Guardian Chapter (1 To 82)

Guardian (English Version BL
novel)
RainbowSe7en
Source: https://www.wattpad.com
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Guardian (English Version BL novel) c1-85
1. Volume 1
1. Chapter 1 - No. 4 Bright Avenue
2. Chapter 2 - Sundial of Reincarnation
21. Chapter 21 - Pillar of Nature
37. FAQs & changing book cover
47. Chapter 46 - Ink Brush of Virtue
72. Quick announcement
78. Chapter 76 - Primordial Past
79. Change of book cover + announcement
82. Chapter 79 - Lantern of the Guardian
Chapter 1 - No. 4 Bright Avenue
It's July 15 of the lunar calendar, and the sky is still gloomy.
Owls, whether big or small, have all returned to their nests. Even on the
spacious avenue of Dragon City, everything seems awfully quiet, with only
the occasional bug buzzes from the bushes, elusive and bewildering,
heightened with anticipation.
It's half past two in the morning, morning dew falls, and the air humidifies.
Wet, and sticky.
Perhaps it's the wind, but there always seems to be a shadow lurking in the
corner; when one walks on the avenue, there always seems to be something
glaring from behind.
At this time, Guo Changcheng finds himself carrying a document of notice,

entering No. 4 Bright Avenue.
Guo's parents died when he was young, his looks are mediocre, his
character introverted and cowardly; suffice to say, he wasn't born capable.
Fortunately, his two aunts are quite nice to him, having taken care of him til
he graduated from university.
Unfortunately, Guo fails to live up to any sort of expectation imaginable, he

struggled to graduate from a low tier university, with rather mediocre
grades too. Despite being an adult now, he is speechless and afraid when he
meets any stranger.
As one would expect, Guo could not find a job. After he graduated, he
wasted almost a year at home, slacking.
Afterwards, when his uncle was transferred to the Ministry of Public

Security, he made some connections to get his lackluster nephew a job.
And so Guo thought that he would spend his future working nine to five in
a uniform, making tea for important people, and playing solitaire whenever
free. That is until he received this bizarre "Recruitment Notice".
When the notice arrived, Guo thought that there must have been some sort
of mistake. The notice was written in big, red letters:
"Guo Changcheng comrade,
Congratulations! You have been recruited by our department, here, you will
enjoy the treatment and status of a national civil servant, with an above
average salary. At the same time, you will be responsible for serving the
people. We hope that you will work hard, with passion and ambition, for the
good of our society and nation.
Please bring this notice and your identity card, and report to our office at
2:30 am on August 31 (July 15 lunar calendar). Our address: Human
Resources Department, 1/F, No. 4 Bright Avenue.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you as our new comrade
on behalf of our staff.
Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
Special Investigations Unit
DD/MM/YYYY"
Normally, when one sees such a strange reporting time, one would expect it
to be a typo, and would probably call for confirmation. But Guo, being the
anti-social freak he is, has a rather peculiar case of telephone phobia. The
thought of having to make a phone call leaves him sleepless all night.
And so, he never made the phone call.
Then, Guo came up with a perfect plan: he would stay up all night, and go
to No. 4 Bright Avenue at half past two in the morning, if there is no-one
there, he would take a nap at a McDonald's not far away, and come back at
half past two in the afternoon. He figured that either one of these two times
must be right.
At this hour, the metro is out of service, so Guo has no choice but to drive.
Struggling with the help of GPS, he finally manages to find the right place.
No. 4 Bright Avenue is not so bright, but rather hidden in a secluded

courtyard. Guo stops and hesitates at the entrance for awhile, then turns on
the flashlight on his phone, and finds a small sign underneath the lush
Japanese ivy with the building number on it.
Below the sign is a small engraving on the rock, which reads "Special
Investigations Unit"; there is even the emblem of the MPS beneath it.
The courtyard is booming with vegetation, past the car park area is a line of
Japanese pagoda trees, forming a small grove. Among the trees is a narrow
path, which leads to a small reception hut and an old office building.
Lights are on in the small hut, and a uniformed figure can be seen inside.
The figure is wearing a service cap, reading a newspaper.
Guo takes a deep breath, and without much thought about why the reception
office is open at this time of day, he starts nervously sweating.
"I am reporting as a new recruit, this is my notice letter... I am reporting as a

new recruit, this is my notice letter... I am reporting as a new recruit, this is
my notice letter..." Guo is still standing in the same spot, reciting his lines
as though he were a schoolkid preparing for exam. Finally, he gathers the
courage and shakily knocks on the window of the reception, then feebly
mutters, "I am reporting as a new notice... this is my letter recruit..."
"What?" Asks the bewildered, middle-aged man at the reception.
He's screwed, how could he mess up a simple line like that? Guo is almost
in tears, his face begins to look like purple yam.
Fortunately, the man sees the notice letter, and realises what he is here for.
"Oh! You're the newbie! What should I call you? Oh, I see it, Little Guo,
huh? We haven't had a newcomer for quite some years. So how's it going,
this place isn't easy to find I suppose?"
Guo is relieved, he likes meeting friendly and eager people, the more
talkative the other person is, the less he would have to say. He nods in
agreement.
"So this is your first day, huh? Let me tell you, you're so lucky! It just so
happens that our Chief is here tonight! Come on, I will introduce you to
everyone."
Guo tenses up in an instance, not feeling lucky whatsoever.
Guo is particularly afraid of people of high status and power: when he was
little he would start curling up whenever he sees a teacher, and he would
turn around and run for his life if he ever sees the principal. Albeit a law-
abiding citizen, when he sees a policeman it's as if he were a rat seeing a
cat.
Meeting the Chief? He'd rather meet ghosts.
At this moment, a young man comes striding out of the small office
building.
The man has a cigarette in his mouth, hands buried in his pockets; his figure
slender and tall, with upright shoulders, thick eyebrows, deep eye sockets,
and a high nose. Extremely handsome, and yet extremely sombre.
Frowning, and quick-paced, his body seems to be saying, "no matter who
you are, get out of my way". Guo inadvertently finds himself looking at
him, and is immediately stunned by those beautiful yet abrasive eyes. This
handsome seems to be quite ill-tempered.
Surprisingly, when the handsome man sees someone standing by the

doorway, he makes an abrupt stop, and within a split second, puts on the
most genuine and cordial smile possible.
When he smiles, there are two soft dimples on his cheeks, his mouth curves
up, still holding a cigarette in it, and his eyes shrink into even steeper
curves, with a hint of mischief, but amiable still.
"Well, speak of the devil! Hey kid, go meet our Chief." The middle-aged
man gives Guo a push from behind, who almost stumbles and falls. His
mind goes blank as he hears a voice behind him say, "Chief Zhao, we have
got a newcomer today."
"Hi, my warmest welcome." Chief Zhao extends his hand eagerly.
Half-paralysed, Guo tries to wipe off the sweat on his hands, and
embarrassingly picks the wrong hand for a handshake. He quickly
withdraws his hand; the nerve-wrecking experience leaves his short-sleeve
shirt soaked in sweat, slowly forming a world map on his back.
Chief Zhao lets out a very restrained laugh, and naturally raises his hand to
give Guo a pat on the shoulder, "no need to be nervous, our colleagues are
all very nice and friendly. Since it's your first day, I really should walk you
around, but you see, today happens to be a special day, and we're extremely
busy, please don't feel left out. A while later I will hold a welcome party for
you. Well, this isn't a very convenient time is it... how about this, Old Wu
will bring you inside to meet Wang Zheng, our HR manager, she will help
you with employment procedures. Then you can go back and have a rest,
and come back tomorrow morning. Does that sound good?"
Guo nods nervously.
No matter how desperately hurried Chief Zhao seemed a moment ago, as he

is standing still talking to Guo, his calm and stately manner is remarkable.
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry. If there is anything you need you can tell me when I
get back. Don't be shy, we're a family now, sorry for troubling you today."
Chief Zhao gives Guo a gentle, apologetic smile, then nods towards Old Wu
at the reception, and hurriedly rushes off.
Old Wu is certainly a big fan of Chief Zhao, just a few rather meaningless
words of formality had gotten him into a good mood instantly. He takes
Guo towards the office while muttering, "our Chief is young, capable, well-
tempered, and always kind and genuine towards everyone..."
Guo has yet to recover from the horror of meeting the big Chief, and only
hears Old Wu vaguely.
Since he is always afraid of direct eye contact, he also hasn't noticed that
Old Wu's face is as pale as a wall, his lips blood-red, his big mouth almost
widens to his ear lobes, and he has no tongue.
The office is full of busying people, it really seems to be a hectic time.
It is only until this moment, Guo finally realises that there is something
strange about this office: why would the whole office, including the
receptionist, be working overtime til this hour?
"No worries," Old Wu explains, "you will mostly be working during

daytime in the future, as long as there are no big cases, we rarely have to
work overtime. But since it's July, only these few days are the most hectic
in a year for us; don't be concerned though, overtime pays three times the
usual salary, you'll even get a bonus at the end of the month."
Guo is even more perplexed, what's with the "only these few days are the
most hectic in a year for us"? Do criminals pick what time of the year to
commit crimes? And they follow the lunar calendar too?
However, Guo is afraid that he would appear stupid, so leaves his questions
to himself and nods.
Old Wu continues, "I usually work the night shift, we have another
colleague working daytime at the reception. Sigh, I guess we won't get to
see each other much in the future. Have you just graduated? From which
university? What did you study?"
Guo shamefully admits his rather disappointing and lackluster academic

achievements, adding, with the voice of a mosquito, "I'm not very good
with learning..."
"Well, you're still a university graduate nonetheless! I like educated young
people, since I wasn't capable myself. When I was young, my family was
poor, so I never got the chance to get a proper education. When I was
around seven or eight, I studied at a private school for just a short while.
But after all these years, I have almost forgotten all the stuff that I learnt, I
can only barely read the newspaper now!"
What stuff? Private school?
Guo is again confused, but being afraid that he would appear stupid, still
decides to keep it to himself.
"Oh, we're here!" Old Wu cheers.
Guo lifts up his head and sees a giant sign that reads "Human Resources" on
the door, red letters on a white plane, and a very eerie red as well. Guo
ponders why this red seems so strange and suspicious, and to his surprise,
he realises that... the words look as if they were written with dried... blood!
Old Wu knocks on the door, "is Little Wang here? We have a newcomer
today, can I trouble you to complete his employment procedures?"
After a brief silence, a very soft female voice says, "I'm coming."
The voice seems very far away, and yet also seems to float just beside one's
ears. Guo immediately feels a chilling surge down his spine.
"Sorry for troubling you at this time of day, Little Guo, but you see, Little
Wang is just like me, we can only do night shifts, so employment
procedures can only be carried out around this time."
Hold on...
What is meant by... "can only do night shifts"?
Guo feels increasingly uncomfortable, another wave of frost rushes through

his bones. Trembling with fear, he glances at a passing-by worker, and is
mesmerised with horror instantly.
Guo can clearly see the uniformed worker swiftly gliding mid-air through
the corridor.
He... he he he he he he he doesn't have legs!!!
With a screeching squeak the door opens, a young girl in a white dress
appears at the door, and eerily asks, "have you brought the notice letter and
your identity card?"
A burst of chilling breeze comes rushing out of the room, Guo feels as if his
heart were about to burst and stop beating. He is afraid if he doesn't speak
now he might not be able to speak again for the rest of his life.
He holds his breath, and slowly lifts up his head, gazing across the spotless
white dress, stopping at the girl's bare neck.
A second later, Guo lets out a cracking noise as though he were being
choked, his jaw is hanging but he can't even produce a scream. His eyes
look as though they were about to pop out, his limbs petrified as he slowly
stumbles backwards as if his body were no longer his.
He sees... he sees a red line marked across the girl's neck! It's not a
necklace, but a line that deeply sinks into her skin... a tightly sewn line
stitching her head to her neck!
An icy hand rests on Guo's shoulder, and Old Wu says, "yo, Little Guo, you
doing okay?"
Guo looks behind and sees Old Wu's pale paper face and humongous
mouth.
"Meeting the Chief? He'd rather meet ghosts."
Perhaps this is karma paying back.
Two seconds later, Guo passes out without a sound.
His frozen body lies straightly on the floor.

His uncle really found him a remarkable job.
Chapter 2 - Sundial of
Reincarnation
Street lights flicker like fireflies in the air, darkness reigns over light in this
dismal and dreary night. A young girl's staggering steps bash at the bumpy
brick road. Suddenly, she trips, and heavily falls kneeling on the ground.
In the suffocating heat of a summer's night, Li Qian puffs and pants

vigorously, her fingers tightly clutching her clothes.
She hears her thumping heartbeat and the thumping footsteps of someone
else.
The noise seems to come from a pair of old, soft-soled cloth shoes, and the
wearer seems to be stumbling due to a leg problem.
Li abruptly looks behind her, but there is nothing within her sight besides
small, swiveling insects by the street lamp.
She has a delicate look, and normally, she would be considered pretty, but
now her hair is messy and soaked with sweat, clinging uncomfortably to her
face. Her cheeks and lips are becoming paler by the minute, and she is
looking a lot less pretty than she usually does.
Gradually, her expression becomes strangely unsettling, like an evil smirk,

or a malicious glare, with a remarkable yet indescribable sign of pure terror.
"Go away." She bolts up and says, grinding her teeth, "if I can get rid of you
once, I can get rid of you twice."
The footsteps have stopped.
Li rolls up her sleeves, her snow-white arms now infested with

goosebumps. In the cooking heat of summer, something invisible is making
her cold.
She picks up a brick from the ground, as the footsteps close in on her from
all directions like a swarm of bone-devouring maggots. But there is nothing
within her sight.
The invisible is the most frightening.
Li begins to scream, smashing and bludgeoning the air with the brick.
The brick begins to grow heavier and heavier, the coarse surface pains her
palm. Exhausted, her eyes grow dark; hunch-backed, her arms rest on her
crooked knees. Puffing and panting, she inadvertently stares at the ground.
Li's irises begin to narrow and her entire body begins to tremble with
vigour. The brick in her hand drops to the ground, plunging onto her toes in
her sandals. But she seems to have not felt the pain at all, as she stumbles
backwards, her knees bend, and she crashes down, sitting on the ground.
A shadow... it's a shadow!
The street lamp is right in front of her, how could there be a shadow in the
light without an object?
The shadow looks like black ink spattered across the ground, a figure
watching her for god knows how long.
Li is paralysed on the ground, but the shadowy figure is standing upright.
If you haven't done anything wrong, why are you so horrified by a shadow?
She seems to hear a screeching laughter.
It's dawn, almost five o'clock, the phone on the bedside drawer is ringing
with a ghastly howl.
Zhao Yunlan worked overtime from dusk til dawn, when he got home he
didn't even take off his clothes, and just rolled right onto the bed. It seems
that he has just gotten himself comfortable, and the phone has yet more
work for him.
He opens his eyes blandly, his double eyelids drooping heavily, and stares at
the ceiling with contempt. After three seconds, he rises like a zombie,
struggling to hold up his squishy brain, and reaches out for his cell phone.
Zhao's room is quite remarkably chaotic; it's even worse than a dog's lair.
His clothes are scattered everywhere, on the bed, and on the floor. Nobody
knows whether they are meant to be washed or worn. The big twin bed has
all sorts of sundries on it, some are of rather unimaginable sorts: a single
sock wrapped around the corner of a laptop, sunglasses, umbrella, an
origami top hat, and a whole can of cinnabar powder. With all these piles of
garbage cramming up space, there is only one tiny spot enough for one
person to sleep on.
Zhao has a greatly resentful expression, like he is about to burst out

swearing. But when he picks up the phone, his tone is awfully normal,
perhaps he has gotten used to this kind of life, "what has happened again?"
"Someone died," Wang's voice came from the other side.
"When?"
"Last night or this morning, just a while ago."
"Where?"
"University Street."
"Hmmm..." Zhao ran his hand across his face, "let Old Chu take care of it."
"Chu Shuzhi went on a business trip to Xiangxi."
"What about Lin Jing?"
"Got called under by Hell."
"Fuck me... what about Zhu Hong? Oh never mind, there was a full moon
yesterday, she must be on leave. Who else is at work?"
"Me, but it's almost sunrise so I have got to go soon," says Wang, "there is
still Da Qing and the new intern Guo Changcheng."
Zhao feebly yawns, and says, "tell Da Qing to go with the intern, give him a
chance to learn."
"Guo can't go anywhere now," Wang explains, "when he came last night, he
passed out on the floor, and he is still unconscious."
"......" Zhao asks, "what scared him?"
"Old Wu and I." Wang even adds, "I told you to find a professional shroud
shop to make Old Wu a new body, what Zhu Hong makes with sandbags
and paper can never look like an actual person."
Zhao silently sits at the edge of the bed, and slowly sighs, "it's against
procedures if I go directly, it might scare others... but I guess I have no
choice. Fine, tell Da Qing to wait for me, I'm coming."
He hangs up, washes himself in three minutes, and speeds towards

University Street in his car.
Round the corner, Zhao slows down the car, and suddenly a black shadow
falls from the sky. A round ball of animal fur comes crashing down like a
grenade, almost leaving a crate on the front of the car.
Zhao hits the brakes rapidly, rolls down the window and yells, "this is called
an automobile, it's a transportation device, not your litter box! Don't try to
break it will you!?"
On the front of the car sits a pitch black cat, so fat and round that it seems to
have no neck, perhaps it's the African cousin of Garfield.
The big, fat cat looks around, making sure that there is no-one else, flicking
its whiskers, and says, "stop babbling and get out, don't you notice that
smell?"
The air is filled with an inexplicable, foul odour, like that of bio-weapons.
Zhao gets out of the car, covering his nose, and asks the cat, "did you just
fart? What's that smell?"
The black cat ignores his remarks, jumps off the car and starts cat-walking
ahead.
A few police cars have stopped at the side of the road already, and a police
line has been set up at the entrance of a small hutong.
Zhao rummages in his pocket for a long while, and finally manages to
locate a scruffy staff card. The policeman guarding the police line is not
looking too well, he glances at Zhao's card quickly and returns it, then
rushes off to a wall and starts vomiting.
Zhao scratches his bird nest of a head, bewildered, "is my photo really that
nauseating?"
The cat is way ahead of him, and impatiently turns over, urging him with a
long and angry "meow".
"Right, right, the important stuff. Damn, this smell, can't even stand it for
ten steps." Zhao crouches down and crosses the police line.
Zhao has just arrived, yet someone seems to have been awaiting him, "are
you from the Special Investigations Unit?"
In the Ministry of Public Security, everyone knows of the secretive

department called the "Special Investigations Unit".
They are certainly not low-tier officers, but nobody knows what exactly it is
that they do. Every time someone from the SIU is involved, it is always on
the order of the higher authorities, and nobody could object.
But if they don't come, nobody would know where to find them.
They belong to the MPS, but are not always closely monitored; they are
organised strictly and their procedures are wholly non-transparent. If the
media doesn't have official approval, they would never be able to locate the
SIU, let alone interview or report anything about them.
Nobody knows how they do things, to be honest. When a case is handed to
the SIU, it's like entering a black box, and the only thing that comes out of
it is a mysterious report.
Sometimes, staff members from the SIU are even more bewildering than the
most bewildering cases.
Their case reports are always detailed, logical, and impeccable; giving a full
account of the entire process of solving the case and catching the criminals
involved.
But there is something suspicious: the criminals always die by the end of
the case.
While most of the cases that they handle involve heinous crimes, so the
suspects most probably deserve such demise, it is perhaps... a little too
coincidental.
The police officer in charge of the investigation is a senior policeman,

named Yang. He offers Zhao a friendly handshake, and curiously sizes him
up, "what should I call you?"
"Zhao, Zhao Yunlan, you can just call me Little Zhao."
Old Yang is quite taken aback, never would he have thought that this young
man is the Chief of the SIU. He gives Zhao an even closer look, and realises
that he is tall, slender and handsome like a model from a fashion
advertisement. Though it must be said that his outfit is not very pleasing: a
scruffy shirt, only half-buttoned, half of it tucked in and the other half not;
not to mention that bird nest of a hairstyle.
But Chief Zhao is the Chief after all, no matter how messy he looks, even if
he ran naked on the street, lower tiered officers would probably have to
praise him for trendsetting.
"Oh dear!" Exclaimed Old Yang, "you're Chief Zhao! Excuse me for my
ignorance, who would have thought our Chief is so young and
accomplished!"
Zhao is rather used to flattery, and naturally replies with some utterance of
formality.
At this moment, someone is growing impatient, and a loud and clear

"meow" can be heard. Old Yang looks below and sees a black shadow,
which swiftly climbs up Zhao's pants and shirt and onto his shoulder.
Normally, seeing a black cat with green eyes at a crime scene would be
rather ominous, but this particular cat is just a bit too plump, which seems
to lighten up the situation rather than darken it.
Old Yang stares at it and it stares right back, "this... this...?"
Zhao embarrassingly adjusts his pants which the cat almost pulled off, and
laughs, "this is our cat manager, he is really hard-working, so he doesn't like
it when we chitchat during work."
"..." Old Yang is left speechless.
The black cat arrogantly stretches its neck, albeit with difficulty due to the
sheer size of it, and impatiently wriggles its tail.
Zhao gets the message, and shows Old Yang the little badge worn around
the cat's neck, "this is a special permit of the SIU, it's basically equivalent to
our staff cards, don't worry, he is an experienced cat, so he knows his way
around."
"..." Old Yang begins to find this whole ordeal rather nonsensical.
A moment later, Chief Zhao carries the cat and follows Old Yang into the
crime scene.
The further they go, the nastier the smell.
A female corpse lies in the narrow hutong, wearing a t-shirt with "Dragon
City University Orientation Camp" printed on it. Her eyes and mouth are
open, her body lies flatly in the shape of a star, and her stomach has been
cut open and emptied.
Old Yang covers his nose with a paper towel, visibly disturbed.
The fat cat on Zhao's shoulder lets out a long "meow", leaps on the ground,
and circles the corpse twice. It then stops besides the corpse, sits down, and
stares at Zhao like a well-trained detection dog.
Zhao walks towards the corpse, and from his scruffy pocket he takes out a
scruffy pair of gloves and puts them on. He examines the spot the cat is
sitting on, and carefully lifts up one of the corpse's arms.
Old Yang leans forward for a closer look, and sees a bloody hand mark on
the floor.
That definitely can't be a human's hand: the palm is only the size of a child's
hand, and yet the fingers are at least twenty centimetres long. Old Yang has
been a policeman for practically his entire life, and he has never seen
anything as bizarre.
While Yang is still mesmerised and stupefied, Zhao remarks in a serious

tone, "from this moment forward, the SIU will be in charge of this case, the
handover procedures will be complete in two working days."
Old Yang never got the chance to reply, as Zhao points towards a
dilapidated door and asks, "what's this place?"
Reincarnation
It's a small back door of Dragon City University.
Dragon City University is a famous school with a long history.
It's almost the start of the school year, but there aren't a lot of people on
campus since the main campus has long been moved to the suburbs, and the
remaining old campus is rarely used by students; though it is sometimes
visited by tourists.
Zhao is carrying the black cat, waiting at the entrance of a residential hall.
Guo finally arrives.
Only then does Zhao realise that the intern is rather shabby-looking:
crouch-backed, always looking down shamefully, fringe almost covering
both his eyes, and dressed in all black as if going to a funeral.
As Guo approaches, Zhao asks the cat in his arms, "will this kid be alright?
What do you think Wang said to him? He looks devastated."
The black cat yawns in disinterest, "you're too worrisome, mommy Zhao."
Guo sheepishly stumbles forward, and says, "I'm here..."
Zhao teases him, "who told you to come along? And why can't you speak
up a little?"
Guo trembles, and begins muttering inaudibly, almost sounding like a

moaning puppy.
"Meow," says Da Qing the cat.

Zhao is a bit disappointed, he never noticed that this newcomer is the type
who can't even speak properly, "you roughly know what happened, right?
This is where the victim lived, let's go inside."
Zhao heads inside, but realises that no-one is following him. He turns back,
and finds Guo in an awkward staring contest with the mean-looking
security guard.
Zhao tries not to get mad, and calls Guo as if calling a dog, "come on, let's
go! She knows who we are, just come on in."
Zhao's first impression of Guo can be summarised in two words: "this

idiot."
Room 202 is a standard student apartment for two.
The black cat bounces off of Zhao, and begins thoroughly scavenging under
the bed, under the closet, and on the window sill. Suddenly, it smells
something by the window, and sneezes heavily.
After the big scare the other night, Guo closely examines big Chief Zhao,
and to his relief, he realises that the handsome boss has a shadow, and from
his exhausted and messy look after working overtime, confirms that he is
indeed human. And so, Guo eagerly follows behind the Chief.
Zhao takes out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, puts one in his mouth
and lights it up swiftly. He leans forward, and gives the cat a pat on the butt,
so that it knows to step aside. Finally, he blows a cloud of smoke on the
window sill.
"Look." Zhao says.
Guo looks towards the window sill, and to his amazement, a handprint has
emerged where there was nothing a moment ago.
Zhao calmly gives the window sill a sniff, "it's not particularly stinky, only
a cat like you can pick up this smell."
The black cat replies, "it's not it?"

Guo is frozen in terror, he stares at the talking cat, and trembles helplessly.
Zhao thoughtfully shakes his head, "I'm afraid not, lethal things can't have
this smell."
He opens the window, turns behind and sees the stupefied Guo, visibly
horrified. Zhao rather enjoys torturing him, "hey kid, you go up there, see
what's outside the window."
Guo only replies with an "ah..."
"Come on, young man, wise up and get up there!"
Guo nervously gulps, and helplessly stares at the window: too high off the
ground for him. But it takes just as much courage to turn back and say to
the Chief that he can't do it.
This poor kid is in a difficult dilemma, and reluctantly climbs on the

window sill, clutching the window frame as tightly as he can.
He moves his head around with great difficulty, cautiously looking out the
window.
Suddenly, he sees a reflection on the open window, and the hair on his
entire body stand upright in fear. To his astonishment, the reflection on the
window is not just his figure... but there is another shadow!
A human skeleton can be seen in the reflection, inexplicably laying right

beside him, arm extending through his ankle and on to the window sill
where there is a hand mark, looking into the apartment...
Guo looks at the window sill, but there is not a single thing!
He cannot believe his eyes, his chest freezes in pain, and he begins
struggling to breathe.
Then, the skeleton turns its head towards him, and looks at him through the
reflection. There seems to be a person in the hollow eye holes of the skull.
The person is covered in a black cloak, mysteriously shrouded in a cloud of
black mist, and holding some strange object...
Guo hasn't yet figured out what that strange object is, and is disrupted by a
man from below, "hey, student, what are you doing up there?"
Startled, Guo slips on some lichen on the window sill, and falls victim to
gravity.
With rapid reflexes, Zhao rushes forward to grab him, but is a split second
too late and only manages to grab his hair. Guo wriggles out of pain, Zhao's
hand slips, and down he falls.
The black cat sits calmly on the window sill and wags its tail sluggishly.
"Meow..."
"Shit," Zhao rushes out of the room and dashes downstairs, "this
knucklehead."
Fortunately, the man standing below gives Guo a hand, who barely survives
the fall.
The man is lean and tall, very formally dressed in a white, long-sleeve shirt
and pants even in the heat of summer. The rimless glasses and the textbook
in his hand give him a cultured and pristine image.
"Are you alright? Do you know how dangerous that was!?"
Guo doesn't reply, and instead looks back up at the window sill to confirm
that there is indeed no skeleton.
Guo sits on the ground, dumbfounded.
"Your legs are shaking, huh? Be more careful next time." The spectacled
man bends forward slightly, and patiently says, "the university forbids
climbing, if you're caught your grades will be deducted."
Guo's head droops lifelessly, thinking that he might be naturally retarded

after all. If there is no-one for him to sponge off, there is probably no hope
for him: first day at work, and he is already on the verge of insanity.
Zhao hurriedly arrives, and picks up Guo from the back of his collar like
picking up a small chick.
If it weren't for keeping his image as the calm and reserved Chief Zhao, he
would have smacked this idiot on the head with his shoe.
Zhao forces himself to turn away, one more look at this moron and he
swears...
"Hi," he offers the spectacled gentleman a handshake, "the name's Zhao,

we're from the MPS, and you are?"
In just a split second, the spectacled man seems to be astonished, but he

rapidly adjusts himself as if nothing happened, and returns the handshake,
"it's Shen, Shen Wei, I'm a professor here. My apologies, I thought he were
a student."
Shen's hand is rather icy, like that of a dead corpse straight out of a
refrigerator. Zhao hesitates, and curiously looks up to Shen, who happens to
be looking the same way.
Though he quickly turns away, Zhao finds his gaze rather suspicious...
inexplicably so, as though this is not the first time they meet each other.
As a criminal investigation officer, albeit the unorthodox type, Zhao has to

be skilled at memorising faces, even those that he only glanced at briefly.
He is certain that he has never seen this person before.
At this instance, the ball of black fur wiggles its butt and crawls towards the
Professor. It gives Shen's feet a thorough sniff, circles his leg for a few
times, and softly purrs at him.
Master Da Qing usually keeps his cool and looks down upon all pathetic
homo sapiens with disdain and disinterest. Shen seems to be an exception.
Zhao is stunned at the cat's abnormal behaviour: it's inexplicably friendly
and cute towards Shen, and even stands on two hind legs, asking for a hug.
Shen picks up the cat, who meows gently and comfortably; emerald eyes
gazing at the spectacled man.
Zhao seems to notice a bewildering connection.
Quite a long while later, Shen reluctantly returns the cat to Zhao, giving it a
pat on the head while doing so, "this cat is very smart, what's its name?"
"Da Qing," Zhao carelessly adds, "nickname Fatty, also known as Dat Fat
Fuq."
The black cat howls and turns evil instantly, fur standing upright and claws
assaulting Zhao.
"Haha, he is mad," Shen gently laughs, and holds one of its paws in his
hand. The cat retracts its claws and eagerly lets him pat it on the head.
"I heard about the incident," Shen says, "so the victim is from our school?"
The Chief glances at Guo, who sheepishly takes out a photograph of a

female student and a student card, and hands them to Shen with trembling
hands, "Pro... Professor Shen, plea... pleased to meet you. Will you take a
look and... see if you recognise this person?"
Reincarnation
The old main building of Dragon City University was built in around the
1910s, so it's now at least a hundred years old. Lush woods saturate the
campus, some towering above all buildings, which were built in a Western
architectural style and are particularly ancient.
The only building that's relatively new is the administrative office situated
in the west wing, which also happens to be tall enough to be not blocked by
the trees. The untarnished and multi-storey structure stands out like a sore
thumb.
Professor Shen says he doesn't recognise this student, and offers to take
them to the office to investigate.
Zhao is amazed by this modern-looking office building: it has eighteen

floors, he realises without counting.
In the earlier days, property developers would always avoid buildings with
eighteen floors, but since the economy boomed and property prices kept
rising, people started caring less about superstition and more about money.
Only those who know the business can spot the problem right away.
Maybe it's because of the air conditioning, a chilling breeze comes gushing
forward as soon as one enters the office building. Da Qing the cat shivers a
bit, extending its claws out and grabs hold of Zhao tightly.
"The student card says Faculty of Mathematics, the office is on the top
floor." Shen leads the two into the elevator.
Zhao suddenly asks, "Professor Shen doesn't seem to be very curious about
this incident? There is nothing you'd like to ask?"
Shen's head is slightly bent, and softly replies, "I respect the dead, and I will
do whatever I can to help you solve this case, but I don't need to know the
details."
Zhao occasionally strokes the back of the cat, and continues, "rarely do we
meet good citizens like you, even Da Qing seems to have taken a liking to
you."
Shen gently smiles, "it's what I should do."
Zhao stays silent for awhile, and glances at Shen. He finds that there is
something unusual about the Professor: he has been avoiding eye contacting
ever since they locked eyes with each other.
The elevator stops abruptly at the fourth floor, lights flickering. Guo looks
at Chief Zhao in panic and desperation, but Zhao is awfully calm, still
intently scrutinising the Professor.
A creepy male voice echoes through the elevator, "Professor Shen, what
brings you to the eighteenth floor?
Shen flatly replies, "there was an accident in school, these two are from the
MPS, I'm taking them to the Faculty of Mathematics for some inquiries."
"Oh..." The voice appears rather slow-witted, and only replies after a long
silence, "right, take care."
Suddenly, the elevator returns to normal and the lights are back on... as if
nothing ever happened.
"Scared?" Shen turns around, still avoiding Zhao, and explains to Guo, "that
was the security guard; last semester a student jumped off the building from
the top floor, since then whoever's not from the faculty will be questioned
before they can go up to the eighteenth floor."
Guo is relieved, and giggles embarrassingly, "and here I thought it was..."
"A ghost?" Shen asks, half-jokingly.

