Chapter 31: The Spirit Turtle Child

"How could that be!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
Even if his life depended on it, Shen Xin would never believe his ocular technique could fail. Ever since awakening this power, nothing like this had ever happened—even the air could be frozen by his gaze.
"Hehe, big brother, come catch me! If you catch me, I'll give you fruit to eat. The fruit is delicious!"
In the next moment, the Spirit Turtle Child appeared atop a stone not far away, giggling at Shen Xin.
"Playing tricks, huh? Watch me catch you!"
Shen Xin activated his ocular technique on himself, and instantly appeared beside the Spirit Turtle Child. He reached out, smiling, "Let's see where you can run now!"
His hand passed through the child's body, grasping nothing.
"Could it be a mere afterimage?"
Missing his target, Shen Xin stumbled and fell, making intimate contact with the stone.
"Haha! You're so silly!"
Spirit Turtle Child appeared on another stone, laughing so hard he rolled atop it.
"You rascal, just wait!"
Shen Xin teleported again, but still missed. Minutes passed, and not only did he fail to catch the child, he ended up bruised and battered.
Half-kneeling on a stone, he panted heavily.
"Hehe, big brother, I'm not playing with you anymore. I'm going home now!"
With that, the Spirit Turtle Child vanished. Shen Xin waited several minutes, but the child did not return.
"Damn it."
Cursing, Shen Xin rested for a while, then continued down the mountain.
By the time he returned to the village, it was a little past six. Everyone was gradually coming back.
Judging from their expression, it was clear no one found any clues.
Shen Xin looked disheveled, but no one paid much attention, except for Tang Ziran—who fared better than the others.
Tang Ziran asked with concern, "Brother Shen Xin, what happened? Are you alright?"
Shen Xin shook his head, saying it was nothing.

Wu Bing led everyone to the rented house, where a meal was already set in the hall.
Willow Eyebrow asked, "Did anyone find anything?"
The others shook their heads, indicating they hadn't.
Shen Xin took a few bites and found Wu Bing's cooking exceptional. Though simple country dishes, they were deliciously prepared. He quickly sampled each dish before setting down his chopsticks and said, "I encountered the Spirit Turtle Child."
Everyone exclaimed in unison, "What? You saw the Spirit Turtle Child!"
Shen Xin nodded. "It's not looking good. My ability is space-time, but I couldn't catch him! I suggest we abandon this mission."
"Really? Even you couldn't catch him?"
Old Mo wanted to confirm.
"Yes. My power didn't work on him, couldn't freeze him—he even dodged my teleportation effortlessly. It was like..."
Shen Xin paused, searching for the right word.
"Like the Spirit Turtle Child wasn't corporeal. He could appear anywhere."
Willow Eyebrow frowned. "Must be a spirit form; the real body may be elsewhere."
Shen Xin retorted, "But I saw him eating fruit. How could he eat if he wasn't real? Tell me, is it possible?"
Old Mo patted Shen Xin's shoulder, comforting him. "Calm down. We're discussing, not arguing."
"Fine, you discuss."
Shen Xin exhaled deeply and concentrated on eating.
Old Mo and Tang Ziran believed Shen Xin, but it was already night; leaving could wait until tomorrow. Besides, Willow Eyebrow's former teammates from the Danqing Squad were also present—they were like her family, so some courtesy was due.
Chen Jiawang was focused not on the task, but on Willow Eyebrow, smiling at her all the while.
In the mountain village, the night was thick with mosquitoes—no one wanted to stroll outside. Four bedrooms were given to the women; the three men each chose a room, lit mosquito coils, and lay on bamboo mats scrolling through their phones.
Around ten o'clock, Shen Xin, glancing sideways, saw the Spirit Turtle Child again—the child in a red bellyband, holding a bright red fruit, giggling at him:
"Big brother, why aren't you coming to catch me? Come catch me!"
Shen Xin ignored him, engrossed in reading novels on his phone.
These power fantasy novels, he thought, were addictive.
The Spirit Turtle Child, seeing he was ignored, hurled a teacup at Shen Xin.

Shen Xin transported it back, and it ended up hitting the Spirit Turtle Child—though the cup passed straight through his body.
Shen Xin fumed, unable to hit or catch him, growing increasingly irritable.
The Spirit Turtle Child didn’t intend to let him off, continually provoking him. Finally, Shen Xin could bear it no longer. He sprang up and shouted, "Will you ever stop? What on earth do you want?"
His loud voice immediately drew Old Mo and Chen Jiawang from downstairs.
"Brother Shen, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing. That annoying Spirit Turtle Child is back. Tonight, I'll sleep with you, Uncle Mo. Is that alright?"
Shen Xin figured the Spirit Turtle Child would fear Uncle Mo—his aura was intimidating enough to scare off punks with just a glance.
"No problem," Old Mo replied readily.
Sure enough, after sharing a room with Old Mo, the Spirit Turtle Child did not appear again.
Early the next morning, after breakfast, everyone discussed and finally decided to abandon the mission. For tasks like these, ending them promptly was common practice. The greatest fear was not stopping losses in time, compounding mistakes, and wasting precious time.
As they reached the village square, they saw a group approaching.
At the front was a Taoist priest in a yellow robe, holding a compass, inspecting it as he walked. He was about forty, with a mustache, and his small eyes gave him a shifty look.
Behind him was a person dressed oddly, wearing an exaggerated mask. The clothing consisted of multicolored black strips—not ordinary fabric, possibly woven from feathers of a black bird, which shimmered with rainbow hues in the sunlight. The mask seemed to be made from old tree bark, with only two holes—one for the eye, one for the mouth.
Behind them trailed five men in black shirts and pants, each tall and muscular, their clothes stretched tight as if about to burst.
Shen Xin immediately recognized them as another group seeking the Spirit Turtle Child—there were plenty of teams coming to Huangni Village for this, nothing unusual.
Old Mo marveled, "Look at that—now that's professional. I bet they're more likely to find the Spirit Turtle Child."
Shen Xin retorted, "Even if they find him, so what? Can they catch him?"
Willow Eyebrow was reluctant to leave, so she suggested, "Why don't we follow and see?"
"Sister Willow, if they really find him, are we going to snatch him?"
Willow Eyebrow didn’t reply, but her silence was answer enough.
Old Mo was curious too, so he agreed to follow. After all, plenty of people were trailing the Taoist priest—streamers, villagers with nothing better to do after breakfast.