VESSEL - Extinction Countdown 918: Yin Beast Ensnaring Dragon

“Ye Shisan!”

A clear voice rang out, followed by a sweet warmth from his fingertips.

Yi Qing gripped Ye Shisan’s hand tightly, her eyes blazing with resolve.

“What’s a grown man like you moping for? You Long’er isn’t dead! And you’d better spill every detail about that Zhuxi City God business again!”

Ye Shisan froze. The translucent arms sprouting from his back, tied to Pseudo-Spirit Zhuqiu, abruptly retracted.

He glanced at Yi Qing, who leaned close to Hong Lin, the black cat. A terrifying will flared from her azure eye.

“And you, Hong Lin! Surely you know what’s going on, don’t you?”

Hong Lin flinched, hissing in panic.

Ye Shisan whipped around, glaring. Hong Lin, caught in his gaze, instantly put on a meek act, purring obediently.

“Just so we’re clear, I only pieced it together when I saw all the broken clay shells on the ground. I didn’t hide anything on purpose…”

Ye Shisan and Yi Qing bellowed in unison, “Spit it out!”

“If I’m not mistaken, it’s a Yin Beast. You Long’er brought a Yin Beast out from the Zhuxi City God…”

“What?!”

“Father, you remember, right? Back in the wonder realm, you and Sister Long’er tried to escape Zhuxi City God, but couldn’t break through the barrier of twenty-four Tomb Guardian Beasts!”

Yi Qing couldn’t help but cry out in shock. “Ye Shisan, why didn’t you mention something so important back then?!”

Ye Shisan’s face twisted with regret. “A danger that’s already passed is no longer a danger. Bringing it up would’ve only made everyone worry needlessly…”

Hong Lin chimed in from the side, “Father’s got a point. Even I didn’t notice anything off with Sister Long’er back then. That’s why I cast the spell to bring them back to the mortal world. If I’d spotted it, I’d never have let those Tomb Guardian Beasts leave Zhuxi City God!”

Yi Qing pressed, “So what’s the link between Tomb Guardian Beasts and Yin Beasts?”

“Sister Yi Qing, here’s the deal. Normally, when mortals die, their living soul exit the body and passes through the wonder realm tunnels to reach the spirit realm—what people in Eastland commonly call the underworld. Tomb Guardian Beasts are sentinels at the entrances to these tunnels. They stand at the overlap between the wonder realm and the spirit realm, and their job is to ensure every entity entering the spirit realm is in a pure living soul state.”

“If something not a living soul shows up, the Tomb Guardian Beasts activate. They either devour the intruder whole or strip it into a soul state. But sometimes, accidents happen—like a Tomb Guardian Beast getting dragged out of the spirit realm. Once they hit the mortal world, they morph into Yin Beasts.”

“Yin Beasts are physical monsters—savage, ferocious, often possessing innate supernatural abilities. I remember hearing from a passing spirit that nearly a thousand years ago, a Yin Beast was spotted in Kaifeng, Dongjing. They said it was six or seven feet long, gray-black body, fish-scale skin, a donkey's head, fish gills, twin horns on its forehead, and a bellow like an ox… It was eventually killed and eaten by a band of rogue soldiers.”

Ye Shisan said, “Doesn’t seem like the Yin Beast is all that dangerous. It’s nothing compared to the Tomb Guardian Beasts I faced.”

Hong Lin shook her head. “Those rogue soldiers who ate it? They spewed pus like a cursed spring, their bodies rotted, melting into pools of filth. Floods followed, drowning countless lives! From what I know, Tomb Guardian Beasts shed their skin three times to transform into Yin Beasts in the mortal world. That clay shell is the first stage!”

Yi Qing nodded, piecing it together. “So you’re saying... You Long’er was possessed by a Tomb Guardian Beast?”

Hong Lin hesitated. “I’m not sure. I’ve never seen a case where a Tomb Guardian Beast follow a human living soul back into the mortal world. Usually, escapees from the spirit realm target low-intelligence creatures, hollow out their living souls, and take over. But… this clay shell looks exactly like the first-stage transformation!”

Ye Shisan pushed further. “By your logic, a Yin Beast shouldn’t target You Long’er!”

“Father, that’s true, but once it’s inside, who’d willingly give up such a precious vessel as a human form?”

Ye Shisan watched the black cat wink at him, suddenly recalling how, when Hong Lin first returned to the mortal world, she’d asked to possess Vanilla’s body. He’d shot it down. Is taking human form that crucial to them?

Hong Lin caught his doubt and added, “Of course, human intelligence is high. Fully converting a human body isn’t easy. That’s why Sister Long’er hasn’t reached the second stage yet! If we find her now, there might still be a way to save her!”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s head to the back hills—now!”

Ye Shisan stood up, only to notice the villagers of Touxiang—young and old alike—staring at him as if he were some kind of monster. Qian Dani was so frightened she barely dared to breathe. “Boss… y-you… you can understand the cat?”

Village Chief Dong, his philtrum red from being pinched awake, gaped at Ye Shisan, as if sifting through faded memories. “Boss, who are you? The back hills aren’t for you to wander… Not without me leading the way…”

Ye Shisan brushed it off. “No need. I know the back hills like my own hand.”

The old man’s confusion turned to shock. “You… just who are you?”

Ye Shisan’s face was expressionless. “My surname’s Ye! The kid who lost his grandpa and was cast out of this village over twenty years ago!”

Old Dong was struck as if by a bolt from the blue and immediately collapsed into sobs, “Ye Shisan? You’re Ye Shisan?! Oh, heavens! What a sin! A wretched sin! My Dong family, all of Touxiang Village—we owe your Ye family!”

Ye Shisan yanked Yi Qing up and walked straight through the crowd, heading for the mountain path without looking back.

Yi Qing asked, “Why’s Chief Dong so hysterical?”

Ye Shisan’s expression was cold. “Before my grandpa died, he begged the villagers to raise me till I was eighteen. But they wanted my family’s fields. So they paid two thousand yuan to have my mother and stepfather take me away. The one who started it all— was the old master of the Dong family!”

Yi Qing’s eyes flickered with a mix of emotions. She’d seen much of the world and met all kinds of people, she had never truly believed that simple, kind-hearted mountain folk could harbor such cruelty.

Ye Shisan went on, “Back then, a few leading families in the village even took money from my grandpa. The old master of the Dong family even swore he’d raise me to eighteen or be cursed with no heirs… Well—looks like karma doesn’t miss. Retribution always finds its way.”

Out of nowhere, Hong Lin burst into laughter. “Father, if you ask me, most of the trash humans should just be wiped out! Sure, there are still a few righteous souls left—but they’re one in a million! At this rate, our generation might go down as the shortest-lived in this planet’s history. No contest!”

Ye Shisan and Yi Qing snapped in unison, “Shut it!”

“If you’d done a proper check before leaving the wonder realm, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

Hong Lin instantly deflated, let out a soft mewl, and slunk back into the backpack.

Ye Shisan and Yi Qing, swift and sure, cut through dense woods, scaled ridges, until they reached the back hills of Touxiang’s Village.

Through sparse shade, their eyes caught sight of a narrow mountain pass ahead.

By the pass stood a small stone pedestal, etched with words: Enter the vale, shed no tear; weep, and stay bound to the vale.

The locals called it Weeping Vale.