Guo's face turns pale and emotionless.
Zhao has other worries on his mind.
This office building with terrible Feng Shui, and the Professor who
inexplicably avoids eye contact are equally bizarre.
As for the responsible security guard, perhaps he is not just a security guard
after all...
All the way to the top of the building, they arrive at the eighteenth floor.
The entire floor is empty, and so gloomy, humid and frigid that not even a
mosquito or gecko would settle here.
Zhao sneezes inadvertently.
Shen turns around swiftly and asks, "have you got a cold?"
Although he is still not looking at Zhao directly, his query is surprisingly

genuine.
Perhaps he has a special charisma, but Professor Shen's every movement

seems so gentle, whilst his eyes are unfocused and murky, albeit not
unsettling to look at.
Zhao rubs his nose slightly, "no, I am just allergic to the smell of mind-
boggling, never-ending math homework."
Shen wears a kind and reserved smile.
"Don't laugh at me," Zhao begins joking, "I'm telling the truth, Professor
Shen, when I was a student, none of the teachers liked me, and my class
teacher even said that I would grow up to be a gangster, who would have
thought that I would end up where I am today? When I saw him again years
later, guess what he said to me?"
Shen seems to be listening curiously, "what?"

"That cynical old man said: Zhao, you see, I was right, you've become a
uniformed gangster."
Chief Zhao is very well-adapted to the courtesy of small talk, perhaps due
to his experience as a high-tier officer. Just this "math homework" joke has
gotten Guo rather loosened up, perhaps he resonates with the Chief, and
follows around him more eagerly.
But Professor Shen... when he listens to Zhao, his expression is so filled

with attentiveness and interest that Zhao begins to have the illusion that
what he is saying isn't small talk, but some highly complex and important
issue that Shen must dedicate all his attention towards.
But though he listens, he never looks at Zhao; and though his smile appears
warm and courteous, the more Zhao looks at it the more he realises how
formalised it is, it's as if it were painted on.
Zhao is suspicious of why his face can keep smiling for so long.
The three walk and talk like this for awhile, their footsteps sounding
through the floor and echoing through the corridors. Their laughter engulfs
the sound of their footsteps... and obscures the subtle footsteps of the fourth
person.
Rustling, and coarse, like the sound of soft-soled cloth shoes.
The administrative office building was built in the style of so-called "tower
buildings": with the elevator in the middle and each floor in a circular shape
round the centre.
As they move forward, Guo realises that Chief Zhao's wristwatch has been
undergoing an uncanny change: from the centre of the watch where the hour
and minute hands meet, a touch of crimson rose colour begins to spread like
water ripples.
Guo hesitates for awhile, then whispers, "Chief... Chief Zhao, your
watch..."
"What? Has it turned red?" Zhao turns back with his iconic smirk on his
face, "do you know why?"
Guo shakes his head.
Zhao jokingly giggles, "ghosts love red, since this building has bad Feng
Shui, there is probably something evil lurking in the shadows, playing tricks
on us..."
Guo's face turns pale, he rigidly turns his head to look at the watch once
more, but this time, he sees the reflection of an old lady: she is... rather
plump, dressed in all black, and vacantly glaring at him!
Guo stops on his feet.
Zhao laughs, turns a small switch on the watch, and the case is suddenly
filled with mist, which washes the bloody colour away. The wristwatch
instantly returns to normal, no bloody red, and no female ghost.
"You've never seen colour-changing watches? Silly kid, so gullible." Zhao

teases the trainee, but then swiftly turns to Shen, "Professor Shen is an
intellectual, you must not believe in ghosts?"
Professor Shen adjusts his glasses, still avoiding eye contact with Zhao, and
slowly replies, "as the old saying goes: 'the wise never speaks of that which
is out of this world'. Nobody knows if there are ghosts, so there is no need
to dwell on this. If we can't even understand our own lives fully, why
should we care about what's beyond us?"
A very educated reply, but it seems Shen didn't really answer the question
after all. Since Zhao couldn't get anything out of the Professor, he changes
the subject, "Professor Shen teaches the Arts, I suppose?"
"Yes, I teach Chinese and a few Arts electives."
"I see... by the way I heard from some friends in the property business that
new residential buildings nowadays rarely use the structure of this building,
only giant commercial buildings do. It really is bad Feng Shui: very little
natural light indoors, and difficult to maintain." Zhao takes out a pack of
cigarettes, "is smoking forbidden here?"
Shen shakes his head. Zhao takes a cigarette and lights it with one hand, the
other hand still in his pocket; a cloud of white smoke swivel out of his
mouth.
Shen frowns, "tobacco is bad for your health, Chief Zhao is still so young,
better not smoke too much."
Zhao gently smiles, and doesn't reply. Smoke covers his face and obscures
his expression; ashes fall from the cigarette and land in Shen's shadow.
Zhao looks at the ground, fans away the smoke, and replies, "this job is
rather stressful, I often have to work overtime, so, inevitably, I have some
bad habits that I just can't get rid of."
Shen looks like he wants to say something, but only frowns, and then oddly
changes the topic, "there aren't many faculties that use the old main campus,
only a few floors in this building are occupied, the other rooms are all
vacant; round this corner and we're there."
Shadowy and frigid places are prone to mold and moss, and perhaps also...
other things.
For unknown reasons, the corners in this building are close to right angles,
whilst the corridors circle around the centre, giving the interior a most
bizarre structure, and also the possibility of bumping into each other quite
often in the convoluted and narrow corridors.
Shen leads the group ahead, Zhao holds the cat and follows behind, and
Guo is the last. As they approach the corner, Guo has an inkling that
something might leap out of the shadows. He stares intently at the shadowy
corner with anxiety.
Suddenly, Guo realises that within the shadows, something is... moving.
It's as if someone is hiding in the shadows, and from the darkness emerges a
shape... it's a hand!
Reincarnation
The hand probes out of the shadow, and viciously clenches Shen's leg, but
he doesn't seem to realise.
Zhao suddenly pulls Shen back a few steps by the shoulder.
"Oh right, I just remembered," as he is talking, he flickers some ashes

towards the shadowy corner; the dark hand is burnt, and retreats, "this case
was just handed to us on short notice, I should talk to the principal about
this, could you help us make an appointment?"
Shen finally looks at Zhao, and Zhao realises that Shen's eyes curve into
narrow lines like an ink wash painting. Behind the lenses, his captivating
gaze almost penetrates the soul.
In the dim-lit corridors, his gaze reminds one of a ghost story in which a
female ghost falls in love with a male scholar and paints a picture of him.
Then, Shen smiles, "right, I can't be of much help here; the rooms over
there all belong to the Faculty of Mathematics, just ask around, and I will
speak with the principal."
"Thanks." Zhao takes one hand out of his pocket, and shakes hands with
Shen. Guo follows behind the Chief, and heads towards the office rooms.
After a few steps, Guo looks behind.
The Professor hasn't left. He stands in place, takes off his glasses, and wipes
them inattentively as his eyes fixate on Zhao from behind. His gaze is
mysterious and sombre; the expression he wears is mixed with nostalgia,
restraint, and adoration... but with a touch of utmost sorrow.
Shen's figure erects lonesomely and wretchedly in the long, long corridor.
Guo has a strange feeling that Shen must have waited like that for centuries.
After a long while, Shen notices Guo.
The young professor smiles politely, puts his glasses back on, and returns to
a normal expression. He nods towards Guo as goodbye, and heads towards
the elevator, as if nothing ever happened.
"Chief Zhao, that guy..."
"Haven't you noticed that this is not the so-called office of the Faculty of
Mathematics?" Zhao interrupts him, swipes up some dirt from the dusty
window sill, and wipes them off, "do you think it's an accident, or did
Professor Shen trick us intentionally?"
"Then why let him go? I mean, if he tricked us intentionally, then why..."
Zhao holds a cigarette in one hand, the other he buries in his pocket, as he
looks behind at Guo in a cloud of smoke. Guo is inadvertently silenced.
"He is a normal human, I checked. You're a newcomer, it's alright if you

don't understand, we will teach you slowly." Zhao lowers his voice,
"generally, we have the same authority as other departments of the MPS, we
can ask questions, require citizens to co-operate with our investigation, we
can even arrest on suspicion and interrogate suspects; but there is one
important rule: we can't let a normal citizen stay in a dangerous place, in
case anything goes wrong."
Guo shivers.
Zhao isn't looking at Guo, "you've probably realised by now that we usually
get rather abnormal cases, many of which cannot be resolved through
regular legal prosecution, and so we have the power to execute criminals on
the spot... which could be a dangerous power; and that's why there's a set of
rules we must follow, do you know what's the first rule?"
Guo shakes his head, though Zhao cannot see him.

"Whether we're dealing with a human or a ghost, if there is no compelling
evidence, we must presume innocence." Zhao gives the black cat a pat on
the butt, "and you, fatty, what's wrong with you, did you turn into a dog?"
The black cat claws at Zhao, and bounces off of him, "I just found the
Professor very odd, but he makes me comfortable."
"Ghosts and spirits make you very comfortable too, you even like sleeping
in coffins." Zhao points out, coldly.
The black cat wiggles its tail, "you know what I mean, stupid human."
Guo is left speechless, "......"
The corridor gets darker the further they walk ahead, like a never-ending,
gloomy maze. Zhao lights the way with his lighter; a small flame flickers
uncomfortably in the darkness.
Zhao's face appears unhealthily pale under the flames, but his eyes are
greatly attentive, though visibly worn out. A nasty, rotten stink oozes out,
Guo covers his nose.
"I hate going around in circles," Zhao remarks lightly, "I hate anything
that's circular, like an infinite cycle of life and death."
Guo is incredibly tensed up, as he hears a crackling sound, like that of a

loading pistol. He feels a soft breeze against his neck, and hears Zhao's
voice, "move over."
It's as if he were holding a hot bowl of dumplings, and casually asks

someone to "move over".
Guo desperately bounces on to the ground.
A gunshot can be heard in the dark, followed by a piercing scream from

behind. Guo feels as if he were having a heart attack, his heart pounds
vigorously and frantically as he feels an intense pain in the chest.
He sits on the floor, and looks up in the dim light of Zhao's lighter, and sees
the shadow of a five-year-old on the wall, with a bullet hole through its
heart, and blood steadily flowing from there.
"WHAT IS THAT!!!???" Guo shrieks in terror.
"It's just a 'shadow', don't overreact." Zhao wipes the shadow with his hand,
and the bloody liquid falls off like peeling dried paint.
"What... what kind of shadow?"
Zhao faces him, wears a creepy grin, and eerily whispers, "you know,
sometimes, a person can have more than one shadow."
Guo drops dead against the wall like sliding noodles.
"This is all your fault," Da Qing circles the unconscious Guo, restlessly
wriggling its tail, "what good does it do you when he passes out?"
"I didn't mean to," Zhao shoves the body with his foot gently, which slides
even further down, "how would I know he can pass out so easily, I thought
he would just... pee his pants or something."
Zhao carries Guo on his shoulder, like a bag of beans, "then I can blame it
on the adult diapers and cut his salary," he walks around swiftly with the
body, and coldly asks, "so tell me, this kid must have some connection,
otherwise he would've never gotten a job here."
"I heard his uncle is one of the big guys in the MPS."
"Does that idiot know that the SIU doesn't take new recruits directly from
other departments? Or maybe he figured a line of duty death would be a
good way for his useless nephew to go?"
"Don't complain to me," Da Qing the cat meows, "you call him an idiot
behind his back, but if you ever see him you'd greet him as the big boss; I
have lived for a few thousand years, and you're the Guardian with the least
integrity."
"Integrity doesn't make money." Zhao puts off the cigarette, and slaps the
cat on the head softly, "what about your huge monthly pay check, regular
bonuses, and special rights exclusive to the SIU, they don't come from the
sky do they? What's integrity, is it edible, is it tasty?"
Da Qing the cat thinks of all the high-class cat food it enjoys daily, and
shuts its feline mouth.
Throughout the history of the Guardian Order, the Guardian has always
taken the role of Hell's ambassador in the realm of the living, who would
inevitably feel alienated on earth. Rarely has there ever been a Guardian so
close to the living world.
Not only is he close to the living, he is very well-adapted to the formalities

and complexities of the modern human society.
He is your classic bad boy, gentleman and rogue all in one. He does the
kind and friendly well, and he does the bad and nasty even better.
The old cat can't help but think that if it weren't for his "unfortunately"
inheriting the Guardian Order, he probably would have climbed up the
social ladder pretty fast.
Reincarnation
"What happened awhile ago in the corridor?" Da Qing changes the subject,
"why did your 'revealing mirror' activate an alarm?"
"Something was tailing us," Zhao says, "but it ran away as soon as it was
identified, probably meant no harm."
"Not the killer?"
"How could it be? You think I can't even tell the difference between new
ghosts and evil phantoms?" Zhao carries Guo's body around the corridors,
"besides, you saw the hand print next to the corpse didn't you? That hand
was definitely not human... damn, this dude is heavy, I'm gonna put him
down somewhere."
Zhao throws Guo down by the corner of a wall.
Chief Zhao stares intently at the troublesome trainee, probably wanting to

just leave him here to die. After a while, though, Zhao kneels down and
takes out a small bottle, and pours some substance around Guo. He then
bites his finger, and wipes a drop of blood on Guo's forehead.
The blood instantly dissolves into his skin, and the pale trainee seems to be
looking healthier afterwards.
Zhao lightly slaps across Guo's brain, "a useless piece of work, such an
annoyance."
"Enough of that, Yunlan, look at your watch."
Zhao looks down, and his revealing watch has turned red again. Da Qing
lets out a screeching meow, and behind the two stands an elderly figure
dressed in a dark shroud.
The old figure turns backwards; it seems to be leading them somewhere.
"A new ghost?" Da Qing rushes forward, "it must be out of its mind... hey,
why are you walking around during the day?"
"Shut it, don't you see she's mute? And don't you realise she is still alive?
She is walking on two feet! Have you lost your cat mind, fatty?"
Round an abrupt corner, the old woman is gone. A staircase that leads to the
roof greets the two.
Da Qing sneezes, "I smell grudge."
Zhao picks up the cat, "it's not the Professor, but the old lady who led us
here; let's go up."
A guy and a cat carefully mount the stairs, which feel squishy and alive,
grabbing viciously at whoever dares invade their territory; but they seem to
be scared of Zhao.
"The government has a suicide count for every school, as long as the
number stays within the maximum, nobody would investigate," Zhao says,
"but Dragon City University has exceeded the limit for the past three years,
and this building seems to be the only one tall enough for a surely lethal
fall. Not to mention the maze-like interior structure, must have trapped
quite a few nasty things in here; their grudge would accumulate over time."
They're at the top of the stairs, but the door to the roof is closed, weak light
shines through the crack. Zhao takes out an access card and opens the rusty
iron door.
Zhao holds the lighter, and steadily heads for the roof.
From the roof top of the eighteenth floor, one can get a full view of the lush
Dragon City University campus and the hustling and bustling city centre.
A girl stands on the rooftop, facing outwards.
Zhao carefully probes, "hey, student..."

Suddenly, the girl leaps over the fence, and jumps off!
Zhao instinctively rushes forward, and rapidly reaches out to grab her. His
hand barely touches the girl's back, but it goes right through the girl. The
girl disappears, like a mirage.
The black cat bounces forward like a ball, "well? Was it human?"
"I'm not sure, she was too fast." Zhao twists his fingers, "I didn't have time
to tell whether..."
Ever since birth, Zhao has been able to see ghosts. But because of this
ability, it becomes difficult to tell human from ghost if he doesn't take a
closer look.
The black cat is about to say something, but a series of pounding footsteps
comes from behind, and the same girl comes rushing forward; her face is
obscured.
She speeds up on her feet, and bounces off the building.
Zhao reaches out and grabs her shoulder, but the same thing happens: his
hand goes right through her, and she disappears.
Afterwards, girl after girl comes rushing forward in a suicide marathon.
Zhao tries to grab every one of them, but none of them are tangible. In a
short while, he is soaked in sweat.
Da Qing gave up by the eighth girl, and sits like a statue besides the frantic
Zhao, impatiently complaining, "stop chasing after them, this must be an
earthbound spirit, or a remnant illusion from the actual suicide."
Zhao ignores the meowing.
Zhao has done some physical training, but obviously not enough. A few
rounds afterwards, he is quite out of breath.
The black cat sighs, "can't you tell that she is not human?"
"How do you know they are all the same person? When the next one comes,
are you sure we're still in the same space? Rule number three: 'make no
assumptions'. Have you eaten the rules along with your cat food?" Zhao
gives the cat a firm and angry stare.
"Scold me... I am a few thousand years old, a little creature like you dares
to scold me..." The black cat wiggles its tail with a hint of guilt, and mutters
uncomfortably.
Zhao doesn't back down, "if you don't shut up I will cut your cat food."
A wise cat trims its sails, so Da Qing changes his tone quickly, "meow..."
At this moment, the ninth suicidal girl comes rushing forward, and Zhao
shouts, "hey girl, wait!!!"
She ignores him, and sprints forward like an arrow.
"Fucking hell!" Zhao loses grab of the girl once more, and furiously slams
on the cold, hard fence.
"Hmmm..." Da Qing waltzes forward, two front paws holding the fence,
gives the area a thorough sniff, and says, "actually you might be right, while
earthbound spirits can be rather suicidal, and tend to be trapped for eternity
repeating their deaths, they are usually not in such a hurry to die."
"Then what is it?" Zhao asks.
"It's grudge." Da Qing wears a solemn expression on his plump, puff face,
"suicide is an unnatural cause of death, so these spirits have a high chance
of not being able to reincarnate. Some of these spirits are trapped between
the realms of the living and the dead, and they become incomplete and
forget about their identities."
"Grudge certainly makes you uncomfortable, but it's not harmful is it?"
Zhao asks.
"It probably isn't. But since grudge comes from spirit fragments, when more
gathers they might become strong enough to solidify. That girl might be the
result of countless shattered spirits forming a 'grudge'."
"What happens when they solidify?"
"Nothing really; grudge is different from wrath, it's not as vicious, only
those who are infested with ghosts in the first place are haunted by grudge.
Grudge definitely doesn't have the power to cut through someone's
stomach," the black cat explains, "so this can't be our killer; let's just leave."
Zhao hesitates.
The black cat sighs, "oh you, why are you so stubborn? The Guardian Order
has been passed down from millennia ago, those rules don't matter
anymore, do you really have to be so persistent?"
"No, but I still think..." Zhao is silenced by the approaching shadow of the
tenth girl.
The guy and the cat tense up, as the girl rushes forward, leaps over the
fence, and makes a suicidal jump like all her successors.
Zhao senses something different, and pounces forward with all his might,
grabbing the girl by her waist.
The blue veins on Zhao's hands pump up as he struggles to pull the girl
back up; this time, it's a real, actual person.
The black cat is astonished, and quickly leaps on the fence; emerald eyes
staring intently.
Zhao is in an embarrassing position, and finds it particularly difficult to

hold a person and pull her back up.
His one leg is trapped in the fence, and his whole upper body about to
succumb to gravity. The girl dangles dangerously from the eighteenth floor,
and suddenly regains consciousness. She screams and wriggles
instinctively.
Zhao desperately shouts, "if you keep moving we're both gonna die! Stay
put!"
At this instant, the fence cracks; perhaps it's a rather old fence, and it's
beginning to loosen up.
Zhao seems to have not noticed, and continues, "stay calm, don't be afraid,
you hang in there..."
Suddenly, with a loud "clang", the fence breaks.
Zhao hears an eerie laughter: it's as if the roof were full of people, and the
crowd cheers with gloating giggles, glad to see the two on the verge of
death.
Da Qing screeches frantically, "meow!!!"
At this crucial moment, a figure bursts through the door to the rooftop, and
with lightning speed, dashes forward as the fence free-falls.
Zhao rapidly turns over, and pushes the girl back on to the roof; the person
who dashes forward grabs the girl just in time.
Then, Zhao barely holds on to the edge of the roof, and perilously hangs
mid-air.
Da Qing finally realises: the person who rushes forward is Professor Shen.
Shen pushes the girl back on to the roof, and grabs hold of Zhao, "give me
your hand, quick!"
Reincarnation
Zhao lets go of his hands, and trusts his life to Shen, as if he weren't
hanging down from an eighteenth-storey tower, but just a short ledge.
The Professor looks gentle, but he is incredibly strong.
Zhao's wrists are going numb, his hands turn purple, as Shen pulls him up
with great effort.
Zhao falls into Shen's arms, and the two fall flat on the ground.
Zhao doesn't want to weigh down on the Professor, so he pushes against the
ground; but he realises that his wrists are bruised, and Shen seems to be
holding on to him exceptionally tight... like a firm embrace.
Of course, Professor Shen quickly adjusts himself, and as Zhao pushes

himself up, he releases him, and covers up his emotions by pushing his
glasses up a bit.
Zhao is the observant kind, and from Shen's clumsiness, he recognises a

hint of desire, restraint and embarrassment. But he doesn't have the
intention of letting it play out in front of someone else.
Zhao gets back up, and takes out a pack of tissue paper, wiping off dirt and
blood and dust casually as if nothing ever happened, "I'm glad you came
back, otherwise I must have turned into a meat pie."
Shen is still in shock, and doesn't reply.
"And you, what's wrong with you?" Zhao decides to give Shen a break, and
starts firing his shots at the girl, "your boyfriend broke up with you? You
got told off by the teacher? You failed your exams? Kids these days, you are
so well off that you can even afford an education; what, were you just too
bored and decided to jump down and see what happens?"
The poor girl starts crying like a waterfall, little sobs quickly turn into
screeching wails.
Suddenly, Professor Shen says, "too dangerous."
"Totally," Zhao continues instantly, "don't you hear your teacher? That was
way too dangerous! Alright, don't cry now, let me take you to the hospital,
and I'm gonna have to call your parents..."
Shen gets up, gives Zhao a stare, and wears a most solemn face. He turns to
the girl, says nothing, and just stares at her. The girl gradually stops crying.
The Professor reminds Zhao of his deceased Grandpa, who was also an
experienced intellectual and a gentleman; he was always friendly and
benign, and would never resort to violence no matter how furious he was.
But his angered stares were always more than enough to teach the kids a
lesson.
"If someone else died because of you, how can you live with that?" Shen
interrogates her gravely.
The girl mutters, "I'm... sorry..."
Zhao is a little embarrassed of the situation, "well, look, I'm still fine, but
you really need to think hard about this: think of your parents, think of
yourself and your life ahead of you, you're still so young. Come now, stop
crying, I will take you to the hospital."
He glances at Professor Shen, who makes no reaction, and so the Chief

supports the fragile girl by the shoulder and brings her downstairs.
Downstairs, the unconscious Guo is still lying flat on the ground. Da Qing
the cat runs forward, and wakes him up with a few mighty cat punches.
The suicide scene got the attention of a crowd of university personnel,

many teachers came to ask about the incident. Guo gradually regains
consciousness amidst the curious crowd.
Guo opens his eyes, face a little bloodied, as he sees Chief Zhao in a rather
embarrassing state with a young girl, who says, "you need some physical
training, you can't do this job if you pass out all the time."
Guo shamefully droops his head.
Zhao hesitates for awhile, and continues, "I have something to take care of
here, how about you go with Da Qing and investigate the background of the
victim; do you think you can handle that on your own?"
With emphasis added on "on your own", Da Qing curiously licks its paws,
and naughtily "meows"; Guo shivers.
This is a glorious but challenging mission; Guo desperately raises his head,
wearing a reluctant and miserable face. Zhao ignores his silent complaint,
benevolently pats on his head, and leaves without a word.
Shen has been wearing a difficult face, and hasn't said a word. Someone
whispers and asks him about what happened, but he only shakes his head.
He walks to a place where no-one can see him, and puts his hand firmly
against his collarbone. The shape of a pendant can be seen from beneath the
shirt.
He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and follows Zhao.
Zhao asks the girl on the way down, "what's your name?"
"Li Qian."
"Which faculty are you from? Which year?"
"Foreign languages, postgraduate year one."
"Were you born here?"
Li hesitates, and slowly nods.

"So why did you do it?"
Li stays silent.
Zhao thoughtfully looks at Li: her eyes are baggy and visibly exhausted, red
eyes giving out an unfocused gaze, and her forehead is noticeably darkened;
her entire face seems to be withering away.
Professor Shen asks, "have you been to one of my language elective

courses?"
Li carefully looks at Shen, and nods.
As if giving a lecture, Shen says, "I mentioned in class: there are only two
things in this world that are worth dying for, the first, for your country; and
the second, for your loved ones. Otherwise, you would only be dying a
cowardly death, understand?"
"I..." Li's voice shivers, "I'm sorry, Professor Shen, I really... I only did it
out of impulse, I didn't think it through, and it almost got..."
She looks at Zhao, and looks back down.
Although Chief Zhao is incredibly handsome, and he wears a friendly

smile, Li is still somehow frightened of him, and instinctively stands closer
to Shen.
Zhao lights a cigarette, and half-jokingly looks at her, "I have heard of
killing someone out of impulse, but not killing yourself out of impulse. It's
almost as if you were... possessed."
When she hears "possessed", her face turns pale.
Zhao will not let this go, "what are you afraid of? Tell me, did you see
something on the rooftop?"
Li laughs unconvincingly, "it's just... the rooftop, what could I have seen?"
"But I saw something." Zhao stares into space, and blows out a cloud of
smoke, "when you jumped down, there was a crowd on the rooftop, and
they were all laughing at you."
Li trembles and holds her arms tightly; her teeth clatter.
Zhao sizes her up for awhile, flickers some ashes, and pushes her shoulder,
"right, go inside, this is the school's hospital."
Shen accompanies Li into the hospital, and Zhao stands outside, still
smoking.
The school hospital of Dragon City University has an artificial river at the
entrance, with a small bridge across it. Zhao sluggishly leans against the
wooden fence on the bridge, and slowly exhales smoke on his watch. The
white smoke disappears, and a cloud of white mist saturates the inside of
the watch, and shortly after, an elderly woman appears, staring at Zhao
through the watch.
"The old cat might have been right, it's a new ghost that only just died less
than a week ago." Zhao raises his eyebrows, and murmurs, "appearing on
the 'revealing mirror' in broad daylight, what kind of ghost has that kind of
power? Old lady, who are you really?"
Footsteps are heard from behind, Zhao quickly wipes the watch clean, and
the reflection disappears. He turns around, and Shen is carrying a small tray.
Shen sets aside the tray, with wet towels and medicine on it, and takes
Zhao's injured elbow which he got from the fall. Rolling up his sleeve
gently, Shen grabs the distilled water on the tray.
"It's okay, I can do it myself."
"How do you do it yourself?" Shen washes the wound with water, and dries
it with cotton pads; as if he were taking care of a newborn baby, "tell me if
it hurts."
Zhao is a bit uncomfortable, and steps backwards, "I'm fine, really."

Shen continues, "what if it gets infected?"
Shen has long eyelashes, when he looks down he has a certain charm, like a
well-crafted character straight from an oil painting. His glasses obscure
parts of his face, but if one looks closely, his glamour is glaringly
appealing.
Zhao's perverted heart tingles.
Perhaps Zhao isn't exactly gay, but his taste is certainly wider than most
people, and most importantly, he ought to be the most perverted guy you
have ever met: whether it's a guy or a girl, anyone who's pretty enough
rings his bell.
Luckily, he is just a perverted jerk, not a perverted playboy. If he falls for

someone, he is determined and loyal; so maybe he is not too shabby of a
lover.
It has been around half a year since his last relationship ended, and
Professor Shen is so totally his cup of tea; it's hard to resist the temptation.
Go for it, or leave him alone?
Shen Wei is the type of guy who looks so serious.
Zhao is very clear about what he has to offer: a bizarre and unconventional
career, not to mention a frivolous and callous lifestyle of drinking and
partying; he drives an expensive car, sure, but he lives in a dog's lair. He
isn't exactly boyfriend material, let alone the guy you'd want to settle down
with and marry. He should probably stay away from someone who's decent
and well-educated, but...
The young Professor seems attracted to Zhao, and he is such a catch too; if
Zhao lets this go, it'd be such a waste.
Shen finishes up with the cleaning, and after applying medicine, he is about
to bandage the elbow with gauze. Zhao stops him.
"It's just a scratch, the gauze is unnecessary. I don't wanna look like a
mummy." Zhao puts off the cigarette, and wraps his arm around Shen's
back, "let's go take a look at the girl, shall we?"
The Professor freezes into a statue, and stumbles forward for a few steps;
his ears and neck are all flustered into a rush of pink. He frantically
wriggles out of Zhao's arm, and pretends to stay calm while pulling at his
shirt.
"What are you so embarrassed about? Like a girl..." Zhao giggles carelessly,
and suddenly changes the subject, "has Professor Shen met me before?"
Reincarnation
Shen locks eyes with Zhao, and his mind goes blank at an instant. For a few
seconds, he is mesmerised and stupefied; his eyes seem to be drawn to
Zhao's like magnets.
Shen has really misbehaved himself today... he shouldn't have met Zhao in
the first place.
Zhao doesn't know anything, he doesn't remember anything... he crossed the

Bridge of Fate, drank the Forgetful Water, and passed the Six Realms of
Existence and completed reincarnation; his soul has long been washed
clean, how could he remember anything?
Shen stares intently at his handsome face, and his piercing gaze; he really
wants to touch him, to feel his warmth just once more...
After god knows how long, Shen clears his throat and says bitterly, "I've
met you before..."
Zhao awaits his explanation.
A million times in my heart. I never had the courage to find you, but I know
everything about you... Shen almost says this out loud, but he restrains
himself, and stutters with difficulty, "in a case you worked on."
"Which one?" Zhao is surprised.
Shen doesn't stutter anymore, perhaps after your first lie you don't feel bad
for lying anymore, "the twelve suicides at the Twin Tower, around five or
six years ago; I was about to graduate back then, and I was looking for a
cheap flat, so I chose Twin Tower, the suicides had caused the price to
plummet."
Zhao frowns and pauses for a thought, "I am certain I never saw you there."
"You didn't see me, but I was living on the top floor and I saw you, I even
saw..." Shen pauses for a moment, and puts on an astonished pretence, "I
even saw you pull a dark shadow from a room, and stuff it into a bottle.
And then you said, 'the criminal is caught, your work is done here.'"
Zhao is startled, "you lived on the top floor? You're really quite fearless."
Shen drops his head, "you can check, I'm not lying."
Of course he is not lying, he really was living there at the time, but all
because he wanted to take a peek at a certain someone. Conveniently, he
left this small detail out, but it pains him to tell this lie.
Zhao seems to be convinced, and even jokes, "negligence, it's my

negligence; we ought to erase the memories of normal citizens who got
involved, but I somehow missed you... so, how did you feel? Did it make
you question everything you believed in?"
Shen smiles with difficulty, and doesn't reply.
As they enter the hospital, they see Li sitting by the window with a hot cup
of lemonade.
She is facing her own shadow, saddened and depressed.
Zhao knocks on the door, Li jumps up, and only relaxes when she sees Zhao
and Shen.
Zhao glances at his watch, and the reflection of the old lady is still there,
but the watch hasn't turned red... this is too weird, this new ghost seems to
be gathering life energy.
Perhaps she is about to reincarnate?
Zhao sits besides Li on the bed, "I have a few questions for you."
Li faces him with a pale and bland expression.

Since Professor Shen already knows about Zhao's line of work, he isn't
afraid to ask in front of him, "recently, have you been seeing strange
occurrences?"
Li replies silently with a horrified expression.
"Understood." Zhao stares at her forehead, and leans forward slightly for a
closer look; then he says, "but your Third Eye hasn't opened, so you
shouldn't be able to see anything strange; is it because of your fate, or did
you touch something you weren't supposed to touch?"
Li bites her lip, and twists her fingers uncomfortably.
"Oh? So it's the latter. Tell me, what did you touch?" Zhao lowers his voice.
Li refuses to talk, and Zhao laughs coldly, "if you don't tell me then you can
live the rest of your life being haunted by it. Haven't you heard of 'curiosity
killed the cat'? Some things are better left untouched."
"A sundial."
After a long while, Li finally talks.
"It's an antique passed down for generations from my family, it has many
tiny rocks like fish scales on it, it's black, the elderly call it..."
"The Wheel of Reincarnation." Zhao says.
Li glances at Zhao, astonished, and slowly nods.
"The sundial completes a full circle everyday, day after day, and it
symbolises the eternal cycle of life, death and reincarnation." Zhao pauses
sightly, and continues, "but there's also another saying, that reincarnation is
a process of 'slaughtering': the past is lost, and there is no turning back,
when someone reincarnates, the old life is destroyed, and there is no option
but to move forward to a new life."
Zhao doesn't realise, but Shen trembles behind him.

