Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 167: The First Taboo

Not long ago, at the central hospital courtyard.

Uncle Hou finished his cigarette and methodically began distributing supplies. He didn’t hand out his most valuable stash right away, only providing reliable bulk goods.

Naturally, he wasn’t completely off guard either. One hand continued to fiddle with two odd red walnuts, which likely carried some sort of power.

Seeing this, Cen Ling didn’t get angry. If Uncle Hou had been careless enough to lower his defenses entirely, then Cen Ling would have questioned the man’s character.

“There’s just one thing I can’t figure out,” Uncle Hou asked kindly. “Since you all dare to go this far, you must have some assurance. What if the Underworld forcibly interrupts the ritual? What’s your plan then?”

Cen Ling smiled faintly. “They won’t notice.”

“Oh?”

“The Immortal E’s hidden inside the Disaster Relief Tower are sealed extremely tightly, with layers of protections.”

“The ritual site is linked by karmic cause to the Tower. Now that I’ve taken them out here during the ritual, it’s just a matter of ‘relocating’ them. They’re still functioning within the Tower’s system.”

Cen Ling conveniently left out how he had “borrowed” them but otherwise explained casually.

“It’s the same logic as surgery—when doctors temporarily move organs during an operation, they still keep working normally.”

This way, the Shrine of All E’s would show no anomalies, and the Underworld wouldn’t raise any alarms.

Besides, the “God of Calamity” himself had created cover via karmic pollution, which meant that even if an Immortal E got damaged or a seal was disturbed, the impact on the Underworld would be minimized.

As long as his people didn’t leave the ritual site and trigger spell failure, the Underworld would not react in time.

That said, there was no need for him to tell Uncle Hou all of this.

At present, Uncle Hou only thought they were trying to steal a few Immortal E to pull some tricks on the side, not realizing this was an all-out “rebellion”.

Cen Ling stepped back two paces and quickly tallied the Immortal E’s in his mind.

The most powerful relics needed to be bound to their first recipients. But there were over a million Immortal E’s in the Tower, and the Guishan Sect didn’t have nearly that many people.

Once the second wave arrived, the less critical relics could be packed in spatial pouches and smuggled out in batches—

The key to the whole plan was catching the underworld off guard and sweeping the Tower clean in one go. If even one person left early and alerted the Underworld, the whole thing would fall apart.

Cen Ling took a deep breath and softly chanted, “Return.”

…That was why he memorized the life histories of all the Guishan Sect believers and selected only the most devout and powerful.

His family would never betray the glory of their Divine Sect.

……

“We have to help them,” Fang Xiu said seriously, hands braced on the windowsill as he gazed down at the busy courtyard full of Guishan Sect followers.

“Help?” Bai Shuangying looked down at the cultists with disdain.

He had no affection left for humanity. If Fang Xiu hadn’t stopped him, he wouldn’t have minded squashing these mortals into meatballs and rolling them down the hallway for fun.

Besides, with the ritual site cut off from the Underworld, he didn’t understand why Fang Xiu hadn’t just let him start killing.

“Of course we’re going to help. It’s not every day someone pulls all the Immortal E’s out into the open.”

Fang Xiu kept staring down at them, smiling without warmth. “And you—don’t touch your seal just yet. In fact, you should amplify your karmic pollution.”

Looking at his expression, Bai Shuangying could tell his human was up to something again.

Bai Shuangying: “The Guishan Sect is still linked to the ‘God of Xushan’ by karmic pollution. If I amplify it, the Underworld will completely forget about me. That’s basically handing over my identity as the ‘God of Xushan’.”

“Relax. I have a plan,” Fang Xiu said confidently.

Bai Shuangying sighed. It looked like he wouldn’t get to feast on yin energy from the Tower again. Still, if Fang Xiu insisted…

He raised a hand. Pollution surged through the partially broken chains, dyeing the faint karmic threads pitch black.

The side effect hit immediately. The energy that had been steadily feeding into him stopped almost entirely. Hunger returned in full force, clawing through his body.

Bai Shuangying was just about to sigh again when Fang Xiu suddenly darted forward, practically diving into his arms.

“Hungry?” Fang Xiu grinned. “We’ve got work to do. You can’t fight on an empty stomach.”

With that, he wrapped his arms around Bai Shuangying’s waist and yanked him into the room. Fang Xiu kicked the door shut behind them.

Bai Shuangying was about to say something, but Fang Xiu kissed him instead.

His arms hugged Bai Shuangying tightly, fingers weaving into that cool, silky hair. Before Bai Shuangying could even ready his forked tongue, Fang Xiu’s slipped past his lips.

Bai Shuangying knew lovers often fed each other, but he had never been fed this fiercely before.

He placed a hand on Fang Xiu’s nape and deepened the kiss without hesitation. Fang Xiu’s essence tasted just as delicious as always; no surprise there. He was, after all, the “Fang Xiu E” in both body and soul, saturated in karmic weight.

In theory, the more aroused Fang Xiu became, the richer and sweeter the essence.

But this time, Bai Shuangying noticed a strange undertone beneath the sweetness.

Beneath the heat and affection was something faintly bitter. The taste had more depth, but it didn’t sit well with Bai Shuangying.

Because he realized Fang Xiu was trembling slightly. He still wore that calm, confident expression, but the way he clung to Bai Shuangying, the way his fingers trembled in his hair, told another story.

As if he feared Bai Shuangying would vanish.

Instinctively, Bai Shuangying softened the kiss. Ever since he began analyzing Fang Xiu’s every action, his thoughts had never stopped.

…What had Fang Xiu’s original plan been?

…If he’d never met Bai Shuangying, never encountered the Corner of Heaven’s Will—how would he have ended the eighth ritual?

…Even if he succeeded, even if he made his physical body into the strongest “E” ever created—what then? Would his soul be traded to the Underworld, trapped in the Shrine of All E’s forever?

If they had never met, and Fang Xiu had become part of the karmic chain, then his human would have been the one to bury him in the end.

They would have gone to ruin together.

Bai Shuangying suddenly broke the kiss, cupped Fang Xiu’s flushed face in both hands, and stared into his eyes.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said solemnly. “Every cause has its effect.”

