Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 33: The Damned

Fang Xiu finished speaking and scooped up a pile of Wangzai milk cartons from the pool of blood.

He treated them like hand-grenades, hurling them wildly into the evil toad spirit’s mouth. Struck repeatedly, the spirit grew furious. Its tongue suddenly yanked away from Yan Jing, causing Yan Jing to slam to the ground with a thud, dying on the spot.

“Conceal…” Fang Xiu didn’t even get the word out before everyone present, including Yan Jing’s corpse, was hidden away by Bai Shuangying.

He and his ghost were getting more and more in sync. Satisfied, Fang Xiu ran over to Yan Jing’s body, drew a circle around the corpse, and took Yan Jing’s Five-Emperor Coins in passing.

“Try it while it’s still hot.” He called out to Bai Shuangying, brimming with excitement.

Bai Shuangying grabbed Yan Jing’s still-twitching living soul and carefully rolled it into a circular “cake”, then took a cautious bite.

…It truly was delicious.

Yan Jing’s living soul trembled nonstop, emitting sharp, tiny wails. Bai Shuangying’s appetite only grew, as if that sizzling sound was fresh food straight off the stove.

It was rare for Bai Shuangying to taste such a delectable living soul. Its karma was abundant, and its sins were layered with subtle complexity. He savored each bite for a good while.

“It’s even better than Fourth Master’s,” Bai Shuangying remarked cheerfully.

He tucked the remainder of the ‘soul-cake’ away in his clothing, deciding to savor it later.

“‘Boss Jin’ will taste even better,” Fang Xiu said.

He dragged what was left of the corpse in front of the evil toad spirit. After all, the thing had helped out, so it deserved some sort of reward.

Once the body was in place, Bai Shuangying released the concealment.

However, the evil toad spirit didn’t appreciate the offering. Enraged, it opened its blood-soaked jaws wide, turning them toward Fang Xiu. Then…then it simply stopped.

In the dim light of the alley, one could just make out the red-clad human.

In the darkness behind that person, two pale glints shone. White irises stared coldly, exerting a crushing pressure like a collapsing mountain.

The evil toad spirit’s enormous body quivered, then lowered its head.

A few seconds later, it backed off dejectedly. Its purple-black tongue shot out and snapped back, biting down on Yan Jing’s corpse. Most of the corpse’s head flew off with a crack, clattering into the trash can.

Fang Xiu stifled a laugh. “Now there really is a head in the dumpster, so I guess I wasn’t lying.”

Bai Shuangying patted the struggling ‘soul-cake’ in his arms. “Mm.”

Guan He stood there, stunned.

Before this, he’d thought Fang Xiu was the type to keep a low profile, calm and rational, with normal morals. It was a stark contrast to Jia Xu’s pompous attitude, which made Guan He respect Fang Xiu more.

…Then Fang Xiu went and casually killed someone right in front of him.

Was what Fang Xiu said true?

Was Yan Jing really a drug trafficker? And how was Fang Xiu able to “pass along messages from the dead”? Weren’t they told there were no real practitioners among the sacrifices?

A hundred confused questions swarmed in Guan He’s mind, leaving him rooted to the spot, unable to react at all.

Fang Xiu walked over and patted him on the shoulder. “Classmate Guan He, listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

“Uh…okay.” Guan He shrank back a bit.

“I work for an official special agency that handles cases the regular police can’t touch,” Fang Xiu said. “I personally don’t have the so-called ‘yin-yang eyes’, so I’m not really a ‘practitioner’. But I do have plenty of professional informants, and I promise you, every person I kill is someone who deserves to die.”

The moment Guan He heard “official agency”, his expression relaxed immediately. “So that’s it! That’s great, really great…”

Fang Xiu gave him a quick wink. “Keep it under wraps, okay?”

“Why not tell everyone else?” Guan He couldn’t understand.

Having an official professional in the team would be the perfect reassurance.

Fang Xiu fell momentarily silent, then said cryptically, “I’ve got my reasons. You’ll understand soon enough.”

Guan He nodded obediently. That made sense… Maybe Fang Ge was undercover or something. He must have his reasons.

