Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

Lu Ye bought several baskets of hot steamed buns from a breakfast shop at the town entrance and distributed them to everyone. The baskets of buns at the entrance, steaming and swirling, finally gathered together and floated into the sky.

Shen Xun, in the passenger seat of 2045, watched the steam rising from the steamed buns. But what he was thinking about was the evil aura drifting from the Mohe River towards Xishan'ao.

Lin Jian sat in the back seat, holding his grandfather's notebook. Bai Wuchang sat next to Lin Jian, looking at it together. Lu Ye gripped the steering wheel, a half-eaten bun dangling from his mouth.

The moment the car started, he pressed the walkie-talkie to contact Xiao Bu in the back and confirm the route.

The convoy slowly drove away from Mangui Town and plunged into the vast forests of the Greater Khingan Mountains.

The mountain forest was eerily quiet after the snowfall, with only the crunching of wheels over the snow and the low rumble of engines.

The larch and birch trees on both sides of the road are crowded together, with icicles hanging from their branches. When the wind blows, they make a tinkling sound, just like the broken copper bell of Aoluya.

The deeper you go, the fewer people there are. Most of the forest ranger stations along the road are empty, with broken doors and windows, half-covered by snow, like abandoned skeletons.

Lin Jian flipped through his grandfather's notebook, but couldn't concentrate on reading a single word.

From the alleys of Hangzhou to the frozen riverbank, to the unfinished high-rise buildings, and now to the Greater Khingan Mountains, in just a few days, she seemed to have lived a lifetime like most people.

"Shen Xun," she suddenly spoke, looking at the man in front of her who was resting with his eyes closed, "where do you think my grandfather is? He didn't specify in his notebook, only that he was hiding from Su Jin. The red talisman in the high-rise building was Su Jin's way of finding his location. He entered the high-rise building with the help of the high shaman, without being detected by Su Jin."

Shen Xun opened his eyes, his sunglasses sliding down to the tip of his nose, revealing his pale golden pupils. He looked at Lin Jian and nodded slightly: "I can't see your grandfather's causal line clearly; it's very faint. That means he's deliberately hiding it."

Shen Xun adjusted his sunglasses. "Perhaps he's observing our every move from the shadows right now."

Lin Jian bit her lip and looked out the window. She didn't say anything.

The White Impermanence floated onto Shen Xun's shoulder again, picked up a hawthorn preserve and held it to his lips, saying softly, "Shen Xun, eat some to replenish your strength. Once we find that belt, I'll help you fight Su Jin! I'm really powerful now; I can devour all his evil spirits!"

Shen Xun opened his mouth and bit into the candied fruit. The sweet and sour taste spread in his mouth, but it was different from before. A trace of warmth finally rose in his depleted meridians. He raised his hand and gently rubbed the top of Bai Wuchang's head. He didn't say anything, but the tenderness in his eyes could not be hidden.

He knew that Bai Wuchang had infused his spiritual power into each piece of dried fruit.

After finishing the bag of dried fruit, the paleness on Shen Xun's face finally disappeared, replaced by a rosy complexion.

His golden blood has been mostly restored. It now seems that the evil tides devoured by Bai Wuchang have provided him with considerable assistance.

He made the right choice.

Ye Zhuo sat in the front pickup truck, having just finished eating steamed buns. She looked out the window at the rapidly receding shadows of the trees and stared at her phone screen, which displayed a photo of her and Xiao Yuan, both wearing camouflage training uniforms.

She knew in her heart that Xiao Yuan chose to escort the uncle to the provincial capital partly to atone for his sins, and partly because he was afraid that his soul-controlling talisman would activate and implicate everyone. She gritted her teeth and finally put her phone away, the softness in her eyes fading, leaving only a cold and firm resolve.

Once Su Jin is dealt with, she will definitely free Xiao Yuan completely from the shackles of the Soul Control Talisman.

The car sped through the depths of the forest, the sun gradually sinking in the west, dyeing the horizon a deep orange-red. By the time the convoy finally reached the foot of Xishan'ao Mountain, it was completely dark.

At the foot of the mountain stands a solitary forest ranger station, with mud-brick houses, wooden fences, and piles of dry firewood in the yard. The doors and windows are tightly closed, and there is not a single light, like a wild beast lurking in the darkness.

Behind the forest ranger station lies the rolling western mountain valley, where the dark forests form a massive barrier in the night, concealing countless untold secrets.

The road ahead was blocked by a dense thicket of trees, preventing the vehicle from moving forward. Just as Lu Ye brought the car to a stop, his walkie-talkie suddenly rang. After a crackling sound, Xiao Bu's urgent voice came through: "Captain Lu! Captain Lu! Can you hear me?!"

"I can hear you, speak." Lu Ye immediately pressed the call button, and everyone in the car held their breath.