“I won’t blame you for your original plan, and you don’t need to dwell on what didn’t happen. In the mortal world, only what comes to pass counts. That is the way of Heaven.”

Fang Xiu’s lips were swollen from the kiss.

He looked at the white eyes of his ghost and tried to smile habitually but failed.

“I’m just… a little nervous,” he admitted. “It only counts once the dust settles. And the dust hasn’t settled yet.”

No matter how many times he rehearsed the plan, execution always felt different.

Bai Shuangying’s brow twitched. He squeezed Fang Xiu’s cheeks gently. His human really was fascinating—so tough, yet so tender. There were so many layers to his flavor.

“Why?” Bai Shuangying asked, confused. “Aren’t I right here with you?”

“You just do your part. Even if the mortal world burns, I’ll help you slaughter the Guishan Sect. If the gods come after you, we’ll take them too. Unless…”

He faltered.

“…Unless you want to separate from me now. That I won’t allow.”

Fang Xiu stared at him in silence for a long time.

Then he let out a heavy sigh and buried his face into Bai Shuangying’s chest.

“Do you know something?” Fang Xiu mumbled. “I really like you. It’s kind of amazing. I didn’t know I could like anyone this much.”

“Mm.” Bai Shuangying found it perfectly reasonable.

“…” Fang Xiu’s face twitched, as if he was holding back a laugh, grumbled, “You’re supposed to say, ‘I like you too,’ at a time like this.”

Bai Shuangying was startled. “Of course I like you. Why else would I be here?”

“I liked that little porcelain idol for a whole century. With you, it’ll be at least a thousand years.”

Now Fang Xiu blushed slightly. “Just say ‘I like you too.’ That sounded a little intense.”

But he didn’t give Bai Shuangying another chance to speak. He raised his face and kissed him again, so fiercely and affectionately that the earlier bitterness was gone, replaced by sweetness thick as honey.

…….

“Song Ge! A monster! A crow’s carrying a red rat!”

“You’re the red rat.”

“Weren’t you two going to find a base—”

At the sound of the others arriving, Fang Xiu pulled away. He quickly tidied up his clothes and opened the door. “If they’d stayed a second longer, Cen Ling would’ve killed them.”

Bai Shuangying hadn’t eaten his fill, but he grudgingly followed. This was no time to indulge.

Outside stood six mortals, all familiar faces from earlier.

Song Zheng nodded politely. Xiao Li waved. Xiao Tian beamed. “I’m so glad to see you two again. This is exactly what I needed!”

Lu Yang nodded wildly beside her. Fang Xiu wasn’t sure they were excited for the same reason.

As expected, the non-cultists took it relatively calmly. The same couldn’t be said for the other two—

Before Jiao Jiao could speak, Yan Yan exploded.

“Dude, if you need help, we’re happy to lend a hand. A little danger for a friend, whatever.”

“But this—this is like repaying a peach with a nuclear warhead! Damn, there are Immortal E’s everywhere out there!”

His voice kept rising. He was practically squeaking in fox-voice already.

Fang Xiu didn’t reply right away. He looked at Bai Shuangying instead.

“Another group of mortals has entered,” Bai Shuangying said. “Over a hundred this time, just as you predicted. Probably here to carry the loot.”

“Any of them traveling in pairs? Draw them over. Quietly. Don’t alert the rest.”

Bai Shuangying brushed the karmic threads.

In less than five minutes, two cultists wandered toward them, appearing to have lost their way. Song Zheng’s Murder-Intent Seismoscope flared. Xiao Li leapt forward and broke their illusion spells in one swift move.

“Nice,” Song Zheng, not knowing the truth, praised Bai Shuangying.

Fang Xiu smiled at Yan Yan and approached the stunned cultists. They clutched their jade pendants, activating their defense charms.

“It’s no use. You have violated a taboo.”

Fang Xiu’s voice was calm and gentle, like a hospital nurse.

“The first taboo: I will repay all Guishan Sect followers in kind.”

He raised a finger and curled it downward.

In the next instant, blood bloomed.

The author has something to say:

The cats are going on a killing spree.jpg

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 166: Successful Rendezvous

Cen Ling made his way toward the hospital courtyard.

The central courtyard was a scenic rest area for patients and staff. It was beautifully maintained, but open on all sides, with no cover. Clearly it wasn’t ideal as a base of operations.

“This place is perfect,” Cen Ling said.

Yan Yan couldn’t help shooting him a look that screamed “are you nuts?”. Did he want to stand under a spotlight? Why pick the most conspicuous location possible?

Jiao Jiao quietly played with her tarot cards without saying a word.

Uncle Hou wasn’t in a rush either. With his hands behind his back, he asked, “So how are you planning to set up this base?”

“Truth be told, I’ve got a skill called ‘Beans into Soldiers’, It’s a special ability awarded by the Underworld, usable only once across all eight rituals,” Cen Ling explained patiently, as if it were totally normal. “Once I cast it, I’ll summon a decent fighting force. A place like this gives the best deployment range.”

Uncle Hou bit down on a cigarette and hummed meaningfully.

Yan Yan couldn’t make sense of it. If Cen Ling had a trump card like that, why wasn’t he using it to hunt down Fang Xiu? Or did the ability have a time limit? If so, placing a base in a wide-open and hard-to-defend spot was like cooking dumplings just for the dipping sauce.

He watched as Cen Ling pulled out a handful of jade beads and hurled them onto the ground.

As soon as they landed, a thick, greenish mist billowed up. It smelled both foul and strangely sweet, the color clinging to the eyes, blurring everything beyond half a meter.

Not good.

His beast instinct caused every hair on Yan Yan’s body to stand up.

The moment the smoke rose, his pupils contracted into slits, taking on a bestial shape. He grabbed Jiao Jiao by the arm and leapt toward a thicket, narrowly dodging a gleam of cold light.

This wretched smoke had blinded his sharp senses and dulled his movement. He couldn’t afford a drawn-out fight.

There was no time to question anything else. Still clutching Jiao Jiao, he raced toward where he remembered Uncle Hou had been. If anyone here knew how to stay alive, it was that walking arsenal.

