Two thoughts flashed through his mind at the same time. The first was that the cooked ghost was about to escape; the second was that he still owed Zhong Chengshuo a piece of buttercream cake.
It took Yin Ren less than half a second to turn his body and slash at the ghost. He attached a bit of evil qi to his nails—he only heard a fierce scream, and like a hot knife cutting butter, there was a huge wound on the ghost’s body where it was slashed.
It was almost cut in half.
Yin Ren didn’t stop. He took advantage of the opportunity and turned to Zhong Chengshuo to grab him and pull him toward himself.
The force of the pull was so strong that Zhong Chengshuo lost his balance and slammed directly into Yin Ren’s arms. However, Zhong Chengshuo had already noticed something was wrong and was about to turn his body…
This caused the two of them to fall into the classic downward pose of the tango. Yin Ren’s black hair fell down and brushed the side of Zhong Chengshuo’s neck.
Zhong Chengshuo, who was in the “female position”: “…”
Lin Bei: “…”
Even the knife-wielding man was stunned for two seconds.
At last, Yin Ren finally moved from his position, causing the weakened ghost to collapse and flee. On the other side, the knife-wielding man reacted and stumbled towards Lin Bei.
Lin Bei was already weakened by the evil qi, so she stood in place in a daze, unable to scream.
Zhong Chengshuo’s reaction was amazingly fast. He tilted his body and threw his phone hard, straight at the man’s head. Then he rushed forward, put his arm around the man’s throat, and dragged back the man’s hand that was holding the knife.
At the same time, Yin Ren skillfully activated his cellphone emergency alarm, creating a shrill ringing sound that echoed through the alley.
More back doors opened, and many people popped their heads out to check on the situation.
Seeing that the tide had shifted, the man with the knife screamed wildly. He struggled frantically, trying to stab Zhong Chengshuo’s arm with the knife.
Blood splattered.
Although the man was a bit thin and somewhat out of shape, he was half a head taller than Zhong Chengshuo, which gave him a physique advantage. Taking advantage of Zhong Chengshuo’s pain, he rushed to a back door.
Zhong Chengshuo ignored his bleeding right arm and chased after him.
Yin Ren wanted to follow, but the two of them quickly ran out of sight. It wasn’t easy for him to leave Lin Bei behind, so he had to go back to the girl and check on her.
He lost his partner, and he floundered in his performance. It was all over now.
Before they came, Fang Yuanyuan had instructed them a thousand times, saying it was imperative that they not act without authorization. Ironically, it was Zhong Chengshuo, who had a harmless face, who was the bad kid who broke the rule first.
Everything happened too fast. Even if Liang Shang arrived quickly, Zhong Chengshuo had already completely disappeared.
“I let you two go out for a while, and this is the situation?!” Liang Shan picked up the semi-conscious Lin Bei. “Why does she have such heavy evil qi? What’s with all this blood?”
“Go back first, and we’ll talk about it later.” Seeing that Lin Bei was finally taken care of, Yin Ren sprinted away and abandoned Liang Shan, who was still in a daze.
It was nothing for a living man to chase another living man, but this man dared hurt his partner and wreck his performance. Today, Yin Ren wanted the knife wielder to know what it meant to be remembered by ghosts…
However, Yin Ren didn’t know that the knife-wielding man was on the verge of collapse.
He was already in a trance, hanging on by a thread of hostility. The first reaction of the knife-wielding man was to flee when he saw that he had failed to hurt the person, but he didn’t expect that four-eyed kid to dare chase after him unarmed.
Because the alley was close to the old town, it was intricate, which was why he chose this path of retreat.
The knife-wielding man plunged into the complex alley. His footsteps strewn rocks all over the place as the dogs around him barked, completely covering his tracks. After running in the ant-nest-like maze for a few minutes, the knife-wielding man leaned against the wall and panted for breath.
He definitely lost them.
However, just as he was about to sit down and rest, there was a soft noise near the corner.
Thud, thud, thud, thud. The sound of rapid and steady footsteps was getting closer.
How could this be? The skin of the knife-wielding man was going numb. He stood up with trembling legs and gritted his teeth as he continued to flee. This time, he used all his strength to climb over the wall and drill into a dog hole. He was covered in dirt and grime as he squeezed through the gap.
Did he get rid of him this time?
As soon as he exhaled, the sound of those cursed footsteps echoed not far away…
Thud, thud, thud, thud. The rhythm of those footsteps was no different than before.
The knife-wielding man’s hand trembled uncontrollably. He was supposed to be the hunter, but now he had an inexplicable fear of being the hunted.
He had been stalking Lin Bei for quite some time. She had talked with the police a few days ago, so he didn’t dare make any obvious moves. Today, she was with two green boys, so she was probably meeting with them to talk about business.
Were male anchors this ferocious these days?
Irritability and fear were suppressed in unison. The knife-wielding man’s eyes grew bloodier. He roared and rushed out head-on while swinging wildly with his knife towards the sound of the footsteps.
The next moment, the face of the knife-wielding man hit the ground. It took a few seconds for the pain to register in his brain.
His hand was being clipped to his back, and his body felt as if it were being crushed to death by the man’s knees. He had no idea what happened to his knife. This was a standard police takedown technique. This time, he didn’t even notice how the other side was able to maneuver in such a way.
Male anchor my ass! There was something wrong with this guy!
“You—What are you doing? What do you want?” Glancing at the pair of deep eyes, the voice of the knife-wielding man changed his tone.
“……” Zhong Chengshuo was silent for a few seconds before he spoke with some bewilderment. “Don’t you know you just broke the law?”
Knife wielder: “……”
Zheng Chengshuo: “I have the right to restrain you.”
Fine, don’t say it. Thousands of words were stuck in the knife-wielding man’s throat. The man was left speechless for a moment, and he wanted to spit out a mouthful of blood.
Just as Zhong Chengshuo was pondering how to tie this man up, another figure ejected into the alley.
“You better give… Huh? Zhong Ge, you’re here?” Yin Ren came to a sharp stop in front of the two of them.
Zhong Chengshuo looked at him suspiciously. “You sound disappointed?”
“How can this be!”
Yin Ren smiled and grabbed the head of the knife-wielder and slammed it against the wall. His strength was just right and caused the knife-wielding man to faint in an instant.
“Now that’s a little disappointing.”
After patting the dust off his hand, Yin Ren leaned forward and carefully checked on Zheng Chengshuo’s wound. “It’s okay. It’s quite shallow.”
“I know.”
“I helped you dodge the knife attack, so that counts as paying back for the cake.” Yin Ren struggled. Originally he was going to mention chocolate muffins, but now it seemed that it didn’t matter.
“Actually, I found him just now.” Zhong Chengshuo wiped away the blood from his glasses and spoke in a sincere tone. “If you hadn’t pulled me away, I could have subdued him right then and there.”
In other words, what he did was unnecessary. He could’ve caught a ghost, while Zhong Chengshuo would have caught this knife-wielder without injuries.
Why even mention such a woeful matter?
Yin Ren: “…..”
Yin Ren: “Zhong Ge, has anyone ever told you your personality is very…”
“Out of character? Many have told me this.” Zhong Chengshuo put back on his glasses while maintaining a calm expression. “Fortunately, I have no need to fit in for the time being.”
Aren’t you missing the point? Yin Ren didn’t know if the dizziness at the moment was because he had used evil qi or because his partner was too maverick… or maybe both.
Sadly, he realized that chocolate muffins were out of the question.
Two hours later, at the hotel.
“What the hell?!” Liang Shan roared. “You all know to call me, but not the police? The other party had a knife. What are you two doing chasing after him! God, it seems like I have to have a lecture about the rules—”
Liang Shan scratched his flat head. There were a few veins popping from his temples as he paced around the room in anger, stomping his feet loudly on the floor.
Zhong Chengshuo’s wound had been addressed. He sat honestly in his bed, and his arm was wrapped in bandages while his eyes stared at the ground. He had returned to his harmless appearance as a docile animal.
“Ah, it hurts,” he recited.
Unfortunately, Comrade Zhong Chengshuo’s acting skills weren’t up to par, and his tone lacked iambic and frustration, so this only made Liang Shan angrier. “You don’t want to be disciplined, ah? You’re badly attempting to sell misery, Zhong Chengshuo—”
“I’m a little dizzy,” Yin Ren quickly interrupted Liang Shan’s power tantrum and relieved his partner.
His tone was much more sincere than Zhong Chengshuo’s.
Truth be told, it was a fact. To beat that ghost just now, Yin Ren tentatively used some of his evil qi, as he knew there weren’t any cultivators around. As a result, he used too much, so the dizziness still lingered.
The world in his eyes was as if it were melting like ice cream, and their contours were crooked and twisted. At this moment, he didn’t want to listen to incessant nagging.
Liang Shang stared at the two of them bitterly.
“The person you caught was just put on trial. He’s Lin Bei’s ex-boyfriend in the same industry and wants revenge on her.” Liang Shang decided to change the subject.
Yin Ren pricked his ears up. “Why?”
“Aren’t you dizzy?”
“I’m still willing to work even when I’m ill.”
Liang Shan gritted his teeth. “…It’s not something earth-shattering. The man cheated on her, so Lin Bei kicked him to the curb. He recently lost his job and resources. He believed that Lin Bei had spoken badly of him, and that was the cause of him losing his job.”
“The guy claims that he had recently experienced auditory hallucinations. He heard a bewitching voice compelling him before he acted. Now he’s still crying at the police station—I guess this guy wants to lean on mental illness to reduce his punishment.”
Zhong Chengshuo slowly raised his head. “Excuses. If that voice was enticing him to donate all of his money, he’d go straight to psychiatric treatment.”
“And aren’t you supposed to be in pain?”
“I’m willing to work even with injuries.”
You two clearly just want to listen to the gossip! Liang Shan clenched his fist but didn’t say anything.
“On Lin Bei’s side, Shian sent someone to follow up.” Liang Shan glanced at Yin Ren before he continued, “Shian will give her some support, so she won’t encounter this kind of danger again.”
Yin Ren naturally understood. A professional cultivator probably got rid of all the evil spirits around Lin Bei and gave her a spiritual tool to guard against ghosts. If he guessed right that ghost would probably be handled by an experienced cultivator.
His achievements…
“One more thing.” Seeing Yin Ren’s sluggish face, Liang Shan purposefully raised his voice. “Lin Bei is in stable condition now, and she wants to talk to you again. I made an appointment for you in the evening, so get some rest first.”
……
Lin Bei chose the most famous western restaurant in Haigu.
Soft music rolled through the air. The price and seating certainly matched the theme. There weren’t many people at the restaurant. Lin Bei chose a corner facing window, which was very quiet and had a good view.
As night fell, everything outside the window was immersed in the indigo night breeze. The traffic had turned into strips of lights, leaving a small reflection on the glass.
Unlike this morning, Lin Bei didn’t wear heavy makeup. This time her clothes were on the casual side, and the jade Buddha she was wearing had been replaced with a pearl necklace. Without the evil spirits around her, Lin Bei’s complexion looked much better.
This time, she waited for Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo.
He had heard that the occasion was formal, so Yin Ren specially tied up his hair while Zhong Chengshuo changed into a clean and crisp shirt. The bandage made his sleeve bulge slightly.
“I’m really sorry I took advantage of you.”
Lin Bei looked serious as she got straight to the point.
The author has something to say:
It’s too miserable for Xiao Yin. He didn’t get to eat, didn’t perform well, and didn’t return the favor.
The woman took off her sunglasses and gave them a reluctant smile. She had a beautiful face, but her eyes were bloodshot, and the bags under them were so heavy that she couldn’t cover them up. Without the sunglasses, she suddenly looked a lot more haggard.
She had a jade Buddha hanging around her neck that looked extremely valuable, but it didn’t match her fashionable attire.
“We are security investigators from a formal third party that is assisting the police in their investigation.”
Yin Ren solemnly showed his work ID. He had been secretly practicing what to say in his heart for a while now.
Lin Bei looked at Yin Ren up and down. “If it weren’t for the unsuitable situation, I would want to poach you.”
What does “poach” mean? Yin Ren, who had just drilled himself out of the ground, was suddenly alert*.
*Clarity: The term Lin Bei is using is “dig you”, which is a reference to “dig a corner” (挖墙脚), which is a metaphor referring to corporate espionage and poaching (digging out the technology of companies or personnel (poaching) of competitors as to maximize your benefits). It can also be used in relationships (as in this case), where it’s a term used to pursue someone who is already in a relationship (dig you out from your gf/bf). In this context, honestly it refers to both things (given Yin Ren’s appearance).Yin Ren, not understanding modern usage, is confused and scared because he literally unburied himself from the ground when his seal was broken (that’s the joke).
Fortunately, his partner relieved him in time. Zhong Chengshuo turned on the phone and pressed the record button. “Miss Lin, what is your occupation?”
“I have a self-publishing studio that does local advertising and delivers goods.” Lin Bei leaned back in her chair wearily. “However, given that Haigu is a first-tier city, you can imagine how business is. Wait, it’s starting already?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s order something first. I want a soymilk ice latte. What do you two want to drink?”
“I agree,” Yin Ren happily interjected. “I want this waffle chocolate deluxe sundae. What about Zhong Ge?”
“A glass of hot milk, no sugar.”
Lin Bei: “…” Why did she feel as if that was out of place? If she had known this in advance, she wouldn’t have made an appointment at a café that specialized in cold drinks.
Yin Ren wasn’t surprised. He had most likely figured out Zhong Chengshuo’s eating style by now.
Whether it was the Shian canteen or here, Zhong Chengshuo always ate a light and balanced diet—not too little and not too full. He was quite restrained in his food choices and didn’t like to touch fatty foods like fried chicken or cakes.
It was no wonder why his body was so healthy. He never grabbed what people usually love to eat.
There was plenty of light during the day, which made it quite conspicuous how clear Zhong Chengshuo’s skin was compared to Lin Bei’s, who had makeup on. It was the height of summer, but unlike the men around them, who smelled like sweat and smoke, Zhong Chengshuo’s scent was like a breath of fresh air.
Lin Bei’s attention gradually shifted to Zhong Chengshuo. Perhaps what she needed right now was this gentle and non-irritating reassurance.
“To thank you for your cooperation, Shian will pay for this meal.” After ordering, Zhong Chengshuo quickly returned to the topic. “Miss Lin, what’s your relationship with Gao Mengyu…?”
Lin Bei subconsciously glanced out the window and rubbed the corner of her napkin nervously. We went to middle and high school together, but at that time we weren’t familiar with each other. I took the university exam and didn’t start to talk to her until I started working.”
Then, without waiting for Zhong Chengshuo to ask, she continued on her own.
“About a few years ago, we happened to meet at the pet hospital. My cat was sick, and she happened to be taking her cat in for a physical. After that, we talked about cats and our life… Well, you can consider us friends.”
Zhong Chengshuo stopped sipping on his milk while Yin Ren still had a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.
Lin Bei seemed to be aware of the doubt they had and felt a bit helpless. “Mengyu is very introverted. Even though we’re in the same city, she’s rarely willing to come out. We mainly chatted on WeChat and hardly ever met up in person.”
Yin Ren sniffed the fresh ghost around her body and put down his spoon. “You took the initiative to find us… Do you have any conjectures about Gao Mengyu’s disappearance?”
“Yes!” They didn’t know why but Lin Bei suddenly became excited. “It must be Xie Chao! He’s just a pervert, but even when he’s dead, he’s still harming people!”
She coughed because she got too riled up and took several sips of her latte. After taking a deep breath, Lin Bei took out a medicine bottle from her purse and swallowed a few pills.
“I told the police, but they didn’t believe me. You must check on Xie Chao.”
Zhong Chengshuo, Yin Ren: “…”
It was understandable that the police didn’t believe it. The police were basically good comrades comparable to the people in the science post, and the suspect, Xie Chao, had already been cremated.
“Continue,” Yin Ren said.
Lin Bei’s body was covered in evil spirits that emitted a strong aura full of malice. Regardless of whether the situation was related to Gao Mengyu’s disappearance or not, he could catch some of these ghosts and find out more.
This was an act that was basically spoon feeding him! Yin Ren continued to happily stuff the sundae into his mouth, full of vigor.
“In high school, she and Xie Chao were very famous. They were already dating then and seemed to have a good relationship. Mengyu’s grade was above average, but Xie Chao was dead last. He could barely speak properly.”
After Lin Bei finished taking her medicine, she continued to rub her napkin nervously.
“Mengyu could have gone on to a good college, but she stayed in Haigu for Xie Chao. She mentioned to me last year that she regretted this a bit.”
“The housing market has been good over the years, so Xie Chao made a small killing from his work. Mengyu was only a teller, so she only made no more than four thousand a month. They lived together for two years, and Xie Chao basically made her his caretaker… Though Mengyu earned less, her work wasn’t easy. It looks like she had no way out, and Xie Chao kept looking down on her.”
Zhong Chengshuo clearly understood this point.
In the WeChat history, the two quarreled over this matter. Even if Xie Chao was idle at home, his ten fingers would not touch spring water*. However, whenever Gao Mengyu dared to raise this point, their arguments always ended with “You only make a few dollars. Are you blind not to see who supports this household?” or “You don’t have time to work but have time to play with cats?”.
*(十指不沾阳春水) Metaphor referring to a pampered person who doesn’t need to do housework.
In the end, Gao Mengyu could only be silent.
“Later, Xie Chao lost a ton of money trading stocks, and they quarreled for three days straight. Then that happened immediately afterwards… Xie Chao strangled Qiqi to death. Oh, Qiqi is Mengyu’s cat. She adopted it when she was just in college, and they have a really deep relationship. Mengyu thought about calling the police, but a cat was worthless, and she had no evidence…”
“Miss Lin, we know all this,” Zhong Chengshuo interrupted Lin Bei’s chatter. “Let’s talk about the abnormal situation first.”
Lin Bei choked.
Wow. Yin Ren was amazed. Zhong Chengshuo really gave him a sense of security on all fronts—not only was his spiritual value zero, but his worldly knowledge was even worse than a ghost that was just unearthed. Whether it was a ghost or him pretending to be human, it would be difficult to expose his feet* in front of this person.
*Exposing the horse’s feet (露马脚) Metaphor referring to showing flaws and exposing the truth (aka Let the cat out of the bag).
He wanted to keep this partnership with Zhong Chengshuo. This man was full of reassurance and trust.
Yin Ren smiled brightly. “What Zhong Ge wants to say is that we have a clear understanding of Miss Gao’s situation. You look very tired. If we can get to the main points, you can retire earlier and get some rest.”
Lin Bei turned to stare at Yin Ren with slightly moist eyes. “Okay.”
“Xie Chao had been pestering Mengyu before, so she would talk to me every so often about it. She sounded like she was in pain, but when I asked what Xie Chao had done, she wouldn’t tell me anything. It’s not the kind of avoidance where someone doesn’t want to say something, but rather ‘dare not say’.”
This was exactly what they found suspicious.
Zheng Chengshuo regained his vigor. He drank his milk in one gulp and listened attentively. As for Yin Ren, his giant sundae had long since been emptied, and there was only at thin layer of cream at the bottom of the cup.
God knew how he managed to eat all that so gracefully. Even Lin Bei, who was sitting opposite didn’t notice anything off.
She took out her phone and pulled up her chat history with Gao Mengyu. Looking at the time stamp, it wasn’t long after Xie Chao’s death.
[“Feather Cat” withdrew a message.]
[LadyBud: It’s fine. No need to withdraw it, right?]
[“Feather Cat” withdrew a message.]
[LadyBud: Don’t force it. Just follow your habits.]
[Feather Cat: I dare not go out. It’s so cold outside, and there’s the smell of roses everywhere.]
[Feather Cat: I’m a little scared. Do you have time lately?]
This was the content of their last conversation.
“I was busy at work at that time, so I didn’t reply to her, and she never contacted me again after that. I thought…”
Lin Bei shook her head.
“Forget it. No point talking about that now. The two messages she withdrew, one was telling me Xie Chao had died and the other saying she felt Xie Chao wasn’t dead yet and she didn’t want any records mentioning him to be kept.”
Seeing that the two of them were listening intently, Lin Bei half cried, and half smiled. “As for why I said it must be Xie Chao… I know it’s ridiculous, but I have evidence. Can you accompany me somewhere?”
“Of course.”
“No problem.” They both spoke in unison.
Unlike Yin Ren’s expectations, Lin Bei didn’t go far. She just asked Zhong Chengshuo and Yin Ren to follow her for about 20 meters. When they left the store, they turned to an alley near a shopping center.
The alley was a dead end with only the backdoor to small shops at the front. The shop buildings were uneven, and the surroundings were dirty with a poor view.
Lin Ben walked to the end of the alley and stopped, as if she was waiting for something.
The two stopped and hid behind a protruding corner of the alley.
Yin Ren narrowed his eyes.
The air around Lin Bei gradually distorted, and a ghost in a suit with a bouquet in his hand appeared.
The ghost’s suit was poorly tailored, and it could be seen that it was something cheap. The ghost was wearing a pair of overly white gloves, a similar overly white, close-fitting mask, and a top hat that tightly covered its hair.
It had no eyes, nose, or mouth through the hole in the mask; only emptiness filled the area. At the same time, it also held a large bouquet of rose-like things.
Beautiful cellophane tied with ribbons was wrapped with rotten and broken entrails. They were dried and cracked, looking like flowers from a distance.
The fragrance of roses was instantly overwhelming as they forcibly invaded their nasal cavity, almost turning into some kind of stench. The dark red ghosts were like drops of blood, splashing and jumping above the bouquet, like drizzles falling in the wrong direction.
The ghost stopped in the deepest part of the shadow, only a few steps away from Lin Bei. It emitted evil spirits and malice unreservedly. Despite it being noon and summer, the air in the alley was getting colder.
[It’s so cold outside, and there’s the smell of roses everywhere.]
The current situation was exactly like Gao Mengyu’s description. Even Zhong Chengshuo was affected. “It’s pretty cold here.”
Yin Ren was a bit impressed. This was a powerful ghost that was suitable for eating after a chocolate sundae.
But considering that he had to continue his performance, Yin Ren had to pressed back the idea of having a side dish.
Lin Bei trembled. She hugged her arms under the sunlight as if it were unbearably cold.
