SES Chapter 156

Chapter 156

Just moments earlier, the fifth Cursed Slip had been right within their reach — practically at arm’s length. But without anyone realizing it, Ya Feng, calm and composed, had made her move right under their noses — sacrificing her pawn to protect her king — and somehow smuggled the cursed slip away.

It was like having prey right between your teeth, only for it to shatter your fangs and slip free, leaving you bleeding and furious, with nothing to do but swallow the taste of your own defeat.

Cao Yanhua grew anxious. “We have to hurry back to the village — we need to find Qingshan!”

Ya Feng gave a cold, disdainful laugh.

Luo Ren sighed inwardly. If Qingshan had “escaped,” then there was no chance he’d return to the village. The mission had failed at the final step. Luo Ren himself felt a wave of frustration, but seeing Yan Hongsha and the others hanging their heads, he tried to ease the mood.

“It’s fine,” he said lightly. “You can run for a while, but you can’t run forever. We’ve already sealed four slips — it’s only a matter of time before we get the fifth.”

As he spoke, he noticed something in Ya Feng’s eyes — a flash of pride.

Luo Ren’s heart sank.

That look meant she was confident — maybe she still had a backup plan waiting to be sprung.

Still, if she was arrogant enough to show it, maybe she was also foolish enough to take the bait.

After a moment’s thought, Luo Ren deliberately spoke as if victory were already certain. “Four down already — more than half. Getting the rest should be easy.”

Ya Feng gave a sharp, mocking laugh. “Easy? You don’t even know if you can hold onto the ones you’ve got.”

Luo Ren smiled faintly. “Oh, they’ll stay put. Once they’ve been drained dry, they’ll never rise again.”

Ya Feng finally lost her composure. “You think you’ve really trapped them? The only thing that can truly contain the Cursed Slips is the Phoenix Lock. Whatever tricks you’re using, you can’t break the rule of the seven sevens.”

“What’s ‘the seven sevens’?” Luo Ren asked calmly.

Ya Feng’s lips curved into a smirk. “No harm telling you. Many secrets about the cursed slips revolve around the number seven — seven means completion. I know you’re using phoenix blood to bind the slips right now. But tell me, how long do you think that will last?”

Her smile grew eerie, her voice dropping to a whisper. “The seven sevens — at most forty-nine days. After that, the phoenix blood barrier will collapse… and once it does, it’ll never work again.”

Luo Ren raised a brow. “Really? Funny, I could’ve sworn it’s already been more than forty-nine days since we caught the first slip.”

“That’s because you sealed another one before the forty-nine days were up,” she replied smugly. “As long as a new slip is subdued within that time, the countdown resets — starting over from the latest one. Understand now?”

So that was why. Luo Ren didn’t respond, but deep down, he knew she was telling the truth.

He remembered how the phoenix blood circle had faded with time — they’d even worried it might lose its power. By pure luck, they’d always managed to capture a new cursed slip just in time, unaware that they’d been racing an invisible clock all along.

Counting carefully, he realized — indeed, they had never gone more than forty-nine days between captures.

But the fifth slip was still loose. That meant the current forty-nine-day cycle began back when they captured the fourth in Nantian. Suddenly, time felt dangerously short.

No wonder Ya Feng had looked so smug when he’d said, “You can run for a while, but not forever.” They didn’t have “forever” — not even close.

Ya Feng’s voice dripped with mockery. “And even if you manage to collect all seven, without the Phoenix Lock, it’s all for nothing. How much time do you think you have left? Qingshan doesn’t even need to fight you. All he has to do is hide — wait out the forty-nine days — and those four slips will reawaken. And when they do… each one will have its eyes on you.”

Then she threw back her head and laughed — loud, wild, triumphant.

Luo Ren’s face darkened. He stepped forward and clamped his hand around her throat. “Where did Qingshan go?”

Ya Feng was still laughing, her face twisting from his grip. “How should I know? But Qingshan’s clever — he’ll find somewhere safe to hide.”

Down the mountain path, Cao Jinhua’s figure appeared in the distance. Luo Ren released Ya Feng, his expression cold. Mu Dai glanced between them and murmured, “Let’s regroup with Yi Wansan first.”

The four of them — escorting a captive who was acting more like a victor than a prisoner — continued down the path. Yan Hongsha, furious and frustrated, took out her anger on Ya Feng, barking orders and shoving her now and then, more like a cruel constable than a guard.

Luckily, the road was empty. If any villagers had seen the “bride” in her current state, there would’ve been a scene.