Sure enough, as they reached him, Uncle Hou turned the jade bracelet hidden in his sleeve. A swirling jade ring expanded to cover all three of them and blocked a volley of needles from seemingly nowhere.

The needles clinked harmlessly to the ground, tips stained black-green with obvious poison.

“What the hell, Cen Ling?!” Yan Yan growled.

After being backstabbed by the Guishan Sect during a previous ritual, he’d already distrusted Cen Ling. Now he was downright furious.

“That brat chose this spot because the karma threads here are weak. It’s less likely to trigger taboos,” Uncle Hou said leisurely, blowing a smoke ring. “Funny thing, though—‘Beans into Soldiers’ doesn’t summon living people.”

He puffed again, then pulled an old-school pipe from his pocket and took a drag. Instantly, the thick green smoke was sucked into it like greasy vapor under an extractor hood.

As the smoke cleared, not only did the courtyard come into view, but more than twenty living, breathing people had silently appeared.

They looked between their twenties and forties, healthy and dressed in everyday clothes. If not for the identical expressions on their faces, it would’ve been hard to tell they were together.

Even a fool could see they were outnumbered. Yan Yan immediately shut up and edged back.

“Mr. Cen, the first group has arrived.” A middle-aged man stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Cen Ling scanned the group with a warm smile that gave Yan Yan goosebumps.

Then he reached into his pocket and took out a rust-covered iron weight, handing it to the speaker. It gave off a wave of stinging yin energy. It was clearly an Immortal E.

The man thanked him profusely and cradled it in both hands like it was a second heart. Then he began to chant, pulled out a jade pendant from his neck, and smashed it against the weight. A faint wail rose as threads of soul energy wrapped around the object. He sliced his palm and anointed the weight with fresh blood, continuing his incantation.

Meanwhile, Cen Ling had moved on to the next person.

“Sister Li Shanghua, here’s a willow-wood comb. This taboo suits your temperament.”

“Brother Cheng Xin, this is a blood-stained seal stone. Matches your casting style best.”

“……”

In front of the three of them, he handed out the Immortal E’s one by one, by full name, matching items to people with pinpoint precision. Each recipient bowed in deep gratitude and immediately began casting their spell.

The three observers stood by. Uncle Hou remained within the jade ring, watching calmly. Jiao Jiao muttered while handling her tarot deck and herbal pouches. Yan Yan, meanwhile, was already sweating.

Though only half-fox by blood, he was a trueborn spirit. He knew what this meant.

All those pendants worn by the cultists contained living souls they had personally killed. Normally, such souls could be used in rituals or as substitutes for death. But their most important function was to store a “personal” karmic imprint built from killing.

These souls alone, with very little karma, weren’t enough to create an E, but using Immortal E’s to destroy them, and merging with the karmic imprint, gave the Immortal E a unique “signature”. With special techniques, even non-owners could use about eighty percent of an Immortal E’s power.

“That ritual… It’s not something you whip up overnight. It must’ve taken years just to create,” Yan Yan muttered, drenched in cold sweat. “Damn, the Guishan Sect planned this whole thing just to steal the Immortal E’s. They’re not even trying to hide it. We’re gonna get killed as witnesses!”

“Uncle Hou, got anything else? Let’s get out of here.” Yan Yan’s legs went numb. “Come on!”

Uncle Hou finished his cigarette, tossed the butt to the ground, and casually stepped it out. Then he snapped his fingers. The jade ring began to slow and eventually stopped.

Yan Yan waited for him to unleash a new gadget, only for a handful of coarse herbal powder to be slapped onto his face.

“Big sis—ack!”

Before he could turn around, his body rapidly shrank. He’d returned to his red-furred fox form, except he was now the size of a mouse.

It was Jiao Jiao’s magic.

Just as he was adjusting, something yanked at his scruff. A black crow grabbed him and soared toward an open window.

In mere seconds, the jade ring had vanished, the smoke had settled, and only a few feathers remained drifting on the wind—feathers with the same lacy edges as Jiao Jiao’s dress.

“Gotta admit, I can’t compete with the reflexes of the young,” Uncle Hou said with admiration.

He calmly shed his defenses and strolled up to Cen Ling.

“Let’s work together, Mr. Cen. Just having Immortal E’s isn’t enough. I have all kinds of magic weapons and spells. You want someone to muddy the waters or cover your tracks, I’m your man.”

Cen Ling paused mid-distribution. “You’re straightforward.”

“I’m a businessman. I know a golden opportunity when I see one. You laid your cards on the table. I’d be a fool not to act.”

He lit another cigarette.

“Relax. I won’t covet your Immortal E’s. This is a trade, pure and simple.”

Talking to someone smart was always refreshing. Cen Ling was pleased.

Uncle Hou was sharp, and he didn’t trouble himself with pesky things like morals. He’d made a name for himself loan-sharking before entering the Tower and would never pass up a profitable deal.

And the current setup was obvious: by siding with the Guishan Sect, he could ride this ritual to the end. Even if the Underworld later hunted the sect down, all he had to do was say he was forced into it by an Immortal E’s taboo. He’d still get the reward.

And all the Guishan Sect wanted was for this walking armory to not side with Fang Xiu. That alone was enough.

Pity that gothic girl reacted too fast. Otherwise, Uncle Hou wouldn’t have minded tossing two corpses their way.

“I really did mean it when I said this would be a good base,” Cen Ling smiled. “Lend me some scouting items and offensive talismans. Just stay here—my people will keep you safe.”

Uncle Hou blew a perfect smoke ring. “Much obliged.”

……

In the stairwell.

“Fuck! I’ll curse this guy’s ancestors into the next life!”

The miniature fox clutched in crow talons trembled, speaking in a tiny, buzzing voice.

“Is the Underworld full of useless idiots?! Things are falling apart, and they’re doing nothing?!”

“I’ve never seen that many Immortal E’s in one place. Eight hundred taboos all slapped on my face! This is more than the divine law! What the fuck!”

Jiao Jiao flapped her wings and wordlessly turned in mid-air.

“There’s something fishy going on in this ritual. Is the ritual guardian dead or what? Did someone reincarnate and forget to file the paperwork?”

