Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 13: Bloodline

Shi Jingzhi’s fingers were cold, and his palms slightly damp. This wasn’t acting; he was genuinely afraid. Yin Ci couldn’t be bothered with etiquette anymore and tightened his grip.

It was such a rare opportunity for a top-notch thrill that he couldn’t let it slip away easily.

When Yin Ci didn’t let go of his hand, Shi Jingzhi breathed a sigh of relief and muttered a barely audible “thank you”.

A strange thought suddenly occurred to Yin Ci—when Shi Jingzhi first learned that Yin Ci was willing to explore the tomb, he was so happy. Could it be that he was actually scared of ghosts and didn’t want to explore alone?

Fear could easily affect performance, so he needed some reassurance.

“Shizun.”

“Yes?”

“There are no ghosts in this world.”

Shi Jingzhi thought of it as the ramblings of a young one. He turned to the side and patted Yin Ci’s head with his other hand. “Master understands.”

Yin Ci continued to comfort him. “Someone once said that I have an incredibly strong fate and specialize in dealing with evil spirits. Even if a ghost appears, I can protect you.”

Shi Jingzhi turned his face, giving him a complicated look. “Specializing in dealing with evil spirits, huh? That’s great.”

After saying this, Shi Jingzhi strangely calmed down, and even his pulse became steadier. Yin Ci was quite satisfied.

Inside the hall, there were arrays set up. It didn’t feel like descending; it felt more like moving forward in a dark tunnel. The Chigou Sect led the way, walking and exploring, advancing slowly in the darkness.

“A’Ci.” Shi Jingzhi suddenly exerted more strength in his hand. “Walk slower.”

After speaking, Shi Jingzhi quietly turned around, put something around Yin Ci’s neck, and adjusted his collar. The movements were astonishingly swift that onlookers would only think he was tidying up his disciple’s clothes.

Yin Ci lowered his head and saw a round shadow inside his collar—Shi Jingzhi had threaded the Buddhist bead with a sturdy thread and hidden it on him.

Yin Ci was almost confused by the intermittent vigilance of this person. What was he thinking to entrust him with such a thing?

“Wear it properly.” Shi Jingzhi pulled back his hand, and there was a bit of warmth in it.

“Shizun, aren’t you afraid I’ll run away?”

Shi Jingzhi replied without hesitation, “If you really run away, no matter where you go, I will catch you.”

Yin Ci: “…” Forget it. Let him dream for now.

At the end of the tunnel, there was a faint blue light. When they reached their destination, everyone stopped in their tracks.

The scene before them was like an illusion.

However, as soon as Yin Ci saw the scene clearly, he pushed Shi Jingzhi to the ground, and both of them fell. Before Shi Jingzhi could ask why, blood from the person beside them splattered across his face.

Just as everyone reached the end of the tunnel and was stunned by the sight of the second layer, several steel wires came from behind like a gust of wind.

The major sects had abundant experience in battle and didn’t lose many people. However, the rest weren’t so lucky—many had been cut into segments by the steel wires, leaving blood and entrails covering the ground.

The group, which had nearly three hundred people, now had less than a hundred remaining, excluding the injured who stayed on the first level.

“It’s… It’s truly vicious. Brother Yin, you have quick reflexes.” Jin Lan’s reaction was a bit slow, and he ducked a bit late, losing a good amount of hair from the back of his head.

“Intuition. Being targeted by mountain beasts from behind feels similar to what just happened,” Yin Ci mysteriously explained.

As he had expected, Shi Jingzhi’s external martial arts were mediocre, and his muscle reflexes hadn’t been trained well. He had come close to becoming a soul under the wires. His cheap master sat on the ground, still in a dazed state.

Yin Ci squatted down, poking his numb face. “Shizun, look, I told you I have a strong fate.”

Shi Jingzhi slowly extended both hands and tightly held Yin Ci’s hand. “Good disciple, there is nothing I can do to repay you but to use my body and… Uh, slave like a horse*.”

*(做牛做马) Idiom referring to working hard or toil diligently to the point of servitude or self-sacrifice.

Yin Ci hinted, “You can increase my monthly allowance.”

Shi Jing immediately became serious. “That matter is a separate issue.”

Most of the people had experienced hardships in the martial world and wouldn’t panic because of corpses. Only the Changle Sect had suffered near-total annihilation, and their thin leader was still crying and sobbing. The others quickly regrouped and observed the scene inside the “Ascension Hall”.

Yan Budu had chosen his timing quite well; the scene inside the hall was indeed awe-inspiring, causing people to forget their actions.

Unlike the Paper Figures Street, the Ascension Hall was filled with a cold light, standing on the lake. There was no solid ground; only an ice surface with neat patterns. Underneath the ice, a liquid shimmered with a faint blue fluorescence that was crystal clear.

