Chapter 41: Heroic Spirit Principle
"It's right here, the aura has been concealed so well, I was unable to detect it until now…"
Yun Wuxin gazed upon the illuminated area.
Xue Hanlei shrank back and said, "Since it has been uncovered, let's withdraw. We will entrust this matter to the authorities of Yingzhou for handling."
Yun Wuxin nodded and said, "I also thought of doing that, but it seems like we arrived a step too late."
"What?"
"The aura here is dissipating." In the scenery reflected in Yun Wuxin's silver eyes, there is a rejuvenation of nature taking place.
She continued, "Moreover, there is also a scent of blood."
Without waiting for Senior Xue's response, she took the initiative to step into the middle of the path.
Miss Xue stomped her foot and exclaimed, "Oh my, you, oh, I really… sigh!"
She followed along with a determined expression, and at the same time, she pulled out a piece of ancient Dian jade from her pocket, mumbling words of prayer for blessing.
Within a few short steps, Yun Wuxin abruptly came to a halt.
"You're looking… oh! Whose footsteps are those?" Xue Hanlei exclaimed in surprise.
Yun Wuxin pushed aside the nearby bushes and looked down. The lifeless body of a middle-aged woman lay on the ground, with a bloodstain on her neck. The scent of blood emanated from here. "She is already deceased," Yun Wuxin whispered.
"This, this…"
"Mmm, judging from the wound, her assailant used a single technique, most likely a bladed weapon such as a knife or a sword. The precision of the injury suggests it was not a typical bladed weapon, as the laceration is too refined, even for a kitchen sword," Yun Wuxin remarked, crouching down and closely examining the scene.
"You're not here to investigate anyway," Xue Hanlei murmured as she rubbed her arm. "Let's leave quickly. This place gives me the creeps. It's filled with death, and who knows, it could be the handiwork of some cult devoted to dark gods. We'd better…"
"If it were cultists devoted to dark gods, they wouldn't leave the body here," Yun Wuxin shook her head, casting a glance at the middle-aged woman. "And besides, this woman is clearly dressed as a janitor, but doesn't quite look like one. Her hands are clean, even delicate…"
"Are you suggesting that she infiltrated here?"
"Going deeper, perhaps she is indeed a cultist."
"Mmm?" Xue Hanlei, no longer afraid, tilted her head and pondered, "Then why did she end up dead here? Internal conflict, perhaps?"
"Not likely. Even if cultists die, they are mostly used as sacrificial offerings, wasting their flesh and blood, which goes against their religious doctrines, unless it's a new sect of belief," Yun Wuxin pinched her delicate chin, her gaze falling upon the warehouse at the end of the road.
"I mean, I don't think you'd want to…"
"Mmm."
"Don't go, I beg of you!" Xue Hanlei, grabbing hold of Yun Wuxin, squatted down on the ground, "You must treasure your life, who knows if there are traps lurking anywhere."
"I think everything should be fine. Look at the ground," Yun Wuxin pointed to the floor, where a bloodstain trailed along the road. There were also traces of something being separated or slashed, she confirmed, "There was an outsider here who killed the cultists of the evil deity, then carried, no, dragged a sword forward… Either he died inside or he has already left. Either way, it signifies that the danger here is no longer imminent, because it is evident that we have arrived too late."
The white-haired immortal, Yun Wuxin, murmured to herself, "I am genuinely curious."
After saying this, she shook her sleeves and broke free from Xue Hanlei's grasp. She strode resolutely towards the warehouse, with a chilling frosty aura enveloping her wide sleeves, resembling the wings of a crane. Her index and middle fingers joined together, as the frosty white cold condensed into an ethereal shape of a sword.
Standing in front of the warehouse door, the frigid frost sword talisman cleared the way, and the partially closed door was pushed open.
"No traps…" She took a few steps forward and in the dim light, she quickly noticed a severed corpse on the ground.
Xue Hanlei caught up, supporting herself against the wall to regain her strength for walking.
"Isn't that Professor Heihe?" she exclaimed. "I've attended his public lectures. How did he end up dead here…?" As she spoke, she reached out to touch the severed head.
"Do not touch!" Yun Wuxin intervened, stopping her. She carefully examined the situation and remarked, "This head is far from clean."
Xue Hanlei swiftly withdrew her hand like a bolt of lightning and asked, "Why is it not clean?"
"This Professor Heihe might very well be a follower of the evil deity, and a rather advanced one at that…"
"Missionary?" Xue Hanlei exclaimed with a mournful expression. "Let's go, let's leave quickly!"
Yun Wuxin covered her mouth and nose, pacing back and forth on the open ground. "A strong odor, and this kind of setting. He must have been participating in some kind of ritual before he died. I cannot guess what it was, but it was undoubtedly dangerous. However, he must have failed… No, was he interrupted?"
Her gaze halted at the traces of struggle on the ground, then shifted towards the damaged and overturned furniture, before settling on the pitch-black bloodstains and that broken deboning sword.
