Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

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Chapter 113

Because of the long-term fighting in Myanmar and the division of various forces, comprehensive peace hadn’t been restored. Artillery fire was common in some areas, with fighting during the day and cursing at night. For people who lived in a peaceful country, such things were unimaginable. In the border areas between the two countries, hundreds of thousands of refugees gathered. These people were homeless and could only do small business on the border. Life was extremely precarious, and they could barely survive.

The village of Xianda was at the foot of a high mountain on the border. There was dense jungle around the area. Without the guidance of the locals, it wasn’t difficult for outsiders to get lost, let alone find Songen. Although Long Shen and Dong Zhi were practitioners, they weren’t omnipotent immortals. They had to ask for directions. Xianda had a small population and was very sensitive to outsiders. If there was anything amiss, Songen would know about it in advance and that would put them in a passive situation.

At this time, Dong Zhi proposed they split into two groups. One person would walk separately ahead with light, while the other three followed in the dark, so they could disperse being targeted and also have someone watching their backs.

Master Xinchai said, “Splitting up is a good idea. I’ll have Kenta join you.”

Dong Zhi shook his head. “You’re all natives here. They’ll notice right away that you’re not ordinary people because of how you’re dressed. I’ll go alone and pretend to be someone seeking Songen’s help, which will lower their guard. You should stay far away. If you can find another way to get in, that would be even better. Since Songen expected that we would find Qi Rui, he must be waiting for us to deliver ourselves to his door.”

Their opponent probably expected Long Shen to come, but they might not have expected that Xinchai would join as well. At this time, the more cards they hold, the greater their chances of winning. Since this was Songen’s territory, no matter how fierce a dragon was, it was easy to fall into a trap set by the local snake.

Hearing his point, Xinchai nodded and agreed to the plan.

“Don’t be reckless,” Long Shen said to Dong Zhi.

Hearing his concern, Dong Zhi smiled at him and waved his hand. He turned and walked in the direction of the small town. After walking for a while, he looked back and found that Long Shen and the others were gone.

When he reached the town, he took a car to the terminal. After passing through the small town, the terrain became rugged, and there were more dense plants covering the area. A path that was man-made could be seen on the ground, but there was not a single figure along the way. There was a village in the distance around the corner, but despite walking for more than half an hour, he didn’t seem to get any closer to it.

At noon, the sun was just at its highest point. The temperature here was much higher. Dong Zhi had to roll up his sleeves to relieve a bit of heat. The qin case he was carrying with the Changshou Sword was on his back and was soaked in sweat. His shirt was sticky, and it made him feel uncomfortable.

At this moment, there was a scream in front of him, as if someone had been bitten by something.

Finally hearing the voices of people, Dong Zhi cheered up and ran over. When he turned the corner, he saw a man sitting on the ground.

At first glance, the other party looked like a local boy with a dark complexion, about 17 or 18 years old. He had baggy pants that were rolled up, revealing his calf, and his face showed a painful expression, and he was curled up in a ball.

Hearing the sound of the footsteps, the young boy turned his head. Seeing that Dong Zhi was an outsider, he immediately showed a vigilant expression.

Dong Zhi pointed at the boy’s leg and made a gesture, then said in English, “What’s wrong with your leg? Do you need help?”

He was already prepared to take out a translation software if the other party didn’t understand, but who knew the other party would also reply in English? “I was bitten by a snake just now. It seems to be poisonous, and I can’t stand up now. Can you help me to my house? It’s right there.”

After Dong Zhi took a look, he did indeed find a bite mark on the boy’s leg, which was bleeding. The boy wrapped a cloth strip around his leg and tied it there to temporarily prevent the toxins from flowing through his body faster.

“Of course. Do you need to be taken to the hospital?”

The young man shook his head. “We have detoxifying herbs in our family.”

Dong Zhi raised the young man’s arm and put it on his shoulder, helping him walk to the village in the direction guided by the other party while seemingly unintentionally asking about it.

He learned that the young man was named Suqi and that he was a villager from Xianda, the village located on the border. In the past, when Thailand and Myanmar relations weren’t good, the village was often implicated. Many refugees from Myanmar fled, but they were not welcomed by the government here. Suqi’s family were refugees who fled because of the war in Myanmar, but after Master Songen came, everything changed. Many people came from afar to meet the master, which benefited the villagers of this village. Even the drug lords who used to control the area didn’t dare cause trouble.

Dong Zhi glanced at the poppy fields in the mountains in the distance. He knew that in some parts of Southeast Asia, this plant was grown as a cash crop, and many depended on it for survival. He’d also heard that, more than ten years ago, the local government was under international pressure to destroy the majority of the poppy fields and make the drug trade illegal, though that was only on the surface and they had never stopped. The local government tried to get residents to grow coffee beans and flowers, but the alternative crops didn’t make as much money as poppies, and remote places like Xianda had complex situations that often couldn’t yield much.

Just when Suqi enthusiastically introduced him to the poppies that were about to bloom in the distance, all Dong Zhi could think about was how China’s national borders were able to guard the peace and tranquility in the country, but outside the national borders, there was still a steady stream of poppies being planted. For the locals, it was an economic source for survival, but the manufactured products were used as a source of malice that tempted the depravity of human nature. Time and time again, narcotics officers were exhausted and sacrificed silently, and countless families were ruined.

“Dong, why are you in a daze? Don’t these flowers look good?” Suqi couldn’t tell the difference between “Dong” and “Dong”* so his pronunciation was off, but Dong Zhi didn’t correct him.

*[Dōng] (冬) vs [Dǒng] (董) The former being the Dong in Dong Zhi’s name. The accent marks on each of them affect the pronunciation slightly.

Dong Zhi smiled, didn’t say more, and instead inquired, “So, does everyone know Master Songen? If I want to visit him, can you introduce me?”

“I knew you were looking for him. Every year, many people come to see the Master. They have many wishes and want the Master to help them realize them. Do you have them too?” Suqi showed a sly smile.

Dong Zhi pretended to be distressed and sighed. “Yes, my girlfriend left me, and I want her back. I heard that Master Songen can help me become richer. If I have money, I can beat all her suitors and win her back!”

Suqi nodded. “Then Master Songen will help you. He’s a very good person.”

For the villagers here, the grace that could protect them was naturally considered good.

While talking, Dong Zhi and Suqi reached a home. An old woman was sitting at the door. When she saw Suqi’s wound, she hurriedly got up and walked away. After a while, she came back with a bowl and applied crushed herb and juice to the wound.

Suqi said a few words to her and then pointed to Dong Zhi, as if explaining the purpose of Dong Zhi’s visit. The old woman nodded at Dong Zhi and smiled kindly as she folded her hands. This was the meeting etiquette of the locals. Dong Zhi did the same gesture and greeted her back.

“She is my grandmother. Her name is Sara. I told her that you helped me back. She’s going to prepare lunch for us. After eating, I’ll take you to the Master,” Suqi explained.

Lunch was simple. It was a common meal of grilled fish and rice. While it didn’t taste delicious, Dong Zhi was a bit hungry, so he thanked Suqi and his grandmother and finished eating with them.

After they finished their meal, Suqi brought out two glasses of water and told him, “It’s the juice of a plant called kalanchoe. We often use it as a drink. It’s very tasty.”

Dong Zhi took a sip. He found that it tasted very sweet. Soon, he felt a little dizzy and couldn’t even stand. He had to hold onto the edge of the table and look at Suqi. At this moment, this simple young man showed an ambiguous smile.

“What did you put in it?” Dong Zhi held his forehead with a horrified expression on his face.

Suqi gave a smug smile. “You’re not here to ask for Master Songen’s help, are you? I have long seen through you. You want to harm the Master. You’re a bad person. Now that you can’t move, you can watch me consciously as I cut off your hands and feet, then dedicate your head to the Master. He can use your head for his arts. This is the last contribution you can provide to him.”

Dong Zhi frowned. “You’re so young, yet you’re this vicious? Does your grandmother know this?”

Suqi sneered. “Of course I know that Master Songen is our benefactor. Whoever wants to harm him is working against us! Are you numb all over and unable to move?”

Dong Zhi: “No.”

Suqi: ?????

Dong Zhi stretched out his hands and moved them. “Look, I can still move. Is your poison not working?”

Suqi: ……

Dong Zhi said innocently, “I think the reason why I got dizzy just now was maybe because I ate too much. Could you have eaten the poison yourself?”

Suqi was furious. “How’s this possible?! What I gave you was cursed!”

As soon as his voice fell, his face changed. He covered his stomach and bent down, groaning in pain.

The old woman who was hiding somewhere suddenly ran out and held Suqi. She was panicked and said many things in the local dialect that Dong Zhi didn’t understand, so he ignored her.

“I’m telling you, you must have given it to yourself. Now you’ll need to see Songen and have him relieve it.” He looked at Suqi as he said this with a smile.

“Impossible. I obviously watched you drink it just now, and it’s also in the food!” Suqi refused to believe that he had been tricked.

Dong Zhi shrugged and showed a look of regret. “Sorry, I have already taken an antidote before I came here. I heard that you’re sheltered by Songen, and he’s someone you respect, so he probably taught you some small tricks. Being a local here, do you think it’s reasonable that you got bitten by a snake out in the wide open area like this? I can only say I’m smarter than you.”

This place was hard to guard against. Although they came in a hurry, they didn’t forget to make preparations. Not only was this place dangerous, but there were also many snakes, insects, rats, and ants. Even if they weren’t cursed, it was easy to become poisoned. Xinchai had given them preventative measures in advance and even taught them how to fight back. Although many curse techniques were complex, and there was no guarantee that their methods would be effective against them, small tricks like this were not a problem.

Taking 10,000 steps back, Dong Zhi already had the ghost-faced peach blossom curse in his body, so he didn’t worry about his debts. Compared with Songen, Suqi’s small trick could only be considered superficial.

As he was speaking, Suqi was already suffering from abdominal pain and was rolling on the ground with his arms around his stomach. The old woman was sweating profusely. She eventually kowtowed to Dong Zhi again and again, speaking in a language he couldn’t understand but didn’t need to in order to know that she was begging for mercy.

In normal times, Dong Zhi may be soft-hearted, but knowing that her grandson had tried to curse him and the old woman didn’t stop him, it could be seen that she wasn’t much better, so facing her begging for mercy, Dong Zhi was indifferent and said to Suqi, “I’ll give you two choices. Either you take me to see Songen and I will give you the antidote, or you take me to see Songen and have him detoxify you.”

Suqi wanted to ask what the difference was between the two choices, but he couldn’t speak due to the severe pain. He could only look at Dong Zhi full of resentment.

This kind of pain made people unable to do anything, but it wasn’t to the point of death. Suqi was so uncomfortable that he thought it would be better if he died. He really couldn’t bear it, so he had to agree with Dong Zhi’s request.

“I’ll take you…”

Dong Zhi pointed to the old woman. “Let your grandmother take me there. When I see Songen, I’ll give her the antidote.”

Suqi responded intermittently, “Only I know where the Master lives. I am the most trusted person in this village…”

Dong Zhi said suspiciously, “Are you still able to walk?”

Suqi said, “I can’t walk, so you have to get rid of the poison first.”

Dong Zhi: “Oh, let’s not go. You can just die in pain.”

Suqi: ……

If Liu Qingbo could be angered to the brink, then how could a mere Suqi compare? In the end, he could only endure the pain. He clutched his stomach and stumbled in front of Dong Zhi as he led the way.

Suqi led Dong Zhi around to a dense jungle behind the village and took him through it. They made various twists and turns before they finally came to a river.

Seeing the river meant that he was out of the dense jungle. Dong Zhi widened his eyes as the scene evoked a sense of familiarity for him.

At Che Bai’s place, he once came to this place in spirit form and had a brief confrontation with the heavenly demon.

Rather, it was Che Bai who had the brief confrontation with the unformed heavenly demon.

As a legendary demon, Mara was not only evil, but also powerful. It shouldn’t have been resurrected yet. Songen, one who yearned for the darkness, forcibly broke the balance of the world by trying to summon and resurrect Mara. If it completely formed, no one would be a match for such an opponent. There was also Yasuhiko Otowa, who wanted to destroy the stone tablet and awaken an even more powerful demon. The consequences would be unimaginable.

Therefore, it was better to destroy the heavenly demon before it was fully formed. This was the best chance they had.

Once he arrived at this spot, Dong Zhi no longer needed Suqi to lead the way.

In the jungle on the other side of the river sat a two-story stockade that had its roof exposed. This was where Songen was.

He had no time to think about whether Long Shen and the others were hiding somewhere or if they had already entered the stockade earlier than him. Dong Zhi had heard from Xinchai that the territory of a top black-robed master would be full of dangers and traps, and his opponent knew that they were coming, so he didn’t have to imagine what kind of consequences lay there.

He followed Suqi, and while he was walking, he sprinkled powder that Xinchai had given him all over his body.

Suqi was waiting for Dong Zhi to step into a trap by himself, but when he turned around to look at him, he was surprised to find Dong Zhi was still walking forward as if nothing had happened. Suqi’s face quickly changed.

Seeing Suqi acting sneaky, Dong Zhi confirmed that there were traps abound.

“Are you also a sorcerer? Are you here to find out about the Master’s fighting method?” A trace of fear finally appeared on Suqi’s face.

“Yes,” Dong Zhi said casually. “Did any sorcerers come here to fight him before?”

“A lot, but none have come out alive.” Suqi snorted. “When they went, their attitude was more arrogant than yours, but now they have become vessels for Master’s cultivation, and among them is Tisong!”

When he said the name of this person, Dong Zhi didn’t know who it was, but he could guess that it was probably a very famous sorcerer.

Xinchai had told them that Songen had killed many sorcerers over the years and made countless enemies. There were even several famous sorcerers who banded together to destroy him, but they were ultimately unsuccessful. Of the five, two had perished, and due to this battle, it made Songen famous in one fell swoop. Later, he hid in a corner and didn’t come out to cause trouble, so everyone turned a blind eye and pretended this person didn’t exist.

But now, with rumors spreading that he was secretly trying to summon a heavenly demon, even Xinchai couldn’t sit still. Once the heavenly demon was born, the first to bear the brunt of its destruction would be where it first landed its feet. There would be mountains of corpses and a sea of blood, which no one wanted to see happen.

“Master, I am Suqi. Please forgive me for bringing your enemy here. I was coerced!”

When the two reached the outside of the stockade, Suqi knelt down on the ground and hugged his stomach as he wailed in the local language.

From the outside of the wooden fence, Dong Zhi saw a few people cleaning the yard. Obviously they had heard their movements, but they acted as if they hadn’t heard anything and continued to mind their own task.

However, after Suqi said these words, he suddenly jumped up. Before Dong Zhi could stop him, he had already rushed into the yard, stood on the steps outside the building, turned around and leaned against the wall to catch his breath, then gave Dong Zhi a weird smile.

Dong Zhi had no time to look at this smile. Under his feet, countless thin snakes suddenly appeared under the soil. They had copper ring lines and were black and gold. They hissed at him, not afraid of the powder on his body, and erected themselves, opened their mouths, and tried to bite at his calf.

Dong Zhi jumped up and took a few steps back, but soon the number of thin snakes condensed, and had surrounded him from all sides. Their speed was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, the first group of snakes was already half a step away from him and about half a second from biting him.

Suqi knew this trap. He had also seen several sorcerers and some enemies who dared disrespect Master Songen fall for this line of defense. Swallowed by ten thousand snakes, riddled with holes, and died without leaving a corpse.

There was no doubt in his mind that Dong Zhi wouldn’t be able to escape this time.

But the next moment, Suqi’s vicious smile froze on his face.

He saw Dong Zhi take out two pieces of yellow paper with both hands and start chanting something, then he threw those two pieces of paper to his front and back. As a result, the moment the two pieces of talisman paper touched the snakes, they spontaneously ignited, and the fire quickly swept through the entire group of snakes, devouring them all.

“What kind of sorcery is this?!” Suqi screamed in a daze.

In his mind, Master Songen was almighty, and he prided himself on being on the righteous side. He couldn’t wait for Dong Zhi to fall to his death. Who knew that instead of things going the way he wanted, the other side had broken through the first line of the stockade’s defense.

Dong Zhi also discovered that, after the curse was suppressed by Che Bai, he was no longer sick at every turn. It seemed that his original abilities had also improved a bit. Long Shen said that this was because the Shangqing pill was originally an excellent medicine for conditioning the body, but at the time when he took it, he was in a rush and his body hadn’t had time to fully recover yet, so the effect of the Shangqing pill hadn’t fully played out. Now that Che Bai had temporarily suppressed his curse, his full strength could be naturally utilized. He wouldn’t have to worry about anything once the curse was lifted.

Just as the snake was useless, a person walked out of the building. Siqi turned his head and said with joy, “Master Shawang!”

Songen’s disciple, Shawang, ignored Suqi. His gaze was on Dong Zhi, and there was a sneer at the corner of his mouth, as if he were looking at a dead man.

“You’ve really come.”

Dong Zhi spread his hands. “Didn’t you tell me to? Where’s Songen? So scared that he’s hiding in his house?”

Shawang snorted coldly. “My Master doesn’t need to deal with you. Call out all your helpers so I don’t have to clean them up one by one later!”

“Are you talking about me?”

Kenta, Xinchai’s apprentice, appeared on the fence of the stockade. He was holding a large snake with a bowl-shaped mouth that was as thick as an adult male arm. The snake’s body was black and golden, and only its eyes were red and bloody. It didn’t look like anything good at first glance, but in Kenta’s hands, it was stiff and surprisingly well-behaved.

Shawang’s expression sank. “Let it go!”

Kenta threw the golden snake to the ground. It trembled twice and finally stopped moving, completely losing all its breath.

“Who are you?!” Seeing his beloved pet killed this way, Shawang flushed with anger.

Kenta folded his hands and walked over. “I won’t tell those who are evil my name.”

He whispered to Dong Zhi, “Mr. Long has already gone to find the heavenly demon. Let’s bait out Songen first.”

Dong Zhi nodded softly. He understood what Kenta meant. The enemy was still in the dark. With Master Xinchai still hidden, when he appeared, it would catch the opponent even more off guard.

Seeing them whispering, Shawang became even more furious. He bent his index finger, bit his mouth, and whistled. Four figures rushed out from behind the building towards Dong Zhi and Kenta.

The four people were covered in gold and were completely expressionless. Before Dong Zhi had time to observe carefully, he heard Kenta shout, “They are medicine men*. It’s useless to shoot them. Don’t fight head-on!”

*(药人) Term used for drug tester. In the context of this setting, they’re basically people soaked in various poisons/medicines, so they are impervious to them.

Dong Zhi quickly understood what it meant by it being useless to shoot because, as soon as his Changshou Sword came out of its sheath, it swept towards the neck of his opponent. Normally, this was the most vulnerable part, but the part the sword cut was unscathed. Taking advantage of the situation, the opponent grabbed his sword and tried to drag Dong Zhi in his direction!

Naturally, the Changshou Sword couldn’t be torn off. Dong Zhi used this opportunity to leap up and sweep towards another opponent, using his first opponent’s shoulder as a springboard, and aimed the tip of his sword at the center of the other opponent’s forehead.

The tip of the sword managed to poke a hole in the center, but that was all, and soon two other people surrounded him. Dong Zhi had to withdraw his sword to retreat, but his shoulder was caught and pulled to the point where it almost tore to pieces.

These so-called medicine men were cut open when they were about to die and stuffed with various poisons, then had voodoo performed on them, causing them to lose their self-awareness and completely become puppets.

Some of these people were Songen’s enemies, while others were those who had come to ask for Songen’s help and had accidentally offended him. Some of them were villagers from Xianda, where Suqi lived, because they refused to pay tribute to Songen and accept his asylum. There was never a shortage of all kinds of various containers for refinement, and there were all kinds of sorcery that many couldn’t imagine that could be seen here.

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The author has something to say:

Long Shen: Don’t be naughty.

Dong Zhi: Okay, then I will pretend to be poisoned for a longer time next time and cooperate with them.

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Kinky Thoughts:

To celebrate my 1-year anniversary of starting danmei translation, here’s the rest of the current arc of Bu Tian Gang. Happy reading.

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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 112

A man who never lied was extraordinarily provocative when he said this kind of thing. Dong Zhi felt as if his heart had been hit so hard that he was having a sudden attack from the curse.

He thought Long Shen would never be moved by his appearance, but in fact this was just a misunderstanding. According to legends, even the gods preferred beautiful-looking people. Love and hatred were almost instinctive to all creatures, but those who were skilled at restraint would not be perplexed or shaken by this, but it didn’t mean Long Shen couldn’t appreciate beauty.

In a daze, Dong Zhi had already put his arms around Long Shen’s waist, raised his slender neck, and slightly accepted his kiss.

This kiss was long and gentle, and almost all the feelings between them were poured out. The warmth in the beginning from Dong Zhi, the precipitation later, the indifference of Long Shen at first, and the melting later; they were like water flowing deep as light as dust.

It wasn’t only Dong Zhi that was flushed; Long Shen’s breath also became unstable, but he was still able to calmly end the kiss and take the initiative to pull Dong Zhi away.

“Have a good rest tonight. I’ll write an email to Xinchai.”

The corners of Dong Zhi’s mouth twitched, as if it were a kind of laughter that came to an abrupt end.

Seeing that he wasn’t moving, Long Shen explained, “Your curse hasn’t been lifted yet. It’s best to do it as soon as possible.

Dong Zhi raised his forehead. He obviously didn’t mean that.

“Master, why do you always regard me as always a stallion in your heart, regardless of the time?”

In fact, he was already satisfied with being able to hug and kiss like this. His master was slow to warm up, so he even planned to spend his whole life in platonic love, but who knew they were progressing so fast that they skipped sex and advanced to divine intercourse? If this was him in the past, he wouldn’t even have imagined such a step.

Hearing this, Long Shen was puzzled by his words and said strangely, “But I have heard that men’s desire for sex is often greater than love. Are you not like this?”

After all, he himself was a transformed artifact, so his desires were weaker than those of ordinary humans. When he heard about this view before, he felt that it was logical and wasn’t difficult to understand. Ordinary humans had a variety of feelings and emotions, and they wouldn’t deliberately restrain themselves. When they met someone they liked, this desire would only become stronger.

Dong Zhi had to justify humanity. “I can’t say no, but there are exceptions. Besides, compared to sex, I actually want to experience what happened last time more.”

Long Shen looked at his embarrassed expression and smiled. “You mean divine intercourse?”

Dong Zhi coughed lightly.

Even though he had experienced divine intercourse and knew that it was purely spiritual and didn’t have any erotic undertones, he couldn’t help but blush a little when he heard this term.

Long Shen pinched Dong Zhi’s chin and dropped a kiss. His other hand held the back of Dong Zhi’s head, and he pressed his index finger onto the jade pillow point*.

*Also called the Yuzhen point, located 2.5 inches straight above the center of the posterior hairline and 1.3 inches to the side. Picture.

Dong Zhi felt a buzzing in his ears. Suddenly, his vision darkened, and his body slid downward in a weightless state.

He didn’t realize that in reality he had also softened his legs and fallen softly into Long Shen’s arms.

The light was not in one piece but lit up bit by bit in the distance.

He found himself suddenly in a vast universe, surrounded by stones of various sizes. In the distance or beyond, there were different shades of brightness, and he was one of many meteorites slowly moving forward, involuntarily, as if there were a force pulling him into the darkness.

The force was like an indescribable joy; like the uncontrollable feeling of having a secret meeting with his sweetheart on a snowy night; like the joy and anxiety of first love. He didn’t know what was waiting for him, but he knew that it was something he had been looking forward to for a long time, and all he could think about was it.

The closer he got, the stronger the joy. He seemed to know what it was subconsciously, but the anticipation in his heart didn’t fade. The light was getting brighter and more dazzling. He closed his eyes and allowed the warm light to envelope him. It entered every inch of his body; like a spring breeze turning into trickling rain. A lazy comfort washed over the bones of his limbs so that he couldn’t help but keep his eyes closed, like he was soaking in a hot spring while being wrapped around by his beloved. It was the most moving happiness in the world and the ultimate bliss that words couldn’t describe.

He didn’t need to look, didn’t need to listen, as all the voices had left a mark on his body, pushing the warmth into it. Finally, the light and stone fused turning the unknown meteorite into a star. One day, he would become a star that could shine on others and warm them.

And everything was brought about by this light.

Time turned into nothingness; the sea changed into mulberry fields; the desolation became the past. Even the brilliant stars were fleeting. What remained was the mind that was unchanged, becoming eternal.

His body shuttled between light years while his consciousness was frozen in the years. Every cell was decomposed and swayed in the universe, and when it condensed again, it was gently arched in arms that were carefully placed down, properly treasured, until the end of time.

Dong Zhi’s eyelashes trembled several times before he slowly opened his eyes.

Outside the window, he saw the high-rise buildings of Hong Kong. The ships were sailing in and out of the port in the distance. The realism of modern society instantly slapped him in the face, making the experience he had of jumping between time and space feel illusory, until he saw Long Shen slowly opening his eyes.

