Third floor of XXX's district building.
Dried flakes of blood created a picturesque horror for its viewers as Chu Nuan glanced at the caked walls. Moistureless pieces of innards created dark bumps that gave an illusory impression of quivering corridors.
Chu Nuan: "... …"
Unfocused irises lowered away from the scene to stare down on the floor as the young woman followed behind everyone in silence. Appearing listless and uninterested in anything other than drowning in her own sentiments.
The air inside the office building is heavy with the foreboding sense of hatred and bloodlust. It grew with tension the closer they drew until finally arriving at the scene depicted in the photos.
As the one taking the lead, Man Tingshu gave each member of the team an affirmative nod before pushing aside the double glass doors.
In an unexpected instant, a gust of icy wind bursts through the entranceway followed by an eerie crash of dark fog.
Actions swift and without hesitation, Man Tingshu ignited a yellow talisman held between his index and middle finger.
Flinging the item immediately into the midst of that dark towering fog. The air around burst into a prompt shower of blue flames before returning back to quietness.
The mist is gone without a trace.
"The negative energy here is thick."
Man Tingshu scanned his keen sight once across the interior behind the doors before motioning to step in.
"It's fortunate that this building has been sealed off from outsiders the moment strange incidents have been detected. Otherwise, who knows how many people could be affected by this dense cover of energy."
The negative energy mentioned here is a change of the surrounding environment caused by the presence of a spiritual entity. This phenomenon could be induced by the appearance of either ghosts or demons.
For the sake of a better understanding, we'll use a ghost as an example.
If we were to compare a normal ghost to a small rock thrown onto the surface of a still lake.
The moment that small rock (the ghost) were to touch the exterior of the lake, a faint ripple would form.
That is the usual scenario for regular spirits whose presence barely affects the principles of this world. Average people would not even notice if a ghost were to stand beside them, staring down at them with pupiless eyes.
But there are always exceptions to this in many cases and they are referred to as malicious spirits.
Malicious ghosts were once lifeforms that bore great resentment to other living beings. Their hatred carried onto the afterlife which became a fuel for murderous actions.
Desiring nothing more than chaos and pain.
If regular spirits are akin to a small rock, then malicious spirits are similar to a boulder that makes a large splash.
The stronger a malicious ghost is, the more energy they give off. Which in turn affects the area around to the point that even normal people can feel the change.
Which goes back to the concept of negative energy, the aftereffects of a malicious spirit staying too long at a certain place.
Or in other words, the effect of the splash made by the boulder crashing against the surface of the lake.
It's dangerous for anyone to stay at a place filled with negative energy.
Light symptoms might only be a mere cold or fever but serious conditions might result in death.
"Everyone be careful." Man Tingshu's voice sounded out as the group spread into the wide office area to investigate. Each holding a talisman in hand in case more unexpected occurrences might happen.
Multiple alerted gazes swept across the room with furrowed brows and cautious strides, except for one.
"... …"
The windows in the chamber all had their binds pulled down for fear of outsiders peering in despite being on the fifth floor. A deep odor of rust and dust filled the air from days of neglect and abandonment.
Chu Nuan took a few steps towards the neat rows of desks to her right while indolent eyes scanned the area for signs of peculiarity.
Catching sight of the two dolls mentioned in the pages of information, the young woman drew close. Stopping a step away before scrutinizing the two items leaning side by side against each other as was shown in the pictures.
"They look uglier in real life." The young lady murmured under her voice with a scornful scrunch of the nose. Displaying her full distaste for such tomfoolery that is nothing more than petty tricks.
"Hm?" Just as Chu Nuan was about to reach out to touch one of those eerie dolls. Lithe fingers halted an inch away before pulling back with slight surprise.
"Is something wrong?" Xie Luochen was passing by when he heard a faint sound made by the young woman.
Mirroring the same look of solemness on Chu Nuan's face, the young man gripped tight on the yellow talisman in hand. Sharp eyes locked onto the two dolls as well while thin lips open to ask in a cautious tone.
