Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 120: Unable to Leave

Mei Lan’s head was clouded, her thoughts barely coherent.

“Your father dealt in gray-market business. He was selling antiques on one side while making magic weapons for black Taoists on the other. He’s like a middleman.”

Outside the shop, the neighbor’s tone was gentle yet filled with regret. “Your mother wasn’t part of the world, true, but she knew what he was doing.”

Mei Lan felt like her organs were encased in ice. She wanted to ask “why”, but only a broken wheeze came from her throat.

Her parents had never told her any of this. Even when they knew the Guishan Sect had taught her metaphysics, they had only lectured her endlessly that it wasn’t a “proper” path. She should focus on exams and schoolwork; the most mediocre and meaningless path there was!

She had endured it back then, thinking they just couldn’t accept metaphysics.

She never imagined her father’s business wasn’t “proper” to begin with. And yet he had still played the role of warning her about the dangers of the Guishan Sect. How utterly hypocritical. So all along, they were only against the Guishan Sect in particular. If that wasn’t brainwashing, then what was?

Mei Lan’s hands were freezing; her fingers trembled slightly.

“You need to understand your parents.”

The neighbor soothed her with a tone full of understanding, kind and motherly. “You’re still too young. They just think you’re not mature enough yet…”

“I’m already seventeen!” Mei Lan swallowed and finally found her voice. “It’s not like telling me earlier would’ve hurt!”

“Don’t be upset, sweetheart. We all believe in you. It’s just that your parents don’t understand you enough…”

That day, Mei Lan cried in her neighbor’s arms for a long, long time.

She couldn’t believe her parents had lied to her for seventeen years. They were always going on and on about how dangerous the Guishan Sect was, neurotically guarding against everything, yet never once sitting down to talk to her openly.

The Guishan Sect had been with her for five years, which was longer than her parents had been present in her memories. They had never hurt her, never forced her, and was always peaceful and warm. Her parents, meanwhile, were always busy, always arguing. And even when they had time for her, all they did was slander the Sect.

“I want to leave.”

Mei Lan wiped her tears. “I’m done with this stupid schoolwork. I want to go find Uncle Zhuang. I’m good at magic. I can support myself.”

The neighbor was startled and quickly shook her head. “Don’t say that. Your mom and dad still matter.”

“They’re just brainwashed, holding onto their biases. They don’t understand what young people think. You can’t rush this. You have to gradually change their minds.”

“They never trusted me.”

Mei Lan murmured, “They’ve been lying to me all along. What more can I say?”

The neighbor fell quiet for a while, then said softly, “They love you and they’ll listen. How about this: tonight, pretend you heard something about the shop from someone else. Have an honest talk with your dad.”

Mei Lan fully agreed. The Guishan Sect really did care for her. Their advice was always so gentle.

With the New Year approaching and her parents in decent moods, Mei Lan decided to try again during New Year’s dinner. She was less than a year from turning eighteen. She was mature now. She had the right.

But all she got was yet another explosive argument.

The moment her father learned she had discovered the shop’s “side business”, he immediately accused her of still being in contact with Guishan Sect. His face went pale with fury, nearly passing out.

“You’re still just a kid! Your mom and I were going to wait until you got into college before telling you.”

He was livid. “You think this business is easy? I wish your grandfather had never taught me! The Guishan Sect taught you a few little tricks and now you’re obsessed. How are you supposed to focus on school once you know?”

Mei Lan had wanted to talk calmly and from the heart, but the atmosphere turned hostile in an instant. When her mother heard she was still in touch with the Guishan Sect, her eyes instantly filled with tears.

“You’re not me! Why assume you know what I think?” Mei Lan slammed down her bowl. “You just don’t trust me!”

“You hid your relationship with the Guishan Sect from us. How are we supposed to trust you? Unless someone from the trade leads you in, you wouldn’t know about my business.”

Her father gritted his teeth. “I was already thinking of quitting. That’s why I extended my hours. Our meetings were supposed to be secret.”

“And why can’t I know the truth? You were the ones who lied to me first!” Mei Lan snapped.

“Fine! I’ll tell you I work in the gray market. I deal with black Taoists. So what leg do I have to stand on, telling you to stay away from the Guishan Sect? Lanlan, you’re still too young. There are many things—”

“I’m already seventeen!”

Mei Jinghan let out a long sigh, voice dry and strained. “Alright, enough. I’ll sell the shop tomorrow. We’ll move abroad.”

“Your mom and I can take up jobs. You can go to school later. Once this whole mess is behind us, we’ll come back.”

Mei Lan stood frozen, like a statue. She instinctively looked at her mother, who was nodding gently.

