Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 13

Not far away, Dong Zhi discovered a familiar object lying among the rubble. It was He Yu’s fluffy bear backpack. He ran over, took the bag into his hand, and opened it, hoping to find cinnabar and yellow paper. Seeing the contents inside, he was overjoyed. Using the method that He Yu had taught him, he scribbled on the yellow paper and drew sunlight talismans.

His hands trembled slightly, and the more he wanted to draw well, the more he couldn’t. Trying to calm himself down, he ignored thoughts like “that big spider is scary” or “He Yu is about to become a cauliflower”. Isolating himself from the outside world, he put the backpack on the ground and the paper on top of it, and sat cross-legged while holding a pen, no longer distracted.

The ground was still shaking slightly, as sounds from the dragon could be heard from time to time in the cave, and the thunder and lightning never stopped. It was inconceivable what kind of fierce battle was happening inside.

With Long Shen holding the tide, the dragon corpse wouldn’t be able to make any waves for now, but Fujikawa Aoi was an unknown variable. Lao Zheng would not be able to stop him, and if he wanted the dragon corpse, conflict was bound to rise between the two parties…

He Yu was anxious, but he had to brace himself to deal with Kitaichi Eiko, who was in front of him now.

“Does this little beauty have a boyfriend? Your Shinto sect doesn’t prohibit witches from falling in love, right? Japanese men are all so short. Do you want to consider this brother?”

He Yu flashed past the white silk that was spit out by the spider and drew out a short dagger, hiding it behind his backhand, as he moved towards Kitaichi Eiko. Although he had an aloof smile on his face, his intentions were quite the opposite.

“I remember you onmyojis can get married and have children, but as a witch, don’t you have to dedicate your life to Amatarasu*?”

*Goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology.

Even though she knew that He Yu was deliberately provoking her, she couldn’t help feeling irritated and said angrily, “Amaterasu is a woman!”

“Then you can also be a lily*!” He Yu said with a smile, and while the opponent was distracted, he aimed his dagger at her left rib.

*It’s a euphemism for girl love/lesbians.

Kitaichi Eiko quickly dodged, and with a wave of her fan, the spider quickly crawled behind He Yu, raising its sharp fangs, intending to bite into his back. If He Yu wanted to avoid the attack, he would have to abandon his offensive against her, but in this way, it would allow her some breathing room to flip her defenses into an attack.

He Yu’s chest was in agony to the point where he could no longer ignore it. He suspected that he would vomit blood and fall to the ground at any moment, and then it would be impossible to stop Kitaichi Eiko.

This little Japanese girl was so vicious. He just wanted to stop her, but she wanted to take his life! He was so angry like one buddha was born and two ascended to heaven* and the spider spiny limbs that were behind him had a fishy smell that only irritated him further.

*(一佛出世，二佛升天) It’s a metaphor for life and death but is also used as an expression for extreme anger.

At this moment, Kitaichi Eiko’s fan-swinging motion inexplicably stagnated. It was at this pause that caused the spider to sway and its figure to become a bit translucent. Seeing his chance, He Yu struck with his dagger, jamming it into her body.

Severe pain flushed through Kitaichi Eiko as she responded by kicking He Yu. He quickly avoided it and staggered back a few steps before falling on his ass. He laughed triumphantly and gave a thumbs up to Dong Zhi. “Good job!”

That was a close call just now. Any moment later, and it would have been too late to save He Yu. In a rush, he hurriedly folded the sunlight talismans into a triangle, tied them to two palm-size stones, and then tossed them at Kitaichi one after another. With the blessing of the talisman, the stone broke through her barrier and hit her, buying time for He Yu to complete his attack.

Kitaichi Eiko spurted out a mouthful of blood and the spider turned into a white mist, slowly dissipating. Not only was it difficult to manipulate two shikigamis, she also had to set up a protective barrier around her body, which had exhausted all of her spiritual power. Weakened, she collapsed on the ground.

Dong Zhi ran over to help He Yu. “Are you okay?!”

He Yu coughed, clutched his chest, and said weakly, “Originally no, but seeing that bitch in worse condition cured me instantly!”

Dong Zhi was rendered speechless.

Kitaichi Eiko stared at them both bitterly. “Cough, cough… My master won’t let you get away with this!”

He Yu rolled his eyes. “You can still speak harshly? The Japanese government wants you back, so just wait and beg to grandpa and sue grandma*!”

*(着求爷爷告奶奶) Metaphor referring to beg for help from others. The term derives from begging grandpa and suing grandma for money.

“Miss Eiko, are you alright?” The man in the jacket ran over, and when he saw Kitaichi’s state, he glared at He Yu, intending to extract vengeance.

“If you dare to touch a single hair, your two masters will not be able to get away from this!” He Yu sneered as he slumped to the ground, motionless.

“Stop!” Kitaichi Eiko shouted to the man, “Master is still inside. Go in after him!”

As she finished speaking, the ground shook violently and a roar burst from the cave, deafening everyone’s eardrums and causing their faces to turn pale.

The dragon’s roar in Dong Zhi’s imagination, which should be heroic and clear, as graceful as songbirds, and a little thick, was shattered in this moment by reality. A real dragon’s roar was not beautiful at all. The sound was deeper than a tiger’s and the soundwaves were stronger, allowing it to echo further, causing people to involuntary tremble and inflicting an impulse for them to kneel and surrender.

Before the man in the jacket could get to the cave, stones started falling one after another, and with another roar, the cave started to collapse.

“Master!” Kitaichi Eiko was in shock, struggling to get up.

“Oh shit! The dragon corpse is coming out!” He Yu said to Dong Zhi, “Hurry up, bring me my backpack! I have to set up a talisman array. You can help!”

Dong Zhi hurriedly prepared the yellow paper and cinnabar for He Yu, but as soon as he picked up the brush, he vomited out a mouthful of blood, startling Dong Zhi.

With another roar, the cave had collapsed.

“Mr. Fujikawa!” The man in the jacket shouted anxiously. As if in response to his cries, several figures flew out moments before the cave had completely collapsed.

Fujikawa Aoi was lying on the snow wolf, whose body was stained with blood and in feeble shape. Although it maintained its fast speed, its body was slowly dissipating. Fujikawa Aoi didn’t fare any better. His clothes were ragged, showing off many wounds.

Lao Zheng was dragged out by Long Shen. His whip had been broken and his state looked even more miserable than Fujikawa Aoi’s. Long Shen seemed to be in the best condition of the three. His clothes were almost all intact, and there were no visible wounds. He was frowning as he held a long black sword in his hand.

Though the timing wasn’t appropriate, Dong Zhi’s heart still skipped a beat, and he was stunned at such an inopportune time. These good feelings didn’t last long as the ruins collapsed around them like quicksand, as if some behemoth was struggling and tumbling below. Before Long Shen and the others could retreat to a safe distance, the monster roared from the ground and its huge head emerged from the ruins, roaring furiously, echoing like thunder, as if to arouse the power of yin and yang in the heavens and earth.

The monster didn’t have any flesh or blood, only bones. Everyone looked intently at it, discovering that it was a bone dragon, but its eyes were studded with two faint red flames. When it turned its neck around, there was none of that imaginary majesty of a real dragon, but an unspeakable terror.

“…This is the dragon corpse?” In the face of such a monster, not to mention Dong Zhi, even the fierce man in the jacket didn’t take half a step forward.

He Yu sighed. “It’s been sleeping underground for a long time. I don’t know what kind of wicked person would do such a thing, but he sacrificed to the dragon many blood essence and innocent souls to arouse the resentment that remained in its body after its death. It’s like adding the finishing touches to something. The two flames in its eyes are actually blood-soul wraiths that gave birth to its resurrection.”

A flash of inspiration hit Dong Zhi. “Then as long as you destroy two fires, you can suppress it?”

He Yu could only reply, “Easier said than done!”