"Did you discover something?"
"En." Chu Nuan gave a serious nod to Xie Luochen's question as obsidian irises flickered with slight specks of gold. It was only a momentary appearance for those sudden grains of hue.
Too quick to be noticed even for the youth standing close before dispersing back to absolute darkness.
"I just realized something…" The young woman whispered in an almost inaudible voice as she stared in a daze. Giving the young man an impression that the situation is more serious than first assumed.
"Is there something wrong with these dolls?" The youth glare at those too horrific stuffed figures as if trying to stare a hole into them. Mind whirling with numerous thoughts on what might be the problem in this current situation.
"Yeah… it's wrong…" The young woman continues to stare in a daze, not really hearing much of Xie Luochen's inquiry. However, the expression on the young woman's face lit up in a gradual process of jumbled thoughts and ideas.
Gaining some kind of unknown enlightenment that the youth could not detect as obsidian pupils finally blinked with a determined radiance.
"Yeah, your first impression of me was wrong. I finally know how to fix it."
Xie Luochen: "Huh?"
Before the young man could ask Chu Nuan to repeat what she'd just said. The slender digits that were hovering above the two dolls tapped twice upon its body.
With that as the center, a wave of invisible energy felt but unable to be seen ripples in the air. Revealing two strands of dark ghostly energy at the same juncture akin to snakes wrapping around the neck of the dolls.
"What is this?"
"What's happening?"
Hurrying over to assess the situation, Man Tingshu and Rong Cheng both took out multiple talismans in preparation for battle.
But seeing how calm Chu Nuan is despite that eerie energy baring its fangs at the young woman. The other three members assumed the situation is something that is still within their control.
Thereby waited with curiosity on the side for the young lady to explain their misgivings.
"A curse is casted on those dolls." Chu Nuan explained in a pondering tone.
"What? How come we never noticed?!" Man Tingshu widened his eyes in bewilderment as his fingers unconsciously twitched with the urge to grab the dolls. Wanting to check for himself only to suppress those compulsions as he understood that it should be the truth.
Why would the envoy lie about something like this?
"It's not a surprise to miss this detail during the investigation," Chu Nuan comforted while picking up the male doll. "The way this curse was placed is a little tricky."
Chu Nuan clasped a hand around the neck of the dark energy that had formed itself into the shape of a snake. It tried to lunge at the young woman to no avail as she tightened her grip with a simple twist.
Shattering that snake into a shower of black mist. "The person or thing who planted this curse didn't want it to be discovered so quickly."
"Just a small grain of resentment was put inside both of these little toys. Allowing them to absorb more hatred and resentment in the area until sprouting like a small seed."
"The amount of negative energy inserted is not enough to be easily detected so you don't need to feel guilty. No actual harm was done either way as the dolls still needed at least a few more days before the curse can be activated."
"By then it would be too late to do anything."
Man Tingshu: "... …"
The man listened in silence to Chu Nuan's sentences while releasing a quiet sigh of relief. It was the right call to ask for assistance.
"So, Xu Qianqian was the one that placed this curse? Where could she be right now?" Rong Cheng asked while watching the young lady twist the neck off of the other snake.
Tugging on the strand of dark mist, Chu Nuan shrugged her shoulders with a careless tilt of the head. "Who knows, probably hiding somewhere in a corner watching us. Ghosts can't easily leave the place they died at unless they become powerful enough to break free."
Flinging her hands to disperse the dark energy clinging to the skin, the young woman proceeded to say. "I can't seem to detect her presence in the building for some reason…"
Murmuring under her breath, the tip of an index finger reached out to tap on the black beads embedded in the dolls. Those plastic eyes resounded with a dull thud following each rasping motion of that nail.
Entertaining the young woman until she gouged those beady eyes out with an index and thumb. All four beads on the dolls rolled to the ground like trash as Chu Nuan kicked them away with nonchalance.
