C39 Madness

I shared with Deaf Zhang the details about the Heaven Connecting Secret Technique, and we resolved to return to the village to retrieve the chest.

We set out for the ruins of my home before dawn, my heart silently pleading for the Evil Taoist not to have found the wooden chest.

Contrary to our hopes, upon arrival, we discovered the chest was missing.

A chill settled in my heart, despair creeping in. If the Evil Taoist had laid hands on the Heaven Connecting Secret Technique, he might have healed from his injuries by practicing the spells, or even worse, become more formidable than before.

As I stood there, lost in my worries, a roar erupted from a nearby house, startling even Deaf Zhang.

We exchanged glances and followed the noise to the neighboring courtyard. The state of the crumbling house and fence told me this was Old Xu's place.

Old Xu, nearing fifty, remained a bachelor. Like Ms. Xiaofeng's father, he was a gambling addict with nothing to his name, but he was harmless at heart.

Inside, the air was thick with his desperate cries. We burst in to find a scene that took our breath away.

Old Xu was on the floor, clawing at his face in a frenzy, his features a bloody blur as if in the throes of rabies.

"Uncle Xu, what's happened to you?" I tried to restrain his hands, but he was surprisingly strong and flung me aside.

I then noticed Old Xu's eyes, bulging and fixated on the bed, as he babbled, "I'm going to become immortal, I'm going to be rich, I'm going to find a wife... Hahaha..."

Curiosity piqued, I followed his gaze and there it was—the familiar wooden chest on the bed. I approached and realized it was indeed the very chest I had been desperately searching for!

I rifled through it quickly; everything was in place except for the Heaven Connecting Secret Technique, which lay on the bed, its pages carelessly turned.

I glanced back at Old Xu, who had gone mad, and figured he must have picked up the Heaven Connecting Secret Technique by accident and read its contents.

The thought made me shudder. What on earth was written in the Heaven Connecting Secret Technique to drive Old Xu to such madness?

Regardless, it was better that the wooden chest was in our hands rather than with the Evil Taoist.

I placed the book back into the chest and was about to carry it away when Old Xu, in his frenzy, lunged at me.

He howled and tried to bite me, but thankfully, Deaf Zhang was quick on his feet and seized him.

"You won't steal my Secret Technique! I'll kill you all!" Old Xu bellowed, thrashing wildly.

Despite his crazed state, resembling a wild dog, he was no match for Deaf Zhang, who was well-versed in martial arts. Deaf Zhang, towering at nearly 1.9 meters, easily hoisted Old Xu up as effortlessly as an eagle snatching a chick.

"Mr. Ergou, please knock Uncle Xu out. His shouting will attract others before long. But be gentle, Mr. Ergou; Uncle Xu is frail," I cautioned.

Deaf Zhang nodded and with a gentle tap of his palm, rendered Old Xu unconscious. We hurriedly took the chest and slipped into the forest to find a secluded spot.

First, I transferred the compass from the chest into my backpack, then handed the Talismans to Deaf Zhang. "Mr. Ergou, can you check if these Talismans are still usable? What are they for?"

Deaf Zhang scrutinized the Talismans intently before frowning and admitting, "They're still functional, but the runes differ from those typically used for exorcism, so I'm not sure of their purpose."

I nodded, carefully folding the Talismans and placing them in my bag. My gaze returned to the Heaven Connecting Secret Technique. "Perhaps the answers lie within this book, but..."

I looked up at Deaf Zhang, who returned my gaze with equal concern. My heart was heavy with apprehension, haunted by the image of Old Xu's frenzied, bloodied face.