Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

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Chapter 22

At this moment, He Yu let out a snort. Although he was talking nonsense with Dong Zhi, his eyes never left the compass in his hand. Suddenly, the compass needle vibrated slightly, then the vibration started to grow.

“Master, please stop at the next station. We have to get off!” Dong Zhi shouted upon seeing this.

The driver didn’t respond. Dong Zhi wasn’t sure if he had heard him. Only then did he realize that they were most likely on the last bus, and it was so late that there wouldn’t be anyone waiting at the bus stop. The bus kept moving forward without stopping once, and the other passengers inside never asked to get off either.

He couldn’t help but look around and notice that the bus route sign that should’ve been posted was blank. He wasn’t sure if this was due to the staff’s negligence or for a different reason. Suddenly, his wrist was caught, startling him as he turned his head back.

He Yu also found that something was amiss with this bus and whispered to him, “I’ll talk to the driver. Stay at the door and, as soon as possible, get out!”

He nodded nervously, and the two got up and walked to the driver’s seat.

“Master, what’s the next stop? We want to get off the bus, so can you please stop!” He Yu exclaimed loudly.

When passing by the other seats, Dong Zhi deliberately glance at the passengers. Their sight shocked him. There was a middle-aged woman who looked pale and was staring blankly. She didn’t seem to notice him as she remained motionless.

What was more shocking was her clothes. Her chubby upper body was wearing a plain striped dress. The fabric was a bit rough, and the corners had some stains on them. She looked to be a blue-collar worker who was used to working all year round. The issue was… such coarse clothes and style were obviously not the daily wear of people in modern cities!

The bus stops in this area adopted the method of swiping cards and coins at the entrance, so passengers could get on the bus directly when it entered the stations. When they got on the bus, they entered through the back, so they didn’t pay much attention to the outfits of the other passengers.

Dong Zhi suppressed the chill he felt inside and walked quickly, as if nothing was wrong, and caught up with He Yu.

After He Yu shouted a few times, the driver slowly turned his head, glared at him, and said in a hoarse voice, “You can get off at the terminal.”

“How can you say this? I’m going to file a complaint against you!” He Yu said.

The driver cackled, causing him to tremble from the sound. The bus was still moving forward. Dong Zhi found that the driver’s feet were flat on the ground and there were no brakes or gas pedal near his feet!

“Laozi told you not to play tricks!”

He Yu raised his right hand, which was already holding a talisman between his second and third finger and stuck it on the driver’s forehead. As soon as the talisman was pasted, the driver grunted and hissed. His whole body shriveled down at a speed visible to the naked eye and soon turned into human skin that limped flatly on the seat.

The speed of the bus slowed down, and He Yu quickly pressed the button to open the door.

“Get off!”

As he was speaking, Dong Zhi had already run to the side of the bus by the door and jumped out. He Yu quickly followed closely behind and landed steadily as the bus continued slowly moving forward.

The passengers by the window turned their heads towards Dong Zhi. Under the dim lights, it reflected their blue and pale faces, looking eerie.

“Where is this?” He Yu looked around.

Everywhere was gray, and the faint sound of water could vaguely be heard. In the mist, there seemed to be a few figures walking about, but they couldn’t see clearly.

Dong Zhi stared at the bus that was gradually getting further away and shuddered.

“I suddenly remembered something,” he said calmly. “There doesn’t seem to be a bus No. 588 here…”

He Yu said, “When I was talking to the driver just now, I found out that it was a ghost car.”

Dong Zhi trembled. “Are those people in the car really not human?”

He Yu shook his head and said, “Not human, but not ghosts either. It should be the same kind of situation we encountered on the train last time.”

The compass needle in his hand was spinning frantically as the two walked along the side of the road. The ground was bumpy. Judging from the drive just now, it was impossible for them to have reached the countryside.

Dong Zhi pondered, “We may have been targeted and deliberately guided here. The person who misled us was probably the same as the person manipulating the Sneaky Yaksha on the train.”

He Yu nodded. “I think so too. Let’s take a look around and find out more about this place. Chung Hui is very likely to be trapped here. Follow me closely and don’t get separated.”

While he was a little nervous, his psychological tolerance had greatly improved since the events on the train and Changbai Mountain, so this nervousness wouldn’t affect his judgement.

With no light around, the two turned on their phones to illuminate the way. As they walked, they got closer to the sound of water. The gray mist had gradually dissipated, revealing a bridge. A stream was gurgling under the bridge, and the forests were densely packed on both sides. If this had been a normal day, this could have been an ideal place to go for leisure or relaxation.

All Dong Zhi could feel now was a chill that was steadily increasing and spreading all over his body.

He Yu snorted, “Why is there a bridge here? Is this supposed to be the Naihe Bridge*?”

*(奈何桥) Bridge across the Naihe River that all souls must pass through in order to reincarnate. See Kinky Thoughts for lore.

Dong Zhi: “…Brother, there are four characters on the bridge.”

“Oh, ‘By the Naihe Bridge*’ is exactly four characters.”

*Clarity: He Yu added a (边) which means by/side to Naihe Bridge (奈何桥).

“Your joke sucks.”

The two bickered as they approached the bridge. He Yu took out his phone and shined it on the characters.

“Liu, Hua, Ancient, Bridge?”

Dong Zhi inhaled, taking in the cold air. He looked intently at the four characters of Liuhua Ancient Bridge that were engraved on the side of the granite. The bridge had wooden railings on both sides.

Wrong. How could it be such a desolate scene near Liuhua Bridge?

He grabbed He Yu and prevented him from moving. “This place is near the train station, but I remember it’s not like this.”

“What’s it like?” He Yu asked.

Dong Zhi frowned and said, “There shouldn’t be so many trees and it’s in an urban area where there’s a lot of traffic…”

Suddenly, he noticed something strange. He Yu’s voice didn’t seem to be so dull… His heart seized, and Dong Zhi quietly reached into his pocket, squeezed the talisman inside, and turned to look at He Yu.

Even if he was mentally prepared, one look and he still felt distraught. Where He Yu was standing was the passenger that was sitting by the window on the bus!

Dong Zhi hastily took out the talisman, threw it at him, then turned around and fled without saying a word, disregarding whether anyone was chasing after him.

He was in a panic and didn’t know how far he had run. He suddenly saw a group of people in front of him, and thinking he was out of danger, hurriedly ran towards them, only to find that it was actually a group of prisoners who were being escorted.

The prisoners were all wearing single-clothed gowns, and the people who were escorting them wore uniforms that didn’t resemble policemen. They were more like the military police of the Republic of China that you would see on TV. Some still had braids behind their heads.

Dong Zhi’s arrival had alarmed them, and everyone looked over. Their eyes were cold and expressionless. Before he could turn around and escape, he felt his shoulder sink as he was already being held hard on both sides of his shoulders.

“Turns out there was a fish that slipped through the net!” A cold sneer entered his ears.

“We’re short one for today’s execution, so we can take him to make up the number!” Another person said.

Though Dong Zhi struggled and yelled, it was to no avail. The opposing side was extremely powerful, as they dragged him away. He reluctantly turned his head around, but all he could see was two people dressed as military police.

He was up the creek without a paddle*. He shouted He Yu’s name loudly, but he didn’t know where he was, and He Yu never appeared. Scared beyond wits and at the point of helplessness, he suddenly heard a voice.

*Called the heaven and earth and got no response (叫天天不应，叫地地不灵) full saying is: Cry out to the heavens, but the heavens don’t respond. Cry out to the earth, but the earth is impervious. It means being without aid.

“It’s me. Don’t speak.”

Not He Yu. Long Shen!

He was surprised and couldn’t help getting excited. The voice was like a star in the dark night, suddenly giving the lost lamb a guiding light. Dong Zhi held his breath as his heart beat wildly, barely able to suppress his elation.

Long Shen said, “Listen to what I say and respond in your mind. Don’t make a sound.”

Dong Zhi didn’t dare to look up, for fear of exposing the other party, so he quickly agreed in his mind.

Long Shen said, “I don’t know what the situation is on your side, so let’s talk about it first.”

Dong Zhi didn’t know Long Shen found him, let alone tell him where he was now, and the situation made him unable to ask in detail, so he could only quickly relay how he was separated from He Yu then said in his mind, “I don’t know where they are taking me!”

There was a moment of silence, but a few seconds felt like a long winter to him. Dong Zhi was hanging by a thread and forgot to struggle as he let the other party escort him forward and merge into the long line of prisoners. He was pushed hard, staggered a few steps, and almost bumped into the person next to him.

Faint cries ahead came one after another, like a whimpering cat in the dark night, chilling his bones. Some of the people who were dressed in the single-cloth gown had shaved moon heads like those of the Qing Dynasty, but their whole bodies seemed to be covered with a layer of white mist that blurred their image.

“I seem to recall a rumor,” Dong Zhi murmured in his mind. “The locals say that near Liuhua Bridge was an execution ground during the Republic of China. The clothes of these people aren’t like modern day. Could it be…”

But this kind of thing felt too fantastical. They were just on a bus in the city. How could they have come to the Luahua Bridge that existed hundreds of years ago.

Long Shen finally said, “I am using someone’s mind to communicate with you right now, so help is limited. You must save yourself.”

Dong Zhi cheered up. “I will do as you say. He Yu may also be in trouble, so I have to find him!”

Long Shen: “Do you have a talisman on you?”

Dong Zhi: “Yes, three!”

Long Shen said, “According to what you say, you’re with a group of prisoners who’re being taken to the execution ground and are about to be beheaded. Look for an opportunity where your opponent’s defense is most lax and use it as a chance to escape. Run east.”

Dong Zhi: “…It’s dark all around. I don’t know where east is.”

The silence resumed, and just as he was about to feel uneasy, he heard Long Shen say, “Let go of your mind and don’t think about anything. I’ll borrow your eyes to take a look.”

Dong Zhi didn’t know what he was planning to do, but he subconsciously trusted Long Shen. He took a deep breath when he heard the words and swept out as much of the messy thoughts in his mind as possible, made a space, adjusted his breathing and calmed his mood.

He suddenly felt as if his heart had been pulled. While it didn’t hurt, it felt a bit weird. His spirit gradually slackened, as if he couldn’t control it. His ears were buzzing as if he had been separated by a glass screen. Dong Zhi opened his mouth but couldn’t make any sound. His body suddenly became lighter and he started floating up little by little.

Looking around, the surrounding area was covered with gray. The military policemen behind him and the prisoners in front of him all melded into the fog. As the angle of view slowly rotated, only a little light flickered not far behind him, blinking uncertainly.

“Right behind you. Run in the direction of that little light. He Yu is there too,” Long Shen said.

With this, Dong Zhi felt that his body fell heavily and sank back into his body. His ears had regained their clarity, and the sound of crying came from the front again. He gasped for breath as his heart was palpitating.

“Do you remember?” Long Shen asked again.

“Yes!” he said hurriedly.

Here, time seemed to have become an existence of nothingness. He had lost track of how long they had been moving before they finally stopped. Dong Zhi quietly took out a folded talisman from his pocket and squeezed it into the palm of his hand.

The prisoners were taken to the execution ground and lined up one by one as they were shot. Following the order of the warden, the sound of distinct gunfire was heard as the prisoner bodies fell down, motionless.

The surroundings were full of onlookers, but on closer inspection, those people’s faces were covered by a layer of white mist, so their faces couldn’t be seen clearly.

The number of people in front of Dong Zhi dwindled in batches until it was about to be his turn. He hesitated for a quick moment before pushing the crowd away fiercely and running forward.

Commotion was heard as verbal abuse came from behind. Dong Zhi turned his head and found that several military personnel had quickly caught up to him, their faces blue as they bared their teeth at him, showing a hideous expression. They weren’t holding guns but knotted rope, trying to lasso him from time to time. The scene was thrilling as they barely caught him several times.

Dong Zhi gritted his teeth and threw out the talisman in his hand! It cut through the heavy mist and landed on the head of one of the military personnel. The personnel let out a scream as it burst into flames. The flames then soared into the sky!

Looking back, Dong Zhi saw the other chasers temporarily pause their pursuit as the waves of fire caused by the explosion caused them to hesitate. However, the light from the burning fire quickly faded and the personnel turned into a mass of scorched ashes that scattered all over the ground.

He only had three talismans, and one had just been used. It was impossible to eliminate all his pursuers with just the remaining two. Dong Zhi didn’t dare look behind him again and continued to run forward as fast as he could.

Facts have proven that people have unlimited potential when they are exposed to extremely dangerous situations. In the past, when he was still in school, he hovered on the edge of getting a passing score on a 1-kilometer run, but if you were to ask a physical education teacher to time him now, he would probably at minimum meet the standard of a national athlete.

The roaring behind him was frightening, as the sounds of ghosts crying and howling got closer. It was like they were close at hand and at any moment they would be entangled with him again. The hairs on his entire body stood up, and he subconsciously wanted to look back.

Long Shen, who hadn’t spoken for a long time, seemingly aware of his thoughts, shouted at the right time, “Don’t look back!”

This shocked Dong Zhi and caused him to stop his action. Even if the other party was thousands of miles away, hearing his voice had reduced a lot of his fear.

The point of light gradually became bigger, signifying that he was getting closer. Dong Zhi discovered that it was the light from a phone that was lying flat on the ground with the flashlight turned on.

He Yu was close. There was also a young man sitting next to him, with a ban inch head* in gym clothes. The two of them sat cross-legged, with their eyes closed, motionless.

*Ban brush/Board size (板寸头) It’s a specific hair style like this. It got its name because it has about an inch of hair, and it is short like a board. I’m not sure what the English equivalent name would be.

“He Yu!” Dong Zhi called to him excitedly. However, the other party’s eyebrows furrowed, as if he had fallen into some kind of nightmare and didn’t notice his movements at all.

The chasers behind him got closer. Dong Zhi clenched his teeth, threw another talisman back, then charged forward and yanked He Yu up!

…didn’t budge!

He Yu was much larger than he was, but the motionless reaction almost made Dong Zhi fall on him. There was no time for hesitation as Dong Zhi took out the last talisman and stuck it on He Yu’s forehead.

He Yu’s body shook, and he suddenly opened his eyes, as if he had awakened from a deep slumber.

“Why are you here?” He said, confusingly.

Dong Zhi dragged his body up and ran without saying anything. Now that he was able to move, He Yu followed him, staggering a few steps. Seeing that there were pursuers close at hand, He Yu took out a talisman, bit the tip of his tongue, sprayed blood on the talisman paper, pinched his fingers, recited a mantra, and reflexively put the talisman on the ground.

When the talisman landed, a loud bang was heard, and a huge wall of fire suddenly ignited, separating them from their pursuers. He Yu slapped the young man next to him with his backhand a few times, and the latter spit out a mouthful of blood as he slowly opened his eyes with a blank expression.

“…Teacher-brother?”

“Run!”

He Yu grabbed him with one hand and started to run away. The three of them tried their best as they ran a few dozen meters. Dong Zhi had used his phone flashlight to light the way when suddenly, they saw the edge of a cliff appear in front of them. They immediately braked, causing He Yu to fall to the ground.

Below, the cliff looked bottomless. He Yu casually threw a stone down but couldn’t hear a sound.

“How is there a cliff in this place?!” Dong Zhi was flabbergasted.

“Goddamn it*, if it weren’t for laozi’s injury, how would I be caught in this mess!” He Yu scolded.

*Grandma’s leg (奶奶个腿) Depending on the usage, it could be a bad curse phrase or a light catchphrase that one would say before you start complaining about something. In this case, it’s the latter.

The fire was gradually dying out, and the number of soldiers chasing them increased. Behind the wall of fire, the flames revealed the mottled faces of the military policemen, exposing white bones underneath the flesh and blood. Some had no eyeballs, leaving two round empty holes. They smiled grimly at them, waiting for the fire to be completely extinguished.

He Yu panted. “I ran out of talisman just now, and I don’t have enough blood, so I can’t draw anymore. Do you still have any?”

Dong Zhi smiled bitterly. “The last one is on your forehead!”

There was an abyss in front and demons in the back. What could they do?

At this moment, Long Shen’s voice suddenly sounded, “Jump!”

Dong Zhi immediately said to He Yu, “Boss Long told us to jump!”

He Yu was taken aback. “Are you sure?”

Dong Zhi nodded. “Boss Long said that the abyss may just be a trick.”

Probably…

In other words, it may not be. If they jumped, there was a possibility that they would shatter into pieces. He Yu smiled bitterly, gritted his teeth, and made a quick decision. “Jump!”

Dong Zhi had no objection. He would rather believe Long Shen’s words than deal with things that are neither human nor ghosts. Cheng Hui was still lost in a daze, and before he realized what was happening, he was pulled by He Yu. The three of them held each other’s arms and leapt off the cliff in a posture of martyrdom!

He Yu’s screams echoed in the darkness. “I forgot my phone-“

The last bit of power on Dong Zhi’s phone emptied and everything turned pitch black. Unable to see, his body fell sharply, and he couldn’t help but close his eyes, grit his teeth, and pray silently. At this moment, he didn’t care that Long Shen could glimpse into his inner world as messy thoughts flashed through his mind subconsciously.

“Ouch!” He Yu yelled.

There was no shattering to pieces as expected. When they landed, except for the blooming of their asses*, all other parts of their bodies were still intact.

*(屁股开花) Means an ass injury. It derives from adults telling children to obey if they don’t want to get a spanking.

It was the middle of the night. Occasionally, a few cars sped by, and the city night lights remained lit, emitting a warm glow. Everything was so familiar that it brought them to tears. The two of them panted, slumping on the side of the road like a dead dog, with no manner, so to speak.

He Yu was still mourning the untimely death on his phone. “Wuwuwu…”

Dong Zhi apologized and said, “I just pulled you away and left the phone next to you!”

He Yu was distraught. “There were many old masters in the collector’s edition that it’s difficult to find them now!”

Dong Zhi: …

He mustered up the courage and asked Long Shen in his mind. “Boss Long, how did you contact me? Why didn’t you communicate directly with He Yu just now?”

“Last time you met with Zhong Yuyi, he saw that your complexion was dark and said that you might run into a catastrophe on this trip. He Yu’s injuries have not healed yet, and he was afraid that it would be difficult if you ran into a strong enemy, so I called you into the office to take a piece of your hair,” Long Shen said after a brief pause. His tone was calm.

Dong Zhi suddenly recalled Long Shen’s ambiguous behavior when he was in his office last time. It turned out that he was trying to save his life. He felt ashamed of his crooked thoughts and hurriedly wanted to express his gratitude. Perhaps knowing that they were out of danger, Long Shen unilaterally cut off contact. After that, Dong Zhi did not receive any further messages from him.

He Yu gasped and asked Dong Zhi, “How did you find me?”

Dong Zhi said, “Boss Long uses his mind to communicate with me and help me find your location.”

He Yu was surprised. “Wow, the boss used telepathy*?”

*Heart Connection [Xintong] (心通) Ability to communicate telepathically. See lore for details.