Even though Guan He vaguely felt that it seemed a bit too casual to kill people like that—especially for someone working under the government—he didn’t overthink it. After all, it was killing a criminal. Maybe Fang Xiu was just someone who really despised evil.

“So Yan Jing really was a drug dealer?” Guan He asked.

“Yes.”

Guan He bit his lip, and there was a trace of hatred in his eyes. “So Boss Jin and his men are drug dealers too?”

“That’s right. But don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to handle them soon.”

“Tell me now, Bro!”

Fang Xiu shook his head with a smile. “No, your job right now is to rest.”

He picked a small security booth nearby, just big enough for Guan He to curl up and take a nap. He had Bai Shuangying completely conceal Guan He. At last, only Fang Xiu and Bai Shuangying remained on the street.

“Let’s go shopping!” Fang Xiu stretched dramatically.

Just then, he noticed something a bit off in Bai Shuangying’s mood. There was a subtle disappointment on the ghost’s face.

Nibbling at the soul-cake, Bai Shuangying asked, “Are you with the government?”

“Oh, that? It’s just a lie to trick Xiao Guan.” Fang Xiu scratched his cheek. “What difference would it make if I were actually from the government?”

Bai Shuangying: “Souls that carry heavy karma are delicious, but those that carry positive merit taste awful. If you devour one, it damages your cultivation.”

Fang Xiu: “……”

No wonder Bai Shuangying had zero interest in the remains of the God of Weishan.

He spoke of “merit” the way one would talk about a shady additive in food. 

Right now, Fang Xiu’s ghost was clearly suspicious that “Fang Xiu’s Living Soul” might be tainted with such “merit”.

“How exactly is ‘merit’ determined?” Fang Xiu asked nervously all of a sudden.

Thinking it over, Bai Shuangying used Yan Jing as an example. The scenario “drug dealer gets killed” could play out three ways:

First, Yan Jing killed people and was then killed in self-defense or executed by the law.

This would fall under ‘brought it on himself.’ The killer wouldn’t gain merit and there would be no karmic tie-in either way.

Second, Yan Jing died in a power struggle, an accident, or through revenge.

That motivation had nothing to do with benevolence, so the killer merely incurred a karmic bond and there would be no merit to speak of.

Third, Yan Jing was killed by government officers or heroic vigilantes acting in the name of justice.

This would be a case of ‘upholding Heaven’s law’. The killer not only would bear a karmic bond but would also rack up one piece of positive merit.

“…Heaven’s law is sharper than the E. It looks at both one’s actions and their motivations. Even if the final result is the punishment of evil, only those who act with genuine righteousness can accumulate merit.” Bai Shuangying concluded.

Fang Xiu felt that made a lot of sense. Otherwise, if drug dealers turned on each other and somehow ended up gaining merit, that would be the darkest of ironies.

“A genuine sinner that’s been killing ‘livestock’ for more than a decade. I promise there’s no added ‘merit’.”

Fang Xiu patted his chest in all seriousness. “Of course, I’m a pure plague on society. I’ve been killing since I was a kid.”

Bai Shuangying: “……”

True enough. Judging by how Fang Xiu chopped up Shan Huanzi, he didn’t look like a virtuous sort.

Also, his total disregard for evil spirits was definitely suspicious. Saying he doesn’t have ‘yin yang eyes’ must be a lie. But Fang Xiu clearly didn’t know much about the Underworld, so he probably wasn’t some official Enforcer from the afterlife either.

Right, there are indeed some humans who make money off of this kind of ‘Underworld talent’, so Fang Xiu was likely just a hired assassin. And if people pay money to have the Underworld kill someone, then that target is definitely no angel.

“Let’s go buy that vase.” Bai Shuangying was reassured now. He stuffed his sleeve into Fang Xiu’s hand.

“Ah.” Fang Xiu hesitated. “I still haven’t saved up enough money…”

Bai Shuangying pulled out a big wad of bills. “I picked up a lot too. Let’s pool our money and buy it together.”

Fang Xiu stared in surprise at that stack of cash. He hadn’t noticed when Bai Shuangying managed to collect it. The ghost must have done so quietly but clumsily; the coins included a few arcade tokens, while the paper bills were mixed with similarly colored coupons.

