Chapter 120
Chapter 120
Given the current situation, Old Zhao Seven began to tell us about his past.
We believed everything he said was true.
However, we were all shocked to hear that his wife and child had also been killed by the Seven Deaths for Life Exchange.
“Thirty years ago, you must have only been around thirty yourself, right?” Song Xiaotian asked.
Old Zhao Seven nodded. “Twenty-seven. I was twenty-five the year I married my wife.”
Song Xiaotian shifted to using more respectful honorifics. “Then your son… wouldn’t he have just been born? Given your skills, you must have been a formidable character in your youth. They don’t usually pick on someone who isn’t a soft target…”
Old Zhao Seven lowered his head, his eyes downcast. “I was adopted by a wandering Taoist when I was a child. That wandering Taoist became my Master. I followed him to learn the Way and entered the world of metaphysics.”
“My Master was a man who survived through chaotic times; his skills were incredibly powerful. As for me, I didn’t just learn his spiritual techniques, but his martial arts as well. By the time I was fifteen or sixteen, I was brave enough to capture hardened bandits alive. Ordinary people certainly didn’t dare provoke me.”
“But the deaths of my wife and son… it all stemmed from me. It was because I was young and headstrong back then that I brought ruin upon them.”
I never would have imagined that a man like Old Zhao Seven had such a tragic past.
None of us interrupted further, listening intently to his story.
“I followed my Master across the country from a young age. We performed many good deeds and stood up against injustice. Because of that, I made enemies with many people and factions. Among them was an Organization-I can’t quite describe their exact structure. They were very much like an evil cult, but their scale was more terrifying than any cult.”
“The first time I dealt with this Organization, they were already harming people. Back then, however, they were using relatively low-level sorcery-using infant spirits to harm people or exploiting superstition to scam money. The first time they drew me and my Master into action was because of a case involving Soul Reincarnation in Corpse.”
Soul Reincarnation in Corpse…
I couldn’t help but interject. “I remember you saying that Soul Reincarnation in Corpse is impossible.”
To use a corpse to return to life-the biological signs of that corpse have already vanished. Even if a soul returns to that body, it’s impossible for it to survive. Those were Old Zhao Seven’s exact words to us previously.
“Yes, of course it’s impossible.”
Old Zhao Seven nodded and explained in detail. “Metaphysics isn’t the same as superstition. In our line of work, metaphysics is a type of science-just a science of a different dimension. It is the science left behind by our ancestors. Since it is a science, we must analyze it dialectically.”
“Once a body is dead, even if a Ghost possesses it, it’s impossible to restore the vitality of the organs. In the language of our trade, it is impossible to regenerate the Seven Souls.”
“However, a Ghost can indeed manipulate the corpse, creating a brief, false phenomenon of ‘resurrection.'”
“But this phenomenon can only be maintained for ten to twelve hours. This is because it takes about ten to twelve hours for livor mortis to spread across the entire body. At that point, there’s no hiding it anymore.”
“A lot can be done in twelve hours. If the person subjected to Soul Reincarnation in Corpse is a wealthy man, he can transfer a massive amount of assets within those twelve hours. He can move money into designated accounts, have it received by specific people, or even leave a will behind so that someone can take over everything he owns.”
We were chilled by what we heard.
Wasn’t this the same tactic Lv Zhengxian used for his Soul Seizure of Du Ruhai?
While the methods weren’t identical, they were very similar. Lv Zhengxian’s approach was simply more sophisticated; he had effectively become Du Ruhai.
“My Master and I encountered a situation just like that back then.”
Old Zhao Seven frowned as he recalled the past. “The victim was an entrepreneur. He wasn’t incredibly wealthy, but he died suddenly and left behind a will bequeathing his entire estate to a complete stranger.”
“His wife had passed away before him, so there was no issue of communal property; everything belonged to him, and he could give it to whomever he pleased. Naturally, his children couldn’t accept it. They found my Master and me and asked us to investigate.”
“My Master and I always had a penchant for sticking our noses into these kinds of supernatural occurrences. We started digging, and eventually, our investigation led us straight to The Organization. When we saw how those bastards were operating with such flagrant lawlessness, how could we just stand by?”
“My Master and I discussed it and decided we had to take them down. We had to hit them where it hurt.”
Meng Yifan was listening even more intently than Song Xiaotian and I. He couldn’t help but ask, “And? What happened? Just tell us the result.”
Old Zhao Seven cursed, “Damn it, it still makes me angry just thinking about it. An estate worth tens of millions, and in the end, we only managed to claw back a few hundred thousand…”
Song Xiaotian wanted to laugh, but out of respect for me, he held it in. “How did you guys manage that? You only got a few hundred thousand back for the client?”
Old Zhao Seven looked helpless. “The money was already in their hands. How do you expect us to get it back? That’s the terrifying thing about The Organization. They have so many people spread across the entire country; they have professionals in every single industry.”
“My Master and I never let them go. Even though we didn’t win that first battle, we weren’t discouraged. If we couldn’t stop them, we’d sabotage them. Over the years, we managed to cause The Organization some heavy losses.”
“From the time I was eighteen until I got married, I was locked in a struggle with them. During those years, my Master and I even built up a small group specifically to oppose them.”
I felt a surge of admiration as I listened.
Our conflict with Du Ruhai couldn’t be compared to Old Zhao Seven’s experiences at all.
We were dealing with one monster; he was taking on a massive Organization.
Furthermore, the reason we were at odds with Du Ruhai was for our own sake, whereas Old Zhao Seven’s actions were driven entirely by a sense of justice.
“Impressive!” Song Xiaotian couldn’t help but give a thumbs up. “In ancient times, you would have been considered a true chivalrous hero.”
Old Zhao Seven waved his hand. “My Master was actually a disciple of orthodox Daoism, a member of the Quanzhen Sect. But back then, during the war, everyone at his temple died. He was taken in by a folk priest. Generally speaking, we studied a folk lineage, but we believe in Daoist values. Daoism can be summed up in four words: if you’re not satisfied, fight; if you see something wrong, fight. I never expected that ‘fight’ would last for so many years.”
“Actually, the case of Soul Reincarnation in Corpse I just told you about contains a very important piece of information. I wonder if you’ve noticed it.”
Song Xiaotian was stunned and didn’t answer for a long time.
Meng Yifan was even less likely to know; he was just there to listen.
However, hearing Old Zhao Seven say this, I felt as though I understood the point he was trying to make. I said, “The case you mentioned about the wealthy man and the Soul Reincarnation in Corpse… that was the original form of the Seven Deaths for Life Exchange…”
Old Zhao Seven nodded approvingly. “Correct. That was the earliest form of the Seven Deaths for Life Exchange. They spent many years researching it, upgrading it step by step.”
“Thirty years ago, they finally developed the complete version of the Seven Deaths for Life Exchange.”