Chapter 37

"Of course not!"

Su Tingyu instantly bristled, glaring at Qin Shaoyou and said indignantly, "You can doubt me, but you can't doubt my talismans and spells!"

This time, she didn't glare in the wrong direction.

"Good, that's good."

Qin Shaoyou let out a sigh of relief.

He was genuinely worried, afraid that the crane talisman might be directionally challenged, and by the time the Black Lotus Sect had created their Hellish Buddha Kingdom, the paper crane would still be searching for Xue Qingshan...

That wouldn't just be awkward; it would be fatal.

"Hmph." Su Tingyu turned her head, ignoring Qin Shaoyou, and took out two talismans from her pocket, sticking them to her legs. She called out to everyone, "Follow me. If you fall behind, I won't stop to wait for you."

With that, she took a step forward. Though her steps didn't seem large, her body was suddenly several meters away.

"Is this the art of evasion?" Qin Shaoyou's eyes lit up.

If he could learn this move, wouldn't it give him another means of self-preservation?

In a critical moment, using the evasion technique to move several meters away would allow him to choose whether to run or counterattack calmly.

Thinking of this, Qin Shaoyou's gaze towards Su Tingyu became much more eager.

He began to calculate in his mind how to get closer to this girl so he could learn the essence and secrets of this evasion technique.

Should he suffer a little, sacrifice his appearance?

As everyone followed Su Tingyu to track the paper figure, the people sleeping in the inn were awakened by the noise and heat from the fire.

People were terrified by the sudden fire and shouted:

"Fire! Fire!"

"Everyone, wake up! Do you want to be burned to death?!"

"Is there anyone in the burning house? Hurry up and find a way to save them!"

"Quickly, find the fire brigade to put out the fire!"

Even though Qin Shaoyou and the others had already left, they still heard the commotion from the inn.

Zhu Xiuzai suddenly thought of something.

"Sir, the shadow puppets are still in the burning house. Although they won't be damaged, if people find them still 'alive' after the fire is extinguished, won't it be exposed? Should I go back and bring them out in the chaos?"

Qin Shaoyou shook his head in denial: "No. If you take the shadow puppets away, when the fire is extinguished and people find no bodies in the house, it will really be exposed."

He then explained: "When I brought the shadow puppets, I had a detailed understanding of their condition. They can only inflate and become 'people' with the human breath we impart. As time passes, the human breath we impart gradually diminishes, and the shadow puppets will undergo many changes, such as losing their heartbeat and body temperature... By the time the fire is extinguished, the shadow puppets should be no different from dead bodies, able to deceive both ordinary people and the demons of the Black Lotus Sect."

Zhu Xiuzai was reassured and also curious: "Sir, did you foresee the peculiarities of this case in Luocheng and prepare the shadow puppets and other supernatural items in advance to deal with these situations?"

Not only did Zhu Xiuzai think so, but Ma Heshang and the other strongmen also believed this.

If he hadn't foreseen it and prepared in advance, how could he immediately produce the corresponding supernatural items when faced with unexpected situations?

It couldn't be that he had emptied the spirit item room of the Demon Suppression Bureau, could it?

Such foresight was truly admirable!

Seeing the admiring and respectful gazes of everyone, Qin Shaoyou felt a bit embarrassed.

"It's not that I foresaw it, but I did make a lot of preparations... As the saying goes, better to have and not need than to need and not have!"

"Isn't it better to have and not need than to have and not use?"

Sniffing the air to lead the way, Su Tingyu turned her head and said.

Qin Shaoyou smiled: "Others say it's better to have and not need, but I say it's better to have and not use. It's different."

Su Tingyu didn't say anything more and continued to sniff the air and lead the way.

Seeing her sniffing here and there, Qin Shaoyou remembered what Su Jianqing had said before.

This girl really does resemble a hunting dog...

Looking at Su Jianqing, she floated beside Su Tingyu, like a master holding a leash.

Hmm, not quite...