Dong Zhi nodded. “Zhong Yuyi said that we might encounter trouble when he saw me, so Boss Long took a piece of my hair, but now he’s no longer answering me.”

He Yu: “Of course, telepathy is an extremely mentally-consuming technique. What’s more, we just went to a place that was isolated from the real world. The boss was already injured, and now it’ll probably be worse. Since I lost my phone, lend me yours. I have some questions to ask him.”

Dong Zhi was worried and said, “Will Boss Long be okay?”

“He’s much more powerful than you think. It’s better to worry about yourself than him.” He Yu pointed to Cheng Hui. “We also have this guy!”

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The author has something to say:

Last time, some people were surprised that Boss Long took Dong Zhi into his office, but it was impossible to predict at that time. That foreshadowing comes into fruition in this chapter.

A small theater that’s irrelevant to the novel:

Long Shen: I don’t think you’ll learn your lesson if I just deduct your wages and bonuses now.

He Yu: ???!

Long Shen: From now on, your office and phone will be disconnected from the internet to prevent you from downloading any bad movies or playing any games. You can come to my office if you need to work.

He Yu: Dear god! You’re killing me here!

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Kinky Thoughts:

I’m not sure if “heart connection” has any deeper significance than just meaning telepathy. My wishful thinking is the deeper meaning is that they are connected to each other’s hearts and that’s why the author called it “heart connection”. After all, they are the pairing of this novel.

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Naihe Bridge

In Chinese folklore, after death, all souls must cross the bridge on the Naihe River. The bridge is divided into 3 layers. The good souls can pass safely through the bridge on the upper layer. The half-good souls cross the middle section, and the wicked and evil the lower section. These souls are often stop by ghosts in the filthy water and bitten by copper snakes and iron dogs.

At the end, they will meet an elderly female deity called Meng Po who feeds them Meng Po Soup that makes them forget all the memories of their past life before they reincarnate.

—

Heart Connection [Xintong] (心通)

Buddhist term and one of the six links of Buddhism. Xintong is telepathy, which means that you can understand what others think without language. It referred to as “thinking sensing”, which means that this super ability can sense the thinking (thought waves) between people or animals and can transmit perception in unknown ways.

The characteristics of xintong is that when interacting with people, you don’t need any internal information. You will be able to analyze their inner world to know who they are, their characteristics, what they are thinking, ect.

Applied spirituality, it is divided into three categories:

1. Spirit Healing: it refers to channeling to cure diseases, which is similar to the miracle doctor in China. It can cure diseases with hands or voice.
2. Geodesy: it is a method of measuring underground water sources or minerals with psychic power.
3. Psychometry: a psychic can know everything about something someone has used, or can detect sealed letters, or items placed in the next room.

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

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Chapter 21

After the fight, Kan Chaosheng walked away with a pile of snacks, while He Yu went out with an ambitious Dong Zhi.

“What kind of job can ordinary people like me hold if I enter the Special Administration Bureau?” He was motivated at the beginning when He Yu and Old Zheng had encouraged him to join, but Long Shen’s words kept circling in his ears, whittling away at his confidence. It was a trivial matter to die by himself, but it would be a big deal if he implicated others.

He Yu shrugged. “There are many things you can do. Not everyone has to rush to the front line. There are some ordinary people like you in logistics. You usually do reports and pay wages. What do they need magic for to do that kind of job? In addition, we now have regular exchanges with other Department of Exorcism in many foreign countries. Your English is good, right?”

Dong Zhi nodded. “I also know a little Russian.”

He Yu: “There are many people like me in the bureau who have been training in the mountains for years and have not received a formal education. Don’t think that just because someone’s a master¹ means they are omnipotent. Except for the boss, most of the others in our group don’t even speak a foreign language. There are so many foreign devils² from so many different countries that speak so many different languages that they all sound the same to me. If you join us, we won’t need to go to another department to borrow someone when we go abroad in the future.”

¹High Man (高人) Refers to someone whose spiritual ability surpasses ordinary people.
²[Yang Guizi] (洋鬼子) The term is generally use as contempt to describe foreigners.

Dong Zhi said, “Boss Long looks like a master who cultivated deep in the mountains, not like someone who could speak a foreign language.”

He Yu laughed. “You are mistaken. As far as I know, he can speak at least five foreign languages.”

Dong Zhi praised him in his thoughts, ‘So amazing! The male god is truly a male god!’

He Yu wrapped an arm around his shoulder and said solemnly, “Don’t worry. There are 360 lines* but there’s only one apprenticeship. Besides, the boss can scold you to the point where you wouldn’t be able to lift your head, so the fact of the matter was, you got off easy. It can be counted as him being polite to you. Don’t stress about it. After you pass your exam, the higher-ups will know what to do. Also, my uncle likes a good kid like you, so when he accepts you as an apprentice, wouldn’t that mean you have a solid background?”

*Refers to all walks of life.

Dong Zhi nodded earnestly. “Thank you.”

He Yu instantly gave him a goofy smile. “Since you want to thank me… can you help me get the autographed collector’s edition peripheral kit from the development team of <The Great Wasteland>? It’s been so popular that it sells out as soon as it hits the shelf! I can’t get my hands on it!”

The corners of Dong Zhi’s mouth twitched, and all the emotions he previously felt vanished. “…Yes.”

Before he had the chance to even regret what he said, He Yu urged, “Then it’s settled! Yesterday I said I’d take you to a place. It’s just ahead. Hurry up before we’re late and they won’t let us in!”

The two crossed the road, and He Yu led him to the National Museum, next to the Ministry of Public Security.

Dong Zhi looked dumbfounded. “What does this place have to do with the exam?”

He Yu took their ID cards and went to get their admission tickets. There weren’t many people around since it was a weekday. He quickly got the tickets and handed one to Dong Zhi.

“According to the experience I have gathered in interviews and entry training exams over the years, they like to ask questions relating to things in the National Expo the most. The questions are usually about the origins or the roles of various cultural relics or their makers. In short, they’ll test you on every relic imaginable.”

Dong Zhi: “…Are your leaders lovers of cultural relics?”

He Yu shrugged. “Maybe it’s because the Special Administration Bureau has produced a few bigwigs that transformed from them.”

Transform… from this?

Dong Zhi didn’t react at first, too shocked at the thought. “You mean cultural relics can become human?”

“Is it weird?” He Yu said with a relaxed tone. “Didn’t you already see a bone dragon and Kan Chaosheng turning into a cat? I know there are also legends about the fox spirit and the white snake spirit, but generally speaking, there are few animals that could transform.”

Dong Zhi thought for a bit and said, “Because most animals have a shorter life span than humans? Can’t they break through their lifespan limit?”

He Yu snapped his fingers, praising his quick wit. Dong Zhi remembered the fox-eared boy they had seen when he first entered the office and couldn’t help but raise some doubts.

He Yu explained, “The Hu family is a bit special. It is said that their ancestors have the blood of the white fox, but as their bloodlines age, it becomes thinner. The one you saw looks weak, but it’s actually the best of its generation. It’s like sailing a boat against the current, if you don’t advance, there’s only retreat. The same is true for racial evolution.”

After lunch, the primary school students who were on a field trip with their teacher left. It became much quieter in the Sui and Tang Dynasties Museum as there were few tourists about.

The National Museum was classified by dynasties, each with a collection of cultural relics that were in a variety of colors. When Dong Zhi had visited last time, he was still young and had followed a group of second-year students to mess around and get into mischief. He couldn’t appreciate the breadth and depth of these antiques. Now that he’s looking at them from a perspective of an art student, he could feel the charm of each of them that were indescribable.

Each piece was filled with ingenuity, reflecting the great craftsmanship it took to create them. In addition to admiring their appearance, Dong Zhi also read every text description carefully. If he couldn’t remember, he took pictures of them on his phone. After a while, he started feeling dizzy and light-headed.

“The bigwigs you mention; what are their original forms? Are they foxes? Is Kan Chaosheng one of them?” He asked with interest.

He Yu sneered, “That little fart a bigwig? How rich. Regarding their original form, unless they are willing to tell you, or you find the answer yourself, I can’t say.”

After less than three seconds, he spoke bitterly. “Actually, I really want to talk about it, but we have confidentiality rules. After you officially join, if you still don’t know by then, I’ll share with you all the gossip to your heart’s content. You don’t know how hard it is for me to hold back when I see those who are engaging in secret affairs with each other!”

Dong Zhi: …

The two of them whispered while walking. He Yu had been to so many exhibitions here that he could almost count all the relics with his eyes closed, as if he was one of the guides here. He casually pointed to a separate showcase in the middle. “That’s the most famous secret color* porcelain of the Tang Dynasty. There are only a dozen pieces unearthed in the world, and this is one of them.

*The secret color is a layer of mysterious color that is put on Yue Kiln porcelain during the Tang Dynasty. It wasn’t until 1987, when some of these artifacts were excavated, that people could bear witness to the secret color that could only be imagined through the verses of Lu Guimeng’s works. The meaning of secret color varies.

Dong Zhi walked in front of the secret color porcelain bowl. The azure porcelain glowed softly under the light, as if a puddle of water was slightly rippling in it, mesmerizing people so they were unable to look away. Its shape and color contain the ultimate beauty and fragility.

Dong Zhi suddenly asked, “Even if porcelain has a long history, it really can’t transform, right?”

He Yu snorted. “Why do you think that?”

Dong Zhi said, “I just thought of it suddenly. Although these porcelains are beautiful, they are also very fragile. Once they are broken, they are almost impossible to restore to their original condition.”

He Yu: “The person I like is so smart! You are right. If you want to transform and take shape, you must have enough time to absorb the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth, and at the same time, you must have a sturdy shape. Generally, folk-made artifacts are rough, and it’s difficult for them to absorb spiritual energy. Although the kiln porcelain is an exquisite work of art, it’s too fragile and cannot be cultivated.”

Dong Zhi blinked. “So, antiques made of gold, silver, copper, and iron are easier to cultivate?”

He Yu shook his head and said, “That also depends on the specific circumstances. Some antiques were stolen by tomb robbers too early, and they fell into human hands and were contaminated too much with worldly evil spirits. Anyone, or thing, who can cultivate into a human form must have the advantage of time, place, and people, among a variety of other factors.”

After that, he scratched his head. “Didn’t I tell you that one of my junior brothers failed the exam last year? Just now, you asked if porcelain can be transformed, which was one of the interview questions last year! Alas, he was also a disciple of the Hezao Sect, which made me lose face and our school scolded me for a long time!”

Dong Zhi said strangely, “He failed by just this question?”

Famous disciples have a strong family background that generally specializes in art. How could they not even answer a question like this?

He Yu shook his head and said bitterly, “No, he was eliminated in the written test. The multiple-choice questions ask about the core values¹. Isn’t the last one friendliness? He actually stupidly chose well-behaved! What’s even more hateful is that the reviewer said that if he can’t even remember this kind of basic knowledge, he needed to go back and rebuild² before he comes back!”

¹The values are patriotism, dedication, integrity, and friendliness.
²It means one shortcoming shouldn’t be there, which makes it difficult for the other party to change, so he needs to rebuild it. In this way, he can start over, and those shortcomings will disappear. This is usually used in a derogatory way.

Dong Zhi: …

He Yu said, “At that time, I was out in the field, and I couldn’t intercede on his behalf. Those bastards really eliminated him. Last year, the papers were changed by the people of Longhu Sect. I have heard that they are jealous of our Hezao’s Zhong Lingyuxiu, who’s smart and cute…”

Dong Zhi’s mouth twitched, and he hurriedly interrupted him, “What other questions were asked in the interview last year?”

He Yu thought hard, scratched his head, and said, “I don’t remember the others. There was a question on adaptability that asked if you were out in the field with a female colleague and you happen to be in danger, and suddenly you find that you forgot to bring your cinnabar, so you can’t draw talismans, what should you do?”

Dong Zhi asked with a blank face, “What should I do? Just roll up my sleeves?”

He Yu: “Wrong. You ask your female colleague for her lipstick and use it to draw the talisman!”

Dong Zhi: ???

“You have to review the questions carefully. First, the question is related to drawing talismans, so you can’t think of other ways. Second, the female colleague is a clue on how you adapt to the situation,” He Yu said sadly. “Little comrade, it’s easy for you to lose points if you’re like this!”

Dong Zhi was speechless. “What if a female colleague doesn’t like makeup and doesn’t wear lipstick? There may not be cinnabar in lipstick!”

He Yu: “The person who asked the question just assumed a situation. What they want to see is if your on-the-spot thinking is quick or not. You don’t need to overanalyze. Just say what the most suitable plan would be.”

Dong Zhi sighed. He thought he understood the thinking of the person who asked the questions but didn’t realize that they did their best to set traps and pits for candidates. No wonder few people could pass the exam every year.

He Yu said, “The Special Administration Bureau has a wide range of jurisdiction. We oversee strange things that cannot be solved by other departments. In the past few years, our benefits and perks have been greatly improved. Therefore, there are more candidates who want to join these days. Many of them rely on relationships and get in through the backdoor, so the Bureau had to introduce some measures to limit the number of people. Although the exam questions are tricky and strange, as long as you pass, it shows that you are indeed capable, and others won’t be able to talk down to you.”

Dong Zhi nodded. What he said has some truth. It seems that no matter where you go, this kind of thing is inevitable. He thought it was a little funny to think about those monsters walking through the backdoor with gifts.

While his mind was on the subject, he said, “I’ve always been curious, why do monsters cultivate themselves into human form? Could it be that because humans dominate the legends of the world and think that all monsters want to be human?”

He Yu spread out his palms and let Dong Zhi see the palm lines.

“You see, from the index finger to the pinky finger, there are a total of twelve sections*, which exactly represent the twelve areas of the zodiac. When those Fengshui masters are pinching their fingers, they are actually calculating units with them. The lines on the palm of your hands condense your whole life, which is extremely long and unpredictable. Except for humans, there is no other creature that possess this.”

*I don’t even think there’s an English term for this area. Translation was giving me knuckles, but it’s not really knuckles. From what I read, they are referred to as the short section, central section, and shorter section III. Click the link to see the area that He Yu is referring to.

Dong Zhi also looked at his palm. Except for a thin callus on the tiger’s mouth due to holding a pen all year round, the rest of the area was fair and tender, as the ten fingers did not touch spring water*.

*(十指不沾阳春水) Metaphor to describe a person whose family conditions are such that they do not need to do laundry or housework. Typically refer to people who are pampered, mostly referring to women from wealthy families.

“Three lights, sun, moon, and stars. Three talents, heaven, earth, and man*,” he murmured.

*From “Three Character Classics” written by the poet Wang Yinglin from the Song Dynasty.

He Yu smiled approvingly. “Since human beings are the three talents that can be juxtaposed with heaven and earth, it can be seen that they have great spiritual wisdom. Therefore, those who are capable of spiritual cultivation will only choose to cultivate in human form. In their view, being born as a human being is a great blessing. It is a pity that many humans do not cherish this unattainable blessing.”

Dong Zhi sighed. It took the Hu family many years to cultivate, and this generation only produced a single shapeshifter. In contrast, humans often easily give up their own lives and some don’t even take other lives seriously.

He looked around. “When you said this, I suddenly felt that the museum was full of eyes, all staring at us.”

He Yu laughed. “Don’t be afraid, those who can transform have already transformed. The spiritual energy in the museum is thin, and now with the pollution from outside, it’s difficult for these relics to cultivate. However, it’s good to come and walk around here often. Remember Zhong Yuyi, who you recently met? He’s very interested in cultural relics. Maybe you can learn more from him in the future.”

Every time he learns more about the other side of the world, the more interested he becomes. If it was impulse guiding him to join the Special Administration Bureau at that time, now that impulse had been transformed into exploration and liking. With so many role models in front of him, Dong Zhi was invigorated.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of an exhibit. It showed: [The Bronze Sword of King Helu of Wu].

Dong Zhi’s mind drifted slightly as he recalled the two swords hanging in Long Shen’s office. At that moment, he heard the phone ring.

After He Yu answered the phone, his expression became serious. He said to Dong Zhi, “Something’s happened to my master. It seems that we have to set off early.”

Seeing that he was rarely serious, Dong Zhi didn’t ask much. The two hurriedly left the museum, their leisurely itinerary ruined. Dong Zhi was sent back to the dorm to rest while He Yu went to settle his own business.

He Yu’s dorm room had been relatively cleaned up. It had air-conditioning, a TV, a washing machine, and the overall condition of the room was good. However, it hadn’t been occupied for a long time, so there was an inevitable smell of dust.

Dong Zhi opened the window to diffuse the smell and went to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities, then came back to clean the remaining areas. After the room was fully cleaned, it was almost dusk. He was so exhausted that he didn’t even want to lift a finger. After taking a shower and changing into a new set of clothes, he skipped dinner and went straight to bed, immediately falling asleep.

When he opened his eyes, it was past dawn. Since he was young, his physical strength recovered quickly. He stretched his waist and felt refreshed. He looked at his phone and saw that He Yu had called around 6 AM. He was still sleeping, and the phone was on silent, so he didn’t hear it. Now, it was already 9.

Dong Zhi quickly called him back. After the phone rang twice, He Yu answered and said, “Where are you? Come over for breakfast!”

He Yu told him the location was near Wangfujing and, after hanging up, he went out and found it shortly after. He Yu and Kan Chaosheng were sitting together in the breakfast café. Their table had cups and plates scattered everywhere, creating a mess. When He Yu saw him, he said, “Did you sleep well last night?”

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “Not bad. Thank you for letting me stay in your dorm. Yesterday, Boss Long asked me to fill out the form. The bonus should be sent soon, so let me treat you to this meal. Are you full? Would you like to order more?”

“No, no, no!” He Yu hastily said.

Dong Zhi thought he wanted to be polite until the other party said, “This meal is too worthless. At least treat me to Jude*!”

*I think this is referring to Jude Huatian, which is a corporation that owns multiple restaurants.

Kan Chaosheng followed suit. “Jude is too cheap. I want Tan Jiacai*!”

*(谭家菜) There is a restaurant named this in Beijing, but I think he’s referring to the dish itself. It’s one of the most famous government dishes in China. You can read more by clicking the link.

Dong Zhi burst out laughing as he clasped his fist and obediently acknowledged the slaughter. The two uncles expressed their satisfaction and stopped fooling around.

He Yu said, “I am going to Guangzhou and will leave in the afternoon.”

Dong Zhi was taken aback. “Aren’t you going to Jiangxi to celebrate your uncle’s birthday?”

He Yu sighed. “My junior martial brother is missing. It’s the one I told you about yesterday who failed last year’s exam.”

He Yu’s junior brother was named Cheng Hui. While the Hezao sect was known for their talismans, Cheng Hui was more proficient in divination. Two years ago, after the death of He Yu’s elder martial uncle, Cheng Hui’s master took over the mantle and became the best diviner in the Hezao sect.