Having nothing to do, the fox curled his tail and continued ranting. “Fang Xiu dragged me into this mess. We’re even now. Next time I see him, I swear I’ll—ow!”

Jiao Jiao made a sharp dive. Her claws yanked on the fox’s neck fluff, nearly yanking tears from his eyes.

They almost crashed into an open skull.

Wait—a literal skull, pried open.

Sniffing instinctively, Yan Yan caught a familiar scent. The group of four, led by Lu Yang, was marching his corpse army through the hall. Spooked by the crow, they turned and locked eyes with Jiao Jiao.

“Song Ge! A monster!” Lu Yang shouted. “A crow’s carrying a red rat!”

Before Song Zheng could react, Jiao Jiao elegantly landed. Her skirts flared, and her heels tapped the floor softly.

She gently blew on the fox and tossed him forward. Reverting to human form midair, Yan Yan nearly collided with Lu Yang.

“You’re the red rat,” he snapped, grabbing Lu Yang by the collar and dragging him back.

Song Zheng blinked. “Weren’t you two going to find a base—”

“If they stayed a minute longer, Cen Ling would’ve killed them.”

Creaaak.

A nearby door opened.

Fang Xiu stepped out with a smile, casually closing the door behind him. At his side stood Bai Shuangying with a frosty expression.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 165: Phase One

The yin energy rippled gently; the spirit-screening formation trembled slightly.

Someone had broken in!

A’Shou noticed the disturbance immediately and checked the formation’s status. The massive array had been tampered with—an additional one-way barrier had been added. In short, cultivators from the outside could still enter, but nothing from within could get out.

The site of the eighth taboo had become a completely sealed room.

This shield had appeared silently, without any signs. It was clearly part of a taboo. Coincidentally, when reviewing past files, A’Shou had just read about this one. She distinctly remembered this “one-way” taboo belonged to an old key-type Immortal E, not the will of the “Fang Xiu E”.

Which meant there was only one suspect—

Cen Ling was currently wandering through the lower levels of the hospital with three others. Hands in his pockets, he wore a casual smile while his fingers moved subtly beneath thick fabric, as if operating something.

In the face of this completely chaotic scene, A’Shou should have panicked. But the thought of Fang Xiu and Bai Shuangying wandering around trapped in a “sealed room” made her feel strangely reassured. Keeping those two locked up wasn’t a bad thing. It brought a comforting sense of safety.

To be fair, if the ritual had been managed by some indecisive senior Underworld officer, Cen Ling’s move would’ve been devastating. With abnormal conditions, a communication cut-off, and unknown Immortal E’s involved, any officer would crack.

But she was one of the most powerful ghost immortals in the Underworld.

A’Shou thought for a moment, tore off a piece of paper, picked up a pen, and scribbled a line of text. With a snap of her fingers, the paper turned into a white moth and flew toward Fang Xiu’s hospital room.

If they were going to collaborate, it had to be real collaboration.

At the same time

“They said something about a ‘master’ or a ‘god’. Don’t tell me they meant Fang Xiu?” Lu Yang was briskly leading a procession of corpses toward the basement exit.

“He is good-looking,” Xiao Tian said, “but he still seems like a mortal. He doesn’t have that… you know, divine vibe?”

“Think hard. Do you know any mysterious big bosses?”

Lu Yang was almost in tears. “I don’t have any other friends.”

Thanks to his ability, which became stronger the more corpses there are, plus his lone-wolf nature, most teams had suspected he’d stab them in the back. His survival so far had been thanks to his harmless college-kid vibe and the desperate survival tips Fang Xiu had given him.

Xiao Li: “But it doesn’t make sense for the Underworld to throw a god into a ritual. That’s way too unfair.”

He made an effort to walk ahead of Lu Yang to avoid walking shoulder to shoulder with the zombie army.

“No point overthinking this,” Song Zheng cut in. “Those spirits clearly aren’t hostile. That’s good enough. First priority is finding Fang Xiu. Xiao Tian, can you manage?”

Xiao Tian nodded solemnly.

At the basement entrance, she veered into a duty room and rummaged around until she pulled out a clean glass food container and a pair of sharp metal scissors.

She filled the container with clear water, opened the scissors so one blade pointed toward the hospital entrance, then bit her finger and scrawled a big, wild character for “Fortune” on the table in blood, circling it.

She placed the bowl and scissors in the middle of the blood array, then sucked on her finger. “It’s done.”

Lu Yang: “…”

That looked awfully familiar. His ex used the same method to find her lost cat. Was this really legit?

But Xiao Li and Song Zheng looked completely unfazed, so he swallowed his doubts and watched quietly.

Xiao Tian clearly called Fang Xiu’s name three times toward the scissors. A second later, the scissors slowly lifted, one blade balancing on the water, the other tilting toward a direction.

A few seconds later, it dropped like a dead chicken, going limp.

“Looks like he’s upstairs somewhere. Just a general direction,” Xiao Tian said, wiping away the blood on the table. She put the scissors and bowl back in place.

“Let’s go find Fang Xiu,” Song Zheng declared.

……

“Song Zheng and the others will come looking for me.”

Fang Xiu didn’t leave the hospital room right away. Instead, he picked up a watering can and tended to the green pothos plant by the window.

“They’re a larger group and have a high favorability toward me. They’ll definitely act. Lu Yang knows I’m here, so he’ll be the first to look for me… Odds are the four of them will team up.”

Water moistened the leaves, making the plant look vibrant and lush.

“Jiao Jiao and Yan Yan aren’t particularly strong in combat. Jiao Jiao will be curious about my goals and will proceed cautiously, most likely teaming up with the other two to find a base.”

“As for that base…” Fang Xiu chuckled. “I wonder how A’Shou is feeling right now.”

All the vengeful spirits in the room stayed silent, their eyes following Fang Xiu wherever he moved. The little black dog sniffed around the small hospital room. Cheng Songyun and Guan He were silently inspecting everything, especially the person on the bed.

Seeing a lively, powerful person now so weak and pale was jarring. Looking at the unconscious Fang Xiu, skin waxy and barely breathing, made it hard to focus on anything else.

Bai Shuangying, on the other hand, was quite entertained. He didn’t understand mortals, but he liked watching Fang Xiu manipulate them.