Even so, combined with Fang Xiu’s own stash, they had enough…plus some extra.

Bai Shuangying saw it as a matter of course. “First we got a paper flower, now we should get a vase. We’re friends. It shouldn’t be just you putting in all the effort.”

Fang Xiu gripped the white sleeve in his hand a little tighter.

“You’re right.” He smiled again.

……

A dozen or so minutes later, they were inside a souvenir shop called “Treasures of Huai Zhen.”

After getting the vase, Bai Shuangying didn’t leave immediately. He pulled Fang Xiu over to sit down in the shop.

“Give me the Five-Emperor Coins.” He extended his hand toward Fang Xiu.

Puzzled, Fang Xiu complied.

Bai Shuangying let out a low hum of satisfaction. He carefully undid the red tassel from the Five-Emperor Coins, separating the crimson cord from the coins themselves.

Once the five copper coins lay in his palm, they rapidly sprouted thick layers of verdigris, giving off an intensely ominous yin energy. Then Bai Shuangying restrung them on a red cord, forming a baleful copper-coin longevity lock.

Fang Xiu watched, intrigued. “What’s this?”

Bai Shuangying: “You want to protect that little burden, right? I can tell.”

It took Fang Xiu a second to realize he was talking about Guan He. “He’s young, that’s all. I’m just helping out along the way.”

Honestly, calling Guan He a “burden” wasn’t far off.

His child-ghost only had the ability to “blend in inconspicuously”, which couldn’t hold a candle to Bai Shuangying’s “concealment”.

And Guan He’s own intellect and combat ability were nothing special, putting him dead last in overall strength.

“Give this to his ghost. If that child-ghost wears it, it’ll be able to use the ‘Five-Ghosts Relocation’ technique.”

Bai Shuangying continued, “That way he can do things for you, instead of just wasting your time.”

Five-Ghosts Relocation, essentially “telekinesis”, really did suit the child-ghost’s abilities. In the right situation, it might come in handy.

Taking the copper-coin longevity lock, Fang Xiu casually teased, “What, you don’t like anyone else taking up our alone time?”

Bai Shuangying didn’t hesitate. “Correct.”

Fang Xiu’s joking words got stuck in his throat. His neck reddened a bit from embarrassment.

“Since you like me so much, why not leave the Five-Emperor Coins for me?” After a long moment, he finally managed a sentence.

“That thing is useless for you. Having me is already enough,” Bai Shuangying said with complete self-assurance.

With his exalted status, subduing one or two evil spirits posed no problem at all. Even with the seal he was under, he was still hundreds of times stronger than some ordinary magic weapon.

Fang Xiu fell silent for a while, wiping his face vigorously, and assumed Bai Shuangying was referring to the “concealment” ability.

He quickly changed the subject. “Since you seem to know a lot about magic weapons, can you recognize anything else Boss Jin has?”

Bai Shuangying thought for a moment. “Five-Emperor Coins make one item. He also carries a bagua mirror, but I’d have to see its surface to identify its specific function.”

So there weren’t many magic weapons in total. It suggested Boss Jin’s group were at least partly new to this. Then again, they had definitely survived at least one ritual. Fang Xiu recalled that when he mentioned “Destroy the E to get a reward,” Lao Jin’s show of surprise had looked staged, and at that moment, Mazi and the others instinctively glanced toward Lao Jin’s arm.

It was possible Lao Jin also had some reward from destroying an “E”, but Fang Xiu didn’t yet know what it was.

“How about that golden Buddha he carries?” Fang Xiu asked.

“It’s just a chunk of gold,” Bai Shuangying replied.

……

They wandered around the street together, leisurely taking in the modern toy shop and a small art gallery. Fang Xiu dawdled until around two in the afternoon before returning to the security booth to wake Guan He.

Guan He woke up refreshed, looking full of energy. When he was handed the newly-made copper-coin longevity lock, he brightened even more. “Fang Ge, thank you!”

Young people are straightforward. With Fang Xiu’s “official professional” cover story, Guan He didn’t question where the longevity lock came from. He summoned his child-ghost right away, carefully helping it put on the lock. The child-ghost hugged the lock, giggling happily.

