At that moment, the older of the beasts next to him suddenly leapt over the sofa and lunged at me.
Its sharp claws aimed directly for my throat!
I let out a low groan, forcing myself to regain a sliver of mobility.
My hand shot out with a loud bang, followed by the sound of bones snapping.
The creature didn't fly away even after being hit, its lean body hanging from the copper mace in my hand...
I didn't use a talisman because, first, this beast was too fast, and second, I wasn't sure if it was a ghost. If the talisman didn't work, I would have gotten injured for nothing!
This copper mace is a crucial magical implement, one that I carry at all times.
The weight of the mace was enough to break the creature's bones directly.
On the sofa, another beast that had previously pretended to be a firefly did not lunge at me. It had a fierce face and let out a sharp roar before leaping onto the back of the sofa.
I did not retreat or flee, my face as cold as water.
It seems then, that it was this beast that knocked on the door last night?
I wasn't being watched by someone else!
It turns out it was the friend of the Nian, Liang Yue!
That text message couldn't have been from the Nian. I realized it was Liang Yue in an instant!
We may have left, but Liang Yue, taking advantage of the Nian's trust in her, pretends to have investigated some information and actually tricks the Nian out. Then she tricks me out as well!
But why would Liang Yue attack me!?
Jin Yang's news about me was basically sealed off?
And… the Nian is in Liang Yue's hands!
Leaving means I'm abandoning the Nian, right?
In an instant, a stalemate formed between me and the beast on the sofa.
It did not advance, and I did not close in either.
I slightly tilted my hand, and the beast that was previously hit fell to the ground.
Old Gong muttered something quietly, but I didn't understand very well.
Suddenly, a faint powdery smell emerged from the beast and drifted towards the creature on the sofa.
Spiritual allure?
I recognized it instantly. This spiritual allure is just like the one on the Nian, isn't it?
As the powdery scent pierced the beast, in a flash, its face seemed to change again, becoming more like the Nian...
"Spiritual beast...fox spirit..."
Old Gong's speech became slightly clearer.
At that moment, a strong wind attacked from behind!
I turned sharply around, and what I saw was a figure with reddish skin, a slim body, a round head with incredibly large eyes, nearly hairless ears except for a tiny bit on the tips.
This is similar to the beast on the sofa, just with less hair and a leaner body!
But it is more terrifying.
Instead of the smell of urine, it exuded a scent of blood.
With a swift motion, its front paw hooked down towards my head, the sharp claws piercing deep into the flesh!
My scalp went numb, and I swung the copper mace upwards with all my might!
Just as the copper mace was about to strike it, it stopped its attack on me and brought all four legs together to land on the mace.
My swing turned into a push.
It was pushed flying, and as it seemed about to collide with the other wall, it spread its limbs out, suddenly supported the wall, arched its body, and leapt at me again!
My face turned pale as a ghost, this beast is so hard to deal with.
I tried again with the copper mace, it was too clumsy while it was very flexible. Not only did I miss it, but it took advantage of the mace's force and leapt towards the ceiling, then kicked off with all four paws and came down in a dive toward my head!
Old Gong's head swelled up, his mouth opened in an odd manner, and he bit down with a sudden snap!
Although Old Gong is just a ghost, he's not simple at all. He was able to rip off an arm from Wei Youming before!
Blood sprayed everywhere, the beast was bitten in the waist, and Old Gong spat out twice and pushed it away. When it landed, its waist was almost twisted off.
"Reeky smell..." Old Gong was still spitting out saliva.
I thought that once it was taken care of, the problem would be solved. The beast on the sofa clearly wasn't as fierce.
But I still intended to exploit our victory and take out the one on the sofa before it could do anything.
I never expected that the beast on the ground would suddenly spring up and attack me again, right at my head!
Compared to before, it's speed has slowed down significantly!
I swung the copper mace again, and with a crack, it struck the beast's head. It landed and was already dead, with its brains splattered everywhere...
My heart was pounding.
However, the beast on the sofa had disappeared without a trace when I wasn't looking.
My face changed slightly, and I turned abruptly to find that it was now at the door, trying to escape!
Without hesitation, I swung the copper mace out!
It let out a piercing scream, but did not dodge, for it had no time to escape!
A bone-breaking thud, the copper mace struck its chest, it was instantly propelled towards the door by the momentum, and the mace landed with a dull thud.
I took two steps forward and picked up the heavy copper mace. My palms were throbbing from the recent actions, and the bandages were oozing with blood...
"All gone..." Old Gong licking his lips.
I didn't make a sound, and I was almost fully focused on my hearing.
Turning around, I kicked open all the rooms in this house. There was no one inside, no Nian, and certainly not the Liang Yue I expected.
Old Gong's face turned pale as well.
"They took the young lady..."
Inhaling deeply, I forcefully exhaled a mouthful of phlegm.
Closing my eyes slightly, I tried to calm the throbbing at my temples. I directly went out the door and down the apartment building.
I took out my phone and dialed the Nian's number again.
The phone rang, but there was no sound on the other end.
A minute passed without anyone speaking.
I swallowed hard and said, "I don't know why you're targeting me, but I'll tell you now, it's not too late to release the Nian."
"Otherwise, I'll kill you."
My words weren't harsh, but the coldness in my tone was extreme.
"You're not dead yet?" Liang Yue's voice carried a hint of terror, as if I should have already been dead...
Old Gong leaped onto my shoulder and roared, "Bitch, kill you, I won't die either!"
"Ghost thing, shut up!" came Liang Yue's angry voice.
The phone went dead.
I tried to call again, but it went straight to voicemail.
Old Gong was so angry that his teeth were grinding.
My heart sank to the bottom of the valley.
My first thought was to go back to Liang Yue's house, but my intuition told me she wouldn't be so foolish as to go back now. It was impossible.
It was highly likely that she was around here, otherwise, it would be difficult for her to set up two locations in just one day - one to kill me and the other to hold the Nian.
But… is someone there?
I turned around and looked at Old Gong.
Taking a deep breath, I said in a hushed tone, "Old Gong, you can calculate the fortunes and misfortunes, but can't you calculate where the Nian is?"
"Th-This..." Old Gong was stunned for a moment.
His eyes darted around wildly, and his mouth slightly opened.
