Chapter 2

I never thought I would return to that place again, but the world was a small place.

I took a late-night flight to the town where Soleil had gone missing. I would still need to be on the road for about half a day before I reached the mountains.

I arrived at the foot of the mountains at 12:00 pm.

It was a wonder that Soleil had managed to find such a remote place to go hiking.

There was a tent set up near the foot of the mountains.

A man and a woman hurried toward me when they spotted me and politely shook hands with me.

The search and rescue team had given up. Only Soleil's parents, Charlotte Clark and Ashton, were still determined to find her and bring her home.

The man who'd come out to greet me was Ashton. He had cut a piece of Charlotte's clothes as I instructed.

"Thank you so much for your help, Ms. Clearwind. We'll definitely pay you handsomely if you can bring Soleil back to us."

I didn't care too much about the compensation. I just wanted to do the right thing.

I tucked the piece of cloth away, avoiding Charlotte's eyes that were brimming with sorrow.

I knew that Charlotte was in an emotionally precarious state after wallowing in despair for so many days, so I asked Ashton to accompany me into the mountains.

At first, Ashton led the way. However, after a few moments, I silently took the lead and led him down a shortcut.

I knew the way, but I couldn't carry Soleil's corpse, so I needed Ashton to do the heavy lifting.

I glanced at the dark shadows around us before pulling out a few talismans and attaching them to the trees, preemptively preventing the spirits from causing any trouble.

The evil spirits in the forests had been multiplying in the last few years.

I was born with enhanced vision, so I could see things that other people couldn't. Not wanting to scare Ashton, I refrained from telling him that.

"Why are you so familiar with this place, Ms. Clearwind?" Ashton asked curiously.

I looked at the sun-dappled flowers and answered lightly, "I've been here before."

"No wonder you're more familiar with the paths than me," Ashton said with a smile. "We can save a lot of time with this route."

I smiled but didn't continue the conversation, not wanting to reminisce about the past.

This place was called Mt. Ghost Maiden. The entire mountain range looked like a coiled dragon with a valley in the center. Water flowed down from the higher areas and pooled in the lowest point of the valley, creating a shallow lake with pebbled shores.

The scenery was quite beautiful, but it was also a place where evil spirits loved to gather.

According to geomancy, an area like this would be considered a land of abundance, making it the perfect place for one to bury the deceased to bless their descendants.

It was why there was a rather large cemetery in the valley.

We headed toward the cave, which was tucked away in a secluded corner below the lake.

"We never would have found this place without your guidance, Ms. Clearwind," Ashton said gratefully.

He then stepped forward, wanting to take the lead again before I stopped him.

"No need. You can just wait here. All you need to do is carry your daughter later."

Ashton looked like he had more to say upon hearing my words. Finally, he mumbled, "Truth be told, when the search and rescue team found this place, they also found a lot of bones that belonged to children.

"They already got rid of them because they were worried that the mountains' reputation would be affected. They also forbade us from telling anyone else.

"It's so horrible. I heard that the villagers who lived nearby would abandon their baby daughters. How could they do such a cruel thing…"

Ashton let the rest of his sentence trail off, but I could tell that he wanted to ask me if the tragedy that befell Soleil was related to the abandoned babies.

I subconsciously tightened my grip on my backpack as I thought about the past. I said, "There used to be a tower here that suppressed the spirits of the abandoned babies. Someone destroyed it. But I don't think those children are responsible for what happened to your daughter. Wait here."

Ashton nodded. He then sat down on a nearby rock, his expression a mix of despair and anticipation.

The cave was located in the lowest point of the valley, which was also where the negative energy was the strongest. Not only were there tombs everywhere, but there were also countless baby spirits.

Evil spirits loved gathering in a place like this.

Countless evil spirits had surrounded me the moment I stepped foot into the mountains, acting as if they were welcoming me home. They led the way after I entered the cave and stopped in front of the pitch-black pit.

I retrieved a roll of rope from my backpack and secured one end to a rock before descending into the pit.

Another benefit of having enhanced vision was that I could see even in the darkest of places.

The pit was deep, but my rope was the perfect length. There were lots of rocks and flowing water.

Following the scent of rotting corpses, I eventually came upon a pile of bricks.

It was what was left of the tower that was meant to suppress the spirits of the abandoned babies.