As for the physical body—well, the Underworld’s craftsmanship wasn’t bad. If need be, he could always grab a dozen new ones for Fang Xiu.

“What does finding a base have to do with that ghost immortal?” Bai Shuangying asked curiously.

Fang Xiu smiled at his ghost. “You’ll see soon.”

Barely thirty seconds later, a folded paper moth tapped against the window. Fang Xiu cracked the window open, and it fluttered inside.

He quickly read the message. “See? She noticed.”

Bai Shuangying stroked his chin and closed his eyes to sense the intruders. In almost no time, he detected the cultivators sneaking into the ritual space—a group of mortals slipping right through the formation. The Underworld’s reputation was in shambles.

Wait a second. Cen Ling could steal Immortal E’s from the Shrine of All E’s. Maybe this intrusion was the work of one too.

Immortal E’s…

A spark of clarity hit Bai Shuangying.

“Once this ritual ends, Cen Ling will leave the Tower. He won’t get another chance to smuggle out Immortal E’s like this.”

He tried to keep pace with Fang Xiu’s thinking. “So he’s using this moment to get his people in and smuggle them out.”

“Once they each get one, they’re basically holding divine weapons. That’s quite dangerous.”

Fang Xiu crumpled the note and tossed it in the trash. “Exactly. Once he distributes the goods, Cen Ling can safely finish the ritual. By the time the Underworld catches on, they’ll already be long gone.”

“And with the Shrine of All E’s suddenly emptied, the ritual Tower’s sealing power plummets. The enraged Corner of Heaven’s Will will descend, and the Underworld will be too busy cleaning up the mess to care about the stolen Immortal E’s.”

Bai Shuangying, who wasn’t particularly enraged: “…Hmm.”

If he just refused to finish the sealing and stayed here enjoying the show, wouldn’t Cen Ling be in trouble?

Wait. There’s a catch.

Cen Ling wouldn’t let his allies escape before the sealing was done. If they fled with the powerful relics and he died mid-ritual, that’d be a hilarious ending.

…And the one relic they had to seal together was called “Fang Xiu”.

At this moment, the final safeguard to the Guishan Sect’s victory, the core figure of the ritual, was leaning against the window, smiling ever wider.

“Isn’t this perfect?” Fang Xiu rested his face on his palm, gazing out at the white mist. “Everyone sent to claim an Immortal E must be a key figure from the sect.”

“I can’t wait.”

As he spoke, he pulled out Mei Lan’s silk scarf and tied it around his wrist.

Bai Shuangying keenly noticed that when Fang Xiu moved, a corner of a familiar book peeked out of his pocket—for some reason, he had brought the Immortal Encounter E with him.

……

Song Zheng’s group returned to the first floor. As soon as they set foot on solid ground, the Murder-Intent Seismoscope in his hand erupted with static. Strangely, the killing intent was coming from all directions.

“Enemy ambush!” Song Zheng called out.

Lu Yang jolted to attention. A dozen corpses quickly spread out, forming a protective ring around them. They opened their mouths and sprayed foul, yellow corpse mist in all directions.

“Huh?” Lu Yang frowned. “I’m sensing suitable material.”

Seeing his teammates’ confused expressions, he quickly rephrased. “I mean, I smell living humans. If they touch the corpse mist, I can track them.”

Song Zheng asked gravely, “How many?”

“Five or six just now. All ran off. But wait, there shouldn’t be this many people here… and they’re hiding.”

Lu Yang shivered.

How could there be so many people? Extra living people were scarier than ghosts in a place like this.

“Killing intent from living people?” Song Zheng clicked his tongue and grabbed Lu Yang’s robe. “No more sightseeing. We’re finding Fang Xiu. Something’s off.”

“Shouldn’t we warn the others?” Lu Yang nearly tripped from the tug.

“They’re Disaster Resolvers, not daycare kids waiting for their parents to pick them up.”

Xiao Li ran up the stairs with Song Zheng. “Let’s find Fang Xiu. This whole thing’s his setup. He knows what’s going on.”

The corpses split into two groups. The swift ones cleared the path, while the slower ones brought up the rear. Xiao Tian sprinted ahead, out of breath, trusting her instincts at every fork in the corridor.

Behind them, a few muffled coughs echoed through the corpse mist.

“Don’t chase them? That team’s trouble.”

“No need. Ignore the irrelevant ones. Find Mr. Cen first. The leader ordered us to help him complete the ritual before sunset.”

“Once we get the Immortal E’s, the rest of them are just ants.”

“And if there are others near Cen Ling?”

“Kill them all.”

Swish.

In a shadowy corner of the first floor, Jiao Jiao quietly drew a tarot card.

“Hmm~”

She toyed with the upright Death card and clicked her tongue.

“…The fun’s about to begin.”

The author has something to say:

Of course Xiao Tian’s cat-finding method works for finding two cats (?

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 164: Outside the Ritual

The eight people present instinctively held their breath, waiting for the knocking to stop. The sound came from every door, making it impossible to determine a specific source.

“…A taboo,” Xiao Tian whispered.

Song Zheng nodded in agreement. His Murder-Intent Seismoscope still showed no reaction, clearly indicating that this wasn’t the work of vengeful spirits.

Lu Yang pulled his cloak tighter. “What do we do? Even if Fang Xiu’s not here, we should form a team first.”

Since the Fierce Wind E, he’d been lucky enough to survive a few rituals and was no longer that clueless, clear-eyed college student. The hospital was massive and complex. It was definitely not a place for solo exploration. Sticking together and finding a base was basic survival sense.

“I think so too, though picking a leader is tough,” Cen Ling added casually, showing no fear at all. “Why don’t we settle on a base first and decide the leader once we find Fang Xiu?”

Lu Yang found that reasonable.

“Ah, we’ve got the numbers. Let’s head off on our own first,” Xiao Tian said, raising her hand. “It’s still daylight, perfect time to look for people.”

Lu Yang: “!”