“Can you smell it?” She gritted her teeth loudly. “It smells like roses. It’s cold around here, and there’s even a dark shadow! See… As long as I walk to a place where there are a few people, it’ll come out…”
Lin Bei rolled her eyes wildly. Her lips turned blue, and the water vapor she exhaled didn’t turn into white vapor. Her voice wasn’t very loud—close to murmuring—but Yin Ren could hear it very clearly.
“It’s been four or five days that I haven’t slept well… I told others, and they all thought I was crazy. I’m not crazy. I’m not. I just want to rest…”
It seemed that she couldn’t see the ghost clearly, but only a vague figure.
The ghost completely ignored Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo. It was dead set on Lin Bei. There was an inaudible whisper emanating from its throat. The bundle of visceral “roses” kept spewing evil qi, getting closer and closer to Lin Bei’s face.
Lin Bei’s voice became smaller, and she shook twice in place and almost fell over.
From a distance, it looked like a man handing a bouquet to his beloved. Lin Bei’s face was splattered with more evil spirits, and they quickly penetrated deeply into her skin, turning into strands of dark red blood.
As a mortal who believed in ghosts and gods and wasn’t in a good mental state, Lin Bei was greatly affected.
Yin Ren took out his cellphone and motioned for Zheng Chengshuo to contact Liang Shan. Then he strode forward and inserted himself very neatly between the human and ghost.
Yin Ren turned his back to the ghost and supported Lin Bei with concern. “Miss Lin, are you okay?”
The bouquet was separated by Yin Ren, and Lin Bei’s breathing became a little smoother. Her eyes looked unfocused as she shook her head very lightly. She grabbed Yin Ren’s arms tightly with one hand.
The ghost let out a vague mocking smile and tried to bypass Yin Ren to continue to attack Lin Bei. In the next moment…
Ghost: “?”
It found itself unable to move.
Yin Ren had stepped on its foot with his heel with great force. Though the ghost couldn’t feel pain, it couldn’t move even half a step.
It slapped Yin Ren on the back of his head angrily with the bouquet, but Yin Ren was unaffected. The evil spirit slashed at him with the bouquet, but it couldn’t hurt this person in the slightest. Yin Ren pretended not to see the ghost and said such nonsense as “We will definitely pay attention to the clues you have given us” and “Go back and drink more hot water and make sure to stay in a well-ventilated space”.
Unfortunately, no matter how indignant the ghost was, there was no hope. Its foot was firmly nailed in place.
When Lin Bei recovered, Yin Ren still refused to let go of its feet.
He stayed where he was and continued conscientiously, “Miss Lin, are you feeling better? I do smell roses, and the temperature nearby is abnormal.”
Ghost: “…” Pretend. You’re still pretending.
Lin Bei was unaware. “Since Mengyu disappeared, it’s been like this when I’m alone… It’s so cold that I can’t sleep, and I feel unlucky when I go out… It must be Xie Chao. It’s not enough to harm Mengyu, but he wants me to die too…”
“Why is he bothering you?”
“I mentioned it before and suggested that Mengyu go to graduate school, and she agreed.”
Lin Bei smiled weakly.
“Xie Chao knew about this, so he specially registered a few numbers on WeChat to scold me and also posted my number on those kinds of websites. The two of them broke up because of Mengyu’s graduate entrance exam. In his opinion, I was probably the source of this.”
Yin Ren paused for a moment before pulling out his cellphone.
“Iron buddy, Rose Ge is really affectionate!”
In the familiar video, the male anchor was wiping away his fake tears. There was a man in the black-and-white image of the video, and the image was exactly the same as this ghost.
The video was newly released in the past two days, and the picture was marked with conspicuous yellow characters: [Donghe District, Mr. Rose unfortunately passed away!]
“Is he Xie Chao?” Yin Ren pointed to the man in the black-and-white picture.
Lin Bei was taken aback. “No! No…”
She paused suddenly for several seconds.
“…I don’t know. I—I…”
Lin Bei’s lips trembled violently. Her eyes widened, and she seemed to be greatly stimulated. Seeing that she was in bad condition, Zhong Chengshuo, who had just finished his call, also leaned in. He was still holding the phone in his right hand.
“Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay. We’ll talk about it later,” Yin Ren comforted her. “Our colleague who’s in charge will be here soon. Zhong—”
Yin Ren turned his head, and his voice abruptly stopped.
In just an instant, someone opened the backdoor of the shop closest to them.
It was a thin, bony man wearing a dirty white shirt. When the door was opened, his movements didn’t stop—
The man quickly crashed into Zhong Chengshuo. His eyes were bulging, and there was a knife in his right hand that glinted with a cold light.
The author has something to say:
Xiao Zhong, danger! (?)
Speaking of the smell of tobacco… In fact, as a non-smoker, I have never been able to understand the writing of “tobacco aroma” in literary works.
I just think the smell of smoke is so smelly. _(:з”))_ Minister Fu, I’m here to criticize and shame you!
Kinky Thoughts:
It looks like the abnormal cases mentioned in chapter 3 are converging.
The next day, Zhong Chengshuo was almost dragged by Yin Ren to the dessert shop.
He had just left and ordered a quick delivery to send the cake he had bought yesterday back home. As a result, when he went back to the store, he saw Yin Ren ordering a wedding cake.
“It was the biggest one they have,” Yin Ren said with great satisfaction.
Zheng Chengshuo’s hand slightly trembled. Careless. After all, this was a guy suffering from amnesia. All the things he did were so completely outrageous that they were hard to fathom.
He turned to the clerk with a sullen face. “Sorry, can you please refund it.”
Yin Ren huffed aggrievedly, “Why! This is my salary—”
“I said last night that you must discuss it with me before you can spend it.”
“You also said that I could buy it myself if I liked it.”
The clerk’s eyes swept across the two of them, then he gave a smile of “understanding” to Zhong Chengshuo. “Sir, do you think the style is too flashy? Our store also provides special customization…”
Zheng Chengshuo: “No, please refund it. Thank you.”
Yin Ren smiled brightly. “No refunds!”
The clerk was blinded by Yin Ren’s smile. “Good sir, may I ask what you and your partner like? Based on your situation, I recommend going with a mild chocolate flavor.”
Yin Ren didn’t understand what the word “partner*” meant. Since there was only one person around him, he guessed that the clerk was referring to Zhong Chengshuo. Even if kindness and gratitude were unconventional virtues of an Evil Spirt, he should be mindful and share the cake with his partner.
*Clarity: The term the clerk is using is (对象) which refers to “(the) object (of ones’s affection)/lover”. So he’s referring to a romantic partner. Supposedly this word started being used in the 1900s, so someone as old as Yin Ren wouldn’t know what it means. Partner in a normal sense is (搭档) which refers to teaming/pairing up.
As a sign of goodwill, he asked Zhong Chengshuo, “Do you like chocolate?”
Zhong Chengshuo stared straight at him and said, “…Do you know what a ‘wedding cake’ is?”
“I do, but we’re not married. It’s just for eating.”
“It’s too big and won’t be easy to store in the fridge if we can’t finish eating it.” Zhong Chengshuo tried to push back. “This kind of thing won’t taste good after a few days, so it’ll only be wasted.”
Hearing this, Yin Ren suddenly realized that Zhong Chengshuo had little appetite. If he were to eat too much at once, it could cause people to become suspicious.
After a while, Liang Shan drove over to the hotel to pick them up. At first glance, he saw a melancholy Zhong Chengshuo, who was holding a huge box.
“This is…?”
“I tried my best,” Zhong Chengshuo rushed to answer.
“Mr. Liang, do you like cake?” Yin Ren nodded hard at him from behind the box.
Liang Shan: “……”
Liang Shan: “No thanks. We’re going to the scene again today. The police officers will be there as well. You two can ask them questions, but don’t hinder their work.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
Fanghua Apartments, Room 1413.
The carrion all over the floor was cleaned up. Besides that, the rest of the items in the apartment were untouched. The photo-taking for evidence was long over. There were only two plainclothes police officers left inside the apartment, trying to find any remaining clues.
The apartment was too small. Liang Shan dragged a few plastic chairs from the corridor, and the three of them temporarily sat outside the place. It was a weekday and during the day, so the surrounding tenants were shuffling about, trying to get to work. After they had left, the surrounding area became quiet.
“Pets?” After listening to Yin Ren’s theory, Liang Shan frowned. “I don’t think so. She used to have a pet, but that was before she moved to Fanghua.”
Zhong Chengshuo and Yin Ren looked at each other.
Liang Shan wasn’t being ambiguous. He turned on the tablet and pulled up the information.
“Before moving to Fanghua, Gao Mengyu rented a home near her place of work. She lived there for five years and brought a cat from home to raise—her parents said that it was their household cat that they raised from childhood and was almost eight years old.”
Zhong Chengshuo: “Where’s the cat now?”
“Dead.” Liang Shan sighed lightly. “It’s a long story…”
Most cases in modern society were inextricably linked to love, hate, or money. The police checked Gao Mengyu’s network and naturally knew about the cat.
It was strangled to death by her ex-fiancé.
Gao Mengyu once had a fiancé named Xie Chao. The two had started dating in high school. After that, Gao Mengyu went to a community college in the local area, while Xie Chao didn’t pursue higher education. After graduating high school, he went to work as a real estate agent. They had a pretty good relationship, and occasionally they would have some fights.
Xie Chao had successfully proposed last summer. In October of last year, Gao Mengyu had the idea of resigning from her job to pursue a postgraduate degree, and this triggered a big fight with Xie Chao.
During the conflict, Xie Chao took advantage of Gao Mengyu’s absence while she was at work and threw away all her test materials that she bought and also strangled her cat.
Yin Ren, who heard this: “?”
He knew that in this era, women could work and become scholars*. In his impression, being able to pursue it was a great thing to celebrate.
*He calls it an examination of merit and use (功名) which is the title/official position that was used in feudal China. It’s generally referring to China’s imperial examination where men in ancient China would take the imperial exam in hopes of joining the imperial palace and hold a political seat, and was of course not open for women.
Yin Ren tugged on Zhong Chengshuo and asked, “What’s wrong with that? Don’t they say that all people go to high places and water flows low*?”
*(人往高处走，水往低处流) Proverb referring to humans always want to climb and rush to higher places because they yearn for a better life, while the habit of water is to flow in low places. || This is a bit ironic, considering what he wants to do right now.
Zhong Chengshuo was a scholar, so he had to know the inside story.
“Mr. Xie has some mental problems.” Zhong Chengshuo replied straightforwardly. He pursed his lips tightly, and his brows wrinkled tightly.
This answer was so direct that Yin Ren didn’t know how to respond. “…Uh, don’t be too angry?”
Zhong Chengshuo frowned. “I’m not angry. I just think it’s despicable to use indiscriminate killing to coerce people.”
When Zhong Chengshuo raised his voice, Liang Shan vigorously cleared his throat, breaking up the conversation. The two of them hurriedly quieted down and continued to listen to Liang Shan’s explanation.
Contrary to Xie Chao’s expectation, Gao Mengyu, who had a soft-natured temperament, wasn’t deterred. Her emotions broke out, and she ended their ten-year relationship. The two officials broke up in November.
After the breakup, Xie Chao pestered Gao Mengyu to get back together, but she didn’t agree. At the beginning of this year, Gao Mengyu officially resigned and stayed in Fanghua to prepare for her exam, which had spanned a little less than half a year now.
“I want to know the results of Xie Chao’s investigation,” Zhong Chengshuo said seriously.
“He’s not a suspect. The police already checked.”
Liang Shan’s expression became complicated. “He died just two weeks ago. It was an ordinary car accident. The truck driver was tired, wasn’t paying attention, and crashed into his car. Xie Chao died on the spot.”
“What about his family?”
“Xie Chao is an only child. His parents are so old they have trouble getting up and down the stairs.”
Given that Xie Chao had been dead for two weeks and there was no trace of a fight at the scene where Gao Mengyu disappeared, the police didn’t dig deeper into this line. After Liang Shan confirmed that there was no aura of evil spirits, Shian had no choice but to give up.
Liang Shan even checked the corpse of the old cat.
Liang Shan was sitting upright, waiting for Yin Ren, a rookie metaphysician, to ask questions. Who would have thought that Yin Ren calmly finished eating his chocolate muffin, then took out his phone and started browsing on it without any intention of opening his mouth.
This work attitude was quite unorthodox.
Liang Shan: “…Xiao Yin, don’t you want to ask about the cat?”
Gao Mengyu’s disappearance was full of doubt. According to the usual film and television tropes, it probably became some kind of demon or something.
Previously, he had to explain basic knowledge about evil things to the rookie cultivators he had led. He wasn’t used to someone like Yin Ren who didn’t ask any questions.
Yin Ren was a little surprise. “Liang Ge, it’s not easy to become an evil being. Not to mention cats and dogs, even if it were a human, it would be difficult for them to become something evil when they die. The matter mainly lies with fate. If a strangled cat could become something evil, then the slaughterhouse would be quite crowded.”
Liang Shan was choked speechless. Of course he knew this, but he should be the one to explain it! Did this kid understand the status quo?
“So as far as we know for now,” Zhong Chengshuo began to summarize the key points, “this incident has no signs of paranormal activity, and there are no suspects either… Is there any clues related to the ‘gap’?”
“I reported to the higher-ups last night. To check for a gap, we need to use special tools. I reckon they will approve of it this afternoon.”
Zhong Chengshuo: “Since there’s no clear task right now, can I look at Gao Mengyu’s phone?”
This was an example of how a good employee should behave. Liang Shan sighed. “Here. It’s a copy. Her phone is important physical evidence, so you can only look at a backup.”
As a result, the scene turned into three people sitting in a row in the corridor, playing on their phones. The two policemen who were busy inside investigating for clues looked at the three with a subtle disgust in their eyes.
The phone was developed by Shian. The technology of this era was unfathomable. Yin Ren didn’t dare search for something too outrageous on his phone. He wrote “Donghe District News” and clicked on the results one by one.
He hadn’t been on the phone for more than ten minutes, and he had already launched five apps.
The modern man was such a schemer. Yin Ren could only shake his head and click on the short video app that kept appearing. He became speechless as he saw the login interface and hurriedly searched for “how to log in”.
Zhong Chengshuo clicked on Gao Mengyu’s WeChat and browsed her recent chat history.
Gao Mengyu didn’t have pets, but her cat died last year, so this didn’t explain why she bought so much meat and brains.
Zhong Chengshuo didn’t search for any keywords. He read her chat records quietly and didn’t even miss the five special offers and discount groups that she joined.
After poking around for a long time, he finally found a clue.
He wasn’t sure if it was because she wasn’t annoyed by the harassment or for another reason, but she didn’t block Xie Chao. Her WeChat name was “Feather Cat”, and she labeled Xie Chao as “.”. The chat history had stopped two weeks ago, which happened to be the time when Xie Chao unexpectedly died.
Xie Chao’s messages were very divided. Either it was gentle, like “I want to see you again” or “Baby, I bought you a kitten. It’s very cute”, or it was dirty and unbearable insulting words.
His remarks basically revolved around one theme—he was the best in the world, and she was being pretentious for breaking up with him. She hurt him, so this thing wasn’t over.
The two had known each other for too long, so many of the things they were saying were like code words that were difficult for outsiders to understand. In addition, the two probably had other contact besides DMing, as the text was fragmented and incoherent. There were a lot of voice messages mixed in, which made it really difficult to read.
However, his efforts paid off. Zhong Chengshuo did pick up something unnatural.
It was a conversation about three weeks ago…
[Feather Cat: Please, just let me go, okay?]
[.: You’re the one that didn’t let me go first…]
[.: You’re a bitch to threatened me. If you say it, I’ll say it too. Let’s see who’s the one to get sprayed*.]
*Slang referring to scolding someone online..
[Feather Cat: It’s been a few months. We can’t.]
[Feather Cat: How many times do I have to say it? Can you not understand human speech?]
[“.” Withdrew a message]
[“.” Withdrew a message]
[“.” Withdrew a message]
[Feather Cat: Xie Chao, can’t you just fucking die!!!!]
Zhong Chengshuo was just about to ask if they had anything on the withdrew messages when a strand of black hair fell on him.
Yin Ren was leaning to one side, looking intently at the screen.
The smell of Yin Ren’s shampoo was the same as his, and the scent of the two suddenly merged together. It was as if the strand of black hair possessed consciousness. It slid down Zheng Chengshuo’s chest like flowing water, causing him to tense up, but he didn’t avoid it.
“This Gao Mengyu and her, um, fiance?” Yin Ren said it with some hesitancy. “What you said is quite interesting.”
Zhong Chengshuo: “Do you have an idea?”
“Yes, how do I log in to this?” Yin Ren presented his phone with both hands.
Zhong Chengshuo reluctantly took the phone and helped Yin Ren register for the video app. From the corner of his eyes, he glanced at Liang Shan and whispered, “This is not something you should be watching while at work. Remember to turn the volume down—”
Unfortunately, he wasn’t quick enough than the hand speed of the Ghost King. An earthy pop song sounded and instantly blared through the corridor.
Zhong Chengshuo slowly straightened his posture and continued to look through the chat history blankly as his eyes wandered a little.
Liang Shan’s face was slightly green. “Xiao Yin, you…”
“I’m trying to find clues!” Yin Ren pressed on the volume button furiously. “Recently, strange things are happening in the Donghe District. Many people are talking about it. Maybe this has something to do with the meat.”
As he was talking, a man’s cry came from his cellphone. “Iron buddy*, Rose Ge is really affectionate!”
*(铁子) Internet slang. Depending on how it’s used, it originally referred to as good brothers (two people having a good relationship), but now generally refers to two people having improper close relationships.
Yin Ren: “……”
This era was so weird.
He resolutely turned off the phone. “Liang Ge, Zhong Ge just found something interesting. Do you want to take a look together?”
……
“Isn’t this just an ordinary quarrel?” After reading the chat history, Liang Shan was a little confused.
Zhong Chengshuo: “I went through all their chat records. Gao Mengyu had never been as agitated as before when being pestered by Xie Chie. The frequency of contact between the two was much higher in the last month, and their interesting relationship had turned quite threatening.”
“There’s no problem with Xie Chao’s case. It was a complete accident. I can guarantee that. Neither Xie Chao nor the driver had anything to do with Gao Mengyu.” Liang Shan touched the back of his head. “But Xiao Zhong is right. We really don’t know what they were arguing about.”
Facing the abnormality of Gao Mengyu’s apartment, neither the police nor Shian had a clue. Solving a case never went as smoothly as it was written in stories. They couldn’t let go of any doubts and had to investigate all possible leads.
Liang Shan glanced at Yin Ren, who was trying to decrease his sense of existence. “Anyway, things will arrive in the afternoon. If you two are interested, you can try to investigate.”
He stood up and went to say a few words to the two policemen. One of them took out their phone and gestured to Liang Shan for a while.
“Gao Mengyu’s parents aren’t in a good mental state and don’t want contact with anyone other than the police. They just finished interviewing a friend of Gao Mengyu who seems willing to help—her residence is nearby, and she just happens to be free now.”
Yin Ren: “That’s great. Zhong Ge, you can go.”
“Xiao Yin, you go with him.”
“But it’s daytime now, and the subject of investigation is a living person…”
“Please go with him.” Liang Shan raised his tone.
Cannibals had soft mouths but short hands*. Yin Ren had a little idea of just how much Shian’s salary really was—if he ate all he wanted every month at that high-end dessert store this morning, he still wouldn’t even spend half of his salary. He certainly shouldn’t offend the one offering him a rice bowl, so Yin Ren could only tearfully bid goodbye to the cake he just bought.
*(拿人手短吃人嘴软) Colloquialism that refers to when taking advantage of others, you should say good things to them when necessary; if you take their things, you should stop messing with them. The extended meaning is that if you accept the benefits of others, you need to help them.
They made an appointment with Gao Mengyu’s friend at a coffee shop close by.
Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo were the first to arrive, while Gao Mengyu’s friend arrived late…
She was the same age as Gao Mengyu, looking to be in her thirties. She was dressed fashionably, wearing sunglasses. Her hair was curled up stylishly, and she was wearing bright red lipstick. As soon as she entered the door, she looked around. When she saw Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo, she was stunned.
At almost the same time that she entered, Yin Ren also put down his menu and looked over.
There was a fresh ghost smell on this woman.
The author has something to say:
Things like the wedding cake, even if you don’t buy it now, you’ll certainly buy it in the future.
“It’s very simple. Since there are no clues to prove that she left, she may still be here.”
Facing this sentence that seemed reasonable but was actually complete bullshit, Liang Shan was speechless. The room fell into silence, and even the flies all over the apartment seemed a bit quieter.
Half a minute later, Liang Shan said, “You just got here first thing today and haven’t had dinner, right? Let’s go. I’ll take you to hotpot and get rid of this rotting smell.”
Zhong Chengshuo: “I just said…”
Liang Shan: “Can you eat spicy food?”
“I just…”
“If you can eat spicy food, I know a delicious restaurant nearby. My treat.”
Seeing that Liang Shan wasn’t responding, Zhong Chengshuo lowered his eyes and looked a little aggrieved.
Yin Ren sympathized with his new partner, but there were more important things right now…
“I especially like spicy food,” Yin Ren said solemnly.
“That’s good.” Liang Shen then looked at Zhong Chengshuo and said, “The problem Xiao Zhong just described will not be clear for a while. We can talk about it while we eat.”
Zhong Chengshuo: “Okay, but I don’t like spicy food.”
Liang Shan: “……”
—-
The hotpot restaurant wasn’t a high-end place. The decorations were simple, making it quite homey. Since everyone had a strong stench on them, Liang Shan booked a private room. It could be seen that he was a regular customer at this place. The boss quickly put the pot on and gave them three complementary bowls of shaved ice.
The mandarin duck pot had a tangy aroma that steamed out of the pot as it boiled.
The three of them had a paper menu in their hands, ready to order. The waitress shook her head symbolically, like she wanted to look at Yin Ren a few more times but ended up not being able to stay in the room due to the horrible stench.
“Choose what you like and, uh, send it to the front desk.” She retched as she spoke and quickly fled the booth as if she were fleeing from something.
Liang Shan gave a painful look. “Remember, after this kind of scene, you have to eat hotpot. Otherwise, the smell will just stick with you and frighten everyone in the streets… Xiao Yin, Xiao Yin, take it easy. Portions here are family size!”