The lower half of the bone dragon was still held beneath the ruins. It roared and churned, trying to escape, but Long Shen didn’t plan to let it succeed. The black sword in his hand vibrated slightly, making a low humming sound. Long Shen exerted force under his feet and ran towards the bone dragon. His gaze fell on the position where the scales once grew.

Naturally, as it was simply a skeleton, there were no scales there. However, the remnant soul still retained a considerable memory of its previous life, so while the scale didn’t exist now, it still possessed the memory of it being there, and if stabbed at such areas, the dragon corpse will still feel pain*.

*This is similar to the phenomenon of a phantom limb.

While Long Shen intended to attack the bone dragon, another person made his move. Fujikawa Aoi didn’t want to fight the bone dragon, but actually wanted to stop Long Shen.

When he got news of the bone dragon, he set off immediately, taking his disciples from Japan all the way to China, and even using the power of the Aso Consortium to pass through a special channel to avoid the eyes of the Chinese Special Administration Bureau authorities. He quietly came to Changbai Mountain in order to make this bone dragon his shikigami. If he could possess such strength, his status as a Japanese onmyoji would rise to great heights, becoming a national-level treasure onmyoji.

With this thought in mind, even if it offended Long Shen and the Special Administration Bureau, Fujikawa must at all costs capture the bone dragon. With a flip of his wrist, he pulled out three talismans from his hand. He chanted silently then threw them at Long Shen.

The fluttering talismans burned in mid-air, turning into three small fireballs that shot towards Long Shen like meteors. When they were halfway to colliding with Long Shen, a big yellow cat appeared out of nowhere and swallowed all three fireballs into its mouth with a single bite. It landed firmly on the ground, then meowed at Fujikawa Aoi, showing a mocking look.

Dong Zhi recognized it at once. It was this big yellow cat who had guided him when he was lost and took away his fish fillets. It’s just that now it seemed to be injured, its fur wasn’t as bright as before, and it walked with a limp.

Long Shen ignored Fujikawa Aoi’s small movements and continue rushing towards the bone dragon. The long sword pierced into the position of the phantom scale, causing the bone dragon to roar and twist its head violently, wanting to bite Long Shen, but its neck was caught by his backhand. He jumped on top of the dragon’s head, raised his long sword, and plunged it into the back of the bone dragon’s neck!

The big yellow cat hissed at Fujikawa Aoi, all its fur standing up, warning him not to make trouble.

He Yu frowned and whispered, “Not good!”

Dong Zhi became nervous. “What’s the matter?”

He Yu said quickly, “We originally wanted to keep the dragon corpse, but now it has merged with the resentment from the blood essence, so we have to destroy it. That old man who wants that dragon corpse to be his shikigami will definitely prevent us from doing it!”

As he spoke, Fujikawa Aoi had already summoned his shikigami, the snow wolf. The gray-white beast shook its fur, jumped up, and rushed towards Long Shen!

The sky was pitch black, revealing an eerie purple. As the ground trembled, ominous shadows shrouded people’s hearts, and the trees and plants were restless. The cloud surged from above, responding to the wails of the bone dragon as it swept over the entire sky, blanketing the entire world.

Lightning flashed, reflecting the side of Long Shen’s face. He grasped the bone dragon’s spine with one hand and firmly held the hilt of the long sword with the other, as if he was holding a winning lottery ticket. He inserted the sword completely into the bone dragon’s body, stabilizing his figure as if he were a rock.

Dong Zhi couldn’t help but shout be careful and the others held their breath as they all saw that Long Shen had no time to avoid the snow wolf that was about to violently attack! His heart was caught in his throat when suddenly a ginger-yellow figure shot towards the snow wolf like an arrow and bit into the snow wolf’s neck. The snow wolf clawed, subconsciously trying to throw the yellow cat off. Despite the size disparity, the big yellow cat didn’t show a hint of fear. It landed steadily on a stone pile and stared menacingly at the snow wolf. All its fur stood up as it hissed at the snow wolf.

Shockingly, the snow wolf seemed to be faintly afraid, as it took a few steps back. Everyone was stunned by the scene. Dong Zhi couldn’t help but say to He Yu, “This cat was transformed from a tiger, right?”

He Yu laughed, grinning so widely that he showed off a row of teeth. “Hehe! It’s more powerful than a tiger!”

---

Kinky Thoughts:

He Yu’s my favorite character so far.

—

Amaterasu

Goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. She was born from the left eye of her father, Izanagi, who bestowed upon her a necklace of jewels and placed her in charge of Takamagahara (“High Celestial Plain”), the abode of all the gods.

She is the Queen of Heaven, the kami, and creation itself. Though she did not create the universe, she is the goddess of creation, a role she inherited from her father, Izanagi, who now defends the world from the land of the dead.

Amaterasu’s primary role is that of the sun goddess. In this position, she not only serves as the literal rising sun that illuminates all things, but also provides nourishment to all living creatures and marks the orderly movement of day into night.

The sun represents order and purity, two of Shinto’s most important concepts. All things in creation are ordered, from Amaterasu down to the denizens of Jigoku and other hells, and this order is reflected in Japanese society as well.

Source

---

<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 12

Lao Zheng ran over, and Dong Zhi followed subconsciously.

“Boss Long, what’s the situation? Do you need my help?!”

Long Shen said, “No need. How’s your side?”

He frowned when he noticed Dong Zhi trailing behind Lao Zheng. Dong Zhi quietly hid himself behind Lao Zheng, pretending not to notice the other party.

Lao Zheng wiped his sweat and said quickly, “Wang Jingguan and I went up the mountain a few days earlier than you but got separated. The people behind it are Japanese. Fujikawa Aoi is an onmyoji, and there are people from the Aso Consortium. I’m not sure if they’re coming here to investigate as well when they felt the movement!”

Long Shen nodded. “You watch them here. I’ll go down and have a look.”

Lao Zheng hurriedly asked, “Boss Long, what the hell is going on?”

Long Shen said succinctly, “Someone deliberately destroyed this dragon vein and drew out the dragon’s corpse with blood and anger.”

Lao Zheng was speechless.

The dragon vein was a broad appellation in feng shui*. Many people recognize that Mount Kunlun was the origin of the dragon vein in China, though there was no inevitable connection between the dragon vein and a dragon. Lao Zheng, as a person from the Department of Exorcism, naturally, would have inside knowledge that others wouldn’t. He did hear that a dragon once died on Changbai Mountain, but that was many years ago. When Lao Zheng joined the department, the dragon had been dead for many years, and its corpse slept under the astronomical peak of Changbai, melding between the mountains and rivers. This wasn’t unusual, as China was vast and rich in resources. A few years ago, there were many strange beasts that sank into the sea, perishing underneath the mountains and rivers.

*Also known as Chinese geomancy is an ancient Chinese traditional practice that claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment.

However, to resurrect a dragon’s corpse would require a tremendous amount of force. How much hostility had to be gathered in the array that could make this possible? Someone who could do such a thing must not be ordinary!

If something went wrong, it would attract demons. This was not just some kind of accidental event, but the beginning of a myriad of things. Lao Zheng’s heart sank when he thought about the Sneaky Yaksha that invaded the mountains and said sternly, “I see. Boss Long, I’ll guard here. Be careful!”

Long Shen glanced at Fujikawa Aoi again, nodded, and without saying more, leaped down towards the pit. Dong Zhi was momentarily stunned before he ran to the side of the sinkhole to look in. The sinkhole was at least the size of two football fields. It was unimaginable how much explosives and dynamite someone would need to use in order to make a pit this size.

“This should have been made by the dragon’s corpse when it was resurrected. I don’t know which fucker* is behind this, but it’s no wonder why there have been so many strange events happening around here recently!” Lao Zhang said angrily, giving Dong Zhi the answer to his thoughts.

*Turtle grandson (龟孙) It’s a curse word that means tenth generation grandson.

The pit wasn’t as bottomless as he had imagined, probably only ten meters at most. At the bottom of the pit was a large hole in the wall that had a bright light shining through it. Long Shen had jumped into the pit, and using the ledges by the side, he hopped a few times against them before reaching the bottom. Without climbing tools, an ordinary person would’ve most likely died if they were to jump in so casually like he did.

