Fen Lei's lips moved to spout even more nonsense, but all that came out was the sound of quacking. He widened his eyes in surprise, raising his hands to touch his mouth. This unexpected spell cast by Shin Lu rendered him unable to speak human words and only allowed duck noises to escape his lips.
"Quack quack?!" he exclaimed, bewildered and embarrassed. His words transformed into quacks like Donald Duck.
As Yan Shiha and the Hashiya official continued to trade attacks, Luo Jing suddenly appeared from behind the latter. He lunged forward, his movements swift and calculated. However, the Hashiya official was still extremely agile and quick in his reaction. Sensing Luo Jing's attack, he sidestepped, avoiding the attack with a twist of his body, before countering with a fierce kick towards Luo Jing's abdomen.
The impact of the kick was so strong that Luo Jing was forcefully hurled on the other roof of the surrounding village houses. Fortunately, he managed to quickly recover his equilibrium before landing on the roof; otherwise, the thatched roof would have collapsed, or worse, he would have fallen to the ground.
"An-yi," Shin Lu whispered, ignoring the yapping duck behind him. Suddenly, a glowing silver soup ladle appeared floating in front of him. With a light sweep of his hand, the silver soup ladle sped like lightning toward the possessed Hashiya official.
Fen Lei, "..."
Shin Lu was one of the most respected and recognized figures in the region of Lingmell, particularly within the Hashiya Commission. But, even though the name "Elder Shin" was widely known in the region, not many had seen this Elder Shin's actual face, as he had always kept a low profile.
In fact, whenever this name "Elder Shin" was mentioned elsewhere, the first thing many would think was "the Hashiya official who has silver hair" or "the all-white Hashiya official."
Or, because this Elder Shin was known for his silver hair, some thought he was an old man. Thus, he was sometimes described as "the senior citizen of Hashiya," without them knowing that this Elder Shin was actually a handsome and godlike gentleman.
Just like his name, "Elder Shin," his silver soup ladle was also famous in the region, especially among the mejinsu, but not many had the opportunity to see this silver soup ladle's abilities.
This silver soup ladle was Shin Lu's weapon named An-yi, and many had ridiculed it for being a "weapon." They wondered, did Elder Shin not have a more decent-looking weapon like a sword or bow? Why cooking equipment?
However, those who had witnessed the abilities of An-yi could tell this was not just ordinary spiritual-powered cooking equipment. And even though they had seen its abilities, none of them could tell if it was powerful or just average. This silver soup ladle of Shin Lu had become the standing joke of Lingmell, yet its power still remained a mystery to everyone.
Seeing Shin Lu's silver ladle soup, Fen Lei's duck noises abruptly stopped; he was utterly bewildered. He did not know whether to burst into laughter or mutter a curse at Shin Lu's stupid and dumb-looking weapon.
Shin Lu's silver soup ladle swiftly approached the possessed Hashiya official, who, sensing its presence, hastily shifted to the side to avoid it. But, the ladle was nimble and quick, and it seamlessly adjusted its course, as if it could predict the man's movements.
"Quack quack!" Fen Lei continued to make duck noises, unable to express his feelings.
Yan Shiha also joined the fray, but as she attempted to bind the Hashiya official with a spiritual rope, the spirit that possessed the man seemed to anticipate her move and evade it, his movements almost inhumanly fast. He managed to avoid Yan Shiha's restraint attempt and retaliated with a powerful spiritual punch in her direction.
Fen Lei was amazed by what he was witnessing at the moment: two spiritual forces simultaneously aimed for the perpetrator from opposite sides. It was as if he were watching a live-fight scene of a historical drama.
Nevermind Shin Lu's silver soup ladle. Although it was effectively contributing to the battle, it still looked stupid and ridiculous.
The spirit was trapped in a dire situation. It could no longer launch offensive attacks and could only move defensively. Just then, a portal opened in front of the Hashiya official, accompanied by a few explosions that released dense black smoke.
When the smoke subsided, only the unconscious Hashiya official could be seen.
"Damnit! It escaped!" Luo Jing ejaculated, anger evident in his voice.
Yan Shiha glided through the air, narrowing the gap between herself and the unconscious Hashiya official. She carried him and soared down to Fen Lei and Shin Lu. Luo Jing also followed.
She cautiously lowered the Hashiya official to the ground and examined the man's unconscious form intently. She then placed her fingers over his forehead, channeling nenha into his body. A moment later, the man's eyes fluttered open.
He slowly sat up, regaining consciousness. He looked around, his expression slightly disoriented. "Heng Beiyu? Why are you here? Why am I here? What happened?" he mumbled, confusion clouding his voice.
"We should be the ones asking you that. You were appointed to this case, yet you disappeared without a trace a few nights ago along with the other villagers. What happened exactly?" Yan Shiha asked.
The Hashiya official rubbed the back of his head, wincing as he tried to recall his scattered memories. "I-I do not know exactly what happened..." he admitted, his voice shaky and uncertain. "I remember patrolling the village. Everything seemed normal at first, but then..."
Suddenly, his expression shifted when he saw Shin Lu. He was about to get up and pay his respects but Shin Lu motioned his hand for him to stop.
"No need. Continue," Shin Lu said calmly.
The Hashiya official bowed his head, his expression fearful with a hint of disappointment. "Everything became blurry after that. This low-rank official does not know what happened next. He humbly and deeply apologizes for his incompetence."
Meanwhile, Luo Jing noticed the quacking voice behind him and turned around, only to see Fen Lei making those duck sounds. His expression changed to one of perplexity. "Gentleman Li, what happened to your voice?"
Their gazes all shifted to Fen Lei, perplexed.