He won.
Moreover, it was a resounding victory.
Even more remarkably, there were barely any injuries inflicted.
"…Impressive!" Yun Wuxin pressed her lips together, quietly praising.
"What is so remarkable?"
"All by himself, he singlehandedly uncovered the conspiracy of the cult of the evil god, and alone, defeated the nearly transformed missionaries. Not only that, he left unscathed. How could this not be considered impressive? With such strength and insight, he could easily make a name for himself."
"No, isn't it internal strife?"
"The internal strife among the cult of the evil god is quite rare, and the timing is too coincidental," Yun Wuxin said. "Moreover, this time it was a professor from Far East University who committed the crime, making it difficult for anyone to suspect. I'm afraid the commotion at the school gate earlier was just to conceal the traces of his ritual."
"Ah, this is unexpected." Xue Hanlei, with her mouth agape, quickly shook her head. "According to what you're saying, all of us were deceived, and only one person noticed it? And that person actively disrupted the ritual of the cult of the evil god? That's just too exaggerated…"
"This scene cannot provide any further explanation," Yun Wuxin shook her head and said, "That is my assumption."
"Where is He?" Xue Hanlei looked around anxiously, and curiously asked, "Every time the cult of the evil god's sacrificial ritual is unleashed, there are at least over a thousand victims. This would be a significant accomplishment in the Ming Country."
"In Yingzhou as well," Yun Wuxin propped her chin up, "but the person is indeed missing."
"Could it be the clandestine forces of the Yingzhou Shogunate?" Xue Hanlei also knew that the shogunate surely had numerous minions operating in secret.
"If that were the case, do you think we would have been able to enter? It would have been sealed off long ago. I can say for certain that it has nothing to do with the shogunate," Yun Wuxin paused again as she spoke these words.
"What have you thought of now? Don't keep us in suspense, speak up," Xue Hanlei urged.
"Merely speculation…" Yun Wuxin murmured, "I speculate that perhaps he is not actually from Yingzhou."
The two of them walked out of the warehouse, Xue Hanlei said, "We need to inform the authorities and the school authorities in Yingzhou."
Yun Wuxin nodded and said, "Today's fortune is favorable, with consecutive strokes of good luck. I truly hope that this streak of good fortune can persist, at least until we graduate."
Xue Hanlei deeply resonated and said, "Speaking of good luck, I happened to read in a recent magazine that good luck is associated with the color pink. Today, I spotted cherry blossoms. Does that count as good luck?"
Yun Wuxin replied, "I suppose so, although those weren't cherry blossoms."
"Isn't it?"
"That is the embodiment of Heroic Spirit Principle… Most likely the first awakening."
"Ah, so that's it… Huh?!" Xue Hanlei widened her eyes, her voice becoming sharp, "Heroic Spirit… Principle!"
…
"Has the situation detection result come out?"
"It has come out, but…"
"Speak directly, state the conclusion."
"It's not the Heroic Spirit Principle, at least not confirmed through the detection ritual. It is speculated to be a reactive response of some kind of spiritual energy."
"Absurd! Can the reactive response of spiritual energy neutralize Filthy Blood? Go for another round of testing!"
At this moment, inside the control room, the most composed analyst, ironically, becomes the most irritable.
The nearby police officer and Onmyoji, on the other hand, appear exceptionally calm and collected, occasionally casting glances at the women dressed in funeral attire.
The priestess of the shrine spoke slowly, "Honorable analyst, if you cannot draw a conclusion, I also hope that you wouldn't trouble the child too much. She has undergone testing in the past, but the Heroic Spirit Principle didn't manifest. This time, it is likely just a coincidence and an anomaly…"
The analyst pressed their brow and persisted, "Please allow me to conduct a few more tests. It has been twenty-seven years since Yingzhou has produced any new Heroic Spirits. You see, for us, even the lower-ranked Heroic Spirits hold significant importance, even those who have missed their optimal moment of awakening…"
The priestess stepped back and said, "If this persists, I will have to take her back. That child appears to be in a highly unstable mental state at the moment. Whether she is a heroic spirit or not, she is a sword-witch, cultivated by the shrine for many years, and holds great significance to the shrine."
"Thank you for understanding," the analyst waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to quickly prepare for the final round of testing.
He, being someone who has witnessed the Heroic Spirit Principle multiple times, truly fails to understand why it cannot be detected, when that unmistakable aura clearly embodies the Heroic Spirit Principle.
A dark-colored dessert that tastes like chocolate, smells like chocolate, and looks like chocolate, so isn't it chocolate? But, oddly enough, it isn't!
…
On the tram, Bai Wei touched his chin.
[Upon confirming the departure of both parties involved in destiny, may the power of calculation immediately reset to zero]
[Fairy Principle · Blossom of Life Taker, returns to a state of silence]
[To reactivate this principle, please wait for seventy-two hours]
"I see, this is a bonding skill after all."