After failing the exam last year, Cheng Hui didn’t return to the school, but instead continued to travel abroad. The hexagram* corresponds to fate, so it’s not possible to know the world’s affairs behind closed doors. Therefore, it was necessary for Cheng Hui to travel thousands of miles to increase his knowledge and consult with experts in his field.

*Also known as the I Ching book, consists of 64 hexagrams. The hexagram lines are traditionally counted from the bottom up, so the lowest line is considered line one, while the top line is line six. Hexagrams are formed by combining the original eight trigrams in different combinations. Each hexagram is accompanied by a description, often cryptic, akin to parables. Each line in every hexagram is also given a similar description. || I believe, in this context, they are using the hexagram as the divination method.

After the Changbai Mountain Incident, He Yu contacted Cheng Hui, who was on his travels, and asked him to use his divination skills to check on the matter. After he raised the hexagram, Cheng Hui told him that he had reached a breakthrough and that the matter was most likely related to something in the south. He happened to be traveling there himself, so he would help He Yu look for any clues along the way.

As a result, He Yu had received news yesterday that his junior brother had disappeared.

“Can’t you use any communication device to contact him?” Dong Zhi asked.

He Yu shook his head. “Don’t talk about communication tools. After he came out, his passion became playing games. I have his account number, so I went to check up on it. His teammates said that he hadn’t played games for the past few days. While he may be a bit aloof, he wouldn’t disappear without saying a word for no reason. Yesterday, I asked someone to check the IP of his phone and confirmed that he last login to play his game when he was in Guangzhou before he disappeared.”

Kan Chaosheng suddenly asked, “What of his natal lamp*?”

*(本命灯) It’s the lamp of one’s life and the light reflects the person’s condition (i.e. if the light is strong, the person is in good condition). If the light goes out, it means the person is no longer alive.

“Master said it was still on, but it was much dimmer than before. He might’ve encountered something and become trapped temporarily. I’m going to go and check to see if this is the case.” Because of this, He Yu didn’t seem particularly worried.

He turned his head and asked Dong Zhi, “Why don’t you stay here for the time being. I’ll let you know when my affairs are over. Then we can meet directly in Jiangxi.”

Dong Zhi hurriedly said, “Let me go with you. I am familiar with Guangzhou and can guide you around.”

Kan Chaosheng said coldly, “Yes, take him away; otherwise if the boss sees him dangling in front of his eyes all day long, he’ll get annoyed and will give him a low score during the exam, then he’ll really have no place to cry.”

Dong Zhi: …

He Yu said, “Also that.”

Dong Zhi suddenly felt his knees was shot with countless arrows.

He asked He Yu, “Are we the only two going?”

Kan Chaosheng rested his hands on his chin and, with regret, said, “I would like to go. Guangzhou has so many delicious foods, but unfortunately I have other tasks on my hand.”

Dong Zhi said, “Why don’t you write down what you want to eat, and I will buy some that I can bring back.”

Kan Chaosheng waved his small hand. “It won’t taste as good when it’s not fresh. When I’m done this time, I’ll take an annual leave to go to Guangzhou for ten days!”

He Yu said, “You’re such a glutton. Why are you so greedy?!”

Kan Chaosheng bared his teeth. “Leave me alone!”

While the two of them bickered, Dong Zhi went to solve his breakfast problem and took care of the bill. He ordered a bowl of bean curd and two deep-fried cakes. The catch is that the bean curd here wasn’t sweet. After ordering, he beckoned the boss to check out.

The boss said, “Thank you! It’s 307 yuan. I’ll give you the discount and round it down, so it’ll be 300-yuan total!”

Dong Zhi thought there was something wrong with his ears. “How much?”

The boss brought a long list of bills and nodded at Kan Chaosheng with his chin. “He has a big appetite.”

Dong Zhi looked at the meal on the bill and couldn’t believe it. “Are they finished?”

“Finished!” The boss obviously often treats Kan Chaosheng and the others, so he wasn’t surprised. He pointed to the plates that were stacked high on a table next to him. “Before you came, he ate all of this.”

He Yu gloated and said to Dong Zhi, “Now you know how much he can eat. Forget Tan Jiacai, even KFC would bankrupt you!”

Kan Chaosheng said angrily, “It’s not that I eat this much every day!”

Dong Zhi habitually smoothed out his hair as he said, “Okay, okay. Just eat it and don’t waste it. Don’t be angry. I’ll go and buy you some candied gourds later.”

Kan Chaosheng angrily harrumphed and cast a triumphant glare at He Yu and didn’t care that Dong Zhi was coaxing him like a child. On the contrary, he found this beneficial to him.

Instead, it was He Yu’s turn to speak sourly. “Why are you treating him so well?”

Dong Zhi blurted out, “He’s cute!”

He Yu: “Then who is cuter, me or him?”

Dong Zhi: …

This kind of question could be answered without thinking.

Seeing his appearance, He Yu covered his heart and said, “You hesitated! You actually showed a hesitant expression! I want to break up with you!”

Kan Chaosheng was elated as he sneered at He Yu.

Their flight was at 2 in the afternoon. Based on the traffic conditions, there wasn’t much time left. The three came out of the café, and Kan Chaosheng went back to his own place. He Yu and Dong Zhi returned to pack their luggage and then meet downstairs.

The building he was staying at was divided up, with the upper floors being office workspace, while the lower floors were staff dormitories. Dong Zhi left his laptop back in the dorm and packed two simple outfits in his backpack, then brought his drawing board that he always takes with him and headed out.

Coincidentally, as soon as he opened the door, he saw Long Shen coming out of the opposite door. Dong Zhi was stunned, and it took him a while to react.

“Long—Boss Long!” Just as he spoke, he felt that calling him that was inappropriate, so he hurriedly changed his words. “Long Bureau is awesome!”

Long Shen nodded, didn’t care about how he was addressed, and didn’t even bother to look at him as he left in a hurry. Dong Zhi wanted to stop him but couldn’t find a reason. When he went downstairs, He Yu was already waiting there, and started complaining that he was dawdling. Dong Zhi told him that he ran into Long Shen.

He Yu sighed. “The boss’ dorm is opposite of mine. He has a house in the city but usually stays in the office like me, though he rarely goes back to the dorm.”

He thought he was being empathetic, so he comforted him. “Don’t worry, few people can stand his stepmother face*, but you won’t meet him often in the future!”

*(晚娘脸) In a broader sense, refers to a face that is very big, unsmiling, fierce-looking, or wretched.

Dong Zhi blinked, wanting to say that he didn’t dislike meeting him, but when he spoke, he changed his words. “Isn’t Boss Long particularly busy lately?”

He Yu said, “The trip to Changbai Mountain last time involved a lot of things. The news of the stone tablet has not yet been released. The higher ups must have been asking questions, so he’s probably quite overwhelmed right now.”

Dong Zhi said curiously, “He became a Director* at such a young age. Are there many people who are not convinced?”

*Secretary (局长) This is the title of the highest official of a department in China who manages certain administrative affairs of a city or county (i.e., the current US Department of State is Secretary John Kerry.)

He Yu touched his face. “Is he young? Isn’t he close to my age?”

He smiled and said, “Who dares to be unconvinced?! Shou Xinggong hanged himself thinking his life was too long*!”

*(寿星公上吊) It’s an idiom that refers to someone who must be tired of living/courting death. The story goes that Shou Xingong is a metaphor for a long-lived old man who hangs himself because he thinks his lifespan is too long and wants to die.

Dong Zhi: …

Well, when it comes to narcissism, no one can match He Yu.

The flight time from Beijing to Guangzhou was less than three hours, but flight delays at the Capital airport were commonplace. Today, they were lucky to be delayed by only an hour. When they arrived in Guangzhou, it happened to be just as night fell and around dinner time.

The two of them had a meal on the plane, so they weren’t hungry. They hurriedly found the hotel that they were staying at, and after checking in and throwing their luggage into the room, they went to investigate the place where Cheng Hui was last seen before his disappearance, an urban village in Tianhe District.

Around this time, 6-7 PM, the streets were bustling with people coming and going. The nightlife had just started in this southern city, which was on par with Beishang.

“Where do the two of you want to go?” The taxi driver, who was stopped by Dong Zhi, asked in Cantonese. This was a typical old Guangzhou driver. They normally don’t speak Mandarin at the start. If the guests don’t understand the answer in Mandarin, they will switch to speaking Mandarin. This was a unique sense of superiority in their industry, and outsiders who are new to the city will feel the local characteristics when they first arrive. For tourists, Lingnan culture were not obtained from food or scenery, but from experiencing the accents of these drivers.

Dong Zhi was already familiar with this kind of routine, and when he heard the taxi driver, he told him the location in Cantonese. The driver thought they were out-of-town tourists. When he heard Dong Zhi’s accent, he suddenly became energetic. Along the way, he chatted with Dong Zhi endlessly, ignoring He Yu, who was sitting in the backseat. 

Poor He Yu was forced to fill his ears with “bird language*” that his ears were still buzzing when they got off the taxi.

*(鸟语) Has 3 meanings. In this context, it refers to incomprehensible language.

“What hell was he saying? What were you talking about?”

Dong Zhi said, “He was just complaining, saying that the recently popular rideshare app had robbed him of a lot of business.”

He Yu complained, “You should have pretended to sleep just now, and he would have shut up.”

Dong Zhi shrugged. “Then he will just turn his head and talk to you in Mandarin.”

He Yu rolled his eyes.

“This is where we are looking.”

Walking in from under the archway, there was no barrier from the wall, but it seemed to have an invisible boundary of its own. Long queue lines stretched outside, and the traffic was bustling as a surge of people moved about, as if this was a night market. There are restaurants everywhere, and a stove grilling oysters was placed on the side of the road, making passersby hasten their steps. Inside and out, it was full of people chatting, and laughter rang everywhere, mixed with the sound of cups and plates, creating an atmosphere like fireworks.

He Yu looked around. “The buildings here are so dense. Can you find the specific location where he was staying?”

“Yes, but we don’t have a key.”

He Yu said, “I have already contacted his landlord, who lives on the first floor of his building.”

Dong Zhi nodded, not surprised. Nowadays, most of the residents in urban villages were people who came from abroad to work, and there were also many recent graduates. They fancy the low rent here, and it could be used as a residence during the transitional period.

Dong Zhi was a little curious. “The Special Administration Bureau has a Northeast branch, so do they also have a southern branch?”

“In the past, there were only two branches, North and South. Later, when there were too many things and the Bureau got too big and had to expand, four branches were then created, Northeast, South China, Northwest, and Southwest. The Logistics Department of the General Administration Bureau also manages the hinterlands of the Central Plains.”

He Yu spoke eloquently. “The headquarters of the Southern Branch was originally in Guangzhou, but later the South China Branch was moved to Shanghai, and the leader was also promoted to the General Administration Bureau, so there are only a few people here, and their abilities are average. Moreover, this is a personal matter, so there’s no need to bother them.”

While talking, the two followed the directions to the address, finding an eight-story building. It was nestled in the alley, separated from the hustle and bustle of the streets. The alleyway was narrow and dark as there were no streetlamps to light the area.

He Yu made a call, and after a while, the sound of footsteps could be heard. The security door opened, and the head of a middle-aged auntie poked out from inside.

“Are you Cheng Hui’s cousin?”

The other party’s expression was a bit wary. It was obvious He Yu’s appearance didn’t give her enough peace of mind.

He Yu nodded, took out his phone, and showed her a group photo with Cheng Hui as well as his ID card.

This still didn’t dispel the Auntie’s doubt. “You should go to the police station tomorrow and get a certificate and come back. Otherwise, if he comes back and says he doesn’t know you, I won’t be able to explain it.”

At this time, Dong Zhi stepped up to the plate. He moved forward and said warmly, “Hello, elder sister. I’m Cheng Hui’s classmate. I’m the one who told his cousin about his disappearance. He ran away from home after causing trouble with his family, and we’re all afraid he might have been abducted by some MLM* organization, so I wanted to come and have a look. If there’s really no clue, we’ll call the police, but his parents are a bit worried right now.”

*Multi-level marketing organization. Basically, a more “legal” pyramid scheme org.

The landlady had a better impression of Dong Zhi. He hesitantly glanced at He Yu and asked, “Is he really that person’s cousin?”

He Yu: …Hey, we just met, yet you treat Dong Zhi like your nephew and me like a thief. Isn’t this unfair?

Dong Zhi nodded with a smile. “Really, we just want to go in and have a look. We’ll leave in half an hour. You can guard the door. This is my ID card. Here, take a look.”

The landlady took the ID card of the Dong Zhi and glanced at it and said, “You look so handsome in your ID photo. Do you have a girlfriend?”

He Yu: …

Dong Zhi said shyly, “Not yet.”

The landlady said enthusiastically, “Which school did you graduate from? Do you work in Guangzhou now? What do you do?”

He Yu couldn’t bear to listen anymore, so he coughed vigorously to remind the others of his existence. The landlady glared at him and finally let them enter.

“Cheng Hui paid the rent for half a year, and the utility bill was just paid a week ago. He lives on the sixth floor. I don’t see him very often, so I don’t know if he’s been back these last few days. It’s not easy to raise a child nowadays. Make sure you don’t let any marketing organization deceive him…”

The auntie chattered endlessly, half in vernacular and the other half in Mandarin, while guiding them to Cheng Hui’s room. The one-bedroom space wasn’t large. The living room and bedroom were all connected, with no walls separating them. There wasn’t a TV, and the only valuable thing was a desktop computer. The layout was rudimentary, and from a single glance you could see everything.

He Yu frowned.

“How is it? Have you found anything?”

He Yu said, “He disappeared four days ago. I didn’t see a backpack or any belongings in the room. This means he hasn’t come back since he went out from here.”

“Can you locate him via his phone?”

He Yu shook his head. “The signal is completely dead. There is another way; we can use the earth.”

He took a piece of Cheng Hui’s clothes from the bed, sniffed it, spread it on the floor with disgust, then brought an abandoned flowerpot from the balcony. The plants inside had withered long ago, but the soil was still there. He took a handful of it and strewn it around the four corners of the room.

“Go and see if you can find chopsticks.” He said to the Dong Zhi.

Cheng Hui didn’t cook, so the kitchen was empty. There was nothing but a kettle. After rummaging through the cabinets, Dong Zhi finally pulled out a few pairs of chopsticks from a pile of debris on the balcony. It was probably left there by the former tenant.

The auntie looked at He Yu’s weird actions and suspiciously asked, “What are you doing?”

He Yu ignored her and asked Dong Zhi to hold the chopsticks on top of the clothes while he held a mantra in both hands and recited the words. “Cheng Hui, a disciple of Hezao, was born on April 15, 1992, and is missing here today. Please, creatures passing by from far and wide, lend me your strength and help me find someone! Rise!”

After a while, without opening his eyes, he quickly said to Dong Zhi, “Let go!”

Dong Zhi hurriedly let go of the chopsticks. It didn’t fall, but instead stood firmly in place. Not only was Dong Zhi wide-eyed, even the landlady was stunned.

“Heavenly Emperor¹, the secluded pass² of the earthly world³, please follow my wishes and find someone! Go!”

¹(太帝阳元) Also known as Emperor Tianguan, is one of the three official emperors of Taoism who bestow blessings on the world.
²(幽关) In Taoism refers to the area (secluded pass) between the two kidneys.
³(四罗) In Taoism refers to the human world.

“West.” He Yu let out a long sigh. “Cheng Hui went west.”

Returning the key to the landlady, the two left the building. He Yu took out a small compass the size of a palm from his beloved Rilakkuma backpack and measured the azimuth.

“This way.”

They left the urban village and followed the direction of the compass, heading west. After walking for more than 20 minutes, the compass didn’t change, and He Yu started getting impatient.

Dong Zhi proposed, “Why don’t we take the bus and get off as soon as there is movement on the compass? It’s also more convenient this way as well.”

Naturally, He Yu has no opinion. There was a bus stop not far from where the two were. They wasted a lot of time at the rental house, so it was already 11 at night. Since it wasn’t the weekend, there were very few people waiting for the bus. After they entered the station, Dong Zhi looked for a bus heading west on the roadmap.

Just then, a bus slowly pulled into the platform. He glanced around and vaguely saw that the bus route was heading west, so he hurriedly dragged He Yu to get on. There weren’t many passengers onboard, and no one got off when the bus stopped, and there were still many vacant seats, so they went directly towards the back, picking the rearmost seats. As they sat down, He Yu coughed twice and thumped his back.

“Are you okay?” Dong Zhi noticed that his face didn’t look good.

He Yu complained, “The injuries I suffered in Changbai Mountain were too serious, and I haven’t fully recovered, wuwuwu*.”

*[Ying ying ying] (嘤嘤嘤) buzzword that express grievances and crying but has a cute attribute. It’s mainly used to act coquettish. || When translated, it’s hum hum hum or ying ying ying pinyin form, but that doesn’t really make any sense, so I personally use wuwuwu, which is more fitting of the meaning. This is noted due to Dong Zhi’s response after this line, because generally this is mainly used by girls.

Black lines appeared on Dong Zhi’s face. “Speak properly! Don’t learn from girls!”

“That kid Cheng Hui doesn’t know what he’s doing. If he’s really abducted by some MLM organization, after finding him, I’ll give him a proper beating to dispel my hatred!”

“Doesn’t Cheng Hui have the ability to protect himself?”

He Yu shook his head. “Don’t think that all practitioners are proficient in all eighteen martial arts*. There are very few people like me who can draw talismans and fight, okay? Many people spend their entire lives learning to be proficient in one subject, which is already a remarkable feat. Now I am the quintessential genius of the world, and no one else can compare to!”

*(十八般武艺) or known as the 18 weapons (十八般兵器). It refers to a variety of skills/weapons and the list varies depending on the time period. The modern list includes: knives, spears, swords, halberds, axes, tombs, hooks, forks, whips, mace, hammers, guns, ge, tungsten, lances, sticks, spears, and rakes.

Dong Zhi complained, “If you’re the quintessential genius, then what’s Boss Long?”

He Yu crossed his legs and sighed. “The bad thing is that my parents didn’t give me a good name, so I already lost at the starting line.”

Dong Zhi grabbed He Yu’s bear backpack and started punching it. It felt so good that he couldn’t help pinching the bear’s head a few more times before casually responding, “What does that have to do with the starting line?”

He Yu began to run his mouth again. “His name is Long Shen! Think about it. The dragon roots¹ are thick and long. For men, what could be more impressive than this? So, I shouldn’t be called He Yu. If I were called, He Qida², it’d certainly be bigger now³!”

¹(被苏) Refers to the root of a wild orchid.
²(其大) Translated means it’s big.
³Clarity: He’s making an innuendo. The Long in Long Shen is also used in dragon root [Longen] (被苏) which refers to a wild orchid root. Supposedly, they are thick and long. The He (何) in his name translate to how/what. So, if he was named He Qida, when people call his name, they’re basically saying “How big!” (in reference to his dick).