The last time they had divine intercourse, he was caught off guard and didn’t fully perceive everything. He was overwhelmed by the storm of information that hit him from beginning to end, just like a person who had never seen water was suddenly thrown into a hot spring. Even if the hot spring was pleasant, he didn’t have time to notice it because he was preoccupied with something else.

Compared with the last one-sided initial exploration, this time it could truly be called divine intercourse.

Divine intercourse wasn’t a glimpse into the other’s mind, but an opening to their sea of consciousness, allowing the other person to enter. The two ideologies meet and merge, starting with probing, approaching, and then understanding. It was far more impactful than a verbal confession. In this process, one party couldn’t guard against the other, so if the other person had ill intentions and wanted to take the opportunity to plot, no matter how strong the other side was, this moment was like peeling off the hard shell protecting the soft heart and having it at their mercy.

For practitioners, who have been walking in danger for so many years and have a heavier sense of preparedness than ordinary people, the fact that Long Shen did this undoubtedly showed his attitude. Dong Zhi’s curse was still unresolved, and there could be other mechanisms at play that they didn’t know about. The mark still remained on Dong Zhi’s body. In this case, Long Shen bore a great risk that his heart could be invaded due to this.

Compared with sweet words, Long Shen was more willing to use action to show that if he wasn’t sure, he would never export easily. Just like when he heard Dong Zhi’s confession on the phone, he had cleanly refused, but as long as he said it himself, it would certainly be honored.

Neither of them spoke.

At this time, words seemed superfluous.

Compared with the calm from last time, Long Shen was obviously more emotional, as his face was slightly red.

Dong Zhi was still immersed in the scene just now.

He saw Long Shen’s completely open consciousness. It was a magnificent and endlessly dreaming universe. It was the end of the stars, the place where all things returned. Its beauty and grandeur couldn’t be described in words. In that sea of consciousness, his own “string” had docked and merged with Long Shen; the two seas of consciousness finally started to slowly connect, just like strings and music instruments finally composing a song together. Even though the timbre was still monotonous, they were indeed gradually forming.

And this kind of satisfaction was greater than any kind of sexual intercourse he could imagine.

“Master, what did you see?” he asked Long Shen.

Long Shen was silent for a moment.

“I saw the top of a snow-capped mountain. Everything was as white as the eye could see. The wind was blowing snow, and it was freezing to the bone.”

Dong Zhi was taken aback. Could it be that the scenes seen by either side weren’t the same during divine intercourse?

“Then what?”

“Then I saw a small plant emerging from the snow. The world was gray, and it was the only green. Its life was tenacious and vigorous. I walked over and used my hand to cover it from the snowflakes as it began to grow slowly. It eventually became a sapling, standing side by side with me, then continued to grow taller to become a towering tree on the top of my head, shielding me from the wind and rain.”

Long Shen’s tone was slow and calm, but Dong Zhi’s eyes were slightly moistened as he listened to him speak, as if he could see the vigorous life going towards the most prosperous trajectory.

“When I looked at it, I felt happy inside,” Long Shen said. The corners of his mouth curled up, causing Dong Zhi to unconsciously follow that smile.

—-

The response from the white robe master this time was unexpectedly fast. In the evening of the next day, Master Xinchai sent an email to Long Shen.

He told Long Shen that Songen was a man who was once a prominent witchdoctor in Myanmar. Decades ago, he joined the rebels during the war in Myanmar, where he was regarded as a guest of honor. When the rebels were defeated, he also disappeared, but in the decades since then, he was still known. It was rumored that he was still quite famous in the area, and even those unscrupulous drug lords who passed by Songen’s territory would be honest and respectful, daring not to offend him even slightly.

Because of this, once Qi Rui provided the two keywords, “Songen” and “Northern Thailand”, Xinchai quickly helped Long Shen find him and even provided the specific location. Further north in Thailand, on the edge of the dense forest was a small village called Xianda, which was Songen’s territory. For those who sought him, they had to travel thousands of miles to Xianda, then ask someone to report to Songen first and obtain permission before they could enter Songen’s stockade.

Just as Long Shen and Dong Zhi were still reading the email, Xinchai called and suggested that he wanted to go with them. It would be great if he could persuade Songen to lift the curse on Dong Zhi, but if not, he might still be able to help.

Naturally, Long Shen wouldn’t refuse. He thanked Xinchai, and the two sides made an appointment to meet in Chiang Mai and then go north together.

When Long Shen hung up, he told Dong Zhi about it.

Dong Zhi felt a bit odd. “Why does Xinchai want to come with us all of a sudden?”

Long Shen said, “Songen is a black-robed witchdoctor, so he’s at odds with Xinchai. Except for Han Qi, Songen has been using his techniques to harm the people of his country. It’s just that he’s extremely powerful, so few people dare to provoke him. Xinchai isn’t sure he will win. Now that we have joined forces, he naturally wants to take the opportunity to eradicate Songen. Xinchai is also a master of curses. With him joining, this will increase our winning chances.”

Dong Zhi understood what he meant. After all, they not only had to deal with Songen this time but also the heavenly demon behind him. It was conceivable that this would become a bloodbath.

Through Qi Rui, Songen already knew that they would come to his door sooner or later. When they arrived, what awaited them could be a well-prepared trap, but Long Shen and Dong Zhi had no choice. If they kept hesitating, the long night would be fraught with dreams*. It was better to solve the problem directly and head-on. Long Shen suggested they take a short break and then set off immediately, to which Dong Zhi had no objection.

*(夜长梦多) Metaphor referring to undue delay may bring trouble.

However, they encountered an episode before their departure. He Yu had sent a message to Dong Zhi, concerned about his curse. Dong Zhi gave him a general description of the progress of the matter, to which He Yu enthusiastically said he wanted to come and help him. This was unfortunately seen by Long Shen, who immediately deducted half a month of his bonus as punishment for intending to go AWOL on his post. Seeing this, He Yu didn’t dare mention anything else.

After confirming the information and route, Long Shen immediately booked tickets to Chiang Mai. When the two arrived, they soon met with Master Xinchai, who was waiting for them nearby.

Xinchai’s face was dry, and his figure was thin. He had piercing eyes that made people afraid to look at him for too long. In general, witchdoctors were out of place in society, which made people uncomfortable, but Xinchai was connected to the royal family and frequently attended public events, so he blended in so well to normal society that he could even be considered humorous on occasion.

He also brought an apprentice named Kenta. Both were dressed up as monks, which was common in the local area. Xinchai’s reputation and status in his country were indeed well-known. When the local administrator heard of his arrival, he wanted to come and treat them to a feast personally but was politely declined by Xinchai’s apprentice. The four of them didn’t delay much and took the train all the way north the next day.

The train terminal ended at the border, and the next part of their journey had to be done by car. The four of them made a big round trip, and only after an arduous journey did they finally arrive in the village of Xianda that Xinchai had mentioned.

---

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 111

Chen Guoliang was a well-known feng shui master in Hong Kong. Although not everyone in the room knew who he was, the majority of the local wealthy knew him and would naturally come to greet him and see Dong Zhi by his side.

People judge others based on their clothes. When they saw Dong Zhi’s appearance, they couldn’t believe that he was a practitioner. Of course, they wouldn’t mistake him for being Chen Guolaing’s assistant either, but rather some young master from an elite family. Given his cute and harmless smile, the young master looked as if he didn’t know the difficulties of the world.

“Where’s Mr. An?” Dong Zhi looked around as he asked Cheng Guoliang.

The women were all dressed up and covered in jewels. He had only seen Qi Rui’s picture. At first glance, it was difficult to tell who Qi Rui was among the crowd. Besides, rumors had it that Mr. An had many lovers and he might not bring her today.

“Not here yet,” Cheng Guoliang said. With an identity like his, he likes to be ostentatious and appear last in the finale.”

In a short while, Nie Gui also came.

Uncharacteristically, he went straight to Dong Zhi and greeted him enthusiastically instead of the beautiful women.

“Master, Master Chen, you guys are so early!” Nie Gui glanced around mysteriously, then whispered, “Master, please look to see if my mother came with me.”

Dong Zhi smiled. “Yes, the madam is standing at the entrance to the banquet hall.”

Nie Gui almost wanted to wail. “Why won’t she let me go!”

Nevertheless, he was a lot more honest, didn’t dare flirt, and followed Dong Zhi. After all, the world of yin and yang was different, and after experiencing it, he was left with awe for ghosts and gods.

Many people came to greet them, including many young, beautiful, and rich women—naturally, they didn’t come for Nie Gui.

When Chen Guoliang introduced Dong Zhi as his mainland colleague and friend, their eyes lit up, and they asked kindly, “Then will Mr. Dong please read my palm?”

Many of these rich ladies were quite open and flirtatious. Naturally, they had no reservations about chasing boys. Seeing that Dong Zhi was so handsome, they entertained the idea of trying to get to know him first.

Dong Zhi couldn’t laugh or cry. As he was trying to think of how to get rid of them, he heard Chen Guoliang say softly, “Mr. An is here.”

Dong Zhi raised his head and saw Mr. An walking in with a female companion. Many people with sharp eyes instantly saw him and took the initiative to greet him. However, Mr. An just smiled modestly and only said a few words to them. It was self-evident how influential the An family in Hong Kong was.

Only Dong Zhi’s attention was on the woman who was holding Mr. An’s arm.

“That’s Qi Rui. She’s changed her name to Martha now!” Chen Guoliang whispered.

Dong Zhi felt his heart flutter as he looked at Qi Rui carefully.

The other party was wearing exquisite makeup, and a smile was plastered on her face. He could see that she had been living a good life. Her face looked richer than originally, but there were still some similarities in the previous photos. However, the real-life person was more enchanting than the photos. Every move was alluring, but then again, if she wasn’t outstanding, how could she possibly catch Mr. An’s attention?

But when Dong Zhi finally saw her, all he could feel was relief, like a ray of light shining in the darkness.

There were many people around Mr. An, so it wasn’t easy for Dong Zhi to get close. When the crowd eased up, Nie Gui told them to follow him and took Dong Zhi towards Mr. An.

Relying on the reputation of the Nie family, Mr. An gave Nie Gui a positive look. Nie Gui smiled back and said, “Uncle An, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you!”

Mr. An said slowly, “It has, hasn’t it? Your parents have been gone for a long time now. It’s about time to get serious, right?”

He spoke to Nie Gui like an elder and, based on his words, classified Nie Gui’s life as “immoral”, but Nie Gui didn’t raise a fuss and simply just smiled dryly. “Yes, I’m planning to reform myself. Come, let me introduce you to Mr. Dong, a colleague from the mainland of Master Chen. He’s also an extremely powerful master.”

“I’ve heard so much about Mr. An, but unfortunately, I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you,” Cheng Guoliang said as he hurriedly extended his hand.

Mr. An shook hands with them and slightly nodded. “I have also heard of Master Chen. The peers you can bring here must be very capable.”

When shaking hands with Dong Zhi, Mr. An deliberately gave him a special look.

“Master Dong is not like a feng shui master but rather a scholar. There are deep waters and many dragons* in the mainland, so it’s really different.”

*(水深龙多) Idiom referring to with sufficient environmental conditions, more talents can be cultivated. || In this context, he’s saying China has many resources so they can cultivate extremely talented people (like Dong Zhi).

Dong Zhi was incompatible with Chen Guoliang’s temperament. Being a shrewd businessman, Mr. An could see it at a glance.

“Mr. An flatters me. In fact, this time I came from the mainland to look for your girlfriend, Miss Qi Rui.”

He stretched out his hand to the lady companion beside Mr. An and said her real name straightforwardly.

“Hello, Miss Qi. Do you remember your old friend Dong Qiaolan?”

Qi Rui’s face changed. Instead of shaking hands with Dong Zhi, she looked at Mr. An instead.

Mr. An said lightly, “It seems you have some ulterior motives. Her name is Martha now. I don’t want anyone to make trouble at the banquet. Mr. Dong, if you don’t listen to my advice, then I’ll have to ask someone to escort you out.”

Now that Qi Rui’s identity had been confirmed, there was naturally no need for Dong Zhi to worry.

“Sorry, Mr. An, I think you have misunderstood. This friend of Miss Qi, Dong Qiaolan, is involved in a case, and her current whereabouts are unknown. I was just hoping to ask Miss Qi to cooperate with me in the investigation.”

Qi Rui angrily said, “I don’t know who that person is!”

Dong Zhi took out his cellphone and showed her a photo of her and Dong Qiaolan, which was found on Dong Qiaolan’s social media account.

“Miss Qi, I think you should have heard about the death of the female star Han Qi. Dong Qiaolan and Hong Rui are suspected of being indirectly involved in her death. I hope I can ask you about their whereabouts. Why don’t we find a place to have a good chat?”

Qi Rui refused to cooperate. She grabbed her gold master’s arm and begged, “Mr. An, I don’t want to talk to him. Can you drive him out?”

Mr. An said coldly, “Mr. Dong, this is Hong Kong, not the mainland. You’re not the Hong Kong police. You have no right to take anyone away for questioning. My girlfriend also has the right to refuse you. If you continue to pursue this matter, I’ll have security escort you out at once.”

“Then it’s the Hong Kong police that have the power to take her away?”

A voice came, accompanied by a flurry of footsteps.

The crowd looked at the sound and saw four people quickly walking in. The man in the lead had a cold face. It was Long Shen, whom Dong Zhi hadn’t seen all day.

Three men behind Long Shen stepped forward and showed their credentials to Mr. An, indicating their identities. They wanted to take Qi Rui away to assist in the investigation.

Only now did Dong Zhi realize that Long Shen had disappeared this morning to communicate with the Hong Kong police.

It was natural for the Hong Kong police to step in, which was more justifiable and in line with the procedures.

The laughter in the banquet hall stopped as all eyes were focused on the scene, creating a silent deadlock.

Qi Rui pulled on Mr. An with teary eyes while the police impatiently said, “We only need to question you to extract testimony. We’re not here to arrest you. Miss Qi, why are you acting so emotional?”

Many people laughed out loud when they heard this. Those who knew Qi Rui’s true identity were secretly disdainful of her. At that moment, many mocking glances were projected at her, which made her feel as if she was being pricked by needles.

Seeing that Mr. An’s face was getting uglier, she knew that he, who loved face the most, was unhappy, and she dared not cry anymore and could only resign herself to go with Long Shen and the others.

Dong Zhi thanked Nie Gui and said goodbye to Chen Guoliang, then got in the police car with Long Shen.

“Master, why are you here now?”

Long Shen said, “There is no Special Administration Bureau in Hong Kong. It’s more cumbersome to connect with the police of the two places. Moreover, Qi Rui is not a criminal and is only assisting in the investigation, so the local police must be present when we take her back for questioning.”

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “If I had known you were going to ask the police to come forward, I wouldn’t have made such a big detour.”

Long Shen: “It’s not like you didn’t gain anything today.”

Dong Zhi scratched his nose, thinking that his master was quite good at comforting people.

“Can it be considered a gain to know a dandy?”

Long Shen said, “I’ve never seen you dress like this. It looks good.”

Dong Zhi was stunned for a second, feeling like he had been fed candy as the sweetness from his mouth dripped to his heart.

A serious person was deadliest when flirting. Dong Zhi could now appreciate the essence of this sentence.

Qi Rui was in another car. The two of them were sitting in the backseat. Since there was a driver in front, Dong Zhi didn’t dare make a move in front of people, so he reached out and touched Long Shen lightly as a way to express his feelings.

Who knew that the other party directly grabbed his hand and held it, and wasn’t shy about the possibility that the driver might see it.

The car quickly reached the police station.

Before that, Long Shen had already communicated with relevant personnel, and the Hong Kong police sent a person to accompany them for questioning.

Qi Rui’s attitude was extremely uncooperative, and she refused to admit that she knew Dong Qiaolan.

However, according to the information obtained by Dong Zhi, before Qi Rui came to Hong Kong, the two of them had been best friends and talked about everything. Dong Qiaolan even wanted to introduce Qi Rui to Hong Rui, but this was probably the source of the fallout between the two.

Figuring this out, Dong Zhi decided to change his thinking.

“Did you have a falling out with Dong Qiaolan because of Hong Rui?”

Qi Rui’s face changed slightly.

He knew he was right.

“Miss Qi, you have to know that now that we’re getting information from you to pursue them, if you refuse to cooperate and they come back to you in the future, even if Mr. An is powerful, it’s impossible for him to protect you. I might as well tell you that Dong Qiaolan and Hong Rui are probably dabbling in Southeast Asian sorcery. If they want to retaliate against you, it will be very easy. You don’t want to wake up one day and be cursed, right?”

When they were at Che Bai’s place, he had used a spell on Dong Zhi that allowed him to see that Dong Qiaolan and Hong Rui had become puppets of Mara and Songen, so it was impossible for them to come back, but this was something Qi Rui didn’t know. When she heard this, she turned pale.

“What do you want to know? I did have a good relationship with Dong Qiaolan before, but then we had a falling out, so I don’t know much about her anymore.”

At this point, she knew that cooperation was the only way.

Dong Zhi: “Why did you have a falling out?”

Qi Rui said, “Because I found that she was getting eviler. She flew to Southeast Asia for three days, and when she came back, she was extremely hyperactive and behaved strangely. During that time, her career was in a slump, so she often prayed to God and worshipped Buddhas. At that time, I was preoccupied with my own thing, so I didn’t care…”

She spoke vaguely, but Dong Zhi saw through it. “Because you were evading your debt?”

Qi Rui said embarrassedly, “Now, Mr. An has helped me with that. At that time, Dong Qiaolan came to me and gave me a jade bracelet, saying that she went to Thailand to find a master to bless it, which would allow me to make a lot of money. I believed her and went to a casino in Macau with it. Indeed, I won a small sum of money.”

“I was quite happy, so I went to Dong Qiaolan and wanted to invite her to dinner. Who knew that I happened to overhear her talking on the phone. Dong Qiaolan said that she had found a target, and it was me. After some time had passed, their plan would be successful. I felt something was wrong, so I went in to confront her. Dong Qiaolan is a person who’s unable to lie, so she kept stammering and unknowingly made some remarks. I only know that she was cooperating with others to experiment with some kind of sorcery that would make her powerful and immortal. I thought she went crazy. At that time, I broke off the jade bracelet, threw it at her, ran to Macau, and never contacted her again.”

Dong Zhi: “Did she contact you after that?”

Qi Rui nodded. “She called many times, but I didn’t answer. Later, she changed her number, so I completely lost contact with her. To be honest, I really don’t want to have anything to do with her anymore. I’m just a gambler, but she’s killing people! You don’t know how terrifying her home became after she started believing in all that voodoo. I even saw a baby puppet in her room, and I don’t know what it was for!”

When she mentioned this, her face was full of nausea and fear. She hugged her arms as if she didn’t want to think about it for a second time.

After Dong Qiaolan disappeared, Long Shen and the others found this puppet when they searched her home. It was speculated that it was a prop used for curses, similar to the use of voodoo dolls.

Dong Zhi asked again, “Then do you know, what is the name of the black magic master that Dong Qiaolan believes in? She often goes abroad. Has she ever mentioned to you where she was going?”

Qi Rui frowned and tried to recall. “Once I asked. She said that the place she went was in northern Thailand close to the border. It’s far away, and she had to take a train then transfer to a car when she arrived. But she said all that hard work was worth it because the master was very powerful.”

Dong Zhi asked, “Did she tell you his name?”

Qi Rui: “It seems to be… It was…”

Suddenly, inspiration flashed. “Songen!”

No one expected that as soon as Qi Rui had just finished speaking, her face suddenly changed. Red rushed from her neck to her cheeks, and her whole face quickly turned purple. The policeman who was accompanying Long Shen for questioning was completely stunned, but Long Shen and Dong Zhi had already reacted. The two of them stepped forward at the same time and were about to act when Qi Rui suddenly opened her eyes and rolled them backwards. Her expression became hideous and distorted.

“I heard you want to find me?” She giggled. As if her throat were being choked, her voice was extremely shrill and different from just now. “I’m waiting for you!”

Qi Rui’s eyes slowly turned, her pupils were almost rolled to the back of her head, and her eyes were dead white. This kind of terrifying situation was as if she had been possessed by a ghost. The policeman next to her had never seen anything like it before and immediately subconsciously reached for his gun.

Long Shen said in a deep voice, “Where are you?”

Qi Rui said eerily, “Aren’t you capable? Find me yourself. I’ll be here waiting for you!”

After that, her body trembled, and the corners of her mouth overflowed with black blood. Long Shen stepped forward, pressed on her temples on both sides, and shouted, “The sunlight talisman!”

Given his experience and tacit understanding, Dong Zhi’s reaction wasn’t slow. As soon as Long Shen’s voice fell, he pinched the sunlight talisman and opened Qi Rui’s mouth with one hand, then stuffed the talisman in.

The Hong Kong policemen who were watching the surveillance at the other end thought that Long Shen and Dong Zhi were abusing the witness, so they quickly opened the door and ran in. As a result, everyone was stunned when they saw such a weird scene. In fact, there was no shortage of urban oddities in Hong Kong. It wasn’t unusual for these policemen, who have been in the industry for many years, to encounter a few cold cases. It was just that the impact was great when they saw it with their own eyes.

After seeing Qi Rui’s mouth stuff with the talisman, her body convulsions gradually slowed down, and her eyeballs slowly returned to normal. She fell onto the chair and wanted to open her mouth to speak but found that it was stuffed. Subconsciously, she spat out the sunlight talisman that had turned completely black.

“What are you doing!”

Long Shen said, “It’s okay. You were hit by a taboo curse.”

Witnessing all this from start to finish, the policeman in the room with them felt his worldview had greatly been affected and couldn’t help but ask, “What is a taboo curse?”

Long Shen: “It is a curse technique that’s placed on words. When it is cast on a person, usually nothing will happen unless the person says a word that the black magic master doesn’t want her to say, which will then trigger the curse. If treatment isn’t successful, they will likely die.”

Hearing this and seeing Dong Qiaolan’s weird things, Qi Rui screamed in fright and immediately bounced up, wanting to grab Long Shen. Long Shen avoided her, and she almost slammed into the table.

“Then—then I’ll be fine, right?!”

Dong Zhi answered her, “The other party’s curse on you isn’t severe. It should be through Dong Qiaolan’s hands to just monitor you. We have already resolved it for you.”

Qi Rui was about to cry. “Can’t you look at it again? I really don’t want to die!”

Dong Zhi sighed. Since the other party provided them with a key clue, he complied and took out a talisman.

“You’re all right now. If you’re still worried, take this with you. You can…”

Before he could finish, the talisman had already been snatched away. Qi Rui grabbed her clutch bag off the table and stuffed it into Dong Zhi’s hand while clenching the talisman paper tightly.

“All for you! I’ll give all the money I have in it to you. You can keep the change!”

“…Calm down.” Dong Zhi reluctantly finished his sentence.

When the matter came to an end, Mr. An happened to send someone over to inquire about the situation. The police escorted Qi Rui, who wasn’t in good mental condition, out. Long Shen politely declined the invitation from the chief of the Hong Kong police and left the police station with Dong Zhi.

“Where are we going now?”

Long Shen: “To the hotel to rest first. I’ll have someone start to find the location.”

Although these black magic masters lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests and weren’t easy to find, as long as they had a name and a general location, it would be much easier than before. But Long Shen didn’t want to raise Dong Zhi’s hopes and then have them crushed, so many of the things he arranged were done in silence. He would rather tell the other party the results. This was also a habit that was formed by being alone for many years.

Dong Zhi didn’t ask. Even if he didn’t ask, he knew very well that Long Shen would never give up hope. He used to be afraid of death, but now he dared to stand on the edge of the cliff and stare at the abyss under it because now he had someone beside him.

Long Shen had lived for more than two thousand years, and almost all the special things in his life were now his alone. Dong Zhi didn’t dare to disappoint him. If life could be converted to love, perhaps he had stopped breathing at this moment.

“Master.”

Long Shen turned to look at him.

Dong Zhi clasped his fingers. His palm felt the warm touch, which gave him relief.

“It’s nothing. I just want to say thank you.”

Thank you for giving me such special treatment. Thank you for responding to my feelings. Maybe I wasn’t strong enough to stand side by side with you before, but after, if I can survive, I’ll work hard. Even if I can live one more year, or maybe two, so I can accompany you even longer.

Many sentimental words came to him, but they couldn’t be expressed articulately. Sometimes they would turn into embarrassment. Even if Dong Zhi had deep affection for Long Shen, he felt that when the words were spoken, their meaning would change. It was better to collect them properly and hold them in his heart.

He thought that Long Shen wouldn’t understand such an inexplicable thanks, but the other party turned his head and thought about it seriously, then said, “You’re welcome. I’m also very happy.”

Dong Zhi was stunned.

For a while, he couldn’t believe that the other party understood his extrinsic voice. The two of them then suddenly connected, and when he looked into the other’s eyes, he could really see the faint joy and happiness in them.