Fang Xiu had a vague feeling Guan He seemed quite good at caring for children.

After briefly explaining Five-Ghosts Relocation, Fang Xiu got straight to business. “With your temperament, there’s no way you can fool a drug dealer like Boss Jin. So from here on, just pretend you’re traumatized. Don’t meet anyone’s gaze or talk to them.”

Guan He already wasn’t much of a talker, so it wouldn’t look odd at all if he kept quiet.

Still, Guan He hesitated. “‘Traumatized’…I’m afraid I won’t be convincing.”

Fang Xiu forced a grim smile. He took a breath and pressed his forearm against a wall studded with gravel, scraping it in such a way that a large patch of skin and flesh was torn open, all blood and raw wounds.

Then he stooped down, picked up a shard of a beer bottle, and walked toward Guan He. The piece was long, almost like a small dagger.

The thick smell of blood made Guan He shiver. “Fang Ge?”

“Next, I’m going to injure your head a bit. It might look pretty bloody, but I know what I’m doing.”

“Remember, we ran into a powerful evil spirit. Yan Jing was killed, and your head got grabbed by it. I only got scrape a bit because I’m good at hiding.”

As Fang Xiu toyed with the broken bottle, its sharp edge left tiny cuts on his hand. He didn’t seem to mind at all.

“…Your head injury will make you slow to respond. Jia Xu won’t send you outside anymore. As long as you stay at the base, Cheng Songyun will protect you.”

He paused. “What do you say, Xiao Guan… Can you do that?”

Guan He bit his lip, then closed his eyes. “Go ahead, Bro.”

……

A bit after three in the afternoon, Fang Xiu supported Guan He, whose head was covered in blood, back to the base. Blood had dried in clots around Guan He’s eyelids, so stiff that it was hard for him to even open his eyes.

Cheng Songyun let out a startled cry, rushing forward in a few quick steps. “What happened? What on earth—?”

The instant Lao Jin noticed Yan Jing hadn’t returned with them, his expression darkened.

But rather than lashing out, he showed measured concern. “Brother Fang, where’s my guy?”

Fang Xiu told his lie in vivid detail. When he got to the dramatic parts, he gestured so wildly that blood splattered onto Lao Jin’s Five-Emperor Coins.

Lao Jin didn’t notice that detail… It wasn’t his fault, as Fang Xiu was quite a sight. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he kept sobbing as he spoke. If tears were needed, he had tears to spare.

The performance was so pure and sincere that Bai Shuangying couldn’t bear to watch. He quietly hid his face behind his sleeve.

Seeing Fang Xiu in such grief, Lao Jin believed about seventy or eighty percent of it. “…Haa, this ritual really is lethal. It’s not your fault, not your fault.”

He said nothing more, though his gaze flickered. No one could guess what was on his mind.

Jia Xu’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.

At first, he didn’t want to believe it, but Fang Xiu’s crying was too convincing and he got a bit rattled. “Stop weeping for a moment. Did you pay attention while out there? Any new evil spirits?”

“No new ones. They’re even fewer than yesterday,” Fang Xiu rasped.

“Fuck!” Blondie cursed.

“What happened?” Fang Xiu sniffled.

Jia Xu let out a sigh. “While you were gone, we confirmed the first taboo.”

“Basically, day and night are reversed here, and the time limit for the forbidden rule is 11:45 every morning, that is, midday at the third quarter… And the first taboo applies indiscriminately, so even the evil spirits have to kill each other, or else they violate the taboo.”

Then Jia Xu forced a somewhat lighter expression. “But at least that taboo isn’t a lethal one. If they violate it, the evil spirits just get progressively weaker. There’s no sign of outright death.”

He was skirting around the main point; that it applies to everyone, not just evil spirits, and humans killing each other might also fulfill the requirement.

Then again, Fang Xiu didn’t need Jia Xu to tell him. He’d already tested it personally using Yan Jing’s death. Killing people worked all the same.

Even if Fang Xiu didn’t strike the lethal blow himself and just caused Yan Jing’s death, he was still safe from violating the taboo.