With her size and appearance, she more resembled a cat holding a dog leash.

Qin Shaoyou suddenly found the ghostly sisters very amusing, but he held back his laughter.

Although he hadn't received professional training, he could still control himself from laughing.

Soon, under Su Tingyu's lead, the group arrived outside a large mansion.

Su Tingyu stopped and said, "The demonic aura of the paper figure is inside this mansion, and there is another, stronger demonic aura inside."

Qin Shaoyou and Zhu Xiuzai looked at the familiar mansion and exchanged glances.

"Sure enough, it's here!"

"The mansion of Attendant Zhang!"

This mansion was indeed the home of Attendant Zhang, which they had visited in the afternoon.

Well, Attendant Zhang's grandson is definitely suspicious, and he might be in league with the Black Lotus Sect.

"This time, I must see what kind of creature Attendant Zhang's grandson is."

Zhu Xiuzai climbed up the wall, not rushing to enter the courtyard, and looked around.

After a moment, he slid down the wall and said to Qin Shaoyou, "There are guards patrolling inside. I observed the layout of the Zhang mansion during the day and can roughly deduce the guard posts and patrol routes, but I don't recommend too many people going in, as it's easy to be exposed."

Qin Shaoyou wasn't surprised by the strict security of the Zhang mansion.

After all, Attendant Zhang was a retired official, and he could afford to hire many guards.

Moreover, the previous night, Attendant Zhang's legitimate grandson was kidnapped from his home, although he returned safely, the Zhang family would certainly not want such an incident to happen again, so strengthening security was reasonable.

Qin Shaoyou thought for a moment and had Ma Heshang, who was not skilled in light body techniques, stay behind with the strongmen to provide support.

He, along with Zhu Xiuzai and the Su sisters, sneaked into the Zhang mansion to gather intelligence.

He brought the two Su Daoists not only to rely on Su Tingyu to track the exact location of the paper figure but also because he thought that if anything unexpected happened, their talismans and spells might be very helpful.

Climbing over the wall, Zhu Xiuzai led the group, either walking on the eaves or climbing the walls and roofs, successfully avoiding the patrols and surveillance of the Zhang mansion guards.

Qin Shaoyou couldn't help but marvel: No wonder Zhu Xiuzai always looks so exhausted; his wall-climbing experience is indeed rich.

Suddenly, Su Tingyu raised her hand and pointed forward.

"The demonic aura of the paper figure is there, and there is another, stronger demonic aura in the same place, originating from the same source."

Qin Shaoyou and Zhu Xiuzai looked in the direction she pointed.

It was a beautiful garden courtyard, brightly lit, with many guards patrolling.

Zhu Xiuzai had already memorized most of the layout of the Zhang mansion. After a quick glance, he said, "That is the courtyard where Attendant Zhang's legitimate grandson, Zhang Benwu, lives. I asked the servant who led us around in the afternoon."

Qin Shaoyou nodded: "Let's get closer and take a look."

Under Zhu Xiuzai's lead, the group successfully bypassed the guards and sneaked to the outside of a room in the center of the courtyard, quietly climbing onto the roof.

There were no guards near this room, but it was clear that all the guards in the courtyard were guarding this room.

This was very strange.

Could it be that the person inside didn't want them to get too close, afraid they might see something they shouldn't?

Qin Shaoyou and the others, curious and suspicious, found a spot on the roof that was hard to notice, gently lifted a few tiles, and created a small gap.

Through this small gap, they peered into the room.

What they saw made their pupils dilate.

It was a study, filled with books collected by Attendant Zhang over the years, piled high.

A person was sitting in the center of the room, with candles lit on either side and a drawing board in front of him. He was carefully drawing with a brush.

His expression was focused and serious.

Upon closer inspection, the drawing board was not holding a piece of paper but a human skin!

From head to toe, it was complete, as if from a living person.

The person in the room was not drawing a picture but painting the skin!

Painting Zhang Benwu's skin!