I thought that it was over, but a few days later, the girl wearing the white dress came again. This time, she brought a better backup, Chuyi.

Chuyi and I had been through a lot, so I couldn’t just reject him if he needed help.

Still, when I saw the two of them together, I felt my scalp tingle… 

“Did you read the news?” asked Chuyi. 

“What news?” I was bewildered. 

Chuyi showed me the iPhone Li Mazi had gifted him, then played a video clip.

A picture appeared in the video. “Three years ago, an archeological team unearthed an ancient bronze sword in Chengping Village in Shanxi Province. The ancient bronze sword was perfectly preserved and dated back to the Warring States Period. It was then placed in a museum. One week ago, the sword disappeared into thin air. There was no sign of intrusion, which has caused great speculation among netizens.”

After watching the clip, I mumbled something in my head. 

This girl didn’t seem like a tomb robber, yet she stole this national treasure…

The girl saw my strange expression and hid behind Chuyi, somewhat scared.

Chuyi seemed to know what I had on my mind. He explained, “The sword is following her. She didn’t steal it.”

“What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. However, Chuyi had no reason to lie. Even if he said that this sword was the sword of the Jade Emperor, I would still believe him. 

Chuyi didn’t explain much. He pointed at the girl and introduced her. “Her family name is Zhao.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know what he meant by it. 

Chuyi said, “Pack up your belongings. You’re coming with me to Shanxi. This time, we won’t bring Li Mazi with us.”

In the meantime, Yin Xinyue also returned. When she saw Chuyi, she was excited. “Are we going on an adventure?”

Chuyi glanced at her, then said coldly, “You’re not coming, either.” 

“No!” Yin Xinyue came forward and grabbed Chuyi’s arm, acting like a kid. “I want to go with Brother Zhang! You can’t just steal my husband.” 

Out of reluctance, Chuyi sighed. “I don’t know how dangerous it will be this time…”

“Dangerous? That’s awesome!” Yin Xinyue pretended to be bold and acted like she was not scared of anything. 

I knew she wanted to accompany and help me. I was touched, so I turned to talk to Chuyi. “Let her come with us. She hasn’t bothered us on our previous missions.” 

Chuyi hesitated but nodded in the end. At night, we drove to Shanxi Province.

We arrived at Changping Village later that night. We were exhausted, so we paid one hundred renminbi to stay in a rural compound.

As soon as we laid down, Chuyi told me that this village was haunted. 

“What’s going on?” I asked. 

Chuyi explained, “The folks in Changping Village don’t dare to climb the mountain at night time. Anyone who gets close to the mountain peak dies. Most of the time, their bodies will be dismembered.” 

“That exaggerated?” I was surprised. 

“It’s not only that.” Chuyi said, “The paranormal activities on the mountain started after the sword was unearthed three years ago. During the past three years, the government has sent many people to the mountain to deal with this problem; they even mobilized the army. Whenever it was daylight, they’d have to retreat as nothing would happen. When it was nighttime, they would get destroyed. Only one person survived, but he completely lost his mind. They’re now keeping him in an asylum…”

“How come I never knew about this big commotion?” I was somewhat frightened. 

“The government has suppressed the news, and no one was allowed to take photos. They have even sent some troops to watch the mountain. Moreover, they surrounded the mountain with a high-voltage electric fence, claiming that it was now a military practice area. Unauthorized people can’t enter that place.” 

“If the military is involved, we shouldn’t take part in it.” I felt somewhat lucky.

Chuyi shook his head. “Those useless troopers can’t solve the problem, and that's why I’m afraid it’ll be the end of the world.”

“What do you mean?” I had never heard Chuyi use such words.

Chuyi sat up from the bed and gave me a cold glance. “Do you know the origin of that sword?” 

I knew he was asking about the sword that followed the girl in white everywhere.

I said, “During the Warring States Period, an average sword was around fifty centimeters. The bronze sword the girl carries around with her is around one meter. Such a long sword would be broken easily, and it wasn’t comfortable to hold during close combat. That’s why I believe this bronze sword was used as a general’s horse sword.”

“Correct,” said Chuyi. “What else?”

I thought about it then said, “This bronze sword must have been forged by a renowned blacksmith at that time. From its size and shape, it could be the sword of an emperor.”

“Correct.” Chuyi nodded.

I felt my heart shiver. “Why is the sword following the little girl?” 

“That’s what I would also like to know.” Chuyi’s face was tense. “I suspect that the girl’s ancestor was the owner of this sword. Since the sword has a spirit, it recognizes the master’s bloodline. That’s why it followed the girl home.” 

After he said that, we heard a shriek from the next room. “Ah! No! Don’t...”

It was Yin Xinyue!

When we chose to rest here, Yin Xinyue and the girl in the white dress decided to share a room. Chuyi and I decided to stay in the room next door.

Firstly, it was convenient for us. Secondly, I wanted Yin Xinyue to talk to the girl because she was reserved. Thirdly, since the two rooms shared a wall, if something unexpected happened, we could easily take action.

We assumed that we would have a quiet night and start the work tomorrow. However, something unexpected happened; we couldn’t even rest now.

Yin Xinyue was still screaming. Chuyi and I felt the ground shake, and then a loud bang. 

We didn’t have time to change our clothes and ran out of the room in our pajamas.

When we opened the door to the other room, we only saw Yin Xinyue. She was staring at the wall in a daze. 

We followed her line of sight and were astonished to see a human-shaped hole in the wall. As for the girl wearing the white dress, she had disappeared.

“What happened?”

I checked Yin Xinyue, who hadn’t had a hold of herself yet. She gaped and pointed at the hole in the wall. “I don’t know. She… She suddenly drew the sword and broke the wall. Then, she left.” 

How is that possible? She’s just a fragile little girl. How could she have the power to break the wall like this?

I went to check the hole in the wall. 

In the northern areas, people had to build their houses with really thick walls to get through the winter. A double-layered wall of bricks was the standard. In theory, it should be really hard to break such a thick wall with human strength. 

What took place in the room went beyond my comprehension. 

While I was stunned, all the lights in the compound turned on. The house owner came in. He was also in his pajamas. 

“What happened? Was it an earthquake?” 

“No, but it was something similar.” I stepped aside to let the house owner see the room. 

The house owner checked the hole in the wall. He was puzzled. “This… What happened here?” 

I walked up to him and pulled him back. “The girl that came here with us was captured by some supernatural entity.”

“Impossible!” The house owner said, “We’ve never had such a thing happen in our village!” 

Yin Xinyue pulled herself together. She grabbed her bag and took out two thousand renminbi from her purse. She handed the stack of money to the house owner and said, “We don’t know how or why it happened, but the girl was taken. If something happens to her, you’ll also get involved in this matter.” 

The house owner still knew how to treat people properly. Two thousand renminbi was more than enough to build a new wall and make some profit. He smiled and said, “Okay, okay. I won’t tell anybody.”

After dealing with the house owner, Chuyi and I returned to our room to put on decent clothes. We had to check our tools before leaving.

As soon as we walked out of the room, we saw Yin Xinyue waiting for us outside. “Guys, where are you two going in such a hurry?”

I knew we couldn’t ditch her here. “Xinyue, you can come, but you have to stay behind us. Don’t wander off on your own, okay?”

“All right.” Right after, Yin Xinyue returned to her room and went out of the house through the dark hole in the wall.