The sky had cleared a bit, revealing the stars and moon that cast their light from time to time through the clouds, shining a magenta light that looked treacherous above their heads. The sun was covered, and the moon was dark. Heavy clouds loomed from above as evil spirits ran rampant, and the sounds of birds were completely extinguished. This was truly a suitable night for murder and arson.

Dong Zhi asked Lao Zheng, “If the dragon returns from the dead, will it still be a dragon?”

Lao Zheng’s expression was solemn. “Generally, living beings die normally, and their souls dissipate between the heavens and earth, but there could be deviations. Sometimes, a remnant of the soul is trapped within the body, and the corpse will last for a long time due to the yin and yang it possessed. At this time, if an external force deliberately guides and stimulates its resentment, it will become a scourge.”

Dong Zhi: “Just like a zombie?”

Lao Zheng nodded, but when he saw Fujikawa Aoi and the others approaching the pit’s edge, he stepped forward to stop them.

“Stop!”

Fujikawa Aoi said, “Mr. Zheng, if I am not mistaken, the dragon’s corpse should have been resurrected by now. It’ll be very troublesome to deal with. Once it is brought into the world, it will cause disaster. I am willing to contribute my own strength to help deal with this situation.”

How noble of him to offer, but Lao Zheng didn’t believe a single word. If he hadn’t known about this in advance, would there be Japanese people here now at the grave of the dragon’s corpse?

Lao Zheng said angrily, “I’m sorry, this place is a restricted area. I’ll find someone to block it off after dawn. Please leave immediately!”

Fujikawa Aoi stepped forward. “Mr. Zheng, although the dragon’s corpse has not yet fully appeared in the world, judging from the scale of this great pit, its power must be infinite. You don’t have the manpower right now, so it’ll be difficult to completely eliminate it. Any additional person can add to your strength now. Otherwise, when it completely breaks free from its bondage, we will all become its sacrifices!”

Lao Zheng sneered. “Mr. Fujikawa, let’s not be so secretive. You’ve come all the way here. What is it that you want?”

Fujikawa Aoi was silent for a moment and then said, “After this is taken care of, we want the dragon’s corpse.”

Knowing his capabilities, there was no need to dance around the subject with Lao Zheng. After all, they were in China’s territory, and Lao Zheng’s colleagues were below the pit. He couldn’t act rashly before he could assess the situation and figure out his opponents.

“Impossible!” Lao Zheng said categorically, “The dragon’s corpse will be left for research. This is not something I can just grant!”

“But if we want to go down now, you can’t stop us!” The man in the jacket sneered.

“Jiangkou, don’t be rude to Mr. Zheng!” Fujikawa Aoi shouted.

“Yes!” The man in the jacket immediately stood straight up and saluted.

Though Fujikawa reprimanded him for his rudeness, he didn’t correct him for what he said, making it clear that one was singing the white face and the other was singing the red face*.

*(一个唱红脸一个唱白脸) Colloquialism that means in the process of resolving conflicts, one plays a harsh or annoying role and the other plays a friendly or likable role (AKA good cop, bad cop).

Lao Zheng sneered at this dog and pony show, but he also knew that he was unable to stop so many people. He was about to come up with a distraction to divert their attention and stall for time, when suddenly a shout came from the bottom of the pit.

“I can’t do it anymore, Lao Zheng. You come down for a bit so I can take a rest!”

Silence enveloped the area around the pit, amplifying He Yu’s voice loudly.

“Don’t bother Mr. Zheng. I’ll go down and help!” Kitaichi Eiko said in response. As she spoke, Lao Zheng became alert and immediately set off to block her off. The commotion drew Dong Zhi’s attention when he suddenly felt someone pushing him into the pit. As he fell, he looked back and saw the man in the jacket smiling viciously at him.

Caught off guard by Dong Zhi’s shout, Lao Zheng quickly stretched out his hand to grab him, but the momentum Dong Zhi had when falling was too great that he dragged both of them down. Kitaichi Eiko took this chance to jump into the pit.

Dong Zhi’s heart tightened as he knew he would most likely die falling into a pit that was ten meters deep. Fortunately, Lao Zheng grabbed his arm tightly and, using his other hand, jammed the handle of his whip into the mountain wall to slow down their descent and increase the buffer as much as possible.

“He Yu, follow my voice!” Lao Zheng yelled, his voice echoing in the pit.

He Yu quickly responded, “Fuck, what’s the situation?!”

When they neared the bottom, Dong Zhi felt that he was gently being supported by something under his ass before he hit the ground. His clothes were torn from the rocks against the wall, but overall he remained unscathed.

A white crane carrying Kitaichi Eiko on its back fluttered down. Her descent was much more graceful than that of his and Lao Zheng’s. Following her was Fujikawa Aoi, who was riding his snow wolf.

Dong Zhi was struck by awe at the sight and couldn’t help but think how amazing shikigamis and the power of the onmyojis were. He felt as if he was watching a fantasy blockbuster, but he was the one wearing the dragon costume in the film.

Lao Zheng ignored the soreness in his ass and shouted, “Stop them! They want the dragon’s corpse!”

It was apparent that He Yu, who had fought with Kitaichi Eiko before, wouldn’t be able to stop both her and her master. Fujikawa Aoi took the opportunity to flash into the cave, disappearing at such an agile speed that wasn’t fitting for an old man. Lao Zheng paid no heed to Kitaichi Eiko as he rubbed his ass and limped off, chasing after him.

As He Yu fought with the white crane, it almost pecked a hole in his shoulder, startling him. “Little lady, you’re too cruel!”

Kitaichi Eiko, who was anxious to go into the cave, didn’t bother to respond but instead fought fiercely. She did not participate in the fight herself but used a small delicate fan, waving it left and right. With each wave, the white crane would attack in the direction the fan moved.

If this was a normal situation, no matter how fierce the white crane was, he wouldn’t be afraid of it. However, he had recently been injured in combat against the dragon’s corpse, and his chest hurt whenever he moved, so he could only be pressed and beaten by the other. In a moment of inattentiveness, he was slapped on the head by the white crane’s wings, causing pain so excruciating that it made him curse his own mother.

After calming down, seeing that He Yu was gradually being disadvantaged, Dong Zhi started to become anxious, so he picked up a few stones and casually threw them towards the girl. Kitaichi Eiko felt a pain in her back that disturbed her channeling, interrupting the crane’s offense.

He Yu seized this opportunity, bit his index finger, and drew symbols out of thin air.

“The four great enlightenment, heaven and the earth are eternal, the eight directions¹ suppress the soul, the nine seclusions² suppress evil, hastily as I decree, imperial edict!”

¹Refers to the directions of north, south, east, west, southwest, southeast, northwest, and northeast.
²Jiuyou (九幽) refers to the lowest and deepest part of the immortal world. It is said that the sky has nine layers of heaven, and the earth has nine layers of ground.

The blood foam condensed into red light in the middle of the air and disappeared in a flash. The white crane immediately raised its head and squawked as its body gradually became transparent. Kitaichi Eiko was furious and turned around and glared at Dong Zhi fiercely as she threw a talisman at him.

“Dodge it!” He Yu roared.

Even without his warning, Dong Zhi hurriedly rolled to the side. In the next second, there was an explosion that turned the stone next to him into dust! He had narrowly avoided it, but his ears and neck were scratched by small bits of the stone that exploded just now.

Dong Zhi persisted and continued picking up stones and throwing them at Kitaichi Eiko. However, every time a stone was about to hit her, it would suddenly slide to the side. It seemed she had formed some kind of barrier that was protecting her.

Kitaichi Eiko no longer paid any attention to him. The only real opponent she had in her sights was He Yu. Her crane was injured from his attack just now and had greatly weakened her offensive capabilities. Her hand was still sealed, so she used it to summon another shikigami, a giant spider.