Long Shen was happy because they had finally found a breakthrough in this matter, and Dong Zhi was no longer entangled with life and death. He could face the fate of the heavens calmly and could do so because, before Dong Zhi encountered an accident, Long Shen was able to figure out the particularities of his opponent.

At this moment, without words, Dong Zhi could almost perceive all the reasons for the other party’s happiness.

Perhaps skin-to-skin, hand-to-hand could really make people have an instant telepathic connection.

Long Shen was really like as he promised. He was slowly becoming an ordinary person of flesh and blood, who understood love and hate.

Under such a focused and serious gaze, no one could remain calm. The heat slowly poured from his neck to his cheeks. Dong Zhi felt a little stuffy in the car. He couldn’t help but pull on his collar. Their driver was dedicated and kept looking ahead. He wasn’t sure whether the driver was pretending to ignore their interaction or wasn’t really interested in it, but from beginning to end, he never looked back.

Dong Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.

After returning to the hotel, he wanted to go to the bathroom and change out of his clothes, but Long Shen said, “Wear it for a while.”

Facing Dong Zhi’s blank stare, Long Shen said, “You look good in it.”

Dong Zhi blinked, then blinked again. Pretending to be calm, he asked, “Where does it look the best?”

Long Shen really gave him an answer. “You have a thin waist and long legs, so it’s very suitable for wearing a suit. I want to look at you in it for a while longer.”

---

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 110

According to Chen Guoliang, after Qi Rui went to Hong Kong, she quickly clung onto a wealthy businessman and became his kept mistress. She abandoned her original identity and changed her name. With the help of her gold master, she applied for a new ID and appeared in the social scene of high society under the name of Martha. Her face was also different from the photos that Dong Zhi had shown Chen Guoliang. Most likely, she had extensive plastic surgery. Chen Guoliang also said that there would be a charity dinner in two days. The wealthy businessman he knew would be on the guest list, but he didn’t know whether the man would bring his wife or his mistress.

This was indeed a valuable piece of information. When Dong Zhi let Chen Guoliang off the hook, he expected that the other party would hide away and wouldn’t make big splashes, but he didn’t think he would be so capable and provide him with such an important clue.

Dong Zhi hung up the phone and relayed what he had learned.

Long Shen asked, “Can this Chen Guoliang get us an invitation to this banquet?”

Dong Zhi said, “He should be able to. On such occasions, he would usually bring an assistant or a female companion. I can ask him to give us the invitation for his plus one, but in this case, there’s only one.”

Long Shen shook his head. “You go. I won’t. I don’t know if Qi Rui has also been cursed. You investigate first, and I’ll come forward in due course.”

Since he said that, Long Shen probably had a comprehensive plan so Dong Zhi naturally agreed.

Their rare leisure time was interrupted again. Long Shen was concerned about Dong Zhi’s curse and didn’t want to delay any more time. The two went back to take a short break, then took a flight directly to Hong Kong in the evening.

The history of Hong Kong wasn’t long, but this century was enough to make it world-famous. Due to some complicated factors, the Special Administration Bureau hadn’t set up an office here. Later, it was managed by the Pengcheng office across the river. It was precisely because of the high degree of liberalization in the city that people like Chen Guoliang, who were just ordinary and liked to flaunt, were so sought after and respected by the rich, and there was no Special Administration Bureau to interfere with him.

However, after suffering a great blow from them, this Master Chen had become much more low-key. Nine out of ten banquets couldn’t get his attendance, and it was even more difficult to meet him. Dong Zhi didn’t know what he had learned during his ideological education trip on the mainland, but speaking of him now, he seemed more sophisticated and respected.

Hearing that Dong Zhi was coming, Chen Guoliang personally brought his assistant to the airport to pick him up. The assistant had followed them to the hotel the previous time and witnessed the bloody and fierce battle, but that didn’t deter him from resigning. This time, he didn’t feel that Chen Guoliang was making a mountain out of a molehill, and instead, he followed in his boss’ footsteps and looked at Dong Zhi with respect and admiration, not daring to be neglectful at all.

Dong Zhi didn’t elaborate on Long Shen’s position in the Special Administration Bureau, only saying that he was his master, but this title alone was enough to make Chen Guoliang’s eyes straighten as he stretched out his hands in a dreamy expression to greet him. “It turns out you are Mr. Dong’s master. Hello, hello. I have heard so much about you. How should I address you?”

Long Shen shook his hands lightly. “My surname’s Long.”

Despite not revealing his full name, Chen Guoliang didn’t care but actually felt that this was the panache of a true master.

Thinking about how powerful Mr. Dong was, it naturally didn’t need to be said regarding his master.

Chen Guoliang stretched out a thumb that had a jade ring on it, and, like many enthusiastic Hong Kong people, he exclaimed repeatedly, “Long is a good surname. Only such an elegant name like that could be worthy of a master like you! No wonder, when I saw you from a distance, I thought you were very different. Now it’s even more amazing looking at you up close. It’s just like…”

The assistant finished the sentence for him. “An immortal! A person of wonder!”

Chen Guoliang: “Yes, yes. An immortal hidden among the mundane world.”

Dong Zhi: ……

After a wave of touting, Chen Guoliang thought he had ignored Dong Zhi, so he opened his mouth to prepare for the next wave. Dong Zhi seemed to sense this and quickly interrupted him. “When will the banquet start?”

Cheng Guoliang: “Tomorrow night! I have two invitations. You two…”

Dong Zhi said, “I’ll go with you. My master has other arrangements.”

Chen Guoliang was a little disappointed. He felt that having a master like Long Shen present would have a strong effect on his performance, but given that Dong Zhi was looking at him, he didn’t dare protest. He hurriedly said with a smile, “I have arranged a hotel for the two of you. How about the Four Seasons Hotel? It’s the best hotel in Hong Kong!”

They didn’t intend to play on this trip, so it didn’t matter where they were staying. Naturally, they had no opinions. Dong Zhi didn’t want Chen Guoliang to pay so they asked him for the cost and reimbursed him for the expense. Chen Guoliang didn’t expect that his flattery had rubbed them the wrong way, which made him a little annoyed for a while. He resolved to do everything he could next time to satisfy Dong Zhi.

Early the next morning, Long Shen left, saying that he had to make other arrangements. Chen Guoliang waited downstairs in the lobby on time at 8. He thought he would see Long Shen again, but when he learned the other party wasn’t there, he couldn’t help but be disappointed.

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “Master Chen, did you see a thicker thigh, so you no longer want my arm?”

Chen Guoliang was a slick person. When he heard this, he smiled and said, “How dare I? Your arm can stand up to dozens of others. You can take me down with just a finger. Besides, Mr. Long is a thigh, and you’re an arm. It’s a perfect match for you two father and son to fight a tiger*!”

*Referring to the idiom (打虎还得亲兄弟，上阵须教父子兵) which means regarding matters of life and death, only people who are as close to brothers and sons can do it together.

Naturally, he didn’t know the relationship between Long Shen and Dong Zhi, but hearing that they were a perfect match made Dong Zhi happy.

“Master Chen came here so early. Where are you taking me?”

Chen Guoliang asked, “Did you bring a suit?”

“No.”

Chen Guoliang seemed to have expected this answer, as he showed a confident smile. “Tonight’s dinner is dominated by people from the financial sector, the rich and powerful, and those from the entertainment industry. If you don’t have status, you can’t enter the venue, so you need to wear more formal clothing. I will take you to buy a suit.”

Dong Zhi didn’t expect that Chen Guoliang would be so mindful about this matter, so he thanked him. The two then went out together as Chen Guoliang’s assistant drove them to their destination.

On the way, Chen Guoliang asked how Dong Zhi’s stay last night went.

“I wonder if you have heard of the reputation of the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong? This is known as the Swiss Bank of Hong Kong. As long as you enter this hotel, all your personal information will be kept strictly confidential. No matter what your identity is outside, at the hotel it will be absolutely safe. I know you two came to do business and certainly wanted to keep it low-key, so I arranged this place for you. Are you and Mr. Long satisfied?”

The words were asked with respect and modesty, but his face showed a look that begged for praise.

Dong Zhi raised his eyebrows. “How do you know that we wanted to keep a low profile this time?”

Cheng Guoliang was stunned and thought, ‘Did my flattery rub him the wrong way again?’

Dong Zhi lowered his voice and said mysteriously, “Actually, did you know? With the confidentiality of this hotel, mixed with fish and dragons, also means that there’s likely someone who’s not human among us. Even if it kills someone, changes into their skin, and re-assumes their identity, no one will know.”

All of Chen Guoliang’s hair stood up. He immediately recalled that day when he followed Dong Zhi and saw Han Qi covered in blood, as well as her magic fetus.

“Stop, stop. Don’t say any more!”

Dong Zhi couldn’t hold it in and said happily, “I’m just teasing you. I can’t believe you fell for it!”

Chen Guoliang: ……

He wanted to get angry, but he didn’t dare, so he could only hold back his grievances.

Dong Zhi patted him on the shoulder. “Okay, you provided us with a good clue this time. If we can really find Qi Rui tonight, you’ll be rewarded for your contribution.”

Chen Guoliang immediately became excited. “What kind of reward?”

“What do you want?”

Chen Guoliang tentatively said, “Why don’t you teach me a move so that I can become someone like you?”

Dong Zhi glanced at him. Chen Guoliang immediately understood and pressed a button. A barrier rose between the driver’s seat and the back seat, blocking the front from hearing their conversation.

“Master Chen is very skilled in this business, just like an agent in a spy movie!” Dong Zhi joked.

Chen Guoliang smiled bitterly. “You joke. Those rich people come to me for help, so privacy is often required. I have no choice but to do so.”

Dong Zhi stopped harping on the issue and returned to the original topic.

“For those of us who cultivate, you either have a teacher or you have to join the Special Administration Bureau to get relevant training.”

Cheng Guoliang hesitated. “The requirements for the Special Administration are very strict, right? Since I took that ideology class, I should be able to pass the test. I still remember the words I was taught last time.”

“Then, can you recite the core values?”

When Chen Guoliang heard this, he straightened up his waist. “Prosperity, strength, democracy, civilized, harmony, patriotic, dedication, honesty, and friendliness!”

Dong Zhi was slightly impressed. “Do you really remember it in your heart?”

Chen Guoliang said proudly, “Of course. You have to be sincere!”

Dong Zhi said, “We plan to set up a liaison office in Hong Kong. After all, this is an international city where many forces converge. Once something happens, it’ll usually be one step late to get feedback from Pengcheng.”

Chen Guoliang’s eyes lit up, and he quickly agreed. “Yes, yes. It’s more convenient to have a liaison office!”

Dong Zhi said, “However, we are still investigating the liaison personnel. If Master Chen is interested, you can sign up.”

“What’s the main responsibility of this liaison officer?”

“The liaison officer is a non-staff member, so they are not considered part of the Special Administration Bureau, which means their task won’t be as heavy. The main purpose is for us to have a direct channel of contact. If something happens, you can contact us directly.”

Of course, such a liaison also wouldn’t be privy to too many things about the Special Administration Bureau to prevent secrets from leaking.

Chen Guoliang was really interested.

In fact, this position was tailored for him. Being who he was, Chen Guoliang wasn’t qualified to enter the Special Administration Bureau, but he wasn’t a bad person. He had a firm position and a bottom line. At best, he could be regarded as a not-so-bad person, but he did have extensive contacts in the three religions and a wide network in Hong Kong. This was very in line with the needs of the Special Administration Bureau. Therefore, after discussing it with Long Shen, Dong Zhi decided to give him a shot. The contact point in Hong Kong wouldn’t be affiliated with a branch office but would be directly under the jurisdiction of the General Administration Bureau.

Chen Guoliang hesitated for a moment, then smiled. “Then, may I ask, do non-staff also get paid?”

Dong Zhi smiled. “How about authentic talismans from a Taoist sect?”

Chen Guoliang’s eyes widened.

“There are exorcism talismans from Mount Longhu, Maoshan, Qingcheng, Yuanming Palace, and Mount Wusha. Wearing them can calm your nerves and dispel evil spirits, but I can’t give you much. Within the scope of my authority, I can only give you one every month. Don’t think this amount is too small. Although they are the most common exorcism talismans, fakes are rampant outside. I dare say that you can’t get an authentic Taoist talisman like this in all of Hong Kong!”

Chen Guoliang smiled hurriedly. “It’s enough. It’s enough!”

If he had these real goods in hand, he wouldn’t need to use tricks in the future. Not to mention he would develop a connection with the Special Administration as a result, which meant he would also have a big backer!

Dong Zhi seemed to see through his mind and said, “Don’t be too preemptively happy. Non-staff members also need to take a test before joining. The Special Administration Bureau is a law enforcement department, not a tool for you to show off your identity to the outside world. You must not disclose them to the public, and you must never use their names to deceive others, let alone do things that violate the law and national interests.”

“Understood, understood!” Chen Guoliang said it repeatedly with a bitter face. “Oh, Dong Ge, you look down on me. Although I’m native to Hong Kong, I’m also Chinese. How can I do anything that goes against national interests? Moreover, since I hadn’t formally entered a Taoist sect before, I could only rely on lip service. Now, in the future, I can really help others!”

“That would depend on actions rather than words. If you want to join, I will send you a form later. You can fill out your personal information. If you sign up, I’ll let you know if there’s news later.”

Chen Guoliang smiled.

Dong Zhi reminded him, “I know you have a close relationship with many rich people, but the most important thing in cultivation is to do good and accumulate virtue. This kindness is not only for the rich but also for the poor. We treat everyone equally. Don’t just make money and connections and forget about the important foundations of life. Otherwise, sooner or later, it will come back to bite you.”

Chen Guoliang hurriedly responded, “I now donate to charities every year, and in the future I will regularly go to welfare homes to distribute cold clothes and food to the elderly and actively participate in volunteer work!”

As they were talking, they had arrived at the mall, which was just opening. There was no one inside the store. Dong Zhi quickly picked out a suit and refused Chen Guoliang’s offer to pay. He took out a black card that Long Shen gave him, which shocked Chen Guoliang, who no longer dared rush to the checkout.

Long Shen hadn’t contacted Dong Zhi, nor did he tell him what he was planning, but Dong Zhi knew that the other party had his own business, most likely related to work, so he didn’t bother him. He went to lunch with Chen Guoliang.

After lunch, Chen Guoliang had an appointment, but he pushed it off because of Dong Zhi’s arrival. However, the other party kept calling, saying that it was an urgent matter. When Dong Zhi saw his predicament, he offered to go with Chen Guoliang to have a look. Naturally, Chen Guoliang was happy and hurriedly drove him to the client’s home.

The villa was located on a hillside. It was said that in the colonial era, only those bestowed the title of peacemakers by the British and the Queen of England were eligible to buy homes here. Naturally, there was no such rule now, but the price of these villas was still high, especially in Hong Kong.

The other party’s name was Nie Gui, the head of the Nie family. The Nie family was engaged in real estate and the jewelry business in Hong Kong. The family’s business was not publicly listed, but according to a gossip newspaper, their assets should be within the top ten in Hong Kong. However, none of this was earned by Nie Gui, who was your typical second-generation dandy. He had been eating, drinking, and having fun since returning from studying abroad. However, his parents suddenly died, and the huge industry fell into his hands. It was said a while ago that Nie Gui went to court with his uncles and brothers and fought several lawsuits before finally getting most of the business, but the Nie family didn’t continue to flourish under his hands. Recently, there had been rumors that Nie Gui had been lingering in nightclubs, chasing women all night long. Everyone said that the Nie family would sooner or later end in his hands.

And it was this Mr. Nie who contacted Chen Guoliang at this time. As soon as Dong Zhi saw him, he felt that this person hadn’t slept for a few days, as his eyes were sunken and there were heavy bags under them.

Nie Gui’s temper was also a bit impatient. When he saw Dong Zhi come in, he thought he was Chen Guoliang’s assistant, so he waved his hand and said, “Master Chen, just the two of us today. Let your assistant go outside and wait!”

Chen Guoliang said hurriedly, “This is Master Dong, who is a very powerful practitioner. Today, he happened to be visiting Hong Kong to do business. To give me face, he came specially with me. With multiple people, we can help Mr. Nie much better!”

Dong Zhi looked too young, and his baby face was cute and harmless. When Chen Guoliang introduced him like this, Nie Gui looked at Dong Zhi suspiciously for a while before he extended a hand.

“Master Dong, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Dong Zhi didn’t mind his attitude. Since entering the Special Administration Bureau, he had seen such attitudes before, including Chen Guoliang, and later, without exception, such attitudes would change 180°.

Nie Gui began to talk about his own affairs. In fact, it was simple. It was nothing more than that he had recently lost energy. He always felt that he didn’t sleep enough, which made him more tired during the day. He had drunk many traditional Chinese medicines and taken various supplements, but they weren’t effective. He always felt that someone was whispering in his ears, so he went to the hospital for an examination. The result came back that there was nothing wrong with him; no auditory hallucinations, no mental illness—so Nie Gui had to turn from science to metaphysics and ask for Chen Guoliang’s help.

Chen Guoliang asked him if he had encountered any strange people or things recently. Naturally, he said no, but his expression was weird, making it easy to doubt his words.

“I haven’t been in good health recently, so I haven’t even gone to nightclubs!” Speaking of this, Nie Gui lowered his voice. “Master Chen, do you think I’m being haunted by a vixen?”

Chen Guoliang: “I don’t think so? You said you always hear someone talking in your ear. Do you remember what they said?”

Nie Gui scratched his head and said, “It seems to be my mother talking, but I don’t remember exactly what she said. When she’s still alive, she always nags me, saying I’m the only child, and they’re worried I’ll be bullied by my uncles and brothers after they leave, but I’m fine, aren’t I? Master Chen, do you think it’s my mother’s ghost that has not moved on? Do we need to do a ritual or something?”

The corner of Chen Guoliang’s mouth twitched. He wanted to say, “It wasn’t you who killed your mother, so why would her spirit haunt you?” but he heard Dong Zhi say, “I saw it.”

Nie Gui was puzzled. “What did you see?”

Dong Zhi: “Your mother. She came down from the stairs and is now standing at the bottom looking at you.”

Nie Gui suddenly turned around and saw no one at the stairway. Soon his scalp exploded, and he had goosebumps all over his body.

Dong Zhi said slowly, “She’s wearing a bright yellow skirt and a top hat, and she seems unhappy. Oh, she started talking. She said that you are alone, with no one to care about you now. All you do is go pick up girls all day long. Given that your business has already shrunk by half, you will lose all of the Nie family’s business sooner or later, even if you don’t have relatives fighting with you.”

Nie Gui’s face turned pale. He was about to open his mouth to retort but was interrupted by Dong Zhi. “Oh, she’s speaking again. She said that she always wanted you to start a family before she died, but you didn’t want to. At this rate, it’s better that you have erectile dysfunction so you don’t go out all night and catch something.”

Nie Gui’s face turned even paler.

“Mom! You can’t treat me like this. Aren’t you cursing your own son? If I get erectile dysfunction, who will take over the Nie family!”

Dong Zhi said coldly, “You can adopt, or it can be directly inherited by your uncle and others when you get sick and die.”

Nie Gui looked angry, as if he were about to attack something, but Dong Zhi’s next sentence, “Your mother is waiting for you to speak,” immediately shut him up.

Chen Guoliang was secretly happy when he saw this. He had long heard that the Nie family was headed by a woman. When Nie Gui’s mother was alive, the affairs of the company were basically decided by her. Under the standard style of a strong woman, children would either be cowardly and incompetent or rebellious and debauched. Nie Gui was obviously a combination of the two. He wasn’t afraid of heaven and earth, but only his mother.

It was indeed an effective move by his mother. Nie Gui promised that he wouldn’t go out and mess around in the future. He would reform himself and learn how to run the family business, and he wouldn’t lose the business that his grandfather and mother had built and left behind for him.

Dong Zhi also gave him a talisman.

“This is a soothing talisman. After you wear it, your body and sleep will gradually improve. If you do more good deeds and accumulate virtue, the previous unhappiness will naturally disappear, but the ghost will continue to live here. If you relapse, even the gods may not be able to save you, let alone Master Chen.”

Nie Gui looked at the talisman suspiciously. “Is this really useful?”

Dong Zhi drew back his hand. “Then I’ll just take it back.”

Nie Gui hurriedly snatched the talisman back. “I was just speaking casually!”

Dong Zhi said, “Don’t move. I will help regulate your body now.”

In fact, Nie Gui didn’t initially put Dong Zhi in his sights at first, but he discovered that it was Dong Zhi who did everything from beginning to end. Chen Guoliang rarely interrupted, and it could be seen that his attitude towards Dong Zhi was also very respectful. It didn’t take a smart man to realize who was the dominant of the two, let alone Nie Gui.

However, he was uneasy about how young Dong Zhi looked. At this time, he saw the other party flick him on both sides of the shoulders, asked him to sit down again, and pressed on his baihui point.

“Wake up!”

In Chen Guoliang’s ears, Dong Zhi’s volume was about the same as usual, but in Nie Gui’s ears, the sound was nothing short of a jackhammer. With a sudden ringing in his eardrums, his mind was suddenly awakened by a deafening wake-up call.

Nie Gui’s eyes suddenly changed when he looked at Dong Zhi.

“Master, Master, what divine art did you use on me? Why do I feel as if my spirit has all of a sudden improved?”

“This is called a Lion’s Roar.” Dong Zhi’s expression became more profound in Nie Gui’s eyes.

He didn’t explain much, but Nie Gui felt that this was how things should be. A master should be arrogant and temperamental.

“Master, can you,” Nie Gui leaned closer and lowered his voice, “send my mother away. With her here, I’m under a lot of pressure!”

Dong Zhi said, “She hasn’t had her wish fulfilled, so I can’t forcibly send her away. This is against the harmony of heaven, understand? And it’s useless to whisper to me. She heard everything and has been staring at you this whole time.”

Nie Gui’s face turned pale.

Dong Zhi said, “When you get married, have children, and turn to the path of righteousness, she will naturally leave as soon as her wish is fulfilled. Remember what I said. Otherwise, no matter how much you try, it’ll be useless even for me to help you.”

Nie Gui responded with a bitter face.

Chen Guoliang finally spoke. “Mr. Nie, you are also attending tonight’s dinner, right?”

Nie Gui nodded. “Yes, why? Is Master Cheng going too?”

Chen Guoliang smiled and said, “Mr. Dong wants to find Mr. An. Can you help with the introduction, Mr. Nie?”

Mr. An was the gold master of Qi Rui. The An family was also a famous and powerful family in Hong Kong. Mr. An was also recognized as a peacekeeper, so his family background was a bit deeper than the Nie’s. Chen Guoliang hoped to make a good impression on Dong Zhi, so naturally he had to do his best, but he had no friendship with the An family and was worried he would be treated coldly. If Nie Gui was there, the scene would be much better.

Nie Guo agreed. “No problem. I’ll take care of it!”

Now that he had witnessed Dong Zhi’s abilities with his own eyes, he no longer had any doubts.

“Master, can you give me your contact information? If there’s anything wrong, would it be convenient for me to contact you?” Nie Gui’s Mandarin wasn’t very good, so he often speaks sloppily and bluntly.

Dong Zhi gave him his number. Nie Gui wanted to give him a red envelope, but he was rejected. Nie Gui regarded him as a respectable master and enthusiastically retained them for afternoon tea. Chen Guoliang felt that this was a good opportunity to get closer and kept making eye contact with Dong Zhi, but Dong Zhi didn’t seem to notice his “ogles” and inferred that they had something to do, so they left the Nie villa shortly after.

Nie Gui felt reluctant to let them go. “Master, see you tonight!”

Sitting in the car, Chen Guoliang looked puzzled.

“Dong Ge, do we have something else to do?”

This form of address was confusing as he was older than Dong Zhi, but Dong Zhi didn’t bother to correct him.

Dong Zhi said casually, “No, but if we stay any longer, he will definitely ask me to ask his mother about business matters and pass on the information to him. I can’t just make things up on the fly. Of 36 strategies, the best is to get away at once*!”

*(三十六计走为上计) Idiom referring to once you reach an irreversible point, there’s no other way but to run away. This comes from the original saying that refers to if you’re unable to resist the enemy, the best policy is to escape.

Chen Guoliang was speechless. “Did you lie to him just now?”

Dong Zhi blinked. “Of course. Do you think there are that many monsters and ghosts out there that you can just run into them so casually? He’s not sick at all. It’s just that he’s been overindulging in sex, leading to dysfunction, mental fatigue, and hallucinations.”

Chen Guoliang felt that his brain seemed to have rusted, and he was left speechless for a while.

“Then how did you describe what Madam Nie’s clothes were?”

Dong Zhi said, “That’s easy. There’s information online. I just checked on the way there. His mother’s photo is also on the internet, so I just picked an outfit.”

Chen Guoliang was at a loss. “And what’s the point of pressing his baihu just now?”

“He’s been upside down day and night for a long time. His yang was declining and his yin growing. After so long, he wouldn’t be able to raise it, so I raised his yang fire on his shoulder a little higher, then used the Lion’s Roar to restore his sanity. As long as he doesn’t go to sleep drunk, he’ll slowly get better.”