Although he wasn’t drinking water, Dong Zhi almost choked on his own spit.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

I tried my best to translate the spell chants orz.

My god, this was a long ass chapter, probably the length of 5 regular chapters combined.

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

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Chapter 20

It was too late to close the door, and when he saw the other party looking at him, he could only show an awkward polite smile. After all, he wasn’t an employee, but he still hangs around here all day long. He felt a little embarrassed and feared he might have left a bad impression.

Long Shen asked, “What’s wrong?”

Dong Zhi said honestly, “Couldn’t sleep.”

He didn’t dare tell him that the two of them were playing games all night long. Long Shen didn’t ask any more questions, nodded, and said, “Come with me.”

Dong Zhi was taken aback for a moment, and thought that it was because he looked pleasing to the eye that he planned to open the backdoor for him and recruit him in advance, right? He followed into the other party’s office, half anxious and half expectant.

Deputy Director Long’s office was just like him. Simple and clean. The only special thing to take note of was two swords hanging on the wall. The scabbard was worn and looked old. Even the gemstones inlaid on it were covered by a layer of fog.

“Fill this in.” Long Shen took out a form and pushed it in front of him.

The form requested his personal information and even his bank account number. Was this his remuneration for his job?

Dong Zhi asked shyly, “Do I need to fill it out so soon? Isn’t it a bit unfair to the others who haven’t passed the exam yet?”

Long Shen was puzzled. “What test? Didn’t He Yu tell you that you made great contributions on Changbai Mountain, so he applied for a 20,000-yuan reward for you. The account should arrive within ten business days after submitting the form.”

Dong Zhi: …

Red quickly spread from his neck up, ashamed of his self-indulgence.

The smile in Long Shen’s eyes flashed away, and he slowly asked, “I heard He Yu say you want to be admitted here?”

“Yes, I will study hard!” Dong Zhi said hurriedly.

Long Shen said, “I suggest you give up this idea.”

Dong Zhi was stunned. He was full of enthusiasm only to be slapped by cold water. “Why?!”

“Because you are not suitable.” Long Shen’s expression was faint. “Everyone here has a special and extraordinary origin. Take He Yu for example. He was born in the Hezao¹ sect. This sect originated from the Tang Dynasty. It was once one of the three great sects, on par with Maoshan² and Longhu³. It was only during the Ming and Qing Dynasties that it gradually became low-key. You are indeed clever, but it stops there. After all, you are still only mortal. There are dragons and tigers hidden here. You can’t get in, so don’t waste your efforts.”

¹Famous Taoist Mountain and is the ancestral mountain of the Taoist Lingbao School.
²Famous Taoist Mountain and is the birthplace of the Taoist Shangqing School.
³Famous Taoist Mountain where Zhang Daoling forged alchemy there. Eventually his 4^th generation grandson, Zhang Sheng, settled in the mountains during the Three Kingdoms and their descendants have inherited it for over 63 generations.

Dong Zhi opened his mouth but couldn’t refute. He knew that what Long Shen said was right. He Yu could draw talismans, Chaosheng could become a cat, and even Lao Zheng had a whip that could deal with those Sneaky Yaksha. What could he do? Even the talisman that he painted was taught by He Yu.

But he wasn’t reconciled. Just like when he was a child and a teacher said that his hands were too clumsy, and he was unsuitable for painting. It only made him more stubborn and want to work harder to prove him wrong.

“Boss Long, I know that people with abilities like yours look down on me. I also know that I don’t know anything compared to you, but He Yu said that there will be training after the exam, and there will be individuals who don’t know any techniques. After passing the training, they can take the lead…”

“And die on the front line.” Long Shen interrupted.

Dong Zhi was shocked.

Long Shen said coldly, “There was a person who was an outer disciple of Wudang*. His qualifications were much better than yours, and he also passed the exam. He worked in logistics here. There was an incident in the Southwest more than ten years ago. At that time, we had insufficient manpower, so he was sent over, but, in the end, he died while on the mission. Even if you are admitted, you can only be a logistics officer at most. If you’re given an order, you must do it. I won’t spare the lives of my subordinates, but I won’t let them die for no reason either!”

*Famous Taoist Mountain associated with the god Xuanwu. The Wudang Sect (sometimes known was Wu-tang sect) is a fictional martial arts sect that based off of this mountain.

Seeing that the other party was silent, Long Shen said, “It’s just nonsense, but I hope you take my words into consideration.”

“Thank you for your suggestion. I will think about it clearly.” Dong Zhi said earnestly, striving to show sincerity, but inevitably feeling like a wilted flower. He turned around and was about to leave but was stopped by Long Shen.

“Wait.”

Dong Zhi stared blankly at the other’s outstretched hand as the slightly cool fingertips touched his neck, causing him to shrink subconsciously. As the other party’s breath got closer, Dong Zhi’s mind went blank, and his heartbeat accelerated. His mouth felt like it was stuck together with glue, as if he had forgotten how to open it.

“You…” Long Shen finally spoke.

What did he want to say?

Dong Zhi’s mind ran wildly with random guesses, and the more nervous he was, the easier it was to trust the horse to take the reins*.

*(信马由缰) Metaphor referring to let things take their natural course.

Is it because of his beauty? Should he accept or refuse it if he wanted to use unspoken rules*? Why hasn’t he spoken yet? Is he waiting for him to take the initiative himself?

*(潜规则) Refers to certain industries/groups of people that impose certain behavioral constraints that are implicit rules that are widely exercised and generally observed by all parties involved. Examples are bribes, glass ceilings, offering sex in exchange for benefits.

“There is something on your collar.” Long Shen retracted his hand, and there was indeed a piece of hair on the palm of his hand.

Dong Zhi: …

If it weren’t for the fact that he’s his male god, Dong Zhi would probably have cursed.

“It probably got there when I was out!” He stammered, not knowing what kind of expression to put on.

Long Shen snorted, “You can go.”

The corners of Dong Zhi’s mouth twitched. He wanted to rush up and grab the other’s shoulders and shake them vigorously, roaring at him to covet his beauty; Telling him if he wanted unspoken rules, come quickly! Why dilly-dally and make excuses!

But he didn’t dare. He could only inwardly cry cowardly and then prepare to leave feeling aggrieved.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and after a few times, the door opened, and a head was thrust in. He Yu looked at Long Shen and then at the listless Dong Zhi. “What’s the matter?”

Long Shen looked at him coldly. He Yu chuckled dryly, feeling that a hole was burning through his body from just his gaze. He picked up Dong Zhi and ran out, not forgetting to take the form on the table with him.

“Boss, I’m taking Dong Zhi back to Hezao Mountain today. I asked you for leave before! We’ll head out first. I’ll give you the form when I come back!”

When they returned to He Yu’s office, Dong Zhi saw that there was someone there. He saw Kan Chaosheng sitting in an office chair, eating snacks as his two short legs dangled off the ground. His cheeks were bulging.

He Yu said, “If it weren’t for Kan Chaosheng, who saw you being called in by the boss just now, I wouldn’t have been able to save you. Are you okay? What did the boss say?”

Dong Zhi’s mouth deflated, and he repeated what Long Shen had said just now.

Kan Chaosheng patted the snack debris on his hand and said, “I think the boss is right. You really know nothing, and He Yu is completely fooling around!”

He Yu rolled his eyes. “I’m not messing around, thanks. Dong Zhi is indeed very talented at drawing symbols. This time, I plan to take him back to my school. I have a martial uncle who has no children or disciples under him. I plan to recommend my little baby Dongdong to him.”

After speaking, he patted Dong Zhi’s shoulder. It was obvious he was depressed as his shoulders were slumping. He Yu said, “Don’t be hit by the boss’ words. Compared to his level, let alone you, even I am invisible to him. It doesn’t mean you are useless. The boss just doesn’t want you to regret it in the future or die because of your own impulsiveness, so he’s being a bit more serious!”

Dong Zhi smiled bitterly and said, “I know that Boss Long is kind, but I really want to join and fight side by side with you!”

“What’s the use of being sincere when you have no strength!” Kan Chaosheng’s poisonous tongue lashed out as he threw a piece of potato chip at He Yu, then resumed chiding mercilessly. “He Yu, you are like those parents who dot on their children unequivocally!”

He Yu beckoned to him with a loving smile. “Son, you have eaten so many snacks from dad. Come and say thank you to your father.”

Kan Chaosheng smiled grimly. “If you want to be my father, let me knock all your teeth out!” He threw the snacks in his hands at He Yu as he rushed towards him, and the two immediately got into a scuffle, turning into a big ball of dust.

Despite his small figure, he didn’t seem disadvantaged at all when fighting against a tall, burly guy like He Yu. He even managed to strike him with a few punches, causing him to say, “If you have true skills, don’t release your true form!”

Kan Chaosheng clamored, “I don’t need my true form for laozi to make you kneel and beg for mercy!”

With a wave of his hand, the water from the two goldfish tanks in the office flew up at the same time and poured onto He Yu’s face.

He Yu yelled with anger and threw out a talisman. “You cheat!”

Before the talisman reached Kan Chaosheng, he pointed in the direction of Dong Zhi. Dong Zhi felt something and quickly avoided it. The water in the water cup behind him was suddenly sucked up out of thin air and turned into a water arrow that flew straight to the back of He Yu’s head.

The office instantly descended into chaos*, leaving Dong Zhi dumbstruck.

*Chicken flying dog jumping (鸡飞狗跳) Idiom referring to panic and chaos. Describes the scene of frightening chickens to fly and dogs to jump around.

Half an hour later, the two fought so hard that they were completely out of breath. They finally stopped and slumped onto the sofa while panting like dogs with their tongues out. Dong Zhi handed each of them a drink and opened a can of Coke for himself.

Luckily, he had the foresight to put aside the drinks when they started fighting. As expected, during the battle, snacks spilled everywhere as several generations of unopened potato chip bags were trampled on.

He Yu kicked Kan Chaosheng. “Hey, do you have any good opinions of him?”

Kan Chaosheng gave him a blank look. “The boss doesn’t want him. What can I do?!”

He Yu said, “Eat people with short mouths*. Don’t think I don’t know. You ate a lot of snacks from my little baby Dongdong on the train. Aren’t you monsters the most concerned about cause and effect? Spit it out quickly!”

*Eat people with short mouths, take people with soft hands. (吃人嘴短啊) Idiom refers to not eating and taking casually. It’s a warning to people to not take benefits of others and when you accept benefits, you must give others face and help them in return.

Kan Chaosheng kicked him back in anger, gulped down a big mouthful of Sprite, then said, “Don’t you want to take him back to your school? If your uncle is willing to accept him as an apprentice, there’s no need for me to do anything!”

He Yu smiled and said, “Then I’ll take it as a promise!”

He said to Dong Zhi, “Don’t underestimate Chaosheng. He just likes to pretend to be soft, but in fact, he’s an old monster. If he’s willing to help you, then you won’t need me to do anything!”

Dong Zhi hurriedly said, “Will this be too much trouble for you?”

“Che, don’t think too much. I’m just paying you back for the snacks you gave me!” Kan Chaosheng snorted and cocked his chin. It was impossible to associate his behavior with his actual age. “First pass the written exam, interview, and training test. At most, I can only plead for you in front of Zong Lao. If you don’t live up to expectations, there’s nothing I can do about that!”

Dong Zhi was determined to be successful. The more others looked down on him, the more he wanted to prove himself.

He wanted to pass the exam and impress Long Shen, so he’d retract what he said to him before. He’ll enter the Special Administration Bureau in a dignified manner, and from then on, little by little, he’ll reach the pinnacle of his life, and eventually the male god will praise him!

Of course, Dong Zhi wants to fight for it. The more others look down on him, the more he has to prove himself with strength.

His depressed mood only lasted for half an hour, and like a child, Dong Zhi immediately became ambitious and lively again.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Long Shen is certainly going to be opening a certain backdoor, that’s for sure…

This is the last of the free chapters on jjwxc. If you’ve been enjoying the novel so far and are able to, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. I used Google Chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works.

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

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Chapter 19

He Yu asked him, “Do you have a place to stay in Beijing?”

Dong Zhi still hasn’t recovered from the blow of being misunderstood by his idol. “I can rent a place.”

He Yu waved his hand. “It’s too troublesome. The lease terms are at least half a year. It’s less than three months before the exam. If you fail the exam, won’t the rest of your deposit be wasted?”

Dong Zhi: “…Do you have the skills of a crow’s mouth*?”

*(乌鸦嘴) Often used to describe someone’s mouth as particularly hateful. The terms derive from crows, who often eat rotten and smelly meat.

He Yu smiled and said, “No, I have tainted milk* skills. Every time, the outcomes of what I say would be the polar opposite. Maybe if I keep saying it a few more times, you really can pass the exam!”

*(毒奶) Buzzword which is the reverse of refueling (jiayou)/dragging down teammates. The term got popular in the e-sports scene and later also became a verbal curse. || Note: Jiayou (加油) is an ubiquitous Chinese expression of encouragement and support. There’s no direct translation but often means, good luck!/you can do it!/don’t give up! ect.

The corner of Dong Zhi’s mouth twitched. “How generous!”

He Yu laughed. “Alrighty, alright. I have a dorm room here. I usually sleep in the office and rarely go back, so why don’t you just sleep with me and save money on rent? By the way, what’s your family situation like? How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

Dong Zhi said, “I’m an only child. My grandparents and parents have passed away. My other grandparents live with my uncle. I usually send some pocket money every New Year’s, but besides that, I have relatively little contact with them.

He Yu said happily, “Great, your background will give you extra points in the interview!”

Dong Zhi looked at him strangely. “…Is the death of both parents a plus?”

He Yu raised his eyebrows. “Of course! In our job, we usually encounter a variety of dangers. If we have family we care too much about, it could affect our decision-making abilities during a critical moment. If the only child is sacrificed, what would happen to the elders at home? This is why the leaders like your kind of family background the most!”

Dong Zhi was speechless. ‘…What he said does make sense.’

He Yu patted him on the shoulder and encouraged. “Don’t worry, as long as you learn your skills well, it won’t be you who will be unlucky, but the enemy! Besides, the nature of our work is special. In addition to five different insurances, you also get housing funds, and the salary and bonus were much higher than ordinary positions. Maybe if you work hard enough, you could buy a house in Beijing in a few years!”

As he was talking, the office phone rang. He Yu looked at the number and yelled, “I almost forgot! The boss told me to go to his office. Here’s your first on-the-spot test in advance to see if you’re resilient enough. Answer this call for me.”

“Who’s calling? What should I say?!” Dong Zhi grabbed onto He Yu, who was in a hurry to leave.

“It’s a call from the Northeast about the sinkhole on Changbai Mountain, complaining that we didn’t inform them in advance and now they want us to help clean up the mess. I have answered no less than ten calls in the past few days from all different departments over there. Anyway, you can help me deal with them. Just say whatever you want!”

After he finished speaking, he refused to answer the phone and disappeared. Feeling helpless, Dong Zhi forced himself to pick up the phone.

On the other end was a call from the Tourism Bureau. Sure enough, they were complaining about the large sinkhole that was left on Changbai Mountain, which caused countless problems for the subsequent tourism development and complained about a lack of funds to fix it. They were hoping to unify both department voices to give an official statement.

As Dong Zhi was spouting nonsense, He Yu was standing in front of the boss being reprimanded. Long Shen didn’t lift his head, as his pen walked like dragons and snakes*.

*(笔走龙蛇) Refers to when the pen moves, it shows the dance of the dragon and snake. Describes penmanship that’s vivid and imposing.

“Why did you bring him in?”

He Yu gave him a dopey smile. “Boss, don’t you think he is quite spiritual and talented? Are you really not considering accepting him? You have never accepted an apprentice before, so Chaosheng and the others are all betting in private.”

Long Shen: “How much did you bet?”

He Yu smiled stiffly.

Long Shen glanced up at him.

He Yu stretched out a finger guiltily. “Just one hundred.”

Long Shen sneered.

He Yu: “…Okay, okay, it’s actually five hundred.”

Long Shen said, “Your vacation is cancelled.”

He Yu wailed, “Don’t, don’t! I confess, it’s five thousand! I used all my private money on it. That’s really the number! Chaosheng said that you would not accept an apprentice this year. Please, boss, just accept one. It doesn’t have to be Dong Zhi! Don’t let my 5,000 yuan fly away! It’s a lot for me! I’ll even pay you some dividends when the time comes. How about 37, no, no 46!”

Long Shen: “73.”

He Yu: “…Will you at least leave me a way to live?”

Long Shen: “82.”

He Yu wanted to cry. He gritted his teeth. “Okay! 73! It’s 73*!”

*Clarity: The percentage cut from the bet’s winnings.

One didn’t need to imagine what kind of sad expression He Yu had on his face. Long Shen wanted to smile. The corner of his mouth was slightly raised, but it quickly disappeared again, returning back to his cold steel face.

“There is news from Japan.”

He Yu abruptly stopped laughing and became solemn.

Long Shen said, “According to reports that came back, Fujikawa Aoi and Kitaichi Eiko have been staying at the Ise Shrine since they returned from China. During this time, there were many dignitaries who visited the shrine, but only one person, named Otowa Hatsuhiko, made contact with Aso Kenzo at that time. On the third day, when Aso Kenzo returned to Japan, he went to visit Otowa Hatsuhiko, the president of the Otowa Consortium.”

“I know that the Otowa Consortium is mainly engaged in heavy industry. Its history can be traced back to after World War II, but the person in charge of this enterprise seems to have always been very low-key. Could it be that he provided Aso with news of dragon corpses? For what purpose?” He Yu was perplexed.

Long Shen said, “Perhaps their purpose isn’t the bone dragon. Fujikawa and Kitaichi were pushed to the forefront to attract our attention, and the capturing of the bone dragon to turn it into a shikigami was just a cover.”

He Yu shouted, “The stone tablet?!”

Long Shen nodded.

He Yu said, “Is there any result on the origin of that monument?”

Long Shen shook his head. “No one can understand the runes¹. However, Zong Lao² said that judging from the technique of the runes and seal carving, it can be traced back to at least before the Ming and Qing Dynasties.”

¹Clarity: I’m using runes as the symbols (scripture) of the talismans and talismans as the actual talisman itself.
²When used after a name, signifies great respect for that person (usually older than you). Translated would be like Elder Zong.

Zong Lao that Long Shen spoke of was Zong Ling, one of several consultants of the Special Administration Bureau. Her status was legendary, and she had deeper qualification than anyone in the bureau.

He Yu frowned and said, “It happens to be my uncle’s birthday in a few days. Why don’t I go back to the school and ask? Perhaps some elders will know more about the talismans on the stone tablet.”

Long Shen nodded. “The Hezao Sect has a long history and has many famous masters. Maybe there are some experts who can understand it.”

He Yu smiled and said, “If the elders of my sect hear you praise them so much, they will definitely be happy. Then I will ask Chaosheng to give me a copy of the inscription!”