"What did you do with it?" Zhao asks.
Li bites her lip.
"Alright, I will ask differently: did you do anything bad with it?"
Li widens her eyes, "I didn't!"
Zhao silently looks at her.
"I didn't!" Li stands up, and stumbles backwards; she says defensively,
"why would I do anything bad with a family antique!? You don't know what
you're talking about! You..."
She is extremely agitated, and starts coughing vigorously.
Professor Shen frowns, and steps forward to comfort her, "slowly, no need
to hurry."
He turns around and says to Zhao, "this kid went through a lot already,
could Chief Zhao be more gentle with her?"
Zhao rubs his nose, "alright, I will leave out the irrelevant questions; one
last question and I'm out of here."
He takes out the photograph of the victim, "have you seen her recently?"
Li glances at the picture, and shakes her head; but a moment later she thinks
of something, and grabs hold of the photo. She examines it closely, and says
with uncertainty, "I might have seen someone like her yesterday, looked just
a... just a bit like her..."
Zhao tenses up, "when exactly yesterday? What was she wearing?"
"At night," Li pauses for a thought, "last night I was only back when the
library was closed, around ten o'clock; I went out of campus to buy
something, and I saw her at the entrance... I don't really remember her
clothes... Oh! Right, I remember, she wore the orientation camp T-shirt; I
have the same T-shirt as well, so I noticed her."
"Did a lot of people wear that T-shirt yesterday?"
"Most of the students are in the new campus, those in the old main campus
should only be a few."
"Did you wear it too?"
"I didn't want to wear it directly cos it wasn't washed, so I wore it on top of
my clothes; then it was a little hot, so I just stuffed it in my bag."
"Oh," Zhao hesitates, "when you saw her, were there people around?"
"Yes, quite a few people were passing by, and there were quite a few cars as
well." Li senses something from Zhao's expression, and asks, "what's
wrong?"
"No, I'm not talking about the main road, I'm talking about the small hutong
from the side, did she go in there? Were there other people?"
Li begins to feel uncomfortable, "I... I don't really remember... maybe? She

might have went in there, but I didn't go in; that hutong is a dead end, not a
lot of people would go there..."
"You didn't walk over to the East side?" Zhao interrupts her.
"Ah? Ah... I didn't..."
"Why not? Don't you live there?" Zhao asks.
"I..." Li has nothing to say, she mutters inaudibly, and finally says, "I took
another route to go buy something..."
"Didn't you say you came back to campus after buying something outside?"
Zhao interrupts her again, his tone becoming more solemn, "I'd like to be
nice to you, but you've got to co-operate with the investigation, can you tell
me the truth?"
Li tenses up again, and clutches her clothes, "... I'm telling the truth."
"Her name is Lu Ruomei, she is also a postgraduate student here. She died
last night." Zhao utters every word slowly, and glares at Li, "estimated time
of death around ten o'clock... which means, you may well be the last person
who saw her alive."
Li's irises contract, the cup in her hand crashes on to the ground, and breaks.
She is horrified, her eyelids twitching and her fingers trembling; her lips
turn pale.
Reincarnation
Zhao leans backwards, and crosses his legs, "why are you so agitated? If
you don't know the victim, and her death has nothing to do with you, why
are you so frightened? Why did you take the longer route to the East side?
What did you see?"
Li screeches abruptly, falls to the ground, and covers her face with her hair.
Zhao grabs her wrist, and pressures her, "you can't run away from it, tell
me, what did you see?"
Li struggles out of his grasp, and begins shaking uncontrollably.
"I don't know!" She screams with all her might, "I don't know! Don't ask me
anything! I don't know anything!"
"Your campus isn't very big," Zhao lowers his voice, "you must have seen
her or met her somewhere, perhaps a study room, the library, or the
cafeteria... Do you wanna know how she died? When we found her, her
body was lying all alone in the small hutong, her stomach slashed open and
emptied; there were teeth markings on some remaining guts, so I deduce
that the murderer could have eaten her internal organs. Blood... everywhere,
the stains are still not fully cleaned, and you know what..."
Li squeaks out of terror.
Zhao heartlessly continues, "when her stomach was slashed open, she was
still alive; her guts and intestines were being eaten one by one while she
was still conscious... She would have heard the crunching and munching of
her own organs, could you imagine?"
Li curls up into a ball and buries her head.

The doctor hears the screaming and comes rushing in, "what's wrong?"
Zhao shows him his staff card, and closes the door as he says, "excuse me,
police investigation, give me five more minutes please."
Zhao crosses his arms, turns around and repeats, "tell me, what did you
see?"
"A shadow..."
Zhao's expression grows sombre, he dashes forward and kneels beside Li,
"what kind of shadow?"
"You guys be careful," Shen reminds them, and takes a broom to clean up
the shattered glass, "should I see myself out? Li, how about I bring you a
cup of water?"
Zhao waves his hand, "no, it's good that you're here, I didn't bring a female
colleague along, if it's just the two of us in here it wouldn't be appropriate."
He helps Li get up, and hands her a pack of tissue, "what kind of shadow,
tell me."
"I passed by her, and saw her wearing the T-shirt, so I greeted her although
we didn't know each other; but she told me to 'back off', and hurried away,
then..." Li widens her red eyes, and shivers, "then I looked down, and I
saw... she had two shadows."
Shen softly explains, "multiple light sources could create multiple shadows,
perhaps..."
"No, not like that!" Li trembles, "the shadow appeared where there was no
light, and it was much darker than normal; and... it was moving all on its
own!"
The room is eerily silent, and Li has been trembling and quivering for so
long that her bones are about to shatter; Shen leans forward, and comforts
her, "calm down."
"I really saw it, Professor Shen, I really saw it." Li grabs hold of his shirt,
and starts crying, "I saw it follow the girl, and when she entered the small
hutong, the shadow stood up like an actual person... I ran and I ran, I
thought I was dreaming, I thought it was just an illusion, you know? But
now you had to tell me that she's... she's..."
She pushes Shen away, sprints to the corner of the walls and vomits.
Shen glares at Zhao with disapproval.
Zhao rubs his nose, and comments, "uh, don't worry, her reaction could
have been worse; you didn't see it, but early this morning one of the
policemen at the crime scene vomited even more."
Shen helplessly looks at Zhao, and shakes his head. He asks the doctor at
the door for some water, and helps Li get up.
Li's legs are squishy and shaky, she stumbles on to the bed, and stares at
Zhao blandly, "it killed her, so it's coming after me; I saw it, it won't let me
go, would it?"
Zhao doesn't reply, and takes a small notebook from his pocket, "what did it
look like?"
"I'm not too sure, but it was... it looked like a person, about this tall," she
signals with her hand, "all black, a little short, a little fat..."
Zhao frowns, "short and fat?"
Li nods.
"Could it be that it wasn't short, but you just didn't see it stand up entirely
and ran away already?"
Li pauses for a moment, and drops her head, "may... maybe."
Zhao looks at her strangely, "and then?"
"Then I ran away."

Zhao doesn't say anything, but scrutinises her.
Li clutches her fists; her fingers turn white.
After a moment, Zhao tears off a piece of paper, writes a string of numbers
on it, and says, "if there is anything else, please call me, my phone is on
twenty-four seven, thank you for your time."
He stuffs the paper in Li's hand, and stands up.
Shen, "I will walk you out."
"Oh, there's no need," Zhao replies, "I will walk out for a smoke; you stay
behind to chat with her a bit, sorry if I scared her just now."
Zhao leaves, and Shen gently asks her, "are you hungry? I will buy you a
meal from the cafeteria."
Li is slightly relieved once Zhao is gone, and feebly nods.
Shen then asks, "I will call the doctor in to look after you; you have a good
rest here before you head back, okay?"
Li nods again.
Shen goes to the door, and turns around, "do you have enough cash? I could
give you some."
Li smiles lightly, "thank you, professor, but I don't need it."
Shen sighs, and subtly reminds her, "some lies are intentional, some are not;
the former is to deceive others, the latter is to deceive yourself... but it's
pitiable regardless."
Li is petrified.
Shen looks down, "never mind, take care of yourself then."
Shen got a bottle of medicine from the pharmacy, and rushes out.
Zhao is still in the corridor, on the phone.
"I checked, this time it's not our problem, it's a problem from 'the other
side'," the female voice on the phone isn't Wang, her tone is rather
mischievous, "last night the Gates of Hell opened, and several ghosts went
missing, but most of them were new ghosts less than a week old; the real
problem is, I heard a hungry ghost got away in the mix."
Zhao thinks he heard her wrong, "a what???"
"Hungry ghost."
Zhao is furious, but lowers his voice, "what the fuck is happening? Which
motherfucking Hell Guard wants to get fired?"
"The prisons are not perfect, besides, 'the other side' is still using
management from over a century ago; these hungry ghosts are the most
desperate, and the prison guards are useless. If it were me, I can probably
break out of prison eight times a day," she pauses for a moment, "oh right,
since someone died, 'that person' will be sending a letter, perhaps even visit
us in person; come back quickly, I dare not open his letter."
Zhao frowns, "right, got it, I'm coming. Help me take care of something in
the mean time: the small hutong faces the main University Road, there
should be CCTVs around, help me find the footage; then check on Li Qian,
foreign languages, postgraduate year one from Dragon City University.
Also, help me ask 'the other side' whether they've heard of an ancient
sundial with a Wheel of Reincarnation on it."
Zhao glances away and sees Shen rushing forward, "that's all, I have got to
go, call me if you find anything."
Zhao hangs up, turns around, and swiftly wears a polite and friendly face,
"wait a moment, Professor Shen, you're too kind."
Reincarnation
Professor Shen hands him a bottle of medicine, "you forgot your medicine."
He sees the wound on Zhao's elbow, and frowns, "be careful with it; keep
the wound dry and don't eat irritating foods..."
Zhao silently gazes at him.
Shen is a little uncomfortable, "what?"
Zhao irrelevantly asks, "is Professor Shen married?"
Shen is startled, "no..."
"Oh." Zhao continues, "do you have a girlfriend?"
Zhao's male gaze violently invades his privacy; at this moment, it seems to
Shen that no matter what he answers he is in trouble.
Zhao takes the bottle, and half-jokingly says, "Professor Shen is young and
handsome, and so caring, you must be a catch."
"Nonsense..." Shen is rather tense.
Zhao smiles, dimples deepening, "right, can I borrow your phone for a
second?"
Shen takes out his phone, but Zhao doesn't take it; he holds Shen's hand,
enters his phone number and name in the contacts list, calls himself, and
then hangs up.
"You can call me," Zhao pretends to be professional, "if there's anything
about the case, that is."
He throws the bottle into the air and catches it, and waves at Shen, "thank
you so much, I have something to take care of now, after I finish this case I
will treat Professor Shen to a meal."
He doesn't seem to be in a hurry at all: with one hand in his pocket, he

dawdles away, looking slightly sloppy and laid-back, and yet his figure still
gives off a charismatic vibe from behind; he is like a peacock displaying its
plumage, dancing a most hormonal mating choreography with its beautiful
tail.
As he walks away, Shen relaxes a little, and gazes at Zhao deeply but with
restraint. He takes a final look, and turns around.
A few steps later, Shen can't help but turn around once again, but that
certain someone is long gone.
In his contacts list is a new entry: an amorous 'Ah Lan', silently laying on
the screen. He mutters the name, and feels as though a knife had pierced
through the softest part of his heart, bludgeoning and tearing it apart.
Shen raises his fingers, as he can still smell a hint of cologne; he closes his
eyes, and takes a steady and deep breath.
He doesn't know what kind of cologne Zhao Yunlan uses, but the smell
lingers in his mind as if he had dreamed of it for years.
In the tranquil campus, all one can hear is the sound of falling leaves. Shen
stands silently, and after a long while, he self-mockingly smiles, and
hurriedly leaves.
When he looks down, his sorrow wears away, and his face becomes stern,
with a look of malice in his eyes.
After Guo was given a background investigation mission, he struggles as he

has no idea what kind of background to investigate, and all he manages to
do is speak with people inarticulately.
It's almost noon, and Zhao finally calls. So Guo disappointedly returns with
the strange talking cat, and waits at the entrance for the Chief to pick him
up.
Guo curls up like a ball on the ground, with a ball of black fur sitting
besides him; the strange duo gets the attention of several passers-by.
Half an hour later, Zhao hurriedly arrives.
Guo's legs tremble from having knelt on the floor for too long, as he
stumbles along behind Chief Zhao.
In this half an hour of waiting, Guo thoroughly reconsidered the series of

events within the first twelve hours of working for the SIU...
How could he have passed out more than once?
Guo never thought he would qualify for the high-salaried SIU, but now that
he has gotten in here due to connection, at least he ought to work hard to
stay in here, otherwise, what would his uncle think?
The troubled Guo glances at Chief Zhao, who is carrying Da Qing on his
shoulder, although the cat is incredibly fat and makes the Chief rather
uncomfortable, he still looks so handsome and cool.
Chief Zhao isn't that much older than Guo, how come there is such a huge
difference?
Zhao turns around, and Guo quickly looks away.
"What? You wanted to say something?"
Guo drops his head like a kid with autism, hiding half of his face in a black
fringe.
"Don't be shy," Zhao kindly says, "if you want to say something just say it,
I'm not bad-tempered, and I never get mad for longer than a day."
Da Qing quietly listens; in its few thousand years of cat life, it still cannot
understand human hypocrisy.
"I... I... I..." Guo stutters for a long while, and says on the verge of tears, "I
think I'm so useless!"
Haha, did anyone say you aren't? Zhao thinks.
Zhao pats him on the head gently, "it's alright, little kid, it's your first time
after all. Nobody is perfect, am I right? You will get there slowly... so tell
me, what did you hear from the teachers?"
"Ah... Oh!" Guo hurriedly takes out a notebook, "the victim is called... she
is called Lu Ruomei, mathematics postgraduate student, she is a local, and
her family is quite well off. The Faculty of Mathematics doesn't have a lot
of girls, so she is rather popular; didn't hear anything about her getting into
trouble or having enemies. She was applying for a research opportunity, but
she spent a lot of time on extra-curricular activities, so her grades were
dropping..."
"What else? What do you think?" Zhao is surprisingly patient.
"I think some of the other students competing for a research opportunity
might have a motive, we could investigate her relationships with other
students..." Guo unconfidently glances at Zhao, "that's... that's all I can
think of."
"Oh." Zhao slowly nods, and continues, "so how do you think she died?"
Guo stupidly replies, "she was... murdered?"
Zhao helplessly laughs.
Guo is oblivious to any kind of subtle emotions or expressions, and laughs

along.
Chief Zhao controls his anger, and puts on a professional face, "you've done
well; you have good potential."
Guo looks up to the Chief, who wears a most gentle and friendly smile; he
is so good-looking, Guo thinks, and his words suddenly makes him less
afraid.
Guo's face turns red, the Chief really is too good to him; he suddenly feels
like Chief Zhao is someone worth dying for.
Guo gathers up the courage, and volunteers to take up a most difficult job,
which involves talking to strangers, "then... then I will go investigate her
relationships at school!"
"What's the hurry? Zhu Hong is still in the office, I will give her a call and
she can take care of that." Zhao carelessly says, "how about this, I will give
you another important mission: you remember the girl who almost jumped
off the building? She is a key witness in this case, and I want you to follow
her; I think she lied to me, go and figure out what she's up to."
Guo stands upright and his eyes sparkle, "yes, sir!"
Zhao nods, "right, go."
Guo rushes away, more eager and enthusiastic than ever.
After a while, the benevolent Chief swiftly returns to his true self.
"Fuck me," he says to the cat on his shoulder, "I have never seen a pure
idiot like this one, so motherfucking impressive!"
Da Qing sighs, "you're really mean and hypocritical, Chief."
"You're a cat, don't give me that dog crap; you're the hypocritical one... Go
follow him, don't let him die, otherwise what do I say to his uncle." He pats
the cat on the butt, and Da Qing lazily "meows", bounces off of Zhao, and
rolls out like a ball.
Reincarnation
Shen is on his way back from the cafeteria, and sees the scaredy Guo
standing at the entrance, with the fat, black cat sitting besides him in
disregard.
"Aren't you..." Shen embarrassingly pauses for a moment, he was too

fixated on someone else earlier, "excuse me, what's your name?"
Guo is shortly startled, but quickly recognises Professor Shen.
Guo is much less nervous when facing Shen, he doesn't have the sense of
pressure that Chief Zhao gives him.
Perhaps a well-educated gentleman has a greatly different charisma,

whether he is dealing with a big figure like Zhao or a small potato like Guo,
he is calm and reserved nonetheless.
"I'm Guo."
"Oh, little Officer Guo," Shen laughs lightly, "what brings you here?"
Guo hesitates, he isn't sure whether he can tell his mission to someone else;
he looks to Da Qing for a sign, but gets no reply.
Da Qing face-paws; does he want a cat to teach him how to talk to another
human being?
The cat realises that the brave and wise Chief really wasn't far from the
truth at all, this right here is indeed a pure idiot.
Shen realises his embarrassment, and changes his tone, "sorry, I shouldn't
have asked, this is none of my business."
Guo shamefully looks down... though he doesn't understand why he feels
ashamed.
"Have you eaten? I bought quite a lot of food, you could have some if you
want."
Guo is about to refuse, but his stomach disagrees: he hasn't eaten ever since
he came to the SIU.
Da Qing rushes forward, "come on, kitty, I bought you some milk."
Guo was just about to turn to Da Qing, but since the cat has already
surrendered to the temptation of food, Guo has no choice but to follow suit.
Shen tries to get Guo to open up and relax, "Officer Guo is quite young,
around the same age as my students, you haven't been working very long
presumably?"
Guo honestly replies, "it's my second day at work..."
Shen laughs, "how does it feel?"
Terrible... but Guo tries to appear presentable, "it's alright."
Shen brings along a guy and a cat, and the three walk along the corridor of
the school hospital; his eyes shine beneath his glasses, and he continues
naturally, "your colleagues and... the Chief are nice to you?"
"Chief Zhao is quite nice to me, oh, you've met him earlier today. As for the
colleagues," Guo wears a difficult expression as he is reminded of the
paper-faced Old Wu and the un-beheaded ghost Wang Zheng, but he finally
says, "they.. they are not bad either."
"Chief Zhao..." Shen echoes, and asks, "is Chief Zhao busy all the time?"
Guo scratches his head, "I... I guess? I'm new, so I'm not sure."
Shen continues, "what do you think about him?"

"He's quite nice."
Guo looks at him, "then why do you seem afraid of him?"
Guo is startled, "well... he is the Chief after all..."
Shen chuckles, he knows he won't get anything about Zhao from Guo, so he
leads him to Li's room.
Shen seems to be quite used to taking care of others, he swiftly sets up the
food and the utensils, heats up the milk in the microwave oven, and pours
the milk onto some rice and gives it to Da Qing, "come on, let's eat."
Guo has almost passed out from hunger, but he isn't eating a lot still; he gets
nervous when he is eating with strangers, and when he is nervous he loses
his appetite.
Li is even less interested in her meal, her entire person is incredibly

troubled and disoriented, although the doctor says she will be fine.
Professor Shen realises that when he stops talking, the only sound heard in
the room is Da Qing's licking the milk, and so asks Li, "where is your
home, is it far away? If it's not far away you should go home for a rest, I
can talk to your tutors."
Li pauses and puts down her chopsticks, and softly utters, "at home...
they're having a funeral, many relatives have come, so there is no room for
me."
Shen freezes.
Li picks up her chopsticks and pokes at the rice, "my grandma passed
away... two days ago."
Shen apologises, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. My condolences."
Li looks down and doesn't answer; she dryly stuffs rice into her mouth.
Shen takes a pair of extra chopsticks, and picks up some food for Li, "I
don't know what you like to eat, so I bought different kinds of food, at least
eat some of it."
Guo suddenly says, "my grandma has always taken care of me when I was
little, but she passed away when I was sixteen, and I quit school for half a
year."
Shen and Li look at him.
Guo stays silent for a moment, and continues, "when I was a kid, I was
always bullied at school, and when grandma found out she would tell me
off for being so timid... then she would take me to buy sour milk, chocolate,
sweets, buns; and she would give all the food to me, she wouldn't even eat it
herself... I thought, when I grow up I will make money and I will buy her
stuff she likes to eat, but... I never got the chance."
Li is touched, her eyes begin watering; Guo continues as if talking to

himself, "she passed away in her sleep, and nobody even noticed at first... I
always dreamed of her, from high school through to college, and she was
always there to support me."
Guo is desolate like a withering plant; Shen comforts him and pats him on
the head.
Guo bitterly smiles, but the smile wears away quickly, "when I graduated, I
saw her one last time in a dream, and she said to me, 'you're all grown up
now, I'm relieved, so I'm leaving'. I asked her where she was going, and she
just shook her head, and then I never dreamed of her again; my uncle said
she must have reincarnated."
Tears dribble down Li's cheeks silently.
"What I mean is..." Guo clumsily scratches his head, he is rather surprised
that he managed to speak in full sentences for more than a minute, "hey,
please don't cry, when my grandma was gone I was devastated as well, I
even wanted to trade my life for hers, but... uh, I really shouldn't have said
anything, what I mean is, don't be sad, our deceased relatives are all
watching us."
He really shouldn't have said anything; Li begins trembling and crying

louder and louder, uncontrollably, until her limbs are quivering and her
mind goes blank.
Shen rushes for the doctor; Guo has never seen anyone so upset before, and
helplessly stands besides her.
The school doctor doesn't have experience prescribing sedatives, so he

suggests sending Li to another hospital.
Guo follows Shen to take Li out of the school hospital. The three get inside
Shen's car, and Guo takes care of the fragile girl in the backseat.
Shen isn't Li's tutor, he only teaches a few elective courses; Guo has never
seen such a kindhearted Professor before.
Shen takes care of everything, and gets Li to the emergency room; then he
tries to contact her parents.
Guo realises that something is wrong. Shen has dialed several phone calls
already: Li's parents, uncles, aunties, none of them would come see her.
Even Guo is furious at this ordeal, how messed up is that?
Shen runs out of options, he crosses his arms and frowns.
His handsome figure leans against the wall: broad shoulders, narrow waist,
long legs and tight shirt; this scene looks like a perfume commercial. Guo
thinks he must want to swear, but Shen doesn't say anything.
A moment later, Shen is still visibly worried, but he smiles to Guo, "thank
you for your trouble today, Officer Guo, how about this: you go back first, I
can take care of my student alone, I don't want to get in the way of your
work."
"I... I don't have work at the moment," Guo mutters, and stares at Da Qing's
green eyes, "Chief Zhao told me to follow her, but didn't tell me what to do,
or when should I go back..."
Guo begins to realise something about this mission: he is incompetent, but

he is not actually retarded; following this girl around isn't some challenging
mission, the Chief just wanted to get rid of an annoyance.
Of course, someone useless like him only got into the SIU because of his
uncle... why would the Chief want him around to mess things up?
"Your Chief Zhao doesn't think like that," Shen helplessly assures him,
though he is certain that Zhao absolutely thinks like that, "don't think too
much about this."
Guo turns into a depressed mushroom.
After a while, the doctor comes out, and tells them that Li Qian has been
depressed for very long, she is malnutritioned, and has low blood pressure.
Shen completes the inpatient procedure for her, and the two men and a cat
stay besides Li til sunset; still not one of her family members showed up.
Guo softly asks, "Professor Shen, none of her family members are
coming?"
Shen has nothing to say, and only sighs.
Guo sits besides Li on the edge of the bed, and he suddenly realises why
she attempted suicide.
She had lost the only person who cared for her in the world... from then on,
no-one will support her and love her anymore.
And so the night falls.

Reincarnation
"That part, rewind it."
After Zhao got rid of Guo, he drives back to No. 4 Bright Avenue, and
heads straight for the office to view the footage over and over.
The office is a lot less busy during daytime, there is only one female officer
working.
She looks to be in her twenties, a cleanly combed ponytail, light makeup,

but her eyes are drooping and visibly tired; though her hands are working
very fast.
She is in uniform top, but her legs are covered by a long and thick blanket.
The blanket really is quite long, Zhao carelessly steps on it, and it slides
away slightly; a giant python tail wriggles beneath the blanket, and quickly
retracts.
There is a name plate on the desk, which reads: Zhu Hong.
The footage is blurry, as it seems to be interfered by some magnetic field.

And since the small hutong is rarely visited by anyone, the only people
were the victim Lu Ruomei and Li Qian.
Like she said it herself, Li arrives at the university entrance after buying
something, she passes by Lu and greets her.
Afterwards, Lu crosses the street and is about to enter the small hutong.
Li inattentively glances at Lu, and stumbles backwards in shock.

Zhu stares at the screen for a moment, and her drooping eyes widen, her
irises contract into two narrow, vertical slits; the snake eyes on a human
face give off an eerie vibe.
"She is looking at the street light?"
Zhao nods, "can we take a closer look at the street lamp?"
Zhu tries to widen the image, but the resolution is not good, "sorry, that's all
I can do."
"I will send you to study another degree in a couple of days, you've gotta
improve your technological skills."
Zhu slaps her 'leg', "that's gonna take at least two years, how do I explain
taking leave from work so often?"
Zhao rudely says, "can't you just say you're having your period? Stupid
woman."
Zhu stays silent for a while, "you really leave me no room for fantasising
about you, Chief."
"If you know I'm your Chief then you better not be fantasising," Zhao
presses her head lightly, "or do you not want your bonus?"
Zhu's irises contract even further, and licks her lips with a long and thin
forked tongue, "if you sleep with me, I will even give up my salary."
Zhao looks down and says with a fake smile, "really?"
She suddenly realises that there is a good possibility the Chief would really
agree to something like that.
"Flirting with your boss at work," Zhao laughs, "you're really something,
Zhu; I think you would like the training sessions the department offers, it
might improve your thinking."
Zhu changes the subject awkwardly, "if the CCTV didn't get it, it probably
didn't want to be seen; that girl probably only saw it because she touched
the sundial."
Zhao lightly knocks on the desk repeatedly, "I know about the Wheel of
Reincarnation, it's usually attached to a sundial and has philosophical
quotes engraved on it; normally it doesn't have much practical use, what's
special about it?"
"When you mentioned an ancient sundial in the afternoon I thought of it

instantly," Zhu opens a drawer, and takes out an old account book, "I
borrowed this from Hell, you can have a closer read yourself; it's said that
the back of the sundial is made from shattered pieces of a Stone of
Reincarnation, the fish scales on the back are from a fish in the Forgetful
River."
Zhao nods, signalling her to continue.
Zhu opens the account book, "when Pangu created the universe, and
separated Yin and Yang, the Road to Hell and Forgetful River were the only
boundaries between the two realms. Afterwards, life flourished and
increased in numbers, so the Gates of Hell were created to better manage
life and death. Long before the Gates existed, the Four Mystical Artifacts
were created, and the Sundial of Reincarnation is one of them."
Zhu's long fingers scroll through the pages, and stops at 'Sundial of
Reincarnation', where there is something else written in small print: 'lent for
extending life-span'.
"Extending life?" Zhao frowns, and thinks of the weird new ghost that was
following Li around, "does Li know anyone who died less than a week
ago?"
"Yes, her grandma."
Zhao leans backwards, and starts smoking, "it must be, that's why the old
lady was appearing in broad daylight, she had borrowed life energy from
the Stone of Reincarnation; and Li was lying to me as I thought, she
borrowed the sundial to extend her grandma's life, well..."
"Only the older can borrow life for the younger, I have never heard of it
being the other way round, Chief Zhao, have you?" Zhu takes out a thin
piece of rice paper out of the air, which has Li Qian's name and horoscope
readings on it.
Zhu says, "I told Hell to help investigate, Li's destined time of death was
altered, her life was shortened, not lengthened."
Zhao raises his eyebrows.
"The Sundial of Reincarnation, round and round three times round the
Stone, half my life and half of yours, we weren't born together, but we
ought to die together," Zhu explains, "what that means is, if you have the
mystical artifact, you can use half your remaining life-span to raise
someone back from the dead, and afterwards these two people will die
together when the time comes. Two years ago, Li's grandma should have
died, so she used half her life to bring her grandma back."
Zhao silently listens.
"I checked her background, she used to live with her grandma, who raised
her ever since she was little. She had a little brother as well, and since at
that time the one-child policy was very strict, she had to stay with her
grandma."
Zhao understands, and Zhu continues, "two years ago, her grandma had a
stroke, the doctors thought she was done for, but she miraculously
recovered. Afterwards, though, she was still in poor health; and when Li got
admitted to university, her parents finally took them back in."
"So Li exchanged life for her grandma when she had the stroke," Zhao
flickers some ashes, "why did she have to lie to me about this then?"
Zhu turns her chair around, and glares at Zhao with her snake eyes, which
are surprisingly not frightening, "think about it, if you love someone
enough to sacrifice half your life for them, but they eventually leave you
regardless, how would you feel?"
Zhao blandly frowns, and hesitates.
Zhao is entirely oblivious to this tear-jerking, tragic story; he is still

thinking long and hard about anything suspicious. Zhu sighs.
Zhao shrugs, "alright, snake lady, tell me what you think."
"Li always buys things online, mostly healthcare products for the elderly.
She doesn't have a lot of money, but she uses it all on her grandma. She is a
great kid, and she is still devastated due to her grandma's death, if it's not
directly related to the case, you don't absolutely have to know, do you?"
"The things she buys online can't prove anything, sometimes when you
don't love someone anymore you will use money to compensate..."
Zhu stares at him, with a face that says 'you heartless, cold-blooded
monster'. What an insult coming from a snake.
"Alright, fine." Zhao says, "let's say you're right, she exchanged half her life
for her grandma, but now her grandma's dead, why is she still alive then?"
"This could be an accident, for instance the old lady might have died before
her time was up," Zhu says, "Lin Jing sent me a list of missing souls, I
checked, grandma isn't on the list. Hell doesn't know that she is wandering
out there, her soul is linked to the living by the sundial, so the Hell Guards
never noticed her."
Zhao pauses for a thought, "hmmm..."
Zhu asks, "what?"
"I suddenly thought of something, Li Qian and Lu Ruomei look quite

similar, they have similar hairstyles, and they were wearing the same T-shirt
that day; they were even at the same place when Lu died... think about this,
Li used the sundial, so she must smell like the Mystical Artifact, which has
the power to escape the Hell Guards' detection, so the escaped prisoner..."
"You're saying the hungry ghost's target was supposed to be Li Qian!?"
Reincarnation
Zhao puts off the cigarette, and quickly takes out his phone, "it's almost
dark outside, I only sent the idiot after her, I have gotta go take a look
myself.
Zhu asks, "you mean the trainee who passed out?"
Zhao looks at her with a grumpy face, "give me the letter from the Ghost
Slayer."
Zhu signals the corner of the desk, but doesn't dare touch it.
It's a black envelope with red words written in cinnabar powder: "To the
Guardian, please open personally". In the letter, the incident of the hungry
ghost escaping is summarised, and finally, it reads, "I shall come by
midnight; my apologies in advance for so troubling you."
As Zhao turns over the letter, Zhu frantically moves aside.
The Ghost Slayer is not a god, but not a ghost either, and to call him a spirit
or angel wouldn't be appropriate as well. Legend says that he was born in
the depths of Hell, and he has a ghost-slaying blade with the ability to
"know good from evil", which earned him his name.
The blade has immense power, whether human, ghost, spirit or god, none
can survive this weapon.
Because of this, everyone is terrified of him; but Zhao is an exception, he

seems to think that the Ghost Slayer is a rather nice person... the only bad
thing about him is the way he talks: too old-fashioned and too much
babbling.
Zhao quickly glances through the letter, puts it in his pocket, and says to the
uneasy Zhu, "you can go now, leave the night work for Wang Zheng; these
days you don't have legs, so you better stay home... right, call Lin Jing, tell
him to come back if there is nothing special down in Hell."
Zhu is relieved that she can leave before that someone comes, and nods.
"I'm going." Zhao rushes outside, and calls Guo.
When Guo realises the Chief is calling, he can't help but stand upright and
freeze.
"What took you so long to pick up?" Zhao is worried, "did something
happen?"
Guo stutters... it's really strange, Guo has already gotten used to speaking
with Zhao in person, but as for talking on the phone, perhaps he needs
another period to get used to it.
Is it because the Chief sounds less friendly over the phone?
Guo begins breathing heavily, he struggles to say a word but nothing comes
out; Zhao sighs, "it's there anyone else? If not hand the phone to Da Qing."
Guo is relieved, and hands the phone to Professor Shen.
Luckily, the Professor is the reliable type: he efficiently summarises what

happened to Li and how they got her to the hospital, then asks, "what's
wrong, what is it about Li that..."
A loud but indiscernible noise can be heard from the phone.
Zhao seems to be saying something, but the signal is unstable; Shen walks
towards the window, and looks to be trying to get a better signal, but he
opens the curtain without Guo noticing, and looks outside, "hello? What did
you say? Can you hear me?"
Zhao's voice finally becomes clear, "damn it, get out of there, now!!"
A black shadow dashes across in front of Shen's eyes, he blinks, and the
lights go out in the room. Glass breaks, the cat screeches, and Shen smells a
decaying, bloody odour.
In the darkness, nobody sees Shen grabbing a blood red worm out of thin
air, and crushing it to death. He takes a deep breath, and carefully conceals
his spirit energy, reverting to the gentle professor.
The room is in utter chaos, and the phone loses signal; the cat screams,
which mixes with some other noise, and something knocks down the chair.
Shen stumbles backwards.
He turns on the flashlight on his phone.
An unfamiliar male voice shouts, "be careful!"
It's Da Qing's voice, who just knocked down the chair, which knocked
down the miserable Guo as well.
Shen grabs a wooden mob from the corner of the room, and attacks; a
deafening crashing sound explodes, and a black shadow rapidly flies over
his head.
The wooden mob breaks in two, and the shadow dashes towards Li on the
bed at lightning speed.
Li is sedated, so she lies unconscious on the bed.
Their eyes are getting used to the darkness by now, and in the dim light of
Shen's phone, they can see a dark shadow... it opens its mouth more than
ninety degrees, its head looking like a sliced watermelon.
Guo's heart almost stops, his mind goes blank and he quivers uncontrollable
in utter terror.
What is that thing? What the heck is it!?
The black shadow takes the shape of a human, skinny and slender, like a
skeleton, but its stomach is ridiculously gigantic. Its hands turn into scythes,
and viciously slashes towards Li's stomach.
Shen leaps forward, but someone else beats him to it, and gets between Li
and the ghost.
It's an old lady who came out of nowhere, short and stubby; she uses her
plump body as a shield to protect the girl on the bed.
Shen retracts the leap with great agility, but nobody notices the professor's
abnormal physique; then he grabs the steel chair, and hurls it at the black
shadow.
The chair precisely crashes into the shadow's 'body', splitting it in half; the
thing shrieks like an angry gorilla, the two halves of its body only have a
small segment intact.
Shortly, its body bubbles as if boiling, and vigorously thrashes about; the
two halves slowly merge back together.
"It grew back! It grew back!" Guo shouts, not being of any help.
Shen pounces forward, picks up the steel chair once again, and starts
battering at the ghost.
Shen appears gentle, but his attacks are precise and vicious, and the monster
soon shatters into several pieces; he tosses the chair aside without difficulty.
Silence.
Then, Da Qing jumps on to the bed and says, "don't just stand there, let's
go! This is a hungry ghost, you can't kill it with a steel chair; if it really gets
angry then we're screwed!"
Shen stares at the black cat.
"Yes, yes," Da Qing sombrely says, "I'm talking, now let's go!"
Shen must have a strong mind, a hungry ghost and talking cat did not startle
him whatsoever; he swiftly reaches for Li, and carries her away, "what
about the old lady?"
The cat replies, "don't worry about her, she is a new ghost."
"Oh," Shen abandons materialism, and says to Guo, "come now, Officer
Guo, let's go!"
Guo's mouth gapes in terror, and his neck freezes into a bizarre look.
Shen carries Li on his back, and raises his voice, "Officer Guo!!"
Guo wakes up from a dream, and struggles on the floor like an octopus; he
hurriedly gets up, "I... I... I..."
"Stop stuttering and open the door!"
Guo mindlessly follows, and scrambles over to the door.
The corridor is pitch black, and the entire hospital is dead and empty; not a
single nurse or doctor.
The black cat runs ahead incredibly fast for its size, as Shen follows with Li
on his back, and Guo stumbling forward at the back.
Their footsteps echo through the empty hallway; a chilling breeze tails
them, and Guo shivers.
Their seems to be something behind him.