“The truth mingles with the false, what’s false is true, and what’s true is false. You have great skills, just like a master in the art of war!” Chen Guoliang stood in awe and gave him a thumbs up. “Dong Ge, you are really born to do business. You’re simply talented and have deep wisdom. Why don’t we start a company together? I’m sure that within a few years, we’ll take over the world!”

Dong Zhi didn’t know how to reply to this and could only say, “I’m a public official. Unless there are special work needs, I’m not allowed to take on private work.”

Chen Guoliang’s face was full of regret. “Then it’s not a problem with money?”

Dong Zhi gave him a look.

Chen Guoliang laughed. “Yes, yes. I know public officials in Hong Kong are also like this, so how could I not be aware of the rules in the mainland?”

Dong Zhi: “Then shall we find some time to participate in ideological education again?”

Chen Guoliang immediately shut up.

This episode didn’t delay them too much. At this time, it was about two hours before the banquet. Many people would arrive in advance. Chen Guoliang took Dong Zhi to get his hair styled. Seeing that the time was getting closer, the two of them arrived at the Peninsula Hotel and presented the invitation letter at the door. The waiter then led them into the banquet hall.

Recently, an international financial forum was held in Hong Kong, so the banquet was also hosted for these guests. When Dong Zhi and Chen Guoliang arrived, there were already many people present. Naturally, there were those who liked to flaunt and would arrive late to show off their status.

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The author has something to say:

A small theater that has nothing to do with the text:

He Yu: Boss, look at Dong Zhi. Now he’s more deceitful than anyone else. I don’t know where he got it from.

Long Shen: From you.

He Yu: … No, according to the script, you should ask me what’s wrong.

Long Shen: What’s wrong?

He Yu: Last time I saw a man named Nie Gui calling him and saying that he has changed and asking if Dong Zhi could send his mother away. Later, I asked Dong Zhi what was going on. Boss, be careful when you’re sold by him to help count money.

Long Shen: It’s okay. He has a black card and a secondary card, so he’s not short of money.

He Yu: According to the script, you should say that you’re willing to be sold by him… Wait, no. Why does he have a black and a secondary card? I want one too!!! I want to recharge my game packs and buy a new character! Hey, wait, Boss, where are you going?!

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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 109

When Dong Zhi “walked” forward out of the disordered jungle, he could “see” a small path. The road was the most rudimentary dirt road in the countryside, as if it had been formed by being trampled thousands of times by humans. It was muddy and difficult to walk, but Dong Zhi didn’t have much feeling. After all, he wasn’t an entity now. When he moved forward, he got a wider view and could “see” the smoke from the distant village, and nearby was an abrupt and conspicuous stockade.

The stockade stood by the water’s edge, just across from the village. The villagers on the other side of the river were extremely careful when drawing water. They didn’t dare cross even half a step past the river.

Dong Zhi took a few “glances” in a daze, then turned his gaze on the house in front of him. He floated into the house along with his own mind.

The light suddenly dimmed.

A dark-skinned young man was kneeling in front of a middle-aged man, listening to his teachings.

They communicated in the local language. Dong Zhi “listened” but didn’t understand, so he turned to “look” at the surrounding furniture.

Everything around could be considered weird. The walls were hung with skeletons and animal skulls of different shapes and sizes, along with a mess of talisman papers with runes painted on them. Dong Zhi carefully examined it and determined that it wasn’t a Chinese talisman. He couldn’t identify the runes on the talismans at all. There were colorful feather arrows on the table and a row of urns in the corner. Looking at them at a glance, he counted about ten in each row.

The urns’ shapes ranged from fat to thin. Although he didn’t know what was in them, it would inexplicably arouse a feeling that it wasn’t anything good.

Since he couldn’t understand what they were saying, Dong Zhi didn’t stay long and floated from the passage behind the door to another room.

The same darkness.

The furnishings were pretty much the same as well.

The difference was that there was a messy head half-hidden in the dark. Its cheek was still moving like a living person.

There was a mass of trembling flesh on the ground. When Dong Zhi looked closely, it was a fat person. She was holding a rag in her hand and was wiping the floor.

At this time the head actually spoke.

“Ugly woman. Just the sight of you disgusts me. Get out!”

The woman’s fat body trembled for a while, as if trying to get up, but eventually she knelt on the ground and kept shivering.

Before Dong Zhi got any closer, the middle-aged man, who was in the front room just now, came in.

The woman was finally pardoned under the instructions of the other party, and she retreated quickly. The middle-aged man began to communicate with the head and spoke very quickly. For a short time, the two seemed to be having an unpleasant conversation. The head began to speak loudly in an angry tone. The middle-aged man snorted coldly, but didn’t continue to argue with him and instead walked to the back of the room.

At this time, Che Bai’s voice no longer sounded in his ear. Intuitively, Dong Zhi felt he wanted to follow the middle-aged man instead of staying where he was, so he quickly followed him closely. He went through a corridor and came into a hut without a trace of light.

He kind of understood the spell that Che Bai used on him. It was a bit like “clairvoyance”. He was following the breath of the witchdoctor who cursed him and had directly traced it to someone in this hideout, so he was now equivalent to a cloud of illusory consciousness. He had no entity or even a soul.

This kind of spell that could trace thousands of miles was naturally extremely powerful. So far, although Dong Zhi couldn’t identify who the person who cursed him was due to the language barrier, he had received enough information.

In the hut, the middle-aged man, who had been arrogant and calm in front of the young man and the head, had become like a sheep in a blink of an eye. He knelt down on his knees in front of an offering table. Even his tone of speech was pious and respectful. There was a person sitting in the dark with his eyes slightly closed, but the middle-aged man didn’t even dare raise his head as he whispered softly. His forehead remained on the ground for fear of disturbing the other party.

Most of the time, it was the middle-aged man talking. The person in the dark occasionally responded to a sentence or two. His tone was strange. His voice didn’t seem to come from his throat, but rather from the void. With a sense of haziness, there seemed to be an invisible barrier around him that prevented Dong Zhi from moving forward.

However, Dong Zhi wasn’t reconciled. He had a hunch that this person was important and perhaps related to the witchdoctor who cursed him or perhaps even the heavenly demon, so he tried his best to break through the barrier with his consciousness and observe the man closer.

The barrier was like plasticine with excellent elasticity. He tried his best to move forward but was always fiercely rejected. However, Dong Zhi refused to admit defeat. He chanted the spell for the sunlight talisman and finally tore a hole in the barrier. His “entire being” rushed in.

The man suddenly opened his eyes!

Dong Zhi looked straight into it, and his heart couldn’t help but be shocked. He couldn’t help but think, ‘Bad’, believing that he had been discovered.

At this time, he saw the man’s face clearly. It wasn’t the monstrous face that he had seen in his dream, but an ordinary middle-aged face. There were still traces on his face that showed proper maintenance from the past, but now it was green and black, like an evil ghost, and it looked somewhat familiar.

Then he heard the man laugh coldly and actually speak in Chinese.

“Look, you have brought guests. Do you not know how to entertain?!”

The middle-aged man looked up blankly, obviously unable to see Dong Zhi’s existence.

The man in the dark stretched out a hand and pointed towards Dong Zhi.

“He is there. There.”

Before the middle-aged man was ordered to attack, Dong Zhi went straight to the man in the darkness to “attack” him.

He was extremely fast. At that moment, he quickly recited the heavenly thunder incantation, hoping that his consciousness could attract lightning so he could use it to kill this person directly, but at that moment, a sneer suddenly sounded in his ear.

The laughter was even more gloomy than just now. It was cold and creepy, as if the ice and snow covering a rotting corpse in the depths of a primeval forest on a winter’s night were poured directly into one’s bones. Dong Zhi felt his “eardrums” trembling and in pain. His “body” seemed to be blocked by something. He was far from his opponent, but he could no longer move. He guessed that his body was likely to react, but he didn’t put much thought into it. He recited the incantation over and over again, and the cold laughter never stopped, echoing repeatedly in all directions, hauntingly as they got closer and closer.

“You’re so bold. I didn’t go to you, but instead you came to me. It’s better that you stay!”

The last word that was spat out was as if there were a mouth right next to his ear. It felt like a hammer hitting his mind hard, and Dong Zhi’s consciousness started to blur. He could no longer recite the heavenly thunder incantation and was almost led away like this.

But soon, Che Bai’s voice sounded from above.

“Om!”

The morning bells and evening drums and the Sanskrit sounds washed away like dirt. All the turbidity was swept away. His mind was greatly shaken as it slowly returned to clarity from the chaos!

This was the first word from the Dharma mantra¹. Legends had it that the bodhisattva² Avalokiteśvara³ granted this mantra to mortals so that they could cleanse their minds from earthly asceticism, suppress the sounds of demons, eliminate all diseases, purify karmic hindrances, and remove all evil spirits.

¹[Om mani padme hum] Six-syllable Sanskrit mantra associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteśvara. The precise meaning and significance of the words remain much discussed by Buddhist scholars. The literal meaning in English has been expressed as “praise to the jewel in the lotus”, or as a declarative aspiration possibly meaning “I in the jewel-lotus”.
²A person on the path towards bodhi (‘awakening’) or Buddhahood. Basically, reaching enlightenment.
³A bodhisattva who embodies all the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, though in Chinese Buddhism, he has evolved into a female form called Guanshiyin.

Dong Zhi clearly saw the man’s face change heavily. The pressure that imprisoned him suddenly became clear.

“It turns out rescuers are brought in. No wonder you have nothing to fear!”

The man sneered again, but Dong Zhi had no time to listen. His consciousness was quickly dragged back by a force, escaping the room, the stockade, and the dense forest.

Dong Zhi’s body shook suddenly. Blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth, but this time it wasn’t black but normal bright red blood. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Long Shen and Che Bai sitting in front of him.

“Boss Che?”

Che Bai also happened to open his eyes and look at him. “How do you feel?”

Dong Zhi said, “My chest hurts a little.”

Che Bai said, “This is normal. You just confronted a heavenly demon. Even if it hasn’t been fully resurrected, it’s still a legendary heavenly demon, nonetheless. Just now, you only had a ray of consciousness, not even your soul. If you rashly try to summon thunder, you won’t attract it and instead will get burned in the end.”

Dong Zhi said in shame, “I was reckless. Thank you, Boss Che, for rescuing me.”

Che Bai said, “You’re not in the wrong. I didn’t tell you what to do in advance just now. I just wanted you to sneak up on the demon. If I had mentally prepared you, he would have noticed your vigilance. It’s just…”

He sighed. “I’m far less powerful now than before. In the end, I still couldn’t lift your curse. I can only suppress it temporarily, so you won’t have an attack for a period of time. Treating the symptoms won’t eliminate the cause. If you want to completely resolve this problem, you have to find the one who cursed you. The demon has not yet formed, and he was just injured again by me, so he won’t recover so quickly in a short period of time.”

Long Shen said, “You’ve bought us enough time.”

Dong Zhi said sincerely, “Thank you, Boss Che. I thought I was going to die. It’s all thanks to your hard work!”

Che Bai waved his hand and smiled wearily. He looked obviously much older than he was just now. The lines in the corners of his eyes became a bit deeper.

“Even if you didn’t mean a lot to Long Shen and was just an ordinary member of the Special Administration Bureau, if I can, I will do my best.”

Dong Zhi suspected that Che Bai had seen through his relationship with Long Shen, but Che Bai had spoken as if it was uninteresting.

Watching Che Bai go back to rest, Dong Zhi couldn’t hide his uneasiness.

“Master, Boss Che’s body won’t be affected because of me, right?”

Long Shen shook his head. “No one in the world can live forever, not even spiritual weapons. This is simply the cycle of life and death. Boss Che is simply reaching that point, and it has nothing to do with you.”

Since Dong Zhi learned of Che Bai’s original form, he had subconsciously regarded the branch director as a walking ancient tree who was extremely precious. He couldn’t help but sigh when he heard this.

Long Shen smiled when he saw that Dong Zhi still had time to worry about others.

“Boss Che has bought us some time. We must use it to find the witchdoctor. What did you see just now?”

Dong Zhi described the jungle and stockade he saw. He had a good memory, and he was an artist. The description was very pictorial, and he could remember it all at once.

“That stockade should be the lair of the witchdoctor, and it seems he worships Mara, so he must have a lot of ties with him… Regarding that man, it should be Han Qi’s gold master, Hong Rui, and that fat woman should be Han Qi’s former agent, Dong Qiaolan. I have seen their photos before. It seems that they also have something to do with Mara!”

Having said that, Long Shen frowned. “It’s strange. The man I saw in my dream last time was shaven and was very young and beautiful. Why does Mara look like Hong Rui this time? Could it be that Mara, like the Archfiend, can wear different human skins?”

Long Shen said, “Mara has not been fully resurrected and formed. What you saw in your dream is the real form of his consciousness condensed, and what you saw just now should be him temporarily possessing Hong Rui’s body. Most likely, it makes it more convenient for him to act.”

Dong Zhi was surprised. He didn’t expect a great demon with an evil nature like Mara would have such a beautiful appearance.

Long Shen seemed to sense what he was thinking and said, “Demons are invisible and colorless, but in order to confuse the world, naturally they will give birth to bodies that appeal to the world so they can recruit more believers. Although Mara hasn’t taken shape yet, it can still fight Boss Che through the void. Most likely, the day for its resurrection is not far off. Once Mara is resurrected, wherever it goes, it will become hell on earth.”

A heavenly demon didn’t necessarily need to kill in person. It could use its demagogue to compel and manipulate human sanity and use them to its will, just like turning Hong Rui into its own believer to set up a pit for Han Qi. Playing with human lives like they were at the palm of its hands. It was true that Han Qi also had weaknesses. If she wasn’t greedy for fame and fortune, wanting to climb over the dragon and attach to the phoenix*, she wouldn’t have been taken advantage of by Hong Rui, but everyone had weaknesses. If someone liked honey today, the demon would transform the poppies into honey. It was tempting to become addicted, and one wouldn’t be able to stop it. Tomorrow, if someone gave birth to traces of evil thoughts, under the influence of a demon, their evil thoughts would expand unknowingly and eventually make them do heartless things.

*(攀龙附凤) Idiom referring to attaching yourself to someone powerful in order to achieve prosperity.

After all, everyone had demons in their hearts. It was only dependent on whether they could stick to their original intentions and prevent evil thoughts from prevailing. However, that was simple to say, but many in the world couldn’t do it.

Although the curse on Dong Zhi was suppressed, they still faced a great problem now.

As soon as they go abroad, the name of the Special Administration Bureau would no longer be useful. It was also in Southeast Asia, which was usually not an issue to travel to. However, once you wanted to do something serious, you would face all kinds of forces, which were bound to make things difficult to move. In some areas where armed forces had seceded, even the local government wouldn’t be good.

Under such circumstances, finding an unnamed black-magic master was tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack. Long Shen had asked the White-Robed Association for help, but it would be impossible to find anything for a while. He was unwilling to tell these things to Dong Zhi as it would only add to his troubles, and Dong Zhi naturally didn’t ask, remaining calm so as not to put any pressure on Long Shen.

When the stone tablet was unearthed last time, the Northwest Branch had become quite lively. Now that the seal on the stone tablet had been strengthened and there were people stationed there to guard it, the manpower had been dispatched elsewhere to look for other stone tablets, so it had suddenly become deserted, which was a good thing as, contrary to what one may think, if it was lively it usually meant there was trouble. Since there was no liveliness, there was no need for Long Shen, a deputy director from the General Administration, to supervise and inspect. He had long been accustomed to working, but now that he was free, he felt a bit out of place.

Dong Zhi proposed they go to the natural history museum. In fact, he had already been to Xi’an. The museum was naturally a must-see place for art students. However, since he became a practitioner, he couldn’t help but look at antiques through a different lens, as they remind him of his master. Though he wasn’t able to witness the moment his master transformed, when he looked at ancient swords, it made him feel a bit better about his regret.

Long Shen shook his head and said he didn’t want to go.

While those artifacts were rare treasures to the eyes of ordinary people, in Long Shen’s view, for various reasons, they no longer had the opportunity to take form and turn into humans. It wasn’t beneficial to look at them but, on the contrary, actually added to the sorrow.

Dong Zhi held his master’s slender hand and felt that his master had not seen enough.

“Then is there anywhere you want to go? The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda? The Stele Forest? Or maybe Tang Paradise?

Long Shen thought for a while and said, “Let’s go to the food market.”

The food market, regardless of the season or whether it was a holiday or not, best reflected the eating habits of the people of the country because it was bustling all year round. It was packed with people walking shoulder-to-shoulder. Dong Zhi thought Long Shen would dislike such a place, but he didn’t expect for him to take the initiative to come.

The two of them ate hot and sour dumpling soup and hulatang. After eating a few barbeque skewers, Dong Zhi felt full. He could only look at the roasted chicken he had just packed up with a tangled face. If Kan Chaosheng were here, let alone this roasted chicken, the food market would be emptied.

Though it was Long Shen’s suggestion to come, he didn’t eat much himself. The two of them found a place to sit and watch the noise. White smoke was steaming out, and they couldn’t hear what each other were saying unless they spoke loudly.

In the midst of the excitement, Long Shen’s expression was peaceful and calm. He didn’t care about what to eat or whether it was noisy or not. It seemed he was far more interested in the crowd than the food itself.

Upon seeing this, Dong Zhi joked, “Master, are you here to people watch?”

Long Shen nodded.

Watching the fireworks and the various states of the world, seeing the joys and sorrows of all beings, and truly feeling those living their lives were precious existences that needed to be guarded. Of course, there was countless darkness in the world, which often discouraged the weak-willed, but anyone who put in effort, even if it was like Jingwei filling the sea¹, or Kuafu chasing the sun², one could not say that the world was hopeless.

¹The original idiom tells of the god bird Jingwei bringing wood and stones, determined to fill the sea. In the old days, it’s a metaphor for deep hatred and determination to take revenge. Now, it refers to a firm will that’s not afraid of difficulties. You can read the story by clicking the Wikipedia link.
²The original idiom tells a story of Kuafu wanting to pluck the sun, so he began to race against it. Eventually he died of thirst, and after his death, his walking stick turned into a peach forest, and his body turned into Kuafu Mountain. It’s now used to refer to people who are brave and optimistic and willing to overcome all obstacles to reach their goal. You can read the story by clicking the Wikipedia link.

Dong Zhi’s heart was moved.

Somehow, he now understood Long Shen’s thoughts more. With just a look and one sentence, Dong Zhi could understand the other party’s words and what he was thinking.

In fact, Long Shen had never been difficult to understand. He could even be called pure and simple, but no one had ever been willing to patiently understand him before, and he had never stopped to wait for others to understand.

By chance, Dong Zhi became this person, not only because he was willing to take the initiative but also because Long Shen was willing to open up and let him in.

The man he loved had great love in his heart and a heavy burden on his shoulders. His eyes could hold the entire world.

At this time, it would be too petty to make a joke and ask what would be more important, him or the world, but Dong Zhi stilled joked, “Then am I a small responsibility attached to master?”

Long Shen lowered his head and looked at the hands that were tightly clasped together. He suddenly smiled slightly.

“You are a small caprice of mine.”

Responsibility was deeply imprinted in the bones, but capriciousness came from the heart.

Dong Zhi was stunned. The hot feeling immediately spread from the neck up, as if he had just drank a bowl of spicy soup. His stomach was burning, but it wasn’t uncomfortable when it dissipated into every pore of his body.

He used to see Long Shen as cold and stern, but he didn’t know that such a person would be so deadly to pick up. Every sentence Long Shen said could hit the softest part of his heart, take root, sprout, and never be pulled out again.

“Master, when did you change your mind about me and discover that… there is more than just a relationship between master and apprentice?”

After the huge impact from a few days ago, he started to calm down. This question lingered in his heart for a long time. It may not be that Long Shen mistook his sympathy for love, but perhaps out of curiosity or puzzlement.

If he said it was on the beach that night and it was simply a random idea, that would certainly be impossible.

Long Shen talked less and often did more, but every time he did something, he always considered the outcome of his decision. He was by no means an impulsive person.

But if it wasn’t that night, then when?

After thinking about it carefully, when they were separated for a period of time after they became master and apprentice, during that time, Dong Zhi experienced many things in Lucheng. He saw Long Shen’s past from the illusion derived from the Changshou Sword, and his state of mind changed a lot.

But what about Long Shen?

Long Shen thought for a while, then shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Facing Dong Zhi’s faintly expectant and instantly dim gaze, Long Shen smiled.

“I have something to show you when we get back. I can’t explain clearly here.”

As soon as his voice fell, Dong Zhi’s phone rang.

The caller ID displayed Chen Guoliang.

Dong Zhi raised his brows and looked at Long Shen, who motioned for him to answer.

Pressing the accept button, Dong Zhi smiled and said, “Master Chen, are you planning to come to the mainland to develop your business again and are calling me to report in advance?”

“No, no!” Chen Guoliang laughed. He would never set foot back on the mainland for at least another 3 to 5 years. He was afraid that this master would catch him and send him to the bureau for ideological education again. “It’s good news. I found the person you asked me to pay attention to last time!”

Dong Zhi sat up straight all of a sudden. “Qi Rui?!”

After Han Qi’s incident, Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo investigated Qi Rui. She was best friends with Han Qi’s former agent, Dong Qiaolan, and she was the one who was most likely to know the whereabouts of Dong Qiaolan and Hong Rui. She was so addicted to gambling that she owed a lot of debt on the mainland, so she went back to Hong Kong to escape her debts. Since then, her whereabouts have been unknown. At the time, Dong Zhi speculated that Qi Rui might’ve gone to Macau to avoid the limelight. There was a casino there, so she could satisfy her addiction, but after several undercover searches, they didn’t get any news about her.

Now Cheng Guoliang called and said he knew her whereabouts.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Avalokiteśvara

Also known as Avalokitasvara, is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, one notable avatar being Padmapāṇi. He is variably depicted, described, and portrayed in various cultures as either male or female. In Chinese Buddhism, he has evolved into the female form called Guanshiyin.

—

Guanyin

a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She was first given the appellation “Goddess of Mercy” or “Mercy Goddess” by Jesuit missionaries in China. Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means “[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World.”

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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 108

When Dong Zhi woke up the next day, as usual, he habitually lay in bed for a while, confirmed his position, then slowly woke up. He leaned to the side casually but touched a warm body. He couldn’t help being startled and quickly turned his head.

The spacious bed was enough for two people. He used to sleep on one side while letting the other side be empty with pillows, but now instead of pillows, there was a person lying there. The other person had a perfect appearance, but his eyes were closed, as if he were seducing others to wake him up with a kiss.

After Dong Zhi stared for a while, he looked away and turned his gaze to the ceiling, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up quietly, the arc becoming bigger and wider.

“What are you smiling about?”

Dong Zhi didn’t know when the person next to him had woken up. Long Shen’s voice didn’t seem sleepy. Perhaps he had woken up a while ago and was just closing his eyes to refresh his mind.

“Master, can you pinch me?”

Dong Zhi was in a daze upon seeing Long Shen. He felt that this request would be too strange, so he coughed lightly. “I dreamed of the heavenly demon on the plane before, so I’m afraid everything now is an illusion woven by him…”

Naturally, Long Shen didn’t pinch him but instead responded by giving Dong Zhi a kiss. When the other party was almost out of breath, Long Shen finally eased up.

The hot and humid breath slowly rose, when suddenly Dong Zhi remembered a serious problem.

“Is the curse contagious?”

“What?” Long Shen didn’t understand.

Dong Zhi said embarrassedly, “Transmitting through kissing.”

He thought of this because he had heard that the poison the Gu witches used was actually a kind of bacteria that entered the body through direct contact between humans. If curses were homologous to gu, then they should follow the same principle.

“No.”

Long Shen didn’t know where his apprentice had gone with his rich imagination. Even if it was contagious, they had kissed so many times last night that it was too late now.

Dong Zhi blushed and took the initiative to put his arms around Long Shen’s neck. “Then kiss again?”

Long Shen saw Dong Zhi’s shyness and anxiety, so he lowered his head and gave Dong Zhi another peck on the lips.

“Getting up?”

Dong Zhi shook his head. He was staring at the blue sea and bright sky outside, in a room with a comfortable temperature, in the company of the person he loved most, and he wanted this moment to last forever.

Long Shen rarely had leisure, so he didn’t rush Dong Zhi. The two cuddled like this, quietly leaning on the bedside while enjoying the hard-won tender moments.

“Master.”

“Hmm.”

“When the Changshou Sword was stained with my blood, it took me to a fantasy realm and showed me a vision of all you have experienced. Is the Changshou Sword your clone?”

“No.” Long Shen frowned slightly. He didn’t expect such a situation from the Changshou Sword.

Dong Zhi looked at Long Shen. “Does it have a spirit inside it?”

Long Shen was silent for a moment. “Did you see the process of how I was forged in the vision?”

Dong Zhi didn’t know whether this would offend the privacy of the artifact spirit and felt a little uneasy. “I saw it, but I didn’t mean to. The time and place that the Changshou Sword showed me seemed to be random.”