Yin Ren stopped ticking the menu and showed a look of disappointment—his eyes were glowing. He had checked off almost all the meat items on the menu and even specially ordered two portions of brains. Zhong Chengshuo was more polite. In addition to two plates of lean meat, he only ordered a vegetable platter and soy milk.
When the meat was put into the pot, the thin and tender slices rolled in the heated oil. Fresh shrimp and fish balls were added and floated to the top. With the addition of vegetables that complimented the red soup, it created a dazzling sight that simply whetted their appetite. The thick noodles that had absorbed the soup looked crystal clear as they were set on top of fried rice. Taking out a piece of meat and lightly dipping it in sauce, after taking a bite, the delicious flavor exploded on the tip of their tongues.
A ladle was stirring the tips of their chopsticks to and fro as the white mist of the pot became so thick that it made it hard to see clearly.
Liang Zhan opened a can of beer and spoke somewhat emotionally. “Oh, I can’t even remember the last time I brought newcomers here…”
There were traces of nostalgia in his voice, which was quite intriguing.
Yin Ren’s mouth gave a muffled response. His head was buried in the food. He could, of course, grow an extra mouth or even another head to talk to them, but Liang Shan and Zhong Chengshuo were unlikely to approve.
Zhong Chengshuo was sitting upright. He wanted to return to the topic. “Mr. Liang, I just…”
Liang Shan hung his head despondently and said, “Alright, let’s get down to business.”
Yin Ren raised his eyes and cooperated by slowing down his eating.
“There have been a few cases that are like what Xiao Zhong spoke about. Phenomenon C-B4 ‘gap’.”
“For instance, you take a familiar road and car, but you end up in a place you haven’t seen before. Or you stay in a place with many people, leave for a while, and when you come back, half of them are gone… We call this kind of situation ‘entering the gap’. From the eyes of others, the person who entered the gap has indeed disappeared.” Liang Shan glanced at Zhong Chengshuo. “It can be understood as straying into a different dimensional gap. Think of it like that.”
Zhong Chengshuo turned his head and put down his chopsticks.
“The cause of the ‘gap’ is unknown, and the location of its appearance is relatively fixed. It’ll grow and die on its own. In the early stages of the gap, ordinary people will be able to come back soon after entering it. When it grows old enough, it will be like a fork in the road that makes people ‘unable to come back’. At present, there is only one growing gap in Haigu, and it’s under the control of Shian.”
Liang Shan raised the slotted ladle, intending to fish out some meat, but only got a handful of spices.
He faintly glanced at Yin Ren, who was chewing happily and had ordered two more plates of lamb.
“In short, the ‘gap’ is a very dangerous phenomenon. There’s a large flow of people in the Fanghua Apartments. If the ‘gap’ appeared nearby, it’s impossible for Shian not to notice it.”
Zhong Chengshuo nodded and reached out with his chopsticks to pick up some potatoes.
Liang Shan learned quickly and used a ladle to scoop up some vegetables. “In short, you can be at ease*. If there really is a ‘gap’, that’ll be handled by Minister Fu or Director Li.”
*Put your heard in your belly (把心放在肚子里).
“I understand.”
“Don’t be too stressed. There’s still time to investigate tomorrow. Rest early after eating. I’ll pick you up at the hotel tomorrow morning.
Zhong Chengshuo used his chopsticks to break the potato in half. “Hotel?”
“Yes. I booked a double room for you. Don’t worry, Shian will reimburse you for everything.”
“No need. I have a home in Haigu,” Zhong Chengshuo said earnestly.
“I know that you and your parents live in the Xizhao District. That’s about a two-hour drive away. Why bother with that? Do you have pets at home or something?”
“No, but…”
“Then it’s settled. When you go on missions in the future, having a partner is standard, so it’s better to get used to it earlier.”
Zhong Chengshuo was silent. He lowered his head and started cooking the mushrooms.
When the conversation came to a stop, Liang Shan suddenly realized that there seemed to be someone who had been surprisingly quiet during this meal…
Yin Ren was chewing on a crispy piece of meat. There were five empty Coke cans stacked next to him. The atmosphere around him was so warm and blissful that it made it unbearable for people to disturb.
“I’ll order a few more servings of meat. What else do you want to eat?” Liang Shan stood up and shook his head.
Yin Ren: “The ‘gap’ you mentioned…”
“What do you want to eat?!”
“No, I just think what Zhong Ge said makes sense. There’s still a possibility that ‘she didn’t leave’.” Yin Ren swallowed his food then continued, “Since you said that the cause of the gap is unknown, that means you don’t know much about it.”
“What I said…”
“Then don’t rush to a conclusion. There’s always an exception to everything.” Yin Ren smiled, which was reflected on the pile of Coke cans.
Liang Shan subconsciously wanted to refute, but there was a subtle authority in the other person’s words that compelled him to swallow back his words. Zhong Chengshuo gave Yin Ren a moving look and pushed the bottle of soy milk over.
Yin Ren smiled happily and quickly started sweeping the next round of servings. Liang Shan had just placed another order for additional servings, and he watched as they all went into Yin Ren’s stomach.
Liang Shan: “……”
Forget it.
The rest of their conversation wasn’t fruitful. Liang Shan just picked a few interesting stories about the police station. As it was getting late and the three of them were full of food and drink, they soon left.
The hotel that Liang Shan booked for them was close to the hotpot restaurant. It was just a regular, average hotel.
The room was quite spacious, was cleaned thoroughly, and had a light fragrance in it. There were two single beds with snow-white sheets on them, and the air conditioner was blowing cool air.
Yin Ren stood by the door silently with two ice-cold Cokes in hand…
Before he even had the chance to imprint his figure on the bed, he was whisked out by Zhong Chengshuo, who was carrying a large bag. After sending them to the entrance, Zhong Chengshuo started to frantically… clean.
In his left hand was disinfectant spray, and his right hand had alcohol wipes. He was working hard, wiping down and disinfecting every nook and cranny of the hotel room. He even wiped down the shower and then hung two disposal towers in the bathroom.
“One tip, don’t use the kettle to boil water to drink.” After he finished cleaning, Zhong Chengshuo took off his glasses and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Yin Ren: “…Okay.”
He wouldn’t use it anyway, but was this the normal practice of modern people? Why did he have the feeling that it wasn’t?
Looking at this scene, if Zhong Chengshuo knew what kind of environment he had been sealed in before, it wouldn’t be a hotpot cooking meat, but Zhong Chengshuo boiling him in alcohol.
“Okay, I’ll take a shower first. You can choose which bed you want.”
Zhong Chengshuo didn’t see through the strange thoughts his new partner was having. He walked into the bathroom, and the sound of water was soon heard.
Yin Ren took out his cellphone and, in a race against time, began studying the mysterious thing that was in front of him.
He quickly discovered the input function, but he couldn’t understand all these weird, twisted, ghostly characters on the keyboard. Fortunately, after a few minutes, Yin Ren was able to pull up a handwritten input.
When he clicked on the web browser, he was suddenly exposed to a whole new world.
As a pragmatic Evil Spirit, Yin Ren quickly decided on the first search topic…
Lord Ghost King poked the screen carefully and wrote down the words “How to use a cellphone to call for help”.
The result he got was a sea of text. Just as he was about to explore them, the phone suddenly emitted a sharp, loud alarm. Yin Ren’s hair exploded, and he almost threw his phone away.
The emergency alarm sounded urgent, and the sound was so loud that it almost pierced his eardrums. The noise was giving Yin Ren a headache. He grabbed the phone and rushed to the bathroom, where he knocked on the door.
“Zhong Ge, I can’t turn this sound off…”
Before Yin Ren finished speaking, his knock cracked the fragile door open.
Perhaps he had too high an expectation for this era, thinking that the frosted glass would be as hard as wood; before Yin Ren could knock a second time, the frosted glass door shattered, spilling fine fragments all over the floor.
Luckily, Zhong Chengshuo was standing a distance away from it, and he wasn’t injured.
Unluckily, the incident happened so suddenly that Zhong Chengshuo didn’t have time to dodge. He was washing his hair and just happened to be facing Yin Ren.
Yin Ren originally thought that their bodies were both male, so there shouldn’t be any kind of awkwardness, but Zhong Chengshuo didn’t seem to be in line with that thought—his expression stiffened, and he quickly turned around, putting his back towards him.
However, Yin Ren had seen everything.
He didn’t understand why Zhong Chengshuo had such a great reaction. In every sense, that body was quite good.
Without clothes covering him, Zhong Chengshuo’s smooth body was completely exposed. His limbs were slender, and his abdomen was tight. His body was just right; not too burly and quite elegant.
A very healthy and beautiful human body.
If he had to pick out a flaw, it was probably the scar.
From the collarbone to his lower abdomen, there was a huge scar that cut across Zhong Chengshuo’s chest and abdomen. It curved around and branched at the bottom, barley forming the “人*” character. To Yin Ren, the scar looked like a poisonous worm that had entrenched itself in his body.
*Human. Take note, because this (人) character is also in the title of the novel and specifically replaced the god/deity (神) character in the idiom (凶神恶煞) which I’ve explained in chapter 1 of my Kinky Thoughts.
Yin Ren suddenly realized something. Most mortals find scars unattractive and are used to covering them up. Perhaps Zhong Chengshuo also thought like this, so it was best if he didn’t poke at people’s insecurities.
Among the blaring sound of the alarm on the phone, Yin Ren shouted, “Oh, the quality of this door is too poor!”
After the culprit brought up the complaint first*, Yin Ren felt that he was being unfair to the hotel. He lowered his voice and pushed the glass aside with his slippers. “Forget it. I’ll pay for it. Does Shian provide a salary advance?”
*(恶人先告状) Idiom referring to bad/unreasonable people who preemptively tell or distort the facts. || In this context, Yin Ren is saying it’s not his fault that the glass door broke because the quality is too fragile (and not because of his inhuman strength).
There were still shampoo suds on Zhong Chengshuo’s head. While facing the corner, he spoke with some fatigue in his voice. “…Why are you looking for me?”
“I can’t turn off the alarm on this phone.”
“Press the top power button three times.”
“Oh, oh.”
“…We’ll talk about this later. I’ll take care of the glass. You go out first.”
Yin Ren knew that he was in the wrong. He resentfully went back to bed. When Zhong Chengshuo came out again, he had changed into the same Shian uniform Yin Ren was wearing, but his shirt was long-sleeved. He didn’t have his glasses on as he stared at Yin Ren with a pair of eyes that looked like a black hole.
“I’ll talk to Mr. Liang about the broken door and see what he wants to do with it.”
What followed was a ten-second silent staring contest.
Zhong Chengshuo had “don’t ask” written all over his face, while Yin Ren had “I won’t ask” written on his face. Through this weird tacit understanding, Yin Ren was the first to laugh out loud, and even the corner of Zhong Chengshuo’s mouth was slightly bent.
“I have cleaned up all the glass on the floor. You can use the bathroom now.” Zhong Chengshuo began to unpack the pile of shopping bags.
When Yin Ren came out after taking a shower, he found a piece of cake on the small bedside table. The cake was square, with a yellowish coating of whipped cream that covered it, and a tiny red wine-stained cherry nestled in the middle.
It exuded a wonderful, sweet aroma that tickled people’s emotions.
Zhong Chengshuo was leaning against the head of the bed. He was still wearing his long-sleeved shirt and was reading on his cellphone.
Yin Ren was overjoyed. “Is this for me?”
“Nn, it’s from a famous cake shop nearby. This was a limited-time item, and my family likes it very much.”
“You’re not going to eat it?”
Yin Ren was certain there was no cake scent on Zhong Chengshuo’s body, and there was no cake on his bedside table; only a bright red apple.
Zhong Chengshuo continued reading as he said, “No. Don’t touch the cake in the fridge. That’s for my parents. If you like it, you can buy it yourself tomorrow—I just contacted Mr. Liang. Considering your situation, Shian will give you an advance of two months’ salary.”
“Really?!”
“But I have to be there when you use it.”
Yin Ren’s action of digging into the cake stiffened. Did this mean that they had to be partners for more than two months? What about his dreams of being a slacker?!
Fortunately, the cake was delicious, and after a mouthful of whip cream, Yin Ren’s sorrow was transformed into confetti. Immediately after, he realized a subtle problem.
“Zhong Ge…”
“Hmm?”
“Did that girl raise something?”
Zhong Chengshuo put down his phone. “I don’t think so. It’s written in her information that her neighbor hasn’t heard any strange noises recently. There’s also no animal hair or pet supplies in her apartment.”
“She bought something she didn’t like to eat and didn’t give it away. I suspect she’s raising something.” Yin Ren held the cake with a solemn expression. “Maybe the thing she’s raising doesn’t have hair and doesn’t need other supplies.”
There were many evil things that didn’t shed hair and didn’t like to eat out of a food bowl. Yin Ren was quite familiar with this.
Zhong Chengshuo: “…”
Zhong Chengshuo: “…Maybe.”
He looked at the cake on the plate, and then at Yin Ren with a complicated expression.
He didn’t quite want to pursue how Comrade Yin Ren had this flash of inspiration.
The author has something to say:
*Laughs to death*. Why do you think you’re going to be partners for more than two months? I’m giving you a partner for a lifetime. √
Xiao Zhong felt miserable being looked at.
Xiao Yin: What a healthy human being! (Relieved)
Perhaps Fruit Knife’s passive skill was activated (?
Liang Shan was an employee of Shian Group stationed at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, which wasn’t a science post.
As a cultivator, Liang Shan’s ability was appalling, but he had a quick head and a good personality. He was usually only responsible for information collection and liaison. As soon as the Evil Spirit broke the seal, all non-science posts went to work overtime as combat powers, and he had to run to the scene to work part-time.
Right now, he was waiting at the door at Fanghua Apartments, ready to pick up a car.
Liang Shan sighed and looked at the old building towering beside him.
There were neat square windows embedded on more than a dozen floors, and only the smaller half of the windows were lit. The characters “Fanghua Apartments” stood at the entrance of the building with its gold coating falling off.
Just a few days ago, a girl disappeared from this apartment.
Gao Mengyu, 27 years old. She used to be a bank clerk but resigned at the beginning of the year to prepare for her postgraduate entrance exam. For this reason, she rented a single room in the Fanghua Apartments.
There was a picture of the girl in the police file. Gao Mengyu wore her hair in a high ponytail, had a square face with long eyes and a slightly big nose, all of which were ordinary features. In the photo, she looked at the camera blankly, with a slightly stiff expression.
Since four days ago, Gao Mengyu hadn’t contacted anyone.
Her family and friends only thought she was focusing on her studies, but it was actually Fanghua Apartments that found it abnormal…
In recent days, Gao Mengyu’s room had exuded an indescribable stench. She hadn’t responded to the knocks on her door from her neighbors, and the apartment manager couldn’t get in contact with anyone, so he simply opened the door with a spare key.
After seeing the condition of the room, the apartment manager called the police on the spot.
Fortunately, the police did not find Gao Mengyu’s body in the room, so this case was still considered a missing person case.
Liang Shan had heard that Shian wanted to send two probationary employees and wanted to refuse—though the case involved a missing person, the scene inside was brutal and wasn’t suitable for rookies.
The afterglow of the sunset had completely disappeared. Shian’s special car had just parked at the entrance to the apartments.
The one who came out first wore glasses. On his work ID was a stamped red seal. He had the temperament of a poor college student, which Liang Shian assumed was typical of a novice in the science post. The one who came out after… Wait, was this an employee of Shian or an evil spirit to catch?
He suspiciously glanced at the work ID, and his head almost exploded.
Shit, the work ID clearly showed: “For Medical Examination Only”!
Rather than newcomers, these two were still in factory settings, and looking at the temperament of “Yin Ren”, he was definitely not an orthodox cultivator in any way.
Liang Shan sighed and took two steps forward, showing his work ID with a black seal. “Shian. Here, here!”
“Zhong Chengshuo and Yin Ren, right? Take it. Inside is a three-piece set of gloves, shoe covers, and vomit bags. You might need to use it in a bit.”
He distributed the bag in his hand to the two of them as he spoke rapidly.
“We have to greet the police in advance. We’ll go to the missing person’s room later. Don’t take or move anything from the scene. If you find something suspicious, you must report it to me first… Hey, Xiao Zhong, where are you looking?”
Yin Ren was listening intently. When he turned his head, he found that Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes were wandering around.
He followed Zhong Chengshuo’s gaze and saw a large person…
It was an old man carrying a folding chair, sitting alone at the entrance to the apartments.
The old man was wearing a plain shirt. His eyes drooped, and there were dark circles beneath them, making him look extra creepy. He glared at the three of them and then looked straight back at the ground again.
Zhong Chengshuo observed the man for a while. “Who’s that?”
“Nearby resident, I think. This is the first time I’ve seen him. Don’t disturb him. If you really mind, you can mention it to the police.”
Liang Shan pressed the elevator button as he spoke with more emphasis in his tone.
Most newcomers were like this. They were curious about everything and considered everyone a suspect.
“Did you read the case information? You’ll be working as a third-party to assist this time, so think of this as field experience. Make sure to take good notes. You don’t need to solve the case… By the way, I hope you haven’t had dinner yet. If you did, you’re about to throw it all up now.”
Zhong Chengshuo nodded earnestly and even prepared the vomit bag, just in case. Yin Ren quickly followed suit, taking out the paper bag and squeezing it in his hand.
Gao Mengyu lived in room 1413 on the 14th floor. As soon as the elevator arrived, a trace of stench that no one wanted to invade their nostrils filled the elevator.
Yin Ren twitched his nose in disgust.
The stench of raw, rotten meat was something he was all too familiar with.
The elevator door slid open, and the stench wafted in. The smell instantly enveloped them, as if the three of them had slid into a sewer. Yin Ren quickly frowned, while Zhong Chengshuo took a half step back and covered his mouth and nose.
Liang Shan took the lead in stepping off the elevator and gave his introduction without changing his expression. “Fanghua Apartments used to be an office building. It’s a bit old, so the rent is low. Most of the tenants are young people, and despite the large influx of people, the surveillance is airtight.”
Zhong Chengshuo had pinched his nose, which made his voice sound muffled. “Why is Shian…?”
Since there was airtight surveillance, this matter shouldn’t be difficult to solve. This was the 14th floor. If someone wanted to bypass the surveillance system, the only way was to jump off the building.
“The police checked the surveillance already.”
The science post was quite quick, which made Liang Shan’s tense mood relax a bit.
“Gao Mengyu is the only tenant in 1413. She entered the apartment four days ago and hasn’t left since… You guys should come in and take a look first. The cops just finished taking photos today, so this place would be dealt with tomorrow.”
Liang Shan walked to the front door and put on his shoes and gloves. Finally, he grabbed the door handle and opened the door.
It was the height of summer, and it had just rained last night. If the stench was just wrapping around them before, the stench this time was like a punch in the face.
Yin Ren, who was repeatedly beaten black and blue by the stench: “…”
Is this job really reliable?
After making sure the two of them didn’t vomit, Liang Shan pushed the door all the way open. There was only a squeaking sound on the anti-theft door of room 1413 as it slowly opened.
Inside was a one-bedroom apartment of about 30 square meters. There was a toilet that was separated by sliding doors, and there was no space to hide anything.
The shoes were neatly arranged at the entrance, and Gao Mengyu’s phone and keys were all placed on the shoe cabinet. The kitchen and sink were clean, and the blanket on the bed was flat. A square table with a cat-patterned tablecloth was placed next to the bed.
There were only a few spread-out books on top of the table. A fountain pen with a broken cap was sandwiched between the pages of the book full of notes.
There weren’t many things in the house, and everything was orderly. Just looking at this scene, the owner seemed to take good care of herself.
At this moment, a fly flew over and stopped at the tip of the pen.
It crawled over the ink on the tip and rubbed its feet quietly. Around it, countless fat flies buzzed loudly. They formed a wave of shiny, insect fog that was flying and colliding about.
The flies weren’t the only “anomaly” in the room…
The floor was full of white, translucent plastic bags. They piled up quietly around the refrigerator and were swollen with whatever corrupted content was inside, like a giant bug sac.
Each bag was covered with squirming maggots, and murky, rotten juice was dripping everywhere.
Given his experience, Yin Ren could guess what was inside the plastic bag. Those were all carefully portioned, fist-sized pieces of raw meat.
They were wrapped in a mottled mass of maggots, and only their outline could be seen. Chicken, duck, and fish were easily distinguishable, but the other pieces of meat were so rotten that it was difficult to tell what animal they came from.
Near the pile of bags, the refrigerator door was ajar, and a large amount of vicious grayish-yellow liquid flowed out from the frozen layer. The mucus seeped into the cracks of the tiles and flowed through half the room, making the already strong stench even stronger.
Everything was incompatible with the neat environment, and this incongruity made people feel uncomfortable everywhere.
Seeing the situation inside the room, everyone was speechless for a while.
Yin Ren decided to take a more active lead. “What is that? That… grayish-yellow slime on the ground.”
That was the only thing Yin Ren wasn’t sure about. Unfortunately, he didn’t know what refrigerators were, so he had to temporarily change the term.
Liang Shan didn’t care about his small pause. He gave a bitter huff.
“It’s rotten brains.”
Zhong Chengshuo forgot to cover his mouth and nose as he inquired, “Brains?”
Yin Ren’s spirit lifted. “You can buy brains alone?”
In this weird atmosphere, the two newcomers showed a ton of resistance. Neither of them seemed to have any fear at all. Liang Shan suddenly had the illusion of being a tour guide at a farmer’s market.
It seemed that the two rookies weren’t as green as he imagined. Despite seeing such a scene, the vomit bag that they prepared didn’t come in handy.
Liang Shan pointed to a fairly clear bag and showed the two of them the logo displaying “Donghe Farmer’s Market”.
“The girl bought a lot of pig brains and all these meats. We have a record of her payment. There’s nothing here that’s not on the receipt. It’s a common item at the farmer’s market.”
It was just that the scene and situation were particularly wrong.
According to the police investigation, since preparing for her postgraduate entrance exam, Gao Mangyu’s life only had two main points—during the day, she would board herself up in the apartment and at most come downstairs to pick up deliveries. At night, she would take advantage of the closing specials and go to the nearby farmer’s market and buy vegetables.
The stall owners all had some impression of her; she didn’t seem to like meat very much.