The spider was as tall as half an adult and was about two people wide. Its multiple eyes flickered with a faint green light, and its movement was incredibly fast. As soon as it took shape, it ran towards He Yu, baring its sharp pincers. The sight alone could make people’s scalps go numb.

Dong Zhi was bewildered until he recalled that Lao Zhang had told him there were a few onmyojis who had the ability to summon two shikigamis at the same time, and Kitaichi Eiko was one of them.

In the distance, Kitaichi’s bodyguards and Yin Huai were seen climbing down the mountain wall. It was already difficult enough to deal with Kitaichi herself. Now, throwing these people into the mix made the situation even more problematic. Dong Zhi felt that he needed to do something.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 11

The old man and the young girl didn’t care about the whispered conversation between Lao Zheng and Dong Zhi. They both took time to rest their eyes and recuperate, wanting to quickly recover the energy they had just expended. The fat man next to them, the president of the Aso Consortium, Aso Kenzo, glanced around nervously, as if he was still worried the black mist would return and attack. The man in the jacket looked at Lao Zheng from time to time with a wary expression.

Dong Zhi’s gaze fell on the middle-aged man holding a mahogany sword on the periphery.

“The one with the sword seems to be Chinese?”

Lao Zheng said disdainfully, “That man’s name is Yin Huai. He’s a broker. I don’t know where he learned such crooked skills, but he specializes in buying cultural relics from tomb robbers and reselling them to foreigners. He was released some time ago and is also on our blacklist. It’s obvious they’re up to no good if he’s following this group of Japanese to the mountains!”

Dong Zhi was surprised. “Are there any cultural relics on Changbai Mountain?”

Lao Zheng shook his head, and his expression became solemn. “There have been some abnormalities in this vicinity recently. We originally wanted to close off the mountain, but we felt that the situation was not serious enough. Hastily sealing the mountain would instead beat the grass and startle the snake*. The black mists you encountered are called Sneaky Yaksha. It’s not a ghost but a kind of demon that devours people’s souls.”

*(打草惊蛇) Idiom originally meant punishing others and warning oneself. Later, it’s a metaphor for doing things not secretly, causing the other party to be alert and guarded. It comes from Zheng Wenbao’s “Recent Events in the Southern Tang Dynasty”. In this context, it’s the latter meaning.

Influenced by anime, the Yaksha in Dong Zhi’s impression were a very beautiful race. These Sneaky Yaksha obviously were not, and they’re even more terrifying than actual ghosts. He remembered the incident on the train and quickly relayed it to Lao Zheng.

Lao Zheng frowned and said, “Sneaky Yaksha can only be derived from places where resentment is deep and there are lots of demons. Changbai Mountain has never had them before. Their sudden appearance is already very unusual in and of itself. If your account is true, there must be a reason behind this. Perhaps someone is deliberately releasing these evil things and manipulating them.”

Hearing the heaviness in his words, Dong Zhi couldn’t help but become nervous. “Why are they on this mountain now? Are we going to run into them again?”

Lao Zheng sighed and whispered, “He Yu and Boss Long are from the Special Administration Bureau. If we knew they were coming, we would have waited for two more days. We hadn’t heard from them before we went up the mountain. Now I’m separated from another colleague.”

Dong Zhi was shocked and said, “How many days have you been staying on this mountain?”

Lao Zheng said depressingly, “It will be at least four or five days now. I have been searching for the source of the Sneaky Yaksha, but unfortunately I haven’t found any clues.”

He shouldn’t have revealed so much to Dong Zhi. While he looked calm in front of the Japanese group, he was really suffocating internally and finally had a chance to vent. What he said just now showed that he was alone. To make matters worse, the Japanese side had more people and held ulterior motives. Though they were polite now, due to being scared of the Special Administration Bureau behind Lao Zheng, if they knew that he was alone, they might just kill him on the spot and even drag Dong Zhi and Zhang Xing with him. In the barren mountains, who would know?

Dong Zhi finally realized why Lao Zheng’s tone was so heavy. What they face now wasn’t only the elusive Sneaky Yaksha but also the Japanese with an unknown purpose and possibly even a more mysterious and unpredictable force behind all this.

Mom, I just quit my job and wanted to have a little fun. Why is this kind of thing happening?!

Recalling his job, he thought of his project manager, who was also a fat man. Compared to the ill-intentioned consortium president in front of him, his original picky project manager seemed so cute now. If he could get down the mountain safely, he would go back and give that fat man a hug and shower him with kisses.

At this moment, Yin Huai suddenly yelled in surprise, “Look, the road is open!”

The originally dark forest suddenly had a path that had appeared out of thin air. It looked as if it had been trekked on. No one moved. Lao Zheng went up and explored it first, then asked Dong Zhi to wake Zhang Xing up and follow him.

The man in the jacket asked Fujikawa Aoi. “Why don’t I explore the way first?”

Fujikawa Aoi shook his head. “Follow them.”

Two groups of people walked in the dark, one after the other. As he walked, Dong Zhi whispered to Lao Zheng, “Where are we going?”

Lao Zheng said, “Up this road. We can reach the top of the mountain. I have told my colleague to meet me there. Once we arrive, we can talk.”

Zhang Xing had twisted her foot when she was fleeing for her life, so she was walking with a limp. Seeing her frown and painful expression, Dong Zhi said, “I’ll carry you on my back.”

Zhang Xing was a little hesitant, but Dong Zhi had already bent down and squatted in front of her. She took his generous offer and lay down on his back, wrapping her hands around his shoulders tightly.

Suddenly, Dong Zhi remembered something. “Do you have any objects on you that ward off evil spirits?”

Zhang Xing was taken aback. “What do you mean?”

Dong Zhi: “Those monsters possess the human body, but why didn’t they attack you when you were alone with Yao Bin?”

Hearing his words, Zhang Xing also felt it couldn’t have been just a coincidence that she managed to survive. After thinking about it, she took out a necklace and showed it to him.

“This is the celestial bead that my mother brought back from Tibet. Does it count?” As soon as she finished talking, she shouted, “Why do the beads look so dark!”

Dong Zhi breathed a sigh of relief as he somewhat understood. “It may have saved your life just now, so keep it safe.”

The sky was moonless, but the lightning still illuminated the area from time to time. Their torches burned fiercely as they trekked along the path, casting dark and unknown shadows as the night wind howled, blowing the leaves violently.

This was a terrifying night. Seeing the slender neck of a young man close at hand and feeling the body temperature of the other party faintly coming through his clothes on her palm, Zhang Xing wanted to cry.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

Dong Zhi didn’t speak. He was afraid that if he spoke, the breath he was holding back would leak out and he would collapse…

…Because Zhang Xing was too heavy.

Physical intimacy with a beautiful woman with a good figure like her should have produced countless wonderful thoughts, and Dong Zhi was indeed full of thoughts at this moment, but they had nothing to do with his current journey—

Golden mushroom rice with fatty beef, tomato seafood noodles, charcoal-grilled pork neck, crispy char siu sausage noodles…

Ah, so hungry.

The last of the chocolates had been consumed ages ago, so he could only use thoughts of food as motivation. From steamed chicken feet to shumai—he even began to meditate on the ingredients for mandarin duck pot.

Suddenly, he felt dizzy. He thought it was due to sheer hunger that his strength was leaving him, but the dizziness got worse, eventually causing his feet to become soft and he collapsed onto the ground, throwing Zhang Xing off.

The ground was shaking!

Dong Zhi reacted as the others were also shocked and ran to the nearby trees to support themselves. Lao Zheng looked up in the distance and blurted out, “Damn it!”

The frequency of lightning increased to the point where it lighted up the entire darkness with no interval in between. The top of the mountain was illuminated, shaking violently, and the rumbling sound seemed to be coming from the depths of the ground, containing an inexplicable strange power, as if something was about to break through and emerge from it.

Suddenly, a roar rang out, resounding through the entire area and deafening everyone’s ears, causing tinnitus as no other sound could be heard.

