Chapter Twenty-Seven: The One Who Coexists with Evil (Part I)

"Are you certain?"

Li Yu stepped out from the ship's cabin and looked toward the heavily guarded soldiers on the pier, his tone tinged with disbelief.

"The intelligence is flawless, though we have yet to determine exactly who is harboring it," the spirit-painting woman replied, her voice cold and detached. She followed behind Li Yu, watched with wary eyes by Qin Fang.

"I don't understand..." Li Yu gazed at the sparse lights of North Sea City across the water. "Given the price the Yuchi family has paid, they should be mortal enemies with such an evil entity. How could they possibly coexist?"

"No one knows the answer to that," the woman shook her head. "Ancient texts record that anyone possessed by this evil entity, regardless of their prior disposition or character—even a saint revered by all—will inevitably conspire with it. One moment they are sworn enemies, the next they are its loyal lackeys. There are no exceptions."

"Could it be soul substitution?" Qin Fang asked, his brow furrowed.

There were indeed evil beings in this world capable of attaching themselves to human bodies and usurping their intellect.

"Soul substitution is a complete takeover of the body, but this evil thing is different. The host of a symbiotic bond retains their original sanity and memories. We have tested this: those who are parasitized exhibit no changes in memory or personality, leaving no flaws. When the evil spirit departs, the host survives—this is clearly not soul substitution. Furthermore..."

"Furthermore what?" Li Yu looked back, curious.

"Furthermore, once the evil entity leaves, the host becomes frantically obsessed with finding it, as if that parasitic spirit were the greatest treasure in the world."

"Such a thing exists?" Li Yu looked at her. "Did you not try to interrogate them?"

"It was useless..." The woman sighed and shook her head again. "We tried various methods. Those who have been possessed refuse to reveal any information about the monster, no matter how cruel the torture. To this day, we do not understand what that monster does to its hosts to make them so bewitched."

"I see..." Li Yu turned his gaze back to North Sea City. "To think such things exist in this world... Qin Fang!"

"I am here, Your Highness."

"Inform the other side. I am giving them one day. If the Yuchi family cannot provide an explanation by the hour of the Rat tomorrow, I will take full control of North Sea City."

"Understood."

"And tell them to stop holding that man named Long. Send someone over and tell him I wish to see him!"

***

"Third Master, that man named Zhang clearly has ulterior motives!"

In a secret chamber within the Yuchi estate, Yuchi Hong’s face was dark and terrifying. Had Master Luo not stopped him earlier, he would have punished that magistrate for his fear-mongering on the spot!

Master Luo’s expression was also grim, but he was not as volatile as Yuchi Hong; instead, his eyes held a contemplative look, as if he were recalling something.

"Third Master?" Yuchi Hong frowned. "You don't actually believe that brat? You truly think someone in the Yuchi family would conspire with that evil entity?"

On the list, besides his own father, the most likely candidates for possession were his eldest brother, his mother Lady Yan, or his third and fourth brothers...

None of them were capable of such madness.

"But some of the facts align," Master Luo sighed.

***

"Third Master..." It was the first time Yuchi Hong had spoken to Master Luo with such a heavy tone. "Do you truly think Father or my eldest brother would conspire with an evil entity?"

Setting aside the citizens of North Sea City, more than half of the Yuchi family had already died. They had perished from this plague, and their deaths were so wretched that even a hardened soldier like him had been unable to sleep for nights—let alone consider that his own kin could be involved.

To conspire with an evil entity meant that person had ignored the horrific deaths of their own kin. He did not believe anyone in the Yuchi family could be such a beast, yet he was shocked to see hesitation in Master Luo.

He had lived in the Yuchi house for so long; he had watched his eldest brother and his younger brothers grow up. Anyone could be suspected, but not them.

"Calm yourself..." Master Luo sighed.

"How can I be calm when even you suspect them?"

"I, too, did not believe it at first." Seeing the boy’s agitation, Master Luo realized that if he did not explain himself, he might lose the trust of the only person left in the Yuchi family capable of making decisions.

"At first?" Yuchi Hong, though seemingly boorish, was actually quite perceptive and immediately caught the nuance in his words.

"The magistrate’s words reminded me of things from the past."

"Things from the past?" Yuchi Hong frowned, his excitement slightly tempered. Master Luo would not side with the other party without reason; he would hear him out.

"In truth, that evil entity... your father and I have seen it before."

"What??"

***

"Is what Magistrate Zhang said just now true?"

After the Yuchi family left in anger, the people from the Crown Prince’s mansion surrounded Zhang Rui. Unlike the Yuchi family, they did not blindly trust their own kin. In fact, they had long held suspicions. The outsiders in North Sea City had all perished; if this were the work of a sorcerer, it had to come from within. Yet, the people in the Crown Prince’s mansion knew each other’s roots well and believed there should be no traitors. Zhang Rui’s explanation, however, seemed logical to them.

"If you gentlemen suspect me, then I am not fit to stay here," Zhang Rui said, his expression turning cold.

