Just as I pulled my pants up, the black snake swung its tail, and its black scales flared out like a series of sharp little blades, lashing toward me like a whip.
Its speed was so fast that while I was distracted by pulling up my pants, I didn't have time to dodge. In a panic, I could only twist to the side and whip out my blood spike with all my strength.
The black snake was flung away, but its tail still scraped across my butt.
The wound burned like I had rubbed a handful of chili powder into it, but there didn't seem to be any serious harm.
I figured the snake's venom was mostly concentrated in its fangs, and the body itself probably didn't have much poison.
Whether it was a curse or just an ordinary snake, in the end, both were life forms. After taking a heavy blow, the black snake twisted and writhed on the ground, but it couldn't escape.
At that moment, there was a whoosh as the shadow passed over my head, appearing and disappearing like a ghost, then vanishing into the darkness.
I didn't dare be careless and activated my spiritual sight to try to locate its hiding spot.
But even with the second layer of sight open, I still couldn't see anything.
My eyes were aching unbearably, so I quickly closed my spiritual sight and, with a shake of my hand, summoned the Earth Dog Star.
Although it wasn't great in combat, its sense of smell was extremely sharp, capable of detecting even the faintest scents.
In this situation, its sense of smell was more useful than my eyesight.
Moreover, the Earth Dog Star's abilities not only allowed it to detect scents but also to pinpoint exact locations, almost like seeing with the eyes.
I took a sniff, and in my mind's eye, I could clearly picture the surroundings. I whispered, "Huang Brother, aren't you going to do something?"
Huang Jiu shook its head so hard it looked like a rattling drum. "I haven't transformed, I feel like I'm useless…"
Since the topic of transformation came up, and after Second Uncle failed to come to an agreement with Director Qian, Huang Jiu had tried to steal the mirror a few times, only to be rejected by me. It had completely given up, becoming utterly lazy and unhelpful.
I understood its little tricks. It was trying to pressure me into agreeing to let it bring Da Hei to steal the mirror.
It also had an obsession with transformation. Without it, Huang Jiu felt completely useless, sinking into deep self-doubt.
After all, being an animal, its thoughts were probably quite single-minded.
Since Huang Jiu wasn't moving, I didn't force it.
I carefully walked toward the location I had sensed, with the Earth Dog Star following behind me.
My request wasn't too much; as long as it didn't get injured and end up in the blood spike, I'd be fine.
Second Uncle wasn't wrong—the villa had two "people."
From the smoke caused by the boy's urine earlier, I suspected one was human and the other was a ghost.
Of course, the black shadow could also be a puppet controlled by someone with a spell or something like a shadow play.
As I moved closer, I could sense the person was becoming visibly nervous.
Their anxiety made me feel slightly relieved. After all, if they were nervous, it meant they weren't completely confident.
If they hadn't reacted at all, I might have hesitated to approach.
It seemed they had split their roles, with the stronger one going to the Su family's tomb, while the weaker one stayed here.
Thinking this way, I became a bit concerned about Second Uncle, but seeing his calm demeanor as he left, I figured he was confident.
With Su Dazhuang around, at least his abilities could add a bit more strength to their side.
Sadly, I wouldn't be able to witness Second Uncle's skills in action.
Lost in thought, I realized I had arrived near the rockery.
The person had remained still, without making a move.
I couldn't see them, which likely meant the "puppet" they controlled was too far-reaching.
It was also possible that the shadow floating above was a familiar or spirit-like entity that could be controlled through consciousness, just like the Earth Dog Star.
But no matter what it was, as long as I could sense their presence and direction, they lost their mystery, and they weren't as terrifying anymore.
I took a deep breath, stopped before the rockery, and called out, "I see you. Come out!"
The Su family's rockery was a medium-sized traditional Su-style garden, not very large but intricately designed.
The person hiding there had the advantage, and it would be dangerous to just rush in.
Better to draw them out.
Upon hearing my words, the person seemed a little unsettled, but they quickly fell silent again.
Meanwhile, the black shadow floating above me grew restless, silently lowering its altitude, several times attempting to attack me.
But after being burned by my boy's urine, it was wary and abandoned several attempts.
I pondered, knowing I would need the Buddha bone relic to seriously injure it. My boy's urine wasn't powerful enough.
Without air superiority, I might not be able to defeat it even if I reached it, so I decided to adopt a wait-and-see approach.
After all, Second Uncle was at the tomb, and they were the ones under pressure.
With that thought, I held the Buddha bone relic in my hand and stopped moving.
The person behind the rockery seemed to have realized my intentions.
In the mental image formed by the scent, I could sense their unease.
I had to admit, the ability the Earth Dog Star gave me was essentially like a cheat.
I wondered if other deities or spiritual beings had similar abilities.
We had a standoff for over twenty minutes before the shadow finally couldn't hold back any longer and swooped down.
It was so silent that you wouldn't notice it unless you looked up.
I pretended not to see it until it was right above me, blocking my line of sight. Then, I gripped the Buddha bone relic and threw a punch.
The Buddha bone relic glowed and radiated warmth in my palm, and as the sutras engraved on it flew out, the black fabric-like substance tore apart with a loud ripping sound.
There was no one inside!
At the same time, I didn't see any ghostly energy dissipating either.
My heart skipped a beat.
What exactly was that thing?
Could it have really been a shadow play?
But even if it were a shadow play, there should have been some remnants left behind after it was shredded.
But the black shadow shattered and vanished into the air, leaving absolutely nothing behind.
I saw that the person behind the rockery was still unmoving, so I quickly released the Buddha bone relic and blew on my hot hand to cool it down.
With the shadow gone, I no longer had to worry about air superiority. I felt much more relaxed and continued to wait.
Huang Jiu, still sitting on my shoulder, had fallen into a doze so deep that it almost toppled off. It wasn't until I took a couple of steps forward that I thought about applying some pressure.
But that little rascal had more patience than I did. Ever since the shadow in the sky was shredded, it had completely quieted down.
We waited for over an hour, and Huang Jiu grew impatient. "Li Ge, I told you I should have just stolen the mirror. If I had transformed, a cough would have solved this!"
That greedy little rascal.
Last time, it nearly caused a big mess with the scripture scroll theft. I later heard Second Uncle say the provincial special patrol was getting ready to bring in high-tech equipment and experts from abroad.
Apparently, the experts and technology would make it possible to find even the smallest trace left by a mouse.
I certainly didn't want to end up in jail.
Huang Jiu, seeing that I didn't respond, added, "Aren't you getting tired just standing there? Go in and deal with him!"
Time had dragged on too long, and I was already getting annoyed. Huang Jiu's endless chattering only made me feel like waiting here wasn't the right thing to do.
Plus, while I was stalling here, the other side was probably doing the same.
Second Uncle was already in danger at the tomb, and if there were any more hidden formations I hadn't noticed, Second Uncle could end up in even more peril.
With that in mind, I decided to summon the blood spike, recalled the Earth Dog Star, and gripped the Buddha bone relic as I entered the rockery.