PD -Chapter 97 The Mysterious Deep Pit

“Lo… the Nine Sons of the Dragon?” Liu Xiaopeng looked at me in disbelief, then raised his own hand and stared at it.

I nodded and came back to my senses. “This place isn’t safe. Let’s get Yu Qi and the others to the hospital first.”

Liu Xiaopeng nodded and slowly stood up. Together, we drove over and carried Yu Qi and several Taoist priests into the car. We immediately rushed them to the hospital.

That night had caused such a huge disturbance that I couldn’t shake a faint sense of unease. The fact that the statue had broken out of the Taoist temple’s main hall had been witnessed by almost everyone present. If this got out, it would surely cause a storm of rumors.

But after the incident, I realized I had been worrying too much. The matter was quickly suppressed by the Zero Investigation Group Zero Investigation Group. I had no idea what methods they used…

In any case, the Taoist priests there kept silent about everything. It was as if nothing had ever happened. They raised funds, quietly repaired the main hall, and even enshrined a brand-new statue of the Primordial Heavenly Lord.

Two days later, Daoist Master Yu was out of danger and moved into a general ward. Yu Qi had already woken up as well, and the matter was considered settled. Liu Xiaopeng, Zhu Zhu, and I prepared to leave.

Looking at the employment letter in my hands, I couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. If I could really become a teacher here and live an ordinary, stable life, that might actually be a good option… But it seemed I no longer had the right to choose that path.

I had sworn an oath: no matter how difficult the road ahead, no matter how slim the hope, I could not give up. I had to bring Tang Shanshan back.

We soon returned to the office. I opened a file on the computer and pointed it out to Liu Xiaopeng.

“The divine beast you summoned that night… should be Chiwen Chiwen.”

Liu Xiaopeng leaned in to look at the illustration in the file. The drawing showed a rough depiction of Chiwen’s fish body and dragon head… Although there were some differences from what we had seen that night, it was generally correct.

“Among the Nine Sons of the Dragon Nine Sons of the Dragon, Chiwen likes to swallow; its belly can contain mountains and seas, and it can devour water and fire. In times of danger, it can open its mouth and release the water and fire stored within, suppressing inauspicious entities,” Liu Xiaopeng read softly from the document.

“Chiwen is considered the ninth of the dragon sons, also called the fish-dragon. It is said to be a fusion of fish and dragon… If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed such beings actually exist,” I sighed. The awe-inspiring scene of that giant beast still lingered vividly in my mind.

“But… I have no idea how I managed to do it!” Liu Xiaopeng looked at his palm in confusion.

Since that incident settled down, I had tried to make him summon the dragon bloodline ability again. No matter how many times we tried, he couldn’t successfully call forth any of the Nine Sons again.

I even tried recreating the conditions of that night so he could unleash the Flame of Demonic Destruction again.

But although he had now mastered the demonic flames more skillfully, he still couldn’t trigger his bloodline power.

I patted his shoulder. “Maybe it was because the situation that night was so urgent that it awakened your latent potential. Don’t rush it. Just steady your foundation. Keep cultivating according to the Tianji Lu, and you’ll break through sooner or later.”

Liu Xiaopeng could only sigh.

At that moment, a video call popped up on my computer. To my surprise, it was Li Zi—the man from the haunted house business last time.

That mansion, once inhabited by the vengeful spirit of a Republic-era military officer’s wife, had already been transformed into a script-killing and adventure attraction after my exorcism and renovation. It had become wildly popular among local youth and even a trending internet hotspot.

As its owner, Li Zi had naturally made a fortune from it… and of course, he had paid me in full for the design and construction fees. Our previous cooperation had been quite pleasant.

Now that he was calling again, I figured he must have another project.

I accepted the call, and Li Zi appeared on screen wearing a thick gold chain and a flashy watch.

“Big brother! It’s been so long, I missed you!” he said enthusiastically, practically pressing his face against the camera as if he were about to cry.

I let out a wry smile. “Alright, Boss Li. Shouldn’t you be busy counting money at your project site? What brings you to me?”

“Oh, this must be Brother Xiaopeng!” Li Zi turned to look at Liu Xiaopeng through the camera. “I’ve heard so much about you from Big Brother here—he says you’re capable. Finally meeting you in person!”

“Cut the nonsense,” I said, shaking my head. “Since when did I keep talking about him in front of you?”

“See? Big Brother is shy now…” Li Zi teased.

“Enough. Just say what you need. Found another haunted property?” I asked impatiently.

“Well… yes, sort of,” Li Zi scratched his head.

From the background behind him, I could tell he was at a construction site. I asked where he was.

“I’m in Hunan. Big brother, something really weird is happening here—you need to come take a look,” he said, walking to a corner and pointing the camera at a restricted area.

A sign stood there: “No entry. No responsibility for any injuries.” The area was surrounded by warning tape.

Li Zi approached the cordon and reached his hand in. Inside was a collapsed pit—deep, pitch-black, with no visible bottom.

“What, did you strike oil on your construction site?” I frowned.

“Don’t joke, big brother! I don’t have that kind of luck!” Li Zi quickly backed away from the hole and whispered, “This pit just appeared out of nowhere. It’s extremely strange.”

I asked him to explain in detail. Li Zi left the construction site and entered what looked like an office before sitting down and telling the full story.

The project was a residential development. Li Zi’s uncle had invested everything—including his life savings—along with government support to take over a long-abandoned unfinished building. The project had been stalled for nearly five years, and only recently did Li Zi’s uncle resume construction, redevelopment, and sales.

Everything had been moving in a promising direction. The project had even attracted new investment, and this small county in Hunan was on the verge of a property boom again.

But unexpectedly, the sudden appearance of this mysterious deep pit shattered that illusion.

According to Li Zi, the pit formed without any warning. And in an instant, it swallowed the lives of two workers.

On the day the pit appeared, the workers were going about their usual tasks when suddenly, the ground near a prepared foundation collapsed.