Chapter 124: The Paranormal Intelligence Association

Master walked in with his hands behind his back, and we followed close behind. Because the building was incredibly tall, I was forced to take the elevator, though the sense of vertigo was not as intense as it had been before. Upon reaching the twenty-second floor, we stepped out of the lift. I leaned on Li Muyang’s shoulder with one hand, bowing my head to endure the dizziness. Li Muyang glanced back at me and asked, "What’s wrong, Lin Xuan?"

I waved a hand to signal him to keep moving. Li Muyang nodded nonchalantly and continued to follow the Master’s lead. After some searching, we finally found Li Xin’s office. The place was so vast and divided into so many areas that we had arrived unannounced. Of course, given the relationship between Master and Li Xin, formalities were hardly necessary.

We stood before the frosted glass door, catching faint glimpses of several people sitting inside. Master hesitated for a moment before knocking—*thump, thump, thump*. The people inside looked over in confusion, and then someone opened the door. I didn't recognize him, and Master seemed surprised to see him as well. When Master looked further into the room, his expression shifted into a smile. The man sitting on the sofa opposite also froze, then stood up and walked toward us, saying, "Senior, when did you arrive? You should have notified me so I could have come to pick you up."

Master smiled and waved a hand, looking toward the others on the sofa. "Are you busy?"

Li Xin glanced at them and replied, "Oh, no, just business."

"Business? Seeking intelligence?" Master asked with a hint of doubt.

Li Xin nodded and added, "Don't just stand at the door, Senior. Come in and sit. I’ve just acquired some excellent tea; you must try it."

Master smiled and agreed. We walked in and sat on the sofa. The others who had been there for information looked visibly awkward. They stood up, cupped their hands in a gesture of respect toward Li Xin, and said, "Chairman Li, please give the matter I entrusted to you your full attention. The higher-ups are pressing hard, so I have no choice. I’ll be going now. You all go ahead and talk."

Seeing the man rise, Li Xin set down his teacup. "Oh, won't you stay a while longer? I will get you news on that matter as soon as possible, don't worry."

The man waved his hand awkwardly. "I have other matters to attend to. I’ll treat you to a meal another time. Thank you for your help, Chairman Li."

Li Xin nodded, returned the gesture, and the man left with his four subordinates. Master watched until the door closed before turning to Li Xin, asking with curiosity, "Li Xin, who was that? What kind of intelligence was he looking for?"

As Li Xin prepared the tea, he looked at Master with a smile. "Senior, you know the rules of our trade. We generally do not disclose client information."

Master nodded sheepishly. Li Xin chuckled and continued, "However, I don't need to be so rigid with you, Senior. That man is the manager of the Chongqing branch of the Taoist Association, named Wu Wenzhong. A few days ago, their branch was attacked out of nowhere. They didn't even have a chance to resist—not because they weren't strong enough, but because the attackers used some form of illusion. Everyone was pulled into a dreamscape, and when they woke up, their entire branch had been wiped out. Only he and a few trusted aides were spared because of their superior strength."

As Li Xin poured the tea, Master froze, looking visibly shocked. "An illusion? Pulled into a dreamscape?"

Seeing Master’s reaction, Li Xin became curious himself. He nodded and asked, "What is it, Senior?"

Master looked stunned, muttering to himself, "How could the Taoist branch also fall victim? Could last night’s incident not be a coincidence? Is there an underlying cause?"

Master looked up at Li Xin, his tone urgent. "What else do you know? Tell me everything, in detail."

Li Xin grew even more puzzled but complied. "It is said that this type of illusion is designed to bewilder the mind, drawing out a person's deepest fears. It’s like watching a movie; even if you know it’s an illusion, you are slowly seduced by it, causing your inner terror to magnify infinitely. It is a terrifying way to devour a person. However, if the victim is prepared in advance, they might be able to use the illusion to travel to different places."

"Do you know the name of this illusion?" Master asked, brow furrowed.

Li Xin thought for a while. "I don't know, because this technique has been classified as a forbidden art and hasn't appeared for a long time. It did appear once fifty years ago, causing many deaths. A village was targeted, and in a single night, a bustling community was turned into a hell on earth. It caused quite a stir when it was discovered, and it was only suppressed after Maoshan intervened. Since then, it has been listed among the forbidden arts of the occult world. Senior, have you encountered something?"

Li Xin, a master of intelligence, had instantly caught onto Master's unusual behavior. Master looked at him and nodded. "To be honest, we encountered it last night."

Hearing this, Li Xin was startled, leaning back in his seat. "No way? What a coincidence. Damn—er, sorry, pardon my language, I just couldn't contain my excitement."

Master rolled his eyes. "There’s no need to be so surprised. What’s there to be excited about? We were at the Mid-Autumn gala at the Haoting Hotel. Everything was fine at first, with singing and dancing, but then I suddenly sensed an anomaly. We were hit by it. I woke up relatively quickly, but this kid here was even worse; he almost jumped off the building. The 'infinite magnification of fear' you mentioned must be why he nearly jumped."

Master pointed at me, and I finally understood. Inside the illusion, my deepest fears had been the death of my grandfather and the crushing weight of being despised. Li Xin looked at me, nodded, and said, "If that’s the case, this is truly troublesome."

Master waved his hand. "The trouble isn't the main issue; we must find the source of this illusion. After I woke up from the dreamscape last night, I vaguely saw a figure. Just as I was about to strike, it vanished. If I’m not mistaken, the illusion and the figure are connected!"

Master tapped the table twice, highlighting the illusion and the figure. Li Xin fell into deep thought and nodded. For a while, the room was silent, save for the faint sound of car horns drifting up from the high-rise streets. Then, the silence was broken by Li Muyang. "Hey, Senior, I just remembered something."

We all looked at Li Muyang in confusion. He grew sheepish and stammered, "Er, this... heh."

"What are you trying to say, boy? Stop mumbling. Are you acting shy like a little girl?" Master asked, frowning.

Li Muyang gave an awkward smile. "I see you're both racking your brains over this, but it’s actually quite simple. We’ve been so focused on the illusion and the figure that we’ve overlooked a key piece of information."

We were even more confused. Master asked, "What did we overlook?"

Li Muyang became serious. "Didn’t the Senior just say that a similar case occurred fifty years ago? If it really happened back then, there must be records. Why don't we just start our investigation from there?"

We all had a sudden epiphany. Master slapped the table and looked at Li Xin. "That’s it! How did we forget that? Tell me, do you have any relevant records?"

Li Xin realized the same thing. "Let me check. I should."

He stood up and left the room, leaving the three of us behind. Master took a sip of tea and looked at Li Muyang. "You’re actually useful at critical moments, boy. If you hadn't reminded me, I would have forgotten entirely."

After Master finished, I froze—I felt like I had heard that line somewhere before, but I couldn't quite place it. I shook my head and decided not to dwell on it.