Reincarnation
But Guo dares not to turn around; ever since he was small he had stayed
with his grandma, and so he is rather familiar with superstitious beliefs, one
such being: "don't turn around when you walk at night, otherwise the ghosts
will catch you".
Although Guo desperately holds back, he keeps thinking about what

happened in the room. And he can't help but feel that the thing must be
catching up to them. That vicious monster wouldn't care if you turn around
or not, he has scythes for hands and Guo is quite sure he wouldn't survive
even half a slash.
Then, Guo's rich imagination continues to haunt him: he thinks of photos of

the victim, stomach sliced open and emptied...
Turn around... not turning around... turn around... not turning around...
This dilemma is torturing Guo, and as he rushes forward he is already

soaked in sweat.
He runs even faster and manages to catch up with Shen.
At this moment, Guo realises that the safest place is between Da Qing and
Professor Shen: he really doesn't want to be the one walking behind.
Suddenly, Shen stops; Li gradually regains consciousness and starts

moving, Shen adjusts her body a bit.
Oddly, Guo doesn't keep moving forward to stand between Da Qing and the
Professor, but instead stays behind the Professor.
He turns sideways to check his surroundings.

He suddenly remembers something, "I'm a policeman."
"I'm a policeman.I'm a policeman.I'm a policeman. .." he says to himself, as

if that would make him braver.
But those words are not a magical spell afterward; he is still extremely
frightened.
Shen looks at Guo in shock; Guo slowly realises that he is crying.
Professor Shen has really seen some bewildering occurrences today: a

murderous sentient shadow, a talking black cat, and a crying cop!
But Guo realises that crying really helps with fear, more so than muttering
"I'm a policeman". So he takes a deep breath, cries as loudly as he can, and
shouts, "run! I will stay behind to protect you guys!"
Shen is quite used to insanity by now.
Soon the cat reaches the stairs, and the group sprints upwards to the first
floor. Not long after, Guo screams out of terror.
Shen takes a closer look, and sees an infant by the wall... no, it's closer to a
foetus, it's very small, even smaller than a newborn baby. Its head is
damaged and the skull is exposed, its face is distorted and it has no teeth.
Like a medical specimen, the creature feebly lies against the wall, glaring at
the group.
"Stop screaming!" Da Qing reprimands, "this is a hospital, there are ghosts

everywhere, stupid human."
Shen bitterly asks, "what's that?"
"A foetus that died of an abortion," Da Qing scratches at the infant, which
lets out a squeaking cry, and vanishes, "keep moving, the hungry ghost is
tailing us!"
Speak of the devil; the gang soon smells an eerie, decaying odour.
As they run forward, heavy footsteps come thumping from behind.
"What's that!?" Guo screams with tears, "isn't the hungry ghost just a
shadow? Why does this sound like something heavy?"
"I fucking said it! This is a hospital! There are ALL sorts of ghosts around!"
Da Qing furiously howls, "and what's wrong with being heavy? Huh?
Heavy doesn't hurt anyone does it?"
Shen cannot imagine what kind of work environment Zhao is used to

alongside such peculiar colleagues.
Shen doesn't seem tired at all although he is carrying a person on his back,
and he calmly says, "stop it you two; hey kitty, where's the exit?"
"Don't call me that, stupid human!"
"Godly cat," Shen changes his tone miraculously, "we have been running
around for quite some time now, what's your plan?"
Da Qing stops abruptly, and Shen nimbly steps aside. Guo looks like he
only has half his life left, and leans against the wall, crying and gasping.
Da Qing raises its ears, its eyes glimmering under the dim light of Shen's
phone.
After a moment, it turns back to the group, "I think we're in a ghost
labyrinth."
The heavy stomping comes from the front, and an unclear shadow is cast on
the wall: on a closer look, several dozens of shadowy figures wriggle and
thrash about in a giant cluster, scratching and screaming and stomping on
each other...
Everyday, countless people die in a hospital. Their spirits wander around

endlessly, and they envy the living; they prey on life energy.
The living and the dead cannot co-exist.

The grudge, and the despair...
"RUN!!!" Da Qing screeches at the top its voice.
Three people and a cat scramble over to a storage room, and Guo shuts the
door behind them. Tear streams down his face; he cannot believe he is still
alive.
A freezing hand reached his neck just now, and almost caught him; the chill
lingers.
Shen puts Li down, and helps Guo move over furniture to block the door.
Shortly after, something crashes against the small door outside; Guo falls on
the ground.
Again and again, the door is crashed and attacked. Then it stops. The
banging is soon replaced by squealing noises of fingernails scratching
against the iron door.
Guo says to Shen in tears, "I haven't even gotten my first paycheck, can I at
least get my salary before I die?"
Shen has trouble laughing in this situation, but he really doesn't know what
to do with Guo.
Guo sobs, and asks, "Professor Shen, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"
Shen is incredibly calm, but he takes the time to consider the question
anyway, and nods, "yes."
"There is this person... we met by chance. I'm just a stranger to him, he

doesn't know anything about me, nor is there anything between us," he says
softly amidst the screeching fingernails, "but I want to see him again."
Reincarnation
This man is in his thirties, medium-built, spectacled, and wears a
sandalwood prayer beads bracelet. On a glance, he seems to be rather
ordinary.
He gets off the car, and takes out a phone; he records himself with the
hospital as the background, and says, "September first, eleven twenty three,
special mission at Dragon City Second Hospital, Baota East Road, Eastern
District; Lin Jing, over."
A black SUV hurriedly arrives, and Zhao rushes out, "stop that nonsense
and come with me, quick!"
Someone's about to die and you're taking a selfie video... Zhao furiously
thinks; his colleagues are either not human, or has severe brain damage.
The hospital is shrouded in dark mist, and nobody is inside. Zhao tries to
call Shen and Guo, but neither picks up; he swears, and violently busts
through the hospital door.
A black cloud pounces forward at Zhao, who swiftly dodges, and takes out
a small dagger. He rolls on the floor, jumps to the side, and accurately
slashes on the shadow, which splits in two.
More are coming from all directions. Lin follows behind Guo and takes out
a gun; while chanting some mantras, he shoots down the creatures one after
another, not missing any one of them.
"Have you checked the horoscope readings of the trainee?" Zhao faces the
shadow-laden corridor, "why does it seem like ghosts and spirits follow him
wherever he goes?"
Lin chants, "that which is form is emptiness... I will pray for him after this."
Zhao is irritated, "that which your head! Speak English or shut your
mouth!"
Lin calmly continues, "...that which is emptiness is form."
"Motherfucker!"
Lin pauses for a moment, and advises, "Chief, you must purify your six
senses, and abstain from evil."
This is the reason why he hates his job!
Zhao takes a deep breath, and puts the dagger in his mouth; he takes out a
yellow paper talisman, and lights it with his lighter. The paper explodes into
a storm of flames, engulfing all nearby spirits into a three feet tall fire
spiral. The flames destroy everything in its path, and the endless crowds of
ghosts vanish in the mystical flare.
"Amitabha, may Buddha have mercy on your soul."
Zhao is pissed, "enough of that."
Half a minute later, only embers and ashes remain.
Zhao lights a cigarette with the dying flames, signals Lin to follow him, and
opens the door at the end of the corridor.
The group in the storage room doesn't know that help is on its way. The
screeching fingernails are increasingly vicious, and Guo's breathing speeds
up uncontrollably. He is on the verge of insanity.
Shen ignores him, and asks the cat, "what do we do?"
Da Qing the wise old cat calmly replies, "don't worry, hang on for a
moment, Chief Zhao must be on his way."
"What? He's coming alone? Is that safe? How can he save us?"
Da Qing feebly waggles its tail, "don't worry, a few small ghosts can't hurt
him."
Shen frowns, and leans against the wall, "we can't save ourselves?"
Da Qing glances at him, and replies coldly, "we have a team of human,
garbage, vegetative state, and me... a cute mascot. How do we save
ourselves?"
"Didn't I crush that thing with a chair?"
"That's because it was too hungry, and let its guard down. Besides, two
young guys have strong life energy, so it must have been weakened a little.
Now we're surrounded by a whole horde of evil spirits, there's nothing we
can do... oh, shit, why is there another one?"
A squeaking laughter can be heard from the corner of the room, Shen looks
down and sees a five year old girl kneeling on the floor, eerily giggling, and
trying to grab the cat's tail playfully. Guo jumps on to Shen and holds on to
him like a koala with a tree.
"Help!" Guo's face is covered in tears, saliva and snot, and he screams at
the top of his voice, "ghost!! It's a ghost!!"
The child ghost floats towards Guo, and curiously looks up to the scaredy
officer. Guo carefully looks downwards, and sees it stick its tongue out and
roll its eyes back, while her head spins a three hundred and sixty and almost
detaches.
Guo is too frightened that he can't even pass out, he hangs on to Shen as
tightly as he can and continues screaming, "ahhhhhhh!!! Ghost!!!"
Shen stands upright like a soldier, and is comically trapped amidst the ghost
child, the stupid koala, and the horde of hungry ghosts.
A few metres in, Zhao's revealing watch is already starting to malfunction;

there are way too many evil things in here.
"Hey fake monk, my watch is broken again, use whatever tricks you have,
and be quick."
Lin sits on the floor, closes his eyes, and holds the prayer beads in his
hands. He chants mantras in a soft voice. Zhao impatiently waits against the
wall.
A moment later, Lin opens his eyes, and shouts, "there!"
The prayer beads quiver and rattle, and Lin Jing the Saint stands up and
points to a direction, "over there."
Zhao starts walking, and remarks, "that was faster than usual."
Lin sluggishly explains, "they are both guys, and young, so their life energy
combined is very easy to spot."
Zhao pauses, "two guys? What about the girl?"
"Da Qing is there too, but the girl isn't."
Zhao frowns, it's true that Da Qing is just a cat, and a lazy one too, but it's
not cruel and frivolous, and there is even the Professor, he could not have
abandoned Li Qian.
"That's impossible, Shen would never abandon a student."
Zhao has only met the Professor for a short time, but he has a strong feeling
that he is not that kind of person.
Lin asks, "who's this Shen person? I thought the trainee is called Guo?"
Zhao only says, "you don't need to know."
Lin pauses for a moment, and makes a realisation, "the last time you tried to
avoid conversation like that you were falling for the campus belle; so tell
me, who's the beauty this time? Wait, is it a guy or a girl?"
Zhao ignores him, "Amitabha, that which is emptiness is form."

Lin has nothing to say.
Zhao lights the way with the lighter; the convoluted corridors intersect and
diverge like a deadly spider lair.
Why isn't Li Qian with the guys? Why would they abandon the girl? Or...
do they just think that they are with her?
At this moment, 'Li' opens her eyes.

Reincarnation
Guo hears some noise, and sees Li standing up.
Her movement is disoriented, like a broken puppet controlled by an

inexperienced puppeteer. Perhaps this is due to the sedatives.
Guo is relieved, "oh thank god you're alright."
Li stays silent, and blandly stares at him.
Guo finds it rather strange, "Li?"
He walks forward to take a closer look, but Shen blocks his way.
Li smiles eerily, and her mouth curves up to an unnatural crescent. A

strange cackling sound is heard from her throat; her shoulders abruptly
twitch, and her body quivers.
The next moment, Li pounces forward at lightning speed, opens her mouth
and attacks Shen's shoulder.
In the dim light of the phone, her mouth opens wide and her eyes are almost
popping out; her teeth protrude like that of a menacing beast.
Shen moves backwards, and dodges sideways, bumping into Guo. Guo
struggles; flailing, he attacks Li helplessly like a frantic octopus... his
attacks are rather awkward, but he hits Li across the face by chance, and the
possessed girl stumbles backwards.
Guo screeches in tears, "don't come here! Don't come here! Help!!"
The situation cannot get more chaotic: Shen pushes Guo to the wall, and
grabs hold of Li by her shoulders.
Li wriggles and twists like a crab in a cooking pot, clawing and biting
chaotically. Shen clutches her neck from behind, pushes her to the wall, and
constricts her quivering hands.
The small storage room has all sorts of occurrences in and out: a hissing
girl, a ghost child hugging the leg of a crying policeman, a swearing cat,
and horrifying fingernails scratching at the door from outside.
Although Shen is more composed than any human can ever be in this kind
of situation, he wonders whether he is having a schizophrenic dream.
"Who can help me tie her up?" Shen asks, but to no avail, as the crying
human and screaming cat can't be of any help; Shen raises his voice, "stop
crying, Officer Guo, that thing won't bite you, come and help me!"
Coincidentally, the ghost child opens its mouth and nibbles on Guo's leg.
Guo screeches like a dolphin, but the cat paws him across the head to calm
him down.
"Look at your leg, you idiot!"
Guo looks down, and sees that the child's mouth goes straight through his
leg like air.
Guo blinks; it seems that his cowardly brain only imagined the pain.
Li grows stronger and stronger as she frantically howls, and Shen yells,
"Officer Guo!!"
Guo scrambles over and takes off his belt; embarrassingly, his pants are
almost falling off, and he clumsily ties up the girl.
Suddenly, the spirit of the old lady reappears and anxiously looks to Li. It
tries to touch the young girl, but only passes through her, and the ghost
begins to weaken the more it moves.
Guo can't help but want to stop it, "hey old lady..."
His hand goes through it.
It turns around and looks at Guo with its wrinkly eyes; it desperately tries to
say something, but no sound comes out. Its face is laden with utter despair.
Helplessly, grandma stares at Li.
Quietly, tears fall down its face.
The tears are muddy and murky, like the Yellow River.
Guo brainlessly stands aside, and asks about Li, "what's... what's wrong
with her?"
Shen is lost in thought, but Da Qing sighs, "something evil is inside her;
this girl really is unlucky, even you are fine, and yet she is possessed."
Guo can't tell if this is a compliment or an insult.
Clank!!! The small iron door bursts open. A giant scythe comes viciously
slashing in.
Shen nimbly dodges downwards, and pushes Li to the side. The hungry
ghost's claw narrowly misses his skull. A few hair strands quiver in the air.
The hungry ghost has gotten bigger than before, and pounces forward, right
through ghost grandma's body. Its horrified expression remains, but its body
vanishes instantly.
Da Qing screams, "dodge!!"
All Guo can do is sit helpless on the floor. Da Qing jumps to a high spot,
and its body begins bulking up to almost twice the size; its eyes turn gold.
On top of the shelf stands a small panther with razor-sharp teeth.
Da Qing spurts out a beam of supersonic sound waves; the humans cannot
hear it, but they can feel the sheer power bursting towards the hungry ghost,
like a thousand knives raining downwards.
The next second, the hungry ghost slams against the wall; Shen can barely
see a crack on the wall.
The evil ghost sticks to the wall like a nailed wall decoration. Da Qing
returns to normal size, stumbles forward, and feebly falls down. Shen
catches it just in time, and Da Qing breathlessly glances at Shen, and passes
out in his arms.
Guo rushes forward to check if it's dead, and is relieved to find that Da
Qing is only asleep from fatigue.
"What do we do?" Guo panics.
Before anyone can say anything, an earth-shaking howl blasts through the
room.
Guo falls back down on the floor.
The hungry ghost on the wall starts moving again, and a horde of black
shadows gather from the corridor into the room; the hungry ghost absorbs
countless spirits and its gigantic stomach keeps expanding and expanding
like a balloon.
It lands on the floor on its skinny legs, and stumbles towards the two men,
viciously slashing the air with its scythes.
Guo horrifyingly realises that he is moving further away from Shen and
closer to the ghost by the minute.
"I'm being sucked in!!!" Guo loses his voice.
"I'm being eaten alive!!!" Guo struggles to grab something in mid-air, "I...
I'm a police officer! I'm being eaten alive!!"
His brain begins to malfunction; nobody knows what being a police officer
has anything to do with being eaten alive.
Perhaps the hungry ghost is annoyed by him, and roars; Guo begins floating
and rising as if being clutched at the neck by an invisible hand. He no
longer makes any sound.
Shen grabs his hand and tries to pull him back; Guo feels as if he is being
split in two.
Da Qing is still unconscious, Li wriggles on the floor, and the giant hungry
ghost approaches slowly with a whole horde of smaller spirits.
The situation cannot be worse.
At this crucial moment, a sharp whistle can be heard from outside, bursting
through the room and the dark spirits like a bright dazzle.
The ghost child is horrified, screams, and escapes down the floor.
A black dagger slashes between Guo and the hungry ghost, as if cutting an
invisible rope, and the ghost smashes against the wall. Guo falls backwards
on to Professor Shen, and the two stumble...
Guo falls flat on the ground, but Shen is caught by someone.
Zhao wraps his arms around Shen's waist and steps aside, his face is
roughly visible under the dim light of the lighter: handsome, cool, and
sharply contoured like a well-crafted statue. His eyes sparkle in the sheer
darkness like two passionate flames, quivering in a most seductive dance.
Chief Zhao successfully keeps his captivating pretence, and lowers his
voice like an untamed wolf, looking into the Professor's eyes like a hero
saving a damsel in distress, "Professor Shen, are you alright?"
Nobody remembers the poor trainee on the floor.

Reincarnation
For a few seconds, Shen is lost in a mesmerised trance.
Shortly after, Shen looks away, and wriggles out of someone's groping
hands; he adjusts his glasses, "I'm fine, thanks."
Guo desperately screams, "Chief Zhao, help me!!!"
Zhao quickly glances around in the storage room to confirm that no-one is
injured; to relax the situation, he jokes in an operatic recitative, "what
injustice doth you bringeth, has't thee did get an affidavit? Showeth me
apace!"
Guo falls face-down on the ground.
Shen rubs his nose, and hides his faint smile.
The hungry ghost revives yet again; Shen looks up and sees its scythes
slashing towards Zhao.
"Behind you!"
Zhao spins around and narrowly dodges the first, as the second scythe
comes crushing down against his dagger. He grabs hold of the vicious
scythe.
Behind the hungry ghost, a deep male voice chants, "Namo Amitabha..."
Bell chimes come out of nowhere, the sound wave crushes everything in its
path; Guo starts feeling dizzy and the quivering Li stops moving.
The hungry ghost screams in agony as if shot on the head; endless black
shadows fall from its body.
Zhao releases it, and it shrinks down to just the size of a normal human;
scrawny with a big stomach, and feebly withering.
Zhao takes out a glass bottle that's the size of a hand, and opens it as a
stream of light shines through the bottleneck. The hungry ghost turns
around and runs, but Lin blocks the doorway, and strikes a Mudra
Mahabala; a force field bounces the ghost back into the room.
Zhao points the bottleneck at the hungry ghost.
The ghost looks like Munch's painting 'The Scream'; and with one last
expression of horror, the bottle absorbs it in whole.
The translucent glass bottle becomes opaque, and Zhao closes it with a cork
stopper. He holds the mini prison against his ear, and shakes it a few times;
he happily says, "mission accomplished."
Da Qing slowly awakens from its deep slumber, "you guys are so violent,
so much noise..."
Zhao picks up the cat and stuffs it into his bag.
Da Qing moans feebly, "what took you so long?"
"Traffic jam," Zhao pats it on the head, "go to sleep, you'll get your bonus
this time."
Da Qing's eyelids droop and gradually close, as it mutters, "I... I wanna eat
grilled yellow corvina..."
Guo is still puzzled, "so... it's over?"
Zhao impatiently frowns, but quickly puts on a smile, and says, "there is
still one thing."
He crosses over to Shen, and asks, "are you injured? Sorry for dragging you
into this, I will take you for a check-up."
Shen carelessly touches his hand, "really..."

Shen's face goes blank for a moment, and passes out.
Zhao kneels down and picks up the unconscious professor, with one hand
on his back and the other beneath his knees, and whispers into his ear, "a
female student called Li Qian attempted suicide, you sent her to hospital,
but you passed out due to low blood sugar, and stayed in hospital for a day."
Lin points at Li Qian, and signals Zhao.
Zhao continues, "Li is involved in a murder case, and is brought in for

questioning by the police; you don't remember anything else."
Shen unconsciously leans on Zhao's shoulder.
Zhao carries him and walks outside.
Lin picks up Li Qian and puts her on his shoulder; Guo doesn't follow, so
Lin politely asks, "child, I have another shoulder, would you like me to
carry you as well?"
"No no no... no need, thanks."
Lin bows holding up one hand, "Amitabha, you're welcome."
He calmly dawdles away.
Zhao carefully avoids a nurse who came out of nowhere, and puts Shen in
Li's room. He takes off his glasses, sets them aside, covers him with a
blanket, and turns on the air con.
Zhao takes the Professor's right hand, and draws an invisible soothing
talisman on the back of it. Zhao smirks pervertedly, and kisses his hand
softly, "good night, sleeping handsome."
"Let's go," he signals Lin and Guo to come, "an important guest will visit
by midnight, we shouldn't have him wait for us."
Their footsteps disappear in the hallway. Shen suddenly awakens, and sits
up; he doesn't seem sleepy at all.
He raises his right hand, and softly rubs the back of it; a golden talisman
emerges. Shen tenderly looks at the symbol, and smiles lightly. But the
smile quickly wears away.
He frowns, worried and in pain.
Shen lowers his voice and murmurs something; the golden talisman leaves
his skin and solidifies into a small piece of paper. He takes the talisman and
keeps it safe like a cherished treasure.
He tidies the bed, jumps off the window and disappears in the night.
When Zhao and co return to No. 4 Bright Avenue, it's almost midnight. Old
Wu opens his gigantic mouth, and says, "oh, Little Guo, you're back? How
was your first mission?"
Being hunted down by the hungry ghost for one whole night, Old Wu's
paper face seems very approachable by comparison, so he puts on a feeble
smile, "...it was... alright..."
Old Wu laughs, "it's okay, you're just starting out, you will learn along the
way; you're living after all, you've got a future ahead of you!"
Guo realises he has a workplace advantage: he is alive.
Lin and Guo take Li Qian inside, and Zhao lowers his voice and says to Old
Wu, "you know about this case right? We can't execute an escaped prisoner
from Hell, so the Ghost Slayer will visit in a while; greet him politely."
Old Wu shivers in terror, and lowers his voice, "he... he is coming?"
Zhao nods, pats Old Wu on the shoulder, and lights a cigarette while
entering the office.
Old Wu dares not to read newspaper indoors like he usually does, and in
stead stands upright by the door like a royal guard.
Zhao waves at Guo, and points to a working desk, "this is your desk, if
there are no special cases our working hours are nine to five, if you have to
take sick leave just call me. Twelve to one is lunchtime, the canteen is on
the second floor, meals are free for staff. Sick leave is paid, insurance and
everything has all been arranged for you, no need to worry."
Zhao hands Guo a credit card, "password is six ones, change it yourself.
Salary and bonuses are all transferred here, every 15th of every month. If
you need to claim work expenses, find Wang Zheng."
Guo takes the card with both hands, and forgets all about Wang the
terrifying un-beheaded ghost. Salary... that means he finally has a job!
"I... I have salary now!" He stutters, eyes glimmering.
Zhao is amazed at how silly he is, "your uncle is so rich, what do you need
that money for?"
Guo raises his head excitedly, "I need it! I really need it!"
But he doesn't say what for; all he does is carefully place the card in his
wallet like handling a one-of-a-kind antique.
Zhao is about to say something, but he sees a white beam glimmer across
Guo's body.
Zhao is astonished: this kid has a powerful aura of virtue, is it his ancestors
protecting him, or is it good deeds from his past life, or is it...
He puts off the cigarette, and points to his room, "I'm usually inside, if
you've anything just knock."
Zhao's eye bags deepen into a dark and heavy weight; he sits in a chair and
falls flat on the desk, "wake me up when he comes."
Guo doesn't know who "he" is, but luckily Lin Jing is here, so he
comfortably takes a nap for the first time in twenty four hours.
Only a while later, Guo wakes up, and feels an eerie chill.
Reincarnation
The air condenses in a rush of eerie frost; the air conditioner turns off on its
own, but the room soon freezes in sheer coldness. White fractals crystallise
on the window glass.
The busying ghost staff members have all stopped their work; they stand
still and lower their heads, waiting for the arrival of a most important
figure.
Zhao wakes up, and stately sits in his chair. He places four cups on the table
and starts making tea. Lin stands up.
Guo is puzzled, but follows suit.
The air conditioner makes a soft clanking sound, and switches to warm air
mode.
Footsteps sound from the hallway, and echo through the office, stopping at
the door. Old Wu opens the door, and comes in with someone.
Old Wu is extremely respectful and polite, like a eunuch following behind

an emperor. The paper ghost leads the figure into the office, pulls a chair,
and says while looking on the ground, "Your Honour, this way please."
The figure says, "thanks."
It's a male voice, soft, pleasing and polite, but incredibly sombre.
Guo is still numb and sleepy, when everyone is frightened and looking
down in awe, he bravely and stupidly looks at the dark figure.
That person is slender, and completely wrapped in a black cloak. His limbs
are all covered and his face is obscured by a cloud of black mist.
He stands at the door, and greets the Chief lightly, who politely nods; the
dark figure slowly walks in.
Zhao takes out a yellow paper talisman, lights it, and the ashes fall into a
cup of hot tea and melt in the liquid. The hot liquid cools down instantly.
At the same time, a cup of hot tea appears in the cloaked figure's hand.
"It's so cold, please have a seat, Ghost Slayer" Zhao says, "and have a drink
of warm tea."
Guo sees the Chief burning the talisman and sending the tea, and he can't
help but think of burning offerings to the dead.
"It's so cold"? Guo is bewildered: isn't it summer? Where does this person
come from?
The trainee suddenly thinks of something, and shudders.
When he was small, his grandma used to tell him that before someone dies,
you must give them a hot meal and warm clothes, otherwise their soul
might freeze on the way to Hell.
Perhaps it's...
The Ghost Slayer takes a sip, "good tea, thanks."
He walks past Guo and sits opposite Zhao; Guo smells something.
It's nothing like the decaying odour of a hungry ghost; it's not unpleasant at
all, but somewhat aromatic, although incredibly mild. The smell reminds
Guo of winter in the Greater Khingan mountain range.
It's the smell when you open the door to a night of snowfall, clean and
freezing; it has a tinge of the aroma of a withering flower.
The Ghost Slayer speaks softly and gently, like a scholar in an ancient
Chinese drama. There is nothing particularly frightening about him besides
the sheer blackness, but as Guo fully wakes up from his nap, he begins to
feel utterly terrified.
That terror is inexplicable, and illogical.
Yet it comes from the soul.
Guo now realises why the ghosts in the corridor are all horror-struck like
mice meeting a cat.
"He comes from the Southern hemisphere, it's winter over there..." Guo
closes his eyes and struggles to convince himself with a scientific
explanation.
The office only has four people, whether human or not, save the passed out
black cat. Zhao pours four cups of tea, but neither Lin nor Guo dare to
drink. The only person who is not frightened is Zhao, he calmly sits at his
working desk.
The Ghost Slayer finishes his tea, and Zhao stands up, "come, I will bring
you to the interrogation room."
The Ghost Slayer quietly follows him, "you don't look too well, Guardian,
must be a result of this case; take care."
Zhao sluggishly waves, "I'm fine, I can survive a few all-nighters; if not, I'd
be happy too, I can find an easier job in Hell."
The Ghost Slayer disagrees, "life and death are matters of great
significance, Guardian, perhaps it's best not to joke about it."
Zhao laughs it off, and opens the door to the interrogation room.
'Li Qian' has woken up, and begins to scream uncontrollably. The
screaming stops abruptly as the Ghost Slayer enters.
When 'Li' sees the Ghost Slayer, she quivers in horror like a dying chicken;
a moment later, she rolls back her eyes and falls on the floor.
Guo follows the group at the very back, and suddenly feels something
pouncing at his face; he stumbles backwards, and the Ghost Slayer raises
his arm as a powerful black wave gushes outwards towards a ghastly
shadow. The ghost seems to be a woman, long-haired, and wearing a worn
out dress; twitching and howling, the ghost is crushed instantly, and
dissipates into black smoke, as the Ghost Slayer absorbs it into his sleeves.
"Obdurate in sin, and attempted to rejuvenate through possession;

culpable." The Ghost Slayer blandly says, his tone remains the same no
matter what he says.
Guo shivers.
Li Qian is tied to a chair.
Lin sprays water across her face to wake her up, and says, "we're the police,
we need to ask you some questions, be honest or bear the consequences."
Li is puzzled, but she soon recognises Zhao and Guo. She wants to say
something, but to her terror, she realises she is tied to a chair, and asks,
"what... what's happening?"
Zhao gently asks, "the culprit who murdered Lu and attacked you has been
caught, we just need to confirm your testimony and file a case report, could
you do that?"
This looks nothing like filing a case report; it looks more like a trial.
"Then why did you tie me up?"
Zhao raises his eyebrows, snaps his fingers, and the ropes are undone.
The girl is startled, but quickly composes herself; she asks uncomfortably,
"if you've caught the murderer already, then what's there left to ask? I've
already told you everything. I wanna go home."
Lin smashes the desk, and assumes the character of a ruthless cop, "don't
give me that bullshit, just answer our questions! Or do you want to be
charged with aiding and abetting the murderer? What's your motive? What
was your relationship with the culprit?"
Li is petrified.
Lin gives Zhao a signal, who pretentiously pushes Lin on his shoulder, and
asks calmly, "August 31st, ten twenty at night, you saw the victim Lu
Ruomei by the entrance of the university; you also saw the thing that was
tailing her. There is something else we need to know: since when were you
able to see ghosts? Was it after you touched the old sundial?"
Li bites her lips, and quickly nods.
Zhao's long fingers gently knock on the desk, "legend says that the sundial
was crafted from a Stone of Reincarnation, and inlaid with the scales of a
fish from the Forgetful River. It has the power to bring back the dead, at the
cost of one's own lifespan; and once you use the sundial, you will get so
close to death that you start seeing the dead, right?"
Li stares at Zhao's fingers, and silently nods.
Zhao leans backwards on to the chair.
"You're a good kid," he sighs, "I wonder how many young people would be
willing to give up half their life to bring back their deceased relatives?"
The Ghost Slayer interrupts, "the Sundial of Reincarnation is one of the

Four Mystical Artifacts from Hell, they can disrupt the order of Yin and
Yang; humans should not use them."
Li twitches her fingers, and says with difficulty, "I didn't know what it
was... I only heard about it, people say it can bring back the dead... my
grandma had a stroke all of a sudden; she raised me as a kid, my parents
abandoned me, and she was my only family... do you know how that feels?
I wanted to cry but I couldn't, and I couldn't believe she was just gone like
that, just like that... why do people die?"
"So you found the sundial." Zhao says.

