The woman known as Auntie Ma crossed her legs, settling into the chair with practiced ease. As she exhaled puffs of white smoke, her eyes drifted half-shut, and she began to mumble words that no one else could understand.
“...East Sea lee-goo that... harm-on-broadband-good... mumble-mumble... mumble-mumble...”
“You take that... mumble-mumble... sun-needed... above... valley-dee-dong...”
Zhuang Sinan sat down in silence, crossing his arms.
He hailed from Baishan Temple on Mount Emei. Although he cultivated the heart rather than the body, he was a legitimate Buddhist disciple.
In this era of spiritual resurgence and great global shifts, even the tranquil grounds of Buddhism were not exempt from the struggle for interests.
When spiritual energy first awakened, it wasn't the government that learned of it first, but the orthodox Buddhist and Taoist sects who occupied the sacred peaks and perilous lands.
As far as he knew, last winter, a golden light had descended upon Zhengyi Monastery on Longhu Mountain, and the land had returned to spring overnight.
The three palaces and nine monasteries of Maoshan had closed their gates one after another, claiming to be handling internal affairs, but they had secretly recalled many disciples and remained secluded for over three months.
At the beginning of this year, tourists on Mount Tai, Mount Heng, Mount Song, Mount Hua, and the other Mount Heng had witnessed what appeared to be celestial palaces and melodies amidst the clouds, with Buddha's radiance shining so brightly it felt as if they were standing right there. It was certainly no mirage.
Since then, hundreds of major temples across the six mountains had acted in unison, hiding the suspected spiritual pulse resurgence from the world.
Why had practitioners since ancient times always chosen famous scenic spots with beautiful mountains and clear waters?
Was it not because those mountains held many spiritual pulses and abundant spiritual energy?
Although their Emei was not as famous as Longhu or Maoshan, it was still a place of concentrated essence and tranquility, and it naturally had spiritual pulses lying dormant.
Unfortunately, the spiritual pulse on Mount Emei had only just awakened. It was as weak as a newborn child, providing only a limited amount of spiritual energy for cultivation.
Spiritual energy was like milk; every extra drop you drank was one less for me.
Faced with the Great Dao and the chance to cultivate into an immortal, who would be willing to back down?
That was why the various sects and hundreds of temples and monasteries on Mount Emei had made an agreement with the government: regardless of whether they were monks or Taoists, all disciples were sent down the mountain. They could only return to cultivate based on their contribution points.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Sinan coughed lightly and unconsciously chanted a Buddhist name.
When it came to chanting scriptures, Auntie Ma was no match for him.
But if it came to finding people or objects, there was likely no one in the world who could surpass the Ma family of the Northeast.
Inside the brightly lit tent, the woman with narrowed eyes continued to puff her smoke. The overhead lights fell upon her face, casting a long, dark shadow.
In many films and novels, people often spoke of Southern Mao and Northern Ma. One interpretation was that the "Ma" referred to the Chu Ma disciples of the north who invited immortals to possess them; the other was that it specifically referred to the Ma clan of the Northeast.
Unlike disciples who cultivated their own bodies, the Ma family functioned more like a traditional cultivation clan, passing their heritage down through bloodlines. The bonds between relatives were naturally much stronger.
The unique status of the Ma family, however, did not stem from themselves, but from the fox immortal they had worshipped for generations—Old Master Hu.
Rumor had it that this fox immortal possessed extraordinary insight and a method of cultivation different from other ordinary demons. It was said that when the Qing troops entered the pass, spiritual energy happened to be depleting. To preserve the future of the fox clan, he made a pact with the Qing court:
The imperial family would issue an edict to erect monuments and spirit tablets for the fox immortal, allowing the spirits of the Northeast to use the imperial aura for their cultivation. In exchange, the spirits and lesser monsters were forbidden from crossing Shanhai Pass to cause trouble in the human world.