He preferred finding Fang Xiu over setting up a base. After participating in later rituals, Lu Yang had only one thought: during the Fierce Wind Calamity, Fang Xiu had bought him months of time. Calling him a lifesaver wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Plus, these three seemed friendly. They didn’t have Uncle Hou’s “streetwise” pressure or the strange aura of Jiao Jiao and Yan Yan. Just looking at them made him feel safe.

“I’ll go with them. I was heading to the morgue anyway,” Lu Yang quickly said.

Uncle Hou’s face twitched, but he said nothing.

Jiao Jiao glanced at Uncle Hou and Cen Ling, her eyes flashing. She rubbed the cards in her hand. “Oh? Then it’s just right—four and four. You four go find Fang Xiu, and we’ll establish a base.”

……

Once the groups split, Song Zheng finally exhaled deeply. Even though they were surrounded by wide-open doors in a creepy hospital, he seemed visibly more at ease.

“While there’s still light out, we’ll help you find the morgue first,” Song Zheng said to Lu Yang. “I heard you can control corpses? Corpses are dead things. The spirit screening won’t block them.”

Lu Yang nodded gratefully. “Thanks. Oh, and be careful, everyone. Places like morgues might have taboos. If it gets dangerous, I’ll go in alone.”

He raised his fists with a serious look on his face.

Xiao Li and Xiao Tian exchanged a glance. The guy wasn’t too smart, but he wasn’t dumb either. Honest, even. Given how much he respected Fang Xiu, it was obvious Fang Xiu had helped him at some point.

According to the signs, the morgue was in the basement.

While the sun was still up, the group followed the stairs down. Fortunately, the hospital lighting was still good. The halls were spotless, corners decorated with potted plants, and pastel-colored instructional posters covered the walls. It didn’t look so scary.

Lu Yang grew bolder and moved to the front. He stretched his hand forward as he walked, cautiously glancing side to side.

“Looks like the enemies are among the other four,” Xiao Tian said quietly as she lagged behind the others with her companions.

Everyone here seemed to know Fang Xiu. Based on what they knew about him, the team was likely handpicked by him.

They knew his temperament. Fang Xiu wasn’t some saint. He wouldn’t go through the effort of negotiating with the Underworld just to help people out of the goodness of his heart. Even if he suddenly turned angelic, he wouldn’t have hidden himself right from the start.

The trio agreed that among the eight, someone was clearly Fang Xiu’s target.

They, the ones who held goodwill toward him, were more like “insurance”—even if they couldn’t help, they wouldn’t harm him and could occupy potential traitor slots.

“Uncle Hou… doesn’t seem too likely,” Xiao Li muttered. “Fang Xiu doesn’t like him, but their grudge isn’t that deep. Uncle Hou knows how capable Fang Xiu is, and he’s too crafty to pick a fight straight away.”

Song Zheng mused, “The other three clearly know their metaphysics. The danger’s probably there.”

“I heard they’ve got some private forum. We regular folks can’t even access it,” Xiao Tian sighed. “Anyway, I’m betting on Cen Ling.”

Xiao Li and Song Zheng both looked over.

“Jiao Jiao and Yan Yan outfits has that kinda of… Er, how should I put it… a kind of aura? I doubt Fang Xiu would have some deep personal feud with people like that. And Cen Ling—he’s handsome, but I feel nothing. That’s suspicious.”

Xiao Li: “…”

He snorted. “What about Yan Yan? He’s not bad-looking either. Didn’t see you react to him.”

Xiao Tian replied, “Yeah, I don’t dislike him. But being near him makes my nose itch.”

“Huh? I thought you were only allergic to dog hair?” Xiao Li asked, seemingly confused.

“That’s not the point. The point is I don’t dislike him.”

“Alright, alright,” Song Zheng cut in before the tangent got worse. “My gut says we shouldn’t be with those guys. For now, let’s just stay on track.”

“When we find Fang Xiu, we’ll ask him directly.”

As the mushroom trio whispered among themselves, the group continued deeper into the hospital.

The basement lights dimmed and the informational posters disappeared. Only the black letters of the [MORGUE →] signs remained as guides.

“It’s way too clean down here,” Lu Yang muttered in amazement. “Normally, even if there aren’t ghosts, there should be some lingering spirits. But there’s not even a fly.”

At first, the normality was reassuring. But in a place like this, being too normal was unnerving.

Lu Yang slowed further. Nearing the morgue entrance, he practically crawled forward. Song Zheng held up the seismometer; Xiao Li moved into position for backup.

“Ah crap!” Lu Yang gasped at the morgue door, barely keeping his voice down.

Turns out, that knocking had opened more than just “doors”.

Every corpse drawer had been pulled open. The cold metal plates blocked their view of the contents, and no bodies were visible. However, drawers with bodies had neatly placed flower wreaths on them making them easy to distinguish.

The corpses weren’t exactly quiet. Several emitted faint, ragged breathing sounds, as if struggling in pain. Beyond that, everything remained disturbingly normal.

Lu Yang stopped at one drawer and clasped his hands together to offer a respectful bow.

“I’d like to borrow your body. I promise I’ll return it after the ritual. If you’re unwilling, please give me a sign—ahhhhh!”

A head suddenly rose from the top of the drawer.

It was a middle-aged man’s head, smashed flat on one side. His face was crushed like a rubber mask that was stepped on. His eyes opened, murky and expressionless, and locked onto Lu Yang.

“Who… are you?” it asked, voice slurred and breath rancid. If Lu Yang weren’t used to corpse stench, he’d have puked right there.

The room was already cold, but the temperature dropped even more.

Xiao Tian swiftly drew her hairpin. Xiao Li’s hand went to his pocket. Only Song Zheng still stared at the seismometer—since entering the hospital, this thing had no reaction. He was beginning to doubt it even worked.

“I’m Lu Yang,” Lu Yang replied stiffly.

He knew giving his real name was risky, but lying to a spirit face-to-face was worse.

“Lu Yang. Lu Yang controls corpses.”

The spirit repeated his name, scanning him up and down.

“…Lu Yang, not enemy.” 

“You can use the body.”

All four froze. “???”

What kind of spirit was this? Why was it so cooperative?

“Everyone, back down.”

The spirit twisted its head with an awful crunch, calling to its neighbors. “He’s that person’s friend.”

