Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 161
Originally, when Kan Chaosheng said that those few people were human traffickers, Deng Po didn’t believe it. In his mind, human traffickers were usually very cunning; they could easily disappear into the crowd in the blink of an eye, their skills almost rivaling those of secret agents. But Kan Chaosheng, seemingly impatient with explaining further, just snapped his fingers in front of him.
And then, Deng Po witnessed the most terrifying sight of his life.
A giant snake, indistinguishable whether it was a python, a snake, or even a dragon, appeared out of nowhere. It opened its huge mouth and lunged at him! However, as the snake reached him, it didn’t swallow him whole but suddenly transformed into tiny stars, disappearing into the air.
Deng Po stared ahead; his legs went weak, and he couldn’t even run. He fell to the ground, realizing that when people are scared to a certain extent, they can’t even scream.
Kan Chaosheng, initially feeling quite smug, changed his expression when he saw Deng Po’s reaction. He suddenly remembered that Long Shen had warned him not to use magic to frighten ordinary people outside. He felt a bit guilty.
“Are you okay? It’s an illusion; it’s not real.”
Deng Po took a while to get up. Kan Chaosheng had no choice but to help him up, looking a bit disgusted yet unable to resist explaining himself.
“You didn’t believe me, so I showed you. I didn’t expect you to be more timid than Dong Zhi!”
“Who the hell are you!”
Deng Po finally caught his breath and composed himself. He didn’t know who this Dong Zhi the other person mentioned was. He only knew that he was scared out of his wits. Who could remain calm after seeing a giant snake lunge at them? Especially since he had been afraid of snakes since he was a child.
“I’ll tell you after you report them to the police first,” Kan Chaosheng said. “They really are traffickers, just trapped in an illusion like you.”
Deng Po hesitated for a moment, then called the police over and explained the situation. He only said he found these four people suspicious and noticed the child was constantly asleep, and the four adults didn’t care.
Given that it involved human trafficking, the police took it seriously. After questioning, they found out the child was indeed kidnapped. The child had been drugged, which was why he was asleep. These four people posed as migrant workers returning home and had committed numerous kidnappings.
However, Deng Po later learned more details from the police officer he contacted. He was commended for his vigilance and even received a commendation and reward.
After handing the matter over to the police, Deng Po didn’t need to get involved any further. He and Kan Chaosheng returned to their compartment. The couple that had left with the child to find a doctor hadn’t returned yet. They probably got off at some station. It was just the two of them left in the compartment. Deng Po swallowed nervously.
Kan Chaosheng tilted his head and looked at him. “You’re quite smart.”
He never exposed his identity from start to finish.
Considering Kan Chaosheng currently appears as a child, if he were to report the incident, he would inevitably have to explain how he came to know about it. The issue of him traveling alone with an octopus would be exposed. He would either be asked to get off the train to contact his guardians or he would have to clarify his identity. For the outside world and many grassroots departments, it was as if the Special Administration Bureau never existed. The police would only think he was lying, or they would need to go through multiple layers to verify his identity, which would be very troublesome. But after pushing everything onto Deng Po, things became much simpler.
Deng Po wryly smiled. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
Kan Chaosheng blinked. “What question?”
Deng Po: “The illusion! How did you create that snake?”
Kan Chaosheng feigned innocence. “What illusion? Uncle, have you read too many novels? There’s no such thing as illusions. Those are stories to fool children.”
Deng Po: ……
Just then, a large part of the blanket from the upper bunk slid down. As Deng Po turned to look, he saw a long tentacle sliding out from under the blanket, followed by a round head.
Deng Po felt he was being driven mad by Kan Chaosheng because he actually heard an octopus speak.
“Sorry, can you help tuck the blanket back in?”
Deng Po: ……
Numbly, he reached out to tuck the blanket back into the upper bunk, covering the octopus. Then he turned to Kan Chaosheng.
“This isn’t an illusion either, is it?”