“I know.” Long Shen didn’t accuse him. “Then do you remember how I was formed?”

Naturally, Dong Zhi remembered.

“From the qi of the air of the mountains, the spirit of the green wood, the ice of the sky, the dew without roots, the chalcedony of the earth, the brilliance of the stars, the essence of the sun and moon, and the blood of Ou Yezi?”

Long Shen nodded. “These eight things are fused together and eventually refined into my sword. After thousands of years, they helped me transform and take shape so that I could decompose my own essence more easily than ordinary people. When you left Beijing, I injected a ray of my soul into the Changshou Sword, which is why when you dreamt of the heavenly demon on the plane, I could sense it.”

Dong Zhi also remembered. At that time, they did take a special passage, and he took the Changshou Sword with him. When he dreamed, he held it and didn’t let go.

He was slightly shaken.

He never thought that Long Shen had liked him so early. His master took such trouble because he was afraid that he was a fledgling, didn’t have the experience, and would lose his life. That was why Long Shen sent a wisp of his soul into the sword so he could perceive Dong Zhi’s situation at any time.

In this way, the spring breeze and rain gave life*, silently nourishing him. If he hadn’t asked about it today, he would’ve never known.

*(春风化雨) Metaphor referring to good edification and education. || It’s basically saying Long Shen is a very good master because he was looking out for his disciple all this time.

But did he deserve to be treated this well by Long Shen?

“Master, can you take your soul back?”

Long Shen shook his head but didn’t explain much. He only said, “No, it doesn’t have much effect on me.”

Dong Zhi took Long Shen’s hands and clasped them.

“I think the most correct thing I have done in my life was on Changbai Mountain. Even when you said it was impossible for me to join the Special Administration Bureau, I didn’t give up.”

Long Shen smiled faintly but didn’t say it. It was precisely because Dong Zhi was unwilling to give up no matter what, and he passed the written test and interview with excellent grades, and he didn’t give up on any ordinary people during the zombie simulation, that his idea of taking on an apprentice came into being.

Perhaps since then he had put Dong Zhi in his eyes but forgotten that his eyes were connected to his heart, so his feelings could only slowly penetrate it from his eyes.

After lying around for a while this morning, Dong Zhi’s stomach finally protested, and Long Shen no longer indulged him. He called room service so Dong Zhi could continue to stay in bed.

The weather outside was lovely. The sun was shining brightly, and the surface of the sea glistened differently from the brilliance of last night. As far as the eye could see, there was a clear line between the blue and light blue, just like him and Long Shen. Originally, they were from two different worlds, but in the end, they became a common part of the sea.

Dong Zhi still felt a bit of regret. He originally wanted to take Long Shen parasailing and snorkeling, but now his body couldn’t handle any strenuous activities. If he had another angina attack while parasailing and died in midair, it would cause a lot of trouble for the owner of the company, so Dong Zhi dispelled this idea. Fortunately, Long Shen didn’t feel bored. Given his temperament, he had no problem staying in the room for the entire day.

After eating, Dong Zhi stretched his waist, sat on the sofa in front of the window, and took out the drawing board he had brought and started painting.

Long Shen took out a book and read next to him. The atmosphere was quiet for a while.

Since opening up last night, Dong Zhi wanted to kiss and hug Long Shen the moment he saw him, but he didn’t want Long Shen to think he was being too clingy, so after a few glances, he looked away and focused on painting.

“Master, do you have anything you wish to have drawn?” he asked.

Long Shen thought for a while. “Help me draw a picture of you.”

Dong Zhi was stunned.

“You only drew me last time.”

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “Okay.”

His pen moved quickly on the tablet, scribbling and changing. An outline soon appeared on the screen. The lines were slowly corrected from the draft, and then color was added. The sun slipped from overhead to the other side of the sea as an afternoon was spent in the aroma of coffee and tea.

Long Shen raised his eyes and saw that the drawing had been almost completed, just short of its finishing touches.

The picture Dong Zhi drew wasn’t complicated. It was still in a dark environment. Long Shen, Dong Zhi, Liu Qingbo, and Huo Jie were walking forward in pairs. Long Shen recognized that this was when they were in the cave underwater, but he could see that his own image was finer and more attentive in the painting. Dong Zhi even remembered the details of his clothes at the time. When he compared that to the image of Dong Zhi, he found that Dong Zhi’s was much rougher.

Long Shen said, “You can draw yourself finer.”

Dong Zhi smiled. “I think it’s good.”

“When you finish coloring, send it to my email.”

Dong Zhi agreed and continued to color his drawing. Suddenly, Long Shen’s phone rang. He answered in the room without avoiding Dong Zhi.

After a while, he hung up the phone and said to Dong Zhi, “It’s a call from the Northwest Branch. Boss Che is out of seclusion and will be free in two days. We’ll go to Xi’an the day after tomorrow.”

Dong Zhi had heard about all the branches in the Special Administration Bureau, but only in the literal sense.

It was said that the director of the Northwest Branch was Che Bai. After they came out of the underground in Yinchuan last time, the aftermath was handed over to the Northwest Branch. Long Shen and Song Zhicun were relieved and immediately took a flight back. There was no need for them to stay in the local area to continue supervision, which showed that they had great trust in Director Che.

Seeing as how Long Shen hadn’t found a way to resolve the curse on Dong Zhi and thought about asking the head of a branch for help instead of going back to Beijing to find Zong Ling, Zhang Xiankun, or the other big consultants, this wasn’t due to personal feelings but because Long Shen thought Director Che was more capable.

After staying in the Special Administration Bureau for so long, Dong Zhi gradually understood a rule. He would not be able to rise if he wasn’t capable enough. Some were purely for personal reasons, such as Long Shen. With his qualifications and abilities, he could have sat in a much higher position. Some people aspired for promotions as officials to make fortunes, while others liked to take action. Long Shen was obviously the latter, as he preferred to do things himself rather than watch others do it. Seeing the world achieve peace by his own hands would make him happier than getting any high-ranking position.

It seemed that this Director Che Bai was such a person.

“Master, is Boss Che very powerful?”

Long Shen said, “He doesn’t have a teacher lineage, but he is also a spirit that cultivated its form.”

Although he had expected this, Dong Zhi couldn’t help but be surprised. He now knew that most artifact spirits’ names hinted at what their true form was. For example, Long Shen was transformed from the Long Yuan sword. Tang Jing was a homonym for a mirror of the Tang Dynasty*. Ming Xian, if carefully thought about, was indeed related to the zither. So what would be the original form of Director Che Bai?

*Clarity: Tang Jing uses the Jing from clean (净) which is a homonym for mirror (镜).

He couldn’t help but come up with some guesses and then said, “Is Boss Che transformed from a carriage* of some form?”

*Che Bai (车白) means white car/vehicle, which is why Dong Zhi guessed this.

Even for a serious person like Long Shen, he couldn’t help but find this amusing.

“Why didn’t you guess if he’s a white deer or a white fox?”

Well, that would also make sense. Dong Zhi wrinkled his brows. “Then why is his surname Che? Was it randomly chosen?”

Long Shen: “Most names are accidental. Some people associate their origin with their names just to express a kind of gratitude or commemoration.”

Dong Zhi nodded. He knew that in Long Shen’s heart, he must feel deeply for Ou Yezi.

“Master, do you know where Ou Yezi has a shrine or tombstone that we can pay homage to? I want to worship him and visit his shrine every year in the future.”

Long Shen smiled and held Dong Zhi’s hand.

He had never experienced this kind of feeling; the feeling of someone knowing his own heart so easily. Although it felt unfamiliar, his heart was beating with a slight joy that he couldn’t ignore.

So this was love.

“No need. Everything becomes empty when you die. You only need the intentions in your heart. The form isn’t important.”

The topic returned to Che Bai. Long Shen said, “The name of Boss Che is indeed related to his origin, but it’s removed from his surname. If you take the left radical of Xuanyuan, you get Che, and taking the right from cypress you get Bai*.”

*Clarity: [Xuanyuan] (轩辕) Both characters use the radical [Che] (车) for their left radical. Cypress [柏] uses the radical [Bai] (白) as its right radical.

The speed at which Dong Zhi blinked his eyes sped up. Even if he saw the three-headed giant python or the Wuzhiqi at this moment, they wouldn’t shock him, because he had just learned that the director of the Northwest Branch turned out to be the Xuanyuan Cypress* planted by the Yellow Emperor himself.

*Refers to the cypress in the Xuanyuan Temple of Huangling. Supposedly, it was planted by Emperor Xuanyuan (Yellow Emperor) himself.

In other words, Dong Zhi was about to meet the ancestor of his own nation, the living Xuanyuan Cypress?

He had long known that the Special Administration Bureau had crouching tigers and hidden dragons, but when he heard Che Bai’s original form with his own ears, it took several seconds to digest it.

“I have seen testimonials that the Xuanyuan Cypress was actually planted in the Han Dynasty?”

Long Shen shook his head. “During the Spring and Autumn, Ou Yezi and I traveled all over the world. At that time, we already had a meeting with Boss Che.”

Dong Zhi was fascinated. Thinking about the era when heroes gathered and hundreds of families were fighting, he hated that he wasn’t born thousands of years earlier, even if Long Shen was still a sword at that time.

Long Shen said, “The reason why curse techniques are regarded as witchcraft is precisely because they’re related to the person who casts them. Even Boss Che may not be able to completely resolve it. I just hope you won’t be disappointed when the time comes.”

Dong Zhi smiled. “No.”

He never dreamed that his feelings would be accepted by Long Shen. Now that even this wish had been fulfilled, Dong Zhi suddenly discovered that life and death weren’t actually so important to him anymore.

Long Shen seemed to see through his thoughts, and his expression slightly softened. “Also, because of the need to hide his identity at work, Boss Che was once married, but his wife died prematurely due to illness. Although you and I are confirmed, it is best not to behave too much in front of him, so as not to arouse his sadness.”

Dong Zhi found this unexpected. “Artifact spirits could also get sick?”

His thinking was simple. Since Boss Che was an artifact spirit, then the person with him would naturally be one as well.

However, Long Shen said, “His wife was an ordinary person.”

From these few words, Dong Zhi could make up a thrilling and touching story, but what surprised him even more was an artifact spirit getting married. In his opinion, most of them were clear-headed, like his master, with the exception of Tang Jing.

Seeing that he wanted to say something but held himself back, Long Shen asked, “What did you want to say?”

Dong Zhi couldn’t restrain his curiosity. “Aren’t all spirits single-mindedly focused on cultivation?”

Long Shen was surprised by this question. “Since artifact spirits can take form, naturally they have also gained the seven emotions and six desires, which make them no different from ordinary people. They just have a longer lifespan and can’t have children.”

After a pause, Long Shen continued, “You’re not in good health now, so you can’t do too much intense exercise or there’s a risk it could trigger an attack. If you want, we can talk about it after the curse is lifted.”

Although Long Shen had a mild temperament, he was more magnanimous than anyone else. He was never keen on the human behavior of holding back one’s appetite and refusing to eat.

Dong Zhi’s heart collapsed. He wanted to say he didn’t want it, or didn’t need it, but such a reply would seem strange and would look as if he was trying to cover things up. His fair complexion suddenly turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. He looked at Long Shen, trying to defend himself, but he felt it was a bit ridiculous, so he could only endure.

Apparently, the degree of spiritual communication between them wasn’t enough. Long Shen misunderstood his reaction and suddenly laughed, “In fact, if you want, we don’t have to have physical contact.”

Before Dong Zhi understood what the other party meant by this, he saw Long Shen reach out and point his finger at his brow.

A stream of heat immediately swirled in front of Dong Zhi’s brows.

“Close your eyes,” Long Shen said.

Dong Zhi didn’t know what was going on but still obediently obeyed.

Around his body was darkness, but suddenly there was a flash of light.

Dong Zhi found himself in an empty world that seemed to be between the ethereal universe. A breeze was rippling everywhere, but it was as warm as spring. However, it was hazy, like looking at flowers in the fog. He only felt a laziness emerge from his bones. When he woke up, he couldn’t help but want to stretch, but he couldn’t move. He was standing on a lone flower branch, and each step he took made it shake.

He had become a flower.

A bud on a branch that was waiting to bloom.

This thought rose vaguely in his heart. His soul was separated from his body. He clearly saw that he was drenched by the torrential rain, and he felt wet all over, but the rain wasn’t cold; it felt warm like a hot spring. The flower became more lazy as it was gently caressed by fingers, slowly stretching out into the sun and breeze. It swayed gently as the buds flapped out, petal by petal, in the wind.

The sun shone on him, drying out the raindrops, but he still retained their moisture. It was warm and fragrant, and he felt drunk but without the wine.

His soul was independent of the flower, yet he could clearly feel the texture and everything the flower felt. In a flash, between the heavens and earth, all things loved; as the mountains and rivers embraced, there was only him.

When Dong Zhi opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the bed, but his complexion was flushed and his chest fluctuated violently, as if he had just experienced an indescribable and wonderful journey. He felt extremely tired, like he had run 8 kilometers, and his body was in a delicate state of lethargy.

He gasped, “This is…”

“Divine intercourse,” Long Shen said.

There was no physical contact in this intercourse, but a mingling of the consciousness. It could achieve a more intense spiritual pleasure than the body. Dong Zhi had seen this in novels before. At that time, he thought it was just the novelist’s fabrication, and he didn’t expect one day he would be able to experience this firsthand.

It may not be possible to describe this feeling. If he had to use a word, all Dong Zhi could think of was: ecstasy.

He looked at the ceiling in a daze. He didn’t even have the energy to look at Long Shen. The sweat from his forehead was wiped off by Long Shen, but following it in his heart was a dense feeling of shame. His face flushed red, and he couldn’t wait to bury his entire being under the blankets.

Long Shen looked at Dong Zhi’s fluffy head, which was exposed outside the blanket. “Although the pleasure of divine intercourse is stronger than physical contact, it does consume qi, so it can’t be done often. If you want, we can do it at most once a week.”

“I’m not a stallion that thinks with his dick*!”

*Sperm head (精虫) It’s used to describe impulsive and reckless behavior due to male hormones (sexual impulse).

Dong Zhi could no longer hold back. He emerged from the blanket and issued a strong protest. His face was flushed, unknown whether it was because he was angry or embarrassed, or because he smothered himself inside the blanket for too long.

When he saw Long Shen’s meaningful eyes, he knew that the other party was teasing him. For the first time, Dong Zhi realized that his master also had a sense of humor.

……

The good times always passed in a flash. The situation they were about to face was unknown and treacherous.

Two days later, they checked out of their hotel and flew directly to the historic ancient city in the northwest.

The Northwest Branch was perhaps the most formal office space among all the branches and offices Dong Zhi had seen. It was located in a small building next to a research institute in the city. The same signboard was hung outside the research institute. Only when they entered the small building did they see a small plaque on the wall that read: [Northwest Branch of the Special Administration Bureau of the People’s Republic of China].

Director Che of the branch was different from the gray-haired old man Dong Zhi imagined. The other party looked to be about 40 to 50 years old. His hair was combed back, and he was wearing a Chinese-styled suit paired with gold-rimmed glasses. He looked more like a university professor than a practitioner.

Facing the director of the branch, whose age was comparable to that of this nation’s civilization, Dong Zhi didn’t dare be neglectful and followed Long Shen to respectfully salute him.

Che Bai was amiable and smiled before he said anything. There were fine lines on the corners of his eyes. He had learned the story from Long Shen a while ago, and he didn’t delay much time with small talk. He directly asked how Dong Zhi was feeling.

Dong Zhi replied, “I just vomited blood yesterday, but I haven’t had any attacks today. I feel okay, but I’m easily tired, and my hands and feet often get weak.”

Che Bai took his pulse, pondered for a moment, and frowned slightly.

“This isn’t just a simple curse. I’m afraid that the demon has also placed certain restrictions through this curse, so it’s difficult to solve.”

This was the first time Dong Zhi had heard this, but Long Shen’s expression wasn’t surprised. It was obvious he knew about this already.

“Yes, that’s why I can only ask for Che Lao’s help.”

Che Bai sighed. “If this was ten years ago, I would still have some certainty, but now that my lifespan is approaching, I’m afraid I might not have the strength. I will try first.”

Long Shen showed an astonished expression. “We can think of another way.”

Che Bai smiled and said, “It’s okay. One’s life is determined by God, and there’s nothing humans can do. It has nothing to do with helping you or not. Come, Dong Zhi, sit down. Close your eyes and relax as you usually do with your breathing exercise.”

Dong Zhi closed his eyes and sat crossed-legged on the sofa as he practiced his kung-fu tona as usual. He quickly forgot about Long Shen and Che Bai beside him.

At this time, Che Bai took out a small bottle, opened the cork, and placed it under Dong Zhi’s nose. The mouth of the bottle faintly curled up with light smoke and quickly slipped into Dong Zhi’s nasal cavity.

There was a subtle change in his expression.

“Open your eyes,” he heard Che Bai say.

Dong Zhi slowly opened his eyes, and in front of him was a dense jungle that almost covered the sky. The sun was fierce above his head, but the soil exuded a humid smell. Most likely, it rained not long ago. The plants had such unique characteristics that Dong Zhi thought they were in the tropics as soon as he saw them.

“Go on.”

Che Bai’s voice sounded, but when Dong Zhi looked around, he didn’t see anyone. He calmed down and started to move.

He realized that he wasn’t an entity at this moment, but more like a ghost passing through time and space. As he moved forward, the plants, branches, and leaves continued to rustle under the sun, providing shade for the soil.

---

The author has something to say:

A unique kind of car*…

*Euphemism for sex.

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Kinky Thoughts:

This is probably intentional by the author as the chapter that they have “sex” in also introduces a character named Che… which means car and is a euphemism for sex… If that’s the case, the author’s note would be a triple entendre.

Well that’s a first. I’ve never read about divine intercourse before, but I still prefer reading about physical intercourse. I mean, Long Shen looks like this (in the manhua)… How can you not want to get banged by that Dong Zhi?!

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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 107

The Chi family was well prepared. The guest rooms had been carefully cleaned and were spacious. The bedding and pillows were also new. Dong Zhi’s skin hurt from being scalded by the hot water so badly that he couldn’t fall asleep due to his clothes agitating the pain. He could barely change into clean clothes, then sat on the bed to take a short break.

An hour quickly passed. Elder Chi couldn’t help but sink his face when he looked at the “peach blossom” behind Dong Zhi. It had gotten lighter in color but hadn’t disappeared.

When Dong Zhi looked in the mirror, he naturally saw it.

“I’m sorry. My abilities are limited. It seems there are too many masters in this world!” Elder Chi shook his head. Although unwilling, he could only give a bitter smile. “In this situation, the curse has been suppressed for a bit, but treating the symptoms is not a cure. If you want to lift the curse, I’m afraid there’s only one way. Solve the source. You need to find who cursed him and kill that person, and the curse would naturally be resolved.”

He also knew that what he said was tantamount to not saying it. There was no doubt how vicious this person was that could create a curse like this. How could the other party let Dong Zhi easily find them? Even if he went to great lengths to track him down, it would most likely be too late by then.

Dong Zhi was a little disappointed, but this was what he expected. He had a hunch that things wouldn’t be resolved so easily.

“Elder Chi, if this curse can’t be lifted, what will be the final result? Will I die?”

Elder Chi hesitated for a moment, but he saw the answer on Dong Zhi’s face.

“Then if I die, will my soul be used by the witch to do other things?”

Dong Zhi was afraid of dying. He yearned and loved life just like every person who was instinctively born with the desire for survival. He still had many dreams that hadn’t been fulfilled, but he was even more afraid he would be used as a puppet after he died, standing on the opposite side against his former friends and companions. It was truly hopeless whether he would survive or die.

Before Elder Chi could answer, Dong Zhi’s shoulders were pressed down.

Long Shen said, “You won’t die.”

Elder Chi secretly sighed and expressed his regrets and apologies to them again. It could be seen that the old man was hit hard, not only because he failed Long Shen and Dong Zhi, but also because this incident realized that although he was considered powerful, there were still too many curses in the world that rendered him powerless to help.

The curse lifting had failed. Neither of them had the heart to attend the reception banquet hosted by the Chi family. Elder Chi knew that what they needed most now was to rest and discuss countermeasures, so he didn’t keep them. He personally sent them on their way and promised that if there was any progress in the future, they could come back to him at any time if they needed help.

Chi Banxia’s cousin, the young man who had picked them up, drove them back to the hotel in person.

“I have already done the check-in procedures for you. All your luggage has been taken in, so you can just go directly to your rooms.”

Dong Zhi thanked him, took the room card, and went upstairs with Long Shen.

They booked two adjacent rooms on the same floor. The location was excellent. There was a huge, floor-to-ceiling window in the room. When he opened the curtains, he could see the gorgeous sunset slowly falling into the sea. People in twos and threes were strolling on the beach, creating a scene that was perfect for romance.

“Master, do you have any plans for the next step?” Dong Zhi could barely cheer up.

Long Shen said, “Take you to the northwest and meet someone. He may have a solution.”

Even Long Shen said “may”, which meant he wasn’t confident, but Dong Zhi continued to ask, “Will we leave tomorrow?”

Long Shen shook his head. “Didn’t you say you wanted to stay here for a few days? I booked five nights.”

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “That’s great. We can walk around the seaside and eat seafood for the next few days. I’ve been to Sanya, so I’ll be your tour guide and take you to all the fun places.”

Long Shen nodded.

“Master, I’m a little tired, so I’ll sleep first. I’ll find you tomorrow morning. You don’t need to call me for dinner.” It was rare for the two of them to have alone time, but Dong Zhi took the initiative to send off Long Shen with a sense of fatigue between his brows, and his voice was a little weak.

Long Shen stared at him for a moment. “Then have a good rest.”

Watching the other party leave and closing the door, Dong Zhi could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He was overwhelmed by the surging pain.

He bent down, his back against the door, and slowly slipped down to the floor. His hands were clenched tightly on the clothes on his chest, and the pain penetrated to his back as if he was being pierced by a needle. The pain was so excruciating that he couldn’t do anything else but do this to relieve some of it.

In fact, this attack wasn’t as intense as last time. Perhaps Elder Chi’s method had alleviated some of it, but Dong Zhi still didn’t want Long Shen to see such an embarrassing side of him, because just now, he clearly saw the pity in Long Shen’s eyes, knowing that there was nothing they could do.

Long Shen was supposed to be omnipotent and all-powerful. In the thousands of years he had traveled, he had experienced many winds, frost, rain, and snow, and now he finally accepted an apprentice. Not only did he not enjoy the benefits of having one, but he also had to worry about him.

Even Dong Zhi thought he wasn’t worthy of Long Shen. As an apprentice, not only did he not have a long lifespan like his master, but as soon as he made some achievements, he was cursed and was about to meet a terrible end. If he went back in time, he most definitely would have regretted this.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help laughing out loud, but it caused another pain in his heart. This time it was a bit more intense. Dong Zhi closed his eyes and told himself that he just had to fight back. The last time he had such a severe attack, he survived. This time, he would certainly be fine. However, tears still came out unconsciously.

He saw the Changshou Sword placed by the bed with his luggage and wiped away his tears. He staggered over, grabbed the sword, and held it in his arms, as if this would give him a little strength.

He was afraid of death. He was afraid of the dark and unknown world. He wanted to keep fighting with He Yu, Kan Chaosheng, Liu Qingbo, and the others, facing the dangers of the future. He wanted to stay behind Long Shen silently, even if he was healthy and could only live for a few decades and stay master and apprentice all his life. He wanted to draw another picture of Long Shen. He wanted to remember the words, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here,” firmly in his mind. Even if one day he fell into the underworld, he would never forget.

Tears surged out and dripped onto the scabbard of the Changshou Sword. At that moment, it seemed that only the cold temperature could convey a little comfort.

‘I’m sorry, Master,’ Dong Zhi said silently. He should have been more cautious so that he wouldn’t be plotted against. Because of his own selfishness of wanting to be Long Shen’s apprentice, he was now exhausting his master and hurting him. His master should have an apprentice who could accompany him through the long years and be as strong as he was, not someone weak and useless like himself…

The edges of the scabbard caused pain to his face, but the pain wasn’t as painful as a tenth of a thousand compared to this curse. Cold sweat had soaked his entire back as he tried to hold back his groaning, using the scenery outside to divert his attention.

The round red sun had been completely submerged by the sea, dyeing the sky a bright orange that still had a touch of blue remaining. Soon, the sky was no match for the overwhelming night. Darkness covered the sky and the earth, as lights flickered on the beach one by one, but such sporadic firelight couldn’t warm the coldness in his heart.

The wind blew in from the window. Even though there was no severe cold here all year round, the winter nights still brought some coolness.

Dong Zhi was motionless, sitting by the bed as if he was asleep.

He didn’t realize when he had lost consciousness. When he woke up, he found he was covered with a blanket and there was hot porridge with side dishes by his bedside, with a familiar person nearby.

“Master.”