Fen Lei was steaming in anger. Even if he answered Luo Jing, he would not understand him. Thus, he gripped the hem of Shin Lu's robe and pulled it repeatedly as he quacked, pointing at his own mouth.
Shin Lu's brows furrowed and shot Fen Lei a dismissive side-eye, clearly irritated by the touch. "Did I permit you to touch me?"
Fen Lei's rage intensified, and beneath his noisy and incessant quacking were several derogatories and other sorts of swearing aimed at Shin Lu.
Luo Jing and Yan Shiha exchanged a bewildered glance, their expressions tinged with confusion at Fen Lei's bizarre behavior. It was obvious that Fen Lei was trying to communicate, but being reduced to duck sounds left him unable to articulate coherent words.
"Quack quack quack! Quack qua–Shin Lu, you motherfvcker! Just wait till I fvck you–" Fen Lei paused, realizing his human voice had returned. He cleared his throat and smiled like an idiot, acting innocent as if he had not said anything derogatory. "Hehe, hello guys."
Shin Lu's eyes widened slightly upon hearing the barrage of vulgar words from Fen Lei, his calm demeanor momentarily disrupted.
Luo Jing and Yan Shiha could not help but chuckle, finding the whole situation hilarious and ridiculous. It was a scene straight out of a slapstick comedy. Luo Jing covered his mouth with his hand, while Yan Shiha sighed deeply, both of them trying desperately not to burst into laughter.
Fen Lei pinched the bridge of his nose and quickly returned to the serious matter at hand. He shifted his gaze to the Hashiya official. "Did you not notice anything strange before you fell unconscious? Try to remember."
The Hashiya official furrowed his brows, attempting to recall more details. After a long moment of thought, he responded, "Now that Gentleman Li has mentioned it, I am reminded of something unusual. I recall hearing music."
As he relayed his memory, the group seemed perplexed and disbelieving due to the vagueness of his response.
"Music?" Fen Lei repeated, his voice skeptical. "What kind of music?"
"I only heard it for a few seconds before everything went blank, so I am not certain, but the music sounded like it was made by a lamellophone."
The revelation caught Fen Lei off guard, and silence fell upon him. Shin Lu seemed to be deep in thought as well.
Just then, they spotted the village chief running towards them. "Good gentlemen! Good doctress! All the missing villagers have returned!"
The village chief's announcement was met with surprise and intrigue. The missing villagers had reappeared mysteriously when no sign of them had surfaced until now. This made Fen Lei's mind a mess, with a new wave of perplexing questions racing through his head.
"What do you mean the villagers have returned?" Yan Shiha inquired, eyebrows raised in disbelief.
The village chief bowed vigorously. "Good doctress, they all returned unharmed as if nothing happened and claimed to not remember anything! Everyone is very puzzled and concerned!"
Yan Shiha quickly cast a communication spell and took a moment of silence. Her face was solemn as she telepathized with someone in the communication spell. The spell did not take long and seemed to have ended when she sighed. "Grandma Lin's grandson, the young man that I brought to the infirmary, has regained consciousness. It appears that his missing soul has returned."
A frown creased Shin Lu's forehead. These baffling events added yet another layer of mystery and urgency to the situation.
Fen Lei glanced at Shin Lu, trying to discern if he had any insights on the matter. However, Shin Lu's face was devoid of any indication of his inner thoughts. It was almost as if he was suppressing his emotions beneath his calm and collected exterior.
"This is getting trickier and more complicated by the second," Luo Jing muttered under his breath.
The puzzled looks on everyone's faces mirrored each other. However, Shin Lu and Fen Lei were still deep in thought, their minds grappling with a possibility they both did not intend to voice out.
The darkest and quietest time of the night had fully arrived, enveloping the village in a blanket of tranquility. The lanterns were lit and dimmed along the streets; the sky was a canvas of sparkling stars; and the only sound that could be heard was the soft rustling of leaves.
Yan Shiha had retreated to her dwelling, seeking rest after the events this early evening. Luo Jing had also departed, disappearing into the night. The Hashiya official had been escorted back to the headquarters. Fen Lei and Shin Lu, on the other hand, had chosen to remain outside, patrolling the village.
The two walked silently through the darkened alleys of the village.
Fen Lei's mind was a chaotic mess. Frustration and curiosity welled up within him. The mysterious events of the day replayed in his mind, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not shake the feeling that the answer was right under his nose.
Shin Lu was also engrossed in contemplating the day's events. Every piece of information they had gathered was meticulously being pieced together in his mind.
After a long moment of thought, Fen Lei lifted his head and looked at Shin Lu. "What does Elder Shin think about the current situation?"
The sound of Fen Lei's voice broke Shin Lu's concentration, slicing through the silence. His gaze remained fixed ahead, his expression unreadable. He did not respond to Fen Lei's question immediately. Instead, he continued walking in silence for a few moments, seemingly deep in thought.
Finally, he replied, "Complicated," his eyes fixated on the empty street ahead.
Fen Lei snorted at Shin Lu's answer. He suddenly felt the urge to smack Shin Lu on the head. "Of course, it is complicated! Damned menstruating man!" he thought to himself and rolled his eyes.
"If my hunch is correct, the perpetrator must have found another target location," Shin Lu added.
"Hmm," Fen Lei hummed, tilting his head to the side upon hearing Shin Lu's speculation. "If we go by that logic, where do you think the next location might be?"
"No idea."
Fen Lei shot an annoyed glance at him. "Elder Shin was the one who brought up the possibility. Should he not have some idea?"
"I was merely speculating," Shin Lu replied, his pace unhurried and his voice words were measured.
As they continued their patrol, a sudden thought flickered in Fen Lei's mind. His steps halted abruptly, and his eyes widened in realization. "Hang on a second..."