"I thought I was going crazy, who would believe such a thing, but it really
worked..." Li glances at Zhao, and looks back down, "I thought, what's
there to be afraid of? I'm still young, maybe I can live to a hundred, even if
I give her half I can still live to fifty, why wouldn't I bring her back? If
humans shouldn't use it, why did I find it right when I needed it? And why
did it respond to my wish?"
Reincarnation
This question leaves the whole room in silence. After a while, the Ghost
Slayer speaks.
"You were determined to resurrect her, whatever the cost... sometimes when
your will is strong enough, anything is possible; but that does not mean you
were right."
Li's eyes turn red; she looks the other way, not willing to let anyone see her
weakness.
She says with a deep and monotonous voice, "yes, I'm just a human, no
matter what life throws at me... my only family suddenly passes away, my
parents despise me, I struggle to pay tuition, and I can't even find a job here;
I'm pathetic, aren't I? I have to... endure all of that; I really shouldn't have
brought grandma back, I should've just died with her."
Zhao calmly looks at her.
Li coldly laughs, "I'm like a tortoise, crawling on the ground slowly and
strenuously, just for a passer-by to kick me, and I fall facing up; when I
painfully get back on all fours, I get kicked again, isn't it hilarious?"
This girl is laden with grudge and anger, although she tries her best to
conceal it.
Guo's face heat up: he is stupid and lazy, but he got this job because of his
uncle; he stands up and says, "I... I'll bring you a cup of water."
Li ignores him.
Zhao asks, "the sundial responded to you, and your grandma survived, but
she was still unwell afterwards, did you take care of her?"
"Who else could have done it," Li says without an expression, "my parents
only agreed to take her in when they heard she was gonna die."
Zhao nods, "You had to study, make your own living, and pay for your
tuition, and you also had to take care of her, must have been tough?"
Lin is a bit surprised: he thought Zhao wanted to get her to talk about the
incident with the hungry ghost since she lied, but now he isn't sure what the
boss is trying to get out of her.
What's the point in asking these questions?
But the Ghost Slayer doesn't seem impatient at all, so Lin doesn't say
anything, and keeps his doubts to himself.
Guo hands Li a cup of warm water; the girl takes it and doesn't say
anything. She stares at the cup, which is shaking in her hands.
"She wakes up at half past four in the morning, everyday, and she always
wants to make me breakfast. But her condition was deteriorating. One time
she was cooking milk, and it spilled on the stove, almost causing a gas leak.
So I had to wake up at half past four everyday too, and make breakfast
before she messes things up. When it's noon, whether or not I'm having
lessons or working on a project I still have to take a one-hour bus back
home everyday to make her lunch, make sure she takes her medicine, and
then rush back to school. I don't even have time to eat lunch myself. She is
always babbling at home, I can only work once she is asleep, around ten
every night. I work til midnight, sometimes even later, and I still have to get
up before sunrise."
Li takes a deep breath, her face is incredibly exhausted, "is it tough?" She
takes a sip of water, and says coldly, "don't waste time, there is no use
talking about this, what else do you want to ask about the case, just ask."
Zhao taps on a file in his hands, "sorry for being rude, but it must have been
easier for you once your grandma passed away?"
Li stares at him, "what do you mean?"

Zhao stares back, "I meant what I said, literally."
Li jumps up and spills the cup of water, "is this how the police treat normal
citizens? How can you detain me for no reason, and make false
accusations?"
"Sit, calm down." Zhao wipes the water with tissue, "I'm not accusing you
of anything, I'm just asking about how you felt; feelings cannot be crimes,
even if you wanted to blow up a building, as long as you didn't do it,
nothing will happen."
"I want to go home, you can't detain me."
Zhao looks at her, and nods, "alright, I will leave out the irrelevant parts;
let's talk about today, you told me you saw the victim and the shadow
behind her, do you remember what the shadow looked like?"
Li frowns, "I didn't take a close look, can't remember."
Zhao smiles, his dimples deepen, but his eyes are not smiling; he looks
down and says slowly, "maybe you wouldn't remember a passer-by, that's
normal... but how can you forget something so frightening? If you don't
remember, why are you shaking?"
Li's fingers tense up.
Zhao says with a more serious tone, "didn't you tell me it was black, a little
short, and a little fat?"
Li's face turns pale.
"Revoking your testimony is a bad habit. Tell me, did the shadow look like
what you said?"
Lin slams on the desk and shouts, "say it!"
"Yes... so what!?" Li erupts.

"Oh, a little short, a little fat." Zhao sluggishly repeats, and crosses his arms
on the desk, "then was it male or female, young or old?"
Everyone here except Li knows what the hungry ghost looked like... there is
no telling whether it was male, female, young or old; it was a bony monster
with a giant stomach, scythe hands, and as tall as two humans.
Everyone is staring at Li with suspicion.
Li is terrified.
Zhao lowers his voice, and almost whispers, "I lied, human memory is
unreliable, and you could very possibly forget about something if it
frightened you; your brain might want to protect you from fear and shut
down the memory as a defense mechanism. So what you said... could be
just your imagination."
Guo slow-wittedly realises that this really isn't just filing a case report, it's a
trial, and he has a bad feeling about it.
Li's face turns grey, with defeat.
Zhao is no longer faking a smile, "now can you tell me, why did you jump
off the building this morning?"
Li's chest vigorously rises and falls.
"Did you think that if you kill yourself, then you will be freed from this
curse, and you will be forgiven?" Zhao laughs coldly, "I'm not much older
than you... many young kids like you are not afraid of death, because they
are too young to comprehend it fully. Especially you, you're so...
determined and impulsive."
Li's voice weakens, "what.. what makes you say that? How do you know I
don't understand death? I know how it feels, I have seen it! The heart stops,
breathing stops, her body... turns cold, becomes inhuman... and I can't find
her, can't see her anymore, can't..."
"Li Qian," Zhao interrupts, "you don't understand nor do you fear death, but
you fear separation, you couldn't accept your grandma leaving you
suddenly."
The interrogation room is incredibly quiet; Li's body shivers like a fallen
leaf caught in the wind.
Zhao continues, "the shadow you saw tailing the victim, was it... old,
wearing a thick cotton jacket, and a hairpin on her head?"
Lin and Guo are astonished.
Li lets out a shrieking and abrupt screech; her face distorts into a
frightening expression.
Is she going crazy? Guo thinks; he doesn't understand the situation. He

glances at the boss, who is fumbling with his fingers, looking like he really
wants to smoke.
Zhao takes out a photo; it's a photo of Li's grandma, who wears a gentle
smile on her face. Guo recognises her as the old lady who pounced forward
to protect Li from the hungry ghost.
Zhao sets the photo in front of Li, "this is Wang Yufen, born in 1940; she
died last month, cause of death was an overdose of drugs."
Li glares at the photo, her eyes almost popping out.
Zhao continues, "your grandma is your only family, so the two of you must
have been incredibly close... can you tell me why are you so afraid of her
after she died? What makes you think she would hurt you?"
Li freezes into a statue.
Zhao's voice softens, "if you don't tell the truth, you won't get the chance in
the future, you will never be free for the rest of your life; lies will always be
lies, and they will haunt you forever like a curse."
Someone else... said something similar to her today.

Li sluggishly raises her head.
Zhao leans forward, and looks her in the eyes, "the Sundial of
Reincarnation connected the souls of you and your grandma, normally you
would've died together, but you're still alive... so your grandma must have
died earlier than destined. I kept thinking, what went wrong? Did the Hell
Guards make a mistake, or did someone trap her living soul?"
"But then I realise, I'm so stupid, there is another possibility: the sundial
could have disconnected from her. And what that means is, the person who
brought her back, murdered her."
The interrogation room is so quiet that a pin dropping on the floor would be
heard.
"She was suffering from dementia, so she must like to eat candy like a
child. Tell me, who put the blood-sugar-lowering drugs in the candy box?"
Guo holds his breath.
He hears Li's coarse voice; she softly says, "it was me."
Reincarnation
"When I was small, grandma always woke me up in the morning and help
me comb my hair. Then she would walk me to school, and tell me stories on
the way; grandma was my favourite person in the world."
Li recounts as if only speaking to herself.
Zhao finally takes out a cigarette, and plays around with it; Guo asks,
"then... you stopped liking her?"
Li looks at him, "I remember you said that you would give up your life to
bring your grandma back, but the sundial wasn't in your house; you're really
lucky."
Guo looks at her blandly, and struggles to think of a reason, "was it because
taking care of her was too exhausting, too..."
Li's eyes redden as if bleeding, and stares at him inhumanly, "don't insult
me with such a stupid reason."
Guo heats up with anxiety.
"She became a different person. She didn't remember anything, she kept
babbling on and on about the same things illogically. She would pee her
pants all the time, when she ate the food got everywhere, and she drooled a
lot. No matter what I was doing, she would just follow me around the
house, babbling inaudibly, day after day!"
"I saw her everyday, and all I could think was: this is what I got in exchange
for half my life."
A cold and eerie smile appears on Li's ghastly face.

"The grandma that I want never came back, I used up half my life, and what
I got was..." Li's face twitches with vigour, and says with contempt, "a
monster."
Li's bloody eyes stare into Guo's soul, "I hate her; whenever I saw her, I
wanted to kill her. Everyday, I had to patiently and gently ask her what she
wanted to eat, whether she needed to go to the bathroom, whether she was
tired, cold; and she would just laugh at me like an idiot."
Guo's hands quiver.
"The sundial tricked me, you know? You can't bring back the dead. I didn't
get my grandma back. I got a monster that tortured me day after day!" Li
laughs abruptly, "you don't understand anything, don't try to judge me!
When she was alive she wouldn't leave me alone, and when she was dead
she still wouldn't leave me alone! I..."
"She will leave you alone now," Guo interrupts her; he cannot imagine
himself speaking in such a serious tone, but he does, "she disappeared; the
hungry ghost was coming for you, and you were possessed... she stepped in
to protect you, and the hungry ghost killed her. She died again, we all saw
it, but you didn't."
Li is petrified.
Guo looks down in melancholy, and says on the verge of tears, "even if you
saw it, you'd think that she was trying to harm you, right? But... she wasn't."
"She wasn't trying to hurt you, she wasn't trying to get revenge."
Frivolously your heart changed, yet you blame the whim of human
emotions.
"Murder is not our department," Zhao says, standing up, and patting Guo on
the shoulder, "let's go, she can stay here for the night; next morning Zhu
Hong will call our colleagues from Criminal Investigations, and they will
take it from there. I will call Professor Shen in the morning to tell him what
happened... ah, anything else Your Honour?"
The Ghost Slayer walks up to Li.
Li curls up instinctively.
"Don't be afraid, I'm not concerned with the living," the Ghost Slayer says,
"but it's related to the Artifacts, so I must ask: where is the sundial now?"
"It's... at my place," Li lowers her voice, "my parents rented us a small

apartment; they never come visit."
"Address?"
"Room 207, Unit Three, No. 101 South City Street."
"Thanks." The Ghost Slayer nods, and looks at Li for a little longer, and
says, "when we meet again in Hell, you shall be treated equitably."
Guo mindlessly follows Zhao, and they walk the Ghost Slayer out; Guo
turns around to look at Li one last time.
The Ghost Slayer leaves in a hurry to retrieve the Sundial of Reincarnation

before sunrise.
After he left, the room returns to normal temperature, and the frozen
windows gradually thaw out. The air conditioner returns to normal.
Guo wants to say something, but only follows behind Zhao silently.
Zhao picks up his car keys, and glances at him, "aren't you going home?"
"Chief Zhao," Guo looks at his feet, "can a ghost reincarnate again... after
being killed by a hungry ghost?"
Zhao frowns, "probably not."
"So... so the old lady, she's really gone?"
Zhao pretends to be deep in thought, and suddenly smiles; he takes out a

small bottle, and waves at Guo like calling a dog, "I almost forgot, come
here, kid."
Guo comes over, confused.
"Take this, the Ghost Slayer gave it to me. His Honour sometimes shows
mercy, if you're lucky," Zhao stuffs the bottle in his hand, and dawdles over
to the cat's bed; he covers the cat's mouth playfully, and the sleeping Da
Qing wakes up, "whoever comes in early in the morning, remember to tell
the canteen to make some grilled dried fish."
Guo examines the small glass bottle curiously, and widens his eyes.
The old lady is inside the bottle!
She is only the size of a thumb, quietly sitting there, and softly smiling.
Then, the wrinkles on her face rapidly disappear, her hair grows, and turns
from white to black; her teeth grow back, and her body starts slimming.
Soon, her face turns to thirty years old, then twenty, then she shrinks and
shrinks, and...finally, she curls up as a baby.
The infant closes her eyes, and disappears in the bottle.
Guo shouts in shock, "she... she is gone!"
"That's a Bottle of Rebirth, she is entering reincarnation again." Lin stands

behind him, and says, "from birth to death, and from death to birth, the
cycle of life and death will continue for eternity."
Lin looks down, mutters a Buddhist mantra, and says, "go home now, come
back nine in the morning for work; the canteen is open at eight o'clock, if
you wanna eat there then come earlier, don't be late."
Guo is incredibly relieved, and carefully puts the bottle into his bag, and
happily leaves.
Lin turns around and says to Zhao, "the Ghost Slayer didn't give you
anything. Li shouldn't have used the sundial, and the old lady died for her
willingly, that is all karma; and the Ghost Slayer wouldn't intervene with
destiny."
Zhao "humphs", and says, "alright, you're smart, you got me, you happy
now?"
"I heard you don't like this trainee, because he only got in due to his uncle;
why did you have to make up a story to console him then?"
Zhao lights a cigarette, and impatiently gestures him to go, "because I like
to, now why don't you just get lost?"
Lin shakes his head and sighs. As he is about to make another comment,
Zhao glares at him, and Lin leaves with a cup.
Zhao locks the door, and is about to go home for much-needed sleep.
Suddenly, he thinks of the Ghost Slayer who hurriedly left, and somehow
becomes curious about the Four Mystical Artifacts. Prepared to skip work
the next day, he drives to the address Li gave.
When Zhao arrives, the apartment building is already shrouded in a