Tears finally spilled down her cheeks. She screamed that her parents were authoritarian, that they made baseless assumptions. She shouted that the Guishan Sect wasn’t that bad, that they treated her better than her own parents did.

She cursed and swore that they had never harmed her. Then she cried, saying the Guishan Sect had even told her to try talking to her parents. But her parents didn’t understand anything.

But no matter how much she yelled, she couldn’t change their decision.

That night, the house was filled with chaos. Her father made phone calls one after another, cigarette smoke seeping through the bedroom door. Her mother sat in the living room, sighing constantly, afraid Mei Lan might run away in the middle of the night.

They’ve gone insane, Mei Lan thought. They’ve been brainwashed beyond saving.

All they wanted was to protect their rigid worldview. They didn’t want to hear her out. They didn’t care about her feelings. They just wanted control. They didn’t love her.

So why should she love them? She already had plenty of love elsewhere.

No matter what, she couldn’t let them take her away.

The neighbor sensed Mei Lan’s struggle and sent a message to the phone she had given her earlier. She taught Mei Lan a small spell and secretly placed a jade green pendant outside the Lan household.

Mei Lan was shocked and overjoyed. Only senior members of Guishan Sect had jade pendants. It was a top-tier magic item!

The neighbor said that as long as Mei Lan cast a spell on her parents’ car, it would “develop a small problem”.

If her parents were injured, they wouldn’t be able to leave the country. The jade pendant would protect Mei Lan in the same car, and she would be safe, and free to do whatever she wanted.

Mei Lan rubbed the jade pendant. “How badly would they be hurt?”

“It’s a divine judgment spell,” the neighbor answered devoutly. “The severity depends on the Guishan Immortal’s will. If your parents are virtuous, it’ll just be minor injuries. But if they’re lacking in morals… it’ll be worse.”

“Once the Immortal vent their wrath, your parents’ karmic debts will be cleared. It’s a fresh start, for you and them.”

Hearing her parents might be seriously hurt, Mei Lan hesitated. But remembering their distrustful expressions, her anger returned.

The Guishan Sect was always so kind to her. And she rarely heard of the Immortal getting angry. The Immortal removed sin and helped accumulate merit; it was a blessing. Her parents would understand once they experienced it.

So, using her proud magical abilities, she cast the spell on their car.

Her parents had no idea as they brought her along to handle paperwork for going abroad.

That year, she was seventeen. That day was the last time she ever saw her parents. Mei Jinghan and Zhang Zhilan died in the crash on the spot. Mei Lan survived, protected by the jade pendant.

……

“On the first day, I was confused and heartbroken.”

“Just yesterday, we were talking. How could they suddenly be gone?”

The scarf-bird rested on Mei Lan’s shoulder. At her feet were shattered remnants of evil spirits; blood gushed from her ankle. Across from her, the Substitution E was entangled in glowing threads like spider silk, struggling desperately.

“On the second day, I thought they deserved it. They weren’t worthy of my love.”

“The Immortal hated them. That’s why they died… It couldn’t have been me who killed them. I couldn’t have killed them. The Immortal is real. The Immortal is always right. He chose to protect me.”

The scarf-bird nuzzled her cheek. In the gentle glow, Mei Lan’s eyes shimmered with tears.

“On the third day, I officially joined the Guishan Sect.”

She raised both hands, palms glowing with harsh white light. Her gaze on the “other self” before her was frigid, tinged with killing intent.

The car crash site had been clean. The entire event was captured on surveillance. The authorities ruled it an accident.

Mei Lan was underage and had no other relatives. The Guishan Sect, full of merchants, naturally “took over” her father’s shop. On paper, she remained the legal owner. The Sect simply said they were helping her run it, giving her regular dividends.

All the rare magic weapons her father hadn’t yet sold were “bought” by the Sect at market price. Mei Lan became instantly wealthy.

But she almost never visited the store again and rarely even returned to her old home.

For some reason, she didn’t want to see any traces of the life her parents had left behind.

She told herself she was right. She had to be right. Truth required sacrifice. Her parents lacked virtue. They’d dealt with black Taoists. Surely they’d done many evil things.

…Then she came of age. And truly matured.

Uncle Zhuang began assigning her more important work. She and Zhuang Pengdao started managing a gambling app. She was in charge of attracting new believers, making connections with wealthy clients, and guiding them into “setups”.

Those rich folks were fat and greedy. Their wealth had to come from shady dealings. Taking it from them helped the Immortal punish evil and reward good. It gave those rich people a chance to earn virtue.

Many of them, after going bankrupt, experienced “sudden enlightenment” and begged to join the Sect. As for those who ended up with ruined families…

She was right. She didn’t want to look.