When Dong Zhi opened his mouth, he found that his throat was hoarse, his nose was stuffed, and his voice was muffled.

He thought for a while and suspected he might’ve caught a cold from the wind when he sat down near the window and fell asleep.

Long Shen let out an “Nn” and said, “Eat your porridge first. Then take medicine.”

Dong Zhi felt guilty as he didn’t dare say anything and acted as if nothing had happened. He obediently picked up the bowl, drank all the porridge in one go, then took the water and medicine handed by the other party and swallowed it. He couldn’t help laughing afterwards. “Master, how did you get in?”

“I have the keycard to your room.”

Then Long Shen probably saw him holding the sword as streaks of tears ran down his face? Dong Zhi felt even more guilty now.

“I’m sorry.” He hurriedly apologized, hoping his frankness would bring leniency.

Long Shen looked at him. “Why didn’t you call me when you had an attack?”

Dong Zhi lowered his head and whispered, “I know you have spent a lot of effort on my affair and done many things I don’t know about. I can’t help you, so I didn’t want to make you more worried.”

Long Shen said lightly, “In this matter, I don’t want you to keep it from me. You are my apprentice and the only apprentice I have taken on so far. I care about you and do not think that it’s a burden.”

At the beginning, Dong Zhi could only obediently nod and didn’t dare to respond. After hearing this, he couldn’t help but look up at Long Shen.

Long Shen said, “I’m not the kind of person who doesn’t care about anything like you imagine. I also have emotions and desires. They may be weaker and duller than ordinary people, but in the end, they do exist. In the past, I thought that I was moved by your persistence and hard work, so I accepted you as an apprentice. But the more I thought about it, if I wasn’t looking at you from the start, how could I have known that you were persistent and hard-working?”

Dong Zhi was in a daze. He found his ability to understand had deviated. For the first time, he couldn’t understand Long Shen’s words, and he didn’t dare to think in that direction at all.

Long Shen didn’t continue this topic.

“Do you want to continue to sleep?”

Dong Zhi shook his head.

Long Shen: “The weather is okay today. Want to go for a walk?”

Hearing the surging waves coming from the window, Dong Zhi felt a little moved, so he nodded.

He had a bit of a cold. Long Shen brought him his coat and asked him to put it on. He opened the blanket and Dong Zhi got out of bed. He had forgotten that he was weak, so after lowering his head, his feet got soft and he almost fell forward.

After hesitating for a moment, he said to Long Shen, “Master, why don’t we go tomorrow?”

Long Shen saw that Dong Zhi didn’t want to be carried. It was indeed troublesome to carry someone on his back in the middle of the night. The key point was that they might not be able to find a place to sit by the beach either. Long Shen paused, said, “Wait a bit,” then he turned around and left.

Dong Zhi didn’t know what Long Shen was doing, but ten minutes later, Long Shen came back with a wheelchair.

“Sit on this. It’s more convenient this way.”

Dong Zhi joked, “Master, is your nickname Doraemon*?”

*Cat-like robot from the future. I believe it has the ability to pull things out of its pocket, which is why Dong Zhi makes this joke.

Long Shen explained quite seriously, “The hotel has wheelchairs for loan.”

It was really convenient to get in and out with a wheelchair. Long Shen also covered Dong Zhi’s knees with a thin blanket. The aftermath was that others thought he was disabled and gave way to them. In the elevator, Dong Zhi met a girl who gave him the flowers on her head and wished him a speedy recovery.

In front of the hotel was the beach. There were many people walking on it at night, but since it was late at night, there were few tourists. The vast emptiness was greeted by the smell of the sea, which made people’s minds suddenly clear. There was a shower during the day, so the night was cloudless. The sky was full of stars rushing out to guard the moon. There was no need for artificial light. The waves were sparking as they rushed onto the beach, then quickly retreated, leaving lonely wet marks behind.

A couple ran while laughing. The girl was barefoot in a long skirt. Her long hair was being blown by the wind, and she covered her face as the boy who was behind her picked up his phone and started taking pictures, capturing his girlfriend’s best moments. Even if the night wasn’t bright enough, this moment would be imprinted in his heart.

The boy quickly caught up with his girlfriend, and the two kissed under the presence of the stars and moon. Perhaps because they caught a glimpse of Dong Zhi, the girl became a little embarrassed. She hurriedly pushed her boyfriend away, then dragged him along, leaving behind a few hurried footprints on the sand. The tide came and went, wiping out their traces, but the faint smell of love was still in the air.

The two walked away with a smile, leaving footprints on the beach, while Dong Zhi involuntarily sighed, feeling envy and regret.

Long Shen stood behind him and suddenly spoke.

“Do you envy them?”

Dong Zhi shook his head. “I’m just happy for their simple and beautiful bliss.”

After all, not everyone in this world could get what they wanted. Those people, like the two just now, were able to find each other in a vast sea of people, fall in love, and would one day get married.

“Do you think this is happiness?” Long Shen asked.

Dong Zhi said with a smile, “It should be. Some people still yearn for happiness. Despite the entire world in front of them, they still feel as if they could get more. Some people want very little happiness. Even if they see the sea, the stars, or even the person that they like, they can feel happy for a long time.”

Another wave came. It was still some distance away before it flooded the area, so they didn’t have to quickly retreat. However, the footprints left by the couple just now were almost completely gone, swept away into the sea.

As far as Dong Zhi could see, the young couple had also disappeared. Perhaps they walked into the darkness in the distance and quietly whispered loving words, or maybe they went back to rest. His eyes followed where their figures had disappeared, while his heart felt inexplicably lost.

Suddenly, a small shadow shrouded him in front of him. Before he could react, his lips felt warm.

Long Shen bent forward and gave him a light peck. Dong Zhi suddenly stiffened, completely petrified and unable to respond when their lips parted.

“Now, do you feel happy?”

Dong Zhi settled down. He almost thought he had experienced an illusion just now. The illusion felt so real that even the heat on his lips seemed to remain.

His heart skipped a beat and then started beating faster. He couldn’t help but grab his chest for fear he would aggravate the curse.

“Master, what did you do just now?” His voice was a little airy.

If it wasn’t his hallucination, then it may be that Long Shen thought this was a way to express a master’s love to his apprentice, or perhaps Long Shen originally wanted to kiss him on the forehead or nose, but he couldn’t find the right direction, so he made a miscalculated move.

He began to think of excuses for Long Shen, but then heard his reply. “I’m kissing you.”

“Why?” Dong Zhi was confused. He looked back at the sea in front of him, as if to see if the waves would bloom into flowers. He remained frozen and didn’t dare turn back, afraid that this would give his emotions away.

However, Long Shen’s tone was more puzzling than his. “Don’t you like me? I thought you would be happy if I did this.”

Happy. Of course, he was happy.

The great tide of joy came and he was like a string of footprints that was submerged in an instant. He was at a loss, wishing time would freeze at this moment, and even if he died, it would be without regrets.

However, the joy turned into severe pain in an instant, like a sharp blade cutting into his heart. The pain was so bad that Dong Zhi couldn’t help but bend over slightly and stoop. It made his eyes sore and swollen, and he wanted to shed tears.

Long Shen saw that Dong Zhi was lowering his head. He wanted to pick Dong Zhi up, but when he crouched down, he was held back.

“I’m fine.”

Long Shen felt Dong Zhi’s forehead. The temperature was normal, and the skin was clean and free of sweat.

Dong Zhi took a deep breath, as if he had survived the pain, and said, “In fact, when I entered this field, I had already considered the dangers, knowing that I might be injured or even sacrificed. Since my parents are gone, even if something really happens, no one will have to worry about me.”

Long Shen listened quietly.

“Even ants are greedy for life*. I’m also afraid of death. I’m even more afraid that I’ll become a soulless servant after the curse, like Ming Xian, and one day fight against you. At that time, I’ll be just a puppet, no longer your apprentice, no longer a human with feelings and thoughts.”

*(蝼蚁尚且贪生) Saying refers to that even a tiny creature is greedy to live, so humans should cherish life even more.

Dong Zhi thought he had finally calmed down, but when he saw Long Shen squatting down in front of him, looking at the other party’s forced expression, he could not help but let his tears flow.

“You won’t become like that. I will try my best,” Long Shen said, reaching out to wipe his tears. “I have already contacted the director of the Northwest Branch. He’s an extremely powerful figure. Perhaps there’s a way.”

“Master, I don’t need any sympathy, including yours.” Dong Zhi held Long Shen’s hand. The slight coldness was met with warmth and was quickly wrapped in it. “I am a disciple of Long Shen. Even if I can’t be as strong as he is, I should strive to be nonetheless.”

Long Shen frowned. “I’m not sympathizing with you.”

He didn’t know how Dong Zhi came to such a conclusion.

“I never force others or myself to do things I don’t want.” He pinched Dong Zhi’s chin and pecked him on the lips again.

This meaning should be clear, right?

“Sorry, Master, I regret it.”

“You also know that humans, especially men, have a bit of an inferiority complex, so they think what they can’t get is the best. After you kissed me, I actually recognized how I felt about you. I may have been wrong before. I was just confusing admiration with love.”

“And you’re right. When I’m old and you still look the same, I’ll definitely be angry and self-conscious and wouldn’t be able to accept such a situation. I now understand. What I like should be a sweet girl, like the one just now. Lively, a little coquettish, and ordinary, unlike you, where I will have a sense of pressure and distance.”

He had gritted his nails into his palm and was using the pain to sober himself up so that he could say these words without missing a beat.

A hand came up and broke apart Dong Zhi’s fingers, one by one.

“You’re lying,’ Long Shen said. “When you feel guilty or nervous, you clench your fists, just like last time when you tried to get me drunk.”

He looked at Dong Zhi’s frozen expression. There was a trace of a smile in his eyes. It was rare for Long Shen to be mischievous. He deliberately asked, “Hm, did you forget?”

How could Dong Zhi forget? He remembered it clearly, but he didn’t expect Long Shen to remember such small details so early on.

“This time, I may not be able to live. Even if I can, I will only have a lifespan of decades at best. I can’t accompany you through your whole life. I can’t just look at my life and ignore yours. We’re not suitable for each other and I’m not worthy of your affection.”

Life was nothing but give and take, constantly taking and giving up, and giving something up in the process of getting it.

He once confessed to Long Shen in order to “get” Long Shen’s love, his affectionate gaze; getting what he wanted, and in the end, it turned into a kind of possessiveness. But now he had “given up”, abandoned what he wanted, choosing restraint instead, just so that the other party wouldn’t be sad because of their concern for him in the future.

If this was the Long Shen who had just transformed into a human, or the Long Shen who calmly watched as Lord Jie went to his death, he might not understand Dong Zhi’s giving up, but he had been in the Special Administration Bureau for many years. How could he not notice that Dong Zhi was pretending to be calm and duplicitous.

His heart was slightly moved. There was emotion that even he couldn’t tell what it was. Long Shen said, “There is no such thing as worthiness in the world. Only whether I like it or not.”

He lowered his head again, this time kissed Dong Zhi more deeply. He left a red mark where he had pinched Dong Zhi’s chin. Dong Zhi’s eyelashes trembled, and his eyes drifted as his breathing became ragged.

“I have never done this to anyone before,” Long Shen said.

Dong Zhi was probably the first and only.

“Without you, I would continue to go on like this. With you, at least for these decades, I’ll have someone to walk with me. Are you willing?”

Long Shen’s face was half hidden in the darkness, but the hot air he breathed out was still visible. Dong Zhi blinked, as if to blink away the dense fog. Before the other party could wait for his answer, Dong Zhi had let go of Long Shen’s hand and got up. His impulse preceded his reason, and he grabbed Long Shen’s neck and took the initiative to meet him, giving Long Shen a light peck on his cool lips, then quickly separated.

“Are you sure it’s not revolting?”

Long Shen shook his head and even asked him, “Do you want to try again?”

“No need!” Dong Zhi hurriedly said. The heat on his face was steaming, and he thought how fortunate it was that it was dark so the other person couldn’t see him clearly.

Then he heard Long Shen’s voice ringing in his ears.

“I have never loved anyone, and I don’t know what love is, but I’m willing to try to be a Long Shen, one of flesh and blood, and work to understand love and hate for you.”

The mist that had lingered in Dong Zhi’s eyes finally dissipated. Dong Zhi trembled and buried his head in the crook of Long Shen’s neck.

Even though he hadn’t cried when facing the many dangers that nearly cost him his life, in front of Long Shen, he always looked weak.

Tonight, he wanted to be weak again.

The darker the night, the cooler the sky. The sound of the waves was still. Dong Zhi wasn’t sure when the surging tide had changed to consistent harmony.

With a fiery body around him, he couldn’t help but sneeze.

“Let’s go back,” Long Shen said.

Long Shen got up and pushed the wheelchair in the direction of the hotel. As he did, Dong Zhi turned his head and glanced in the direction of the sea.

The lights of distant ships were on, twinkling, like the echoing stars in the sky. The starlight came from billions of light-years away, traveling through time and space, converging into a wonderful destiny.

Perhaps there were countless such fates in this vast universe, just like his and Long Shen’s. Even if he was like the ship’s light that would go out tomorrow, at the very least, they had met and the stars knew that there was such a little light in the sea of a certain planet, accompanying them through the long night.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Happy Halloween. I figured a release would fit the theme quite well given the supernatural element of this novel, but this chapter was kind of the opposite, given how sweet it is. For those interested in this kind of modern-day supernatural genre, you can check out my newest project from one of my favorite authors: Evil As Humans. The prologue has been released.

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 106

When Dong Zhi came back from his visit next door, he saw Long Shen frowning and contemplating at the computer screen.

“Master, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Seeing him coming over, Long Shen closed his laptop.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t show it to the other party, but he felt it wouldn’t help even if Dong Zhi saw it. On the contrary, it might make him worry even more.

Dong Zhi didn’t ask much and raised the food bag in his hand. “These are pan-fried buns that the nurse gave me just now. She said they ordered too much and couldn’t finish it, so they gave some to me. It’s still hot. Shall we have some together?”

“Okay.”

In the past, Long Shen would’ve probably refused. He wasn’t the foodie-type like Kan Chaosheng, but recently, even Dong Zhi had noticed that Long Shen had indulged him and made a lot of compromises, almost to the point of spoiling him.

After that night, when Long Shen categorically rejected Dong Zhi’s confession, he had suppressed all thoughts he shouldn’t have to the deepest corner, and now he only felt as if Long Shen’s change was related to him being cursed.

He bent over and opened the box, causing the patient number to slide down his shoulder, exposing his collarbone along with his slender back and neck.

Long Shen’s eyes narrowed.

“Behind you, what is it?”

“What?” Dong Zhi looked up blankly.

Long Shen said, “Sit down and turn around.”

Dong Zhi untied his clothes following Long Shen’s orders. Long Shen brought a mirror and asked him to turn his head. There, Dong Zhi saw a rose-red mark on his back shoulder. On a closer look, it resembled a peach blossom. It had an ambiguous romantic flair to it and appeared to be a mark from a novel that would only appear when you met the right one.

However, not only did Long Shen not feel any ambiguous feelings, but his face also turned cold.

Dong Zhi let out a sigh. “Where did this come from? It wasn’t there yesterday.”

Five words appeared in Long Shen’s mind.

Ghost-faced peach blossom curse.

Dong Zhi also remembered and said, with some uncertainty, “Wasn’t Lin Xuan’s father also cursed by this?”

Long Shen confirmed his guess. “Yes.”

But there were many kinds of curse techniques. Even if they had the same name, because of the different habits of witches and witchdoctors, the methods of resolving them may not be the same. Last time, Lin Xuan’s father only suffered from an ordinary ghost-faced peach blossom curse. He was tortured almost half to death and had almost lost his life. In the end, Lin Xuan got a dragon bone from the Special Administration Bureau and was able to lift it. This time, a heavenly demon had fought Dong Zhi in his dreams through this curse, which only meant the curse was a hundred times more difficult to resolve.

While Long Shen was in deep contemplation, Dong Zhi patted him and handed him a pair of chopsticks.

“Master, let’s eat the buns first. It’s getting cold. If you don’t eat any, I’ll be too embarrassed to start.”

Although he was worried, Dong Zhi didn’t want to add any more trouble or pressure to Long Shen, because he knew that Long Shen wanted to lift the curse more than himself.

Sure enough, the bun had become cold. After taking a bite, they had lost their crispy and warm taste, and even the soup inside had become a bit fishy. When Dong Zhi took a bite, he didn’t want to continue eating. He sighed, “In this weather, it would be great if we could eat hot pot!”

He had been hospitalized for many days and ate standard hospital meals. Even if he wasn’t as addicted to eating as Kan Chaosheng, he couldn’t help but start craving food.

Long Shen also put down his chopsticks.

“What kind of hotpot do you want to eat?”

“The best is the Mandarin duck hotpot, divided into four different soups. A tomato base, a clear base, a spicy base, and a mushroom base. Then we’ll have shabu-shabu, some mutton, fat tendons, and duck tongue. It’s best to drink the tomato soup after eating the shabu-shabu. At the end, you can add noodles or vermicelli. It’s very tasty!”

Because he had been craving real food for so long, Dong Zhi swallowed his saliva as he spoke. After fighting with the wild and rough Wuzhiqi, Dong Zhi had grown thicker-skinned and pretended that he didn’t hear his stomach growling.

Seeing that Long Shen picked up his phone and started ordering hotpot for takeout, Dong Zhi hurriedly stretched out his hand and held the phone down. “Master, you can’t eat hotpot in the ward.”

Long Shen said, “There are only a few of you on this floor. I’ll talk to them. They’ll make an exception.”

When Dong Zhi heard this, he couldn’t help smiling. “Okay, then I’ll go call Lao Liu and Huo Ge. Lao Liu has been complaining about the light food every day. If he finds out I didn’t call him, he’ll scold me to death!”

Naturally, Long Shen had no objection. He gave Dong Zhi his phone and asked him to order what he liked, then he got up and walked out to give notice to the hospital in advance.

“Master.”

Dong Zhi suddenly spoke up.

Long Shen stood still and turned his head.

His disciple hadn’t shown so much hesitancy in so long. Although Long Shen didn’t like this expression, he still waited patiently for the other party to speak.

A few times before, the words had come to his mouth, but he was too timid to speak out. At this moment, taking advantage of the atmosphere, Dong Zhi finally said, “What I said on the phone last time, I was joking. I didn’t mean to annoy you. Just treat it as me being impulsive. I want to apologize to you, Master. I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

He finally said his apology, which also meant that going forward, he must hold all unreasonable thoughts firmly in his heart. He must never cross the line, not even by half a step, and always abide by the other person’s boundaries.

Today, he finally understood that he liked Long Shen, but he didn’t want him to have the slightest burden of anger.

Liking someone was to make the other happy. If this liking couldn’t bring happiness to them, then giving up was the best result.

But instead of reacting with relief or nodding indifferently as he had imagined, Long Shen smiled instead. It was a pure smile, without any hint of sarcasm.

Dong Zhi was completely stunned.

Before he could figure out what this smile meant, Long Shen had already opened the door and walked out. He wanted to jump up and stop him for questioning, but he didn’t dare stop his Master, Director Long, who dared to fight to the death against the Wuzhiqi, so he could only watch as Long Shen left while closing the door behind him.

So, in fact, the person who had been cursed wasn’t him, but his master, right?

After thinking about it for half a day, Dong Zhi could only draw this conclusion.

The hotpot that night opened with a lively scene but ended unexpectedly. Everyone failed to have fun because when Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo were fighting over a fish ball, Dong Zhi had a sudden angina attack that hurt so much he dropped his chopsticks, bent down, and his entire body fell to the ground, sweeping away the vegetables and shiitake mushrooms on the table. His face had turned completely pale at the time, which scared everyone.

Before Dong Zhi fell to the ground, Long Shen hugged him and supported him, but it didn’t ease the pain. His heart seemed to be gripped tightly in someone’s hand who was repeatedly kneading it. The pain radiated from his heart to all the nerves in his body. Every breath felt like unbearable torture. Dong Zhi didn’t even realize that he was being held in Long Shen’s arms. He was sweating profusely and trembling all over. The only thing he could do was cling to the clothes near his heart, wanting to reach inside his chest, grab his heart, and throw it out, so he didn’t have to endure this kind of pain any longer.

Dong Zhi didn’t know how much time had passed before the wave of pain had eased. He panted for breath and slowly regained his consciousness. He found that the hotpot gathering was over. Liu Qingbo and Huo Jie had left some time ago. There were lots of leftovers on the table that had gone cold. The hot soup in the pot was still kept warm and the heat was curling up, but there were no ingredients inside, making it look quite lonely.

“Master…” As soon as Dong Zhi spoke, his voice was a little hoarse and there was a sense of wetness and weakness in his body. This was the aftermath of excessive sweating.

“I’m here.” Long Shen let him go. “It doesn’t hurt anymore?”

Dong Zhi nodded. Seeing the blood marks he left on Long Shen’s wrist and the back of his hand, Dong Zhi couldn’t help but be surprised. “Your hand…”

“It’s fine. Your situation can’t be delayed any longer. We’ll go to Hainan tomorrow.”

Long Shen helped him up. Since he didn’t have the strength to stand, Long Shen directly picked up Dong Zhi and put him on the bed. “Don’t shower today. I’ll get a towel and wipe you down.”

Dong Zhi grabbed Long Shen’s wrist but couldn’t help but ask, “Master, this situation… Will another attack like this happen again?”

Long Shen had already seen the peach blossom mark on Dong Zhi’s back just now. It had become a bit darker than before, but he didn’t confirm anything and instead just said, “Don’t be afraid.”

Dong Zhi was weak all over. His pale face couldn’t recover so quickly. He smiled softly when he heard Long Shen’s words. “I’m just afraid that I’ll scratch you in the future. When I have a seizure next time, you can grab me a plush doll instead.”

“No need.” Long Shen wiped the sweat from Dong Zhi’s forehead with his hand. After thinking for a bit, he added, “I’m here.”

Long Shen moved very quickly. While Dong Zhi was resting, he had already booked the plane tickets and the hotel and arranged a meeting time with the Chi family, then he took Dong Zhi directly to Hainan.

Before parting, Liu Qingbo and Huo Jie went to see them off. With Dong Zhi’s absence, Liu Qingbo became the temporary person in charge of the Lucheng office. Dong Zhi was worried given Liu Qingbo’s violent temper, so it was inevitable that he would give him a few words of advice. It was nothing more than cautioning him to mind his temper, but Liu Qingbo couldn’t help but roll his eyes when hearing this. Still, he didn’t turn around and leave, and instead listened to all of what Dong Zhi told him.

“Geez, if you’re so worried, just come back to Lucheng with me. Why are you so long-winded?”

Dong Zhi smiled dryly. “I used to be there, so you vented all your energy when you bicker with me. This time, I’m afraid that there’ll be no one there to cheer you up and you’ll get lonely!”

Liu Qingbo: Still a fucking comedian. How can he still be cracking jokes!

But for Dong Zhi’s sake, due to his illness, Liu Qingbo held back.

“There’s still Zhang Chong. That guy is owed a lot of scolding, so I’ll just scold him every day!”

Dong Zhi: ……

He really wanted to know what Zhang Chong’s expression was if he heard these words.

“Alright, alright, go, go. Hurry up and lift the curse and come back!” Liu Qingbo waved his hand, as if he was swatting away flies. At the end, he added something that didn’t sound so straightforward. “You must return safely. If you become a ghost, I’ll find a psychic to trap your soul so I can scold you constantly. You won’t be able to rest in peace!”

This was Liu Qingbo’s unique way of expressing concern for his friends. Dong Zhi accepted it with a smile and bid goodbye to Huo Jie. He asked him to send his greetings to Tang Jing as he entered the security checkpoint with Long Shen.

The two watched them leave the area until they had gone through security and walked away. When their figures disappeared, Huo Jie sighed softly.

“I hope he is safe.”

“Definitely,” Liu Qingbo replied.

—

The Chi family’s residence wasn’t hidden in the mountains or some old forest, as Dong Zhi imagined they would live an isolated life. In fact, Hainan had a tropical climate with plenty of sunshine and moisture. It was like the fruit paradise of many people’s dreams. The Chi family started in the fruit business very early and had now become one of the best fruit wholesalers in China. Strictly speaking, curses had become their side gig rather than their main business.

Such a secularized family naturally saved Long Shen a lot of effort. When they got off the plane, someone from the Chi family came to pick them up. The other party was a junior from the Chi family and Chi Banxia’s cousin. They treated Long Shen very politely and respectfully and drove them to the villa on the outskirts of the city.

When they learned that Long Shen had already booked a hotel and didn’t plan to stay in their home, Chi Banxia’s cousin asked for another car to take their luggage to the hotel first.

Long Shen originally contacted Chi Banxia’s father, but because he attached great importance to Long Shen, the current patriarch of the Chi family, Chi Banxia’s grandfather, Chi Xing, wanted to meet him in person at their villa.