Although the spirits of the Northeast had been restricted in recent years by the iron prophecy that "nothing can become a demon after the founding of the country," let alone becoming a demon, even younger generations with awakened intelligence were becoming rare.
Cultivation was difficult, but the Hu family—the foxes—had managed to endure by consuming the residual imperial aura of the Qing court.
Now that spiritual pulses were showing signs of resurgence, cultivation still required time. The Ma family, who could communicate with spirits, mountain monsters, and yin souls, naturally saw their status rise.
Even the Auntie Ma before Zhuang Sinan, whose full name was Ma Lanhua, looked ordinary—like a gentle and kind mother—but she actually had a significant background.
It was said her eyes had opened only three days after birth, and she had been personally held by the fox immortal worshipped by the Ma family. After reaching adulthood, she had established her own shrine. The immortals in her shrine included members of the Hu, Huang, Bai, Liu, and Hui families, all of whom followed her command.
Even for this mission, though the immortals from Ma Lanhua's shrine couldn't follow her, she had brought two ancient ghosts for protection.
Supposedly, they had died during the Qing Dynasty and had been receiving offerings from the Ma family ever since.
With two ancient ghosts who had been fed on incense for years, Ma Lanhua could practically walk anywhere with impunity. Ordinary cases were a simple matter for her.
If it weren't for the long-standing relationship between Baishan Temple and the Ma family, Zhuang Sinan wouldn't have been able to snag a spot on this mission.
This was essentially like being carried through a quest by a high-level player. Who wouldn't want to rack up more contribution points so they could return to the mountain to cultivate sooner?
He just wondered what kind of benefits the government had offered the Ma family to move someone of her caliber.
Zhuang Sinan shook his head slightly.
...
Footsteps echoed outside the tent from time to time. The searchlights standing in the center of the camp illuminated the surroundings as brightly as day.
Every person moving through the camp was equipped with a professional hazmat suit and an oxygen mask. Even the head of the Xixiang region, who was overseeing the front line, had a set.
From a distance, they looked like a group of puffy bread-men in silver spacesuits, as if an alien invasion was underway.
As the woman's murmuring continued, the tent fell silent, save for the rhythmic beeping of the researchers' instruments and the faint, fragmented whispers.
Zhang Jin, the head of the Xixiang region, was restless. She stepped out of the tent several times, looking through her oxygen mask at the yellow moon in the sky.
It had already been four days.
Despite having cordoned off the Mulian Village scenic area and restricted travel, the number of missing persons was still rising.
With every passing minute, the danger to the missing personnel increased.
Outside the cordon of the Mulian Lake scenic area, a group of journalists, eager for a story, were waiting for results.
She was overseeing this personally. If she couldn't find the source of the toxic miasma and recover the missing persons, not only she but the members of her entire team would likely be removed from their positions.
Months ago, Jingbei had already dispatched guidance groups to various provinces, accompanied by top-level directives and specific measures for dealing with supernatural events.
The incident at Mulian Lake in Xixiang had happened too suddenly, without any warning. Several sets of pre-prepared contingency plans couldn't be launched as originally intended.
If their theory was correct and the toxic miasma was the true culprit behind the disappearances, then her decision to brave the controversy and evacuate all 9,132 residents of Mulian Village would be justified.
“Director Zhang, I think you need to see this. It's the data just sent over by the city bureau.”
Outside the tent, an officer in heavy protective gear ran over. Her secretary took the documents, flipped through them quickly, and then walked briskly to the regional head's side, whispering a reminder:
“This is the background check on the missing persons you requested. It's the latest update from the database.”
The regional head nodded and took the file. The bulky hazmat suit was a bit cumbersome, but fortunately, it didn't hinder her from reading the documents.
She skimmed through them at a glance. Years of administrative experience allowed Zhang Jin to quickly memorize the characteristics of every missing person. When she reached the final page, a flash of realization crossed her eyes.
“Just as I suspected.”
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