She was right. She had to be right. Truth required sacrifice. Those rich heirs lacked virtue and deserved what they got. None of the rich people who converted to the Guishan Sect blamed her.

…As the operation grew, she began to see children jumping from buildings with their mothers, teenagers crying out in hatred.

The Guishan Sect was pushed fully underground and exiled abroad. Former believers appeared on TV, denouncing the Sect’s crimes. Mei Lan watched those tortured faces on the screen, unable to comprehend.

Until she saw the friend she’d known at twelve.

The girl had grown up, dressed plainly, the joy gone from her face.

She cried as she told how her parents had studied for years but never entered the “inner circle”. To complete their karma, they gave her to a “descendant of the Immortal”. But that man surnamed Zhuang never acknowledged her.

Later, they brought her to Mount Xu, claiming they would “return to the mountain” in person.

They were carried out by rescue workers. Her parents died in the mountain. She barely survived and left the Guishan Sect forever.

“When I was still a kid, they had me lure classmates to our home for preaching. We were only twelve!”

She sobbed into the camera. “They wanted to trick my classmate into joining their charade, and they wanted her family’s store. My parents said the relic in the Holy Land came from that shop. They didn’t even spare children…”

Mei Lan quietly turned off the TV.

She was right. This was just official propaganda. Slander. Lies scripted in advance.

She was right. She was right… wasn’t she?

Suddenly, Mei Lan realized, she still remembered that friend’s face. Still remembered her parents’ faces. Like ghosts, they were carved into her mind, never fading.

That day, she did something she hadn’t done in years. She returned to her parents’ old home and looked at the mess they’d left behind. It was like amber, frozen on the day of the car crash.

The apartment, hastily bought for the move, was fairly ordinary. Mei Lan never lacked money, so she’d left it abandoned.

…At least, that was what she told herself.

In the closet were her father’s scattered shirts. Her mother’s cosmetics had long since expired, giving off a rancid odor. The laundry soap by the sink was hardened beyond recognition. Dust coated the furniture and floor. Several suitcases sat quietly in the bedroom.

Mei Lan didn’t know how to describe her feelings or if she even had any. She unconsciously walked over to the suitcases and opened them. Inside was a future that would never be.

One contained basic clothes and toiletries, three neatly packed toothbrushes. A family photo frame lay cushioned in the blankets, impossible to crush.

Another held all kinds of documents—her textbooks and workbooks, and her favorite little desk ornaments. Alongside them were the family’s valuables: her mother’s jewelry, her father’s prayer beads, and a modest gift box.

Mei Lan hesitated for a few seconds, then opened that familiar yet foreign box.

It was empty. She felt around and pulled out a half-written letter hidden in the lining.

[Daughter, happy eighteenth birthday.]

[First, I owe you an apology. I actually do know magic.]

[Our antique shop also sold magic artifacts, to unregistered practitioners. It’s the family business. But it’s not as fun as you think. Once you enter this world, it’s hard to leave.]

[Legitimate practitioners have official channels. The people who came to us were mostly tied up with the dark side of society. You always have to stay alert and not offend the wrong people. You have to drink with them, gather intel, maintain ties.]

[Once you’ve seen and heard too much, it’s hard to wash your hands clean. If you go passive, some people come after you like sharks smelling blood. It’s a hard road.]

[You take after your mother, softhearted. You wouldn’t survive.]

[Don’t be scared, daughter. There are rules in this trade. We don’t drag in uninvolved family. Once it ends with me, it ends. I’ve been trying to wrap things up these years. You’ll be safe.]

[I’ve got a temper and haven’t been a good father. I’ve wronged you.]

[See the scarf? I started collecting the materials since your first birthday, weaving bit by bit. I finished it for your seventeenth birthday. All the magic I know is woven into it.]

[There are three azure birds hidden inside, two big, one small. The big ones are your mother and me. The small one is you. My skills are rough, so they’re not cute, but they’ll keep you safe.]

[Work hard, go to a good college, find a good job. Live with pride, under the sun.
Mom and Dad]

The letter was wrinkled, scattered with revisions. Her father was full of hope. It seemed he wrote it before discovering her connection to the Guishan Sect.

But she never saw the scarf he mentioned. She never got the rest of the letter.

For a moment, Mei Lan was back on the day she cast the car spell. The smell of the car seats, her parents’ scent—it all rushed into her nose. She couldn’t breathe.

She put the letter back in the box and fled the dusty home.

She didn’t tell anyone; not even Zhuang Pengdao, the one closest to her.

A few days later, Uncle Zhuang introduced her to Sect Leader Zhuang Chongyue, as a “prospective daughter-in-law”, albeit over video call.

That was Mei Lan’s first time meeting Zhuang Chongyue.