menacing dark mist. He is startled, and runs up the building with a gun.
A gigantic black hole hangs above the rooftop, like a hungry beast. The
elevator is out of service, so Zhao runs straight up to the roof, which is
already laden with dead corpses.
Zhao takes a closer look, and finds that all the corpses are monstrous
creatures: three-headed ones, double-bellied ones, half-human and half-
skeletons... all were beheaded without exception. The moon shines eerily,
and the Ghost Slayer holds his blade against someone's neck.
That someone is not fully human, its entire face is covered with tumours;
disgusting and terrifying.
"What's wrong, Your Honour? Aren't you just here for the sundial, how did
it turn into a massacre?" Zhao's path is completely blocked by heaps of
corpses.
The Ghost Slayer hears him, but doesn't answer, and says to the deformed
figure, "I will ask you one final time, where is the sundial?"
The monster says rigidly, turning its face towards Chief Zhao, "my master
has some words for Your Honour... for centuries you have dedicated to this
job, and always acted with self-restraint, but aren't you afraid of losing
control?"
The Ghost Slayer says nothing, but the air stiffens and becomes more frigid.
"My master admires you, and wanted to test whether you truly have no
desire, and so he is sent to..."
The Ghost Slayer doesn't let him finish, and slashes its head off; a big burst
of bloody explosion oozes a foul odour. Strong wind attacks the rooftop,
and Zhao is forced to take cover and close his eyes. When the wind stops,
everything returns to normal: corpses, monsters, nothing remains.
The Ghost Slayer turns around, and gestures a goodbye. Without a word, he
hurriedly enters the black hole; Zhao seems to notice a hint of panic from
his figure.
The Ghost Slayer is feared by ghosts, spirits and even gods; who would
dare challenge him like that?
The Sundial of Reincarnation... who stole it?
~~~[End of Part One: Sundial of Reincarnation]

Chapter 21 - Pillar of Nature
No. 4 Bright Avenue isn't a spider cave, nor is it a skeleton lair.
When it's daytime, there is not a single shadow of a ghost.
The office has great natural lighting, each person has their own desk and
desktop computer; the office is decorated with plants, and well air-
conditioned. The pantry room has a fridge, and there is cat food and other
snacks inside for everyone.
One time, Guo even saw an entire drawer in the fridge filled with thinly
sliced raw meat, the kind used for hotpots. He wonders who would eat
hotpot in summer, but he soon realises that the meat is for Zhu Hong, who
takes a bag and eats it raw like potato chips; blood dribbling.
The next day, Zhu takes sick leave; reason: inevitable monthly problem.
Not the kind of problem everyone thinks. The third day, she comes back,
and Guo is petrified to find her slithering around on a giant serpent tail. Zhu
keeps eating raw meat for a few days, and after a while, her tail is replaced
by normal human legs, and she eats humanly again.
There is another member in Chief Zhao's investigations team besides snake

beauty, fake monk, and black fatty catty. Half a month after the incident of
the hungry ghost, he comes back after what looks to be an exhausting work
trip. He spends an entire afternoon claiming work expenses, then falls
asleep on his desk. Chief Zhao comes back and sends him home to have a
rest.
Guo sees the name plate on his desk, which reads "Chu Shuzhi"; everyone
calls him Big Bro Chu. But Guo is a bit frightened of him: he is around the
same age as Lin; extremely skinny, with his cheeks almost sinking into his
bones. He has a menacing and sombre face, and is always frowning.
Perhaps it's Guo's illusion, but Chu seems to frown even more when he sees
the trainee.
There isn't much work to do in general: only a handful of cases come in

within a month, and the Chief usually just sends one or two in the team to
take a look. Their principle is: "we catch ghosts not humans". Since most of
these cases aren't involved with ghosts, all they need to do is a file a report
and hand the case to another department.
Most of the time, everyone is reading books, surfing the web, chitchatting,
and waiting to go home.
But Guo realises that there are quite a few procedures to follow when
handling a case: first, send someone to the crime scene, then file a report to
the Chief; the Chief will decide whether or not to take the case. If he
decides to take it, he will file another report to the higher authorities; it
usually takes one or two working days before the report goes through, and
only then can the Chief and the team start working on the case.
That day in mid-July was one strange coincidence: it just so happens

someone was killed by a ghost, and no-one was in office. Da Qing smelled
something fishy from Hell, so the Chief had no choice but to investigate in
person, and only got the chance to file all necessary documents afterwards.
Lin worked for three days just to file all the documents for this case.
And so Guo aimlessly stayed at the SIU for three months, during which not
a single case came up; miraculously, he passed his trial period.
Even more miraculously, Zhao seems to have forgotten how annoyed he

was initially at Guo getting in through his uncle, and quickly signed the
papers for his official employment.
Guo slowly gets used to the empty human resources department during
daytime, and takes his official employment form there for filing.
Da Qing looks at his enthusiasm intently, and wiggles its butt on to Zhao's
desk, "all men are fickle; at first you wanted to kick him out more than
anything, but now you're letting him stay for good."
Zhao is focused on messaging, and says without looking up, "he has good
virtue all over his body like words in a dictionary, treat him as a mascot, he
will bring us good luck; plus, he's quite hilarious to watch."
Da Qing is curious, "what virtue?"
Zhao points at his drawer, and the black cat paws it open. Inside is a huge
file holder, with documents, pictures of volunteer work, donation account
books, etc.; having accumulated since a decade ago. There is a picture of a
post card on the wall of a country-side primary school, and the post card
reads with scribbly words: "take care guys."
Da Qing is shocked, "you mean Guo Changcheng did all of this?"
"Yea, you know about his family, incredibly rich. But when he does these
sorts of things he never lets his family know, and he uses up almost all his
pocket money for charity and only leaves a little for himself. That's how he
accumulated immense virtue; I saw his aura the other day."
"Oh... someone like that is hard to come by." The black cat who seems to
have gotten even plumper sluggishly dawdles away and peeks at Zhao's
phone, quickly changing the topic, "don't you get tired? You message him
like a million times a day, asking about unimportant stuff all the time. It's
been three months, and you're still stuck in the 'going out for lunch and
dinner' stage?"
Zhao sends the message, and flicks the cat on its head, "good things come
from slow work, you don't know cat about this."
Shen's reply appears on the screen: "sorry, I have a school gathering

tonight."
The black cat rolls laughing on the desk, "school gathering! School
gathering! Ahahahaha, Chief, you can keep boasting about yourself; aren't
you the self-proclaimed invincible charmer? What do you usually say: that
girls can't stop staring at you, cute bottoms drool when they see you?
You've been rejected, eh? Tell me, Mr Zhao Yunlan, how does it feel?"
Zhao grits his teeth, resisting the urge to have cat meat for dinner.
After the case of the hungry ghost, Zhao intentionally keeps contacting
Shen; initially using his work as an excuse, always bothering the Professor
with the tiniest progress on Li Qian's case. Afterwards, he starts
shamelessly making up all sorts of excuses to ask him out, but the Professor
is incredibly difficult to get hold of: perhaps he's really busy, or maybe he is
avoiding Zhao on purpose.
Zhao is too used to the eager and desperate type: the more reserved, subtle
and hesitant Shen is, the harder he tries.
Suddenly, the phone rings, and the nosy cat eavesdrops on the conversation:
an unfamiliar voice asks nervously, "hi... is this Mr Zhao? You offered to
buy my grandfather's antique book, is that true?"
Zhao's eyes sparkle, "yes, when can you get the book to me? I want it as
soon as possible."
The voice says, "It's rather expensive, do you think..."
"I think there is no problem, pick a time to meet." Zhao says like the rich
and powerful.
The person on the phone seems very excited, and agrees to meet this
afternoon; they only hang up after mumbling a few "you're really an antique
enthusiast", "can't believe I've met someone who values cultural heritage".
Da Qing coldly says, "right, if charm doesn't get you what you want, money
should certainly do the trick. Chief, you're really the epitome of a good-for-
nothing rich spoilt brat. This poor book seller certainly doesn't know you're
an idiot who's only into action movies and martial arts novels."
Zhao takes a cheque book and car keys, picks the cat up by the nape, and
throws it out of his room.
The staff hears the door open; Chu raises his head from a stock market
candlestick chart, and only manages to see a hurried shadow. Zhu sighs,
"he's out cruising again."
In the evening, Zhao successfully tracks down the Professor at the

university.
Shen sees his car, and his eyelids twitch; he lowers his head, pretends not to
notice him, and rushes for the car park. Zhao hums a sweet little tune and
slowly follows the Professor in his car. After a while, students who pass by
are starting to grow curious, and Shen helplessly sighs as he knocks on the
car window, "Officer Zhao, what brings you here?"
Zhao rolls down the window, wears a bright smile of sunshine and
rainbows, and stuffs a big wooden box in the Professor's arms, "this is for
you."
Shen lifts the lid, takes a glance, and returns the box, "no, this is too
expensive, how can you..."
"Hey, listen to me first," Zhao blocks him with his hand, and starts lying, "I
have a friend, he is moving out of the country; he has a lot of antiques, and
he doesn't want them to go to waste, and I immediately thought of you.
You're the only person who knows how valuable this is, so please help my
friend keep this."
This smooth-talking jerk, he doesn't even blink when he lies.
"I..."
Shen only said a word, and Zhao starts firing away, "stop mumbling, aren't
we friends, aren't friends supposed to help each other? I have somewhere to
go, see you next time; help me keep it save, I will take you out for a meal
this weekend."
He steps on the gas, not giving Shen a chance to say a word, and rushes off.
Shen carries the heavy box that was forcefully stuffed into his arms, and
watches his car speed away; a million emotions rush through his veins.
On the one hand his heart is softening, he really wants to give in and
indulge himself just this once; on the other hand, he thinks of what a
playboy Zhao Yunlan is, and imagines that he must have done the same
things for countless others. Shen grinds his teeth, he really wants to lock
him up and... but whether he is happy, or angry, he calms down and what
can only remain is unbearable loneliness.
Shen knows that his meeting Zhao wasn't a coincidence: someone is setting
him up. And the living and the dead walk separate paths, for that someone's
own good... he better keep his distance.
The gift was delivered, and he even got a date out of it; Zhao relishes his
own success, and whistles merrily.
There is no fun in being straightforward and explicit: Zhao especially

doesn't like the type who only has a great face and a big butt but no brains.
Even when watching a strip dance, it's the ones who never let you see
everything that are the sexiest.
Zhao Yunlan thinks: a man with good taste can't be satisfied with only
vulgar and materialistic things; there has to be depth, and quality.
Shen Wei. Zhao looks at himself in the rear-view mirror with self-
complacency and narcissism. He repeats the name in his heart.
That person is like a priceless antique porcelain vase; even if he can't own it
forever, putting it in his house for a few days is well worth the while.
Perhaps this winter in Dragon City is especially cold; the leaves have all
fallen before turning yellow. Zhao is idling, and seems to be rather
uninterested in doing anything whatsoever. There isn't much work, apart
from a few work gatherings, and occasionally harassing the Professor, so he
spends most of his time slacking at home.
Zhao left his parents when he was very young, and bought an apartment in
the city centre. For a very long time he lived like most single men: sloppily
and irresponsibly; messier than a pig.
Da Qing always thinks that this generation's Guardian really is one of the
most difficult to deal with, he even changed the Guardian Order into a
governmental department, and gave it the name "Special Investigations
Unit". He is capable, and well-connected, sure; you could say that he is
observant, intelligent and decisive, but Da Qing feels a little insecure.
The black cat is worried that one day Zhao will just quit his job and work
full-time as a frivolous playboy.
But although Da Qing is over a thousand years old, it's still just a cat;
Zhao's life outside of work is actually not as exciting as the cat imagines.
Zhao is probably a classic case of "off-work silence", a common symptom

among busy city-dwellers. He has stayed single for most of his life; partly
because of his unusual job, and partly because of himself: he seems
garrulous and confident on the outside, but his true self is detached and
unsociable; if you don't talk to him he can stay silent for an entire night,
without any expression on his face.
The handful of lovers he has had dumped him because of the same reasons:
"lack of communication", "lack of excitement", "no common interests".
There is even this one girl who very furiously said, "you never loved me,
I've never had a place in your heart!"
Certainly, Zhao is handsome, rich and young; but there are quite a few guys
like that in this big city. He does have a lot of money, but he spends it
almost as fast as he earns it, and he still doesn't have a proper place to live
in. His apartment looks like a shabby hotel room; and his entire person
oozes unreliability.
The date with Shen is on Sunday night, so he has no plans for Saturday. The
hungover Zhao wakes up at noon, and barely survives on some leftover
bread. He does some research on the Four Mystical Artifacts, and plays
video games til the evening.
Finally, as the night falls, his stomach reminds him that he has yet to have
dinner, and pulls his attention away from the game.
Zhao doesn't want to move, and tries to fill up his stomach with a glass of
warm water. Forty minutes later, his stomach's protest grows stronger and
stronger and he starts sweating. So he has no choice but to go out for food.
It's winter, but the lazy Zhao only puts on a cloak on top of his pajamas, and
doesn't even wear socks.
Zhao goes to a small restaurant he is familiar with, and orders a fried rice
and a congee.
The food will not cook itself instantly, and Zhao starts realising that he
really should've worn more. He decides to head to a nearby convenient store
for some cigarettes.
Zhao passes by a dimly lit trail, and hears someone's voice.
A man violently demands, "give me your money, quickly!"
Another voice says, "don't blame us, we don't want to do this either, we're
just trying to make a living; you're dressed so well, you must be rich, just
do as we say and nobody has to get hurt, got it?"
A robbery?
Zhao slowly dawdles forward, and takes a closer look: a handful of
gangsters gang up on a man, who looks rather familiar.
Shen Wei.
Why is he here?
Shen isn't only gentle and polite towards his students, Zhao soon realises,
he is like that towards everyone. Even when threatened by a group of
gangsters, Shen doesn't resist howsoever, and obediently takes out his
wallet!
The gangsters see that he is so soft, and asks for more, "your watch too!
Must be a luxury brand, take it off!"
Shen is silent and calm, and takes his watch off.
"Bookworms are good for nothing." Zhao thinks, and sighs. He can't bear to
see this, and walks forward.
The gangsters snatch his watch, and pushes him on to the wall. A red line
appears on his neck.
"Hey, he's wearing something round his neck, might be a jade," one of them
says.
Another one rapidly tears open Shen's shirt, and a small pendant is hanging
between his collar bones: it's the size of a nail, but it sparkles under the dim
street lights like a star.
"This... this isn't diamond, is it?" One of the gangsters reaches forward and
grabs the pendant.
Shen finally frowns, and holds the pendant in his hand, "I've given you
enough already, don't go too far."
His face turns dark, and his eyes glare coldly at the gangster. A surge of
terror overwhelms him, and the thug lets go and stumbles backwards.
But the gangsters soon realise, they shouldn't be afraid of this man; there is
only one of him, but there are a bunch of them. Besides, if he is not soft
why would he give them money so willingly?
One of the hoodlums raises his hand and goes straight for Shen's face: from
his experience, when dealing with someone with glasses, the most efficient
way is to knock the glasses off so that they can't see, and kick them down.
But he only just raised his hand, and a powerful kick smashes on to his
back; he almost spurts out blood, and stumbles forward. Shen dodges, and
the thug crashes right into the wall.
Shen looks up in shock, and sees Zhao, who rubs his hands, and says in a
vulgar tone much like a gangster, "it's fucking cold, who wants some
warming up?"
The thugs are startled by the sheer force of his kick, and one of them asks
only after a while, "who... who are you? Mind your own business."
Zhao tilts his head, and kicks on the ground a few times as if cold; he says
with a cold smile, "you'd better not know, otherwise you might pee your
pants."
Five minutes later, Zhao calls the police. He hangs up, and gives the
gangsters rolling on the floor another kick, "you were still drinking milk out
of your mom when I first came out here. Next time, better check whose
territory it is before you do anything, understand?"
The thug screams in pain, and says, "big... big brother, we... we... AH!!!"
"Who the fuck do you think you're talking to? Who's your fucking brother?"
Zhao adds another kick, "you think flattery will save your ass? I'm a cop,
not your brother, is your brain an onion? Take off your belts, quick!"
Shen watches him tying up all the gangsters skillfully, and heartlessly
smiles.
Until now, Zhao finally realises that he just acted out a classic scene of a
knight in shining armour swooping in to save a damsel in distress. This
coincidence is too beautiful, so beautiful that he begins to think he might
have orchestrated it.
Zhao is immediately pumped, feeling like the world seems prettier and the
air seems fresher; his stomachache seems to wear away.
He hands Shen the wallet and watch, "never thought I'd see you here; are
you alright?"
Shen wipes off some dust on himself, and takes his belongings, "thanks."
Zhao inadvertently stares at the pendant; on a closer look, it's a small

transparent sphere, and some substance inside is emanating a dazzling
gleam. It's probably some type of fluorescent material.
But he has never seen fluorescent light of this kind before; Zhao has the
illusion that the sphere contains a burning flame... it's almost as if it's alive.
When he sees the spark of blaze, an inexplicable sense of familiarity and

intimacy surges up.
But Zhao soon realises that it's impolite to stare, so he looks away and says,
"aren't you afraid of radiation? It's so bright, it might be harmful to your
body."
Shen hides the pendant under his clothes, smiles, and says nothing.
Zhao isn't the curious type, he sees that Shen would rather not talk about it,
so he stops asking. Zhao buttons up his cloak to hide his pajamas
underneath, and says, "these thugs look strong on the outside, but they're
actually very cowardly, why are you afraid of them? Have you eaten?
Come, I'll treat you to supper, it will calm you down."
Shen smiles, "you're too generous, I should be treating you."
He hesitates, and says while looking behind at the tied-up gangsters,

"actually, they're quite poor..."
Zhao faces the other way and rolls his eyes. He ignores him, and asks, "oh
right, does Professor Shen live nearby? I've never seen you around here
before?"
Shen's eyes sadden, "it's a big city after all, two people may never meet one
another even if they live close by; but some day, perhaps they will start
seeing each other all the time. I guess that is fate."
Zhao laughs... being an introvert who stays at home all day, he doesn't even
know his neighbours; this really has nothing to do with fate.
Shen doesn't say anything, he follows behind Zhao. Zhao doesn't see it, but
his eyes glare from behind, obscured by the glasses; his gaze is complex
and difficult to understand, filled with greed and desire, but marked with
self-restraint.
In the few times that they've met each other, Zhao has always felt the
restraint adoration Shen has towards him. But for an unknown reason, once
Zhao starts reciprocating, Shen retracts like a monk resisting temptations.
Zhao has never seen someone like Shen: gentle and benevolent, never
argues with anyone, and treats everyone with kindness no matter who they
are. He has the unique quality of a saint that is almost unworldly.
Zhao can't seem to figure out anything about him.
Initially, Zhao thinks of a high-end clubhouse with a Western restaurant: the

perfect place for a romantic date night. But Shen would certainly refuse,
and personally, Zhao isn't a fan of Western cuisine.
It's not everyday that you get a chance like this one, so Zhao will not let him
go easily. He puts on a relaxed facade, and brings Shen to the bistro he had
already ordered from. He orders a bowl of wonton and a few popular
dishes; the whole table is filled with steamy food.
At this hour, the shop is empty, and they are the only two people eating.
Shen has yet to sit down, but he is feeling rather nervous and tense already.
Zhao makes small talk, and mentions Li Qian, "she confessed to killing her
grandma; her father disowned her, and I heard her mother cried and passed
out twice. Let's hope the tribunal will be lenient, she turned herself in and
confessed, so she might be able to get a lesser sentence."
Shen remains silent shortly, and sighs, "I should've taught better."
Zhao is dying of hunger; he gobbles down the food like a starving beast.
With a mouthful of fried rice, he looks at Shen with an incredulous gaze; he
can't say anything, but his eyes convey the message: what does this have to
do with you?
Shen looks down, and takes a sip of soup as if lacking appetite, "in the past
when a student commits a crime, the teacher is punished as well; the goal of
education is to teach good morals, and yet one of my students..."
The rest of the sentence is probably not very pleasant, Shen pauses, frowns,
and doesn't finish it.
What kind of nonsense is that, it's not like we're still in a feudal society!
Zhao thinks.
But of course, he wants to appear educated in front of Shen, so he swallows

that thought together with the fried rice.
Although Shen tries to avoid Zhao the best he can, when he is sitting with
him he doesn't seem annoyed at all, but rather at ease and comfortable.
Also, Shen is considerate and caring; he pushes the dishes forward as Zhao
extends his chopsticks, and pours both of them some tea.
Zhao immediately says, "I can do it myself."
"It's hot, don't touch it." Shen avoids his hand and pours him some steaming
tea, "you're eating too fast, it's not good for your stomach."
Zhao wipes his mouth, and pretends to be gentlemanly, "I haven't had
dinner, so I'm a little hungry; I usually eat very slowly."
Shen smiles, and Zhao is about to say something; but suddenly, the table
wobbles, and an unused bowl falls off the table. Zhao swiftly catches it; the
lamp above swings about.
"Earthquake?" Shen says.
The trembling stops shortly. Zhao wants to say something, but his chest
inexplicably stiffens, and he feels as if he were falling a thousand miles in a
dream.
Something... something is coming out.
For god knows why, a voice says in Zhao's mind.

Maybe the fried rice is a bit cold, or maybe the congee is a bit hot; after he
rapidly stuffed all kinds of food down his throat, his stomach feels even
worse than before. A sharp pain rushes from his stomach through his entire
body, like stabbing needles.
"What's wrong?" Shen asks.
"Ah..." Zhao curls up, elbows slamming on the table.
Shen supports his shoulder, "where does it hurt? Is it your stomach?"
But although he is unwell, Zhao still remembers to take advantage of the

situation; he grabs Shen by the wrist, and half-intentionally touches the
back of his hand, not softly and not heavily, a little seductively but perhaps
unintentionally, and says with a nasal voice, "a little, you jinxed it."
Shen doesn't know what to say; he rapidly withdraws his hand, "... I will
bring you some hot soup."
Zhao can't figure out whether Shen is shy or uninterested, so he sits upright
with a gentle smile, pretending to be decent. But soon, karma strikes, and
his stomachache grows more severe; he can't help but curl up, and his
forehead is wet with a cold sweat.
Of course, he still manages to stealthily call the waitress for the bill.
Shen brings back a hot wonton soup, Zhao only drinks a little, and waves
his hand; he really can't drink it. His lips are turning pale.
Shen looks at his face, "should I bring you to the hospital?"
Zhao forces a smile on his face, "this is nothing, why would I need to go to
the hospital? I have medicine at home."
He tries to stand up, holding the table, but quickly falls back down on the
chair.
Shen's expression becomes serious, "no, you have to go to the hospital."

Zhao presses against his stomach with one hand, and pulls Shen back with
the other, "they will force me to have a gastroscopy, it's really painful;
please, I don't want to be tortured."
Shen frowns deeply.
"Besides, I want to bring you to watch a play tomorrow, I've already

bought..."
"Return it." Shen interrupts him, and helps him get up carefully, "I am not
going... excuse me, can I have the..."
Shen has yet to say "bill", and the waitress hands him the receipt and
change.
These courting tricks... Shen glares at Zhao, and thinks: you deserve to die
of stomachache.
Zhao looks down at his shoes and smiles pervertedly.
Finally, due to Zhao's determined refusal and extreme disagreement, Shen

has no choice but to bring him home.
It's his first time in Zhao's apartment. The lights are not on, and he trips on
an open umbrella. Winter in Dragon City isn't a rainy season, the last time it
rained was over a month ago; only someone as lazy as a mushroom can
leave the umbrella on the floor for that long.
On the shoes cabinet is a bag of clothes from the laundry shop; it was
delivered two days ago.
Shen looks around in the room further, and sees a bunch of clothes scattered
on the couch, and heaps of books and a laptop computer occupying the bed;
there is not even space to sit, let alone lie down.
Shen silently looks at Zhao, puts him in a tiny space on the couch, and starts
cleaning up the bed.
Zhao curls up on the couch, painfully and ecstatically gazing at Shen's
beautiful legs; his mouth watering.
Shen turns around, "where do you put these usually?"
"On the bed during the day, on the floor at night."
Shen sighs; he does that a lot whenever he sees Zhao.
He swiftly piles up the books on the desk, and puts the computer on the
nightstand, "come on, lie down, I will get the medicine... where is it?"
Zhao points at a small cupboard below the desk.
Shen carelessly says, "get in bed and take off your cloak."
Zhao hesitates, "if I take it off you might say I take advantage of you."
Shen touches his forehead, which is covered in cold sweat. Shen can
imagine how painful it is, and his heart wrenches; he'd rather endure the
pain for him. But the jerk who's cared for only knows to bullshit with an
annoying giggly face.
... Really feels like a waste of affection; Shen's face grows stern, "stop that
nonsense and take it off."
Zhao immediately rips off his cloak and pants without restraint, and stands
in front of Shen heedlessly in his pajamas, with half his chest uncovered.
Shen's face reddens at an instant.
Zhao shamelessly shows off his physique, "you told me to take it off."
Shen rapidly looks away, sets the pillow in place and spreads out the rolled
up duvet, "give me the cup, I will help you pour... Zhao Yunlan, why are
you bare-footed!?"
Zhao sits on the bed, takes off his shoes, and Shen sees his freezing feet.
Zhao says regardlessly, "I was just going out for a quick meal, if I wore
socks I'd have to wash them..."
Shen grips his feet, though his hands are cold, they're still much warmer in
comparison. Zhao is startled, and tries to retract, but Shen grabs hold
tightly, and starts massaging an acupoint.
"No no no... wait, I... I... I haven't washed my feet... AH!!"
"Now you know it's painful?" Shen frowns, "you never take care of
yourself; your bad habits give you a weak stomach, and you..."
He suddenly realises his tone is too intimate, and lowers his head in silence.
Zhao's feet are beginning to feel numb, but he must keep his cool in front of
Shen, so he swallows the pain and pretends to be calm. Miraculously, his
feet start warming up and relaxing, and Shen puts them under the duvet.
The Professor hands him the medicine, pours him warm water, and watches
him gobble it down.
The two men have nothing to say; the atmosphere is rather awkward.
Zhao's pajamas really suit his slutty self: there are only a handful of buttons,
and the collars open all the way down to below his ribs; he presses against
his stomach, and Shen can barely see his beautiful abs.
He forces himself to turn away, and starts looking around in the room; he
sees the leftover bread in the rubbish bin, and asks, "What did you eat
today?"
Zhao lies on the bed, and points at the bin.
"Only that? For the entire day?" Shen's face darkens, "What about last
night?"
"Last night I went out with a few friends; we drank a lot, I don't remember."
Shen almost can't control his anger; he stays silent for half a minute, and
lowers his voice so that he doesn't sound too furious, "You live like this
everyday?"
"Yea, so what?"
Shen sombrely glances at him, and silently walks over to the kitchen. He
opens the fridge, and stares at all the empty space inside. Then, he takes out
an expired carton of milk... and half a bag of opened cat food.
Zhao is seriously getting on Shen's nerves; veins pump up on the back of

his hand, and the refrigerator door squeaks as his hand clutches.
Finally, after a thorough search, Shen manages to find a pack of instant egg
drop soup that hasn't expired; this is the only edible item besides water and
medicine in Zhao's disastrous apartment.
Zhao starts smoking again, and peeks at the busying Shen in the kitchen;
the smile he wears is rather annoying, and who knows what's going on in
that dirty mind of his.
Shen stomps towards him, discontentedly snatches his cigarette away, and
puts it off in the ashtray. He slams the soup on the nightstand, "drink it."
Zhao blinks, silently picks up the bowl, and ponders while sipping:
Professor Shen doesn't even get mad when robbed by a bunch of gangsters,
but he does with Zhao.
After a while, Zhao realises the reason behind: it's because he is handsome,
and Shen is falling for him.
Shen cannot imagine how busy this person in front of him is: even while
drinking soup, he does not waste time in being narcissistic.
Shen is getting more and more irritated by Zhao's apartment, and wonders
how a human can live in this condition. Even a prisoner about to be
executed can have one last meal before he goes; what sane person would
starve himself like that?
He looks at Zhao, and suspects that if he dies, no-one would come collect
the corpse.
Shen stays silent for a while, and suddenly says out of nowhere, "Officer
Zhao is not young, and you've got a stable job, it's time for you to get a
girlfriend and start a family; it's better to have someone take care of you."
Zhao instantly chokes on the over-salty egg drop soup, his lungs almost
bursting.
Shen's hand nervously twitches, and he puts down his hand and hides it
behind his back; a fist tightly clenching.
Zhao never anticipated Shen would say something like that, and is startled
for a while. Shortly, he thinks of a plan, and puts the bowl on the
nightstand; he decides that his best bet is to attract sympathy.
"Don't tell me you haven't realised I'm going after you?" Zhao intentionally
pauses for a while, and says slowly and softly; he raises his head sluggishly,
glances at Shen's face and his eyes finally rest on Shen's tensed-up body.
From Shen's point of view, it looks like Zhao is disappointed; his worn out
face is instantly marked with depression.
Shen feels like the softest spot on his heart is clenched heavily.
Zhao sees his reaction, and is proud that his plan worked; he still puts on an
upset pretense, and feebly waves while concealing a smirk, "then never
mind, thank you for today; I'm fine now, you can go."
Zhao is ready to pounce forward and hold him if he walks closer, and has
prepared the best lines he can think of. But Shen stays silent, and after a
long time, his voice becomes coarse and muted, "then I... you have a good
rest."
Unexpectedly, he gets up and leaves without turning back.
What's going on!? What went wrong with the plan?
Zhao is puzzled for ages; he slams his head on the pillow, his feeling right
now cannot be described with words. Finally, he takes out a calendar and
turns the page to today, and it reads "avoid marriage". So he heartbrokenly
blames it on fate.
It's like a dried steam bun being stuck in his throat, choking him.
Zhao is not in the mood to do anything, and goes to sleep.
It's almost midnight, the streets are quiet, and most of the lights in
apartments are off. There are hardly any cars passing by downstairs; only
the occasional glimmer which doesn't shine through the curtains.
The moment the hour and minute hands meet, Zhao's wristwatch softly
vibrates, and Zhao instantly wakes up from his deep slumber.
Then, the sound of a wooden clapper echoes through the darkness;

emerging out of thin air and disappearing into thin air.
The claps are getting closer, and a bland male voice speaks, prolonging
every syllable; every word clearly sounds into Zhao's ears.
That person chants as if at a funeral, "Hell Guard patrolling, living souls

retreat..."
Afterwards is three wooden claps.
The curtains open on their own, and fractals form on the window glass. A
flickering white light waits quietly outside the window.
Zhao sits up, tidies his clothes, and says, "please come in."
The window unlocks, and opens itself; a chilling breeze rushes through, and
Zhao's skin tingles with goosebumps.
A black shadow holding a white paper lantern floats outside the sixteenth
floor.
That "person" is also made of paper, as tall as a regular human, white-

paper-faced with painted eyes; a giant mouth extends above the
cheekbones. Reminds one of Old Wu from No. 4 Bright Avenue.
Zhao opens the lowest drawer in the nightstand, and takes out a pottery tray,
some paper money and incense. He lights the money and incense and puts
them into the tray, and respectfully smiles, "just a little token of respect...
Hell Guard, Your Honour, what brings you here?"
The paper person twitches its mouth; thankful of the bribery.
People of high status and power among the living never care for the Hell
Guards, but the Guardian of this generation never forgets a little bribery.
The paper person cups its hands in front of its chest, and says politely,
"when the hungry ghost escaped, the King of Hell was furious; His Majesty
ordered a thorough investigation of the three worlds, and from now on all
living souls, ghosts and spirits alike must be recorded into the Book of Life
and Death. I have been ordered to give the Guardian a copy of the book."
The paper person hands a black notebook to Zhao with both hands.
It looks like a normal notebook, the cover feels like soft leather, but it's
incredibly light: as light as just a few pieces of paper.
Zhao rubs the paper lightly and sniffs the pages, "mulberry paper, written in
dragon ink; it's the Book of Life and Death, and the Record of Virtue, with a
soul talisman, right?"
The paper Hell Guard calmly says, "the Guardian has keen eyes,
presumably there is no need for me to explain what it can do."
"If you get someone's name and horoscope readings," Zhao says, "or a
strand of their hair, you can see into their past life and afterlife."
As he is saying, he flips through the notebook, and a piece of paper falls off,
"huh? An arrest order?"
It's an empty piece of rice paper, as it touches Zhao's hand, a cloud of black
mist oozes out; amidst the mist is a face, bald and laden with tumours... it's
the monster that was executed by the Ghost Slayer.
Zhao remains calm, and asks, "what's this?"
The Hell Guard says, "this creature is human-like, but not a human; we call
it a spirit beast. It speaks human language, but is incredibly vicious; it preys
on human flesh and souls. If the Guardian sees one, please be careful and
kill it as soon as possible; it is afraid of fire and light."
A spirit beast...
The Hell Guard doesn't mention where the beast comes from, what is its
nature, or why it must be killed. Zhao is rather intrigued by the "human-
like, but not human" description.
He turns around, naturally puts the arrest order back into the notebook, and
adds a few more paper money into the tray; he smiles and says, "sorry to
have troubled you."
The Hell Guard bows, and the tray lights up in flames; it whips out its
sleeves and the ashes that remain of the incense and paper money disappear.
Contentedly, the paper person says, "I shall take my leave."
The white paper lantern flickers, and the paper Hell Guard disappears; the
windows are locked and the curtains close themselves.
The Ghost Slayer, the Four Mystical Artifacts, a spirit beast... and the
"mastermind" behind all this. Zhao lies in bed, and struggles to fall asleep;
he forgets about being upset from the rejection, and a million thoughts flow
through his mind. The night darkens, and his thoughts deepen; Zhao
suddenly has an ominous feeling.
Zhao is wide awake all night; he later feels unwell again, and takes some
medicine. His bad lifestyle has accumulated a lot of health problems, like
chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers, and he is tortured by them once in a
while.
It's seven o'clock in the morning, and the doorbell rings. Zhao is sleepy and
cranky and in the state of a mad dog.
A mad dog, as it's name suggests, is in a state of insanity: it will bite

anyone. Zhao struggles to get out of bed, and his entire body is in pain. He
stumbles forward painfully, and is ready to torture whoever is bothering
him at the door.
But when he opens the door, he sees Shen Wei carrying a few big bags.
Zhao is mesmerised for two seconds, and then quickly wipes off his mad
dog face. He struggles to put on a smile; since his brain isn't functioning
properly, his expression is awkwardly trapped between "eating you alive"
and "happy new year", it's difficult to describe...
But if it must be said, perhaps he looks like the new year monster.
Shen touches Zhao on the forehead, "you have a bit of a fever, what are you
doing standing there? Get in bed and cover yourself with the blanket."
Only then does Zhao realise that his head is growing heavy, and Shen
pushes him as he stumbles into the bedroom.
Shen pours him some warm water, and brings the medicine; he says softly,
"take the medicine, and go back to sleep; don't mind me, I'll make you
something to eat."
Zhao's messy mind starts thinking: if a tasty sheep enters a wolf's lair,
would the wolf go to sleep?
The wolf would probably...
But perhaps his fever is rather serious, or maybe the medicine causes
drowsiness; after a minute, Zhao falls asleep.
Shen spends a long time unpacking all the stuff he bought, and fills up the
mostly empty refrigerator with food. He searches the kitchen, and finds out
that there are an ample of cooking utensils; all brand new, still in their
packages with price tags.
Shen takes out a clay pot, washes it, and prepares the ingredients. He starts
cooking for a while, then turns to medium heat, adds the seasoning and lets
it simmer slowly.
Shen washes his hands, warms them on the heater, and softly walks into the
room. Zhao is fast asleep, and Shen gently puts his arms back under the
duvet.
He stands by the edge of the bed, and looks down at Zhao for a while. Then,
he carefully extends his hand, and gently caresses his hair; it's really soft.
Shen lightly touches his face, but quickly retracts. He lets out a deep breath,
closes his eyes, and silently kisses his own fingers; his expression marked
with devotion.
Shen doesn't know how he managed to leave Zhao's apartment last night.
He wandered on the streets aimlessly until he realised that his limbs were
going numb. He's like a moth that suddenly understood its fate, desperately
trying to resist the temptation of the flame; the struggle between reason and
instinct agonises him to death.
And after all this mental torture, he only managed to get through one night.
He is sick, and nobody will take care of him, so I have to look after him...
as a friend; Shen tries to convince himself. But no-one knows better than
himself what's really going on.
Shen laughs at himself mockingly, and picks up Zhao's cloak on the floor,
folds it and puts it on the chair. He notices a pottery tray on the floor, with
some residue ash.
Shen wipes off the ashes and rubs them in his hands, as they fall, the ashes
turn pale white, like the energy inside has been absorbed.
"A Hell Guard?" He lifts his glasses, looks up at the tightly-closed curtains,
and frowns. He thinks of something.
Zhao finally awakens from his deep slumber, and the sun is already shining
brightly through the curtains. He is soaked in sweat, and the blanket sticks
to him uncomfortably. His head feels dizzy, and his nose slowly picks up on
an unfamiliar aroma. Zhao is excited, and instantly bounces up.
He sees Shen sitting on the small couch, quietly reading an old ghost novel.
He lowers his head in concentration, and his eyes look as though they come
from a beautiful painting; Zhao is lost for words, and stares at him dumbly.
Shen looks up and smiles, "you're awake, are you feeling better?"
Zhao nods, half-awake; Shen touches his forehead, and the fever is gone,
