Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 107: A Man from Nowhere

Cen Ling held up the lantern and smiled genially, as though this creepy tomb were merely the backyard garden of his private villa.

Upon hearing his shockingly candid introduction, everyone, except Fang Xiu and Bai Shuangying, looked visibly stunned. Cen Ling scanned the group quickly and smiled even more warmly.

Fang Xiu stepped forward and shook his hand with great enthusiasm. “Oh wow, you wouldn’t happen to be the ‘Cen Ling’? I’ve heard so much about you. It must be fate that we ran into each other here.”

His expression was flawlessly sincere, like he had longed to join the Guishan Sect.

This time it was Cen Ling’s turn to be surprised. “And you are…?”

“I’m Hong Shuangxi, and this is my partner Bai Shuangying.” Fang Xiu beamed, wearing an expression of heartfelt relief at having found his people.

“Ah, I’m not anyone important. Just someone who does a few ritual jobs here and there. Too bad the Guishan Sect isn’t recruiting ‘teachers’ anymore. If they were, I’d definitely try my luck.”

He threw a look at Cen Ling so loaded with implication it was practically begging to be read as “please network with me.”

Bai Shuangying began to suspect Fang Xiu had been possessed by Dian’er. How could a person be this transparently flattering? He instinctively raised a sleeve to shield his eyes, only to remember his current outfit lacked sleeves, so he just wiped his face.

The boy beside Cen Ling was equally bewildered. “Huh… huh?!”

They had known that Fang Xiu was a young man with some bloody grudge against the Guishan Sect. Just earlier, Cen Ling had even said they’d start with a big reveal to provoke genuine reactions.

But neither of the two young men present reacted at all. They looked like seasoned veterans of the metaphysical trade and didn’t seem to hold any grudges against the sect.

Surely the legendary Fang Xiu couldn’t be the kid traveling with two women?

That guy didn’t look much older than the boy himself. Could he really be that capable?

Or… did Fang Xiu had the ability to transform and was actually the little black dog being carried by that auntie?

While the boy was still deep in thought, Cen Ling casually slung an arm over his shoulder. “Bai Sui, say hello.”

Bai Sui gave a half-hearted nod, still staring suspiciously at the black dog. The dog wrinkled its nose and growled softly in warning.

“Well, now that you all know what’s going on, it’ll be easier to work together. The founder left behind a lot of hidden traps here. We best move as a group,” Cen Ling said directly. “We don’t even know if it’s day or night right now. Let’s find a proper base first.”

Fang Xiu nodded and, without hesitation, wrapped an arm around Bai Shuangying’s waist. “Mm-hmm, we’ll follow your lead.”

The gesture was intimate, unlike that between good friends but the kind that said, “there’s definitely something going on between them.” Bai Shuangying relaxed into the embrace, not a wrinkle on his body signaling resistance.

A pair of openly affectionate gays?! Bai Sui stared wide-eyed, completely lost.

Maybe… maybe Fang Xiu hasn’t shown up yet, he reasoned.

With that introduction done, Mei Lan stepped forward as the leader of the “other group” and introduced herself as “Jiu Hong”. Cheng Songyun picked the simple alias “Cheng Jie”, and Guan He went with “Guan Lu”, which seemed to be his late brother’s name.

They claimed to be a trio of ordinary people, relying on Mei Lan’s background as a “folklore scholar” to survive.

Cen Ling gave Guan He a long look, seeing nothing in the boy’s eyes but innocent confusion.

“You called this place a holy land. What is it, exactly?” Guan He asked, genuinely curious.

As someone from the younger generation, his knowledge of the Guishan Sect was limited. He had no deep grudges either, so the question came out naturally.

Cen Ling had just opened his mouth to answer when Fang Xiu enthusiastically interrupted, “You don’t know?!”

Guan He: “…No.”

Fang Xiu launched into a speech. “The Guishan Sect wanted to turn this place into a sacred site, a place where believers from around the world could come to worship. Master Zhuang believed in ‘returning immortal bones to the mountain’. He encouraged followers to be buried on dragon veins, the same treatment as emperors, so they could earn supreme karmic merit in the next life.”

Bai Shuangying looked like he wanted to speak but held back.

This place was the tomb of the last emperor of the Kui Dynasty. It had been left unfinished a thousand years ago, and now, even a thousand years later, it was still unfinished. Merit? More like a cosmic joke.

If the Guishan Sect claimed this was a “dragon vein”, rather than a “dragon”, maybe they meant the belly of a dead “earth dragon*”.

*Clarity: Unlike the normal “dragons” , earth dragons in Chinese mythology are considered lesser and not “divine”. In this context, he’s basically saying rather than an auspicious place (above a “dragon vein”), it’s more like a place of misfortune (mistaking this dragon vein as part of an actual “divine dragon” rather than the belly of a lowly earth dragon).

Fang Xiu kept narrating like a cheerful tour guide. “…Later on, the Guishan Sect got busted by the government, and this place was sealed off. The ‘Ten-Thousand-Burial Blood Pool’ was only halfway completed. In the end, fewer than a thousand followers got buried here.”

“A bit more than a thousand,” Cen Ling added with a raised brow. “You really know your stuff. When the crackdown happened, you must’ve been just a kid.”

“One of my relatives was a ‘teacher’ in the sect. Back then, they had everything. Life was good. I missed out on all of it.” Fang Xiu shook his head vigorously, full of regret.

“Now look at us, reduced to rats in the gutter. Can’t even run a proper business without sneaking around.”

