Volume One, Chapter 7: Mystery in the Locked Room

On a high mountain in the southwest of Shu, there exists a creature resembling a monkey, known as the “Mahua.” It lurks on paths frequented by traveling women of beauty, stealthily abducting them without anyone’s knowledge. This creature can distinguish the scent of males and females, so it only takes women, leaving men unscathed. Once it seizes a woman, she becomes part of its household. Those taken who bear no children never return in their lifetime.

Qin Zheng stared at the gray silhouette of the beast, his mind awash with rushing memories—yet he grew even more confused, for these were the memories of Qin Conan, not Qin Xuezha. As a would-be expert in folklore studies, he was all too familiar with ancient legends of ferocious beasts, especially this one, notorious for its vile deeds of preying on men’s wives and daughters.

Even in later times, some remote southwestern regions preserved tales of the “Mahua,” with villagers occasionally performing special rites, praying for the creature to stay away from their beloved wives and daughters. Strangely, the legend only recounted the “Mahua’s” abduction of women, never mentioning any deity or immortal who subdued or eradicated it—an exceedingly rare omission.

But I’m already in Daning; how could I encounter this beast from a past-life textbook?

Yet Qin Zheng gazed at the “Mahua,” and the “Mahua” gazed back at him.

With no time to ponder further, he scanned the wide, empty meadow around him, gritted his teeth, and steeled himself to leap into the dark, narrow cave entrance.

Immediately, beside him came the dull thuds of falling bodies—Cui Guangyuan, thrown into the chamber and moaning faintly in unconsciousness, followed by the light, floating descent of Xie Qingluan.

Clearly, whether it was the Dali Court officials left outside or Xie Qingluan, they all shared the same grim assessment—

If even the formidable Cui Guangyuan had been reduced to a lifeless wreck by the “Mahua,” then no one standing in the open field outside could escape its deadly grasp. The only chance for survival lay in following the many skilled Embroidered Uniform Guards into this cramped secret passage.

Over a dozen Dali Court officials immediately drew their waist knives, shielding Cui Guangyuan in the rear, forming a tight, mutually protective battle formation, eyes fixed intently on the cave mouth above, ready for combat.

Xie Qingluan’s aura surged around her, the small cinnabar furnace floating beside her, its pale blue flame swirling, casting eerie phosphorescent light upon the chamber’s interior.

Suddenly, soil tumbled down from the cave mouth overhead, and the “Mahua” clawed its way to peer inside, its simian face nearly pressing against the tips of their blades. With a strangely human expression of complexity, it fixed its gaze on Qin Zheng.

The air fell deathly silent, as if both sides were locked in a standoff. Everyone was so tense they dared not breathe, only Cui Guangyuan twitched feebly like a dying dog.

The “Mahua” appeared fierce and menacing, seemingly ready to leap in the next moment and reduce them all to the same vegetative state as Cui Guangyuan.

Yet Qin Zheng, staring back into its gaze and inhaling the pungent odor from its mouth, felt his scalp prickling with dread—Why the hell are you staring at me? Cui Guangyuan was the one who struck you, and you’re clearly a lecherous fiend…

Sweat beaded down his forehead; terror consumed him utterly, yet his body trembled more fiercely, as if fear had ignited a furious fire within. He instinctively bent his knees, clenched his right fist, poised like a beast preparing for a desperate fight.

Then suddenly, the “Mahua’s” simian face showed a human-like startle; it abruptly withdrew its head from the cave mouth, retreating into the shadows.

Qin Zheng’s heart loosened, nearly fainting on the spot. He exhaled deeply, the joy of surviving flooding him, only then realizing his back was soaked with cold sweat.

Xie Qingluan softly exclaimed, “Look, it’s afraid!”

Go to hell, you fake magician; you didn’t even dare to unleash your little flame…

Qin Zheng shot her a sidelong glance and strode deeper into the narrow passage, unwilling to linger under the “Mahua’s” gaze. He scoffed, “It’s afraid of you?”

“I’ve been observing its aura; it truly is afraid!” Xie Qingluan caught up to him, unusually eager to explain, “I didn’t dare act rashly to avoid provoking it. If its fear were broken, though I might escape into the chamber, you all would be doomed!”

She shook her head slightly, pondering, “It’s not afraid of me—I’m only a seventh-grade magician, while Lord Cui has the power of a fourth-grade.”

After a brief pause, she looked intently at Qin Zheng, her eyes sharp, “And ever since it rushed out of the chamber, it’s only looked at you—not once at the rest of us!”

It’s afraid of me? —I’m fucking terrified out of my mind!

Though Qin Zheng had now become Qin Conan in spirit, he dared not delve into that line of thought, suppressing his doubts. “We shouldn’t linger here. We must quickly regroup with Yang Fengqing and the others.”

Xie Qingluan hurriedly glanced back at the Dali Court officials. Her clear voice rang out, “You take Lord Cui and cover our retreat!”

