

Yan Jue suddenly thought of something: "So what my aunt said about that family hearing the tiger's roar was true."

"It's already this late, Brother Yan, and you're still talking about this." Zhang Zizhen was excited: "Cat demon, that's a cat demon! How long has it been since its spiritual energy was revived? It already has three tails."

After he finished speaking, he saw no movement in the room. He turned around and saw Yan Jue and Wen Xuyang staring at him. He asked nervously, "What, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with what I said?"

"It's known that the cat demon's original form must be a cat. Now that spiritual energy has just revived, a cat has transformed into a demon and grown three tails?"

Zhang Zizhen was puzzled: "What's the big deal? Isn't Boss Zhuofeng still a three-tailed fox?"

Yan Jue: "...Haha, yes."

Sorry for disturbing you, I can't communicate.

In reality, Yan Jue wasn't too worried. The well-informed officials would definitely catch the cat demon. At worst, he had all the tools and the Taoist priest Zhang Zizhen, so they wouldn't let him go. He didn't have to worry about the tiger either.

Compared to these, he was more concerned about: "I just saw spiritual energy."

Yan Jue described it briefly and said regretfully, "It's a pity that I was interrupted when I was trying to guide them into the acupoints."

When Zhang Zizhen heard this, he no longer cared about the cat demon and was as happy as if he had seen it himself.

Wen Xuyang frowned and said hesitantly, "Xiao Jue, you practiced yesterday too. I checked the surveillance during the day, and there was nothing unusual in the sanatorium last night. Why did the cat demon come here today?"

It was true that he came here to try to practice, but protecting Yan Jue was also his mission, and checking the surveillance in the hospital was one of the things he had to do.

Yan Jue understood almost immediately after hearing what he said: "Could it be because I have gathered spiritual energy?"

Wen Xuyang nodded: "Very likely."

"If that's the case, when our people arrive, I can just practice again and lure it over. It's a perfect way to catch it in its tracks."

If they want to catch the cat demon, they can only rely on themselves. They cannot let go of any possible guess and must experiment one by one.

Yan Jue patted Zhang Zizhen's shoulder and said, "Do you have any talismans that can trap living beings? If you have any, go find them quickly. If not, draw them quickly. You are the only Taoist priest here, and they will be of use to you."

"That's right." Zhang Zizhen slapped his forehead, "Damn, I'm a civil servant too. I have to work and can't just watch the fun. Brother Yan and Brother Wen, I'm going back to make preparations!"

After everyone left, Yan Jue said to Wen Xuyang, "Zhuo Feng hasn't come back yet because of something. Let me know if you need anything later."

He didn't doubt Zhang Zizhen's ability, but just wanted to be on the safe side.

After the staff of the nursing home knocked on each door to calm everyone down, a helicopter arrived shortly afterwards.

For safety reasons, Wen Xuyang asked Yan Jue to stay with him. Now that his own people had arrived, he took him and Zhang Zizhen downstairs to pick them up.

At night, the vision is limited, especially in the mountains, so if you want to find the tiger, professionals have to follow the tiger's tracks step by step to confirm it. Catching a cat demon is relatively easy.

But this certainly can't be done in the sanatorium, so they have to go up the mountain together.

Zhang Zizhen and Wen Xuyang walked in the front. He held a peach wood sword in one hand and a talisman in the other. He had a Taoist bun and wore night vision goggles and protective clothing. He looked like a cyberpunk cultivator with a sense of transcendence, which made people couldn't help but look at him.

Yan Jue was surrounded by a group of soldiers armed with live ammunition. He adjusted his night vision goggles uncomfortably, trying to discern the path beneath his feet from the black and white scene. In his arms was something that looked like a Bagua plate.

It was a portable barrier sold specifically for mortals on the Tianchen Continent. It could be activated instantly by tearing off the talisman paper. It wasn't very effective, had a limited range, and couldn't block attacks. Its only function was to blur sounds and images within the barrier, preventing them from being transmitted outside.

Just right for their use now.

After the group arrived at a relatively open area, Yan Jue chose a spot to sit down, activated the formation plate, and began to practice. The soldiers formed a circle around him with their backs to him. Zhang Zizhen held his breath, holding his breath, and vigilantly observed his surroundings.

At first, the forest was filled with the sounds of insects. As time passed, the chirping of cicadas suddenly filled the air. After a few chirps, the cicadas suddenly died down, replaced by the meowing of cats. The meowing didn't last long either, just one or two short barks. Then, the roars of dogs, peacocks, tigers, and even unknown beasts grew closer.

Being surrounded by the roars of beasts in the mountains late at night is definitely a test of one's mental strength.

Suddenly, Zhang Zizheng's eyes became stern, and he raised his hand to activate the talisman to the left.

After a sharp cat cry, the people wearing night vision goggles saw an animal with unknown fur color, shaped like a wild cat, with only one eye in the middle of its head and three tails behind it. It was three meters away, crouching down and baring its teeth towards them.

Zhang Zizheng was busy activating talismans to attack the monster. Every time a spark was ignited, an invisible rope would wrap around the monster.

Seeing that the monster was almost unable to get up, it still struggled desperately, using its claws to pounce around, trying to escape. With each time it opened its mouth, the forest became more and more lively, and the sounds of various animals could be heard.

Zhang Zizheng was so anxious that sweat broke out. He casually stuffed the peach wood sword into the hand of a soldier beside him, and quickly formed seals with his hands to gather the rope made of talisman paper. He didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the monster's four claws were strangely stuck to his body and could no longer move.

He stepped forward, covered the monster with a black cloth, wrapped it up, and stuffed it into the iron cage that the soldier had brought. Zhang Zizhen wiped his sweat and smiled triumphantly: "I caught it. Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission."

"Brother Yan, Yan..."

Wen Xuyang covered Zhang Zizhen's mouth and said, "Look carefully, don't disturb me."

Only then did Zhang Zizhen realize that Yan Jue, who was sitting in the middle surrounded by everyone, had a frown on his face with a look of pain on it. The sweat on his face was even more than his own, as if he had just washed his face.

His eyes lit up: "Is this, about to successfully draw in the energy?"

He was wrong. He was not the chosen one at all. His brother Yan was.

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① What Sherlock Holmes said