Before leaving, he didn’t forget to blow Long Shen a kiss. “Boss, remember to accept an apprentice. It’s up to you if I can earn some wife money!”

Dong Zhi.

Reminded by He Yu, Long Shen, who was full of thoughts about the stone tablet, finally took a little time to distribute his mind to other things.

That Dong Zhi did perform well. Despite having no foundation, he didn’t get stage fright at the critical moment. But it’s just good. There are many people who are stronger than him.

Long Shen shook his head and removed that name from his thoughts.

When He Yu returned to the office, Dong Zhi had just hung up the phone. When he saw him coming in, he couldn’t help but say, “I’ve talked so much my mouth is completely dry. Why are you hiding outside the door and eavesdropping as if you were counting the time?”

He Yu laughed. “I’m going back to my school to celebrate my master’s birthday and check on a few things. Would you like to go back with me? Think of it like a sightseeing trip!”

Dong Zhi was excited at the thought, but hesitated. “But I need to review…”

He Yu waved his hand. “You can review on the trip. With your intelligence, I’m optimistic about you. That settles it! Since you just arrived today, we’ll set out in two days. I’ll arrange the itinerary. Now let’s go to an internet café and play a few games of DotA. Then come back after dinner, and in the evening, we’ll play <The Great Wasteland>. You can take me to level up! Doesn’t this sound like fun?”

The corners of Dong Zhi’s mouth twitched. “The barren life of an otaku.”

He Yu wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Don’t be like this. What did an otaku ever do to you? Don’t say that this brother doesn’t take care of you. I’ll take you to a good place tomorrow that’ll greatly benefit your interview and future training exams! Avoid Chaosheng. That guy’s hand speed is terrible, so it’s not fun teaming up with him. Let’s go quietly and don’t let him catch us…”

It wasn’t the first time that Dong Zhi had visited the capital. The last time was when he was on a high school graduation trip, where he came to have fun with a group of classmates. Although a few years have passed, he still recognized some of the roads.

On the other hand, He Yu, as an otaku who has been outside only a handful of time almost got lost trying to find the roasted duck place he wanted to eat at. The two had wandered around for a long time before Dong Zhi finally found the place. When they entered, the place was almost closed. There were a few tables in the hall, and the late-night food market was already set up.

The two of them were so hungry that after ordering some signature dishes, they both lay on the table, waiting wearily for their food to be served.

Dong Zhi pretended that there was nothing to talk about, casually mentioned, “You went to Boss Long earlier, right? Did he mention anything about me?”

He Yu: “A bit. I said you have talent and recommended he accept you as an apprentice.”

Dong Zhi became excited, and his hunger disappeared instantly. “What did he say?”

“Nothing. Although you performed well, the boss has never accepted an apprentice, so it’s a bit difficult for him to make an exception for you.” He Yu shrugged. When he saw Dong Zhi pricking up his ears to listen, he said strangely, “What? Do you really want to be his apprentice? “

Dong Zhi blinked. “Boss Long is very strong. Isn’t it great to be his disciple?”

“But he is also very strict.” He Yu patted him on the shoulder. “Trust me, you will know when you’re in training. You’ll be tortured to death by him, and all that notion you have of him will go out the window.”

A small voice in Dong Zhi’s heart cried, ‘It will not.’

But this was only a voice for him to hear.

He Yu suddenly remembered something. “By the way, there’s good news. Last time, you performed heroically on Changbai Mountain, and you helped tremendously at a critical moment. I applied for a bonus of 20,000 yuan for you, but if you want to take the exam, the bonus can also be exchanged for extra points. Which one do you want to choose?”

Dong Zhi spirit was invigorated again, and he rejoiced. “How many points can 20,000 yuan be exchanged for? Twenty?”

He Yu: “Two points.”

Dong Zhi: …

After eating, He Yu dragged him to an internet café. In his words, he had been cultivating in the mountains for more than 20 years and was almost isolated from human civilization. When he first went down the mountains, he didn’t even know how to use a cellphone. After being a recluse for so long, he was extremely thirsty¹. With just a single contact, he was instantly hooked on online games and turned into one of thousands of single otaku dogs. Unfortunately, the usual working hours are too long, and vacation was too little, and his colleagues were all scums with 5 combat power². Finally, when he encountered Dong Zhi, he had an outlet to unload all his addiction onto.

¹Figuratively.
²(战五渣) Sometimes refer to as “Fighting the five scum” which is an abbreviation for “the scum with only five combat power” where the number 5 could be change to any number. This comes from Dragon Ball where the guy analyzes the combat power of a farmer and saw it was only 5.

Dong Zhi accompanied him to play games all night, until it was almost dawn, before the two of them returned to the Special Administration Bureau, exhausted. Long Shen probably still thought He Yu’s injuries hadn’t healed yet, so he wanted to take this opportunity to be lazy while he didn’t have to go out in the field. He was so happy that he gave the sofa to Dong Zhi while he pulled out a blanket, rolled it on the ground, hugged a Pikachu pillow and went to sleep.

Although Dong Zhi was also very tired, He Yu’s snoring was so loud that he couldn’t sleep. Eventually, he got up. The dorm He Yu was letting him stay at was a mess and needed to be cleaned first. Dong Zhi planned to stay at a hotel for the time being, at least to get some sleep.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Long Shen walking past.

Dong Zhi: …

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The author has something to say:

Dong Zhi: Twenty thousand yuan for two points. Doesn’t this hurt your conscience?

Long Shen: Not only does it not, but it brings me great joy.

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Kinky Thoughts:

He Yu’s living the life.

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

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Chapter 18

“Truthfully, the original site of the General Administration Bureau is on the ground floor of Chaonei No. 81*. We thought that since it was an abandoned house, no one would go there. I don’t know which idiot it was, but rumors spread that it was a murder house. As a result, groups of people would go in and out all day long to explore it, which seriously affected our efficiency. A big boss in the bureau reported to the top, and our office was relocated here. Now, it’s much easier to order takeout, since no one dared do it when we were over there…”

*Best known for the widespread belief that the building is haunted and described as “Beijing’s most celebrated haunted house”.

He Yu was walking in front of him. He finally finished rambling and turned to ask him, “Speaking of which, I asked Lao Zheng to test you on more real national exam questions. You didn’t fall behind, right?”

Dong Zhi obediently said, “I’ve been practicing all this time. I even bought a question bank.”

He Yu was satisfied with his response. “With your ability, there shouldn’t be any problems. Although the competition this year is fierce, no one has ever scored a high score on the written exam. Everyone’s focus is on the interview and the subsequent training exams. If you can get a high score on the written exam, the rest should be smooth sailing. I’ll give you a tutorial on the content of the interview later.”

Dong Zhi said curiously, “Did the leader of the bureau produce the exam himself?”

He Yu shook his head. “The written portion was from last year’s national exam. The interview is the bureau’s own questions!”

Thinking of the green-skinned fox that Lao Zheng had mentioned, the corners of his mouth twitched. “Then, in fact, the written test is of no practical significance, right?”

He Yu said categorically, “Of course there is! If you pump yourself up, even if you subtly believe in it, it’ll turn into belief. People naturally have positive energy.”

Dong Zhi was skeptical. This was the first time he heard positive energy could be explained in this way.

“It’s not a joke. A single thing or person, as long as it’s remembered by countless people and never forgotten, will naturally have power over the mind. Have you heard of the Japanese belief in kotodama*?”

*Japanese belief that mystical powers dwell in words and names. The notion of kotodama presupposes that sounds can magically affect objects and that ritual word usage can influence our environment, body, mind, and soul.

Seeing that Dong Zhi nodded, He Yu continued, “They firmly believe that language itself has spiritual power. There is a certain truth to this idea. It’s from this basis that the art of speech and spirituality are developed. An excellent onmyoji can even kill people by reciting their opponent’s name, similar to the spiritual descent in Southeast Asia. This is the power of language.”

Dong Zhi understood a little. “So, positive energy, from another perspective, is actually a kind of spiritual speech?”

“Smart!” He Yu patted his thigh. “Don’t you work in Guangzhou? Have you seen the core values hanging outside Liwan Plaza? It’s a way to suppress evil spirits through the righteousness of words. Many people don’t pay attention to the written exams, mainly because they are stupid. Since you have a good memory, it may come in handy and save your life in the future!”

In any case, talking about the core values of socialism with a huckster* made Dong Zhi feel strange.

*God stick (神棍) Refers to a deceitful liar.

When the two came to the fifth floor, He Yu first knocked on the door in a strange rhythm, then pushed open the emergency escape door. The entrance revealed smooth marble floors and walls. Crystal headlights hung from the ceiling, their lights flickering, and the hall was extremely lively with people everywhere. Some were queuing at the window to go through formalities, while some were talking amongst themselves, and others were making calls in the office area.

At first, Dong Zhi thought he had walked into a lobby of a bank. The magnificence found here compared to the dilapidation outside was like an entirely different world.

Seeing his surprised reaction, He Yu smiled triumphantly. “All the funds are used here. No point in fixing up the outside. It saves us money and trouble!”

“What are they doing?” Dong Zhi asked curiously, awed by the sight in front of him.

He Yu said, “Some are monsters who have cultivated into human form and come to register. As you know, the environment before the founding of the People’s Republic of China was messy, and the government of the Republic of China didn’t care about such things. This led to a very chaotic world with no distinction between monsters and men. After the founding, it was stipulated that all those who took shape must be registered in order to manage and keep track of them better. However, there are those who cultivated in deep forests for decades or hundreds of years, so they didn’t know about the changes from the outside world. Others are here to report crimes, and some come to seek mediation for their disputes.”

Dong Zhi felt as if his breath was taken away.

A handsome young man came towards him. His posture was awkward, and his eyes sneaked peeks at Dong Zhi before he abruptly looked away, making him look seemingly shy.

He Yu pointed at him. “You, stop for me!”

The young man was taken aback, and two fluffy ears immediately appeared on top of his head as he looked at He Yu in confusion.

He Yu asked, “Where are you from? What are you doing here?”

The young man stiffened his body and didn’t dare to move. He whispered, “My ancestors are from the Hu family in Northeast China. My parents moved to Tianjin. There is no branch office in Tianjin, so they asked me to register here.”

He Yu sensed he was about to have a headache and said, “Your clan’s adults sure have big hearts. They dare let you run about as soon as you transformed! Look at the way you’re walking. Anyone who looks at you will instantly know that there’s a problem. Also, your ears pop up at every turn! Have you even thought about this? Follow me into the reception room and call your family to pick you up!”

When the young man heard this, his ears instantly drooped, and he didn’t dare refute He Yu, and could only follow behind him pitifully. He Yu took him to the reception room and threw in a colleague to help deal with the situation while he returned to Dong Zhi.

“Enter the temple to worship gods, enter the house you have to call someone*, I will take you to meet the boss first. If you want to come work for us and the boss is willing to open the back door for you, then you don’t have to worry about the interview. After all, you have made contributions to the organization, and I can also take the opportunity to ask for an annual leave!”

*Refers to being polite and showing common courtesy when entering homes and temples.

Without the presence of outsiders, He Yu immediately lost his seriousness and started joking around again, acting like his usual seedy self.

Dong Zhi was very curious about the scene just now. “Was that a fox just now?”

He Yu nodded and said casually, “Animals generally don’t have a long lifespan, and there are very few that can cultivate into a human form. This baby should be the first one of the Hu family to take shape in the past 100 years.”

Passing through the office area, Dong Zhi was surprised to find that the noise was suddenly isolated, as if entering another dimension. He Yu had taken him up 15 flights of stairs, causing him to feel extremely nauseated.

“The one at the end of the corridor is the office of the Li Bureau. The penultimate room belongs to the boss. The other rooms belong to the big guys of the Special Administration Bureau. Don’t go into them. My office is downstairs…”

Speaking of Cao Cao and Cao Cao appears*. Footsteps sounded from afar, getting louder with each step. The two turned their heads and saw Long Shen coming.

*(说曹操曹操到) Refers to the unexpected appearance of the other party being spoken of, often giving people a surprise (AKA speak of the devil and he appears). The allusion comes from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the reference refers to the warlord.

“This is not a place for you to go shopping and dilly dally.” Long Shen stated matter-of-factly.

He Yu put on a goofy smile. “It’s Dong Zhi’s first time here, so I was just showing him around, boss!”

Long Shen was followed by a young man with an unremarkable appearance, but he had a quiet temperament. The other party nodded at He Yu and said nothing. Dong Zhi almost suspected that Long Shen had forgotten him because the other party did not look at him once, as if he was just an accessory to He Yu.

As the two of them walked away, Dong Zhi went down to the sixth floor with He Yu. He asked, “Is that person just now taking the exam like me?”

He Yu said, “No, his name is Zhong Yuyi and he’s our colleague.”

Dong Zhi sighed and remembered what Lao Zheng had said. There was a person who had joined the Special Administration Bureau because, like Dong Zhi, he saw the Long Shen subduing demons.

“Is he the oracle?” Dong Zhi asked.

He Yu: “How did you know?”

Dong Zhi: ” Lao Zheng said that Zhong Yuyi is Boss Long… Uh, admirer.”

He Yu laughed. “That’s right, there are very few oracles in the bureau. Zhong Yuyi is the only one.”

Luan sheng, formerly known as Fuyi*, to put it bluntly, is to invite God.

*(扶乩) Technically, Fuyi is the divination method, while the Luan Sheng is the title of the person that the god possesses.

Dong Zhi couldn’t help but ask, “Are there really gods in this world?”

He Yu shook his head. “It’s not what you think. When you pass the interview in the future, maybe that kid Zhong Yuyi will have the opportunity to teach you, and you will know when the time comes.”

He Yu’s office was quite spacious but messy. There were pillows and talisman papers all over the place, and several brushes were scattered on the coffee table. Some of the nibs were still stained with cinnabar, which left ink marks on the table. His iPad lay randomly on the sofa, and there were half-eaten and unopened snacks in a large pile to the side. From a glance, it felt as if he had walked into an otaku’s room.

Seeing Dong Zhi’s speechless face, He Yu scratched his head and laughed. “My injury hasn’t healed yet, so I can’t do strenuous exercise.”

But you were able to run up and down all those flights of stairs so happily just now! Are you even injured at all?!

While complaining in his head, Dong Zhi helped him clean and organize his room. The talisman papers were folded one by one and put aside, and all the half-finished snacks were thrown away. Suddenly, the office became a bit more refreshing.

He Yu was so moved that he gave him a bear hug. “Honey~, you are so virtuous. Why don’t we get married!”

As he finished speaking, the door was opened and the two of them looked at it subconsciously. Long Shen stood at the entrance, watching them hug each other, and finally a crack appeared on his always stone-cold face.

Dong Zhi: …

The atmosphere became extremely awkward. After two seconds of silence, Long Shen said calmly, “No wonder why you recommended him to apply and want your uncle to accept him as an apprentice.”

Dong Zhi: …

His heart roared, ‘No, you misunderstood! We are innocent!’

It was a pity that Long Shen didn’t give them a chance to explain, as he immediately left after saying, “Be serious and no hugging during office hours. He Yu, come to my office later.” He even locked the doors for them, lest another unfortunate person like him come barging in and have to witness such an intimate scene.

Dong Zhi reached out his hand with his mouth still half open, but Long Shen was already gone.

He Yu rolled with laughter. “I didn’t know that the boss had such a humorous side!”

Dong Zhi wanted to cry without tears!

---

Kinky Thoughts:

What is everyone’s opinion on keeping the pinyin form of some of these mythological Chinese terms vs English translation? For instance, luan sheng. I translated it since that’s my personal preference and oracle is a word that English speakers will understand and remember vs luan sheng, and I don’t want to provide footnotes in every chapter for that term in case people forget.

For now, I’ll leave it in its translated form, but I may change that later. As a reader myself, I often forget the pinyin terms and what they mean, especially when it’s not a common or normally used term (like lao/ge/jie ect.), when reading novels that were previously explained, so I would rather just have an English term that’s easier to remember (especially if there’s a good translation for it).

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

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Chapter 17

As the room settled down, Zhang Xing was the first to speak. “People from the tour group came to visit me. They asked about Yao Bin’s whereabouts, and I didn’t know what to say.”

It was impossible to tell the truth, as no one would believe it. Lao Zheng and the others have special responsibilities, and most likely they would not come forward to support Zhang Xing’s testimony.

Dong Zhi couldn’t think of a good solution. “Then what did you tell them?”

Zhang Xing said, “I just said that I was separated from Yao Bin at the time, and I don’t know what happened to him later. I heard that his parents have received the news and have set off looking for him. I don’t know how to face them when the time comes.”

As she spoke, her eyes turned red. “I still dare not tell my parents or let them come visit me. At that time… If the two of us hadn’t fallen behind… Maybe… Maybe we wouldn’t have encountered those things!”

Zhang Xing couldn’t help but sob quietly. Yao Bin’s death most likely left a permanent shadow in her heart.

Dong Zhi couldn’t bear it. “Why don’t I ask Lao Zheng for you and see what to do? No one expected this kind of thing to happen. It has nothing to do with you, so don’t feel pressured.”

After he consoled her, he persuaded her to stop her tears.

However, Yao Bin’s parents moved faster than expected, and they arrived the next morning, heading straight to the hospital accompanied by the medical team. Dong Zhi and Zhang Xing were not in the same ward, so he didn’t know the specifics of what they were discussing. He could only hear muffled voices from the door as the volume steadily increased, turning into shouts and clamors. It lasted for what seemed like hours. Eventually, Dong Zhi painfully got out of bed and ran over to see, just in time to witness police and hospital security guards accompanying a middle-aged man and woman who were surrounded by a large group of people who looked like they were relatives and friends of the Yao family.

When Lao Zheng saw the Dong Zhi, he asked, “Why did you come out?”

“It was such a ruckus, I wanted to check it out. How is it now?” Dong Zhi asked.

Lao Zheng sighed. “There’s no person in life and no corpse in death*. It’s normal for people’s parents to be anxious and angry. We have already contacted the police and will ask them to help search for the body, so it’ll bring some comfort to the family members. After all, it’s impossible to tell them the truth or give them a random body. The little girl was wrongly aggrieved by the victim’s parents. You should go and comfort her!”

*(生不见人，死不见尸) A saying referring to someone is missing or has disappeared.

After that, he lowered his voice again. “The little girl is good-looking, and she’s interested in you. Hurry up and snatch this opportunity!”

Dong Zhi felt helpless. “Isn’t this taking advantage of someone, especially given the state she’s in?”

Lao Zheng glanced at him. “No wonder you haven’t found a girlfriend yet!”

Dong Zhi thought, ‘That’s rich coming from you’, but before he could say it, Lao Zheng had already opened the door.

Zhang Xing’s eyes were really red, as if she had been crying. Dong Zhi put a small potted plant he had bought online next to her and said, “It’s very easy to raise. Just water it once a day and by the time you’re discharged from the hospital, it might grow pretty tall.”