Zhang Xing felt the tingling of her eardrums and couldn’t help but scream as she covered her ears. Her hands were shaking as she touched her ears and discovered that they were bleeding.

Lao Zheng suddenly ran up the mountain like crazy. The Onmyojis reacted quickly as well, as they followed closely behind, and soon they had almost passed Lao Zheng. Fujikawa Aoi looked almost seventy years old, but he actually ran faster than his apprentice. No one else knew what was going on, so they all ran after them.

At this time, they were not far from the peak of the mountain, but the higher they went, the more severe the shaking got. There was even a tendency for the ground to crack. Stones rolled down, and although they weren’t large, they would still break one’s head in if they landed a hit.

Fortunately, Lao Zheng swung his whip side to side while running up, turning many of the stones into dust, and Fujikawa Aoi also released his own shikigami, blocking the front and saving everyone a lot of trouble.

When they were about to reach the top of the mountain, the ground was shaking so violently that no one could walk. They all had to hold onto thick trees so as to not tumble down with the rocks.

Suddenly, there was another roar! This time the sound was so piercing that even if he covered his ears, the sound still penetrated through the palm of his hand and struck his eardrums, causing him headaches and rendering him into a state of confusion.

“Dragon! The dragon is real!” Yin Huai suddenly yelled and started laughing, as if he was crazy. “There really are dragons. This place really is one of the great dragon veins*. I was right!”

*Source of great life energy that forms paths in which they flow. In Feng Shui, it’s believed that the earth is alive, and its pulse is the mountain range. Because mountains are undulating, always appearing and disappearing, like a dragon traveling around, Feng Shui refers to the mountains as dragon veins.

Dong Zhi endured the pain that felt as if his head was about to split open and looked up. He saw a tall and majestic figure rising into the air. The dragon shape slithered and swam amidst the thunder and lightning, creating a dazzling sight full of power and beauty. After a while, it turned into a cloud of smoke and slowly dissipated, as if he had fought with the heavens and was laid to rest.

However, the dragon’s roar did not stop and still sounded, blending in with the thunder, from time to time, but it was not as piercing as before. Everyone was shell-shocked, having never before witnessed such a fantastical and magnificent scene.

“It’s over! It’s over! The dragon corpse has been resurrected!” Only Lao Zheng had clear eyes as he murmured while staring blankly in front.

Coming to his wits, Dong Zhi was stunned at the mess that lay in front of him. All the trees and rocks were completely gone, replaced by a huge sinkhole, almost comparable to the size of a small lake.

He wasn’t the only one who was shocked by the appearance of the sinkhole. Only Yin Huai expressed excitement as he ran to the edge of the pit. His eyes lit up and he laughed. “As expected, I was right. Wherever dragon veins are, there must be a real dragon!”

The shaking of the ground continued, but it was not as violent as before. Another flash of lightning swept across the sky, illuminating a person standing not far from the pit. His figure was vague and unclear, but, while everyone else was busy holding onto something to stabilize themselves, the figure of this person was still standing steadily, as if he was completely fearless even if the sky was falling apart.

“Who is there?!” The figure turned his head to face them.

Long Shen!

Dong Zhi recognized his voice at once, and the inexplicable excitement almost made him call out to him, but Lao Zheng, who was ecstatic, replied even faster, “Boss Long, is that you? I’m Lao Zheng from the Northeast Branch!”

---

The author has something to say:

Dong Zhi: Wuwuwu, I was robbed, and I couldn’t smoke*…

*Smoke is a buzzword that has the connotation of happy/happiness. He’s saying he couldn’t smoke so it’s the opposite of the connotation.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 10

Since they had set out after their short rest, Dong Zhi had constantly remained vigilant. At this time, he didn’t care about cursing others or making enemies. He quickly pulled Zhang Xing back using his quick reflexes, causing Scar to grab empty air!

He and Zhang Xing staggered back a few steps and fell, rolling to the ground, but they managed to avoid Scar’s attempt to use them as a shield.

Failing to grab someone, he quickly got up and scurried forward, shouting, “Help!”

More black mist surrounded them as the men in uniform waved their torches around to drive them away. However, this action was simply futile. The mists were like water that ebbed and flowed, dodging the fire, then gathering again, waiting for the opportunity to devour them.

These were monsters of the dark, and the darkness was their natural refuge. Ordinary humans couldn’t match them at all. Thinking of the train attendant and Yao Bin’s tragic situation, Dong Zhi felt that if these things really invaded his body and sucked out his brain, turning him into a puppet, he would rather just end himself with a knife before it reached that stage.

The group launched an immediate counterattack. Scar’s master, the middle-aged man, drew a mahogany sword from his back and danced around so tightly that it actually scared the black mist, as it didn’t dare to get close. The girl threw out a few talismans at random, and they ignited spontaneously when they reached mid-air and swept towards the black mist, capturing it. The black mist suddenly burst into flames and disintegrated into powder.

Dong Zhi couldn’t help but be amazed. The girl also used talismans, but her hands were more delicate and gorgeous than He Yu.

The old man’s hands were covered with seals, and after chanting something, a gray wolf suddenly jumped out from behind him. It roared and pounced on the black mist and opened its mouth, showing a row of sharp fangs. The black mist, which should have no substantial body, was easily torn to pieces. Although the mist tried to quickly reform itself, the snow wolf was equally fierce. As the mist tried to reform its shape, it was melted away by the white glow of the snow wolf’s body.

Scar suddenly screamed, “Master, help me!”

Looking towards the sound, Dong Zhi saw that the torch in Scar’s hand was about to be extinguished and the black mist was looming closer as if it would attack at any moment. Scar tripped over a stone and fell flat on his ass. He rubbed his body as he crawled back desperately. He could still handle the front, but suddenly a black mist swept towards him from behind.

“Behind!”

Scar’s master had also seen it. He shouted to warn his apprentice, but it was too late. As soon as he spoke, the black mist rushed behind Scar, enveloping him. He struggled hopelessly, shouting for help, as all kinds of swears rushed out. The black mist disappeared from above his head, leaving no trace.

Dong Zhi was startled, and Zhang Xing clenched tightly around his arm, shivering violently.

Scar rolled on the ground with a scream, and suddenly the noise stopped. His throat was still bobbing, but no sound came out. The man in the jacket shone his flashlight towards him. Dong Zhi saw that veins were slowly emerging from Scar’s face as his eyes began turning white, looking exactly the same as Yao Bin.

Scar clawed fiercely into the soil, so deep that it almost buried half his fingers. Hideous blue veins started bursting out, creating a sinister looking scene.

The girl threw a talisman towards him, causing him to become violent. He shredded the burning talisman in mid-air and let out a roar towards the group. The white wolf leapt out from the side but was entangled with the black mist and couldn’t reach them.

Scar reached out and grabbed a bodyguard nearby. The bodyguard reacted and kept shooting him, but in the end, he was still thrown to the ground, his neck encircled as he was being choked.

“Mr. Fujikawa, Miss Kitaichi, please save my apprentice!” The middle-aged man said anxiously.

The girl bounded her hands with seals and chanted out nine characters with different tones. White light seemingly steamed up from her hands. Suddenly, a white crane flew out from behind her and rushed towards Scar.

Though the crane looked elegant, its castration was cutthroat. It immediately pecked at Scar’s forehead, forming a blood hole in the middle of it. After saying it was too late, the girl threw another talisman that stuck right on top of the blood hole, creating a fiery explosion that consumed Scar, just like what had happened to Yao Bin.

“Scar!” The middle-aged man shouted. He furiously turned his head and cursed at the girl, “I said I’d show you the way, but you bastards killed my apprentice!”

“Mr. Yin, you clearly know that it was a hopeless situation for your apprentice. If we don’t kill him, he’ll kill us!” The man in the jacket threatened coldly, “You’d better show us some respect, otherwise, we won’t save you next time.”

The middle-aged man’s face twitched, distorted by anger, but he didn’t dare open his mouth again.

