Chapter 13

Chapter 13

It turned out that two months ago, an Evil Cultivator had arrived in Chongqing. He went to the Ghost Market to buy information and managed to discover Li Zhu’s Eight Characters of Birth. The Wangliang loved frequenting the Ghost Market; when it saw him digging for info, it followed him quietly, hoping to scavenge some easy pickings.

The Wangliang had been right there when the Evil Cultivator killed the boy and stripped his soul. It had even crawled into Li Zhu’s body, forcing him to shout “Run!” to terrify Li Yuan.

When the Wangliang realized that Jiang Haoyan and I were investigating the Evil Cultivator, it feared we would ruin its plans. So, it manifested to scare us, hoping to drive us away.

“Where is that Evil Cultivator? Take us to him, or I’ll bury you in Breathing Earth right now!”

The Wangliang gave us an address. I huffed coldly and was about to put the jar back into my bag when a sudden gust of yin wind rose, and a Ghost Soldier appeared before us.

“Hand it over.”

The Ghost Soldier didn’t waste words. I sighed, opened the lid, and gave it a flick. That single drop of water dissipated into the air.

Jiang Haoyan asked in surprise, “Qiao Moyu, it was so wicked, why did you let it go?”

“Sigh, haven’t you ever read *Journey to the West*? Monsters with powerful backers are always picked up and taken home. Why did that old ghost tell us to go to the Ghost City to find someone? It shows he knew about the connection between this Wangliang and the Ghost City. As for what that connection actually is, it’s not something we can afford to pursue.”

I packed my things with a sense of weariness and led Jiang Haoyan out of Li Family Village. The address the Wangliang gave us was in Daxigou, not far from the Zhu Family Funeral Shop.

Following the usual route up dozens of stone steps, I knocked on a weathered wooden door.

“Who is it-”

“Holy crap! Qiao Moyu!”

The one who opened the door was a young man with a buzz cut. The moment he saw me, his face turned pale.

I snapped, “It’s you! Fine, did Tong Fusheng send you?”

This young man was named Ah Kuan. Last time at the Xinjiang Devil City, he had been following Tong Wei. Tong Wei was eaten by snakes, but he had somehow survived and escaped that sandstorm.

Back then, the moment I pulled out the Thunderstruck Wood, all the snakes happened to retreat to save the Ghost Mother. Ah Kuan thought I had caused it with a spell and had been scared out of his wits, leaving him with a permanent psychological shadow of me.

Seeing Jiang Haoyan and me, he didn’t even have the courage to resist. He turned around and shouted toward the back:

“Brother Tong, run!”

“Damn it, I haven’t even finished the ritual!”

Who was Brother Tong?

Before I could react, a dark-skinned young man in a hoodie rushed out of the room. He pulled his hood over his head, and he and Ah Kuan bolted in different directions.

I didn’t give chase. These people were vicious and might be carrying guns; I didn’t dare face them head-on and could only rely on intimidation.

Jiang Haoyan and I walked into the room. Even though it was broad daylight, the curtains were drawn. The outer room was a living room; some takeout boxes and a few cans of beer sat on the coffee table.

I walked into the inner room and gasped.

Candles were lit on the floor, arranged in the shape of a Pentagram-the exact same one that had grown on my back.

In the center of the Pentagram was a wisp of a white soul.

Li Zhu stood there expressionless, his eyes hollow, as if devoid of all life. Strange characters were drawn haphazardly in blood all over the walls; I couldn’t recognize what kind of formation this was at all.

My heart skipped a beat. I had a feeling Tong Fusheng had somehow made contact with the mysterious Chiyou Tribe, which was the last thing I wanted to see.

Li Zhu’s Living Soul had been badly damaged. I spent a full week nourishing it before he regained some of his consciousness.

I took him back to Li Family Village.

His parents had already left for work again. Losing a son seemed to be nothing more than a comma in their mundane, numb lives.

After the comma, life had to go on. People had to eat and earn money. For the poor, even the time for pure grief was a luxury.

“Do you want to see them one last time? I’ll find a way for you.”

Li Zhu shook his head.

“No need. I only see them a few times a year anyway. I don’t miss them that much; I’m already used to it.”

After a long silence, Li Zhu asked, “Is living always this exhausting? I don’t really want to be human in my next life.”

I looked at Jiang Haoyan, then at Li Zhu, and said nothing.

*It’s not like that, Li Zhu. Most people find life exhausting because someone else is enjoying the blessings you were meant to have. Society has always been this way-there are classes, there is exploitation. Some people are carrying heavy burdens, while others are born possessing everything.*

Li Zhu clearly didn’t understand. He stood there dazed for a moment before leaving with the Ghost Official.

The case had already been ruled a suicide, and Tong Fusheng’s men had long since fled. These occult arts couldn’t be used as evidence. We had no other choice; after speaking with Li Zhu’s parents, Jiang Haoyan and I soon returned to Nanjiang.

Once back in Nanjiang, I immediately began my preparations.

Since Tong Fusheng and his lot were playing these games and harming innocent lives, they couldn’t blame me for being ruthless.

I planned to shift from passive defense to an active offensive. I would show them what the power of an Earth Master truly was.

And that is a story for another time.

***

**Side Story:**

As soon as Jiang Haoyan and I returned to Nanjiang, we went to see Professor Li.

“Professor, look, the matter is settled. About those key study materials for the makeup exam-”

Professor Li huffed coldly.

“Settled? Wasn’t it still a suicide? I knew it-once enough time passed, they’d have to accept it whether they liked it or not. People living hand-to-mouth can’t afford to waste much time.”

He reached up to take off his glasses, rubbing his eyes with a hint of sadness before ruthlessly venting his anger on us.

“Instead of studying hard, you’re messing around with this nonsense, and you still have the nerve to ask for materials?”

“Qiao Moyu, let me tell you, nothing is more important than your studies. You’re not like Jiang Haoyan. Your family background is ordinary; what capital do you have to be failing classes?”

Professor Li refused to give us the materials, and Jiang Haoyan could only say, “Forget it, forget it.”

*Easy for you to say! You weren’t the one whose brain got struck by lightning twice! Of course you’d say forget it.*

So, I set up a formation and had Li Zhu appear in Professor Li’s dreams for two consecutive nights, saying he wanted to thank us for saving his Living Soul.

On the third day, Professor Li walked up to me and coldly dropped a stack of papers in front of me.

“Study well. You can’t fail any more classes from now on.”

“It’s not that I believe in any feudal superstitions. It’s because I see that you’re a relatively hardworking student.”

I clutched the materials tight, nodding like a woodpecker.

“Thank you, Professor! I promise I’ll never fail again!”

**[End of Volume]**