As the heir of Zhuang Guiqu, he looked far younger than his age, with clear eyes and handsome features, giving him an air of immortal grace. A cute boy stood beside him, said to be surnamed Cen.

“Father… The Patriarch has prepared a gift for you,” Uncle Zhuang said, handing over an exquisitely crafted box.

Mei Lan opened it. Inside was a beautiful scarf, the embroidery impossibly delicate, glowing with a refined aura.

At the center were three azure luan birds. It wasn’t striking in design; rather plain and clumsy, but full of warmth.

Two big birds. One small bird. All nestled happily together, eyes sparkling.

At seventeen, she hadn’t looked closely enough to recognize it. But after reading the letter, she suddenly remembered.

Of course. Her father had stored it at the shop. He had prepared the gift box and the letter but never had the chance to deliver them.

Mei Lan touched the scarf, dazed. “This is…”

“This item holds immense power, nearly a divine artifact. Our Patriarch was going to keep it for himself. But he gave it to you, to thank you for your efforts.”

Uncle Zhuang whispered.

On the massive screen, Zhuang Chongyue smiled kindly.

“No need to be so formal,” he said warmly. “Our Sect’s sacred treasures should be given to devout, good children like Mei Lan.”

“Our sect’s sacred treasure…” Mei Lan echoed.

Zhuang Chongyue looked at her with that familiar gentle gaze. His voice carried the parental love she’d always longed for…

“This scarf has been enshrined in our Sect for a hundred years. It will protect you for a lifetime.”

……

Crack!

The scarf-bird pierced the Substitution E’s other leg. As blood splashed beneath Mei Lan’s feet, the creature staggered. Two white lights struck its arms, suspending it in mid-air.

The scarf-bird then turned into a plain scarf, wrapping over its eyes. Light flared, and the creature’s movements immediately dulled.

But it sensed danger. Its struggling grew more intense, dark winds slicing like blades. Mei Lan sighed. This thing truly existed only to kill her. No wonder it was so hard to stop.

Cheng Songyun clung to the ghost shield and looked at the panting Mei Lan. “What now?”

“The core is the ‘original body’ that holds the birth date.” Mei Lan stared at the familiar yet foreign figure in front of her. “Its core is in the chest. If I dig it out, I’ll die… I need to find another way to control it…”

As they spoke, Guan He quietly slipped behind the Substitution E.

He clumsily dodged a few slashes of dark wind, then reached out…

Puff!

Suddenly, the “Mei Lan” before them vanished, leaving behind a tattered cloth doll. On its back was written a full birth date and the name “Mei Feng”, with the “Mountain” missing¹.

Cheng Songyun: “…”

Mei Lan: “…???”

Guan He nervously rubbed the cinnabar on his fingers. “Uh… I just thought, since it needs the full name and birth date to work… if the name’s wrong, maybe it cancels out…?¹”

¹Clarity: Mei Lan’s name is (梅岚). The [Lan] contains the radical mountain (山). What Guan He did was wipe away the radical (山), leaving only the (风), essentially turning the name from Mei Lan to Mei Feng. This is kind of equivalent to translating it as Mei Lan going to Mei La, but it makes more sense in Chinese.

He cautiously explained his student logic.

“That was the Five-Ghosts Relocation spell Fang Ge taught me. I stole a bit of pigment earlier… Looks like it worked?”

……

On the other side, things weren’t going so smoothly.

Cen Ling, the ritual, the grand scheme—all of it had been shoved to the back of Bai Shuangying’s mind. He held his human close and charged toward the strongest yang energy in the tomb.

Soon, he found a weak spot near the surface.

He could blast it open, to connect with the outside world.

As long as Fang Xiu wasn’t inside the tomb, the Grave-Sealing E would be weakened. After all, it had once circulated outside. If its aura were strong, the Underworld would’ve noticed already.

Bai Shuangying raised his hand without hesitation and smashed it against a corner of the tomb. Fang Xiu trembled in his arms, his breath quickening, but he showed no major reaction.

There was hope!

As the walls collapsed with rumbling force, a beam of sunlight pierced the darkness. Bai Shuangying pulled Fang Xiu toward it…

But the moment sunlight touched Fang Xiu’s hand, it disappeared into thin air.

He couldn’t leave.

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Kinky Thoughts:

I wonder if Nian Zhong did research into cults. A lot of this stuff is textbook on how one becomes indoctrinated into a cult. Also don’t believe that this won’t happen to you. The ones who think they will never be brainwashed are usually the ones most susceptible to being converted.

Also, telling a person already indoctrinated or on the path to being that they are wrong or saying bad things about the cult only pushes them further into the cult’s arm.

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