Chapter Nine: The Pursuit of the Spirit Summoner

Along the way, Xiao Zi pieced together the truth from the conversations around him. On the surface, this group appeared to be a touring circus, but in reality, they were smugglers, trafficking illicit goods. Their method was to conceal contraband within the bodies of the wild beasts they transported from city to city. Since the animals were all ferocious predators, the police rarely conducted thorough inspections.

What these people didn’t know was that they had attracted the attention of a presence far more terrifying than they could imagine.

At this moment, Xiao Zi was weighing his options. A smuggler like this, who had ruined countless families, could certainly be called a villain—did his heart qualify as that of an evil man? And, having spent so many years with one foot already in the prison door, could he be considered strong-willed? Did his soul belong to one with an indomitable spirit? Moreover, he must smuggle for a reason—did that make him a dream-chaser? Could his tears be those shed in pursuit of a dream? Similarly, anyone daring enough to transport illegal goods this way must have great courage—did that make him a brave man? Were his despairing cries the shouts of a courageous soul?

But Xiao Zi soon shook his head. Perhaps calling the man a villain fit, but the other labels stretched the truth too far—there was little chance he would qualify.

Just then, the vehicle came to a halt.

“Inspection before leaving the city!”

Looking out the window, Xiao Zi saw a group of police officers. Among them was a man with piercing eyes—a Ghost-Wielder. At this sight, Xiao Zi immediately concealed himself, carefully suppressing his presence.

The boss, trying to appear calm, stepped out and produced a pack of cigarettes. “Hey, what’s going on? We’re not usually stopped for checks.”

“Don’t ask questions. Just cooperate,” the Ghost-Wielder replied coldly, making to board the vehicle.

The boss broke into a cold sweat. This officer clearly wasn’t following the script. Still, he hurried forward to intercept him. “Hey, brother, what are you doing? This truck is full of dangerous beasts.”

“I’m not afraid,” the Ghost-Wielder replied icily, intent on boarding.

Xiao Zi was ready to flee at a moment’s notice. He wasn’t currently possessing anyone, and even if he tried now, he wouldn’t have enough time to fully hide his aura deep within someone’s soul. Nor was he certain he could avoid detection by the Ghost-Wielder at such close range. If he was discovered, he’d have no choice but to kill the Ghost-Wielder and make his escape.

But just then, the boss grabbed the Ghost-Wielder again.

“What do you think you’re doing? I warn you, let go now! Or you’ll regret it!”

The boss let go instantly, laughing nervously. “No need to get angry. I just wanted to show you this.”

He produced a document.

The Ghost-Wielder narrowed his eyes, took the document, and opened it. It was an official pass from the Maugou government, granting the bearer immunity from all searches.

The Ghost-Wielder hesitated. His current identity was that of a police officer—a temporary cover to provide plausible grounds for his investigation. But as a police officer, he had no authority to search a vehicle carrying such a pass. What now?

The boss spoke up again. “Brother, this looks like a circus truck, but if I tell you it’s just a circus truck, would you believe me?” He raised his eyebrows, expression full of implication.

At this, the Ghost-Wielder suddenly understood. The Maugou government might be lax, but surely not so lax as to issue a high-level pass to a mere circus. There could be only one explanation—something of great importance, possibly related to supernatural beings, was hidden in the truck. Disguising it as a circus was a clever way to avoid suspicion, especially since matters involving Ghost-Wielders and supernatural creatures were classified.

If that was the case, then the odds of a supernatural entity hiding in this truck were virtually nil.

With that conclusion, he handed back the document. “Fine. Move along.”

Once the convoy had driven away, the driver turned to the boss, his face alight with excitement. “Boss, I never expected you to have such powerful connections in the government!”

“Connections? Nonsense. The document’s a fake. Not bad for a forgery, though—the officer didn’t see through it,” the boss replied.

Of course, the officer hadn’t noticed; he was a Ghost-Wielder, merely disguised as a policeman for the day. The clueless boss had no idea that he had inadvertently saved himself from a terrifying fate at the hands of a being already calculating his demise.

After Xiao Zi left Tianjing City, Sun Shihe arrived at the station to meet a beautiful woman.

“Hello, Sun Shihe.” He smiled politely, extending his hand.

“Hello, Chen Jiaoyu,” she replied, shaking his hand.

Chen Jiaoyu was a special Ghost-Wielder, transferred from another region to Tianjing City. “Do you have any trace of that supernatural entity? Bring it to me.”

At her request, Sun Shihe quickly produced a small disk—the same disk that had once absorbed Xiao Zi’s aura. Within Chen Jiaoyu was sealed a supernatural being with an acute sense for such energies; her transfer here was to aid in the investigation of the Immaculate. She was also a close friend of their boss, Li Juetian, and had agreed to help track the suspected forbidden-zone entity as a favor.

Taking the disk, Chen Jiaoyu closed her eyes. After a moment, she slowly turned to face Qianyou Town. “The entity has already left Tianjing City. It went that way.”

Sun Shihe immediately pulled out his phone and opened the navigation app. “It’s gone to Qianyou Town.”

“That’s no longer my concern. I need to head to the Supernatural Investigation Bureau in Tianjing City. Goodbye,” Chen Jiaoyu said, turning to leave.

Sun Shihe didn’t try to stop her. He simply gazed in the direction of Qianyou Town, narrowing his eyes. “Let’s see how you escape this time.”

With that, he dialed a number. “Is this the Qianyou Town Supernatural Investigation Bureau? This is Sun Shihe, operative of the Tianjing City Bureau. I’m requesting your assistance…”

Meanwhile, in Qianyou Town, the circus had already set everything up, tickets were on sale, and they awaited customers. The buyers of the illegal goods would arrive disguised as regular visitors, and the transactions would happen then.

Xiao Zi did not act yet; striking now would be pointless. He would wait for the circus to begin its performance and then, before all the assembled guests, make his move—reaping a harvest of fear unlike any other.