"what about your stomach, still painful?"
Zhao shakes his head. He realises that his clothes have all been tidied up
into a nice pile next to the bed; the clothes are still warm from the heater.
"I turned on the heater in the bathroom, go take a shower and get changed; I
made you something to eat."
Zhao silently takes his clothes and goes into the bathroom.
As if dreaming, Zhao has a very peculiar and exquisite feeling. He left his
parents when he was young, and got used to frivolous, single life very early
on. He can't remember the last time he woke up to the smell of food and
someone urging him to take a shower.
When he finishes and gets changed, he shockingly realises that his chaotic
apartment has been cleaned and tidied up. As the perpetually-closed
curtains are finally open, and the windows as well for some fresh air, the
entire apartment has a refreshing sensation.
Zhao miraculously feels embarrassed. He walks to the kitchen, and sees

Shen open the lid of the clay pot, as a strong pleasant smell comes floating
out. Zhao realises he is quite hungry.
It's as if there were a string in his heart, and someone plucked it, not
violently, but the resonance seems to echo for days.
"I bought two tickets at the theatre for tonight, and I was gonna take you to
see a play after dinner." Zhao suddenly says.
Shen looks at him, turns off the stove, and takes the rice and soup, "help me
take this out."
Zhao sluggishly walks over, and brings the food to the table; he laughs, "but
now you being here with me feels too great, and I don't wanna go
anymore."
"It's cold at night, better not leave the apartment," Shen tries to brush him
off.
Zhao sits opposite to Shen, his eyes sparkle as he gazes at the Professor,
"I'm not kidding, Shen Wei, if you accept me, I will sell this place tomorrow
and buy a much bigger house right next to your school."
Shen doesn't make a sound.
Zhao continues, "I've never thought of buying a house before, I found it

burdensome, but now I understand the saying: if you want to get the girl,
buy her a big house to live in."
This is naked flirtation; Shen stiffly avoids his gaze, "eat, or the food will
get cold."
Zhao suddenly puts his hand on top of Shen's, "I know I don't look like it,
but I'm serious."
Shen's hand is still cold, and Zhao can't help but hold it even tighter; the
other person vigorously quivers.
Shen raises his head abruptly, his eyes are not friendly as usual, but from
Zhao's perspective, they seem a little aggressive. Shen stares at him for a
while, and swings away his hand heavily; he lowers his tone, "you should
marry a woman and have children, you're still young; don't be ridiculous."
Zhao is startled by his reaction, "no, why is this ridiculous?"
Shen asks, "if you're involved with a man, how do you explain it to your
parents? If you don't have children, who will take care of you when you get
old?"
Zhao asks incredulously, "explain what? Why do I have to explain? I'm not
responsible for procreating and sustaining the human race, Professor Shen,
are you... are you an alien?"
Shen realises he cannot communicate with Zhao, especially not with these
unconvincing, self-delusional excuses; he stops speaking and silently eats.
Zhao studies Shen, he cannot believe such a pleasant beauty would turn out
to be an old-fashioned pedant; he dejectedly gobbles down half a bowl of
soup, and tests the waters, "when it comes to children, you can't know for
sure: even if you get married, you might not have kids, even if you have
kids, you might not be able to raise them up, and even if you raise them,
you can't always expect them to take care of you when you're old. I'd rather
invest in A-shares. Besides, if you really want kids, surrogacy is always a
choice, it's very easy these days."
Shen ignores him.
Zhao continues, "if it makes you painful you ought to think more, otherwise
you'll repeat the same mistakes; but if it makes you happy, you ought to
think less, and just do what you want to do. If it's the end of the world
today, and you've never followed what your heart truly desires, wouldn't
that be a shame?"
Shen pauses and says, "how can you just do what you want to do all the
time?"
"Right," Zhao says, "other people mistreat you, but would you do that to
yourself? Then what's the fun in living?"
"Nonsense."
Zhao notices Shen's tone softening, and extends his two legs in a relaxed
pose; he asks, "then will you go watch a movie with me next weekend?"
Shen hesitates, but shakes his head eventually.
Zhao is instantly disheartened.
Shen cannot bear to see his expression like this, and explains, "I have a trip
on Wednesday, I need to take the students out on a field trip; I'm
substituting one of my colleagues."
Oh? There is a chance, Zhao can clearly feel it; there is a small gap in
Shen's tightly shut door.
"Where? For how long?"

Shen ignores the first question, "around a week."
Zhao doesn't follow up; even if Shen doesn't tell him, he can figure it out
himself.
He merrily finishes his meal.
In the afternoon, Zhao thinks of all sorts of ridiculous reasons and cheap
tricks to use on Shen. He takes out all the old movies in his collection, and
turns on his home cinema for the very first time, and forces Shen to stay
until nighttime.
If possible, Zhao would've begged him to stay longer, but he can clearly
feel that as night approaches, Shen becomes more tense and uneasy. And as
a long-term planner, Zhao decides to be careful with such a delicate
situation; he doesn't want to scare Shen. He resists the temptation and lets
him go, for now.
After all, he will still have a lot of chances in the future.

It's Monday morning, and the office is filled with the scent of breakfast.
Zhu Hong brought three kilograms of buns from the canteen, deliciously
big and juicy with great stuffings. Those who got in late and haven't had
breakfast have all been gathered by the smell of delight; even Chief Zhao
who normally hides in his office room has been seduced to come out.
Zhao has long forgotten what Professor Shen told him about avoiding
smoking, drinking and eating oily foods, he stuffs a big fat meat bun in his
mouth, and knocks on Guo's head, "hey kid, turn on the TV."
Guo wiggles his butt forward; Zhu looks at him from behind, and says
amusingly, "Little Guo is quite nice, he's hardworking and considerate; but
he's just too timid, til now he still only dares to eat what I give him."
Zhao says, "that's normal, he's afraid of people."
Zhu wants to nod, but realises something odd.
Zhao kindly adds, "he isn't afraid of you, which means he doesn't treat you
as a human."
Zhu ignores him, and watches Da Qing sneak on to the desk. It observes
intently, and as Zhao is about to put a bun in his mouth, it snatches it with
its claws precisely; the accurate timing and agile movements make you
forget how fat this cat is.
Then, Da Qing bravely leaps off the desk, bites on the bun mid-air, and
nimbly does a backflip, landing on the ground. And then, it shakes its butt
and catwalks away.
The startled Chief is left with an oily face.
"Fuck this cat!"

"You deserve it." Says Zhu Hong.
The television is showing morning news, and it's about the earthquake last
night. A few areas were affected, but it was a mild quake so no major
casualties have been reported.
Zhao mumbles, "why wasn't it stronger, I could have offered him a hug to
calm him down."
Lin Jing knows what happened, and smiles mysteriously.
Zhu looks at him, and asks Zhao, "who did you hook up with this time?"
"Don't use such a nasty term; this marvelous world needs love. You filthy
people shouldn't insult pure love."
Lin says, "may Buddha have mercy on your soul..."
Zhu: "send help."
Zhao tries to catch her hair with his oily hands, and she screams and
dodges. Chu Shuzhi steps back to avoid drama, but he looks up and is
astonished, "Wang Zheng? Why are you here during the day?"
Everyone is startled, and Zhu jumps up, "close the curtains, quickly!"
Guo and Lin scramble towards the windows and close all the curtains; the
office has two layers of curtains and one of them is anti-UV. The room is
instantly pitch-black; Da Qing finishes its meat bun and turns on the light.
Wang's face turns pale and almost translucent, she waits til the curtains are
fully closed and floats across, feebly laying on a chair. She curls up and
looks so frail like she might disappear.
Lin takes out some incense and lights them up; he puts them under Wang's
nose, "quick, inhale some incense."
The incense has been burning for a while until Wang recovers; she sighs
and her body is looking a little less virtual.
"What the hell are you doing?" Zhao ruthlessly smacks her on the head; he
can actually touch ghosts, and Wang leans back on the chair, "you wanna
die again? How about I take you out sunbathing?"
Guo has never seen the Chief get angry before; he trembles.
Wang deeply stares at Zhao, and points to the television.
The news is showing the rescue team and news reporters at a village that
was affected by the earthquake, checking the damage level.
The epicentre was located at the Northwest, where the roads are poorly built
and population is scarce. The camera shows a few small huts, which may or
may not be inhabited; half of the roofs have collapsed.
A ruined stone plate reads: "River Village".
Wang stares at the plate with her big eyes, and softly says, "that's my..."
Guo thought she would say "home" or something similar; but Wang pauses
and turns to Zhao, "that's where my body is."
A chilling breeze whips up in the office.
"Chief Zhao, I want to take leave." Wang says with her unique, unsteady
but bland voice, "I want to rest in peace."
Zhao frowns, and takes out a cigarette, "you.."
Wang leans backwards, "I don't want second-hand smoke."
"You're a ghost, Ms Wang Zheng, you won't get pneumonia."
Wang says seriously, "ghosts can smell cigarettes too, if you continue like
this you will soon turn into a human mosquito-repelling incense."
Zhao stuffs the lighter back into his pocket, "you joined the Guardian Order,
so you won't be able to reincarnate; even if you rested you wouldn't be in
peace, so why do it? Besides, isn't burial uncommon where you're from?"
Wang stays silent, and lowers her head; after a while, she repeats, "I want to
go home."
Zhao sighs, "how do you plan on doing that?"
Wang says, "haven't thought about it."
"And so you decided to think about it in broad daylight?" Zhao angrily asks.
Wang doesn't speak.
Zhao is about to say something, but the phone rings; he goes outside and
takes the call, and when he returns his face is wearing an unconcealable
smirk.
He coughs, and raises his watch; he says to Wang, "how about this, you
come in to hide, I will let you back out when night falls; I will figure out
something... and when the time comes I will go there with you."
Without wasting time, Wang immediately turns into a cloud of white mist,
and scurries into his watch.
The others are all startled.
Chu asks, "Chief Zhao, you're so lazy that you always sends someone else
unless you absolutely have to go; what brings you to the Northwest?"
"Fuck off, I take the lead all the time."
Lin points out, "Amitabha, you never do anything unless it's for your
personal interest."
Zhao looks like he wants to say something, but he seems rather busy; his
phone rings again, he frowns and glares at his disloyal subordinates, and
goes out to take the call. His face turns to a bright smile, "hi, oh, my dear
brother-in-law... say what? You're too kind, we don't have to be so formal,
do we?"
Zhu stares at him with a bun in her mouth, and asks curiously, "brother-in-
law? Since when?"
"That's Manager Song," says Da Qing on the table, sniffing at the delicious
meat.
"Manager Song, who?"
"Bright Avenue is being reconstructed into a commercial area, we might

have to move in one or two years. He has his eyes set on a small courtyard
house, it's in the city centre, near the University City. He needs the
connection to do this." Da Qing licks its paws, and explains with the
nosiness that is atypical of cats.
Zhu continues, "how did that Manager Song become his brother-in-law? He
doesn't even have siblings."
Da Qing sneezes, "who knows; after a good dozen of drink gatherings, he

now has a lot of brothers-in-law out of nowhere."
Professor Shen finishes his morning lecture, and as the students are leaving,
he tidies up his textbooks on the speaker's stand.
The sunlight shines in, and blinds his eyes for a split second; he pauses, and
as he looks down he sees a golden line piercing through, connecting to the
pendant round his neck.
Shen wants to snatch the line off, but his fingers pass right through it; the
line moves as though it's alive, and starts spreading into many lines,
wrapping around his fingers, body and neck.
Shen shuts his eyes; when he opens them again, the lines are gone.
He can't help but put the glistering sphere in his hand; he knows, once he
meets that person, he won't be able to avoid him again.
Zhao's warm hand confuses his heart; a day has passed, yet the warmth
remains on the back of Shen's hand. So hot, as if it's burning.
Better... avoid him for a while longer.
Zhao leaves the office early in the morning, and only calls in at night when
it's almost close of business. Lin and Zhu are long gone, Da Qing lays
behind a ventilation outlet of a computer, deeply asleep, and Chu is still
wearing the same coffin face, mine-sweeping without regarding anyone
else.
Guo takes the call, "hello?"
"Little Guo?" Zhao asks, "are you busy? If not help me with something."
"Alright, please tell me."
"The revealing mirror... oh, I mean my wristwatch, it's too unpleasant

inside, Wang cannot stay in there for long. Two days later I will figure out a
way to get her out, so we need a substitute. Go online to buy a human doll,
we need a bigger one, better if it can stand and move. It's urgent, tell them
to send it within a day."
Guo nods and searches online, "Chief Zhao, I found one: it's human-size,
the joints are movable, and it can stand..."
Zhao seems to be occupied, and hurriedly interrupts him, "right, this sounds
good, buy this one; tell them to deliver it quick."
Guo is about to click purchase, but he sees the name of the shop, and is
shocked by a lightning strike... it's a sex shop.
The pure, introverted boy blushes instantly, and mutters into the phone,
"Chief... Chief Zhao... this... this is a bit..."
"What? It's okay if it's expensive, you can claim work expenses, you don't
have to pay a penny... I'm hanging up, I've got something to do; buy it
ASAP!"
Zhao hangs up without another word.
Guo stares at the computer screen silently... his balls start hurting.
On the day of the trip, up until they arrive at the airport, Zhao's face is stiff
like a coffin.
When that human doll is sent to No. 4 Bright Avenue, even the delivery boy
heard Zhao's furious roar on the way out.
"Guo Changcheng, do you have a portable toilet for a brain!?"
Guo is not used to a furious Chief Zhao, and is too frightened to say a word.
Da Qing curiously paws the human doll, and triggers some sort of switch;
the doll lets out a very realistic... and indecent moan.
Da Qing is startled, and Zhao's face turns blue; he points at the doll, and is
too aggravated for words.
Guo is like a petrified little mouse, dumbly standing against the wall.
Zhao swallows down his anger with difficulty, and feebly says to Zhu, "can
you... put some clothes on it..."
He feels something terribly wrong about this; his phone rings, and he
mumbles, "this is driving me nuts."
He bashes the door open and stomps outside.
Zhu turns to Guo, "you pissed him off so much that he couldn't speak?
Good job."
Guo can't say anything.
Lin pats him on the shoulder, "I just realised, Little Guo, you're a real brave
man!"
Guo is on the verge of tears.
Chu silently picks up Da Qing the cat, and covers its eyes; he wears his
normal expression of contempt and indifference, and turns away from these
indecent things.
When they're almost on their way out, Zhu takes out a big bag and stuffs the
doll inside, and says while looking into space, "stay in the revealing mirror
for a while longer, hang in there. You can come out when the plane lands."
A cloud of white mist flies out of the watch on Zhao's wrist, and swivels
around Zhu. A weak figure of a girl appears before Zhu; it probably makes
a ghost feel uncomfortable being so close to Zhao, so Wang is visibly worn
out.
"Just pretend I passed out on the plane," Wang says quietly, and looks at her
future body with condemnation.
Guo doesn't dare to look up.
Finally, the whole criminal investigations team of No. 4 Bright Avenue

shamelessly follows along on the trip, they're bored to death with no work
to do after all; they are determined to find out what made Zhao's lazy ass
leave his office.
But nobody dares to irritate the pissed off Chief on the trip; Da Qing even
transformed into a cat-shaped pendant and quietly hangs on Zhu's phone as
a decoration. The Chief looks like he wants to hijack the plane.
Until... they see Professor Shen and his students at the airport.
The team watches as Chief Zhao's stormy expression instantly turns into a
bright sunny day. His cold and glaring eyes melt and soften.
Without hesitation, he abandons his colleagues, and scurries towards the

man amidst the pupil crowd; pretending that this encounter wasn't
meticulously planned, "Shen Wei, what a coincidence!"
Shen's eyes sparkle, but Zhao cannot tell if his reaction is a pleasant
surprise or an unpleasant shock. A while later, Shen nods while pushing his
glasses, "Officer Zhao."
Zhu watches their interactions and understands something.
Among the huge crowd of students, Zhao quickly takes control, and before
Shen can say anything, the students have already told him their destination
and the details of their project.
Zhao asks the kids with a friendly smile, "it takes way over ten hours to get
to River Village, how do you guys plan to go there?"
Shen instantly realises this bastard has an ulterior motive, but the students
are too gullible, before he can speak, the female class captain answers,
"we'll take the bus!"
"The bus only makes one trip per day, it leaves at six o'clock in the
morning. I know which one you're talking about, it doesn't take you directly
to River Village." Zhao seizes the chance as the student takes the bait.
The class captain hesitates, "I checked the map, we could get off midway,
and it shouldn't take long to walk..."
"From your physique, I guess it should take around five hours." Zhao leans
backwards and peeks at Shen, "the map doesn't show you how convoluted
the mountain ranges can be, you might need to detour several times. And
when I say five hours, it's assuming you don't get lost; when you get off the
bus it's probably nighttime already, it's snowy in the mountains and
incredibly cold during this time of the year. And you might even need to
camp outdoors..."
As expected, the students begin a frantic discussion.
Zhao realises that Shen is looking at him with a half-smile, and he is

slightly embarrassed that his plan has been exposed; he rubs his nose and
coughs, "alright, calm down you guys; how about this, my friends over
there will get us a few cars, and we can go there together, what do you
think?"
The class captain says, "that... that's too troublesome for you, isn't it?"
Zhao waves, and takes out his phone; he wraps his arm around Shen's
shoulders, and winks at the class captain, "how can it be troublesome, my
relationship with your teacher is..."
Shen turns his head aside, and stares at him blandly, "what relationship?"
Zhao is stuck, and Shen's gaze is like hooks... this question... if he

understates it he's ruining his own plans, but if he overstates it it would
seem too shameless. He hesitates before saying, "neighbours! Remember,
kids, treat your neighbours kindly and they might be closer to you than your
relatives, isn't that right Professor Shen?"
Shen gives him a slightly helpless smile, and the cunning Chief Zhao is
instantly stunned by it.
"Thanks." Zhao hears him say.
"What are you thanking me for?" Zhao stands upright and eagerly says, "oh
right, you guys probably haven't eaten, wait for me."
Shen has yet to pull him back, and he has already left.
Shortly, Zhao carries over a few plastic bags, and stuffs two in Guo's hand
on the way.
Chu says, "I almost thought he forgot about us completely."
Lin says at the fried chicken leg, "Amitabha, forgive me."
And then this fake monk starts tearing the chicken leg apart, and washes it
down with coke.
The food in Guo's hands is quickly divided among the group, and he is still
standing there like an idiot; someone hands him a hamburger.
It's Zhu Hong.
Zhu isn't looking at him, but at Zhao... he says something, and the crowd
laughs; it seems this guy is always the centre of attention wherever he goes.
"Thanks..."
"No problem." Zhu interrupts him, and asks, "who's that guy?"
Guo realises she's talking about Shen, "that's a professor from Dragon City
University. Last time during the hungry ghost case, Chief Zhao wasn't there,
and he helped us fight off the ghost; but the Chief says he won't remember
that incident."
Zhu peers at him and mumbles, "he is a professor already? He looks very
young... but he shouldn't be too young since he's a professor? He should be
married?"
Guo scratches his head, "how would I know?"
Zhu glances at Guo, and then looks back at Zhao; Shen picks up a piece of
chicken, and Zhao instantly opens the sauce pack and hands it to him. His
eyes are tender like still water, and he seems like a completely different
person from the grumpy and furious Chief in the morning.
"Okay, then it seems like he is single." Zhu keeps observing for a while, and
concludes, "that jerk is shameless as hell, but he never hits on someone
who's married... oh god, get a room."
Zhu and Guo are both watching, as Zhao's phone rings again like a hotline,
and he holds his drink in one hand, takes out his phone in the other, and
bites away a French fry in Shen's hand at lightning speed.
He gobbles it, and licks his lips while looking at Shen; the Professor
unnaturally retracts his empty fingers.
Guo's expression turns from dumb to astonished.

And so the entire SIU team has been abandoned by their Chief for three
hours: Zhao uses the excuse of "wanting to listen to Professor Shen talk to
the students about River Village", and switches to a seat near Shen... the
plane finally lands, and they arrive at a city near the destination.
The group has yet to realise how cold somewhere with high altitude can be,
and is met by a crowd in the waiting area. A plump, middle-aged man
comes out of a jeep, which is one in a row of many, and holds a sign that
says "Chief Zhao".
Zhao leads the two groups, and heads over there; the plump guy sees him,
and is hesitant at first, but he soon smiles in realisation, and greets Zhao
warmly, "Chief Zhao! It's you isn't it? I see how smart you look and I know
you're definitely the Chief."
"Oh, what Chief, don't call me that." Zhao offers a handshake with both
hands, "we don't know our way around here, luckily we've got you, Brother
Lang, we'd feel much safer."
Fat Brother Lang vigorously shakes his hands, "Xie Yuanming called me
and told me to send a few cars; I said how could that be appropriate?
Brother Xie is one of my best friends, and his friend is also my friend, of
course I had to come in person!"
Zhao pretends to be surprised, "oh really? You're such good friends with
Brother Xie?"
Brother Lang says, "of course, we sworn to brotherhood when we went

drinking one time."
Zhao points a finger at him, and looks serious, "well this is you're fault
then, Brother Xie's brother is my brother, and what did you call me just
now? How can we be so formal?"
Brother Lang knowingly laughs, "of course, my bad... that's great, now I
can tell people I have a brother who's a Chief from Dragon City, how
honoured! Come on, let's get you settled down!"
The two keep going back and forth, and nobody else has a chance to say
anything.
Shen's students are all speechless.
Zhu follows them, and whispers to Da Qing, who's still hanging on her
phone, "right, now I understand how Manager Song became his brother-in-
law."
Shen and the group are all puzzled as Zhao pulls them along with Brother
Lang, who treats them to a lavish meal and has them stay at the only five-
star hotel in that city.
The next morning, the sky is still gloomy, and three jeeps arrive at the
entrance of the hotel. In the back of the jeeps are winter clothes, outdoor
gears, high energy foods and first aid kits. They have everything a
professional research team would need.
Zhao doesn't look embarrassed or thankful at all, he gladly accepts the

tremendous help, and tells Lin to give the chauffeurs each a cigarette. He
chatters with Brother Lang some more.
Lang pats Zhao vigorously on the shoulder with his bear paw, "my good
younger brother, off you go. I haven't treated you well enough, please
understand."
Zhao stares, "you see, you're getting formal with me again? Brother Lang, if
you visit Dragon City in the future, I will welcome you with all I can offer;
we can call Brother Xie too and the three of us will have a great time."
They bid each other farewell, and Zhao turns around to Shen, "the
mountains are not easy to drive through, and the kids have poor skills; I'm
worried. How about this: Lin, Zhu and I will each drive a car, we'll separate
the students into groups, what do you think?"
Even a paid tour guide wouldn't be so diligent and considerate, if Shen

rejects him, that would seem very impolite.
But Shen isn't as shameless as Zhao, he is rather embarrassed that Zhao

went through all this trouble, "I didn't plan ahead for the trip, and I really
troubled you. Besides, I don't even know Mr Lang, and this must have cost
him a great deal; do you think we should send him something after this..."
Zhao generously waves his hand, "no, don't worry about it, I'm going to pay
for all of this, and you don't have to thank me."
They stop at a red light, and Zhao turns aside and smiles at Shen, two
dimples deepening. Shen's face reddens, and he peeks at the students
behind; they're all looking out the window excitedly. Shen relaxes a little.
Zhao's heart quivers, and he decides to make another move. He extends his
hand and adjusts Shen's shirt collar a little, then carelessly touches Shen's
ear as well. Shen has yet to react, and he withdraws his hand.
"Your collar was flipped." He fixes the rear-view mirror, and looks forward
as if nothing happened.
This time Shen's ears are bright red.
The lights turn green, Zhao steps on the gas, and concentrates on driving;
his mouth suspiciously curves up.
Shen looks out the window, as if bashful, but he faces away so Zhao cannot
see it. The redness gradually wears away, and his face turns pale.
Shen seems to be always frowning. His gentle face is marked with coldness;
solitary and distant.
Driving up the mountains is exhausting: the roads are bumpy and it makes
you dizzy, after six to seven hours, the students are all asleep. Shen doesn't
dare to close his eyes; he needs to keep an eye on the driver, lest he falls
asleep... especially a driver who drank a lot last night.
As they move forward the roads are getting narrower and bumpier. Around
a metre from the wheels is the edge of the cliff, and there is not even a
fence.
Luckily, Brother Lang's cars are great, and although Zhao looks like an
unreliable guy, he drives steadily.
The temperature is dropping as they go up the mountains.

Thick layers of snow cover the roads. Fewer and fewer people can be seen
along the way.
Zhao begins to slow down, and the other two cars follow suit.
"The roads ahead are getting tougher, I think we should put on snow
chains." Zhao opens the door, and says to Shen, "it's cold outside, stay in
the car."
Shen ignores him, and jumps down to help. Not only is it cold, but the wind
is howling; not even a thick down jacket could protect you from this
chilling gale, not to mention Zhao's pretentious cloak.
The students are awake, and come out to help as well. Zhao urges them to
get back inside, "I don't need your help, get back inside, you'll catch a cold
out here."
The two men quickly chain up the tires, and their fingers freeze very
quickly as well. Zhao looks afar, and sees the magnificent mountain ranges;
the snowy mountains look as though they merge with the sky into one.
They get back inside, and Zhao calls the other two cars, "we're entering a
glacial area, stay quiet and don't honk without reason; beware of
avalanches."
The distant glaciers are getting closer, and from the top of the mountain a
piercing glimmer shines out of nowhere, and quickly disappears.
Zhao turns on the headlight, and Shen sits quietly next to him; he dares not
interrupt Zhao. The car moves slowly, and the chained tires dangerously
tread through layers of snowfall. The endless cliff is not far away, and in the
sheer whiteness nothing much can be seen other than the occasional rocks.
The ridges wear a snowy cloak, and light up the sky like a beacon.
The sky darkens finally.
The two students sitting behind them include the red-clothed female class
captain, and a spectacled boy. The spectacles quietly asks Shen, "Professor,
will we make it out of the mountains tonight? Can we find a place to stay?"
Shen has yet to answer, and Zhao speaks first, "don't worry, River Village is
nearby, we're almost there, but..."
He is interrupted by a shining light before he can continue; he frowns, and

carefully stops the car.
The class captain asks nervously, "what's wrong? Is it the car?"
Shen waves, "the car is fine; there is a light ahead, you guys stay here, I'll
take a look."
Zhao asks, "you see it too?"
Shen looks at him, and their expressions turn sombre.
The girl senses the weird atmosphere, "is... is it a street light?"
"There are no street lights around here; you stay seated." Zhao turns around,
"there is chocolate and beef jerky, take some if you're hungry."
He opens the door and gets off, and Shen follows suit.
The wind has stopped, but the temperature continues dropping. The air is
uncomfortably frigid and humid, and the area is unbelievably quiet: not
even the sound of a breeze or of snowfall. They move forward with light
footsteps.
The shining light flickers, like a white paper lantern. It seems to be moving
closer.
Zhao's eyes widen, and he quickly opens the door and shoves Shen inside
the car. He turns around and gestures a "stay in the car and don't come out"
to the other two cars, and swiftly gets inside and locks the doors.
The light is getting even closer now, and a few figures emerge.
Zhao turns around and says to the two students, "no matter what you see,
don't say a word, and don't stick your face against the window; don't make
any sound."
The glass windows are covered with mist, only the windshield that is
cleaned by the wipers gives a clear view. From a distance, there is a crowd,
which is led by someone holding a lantern at the front, walking towards the
cars. These people are of all ages and sexes, but they all look ragged and
miserable, as though they are escaping from a disaster.
So many people... why would they be walking here?
The class captain trembles and asks softly, "who are those people?"
"They're not people," Zhao lowers his voice, "they are war spirits."
The girl covers her mouth, and she can see the faces of the people: they are
all emotionless, and strangely injured. The figure leading the way with a
paper lantern, he... or she, doesn't have a face. He wears a really tall hat,
which covers his head all the way down to his chin. The figure is snow
white, like it's made of paper.
The legs and shoulders look as though they are not moving, and his entire
body floats in the wind like a dying kite.
They pass by Zhao's car, and the figure with the lantern bows twice towards
the car; Zhao nods in response, and that "person" keeps floating. The group
follows and moves along the mountain path.
When they are all gone, Zhao gets off the car, and takes out a torch from the
back; he says to Shen, "something might have happened over there, I'll go
take a look, you keep an eye on the children."
Shen inadvertently frowns.
Zhao holds his hand, and his warmth is frantically absorbed by Shen; Zhao
feels tender and protective.
"Don't frown," Zhao says, "everything will be fine."

The wind begins howling again, and the snow on the ground is whipped up
and flutters in the storm; the gale attacks ones face like sharp knives.
Zhao's figure disappears in the whirling wind; his torch shines feebly like a
firefly.
Twenty minutes later, he doesn't return; Shen can't stay still any longer.
"Don't move, and don't get off," he says to the students, "hand me the torch;
I'll go look for him, it won't take long."
"Professor," the girl is worried, "did something happen?"
Shen pauses; under the dim light, everything about him seems to be tightly
concealed behind his glasses. He says in his regularly gentle voice, "no, I'm
here, how could I let anything happen to him?"
He opens the door and scurries off.
The class captain explains to the spectacled boy, "that's not what I meant, I
was asking whether something happened ahead, and whether our cars can
keep moving."
Little spectacles says, "...I know."
The two students stare at each other; in this horrifying moment, they seem
to have realised something... well, something they really shouldn't know.
Coarse bird cries echo. Shen wipes his snow-laden lenses; he looks ahead
and sees a bird amidst the endless snow.
It seems to be a crow, but it's much larger than regular ones. A long and thin
tail extends from its backside, and its red eyes glare at him curiously; it
doesn't seem frightened at all.
Shen moves forward with difficulty, and the crow screeches with its beak
pointing to the sky. It then closes its eyes and bows down, beak almost
touching the ground, as if mourning for something.
The violent gusts swirl up a veil of snow; Shen quickly feels like he is about
to freeze solid... it's like blood will stop flowing and solidify.
But Shen miraculously uses his freezing nose to pick out a smell: it stinks,
but not too much; it seems something is decaying beneath the snow.
He stops abruptly, and stares at the white layer of snowfall; a small mount
emerges from the snow and scurries towards the mountaintop.
Something passed by under the snow!
Shen's mind goes blank, for an instant, he forgets about who he is. His hand
twitches on its own and the veins pump up; Shen's black eyes exude
inexplicable ferocity.
The snowy ground boils like hot water underneath him, and something
seems to be wriggling vigorously under the snow and about to emerge...
At this instant, a voice comes from behind him.
"Didn't I tell you to wait in the car, why did you come out?"
Shen is startled; the blood-thirst in his eyes wears away and is replaced by
perplexity. He doesn't turn around, and his entire body is wrapped in
soothing warmth. Zhao doesn't seem afraid of the cold, he wraps his coat
around Shen; Zhao's body warmth transfers on to Shen.
Zhao's freezing face wears a rigid and warm smile, "you came for me?"
"Don't answer him, don't answer him!" A voice frantically screams in

Shen's mind, but he seems to be intoxicated by something, and
inadvertently nods.
Zhao smirks, and wraps his arm around Shen's shoulders, almost giving him
a firm embrace. They're about the same height, and they clumsily tread
through the snow. Zhao puts away the small torch, and holds Shen's hand.
Shen wriggles, but Zhao grabs hold of him even tighter.
"Don't move," Zhao whispers in his ear, "watch your step, it's slippery."
The bird suddenly ascends, swivels around twice, and soars up into the sky.
Zhao looks and says, "don't look, that's an obituary bird. The elderly will
tell you: crows that are particularly big and have long tails are obituary
birds. They only appear when there is a big disaster, and they are a sign of
bad luck."
He doesn't wait for Shen's reply; he frowns, and his eyes sparkle. But he
pretends to be bewildered, and tests him with suspicion, "that's strange,
how's your horoscope readings? Why do you always bump into these kinds
of things?"
"What happened?" Shen doesn't want to dwell on this, and diverts his
attention.
"Oh, I took a look," Zhao swallows his suspicion, and continues, "we
probably have to find a place to stay the night; the road ahead is blocked,
probably by an avalanche."
He says while trying to pull the car door; his hand is already frozen and
numb, and he struggles to pull the handle.
Shen opens the door, "go inside first, get yourself warm."
The heating in the car is making Zhao dizzy; he frowns as he rubs his
forehead, and takes a piece of chocolate that the girl hands him, "this road is
around seven years old, and it even appeared in a travel magazine once, so
tourists come here quite often; but the road ahead is blocked, and I suspect
it's an avalanche..."
The spectacles asks carefully, "the ghosts just now, did they die in the
avalanche?"
Zhao shakes his head, and takes out his phone to call someone. He asks
about disasters in the area, and his frowning deepens as the person on the
phone keeps talking to him.
"Alright, thanks. It's fine, we can hang on for a night... yes, I know what to
do." Zhao hangs up. "We're in trouble."
"It's really an avalanche?"
"Yea," Zhao says, "it's on the news tonight. A widespread disaster, seems
like a few villages down there have been buried; the rescue teams are
trying, but the chances of survival are slim."
The students are silenced.
After a while, the class captain asks, "then... where do we stay tonight? In
the car? Do we have enough gas?"
"The gas is enough, but an avalanche just struck, so it's not safe here. We
should go up. Don't be afraid, I will take you there; I saw a small hut at the
mountaintop with binoculars. It's probably uninhabited, but at least it has a
roof." Zhao has warmed up, and he goes out and takes some food and
clothes from the back of the truck and hands it to the others, "get dressed,
and eat something. I will call the others behind us; pack your sleeping bags
and tents. The class captain can just carry the food, I will take your sleeping
bag for you."
The others get a call from Zhao, and quickly gather together. Shen is very
observant, and he realises that in the group... there seems to be an extra
person.
That person follows behind and doesn't make a sound; from the physique
it's probably a girl. She is wrapped in very thick clothes and her face is
obscured.
This person is very strange; perhaps she is numb from the freezing cold, but
her movements are so uncoordinated.
Zhu sometimes talks to her, and she would nod or shake her head. Shen
notices that when she moves her head, her legs stop moving; it's as if she
can only move one part of her body at a time.
As he is thinking, an arm wraps around his shoulders and the back of a hand
sticks against his face.
Shen's skin is numb from the weather; he slowly feels something, and
freezes in place. He can't dodge it, but he can't accept it either. Zhao only
touches him shortly, and quickly moves his hand away, "why are you so
afraid of the cold?"
"No, I'm not cold."
"Yes you are, your lips are turning blue." Zhao interrupts him, and takes off
his jacket and wraps it around Shen.
Shen is startled, and grabs his hand, "what are you doing? You'll catch a
cold!"
"I have thermal underwear." Zhao rolls back his sleeves a little, "I came
prepared; now put it on!"
Shen refuses.
Zhao lowers his voice and says tenderly, "come on, don't make me worry
about you."
Shen really cannot stand his tone and his gaze; he almost wants to run away.
Zhao wraps the jacket around him even tighter, and walks back, "watch
your steps; Little Guo, help Zhu Hong carry her suitcase. Can you actually
do something useful?"
Chief Zhao's fury lingers, and Guo scurries to the back and takes Zhu's
suitcase.
Shen stares at Zhao from behind, and his hand nostalgically cherishes
Zhao's lingering body warmth. He zips up the jacket, and touches the
pendant... the sphere is exerting a little warmth too; all the more apparent in
the frigid snow.
Very weak, but very comforting.
They walk for about half an hour and the hut that Zhao mentioned finally
enters their line of sight. Another half an hour, and they arrive.
The hut is built with stones, with wooden pillars and a leather roof to block
out the snow.
A ruined fence surrounds the hut, almost being buried in the snow.
It's lonely and battered, standing at the mountaintop amidst a great space of
nothingness; frighteningly tranquil.
As Zhao pushes the wooden door of the fence, Da Qing suddenly pounces
forward from Zhu's phone, and screeches; its fur stand up.
Zhao picks up the big cat and asks softly, "what's wrong?"
Da Qing glares at the snow-laden courtyard, and a voice comes from

behind.
Wang sighs and says feebly, "Chief Zhao, Da Qing wants to tell you
something is buried in the courtyard."
Wang's voice is actually quite pleasant, if she were still a human, she could
become a singer or something. But she is a ghost now, so her voice has
deteriorated, and she speaks with a feeble and airy tone that gives you
goosebumps and sends shivers down your spine.
She suddenly speaks, which startles the crowd.
Shen's students all stare at her, and since Wang is not used to her body, she
has no choice but to stand within everyone's eyesight.
Zhao rubs his hand to feel warmer, "you guys wait here, I will take a look."
Zhao fearlessly enters the courtyard, and Shen follows without hesitation.
Due to the weather, the courtyard is waterlogged and rugged. Zhao slows
down, and walks around. The black cat's eyes sparkle like lanterns, and all
of a sudden, it jumps out of Zhao's arms and rushes forward to a corner.
With its fat paws, the cat begins clawing a small mount on the ground.
Zhao kneels down, picks up the cat on the nape, and wipes its paws clean.
He holds out a torch, and takes a closer look at the hole in the mud.
He sees something ivory white. Zhao takes out a small shovel from his bag,
and starts digging with difficulty... until he sees a slightly flat forehead and
half an eyehole. Zhao realises he dug up half a skull.
The silent Shen watches Zhao dig up the skull and begins looking around
the courtyard: there are many similar mounts scattered across. There is
probably a huge pile of skeletons buried underneath them.
Shen turns around and sees the frightened but curious students peeking in;
he holds Zhao's arm still and says, "bury it, don't tell the others."
Zhao buries the skull and stands up as if nothing happened; he invites the
students and the others inside.
"It's nothing, just a few broken pieces of bricks. Watch your step. Get inside
and set up your tents, and remember to keep yourself warm." Zhao puts
away the shovel, lights a cigarette, and watches the group get inside the hut
one by one.
Wang still walks at the back. She stops next to Zhao, and whispers so only
