Chapter Fifty-Six: Traces Left by the Strange Beast

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Qin Xiaomo and the others were bent over, searching for clues near the rockery, when Liu the Half-Immortal’s phone rang.

“Hello, Gu Zha, go ahead,” Liu the Half-Immortal answered, tilting his head so the phone was wedged between his ear and shoulder, his hand absently rubbing the steel bars of the rockery.

“Senior brother, I have bad news. A friend working as a forensic doctor at the hospital told me that all four people involved in the two collapse incidents are dead.”

“So, the two sent from the rockery died as well?” Liu the Half-Immortal pressed.

“Yes, they died from excessive blood loss. What’s more, their faces were frozen in terror when they died—and most importantly, both were missing their feet. There were clear bite marks from animal fangs around the ankles or shin bones. The news has been suppressed—even the doctors and nurses have been told not to speak to reporters, fearing that the reports might cause panic.”

“No feet…” Liu the Half-Immortal repeated grimly, deep in thought. He continued, “If that creature has come, then how do we explain the rockery and construction collapses? And why did it only eat the feet? Could it be that an Immortal Lord has intervened already? Or is there an even more powerful divine beast involved?”

“That’s what puzzles me. If an Immortal Lord is involved, that’s the best-case scenario. But if there’s another strange or divine beast, who knows what will happen,” Gu Zha voiced the possibility he least wanted to consider.

“That would be troublesome,” Liu the Half-Immortal’s whole body tensed unconsciously.

“Have you found anything on your side, Senior Brother?”

“Nothing so far…” Liu the Half-Immortal was still speaking when Qin Xiaomo called out to him from a short distance away, “Master Liu, I’ve found something. Come take a look.”

Hearing this, Liu the Half-Immortal immediately hung up and hurried over.

At the break in the ornamental tree trunk, they found a tuft of brown-black bristles, stuck to a patch of dark, viscous fluid. At the base of the tree lay a two-inch-long, gray-black broken horn—shaped like a bull’s horn but with a hooked curve, its tip worn smooth.

“Master Liu, did a bull charge this and break off part of its horn, leaving all this blood behind?” Qin Xiaomo speculated as she examined the scene.

“This isn’t a bull’s horn; it’s a claw,” Liu the Half-Immortal corrected, picking up the bristles from the dark fluid for a closer look. “See, these aren’t cow hairs at all. They’re stiff as coarse needles. And with that claw—there’s no doubt now!”

“Who is it?” Ji Dou was thoroughly confused.

“Qiongqi.”

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“Isn’t Qiongqi just a creature from novels? I’ve seen it on TV too—does it actually exist?” Though Ji Dou had read plenty of stories, she found it hard to believe in the reality of divine beasts she’d never seen.

“Qiongqi is recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. But doesn’t it say in the book that it eats from the head down? And that it only appears where there’s fighting?” Qin Xiaomo voiced her doubts.

“A lot of books are full of nonsense. Qiongqi seems to have a cleanliness obsession—it despises human hair the most, so there’s no way it would start from the head. Besides, even if there’s no fighting, its very appearance can provoke panic and awaken its beastly nature,” Liu the Half-Immortal said, touching the dark fluid on the ground. “This fluid is likely its blood. I suspect it was about to attack those two citizens but was injured in the act, then fled in panic, crashing into the tree and the rockery as it escaped.”

“So you’re inferring it was fleeing, not destroying things on purpose, because of the blood?” Ji Dou pressed.

“Because of the claw. That’s its weapon. If even that was broken off, it must have been fleeing in a panic,” Liu the Half-Immortal mused.

“That’s why during the rescue, they only mentioned two injured citizens and didn’t give any specifics,” Qin Xiaomo added.

Liu the Half-Immortal nodded. “We still don’t know what’s happening on the other side. If we could confirm it’s the same beast, we’d have one more ally to deal with it. Come on! It’s about time—they should be done now.”

Qianjin Pavilion.

Liu the Half-Immortal opened the door to darkness.

“Why aren’t they back yet? We were farther away than they were, and it’s past ten already. Could something have happened to them?” Liu the Half-Immortal muttered, picking up his phone to call Gu Zha, but before the call connected, he saw the little red Benben car pull up outside.

As soon as Gu Zha walked in, he hurried to Liu the Half-Immortal and said, “Senior brother, it’s Qiongqi. What do we do?”

“What took you so long? Sit down, have some water, and tell me what happened.”

“That pit was cordoned off with police tape and guarded. We had to hide nearby for over an hour, waiting until the guards left before we could get in. Six meters into the pit, we found the climbing frame for entry bent out of shape, dark blood everywhere, and several deep claw marks—the signs of a fierce struggle,” Gu Zha demonstrated with animated gestures.

“Did you find anything unusual?” Liu the Half-Immortal inquired.

“Nothing especially odd, except… there should have been six claw marks, but…”

“But there were only five,” Liu the Half-Immortal finished for him.

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“Exactly! The one in the middle was so faint you’d miss it if you didn’t look closely. How did you know, Senior Brother?”

“The sixth claw is right here.” Liu the Half-Immortal pulled the two-inch-long claw from his pocket and tossed it on the table.

Gu Zha quickly picked it up and examined it. “Yes! That’s the right thickness and sharpness. Later, we found a trail of blood under the rubble, leading away along the hot water pipes.”

“You said there were signs of a struggle—did it seem to be fighting something in particular?” Liu the Half-Immortal pondered aloud.

“Other than the Qiongqi’s claw marks, there was nothing else. How did a beast like Qiongqi—an ancient fiend—end up here?” Gu Zha fretted.

“When I sought help from the Celestial Master today, he said that strange beasts are appearing all over the mortal realm, so many Immortal Lords have been tasked with investigating and capturing them. He didn’t say how they got here, though.”

“Which Immortal Lord came to Guangcheng?”

“I’ll have to set up a ritual to find out. Tonight’s going to be busy,” Liu the Half-Immortal murmured, stroking his beard and calculating with his fingers.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Qin Xiaomo asked.

“Ji Dou, you don’t have any cultivation. It’s best if you stay here, keep the doors and windows locked, and don’t go out. That’s the safest for you,” Liu the Half-Immortal said, looking at her.

“I might have left if I hadn’t known about this, but now that I do, I can’t just go home while you’re all busy elsewhere. Even if I can’t help, I can look after the shop, or carry your bags and bring you water,” Ji Dou said with a dash of chivalry.

“Master, it’s not a bad idea to have someone stay and watch the shop. If something happens, she can call for help,” Qingfeng agreed.

Liu the Half-Immortal considered for a moment. “Alright, you can stay. If we need you, we’ll call.”

“Great! Mission accepted!” Ji Dou beamed with delight.