Though Qin Zheng held her in little esteem, the Dali Court officials regarded her as a celestial figure from the Astronomical Bureau and followed orders without question. Besides, none wished to remain beneath the “Mahua’s” lurking cave mouth.

Cautiously, Qin Zheng led the way, using Xie Qingluan’s small flame to illuminate the dark surroundings, occasionally touching the walls and the stone floor, growing increasingly uneasy.

The black passage was cold and damp, eerily silent as a tomb. Adult-sized iron chains were fastened to the walls, extending down the seemingly endless corridor.

What kind of secret chamber have I stumbled upon?

Glancing back at the officials, Qin Zheng confirmed the seemingly flat stone slabs actually curved downward, forcing them to descend gradually.

Xie Qingluan, alert beside him, frowned in disbelief. “Is the chamber really this large?”

Qin Zheng sighed as he touched the chains. “The floor is square, but we keep descending deeper.”

Tilting her head, Xie Qingluan asked, “What do you mean?”

Meaning your middle school geometry failed you, and you’re unfit to inherit the Qin family’s ancestral knowledge...

Qin Zheng gave up debating her and tapped the chains again. “When your Astronomical Bureau inspected the site, didn’t they say there was no demonic aura?”

“There truly was none. That creature isn’t a demon!” Xie Qingluan frowned, considering carefully. “Our Bureau catalogs all demons under heaven; this beast isn’t in our records. It moves by sheer physical strength alone, more like warriors before they can sense the primal energies of the world…”

No information on the “Mahua” in the Astronomical Bureau either?

A flicker of thought stirred in Qin Zheng. Then again, that means I can profit from my ancestral knowledge once more. But first, I have to survive this ordeal...

Just then, his pupils contracted sharply. Under the dim firelight, he spotted a pile of fragmented flesh ahead!

The pieces were neatly cubed, shriveled to dryness, with no blood scent—only faint traces of gray fur remained.

Xie Qingluan gasped softly, “This is Lord Cui’s ‘Vast Net of Law’ technique!”

Qin Zheng inhaled sharply; Cui Guangyuan’s technique was so potent it had torn the “Mahua” apart!

No, rather, such a powerful man as Cui Guangyuan had been reduced to a wreck by the “Mahua”!

And clearly, there was more than one “Mahua” in the chamber. Then ahead…

Qin Zheng’s heart pounded as he pressed forward, reassured that no traps remained after Lord Cui’s magic. After several steps, he suddenly halted in a space lit by several scattered torches, roughly the size of a basketball court.

The torchlight flickered, casting uncertain shadows across the clearing.

His heart sank—could the Embroidered Uniform Guards already be dead?

He quickly dismissed the thought; Yang Fengqing’s formidable presence earlier suggested otherwise.

Shaking the chains on the wall, Qin Zheng found they ended in earthen pits around the chamber’s edges, though nothing remained connected to them.

He picked up a torch and carefully examined the chamber, growing more perplexed.

There were three earthen pits, each buried with twenty-four chains, all now fallen off, revealing no clues to what they once restrained. Extending from these chains were twenty-four corridors, all marked with signs of fierce combat.

The chamber’s layout became clear: a central hall the size of a basketball court, with twenty-four corridors radiating outward.

Rubbing his temples, Qin Zheng speculated boldly: if this was the “Mahua’s” lair, could its sudden appearance be linked to the chains breaking free? Previously, the “Mahua” had been sealed in these pits by chains, but for some unknown reason, the chains broke, allowing it to escape and wreak havoc.

One corridor connected to the Jiaofang Department, and the other twenty-three led to twelve other crime scenes.

The key was, Yang Fengqing and his team had given chase but found no sign of the “Mahua.” Which corridor did it escape through?

If they chose wrong and ran into “Mahua” inside the corridors…

They needed tracking dogs!

Qin Zheng glanced at Xie Qingluan, still examining the chamber, and sighed helplessly, “We lost their trail; Yang Fengqing must have returned to the surface through another corridor.”

“I remember his aura!” Xie Qingluan’s eyes sparkled with a tone of “Finally, you can make use of me,” as she beckoned, “Follow me!”

Casting a glance back at the trailing Dali officials, she led them down a narrow corridor diagonally ahead.

Qin Zheng’s expression brightened. You truly are a good… junior.

But just as they entered the corridor, about ten feet ahead a shadow flickered. A “Mahua,” on all fours, stretched its neck and shook its monkey face, blocking their path!

Its deep, crimson eyes flickered with a dark, inscrutable expression, staring fixedly at Qin Zheng.

Trapped on this narrow path with no escape, countless thoughts flashed through Qin Zheng’s mind—no way out, and even fleeing would mean being chased down relentlessly.

Finally, he steadied his breath and lunged forward, resolved to fight to the death, with one final realization burning in his heart—Junior sister has led me into this!