Kan Chaosheng: “Huh? I told you, there are no illusions! What did you see? I didn’t see anything.”
Deng Po, gathering his courage, turned back and pulled the blanket off.
Sure enough, there was an octopus on the upper bunk, and two of its tentacles were even playing a game on an iPad.
The octopus innocently said, “Could you cover me up with the blanket? Someone might get scared if they come in.”
Am I not human? I was scared too, okay!
Deng Po was on the verge of a breakdown. He said to Kan Chaosheng, “Don’t tell me this is another illusion!”
The frequency of Kan Chaosheng’s blinking had increased significantly from before, clearly struggling to come up with an excuse.
“Do you want to use the iPad? I’ll let it give it back to you.”
Deng Po was probably so terrified after seeing the giant snake that he was slowly calming down.
“Since the octopus can talk, who are you? Are you also an octopus?”
Kan Chaosheng looked Deng Po up and down with a look of disdain. “Your foundation isn’t bad. If you become my apprentice, I’ll tell you. Otherwise…”
He chuckled sinisterly. Deng Po’s heart, which had just settled, almost jumped out of his chest again.
“Do… do what? Are you going to kill and silence me?”
Kan Chaosheng replied, “Otherwise, I just won’t tell you!”
Deng Pu hesitated. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell others?”
Kan Chaosheng shrugged. “Go ahead and tell them. See who believes you!”
That’s true. Deng Pu thought if he told someone he met a talking octopus and a child who could perform illusions, they would surely think he was mad.
Deng Pu was torn; his curiosity itching him like a cat’s paw, but he was afraid to probe too deep. What if the child wasn’t really a child but an adult with dwarfism?
The more he thought, the more terrified he became, his goosebumps all over.
Kan Chaosheng, seeing Deng Pu’s pathetic state, sneered and climbed onto the upper bunk.
“It’s my turn to play now!”
“But big brother, I haven’t finished this round!” A sulky voice from the octopus came from under the blanket.
An octopus addressing a kid as ‘big brother’.
Deng Po felt dazed, as if he wasn’t in the real world. He pinched himself hard, and feeling the pain, he knew this wasn’t a dream.
Kan Chaosheng popped his head out. “Can I borrow the iPad again?”
Although he was asking, Deng Po felt as if he’d get a beating if he said no. He nodded quickly. “You can use it!”
In fact, Deng Po wasn’t the most patient person. Coming from a wealthy family and being an only child, he always got what he wanted. The friends around him were either of the same status or always flattering. The reason he took this trip was that he had a fallout with a friend over a girl. He chose to travel by train, hoping the journey would calm him. Instead, it opened a door to a new world for him.
The couple finally returned. Their child had awakened, but he seemed spiritless. Seeing Kan Chaosheng, the child screamed in fear, pointing and shouting “snake!” Only now did Deng Po realize that the child must have been frightened by an illusion as well.
He glanced at Kan Chaosheng, who indignantly said to the couple, “Why is he calling me a snake? I’m clearly a cute child!”
Deng Po twitched at the corner of his mouth while the couple gave him an embarrassed look. It seemed they couldn’t handle their child’s constant crying and despite unsuccessful attempts to change their seats, they got off the train at the Tianjin station. Although Deng Po was supposed to get off at the same station as well, he mysteriously stayed on.
“Little Friend, I still don’t know your name,” he tried to make conversation.
Holding the iPad, Kan Chaosheng glanced at him. “Who are you calling little friend? I’m much older than you!”
‘He must be an adult turned into a dwarf,’ Deng Pu thought. He scratched his head and asked, “You mentioned taking me as your apprentice. What can you teach me?”
“You’re not scared anymore?” Kan Chaosheng asked with a sidelong glance.
Of course, he was still scared. But since the other party had caught the traffickers and urged him to call the police, he didn’t seem like a bad person. Deng Po awkwardly replied, “Not so much now.”