With a chorus of unsettling movements, nearly every wreath-marked drawer produced a head. Twelve in total, young and old, all turned to stare at the stunned Lu Yang.

“Use carefully. Return after.” The flattened-faced corpse warned, “We still need cremation. If damaged, families will be sad.”

Lu Yang: “Okay. Got it.”

Why were they all being so polite?

He couldn’t help but ask nervously, “If—just if—I accidentally damage your bodies… what’ll happen to me?”

That head fell silent for over ten seconds. Though its face was warped, Lu Yang still saw a very meaningful look in those cloudy eyes.

“We will find you,” it said clearly. “You will pay monetary compensation—a lot.”

“If you refuse, that’s corpse desecration. A criminal offense.”

Lu Yang: “…”

That… was very realistic.

And to a college student who hadn’t entered society yet, criminal law violations were terrifying.

Xiao Tian honed in on a key point. “You said ‘that person’s’ friend? Who’s that?”

The head slowly turned toward her. Decaying flesh twitched until a crooked smile formed.

“The master here. Our god.”

“The real monster.”

“You’ll understand.”

……

Taiyi City First People’s Hospital, Gui Province.

A middle-aged man walked briskly toward the hospital building, hands in his pockets. Halfway there, he paused and looked toward the hospital entrance, frowning.

Several people loitered nearby. Most looked healthy, not like patients, and they kept exchanging glances at a high frequency. They hovered near the entrance like they were debating going in.

…Some of them even looked familiar.

“Lao Yuan, you’re early today.”

The voice pulled his attention back. A middle-aged nurse passed by, nodding in greeting.

“Xiao Cai,” Officer Yuan replied with a nod.

Nurse Cai: “Came for a check-up, or…?”

“Here to visit Fang Xiu,” Yuan Ye said. “Work’s been busy lately so I didn’t have time in the evenings.”

Nurse Cai sighed gently. “If you’re that busy, you really don’t have to come every day. Xiao Fang’s condition is stable. We’re all taking good care of him.”

“…It’s not that I don’t trust you.” Yuan Ye smiled, fine lines creasing his face. “It’s like coming home. I’m used to it.”

Nurse Cai’s gaze grew complicated. “Alright. I was heading that way too. Let’s go together.”

Before leaving, Officer Yuan glanced once more at the suspicious group outside the hospital. He suddenly remembered: one of them—at least one—had been involved with the Guishan Sect. They’d been released for lack of evidence.

…What were they doing here?

Then, their actions answered his question.

Yuan Ye’s vision blurred. When it cleared, a few of those people had vanished, right in front of him. They walked toward the hospital and disappeared into thin air.

…Something was wrong.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 163: His Invitation

Looking at the “Fang Xiu” lying silently in the hospital bed, A’Shou suddenly realized she had completely misjudged the situation.

Fang Xiu was an E.

To be precise, Fang Xiu’s body was an E.

No wonder his knocking had no trace of magic yet could suppress other E’s. That was simply his own taboo.

A’Shou bit her thumbnail.

It all made sense now.

Fang Xiu wasn’t dead. Even if his living soul couldn’t return to his body, it was still karmically connected to it. Every time he killed a criminal in the Underworld or destroyed an E, the karma generated fed back into his flesh.

Using a damaged human body to form an E… since the founding of the Underworld, this was utterly unprecedented.

A’Shou had long known that the human world had cases of “deep comas” or “vegetative states”.

In her time, such people wouldn’t have lived a day. Even now, they could only survive with life support machines and meticulous care, costing enormous sums.

Theoretically, these soulless bodies could indeed be considered “objects”.

But no sane person would connect them with “E’s”. Typically, the deeply resentful dead became vengeful ghosts, and at most their corpses were used as materials in dark rituals.

And so, Fang Xiu’s soul was summoned to the Underworld, and no one noticed anything was wrong.

A’Shou had carefully reviewed the ghost envoy’s report afterward. It simply stated Fang Xiu was in a coma in a hospital and required no escort from the Underworld. That alone showed that although his soul had left, he still maintained some control over his body. He had hidden his condition extraordinarily well.

In the end, that kid had precisely exploited a loophole in the Heavenly Law, creating an E that had self-awareness and could consciously grow stronger.

No matter how she looked at it, the words “meticulously premeditated” were written all over this.

If anyone told her that Fang Xiu entering the Disaster Relief Tower was a coincidence, she wouldn’t believe it for a second.

But how had Fang Xiu known he would be chosen by the Tower?

“You understand why my karmic chains were breaking.” Bai Shuangying’s sudden statement shook A’Shou from her thoughts.

He poked the lifeless Fang Xiu in the bed again. “Humans become immortals through merit. Ghosts become immortals by cultivating an E. I am half-divine, half-demonic, so I guess I walk the ghost-immortal path.”

“The chains broke simply because I was unconsciously refining an E, growing stronger.”

Like a beast once restrained by chains. The immortals had struggled to seal him, the karmic chains barely held. But his power had shifted—even a slight increase was enough to loosen the seal.

Bai Shuangying was amazed to find the world far more interesting than he’d imagined. Even he didn’t know what would happen if he refined Fang Xiu into a full-fledged Immortal E.

Fang Xiu scratched his head awkwardly, glancing around as if searching for the hidden A’Shou.

“Honestly, my original goal was to become the most powerful seal in the Disaster Relief Tower,” he said, surprisingly frank.

“If I succeeded, I could have… Never mind, talking about it is meaningless now. I’ll never seal you.”

As expected of his human. Bai Shuangying nodded in approval.

…Was this really a casual conversation topic?!

In the shadows, A’Shou almost spat blood.

It was already nearly impossible to restrain a Corner of Heaven’s Will. The only reason they hadn’t turned the world upside down was because they were usually simple-minded and distant from humanity. But now, the Guishan Sect had forced out a Bai Shuangying who could think.

Not only had he returned at full strength, but he was now refining an E into immortality.

And the E he was refining was full of wild ideas.

A’Shou swallowed two more heart-calming pills and reached out to contact Dian’er. However, as her hand extended halfway, it stopped.

…No. Stay calm. The situation was abnormal, but not urgent.

Fang Xiu had only completed about one full ritual cycle.