However, in the last month, Gao Mengyu began to frequently buy all kinds of meat. In the past two weeks, she gave up buying randomly mixed items, and began to focus on buying fresh pig brains. In a day, she would buy about 10 kg.
This amount was clearly enough to open a little shop, let alone eat by herself. The butcher remembered it very clearly.
Looking at the surveillance, from Gao Mengyu’s abnormal behavior to her disappearance, there was no one that came in and out of her apartment. She also didn’t have items similar to luggage, cabinets, and other large items that could hide a person, and there was no possibility of quietly sneaking someone into the apartment. There were also no traces that the surveillance had been tampered with, so the matter was too bizarre.
Four days ago, Gao Mengyu walked into her apartment with a shopping bag and hadn’t left since.
It looked as if she had evaporated from this small room.
The Haigu police retrieved all nearby surveillance but still found nothing. The investigation hadn’t stopped, but because this may involve an evil sect, Liang Shan took the initiative to ask Shian to intervene.
Liang Shan tried to guide the rookies. “You’ve read the information, so do you have any idea? Xiao Yin, you can speak first.”
After all, their positions were similar, so he wanted to test the depth of this metaphysician of the younger generation.
Yin Ren tried to shrink to the window. “There’s no trace of her packing her luggage so it may be that a thief… or gangster kidnapped her.”
He wasn’t lying. Yin Ren had smelled the stench. There was no unique smell of ghosts here. In other words, there wasn’t a possibility that Gao Mengyu was possessed by something.
There were a few traces of miscellaneous evil qi, but he didn’t sense any hostility from it. There were a mix of fish and dragons* here, and these apartments changed owners frequently, so it was normal to have a bit of dirt.
*(鱼龙混杂) Idiom referring to the good mixes with the bad.
Thousands of years had passed, and the sea had changed. It was given that new evil beings would be born. Before determining the source of the evil qi, Yin Ren didn’t want to be too presumptuous.
Unfortunately, his modesty was a bit too much.
Liang Shan wiped his face vicariously. “Well, you and the police have the same view.”
Gao Mengyu didn’t have a phone on her when she disappeared, didn’t wear outdoor shoes, and didn’t have the ability to tamper with the surveillance. Her family was well-off, so the police were indeed biased towards kidnapping… But how could a metaphysician say this?
“What about Xiao Zhong? Do you have any other opinions?” Liang Shan turned his head hopelessly.
Zhong Chengshuo covered his mouth and nose tightly, carefully crossing the pieces of carrion, and paced around the room for a while.
“She may still be here.”
Liang Shan: “What?”
“It’s simple. Since there are no clues to prove that she left, she may still be here.”
The author has something to say:
Ghost King: I think it’s kidnapping.
High-end scientific research talent (facing the empty house): She may still be here.
Liang Shan: ? What’s wrong with these two?
——————
I responded to a few questions yesterday!
①The personalities of the two protagonists are different from the style of the title, “fierce and vicious*”.
*Clarity: As I explained in my Chapter 1 Kinky Thoughts, the idiom behind the title of the novel, which refers to particular fierce/vicious people. The comment is indicating this doesn’t seem very indicative of the two MCs… but we’ll see how that’ll go as the story pans out.
I won’t take the title of the novel lightly. If the name of the novel is chosen, there must be a reason why I chose it☆
②Why is Xiao Zhong’s name originally pronounced shuō but he is used to using yuè?
In the same way, in the first few books, I like to add spoilers to the protagonist’s name (???) Or some symbolic stems. It’s the same for this one——
③Adding on to a question that I’ve answered before:
This novel is not an orthodox supernatural worldview. There is no reincarnation system, and I personally don’t like the “reincarnation” theme very much, so I haven’t written about it and I won’t in the future. XD
Kinky Thoughts:
Since I haven’t read ahead, I’m unsure about how Zhong Chengshuo’s name fits in all this.
Second note: I’ve explained the title of the novel and why it’s translated as so. You can read about it in my Kinky Thoughts in chapter 1.
To celebrate my 1-year anniversary of starting danmei translation, I’ve decided to release the rest of this arc. Happy reading.
Liu Qingbo said with an odd expression, “Your relationship between master and apprentice is really good!”
He didn’t know what Long Shen’s true body was. He just faintly knew that Long Shen’s age might not be as young as he looked on the outside. Even so, because of his young and handsome face, he really couldn’t treat Long Shen as an elder. He thought if Long Shen had touched his face like just now, he would have gotten goosebumps.
Then the question arose, was it related to his personal style that he didn’t succeed in being accepted as an apprentice? Boss Long looked unkind, but in fact, he liked the sticky and coquettish apprentice like Dong Zhi?
When Liu Qingbo asked this question, Dong Zhi didn’t know how to answer, so he asked rhetorically, “When did I become sticky? Do you see me being sticky? Am I sticky to Boss Wu or Boss Song?”
That was true… Liu Qingbo rubbed his chin, still feeling confused. He felt that Long Shen’s action just now was indeed a bit strange.
In fact, there was nothing wrong with this issue at first. It was just Long Shen, and Dong Zhi didn’t intend to take the initiative to publicize it. Dong Zhi sighed and decided to take the initiative to solve Liu Qingbo’s mystery in order to prevent him from continuing to slide into the abyss of strange thoughts and beginning to doubt Long Shen’s character.
“Master and I are together.”
Liu Qingbo looked even more confused. “What do you mean, together?”
Dong Zhi: “Like in love, having sex. Is this explanation clear enough?”
It was clear enough, but Liu Qingbo was so shocked by the sudden news that he forgot to close his mouth.
“You, with Boss Long?”
Dong Zhi nodded, waiting for Liu Qingbo to slowly digest it.
“But you’re master and apprentice!” Liu Qingbo said in disbelief.
Two men falling in love—well, it wasn’t unusual. After all, even the Australian Parliament had legalized same-sex marriage now, but it was mainly because he couldn’t associate Long Shen, who was indifferent for thousands of years, with ever falling in love.
Thinking about it like this, his brain circuit suddenly turned in a mysterious and unpredictable direction. Then, it finally dawned on him, and he blushed. “Is it possible that the prerequisite for being accepted by Boss Long is to fall in love with him?”
Since he thought about it that way, should he be glad he didn’t succeed in becoming his apprentice?
Dong Zhi: ……
“I think it’s a pity you joined the Special Administration Bureau. With your imagination, you would be popular writing fantasy novels,” Dong Zhi suggested sincerely.
Liu Qingbo rolled his eyes. “I’m a normal person. It’s reasonable that I can’t react for a while from the shock, okay?”
Dong Zhi thought, ‘You blow hot air at every turn and often act tsundere. In my heart, you’re anything but normal.’
But he kept it to himself and didn’t dare to say anything. Otherwise, the young master would probably walk away without talking to him for at least half a month.
After the shock, Liu Qingbo gradually returned to normal and didn’t ask any more questions. After all, that was a private matter between the two of them. As long as it didn’t interfere with business, it had nothing to do with him.
This was Liu Qingbo. If it were He Yu, he would already make a fuss about it and run to Long Shen for verification.
As soon as He Yu’s big mouth knew it, Kan Chaosheng and Zhong Yuyi would as well, and then the entire Special Administration would probably know. Thinking of this, Dong Zhi twitched the corners of his mouth and decided it was better not to tell He Yu and the others for the time being.
These days, the Lucheng office was doing well. It was said that after the superiors praised the Lucheng office, several offices in the same province sent people to learn from them. One of them included Ba Sang, who was in the same training session as them.
Liu Qingbo wasn’t familiar with Ba Sang. Originally, he didn’t want to have idle chatter, but to give Dong Zhi some face, the two still exchanged a few pleasantries. Ba Sang said that he had found a girlfriend. The other party wasn’t a practitioner but a high school teacher. He asked Liu Qingbo to tell Dong Zhi that he would come visit him to play when he was free. There were many single, beautiful girls at his girlfriend’s school that he could introduce Dong Zhi to.
Since the end of training, everyone had gone their separate ways. Dong Zhi, along with others, had been busy. Although there were various online groups, there wasn’t an opportunity for everyone to get together and chat. After Liu Qingbo went to Lucheng, he also knew how busy Dong Zhi was. From the dismemberment case to Yamamoto Kiyoshi, and later Han Qi, who led them to Southeast Asia, to fighting the Wuzhiqi and discovering the stone tablet, everything happened so quickly that they forgot to contact old friends.
Hearing Ba Sang’s recent situation, Dong Zhi couldn’t help but smile. “This kid is so fast. He’s already got a girlfriend!”
Liu Qingbo narrowed his eyes. “You have the nerve to talk about other people when you’re near the water tower*?”
*(近水楼台) Metaphor referring to getting some kind of benefit or convenience because of being close to someone/something. || In this context, he’s chiding Dong Zhi for making that comment considering how close he is to Long Shen.
“Then why don’t I introduce you to someone?” Dong Zhi scratched his nose. Ever since he started pursuing Long Shen, he seemed to have increased the thickness of his skin.
Liu Qingbo snorted and refused straight away. “Forget it. The one who’s worthy of me hasn’t been born yet!”
Dong Zhi: ……
Though the two hadn’t been separated for long, there was a period of time when Dong Zhi was in Southeast Asia that they didn’t have contact. Liu Qingbo was interested in how they dealt with the phantom of the heavenly demon and the sorcerer Songen. Last time, due to time constraints and network delay, he didn’t get to ask much on the video chat. Now he inquired about it again, and Dong Zhi went into more details.
After listening, his face didn’t relax but became more solemn.
“According to this, will the wisp of the demonic qi of the heavenly demon be more difficult to deal with than the Archfiend?”
Dong Zhi said, “It’s hard to say. Although it’s just a wisp of demonic qi from the phantom of Mara’s body, the qi comes from the demon king Mara himself. Master reminded me that since the phantom body can become independent from the main body, this wisp of demonic qi must have self-awareness. It may hide, disguise, and then wait for the opportunity to attack others. Before we set off, I’ll find an opportunity to talk to Zhang Song and the others, but I’m afraid they will not be relieved after hearing this. In the end, we still need to be extra cautious.”
Liu Qingbo said, “Understood. I’ll ask my family to send me a sword tomorrow.”
Dong Zhi was puzzled. “Don’t you have the Yinxiu Sword?”
“My grandfather has a sword, which is said to be the sword used by Zhong Kui*. It’s most suitable for slaying demons and spirits. This time, I’ll exaggerate the matter of the demonic qi, so I believe he’ll be soft-hearted!” Liu Qingbo was pumping himself up, eager to try.
*Deity in Chinese mythology, traditionally regarded as a vanquisher or ghosts and evil beings. He’s depicted as a large man with a big black beard, bulging eyes, and a wrathful expression. He is also known as the king of ghosts.
Dong Zhi was speechless. “Swords also have spirits. Is it really okay for you to like the new and tired of the old?”
Liu Qingbo sighed. “Boss Long also mentioned this problem, but whenever I see a good sword, my heart gets itchy. This time, after I switch to using my grandfather’s secret sword from Zhong Kui, I won’t change it again. It’s only a sword like that that can match me!”
Dong Zhi: ……
He suddenly felt that it wasn’t such a big deal for him to talk about master-apprentice love, because there was a much more narcissistic person here.
After eating, the two parted ways. Liu Qingbo’s family had a house in the capital, so he didn’t have to stay at the Special Administration Bureau. He also needed to rush back to pack his things and get up early tomorrow for practice. Dong Zhi, on the other hand, returned to the Special Administration Bureau. He first went to his dorm to feed the cat and found that it wasn’t there and saw that its rice bowl was still full. He went to the opposite room and, sure enough, saw Long Shen casually lying on the sofa while the big white cat was lying next to him.
The lights in the living room were turned off, but the light in the foyer turned on when Dong Zhi entered.
No matter how lightly Dong Zhi moved, Long Shen immediately opened his eyes.
“You’re back.”
In the past, Long Shen wouldn’t say much of this knowing nonsense. He often had a confusion that was unlike that of normal humans, and precisely because of this, he sometimes couldn’t understand this kind of detailed behavior.
But now, he gradually understood. In fact, things like “I’m back” or “I’ve eaten” seemed meaningless, but when said with concern, they were meaningful.
From just one sentence, Dong Zhi could hear the fatigue in Long Shen’s voice. “Why don’t you go to sleep in the room? It’s uncomfortable here.”
Instead of walking towards Long Shen as usual, Dong Zhi went to the bedroom first, took out a thin blanket, and covered Long Shen.
“I’m not going to catch a cold.” Long Shen thought what Dong Zhi did was interesting and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“It’s more comfortable like this.”
Dong Zhi leaned over and sat next to the two of them. The white cat didn’t bother moving and instead flicked its tail as if to greet him.
Dong Zhi petted the cat’s head and saw the information spread out on Long Shen’s knees.
“What’s this?” He didn’t lean over to look. Although the relationship between the two was different from before, in business matters, Dong Zhi always adhered to the principle of confidentiality at the Special Administration Bureau. He would not ask questions that shouldn’t be asked. He felt that this was the minimum of professional ethics. It had nothing to do with whether the two of them were inseparable.
“You can read it.” Long Shen took the initiative to hand over the information.
After scanning the contents, Dong Zhi found that it was information on Atsuta Shrine.
“Is it related to the whereabouts of Li Ying and the others?”
Long Shen said, “Every autumn and winter, Otowa will retreat to Atsuta Shrine or Ise Shrine. According to the news received, he went to Atsuta Shrine not long ago and hasn’t left since.”
Dong Zhi immediately reacted. “This may be a trap!”
The other party was waiting for the rabbit—waiting for someone from the Special Administration Bureau to take the initiative to come to their door and get caught.
Long Shen said in a deep voice, “Yes, but we have to go. In any case, it’s necessary to save Li Ying and Yu Buhai, and there must be an end to the matter of the stone tablets.”
Like Songen, Otowa Yasuhiko liked to use magic qi to refine souls, creating all kinds of appalling and unimaginable monstrosities, which, in their opinion, were extremely creative. Although Ding Lan’s soul lamp was extinguished, they wanted to verify if he was still alive or find his corpse if he was dead. It was impossible for the Special Administration Bureau to leave them outside and let them fend for themselves.
The tragedy of Dong Zhilan had happened once, and it must not be repeated.
More importantly, they must thoroughly find the key to the demon seal from Otowa and solve the mystery of the stone tablets once and for all.
Dong Zhi knew that Long Shen and the others would be well prepared, but the enemy was hiding in the shadows while they were in the clear, so it was impossible not to worry.
“It’s getting late. Are you going to sleep?” Long Shen asked him.
Dong Zhi shook his head. “I didn’t drink just now, so I’m not sleepy.”
“Then let’s go.” Long Shen got up and said, “Let’s go out for a walk.”
It was rare for Long Shen to take the initiative to invite him. In the past, Dong Zhi would have been overjoyed, but now he was less enthusiastic.
“Let’s go.” Seeing that Dong Zhi didn’t move, Long Shen stretched out his hand and pulled him up. “Shall I carry you?”
Dong Zhi couldn’t help laughing. “Really?”
Long Shen nodded.
In the end, he didn’t let Long Shen carry him. The two went downstairs to the underground garage and got into the Land Rover that hadn’t been driven in a long time. Dong Zhi saw Long Shen drive out of the garage and head towards the highway, as if he had a destination in mind, and it wasn’t simply going out for a walk like he said.
“Master, where are we going?” he couldn’t help asking.
“My house,” Long Shen replied.
Dong Zhi’s brain suddenly short-circuited. He suddenly became nervous and even stammered a little. “Are there elders? Do I need to buy gifts?”
“I have no parents, so where would there be elders?” Long Shen felt a bit helpless. “Didn’t I tell you a long time ago that I have a house in the city?”
He casually fished out a set of keys from the glove compartment and handed them to Dong Zhi.
“Car and house keys. Take it and use it when needed. You don’t need to ask me.”
Dong Zhi stared at the strings of keys and didn’t take them.
“No, I live in the dorm pretty well, and I don’t need a car.” He said this in a low voice and turned to look at the scenery passing by the car window, not wanting Long Shen to find that his eyes were turning red.
Long Shen didn’t say anything but instead stuffed the keys into his hands.
Dong Zhi clenched his palms tightly, as if he didn’t feel any pain from the sharp edges of the key jabbing into his skin. “Master, can you stop acting as if you’re handing out your last will?”
“I’m really not sure about how things will turn out in Japan,” Long Shen said, “but giving you these things has nothing to do with my trip. This is just making it more convenient for you.”
Dong Zhi took a deep breath and said slowly, “I don’t want the key. If you want to give it to me, just wait until you return, okay?”
Seeing that he insisted, Long Shen didn’t force the issue. “Okay.”
Dong Zhi said in a low voice, “I really want to go to Japan with you in spite of everything.”
Long Shen freed up one hand and patted Dong Zhi’s leg, silently comforting him, then retracted it and continued to hold the steering wheel without saying anything. Long Shen knew that his apprentice was just talking and had already learned how to take responsibility, for himself and for others. His future would be bright, and not only would he become an excellent practitioner, but he would also advance to a suitable position. Even without his guidance and care, Dong Zhi would still be able to spread his wings and soar.
Although Dong Zhi refused the key, he had already taken the car out, so Long Shen took him to his house anyway for a tour.
The house was large, and the location was good. It was a small villa that was quiet in the middle of nowhere, away from the hustle and bustle. Since no one had stayed there for too long, it had a cold and desolate feeling. Dong Zhi looked around and found that apart from a few personal decorations, the rest of the house was just basic facilities. It could be seen that Long Shen rarely stayed here himself.
For Dong Zhi, the value of the home lay in the people who lived in it, and a place without Long Shen was the same anywhere.
Seeing that he wasn’t interested, Long Shen didn’t say much and took him away again.
“Go back?”
It was rare for them to go out, so Dong Zhi thought for a moment. “Let’s go around and find a lively place to go? Today’s Christmas.”
In fact, he had already forgotten what day it was, and he didn’t remember until he saw the decorations on the street.
Most Easterners may just want a lively Christmas, but this didn’t prevent businesses from taking the opportunity to promote activities and enhance the festive atmosphere. Over time, everyone would have the jolly feeling of the holidays, with Christmas being a hodgepodge of their holiday spirit. Walking along the streets with Long Shen, Dong Zhi saw no less than three flower shops offering Christmas flower delivery along the way.
The long and clean street was crowded with people and got even livelier after nightfall. They walked against the crowd, seemingly going against the flow and looking out of place.
Dong Zhi suddenly laughed out loud.
“I remember that once you took me to get the Qingzhu Sword, and we were walking on such a road. At that time, there were no people, and I hoped that the road would never end.”
There was always some bitterness to a secret love, but after it was uncovered, it would turn into sweetness.
Long Shen: “I didn’t know at that time.”
He didn’t know that Dong Zhi wanted to worship him because he had such feelings for him.
Dong Zhi was curious. “What would happen if you knew it then?”
Long Shen: “What do you think would happen?”
Dong Zhi thought about Long Shen’s initial reaction and scratched his nose embarrassedly. “I might have been beaten up and thrown out of the capital!”
Not to mention the apprenticeship, he probably couldn’t even enter the gate of the Special Administration Bureau. From then on, he would have no chance of seeing Long Shen again. Thinking about it that way, it seemed a bit tragic and comical.
Long Shen said, “There is no if, and now is now. Asking about it assumes that you’re asking for trouble.”
A young girl came over with a basket of flowers. When she saw couples walking together, she would ask if they would like to purchase one. During this kind of holiday, she could easily sell bundles in the blink of an eye. When she came to Dong Zhi, there were a few scattered flowers left in the basket.
She glanced at Dong Zhi and Long Shen. She originally saw two men and didn’t think much about it. When she was about to pass by, she caught sight of the backs of their hands touching under their coats and thanked her lucky stars. She hurriedly stopped and smiled sweetly at them. “Two little brothers, do you want to buy flowers? There are just a few of the most beautiful ones left, so won’t you buy them?”
Long Shen didn’t move. He didn’t have the idea of gifting flowers to express romance yet, but Dong Zhi had already rejected the other party.
“I have a boyfriend who’s more beautiful than flowers. Why would I need them?”
The girl was dumbfounded, not knowing whether she was stunned by his outright, but righteous, stinginess or that he could blurt out such cheesy words without even blinking.
Did one have to be extremely flirtatious these days to find a handsome guy as their boyfriend?
Before she could collect her thoughts, Dong Zhi and Long Shen had already walked away.
“Shouldn’t couples use flowers to express their feelings?” Long Shen asked.
Although he lived far longer than most people, he never took the time to ponder or pay attention to trivial things that he had never experienced or that didn’t matter to him.
Dong Zhi smiled and said, “Not necessarily. There are many people who think that beautiful words can lift their mood, and usually they are said to women by men.”
Long Shen questioned, “But flowers are the reproductive organs of plants, so doesn’t sending flowers mean you want to reproduce with the other party?”
Dong Zhi almost choked on his spit. According to this logic, there was no need to send flowers between men since they couldn’t have children.
He even thought of the first divine intercourse when he was transformed into a delicate flower that was devastated by the storm. Later, he knew the scenes he saw in the divine intercourse were all consciousness incarnations taking on a figurative form, but looking back, he still couldn’t bear to look at them directly.
“Master, please stop talking.” His voice became a little weak.
Long Shen really stopped. He held Dong Zhi’s hand, ignoring whether it was crowded or not. As long as he wanted to, he didn’t care about the eyes of others.
The two walked for a while until Dong Zhi saw the logo of the Oriental Plaza* in front of them and proposed to find a café to sit in for a while. Long Shen naturally had no objection.
*One of the largest comprehensive commercial buildings in Beijing. It has a mixture of entertainment, commercial buildings, shopping, and food.
Pushing the glass door open, the warm wind blew on his face. It felt like he instantly went from winter into late spring. Inside the plaza, it was livelier than outside. Christmas music was playing everywhere, and glass balls and colorful lights covered the shopping malls. There was a large Christmas tree in the middle with many people gathered around it taking pictures.
Dong Zhi found a café next to the Christmas tree and took Long Shen there. He ordered two matcha lattes, with his own drink with less sugar while Long Shen’s with full sugar.
He still remembered that Long Shen had no obsession with eating, and the only thing that could be called a hobby was his preference for sweets.
“When I used to live by myself, I would bring a few bunches of flowers to my house every New Year’s, but after I met you, I didn’t like it anymore,” Dong Zhi said.