"The team members' night vision goggles detected movement in the woods from afar. I just launched a drone to scan the woods below, and the thermal imaging showed at least three ambush points around the forest ranger station. Judging from the outlines, they were all carrying crossbows. They must be the assassins that Captain Lu mentioned, right there in the woods next to the ranger station, in three different directions!"

Xiao Bu's voice, though crackling with static, was clear and distinct: "Their objective is clear: to block your path into the mountains!"

Lin Jian's heart leaped into her throat. She instinctively put her grandfather's notebook into her bag and clutched the Polaroid camera tightly in her arms.

Ye Zhuo received the message on her walkie-talkie and immediately put on her night vision goggles. Her sharp gaze swept towards the direction of the forest ranger station. She could indeed see several rustling figures in the woods not far away.

She gripped the composite bow in her hand, nocked an arrow, and was ready to fire at any moment.

Ao Luya unbuckled her seatbelt and touched the deer bone knife hilt. She turned and looked at the white deer through the pickup truck's rear window. The white deer lay in the back, the flame in its eyes unusually calm against the night sky.

Old Gu took the walkie-talkie from Ye Zhuo and asked, "What do we do now?"

A moment later, Lu Ye's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "The drone is flying very high. They probably don't know that we've already discovered their ambush. It looks like they're planning to launch a sneak attack when we're least on guard."

"The assassins have already occupied advantageous terrain and are just waiting for us to climb the mountain. Maintain a good angle, use the forest ranger station and cars as cover to prevent sneak attacks. Let's go into the forest ranger station to assemble and discuss our next strategy," Shen Xun decided.

The group quickly disembarked, exiting from the side furthest from the assassins. 2045 and the forest ranger station blocked most of the firing angles. For the assassins to hit them at that distance was virtually impossible.

Shen Xun held his breath and focused his attention on the room. After confirming that there was nothing unusual, he reached out and pushed the door open.

A lock hung on the door, but it was so badly corroded that it crumbled into pieces with the slightest pull, falling to the ground.

Shen Xun opened the door, and the group entered the house. Bai Lu followed the others inside.

Lu Ye turned on the powerful flashlight, illuminating the room brightly.

The beam of light swept across the mottled wall, where most of the plaster had peeled off, revealing the adobe bricks underneath.

Everyone froze upon seeing the dense writing on the wall. Near the wooden bed, the remaining plaster was covered with the same name, written in countless strokes.

Leaves are scorched. Leaves are scorched. Leaves are scorched.

Many "Ye Zhuo" characters overlapped and flooded into everyone's eyes.

Old Gu's throat bobbed as he looked at Ye Zhuo. Lu Ye's flashlight swayed, its beam sweeping across the wall and casting a flickering shadow. Lin Jian gripped his Polaroid camera, instinctively glancing at Ye Zhuo beside him. Ao Luya frowned, seemingly trying to recall something.

Ye Zhuo was completely stunned.

She stood in the center of the room, staring at the walls covered with her own name, as if struck by lightning. Her hands and feet turned ice-cold, and her mind went completely blank. She had never been to this place before, never.

But the handwriting was eerily familiar, especially the vigorous strokes—exactly the same as the handwriting in Grandpa's notebook. "What...what's going on?"

Lu Ye's voice was hoarse with disbelief, "Who would write your name all over the walls of the forest ranger station?" Ye Zhuo did not answer.

Her gaze swept over the walls covered with names and landed on the wall next to it. There were no words there, only a drawing, the strokes simple, seemingly drawn by a child. It was crooked and uneven, yet still clear.

The painting depicts an adult and a little girl with pigtails. A fawn stands at the man's feet. In the lower right corner, a line of small, crooked writing reads: "Little Ye Zhuo is five years old."

The floodgates of memory burst open. Ye Zhuo's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground. She remembered. She remembered everything.

That painting was done by her grandfather, holding her hand, stroke by stroke.

She remembered it very clearly. Although she was very young, her grandfather brought back a fawn that day. The fawn was covered in blood, and she was so frightened that she cried loudly.

After some time, a grandmother came to the forest ranger station and took the little white deer away. She was heartbroken and cried incessantly. The grandfather held a deer bone pendant that the grandmother had given him.

The pendant kept dangling in front of her eyes, barely managing to stop her wailing.

Later, her grandfather taught her to draw, and he painted this picture on the wall. She was only five years old that year, but she remembers it very clearly.

"I remember..." Ye Zhuo's voice trembled uncontrollably, "I remember this painting. I lived here when I was a child. My grandfather was a forest ranger." She looked at the rough wooden floor under the wooden bed.

"Later, when he went to Hangzhou, he always told me that there was a secret passage under the wooden bed at the forest ranger station that led to the fairy tree on the back mountain."

She walked quickly to the old wooden bed in the corner of the room and reached out to touch the bed frame. "This is the bed. I remember. Grandpa would put me on this bed when he went out on patrol."