Just when all Dong Zhi’s attention was attracted by the scene, Zhang Xing suddenly let out a cry. He turned back when he heard the sound and saw a cloud of black mist floating towards them. Without a second thought, he took out the talisman in his pocket and threw it at the mist.

The moment the talisman made contact with the black mist, traces of red light sparked, causing the black mist to stagnate for a bit, and its speed slowed down. It turns out his talismans weren’t completely useless! The thought flashed through his mind, but before he could feel proud, he quickly pulled Zhang Xing away.

Witnessing the scene just now, the girl couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“What?” While fighting off the black mist, the old man still had enough strength to spare to care about the girl’s condition.

“That man is a bit strange. I want to test something.” The girl replied as she waved her slender hand.

The white crane suddenly appeared in front of Dong Zhi, startling him. He staggered forward and fell to the ground, allowing the black mist to quickly catch up. Out of talismans, he could only watch helplessly as the black mist hovered on top of him and Zhang Xing.

Seeing that he had no other life-saving skills, the girl felt disappointed and no longer paid any attention to them. For her, the black mists were scattered and hard to see, so they were troublesome to deal with. It was easier to destroy them with talisman fire after they had attached to a human.

With the black mist close at hand and thinking of the fate of Yao Bin and Scar, Dong Zhi felt desolation in his heart. The last thought that flashed in his mind was that Zhang Xing’s lung capacity was big enough to scream for them both.

Suddenly, a white light appeared in the darkness, as if tearing the air asunder and shooting straight into the black mist. The mist let out a screech and instantly burst into dust.

Zhang Xing, who didn’t know that she had just barely escaped death, was still screaming with her eyes closed. Dong Zhi couldn’t bear it any longer, so he quickly covered her mouth.

Bursts of thunder rumbled as purple-white lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the peaks of the mountains in the distance. The thunder had been sounding since before he got lost, so Dong Zhi could no longer recall how long it had been raging, but the rain had ceased, causing an uneasy feeling to arise, as if it was a sign that something big was about to happen.

In the flickering light, the black mist converged again and was quickly dispersed by a whip, accompanied by screams that could tear your eardrums. It sounded like a howl from a demon in its last struggle. In the face of death, all life was equal.

The man with a whip walked slowly towards them, stopping not far from Dong Zhi and Zhang Xing. The man in the jacket shined his flashlight towards him, revealing an ordinary-looking face that belonged to a man that looked like he was in his forties.

“Who are you?!”

“Stop using that piece of shit in your hand and shining it at laozi’s* face!” The man shouted as he whipped a cloud of black mist. He glared back and said, “I haven’t asked yet, but what are a bunch of little kids doing running up Changbai Mountain in the middle of the night!”

*Refers to an old master. Commonly used slang to referring to “Your Father”. Basically, it’s saying this great one.

“Sir, we have a common enemy. The most important thing now is cooperation.”

It was the first time that the Dong Zhi heard the old man speak. He had been held by the stars and the moon* before and had always maintained a haughty attitude. Although his tone of voice was still blunt, he clearly expressed his appreciation.

*(众星拱月) Metaphor referring to people that support one person or all things surrounding one thing (AKA held on top of a pedestal).

The man with the whip sneered and didn’t say anything. The movement in his hand didn’t stop. His whip seemed to be extremely powerful. Every crack made a faint wind and sounded like thunder, completely shattering the black mist. Due to its sheer force, after every whip was shot, the man had to rest for a bit before he resumed his next attack. With his assistance, the fight was more easily handled, and they were able to wipe out the black mist within a few strokes.

Despite the heavy loss, everyone could finally catch their breath. Scar died as well as a subordinate of the man in the jacket. The old man looked fine, but the girl was pale, obviously from exhaustion, so she had to sit down and rest against a tree.

Contrary to them, Dong Zhi and Zhang Xing, who had no power to protect themselves, were unscathed due to the timely appearance of the man with the whip.

The middle-aged man holding the mahogany sword stared blankly at the place where his apprentice had burned to ashes. After resolving the black mist issue, conflict immediately arises.

The man with the whip sneered. “What’s so good about cooperating with a group of thieves?”

A fat man next to the old man coughed lightly. “Why are you so hostile? Changbai Mountain is a tourist destination, and there is no rule that foreigners cannot come to play. We got lost halfway, so…”

The man interrupted him impatiently. “The president of the Aso Consortium, with a broker¹ and two Japanese onmyojis², came to Changbai Mountain for tourism. What a truly unique combination!”

¹Term used here is (二道贩) translated means second trader. It refers to a middleman/broker/trafficker, I guess in this case, the middleman to whatever this group is trying to catch.
²Basically a Japanese exorcist. See Kinky Thoughts for more details.

Several people on the other side did not expect their identities to be revealed so easily, and their faces instantly turned ugly. The girl’s expression changed as she said, “You visited our group three years ago… Mr. Zheng?”

Seeing that the other party just snorted coldly, she confirmed her guess. She turned her head and whispered a few words to the old man, whose face frowned slightly as he looked at Lao¹ Zheng. After a moment, he bowed and said bluntly, “I’m Fujikawa Aoi², Eiko’s teacher. Please give me your guidance³.”

¹The prefix Lao (老) used before surnames, refers to the head or elder of families or an address to someone who’s much older than you (like around your father’s age).
²Last name, first name. Note all names will be in this format unless it’s western.
³Clarity: Not in the literal sense. It’s more of a polite greeting.

The Eiko he was referring to was probably the girl sitting next to him.

Lao Zheng didn’t seem angry as he replied, “The Exorcism Department has not received your special entry report. Do you have any explanation for this?”

The girl said softly, “We have already applied for the relevant procedures, but your department hasn’t approved it yet. I would like to ask Mr. Zheng to go back and check it again.”

Lao Zheng sneered. “Don’t think that I don’t know what you’re thinking. You planned to enter the country first and then apply, so of course I didn’t receive your approval. Since we have bumped into each other, please follow me obediently back so we can take care of the formalities. Otherwise, I will treat this as an illegal invasion!”

The scene immediately became tense. The fat man, who was the president of the Aso Consortium, said, “Mr. Zheng, we are all trapped here, and there’s nothing we can do about it until we leave. We might as well cooperate sincerely and try to get out before discussing other matters. Don’t you think so?”

Lao Zheng’s gaze swept across them coldly, but in the end, he said nothing. Seeing that Lao Zheng didn’t object, the group breathed a sigh of relief.

The middle-aged man with a mahogany sword was sitting on the periphery of the group of Japanese. He seemed to be jealous of Lao Zheng but didn’t dare come over. Lao Zhang didn’t bother paying any attention to him either, drawing a clear line between the two.

Dong Zhi glanced at both sides, then moved silently inching towards Lao Zheng’s side. Lao Zheng knew that the two of them were ordinary people, and naturally they didn’t hold any tit-for-tat malice, so he asked, “How did you two get mixed up with them?”

Dong Zhi briefly explained how they got lost and Yao Bin’s situation.

Lao Zheng frowned, his expression became more solemn, and he said, “No wonder!”

No wonder why these two didn’t talk much.

Dong Zhi thanked him and asked for his name.

The other party casually said, “Just call me Lao Zheng.”

Zhang Xing shivered and asked in a low voice, “What exactly were those things just now? Are they ghosts?”

“It would be great if they were ghosts. Would be a lot easier to clean up!” Lao Zheng whispered, “Just follow me. I’ll take you to a safe place. When dawn comes, you can hurry down the mountain. Go quickly and don’t stay here for too long!”

Dong Zhi suddenly asked, “Do you know He Yu and Long Shen?”

Lao Zheng was taken aback. “You know them?”

Dong Zhi nodded.

He naturally deduced it from hearing Lao Zheng’s conversation with the Japanese just now.

Lao Zheng didn’t easily believe him. “Do you have any proof?”

Dong Zhi said, “He Yu’s badge number is 2491.”

After that, he picked up the branch and drew the sunlight symbol on the ground that He Yu had taught him.