He held his latte and lowered his head to take a sip. The warm and sweet taste made Dong Zhi show a slight sense of happiness. Long Shen looked at him for a moment without blinking.
“Why?”
The sweetness flowed down his throat into his stomach and warmed up his body. Dong Zhi couldn’t help but let out a comfortable sigh.
He smiled and said softly, “Because after knowing your original form, I vowed to take good care of all creatures in the world.”
Because of Long Shen, whenever he saw a sword or knife, he would feel that they may have a chance to transform. Even if it were a flower or grass, he would involuntarily soften his heart. Dong Zhi didn’t feel that he was great, but he just loved the house, which extended even to the crows perched on its roof*.
*(爱屋及乌) Metaphor referring to loving a person and caring about the people and things related to him.
His heart was originally small, but it was Long Shen who put the world in it.
On Christmas Eve, the café was bustling with activity. Couples could take a couple’s photo and would get a free second cup, but the photos had to be hung on the café board.
With the excellent appearance of the two, it naturally attracted inquiries from the clerk. The clerk said that the couple didn’t need to be of opposite sexes. It was open to anyone as long as they were willing to take a couple’s photo.
Dong Zhi and Long Shen had a special profession, so photos usually weren’t taken when they went out. Dong Zhi was about to decline when Long Shen said, “Can you take a photo of us? We don’t need the free drink. I want to keep the photo for myself.”
The clerk readily agreed and took Long Shen’s phone. She took a few pictures of the two sitting together, making sure to capture a good angle of Dong Zhi under the lighting. Long Shen thanked her and gave her a tip.
Dong Zhi asked Long Shen to let him see the photos, then chose the best one and made it his phone’s wallpaper.
When Long Shen saw this, he caught on and also set a photo as his phone’s wallpaper.
Dong Zhi couldn’t help laughing. “Master, this will make it easy for you to be questioned by others!”
Especially the big bosses of the Special Administration Bureau who interacted with Long Shen, and even the higher ups. Dong Zhi couldn’t imagine their expression when they saw this.
Although the two of them were next to each other in the couple photo, there wasn’t any excessive behavior. At most, Dong Zhi was smiling brightly, and the corners of Long Shen’s mouth were slightly hitched, but what master would use a photo of his apprentice as their phone’s wallpaper? Although he was his master’s closest person now.
Long Shen didn’t seem to mind. “It’s fine.”
The two sat until about 8, when the mall was about to close. They didn’t talk much. Most of the time, they sat like they were in a daze. Dong Zhi shrank lazily on the café sofa. He felt good as he watched the tourist leave, and he didn’t want to move an inch.
“Sleepy?” Long Shen didn’t have much free time throughout the year, so sitting quietly and doing nothing was a bit uncomfortable at first, but gradually he was able to enjoy his rare leisure time.
“It’s okay. I just don’t want to go back.” Dong Zhi yawned. Tomorrow, Long Shen would leave the Special Administration Bureau and go to a secret place with Wu Bingtian and Tang Jing, then leave the country under a false identity. In other words, tonight would be the last night they spend together before parting.
“Let’s go. It’s closing soon.” Long Shen got up and pulled on him. Dong Zhi didn’t move and instead grabbed Long Shen’s hand.
Long Shen felt a bit helpless. He would always indulge his apprentice in non-principle matters.
“I’ll carry you on my back.”
Dong Zhi felt a bit embarrassed, but Long Shen had already squatted down with his back to him and motioned for him to climb on, so he could only go with it.
Among the surprised gaze of many, Long Shen walked out steadily carrying Dong Zhi on his back. Dong Zhi coughed lightly and buried his head into Long Shen’s neck like an ostrich.
“Master.”
“Hm?”
“I love you.”
His voice was close, and even the heat passed through the ears and straight to the heart.
Kinky Thoughts:
Yes, Dong Zhi did say [wo ai ni] (我爱你) so this is not just a simple “like”.
This marks the end of the anniversary release. I will be taking a break for the rest of this month, so releases will be extremely sporadic until at least January. Thank you everyone for your support, comments, Ko-fi donations, and help throughout the past year. Here’s hoping for more danmei in 2023. Wishing everyone an (early) happy holidays.
A deity in Chinese mythology, traditionally regarded as a vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings. He is depicted as a large man with a big black beard, bulging eyes, and a wrathful expression. Zhong Kui is able to command 80,000 demons to do his bidding and is often associated with the five bats of fortune.
He became the King of Ghost after committing suicide when he was stripped of his title top-scorer by the emperor due to his disfigured and ugly appearance. Seeing potential in him, Yama bestowed the title “king of ghosts” on him and tasked him with hunting, capturing, taking charge of, and maintaining discipline and order among all ghosts.
“You will meet in the United States first. The process of the meeting in the first few days is nothing more than an exchange of the respective situations over the past two years. When we first participated in the past, we didn’t understand, so we asked a deputy director to lead the team. Later, we found that it was actually just a regular exchange. However, the competition part does need to be paid attention to. This is not only a means of honor but also an occasion for you to exercise and communicate with others. The world isn’t closed. Over the years, the entry of foreign practitioners has increased, and many emergencies will catch you by surprise. You’re the future pillars of the Special Administration Bureau. I hope you can make good use of this opportunity.”
Deputy Director Song spoke as if he were like a mother hen, which made everyone drowsy when he started babbling, until they heard him say they were free to ask any questions. Li Han’er raised her hand.
“Boss Song, is there any news about this year’s competition?”
Song Zhicun said, “No. The United States is hosting this year. As you know, the Americans like things that are high-tech. All we know now is that the competition is held on an uninhabited island in the Atlantic Ocean. I wouldn’t be surprised if they move the zombie simulation there. Oh, by the way, neither Shouyi nor Han’er have experienced that system, right? I can let you experience it later alone.”
Seeing Li Han’er turn her gaze to Dong Zhi, Song Zhicun smiled knowingly. “Dong Zhi and the others have already experienced it last time when they took the exam and passed it with no problems. I believe you won’t be any inferior.”
That exam was Liu Qingbo’s black history. He didn’t even want to mention it, so he looked at the floor and pretended to be deaf.
Yang Shouyi looked troubled.
“Boss Song, I heard on the first day we have to speak and communicate. My foreign language isn’t very good. Will there be interpreters there?”
Song Zhicun smiled. “Of course there is. The captain and vice-captain of the delegation will oversee the meeting. There may also be a link for free communication. After discussion, the bureau decided that Liu Qingbo will be vice-captain of the delegation. Liu Qingbo, is this okay with you?”
Liu Qingbo raised his head blankly and nodded slowly.
If the head of the team was Zhang Song or someone else, he wouldn’t be convinced, but since it was Dong Zhi, he could reluctantly accept it. Besides, when he was in Lucheng, he had already been Dong Zhi’s deputy, which wasn’t something to be ashamed of.
Zhang Song didn’t expect that not only was he not selected to be captain, but even vice-captain. He pursed his lips, but in the end, he didn’t say anything.
Yang Shouyi wasn’t actually interested in being captain of the team, or vice-captain. He only had doubts about Dong Zhi’s abilities.
Li Han’er’s expression was a bit subtle, but she didn’t object.
Only Liu Si was the calmest, and he had no opinions.
Song Zhicun’s gaze swept across the faces of these young people, amused. “When it comes to free exchange, I must remind you of one thing. The exchange conference is for practitioners from all over the world. Of course, most people are friendly, but it doesn’t rule out that there will be some hostility. Some people will make more excessive jokes, and sometimes it’ll be easy to rile you up. I hope everyone can maintain their dignity without destroying friendships.”
This sentence was meaningful, as everyone’s mouth twitched when they heard it.
Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo even thought to themselves that they couldn’t believe a man like Boss Song, who was carefree and upright, would speak so bureaucratically like Boss Wu. Wasn’t it basically asking them to “try not to move with your mouth first, and if you do, make sure to put a sack in it”? Why bother to speak so cryptically?
“Together with the competition, the annual exchange conference over the years has lasted for about 20 days. In these 20 days, you must have sufficient tacit understanding and team spirit. I don’t care what you thought about each other before, but from this moment on, it’s best to let go of stereotypes and look at each companion objectively.”
After Song Zhicun finished his debrief, he left the room for them to communicate among themselves.
Dong Zhi took the initiative to get up and walk in front of everyone.
“Since I’m fortunate enough to be selected as captain this time, I’ll be brazen and say a few words. I believe everyone here is no stranger to me, but I would like to introduce myself. My name is Dong Zhi. I was once an ordinary person who painted, but coincidentally, I entered the cultivation world.”
His smiling look had no deterrent. Liu Qingbo curled his lips and couldn’t help but think how stupid this was. If he were Yang Shouyi and the others, it would be strange if they could be convinced by this look. After being with Boss Long for so long, couldn’t he even learn the way of speaking with a cold face?
Naturally, Dong Zhi couldn’t hear Liu Qingbo’s thoughts, but he turned his words around. “To you, I’m a junior, and I was originally not qualified to lead everyone. If you have any objections, you are welcome to ask for a replacement of the leader. I’m happy to give way, but if you don’t raise any opinions, then I will acquiesce that you’ll all obey orders. I’ll try my best to be responsible for everyone, and I hope you can cooperate. This time there is only one team leader. I don’t think anyone wants second place, right?”
The soft and hard tone made everyone a little uncomfortable. Yang Shouyi spoke up. “I have no other requirements. I just want to spar with you. If you can beat me, I will be convinced. If you say east, I will never go west, but it’s hard for me to believe that you can lead us to victory. It’s better for me to just quit early now.”
Dong Zhi said, “Yes, shall we go to the rooftop later?”
Yang Shouyi was a little surprised by this response and happily nodded.
Dong Zhi looked at the others. “Besides him, who else wants to spar?”
Zhang Song said, “You have an injured arm now and have to fight with Yang Shouyi. If I fight with you again, won’t that look like I won with a handicap?”
The implication was that he also wanted to fight with Dong Zhi.
Dong Zhi shrugged. “Then I’ll spar with you tomorrow.”
Liu Qingbo said to Zhang Song, “I’ll spar with you on his behalf.”
Zhang Song: “You?”
Liu Qingbo: “What? I’m the vice-captain of the team. Am I not qualified?”
He turned and looked at Yang Shouyi again. “His arm is injured. What can he do right now? So I’ll do it for him. If I beat you, it’ll be as if Dong Zhi has beaten you.”
Dong Zhi knew that Liu Qingbo took the initiative to stand out because he was afraid his injury wouldn’t heal properly and there would be sequelae. He smiled and said, “Lao Liu, no need. I can do it.”
Liu Qingbo rolled his eyes. “What can you do?! You didn’t even bring a sword with you!”
Dong Zhi said, “The sword is in my dorm. I can get it now. As for the arm, it’s okay. I’ll just fight with one hand. There are many emergencies in a real combat environment. It’s not like we haven’t encountered things like this before.”
Coincidentally, this time, most of them used swords. Even Li Han’er carried a long sword with her. The tassels on the sword were golden, and it swayed with each of her steps, graceful and dainty, but she wasn’t like Zhang Song or Yang Shouyi, who took the initiative to pick a fight.
Dong Zhi first went back to his dorm and got the Qingzhu Sword, with Liu Qingbo following him.
“If you’re not sure, don’t be brave. Let me help you.” Liu Qingbo was still trying to convince Dong Zhi otherwise.
Dong Zhi said strangely, “I never said I wasn’t sure. In fact, you want to fight Yang Shouyi, right?”
Since he was the center of the matter, he kept quiet, but his hands were still itchy.
Dong Zhi: “Well, let’s do it this way. You’ll spar with Zhang Song tomorrow, while I’ll fight with Yang Shouyi today. This group has just taken form. If I don’t gain their respect, I’m afraid the team will be disbanded before we even start.”
Liu Qingbo questioned, “Can you fight with one arm?”
Dong Zhi shrugged. “Well, I didn’t really suffer any injuries at all. It’s just that my arm was fractured, and I need to take care of it for a few more days. I’ll be fine if I just fight with one hand.”
Liu Qingbo narrowed his eyes. “I heard that you encountered the phantom of the heavenly demon this time. There’s also a very powerful sorcerer as well. Were they so easy to fight like weak chickens?”
Dong Zhi: “Did you forget that my master was there as well? Even so, it wasn’t an easy fight.”
He pulled down the collar of his sweater and showed Liu Qingbo his neck. Liu Qingbo saw that there were clear pinch marks on it, which had gradually faded, but he could still imagine what kind of life-and-death situation Dong Zhi experienced that day.
“Who told you not to bring me along? If I was there, I could’ve prevented you from suffering more!” Liu Qingbo didn’t forget to highlight his position as an afterthought. “Okay, okay. If you don’t want to go up later, I’ll take both of them on!”
Dong Zhi said casually, “In fact, it doesn’t matter if I lose. It’s impossible for me to be kicked out of the exchange group because I lost to Yang Shouyi. If they continue to make trouble, it’s even more impossible to be captain of the group. At most, the head of the group will be replaced by you, and I’ll be your deputy. They can’t avoid me in any case, so wouldn’t that just make them even more angry?”
Liu Qingbo: …It turns out you had this kind of idea.
But after thinking about it carefully, this was really the kind of thing Dong Zhi would do. He would never change. Even if everyone was angry, he would always stand still.
Liu Qingbo couldn’t help but wonder. “Boss Long is such a serious person. After accepting such an apprentice, doesn’t he feel as if he received the wrong goods?”
Dong Zhi: “How is that possible? Where would he find such an obedient and motivated apprentice?”
Liu Qingbo wanted to vomit blood.
When the two of them returned, Zhang Song and the others were waiting for them impatiently. Dong Zhi took everyone to the rooftop of the Special Administration Bureau. Because of his arrogance, in order to show fairness, Yang Shouyi tied up his left arm as he pulled out his sword with his other hand and said to Dong Zhi, “Now it’s fair.”
He was so serious that Dong Zhi could no longer put on his casual smile. The two stood next to the stream with their swords in hand.
Neither moved as if they were testing each other’s patience. Yang Shouyi stood in place, as did Dong Zhi. At first glance, they looked similar, but under careful examination, they could be distinguished.
Yang Shouyi was solemn. His gaze was like an eagle’s or a falcon’s, looking for the slightest flaw in his opponent.
While Dong Zhi looked relaxed on the outside, he was tense inside. His grip on the sword tightened along with his body.
The waterfall that flowed down from the top of the mountain would splash a few drops of water on their bodies from time to time, gradually condensing before dripping down, but no one wiped it. A water drop hung at the corner of Dong Zhi’s eyelash, but it didn’t drop.
Feeling the weight on his eyelash, Dong Zhi slightly blinked.
At this moment, Yang Shouyi suddenly moved!
His sword was longer and wider than the Changshou Sword, but when his wrist moved at this moment, it immediately diffused dazzling sword light, as if the sword were an insignificant object in his hand.
He used this light to seal off all retreat in front of and behind Dong Zhi. No matter which way Dong Zhi wanted to dodge, the sword light would rush towards it and cut him off.
Liu Qingbo’s light-hearted expression was instantly restrained and became serious.
Li Han’er and Zhong Song looked surprised.
Except for Liu Si, everyone present was an expert in swordsmanship. Even if Li Han’er and Zhang Song used talismans together with their swords, they had practiced with them since their childhood. Naturally, they could see how dazzling Yang Shouyi’s swordsmanship was.
Not only dazzling but also murderous, as fierce as ice and snow.
After this attack passed, how would Dong Zhi deal with it?
Dong Zhi knew his shortcomings.
After all, he hadn’t practiced since he was a child. For more than a year, no matter how good his talent was, even if he was practicing every day outside of eating and sleeping, it was impossible to achieve the same proficiency as Yang Shouyi and the others. Long Shen also knew this well, so the cultivation plan he formulated for Dong Zhi was to promote strengths while avoiding weaknesses, allowing Dong Zhi to make full use of his advantages.
For instance, in sword practice, Long Shen didn’t teach Dong Zhi that kind of cumbersome and dazzling swordsmanship. Naturally, it could confuse the enemy, but if the fire wasn’t there, it would be easy for him to bind himself. Instead, he taught Dong Zhi practical moves, like stabbing, sweeping, slashing, thrusting, and turning, without the fancy and superfluous movements.
Long Shen had even asked Dong Zhi to stand still and not fight back to meet his countless attacks, then told him to try and find an escape route and retaliate. At first, Dong Zhi was scared to death, but later he gradually calmed down, and his eyes didn’t even blink. It could be said that this was all the experience accumulated through blood and tears.
Long Shen had come from thousands of years of bloodshed, not to mention that he was originally an artifact spirit. Furthermore, given his swordsmanship, even someone at Zong Ling’s or Che Bai’s level may not be able to find a weakness, let alone a rookie like Dong Zhi. Dong Zhi could only try to escape and fight back from attack after attack, and finally he was barely able to retreat. Long Shen also explained to him the various points of active and passive attacks during a fight. It could be said he was imparting his own experience on Dong Zhi. Dong Zhi, who was talented and willing to work hard, couldn’t justify himself under such learning conditions if he couldn’t at least achieve a basic satisfactory result.
So when Yang Shouyi’s sword struck, Dong Zhi’s instinct turned on.
Since Yang Shouyi was wielding the sword with his right hand, the place where he defended most tightly was naturally the right side of his body, leaving his left side negligent. Dong Zhi didn’t meet him head-on but moved in the direction of his left arm. He jumped, causing the sword light to rise and fall, while his other hand, wrapped in gauze, grabbed a talisman. Accompanied by the sword light, he stuffed the talisman into his mouth and spat it at his opponent’s right arm.
The talisman paper turned into a flash of fire and swept towards the sword wind. Yang Shouyi’s sword cut the talisman paper in half before it ignited and aimed it at Dong Zhi’s shoulder, but the moment the talisman fire was split by the sword wind, sparks splashed everywhere; some going into Yang Shouyi’s eyes. This made him close his eyes, and his movement stagnated for a moment.
But it was in this moment of stagnation that Dong Zhi had already reached Yang Shouyi’s left shoulder with the Qingzhu Sword!
Yang Shouyi felt a chill on his cheek, as if liquid had fallen. The hair tie on the bun on top of his head loosened, causing his hair to spill, scattering all over his head. Yang Shouyi grew up on Qingcheng Mountain, so he naturally wore his hair in a Daoist bun. On the way from Qingcheng Mountain to the General Administration Bureau, he was noticed by passersby, who gave him salutes.
Yang Shouyi stretched out his hand and touched it, finding that there was blood on his fingers.
Seeing this, Dong Zhi said apologetically, “I couldn’t hold back just now. Sorry!”
Zhang Song frowned and said, “He was using a sword with his hand tied. Is it fair for you to use both sword and talisman together?”
Dong Zhi smiled and said, “Lao Yang’s sword is too fast. I really can’t win without a talisman. Do you want to try again?”
Yang Shouyi shook his head. “No, I didn’t say that you only have to use swords. Since you won, I recognized you as the captain of the team.”
Zhang Song said, “I don’t!”
Liu Qingbo clenched his fist and smiled grimly. “Why wait for tomorrow? Let’s have a match right now!”
Zhang Song said, “Let’s go. You think I’m afraid of you?”
Dong Zhi said, “Let me do it. Lao Zhang, you can use talismans, and I’ll also use talismans. We’ll have a match between talismans, and you don’t need to tie your hand. Is that fair?”
Zhang Song curled his lips and nodded, then said, “Daoist Dong, please don’t be so familiar with me. My name is Zhang Song, not Lao Zhang.”
Dong Zhi let out a sigh. “Okay, Xiao Zhang.”
Zhang Song: ……*
*Clarity: As a reminder, using Lao before a name generally is a sign of closeness, so Dong Zhi is like saying “Zhang, my old bud”, but Zhang Song doesn’t like this address, so Dong Zhi got cheeky and called him Xiao (generally used for someone younger than you) instead.
This address was even more unpleasant, as if he had been relegated to the younger generation, but Dong Zhi refused to change it now. Zhang Song’s face twitched when he heard this, and he thought he would cut this person to death in a while.
The two sides stood still, each holding a talisman while chanting a mantra. Zhang Song was worthy of being a great disciple from Mount Longhu. He pointed his sword, which was standing in front of his chest, as he pinched a talisman with one hand to trigger the four directions and the five elements. Not long after, Dong Zhi felt the soil under his feet loosen, but before he could move, the originally solid ground suddenly softened and swallowed his feet. It wrapped around him like he’d fallen into a swamp. It was difficult to extricate himself as there were a pair of arms grabbing his feet and pulling him down, and soon, all parts below Dong Zhi’s ankle were swallowed.
Zhang Song wasn’t idle either. He took out another talisman and threw it in the air. Under his manipulation, the talisman paper turned into a spark and quickly flew towards Dong Zhi, just like how Dong Zhi had dealt with Yang Shouyi just now. It was obvious Zhang Song wanted Dong Zhi to taste defeat with the same move he used to win previously.
But at this moment, he heard a noise in the sky. From far away and getting closer, he couldn’t help but look up and see rolling thunder clouds covering the sun. His hand accelerated faster, pulling out several talismans, which ignited and became fireballs. Before Dong Zhi had time to lead the thunder successfully, those fireballs flew towards him. It was enough to burn him to a crisp.
Unfortunately, while it was fast, lightning had already struck.
It was a small bolt, as thin as silk. Seeing this, Zhang Song couldn’t help but laugh and think that such a small bolt wouldn’t even extinguish the talisman fires, let alone kill him.
While he was lost in his thoughts, the lightning bolt didn’t strike him or the talisman but instead split the pool under the waterfall. When the bolt struck, the surface of the pool of water was instantly disturbed, splashing water everywhere. Nothing in the area was spared. Zhang Song was doused with a faceful of water, and even the fireballs were extinguished.
Zhang Song: ……
Before he could get angry, another lightning bolt struck. This time, the thunder clouds had been brewing for a long time, so the power was much greater, and the target was directly aimed at Zhang Song.
Zhang Song didn’t have the mind to care about Dong Zhi any longer. He turned around and jumped onto the branch of the tree next to him. Seeing the heavenly lightning in hot pursuit, he had to jump to the stone nearby, then to a few other places, to avoid the lightning. Lightning finally struck the stone he had just been on a second before. With a loud noise, the stone exploded, causing Zhang Song’s hands and feet to be scrapped by the flying debris. Drops of water dripped down on his head and face, making him look entirely wretched.