“I have heard about Boss Long for a while now. It’s a pity that there were various reasons in the past when our fate did not align. Fortunately, I finally got to meet you today. I can die now without regrets!” Chi Xing was extremely enthusiastic. He waited at the door of the villa in person and stepped forward with his cane to shake hands with Long Shen.

Long Shen said, “Now that international exchanges are increasing day by day, talents like Mr. Chi’s are welcome by the Special Administration Bureau. The position of Honorary Consultant of our General Administration is always open for you.”

Elder Chi narrowed his eyes with a smile and repeatedly said he wasn’t worthy. Chi Banxia’s father and uncle stood to the side. Elder Chi personally introduced Long Shen to them. Only then did Dong Zhi find out that not everyone in the Chi family was a witch or witchdoctor. Chi Banxia’s uncle, for instance, was an ordinary businessman. Magic required talent. Chi Banxia and her cousin, who picked them up, were regarded as the most talented in the current generation of the Chi family.

After a few pleasantries, Elder Chi knew that Long Shen specifically came for his apprentice, so his eyes fell on Dong Zhi.

“Little one, put out your hand and let me see.”

Chi Banxia’s father added, “My father is the most powerful figure in the Chi family!”

The implication being that if this Elder couldn’t help him, there was even less to be said about the rest of the Chi family.

Dong Zhi stretched out his hand, following Elder Chi’s instruction. The Elder’s thin palms kneaded his head repeatedly, then started moving slowly up inch by inch until he finally stopped at the elbow.

“This is the ghost-faced peach blossom curse.” Elder Chi let go of Dong Zhi’s hand and let out a soft sigh.

The rest of the Chi family’s expressions changed color when they heard this.

Chi Banxia’s father looked solemn. “The last time it was the Lin family that was hit by this kind of curse.”

Long Shen nodded. “Yes, I heard that it only through the hands of Elder Chi that it was resolved, so I can only bother Elder again.”

Elder Chi smiled bitterly. “You flatter me too much. In fact, it was like trying to save a dead horse as if it was still living*—at that time, I wasn’t completely confident. Bluntly put, everyone has different techniques and different solutions. Although the Chi family’s techniques were learned from Southeast Asia, they are one of many. The jungle is dense, filled with crouching tigers and hidden dragons. There are many witches that use techniques that I myself have never seen. Not all can be known. According to my judgement, I’m afraid Xiao Dong’s curse is a bit tricky.”

*(死马当作活马医) Colloquial saying referring making a last-ditch effort to save a hopeless situation.

Long Shen said, “Elder, please try whatever you can.”

Elder Chi: “Since Boss Long thinks so highly of me, I’ll do my best. I wonder if Boss Long brought me the dragon bones?”

Long Shen said, “I did.”

He handed over the bag he was carrying.

Only then did Dong Zhi know the extent of the preparation work his master had done without his knowledge.

Elder Chi took the bag and asked his eldest grandson to follow him in while Chi Banxia’s father stayed to talk to Long Shen. Since the uncle was just an ordinary person, he kindly apologized and left first so as not to get in the way.

Chi Banxia’s father was the one who wanted to enter the Special Administration Bureau when he was young, but he left with a lot of anger. Decades later, his temper seemed to have subsided as his entire persona looked quite calm. Dong Zhi saw that he respected Long Shen quite a lot. It wasn’t like the respect shown to a Deputy Director of the Special Administration Bureau, but one of meeting one’s idol.

The other party told them more about curse techniques in the jungle.

“The world thinks that the most powerful black magic is the head-descent technique*. In fact, this is in terms of difficulty for the cultivator. The truth is, the most vicious of all kinds is the ghost technique, because the cultivator could detain a person’s soul who had died a violent death or in vain and use various methods to arouse their grievances. Then they would refine their souls and add them as servants to various families. This kind of black magic is extremely difficult to deal with.

*(飞头降) Technique in which the cultivator disconnects his head from his body and flies it around. There are 7 stages, and once the final stage is reached, the cultivator can live forever.

Long Shen heard the implication from Chi Banxia’s explanation.

“Is the ghost-faced curse on Lin Ji different from that of Dong Zhi?”

The other party nodded. “Although it’s also called the ghost-faced peach blossom curse, Lin Ji’s curse was in his heart, while Dong Zhi’s is on the back. I don’t think this is accidental. It may be that the method used by the person was different. Last time, Lin Ji offended someone while doing business. It could be the one offended sought out a master to curse him and the master didn’t take Lin Ji seriously, but this time…”

Chi Banxia’s father gave Dong Zhi a difficult look and didn’t continue. Both Dong Zhi and Long Shen understood.

This time, Dong Zhi was in the process of eradicating a demon fetus. The other party was probably eyeing him. There was even a figure of a heavenly demon. Despite Long Shen bringing a dragon bone, the Chi family dared not be optimistic.

After a while, a young man came out to inform them that they could go in.

Dong Zhi followed Long Shen and walked into the room and was immediately blurred by the steaming heat.

The layout of the room was very strange. It was surrounded by a circular sink and there was a large wooden barrel, half a person high, in the middle. It was full of dark hot water and a strange aroma wafted from it.

Elder Chi said, “Where is the peach blossom mark on your body? Let me see it.”

Dong Zhi took off his shirt. The “peach blossom” was under his right shoulder on his back. The color was much darker than yesterday. Even Long Shen couldn’t help frowning.

Elder Chi said, “When the Lin family came to ask for him, Lin Ji’s situation was much more serious than yours. I hope that your case is like his. I’ll give it a try.”

Long Shen said, “Thank you.”

“Boss Long is too polite. Those crooked black-robed masters rely on their own secret techniques to unscrupulously harm people. They act as if there’s no one in China that could control them!” Elder Chi spoke arrogantly.

“Xiao Dong, get in the barrel. The water is a bit hot, but bear with me. Soak in it until it reaches your neck. Until I say so, don’t come out.”

Dong Zhi asked, “Elder, do I need to be naked?”

Elder Chi: “No, this is fine.”

Dong Zhi looked at Long Shen. Seeing the latter nod slightly, he no longer hesitated. He walked to the barrel and jumped in.

The water was so hot that it burned him, and he almost jumped out.

Elder Chi seemed to be aware of this. When Dong Zhi’s body moved, Elder Chi directly pressed his head down, forcing him to stay still.

At that moment, all Dong Zhi could feel was his skin and flesh being scalded. He only remembered that Long Shen was by his side, so he gritted his teeth and endured without shouting.

Elder Chi said solemnly, “I know you’re very uncomfortable now, but you have to bear it. It’s up to you whether this can be solved or not. The powder made from dragon bones is added to the medicinal soup. Don’t let your Master’s effort go to waste!”

He didn’t know how, but he knew. Though Long Shen was a Deputy Director, the dragon bone is precious beyond compare. Given Long Shen’s self-discipline, it meant he made an extreme exception for this case just for him.

After soaking for a long time, the pain had become dull and numb. It wasn’t that he couldn’t bear it, but his heartbeat was getting faster; so fast that he felt it would jump out of his chest. Later, his breathing and consciousness began to blur. There was turbulent flow in his body, surging about, as if something was unwilling to be burned to death and was eager to find an exit to escape. Eventually, the turbulent flow surged from his throat. When Dong Zhi opened his mouth, a large amount of black blood spewed out!

“Help him!” Elder Chi shouted.

Long Shen and Chi Banxia’s father, who were standing behind him, were already in place. When they heard Elder Chi’s words, they immediately started to lift Dong Zhi from the water and out of the barrel. At this time, Dong Zhi felt weak and there was a burning on his face, while his lips were ghostly pale.

Chi Banxia’s father brought him a bathrobe and asked him to put it on. Elder Chi said, “Help him to the guest room and take a good rest. When the heat on his body recedes, I will have a look.”

---

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 105

This was the county seat. The nearest office was a branch office in Shencheng, which would take a few hours to drive to. Everyone was a mess. They could only find a nearby farmhouse to take a break before heading back.

However, Liu Qingbo found a very important problem. They forgot to bring money and their cellphones were left ashore since they were going underwater.

At this time, Dong Zhi pointed to his pocket and said weakly, “I seem to have a little cash. Looking through it, it should be enough for the boss and us to have a meal and a shower.”

Liu Qingbo: ……

Like Dong Zhi said, the pocket space was small, and there was a few hundred dollars left in cash. Liu Qingbo didn’t know how he managed to stuff that much in such a small crevice.

When the owner of the farmhouse saw that their group was carrying weapons and was covered in blood vomit, he didn’t dare take them in. Liu Qingbo had to call Tang Jing, who notified the relevant local department, who then sent out a police car to pick them up.

It took quite some time before everyone finally returned to Shencheng. Except for Long Shen, everyone was exhausted and didn’t want to speak. Halfway before returning, Dong Zhi had fallen asleep on Long Shen’s shoulder. When Long Shen got out of the car, he carried him to the hospital. Together with Liu Qingbo and Huo Jie, who both had various degrees of injuries, they were all admitted for an examination.

After arranging all this, Long Shen and Tang Jing returned to the branch office to rendezvous with Song Zhicun, who had been waiting for them for a long time.

“How are they?” Song Zhicun asked as he greeted them. He received the news early in the morning. After Tang Jing went to pick them up, he stayed at the branch and waited while arranging the relevant security work for the international conference that was soon to begin. Seeing Long Shen return unscathed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Long Shen briefly explained the matter.

Song Zhicun held Long Shen’s hand and shook it vigorously. “Boss Long, it’s really hard on you!”

He knew that despite Long Shen’s few words that sounded unremarkable, in fact, this journey was probably full of dangers. If Director Jiang, who wasn’t in the know, was here, he might really think that Long Shen and the others had easily triumphed.

“You’ve worked hard as well.” Long Shen patted him on the shoulder.

The three of them sat down.

Long Shen spoke about the stone tablet and what the Wuzhiqi told them, then finally said, “Tang Jing told me the clues provided by Ming Xian before his death. Both of them corroborated, indicating that the information should be truthful.”

Hearing the word “death”, Tang Jing’s face changed slightly and his hands on the table slowly clenched, but in the end he said nothing.

Long Shen’s and Song Zhicun’s attention weren’t on him. Song Zhicun frowned. “The Kunlun Mountain Range is so vast. It’s definitely not easy to find!”

Long Shen: “I’ll talk to the Northwest Branch first and have them start the search operation. We must also pay attention to the movements on Tokyo side. We know that Otowa Yasuhiko may not know about it.”

Song Zhicun nodded, then suddenly remembered something. “By the way, speaking of Otowa, we have already found his true identity, but it might sound a bit bizarre. Boss Tang can tell you.”

Tang Jing cleared up his mood and said solemnly, “According to what Ming Xian said, we have found a person named Asaka Yasuhiko.”

He pressed the remote control in his hand, and a black and white photo appeared on a large screen on the wall.

“Asaka Yasuhiko, born in 1887, Japanese imperial family, uncle of Emperor Hirohito. He is known as Prince Asaka in the Imperial Palace. He served as a general during World War II.” Tang Jing’s paused slightly. “He’s also the culprit who ordered the Nanjing Massacre*.”

*Also known as the Rape of Nanjing, was a mass murder of Chinese civilians in Nanjing during the Second Sino-Japanese War and was one of the worst atrocities committed during World War II. It seems that this character is based after Prince Yasuhiko Asaka who commanded the army during this massacre. It is disputed whether he ordered it or simply stood by as this happened, but he took no action to stop it.

“But after the war, he was not sent to a military court. Due to the cover-up by the United States, the entire royal family was able to escape the guilt. Asaka Yasuhiko was only deprived of his imperial status. He still retained his wealth and lived until he was ninety-four years old before he died*.”

*This is mainly true. You can read more on the Wikipedia on Prince Yasuhiko Asaka for more information.

“We also checked on the Otowa Consortium. It rose sharply after World War II and started in the military industry. Generally, this kind of industry has a political and economic background behind it, but the Otowa Consortium seems to appear out of thin air, and the same goes for its founder. However, if we connect it with Asaka Yasuhiko, if he secretly prepared it in advance in another capacity, it makes sense.”

“After Boss Song discussed this with me, we all believed that Otowa Yasuhiko might have inadvertently learned the secret of obtaining demonic energy. With the help of the Japanese onmyojis and priests, he successfully transformed himself into a demon so he would be able to live forever. In order to hide this, he died as Asaka Yasuhiko at the age of ninety-four, and continued to live as Otowa Yasuhiko, who was well prepared.”

The amount of information was so astounding that even Long Shen needed a moment of silence to process it.

“Anything else?”

“Yes,” Tang Jing said. “Ming Xian’s true body is the Gold and Silver Pingwen Zither. This is a national treasure of Japan, which means it’s impossible for Otowa Yasuhiko to easily obtain. However, since he’s part of the royal family, naturally it would be easier for him to get these resources than others. Based on the fact that he was able to repeatedly send Fujikawa Aoi and other onmyojis to China, those priests and onmyojis has a deeper connection with him than we thought.”

Song Zhicun added in a heavy tone, “I also notified Boss Wu about Dong Zhilan. His soul—”

Thinking of the torture that Dong Zhilan had suffered before the end of his life, Song Zhicun couldn’t continue for a moment, even for a person like him who had worked for many years and had endured many angers and sadness. “Since his soul has been integrated with Ming Xian’s soul by Asaka, there must be no ashes left. Boss Wu said that he will do a posthumous recognition and memorial service for him.”

“Good.” Long Shen had no objection.

At the end of the meeting, Song Zhicun was busy contacting the General Administration to arrange various aftermath matters. When he got up and was about to leave, Long Shen stopped him.

“Boss Song, ten days later, when the international conference is over, I will not return to Beijing. I will be taking Dong Zhi to Hainan.”

Song Zhicun was startled. “What?”

Long Shen said, “Dong Zhi has been cursed. It may be related to the Han Qi incident. I will take him to visit the Chi family to see if there’s a way to lift the curse.”

Although his face wasn’t obvious, how could Song Zhicun not see through this. He immediately happily said, “Go, go. There’s still me and Boss Wu at the General Administration!”

After thinking for a while, he comforted, “That child Dong Zhi is blessed. I don’t think anything bad will happen.”

Long Shen nodded his head to express his gratitude.

After Song Zhicun left, Long Shen looked at Tang Jing, who was obviously depressed.

“Are you okay?”

Tang Jing reluctantly smiled. “It’s okay. I just need some time alone. Is there anything else, Boss Long?”

Long Shen said, ‘Before we came out of the well, we broke the iron net that closed it off. When you get the chance, please ask someone to reweld it so as to prevent any accidents.”

Tang Jing: “Will do.”

He really wasn’t in the mood for further discussion. He pressed his hands on the table and slowly got up, but he couldn’t help but sighed unintentionally due to being so physically and mentally exhausted.

“You, are you with Ming Xian…”

It was rare for Long Shen to hesitate. Because of his temperament, he never inquired about other people’s affairs. Although Ming Xian was a vessel spirit created by Asaka Yasuhiko, he was now dead. As with all things, once dead, everything would disappear. What was more, Tang Jing wasn’t negligent in his dealings with Ming Xian, so he couldn’t be accused of improper behavior.

As soon as he spoke, Long Shen suddenly realized that it was selfish to ask something like this.

Tang Jing didn’t notice this. All kinds of emotions in his heart poured in, scrambling together and piling up like a mountain that was crumbling, and he was in urgent need of venting. Long Shen’s question just opened the gap between this fragile state that was about to collapse.

“I thought we were just acting on the spot. I wasn’t human and he wasn’t either. Don’t you think it’s ridiculous for a mirror to like a zither? But when he died, I cried,” Tang Jing murmured, as if he was talking to himself.

Long Shen was silent. He knew the other party didn’t need his response.

“If he had nothing to do with Otowa Yasuhiko, maybe it would be possible. Between us, it was never pure from the beginning. There’s no point in talking about whether it was love or not.”

Tang Jing closed his eyes, as if he wanted to laugh at himself, but he could only utter a smile. The corners of his mouth were forced, but his eyes were red.

“Actually, I just realized now that after living for so long, it’s rare to suddenly meet someone who can see through my origins and be in harmony with me in bed and under the sheets. It turns out that I will be lonely and miserable. Boss Long, will you also?”

Will he?

Long Shen thought for a while.

He never stopped for anyone or anything, but now he had an apprentice that walked slowly and would cause him to stop in his tracks from time to time and made him wait for him to catch up.

Both sides had different thoughts so the conversation naturally ended.

Tang Jing said, “As soon as matters are over, I want to take a long vacation and have a good rest.”

Long Shen nodded. “Submit a leave report at that time. However, if there’s an emergency, you’ll need to report back.”

Tang Jing smiled. “Of course. It is my duty. Boss Long, if you deal with Otowa Yasuhiko in the future, even if you want to go to Japan to kill him in person, you must count me as one of the people among your group.”

Long Shen stared at him for a moment. “Okay.”

Long Shen returned to the hospital after leaving the branch office.

He first went to see Liu Qingbo and Huo Jie. Their injuries had been properly dealt with. As for their internal injuries, those could only be healed slowly. Long Shen had already asked the General Administration for Shanqing Pills, which would be delivered soon.

Everyone needed rest after such a long and thrilling battle. When Long Shen passed by, Liu Qingbo and Huo Jie were fast asleep, and Dong Zhi wasn’t an exception. This hospital was a public security hospital, so there was a Special Administration Bureau attached to it. The three of them were injured on duty and were assigned separate wards. There was also a small living room and a separate bathroom. The conditions weren’t so bad that even the temper of Young Master Liu Qingbo couldn’t pick out any dissatisfaction.

Long Shen sat in Dong Zhi’s ward for a while, motionless. He was still thinking about many things in his mind, including Dong Zhi’s curse, Otowa Yasuhiko, Mara, and the stone tablets. Thousands of thoughts rushed in all at once.

Now that there was a major breakthrough and progress on the stone tablets’ clues, the direction of their search should also be changed, and they had to quickly do it ahead of Otowa.

In the era of the end of law, demons had been resurrected one after another. In addition to Otowa Yasuhiko and Mara, many incidents had been going on in the west. Perhaps they needed to strengthen their intelligence exchanges with the other side. They should take advantage of the opportunity during the World Exchange Conference.

There was also the upcoming international conference. Otowa Yasuhiko was driven back in time with the demise of Cheng Yuan and Ming Xian, but he would surely not give up. He had to strengthen his precautions and would discuss it with Song Zhicun and Tang Jing again…

Perhaps due the surrounding environment was too quiet, or he was infected by Dong Zhi’s sweet sleeping that Long Shen felt a little tired himself, and all his thoughts finally faded away, like the dark scene at the end of a movie. Everything returned to nothingness. His consciousness precipitated and he sank into the deep pool of dreams.

—

Dong Zhi blinked several times as he looked at the snow-white ceiling above his head and listened to the cheerful cries of birds jumping under branches outside the window. Finally, he was sure that he was lying safely in a hospital bed and not in a dark underwater cave.

There was pain in his limbs from overdrawing his physical strength. His arms were medicated, and the back of his hand had a tingling feeling. He saw an IV bag hanging by his bed that was almost finished. He pulled out the needle and sat up. Except for a little dizziness, there wasn’t any particular discomfort.

If it weren’t for Long Shen’s words, he’d never have thought he’d be able to lay his head on his shoulder.

The room was quiet, so quiet, that when he turned his head to the other side, he saw Long Shen sitting on the sofa asleep.

In his impression, Long Shen rarely rested and always seemed energetic. When everyone was tired after their battle in Yinchuan, Long Shen was still in high spirits. He once felt that Long Shen might have slept for too long before his transformation, so he no longer needed to sleep after being refined, though he only dared joke about this in his heart. Now that he saw Long Shen asleep, he finally felt that his master also needed rest in the real sense.

He picked up the blanket by the bed casually and wanted to get out and put on his shoes, but suddenly changed his mind and instead stepped on the floor barefoot, walked over silently, and gently covered Long Shen with a blanket.

He didn’t expect Long Shen to be as alert as he was, and almost as soon as he got close, he had already woken up.

Dong Zhi’s movement stopped mid-action and he could only explain, “I was afraid you’d catch a cold.”

Long Shen sat up straight, nodded, and took his blanket, but didn’t cover himself and just put it aside.

“Master, why don’t you sleep some more?”

“No, I slept all night.” Long Shen glanced at his feet. “Why didn’t you put on slippers?”

Dong Zhi smiled embarrassedly. “I was afraid to wake you up.”

As a result, he still woke up Long Shen.

“Let me see your body,” Long Shen said.

Even though the room was heated, it was indeed a bit cold being barefooted. Dong Zhi sat cross-legged on the sofa while holding the blanket while Long Shen checked his pulse.

Dong Zhi took a closer look and found that Long Shen’s expression hadn’t changed much. He couldn’t tell from the other person’s face whether he was terminally ill and the situation was hopeless or if it was a minor problem.

“Master, is my curse serious?” he asked tentatively.

Long Shen said, “I can feel that there’s a force in your body that doesn’t match, but as for the specifics, we have to go to the Chi family and have them take a look at you. I don’t know much about curses.”

It felt worlds apart due to the differences in their professions. Dong Zhi could only nod.

Dong Zhi said honestly, “I’m okay.”

He was really okay. Those few mouthfuls of black blood felt like hallucinations, and he didn’t even smell the blood in his mouth.

“Master, are you done? How are you preparing for the international conference?” After their reunion, they were finally alone for the first time. He didn’t know how to get along with Long Shen. He wasn’t enthusiastic, nor was he indifferent, but he had nothing to say.

Seeing that Long Shen didn’t answer, he thought he inquired too much and had overstepped his authority, so he hurriedly apologized.

Long Shen shook his head. In fact, he was just thinking about Dong Zhi’s problem just now, and his thoughts trailed off for a bit.

“The meeting will end at the end of this month. After that, we’ll go to Hainan. Before then, you can rest a bit more.”

Dong Zhi reacted quickly. “The Chi family?”

Long Shen nodded. “The Chi family is the only clan that are witches and witchdoctors in China. Chi Banxia’s father is an excellent witchdoctor. We have also considered recruiting him into the Special Administration Bureau before.”

Dong Zhi became curious, so he took advantage and asked, “Didn’t he want to?”

“At that time, Zhang Xiankun, the former director of the bureau, paid more attention to his family background and believed that curses and witchcraft belonged to the evil path. Chi Banxia’s father was young and arrogant at that time. He couldn’t bear it, so he left and threatened that he would never return to the Special Administration Bureau again in his life.”

Dong Zhi was quite surprised. From his impression, Chi Banxia was a sweet, lively little girl. He didn’t expect her father’s temper to be so hot.

Having said that, Chi Banxia was now working with the Special Administration Bureau. Even if it was only for the sake of his daughter, he would not shut them out. Dong Zhi just had a faint feeling that witchcraft may not be so easily understood.

Long Shen must had recognized this, so he deliberately mentioned the Chi family and gave him some reassurance.

The deeper the understanding, the more Dong Zhi could feel his care under the indifference.

“Master, I’m sorry I made you worried. You didn’t need to go through all this trouble, and now you have to take up your time to attend to my private matters.”

“You were injured while on duty, so it’s not a personal matter.” After saying this and seeing Dong Zhi’s astonishment, Long Shen added, “I have a year’s worth of vacation and I haven’t been to Hainan for a long time. This is just a short tour.”

Dong Zhi was relieved to hear this and joked, “There are many nice sea view hotels in Sanya, as well as an infinity swimming pool. If I ask you to stay for a few days, will you treat this as a vacation between master and apprentice?”

He said this purely casually and never thought that the other party would agree. Who knew that Long Shen thought about it and nodded.

“Okay.”

Dong Zhi was taken aback for a moment before a scene of Long Shen swimming breaststroke in the water blankly appeared uncontrollably.

No. Stop. If he thought about it, his Master’s reputation would become defiled in his brain for the rest of his life!

The days of recuperation were nothing more than the same. He would eat when he woke up, go back to sleep after eating, occasionally visit Liu Qingbo and Huo Jie, who were next door, and more often than not, he would lie in bed, as if to make up for the vitality he had lost in the past few days.

Long Shen was extremely busy each day, especially as the international conference was approaching. Although Song Zhicun and Tang Jing were also there, he was indispensable. Dong Zhi watched the news introducing the international conference on TV, which said that this year was a new record for participating countries over previous years. While the leaders of many countries met with each other, he couldn’t imagine the amount of effort Long Shen and the others put in behind the scenes to run everything smoothly.

But no matter how busy Long Shen was, he would go to the hospital to visit Dong Zhi almost every other day and would stay there for a long time every time.

During this period, Dong Zhi vomited black blood twice more. However, his body didn’t further deteriorate, nor did his eight meridians open up. His state wasn’t bad but leaned towards lethargy. His biological clock gradually extended from the original eight hours of sleep to about ten hours, but this didn’t really mean anything. When he went to school in the past, he knew some of his classmates wanted to stay in bed for 24 hours when winter came.

On the other hand, Dong Zhi learned that in order not to scare the snake, the original search for the stone tablets continued like headless flies on the surface, but the General Administration had secretly ordered a search to focus on the dragon vein.