When the third quarter of midday arrived, someone would pay with their life.

Although the first taboo wasn’t an instant kill, it forced them to slaughter each other… Everything about its timing and requirements was unsettling.

“I see at least two or three hundred evil spirits still out there. We have time. We can definitely handle this!” Fang Xiu said.

With only two taboos left to clarify and three remaining drug dealers at his disposal, there’d definitely be a way, he thought to himself.

“Midday at the third quarter, midday at the third quarter… People who don’t know might think they’re about to be beheaded at the vegetable market,” Blondie muttered.

While Cheng Songyun was busy treating Guan He’s wounds, she blurted out, “Maybe everyone here really is meant to die.”

When those words fell, an odd hush descended on the room.

For a moment, nobody refuted it.

“…Miss, that’s quite a statement,” Lao Jin said at last, stroking the golden Buddha at his chest, breaking the silence. “I’m just a simple businessman. And look at that kid… What could he possibly have done?”

Guan He shifted slightly, lips pressed tightly together.

Jia Xu immediately raised his voice, “I’m sure it’s just the E itself being irrational. That thing has no brains.”

“Maybe the one who left this obsession behind was some lowlife loser who wanted revenge on the entire world.”

Fang Xiu wiped his reddened eyes. “Uh, let’s not assume the worst in people. We should still hurry and figure out the second taboo…”

But at the mere thought of that horrifying blood-red night, everyone went quiet again.

That taboo obviously spelled extreme danger. Only someone with a death wish would rush to investigate it.

Fang Xiu: “Then let’s skip the second one for now. Figuring out the third one would also be good…”

Still no reaction from anyone, their expressions even gloomier.

Fang Xiu had a point, but they’d already explored for quite a while, and there was not a single hint of a third taboo. Meanwhile, the first taboo was ticking down ominously.

The atmosphere became awkward.

In the end, there was only one path forward, and everyone knew it, yet no one wanted to be the first to say it.

Time was running out. They had to figure out what that blood-red night was.

To investigate properly, using evil spirits alone might not suffice. Someone among them would have to make a sacrifice.

……

Satisfied that Fang Xiu had performed his tearful show to completion, Bai Shuangying finally lowered his sleeve.

He had no interest in hearing the humans’ endless prattle about strategy. Instead, his thoughts drifted outside, focusing in one particular direction…

Earlier, when finding “the most powerful evil spirit nearby” for Fang Xiu, Bai Shuangying already sensed something peculiar about this place.

There was a very unique presence in the streets.

It didn’t feel quite like a ghost but just half a step shy of an Immortal Ghost. It was far, far stronger than that neighborly Old Man Fu from before.

And yet this formidable creature had never shown itself. It merely followed them at a distance, its aura perfectly concealed, as if it were watching a show.

When it noticed Fang Xiu giving a living soul to Bai Shuangying, it even deliberately released a bit of its aura to probe them, but Bai Shuangying had bluffed it away. If not for his seal, he would have apprehended that insolent presence immediately.

“Fang Xiu.”

Bai Shuangying tapped the back of Fang Xiu’s neck, deciding to share his discovery with his human friend.

“…There’s an evil spirit here that’s half a step from becoming an Immortal Ghost. It’s already earned the E’s approval and only needs to build up enough power.”

“Once this round of sacrifices all die, the resulting living souls can foster the birth of a brand-new Immortal Ghost.”

“…What did you say?” Fang Xiu tried hard to keep his voice steady.

“It’s understandable that this ‘E’ is so hard to break.” 

Bai Shuangying said evenly, averting his gaze, “I suspect that from the very start, the Underworld had no intention of letting you all win this time.”

“You’re called ‘sacrifices’ for a reason.”

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The author has something to say:

I made a little reference to Coconut Tree—sorry, Coconut Tree (… ) 

Bai Shuangying be like: 

Fang Xiu plays the innocent character: “The four foreigners: calm.jpg” 

Fang Xiu starts chopping up stuffing on the spot: “The four foreigners: excited.jpg”*

*Clarity: It’s referencing this meme.

His hobbies and interests are now on full display.

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