121: Looking for an eight-foot-tall man

He rubbed his chin, bringing the conversation back to business, his expression becoming a bit more serious: "In that case, this Hachishaku-sama acts with some restraint; at least she hasn't taken any lives. So, what's the goal of our operation this time? Expulsion, or... 'cleaning' her up?"

His tone deepened on the last three words, carrying a hint of killing intent.

The faint blue light at Ye Nianyao's fingertips quietly dissipated. Her answer was concise and clear, carrying her usual decisiveness: "Those who are not of our race must have different hearts. Since it has been confirmed as a threat, we must naturally pull it out by the roots to eliminate any future trouble."

"Understood." Lin Luo nodded, not surprised by this answer. He looked around at the desolate surroundings and spread his hands helplessly, "So, Sister Nianyao, what do we do next? I'll follow your lead."

"Go find eight feet!" Ye Nianyao's answer was crisp and direct, as if she were telling him to go pick up a stone.

Lin Luo choked, his face instantly written with the words "Are you kidding me?": "How am I supposed to find her? In this middle of nowhere, do you want me to shout at the top of my lungs for her to come out?"

"Spirit Cultivators are very sensitive to Qi; don't tell me you can't even handle this small task." Ye Nianyao tilted her head with a look of disdain, "You've made too little progress; you can't even compare to Chen Yu."

These words accurately poked a certain nerve of Lin Luo's. He clicked his tongue and said unhappily, "I can't compare to Chen Yu? Fine, I'll find her for you to see!"

Having been successfully goaded, Lin Luo said no more. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and quickly entered a focused state. He held his breath and concentrated, cautiously and meticulously spreading his Divine Sense outward like ripples.

Various scents from the mountain forest came flooding in—the sweet fragrance of plants and the earthy smell of soil brought by the wind, the faint sounds of insects and birds in the distance, the moisture from the gurgling stream below his feet, and the warmth of sunlight hitting the leaves... Countless subtle sounds and natural energy fluctuations wove into a complex information network, pouring into his perception. Like a veteran fisherman, he needed to accurately capture that sliver of disharmony in this "ocean" of life—an anomaly belonging to the "non-human," carrying qualities of coldness and temptation—the unique trace belonging to Hachishaku-sama.

Ye Nianyao stood to the side holding her sword, remaining silent. Her sharp gaze swept over the surroundings, appearing as if she were acting as a Protector for Lin Luo, who was fully immersed in the search, or like a strict examiner scrutinizing his abilities and performance. Silence spread between the two, forming a sharp and tense contrast with the faint signs of life coming from the village not far away.

Lin Luo suddenly opened his eyes, his movement so fast that even Ye Nianyao, who had been standing quietly, looked over slightly.

"Found a clue?" A hint of surprise was rare in her cool voice.

Lin Luo spread his hands and answered righteously, "No."

Ye Nianyao's brow furrowed slightly as she said irritably, "Then why the sudden outburst?"

"If I can't find her, why keep pretending?" Lin Luo brushed off non-existent dust from his clothes. "Let's go to the village and look for the children who have been 'marked.' There must be some of Hachishaku-sama's unique aura remaining on them. Isn't following that scent better than wandering aimlessly in these mountains?"

This suggestion made Ye Nianyao's eyes flicker. She indeed wasn't good at this kind of meticulous tracking. Although Lin Luo's method was a bit of a detour, it was undoubtedly the most feasible plan at the moment.

"Lead the way." She was concise, already giving her tacit approval.

Lin Luo grinned, turned around, and walked toward the village where smoke was curling up from chimneys. His pace was light, as if he wasn't the one who had just come up empty-handed. Ye Nianyao watched his back thoughtfully before following, her robes rustling softly on the country path.

After entering the village, Lin Luo tried to ask the villagers for information. However, whenever he mentioned characteristics like "a woman eight feet tall" or "sometimes wearing mourning clothes and sometimes a kimono," the originally friendly villagers' faces changed instantly. They either waved him away and left in a hurry or shook their heads secretively, claiming to know nothing. This consistent avoidance and taboo attitude actually confirmed their suspicions—Hachishaku-sama had indeed left traces in this village, and her influence was profound.

After wandering around for a few laps and being rebuffed everywhere, Lin Luo was about to discuss with Ye Nianyao whether to leave and find another way when Ye Nianyao, who had been silently sensing the surroundings, suddenly narrowed her eyes and whispered, "To the west, that courtyard house, there's a faint but abnormal aura."

The two immediately rushed over. It was a slightly old but clean farmhouse courtyard. By the time they approached, that faint, indistinct aura had already dissipated. In the yard, there was only a white-haired grandfather, a kind-looking grandmother, and a grandson about seven or eight years old, squatting on the ground poking at ants.

Seeing two strangers with extraordinary temperaments visiting, the grandfather hesitantly stepped forward to ask their purpose. Lin Luo repeated the same story about looking for a "tall woman." He thought he would get a negative answer again, but unexpectedly, there was a Breakthrough this time.