Dong Zhi had taken advantage of this time and pulled himself out of the quagmire. Although he also became a drenched chicken*, it was obvious who the victor was between the two drenched chickens.
*(落汤鸡) Metaphor for a person who is soaked or has suffered a great loss of fame and fortune but could also referred to someone being physical drenched in water.
If it was a fluke that Dong Zhi beat Yang Shouyi just now, it couldn’t be said that he could be lucky so many times. It was due to his flexibility and adaptability that he was able to take full advantage of the battlefield.
Naturally, Yang Shouyi didn’t dare underestimate the new leader of the team, and even Li Han’er was slightly shaken.
In any case, being able to attract heavenly lightning in such a short period of time was itself a manifestation of strength.
Li Han’er had been on Maoshan since she was a child and naturally knew that summoning lightning wasn’t an easy task. More importantly, she knew that Long Shen didn’t know this technique, which meant Dong Zhi learned it from somewhere else. If he could learn to summon thunder so easily, was it also effortless for him to learn other things?
Was it because he was extremely talented and flexible that Long Shen looked at him differently?
Just as she was thinking this, Dong Zhi asked Zhang Song, “Still want to fight?”
Zhang Song felt embarrassed as he was defeated in front of Li Han’er and Yang Shouyi. He wiped the beads of water from his face and said coldly, “No, I lost.”
Liu Qingbo sneered. “Lost? What do you mean lost? Let’s have another fight if you’re not convinced.”
He was anxious to stir up more trouble and couldn’t wait to roll up his sleeves and have a fight with Zhang Song.
Zhang Song ignored Liu Qingbo and kept looking at Dong Zhi. “Is there anything else we need to discuss today? If not, I want to go back to change clothes.”
Dong Zhi said, “If there are no other opinions, then today’s sparring is over. I have something to say first. Starting tomorrow, I don’t want anyone to have any more grievances or dissatisfaction.”
Dong Zhi was drenched and had his arm hanging. Given his image right now, there really was no heavy aura, but he was expressionless. He had just won two matches back-to-back. Even Zhang Song didn’t object.
And with no objection, that meant they had to acquiesce to Dong Zhi.
Li Han’er said, “Captain, will we come here for training tomorrow?”
Dong Zhi’s expression relaxed and softened a bit. “No need. This time it’s going to be a long trip. Everyone must have a lot of things to bring, so prepare your luggage first. If there’s any notice from Boss Song, I’ll let you know. Wait for the day of departure and we’ll meet and talk then.”
He originally wanted to take advantage of the fact that everyone had just met, especially given the two new team members, and invite them all out for a meal to get better acquainted, but it seemed that no one had any intention of going to dinner. He might as well save some time and spend more of it with his master.
After the dissolution, Zhang Song quickly disappeared. Yang Shouyi and Li Han’er at least greeted Dong Zhi before leaving. Liu Si said he still had things to do, so he also left, leaving only Liu Qingbo behind, who curled his lips at Dong Zhi.
“You know it’s not easy being captain, right?”
Dong Zhi spread his hands. “Then do you want it? I actually don’t want it.”
Liu Qingbo gave him a look of “no thanks” and said, “Forget it. I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold myself back from beating a someone surnamed Zhang.”
Dong Zhi laughed. “You have to hold yourself back. We still have to spend more than ten days together. Let’s go. I’ll treat you to dinner later, after we wash off.”
Dong Zhi pondered whether his master and Boss Wu had finished their meeting. The two of them stopped by the conference to have a look. Long Shen had just come out from inside, looking extremely tired. Dong Zhi poked his head around and found that Wu Bingtian and Tang Jing weren’t there.
“Master, have you finished your meeting?”
Long Shen nodded. “Is there anything wrong?”
“No, I just wanted to ask if you wanted to have dinner together with us, but you should go back and rest!” Seeing him like this, Dong Zhi felt a bit distressed.
Long Shen hummed. “Go on your own. I have other things to do with Boss Wu and Tang Jing.”
He was indeed tired; not the fatigue from physical exhaustion but being mentally overdrawn after the meeting.
Dong Zhi nodded and added, “Then you don’t have to wait for me at night.”
In the past few days, he had been sleeping in Long Shen’s dorm. If he needed to read information at night, Long Shen would accompany him until he finished reading. Their living habits were getting closer to each other. Long Shen didn’t say anything, but he was gradually learning to trust and tolerate the other out of desire.
Facing the kindness of his apprentice, he raised his hand and touched Dong Zhi’s face, then told him not to stay out too late, and then walked to the other end of the corridor.
As the relationship between the two changed, there were more intimate actions, and often inadvertently, they became natural habits. His movements were so natural that Dong Zhi didn’t notice anything wrong until he looked away and realized that Liu Qingbo was still standing by his side.
The author has something to say:
Liu Qingbo: ?????????????????
Kinky Thoughts:
Liu Qingbo inadvertently ate a handful of dog food without knowing it.
When Song Zhicun saw this, he smiled and said, “You’re just in time. These two colleagues are about to join your team and go to the exchange conference with you. Li Han’er, Li Ying’s sister, from the East China Branch. You should have heard about her. And this is Yang Shouyi, a disciple from Qingcheng Mountain Yuanming Palace. This should be your first time meeting!”
Li Han’er did resemble a bit of Li Ying, though the contours of her facial features were more beautiful and softer. She had a kind of classical beauty but didn’t make people think she had a quiet temperament. Seeing Dong Zhi in shock, she took the initiative to extend her hand. “So you’re Dong Zhi. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“You flatter me. Welcome.” Dong Zhi shook hands with the two of them and said with a smile, “The others haven’t come yet. I’m currently the only one in the General Administration. Why don’t I give you a tour?”
Although Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo had gone to Shencheng and visited Tang Jing of the East China Branch, he failed to see this long-famous beauty.
He had known about her a long time ago, not only because she was Li Ying’s sister and the daughter of Taoist Master Li Rui, a consultant for the General Administration, but also because he still vaguely remembered He Yu saying before that Li Han’er liked Long Shen. Unfortunately, the goddess had a heart, but King Xiang had no dreams*, and in the end, nothing came of it.
*(神女有心，襄王无梦) This is referring to the original idiom “King Xiang has dreams, but the goddess has no heart”, which refers to the story of King Xiang chasing Goddess Fu in his dream, but she rejects his advances in order to be loyal to the deceased King and maintain her propriety. The author flipped the idiom by saying the goddess has a heart, but King Xian doesn’t have dreams, meaning Li Han’er has feelings for Long Shen but the king (Long Shen) has no feelings for her (thus he doesn’t dream of the goddess).
Given her origins, it was inevitable that Dong Zhi would look more carefully at Lin Han’er. Unfortunately, she had a keen woman’s intuition and sharp eyes, so she immediately noticed.
The other party smiled at Dong Zhi and said, “Did Director Dong forget that my dad is a consultant for the General Administration so I have come here a lot?”
It seemed reasonable to address Dong Zhi by his position in the Lucheng office, but she had entered the Special Administration Bureau much earlier than Dong Zhi and even her own brother, so her position in the East China Branch wasn’t low. Dong Zhi could faintly perceive a less friendly tone when he heard “Director Dong”.
He knew that Li Han’er liked Long Shen, but he didn’t want to have unprovoked jealousy with a girl because of an illusory past, so he was just a bit curious about her at first, thinking that she was quite beautiful, but her sudden hostility confused Dong Zhi.
Yang Shouyi: “I heard that the rooftop of the General Administration uses a very clever design. If I have the opportunity, I would like to take a look.”
Dong Zhi smiled and said, “No problem. I can take you up now. There are three groups, and each of the spaces used is different. I only have access to Group 2, so I can only take you to see their space, but the scenery is much the same.”
Though he saw Long Shen inside, he couldn’t leave his new partners behind and run to Long Shen to have a talk. He only had enough time for a brief glimpse before he took Yang Shouyi and Li Han’er away.
On the way, Dong Zhi remembered Yang Shouyi’s division and asked, “Fellow Daoist Yang, are you a junior of Boss Wu?”
“Yes, Boss Wu is my senior.” Yang Shouyi made light of the situation and didn’t say more about it.
Among the six people who went to the exchange this time, except for Yang Shouyi, they were all members of the Special Administration Bureau. Yang Shouyi felt that he was selected purely because of his abilities, and he was indeed the best of the new generation of Yuanming Palace. Moreover, he didn’t want people to think he came through the back door using his connections.
Coincidentally, when the group walked to the rooftop, Zhang Song happened to come back from out of town.
He was assigned to an office in Central China, and it just so happened that there wasn’t anything eventful going on, so he returned earlier than the others. Zhang Song only knew that he had been selected for the exchange group. He rushed back to Beijing and went directly to the director’s office to report. As a result, he heard that the captain of the delegation was given to Dong Zhi, and the smile on his face faded.
Seeing that he was unhappy, Song Zhicun comforted him in a gentle voice. “Li Ying has a mission and cannot participate in this exchange. Your ability is naturally not inferior to others, but the candidate for the captain of the team needs to be considered in all aspects, so we have decided to give it to Dong Zhi.”
Zhang Song replied in a jarred voice, “Isn’t it because he’s a disciple of Boss Long?”
When Song Zhicun heard his response, his smile faded. “Are you not a direct disciple of Mount Longhu? Do you think it would be fine to communicate with each other in the future just based on who has the most background? You are in a group. Boss Wu should have talked to you, but he is currently busy. I hope you will understand our intentions. Zhang Song, in terms of ability, you’re not much different from Li Ying or Dong Zhi, but if you don’t change your temperament, the road will be difficult for you in the future. Choosing you this time means that we place trust in you and hope that you will do well for yourself.”
Zhang Song didn’t answer. Song Zhicun waved his hand and let him go, but he shook his head secretly in his heart. It wasn’t easy to change the people chosen this far out. Not only did Dong Zhi have to contend with external forces, but he would also have to fight internally. Most likely, there would be many problems, as even Yang Shouyi and Li Han’er weren’t easy-going.
Those who were capable would inevitably have a little temper, so it was even more rare for someone who was capable to be mindful of the overall situation. Thinking of Li Ying and the others that were far away in Japan, Song Zhicun couldn’t help sighing again.
Although Li Han’er said she had been to the General Administration many times, when Dong Zhi took Yang Shouyi to the rooftop, she still followed. Dong Zhi knew she was familiar with the place, so he didn’t say more. He was purely doing this to introduce Yang Shouyi to the General Administration.
“The spatial deviation technique used here can adjust the seasons and even day and night by itself, but the sun, moon, mountains, and water are all real.”
Dong Zhi walked to the stream and scooped up a handful of water, which flowed through his fingers, and returned to the stream, murmuring away.
In the distance, the mountains were green, and the flowers were in full bloom. Outside, the trees were bare in the winter months, but inside, the scene was as if the earth had returned to spring. Yang Shouyi looked amazed at such a sight.
Qingcheng Mountain Yuanming Palace was also surrounded by an enchantment that enclosed the space, but it was impossible to control the four seasons or day and night as they pleased. Being in the know, Yang Shouyi knew how difficult it was to create such a space, not to mention three different spaces that overlapped each other.
With such a feat, the Special Administration Bureau could easily suppress outsiders.
However, Yang Shouyi only expressed admiration for the crouching tigers and hidden dragons of the General Administration. In his eyes, Dong Zhi, who was two years younger than him, wasn’t counted as a “dragon” or “tiger”.
“Fellow Daoist Dong, I heard that you’re leading the team for the delegation this time. It must be because among all of us, you’re the best.” Yang Shouyi got to the point. Based on these words, it could be seen that he wasn’t a euphemistic person. Otherwise, he would have beat around the bushes a few more times tacitly.
Dong Zhi pretended to play dumb. “The leadership of the team is decided by the top. I’m not privy to their decision making.”
Yang Shouyi couldn’t hold back, so he expressed his intentions. “Whether it’s true or not, I heard that Daoist Dong didn’t join a circle for a long time, but he was favored by Boss Long and was accepted as his apprentice. It can be seen that you must be outstanding. I wonder if we could spar so that I have a chance to learn from you?”
Dong Zhi coughed. “I’m not going to lie. I just came back from a mission, and I’m still healing from my injuries.”
To show that he wasn’t lying, he raised his left hand and shook it, showing the cast that was wrapped around it.
Any practitioner had experienced fractures and dislocations several times. Not to mention anything else, Yang Shouyi had suffered countless injuries since he was a child. He didn’t think a fracture was all that serious, because while he was still limping, in the cold winter of December, his master had thrown him into the icy river to practice.
Looking at Dong Zhi’s face, which was ruddy, and his steps, which were light, Yang Shouyi didn’t think he had any internal injuries, but he refused to spar just because of a broken arm.
Yang Shouyi: “We can learn from each other using just one hand. If you’re afraid of accidental injury, we can just use branches instead of swords. How about it?”
Dong Zhi still shook his head. “My other hand hurts too, so much so that I need to be fed when I eat.”
Yang Shouyi was speechless for a moment, then said, “It’s not a hundred-day injury, is it? We’re setting off in half a month. If you can’t even move your hands, will you be okay by then?”
Dong Zhi gave him a lax smile. “How can that be? To go out and fight for our country, even if you shed blood and sweat, you can’t shed tears!”
Yang Shouyi: ……
His provocation failed, and he couldn’t force the other to take action. He couldn’t help but feel that Dong Zhi wasn’t a man; he was too grinding and whined too much.
Thinking that such a person was their captain and was about to command them to fight against many practitioners from all over the world, Yang Shouyi couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
He wasn’t the only one, but Li Han’er was as well.
For a long time after hearing news that Long Shen had accepted a disciple, Li Han’er felt incredulous.
Not many people know about Long Shen’s true body, but she was one of the very few. Because of this, she couldn’t imagine that Long Shen, who was otherworldly and had eyes above the top, would fancy a disciple.
She knew deep down she had some hard feelings, which made her more curious about Dong Zhi. This wasn’t conducive to her cultivation, but all humans have desires and emotions, love and hate. Sometimes when one couldn’t understand the reason, they couldn’t help but think about it.
Unfortunately, she was busy when she was in the East China Branch, so she failed to meet with Dong Zhi when he visited Shencheng. She happened to be in the northeast then. This time, because Li Ying was unable to attend, she, as his sister, took his place and came to the General Administration to see the person that she couldn’t forget.
In her mind, those whom Long Shen would accept as disciples must be extremely talented and similar to his character. Perhaps they would be taciturn, or maybe cold and proud, but they would never be like this young man with such a carefree smile and no serious aura around him at all.
In addition to Li Han’er’s disappointment, there was a trace of indescribable anger. She didn’t know whether it was because he wasn’t worthy of Long Shen or if he wasn’t worthy at all.
After a few words, seeing that Dong Zhi refused to make a move, they lost their interest in talking. Li Han’er suggested going back to rest. As Wu Bingtian’s nephew, Yang Shouyi had a place to stay in the capital, so he was ready to leave with her. Dong Zhi seemed indifferent to them and even enthusiastically invited the two of them to dinner. Naturally, they declined.
Dong Zhi sent the two of them off and immediately went downstairs to find Long Shen. As a result, Long Shen wasn’t in his office, but he bumped into Zhang Song, who wasn’t in a happy mood.
“Lao Zhang, you’re back? Li Han’er and Yang Shouyi just left. If you chase after them, you can probably still catch up. There are not many people here today. When Lao Liu and Liu Si come back, I’ll invite us all to have a meal together!” He was anxious to find Long Shen and instead casually greeted Zhang Song.
Who knew his wrist would be coldly pulled on? Dong Zhi jerked back, but Zhang Song’s grip was tight and didn’t budge.
Dong Zhi turned around in confusion.
Zhang Song said bluntly, “If Li Ying was leader, I would have nothing to say, but if it’s you, I’m not convinced.”
Dong Zhi blinked, didn’t say anything, and instead viciously headbutted Zhang Song!
Zhang Song was taken aback and subconsciously leaned back to dodge. Dong Zhi took advantage of the situation by twisting the other’s wrist with one hand and pressing him against the wall. Zhang Song struggled hard but couldn’t break away.
He quickly raised his knees to kick Dong Zhi’s stomach, but Dong Zhi saw through his intentions, and his body flashed to the side, stepping on his foot.
Zhang Song yelled out in pain, causing the doors of several offices in the corridor to open as people poked their heads out.
Dong Zhi took the opportunity to let go, then retreated.
“Lao Zhang, I’m still injured. How can you do this?”
Do what! Zhang Song’s feet were in so much pain that he could barely breathe. He gritted his teeth and glared at Dong Zhi.
“I thought you had changed when you went out, but why are you still the same?” Dong Zhi shrugged then said, “Actually, I don’t want to be the captain of this team either, but if you have the ability, go get the higher-ups to change their minds and don’t vent your anger out on me. What’s the use in that? If you don’t like it, you can choose to quit, but don’t add trouble for me in a foreign country. Otherwise, it’s not only me that’ll lose face, but our country.”
After speaking, without waiting for his reaction, Dong Zhi turned and left.
Back downstairs, Long Shen was feeding the white cat. The cat was enthusiastic today because of the can in his hand. As soon as Long Shen grabbed the cat food, it kept meowing and spinning around him.
“Master.” Dong Zhi squatted down beside him.
“What do you think of them?” Long Shen asked about his opinion on Li Han’er and Yang Shouyi.
Dong Zhi: “Seems good, but they want to compete with me, but I refused and made an excuse to hide.”
Long Shen glanced at him. “You can’t hide.”
It was inevitable that he would need to drop ten meetings with one force*.
*(一力降十会) Metaphor referring to in face of absolute strength, all strategies are useless. || Basically, he’s saying to show your force and bend them to follow you.
Dong Zhi smiled and said, “When everyone comes together, there’s bound to be discussion about it. It’ll be quite troublesome. Besides, the longer they are depressed now, the stronger the shock will be when the time comes. This way, I can solve everything in one go, right?”
Long Shen’s only response to this was, “How mischievous.”
He crouched on the ground and held the can food towards the white cat and let it eat from his hand while letting Dong Zhi lean on his back and rest his chin against his neck.
Despite having the weight of a person on his back, Long Shen didn’t even shake and remained completely stable.
He didn’t push Dong Zhi away or make any protest.
Dong Zhi was thick-skinned and continued to take advantage of it.
“Lao Zhang was in the same class as us, but he’s still rebellious. There are also Yang Shouyi and Li Han’er. One isn’t affiliated with the Special Administration Bureau, and the other has seniority over me. They are both arrogant and disobedient. Since Lao Liu has worked with me a few times, we have a tacit understanding. Otherwise, there would be another one who would oppose me. Master, when you decided to let me be captain, did you expect this?”
Long Shen said, “The two of them are no worse than you. If they are used well, they will be a great help. It’s impossible to find someone with average abilities to go to the exchange this time. Otherwise, in your session, Chi Banxia, Gu Meiren, and the others are better in terms of cooperation, but it’s not as important as being able to come back alive.”
Dong Zhi looked at the information beforehand and learned that it was indeed possible to die in the competition. Although the probability wasn’t high, the danger was there. Moreover, he had attended the meeting in Bangkok last time. The wisp of the heavenly demon qi that escaped would most likely sneak into the exchange conference to restore itself faster by absorbing the vitality of the practitioners.
With Yang Shouyi and Lin Han’er joining, it was undeniably two major fighting powers, but only if everyone was willing to work together. If not, they would each go their own way, and the team would be disbanded.
Thinking about it gave Dong Zhi a headache. “I’ll try my best in the competition and to bring them back intact.”
Long Shen smiled. Dong Zhi was finally chosen because of his sense of responsibility.
“I trust you.”
Dong Zhi got off Long Shen’s back and gently cupped his face.
“Then Master, are you hiding something from me?”
Long Shen’s face didn’t change. “No.”
Dong Zhi: “Really?”
Long Shen patted him on the shoulder. “Go take a shower, rest early, and get up early to practice tomorrow.”
Dong Zhi coldly stretched out his hand and grabbed Long Shen’s wrist. Long Shen shrank back, but he followed. The two made a few movements in the blink of an eye. Since leaving Beijing to go to Lucheng, master and apprentice had never actually fought with each other. At this moment, Long Shen didn’t exert his full force, and Dong Zhi didn’t go all out, but he was still surprised to find that he was able to match Long Shen for more than a dozen moves. It could be seen that the various combats he had experienced had tempered him, and actual combat was indeed more practical.
Long Shen felt that it was about time, so he grabbed Dong Zhi’s hand and stopped his movements.
“Not bad.”
Students who had taken Boss Long’s class knew that getting a compliment from him was more difficult than winning the lottery.
Dong Zhi arched his brows. “That’s all because Master taught me well, but this disciple has never concealed anything from you. Shouldn’t Master repay the same?”
Long Shen didn’t like to lie, nor was he good at it. In his long life, he either said or didn’t say what he wanted. No one had ever been able to force him or make him want to hide things. Dong Zhi was the first.
It turned out that his skills needed improvement when he lied for the first time. He needed to practice more.
“I’m going to Japan.” In the end, Long Shen told the truth.
Dong Zhi’s expression changed. With palpitations and panic in his eyes, he quickly calmed down again.
“Master, you didn’t want me to go with you, so you put me in charge of the team for the exchange conference?”
Long Shen didn’t answer directly, but said, “Wu Bingtian and Tang Jing will be with me. Don’t worry.”
Although Wu Bingtian was keener on officialdom than the other two directors, Dong Zhi had no doubt in his abilities. It was unnecessary to talk about Tang Jing. Both were far superior to the current him.
Long Shen often went out in the field because he liked to do it. Given his strength, he was probably one of the strongest people in the world. If this time, Wu Bingtian and Tang Jing were coming along, it must mean that Li Jing and the others couldn’t hold anymore.
Seeing that he was suspicious, Long Shen took the initiative to answer his doubts.
“Ding Lan’s soul lamp went out.”
When a practitioner was out, his master would light a soul lamp. Ding Lan’s master wasn’t from a major sect, so his soul lamp was sent to the Special Administration Bureau. If the soul lamp was extinguished, it meant the body was dead and the soul was gone, and there was no room for recovery.
“Then what of Li Ying and Yu Buhai?” Dong Zhi was no longer in a playful mood.