Zhang Xing chuckled. “Then how can I take it back?”

Dong Zhi also laughed. “You can give it to other patients when you leave so that they can continue to raise it. I bought some snacks online, and I’ll give you some when they’re delivered tomorrow.”

Zhang Xing was surprised. “The doctors allowed it?”

Dong Zhi smiled and said, ” Lao Zheng secretly asked me to buy it. He was more restricted by the doctor and could only eat porridge and side dishes, but he couldn’t stand it anymore.”

Zhang Xing suddenly said, “Thank you, Brother Dong. I was able to survive because of you, and now you’re even comforting me.”

Dong Zhi patted her head. “You are already very strong. I’m just a little more experienced than you because of my parents’ death a few years ago. There are no hardships in life that you can’t get through.”

Zhang Xing looked at Dong Zhi. He had a warm smile that was just like the potted plant, full of vigor and vitality. No matter how violent the storm, there would be no haze and he would remain vibrant, even infecting the people around him with his optimism, brightening their hearts.

She plucked up the courage and suddenly said, “Brother Dong, I like you very much. Will you be my boyfriend?”

Dong Zhi was caught off guard. Seeing his reaction, Zhang Xing wanted to laugh, thinking to herself. ‘How could someone find a boy this good?’

“I know you don’t have a girlfriend, so don’t rush to reject me. It doesn’t matter if you don’t chase girls, I’ll chase you.”

“Actually, I have someone I like!” Dong Zhi finally thought of an excuse and blurted it out.

Zhang Xing was taken aback. “You are not lying to me, are you?”

“Of course not,” Dong Zhi opened his eyes and lied. “The other party doesn’t know it, and I haven’t figured out how to confess.”

Zhang Xing didn’t let him off so easily. “Then what does the other party look like?”

He continued lying. “Uh, tall, thin, pretty, not talkative…”

At that moment, a knock on the door sounded, and Dong Zhi, as if he had been granted amnesty, hurriedly opened the door under the discerning gaze of the beauty. A nurse entered, and while she came to check on Zhang Xing, he took that chance to slip away.

Outside, by the wall near the door, Lao Zheng was seen leaning against the wall, laughing wretchedly.

Dong Zhi: …

Lao Zheng sighed. “The beautiful little girl delivered herself to your doorsteps. How could you bear to refuse?”

Dong Zhi said, “When I was in school, there was a girl in my department who was liked by the school grass* of another department. At that time, the boy was surrounded by girls, but he didn’t like her to the point where he would reject the other girls for her, so he kept being ambiguous with her. Since he led her on, the girl thought that he really liked her and she fell for him even harder. Unexpectedly, she caught him kissing someone else, and it broke her heart. She confronted him, and the boy said that the person he was kissing was being amorous, and she herself was also quite dumb. She couldn’t handle his response and eventually jumped to her death. I later heard that the boy was also affected by this incident and developed some mental issues.”

*(校草) Refers to the most handsome boy in the school that is recognized by everyone.

After telling that story, he spread his hands and said, “So it’s best not to carry things like emotional debt.”

Lao Zheng hated that iron is not made of steel*. “Who told you to step on several boats? You can just choose one, and there’s one right in front of you now!”

*(铁不成钢) Idiom that describes being dissatisfied with a person who didn’t live up to your expectations and eagerly hoping that he will get better. || Basically he’s disappointed Dong Zhi didn’t make a move on her.

Dong Zhi blinked. “But I don’t like her. If I lead her on, won’t it hurt her instead?”

Lao Zheng patted him on the head. “How can a man not like a beautiful girl? Even if you say you don’t like her, if you get along with each other, you’ll eventually come to like her. Don’t be like me and regret it when you’re old!”

Dong Zhi: “Do you like Zhang Xing?”

Lao Zheng said, “I don’t like naive and crying little girls. I prefer mature women!”

“Like Wang Jie?” Dong Zhi replied happily. He still remembered the fierce and unsmiling face when he first met him. After becoming more acquainted, he found it was actually quite funny.

Lao Zheng curled his lips. “How is she considered beautiful?”

Dong Zhi didn’t respond as he silently moved a step to the side, then another step, then slowly moved back to his room as he thought, ‘You’re dead.’

Wang Jingguan’s gloomy voice came from behind Lao Zheng. “It must be hard to work with such an ugly bastard for so long, ah? I’ve really wronged you.”

“No, no, wait and listen to me! Eh? Don’t go! Wait, let me explain!” Lao Zheng cried anxiously.

A nurse reprimanded him, “Don’t be loud in the hallway! You’re disturbing other patients!”

Dong Zhi couldn’t help feeling happy.

After that, Dong Zhi didn’t visit Zhang Xing’s ward again. She often came to visit him as if that conversation they had that day had never happened. A month later, she was discharged and contacted her parents before leaving, but concealed the reason behind her broken leg. She lied and said it broke while she was climbing the mountain and she was rescued by Dong Zhi and Lao Zheng. Zhang’s father and mother came and took their daughter away in great distress. They profusely thanked Dong Zhi, and Mother Zheng even offered him money, to which he resolutely declined.

When the Zhang family left, Lao Zheng wandered over restlessly as usual and saw Dong Zhi packing up his bags.

“Yo. You suddenly found true love and planned to chase after it?”

Dong Zhi laughed. “Yeah. Going to Beijing to find my true love!”

Lao Zheng scratched his head. “How’s your reference book?”

“I read it every day.” Dong Zhi patted his backpack, indicating that he wasn’t a slacker.

Lao Zheng said again, “The difficulty of the written exam is similar to the national examination*. This year, there are more candidates than in previous years. You are considered to be part of our branch, so don’t embarrass the Northeast Branch. Last year, the recommendations we sent from our branch failed to pass the exam.”

*(国考) Method used for the national ministries, commissions, agencies, and general bureau to recruit staff to the central government. The recruitment is relatively strict. Examinations happen every fourth Sunday in November of each year. The written exam that Dong Zhi is taking is similar to this.

Hearing what he said, Dong Zhi felt disheartened. “I have found questions for the national exam in previous years and scored about 60 to 70 percent. The exam should be similar to these tests. Can anyone really get a high score?”

Lao Zheng looked embarrassed. “That’s not… The candidate we recommended last year was a green-skinned fox who had just cultivated into his human form. During the exam, he wanted to cheat with the Five-Ghost Handling Method* and asked his younger brother to steal the answers. As a result, he was caught and disqualified from the exam for thirty years. Even our Northeast Branch was hit with demerits and was shamed in front of all the other branches!”

*(五鬼搬运大法) Refers to the five ghosts in Chinese novels that take people’s property without opening people’s doors or breaking people’s boxes. The handling/transport method refers to the ghost transporting the wealth (or in this case, items) of others to your own home. See lore in Kinky Thoughts.

Dong Zhi: …

Wang Jingguan learned that he was going to Beijing, bought him some Changchun specialties, and asked Lao Zheng to drive them to the airport.

“Xiao Dong, although we haven’t known each other for a long time, this sister knows that you’re a good kid. I don’t have a younger brother, so I see you as my younger brother. Come back and play when you’re free, and this sister will take you home to eat delicious food.”

Wang Jingguan stuffed food into his hand, and then told him to be careful on the road and have a safe journey. Seeing that Dong Zhi was calm, she suddenly felt sad.

Lao Zheng waved his hand. “All right, all right, let’s go! As long as he fails the exam, he will definitely have a lot of time to come back to see you!”

“Fuck off!” Wang Jingguan kicked him with anger.

Dong Zhi laughed.

The plane he boarded took off, flying higher and higher towards the sky. Everything in Changchun gradually grew smaller, and everything in Beijing slowly approached. Leaning on a soft pillow, Dong Zhi looked at the heavy clouds outside his window as he was filled with anticipation.

He was finally here in Beijing.

—

Wangfujing Street.

Dong Zhi stood in a daze in front of a dusty revolving door. Looking from the outside, the dusty interior shows a building that seems to have been abandoned for a long time. The hotel’s signboard hung at the door, but the three-point water* in the word “wine” had long since disappeared. It was hard to imagine that such a place existed in a bustling commercial street that had a ton of traffic.

*The radical represented by the three marks in front of the character wine (酒) is gone. So translated, it would be like the w in wine was missing.

Perhaps his expression looked too innocent as an auntie who was passing by enthusiastically said, “Kid, are you here to apply for a job? Don’t be sucked into a pyramid scheme. This building has been abandoned for several years!”

Dong Zhi didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry. He thanked the other party and, after repeatedly confirming that the address was the correct one, he dialed the number left by He Yu.

No one answered the other line. He was getting worried.

What should I do?

Suddenly, someone tapped on his shoulder from behind. He turned around and was pleasantly surprised. “He Yu!”

He Yu smiled and said, “Follow me.”

He took the Dong Zhi around to the back of the building and entered through a half-concealed small door. A uniformed security guard was at the door, looking as if he was in his fifties. He sat with his head down, as if he was dozing off, but when Dong Zhi followed He Yu in, he saw the other party looking up at him. His eyes were cold, and he didn’t look like an ordinary security guard, giving Dong Zhi the chills. When Dong Zhi looked back at him, the other party had already closed his eyes and fell asleep again, as if what he had just seen was a figment of his imagination.

The two walked through the back hallway into a lobby. The smell of dust was everywhere, causing Dong Zhi to cough.

“Why are we taking the fire exit?”

“Because we didn’t pay the maintenance fee, so the elevator stopped working a long time ago.”

Dong Zhi: …

If it weren’t for what he experienced on Changbai Mountain, he would really have thought that he had fallen into the den of a pyramid scheme.

He Yu continued while climbing the stairs. “In reality, stopping the elevator is also for concealment. The front door is locked, and Uncle Yun is guarding the back. Idlers and passersby generally can’t get in, and thieves won’t be curious about such a place.”

Dong Zhi thought it was strange. “Why don’t you just change location? Lao Zheng and his department are attached to the Social Security Bureau, and no one noticed them at all.”

He Yu responded back, annoyed, “We are the General Administration Bureau! How can we squeeze in with other agencies and not have our own independent office building!”

Dong Zhi saw a cockroach scurrying quickly by his feet and silently swallowed his words.

---

The author has something to say:

Answering two audience questions:

1. Dong Zhi has bad fortune. Why hasn’t he encountered strange things before?

His physique is only yin, not the beloved Tang monk meat*. Monsters are not targeting him. These attacks were all incidental. I mentioned this before, but some careless readers didn’t pay attention to it, so I’m answering it again.

*(的唐僧肉) Refers to Tang Sanzang from <Journey to the West>. As an extremely pious monk and with the blessing of Buddha and other gods, monsters and demons prize his flesh and want to eat him to gain more power.

2. Does the strange title have anything to do with the content?

Yes.

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Kinky Thoughts:

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t chase girls” | In his case, it actually kind of does, my dear…

“Yeah. Going to Beijing to find my true love!” | You’re closer to the truth than you know…

—

Five Ghosts

The five ghosts are also known as the five plagues, five plague messengers, or the gods of plague in Chinese folklore. Every year, some temples will worship these five to ensure the safety of their livestock.

They are:

1. Zhang Yuanbo (fortune-ghost of the east)
2. Liu Yuanda (fortune-ghost of the west)
3. Zhao Gongming (fortune-ghost of the south)
4. Zhong Shigui (fortune-ghost of the north)
5. Shi Wenye (fortune-ghost of the Chinese side/general manager of the 5 ghosts).

A second version in Chinese folklore refers to the five ghosts as bringers of fortune who will transport the wealth of others to the giver’s horoscope. They can do this without opening the door or breaking any boxes. Often, monks will charge high fees for their talismans that can ward off these ghosts.

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 16

Dong Zhi had a good appetite and ate all the soup in one go. Wang Jingguan was very happy to see her own craftsmanship so lauded. “What would you like to eat tomorrow? Wang Jie will make it for you!”

Dong Zhi replied sincerely as he held the bowl, “Wang Jie’s cooking is delicious. I’ll be happy with just another pork rib soup.”

Wang Jingguan’s heart almost melted when she heard this. “Let me make you my old mother’s chicken soup tomorrow. If you like, Wang Jie will recognize you as her younger brother in the future. When you get better, you can come live with me for as long as you want!”

Lao Zheng said quietly from the side, “You’re more than twenty years older than him! Isn’t it embarrassing to be his sister*?!”

*Clarity: The term they’re using is jiejie (姐姐) which can refer to your blood-related older sister but extended can refer to any woman older than you. Generally, it would be used for someone closer to your generation and someone that you’re close to, and considering her age compared to Dong Zhi’s, it’s probably more appropriate for her to be referred to as an “auntie” than a “sister”.

Wang Jingguan god annoyed. “I’m unmarried, not old. What’s wrong with being a sister? It’s better than having an old orange peel face like yours. If anyone calls you brother*, they’ll have to vomit first!”

*Gege (哥哥). Same concept as jiejie but applies to older men.

Dong Zhi wanted to laugh but didn’t dare to, as he saw Lao Zheng fleeing from humiliation. After Wang Jingguan left, Lao Zheng wandered back in again, muttering and complaining: “That old hag is so annoying. I won’t come in next time she’s here!”

Dong Zhi smiled. ” Lao Zheng, the tail of youth doesn’t wait for anyone. Hurry up and catch it!”

Lao Zheng glared at him, but after a while, he became discouraged. “You know, she confessed to me back then, and I rejected her. Later, she regarded me as unsatisfactory and too irritating. How can I dare say anything? If I do, I’ll be laughed to death by her.”

Dong Zhi was speechless. “You don’t understand a woman’s heart? If people don’t care about you, how can they constantly target you? It’s so obvious. If you don’t take the initiative, you won’t be happy!”

Lao Zheng said suspiciously, “You are right. Why don’t you have a girlfriend yet?”

Dong Zhi: …You just stabbed me right in the heart, buddy*.

*I’m worried, old iron. (扎心了，老铁) Catchphrase that means something touches you very much, causing a change in your emotions. Old iron refers to “iron buddy” which is just another dialect for buddies. I decided to translate it as the original sounded too awkward.

He pivoted to a question that he was more concerned about. “What happened to them?”

“They left a long time ago. You passed out in a coma early yesterday morning. Long Shen carried you halfway down the mountain, then we took a car down the rest of the way. They left in the afternoon.”

Hearing that he was carried down the mountain, Dong Zhi blinked. Without understanding the meaning behind this, he said in surprise, “Wasn’t He Yu still suffering from a serious injury?”

Lao Zheng wiped his face, his expression a little heavy. “It can’t be helped. This matter is more serious this time, so they have to rush back to deal with the report.”

Dong Zhi asked cautiously, “Can I know?”

Lao Zheng said, “There’s really not much to say. There was a dragon buried under Changbai Mountain, but it had died for many years. It was rumored that there were abnormal activities happening on the mountain a while ago, but we didn’t associate them with the dragon corpse. Then it was suddenly resurrected. Although it was suppressed in the end, it was regarded as a level 4 incident. What’s more troublesome is that no one expected there to be a stone tablet under it.”

“What does it mean?”

“I don’t know. There were some ancient talismans on the stone tablet, which have been lost now. We have to wait for the result of the investigation. They took away the stone tablet, so I speculate that it should have had a special effect, and most likely the dragon corpse was used to suppress it.”

A flash of inspiration struck Dong Zhi. “That is to say, it is very likely that the behind-the-scenes instigator of the Sneaky Yaksha wanted to destroy the stone tablet?”

Lao Zheng nodded. “Yes, after the stone tablet was broken, those Sneaky Yaksha disappeared out of thin air and never returned again. As for how the Japanese got news of the dragon corpse, we are also tracking that down.  It’s better to keep them alive so we can follow their trail and find out more, but you don’t need to worry about these things. If you know too much, it’ll only add to your troubles. Just take care of your injuries first.”

Inexplicably, Dong Zhi suddenly remembered that he saw Xu Wan when he got lost in the mountains. He still couldn’t confirm whether it was a hallucination or the real person. He didn’t find her suspicious. Every time he’s been in contact with her, he always felt a sense of seeing a sister or mother. Perhaps because of this, he often unconsciously reduced his vigilance. However, after encountering many strange things when the other party was always present, he couldn’t help but begin questioning it.

He told Lao Zheng his thoughts, and Lao Zheng nodded and said, “I’ll ask someone to check on it, but I have something to ask you. When we were in the mountains, why did you say you wanted to join us?”

Dong Zhi was tongue-tied.

Lao Zheng laughed. “Did it out of impulse? Too dazzled? It’s normal for young people to become hot-blooded, but this isn’t a joke. You’re an ordinary person. Even if you learn a few things under He Yu, you won’t be able to accomplish much.”

Dong Zhi remembered what he said in front of Long Shen and became embarrassed.

“At first, I was quite scared, especially when I was on the train. I felt that I was unlucky and got entangled in this kind of mess, but I wasn’t completely afraid. In fact, I was a little curious, so after I got off the train, I went to practice drawing talismans according to what He Yu taught me. Unexpectedly, it came in handy in the hotel and mountain.”

Lao Zheng showed an expression of sympathy and understanding.

“In the past, when my parents were still alive, I had to take care of them. I didn’t even dare ride a rollercoaster, afraid that if I got into an accident, I would leave them all alone. Then their accident happened, and it made me rethink things. In maybe just a few decades of my life, perhaps I’ll get into an accident as well. In that case, it’s better just to live freely and bravely and do what you want. Besides, fighting alongside you was very thrilling.”

He wasn’t used to sharing his own thoughts in front of others. What Lao Zheng had said was indeed correct. He was impulsive, but it was something he felt he couldn’t hide when encountering this kind of thing, and he didn’t regret it.

“He Yu said that my physique is a bit special. If I can join you, I can also learn more skills. If I encounter this kind of thing in the future, I won’t have to wait for others to save me, and I can also help ordinary people… Uh, of course, Boss Long is powerful, which is also another reason. What kind of man wouldn’t want to slay demons like him, so majestic and powerful!”

Lao Zheng understood. “After saying so much, aren’t you just mesmerized by the beauty of the boss?”

Dong Zhi couldn’t help but choke on his spit and cough violently.

Lao Zheng laughed loudly. “Don’t worry, I won’t make fun of you! In fact, there are a lot of people like you. Before, there was a young man whose ancestors were oracles*, and he was talented in his generation. The family originally wanted him to work and get married in peace. Unexpectedly, he once asked to join the Special Administration Bureau after seeing the boss subdue evil!”

*[Luan sheng] Basically, a prophet/oracle. It’s a person who’s possessed by the gods, and they would write scriptures to convey the god’s thoughts and make prophecies.

Dong Zhi said curiously, “What happened after?”

Lao Zheng: “Naturally, he joined, and his performance was quite good. He’s now with the General Bureau and his name is Zhong Yuyi. That’s why I always say that the boss is like a living billboard. Now that the Special Administration Bureau has expanded in scale, there’s not enough staff. If it was up to me, I think the boss should go out and advertise more. With one swing of his sword in front of the camera, hordes of people would line up and squeeze through the door to apply for jobs!”