There were many dragon veins, large and small, in the south. One was the Qinhuai River area that included Jinling, which was consistent with the direction He Yu and the others were looking for before, and now they could narrow the scope even more. First, the Yanchang area; although it had been a land of barbarians since ancient times, a dragon vein wasn’t dependent on whether there was an emperor or not. Still, it could barely be considered a dragon vein and it extended west into the region of Bashu, which radiated out with Chengdu as the center. This included Emei Mountain and Qingcheng Mountain in the search scope. In this way, the workload of He Yu, Kan Chaosheng, and the others had greatly increased.

In order to avoid worry, Dong Zhi didn’t mention to them that he was cursed, but He Yu had probably heard it from Long Shen, as he came up with a bunch of messy thoughts. Even Kan Chaosheng called and said that if necessary, he could provide a piece of a Jiao’s scale. Dong Zhi could hear both concern and reluctance in his tone, and his heart couldn’t help but feel moved that he disregarded his wallet and promised to buy three large boxes of snacks and willingly signed an unequal contract.

The calm and lively days weren’t always smooth. There was bad news from the Northwest Branch. According to the “Shaohua Travel Map” provided by Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo, the Northwest Branch searched up and down near Shaohua Mountain. With all their efforts and troubles, they finally found the location of the stone tablet at the foot of Shaohua Mountain, but when they dug three feet into the ground and dug out the stone tablet, they found the last thing they wanted to see.

The stone tablet was broken to the point where it couldn’t be restored, but even if it could, the array had already been invalidated. According to the comparative study of the soil composition around the stone tablet, the people of the Northwest Branch found that the soil around it hadn’t been moved for hundreds of years. This meant that the stone tablet might have been damaged hundreds of years ago after the painting. Perhaps it was due to unintentional destruction by ordinary people.

The Northwest Branch flipped through the local county records and ancient books in Hua County, where Shaohua Mountain was located, and they found a clue that could be related to this.

A few decades after the “Shaohua Travel Map” was painted, in 1556 AD, a severe earthquake was recorded in the Ming Dynasty that was extremely catastrophic, leaving more than 800,000 dead. According to the county records preserved in the local area to this day, it was around midnight at the time of the earthquake. Some people saw the area around Shaohua Mountain lit up as bright as day, mixed with red light, like the rising sun. It seemed as if day and night had flipped upside down, and there was a terrifying earth movement.

Of course, this discovery didn’t explain anything. After all, the writings of the ancients, no matter what natural or man-made disasters occurred, were always attributed to the ways of heaven. It was incomprehensible.

However, this matter wasn’t without gain. There was at least eight stone tablets, of which four were currently known, with one damaged from Shaohua Mountain. This meant that they only needed to find the remaining four stone tablets.

It was only at this time that Dong Zhi realized the trouble caused by his curse. Like Liu Qingbo and Huo Jing, although they were still lying in the hospital, resting in the name of recuperation, if there were no accidents, they would soon be able to return to work. As for him, this would be longer. Unconsciously, he had become accustomed to the thrilling days of adventure, while painting had become a lifelong hobby. In the Special Administration Bureau, he had found ideals and dreams that were worthy of his constant pursuit. There was a group of companions of different personalities, and there were friends who were worthy of entrusting his life to, and even more people that he liked and respected.

Long Shen wasn’t idle either. He sent an email to the Association of White-Robe Witches in Southeast Asia to inquire about Dong Zhi’s situation and quickly got a reply.

The one who replied to him was a well-known witchdoctor in Thailand and the Vice-President of the association. His name was Xinchai. It was rumored that he was also one of the witchdoctors of the royal family. Xinchai told Long Shen that since he couldn’t meet Dong Zhi himself, he didn’t dare make any conclusion lightly, but according to the description, Dong Zhi was indeed very likely to have been cursed, and it was by a witchdoctor that specialized in black magic.

There were thousands of types of curses in the world, among which there were many that were created by the witchdoctor himself. They could be described as strange and imaginative. There was always a cause and effect in the world, and naturally, curses were no exception. Curses harm people, and the person who harmed them would also suffer backlash, some serious enough that they could die from it. Many witchdoctors and witches would be unwilling to do such a thing, but there were some that used unscrupulous means. If they had to kill someone, they would use substitutes to eliminate the backlash of their curse, so they could continue to do whatever they wanted. Some would even capture their target and torture them in all kinds of ways, causing them to die in resentment. They would then refine their grievances into their curses, which only made them more complicated and deadly.

The letter then ended with a meaningful sentence: I have traveled all over the world over the years and have seen countless bizarre things. Long, my dear friend, you can never imagine how vicious humans can be. Good luck to you and your apprentice.

Although he didn’t say it clearly, the implication was that even if he saw Dong Zhi himself, he would be helpless to lift the curse on Dong Zhi.

If even a master-level figure among witches and witchdoctors like Xinchai said so, was it even necessary to visit the Chi family in Hainan?

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Correction on a name: Otowa Yasuhiko was originally translated as Otowa Hatsuhiko. Previous chapters should be fixed, but if you have read before the fix, please note this. If there are any chapters I have missed, please let me know so I can update.

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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 104

The Wuzhiqi let out a roar as it swiped its claws indiscriminately, all aimed at Dong Zhi. It grabbed Long Shen’s sword with one of its forearms.

However, at this time, there was a strange change in the sword’s light. In the increasingly dazzling light, black energy seemed to be drawn out of the Wuzhiqi’s body, little by little, and it started to seep towards Long Shen.

The Wuzhiqi’s body trembled and was momentarily frozen before it became more manic and restless. It grabbed the sword’s light with both hands and tried to drag Long Shen towards it, intending to tear him to pieces. Dong Zhi gasped for breath when he saw this and tried his best to support Long Shen and continued to attack, leaving no room for idleness.

However, this time, the Wuzhiqi seemed to sense that Long Shen was the most important one. Ignoring how many wounds were drawn by Dong Zhi, it twisted the sword’s light with its giant pair of arms, wrapping it around the sword’s body, causing the sword’s light to tremble violently. Seeing that he was about to be interrupted, Long Shen continued to absorb the demonic energy without paying heed to any distractions. Dong Zhi gritted his teeth. Regardless of whether being underwater could attract lightning or not, he pinched the sword in one hand and started to recite the mantra to summon heavenly thunder.

He closed his eyes and separated himself from the dazzling light, Long Shen’s persistence, and Liu Qingbo’s and Huo Jie’s fierce battle from his inner world. When all the distractions had subsided, pure and clean incantations rose.

The four great enlightenments, heaven and the earth are eternal, by the Jade Emperor’s orders, clear the three yuan. The mighty sword of the Divine King, slay evil and destroy its traces. The purple demonic energy ascends to heaven, the landscape collides, swallowing demons and ghosts, and drinks the wind…

The demonic energy absorbed from the Wuzhiqi’s body was condensed by Long Shen in the sword’s light. If they could succeed, he would seal up the demonic energy and bring it back to the Special Administration for research. However, the Wuzhiqi didn’t seem willing to lose this demonic energy that had reawakened its fierceness, and the demonic energy wasn’t willing to leave this rare host body. The two sides converged into a powerful force. It fought Long Shen to the death, making a final struggle before its destruction.

But it was precisely its death throes that gave rise to astonishing potential. In order to absorb the demonic energy, Long Shen couldn’t be distracted and fight it. The Wuzhiqi’s violent power caused the cave to shake as debris kept falling above them. Even the ground had started to quake. If Liu Qingbo and Huo Jie couldn’t stop it, the cave would most likely collapse. At that time, the lake water above their heads would pour in and drown everything. Even if they managed to escape the monster, they would still fall short.

Liu Qingbo and Huo Jie gasped. They were exhausted, with countless wounds on their bodies that were still bleeding. Although it wasn’t fatal, it was enough to drain what little physical strength they had.

The two of them tried their best to suppress the Wuzhiqi’s manic stamina, but its power was endless. Even the softest area in its waist and abdomen couldn’t be easily approached. It had been injured by them before, so now it was full of hatred and madness that it couldn’t wait to crush all of them into dust. After Cheng Yuan designed it to swallow demonic energy, the demonic energy integrated with it, awakening its unknown temperament from ancient times and also enhancing its strength, but now Long Shen wanted to draw these powers away. How could it allow it? Naturally, it had to use everything to fight back.

The Wuzhiqi roared as the cave shook more violently. Liu Qingbo and Huo Jie almost lost their balance, but Long Shen was still attached to the stone wall. The sword’s light in his hand didn’t even hesitate for a moment as it steadily kept drawing the demonic energy from the Wuzhiqi’s head, which only caused it to become more infuriated as a result.

Across the cave, above the lake above their heads, there was a muffled sound in the distance.

Liu Qingbo thought it was the Wuzhiqi’s power echoing underground, causing a flash flood. He couldn’t help but sink his face and secretly curse, but he couldn’t think of any way to stop it. He could only grit his teeth and rush up to attack the Wuzhiqi’s eyes—even if that would very likely cause another fury from his opponent.

But at that moment, there was a loud bang above their heads. The sword’s light between Long Shen and the Wuzhiqi suddenly flourished. The white light mixed with the black demonic energy flowed into a blueish-purple brilliance for a moment before it instantly penetrated the Wuzhiqi’s protective aura and wrapped around it!

It’s heavenly thunder!

Liu Qingbo was suddenly overjoyed.

He looked at the Wuzhiqi that was struggling in the lightning, but it was all in vain. In the blink of an eye, the last trace of demonic energy was sucked away by Long Shen, and all the light disappeared in an instant, returning the cave to darkness. Everyone hadn’t adapted to the sudden darkness and could only feel the pain in their eyes.

Liu Qingbo fumbled around and finally found the flashlight and turned it on. If the flashlight could be refined, he would probably have witnessed a terrifying battle just now in full view, but no matter how weak it was, it could finally get rid of his predicament of blindness.

The Wuzhiqi fell to the ground motionless, unknown whether it was dead or alive.

Huo Jie leaned against the stone wall, completely exhausted and out of breath, but he finally felt relief. There was also Dong Zhi, who was being checked on by Long Shen, so he didn’t need to worry about him.

Before Liu Qingbo had time to lament that “a child of a master is like a treasure”, he suddenly remembered the stone tablet and quickly turned to look back.

“The stone tablet is fine,” Long Shen said. He should have already gone to check on it.

Liu Qingbo breathed a sigh of relief and once again realized the gap between Long Shen and them. While they were tired to death, Long Shen had caught up with them from the water and walked the same long way as them. He also fought against the Wuzhiqi but was still able to think about everything in a short time after the battle. Everything was considered carefully.

In the dim light, the Wuzhiqi’s ragged panting sounded normal. Liu Qingbo asked Long Shen, “Should we lock it up?”

“I’m already locked up here…” A voice with a strange accent answered him.

Liu Qingbo was stunned for a while before he realized that it was actually coming from the Wuzhiqi.

“It’s been many years.” The Wuzhiqi slowly got up. Its golden bronze bell-like eyes opened, looking at the people who had scorned it.

“Who are you guys?” It asked.

Liu Qingbo felt that it should be speaking the language of ancient times, but magically he could understand it. After a few seconds, it finally dawned on him that it wasn’t actually the Wuzhiqi speaking, but it was conveying a message to them through its consciousness.

Long Shen said, “Thousands of years have passed since you were imprisoned underwater. We are the enforcers of the current world. We can be called the order keepers.”

“Has it been thousands of years already?” The Wuzhiqi was obviously injured as its consciousness was intermittent. “Many years ago, I was locked here. At the same time, I made an agreement to guard the stone tablet underwater. When five thousand years expired, I would be free again. Unexpectedly, not long ago, a man came and sent me a message with a water spirit, saying he could provide me with demonic energy to increase my strength and let me out in advance. I couldn’t resist the temptation, so I accepted the demonic energy.”

Long Shen said in a deep voice, “That demonic energy is refined from human life and grievances. You should know that it’s no benefit to your cultivation. Although that person imprisoned you here to have you guard the stone tablet, he must also have wanted you to practice your cultivation with peace of mind, but now that your foot was right at the door, you have fallen short. All your previous efforts have been in vain.”

“Then I will start over. I just wanted to go out in advance to see if that person is still alive… That’s all. I only have myself to blame. That person must also hope that I will guard the stone tablet for a long time, so I’ll tack on another 5,000 years. Why not!”

The voice that came into their minds sounded as if it had both laughter and tears, and in the end, turned into a sigh.

“Who are you talking about?” Liu Qingbo was puzzled.

Those who could live for thousands of years couldn’t possibly be humans, right?

“You guys, leave,” the Wuzhiqi said. It obviously didn’t want to answer this question.

“The stone tablet here is very important, so I’ll have to trouble you elder,” Long Shen said.

Wuzhiqi: “I know that it’s a demon suppressing array consisting of eight stone tablets, and this is one of them.”

Everyone was shocked, but Long Shen reacted faster.

“Dare I ask elder if you know where the remaining stone tablets are?”

Wuzhiqi: “A great ancient demon was born and wreaked havoc across the land. Powerful people gathered the essence of the four seas and used the sacred stones left by Nuwa* in the past as the stone tablets. They engraved runes on them. It is distributed in eight places, repelling demonic energy for thousands of years. At that time, I was the great monster of the Huai River. I made wind and waves and fought with many for thousands of years until I was defeated. At that time, I vaguely remember from the man’s words that the eye of the array was in Kunlun, but the rest is not clear.”

*Mother goddess of Chinese mythology. She is credited with creating humanity and repairing the Pillar of Heaven. As creator of mankind, she molded the upper-class individually by hand with yellow clay, and as she grew tired, she instead used a string to pull up the clay faster and form the lower-class.

Kunlun¹ wasn’t a place but an area. The Kunlun Mountains² stretched for thousands of miles, vast and boundless. It had been a place where legends have appeared frequently since ancient times. This clue was almost as good as just not even knowing, but it was still better than nothing. At least they finally had a goal, which was better than looking for a needle in a haystack.

¹A mountain range in Chinese mythology that’s an important symbol representing the axis mundi and divinity. The mythological Kunlun is based on various sources—mythologic and geographic—of the modern so-called Kunlun Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and Mount Kailash (as an archetypal omphalos). Many important events in Chinese mythology are based around Kunlun.
²One of the longest mountain chains in Asia extending for more than 3,000 kilometers. Many Chinese mythology is based off this mountain range.

More importantly, Long Shen compared what he said with the clues Ming Xian had left, which confirmed that what Ming Xian had told them was true.

Dong Zhi let out an exhale and took the flashlight to the stone tablet to take a closer look and found that the demonic energy on it had disappeared.

He turned around and apologized, “Sorry, elder. Just now, in order to help my master draw out the demonic energy, I had to attract thunder and hurt you. Please don’t blame me.”

“What is there to blame than not being as skilled as other. You guys go quickly so as not to upset me more!”

The Wuzhiqi was beaten up by them, and its injuries weren’t light. It itself was greedy from a moment of temptation and was corrupted by demonic energy. There was nothing it could say except to ask them to leave and hope that they wouldn’t meet its contemporaries and divulge the fact that it had merged with demonic energy and was struck by heavenly lightning.

“If they find out, I’m afraid my reputation will be ruined forever,” the Wuzhiqi said in dismay.

‘Even if we don’t tell anyone, with you being locked up here all this time, there is no reputation for you to lose,’ Liu Qingbo chided secretly in his head. He couldn’t help rolling his eyes at the thought of this great monster who still wanted to save face.

“If you keep walking along the front, you can see a pool of water. There’s an exit above the pool. You can leave from there.” The Wuzhiqi gave them directions on how to leave.

“How far is it?” Liu Qingbo asked.

The Wuzhiqi thought for a while. “It’ll only take a few hundred steps!”

They all bid farewell to the Wuzhiqi and continued to move forward, but everyone quickly discovered that the Wuzhiqi’s so-called few hundred steps weren’t quite the same to them… because they were walking weakly to the point where their faces were pale, but they hadn’t reached the pool of water the Wuzhiqi told them about.

Only then did Liu Qingbo remember that the Wuzhiqi walking speed was extremely fast, rather like it was running or flying, so a few hundred steps was probably more like a few thousand or even tens of thousands of their steps.

He felt so cold in his heart that he almost thought of turning into a young master and throwing a tantrum, but he didn’t dare because Long Shen was also present.

The other party walked in front and led the way for them. Huo Jie, who was the most injured, still persisted, so Liu Qingbo had to swallow his grievances and continue on his way.

Suddenly, a hand stretched out and held a bottle of mineral water. The bottle was a mini-size and the top hadn’t been opened. Most likely, one could finish the entire content inside in one swallow, but what surprised Liu Qingbo was—

“Where did you get this water?”

Dong Zhi said innocently, “It was in my waist bag. Space is limited, so I can only bring such a small bottle. You can time a sip with Huo Ge. I’m not thirsty.”

After a pause, he asked again, “Master, do you want some?”

“No need.” Long Shen didn’t turn his head around. His voice came steadily.

The corners of Liu Qingbo’s mouth twitched. “I’ve heard you complain that your bag is too small just now. How many things do you still have in it?”

Dong Zhi reached in and took the contents out. “There’s also a bar of chocolate, which was bought from the canteen of Yasheng High School. Other than that, nothing else. Do you want to eat it?”

“No!” Liu Qingbo shouted and handed the water to Huo Jie.

Huo Jie was indeed thirsty and had no care about being polite. He unscrewed the lid and raised his head to take a sip. He returned the remaining half to Dong Zhi while also giving him praise.

“Thank you. Dong Zhi, you have such good habits. Even if we’re practitioners, we can’t withstand long-term physical exertion. You carry food with you and could meet unexpected needs. This time, it’s all thanks to Boss Long for catching up with us.”

Otherwise, with the three of them, let alone extracting the demonic energy from the Wuzhiqi, most likely they would all be turned into ground beef by it.

When the seemingly immortal flashlight in their hands slowly weakened and was about to die, they finally saw waves reflected not far away.

Looking up, the top of the cave was stretched and narrowed, turning into a round hole. There was an opening at the end, faintly leaking a hint of the blue lake, as if you could see the crescent moon hanging in the sky.

Long Shen said, “The top should be a wellhead, which is sealed by an iron net. I’ll go up and open it first, then you’ll go up through the iron chain later.”

There was an iron chain hanging from the wall that sank into the deep pool, but it wasn’t an iron chain that was locked to the Wuzhiqi. It was just a gimmick of legends for tourism, which was now convenient for them.

Long Shen jumped into the water, but instead of grabbing the iron chain, he swam to the steep stone wall on the other side of the pool. His body moved quickly, sticking to the stone wall like before, and he quickly climbed up with vigor and lightness. After a while, his figure became smaller in their sights and finally turned into a black spot that disappeared at the end.

Outside was a scenic spot. The wellhead was sealed with an iron net. Originally, it wasn’t there, but later, many curious tourists came here and probed down. Once, because there were too many people, someone fell down and died. Since then, the scenic area had been sealed with an iron net.

However, for young adventurers, this iron net had undoubtedly stifled their desire to verify legends.

It was dawn at this time, but the sky had not brightened yet. The cool moon was still hanging overhead. Several young people were planning to go up the mountain to catch the sunrise. They passed by this area and couldn’t help but stop and talk about the myths and legends of this place as they looked into the well.

As a result, a sharp-eyed person saw a hand sticking out from under the iron mesh and grabbing hold of it. During their chatter, the iron mesh that was welded to the edge of the well showed signs of falling off.

The young man stared blankly for a few seconds, making sure that there wasn’t anything wrong with his eyes, then suddenly screamed.

His companions also saw the hand. Although it was very beautiful and its fingers were slender, few people had the mind to watch it carefully. Various legends of demons and ghosts appeared in their minds, all of which were hideous and terrifying.

Everyone turned their heads and ran screaming, and no one dared to look back.

Long Shen held up the iron net and crawled out of the well. From a distance, he could see several figures fleeing as they kicked up dust.

He didn’t have time to mind that though. He turned around and pulled on the iron cable, motioning to the people below to come out.

Not long after, Liu Qingbo, Huo Jie, and Dong Zhi all followed the iron cable in turn and saw the sun again.

Unlike the underground, the fresh air mixed with the mountain breeze that blew on their faces made everyone who was wet shudder at the same time, but also feel relaxed and happy.

Liu Qingbo dumped out the water stuck in his ears as he said, “I thought I heard someone screaming just now?”

Long Shen said, “Tourists. I’ll have someone come back later to weld the iron mesh back together again. Let’s go down the mountain first.”

In fact, everyone had already squeezed out the last traces of their strength. Let alone fighting the Wuzhiqi just now, even if someone who knew how to fight or some kung fu came, it was estimated they could beat them up. They were all eager to return home. After staying in the underwater environment for so long, everyone felt puffy and swollen. They all wanted to rush back as soon as possible, take a hot bath, and get some good sleep.

Liu Qingbo raised his eyes and looked around, but couldn’t help but wonder, “Where is this? It’s not in the vicinity of Shencheng, is it? Wait. The Wuzhiqi mentioned the Huai River. Are we near it now?”

He turned his head and saw the stone tablet of the Wuzhiqi standing beside him and couldn’t help but be taken aback.

Long Shen nodded. “We’re not in Guishan. It’ll take more than four hours to drive back to Shencheng.”

The corners of Liu Qingbo’s mouth twitched. They had already arrived at the border of the neighboring province. No wonder they felt that the road would never end. From day to night, and from night to dawn, their speed was actually quite fast. If they were ordinary people, they might be trapped down there forever.

Dong Zhi felt a little weak, so he knelt down. He thought he must’ve drunk too much water by mistake from the pool just now. At this moment, his hands and feet were soft; his chest was stuffy, as if he had drunk too much water and it got stuck in his stomach. He couldn’t help coughing a few times before vomiting out water.

After vomiting, the feeling of weakness eased. When he opened his eyes, he saw Long Shen looking at him with a drastically changed expression.

Dong Zhi had been with Long Shen for some time and knew that although he had few expressions, it wasn’t like he had facial paralysis. He occasionally smiled and frowned, but more often he was calm and serious. After being with him for so long, he had seen these expressions more than others. Usually, there was nothing that could easily move him, but he had never seen such a panicked look on his face.

He lowered his head subconsciously and found a pool of blood on the ground that was completely black.

Dong Zhi was stunned for a moment before he reached out to wipe the wet marks on the corner of his mouth, only to realize that the pool of blood came from him.

Liu Qingbo’s and Huo Jie’s faces also changed.

Before Dong Zhi could grasp the situation, Long Shen had already come over and supported his limp body and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

“How are you? Do you feel discomfort?”

“I’m okay,” Dong Zhi felt strange. “It’s just my legs are a little weak. I guess it’s because I walked a lot and my chest was a little bit tight, but after I vomited, I feel much better. Maybe it was from the injury I suffered from the Wuzhiqi.”

Seeing that Long Shen wanted to carry him, he became quite embarrassed, so he refused. “Master, I’m not uncomfortable…”

“Don’t move!” Long Shen’s tone was stern, but his actions were the exact opposite.

Dong Zhi was taken aback, stopped resisting, and allowed the other party to carry himself obediently.

Liu Qingbo frowned. “Could it be that he suffered an internal injury just now?”

Seeing that everyone’s expressions weren’t good-looking, Dong Zhi tried to comfort them. “Boss Tang gave me an extra Shangqing Pill last time. I should be fine when I go back and take it.”

As he spoke, he felt a stream of heat surging up in his chest, eager to find an exit.

Dong Zhi finally felt something was wrong. He covered his mouth, but he couldn’t control the flow of liquid. Black blood overflowed directly from his fingers and dripped on Long Shen’s shoulders.

Liu Qingbo was shocked. “Boss Long, he vomited blood again and it’s black!”

“I know.” Long Shen’s footsteps didn’t stop as he strode forward steadily, not letting the person on his back suffer even the slightest bump.

“Master…” Dong Zhi finally felt a trace of confusion. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. It seemed that the fatigue that had been accumulating for some time had hit his lungs. His limbs were sore and weak, but his mind was still wide awake.

Long Shen said, “You may have been cursed.”

Liu Qingbo was startled, then suddenly said, “Last time, when we subdued Han Qi’s demon fetus, he said he felt something jump into his body!”

Long Shen let out a deep sigh. “A heavenly demon should be able to invade the dreamland through curses and map its energy into reality. Therefore, if he’s at a disadvantage in his dream, his spirit will be damaged, and it’s reflected to the body where he’ll also be injured.”

He didn’t say this before because he wasn’t sure and wanted to wait until they got out of the underground cave to check on his apprentice carefully, but he didn’t expect trouble would arise at this time.

Even for practitioners, curses, like witchcraft, belonged to a particularly mysterious realm, which was unpredictable and hard to prevent.

Long Shen didn’t hear any response from Dong Zhi and thought that the other party was worried by the news.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

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Kinky Thoughts:

Nuwa

Mother goddess of Chinese mythology. She is credited with creating humanity and repairing the Pillar of Heaven. As creator of mankind, she molded the upper-class individually by hand with yellow clay, and as she grew tired, she instead used a string to pull up the clay faster and form the lower-class.

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