“Li Ying’s soul lamp is still on, but its light is much dimmed. Yu Buhai doesn’t have a soul lamp,” Long Shen said. Seeing Dong Zhi with a solemn expression, he added, “Don’t worry. We’re going over to investigate.”
Japan was the lair of Otowa Yasuhiko. Before Li Ying and the others went, they were prepared to sacrifice themselves and even wrote their last will. Among the three, Ding Lan and Yu Buhai weren’t fledglings. Dong Zhi even heard that if Yu Buhai wasn’t happy at his station, he would at least become a director of a branch or a deputy director of the General Administration. Although Li Ying had lighter qualifications, he wasn’t impulsive like Zhang Song. Surely when the three of them went to Japan, they were fully prepared with ample plans in place, but in the end, they still encountered unpredictable dangers.
Long Shen said, “During World War II, Otowa obtained the secrets of the stone tablet in China. He sent someone to search for information and bring it back to Japan. If he couldn’t bring them back, he would set fire and blow them up. Furthermore, he is reliant on the magical weapon within his body, which transformed him from a human to a demon. His power may be even greater than that of the previous Archfiend, or the phantom of Mara’s body.”
He didn’t want Dong Zhi to worry, but since the other party had already found out, he didn’t want to hide it any longer, so he directly told Dong Zhi what he knew and speculated.
Dong Zhi: “What about compared to the Wuzhiqi?”
Long Shen was silent for a moment and said, “I don’t know.”
Dong Zhi’s heart sank.
He quickly collected his thoughts and said with a smile, “Master, then also give me your soul lamp.”
“I don’t have a soul lamp.” Long Shen paused for a while, then said, “But I will inject my qi and soul into the Changshou Sword, so that you can sense my vitality.”
Naturally, if he died, Dong Zhi would feel it.
Only then did Dong Zhi realize that when Long Shen said he wanted to purify the Changshou Sword and took it from him, he had in fact had this plan long ago.
“Will this affect you?” He asked Long Shen.
“No, people have three souls and seven spirits, so missing one soul or spirit would not work, but I am not human. There will be no effect.”
Dong Zhi’s eyes reddened, and he lowered his head to push the sourness back while trying to maintain his usual relaxed and happy smile.
Long Shen liked to see him smile like this—lively and energetic.
“Don’t write a last will. I don’t want to receive it,” Dong Zhi said.
Long Shen nodded. “Then I won’t.”
Not writing a last will seemed to mean that he would come back.
Dong Zhi calmed down a bit. “When will you leave?”
Long Shen: “In a few days. I have to apply for forged documents and create a disguise.”
Dong Zhi understood that they had to forge documents and identities to enter the country, just as Fujikawa Aoi came here. Otherwise, as soon as they leave, the Japanese would already be on alert.
“Master, when this matter is over, you should stop taking jobs for a while.”
His master was a model worker. He almost never took annual leave on a yearly basis. If these annual leaves were accumulated, he could at least take a year and a half off.
Long Shen: “Okay.”
Dong Zhi cheered up a bit. “Then let’s go to Lijiang—no, Lugu Lake. It’s quiet and beautiful. I remember that there are several hotels that are built on top of Lugu Lake. We’ll rent a room with a lake view for half a year and sit on the balcony every day to watch the scenery and bask in the sun!”
Long Shen: “Okay.”
No matter what Dong Zhi said, Long Shen would agree. After settling down, Dong Zhi sat next to Long Shen on the sofa. He was so sleepy that he forgot what he said. He vaguely praised the yulu plant, which had not been watered all this time, saying that it was still alive and well. Then he heard Long Shen tell him not to talk to the yulu in the future and instead just tell him directly if he had anything to say. The voice became vague, and eventually Dong Zhi fell asleep.
Before falling asleep, a thought flashed in his mind. Long Shen seemed to have said that he would show him something when he returned, but he forgot what was said and everything became hazy.
Dong Zhi slept until dawn—a peaceful but dreamless night.
Tang Jing had arrived at the capital the next day and had a rendezvous with Long Shen. Together with Wu Bingtian, the three of them had a small meeting. Presumably, they were making plans to enter Japan. The meeting was held in private, and no one could enter. Except for a few people, including Dong Zhi, no one knew that they were going to Japan to complete an important but extremely dangerous mission.
Like Li Ying, except for a few leaders in the bureau, even his sister, Li Han’er, didn’t know that her brother’s life was uncertain.
On the other hand, Liu Qingbo and Liu Si arrived in Beijing soon after. The group of six was finally together.
Song Zhicun immediately summoned them together for a small meeting and told them the main purpose and process of the exchange conference.
Long Shen shook his head. “I’ll be fine after I get some sleep.”
After saying that and seeing that Dong Zhi was still worried, he stretched out his finger and pointed it at Dong Zhi’s brow. “Or you can probe?”
Dong Zhi blushed and stepped back to avoid it. “Don’t use this to change the subject.”
There was a little more smile in Long Shen’s eyes. “I’m not. The restorative power of an artifact spirit is already stronger than that of ordinary people. I’ve had some opportunities, so my energy will be better.”
Dong Zhi said solemnly, “But you’re not an immortal.”
Long Shen nodded. “Yes.”
Both inside and outside the Special Administration Bureau, many people regarded Long Shen as omnipotent and a powerful existence, but he wasn’t an immortal. He could still be injured and get fatigued.
But Long Shen didn’t need to be omnipotent to see the worry on Dong Zhi’s face.
Only this person truly regarded him as a person and would be concerned and worried. Long Shen was now slowly beginning to experience those feelings he had never felt before—they were soft and gentle, like a fluffy ball that was buried deep in his heart.
“I have a sense of proportion. Songen spent decades, but even with that, he only managed to open a hole in the abyss.”
After returning from Xianda, it was the first time Dong Zhi heard Long Shen talk about the passage to the abyss in detail. Hearing this, he asked, “If the energy opening the passage is large enough, can the Mara’s true body come out?”
Long Shen said, “In theory, it’s possible, but Songen can’t do it because there’s no entrance to the abyss in the first place. It was only his power going against the heavens. He collected souls to summon the demon’s qi, and after it condensed to a certain extent, he transplanted it into the abdomen of a human body, and that body was used to give birth to the demon fetus.”
Dong Zhi was stunned when he heard this. After he recovered, he couldn’t help but remain horrified. “He used a human abdomen as a passage?!”
Long Shen nodded. “When I went to that room, I saw the woman he used to give birth to the demon. Her belly was enlarged, as if she were seven or eight months pregnant. The demon fetus would soon be born. We were one step early and accidentally prompted the premature birth of the heavenly demon, so its strength wasn’t as good as expected. However, even if he were born as scheduled, Mara would only be a phantom split off from his real body. In the end, there’s a limit to Songen’s sorcery.”
“So it wasn’t difficult to seal the passage to the abyss. Don’t worry.”
After he finished speaking, Long Shen gently rubbed Dong Zhi’s smooth chin and applied heat with his fingertips. It seemed that through this method, both parties were given the same sense of security.
Long Shen began to understand why couples liked to express their love through hugs and kisses. It wasn’t necessarily out of lust, but because when they were in physical contact, the heat of the other party could convey their hearts and make each other feel dependent on that warmth. He was now slowly able to understand this behavior.
After thinking about this for a while, Long Shen hugged Dong Zhi, patted him on the back again, and repeated, “Don’t worry.”
The person in his arms was special to him.
At first, he was his only apprentice. He wanted Dong Zhi to grow up quickly and hoped that he wouldn’t be afraid of any storms. Later…
When thinking about Dong Zhi, he couldn’t help feeling happy in his heart. Long Shen once thought this was similar to the feeling Wu Bingtian and Song Zhicun had for their apprentice, but later he found out that it was different.
At the very least, he knew that when Wu Bingtian and Song Zhicun spoiled their favorite disciple, they wouldn’t have the idea of divine intercourse, kissing them, and hoping that they would walk with them for the rest of their lives.
Dong Zhi wasn’t moving and frowned slightly, feeling that something was wrong.
“Master, are you hiding something from me?”
“No, wait a moment before you go. Make sure to take a Shangqing pill and practice your kung fu tona before bed. Also, don’t miss your morning practice.” Long Shen said this in a flat tone, the same as in the past, and let go of Dong Zhi’s hand. He patted Dong Zhi’s waist and motioned for him to sit down.
Dong Zhi: “What about you?”
Long Shen returned with a puzzled expression, not understanding what he was talking about.
“During this time, you’re not going to leave the capital, right?” Dong Zhi tried to confirm.
“Yes. When I blocked off the passage to the abyss, I was swallowed by demonic qi, so I have to recuperate, just like you.”
Dong Zhi: “I remember when you were dealing with the bone dragon on Changbai Mountain, He Yu said you were injured. Have you recovered from your old injuries?”
Long Shen nodded. “After all, I am a transformed artifact spirit. My body is different from ordinary people, and my recovery speed is faster. Otherwise, the passage to the abyss wouldn’t have been sealed so quickly.”
Dong Zhi finally felt relieved and smiled. “You haven’t eaten tonight. Why don’t I order some barbecue?”
Long Shen wasn’t actually hungry but still agreed. This made Dong Zhi happier, and he quickly ordered barbecue takeout and beer from his phone, then ran downstairs to get them.
Dong Zhi was already prepared that his curse wouldn’t be lifted and that he would meet an untimely death. Now that he had survived such a catastrophe, he inevitably felt that he was quite fortunate to get his life back. He knew that Long Shen was a good drinker, so he dragged him to drink a lot of beer. He turned on a singing talent show and sang along with the singers on TV, singing love songs to Long Shen.
Listening to Dong Zhi’s singing for half the song, Long Shen was able to follow and hum a few lines. It must mean that Long Shen was probably in a good mood. Otherwise, he would never make a sound.
Dong Zhi almost thought his master had been swapped.
“Master, have you never sung a song before? I remember He Yu likes to invite people to karaoke.”
Long Shen shook his head. “I have never gone with them. If I don’t sound good, then I won’t sing.”
“No, no, no!” Dong Zhi hurriedly spoke while holding Long Shen’s face and giving him a sincere look. “It’s very nice. Your voice is very suitable for this song. I’ve just never heard you sing before. Can you sing it again, yeah?”
His apprentice’s soft tone sounded in his ear. Long Shen looked at Dong Zhi’s tipsy eyes and smiled.
If you’re the fireworks at sea, Then I’m the foam of the waves. For a moment, your light illuminated me. If you’re a distant galaxy, It’s so dazzling that you make people cry, My eyes are chasing after you, Always looking at the night sky when I’m lonely.
… …
Long Shen had an excellent memory. After only listening to it once, he could sing all the words. There was some mistake in his pitch or tone, but Dong Zhi didn’t care about this. He rested his forehead on Long Shen’s shoulder and hummed softly.
He didn’t have to think about it. This must be the first time Long Shen opened his mouth to sing. His master hadn’t broken many things in his life, and almost all of them should be for him. Dong Zhi felt that even a few years or even decades later, he would never forget what happened today.
However, in the end, he still couldn’t listen to Long Shen finish the song. Because he was fatigued and under the influence of alcohol, he fell asleep halfway through hearing it.
“Go back to bed and sleep.” Long Shen patted Dong Zhi on the cheek.
Dong Zhi let out a confused mumble and moved slightly but failed to open his eyes.
Seeing him like this, Long Shen knew that he was tired and didn’t bother to rouse him again. He picked him up and placed Dong Zhi in his bed, then covered him with a blanket.
The wine wasn’t intoxicating, but Long Shen felt a bit tipsy. Perhaps the atmosphere was too good. It was different from the time at the seaside, and also different from the heavy thoughts on the eve before they fought Songen. At this moment, peace and beauty, calm and realness, were feelings that Long Shen had never thought of. Even if he didn’t say anything, looking at Dong Zhi’s sleeping face, he could feel a faint joy in his heart.
He used to guard the world, but the world was vast, and eventually human became just a broad term. Now, there was an exact object from that vague concept. Dong Zhi was part of the world but also independent from it. The two weren’t contradictory, but they were an unexpected surprise.
Unconsciously, Long Shen leaned his head on the bed and fell asleep for a while. When he woke up again, the clock on the wall displayed midnight.
Long Shen looked sideways and found Dong Zhi dreaming in full swing. The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, which meant he was probably dreaming of something good.
Long Shen pulled the blanket that had slipped off the other party’s shoulder, quietly got out of bed, and walked through the mess of cups and plates in the living room and left the dorm room.
Time passed slowly on the rooftop. At this moment, the scenery was still reflecting the haze of the autumn water. Long Shen waved his hand, causing the haze to fly away, and the day instantly changed into night. Countless stars twinkled, illuminating the night sky.
“The sunset is infinitely good. Why did you change it to night?” A voice came from behind the rocks. Long Shen glanced over and saw Zong Ling.
“I didn’t know you were here,” Long Shen said. “Should I restore it?”
“Forget it.” Zong Ling waved her hand. “I just want to come up and get some air. The scenery is all the same. Is Xiao Dong Zhi okay?”
Long Shen nodded. “The curse has been lifted, and he’s safe and sound.”
Zong Ling looked at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “You reconciled? Are you not angry with him anymore?”
Long Shen hummed softly.
Zong Ling smiled again. “What did I tell you? Don’t disappoint your heart. I’m very happy that you listened to it. Life’s too short, but the lifespan of monsters and spirits is too long. They often don’t know how to cherish it. When they finally react, it’s already too late.”
Long Shen arched his hand towards her and silently expressed his gratitude.
Without Zong Ling’s enlightenment, it was indeed very likely he wouldn’t be able to take that next step until now, or perhaps even much later.
“Is Zong Lao in a bad mood?”
Zong Ling had lived for thousands of years, and her state of mind wasn’t comparable to anyone’s. Seeing that she was here in the middle of the night, Long Shen guessed that there was something troubling her.
“No, I was just looking at my fate,” Zong Ling said slowly.
Long Shen’s heart jumped.
Seeing his solemn expression, Zong Ling smiled instead. “Even the celestials have their decline. All life cycles have ups and downs. I have lived for so long. If I lived longer than the heavens, isn’t that abnormal?”
Long Shen was silent for a moment. “We met with Boss Che in Yinchuan before, and he said that his lifespan is approaching.”
Zong Ling sighed. “If he has no will to live, no matter how long his life is destined to be, it will be useless. I’m different from him. After I became human, I lived for thousands of years, and it was time for me to enter the reincarnation process for exhausted gods. Originally, I wanted to go to Japan in person, but I didn’t know when my strength would be completely exhausted, and I didn’t dare to hold anyone back. Otowa Yasuhiko has bewitched others and been hiding for decades. Although Yu Buhui and Ding Lan are strong, I’m afraid they are not a match for Otowa.”
Long Shen said, “I’ll go.”
Zong Ling was surprised but immediately vetoed. “No, it’s too risky with you alone!”
Long Shen: “There’s also Wu Bingtian and Tang Jing. They will come also.”
Zong Ling’s expression was solemn. “In fact, I have always suspected that the reason why Otowa Yasuhiko was able to become a demon was perhaps because he got hold of a certain magic artifact and managed to crack its secrets. Doing so, he’s able to obtain a steady stream of power from it, so he could afford to be unscrupulous. If this is the case, this person will be harder to deal with than any monsters or demons you have encountered before. Unfortunately, this was during the time when I was dormant and didn’t walk around the world. Otherwise, I would have noticed it much earlier.”
Long Shen nodded. “Not only that, but we also suspect the reason he wants to destroy the stone tablet is most likely to completely open the passage to the abyss. You are the longest living being in this world. Do you know anything about the demon seal back then?”
Zong Ling smiled bitterly. “Xiankun and the others have already asked me this question several times. The history of the demon seal is longer than my own lifespan. At that time, I was ignorant, only knowing to wake up in the summer and hibernate in the winter. When I took form, it was past the period when the ancient gods emerged and the great powers fell and retreated one after another. At that time, I was still a little-known monster. Who would tell me about the rise and fall of the demon seal? The gods, Buddhas, and demons became myths, and the great wars of the past became legends. The existence of the stone tablets is even more unknown. Perhaps a few words had been passed down, but I’m not privy to this.”
“However, when I was a child, I heard my parents say that there were several great wars in ancient times. In one of them, a demon god was born and almost destroyed the world. Later, the place where the three realms met was completely sealed, and the spiritual energy of the world gradually depleted. Because of this, you should have noticed that after the Tang and Song dynasties, there were fewer and fewer records of immortal ascensions. It wasn’t because of the degradation of human spiritual intelligence, but because of the weakening of the world’s spiritual energy.”
If the demon seal composed of the stone tablets were the bind that led into the abyss of hell, it was understandable that Otowa Yasuhiko would try everything possible to destroy them—he wanted to release a demon that was more powerful than a sneaky yaksha, than an Archfiend, and even the phantom of Mara. Perhaps it could be the complete body of Mara, or maybe the demon god in the abyss. Zong Ling had no way of knowing.
She raised her head. Clouds had floated over at some point, covering the gleaming stars and darkening the world. The wind and rain were about to come.
A huge crisis was looming, and her lifespan was approaching. What could she do for this world?
Even if the world was full of human desires and the cruelty and viciousness of human nature were often worse than those of demons, this was the world that gave birth to her; a place where her beloved once existed, as well as Long Shen and Dong Zhi. Countless people she had high hopes for. Zong Ling didn’t want to see them destroyed.
“I’m going to find Che Bai and go to Kunlun with him to find the eye of the array,” Zong Ling said.
She turned around and looked at Long Shen. “If you get news about the array, notify us immediately.”
“Yes.” Long Shen paused. It was rare that he showed hesitation. “I don’t want to tell Dong Zhi about this for the time being. Please keep it a secret for me.”
Zong Ling was slightly surprised. “Why?”
Long Shen said, “He’s about to lead the team at the exchange conference. I don’t want him to be distracted by it.”
Zong Ling immediately saw through his thoughts. “You’re just afraid that he will be worried. If he knows, he’ll definitely ask to go with you. You don’t want him to take risks. Long Shen, you finally have the selfishness to protect someone. If you treat him as an apprentice, you should want him to face the storm even more. Even if he loses his head and his life, it must be in order to live up to his original intention.”
Was it like this?
Long Shen couldn’t refute it.
Indeed, it was.
The experience and competition of the exchange conference were also life-threatening, but he believed Dong Zhi could cope.
Just like when they went to find Songen, Long Shen didn’t say anything, but he was sure, so he took Dong Zhi with him.
But during this trip to Japan, Long Shen wasn’t sure he could protect him.
“I’m sorry,” he said to Zong Ling.
There was a slight compassion in Zong Ling’s eyes. “You don’t need to apologize. This is natural. If you love someone, you will hope that they are safe and sound. Even if you are rolling in a sea of swords and flames, you don’t want him to even touch half a spark.”
Dong Zhi didn’t know what happened last night. When he woke up, Long Shen was beside him, sleeping peacefully.
For fear of waking him up, Dong Zhi quietly opened the blanket and prepared to get out of bed, but as soon as his body moved, Long Shen woke up.
“Master, are you going to work today?”
Long Shen’s voice was a little drowsy and lazy. “No need.”
Dong Zhi smiled and gave him a good morning kiss. This was a habit that developed after his confession. At first, Long Shen felt it was a bit too raw, but now it felt natural. When Dong Zhi leaned over, Long Shen raised his chin slightly to accept it.
“Then sleep more! I’ll go to the rooftop for my morning session before you nag me again.” Dong Zhi quickly put on his clothes and went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth.
From the moment he woke up, the picture seemed to come alive. Long Shen stared at the background until it disappeared before closing his eyes again.
Dong Zhi stayed on the rooftop for a full two hours.
He still had a plaster wrapped around one hand, but this didn’t affect his performance. The Changshou Sword was temporarily taken away, but Long Shen gave him the Qingzhu Sword again, allowing him to use it when he practiced.
The Qingzhu Sword was also an old friend to Dong Zhi, and it felt natural in his hand, but what surprised him the most was the change in his body.
After the ghost-faced peach blossom curse was lifted, his ability seemed to have also increased by a level. The most obvious contrast was the qi that he managed to draw from the sword. The power of the qi was much greater than before, and the time it took to summon heavenly thunder seemed to have been shortened.
Dong Zhi was clear about his own situation. He knew that he was talented and had worked hard to keep making progress, but this kind of progress was orderly, like climbing stairs, one step at a time, but it seemed this time he had taken two steps at once, as he felt it wasn’t as difficult as before.
He thought for a moment and finally believed the root cause should have been when Che Bai helped him suppress the curse; it seemed to have also benefited his body.
Now that the curse was lifted, the threat alarm in his body stopped sounding, so naturally he could exert 100% of his abilities.
With the qi gathered, he cut a rainbow arc in the air, and a big stone not far away quickly cracked before it split in half with a loud bang.
Before Dong Zhi could give birth to a sense of accomplishment, his stomach growled shamelessly.
Regardless of whether he was a sword master or an immortal, eating was his first priority.
When he returned to the dorm, Long Shen was no longer there. The bed was neatly made, as if no one had slept on it, and even the upper and lower creases of the blanket were in complete parallel. Dong Zhi suspected his master might’ve been in the army before; otherwise, he wouldn’t have such a strong OCD.
He sent a message to Long Shen asking him where he was and got a reply a few moments later, saying that he was in a meeting and that breakfast was already made in the kitchen and he could help himself to it.
Long Shen did say he didn’t need to go to work today, but he didn’t say that he would have a meeting. Dong Zhi thought about this helplessly as he made his way towards the kitchen to find breakfast. Soy milk and fried dough sticks were on the table. While a common breakfast, the soy milk and dough sticks were kept warm on the rice cooker. When Dong Zhi took a bite, the meat-stuffed buns were still hot.
He began to live a life of being fed the day after entering cohabitation.
Dong Zhi nestled comfortably on the sofa and took out his phone to start reading information—he had to change to a temporary phone card when he went abroad, and only now, after he returned, did he have spare time to use his cellphone.
When he used to work for the game company, he would only use it to play games or paint. Sometimes, when he had to work overtime and it was too late to go home, he would spend the night in the company’s lounge, grab his phone, and play games in the middle of the night before falling asleep. Later, he gradually got tired of this kind of life. In addition, their project manager was constantly nitpicking all day long and kept making repeated demands. Dong Zhi reached his breaking point, resigned, and, on a whim, decided to go on a trip.