Dong Zhi imagined a scene of Long Shen looking at a bunch of fan-crazed job seekers with a cold face and burst out laughing.

Lao Zheng: “He Yu told me before he left, to confirm that you’re not being impulsive, then give you something. Do you want to think about it for a few more days?”

Dong Zhi said seriously, “No, I have thought about it. I really want to join you.”

Lao Zheng nodded, giving him a serious look as if he was about to teach some peerless martial arts secret. He took out a book from his bag and handed it over.

Dong Zhi looked at the title [2017 Civil Service Examination Guidance Bibliography].

???

He was bewildered.

Lao Zheng smiled and said, “Don’t you want to join us? The two civil service entrance exams are the same as the application exams. Although it is an independent exam, the difficulty level is lower, but you should still hurry up and read it. The exam will be in four months. Look, there’s an address in the back. When you go to Beijing, go to it and look for He Yu.”

Dong Zhi asked, “But isn’t the national examination at the end of the year?”

Lao Zheng said, “The Special Administration Bureau recruit candidates independently, so they set the time themselves. It’s different every year, and this year it’s in July.”

He had thought he had been rejected by Long Shen when he had asked to join, and the other party did not answer. He didn’t expect that the dawn of hope would appear at the turning point of such a critical juncture. A smile slowly appeared on his face, getting wider, eventually to the point where he couldn’t contain it. His mood was filled with joy, and he was more expectant than when he first graduated from college and was about to enter the work force.

Lao Zheng was also happy when he saw him like this. “Don’t be too happy too early. There will be interviews after the written exams and training after the interviews. It’s not easy to formally become a member of the Special Administration Bureau. It has become more and more difficult for our branch to enter in recent years. I heard that the General Administration Bureau, including the Dragon Bureau, may have plans to accept apprentices this year.”

Dong Zhi found it strange. “Why do you call it the Dragon Bureau? Why do they call Long Shen boss?”

Lao Zheng: “Long Shen is the head of the Long Bureau and is the deputy director of the General Administration Bureau. I am from a branch office, so I have some positions while He Yu and the others are team members of the Long Bureau and directly under his management.”

Dong Zhi opened his mouth wide: “So great!”

Lao Zheng nodded: “It’s not that great.”

Can he really enter such a powerful and mysterious department?

He had spoken impulsively that day and knew that if he were to stand in front of Long Shen again, he probably wouldn’t have the courage to say what he did.

Dong Zhi: “Is the interview difficult?”

“Of course it’s difficult, but chance plays a factor too. If you’re lucky, perhaps when you’re interviewed, you’ll get hired by one of the big guys!”

“That means that ordinary people like me still have a fighting chance, right?”

Lao Zheng laughed. “Yes, it’s not like that hasn’t happened before. If you’re truly interested in the Special Administration Bureau, you can give it a shot. However, I hear that competition will be particularly fierce this year. Many famous candidates and rising stars want to join. They have been practicing since they were young, but their cultural classes* may not be comparable to yours, so you still have the opportunity if you work hard.”

*Clarity: Cultural classes refer to intellectual or artistic cultural courses. A broad term would be liberal arts and sciences. He’s saying Dong Zhi has this advantage since he’s already graduated from college.

After speaking for so long, he found Dong Zhi staring fixedly at him, like a boy looking at his crush, and it gave him goosebumps all over. He couldn’t help but wonder. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Lao Zheng, I really want to kiss you now.”

Lao Zheng’s face frowned in fright, and he groaned. “Don’t! If that old hag Wang Jingguan sees it, it’ll cause more misunderstandings!”

Dong Zhi smiled, “I thought you said she wasn’t interested in you!”

A knock came at the door, so Lao Zheng thought it was Wang Jingguan who had returned. To his surprise, when he opened the door, it was Zhang Xing in a wheelchair.

“Brother Dong, you are awake!” Zhang Xing replied happily.

Dong Zhi was stunned. “Come in. Are you okay?”

Zhang Xing greeted Lao Zheng, then with a smile said, “I’m okay, but I broke my leg and have to sit in a wheelchair for a while.”

Lao Zheng said in a timely manner, “She’s staying in the ward next door. She came over to visit you three to four times when you were still passed out.”

Zhang Xing became embarrassed.

“Oh. I just remembered that I had some things to do, so I’ll leave first and let you guys talk.” Lao Zheng winked at Dong Zhi before heading out.

They were all hospitalized! What could he possibly be busy with?!

Dong Zhi wanted to stop him, but before he could, Lao Zheng was already gone.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

He’s not interested Lao Zheng!

---

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 15

Unlike Long Shen, Lao Zheng and He Yu both sat down on the ground, gasping for breath, disregarding their entire image. Yin Huai was lying on the ground not far away, seemingly unconscious.

Lao Zheng was brooding about letting the few remaining Japanese go and muttered, “We could have left them behind and say that they all disappeared on Changbai Mountain. After all, they didn’t report to the Special Administration Bureau!”

He Yu said, “We still have diplomatic ties between the two countries, and both the master and apprentice have status in the Shinto religion over there. If we kill them, it’s impossible for Japan to be unaware, and next time we have a mission over there, little Japan will retaliate, and the rules will become a chaotic mess.”

“Well, I’m only from the General Administration Branch, so your overall view is better than mine!” Lao Zheng patted He Yu on the shoulder. “I was just venting. What I hate most in my life is Japs!”

He Yu laughed. “I don’t know you that well yet! We should have a chat. Since I’m finally here, you have to invite me out for drinks, and you have to order at least three rounds for me!”

Seeing Dong Zhi cast a curious look, he said smoothly, ” Lao Zheng’s ancestor belonged to the Northeast Army. He once followed Zhang Zuolin* who was later murdered by the Japanese, so he has hated them ever since.”

*An influential Chinese bandit, solider, and warlord during the Warlord Era in China. He was backed by Japan and successfully influenced politics in the Republic of China. He was later assassinated by a bomb planted by the Kwantung Army.

Lao Zheng curled his lips. “This is a common hatred*, and there are a few in the northeast who don’t hate little Japan!”

*(国仇家恨) National enemy and family hatred. It’s an idiom meaning the hatred of the country being invaded and the hatred of the destruction of one’s homeland. Generally, it is used to refer to a common hatred.

“Is it okay to let them go down the mountain like this? In case they go elsewhere…” Dong Zhi coughed twice, feeling a faint smell of blood in his throat.

“It’s okay. The boss asked Kan Chaosheng to follow them.” He Yu stretched out his hand and grabbed Dong Zhi. Seeing him wince in pain, he said, “You have a broken rib. Don’t move. We’ll take you down the mountain and to a hospital.”

When Dong Zhi heard the words “Kan Chaosheng” he said in surprise, “The cat?!”

He Yu smiled and said, “So you found out?”

Realization hit Dong Zhi. It was no wonder when he got lost by the waterfall, the big yellow cat had guided him back and that greedy and tsundere* look was exactly the same as Chaosheng.

*Japanese term depicting someone who is initially cold, stern, stoic, harsh, temperamental, hotheaded (and sometimes hostile), before gradually showing a warmer, friendlier side over time.

But for a person to become a cat… He thought of the fearful appearance of the snow wolf facing the big yellow cat and said curiously, “Is he a cat spirit or a tiger spirit?”

He Yu smiled mysteriously and did not answer him.

Dong Zhi was so exhausted that he couldn’t even lift a finger. The heat gradually evaporated and the chill surged in. He was completely drenched inside with sweat, making him extremely uncomfortable.

At that moment, he heard Long Shen say, “The stone tablet is broken.”

The faces of He Yu and Lao Zheng, who were still talking and laughing just now, suddenly changed.

“How could this happen? Wasn’t the dragon corpse subdued?!”

Long Shen walked over, but his tone did not change much. “The stone tablet was under the dragon corpse. I suspect that the aim of the person who resurrected the dragon corpse was the stone tablet.”

He Yu’s mind turned quickly. “So, the reason why those Japanese people get news that a dragon corpse was buried here most likely came from someone deliberately leaking it?”

Lao Zheng also said, “I’ll check on the Sneaky Yaksha when I go back. It must have something to do with this! As soon as the bone dragon died, they disappeared. How could there be such a coincidence!”

Long Shen snorted, “I just got in touch with Wang Jingguan. After she was separated from you, she couldn’t find you, so she went down the mountain to find help. She’ll be coming over soon.”

Lao Zheng was relieved. “That’s great!”

He Yu smiled and winked at Long Shen. “Boss, Dong Zhi has made a great contribution this time. He was an innocent bystander but got involved with us. Shouldn’t you be a bit more concerned?”

Long Shen remained completely neutral. “What kind of expression do you want?”

He Yu hurriedly poked Dong Zhi. “A batch of funds had just been issued recently, and Dong Zhi was injured due to public affairs. How about giving him a five-star resort package or something? It’s best if it’s for two, don’t you think?”

Dong Zhi couldn’t help laughing and blurted out, “What do single dogs need a package for two for?”

He Yu said pitifully, “For me! Can’t I be the two?!”

Long Shen looked at him with a smirk. “I remember that the salary deduction from your demerit last time hasn’t been deducted yet, right?”

He Yu’s mouth changed into a dogleg smile. “Boss, I worked so hard this time. Isn’t it worth balancing my merits against those demerits?”

Long Shen nodded. “That’s right, so in order to reward you, this month’s salary will not be deducted.”

He Yu: …

In other words, it will be deducted next month! He Yu suddenly felt that there was no love in life. His games were running out of currency, and he needed to recharge them to buy more heroes!

Dong Zhi laughed while in a daze, triggering his injury. The pain jolted him, making him sober again. “Then can I make a request?” He asked.

He Yu said meekly, “Single dogs are not allowed to make requests!”

Dong Zhi automatically ignored He Yu and looked at Long Shen. He fortified his heart and blurted out, “Can I join you?”

He thought his tone was calm, but others could still sense the anxiety.

Seeing that Long Shen didn’t answer, Dong Zhi became nervous. “I don’t know how to fight, especially compared to you, but I can draw. Uh, my talismans seem to be okay. I can be He Yu’s assistant, or I can work the front desk or something…”

It was originally a request made impulsively, but later he expanded on it more clearly.

He Yu broke the ice and joked. “Our front desk’s job is better than mine.”

Dong Zhi snorted and, like god’s messenger*, added, “Then playing games makes you very powerful, huh?”

*(神使鬼差) Idiom which means it seems there are ghosts and gods in support, unconsciously doing things that were not expected to do before.

He Yu made an aggrieved sound. He was so embarrassed by what Dong Zhi countered that he wanted to dive into the sky and lie dead by the bone dragon’s side.

Long Shen was noncommittal and only said, “Go back and have a good rest first.”

He didn’t refuse on the spot, but to Dong Zhi, it seemed like a polite decline. He felt a bit disappointed and embarrassed for being rejected and didn’t know what to say. Long Shen didn’t give him much chance to respond either, as he turned around and walked to the edge of the pit to survey the area.

He Yu patted Dong Zhi on the arm and whispered, “The boss is right. You should take care of your injuries first. Don’t think too much about this matter. I will try my best to apply for your rewards.”

Dong Zhi wanted to respond, but his body was in so much pain that he couldn’t even move the corners of his mouth. His eyelids grew heavier as He Yu’s voice, who was talking to Lao Zheng, slowly got softer, like trying to listen to someone talking through a layer of glass.

“Zhang Xing,” Dong Zhi whispered, suddenly remembering the girl who was still placed halfway up the mountain.

Lao Zheng seemed to hear him and comforted him with a few more words. Dong Zhi tilted his head and finally passed out. The aftermath matters had nothing to do with him.

The world was quiet.

Perhaps he would dream of a dragon.

—

Thin eyelids first sense light, and a bright and dazzling feeling was then transmitted to the brain. When he opened his eyes, Dong Zhi saw a bunch of pink and white bellflowers. Half of the water in the vase reflected the branches below, which were clear and bright like the sky. The faint smell of disinfectant lingered on his nose. The ward was quiet, and he saw another bed beside him that was empty.

“The double room I specially found for you is in good condition, right?” A familiar voice was accompanied by the sound of a door being pushed open.

Dong Zhi said in surprise, ” Lao Zheng!”

Lao Zheng came in with a smile. “Yo! You’re recovering well, and you have no memory loss!”

His arm was bandaged, but he still joked around when he opened his mouth. The image was extremely different from the way he looked around the Japanese that day. Following him in was a woman.

Lao Zheng introduced, “This is Wang Jingguan. Just call her Wang Jie. She was the colleague who was separated from me on the mountain that day. She heard that you were honorably injured and came to visit. I didn’t expect we would catch up this early, but we’re just in time as you just woke up!”

Dong Zhi wanted to sit up, but Wang Jingguan motioned him to stop as she said kindly, “You can lie down. The doctor said you have a concussion, so you need to recuperate!”

No wonder he felt a little dizzy. He raised his hand to his head and found there was still a needle in his arm.

Dong Zhi: ” Lao Zheng, are you okay?”

Lao Zheng: “I’m fine. My arm’s broken, but it’s not serious.”

Wang Jingguan glanced at him blankly. “What’s fine? Your internal injuries were not light. The doctor told you to rest in bed, but you constantly have to jump around!”

Lao Zheng scratched his head. “I can’t lie still. Makes me too antsy.”

The doctor soon came and gave him a general examination, pulled out the needle, and explained, “You have some broken ribs and a slight concussion, but it’s not serious. You mainly need to rest. Don’t walk around when you’re free. The nurse will come check on you regularly to give you medicine for the traumatic wounds on your body. Remember to take your anti-inflammatory drugs on time.”

Compared to the disobedient Lao Zheng, Dong Zhi nodded compliantly and was more well liked, especially since he looked so sunny and handsome. The middle-aged female doctor couldn’t help but rub his head, and then walked away smiling under Dong Zhi’s embarrassed gaze.

Wang Jingguan smiled and said, “Although it’s not too serious, do you want to call your family, so they don’t worry?”

Dong Zhi said, “I’m an only child. My parents passed away in a car accident a few years ago. There are no close relatives at home, so I won’t bother them. Besides, it’s not a big deal.”

His tone was calm, but to the others, they didn’t know how to respond to his words. Dong Zhi didn’t let this awkward atmosphere permeate and soon jokingly asked, ” Lao Zheng, Wang Jie, since I was injured while on duty, do I get the benefit of free food while I’m here?”

Wang Jingguan laughed and said, “Of course. Not only is the food free, but the check-ups and your stay are also included. You can stay as long as you want.”

Lao Zheng opened the food box. “Here, your Wang Jie has prepared it for you. Let me see… There’s yam porridge and pork rib soup. Not bad, but you should make pig’s trotter next time.”

This remark made Wang Jingguan roll her eyes.

As soon as he drank the pork rib soup, he knew that it was homemade. The addition of carrots and corn made the soup turn golden yellow, and the taste was sweeter. There were a few pieces of pork cartilage in the soup that had soaked in the sweetness, and after tasting it, he praised, “This soup is really delicious!”

Wang Jingguan smiled and said, “I made this myself. Go on and eat more. I’ll bring more for you tomorrow.”

Seeing Dong Zhi’s well-behaved demeanor and attitude stimulated her motherhood, and her eyes became softer when she looked at Dong Zhi.

Lao Zheng showed envy and jealousy. “I haven’t seen you give me soup for so many years!”

Wang Jingguan sneered, “Didn’t I send you some twelve years ago and it was dumped into the toilet.”

Lao Zheng: …

Dong Zhi sensed an unusual ambiguity between the two as he lowered his head, sipping on the soup in silence.

---

The author has something to say:

[Not related to the main text] Short story：

(Time point: after Dong Zhi’s apprenticeship)

Dong Zhi liked Long Shen, but he didn’t dare say it. He was afraid that after he confessed, he would be slaughtered by him and clean the door¹. In desperation, he turned to superstitions and would turn koi² daily. He would actively retweet on Weibo every day whenever he saw: [As long as you forward this koi, you will receive good news within 30 days.].

¹Refers to throwing away dirty and bad things in the house (AKA clean house). It’s also used to refer to the “sect” extending its meaning to remove or rectify the members of the sect that disgrace its reputation. 
²Internet buzzword referring to seeking good luck by reposting pictures of koi. Koi is a symbol of wealth and luck, and it’s used by bloggers as a gimmick to gain forwarding volume. While many netizens hope to take this for good luck, it has eventually become a modern internet superstition.

Until one day, the busy Boss Long discovered that his apprentice was obsessed with forwarding kois. He called Dong Zhi into the office, pointed to a young man, and said, “Turn.”

Dong Zhi looked dumbfounded. “Turn what???”

The young man said shyly, “My original form* is a koi.”

*Clarity: This will be explained later in the novel, but just know that in this novel’s setting, animals and things can cultivate and become human.

Long Shen: “He’s visiting from the General Administration Branch and will stay for about a week. Isn’t there room at your place? Just take him back and you can turn him every day.”

Dong Zhi felt exasperated. He really wanted to say: “Master, it’s not koi that I want, it’s you!”

PS: This short story has nothing to do with the main text. Don’t confuse the plot~

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 14

As the yellow cat faced off with the snow wolf, the battle between Long Shen and the Bone Dragon was starting to kick off. The bone dragon roared endlessly, trying to wrestle its lower body out of the mount. Though it was dead, its strength was still earth-shattering and could make ghosts and gods weep with tears*. It opened its bloody mouth and, with one fell swoop, bit the shackles that were keeping it in place.

*(惊天地，泣鬼神) Idiom describing something amazing/touching/earth-shattering that it could move the gods and ghosts to tears.

The bone dragon seemed to be scared of the long black sword in Long Shen’s hand. Despite the multiple slashes, the bone dragon remained unscathed, as it floundered and struggled about. Fujikawa Aoi was also nearby and would interfere whenever Long Shen was about to make a decisive blow. Although Long Shen didn’t take him seriously, the hinderance still distracted him, so he was unable to kill the bone dragon.

The dragon’s wrath triggered thunderstorms from above, as lighting and thunder rolled in, adding another variable that could affect the outcome of the battle.

“Son of a bitch! That old Japanese fucker, such an incompetent bungler¹! Fuck his uncle²!” He Yu gritted his teeth as he dipped his brush in cinnabar and began drawing talismans. Before he could finish, he spurted out blood, and if it weren’t for Dong Zhi, who came to quickly support him, he would have fallen directly on top of a sharp rock.

¹(成事不足败事有余) An idiom referring to doing bad things and making it worse.
²Curse dialect used near Beijing. It’s similar to fuck your mother/grandfather but generally less emotional and can be used among friends since it’s not as serious.

Seeing that the blood he spat out was as much as half a mug full, Dong Zhi’s mouth twitched. “Why don’t you take a break. Long… Your boss seems to have it covered.”

