"Then, shouldnât you protect me too, your uncle?"
Xiaosuisui giggled, revealing two rows of tiny white teeth to Yun Kuo.
"I will also protect Uncle Yun Kuo!"
Yun Kuo gently stroked her little face. His adorable nieceâs smile was so delightful, it made one want to reach out and give her little cheeks a couple of playful pinches, didnât it?
"Then Uncle Yun Kuo thanks the worldâs most formidable and wonderful niece."
When Xiaosuisui heard Yun Kuoâs words, she promptly crossed her arms and tipped up her chin, replying, "Sure, sure!"
Her impish expression made Ji Youzhi and Yun Kuo not know whether to laugh or cry!
The cave halfway up the mountainside was sealed by an isolation ward, preventing those inside from exiting and those outside from entering. However, this didnât deter Xiaosuisui.
She could even break the Array of Heaven, so what was a mere isolation ward to her?
After she formed the final hand seal, a ripple spread out, and the ward shattered. Xiaosuisui took the lead and walked in.
Ji Youzhi quickly grabbed her and pulled her behind him for protection.
Xiaosuisui pushed him back. "Seventh Uncle, you donât need to protect me. If a fight breaks out and you get injured first, Iâll be hamstrung."
Ji Youzhi:
Why does it feel like my heart has been inexplicably stabbed?
Yun Kuo coughed lightly, hastily covering his lips with his fist to hide his awkwardness.
"Uncle Yun Kuo, you too. When youâre out and about, you both need to protect yourselves. Donât make me worry about you!"
Yun Kuo:
Why does my heart hurt so much?
SWOOSH. The Phoenix shrank its body and flew in after them.
"Dafeng, can your Phoenix Fire provide some light?"
Without a word, Dafeng spat out a small fireball. It floated in mid-air, flickering as it drifted ahead of them, illuminating the path.
After they had walked some distance, Xiaosuisui suddenly stopped.
"Whatâs wrong?" Ji Youzhi asked.
"I hear footsteps ahead. Theyâre uniform, and there are many of them!"
Hearing this, Ji Youzhi and Yun Kuo immediately adopted defensive stances.
"Be careful. Thereâs a fork in the path up ahead. Letâs hide there first."
Xiaosuisui pointed to a spot not far ahead and led the way.
"Careful, donât make any noise, or the people inside might discover us," Ji Youzhi cautiously reminded them.
The group hid in the fork of the path.
Xiaosuisui had Dafeng retract the fireball, and she hid with them.
The THUMP... THUMP... THUMP... of footsteps passed by them. Hiding in the fork, Xiaosuisui and the others held their breath as they counted. There were five to six hundred people!
These people moved in perfect unison, their faces expressionless, their actions identical.
"Why do these people seem so scary?" Yun Kuo whispered.
Ji Youzhi said, "I feel like theyâre not ordinary mortals."
Xiaosuisui said, "Their aura is very similar to Mr. Wuâs!"
Upon hearing this, both Ji Youzhi and Yun Kuo widened their eyes. "Could it be theyâve all been assimilated by Witch Power?"
Xiaosuisuiâs expression turned grave. "If theyâve been assimilated by Witch Power, then theyâre like Granny Lan."
Yun Kuoâs eyelid twitched. "Does that mean they all possess Witch Power on par with Granny Lanâs?"
"Thatâs hard to say," Ji Youzhi analyzed. "Granny Lanâs situation was different. She lived on Yunzhou Island for all those years. The Witch Power was unknowingly planted in her, unconsciously nourishing her constitution. Later on, her substantial Witch Power was forcibly infused into her by Mr. Wu."
After listening, Xiaosuisui added, "Granny Lan was conscious; she lived as a normal person all those years. So, these people might be even stronger than Granny Lan!"
Hearing Xiaosuisuiâs words, Yun Kuo disagreed. "But Granny Lanâs Witch Power was infused by Mr. Wu. Although these people have been assimilated by Witch Power over the years, it doesnât mean every one of them has had Witch Power actively infused into them."
Xiaosuisui thought Yun Kuoâs words made sense too.
"Uncle Yun Kuo also has a point!"
Just as Ji Youzhi opened his mouth to say something, Xiaosuisui quickly shushed him. "SHHH! Theyâre coming back."
"Letâs find a way to capture one. We can take them out and interrogate them!" Ji Youzhi suggested.
Xiaosuisui and Yun Kuo had no objections.
So, as the hundreds of people assimilated by Witch Power passed the fork, the last person in line suddenly had their mouth covered. Simultaneously, they received a sharp blow to the back of the neck and fainted.
Once the procession had moved far away, Yun Kuo and Ji Youzhi carried the unconscious man out of the Mountain Cave.
Outside, the area was overgrown with weeds. They found a relatively flat patch of grass and threw the man down. The shrunken Cyan Dragon flew over and sprayed a mouthful of water directly onto the manâs face.
The manâs eyes snapped open. He instinctively threw his hands up to shield his eyes, squeezing them shut!
Seeing the manâs reaction, Ji Youzhi couldnât help but think of Mr. Wuâs cloak.
Could it be that Mr. Wu, like these people, is also a resident from either side of the Yunhang Coast?
"Who are you? What is your name? Why are you here?" Seeing the man was awake, Xiaosuisui immediately bombarded him with questions.
However, the man kept his eyes tightly covered with both hands, his body trembling.
Ji Youzhi took a black piece of clothing from within his sleeve and draped it over the man. The manâs trembling subsided a little.
"Are you okay?" Ji Youzhi asked again, tentatively.
The man looked at Ji Youzhi, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.
Seeing such a gaze, the experienced Ji Youzhi couldnât help but sigh.
"It seems heâs truly without consciousness. In that case, how can we continue this investigation?"