But when he looked back at the life he was tired of at that time, he couldn’t help but think it was a kind of comfort and happiness. Only after experiencing so many near-death experiences did he learn to cherish the short-term peace now.
Except for him and Long Shen, the others in Group 2 were still on the field. Dong Zhi sent a message to the Group 2 chat saying he had returned to Beijing. He Yu and Kan Chaosheng started screaming, while Zhong Yuyi, with his slow reflex, took a while to reply. He Yu hadn’t seen him in a long time and started posting a few photos, saying that he was looking for the whereabouts of the stone tablet near Zijin Mountain, while Kan Chaosheng said he swam the Qinhuai River a few times but found no trace of any stone tablets.
Dong Zhi told them about how he and Long Shen managed to kill the phantom of the heavenly demon in Xianda Village. He Yu reacted quickly and said that the boss must have guessed that this heavenly demon wasn’t a true heavenly demon, so he only took the four of them to kill it.
It was likely that He Yu didn’t have much chance to speak when he was out on the field, as he flooded the chat endlessly with his ramblings. He didn’t even bother to type those words out and instead just sent large paragraphs of voice messages.
He Yu: “According to my guess, the stone tablets we’re looking for now should be related to the abyss. This is why Otowa Yasuhiko is so emboldened and didn’t cooperate with Songen. It’s because he has an even bigger ace up his sleeve!”
His voice was accompanied by the sound of wind, full of smugness and confidence, and it was the familiar Lao He in Dong Zhi’s impression.
Dong Zhi thought for a while and found that what he said was reasonable.
Yamamoto Kiyoshi was Fujikawa Aoi’s martial brother who defected from his teacher and ran to Southeast Asia to buddy up with Songen. He was determined to serve the heavenly demon with all his heart. Since Fujikawa Aoi was Otowa Yasuhiko’s lackey, it was impossible for Otowa not to know about this, but he chose not to join forces with Songen and instead became just a spectator. It could be seen that Otowa didn’t take Songen’s movement seriously. He firmly believed that what he was doing was for the greater cause.
He had been planning for so many years, from after World War II to the present. His secrets were still unknown, and until now, the conspiracy had gradually surfaced. Yu Buhui, Li Ying, and Ding Lang had gone to Japan, but could they really kill Otowa and stop all this?
Dong Zhi realized it would be difficult.
Thinking of last night, he found Long Shen’s attitude quite abnormal, and this made Dong Zhi’s heart thump.
He hurriedly said to He Yu, “Lao He, I can’t chat anymore. I have something to do. See you later!
He Yu: “??? Where are you going?!”
Dong Zhi didn’t bother to reply to him. Poor He Yu. He finally caught someone to talk to, but Dong Zhi had already run away.
Dong Zhi lost his leisurely move just now. He put on his coat and ran upstairs. He ran all the way to the outside of the conference room. The heavy door had cut off all sounds, and it wasn’t easy for him to push in the door and disturb the meeting, so Dong Zhi could only linger outside and wait.
Finally, the door opened, and a strange man and woman came out. When the two sides met, both were stunned.
The author has something to say:
In fact, Long Shen has been growing up, but Dong Zhi tempers his physical will, so what he perceives is the state of mind. Master shoulders morality and justice with a pair of iron shoulders, but now there are small fireworks in his world~
Wu Bingtian wiped his face, as if intending to erase the fatigue of staying up late.
“I haven’t had time to tell you. The day before yesterday, I had a meeting with Zong Lao and Zhang Lao. They all agree that the eye of the array should be on Mount Kunlun. However, Mount Kunlun is too big. The exact location can’t be determined yet. We can only start little by little. Zong Lao and Zhang Lao have rushed over and participated in the search as well.”
Mount Kunlun wasn’t just a mountain but an endless range of mountains. It was regarded as the ancestor of ten thousand mountains of China and the starting point for all dragon veins. Numerous myths and legends originated there and had never been cut off since ancient times, so it was indeed likely that was where the eye of the array was located.
However, this place had 19 peaks that were 6,000 kilometers tall, and the snow caps didn’t melt all year. Not only that, but there were also deep caves and trails that no one had ever set foot in before. If they were to search them one by one, it would take at least five years, not to mention the countless natural wonders out there.
Long Shen asked, “Are there any news from Ding Lan and the others?”
Wu Bingtian shook his head. “I told them to put their own safety first, and they don’t need to keep in touch unless it’s extremely critical.”
Li Ying lacked experience, but he wasn’t the leader of this three-person operation. With Ding Lan and Yu Buhui, they could act according to the circumstances. However, Otowa Yasuhiko had been in business for many years, so it was impossible to not expect anyone to come to his door. Ding Lan and others had to act calmly as there were many hidden dangers.
Long Shen turned his head and said to Dong Zhi, “Go back and rest first.”
Dong Zhi had listened to them this entire time and heard a lot of news but couldn’t assist in any way. Seeing that the atmosphere was turning solemn, he felt uncomfortable. He nodded and got up when he heard Long Shen’s words.
“Wait.”
Song Zhicun stopped him and handed over a folder. “This is the information from the exchange conferences in previous years. Take a look at it. When everyone gathers, I’ll say a few things, but you’ll have to come up with the specific division of labor on your own.”
Dong Zhi was taken aback. He thought the candidate for team leader was only verbal and had to go through a specific assessment, but after hearing Song Zhicun’s meaning, it seemed a foregone conclusion.
He subconsciously looked at Long Shen, who nodded slightly with encouraging eyes.
Dong Zhi suddenly showed composure and courage. He took the documents and said goodbye to Song Zhicun and the others before leaving.
Watching him gently walk to the door, Song Zhicun finally showed a smile that had been missing for a few days.
“Your apprentice did a good job. I regret it a bit now. If I had rushed to grab his hand from you, perhaps he would be calling me master today.”
Wu Bingtian chuckled. “Really? I thought he didn’t eat anything cooked by people*. It turns out that his heart wasn’t move, but he met someone who moved it.”
*(不食人間煙火) Idiom has a few meanings but refers to the Daoist belief that celestial beings never eat cooked food. This later on is used to describe a person who has other-worldly qualities similar to those of celestial beings, but it could also mean being out of touch with reality. || In this context, Wu Bingtian is jokingly saying he thought Long Shen didn’t touch things that were mortal, as his heart is unmoved by them, but it turns out that he touched things that moved his heart (Dong Zhi).
Although these words were easy to misunderstand, what they were teasing about was actually just the matter of accepting disciples.
Long Shen smiled slightly, and his brows loosened a bit. He had no intention of actively mentioning his relationship with Dong Zhi, but he wouldn’t deliberately conceal it either.
“Dong Zhi is really good.”
Song Zhicun smiled again. “I was worried before. As soon as Li Ying left, Dong Zhi was cursed. Liu Qingbo and Zhang Song aren’t capable of taking on the responsibility of leading the team. If that didn’t work out, we would’ve had to re-select people again. Now it’s fine. Dong Zhi has worked with Liu Qingbo a few times. With him, who can restrain Liu Qingbo, Zhang Song should be a cinch.”
Wu Bingtian added, “After they come back from this exchange, we can put a heavier burden on them.”
The three of them took advantage of this topic to relax for a while. Long Shen talked about the result of his meeting with Carlos and the others in Bangkok.
“The remnant qi of the heavenly demon may take advantage of this exchange to mix in with the practitioners. I suggest sending two more people to the team to replace Li Ying.”
Wu Bingtian said, “This is fine. I will find suitable candidates as soon as possible. How about Chi Banxia?”
She had been accepted as Song Zhicun’s apprentice, so naturally he had more say on this issue.
Song Zhicun shook his head and said, “She’s not suitable at this moment. The most important thing for this kind of experience is team cooperation. She and Li Ying are in love. I’m afraid with Li Ying’s life and death right now on the line, she’s too concerned and may not be able to concentrate on the competition.”
Dong Zhi didn’t know what Long Shen and others would discuss next. After he left the conference room, he went back to the dorms.
He hadn’t been back here for more than half a year. The mattresses were still stacked up where he left them, still neat and deserted, but the tables and chairs weren’t covered with dust. There was a gap in the window, and the pots and plants on the windowsill were also well taken care of. When he looked at the coffee table again, there was a note saying: [The cat is being watched at the pet shop at 175 North Point Lane. The foster care fee has already been paid for half a year.]
This should have been written by Long Shen before he went to Shencheng. At that time, he probably felt he wouldn’t have returned so soon, so the note was probably for the person entrusted to read it.
Dong Zhi paused for a moment to reflect. The two of them had met again in Shencheng and then went to Hainan before going to Thailand and Myanmar to kill Songen and eliminate the demon. Accidents happened one after another, so when he looked at this note and recalled what had transpired, he found that he had experienced quite a lot.
When he went from the capital to Lucheng, he had already been prepared to not return to Beijing for several years. After confessing to Long Shen, he felt he would never come back in his life. Who would have expected that life would always turn around and miracles would occur? The feelings that he thought were hopeless were responded to by the sea in Sanya. Being here again, it was inevitable that he would have the illusion that these things were a lifetime away.
There was no need to clean up. Dong Zhi sat down at the desk and decided to call Liu Qingbo first.
When the line connected, the other party didn’t even give him a chance to speak as a flurry of questions bombarded him. “Where are you now? Have you returned? Did you solve the curse? Is Boss Long with you?”
Dong Zhi couldn’t laugh or cry. “Which question do you want me to answer?”
Liu Qingbo quipped back, “All Of them, one by one!”
“Okay, okay, okay,” Dong Zhi replied good-naturedly. “I’m in the capital now. My curse has been lifted. The exchange conference is about to be held, and I’m injured. Master asked me not to go back and forth, so I’ll recuperate in the capital and wait for you to come. When will you be coming?”
Liu Qingbo said, “In two days. Mu Duo wants to report the situation here through video chat. Is it convenient now?”
“Sure!” Dong Zhi was just about to ask, yet the other party took the initiative and brought it up.
The two hung up and used the communication software to start video calling. Dong Zhi quickly saw Mu Duo and Zhang Chong on the other side. Nothing had changed. Zhang Chong was still carefree and happy, Mu Duo was just the same as before, and Liu Qingbo naturally still had airs of a young master.
“The Lucheng branch has worked hard during my absence. When I return, I’ll treat everyone to a meal,” Dong Zhi said sincerely.
Liu Qingbo rolled his eyes. “We have worked so hard for so long, and that’s only worth a meal?”
Dong Zhi smiled. “Then what do you want? Except for my body, I can agree to anything.”
Liu Qingbo scoffed. “Cut the shit! Let Mu Duo tell you about what happened during this time!”
Hearing this, Dong Zhi knew that his deputy director was probably a handful during this time.
Liu Qingbo had never had the patience to deal with specific affairs, let alone cumbersome interpersonal contacts, so no matter how capable he was, he would never be able to lead a team like Li Ying or Dong Zhi. Either he could be a lone ranger, or he could only be led. This was also his shortcoming.
There was no shortage of lone rangers in the Special Administration Bureau. Most people could take the lead alone, but there weren’t many who could lead. During this session, Li Ying was the favored one, and now there was also Dong Zhi.
Mu Duo began to report on the work progress to Dong Zhi.
The milk tea shop had been renovated and was open for business. Unfortunately, business wasn’t booming, so the first month was a loss, but after it stabilized, it could basically make ends meet. In fact, this was just a cover for the office to be hidden from the world. No one expected it to make money, and all profits would be used for the operations of the office.
The initial proposal by Dong Zhi was good. The location was close to a school, and students often came to buy drinks. Mu Duo and Zhang Chong were busy at times, so they hired two young men to help. On the pretext that the shop owner was a novelist who liked to collect supernatural stories, they often communicated with customers to collect rumors. During this exchange, if they heard anything strange, whether it was true or false, Mu Duo would screen the stories.
She was, after all, meticulous. Among the gossip, Mu Duo found some abnormalities. Finally, it was discovered that there was a transnational drug smuggling case. After it was handed over to the relevant departments, they cooperated with them and arrested the drug dealers. During the bust, there was even a gunfight. A policeman was almost injured. Luckily, Liu Qingbo was there at the time and managed to block the bullet with his sword. Seeing how his sword was faster than a bullet, everyone looked at him as if he were an alien.
For this matter, the office received praise from the top and thanks from their sister departments. Wu Bingtian believed that this method of concealment in Lucheng was worth promoting throughout the world’s offices, so he frequently asked them to write summaries of their experiences. Naturally, Liu Qingbo was impatient to do this, and Zhang Chong’s writing disgusted Mu Duo, so she had been writing summaries until she was about to vomit.
When Dong Zhi heard what had transpired, he was stunned. He didn’t expect so many things to happen in the office after he left for a short time. In this way, it seemed that he was more incompetent than a “negligent” leader.
Mu Duo saw his apologetic face and laughed. “These changes are only after you came to the office. We would still be a lifeless office if it weren’t for you. Director, when you go to the exchange, you must fight and get some face for our office!”
Dong Zhi pointed to Liu Qingbo. “With Deputy Director Liu here, there will be no problem.”
Dong Zhi then said to Mu Duo and Zhang Chong, “Since Lao Liu and I will not be in Lucheng, if you have anything, you should report it to Boss Tang. Don’t try to take it on yourself. I’ll send some sunlight talismans later. Put them on your body to drive away evil spirits and calm your mind if you don’t have any use for them.”
Mu Duo recognized his generosity and immediately expressed her gratitude, wishing them good luck on their journey and a safe return.
Not all practitioners were from extraordinary origins like Liu Qingbo, who was so arrogant that they didn’t even bother to engage with others. After all, there were those who went to extremes, such as Cheng Yuan. There were many, like Xiao Qi and Yan Nuo, who were more capable than ordinary people, but were also influenced by human nature. They would be afraid or jealous and push back or procrastinate. Naturally, such a personality wouldn’t achieve anything great.
For a few years after Mu Duo entered the Special Administration Bureau, she went from being ambitious to being so indifferent that she had considered resigning; in the end, she met Dong Zhi.
This young man was tender and inexperienced, but he was smart and studious. These were the necessary qualities to become an excellent practitioner. What was even more rare was that he was willing to take responsibility when things happened and didn’t hog the credit afterwards. On the contrary, he was willing to share it with them.
Mu Duo felt that working with such a person was like a spring breeze. If she had to add a comparison, she had to say that Dong Zhi was much stronger than Yan Nuo and Xiao Qi. Only such a person could truly lead everyone forward and make people willing to follow him, even through heaven and hell, life and death.
Dong Zhi said a few more words to Liu Qingbo before ending the call. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the information that Song Zhicun had handed over when he left just now.
The full name of the World Exchange Conference was actually the World Unknown Field Cultural Exchange Conference. It began after WWII but was not held on a regular basis every two years. It had been suspended several times due to some reason or another. Nowadays, once every two years, the executive council of each member country takes a turn hosting.
The so-called unknown field of cultural exchange was actually a general term for the practitioner world. It was a term that was all-encompassing, including Taoism, witchcraft, yin and yang techniques of the East, psychic spiritualism, demon hunting, voodoo, and the like. Many practitioners were naturally willing to take this opportunity to enhance their understanding and expand their influence.
Today, the exchange conference was actually an arena for practitioners from all over the world. Many unknown practitioners had gone on to become world famous after leaving here. Naturally, some fell and lost their lives.
Teams from various countries or regions were generally organized to participate in the conference. Individuals weren’t allowed. China had participated five times, of which Long Shen was included as a team leader once but did not participate in the competition.
Seeing this, Dong Zhi couldn’t help but smile.
He knew why Long Shen didn’t participate—simply because he was too strong. Once this man joined, there would be no chance of anyone else winning. As a senior member of the Special Administration Bureau, Long Shen didn’t actually need to be in the limelight. Carlos obviously knew a bit about Long Shen’s abilities, which was why he regretted not being able to see the skills of Long Shen’s apprentice with his own eyes.
With Long Shen’s ability, even if he didn’t deliberately show it, it was destined that it couldn’t be hidden in the crowd. Dong Zhi could imagine, in the years he wasn’t able to participate in Long Shen’s past, what a dazzling light this man had shed and how heartbreaking his strength and tenacity were.
On Changbai Mountain, Long Shen still had old wounds on his body, yet he was still able to fight the bone dragon. This time, he even sealed the passage to the abyss with his own strength. It was no wonder he dared to break into Songen’s lair with just his apprentice. Even though Dong Zhi could be considered his closest, he still couldn’t explore the limit of what this man’s strength was.
He had already missed a lot of the former Long Shen but would not miss Long Shen’s future for the rest of his lifetime.
Dong Zhi’s fingertips rubbed the familiar name as he continued to look at the folder.
He Yu had participated once, but he didn’t see Kan Chaosheng. This was not because of his lack of abilities, but most likely because the Special Administration Bureau feared that Kan Chaosheng didn’t have enough self-control and, in some cases, would expose his true body, causing unnecessary trouble.
He Yu took part in it on the Siberian ice fields at the time. Participants needed to fight against strange beasts in the snow and eventually get the items designated by the organization. That time, He Yu and the others were able to achieve the final victory. He had participated with Zhang Heng and Yu Buhui. The appearance of these familiar names meant that the stars were shining during that time.
After that, the last exchange was a competition held in Africa, where black magic was prevalent. Everyone fought in an environment full of witchcraft and traps, with the United States ultimately coming out victorious. Dong Zhi took a look at the people who participated last year and saw two acquaintances from the Northeast Branch, Zheng Sui and Wang Jinguan.
Naturally, Lao Zheng and Wang Jie weren’t newcomers who had just joined the special administration bureau. Being in the Special Administration Bureau for so long, Dong Zhi had developed a deep understanding and knew they weren’t the elites of the Special Administration. The fact that they participated last time meant there were no great talents that year, so they had to temporarily fill the participants.
It was said that this time, there would be even more teams participating than ever before, so by allowing Dong Zhi to participate, the Special Administration Bureau hoped that they would win this year.
When Dong Zhi closed the file, he breathed a soft sigh of relief.
He never thought that he could take on the responsibility of leading the team. This trust came too suddenly, and he only felt a heavy weight on his body, diluting the sense of honor and happiness that he should be feeling.
Liu Qingbo, Zhang Song, and Liu Si were all considered future elites by the Special Administration Bureau. They had performed equally well in training and actual combat. If there was no accident, the future of the Special Administration would belong to them. A year ago, he didn’t even dare think that such a position would also be his own.
At first, he was attracted to the “beauty”, and then he was retained by the magnificence of the new world. He could no longer move his eyes from it. He was originally self-aware and felt that, at best, he would become an ordinary staff member in logistics in the Special Administration Bureau. Just having the chance to look at his male god from time to time would be enough satisfaction, but every time something happened, he wanted to try his best. He didn’t want others to look down on him, and he wanted to feel worthy of himself. So step by step, he got to where he was today. When he looked back, he couldn’t help but laugh.
He had walked all the way only looking at the front, walking on thin ice and trembling, but when he suddenly looked back, he found that he had inadvertently sprinkled a large number of seeds. Those seeds had broken through the soil and blossomed before his eyes, bringing about unexpected joy that could be considered a reward from heaven.
Dong Zhi was full of anxiety. He was worried that Zhang Song’s temperament would not accept him and that it would be difficult to integrate into the team. He was also worried they would not be able to win the competition this time. They would lose face not only for the Special Administration Bureau but for their country as well, but now that the matter had been settled, he didn’t think about shirking or evading and instead began to plan what to do and how to do it well.
After his return, he didn’t rest much, so he fell asleep on the table before he knew it.
A cold wind blew from outside the window, causing Dong Zhi to sneeze. He rubbed his eyes and found that an hour had passed.
The dorm outside was quiet, which meant Long Shen hadn’t come back yet. He put on his coat and went out for dinner first, then would pick up Longlong on the way back.
He hadn’t seen it in more than half a year. Longlong had grown up and was well-groomed. The advantages of a white cat were now fully revealed. When Dong Zhi saw its round and innocent face, he almost told the pet shop owner that they had given him the wrong cat.
“When Mr. Long brought it here, he specifically specified a certain brand of cat food. We have been feeding it one can per week during this time. We just gave him a physical exam last week, and everything looks healthy.” The clerk smiled and handed over the results of the physical examination. After seeing the results, Dong Zhi marveled at their meticulous care.
Of course, such meticulous care came at a high price. Dong Zhi found that the cat food they had been feeding Longlong was exactly the one he had bought before he left.
Long Shen’s thoughtfulness was usually not easily noticed by others.
After confirming his identity, the shopkeeper praised Longlong’s breed and his good behavior with the other cats. She even remembered Long Shen’s appearance and mistakenly thought Dong Zhi was Long Shen’s younger brother, saying that both siblings were so good-looking that it was hard to forget.
Dong Zhi didn’t bother rectifying it and just laughed at the shopkeeper’s compliment. Before leaving, the shopkeeper gave him a generous 20% discount and a free bag of cat food so that he would use their service here next time.
When Dong Zhi left the pet store, he held the cage and said to Longlong inside, “I had to sacrifice my appearance for your cat food.”
Longlong meowed, stretched out its fat paw, and rested it on Dong Zhi’s hand, as if he hadn’t forgotten his cheap owner.
Dong Zhi nodded. “I’m taking you back to see your other master.”
As night fell, one person and one cat returned to the Special Administration Bureau.
Long Shen had already returned. The door to his dorm room was ajar, and light was streaming out from inside.
“Master?” Dong Zhi opened the door and poked his head in.
“Your back.” Long Shen had just come out of the bathroom. From a few meters away, Dong Zhi could feel the moisture exuding from Long Shen’s body.
“I picked up Longlong.”
Dong Zhi opened the cage and let the cat out. Longlong wasn’t afraid at all. He walked around their legs a few times and curled his tail up and down their legs.
“Leave the Changshou Sword with me for now. During this time, it accompanied you through many hard battles. The sword’s body will inevitably be polluted. I’ll take it to have it purified and return it to you later,” Long Shen said.
Dong Zhi naturally had no objection. Even if Long Shen didn’t explain it, as long as he asked him for it, Dong Zhi would not hesitate to give him the sword. There was a trust between them that didn’t need to be expressed.
“Master, when you blocked off the abyss passage, were you also injured? I’m not going to leave right away, so it’s okay to release the Changshou Sword in advance.”
Kinky Translations 