"Since we all know that she is still inside this building somewhere, we should come back later after thinking of a plan."
The other members of the team nodded in agreement before proceeding to leave.
_____
First floor lobby.
"What should we do now?" Rong Cheng asked.
"We need to find out where exactly Xu Qianqian is hiding first before anything else." Man Tingshu clarifies in a perplexed tone.
Chu Nuan glanced at the glaring sun outside before suggesting they move their conversation elsewhere.
"She might have already realized that the curse on those dolls is already neutralized by us. Since the sun is still high in the sky, she can't come out to check right now but-"
"But it might be different when night comes." Xie Luochen finished the rest of Chu Nuan's sentence with a contemplative nod.
"Then we should come back later!" Rong Cheng answered in a cheery tone, "let's find something to eat first, I'm famished! Let's eat fried chicken!"
"We should eat something more nutritional instead of junk food." As the second senior brother of the two youths, the man denied with an authoritative tone while the group proceeded to exit.
Just as the two senior and junior brothers were in the midst of bickering about lunch, a sudden ringtone captured their attention.
"It's a text from our master." The second eldest of the disciples took out his phone to read with a serious expression.
"I want to see too." Rong Cheng leaned on Man Tingshu's arm to read with curiosity.
Leaving Chu Nuan and Xie Luochen to wait on the side.
Chu Nuan: "... …"
Seeing the two being occupied, Xie Luochen turned towards Chu Nuan to ask. "You seem to be thinking about something."
Pulled out of her thoughts by his inquiry, Chu Nuan curved her lips into a light smile, "nothing much, there are a few things I'm trying to figure out.
The curse, for example.
Xu Qianqian formed a string of ghostly energy connecting Xiao Ming and Su Ya's spirit to the dolls.
That itself isn't anything worth mentioning, but the strange part is how she is able to connect that strand of energy in the first place.
It must be mentioned that Xu Qianqian died not too long ago under the assumption of suicide.
Regardless of whether or not she had turned into a malicious spirit on suspicions of her death. It's almost impossible for a week old ghost to have such skills.
That itself is very odd… odd and quite familiar…
"What does this mean?"
Just as Chu Nuan was pondering in silence over a sudden flash of intuition, the voice of the other two members fractured her train of thought.
"What is it?" Xie Luochen asked.
"Well…" The duo flitted a glance at the silent envoy before speaking in a lowered tone in which Chu Nuan can still hear clearly.
"We received a strange text from master. Take a look." Man Tingshu turned the screen towards the youth for him to read.
[Hey. Tell me the truth, did you guys offended Envoy Chu!!?]
[Did you???]
[How is her mood right now? From one to ten, tell me how mad she is with one being furious and ten being murderous.]
[Wait! Don't tell me. Pretend I never asked. Don't ask her. I repeat! Don't ask her how she is feeling!]
[I'm leaving.]
Xie Luochen: "...?"
"What do you think this means?"
Rong Cheng sent a furtive glance the young lady's way before whispering to his sect brothers with a gossipy tone. "Don't you think there is something fishy going on with the envoy and master? I mean, can't you see how careful he's acting? Like a mouse to a cat?"
Chu Nuan: "... …"
"Well I certainly never seen master acting this way to anyone else. But then again, he rarely leaves the temple." Man Tingshu added with an equally curious gleam in his eyes.
Rong Cheng: "Hey, Luochen! Was this what you meant this morning when you called Envoy Chu mother?"
Xie Luochen: "En."
Rong Cheng: "Wow! No wonder our master's single for so long! He was actually hiding this secret from us!"
Man Tingshu: "Sshh! Lower your voice! Didn't Envoy Chu tell us not to call her mother? Maybe she wants to keep it a secret for now! We have to pretend not to know anything!"
Rong Cheng: "You're right! Ssh!!"
Chu Nuan: "... …"
You guys… I can hear everything.