The little boy squatting on the ground looked up, his clear black-and-white eyes free of any Impurities. He chimed in innocently, "Are you talking about that tall woman? I just saw her over by the courtyard wall. She was taller than the top of the wall and was wearing a white hat." As he spoke, he pointed his small finger toward the nearby adobe courtyard wall, his tone full of the excitement children feel when discovering something new.

"Don't talk nonsense, child!" The grandfather's face changed instantly, as if he had heard a terrifying curse. He sharply scolded his grandson, pulling the child behind him, his thin, withered hand bulging with veins from the force.

His cloudy eyes were filled with unconcealable fear, scanning Lin Luo and Ye Nianyao with suspicion and alarm. According to the terrifying rumors that had circulated in the village for a long time, children targeted by that "thing" almost never had a good end. The arrival of strangers searching for it at this moment made alarm bells ring in his heart, forcing him to be wary.

"Old man, relax, we really mean no harm." Lin Luo immediately softened his voice and spread his hands in a non-threatening gesture.

He naturally squatted down to eye level with the little boy hiding behind his grandfather, who seemed frightened, and gave a gentle smile. "Little boy, did you see wrong? Taller than your courtyard wall? How tall would that be? Wouldn't she be touching the clouds in the sky?"

His voice carried a strange, soothing power as he looked intently at the little boy.

The little boy felt a bit dazed by his gaze. His eyes blurred for a moment as he tried to remember, or perhaps his judgment was influenced by some soft power. He hesitantly shook his small head before muttering, "Maybe... maybe I saw wrong, I can't remember clearly either..."

"It's okay, maybe your eyes were playing tricks on you." Lin Luo smiled and naturally reached out to ruffle the little boy's soft hair with a gentle motion. The moment his fingertips touched the hair, an extremely faint sliver of aura, carrying cold and seductive qualities, tried to burrow into the child's deeper Spiritual Consciousness like a startled silk thread.

Lin Luo's finger paused imperceptibly for a moment. A strand of pure and peaceful Spiritual Power had already brushed past like a spring breeze, not only quietly severing the connection between that sliver of aura and its distant source but also soundlessly wrapping, capturing, and taking it into his perception. The entire process happened in a flash; let alone an ordinary person, even someone with a bit of cultivation would find it hard to detect.

He stood up as if nothing had happened and smiled at the still-tense grandfather: "Sorry for the intrusion, old sir."

After speaking, he exchanged a knowing look with Ye Nianyao, who had been watching silently with a cold gaze. Without further words, the two turned and left the courtyard decisively.

After walking a short distance and confirming they were out of the family's sight, Ye Nianyao spoke calmly, her tone a statement of fact rather than a question: "You intercepted the mark left by Hachishaku-sama."

Lin Luo nodded, raising his right hand that had just touched the child's head. A faint sense of coldness seemed to still linger at his fingertips.

"I captured a mark," he said, carefully sensing the aura imprisoned within his Spiritual Power. "It's just as the intelligence said; the mark itself isn't directly harmful to the body. It's very hidden and has a single function: it's a precise positioning coordinate."

He withdrew his hand, a knowing smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Now that I know how it works, the rest is simple." He stretched lazily, his movements carrying a hint of indolence, but his gaze was sharp as he looked toward the faint outline of a building on the distant mountainside. "Isn't there a temple on the mountain? It looks like it's been abandoned for some time. We should be able to just wait there."

He paused, his tone carrying careful consideration: "That place is quite far from the village, which conveniently prevents any collateral damage to the innocent from our encounter."

Ye Nianyao followed his gaze. In the twilight, the lonely temple perched on the mountainside stood silently, the silhouette of its eaves looking particularly desolate in the fading light. She nodded slightly, her cool voice devoid of extra emotion: "Fine."

Inside the abandoned temple, time seemed to have frozen. Dust floated slowly in the thin moonlight filtering through the broken window frames. The air was thick with the unique scent of decaying wood mixed with the remnants of incense. The two chose a relatively intact side room. Although the doors and windows were old, they could still be closed, forming a temporary enclosed space.

Lin Luo and Ye Nianyao sat cross-legged on the dusty floor. To successfully lure Hachishaku-sama, they both restrained their auras to the extreme. Lin Luo was like a stubborn stone sinking into a deep pool, his life fluctuations almost non-existent. Even more astonishing was Ye Nianyao; she seemed to blend completely into the surrounding shadows and silence. Even in the same room, just inches away, if Lin Luo closed his eyes and relied solely on sensing her aura, he would be completely unable to detect her presence. Only by occasionally looking up to confirm could he see that cool figure still sitting in place.

Silence spread in the darkness. While maintaining his internal Spiritual Power, Lin Luo couldn't help but let his thoughts wander: "I heard that Hachishaku-sama is best at bewitching people's hearts and enticing the target to open the door themselves... I wonder what method she'll use later to entice me into opening this door?" This thought, carrying a bit of absurd curiosity, grew quietly during the silent wait.

The night grew even deeper. Outside the temple, a certain unusual moisture seemed to begin permeating the mountain forest. There was also a faint, strange "Po-po" sound, coming slowly from the distance.