Chapter Twenty-Three: The Monster

Shen Chang’an dashed up the stairs, his footsteps pounding urgently. The scent he’d detected moments ago disturbed him deeply; he had no time to ponder further and instead flooded his body with spiritual power, reaching the second floor in just a few strides.

The cries had come from Chen Mengchen’s room. Without hesitation, Shen Chang’an rushed over, flung open the door, and saw Chen Mengchen curled up on the floor, her clothes in disarray, one bare shoulder exposed, her face marked by terror.

Seeing Shen Chang’an arrive, Chen Mengchen scrambled to him, clutching him tightly as she cried out, “Mr. Shen, there’s a mantis—a huge mantis!”

Shen Chang’an’s mouth twitched. This mountain was full of insects; mantises, which preyed on mosquitoes and flies, were common enough.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” Su Hongyi from the next room finally appeared, though it was clear he’d been occupied with his girlfriend moments before.

“It’s nothing,” Shen Chang’an said with a wave of his hand. “Miss Chen was just startled by a mantis.”

With that, he entered the room, caught the mantis, opened the window, and tossed it outside.

“It’s all right now.”

Chen Mengchen, visibly embarrassed, straightened her clothes and murmured, “I’m sorry for worrying everyone.”

Su Hongyi hurried to reassure her. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Girls are usually afraid of bugs.”

Shen Chang’an glanced at Su Hongyi. Did he even realize where he was standing? The moment he heard about the mantis, he instinctively stepped further away than Chen Mengchen—clearly more afraid than she was.

Suddenly, another scream pierced the air. They all froze.

“That’s Qiqi’s voice,” Su Hongyi said, though his feet seemed rooted to the floor. “She must have seen the mantis too.” He showed no intention of moving; the man was genuinely afraid of insects.

Shen Chang’an sighed, about to say something, when a loud crash resounded, followed by Sun Qiqi’s desperate shriek: “Help me, help me! Ahhh, I don’t want to die!”

Everyone was stunned, unable to process what was happening.

But Shen Chang’an, who had lived in a world plagued by monsters, recovered quickly. He shoved the others aside and charged toward Sun Qiqi’s room.

Since Su Hongyi had left the door open, Shen Chang’an burst straight in. Raising his eyes, he saw only a massive black shadow flicker and vanish, and the room was empty—Sun Qiqi was gone.

“What’s going on? What happened?” Su Hongyi and Chen Mengchen hurried in behind him, only to find an empty room and a shattered window.

“Where’s... Where’s Qiqi?” Su Hongyi asked, bewildered.

Shen Chang’an frowned deeply and murmured, “She was taken.”

“Taken? Is there some wild animal on this mountain?” Chen Mengchen shuddered, goosebumps rising on her skin. She instinctively moved closer to Shen Chang’an; he was the only source of safety she could find.

“Wild animal?” Shen Chang’an echoed, then shook his head. “Have you ever seen a wild animal break through a second-story window to abduct someone?”

Chen Mengchen was stunned. This was the second floor—over five meters high. Only a feline, perhaps using the nearby trees, could climb up here. But all the trees within five meters of the house had been cut down...

“Then what took Qiqi?” Su Hongyi asked anxiously.

Shen Chang’an snorted. “I don’t know. But I’m certain of one thing: this creature has harmed humans before.”

Earlier, when using the Dragon Jade Talisman to sniff for scents downstairs, Shen Chang’an had detected a faint but unmistakable blood-reek. It wasn’t strong, but even a trace meant one thing: its bearer had once harmed a human.

Peaceful creatures like the little fox had no such stench; on the contrary, they carried a fresh, pleasant scent. But once a spirit had killed and tasted blood, the nose god would immediately mark them with a foul, overpowering reek.

Whatever this thing was, its stench was unmistakable.

Shen Chang’an reproached himself for his carelessness. When he’d come upstairs and found only a mantis in Chen Mengchen’s room, he’d thought it impolite to keep sniffing around a young woman’s scent. So, he’d turned off the nose god’s perception—just for a moment. Yet in that brief interlude, Sun Qiqi had been taken.

“Th-then... we should call the police, right? Yes, call the police!” Su Hongyi, flustered, pulled out his phone and prepared to dial emergency services.

Shen Chang’an sighed. “It took us more than half an hour to drive here from the city. If you call now and wait for the police, they’ll only arrive in time to collect Qiqi’s corpse.”

“Then what do we do...” Su Hongyi’s voice trembled with fear.

Shen Chang’an shook his head helplessly and headed downstairs.

Chen Mengchen and Su Hongyi, both in a panic and unsure what to do, followed him.

Downstairs, Shen Chang’an entered the kitchen, gathered all the chef’s knives, cut a nearby apron, and tied the knives securely. He rummaged further and found a hatchet in a corner, feeling a little more at ease.

“You two call the police and wait here. I’ll bring Sun Qiqi back.”

“No!” they both protested simultaneously.

Shen Chang’an looked at them in confusion. “Why not?”

“I’m Qiqi’s boyfriend,” Su Hongyi said quickly. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

“That’s not good enough,” Shen Chang’an replied bluntly. “You’ll just slow me down.” This was no time to spare Su Hongyi’s pride.

Su Hongyi wilted; judging by his earlier reactions, he knew he’d only be a burden.

“And you? What’s your reason?” Shen Chang’an asked.

Chen Mengchen spoke timidly, “If you go after it, and that monster comes back, wouldn’t the two of us be in danger?”

She was simply seeking safety, not truly wishing to follow Shen Chang’an. But her words made him pause. If there was more than one monster, chasing after the first might be exactly what they wanted—a classic diversion.

With the Dragon Jade Talisman, he could track the fleeing creature and prevent it from doubling back. But if there were others, things would get complicated.

He didn’t want to rescue Sun Qiqi only to find Chen Mengchen and Su Hongyi dead in his absence.

“All right, you can come. But remember: if I tell you to stop, you stop and stay perfectly still. Otherwise, we’ll all end up dead. Understood?”