“Sunlight symbol?” Lao Zheng was a knowledgeable person. His expression suddenly eased after hearing He Yu’s correct badge number and seeing the symbol drawn just now. “It turns out you’re one of our own, so this will be much easier.”

He also took out a badge from his pocket and showed it to Dong Zhi. It turned out to be a work permit, similar to He Yu’s. It also showed the Special Administration Bureau on it, but the four characters underneath were different. It was Lao Zheng’s name, Zheng Sui, and his work number was 1334.

Seeing this work permit, Dong Zhi now understood the feelings of those who would get excited when they saw the People’s Liberation Army, as he was now surging from excitement after finding this organization again.

He hurriedly explained, “I am not one of you. I just met He Yu not long ago!”

Lao Zheng smiled and said, “Although He Yu is a fool, that kid is still reliable when it comes to major events. Since he taught you how to draw talismans, he must also be thinking of asking his master to accept you. A few years ago, I went abroad with him on a group visit, and he had fought against that little girl sitting opposite of you.”

Dong Zhi took the opportunity to ask, “Who are those Japanese people?”

Since he found out about his relationship with He Yu, Lao Zheng’s attitude towards Dong Zhi was much more cordial, and he became a bit of a chatterbox.

“That little girl’s name is Kitaichi Eiko, and she is the witch of Ise Shrine.”

Dong Zhi wondered. “Isn’t she an onmyoji?”

Lao Zheng: “Onmyoji is just a general term. In Japan, it is a kind of priesthood, as men are called priests and women are witches. They have different levels and tiers, forming their own system. It’s rumored that she was born with the eyes of heaven and controls two shikigamis* at the same time. She is the leader among the new generation of onmyojis in Japan. That old thing is her master, who should be more powerful.”

*Conjured beings made alive through a complex conjuring ceremony. See Kinky Thoughts for more details.

Zhang Xing, who was sitting by his side, looked completely lost, and her spirit wasn’t in great shape either. She still hadn’t fully recovered from her injuries and shock. Lao Zheng reached out his hand and flicked her forehead, instantly causing her to close her eyes and she slowly slumped her head onto Dong Zhi’s shoulder.

“The little girl is frightened. Let her sleep.” Lao Zheng said.

Dong Zhi continued to ask, “Are they entering the country illegally?”

Lao Zheng sneered. “Special identities like Fujikawa Aoi and Kitaichi Eiko, in addition to formal entry, must also register for a license, but they didn’t have them. They actually told me they were here on vacation. What utter bullshit!”

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Onmyoji

Practitioner of Onmyodo. It has an eclectic blend of Wu Xing, Godai (Five elements), Yin and Yang, shikigami, divination, and alchemy.

A practitioner of onmyodo is called an onmyoji. Traditionally, the only ones able to legally practice onmyodo were appointed by the Imperial government, and were in fact, civil servants of the Bureau of Onmyō. During the Heian period, onmyōji had quite a bit of political clout, but when the imperial court fell into decline, their status as civil servants was lost. Their original responsibilities included keeping track of the calendar, divination, and protection of the capital from evil spirits. They also watched for auspicious and/or harmful influences in the earth, (earthquake detection ect.).

The most famous onmyoji is Abe no Seimei, who is roughly analogous to Merlin of Arthurian legend.

—

Shikigami

Shikigami are conjured beings, made alive through a complex conjuring ceremony. Their power is connected to the spiritual force of their master, where if the invoker is well introduced and has much experience, their shiki can possess animals and even people and manipulate them, but if the invoker is careless, their shikigami may get out of control in time, gaining its own will and consciousness and can even raid its own master and kill them in revenge. Usually, shikigami are conjured to exercise risky orders for their masters, such as spying, stealing and enemy tracking. Shikigami are said to be invisible most of the time, but they can be made visible by binding them into small, folded and artfully cut paper manikins. There are also shikigami that can show themselves as animals.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 9

When they got closer, they saw that it was a group of seven or eight people who were holding flashlights in their hands. Even if they had been hostile looking, it would still be better than Yao Bin, who was chasing them; perhaps he wasn’t even human any longer.

The other party frowned when they saw two people running towards them, showing obvious signs on their faces that they were not welcome, but Dong Zhi and Zhang Xing didn’t care. While shouting for help, they continued staggering towards the group, feeling a sense of relief.

Yao Bin was still chasing them from behind, maintaining a steady pace, seemingly unaffected by the new arrivals. Due to his big steps, he quickly caught up.

Dong Zhi didn’t need to look back as he could feel the sound of wind made when Yao Bin reached out to grab them from behind. The down jacket made an unpleasant scratching noise, and despite the thick layers, he could still feel his clothes being torn. It goes to show what unimaginable strength he possessed, and one can easily tell just by looking at Zhang Xing’s blood-stained head.

Suddenly, the movement from the group in front of him caused his breathing to stagnate. They had taken out a black-colored weapon that looked like a gun from their pockets and pointed it at them.

Bang!

These people actually took guns with them to Changbai Mountain?!

There were wolves in the front and tigers in the back*. The sound of gunfire made Dong Zhi and Zhang Xing stop abruptly. They quickly realized that the target was not them, but Yao Bin. Dong Zhi pulled Zhang Xing down and quickly rolled to the side, creating an unsightly scene, but at least it would save their lives.

*(前面有狼，后面有虎) Metaphor for bad guys comes one after the other. From the Qing Dynasty’s “Guillotine-Party Dispute”.

Despite multiple rounds of gunfire, it only made Yao Bin’s body slightly shake, as he continued to move forward.

“Stop shooting! Guns aren’t effective against him at all!” Someone shouted.

Dong Zhi saw a woman picking up a branch from the ground. Her hands were bound with seals, and she started chanting some words. The branch suddenly ignited spontaneously as she conjured a bow from thin air, put the branch on it, and shot it straight at Yao Bin. The burning branch flew past Yao Bin, and just as Dong Zhi thought she had missed, she suddenly let out a shrill scream, causing the branch to explode in a burst of fire from behind.

The light from the fire illuminated a cloud of black mist that twisted and deformed, then dissipated. Dong Zhi was dazzled by the sight until he saw the fire spreading to Yao Bin. Zhang Xing cried out in a low voice, wanting to rush up to save him but being firmly pulled back. Her body quivered as she realized the Yao Bin in front of her was no longer a normal human being.

“Isn’t it bad to kill people here?” A middle-aged man, who they first heard from, spoke.

“His brain has been sucked dry by the Yaksha* so he’s not considered human anymore,” The woman who had shot the branch just now said; her tone was blunt and a bit strange. He secretly caught a glimpse of her and found that she was young and beautiful.

*See Kinky Thoughts for lore.

An old man standing next to her had on a sullen face, as if he owed tens of millions to someone. Near them were a group of younger men who had guns in their hands. Dong Zhi didn’t dare stare any longer and quickly retracted his gaze.

“We just ran into these things! How did they appear?!” The middle-aged man said with horror.

“Someone must have released them.” The woman said coldly, “Next time you encounter this kind of thing, don’t shoot. Just set it on fire, otherwise it’ll attach to you and drain your brain and you’ll become like him.”

The “he”, of course, was referring to Yao Bin. The fire had gotten larger and soon enveloped his entire body. The oddest thing was that during this entire time, Yao Bin didn’t make a single sound and remained motionless, as if it was responding to the girl’s words: he’s no longer a human being.

Since he had already seen such a sight before due to the train incident, he was mentally prepared, but Zhang Xing had to face the impact of watching the body of her acquaintance being burnt to death. If it wasn’t for Dong Zhi holding her tightly and covering her mouth, she would have screamed and limped to the ground.

“Who are you?!” A man in a jacket asked. His tone was blunt, like that of the girl’s.

Zhang Xing was still overcome by shock and wasn’t suitable to answer their questions for the time being. Dong Zhi briefly told them that they had met in the mountains and were lost. Then he bit the bullet and asked, “Are you also looking for a way out? Can we follow you? We promise that we won’t drag you down!”