Kan Chaosheng disdainfully said, “Don’t think I just accept anyone. If I didn’t find you agreeable, I wouldn’t have mentioned it. And even if I did, my boss has to approve.”
Deng Pu was taken aback. “You have a boss?”
So it’s an organization? It sounds shady. He was having second thoughts again.
When Kan Chaosheng heard it, he simply replied, “Right,” and then picked up his phone to make a call.
Long Shen’s phone was unreachable, probably turned off. So, he called Dong Zhi, bragging about his encounter with human traffickers on the train, and incidentally asked Dong Zhi to convey his intention to take on an apprentice. Little did he know that Long Shen was right beside Dong Zhi, who promptly vetoed the idea. This led to the previous scene, where Kan Chaosheng went to bed in a huff.
After hanging up, Deng Po had an incredulous look on his face.
“Wait, when you take an apprentice, do you… sleep together? Dual cultivation? Absorb Yin to replenish Yang? Wait, I’m Yang, so are you cross-dressing as a man?”
“Have you been watching too many movies or reading too many novels?” Kan Chaosheng replied disdainfully. “Since the boss doesn’t agree, let’s just pretend I never mentioned it.”
Deng Po, trying to suppress his laughter, asked, “Can I ask you a few questions?”
Kan Chaosheng: “Go ahead.”
“Is illusion magic like the magic in stories? Can you conjure real objects, like a cup? Can you teleport, like the apparition in Harry Potter? Where can I learn such skills?” Deng Po let out all his pent-up curiosity in one breath.
Kan Chaosheng looked at him as if he were an idiot. “If I could teleport, would I need to take the train?”
Deng Pu chuckled. “That’s a good point!”
Kan Chaosheng: “What you mentioned isn’t entirely nonexistent. With enough cultivation, one could ascend in broad daylight and travel vast distances instantly. However, such feats were more common in the Han Dynasty. The spiritual energy of this world has been diminishing day by day. Forget about immortals; there are hardly any spirits left.”
Feeling somewhat disappointed, Deng Po asked, “Apart from illusion techniques, what else can you do?”
Kan Chaosheng proudly said, “Just minor stuff, like creating clouds and fog and turning rivers upside down!”
‘Blowing your own trumpet,’ Deng Po thought. He didn’t verbalize it, but it was evident on his face.
“If you don’t believe it, so be it!” Kan Chaosheng, realizing he couldn’t recruit an apprentice, didn’t want to elaborate further. “By the way, the places you mentioned for cultivation? Maoshan and Mount Longhu have them.”
Deng Pu exclaimed in surprise. “I’ve been to Mount Longhu as a tourist. How come I didn’t see it?”
Kan Chaosheng replied with contempt, “If everyone could easily spot them, wouldn’t it disturb their peace? Those Taoist priests may be stubborn and stick to seniority, but they genuinely possess great skills!”
The conversation ended there, and Kan Chaosheng got engrossed in his game, ignoring Deng Po’s various questions. However, Deng Po eventually got his WeChat contact at the cost of a big bag of snacks.
Upon disembarking in Huai’an, Kan Chaosheng, along with Meika, headed straight for Guishan.
To find Wuzhiqi, going down the Zhiqi well on Guishan was the fastest route. Though after Long Shen and the others had emerged from it, the well was covered with a wire mesh, but that wasn’t a challenge for Kan Chaosheng. With few tourists around and a storm brewing, he pulled out the wire mesh and jumped down with the octopus.
Below was a deep pool, but for a jiao like Kan Chaosheng, entering the water felt like home. He cheered and expanded into a massive dragon, creating waves in the pool. The octopus, however, seemed a bit dejected, staying by the poolside without any intention to play or grow.
“Who dares to be so presumptuous here!”
The sound of chains rattled, followed by an overwhelming force.
Feeling the challenge, the jiao hissed and lunged towards the incoming gust.
“Ah—”
With just three moves, the jiao was flipped, reverted to its human form in midair, hit the mountain wall, and plunged into the water.