True, he had killed a fair number of heinous criminals, collecting eight trigrams. A’Shou could roughly estimate how much karma he’d built.

The “Fang Xiu E” was powerful, but not enough to threaten the Underworld.

Bai Shuangying hadn’t fully broken his seal. Even if he was refining this kind of E, his power hadn’t grown explosively. And they were still within a screened realm. No innocent mortals could be harmed.

After wrestling with herself, A’Shou’s instincts as a battlefield veteran won out. She lowered her hand and kept watching.

……

Inside the ward, Cheng Songyun and Guan He were speechless.

Real? Tragic? Bizarre? They didn’t know how to describe what lay before them.

Fang Xiu’s condition was far worse than they had imagined, by countless degrees. Anyone looking at the hospital bed could see there was no hope of recovery.

“The E for this ritual is here. You can treat this room as your base,” Fang Xiu said brightly, as if the person in the bed were a stranger.

“You don’t have to worry about taboo restrictions. Do as you like. I only have one request—”

“You two, survive.” He waved his hand, summoning the little black dog.

The dog sniffed the unfamiliar world in shock, sending the surrounding vengeful spirits scuttling to the ceiling in a panic.

Thankfully, the dog had no interest in them. It settled by the bedside, black-bean eyes shifting between Fang Xiu and the body on the bed.

“Go follow Cheng Jie and Xiao Guan. Don’t mind me,” Fang Xiu said softly.

“Woof!” The black dog wagged its tail vigorously, nudging the body in the bed with its nose.

Guan He pressed his lips together, a realization slowly forming. “Fang Ge, you said there’s no need to worry about taboos… Does that mean…”

“Yeah, I’m the E here,” Fang Xiu replied conversationally, like he was just talking about a part-time job.

“My case is a little unusual. You can just think of it as me as if I’m a spirit.”

Cheng Songyun and Guan He: “…”

Guan He slowly closed his mouth and swallowed the ten thousand questions in his throat.

It all sounded insane, but since it came from Fang Xiu, maybe believing it was fine.

Still, if Fang Xiu was the E, didn’t that make this area completely safe for them? …Then why did he insist they survive?

As Guan He looked at him in confusion, Fang Xiu’s smile slowly faded. He raised his right hand.

He knocked three times into the air, gently.

A short while earlier, in the hospital lobby.

“Eh? A hospital? Such a classic setting?”

One of the mushroom trio, Xiao Tian, was amazed. “We’ve never had a hospital before, have we? Wow, this place looks so modern. Is there really an E here?”

She looked much better than before. Her hair was pinned up with an eye-catching coral hairpin.

Xiao Li muttered, “It’s definitely creepy. There’s not a soul in sight.”

“Alright, enough chatter. This one won’t be easy,” Song Zheng warned his two young teammates.

He cautiously activated his “Murder-Intent Seismoscope”. After several checks, he still couldn’t detect any murderous intent nearby—the place was too clean, which made it all the more eerie.

“There’s a familiar smell…”

Elsewhere, Yan Yan shuffled carefully along the floor like it was scalding hot. “So strange. I know I’ve smelled this before… But where?”

He sniffed again, but the disinfectant smell was too overpowering. Reluctant to take beast form, he gave up.

Beside him, Jiao Jiao was quietly observing their surroundings.

This ritual was unusual. The paper figure hadn’t given them any background, but just a dry list of participants.

Song Zheng, Xiao Tian, Xiao Li. A trio she didn’t know well, likely newly promoted Disaster Resolvers. They seemed decent, not like members of some cult.

In a corner crouched a college student, cloaked in a filthy dark robe, faintly reeking of corpses. Unfortunately, that sinister attire couldn’t hide his youthful face.

A young loner, Lu Yang.

Jiao Jiao had never heard of him among the Disaster Resolvers.

Near Lu Yang stood a thin, scholarly man in a suit.

He looked older than the others, with a natural smile and a glass prosthetic eye. His large earlobes were hard to miss.

This one Jiao Jiao recognized: “Uncle Hou”, a survivor of the Huanxi E ritual. He was famous for having tons of gear and doing business with many.

Currently, Uncle Hou was eyeing the student with keen interest, clearly sizing up a new customer.

And the final participant…

Cen Ling entered the hospital with a smile, also alone. Xiao Tian turned hopefully toward the new arrival, only to see a stranger’s face.

“I thought Fang Xiu was in this one?” she frowned.

Xiao Li: “That guy’s pretty handsome though.”

Xiao Tian rolled her eyes. “So what? I don’t just go by looks. That guy…”

Her brow twitched. She lowered her voice. “That guy gives me a really bad feeling. Stay away from him later.”

Hearing this from their luck-boosted teammate, Xiao Li instantly sobered up and nodded seriously.

An awkward silence fell over the lobby. Everyone glanced around, searching for a red figure, but after several minutes, no one else arrived.

“Looks like the ritual already started,” Uncle Hou said, lighting a cigarette and blowing a smoke ring. “Brother Fang Xiu jumped the gun.”

As soon as he said that, Lu Yang deflated like a balloon. He tugged his hood down lower and sighed quietly.

Yan Yan: “You’re all looking for him too? Ow, Jiao Jiao, why’d you step on me?”

Song Zheng said nothing. He stepped forward slightly, shielding Xiao Tian and Xiao Li behind him.

“How convenient. Seems everyone knows ‘Fang Xiu’.”

Cen Ling gave his signature bright smile. “Must be karma at work.”

He walked past the mushroom trio and the Jiao-Yan duo, heading straight for Lu Yang.

“Want to go find Fang Xiu together? He helped me out too.”

Lu Yang’s eyes lit up. “You said too? You know me?”

“Yeah, I heard you’re good at controlling corpses.”

Cen Ling patted him on the shoulder, acting just like another college student. “Neither of us has a team, and we’re the same age. Want to team up?”

“We could…”

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

A knocking sound drowned out Cen Ling’s words. Everyone turned their heads, trying to locate the source.

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

They realized that every door in the hospital—grand double doors, isolated metal doors, even small supply closets—was knocking in perfect unison, as if countless invisible hands were rapping from within.

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

Creak.

Every door within sight… opened.

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