So clear they could vividly see it—the lake bottom was adorned with various corals and landscapes, all constructed from translucent white bones, including human bones. Bone fish swam leisurely under the influence of the arrays.

The surroundings were brightly lit, as if it were daylight. Beautiful green lights enveloped various bones as if all signs of life were sealed within the ice. Compared to a palace, it felt more like a courtyard of bones.

The view at the center of the lake was particularly magnificent. A giant fishbone was located at the spatial center, unrivaled in size. The fish’s head leaned forward, with half of its body frozen in ice and the tail naturally connected to a serpent’s bone. The serpent’s bone covered the entire second level, with rib ends embedded in the ice surface, creating countless passages.

Carp leaping over the dragon gate symbolized auspiciousness, but the atmosphere was extremely eerie.

Shi Jingzhi: “… Did Yan Budu misunderstand the meaning of ‘ascension’? Has this carp only transformed halfway and gotten stuck at the Dragon Gate*?”

*Clarity: The Dragon Gate holds transformative and auspicious opportunity or challenge that can lead to great success, advancement, or a higher level of existence (ascension). According to legend, carp that can swim upstream and successfully leap over the Dragon Gate transform into dragons. This symbolizes overcoming obstacles, perseverance, and achieving greatness. || In this context, it would mean immortal ascension.

Yin Ci wiped his face. It seemed this kid hadn’t been scared out of his wits and had recovered quite quickly.

The attention of everyone wasn’t focused on the half-transformed carp fish. In front of them was a dazzling maze of bones, with no hints or information to guide them. They couldn’t even form teams. If they wanted a large group to explore together, it would take an eternity.

“Stop searching. There won’t be any hints. Yan Budu made this to prevent intruders; it’s not meant for entertainment,” Matron Wuxue said indifferently. “Given the current situation, we can only go our separate ways.”

She tapped her cane on the ice surface and led the Chigou Sect into the maze.

A lone ranger seemed eager to follow the Chigou Sect, hastily rushing after them. However, as soon as he stepped onto the ice surface, it suddenly collapsed, and he fell into the lake in an instant.

He was enveloped in pearl-like bubbles. After the bubbles dispersed, his clothes, weapons, and flesh were all dissolved, leaving behind only a set of pristine white bones and a complete network of blood vessels that made people uneasy.

The intricate dark red network of blood vessels hung in the air for a moment after detaching from the skeletal frame. Eventually, it sank to the bottom of the lake, gradually losing color and crumbling into fine sand.

The leader of the Changle Sect was on the verge of collapse. He attempted to retrace his steps, only to find a solid wall behind him and the tunnel had disappeared.

“The Chigou Sect used inner force beneath their feet.” Shi Zhongyu recalled for a moment, then raised her voice. “Everyone, gather your true qi at the soles of your feet at all times and don’t slack off.”

She led by example, stepping onto the previously collapsed ice surface, which remained intact.

After contemplating for a moment, Shi Jingzhi crouched down. “A’Ci, come up. Master will carry you.”

Yin Ci politely declined, “Shizun, it’s really…”

“It’s fine. I can’t just leave you here.” Shi Jing didn’t hesitate. “We’re following the Taiheng Sect, so it won’t be that dangerous.”

Shi Jing was slightly taller than Yin Ci, and with ample inner force, carrying him wasn’t much of a burden. Yin Ci hooked his arms around Shi Jing’s neck and nestled quietly. Although his hands and feet were cold from fear, the temperature of Shi Jingzhi’s body was warm, making him quite comfortable.

Yin Ci’s emotions involuntarily relaxed a bit, and he began to look around again.

Previously, with the fireworks on the Paper Figures Street, he hadn’t paid much attention. But now, upon closer inspection, he noticed that the people from the Rong Palace had brought a sedan chair inside, seemingly somehow managing to evade the steel wires.

The sedan chair was adorned with expensive talismans and was carried by several masters, steadily advancing.

At every major intersection, both the Taiheng Sect and Rong Palace would send a few people in different directions. After walking for two to three hours, Shi Zhongyu’s group was left with less than ten people.

Among them were the Changle Sect, the Kushan Sect, and Shen Zhu from the Yueshui Pavilion.

The sedan chair from the Rong Palace followed behind at a steady pace. Shi Zhongyu’s gaze flashed with a hint of disgust. She maintained a steady breath and whispered to Yan Qing, “Is that sound still there?”

“Yes, it’s a regular clicking sound. We’re getting closer,” Yan Qing honestly replied.

Yin Ci didn’t perceive the danger. Feeling the warmth from Shi Jingzhi’s back, he nearly fell asleep amidst the swaying. In a daze, a dense yin qi swept over, and Yin Ci’s consciousness suddenly became clear.

Not long after, Shi Jingzhi also stopped in his tracks.