Luo Ren couldn’t shake the feeling that something was still wrong. His pace slowed until Mu Dai fell back beside him, looping her arm through his. “What are you thinking about?” she asked softly.

“Don’t you find it strange?” Luo Ren said quietly. “The moment Ya Feng collided with Qingshan, the cursed slip transferred to him.”

It was strange. In the past, possession had always taken time — sometimes years. His uncle Luo Wenmiao, for example, had shown symptoms after what seemed like a long dormancy.

Mu Dai frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe the cursed slips are getting stronger.”

“Maybe…” Luo Ren murmured. But that level of power seemed almost unbelievable. And if possession was so easy, why didn’t it latch onto anyone else nearby — like Cao Jinhua?

“Maybe Qingshan’s… different.”

Just then, Yan Hongsha seemed to remember something. She handed Ya Feng off to Cao Yanhua and jogged up to Luo Ren and Mu Dai. “Almost forgot — look at this!” she said breathlessly, pulling out her phone. “At the wedding, there was this ritual — they bowed to the ancestral tablets. Guess what the characters on the plaques were? Oracle bone script!”

Luo Ren’s heart skipped. At the same moment, Mu Dai blurted, “The bronze waist tags!”

“You know about that too?” Yan Hongsha blinked in surprise.

Mu Dai quickly explained what she and Luo Ren had found in the cave. And sure enough, in the photo, the wooden ancestral plaque had a piece of bronze embedded inside — engraved with the ancient character for Earth.

Luo Ren felt a jolt of realization — they were close to the truth.

Their earlier guess had been right: Caojia Village had likely been founded by one of the cursed slip’s original followers — the one who escaped the cave centuries ago. Maybe this entire village carried that bloodline, unbroken through the generations.

If Ya Feng had chosen Qingshan, could it be because… he was one of their descendants?

Because of Ya Feng’s injuries, they avoided the mountain path and walked along the main road instead. After about two or three hours, they finally spotted Luo Ren’s car in the distance. Yan Hongsha, relieved, hurried ahead and waved toward the driver’s seat. But halfway there, something in her gut twisted. She broke into a run.

When she reached the car, she froze.

It was empty.

She rushed around to the back — nothing.

Luo Ren reached the car and tried the door. It wasn’t locked. The key was still in the ignition.

Yan Hongsha’s voice rose in panic. “He said he’d wait in the car! Maybe he just went to the bathroom—”

She ran to the edge of the nearby grove, calling his name. No answer.

Yi Wansan — gone.

But how?

Luo Ren frowned, shut Ya Feng in the car, and motioned the others to gather. He questioned Yan Hongsha carefully, and she swore that everything had been fine when she left — Yi Wansan had promised not to leave the car.

“Something must’ve happened,” Luo Ren said finally. “But let’s not panic. We’ll handle one thing at a time.”

He told them his theory about Qingshan.

Cao Yanhua was skeptical. “Brother Luo, I’ve known Qingshan since we were kids — we ran around naked together, for crying out loud! He’s just a regular guy. He can’t keep a secret to save his life. There’s no way he’s some chosen heir to an ancient bloodline.”

He crossed his arms. “We grew up side by side — we were like brothers.”

Luo Ren nodded toward the car. “I don’t know how to make Ya Feng talk. She’s the first person we’ve met who actually understands the cursed slips. But she’s stubborn — torture won’t work.”

He turned the topic back. “If Qingshan didn’t inherit any family secrets, then why did Ya Feng choose him? There must be something different about him.”

Yan Hongsha muttered, “His body, maybe. Didn’t the slip transfer to him just from a touch? Everyone else we’ve seen — your uncle, for example — had at least some resistance. But Qingshan… it’s like he was made for it.”

Cao Yanhua blinked. “Made for it? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Yan Hongsha said dryly, “he’s like… cursed slip merchandise. Limited edition, custom fit.”

Cao Yanhua frowned. “You’re talking nonsense again.”

But Luo Ren had gone still. Something was clicking together in his mind — fragments spinning into focus.

Different body — bloodline — genes…

The first followers of the cursed slips — why were they chosen? Was it power? Loyalty? Blind faith? Or something deeper — something innate?

His gaze drifted toward Cao Yanhua.

Cao Yanhua squirmed under the stare. “Uh… Brother Luo, why are you looking at me like that?”

Luo Ren said quietly, “Ya Feng went easy on you — but not on me, Mu Dai, or Yi Wansan. Why?”

Cao Yanhua looked puzzled. “Uh… because I’m Qingshan’s cousin?”

Luo Ren’s voice dropped. “Or maybe… your body’s different too.”