The man in the jacket frowned and looked back at the old man and the girl. At this time, the middle-aged man said out loud, “One or two more won’t really make that much of a difference, right?”

Dong Zhi noticed his tone had a bit of acquiescence, signifying that neither the man in the jacket nor him had any say. It was the old man that was next to the girl that made all the decisions. The old man glanced at Dong Zhi, expressionless, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle. Being under his gaze, Dong Zhi felt as if it could pierce through his body.

The old man nodded slightly and whispered something to the man in the jacket. The latter straightened his waist, lowered his head and said to everyone, “Go find a place to rest!”

Dong Zhi let out a sigh of relief and pulled Zhang Xing up and followed them.

The sky was dark, covering up the moon and all the stars. They had to rely on their flashlights to lead the way. Dong Zhi didn’t want to consume all of the power on his phone, so he resisted the urge to take out his phone to illuminate the path and followed the group closely for fear of losing them.

Although they had guns and did not look like good people, at least they were still within the scope of humans. Compared with Yao Bin, Dong Zhi would rather be with them. Walking behind them was not without benefits either. Dong Zhi quickly discovered that the group was divided into two. The first group, centered around the elderly man and young girl, had a total of six people. The man in the down jacket walked beside them, occasionally exchanging a few words. He seems to have some status, but his attitude towards the old man and the girl was very flattering. He surrounded them with two other people, like bodyguards.

The other group was the middle-aged man just now and another young man in a black down jacket. It was a strange combination, and with them carrying guns, it looked like they were engaged in the black market.

In that instance, terms like tomb robbers, smugglers, drug traffickers, and the like flashed through Dong Zhi’s mind. Since he had no signal, he couldn’t fulfill his moral obligation and report them as a law-abiding citizen of the motherland.

They didn’t encounter any strange occurrences along the way. When they reached the edge of a river, the man in the jacket raised his hand and made a gesture. Everyone stopped and they started a fire, gathering around it to rest.

Dong Zhi didn’t want to get too close to them but didn’t dare stray too far, so he found a big stone and settled down with Zhang Xing.

“Shit! Why is there no power?!” The young man in the black down jacket looked at his mobile phone and cursed in a low voice.

Realizing that this was an opportunity, Dong Zhi offered. “Brother, I have a portable charger here.” He took out the battery pack from his backpack and handed it over.

The young man looked at him with wonderment, and Dong Zhi found that there was a scar on his face.

“My name is Xiao Dong. What’s your name, big brother?” Dong Zhi showed his smile that he usually reveals when he wanted to get close to others and saw that the man’s expression became more relaxed.

“Just call me Scar.” The young man said.

“Scar Ge, where are you going? I don’t want to inquire about anything. I just want to know if there is a safe place along the way. We can stay there and wait until dawn to find a way down the mountain.” Dong Zhi whispered.

Scar laughed. “You can continue dreaming unless you follow us. We have encountered plenty of those ghosts since we came up the mountain. Some are insubstantial, while others, just like now, manipulate individuals to attack us. Without them…”

He tilted his head towards the direction of the old man and girl. “It’s impossible for you to leave safely.”

Dong Zhi felt a chill. He tentatively asked, “Their accent doesn’t seem to be Chinese.”

Scar curled his lips and revealed. “Yes! They’re Japs¹! Even my master didn’t take them seriously. It’s said that he’s a president of a consortium with around 80,000 to 250,000 people and is quite arrogant². Bah! We’re on Chinese soil!”

¹(小日本) Translated means little Japan. It has a derogatory connotation with two reasons. One to make fun of Japan’s small territory and short stature, and two, out of anger and hatred for Japanese militarism against China in history.
²[Eyes on the top of his head] (眼睛都长头顶上) An expression to describe someone who’s arrogant and looks down on others.

The dissatisfaction was palpable, but he only dared say it in a low voice.

Since the identities of these Japanese people were unusual, their purpose on Changbai Mountain in the middle of the night wasn’t so simple. It must not be a good thing since Scar and his master were mixed in with this group of people. Dong Zhi realized this and asked no further questions. After thanking Scar, he got up and returned to Zhang Xing.

Zhang Xing, who had gradually calmed down, suddenly became taunt again like a bowstring. She was touched by Dong Zhi, and it almost made her jump. Dong Zhi hurriedly held her down and found that she was shaking like a sieve and even her teeth were chattering.

Dong Zhi was taken aback. “Are you cold?”

Zhang Xing grabbed his arm and, while still shaking, slowly wrote on his palm.

[I understand Japanese. I heard some of their conversation just now.]

Dong Zhi froze and immediately realized that their conversation most likely wasn’t good; otherwise, Zhang Xing wouldn’t have been so frightened.

She wrote on his hand again: [They seem to be looking for something. They are keeping us to use as a distraction in case they run into danger.]

Dong Zhi deeply inhaled, and he sighed silently. It was truly escaping the wolf’s den to fall into the tiger’s!

Learning from Zhang Xing, he took her palm and wrote: [We don’t know the way and can’t run. Follow behind and act according to the circumstances. Don’t get too close. Did you hear what they were looking for?]

Zhang Xing wrote: [No. They mentioned something about the Aso Consortium.]

Aso Consortium?

Japan’s chaebols* were bustling, and Dong Zhi had occasionally heard of them on the news.

*Large multinational group that controls a number of related companies and has a monopoly or influence in financial and business circles. They have great diplomatic influence on global politics because they provide a powerful source of funding for public and political lobbying, with the ultimate goal of maximizing money and power.

Zhang Xing’s palms were sweaty, and the Dong Zhi’s weren’t much better. The two looked at each other in the dark and smiled bitterly. People were knives, and he was the fish*. In order to live, they have to choose the lesser of two evils. There was no other way. They had to keep moving forward.

*(人为刀俎，我为鱼肉) Means the power of life and death is in the hands of others and one’s in a position of being slaughtered. This comes from the “Historical Records: Xiang Yu’s Chronicles”. The original line is: “The big line does not care about the meticulous, and the big ceremony does not hesitate to give up the small. Now people are swords, and I am fish.”

The group had rested enough. The man in the jacket lit a few torches and divided them up, giving one to Dong Zhi. As they set off, Dong Zhi secretly paid attention and found that they were moving entirely uphill.

Are we going up the mountains again?

Even with this discovery, Dong Zhi and Zhang Xing had no choice but to pray for a safe journey. The reality was, the more you were afraid of something, the more likely it would come. Dong Zhi’s hand that was holding the torch, was beginning to sore. Just as he was about to switch hands, his sharp eyes caught the sight of a cloud of black mist, behind Scar, floating towards him.

“Be careful!” Dong Zhi subconsciously shouted.

Scar reacted quickly as he abruptly turned around, swept the torch forward, and used his other hand to pull the trigger on the gun he was holding, shooting behind him. This was done purely out of instinct when he encountered danger. He knew that shooting it was useless. The black mist that had merged with the darkness was slightly delayed as he rolled to the side. Suddenly, it struck again. Scar yelled and reached out to grab onto Zhang Xing, intending to use her as a shield!

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Yaksha also known as “Yaksa”.

In folklore, Yaksha ghosts are mostly “sea monsters” or “water ghosts”. They can eat people and animals and are related to the Dragon King and the Evil God. It’s a unique ghost creature in the underworld, and its whole body is black.

Dakini Yaksha has two wings and can fly in the air. It is ever-changing. Sometimes it is red, sometimes blue, sometimes yellow. No matter what color it is, it possesses a kind of dark light that is very powerful. Its body sometimes turns into the head of a human beast, or the head of a cow, or a horse, which is terrifying, and it likes to cause trouble.

Earthwalking Yaksha is even more frightening. Its hair is a green flame, several feet high, burning like a candle. One of its eyes is on its forehead, while the other grew on its chin. They are strangely shaped; some are triangular, while others are half-moon.

The Yaksha in this novel is not referring to the Yaksha from Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist texts, which are generally benevolent.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>