He Yu’s face was like gold paper*, and he looked weak and powerless. “The dragon itself is a creature that conquers the heavens and earth, so it can fit in with any natural change. Since it was fed blood and souls with strong resentment, it is even more difficult to deal with… Of course, the boss is very strong, but he was injured a while back and the sword he’s using now is not the one he normally uses!”

*Paper for worshipping gods and offering sacrifices.

Dong Zhi asked, “What can I do?”

He Yu swallowed the bloody spit in his mouth, gritted his teeth, and said, “Come, help me draw talismans. I’ll teach you the formula and handprint!”

Dong Zhi felt he might not be able to perform well, but given the situation, there was no room for hesitation.

To the side, the Japanese girl, Kitaichi Eiko, sat cross-legged, eyes closed, as if she was healing. Her two skikigamis were entrenched behind her, one to the left and one to the right, unmoving.

The battle waged as humans and dragon wrestled about, kicking sand and stone everywhere, bathing the sky and earth with color. The man in the jacket was about to move, trying to get closer, but was spotted by the sharp-eyed Old Zheng, who responded by squeezing his broken whip and staring at him coldly.

At this moment, Aso Kenzo let out a scream and said in horror, “Demons! Those demons are coming!”

He spoke in Japanese, but everyone could hear the fear in his tone, and they all followed his gaze, seeing that amidst the flashing lightning, clouds of black translucent mists were floating towards them, causing their scales to go numb.

From their appearance, it was unimaginable what kind of horror they were experiencing at that moment. Dong Zhi recalled the scenes of the train attendant, the guest who walked on tiptoe in the hotel room and leapt to her death, and Yao Bin, who became a zombie, causing him to immediately freeze and feel like he couldn’t breathe.

“Don’t be scared. Come and help me draw!” He Yu said.

The group of black mist didn’t dare approach Long Shen and the bone dragon, as if they were afraid of them, and as if they had other scruples, since they were unceremonious to Old Zheng and the others, showing their clear intentions.

Old Zheng still had about half his remaining power. His whip was broken, with only half its original length, so when he whipped the mist, it trembled slightly but didn’t dissipate like before. Their movement slowed momentarily, but then continued to float forward again.

Gunshots ran out and one of the bodyguards under the man in the jacket screamed as the black mist entered from the top of his head, slowly merging inside, bit by bit. He tumbled and struggled desperately on the ground, but to no avail. The man in the jacket quickly shot him in the chest. His legs spazzed a few times before his eyes widened and then his movements stopped. A short while after, his body suddenly got up, stiff and slow. The man in the jacket fired several more rounds, causing the body to gush out with blood, but his face showed a hideous smile as he rushed towards the man in the jacket.

His movement was interrupted by the white crane, who flew over and threw the bodyguard to the ground. Aso Kenzo and the man in the jacket quickly retreated behind Kitaichi Eiko. They were so terrified that they had lost the haughtiness that they had treated Dong Zhi and Zhang Xing previously.

He Yu set up a small array on the ground and circled Old Zheng in. The black mist could only wander outside the array and couldn’t penetrate it. Dong Zhi glanced down and found that the talismans on the ground were slowly turning black. He wasn’t sure how long it would be before they lost their effectiveness.

He quickened his hand speed, but the more anxious he was, the more erratic his writing became, causing him to draw several bad talismans.

He Yu suddenly patted him on the back, and Dong Zhi found that everything was silent. He raised his head and looked around, seeing that the scene was still chaotic and finding that his ears couldn’t hear any noise. He Yu made a gesture towards him, indicating that this was to allow him to concentrate on drawing the talismans, and Dong Zhi immediately understood his intentions.

He forced himself to relax his mind and concentrate on the paper that was in front of him. He first simulated the talisman’s pattern in his mind, and then, using his brush, started drawing one stroke at a time, while mediating the formula in his heart. “The heavens give birth to water, the earth gives birth to fire, the heavens give birth to wood, the earth gives birth to gold. The five central palaces*, subdue malignity, overcome disasters, and eliminate all traces of evil!”

*Referring to the Luoshu Square, which is also known as the Nine Halls Diagram or the Turtle Book in ancient times. Each square represents a palace.

The runes he drew were all sunlight talismans. The effect was poor because it was too late and there was no time to learn a new talisman. He Yu simply asked him to keep drawing them and memorize the formula and handprint. After he finished drawing one, Dong Zhi made a lotus seal with both hands and put his finger against the middle of the rune and poured out his breath. The talisman… was still a talisman. There were no flashes of red lights, and it didn’t levitate off the ground like in his imagination.

Dong Zhi felt frustrated, but he knew that this was normal. He Yu said that drawing talismans requires unity of mind and body, and being such a novice, it was practically impossible to achieve something like this overnight.

However, the beginning of every novel was always like this. Although the protagonist was mediocre at first, he could always turn the tide at a critical juncture, defeat the villain and kill the quartet*, subdue the bone dragon, and hold its corpse in the air and receive shock and admiration from the group of Japanese…

*(大杀四方) Refers to being so highly skilled that you overwhelm everyone else.

Obviously, he was thinking too much. Fantasies were beautiful, but reality was cruel. He had failed to draw more than two dozen talismans consecutively until he finally was able to draw a usable one. Remaining persistent, he kept up his efforts and successfully painted a few more. He wasn’t aware of how long he was drawing for when his back was suddenly patted, and all the noise from the outside world surged in like a tide, as if he had returned to the real world from a different dimensional space.

Only then did he realize that his chest and back were soaked in sweat. The cold wind penetrated his collar, bringing in dampness and coolness, and he felt as if he had just run a marathon.

“What happened from the time you patted me until just now?” Dong Zhi asked curiously.

From the time he spent drawing talismans to now, it was less than an hour. He Yu’s face had turned pale again, and he saw that part of the talisman array had been completely scorched. Thankfully, Lao Zhang guarded the gap, so they were able to resist the attack from the Sneaky Yaksha.

Kitaichi Eiko’s side didn’t fare as well since they didn’t have an array. The man in the jacket and Aso Kenzo could only rely on her for protection. She herself was heavily injured and could scarcely support the two shikigamis in battle as danger was surrounding them from all sides.

“We need to set up a bigger array. Eight sheets should be barely enough to support it! You, stick the talismans according to my instructions!” He Yu said to Dong Zhi as he pointed to the northwest of the sinkhole. “With the bone dragon at the center, post one talisman there and start counterclockwise to form the array. Make sure to keep the distance between each talisman the same and try not to vary the radius too much from the center. Be careful!”

“Why don’t I go? Xiao Dong has no experience after all!” Lao Zheng volunteered.

He Yu glanced at him. “You’re currently injured and isn’t as fast as him.”

Lao Zheng smiled bitterly.

“Don’t underestimate me! Even otakus have spring*!” Dong Zhi patted Lao Zheng on the shoulder and comforted him, then got up and ran to the northwest.

*Means to be strong/powerful ect.

Behind him, Lao Zheng whispered, “You want to recruit this kid, right?”

He Yu whispered back, “Whether he can enter our department or not will depend on the boss’ approval. I have no say in this matter, but I want my master to accept him as an apprentice. He has a talent for drawing talismans, but I will have to wait until this matter is over, then I’ll ask that old geezer.”

Long Shen and the bone dragon continue fighting fiercely in the sinkhole. Explosions blasted periodically as cyclones swirled around, splattering rocks and dirt everywhere. Although he was cautious, Dong Zhi was still affected by the scene.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck and crashed near the sinkhole, blinding everyone. The ground trembled violently as the lower body of the bone dragon dislodged a little bit, revealing thick white bones as its eyes burned brightly. Despite having none of the splendor of a dragon, it was still equally as fearsome.

After Long Shen inserted his long sword into a phantom scale area, he pulled a whip out of nowhere and wrapped it around the dragon’s neck and pulled out the sword again. He leapt and landed on top of the dragon’s head, and holding the sword with both hands, he jammed it into one of the dragon’s eyes.

The bone dragon wailed wildly. Its entire body churned, trying to throw Long Shen off. As if resounding with the pain from the dragon’s heart, thunder roared endlessly in the sky above.

Fujikawa Aoi, standing in a blind spot at the corner of the sinkhole, took out a talisman and threw it. In mid-air, it turned into a falcon and swept towards the dragon’s head at lightning speed, grabbing the long sword that was inserted into the dragon’s eye and taking it away!

Kitaichi Eiko, who was further away from the battlefield, seemed to have tacitly understood her master and used her white crane to block Long Shen. Without blinking an eye, Long Shen batted the white crane away. The crane, which was the size of half a basketball court, didn’t put up even the slightest resistance as it fell straight down, turning into a ball of light before dissipating into thin air. With its disappearance, Kitaichi Eiko, as its master, was inflicted damage. She screamed and fell to the ground, unconscious.

The white crane was able to stop Long Shen for only a short moment, but it was enough. Long Shen lost his opportunity. The bone dragon went into a fit of rage and completely broke free from its binding. The mountains shook as a huge white bone dragon broke through, roaring as it flew into the air!

It held the resentment of being sealed underground for eons and, combined with the blood-soul wraith that was surging in its eyes, made it even more fierce. It spewed out a mouthful of turbid gas and its tail suddenly swept towards the sinkhole. In an instant, stones exploded everywhere, and a large boulder came crashing down on top of Dong Zhi.

It was too late to dodge, but before he even realized it, a beam of light was shot from the dragon’s head heading towards him. He heard the sound of sudden movement and raised his head, seeing that the boulder was being held up by a figure. Only then did he comprehend that he had just escaped death.

He looked at the man standing in front of him, holding a long sword, and wished he could shower him with praise, calling him “handsome” a hundred times, but the other party paid no heed and didn’t even bother looking at him as he quickly rushed towards the bone dragon again.

Seeing his disciple seriously injured and unconscious, Fujikawa Aoi’s face turned black with anger. His snow wolf was caught in battle with the yellow cat, so he called out to another black giant falcon and pounced on Long Shen. He then pinched a talisman in his hand and drew symbols with his hand, summoning eight green balls of light that surrounded the bone dragon.

The eight green balls looked small and were suspended in midair around the tumbling bone dragon. The light grew brighter and brighter as the red fire in the bone dragon’s eyes gradually dimmed and its movement became sluggish.

Lao Zheng was flabbergasted. “What is he doing?!”

He Yu frowned and said, “He wants to absorb the bone dragon’s resentment and make it his shikigami, but its power is too strong! Even the boss couldn’t subdue it. This old man simply has a death wish!”

As if confirming his words, lightning struck one of the balls of light. The remaining seven balls were overturned by the dragon’s aura in an instant, as the dragon roared a hundred times more furiously than before.

Thunder resounded in the clouds, rocks were cracking, and the flashes of light illuminated the large tracts of snow on the peeks of the distant mountains. The aura swept through the mountains and river in an unparalleled domineering manner. Amid the violent wind, the bone dragon opened its jaws and flew towards Long Shen and Fujikawa Aoi, vowing to swallow the two small human beings into its stomach and smash their corpses into thousands of pieces!

Long Shen didn’t retreat a step but advanced forward. His figure jumped agilely on the bone dragon, shuttling between lightning bolts as if he was invincible. Although the bone dragon was large and fearsome, its figure wasn’t flexible. It couldn’t twist its body in time to bite at Long Shen, so it could only vent its anger on Fujikawa Aoi, who was standing on the ground. Abandoning his thought of trying to subdue the bone dragon, he ran around in complete embarrassment to avoid the bone dragon’s attack.

His black giant falcon tried to fight the dragon, only to be hit with a mouthful of rancid gas and immediately turned into black mist that scattered in the wind. Fujikawa Aoi was shocked and angry at the sight and threw out twelve talismans into the air. They turned into sharp arrows and whistled towards the dragon as they ignited. When they reached the dragon, they exploded as each arrow was nailed into the bones of the dragon’s body, instantly scorching the area.

Lao Zheng, who was observing the battle, let out a long sigh.

He Yu, feeling the same mood as him, commented, “The idea is good. After all, the dragon’s nature is water, and after its death, it was resurrected with blood and souls that held resentment, invoking the fire of the heavens and earth, giving it a metal attribute, so it’s best to subdue it with fire, but…”

Fujikawa Aoi had forgotten that dragons are among the largest creatures in the world. If one could not defeat it in a single move, a more severe backlash would be coming their way.

Sure enough, the bone dragon wailed, and its torso twisted violently. It swung its tail, slamming it into Fujikawa Aoi, who didn’t have time to dodge the attack, catapulting him into a wall. His limp body fell to the ground, and he vomited out a basin full of blood; his state was now no better than his disciple’s.

In its state of rage, the bone dragon became even more difficult to deal with. Long Shen was almost thrown off several times. While the dragon was focused on Long Shen and Fujikawa Aoi, Dong Zhi had taken the chance and posted the talisman in all seven directions. There was only one remaining.

He was sweating profusely, and he couldn’t tell whether he was tired or scared, or both. His down jacket was heavy on his body, and he wanted to take it off, but was afraid he’d get too cold, so he gritted his teeth and continued moving forward, step by step. His final destination was only ten meters away.

In face of wind so strong that it could blow a person away, he slowly crawled forward on the ground. While resisting the howling of the icy wind, he recalled the scene was like Red Army soldiers sneakily ambushing bombing bunkers and felt inexplicably happy.

Before he could enjoy his moment of happiness, he heard a shout, “Get out of the way!”

The bone dragon swooped down from mid-air and, in the blink of an eye, white bones covered the stars and sun, casting a shadow on top of Dong Zhi. He didn’t even look up as the smelly wind was blowing around, knowing that the dragon was just a few short distances away.

There was nowhere to hide and no way to escape, so he simply gritted his teeth and rushed forward, holding the last talisman tightly in his hand. At the moment that the bone dragon crashed down, he slapped the talisman in the place designated by He Yu!

A hurricane swept overhead as he felt a pain in the back of his head. His body was immediately thrown about, hitting the mountain wall full of jagged and broken corpses. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced through, and he couldn’t tell whether it was from his chest or back. All he felt was that his entire body was about to fall apart.

The surroundings were full of flying sand and rocks, blurring the scene. The talisman array he had laid out seemed to have worked, forming a binding barrier around the bone dragon, isolating the connection between the thunder and the bone dragon. However, the formation didn’t last long. All eight talismans started turning slowly black until they all exploded at the same time!

With a loud thud, Dong Zhi couldn’t tell whether the pain he felt on his face, hands, and back was caused by the blistering wind or the impact of the gravel. Even with his mouth tightly closed, the sand still penetrated in as his entire body was submerged by dirt. Everything became numb and even the thought of life and death no longer seemed important.

A day ago, he never expected that he would see a creature like a dragon in his lifetime, and now he was almost killed by it. Dong Zhi raised his head laboriously and saw Long Shen piecing into the other eye of the dragon. He gripped tightly to the hilt of the sword as the bone dragon struggled frantically. His whole body was flung in the air, like a dead leaf in the wind, flopping about, creating a thrilling scene.

The red fire in the bone dragon’s eyes gradually disappeared and its roar turned into wailing, resounding through the entire wilderness of the mountain, echoing in everyone’s hearts, paralyzing their minds. It was the sound of the struggle of all creatures under heaven who were unwilling to die, and it mourned more angrily at being awakened as an evil creature. It once roared majestically around the world, becoming a symbol of this land, but now it could only scatter about, flying chaotically in this pitiful form.

Unconsciously, tears welled in Dong Zhi’s eyes as tears began gushing down. He seemed to have understood the inner voice of the bone dragon moments before its death and realized its indomitable struggle against destiny.

The faces of the others were equally heavy. Fujikawa Aoi knelt beside the sinkhole and burst into tears. It was unknown whether he was mourning for the dragon or because his bamboo basket was empty*. The man in the jacket was lying on the ground covered with blood. Aso Kenzo gathered his breath, his legs became soft, and he fell flat on his ass.

*(竹篮打水一场空) Idiom referring to wasted effort, doing things only for it to be all in vain.

Just as the bone dragon was on its last breath, a huge burst of energy erupted. The man in the jacket covered Aso Kenzo from the blast and died instantly from his injuries. Dong Zhi was also injured but luckily survived.

He Yu said, “I didn’t expect that there were such loyal and brave people in little Japan that they would die for their employers!”

Lao Zheng shook his head. “You don’t know anything. Since ancient times, Japan has had samurai who served their lords for generations. If Aso had died just now, even if he survives, he wouldn’t live once he returns to Japan, so it is better to fight for your name and the loyalty of your lord.”

He Yu was speechless. “It seems that they are not only cruel to others, but even more cruel to themselves!”

Fujikawa Aoi staggered towards Kitaichi Eiko to check on her injuries. He looked up at Long Shen and the others and said menacingly, “I will never forget the kindness you showed to my disciple!”

He Yu sneered. “What’s the matter? You want revenge? Your apprentice is not good at learning, so you’re blaming others? Don’t forget that you came here without special notice. It’s already kind enough of us not to take the opportunity and turn you into a missing person report!”

Fujikawa Aoi’s face became even uglier. He opened his mouth but reluctantly held back, not saying anything, and responded with a heavy huff.

On the contrary, Aso Kenzo limped over and bowed to Long Shen and the others. “I am very sorry for the trouble we caused you. Thank you for your help. After we go back, we will definitely go through the formalities and will also keep in mind the kindness you showed us today!”

He Yu waved his hand carelessly. “You don’t need to keep us in mind. In the future, if you bring more riffraff* and set foot on our land, don’t blame us for taking action!”

*Term used here is no three no four (不三不四). It refers to a dubious/not decent thing or person.

Fujikawa Aoi, who was labeled as “riffraff”, turned red with anger. He was fluent in Chinese, so he understood their whole conversation. As a highly respected onmyoji, he had never been treated like this. This was simply unbearable for him, who always held himself up in high self-esteem.

After He Yu finished speaking, Long Shen said, “For this incident, we will negotiate and propose serious grievances on a diplomatic level.”

This time it was Aso Kenzo’s turn to look bad. Negotiation means wrangling, and wrangling means being blackmailed by the treacherous Chinese, but they were caught red-handed* so there was nothing they could say. He gave them a reluctant smile and said goodbye to everyone. He picked up the unconscious Kitaichi and walked down the mountain with Fujikawa Aoi, looking embarrassed and ashamed, like a defeated general.

*The term is the handle falls into the opponent’s hand (把柄落在别人手里). It refers to evidence against you have fallen into the hands of your opponent.

After a night of fierce fighting, dawn has arrived. When you come, you wear the stars and moon, and when you return, the morning sun is slightly dewy. Carrying the morning light on his back, Long Shen stood by the sinkhole and looked down. He held a long sword in his hand; the scabbard was gone.

He wasn’t sure if it was due to the desolate snow on the mountain’s peaks or the quietness of the smoke that was slowly dissipating, but Dong Zhi felt the feeling of loneliness coming from Long Shen’s figure.

Hidden deep within his eyes, he held countless of words for him.

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Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

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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!”

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Kinky Thoughts:

He Yu’s my favorite character so far.

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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

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