He had already offended the Yuchi family. If the Crown Prince’s men also doubted him, he might as well return to Fuchun and take his family on the run while there was still time.

"Magistrate Zhang, please do not take offense..." A middle-aged man in black robes quickly calmed him and invited him to sit. Zhang Rui glanced at him. Before arriving, Chen Xiao had secretly introduced this man as the Chief Advisor to the Crown Prince’s mansion. He came from a prominent background, the eldest son of a famous family of sorcerers in the capital. His younger brother, Lu Yuan, had been a once-in-a-century genius, but unfortunately, he had died of the plague recently. His brother, Lu Sheng, had since become the head of the Crown Prince’s sorcerer advisor team.

"It is just that, as you said, the host remains conscious after being possessed. That means the host knew the monster inside them was harming those around them, yet they hid it. There must be a reason. If it were soul substitution, it would have been discovered long ago."

"It is not soul substitution..." Zhang Rui shook his head. "It is a partnership. That monster has always been in a partnership with its host."

"But the names on that list are all Yuchi family members..." Chen Xiao frowned. "Why would they cooperate with a monster that nearly wiped out their own family? Why betray the Crown Prince for a monster?"

"That, no one knows..." Zhang Rui shook his head. "I only know that those possessed by this monster tend to obey its every command, yet it is not soul substitution, so their original personality and memories remain unchanged."

"That is strange..." Lu Sheng frowned. "If it is not control through substitution, there must be a massive benefit. But what kind of benefit would make someone whose family was destroyed by a monster choose to cooperate with it?"

Zhang Rui shook his head. "I do not know."

The group frowned. After a moment of hesitation, one of the sorcerers broke the silence: "If Magistrate Zhang’s intelligence is correct and there are enemies within the Yuchi family, we must prepare for the worst."

Everyone’s expression turned heavy. They knew exactly what "the worst" meant.

Yuchi Peng, the martial artist closest to a Grandmaster in the world today, was the living symbol of the North Sea Army. If he were the opponent, it would be far more terrifying than facing Li Yu.

"If our opponent is Yuchi Peng, we have no choice but to recall General Long."

Hearing this, Zhang Rui asked curiously: "I heard before I came that General Long, who is by the Crown Prince’s side, is the eldest son of the former Marshal Long. Is he not with the Crown Prince now?"

Chen Xiao had briefed him on the situation. Since the Crown Prince established his mansion, major factions had sent their most promising heirs to curry favor with the heir apparent. For example, the Lu family had sent their genius Lu Yuan and their eldest son Lu Sheng, while the Long family, the first of the founding dukes, had sent their eldest son: Long Cheng.

The Long family had few heirs, and Long Cheng was the only son of his generation. After Marshal Long passed, he became the youngest duke in the Great Jin. His position was high: a Third-Rank General of Martial Might and Commissioner of the East Sea.

The Long family was one of the few thousand-year-old martial arts clans. Long Cheng possessed immense talent and, having inherited his family’s arts, had reached the level of a "half-step Grandmaster" before the age of thirty. Ten years ago, at the Great Tournament, he had defeated seven sect leaders in a row. He was hailed as being as close to a Grandmaster as Yuchi Peng!

How could such a figure not be by the Crown Prince’s side during such a critical moment?

"The Crown Prince has not yet been cured of the plague, so General Long was ordered to seek out Master Tianji..." Lu Sheng hesitated before sharing the information. Though this man named Zhang had a mysterious background, he appeared to be on the Crown Prince’s side for now, and a basic level of sincerity was required.

"Master Tianji..." Zhang Rui’s pupils constricted. Behind him, Murong Yunjie’s expression also changed.

"Do you know him, Magistrate Zhang?" Lu Sheng asked curiously.

Few in the world knew the name Master Tianji; it was only whispered among the elders of great sorcerer clans. How could this young man know of him?

Zhang Rui’s expression turned strange. Master Tianji... he naturally knew the name; it was a character from his discarded manuscript. But... chronologically speaking, the world of his manuscript was likely thousands of years old. Surely he couldn't have lived until now?

As they were speaking, Lu Sheng’s expression suddenly shifted. He opened his mouth wide and, in front of everyone, spat out a black crow!

Zhang Rui was stunned. Chen Xiao whispered an explanation: "This is a sorcery technique handed down by the Lu family. It can transmit messages over a hundred miles."

"Is it Long Cheng?" The other sorcerers in the room looked at the crow with excitement. Compared to the mysterious Zhang Rui, the people around Long Cheng were clearly more reliable.

"It is..." Lu Sheng coughed twice and opened the message attached to the crow’s leg. The moment he read it, his face changed.

"Did he find him?" the others asked cautiously.

Master Tianji was nearly impossible to track, but if General Long could find him, perhaps his legendary abilities could resolve this crisis.

Lu Sheng shook his head. "He did not find Master Tianji, but the Third Prince, Li Yu, has found Long Cheng, and says... he wants to cooperate with us!"

The room fell silent.