The serpent bone maze revealed an “end”. There was no exit at the end, only a transparent ice well.

The well was built on top of the ice surface, and dangerous green liquid rippled within it. Directly beneath the well, deep within the lake, sat a skeleton.

The skeleton was entangled with red threads, with its bones intact. It sat cross-legged, counting prayer beads in its hand with its hollow eye sockets gazing upward.

The prayer beads were also carved from white bones, totaling fourteen in number, with only one of them being dark in color—the wooden Buddhist bead was mixed among them looking undamaged. However, the entire skeleton sank beneath the lake’s surface, a distance away from the ice.

Shi Zhongyu attempted to cover her spirit weapon with yin fire, but as soon as the spirit weapon touched the water, it dissolved instantly. The people from the Rong Palace also tried for a while but couldn’t find any tools that could be submerged in water.

Yin Ci coldly observed, already knowing how to retrieve it—the Buddhist bead from the Ascension Hall was probably beyond their reach. This mechanism was completely different from the Paper Figures Street, filled with pure malice.

After pondering for a while, Shi Jingzhi turned his head. “Let’s not go for this Buddhist bead. Let’s find a place to rest.”

At the same time, Shi Zhongyu furrowed her brow and slowly shook her head. “Mm, let’s find the exit first.”

One of the masters from the Rong Palace opened the curtain of the sedan chair and reported to the person inside. Shortly after, one of them approached the Taiheng Sect. Shi Zhongyu thought the person was coming to talk, and she took a step forward—

That person grabbed the leader of the Changle Sect and snapped his neck. He placed the thin leader, who refused to close his eyes even in death, at the edge of the well, and used a blade to cut open his neck.

Immediately, blood fell into the lake, forming a twisted blood rope in the water.

The length was still not enough, so the person reached out to grab Yan Qing. Shi Zhongyu drew her sword, and yin fire brushed against the blade. “How dare you!”

Taking advantage of Shi Zhongyu’s distraction, another person replicated the same action and killed the remaining disciple of the Changle Sect.

Another corpse was added, and more blood fell onto the blood rope.

Shi Zhongyu’s face turned incredibly grim. “You won’t get away with this—”

Unexpectedly, one of them assessed the length of the rope and swiftly committed suicide by cutting their own throat at the edge of the well. Finally, the blood rope reached the prayer beads, solidifying with the bead string. At the same time, the initially formed blood rope began to crumble.

The other person grabbed the blood rope and started to retract it. The blood rope, stained with lake water, quickly corroded his hand into a bloody mess. However, without uttering a word, he continued pulling the blood rope.

The Buddhist bead was quickly retrieved, lifted up by the almost bone-only hand of the person, and sent into the sedan chair.

As soon as the blood rope touched the air, it rapidly transformed into sticky blood clots, scattering in a messy mix of black and red on the ground. Yin Ci narrowed his eyes, suddenly having an unpleasant premonition.

“Those from the Rong Palace are truly despicable. Senior Shi seems very angry. Shizun, let’s move a bit further away…”

Before he could finish his sentence, the ice surface began to tremble. The red threads on the skeleton changed their binding method, tying the bones into an insect-like structure. It suddenly moved, crawling out of the well and pouncing towards Jin Lan, who was closest.

Despite drawing her sword, Shi Zhongyu was still too far away. Jin Lan, with his back to the skeleton, didn’t react in time, and the tragedy seemed inevitable—

“Ding.”

The hard bone collided with a longsword.

Yan Qing accurately unsheathed Jin Lan’s sword, blocking the attack. He gritted his teeth as a flurry of sword techniques erupting as he flung the skeleton away.

Yin Ci couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. This kid’s skill level wasn’t great, but his movements were quite delicate. It was evident that he had put in a lot of effort in training and had potential.

There was only one problem—that was the orthodox sword technique of the Taiheng Sect, impossible to pass down to servants. A blind man couldn’t learn such precise moves.

“Yan Qing, explain!” Shi Zhongyu shouted while her Green Maiden Sword Technique slashed at the skeleton.

Without receiving an answer, she casually waved her sword, aiming the tip at Yan Qing’s black cloth eye patch. Yan Qing sighed, opening his eyes.

His eyes were perfectly intact, clear and lucid. However, the color of his irises wasn’t like that of an ordinary person; it was a deep crimson, like blood.

Shi Zhongyu’s face quickly paled.

“…Are you a descendant of Yan Budu?”

“Yes.”

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The author has something to say:

The blind man is not blind√

Shi Jingzhi: Xiao Yin, thank you for your contributions to the company.

Yin Ci: Give me a raise.

Shi Jingzhi: I will hang your photo on the wall of honor.

Yin Ci: Give me a raise.

Shi Jingzhi: (eyes wandering)

…You’re heartless! Boss Shi!

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