The Wuzhiqi sneered. “A mere water dragon dares to make a fuss here! If not for my agreement with Long Shen, you’d be dead by now!”
Kan Chaosheng emerged, head above water. Facing this ancient figure with a legendary past, he humbly said, “It’s Long Shen who sent me. He thought you might be lonely and asked me to bring you an apprentice.”
Kan Chaosheng’s aggressive behavior upon seeing Wuzhiqi was due to his beastly instincts, which compelled him to challenge any dominant force.
Apprentice?
The Wuzhiqi looked at the small octopus by the pond.
“Him? Has his intelligence awakened?”
Kan Chaosheng: “It has. He can speak two languages and play games. He’s quite smart.”
Wuzhiqi: “Where is he in his cultivation progress? Why hasn’t he transformed?”
Kan Chaosheng: “Oh, he’s starting from scratch.”
The Wuzhiqi was silent for a moment and then became furious. “You throw him here knowing nothing. Do you think I’m a junk collector?”
Kan Chaosheng: ……
The octopus also felt wronged. “Big Brother, the teacher you found for me is too fierce. I don’t want to stay. There’s no internet or games here. I can’t even watch web dramas!”
The Wuzhiqi angrily retorted, “What nonsense! With such a playful and gluttonous attitude, you dream of transforming! Take him back and tell Long Shen, don’t just throw anything my way!”
He released his overwhelming aura, which was immensely powerful. Even a true dragon couldn’t withstand it, let alone Kan Chaosheng and Meika. The former turned pale and almost vomited blood, while the octopus cried, “Big Brother, I want to eat fish. I want to go back!”
Kan Chaosheng: …This is so tiring. But I must fulfill the boss’s orders. Who knows how to persuade a monkey and an octopus to coexist peacefully? Help, urgently waiting online!
He then explained Meika’s background and mentioned recent events, including the broken seal at Kunlun Mountain, the sacrifices of people like Zong Ling and Che Bai, and the incident where Long Shen and Dong Zhi almost didn’t make it back. This calmed Wuzhiqi’s anger slightly.
“So, your ‘Special Administration Bureau’ is short on manpower and can’t spare anyone to teach him?”
Kan Chaosheng nodded vigorously. “So I had to bother you.”
The Wuzhiqi sighed. “Fine. Since I have nothing to do here, you both can stay.” He looked sternly at Kan Chaosheng. “Your foundation is too weak. To transform from a Jiao to a dragon, you need to break through a bottleneck. I suppose you haven’t reached that bottleneck yet?”
Kan Chaosheng: ??? Why is he suddenly talking about me?
“Senior, I just remembered, the boss told me to report back after sending Meika here. I must leave. Making the boss wait is not good. I’ll leave Meika in your care.”
He started retreating while speaking and vanished in a blink.
“Brother, leave me a cell phone so I can contact you!” The octopus shouted.
“I’ll bring—you one—next time…” Kan Chaosheng’s voice faded in the distance.
The Wuzhiqi calmly said, “Until you transform, don’t think about leaving.”
The octopus felt so hopeless that it wanted to cry again.
After escaping, Kan Chaosheng sighed in relief, looking back at Zhiqi Well. He laughed gleefully, thinking about his bright future.
Long Shen instructed him to deliver the octopus within ten days but didn’t specify when to return. Realizing this loophole, Kan Chaosheng decided to take a few more days off since he had already completed his task. However, he quickly faced a problem: he was out of money.
Having spent 300 yuan on “some” snacks, he was broke. Without mobile games to play, he felt life was bleak. Then, an idea struck him. He texted Deng Po: [Future apprentice, lend me a thousand yuan. I’ll pay you back next month.]
Deng Po was speechless upon receiving the message. But he was dealing with a tricky situation, and maybe Kan Chaosheng could help or perhaps introduce some genuine experts from Mount Longhu or Maoshan.
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