Shen Xun stepped forward, his brows furrowing slightly behind his sunglasses, and placed a hand on Ye Zhuo's shoulder: "It should be right. Move the bed and see if the secret passage is there." Shen Xun said in a deep voice.

Old Gu and Lu Ye immediately stepped forward and together moved the heavy wooden bed to the side. The ground under the bed was indeed different; the gaps around one of the planks were larger than the others, and there were signs that it had been pried open.

Shen Xun inserted the peach wood staff into the gap and pried it upwards. The wooden board popped up, revealing a dark hole.

A damp, earthy scent mixed with a faint aroma of pine wafted from the cave entrance. The passage was narrow, allowing only one person to pass by bending over; it was pitch black inside and its depths were unfathomable.

Lu Ye peeked out and turned to Shen Xun, saying, "Brother Shen, I'll have the team stay behind to guard the forest station. It's easy to defend and difficult to attack here. With the vehicles and the forest station as cover, it's enough to hold off those assassins." Shen Xun thought for a moment and immediately nodded. Everyone else also nodded in agreement, thinking the plan was feasible.

He picked up the walkie-talkie and pressed the talk button: "Xiao Bu, please respond if you hear me."

"Roger that, Captain Lu," Little Bu's voice came through immediately.

"Drive to the forest ranger station immediately and take precautions. Fly the drone over the station with continuous illumination, focusing on monitoring the three ambush points. If anyone shows their head, shoot them with a compound bow. These people are ruthless killers; don't fight them head-on."

Lu Ye's voice carried an unquestionable command: "Tell the monkeys, not to kill anyone, just to hold the forest ranger station and prevent a single assassin from breaking in."

"clear!"

Almost simultaneously, the team's two off-road vehicles accelerated towards the forest ranger station. Monkey slammed on the brakes and came to a smooth stop behind 2045. The pickup truck, 2045, the two black off-road vehicles, and the forest ranger station formed a circle.

With the added surveillance from drones and night vision devices, even the most seasoned assassins would have to face several composite bows if they tried to break in.

Just then, the monkey's night vision goggles spotted two dark figures approaching from two directions in the woods ahead. They were there to scout.

"Attention everyone, the assassin is approaching. Set up a perimeter. Little Bu, and the brothers, set up the lighting equipment. Up to the maximum to maximize the illumination range!" Monkey devised the battle plan.

The team members immediately sprang into action, unloading four sets of large, assembled outdoor LED work lights from the trunk of the off-road vehicle and beginning their setup. The power cords were plugged into the vehicle's external power outlet.

"Captain Lu, we're in position. Don't worry, we'll definitely hold the forest ranger station." Monkey knocked on the door and entered the forest ranger station.

Lu Ye gripped the baton at his waist, looked at the monkey and nodded, "You're in charge here."

He turned to Shen Xun and said, "Brother Shen, the team is in position. With them here, we can go ahead without worry." Shen Xun looked at him, then at the monkey. He nodded slightly.

Shen Xun looked at Ao Luya and said, "What about Bai Lu?" The secret passage was too narrow and underground, so Bai Lu couldn't get through.

Ao Luya was extremely anxious. Her brows were furrowed; she couldn't leave the white deer alone here. She didn't want to think about what might happen to it...

The white deer snorted, and the beastly growl returned. "You...go first...the white deer and I...will stay here..."

It shook its head, exhaling another puff of white breath from its nostrils. "These bad guys... I'll deal with them... Then I'll... come find you..."

Looking into its eyes, into the flame, Ao Luya felt much more at ease. The white deer was no longer the same; it now possessed the scales of a wild beast and the ability to regenerate. She figured even the assassins couldn't harm it.

Ye Zhuo took one last look at the names on the wall, then at the painting, and looked at Lin Jian: "Lin Jian, could you please use your camera to save the names and painting on the wall for me?"

She gritted her teeth and was the first to bend down and crawl into the passage. Shen Xun followed closely behind, and Bai Wuchang also floated out, clinging tightly to his back, burying her face in the crook of his neck, not daring to even breathe.

Lin Jian raised her camera, pressed the shutter, and the image on the wall was clearly preserved on the ejected photographic paper. She took out her phone, copied it, and saved it. Then she saw several messages from Demon King Dong, which she hadn't noticed before.

He hadn't noticed it himself, but it was too late to check now. He'd deal with it later, and then walked into the passageway.

Old Gu and Lu Ye were the last to come in, and they casually pulled the wooden planks back into place, blocking the entrance to the passage.

Two dark figures outside had already reached the edge of the woods, peeking out from time to time to observe.

The flash of light from the forest ranger station had alerted them to something amiss. They could no longer contain themselves.

The people in the secret passage knew that the immortal tree at the end was waiting for them, and Su Jin was also waiting.