Cen Ling smiled knowingly. “What was your relative’s name? I might’ve met him.”

“Oh, he was just a teacher in a small city in Gui Province. Probably not someone you’d know.”

Bai Sui jumped in. “What are you talking about? My Cen Ge is blessed by God. He never forgets a name!”

Behind them, Mei Lan lowered her gaze to hide the tension in her eyes.

Cen Ling’s father had been the second-in-command of the Guishan Sect and the brother-in-law of Zhuang Chongyue. He definitely was part of the core leadership. During the government’s final crackdown, he was arrested and executed.

Zhuang Chongyue had always intended for Cen Ling to succeed him as sect leader. It was no secret within the sect.

Cen Ling himself was known as a prodigy. He had been raised entirely within the sect, never attended school, and was privately tutored by people Zhuang Chongyue personally recruited. That hadn’t stopped him from showcasing his talent.

Even now, he seemed completely relaxed, clearly not taking the ritual seriously at all.

And sure enough, Cen Ling didn’t let go of Fang Xiu’s “relative” story. “Tell me, maybe I really do know him.”

Fang Xiu didn’t hesitate. He scratched his head a little sheepishly. “Ah, that was my elder uncle. His name was Hong Chunxiang. He used to demonstrate ‘Guishan Immortal Arts’.”

“He specialized in water-based stuff—could lift mist off someone’s head and call it ‘internal cleansing’. It looked amazing in the winter.”

Cen Ling thought for a moment. “Hong Village in Luoshui Town, Gui Province?”

“Holy shit, you really do know him?” Fang Xiu acted genuinely surprised.

“I also know he ran off to a Southeast Asian country, remarried, and had two kids.” Cen Ling smiled brightly. “He’s doing pretty well now.”

Fang Xiu looked completely unbothered, full of admiration. “As expected of a genius from Guishan.”

“Flattered, flattered.”

With just a few exchanges, the group left the unstable outer corridors and entered a more solid section of the tomb.

Here, gray bricks mixed with red ones, like bruises beneath skin. But at least the floor was clean, with no obstacles, making it easy to walk through.

…Though not without issues.

Guan He began slowing down until he stopped altogether. He looked up at the ceiling and swallowed hard.

The red bricks at the top were newly laid, but dozens of desiccated human hands dangled from the gaps. At first glance, they looked like upside-down bats.

He had a strange, irrational fear, that the hands would suddenly launch off the ceiling and slap him in the face.

Then the fingers twitched, bending and straightening like spider legs.

Guan He gasped sharply and glanced over to Bai Sui, whose frown was deepening. If that guy really was Fang Xiu, then his acting skills were terrifying.

“Don’t worry. It’s just a bit of decoration.”

Seeing Guan He so on edge, Cen Ling chuckled. “They’re there for good luck. That’s all.”

Then he turned to Bai Shuangying with a tone of deliberate warmth. “This brother’s been very quiet.”

Bai Sui instantly redirected his focus, staring straight at Bai Shuangying.

Bai Shuangying remained unfazed. “Mm.”

And that was it. He ignored Cen Ling like he was nothing more than tinted air.

“Oh, he’s just not much of a talker,” Fang Xiu jumped in. “That’s just how he is. Don’t take it personally.”

“I understand,” Cen Ling replied with a shrug. “Hey, looks like someone’s ahead.”

He raised the lantern slightly, and the flame pierced the gloom. Ahead, a figure was waving at them.

The movement was smooth and natural, not stiff like a corpse. Whether it was a living person, though…

Guan He instinctively pulled out his black cloth. Cheng Songyun set the little black dog on the ground. Mei Lan wetted the cracked stone floor with sweet dew and murmured, “Everyone be careful.”

“Is someone there?”

Seeing them hesitate, the figure called out, “Police? Firefighters? Help—!”

It sounded like a young man, voice hoarse from dehydration, full of fear and exhaustion.

“A living person?” Fang Xiu looked at Bai Shuangying.

Bai Shuangying narrowed his eyes to sense more carefully. He could detect the person’s karmic threads. If this was just a possessed corpse, the karma should have dissipated.

But strange things happened in this world. This was an Immortal E, after all. Who knew what powers were in play?

“Can’t confirm yet,” he said quietly. “But from the headcount… there’s now one more ‘living person’ in the tomb.”

Fang Xiu: “…Wow.”

“Please, help me!”

As the voice rang out, the dangling hands on the ceiling began to wave more wildly. “There are too many freaky hands over there. I… I can’t go any farther. Please…”

Cen Ling tilted his head. “What do you all think?”

Fang Xiu answered without hesitation, “Ignore him. Doesn’t sound like one of the sacrifices.”

Mei Lan agreed. “Better to go around.”

Cen Ling sighed. “But what if he really needs help?”

“This place has been sealed off. No normal person just gets lost and ends up here. He’s either a dumb tourist or a tomb robber.”

Fang Xiu stood firm. “And if it’s a trick from the Immortal E, rushing in could be fatal.”

“Or a devoted believer coming to worship,” Cen Ling replied with mock concern. “If a fellow brother is in trouble, how could I just walk away…?”

“Y-you don’t have to save me. Just give me food or water, please…”

The figure staggered closer, pleading.

As he came into view under the lantern light, his appearance became clear.

The young man wore filthy clothes and carried a hiking backpack. His skin was intact with no signs of rot or corpse spots. He stood unsteadily, eyes bright with tears.

And he looked exactly like Fang Xiu.

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