he can hear, "you saw it right? There is more than one layer."
Zhao is getting a headache; he lowers his voice, "fuck me, I have never seen
so many layers before. If we stay here will they complain to the authorities?
Nothing we can do about that though, our cars can't get up here, and there is
nowhere else to stay. If we let the camp outside they will freeze to death."
"It's quite the taboo to stay here," Wang hesitates, "I will tell them later, as
long as we do the rituals, staying for one more night... shouldn't be a
problem."
Zhao nods, and urges her, "be quick."
Wang counts her steps as she walks outside. Then she walks backwards by
two steps, turns around, and kneels on the ground. With her hands above
her head, she bows down in worship towards the courtyard. The students
peek curiously; Shen tells them to stay quiet and stand back... as he realises:
Wang's "fingers" are plastic, and her "hair" is made of nylon.
It seems that she isn't a real person, but a plastic mannequin from a
shopping mall.
Of course... our Professor Shen's mind is too pure to think otherwise.
Zhao stands against the wall and watches Wang.
She kneels outside the door, lowers her voice and mutters some unknown
dialect. The others don't understand, and can't even figure out how many
syllables make a word. All they hear are notes flowing out of her mouth like
water, echoing through the courtyard and seemingly awakening some
ancient spirit; this causes a deep palpitation in everyone.
Every single person in the hut feels it, even Shen's students. The youngsters
can't help but look down sombrely. Except Zhao, who's still smoking; he
stands by a corner blandly, without emotion.
"What's that?" Zhu walks forward after Wang is done and softly asks.
"Ancestors' spirits." Wang stands up and rigidly wipes away dirt on her
trousers, "I greeted them, so it should be fine now. Don't crowd up in front
of the door, get inside, everyone. Remember, don't throw rubbish in the
courtyard, say greetings when you leave and if you need to go to the toilet
walk further away."
The wind and snow are howling, nobody wants to go outside in the cold.
But today they've experienced so many incredible incidents that they're
starting to get afraid of taboo. After hearing what Wang said, they hurry
back into the hut with relief. It's very shabby inside, but at least it shelters
you from the wind.
When everyone is inside, Wang turns to Zhao and says softly, "Chief Zhao,
you can "see" from birth, you're born to be with things that people don't
believe in, you're born to know the existence of spirits and deities. But
whether you pass by shrines or temples you never show any respect. I heard
that you entered the Jokhang Temple three times, where all worshippers
dream to visit, and yet you saw the golden Buddha and only nodded but
didn't kneel. That's inappropriate."
Zhao flickers some ashes on to the window sill without a care, and smiles
while noddding, "yea, too indecent; not worth learning from and not worth
advocating. The constitution recognises religious freedom, so we must
respect others' religions..."
Wang gazes at him with her plastic eyes as if they were real, and lowers her
voice even more, "there is always something you don't know about in this
world. Perhaps you're very capable, but you're just human, can you reign
over the earth and sky, can you reign over destiny? You can't be too
arrogant, if you're so crazed as to disregard the gods, karma will get to you
one day."
Zhao's smile wears off a little. He looks at Wang and gently fixes up her
messy clothes; he says coldly, "I have no guilt, no regrets, and no wishes to
pray for. Whether it be gods or spirits, what gives them the right to judge
me? They can be powerful and almighty on their own, but why should I
care?"
Wang stares at him deeply, and sighs.
She extends her plastic hand, and gestures in the air, muttering something,
and touches Zhao on the forehead with a finger.
"You're a good person," she says softly, "may Buddha have mercy, forgive
you and protect you."
Zhao doesn't dodge, he even lowers his head so that she can reach it. After
Wang finishes, he asks, "you were a good person when you were alive, did
Buddha forgive you and protect you?"
Wang looks up; the stare from the rigid plastic eyes shows a hint of
melancholy.
Zhao lifts her shoulders gently, "it's cold outside, good lady, let's get
inside."
In the hut, Zhu and Chu work efficiently, and they manage to set up a small
cooking pot quickly. They pour snow water and start boiling, using the
steam to heat up some beef sticks. Then, Zhu starts grilling the beef on the
fire.
The students take out their notebook, and gather around Wang as she enters
with sparkling eyes. A tall and slender boy says with a little hesitation,
"would you mind if we asked about the customs of this small hut?"
He glances at Shen after saying this, and realises the teacher is frowning.
He frantically adds, "sorry, I mean, only if it's appropriate... if there is any
taboo we don't know about, please don't get mad."
Wang sits beside the stove, and says softly, "no problem."
She hides her hands in her sleeves, and picks up a chocolate ball. It's a small
and beautifully wrapped treat. She really wants to try it, but she only
fondles with it and stares.
The female class captain picks up another piece and hands it to Wang, "this
is good, please try it."
"I'm just looking, I can't eat... sweet things." She says softly, then pauses
before she answers the students, "these mountain ranges have changed a lot
throughout the years, and the people living down in the valley have also
migrated and merged with other clans. It's said that during the early times, a
Kamba tribe used to live here. The Tibetan people have a tradition of sky
burial: after a person's death, the corpse is handed to the Sky Burial Master
for disintegration. He would chop up the body and oil it up for the birds to
eat... if the corpse is not fully cleaned by birds, it's considered very unlucky,
so the job of the body-breaker is very important. This hut used to be that of
the Sky Burial Master."
"Although the Sky Burial Master is greatly respected in the clan, he touches
dead corpses all the time, so people usually wouldn't want close contact
with him."
Lin explains. As Guo listens, he thinks of someone else... the Ghost Slayer.
Isn't he greatly respected but feared as well?
Besides Zhao, nobody dares to even talk to him; even ghosts and spirits
avoid him, it's as if... he would bring about some horrible misfortune.
"In the next centuries, many tribes have settled here, and inevitably, a few
widespread conflicts broke out. Sometimes the tribes would go to war, and
sometimes they would make relations by intermarriage, and their bloodlines
begin mixing. Soon, quite a few other tribes started performing Sky Burials,
only they had different customs compared to the Tibetans."
Wang lectures like a history teacher: with a soft voice, and monotonously;
it's rather sleep-inducing. But Shen's students are used to this discipline,
they eagerly rub their hands together, and frantically jots notes.
Zhao gobbles some jerky, moves his sleeping bag next to Shen to get a nice
view, and starts napping.
"And later on, the climate in this region becomes more and more awful,"
Wang adds a bit of water in the pot, "the population declines, and then
around... hmmm, I'm not too sure, I guess around the Song and Yuan
dynasties, there was a catastrophic disaster. Ever since, most of the people
here have either died or migrated, and all that was left was a small clan of
Hanga people who stayed in a cave.
The class captain asks, "are any of these recorded in written history?"
Wang shakes her head, "in ancient times these mountain ranges were not
part of the Central Plain, so Han civilisation never reached these areas.
Perhaps there are some geographical data, but this place is so secluded that
the imperial government probably never knew it was inhabited. There are
legends passed down by the natives though, they say that the snow became
monsters and came down from the mountains, and white creatures emerged
from cracks and the water, capturing humans and livestock, tearing their
guts out and slicing their heads."
The class captain ponders, and nods as though she understands, "so, it
might have been an avalanche caused by an earthquake."
Wang doesn't move her head, "the Hanga people later moved into the deep
mountains, somewhere near River Village. When you're studying ethnic
minorities in River Village, you'll realise many of them bear similarities
with the Hanga people. The Sky Burial Site was destroyed, but the Sky
Burial Master's hut remained, and later became a watch house of the Hanga
people. Every month they would send a strong ping man to watch for signs
of disaster. Eventually, the watcher became the most respected person in the
clan and this hut became his place of residence."
"And so the watch house became a sacred place for the Hanga people, and
when the time comes for important rituals, the whole clan would come up
to the mountaintop and gather round the watch house."
The little spectacled boy asks, "why haven't I heard of the Hanga people
before?"
"Because their population was small, and they didn't intermarry with other
tribes. This tribe ceased to exist a long time ago, so nobody knows about it
now."
The students finally understand, and the slender bamboo guy concludes,
"oh, I understand, it's tribal extinction caused by centuries of close-kinship
reproduction."
Wang doesn't comment, but only laughs softly; the person sitting closest to
her shivers.
Any normal person would find it difficult to talk to Wang: although she
doesn't say or do anything creepy, her very existence oozes creepiness.
As their curiosity is satisfied, the students go to bed as Shen urges them.

Wang doesn't need sleep, and Da Qing is the most active at night, so the two
stay awake.
Shen is the last to go to bed. He checks the door and windows, and takes
some tape to seal all holes and gaps in the hut. He reminds the students to
stay warm, and asks Wang if she needs more clothes. He puts out the fire so
that the water wouldn't spill.
As everything is taken care of, he quietly enters his sleeping bag.
Zhao fell asleep quite a while ago as the boring history lecture was going
on. With his earphones still in his ears, his head is slightly tilted and his
body is curled up.
His face is deeply and sharply contoured: he's energetic when he's awake,
and still good-looking when he's asleep, but his face is frozen and pale.
Shen gazes at him: Zhao's sleeping face is tranquil and composed, it's like
even if the sky were falling, he would still find a corner and fall asleep.
Shen's eyes are fixated, he quietly watches Zhao. Shen's face softens as he
watches him, and he takes off the earphones and set them aside. Then he
takes Zhao's jacket and wraps it around him.
Guo is sound asleep. Wang is tidying up the cooking pot and stove; some
soft clinging and clanging echo.
Shen takes a deep breath and lies sideways, turning away from the others.
After awhile, it seems like he is asleep.
But where no-one can see, his eyes are wide open.
In the dim light of the night, he keeps watching Zhao quietly, like he wants
to continue til sunrise. Shen has restrained himself for far too long. He can't
help but indulge in desire. He lays close to Zhao, and his thoughts come
gushing out.
He wants to extend his hands and embrace that warm body; kiss his eyes,
hair and lips, taste and devour him in whole, and possess his everything.
Shen's breathing trembles; his desire and longing are that of a dying person
longing for a hot bowl of soup in the freezing cold. But he doesn't move, it's
as if... only thinking about it makes him satisfied.
Da Qing curls up into a ball next to Wang, it's tail wiggling. When it's
almost midnight and everyone is presumably asleep, it whispers, "are those
skulls or skeletons buried in the courtyard? Who were they?"
Wang's plastic face hides behind the hoodie, and she says after hesitation,
"just the skulls, the Hanga people had the tradition of beheading."
Da Qing can't help but wonder, "how did the Hanga people go extinct?"
"The student said it's because of close-kinship reproduction." Wang says.
"Don't use that stupid reason to fool me, even horses can avoid that
problem, are humans really too stupid to realise?" Da Wing impatiently
quivers it's whiskers, "besides, men in the past were all polygamous, this
so-called 'no intermarriages' probably wasn't strict on the concubines. And
the clan must have had a few families, they wouldn't all have been close
kins."
Wang looks down on the cat, and pats it on the head, "you're just a cat, eat
your cat food and dried fish. Why do you care about human problems?"
Anyone who just joined the SIU would think that Wang is probably younger
than twenty. But as she is speaking, she seems experienced and weathered,
like an old lady.
Da Qing lays on the ground, and comfortably closes its eyes as Wang
strokes it like any cat would. But it's eyes are not fully closed; it gazes out
into space.
The night deepens.
The small hut on the mountaintop is silent; all that can be heard is steady
breathing and snoring.
Midnight just passed, and Zhao suddenly opens his eyes, staring right into
Shen's unspectacled and gentle gaze. Shen panics, and looks away in
concealment. Zhao doesn't mind the attention, and quietly sits up. He listens
intently, and turns towards Shen, striking a 'don't make any sound' gesture
with his index finger.
Zhao comes out of the sleeping bag, grabs a torch, and heads outside.
Da Qing meows and scurries along. Shen hesitates; he is worried after all,
and follows him.
Once Zhao is outside, he realises the torch is redundant.
The entire valley is in unworldly flames: on one side is a glacial mountain

range, on the other a blazing inferno.
They stand a few thousand metres away on the mountaintop, but they can
hear the crackling and screeching flames, and feel the acute pain of fire
scorching one's skin.
The entire sky is lit in sunset orange.
It's as if they weren't on earth anymore: the howling flames engulfing the
valley strike misery into people's minds; one forgets the time and the place
in this moment.
The courtyard seems to have felt something, and the ground is trembling.
The frozen soil cracks, and the skulls are exposed. They come in all shapes
and sizes, and the eyeholes sparkle. Bones cackling sounds echo, and the
skulls all face towards the same direction as if arranged by someone.
More and more skulls emerge from the ground: they all eerily look towards
the scorching blaze as if worshipping. As the ground is shaking, the bones
let out creepy crashing sounds.
Zhao extends an arm to block Shen behind him, and picks up the cat, "fatty,
be careful!"
"That's Hellfire." Wang suddenly stands behind them, her hoodie is gone
and the expressionless plastic face is clearly seen. Shen has yet to figure out
what this plastic body is, and 'Wang' crumbles to the ground.
Shen instinctively gives her a hand, and the doll lets out an indecent moan.
The startled gentleman Professor Shen retracts and drops the doll.
A girl in a white dress appears and says, "as sinners enter the Gates of Hell,
Hellfire burns and flares to welcome them. It is said that when Hellfire
comes from the underworld, it's always to burn those who have sinned."
Zhao says, "bullshit, shut up."
Wang points with a finger, "see for yourself."
The skulls have all turned around suddenly, and look back at them from the
door. Their dark eyeholes send chills down your spine; they open their jaws
and jump around as if they were laughing.
The people and the cat are all getting goosebumps, but Wang calmly says,
"my people, they all want to peel off my skin, tear off my veins and suck up
my blood."
Zhao takes a gun, "Wang Zheng, get back into you're body. Shen Wei, go
inside the hut."
Wang ignores him and sighs.
"But..." she says with misery and melancholy, "I'm already dead."
"Are you entering menopause? Stop babbling and go inside!" Zhao grabs
her spirit and violently stuffs her into the doll, and throws the doll to Zhu
who was awakened by the commotion.
The skulls open their mouths and pounce towards them, Zhao holds the
door latch, and fires three shots.
His gun is probably not firing bullets: the skulls scream and turn into white
smoke as they are shot.
Zhao closes the door, but a skull is trapped in the gap. Zhao swiftly puts
away the gun and takes out a dagger. He crushes the skull like eggshell and
closes the door.
The skulls outside bash and bang at the door; they jump up and devilishly
peek in from the window.
A few students are awakened. As they see what is happening, they are
rather calm... any normal person would think they were just dreaming.
Even Guo is quite calm... in this small hut there is the invincible Chief
Zhao, the brave talking cat, the fake monk who defeated the hungry ghost,
the raw-meat-devouring snake woman, and the mysterious Chu who Guo
still doesn't dare talk to... Guo honestly believes that they are all very safe
despite the situation.
This poor kid really blindly trusts to his colleagues.

"Amitabha," Lin and Zhao hold the door together. The fake monk huffs and
pants and glares at the bouncing skulls outside the windows, "I'm losing
hope in a world in which even skulls try to act cute! What is going on?"
Zhao turns and asks Wang, "what are these things that are coming for you?
Not only do they bite people they even tried to bite you, are they not afraid
of food poisoning from plasticisers?"
Lin has a mild hint that he might have said too much, and pulls at the
Chief's clothes.
The female class captain hears it and giggles. But she covers her mouth as
the situation is rather inappropriate for laughing; and her classmates are all
staring at her.
"It was 1712, a civil war broke out among the Hanga tribe." Wang stands up
with the help of Zhu and covers her face with the hoodie, "the rebels won,
and the Old Headman died. His wives and children, and the one hundred
and twelve warriors who followed him were all beheaded and burned. Their
heads were buried in the courtyard of the watch house, and they would be
enslaved for eternity."
Zhu hesitates, "so these are their skulls in the courtyard?"
The skulls keep bashing at the door.
Zhao signals Chu.
Chu Shuzhi instantly tears off his windbreaker; the sweater he wears
underneath is very unfashionable, it has a lot of pockets on it, and he looks
like a walking storage bag. He checks all of the pockets and gathers a few
yellow paper talismans written in cinnabar powder. He sticks one on each
corner of the door.
A faint white light shines from the talismans, and the skulls stop banging at
the door.
Then, Chu starts sticking the talismans on the windows, the walls and all
over the hut like posting advertisements. The skulls outside feel the power
and move away from the hut.
Zhao stops holding the door; it's freezing cold but he is soaked in sweat.
He sits besides the stove and adds some milk powder and mineral water to
the cooking pot. He points at Wang, "let's all drink some milk, and after we
finish, you have to explain to me what's happening."
"Sorry." Wang doesn't talk much, and all she replies is, "you can throw me
outside, if I'm not here then nothing will hurt you."
Zhao calmly asks, "do you hear how ridiculous you sound?"
Although Wang looks frightening, she's kind and reserved, always polite to
everyone but never gets too close to anyone. She seldom talks like that;
after Zhao's comment, she looks down and doesn't say anything.
Chu stands beside the window, and watches to make sure the skulls are not
coming again. He signals to Zhao, "have someone stay up to keep an eye,
and the others can go back to sleep. These things are not a big problem, no
need to worry."
Danger has just passed, and the tall bamboo guy is looking for more
trouble, "Professor, can I go take a few pictures... I'm not going outside, just
beside the window."
Shen really wants to know how this kid grew up to have such a sense of
adventure.
A grabby, dirty hand comes for Shen's shoulder, and Zhao leans forward,
lowering his voice, "it's not against the rules to take pictures, but you have
to know: it's said that cameras can capture the souls of people. Do you want
to bring a few ghosts to keep as pets?"
The bamboo guy trembles in fear after Zhao's eerie, ghost-story-telling
tone.
Zhao smiles and continues, "I guess you could bury them in flower pots,
and then whenever midnight comes they will come out and start munching
at the pots, munching at your table, and muching at your bed..."
Zhao has yet to finish, and the bamboo guy twitches in discomfort.
Shen's mouth quivers, "are you alright?"
The boy's face looks uneasy, and he stutters, "I... I... I have to pee."
So scared that he's wetting himself; Zhao is surprised. Soon, he laughs

wildly and mockingly.
"It's only three hours till sunrise." Chu says, "my talismans can last for five
hours, don't worry... but you better wait till the sky is bright to go to toilet.
If something wants to bite you, pee on it; virgin pee repels evil spirits, it
might not kill them but they would probably get a brain concussion."
Wang says softly, "I can stay up and..."
Zhao interrupts, "if something goes wrong, you can't stop it; let me do it."
He takes out a wind-resistant lighter, "anyone afraid of second-hand smoke?

If not I'm gonna need this little precious to wake me up."
The students are surprisingly calm; they giggle and return to their sleeping
bags... perhaps Zhao makes everyone feel very safe, or maybe they weren't
fully awake.
Shortly, the hut is all quiet. Only the skulls rolling on the ground can be
heard. Da Qing falls asleep in Zhao's arms; Wang sits at a corner, thinking
about something.
The torches are all turned off, and only the talismans are faintly glowing in
the dark.
Zhao stands beside the window to block a small gap; he lights a cigarette.
When he was awakened by the weird noises, he saw Shen's gaze. But Shen
looked too embarrassed, so he pretended not to notice.
Zhao is almost certain that Shen didn't just wake up from the noise, neither
was he insomniac. His calm and satisfied expression and his convoluted but
gentle gaze are heart-wrenching to watch, it's as if... he had been staring at
Zhao all night.
If Shen likes men and is falling for Zhao, that's very normal... Zhao thinks
of his own image as not too shabby: he has a stable income, is of a suitable
age, not too old and not too childish. Though he suffers from mild
machismo, he does care for other people's feelings, sometimes. And he
never shows his animalistic ill-temper to people he's not too close to, so
others usually get the wrong impression that he is nice and capable.
But whether it's lust, affection or just an impulsive crush, Zhao can't
imagine someone would stay up all night and watch him sleep with such
passion and obsession.
Zhao thinks of the first time he met Shen.
He must have had a deep connection with Shen without even noticing it.
But when?
Zhao is lost in thought for a long time, till the entire cigarette is burned. He
puts it off and inconsiderately throws it out the window. The cigarette hits a
skull, and it turns black and stops moving.
Before ten years old he didn't know anything, probably even had trouble
telling men from women, so nothing could have happened then. For the
periods when he was older, his memories are clear and in sequence, he
remembers everything precisely.
There are indeed ways to mess with someone's memory, for instance
hypnosis, or other secret techniques that Zhao can think of. But these
methods only prevent the person from recollecting the altered memories.
Human experience is incredibly complex, and only that person himself can
know in detail what happened.
For instance, if a guy had a car accident, when he looks back, he will realise
the accident happened because he was running late. And why was he late?
Cos he had a stomachache and was stuck in the toilet. Why did he have a
stomachache? Cos he ate too much oily foods. And why did he eat so
much? Cos his fast food coupon was gonna expire...
If he keeps going he would think of who gave him the coupon, was it from
someone else or did he just get it on the streets, et cetera.
Every minute detail in someone's memory can be recalled from

interconnected events. No matter how smart you are, you can't possibly
figure out all the trivial details in a chain of events and alter them one by
one.
If someone's memory is manipulated, these details will be obscured, and

when that person tries to recollect them, it would appear unnatural.
Coincidentally, Zhao is an expert in memory.
Since he was little he knew how fragile and crucial a person's memory is.
When Da Qing handed him the Guardian Order, the first lesson was
teaching him to regularly reorganise his memories through meditation. Zhao
is certain that he didn't know Shen Wei before they met.
Then... perhaps the decent and charismatic Professor Shen is actually a

stalker who has been in love with Zhao for a long time. But of course, Zhao
knows that this is practically impossible. If anything, Zhao would be the
creepy stalker.
Then perhaps, this "Shen Wei" is just a pretence, he isn't just some normal
guy.
If Zhao can't find anything about him, either he is really ordinary, or he is

really extraordinary.
Three hours passed by quickly. The sky begins to light up, and the skulls
have all fallen to the ground, no longer moving. And the creepy flames have
burnt out.
Zhao goes out to the courtyard to confirm that the sun has risen and the
ghosts are gone, and he goes back inside and takes a nap by the wall.
"When it's morning," he thinks, "I will find a chance to talk to Shen."
Zhao falls alseep thinking about him.
Perhaps this whole ordeal has really worn him out; Zhao quickly falls into a
deep slumber.
An hour later, Zhu wakes him up.
Zhao realises someone gave him a blanket, and he instantly starts looking
for Shen. But Zhu interrupts him.
She asks, "Chief Zhao, do you know where Wang is?"

What?
Zhao tenses up. His brain feels as though it were glued together; his eyelids
weigh down heavily.
"Wang Zheng?" Zhao pinches the bridge of his nose, and blinks although
his eyelids are sticky. He struggles to sit upright, and says half-consciously,
"I only slept for less than an hour... wasn't she still here earlier?"
Zhu sombrely scrutinises him.
She had known Zhao for many years, even if he were tired he would only
sleep lightly. They are now in the wilderness, and underneath them is a heap
of skulls, and yet he still fell into deep slumber. That has never happened
before. Being careless is different from being heartless. Zhu leans
downwards and sniffs.
"What..."
"Don't move." Zhu pulls off the blanket and runs her fingers attentively
across the fine fibres. She wipes off some brown powder and smells it. She
instantly understands, and says to Zhao, "you were drugged."
The dizziness fades and is replaced by impaired hearing. Zhao feels like all
sounds are being blocked out by a layer of something. When he finally
realises what Zhu said, a million words are shrunk down to just two: "fuck
me!"
Everything happened so fast, Zhao has yet to figure out which realisation
pisses him off more: "Wang drugging him" or "the person who gave him the
blanket wasn't Shen".
"Get me some mineral water." Zhao says softly, "I like it cold."
"It's not like we have hot water." Zhu grabs a frozen bottle, shakes it, and
pieces of ice fall off.
Zhao drinks a little while frowning, and then pours the rest all over his
head.
"You're crazy!"
"What are you doing!?"
Zhu and Shen exclaim together. Shen wants to stop him but he is standing
too far away: ever since Zhao saw Shen staring at him all night, he has been
trying to keep a distance from Zhao.
"Lin Jing, stay behind and take care of Professor Shen and the students."
Zhao ignores them, and wipes the cold water off his face. He puts on a
jacket and stomps outside, kicking a skull three metres away, "everyone else
follow me!"
Lin hastens to ask, "what to do with the skulls?"
"Dig them up and smash all of them."
Lin is startled, "that... would that anger some..."
"I wouldn't touch them if they mean no harm." Zhao stands at the doorway,
turns around, and says coldly, "but if they do, I will dig up all their graves.
Last night we came here politely, and look how they welcomed us. Now it's
daytime, so it's time for payback. Smash all of them, I'll be responsible for
anything that happens."
Zhao has the temper of a bandit, when he's mad, nobody dares to provoke
him, so Lin shuts up.
Zhu runs to catch up with him, and bravely says. "Wang... probably has her
reasons."
Zhao doesn't turn around, "bullshit... say something that's not bullshit, if
you can't then shut up."
Zhu shuts it for two seconds, but can't hold it any longer, "why can't you
talk decently? Do you use that tone to pick up girls too, you jerk?"
Zhao finally looks at her, and says something even more aggravating.
He raises his eyebrows, "when did I say I'm picking you up?"
Zhu really wants to slap him right across the face, but she doesn't dare, so
she holds her anger and bites her teeth. She says fiercely, "no wonder all
your past relationships have ended terribly, you will stay single for the rest
of your life!!"
Zhao quickly leads the group to where they parked the cars. He takes out a
few bags of supplies, "the cars can't go up there, we'll probably have to
walk. There are some food and water inside, just in case we get lost."
"And these," Zhao takes out a big pile of supplies and hand them to Zhu,
"bring these back to the hut for everyone."
Zhu is surprised and stares at him, "you're sending me back?"
"Not that again... just because you look like human doesn't mean it makes
you warm-blooded." Zhao impatiently slams the back of the car shut, locks
it, and signals Chu and Guo to come. He waves to Zhu, "alright woman,
before you're frozen into hibernation, rush back to the hut. Oh right, take
this, don't drink it cold, heat it up a bit."
He throws a small bottle into Zhu's arms. It's a small bottle of rice wine...
it's a warming drink, not found in the Northwest. Zhao must have prepared
it beforehand; needless to say who he prepared it for.
Zhu suddenly feels a bit touched... though he has a strange way of showing
that he cares.
To conserve energy, the three guys are not talking as they walk. Luckily it's
sunny, despite the potent gale, the sun's warmth lessens the rigours of the
wind.
Guo feels like they must have crossed three to four mountains, and they are
way past the original destination "River Village". In the afternoon, they
finally arrive at a small col away from the winds.
Chu opens a few packs of beef jerky, and shares among the three frozen
men. Zhao takes out a detailed map, sits on a rock, and studies it carefully.
"Do you know where we are going?" Chu asks.
Zhao puts a marking on the map, and says without looking up, "the place
where Wang's people used to live is not the same as River Village, I
checked her files."
Chu is surprised, he thought that Zhao had been so occupied with pleasing
his many "brothers" and obsessing over his crush that he must not have had
any time for important stuff. He can't help but want to know more, "what's
in her files?"
"Wang herself is Hanga, her name used to be Gelan; when she joined the
Guardian Order she changed her name." Zhao says, "the Hanga people were
neither friendly nor welcoming, they wouldn't have had stayed in the River
Village where it's close to the main road."
"There is record about them in history?" Chu is startled again.
"Not history," Zhao marks three spots on the map, "it's the Ancient Scroll of
Dark Magic."
He straightens out the old map, and stops at a spot with a pen. From Chu's
reaction that's probably where the watch house is.
Zhao continues. "when I entered the courtyard I thought the skulls must be
related to the legendary Luobula restriction magic. In Hanga language,
'Luobula' means ghost. And it's 'restriction' not in the sense of 'forbiddance',
but in the sense of 'imprisonment'... Guo Changecheng, why are you
standing over there, get over here! You've passed your trial period so you're
an official member now, try to have a more enthusiastic work attitude will
you?"
Guo hurriedly stumbles forward.
"So this magic is used to imprison ghosts." Chu concludes.
"Yea, the Hanga people had the traditions of beheading and exorcism."
Zhao says, "it's probably related to their social structure. Their tribe had a
system of slavery, and their people believed that their slaves were to serve
them even after death. They would behead the slaves and bury their skulls,
then they used magic to seal away their spirits to enslave them forever.
Chu asks, "why bury the skulls at the mountaintop, is there a special
meaning?"
"Yes, the Hanga people had been influenced by several other civilisations.
Some of their beliefs originated from our religion. But of course, their core
conceptions were different. Unlike Buddhism, they clearly did not believe
that all things contain spirits. However, they did believe in mountain spirits,
and that they are powerful enough to suppress the souls of people. They
chose to build a ritual site at the Spirit Portal of a mountain... which is a
place at the mountaintop where the sun never shines. The Luobula
restriction magic was influenced by the belief of reincarnation in Buddhism,
it was thought that a triangle is a complete shape, which can form into a
circle and become eternal shackles of souls."
Chu is very intelligent, he instantly makes the inference, "which means that
there must be three identical ritual sites on similar altitudes, forming a
symmetrical triangle!"
It's more efficient talking to someone with brains. Zhao nods; the triangle
he draws on the map is almost equilateral. He then draws a small circle
inside the triangle, "imprison the spirits here, and they shall be enslaved for
eternity... this must be where the Hanga tribe used to live."
"Let me see." Chu's sense of space and direction is superb. He studies the
map and says, "look, isn't this the valley that was on fire last night?"
"Must be," Zhao puts away the map, and quickly stuffs his mouth full with
beef, "eat quickly, then we'll keep going."
Chu chews the jerky stately, pauses for a while, and glances at the stupid
and puzzled baby Guo. He then says, "Chief Zhao must have studied this
dark magic before and not just for this trip?"
Zhao says calmly, "if you can't tell ecstasy from heroine, how do you join
the narcotics bureau?"
Chu pauses for a thought, and smiles; but his face is used to frowning too
much, the smile looks out of place, "if that's the case why doesn't our team
have training sessions?"
Zhao stops chewing and stares at Chu.
Chu stares back.
Guo looks here and there and cannot figure out what's happening. They
both scare him, he dares not say anything and just retracts his neck.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhao says, "Old Chu, you're smart, I
rarely see someone as smart as you. I won't waste time explaining, I'm sure
you know why."
Chu stares at the pack of beef jerky, lost in thought. He doesn't say
anything, and nobody knows what he is thinking. He is still wearing his
usual face, as if nothing happened.
Fifteen minutes later, they set off again; this time Chu is leading the way.
The sun was ablaze in the morning, but now snow begins falling. The three
head West, and spends almost an hour spiralling down the mid-levels. Guo
suddenly sees something in the snow that's... rather familiar.
He scurries forward and starts digging with his thick gloves on. A plastic
arm startles him.
Zhao hears Guo scream and shout, "Chief Zhao! Chief Zhao! That's Wang
Zheng's arm, it's her arm!"
He really is a mascot, bring him along and you will have some strange luck.
Zhao thinks while treading forward. He snatches the arm and smacks Guo
on the head, "her arm has turned to soil, this is the fake and cheap one you
bought. The arm dropped here, where could she be?"
The light snowfall could not have covered her footsteps so quickly. Zhao
realises: maybe the arm fell from above.
Chu looks around and then at the map; he points upwards and pats Zhao on
the shoulder, "look there."
There is a cliff around three metres above them, and on it is a giant stone
cave covered in weed and snow. The layer of snow at the entrance seems to
have been trodden, which drew Chu's attention.
All is quiet in the small mountain hut. Zhao's friend contacts Lin, telling
him that the road will probably be blocked for another three to four days.
Shen briefly discusses with the students and they agree that given the
aftermath of the avalanche, the survivors in River Village probably wouldn't
want to entertain them. They decide to head back to Dragon City when
Zhao returns.
The class captain heats up some milk for Da Qing, and starts preparing
breakfast. The students are told by the Professor to help Lin clean up the
courtyard.
It's a simple and violent task... under Lin's directions, they dig up all the
skulls that were trying to bite them last night, and line them up on the
ground. The fake monk takes a giant rock and smashes all of them to
pieces.
A while later, Zhu returns with a gigantic bag: its taller than a person.
Superwoman puts down the bag, takes out a small bottle, heats it, and
gobbles the liquid down. Then she quickly takes over what Lin has been
doing, and smashes the skulls one by one like smashing walnuts. Success
rate a whopping one hundred percent, it's efficient and quality work.
This straightforward and brutal morning workout continues until the girl
inside calls them in for breakfast.
Zhu must be on drugs: she pushes away a boy and Da Qing who's drawn to
Shen, and squeezes on to a spot next to Shen. She says impolitely,
"Professor Shen, can you pass me the chocolate sauce."
She mixes sweet with savoury: one cannot imagine what chocolate beef
jerky would taste like. Zhu eats while peeking at the calm and reserved
Shen. She pretends to focus on dipping chocolate sauce, and says without
looking up, "our Chief is courting you."
Shen pauses and looks at her.
Zhu is still looking down, and says as if making small talk, "you wouldn't
have not noticed, would you?"
Shen's expression doesn't change, and he doesn't answer either. He hands

her another pack of chocolate sauce, "want some more?"
Zhu stops talking, and looks up; she stares at Shen with a very peculiar
gaze. Her round irises gradually contract into two thin slits: the eyes of a
cold-blooded animal. The snake eyes look exceptionally creepy on her
pretty face.
But Shen only glances at her, and focuses back on the food as if nothing
happened.
"Then do you like him?" Zhu lowers her voice and asks softly by his ear.
Shen asks calmly, "why do you want to know?"
"I..." Zhu's eyes roll around, "I'm nosy, every exploited and oppressed
employee has the right to be nosy about their boss."
Shen looks at her with a half-smile, "if you're so nosy, can't you figure it out
yourself?"
Shen laughs lightly, and takes the pot of heated milk with a wet tissue; he
asks, "this food is dry, want something to drink?"
Zhu's face is slightly distorted, and struggles to fake a smile, "sure, I'll have
some, thanks!"
Zhu carelessly crushes a few dents on the outer layer of a thermos cup.
Shen doesn't seem to notice, and pours her some milk; he says, habitually
considerate, "drink it while it's warm."
The dents on the cup deepen in her grasp.

A hint of smile flashes across his eyes, and Shen puts the pot back.
Suddenly, he feels something, and turns around looking out the window. His
face changes.
Zhu doesn't know whether she is over-sensitive or not, but Shen's sombre
expression makes her very uncomfortable. Instinctively, she wants to move
away from him, but she stops herself.
Why would she be afraid of a helpless university teacher?
That's not logical!
Sunlight shines on Shen's lenses, reflecting a blinding gleam.
"I'm full," shortly, Zhu hears him say, "I'll go tidy up the courtyard. You
guys don't run off on your own, listen to the police officers."
He walks out to the courtyard.
Nobody is paying attention to this small interlude... what's odd is, twenty
minutes later, everyone has finished their breakfast, and nobody realises
that Shen is missing as they enter the courtyard.
He is like someone who never existed. Including Zhu and Lin, nobody
realises there ought to be one more person.
Ten minutes later, the missing Shen appears at the spot where Wang's "arm"
was found.
He doesn't even have a jacket. The wind whips up the collar of his shirt and
his hair; snow falls on his lenses. He doesn't seem to feel the cold.
Shen stands below the cliff, looks around, and suddenly extends his arm.
His palm faces downwards in a clawing gesture.
His hand is incredibly pale, and green veins emerge clearly, as if his body
were meticulously crafted. The ground shakes with his movement, the wind
strengthens and whirls into a howling vortex, soaring into the clouds like a
sharp blade. Then, the entire ground is lifted up in mid-air, and beneath the
thick layer of ice is a cracked layer of frost soil.
At this instant, something drills out of the ground and shoots at Shen from
behind like an arrow.
He seems unwary.
A mixture of decaying odour and floral aroma slowly spreads. The next
moment, Shen turns around at a speed imperceptible by the naked eye, and
clutches the other's neck.
The thing that he picks up by the neck is a spirit beast.
Shen's eyebrows twitch, and his face is filled with ferocity.
The spirit beast's throat crackles, its bloodshot eyes glare at Shen.
"Rules are rules." Shen says without an expression, "you blatantly crossed
the line, and came here without permission. Punishable by death."
The spirit beast is lifted up and struggles mid-air like a dying fish.
Shen tightens his grip, and the spirit beast wriggles vigorously, then stops
moving.
He throws it on the ground, and the corpse disappears as it touches the

snow. A peculiar flower emerges from the snow.
Shen stomps on it and crushes it in two without looking.
He points his finger to the ground, and a black line extends vaguely across
the snow and up the cliff into the stone cave along a trail of subtle
footprints. Soon, something cracks explosively, and Shen's eyes shine. The
black line breaks into pieces.
At the same time, a sharp screech echoes from far away, and eight spirit
beasts emerge from the ground. These look different from the ones Zhao
saw on the rooftop. Each of them is at least three metres tall, red-eyed and
howling ferociously; the snowy mountains quiver.
Shen bellows, "puppets."
A cloud of grey mist emerges underneath his feet, and intimately swivels
around his legs. Shen touches it with his toe, and the cloud flies into the
stone cave.
Then, a black blade emerges in Shen's hand: three feet and three inches
long, incredibly thick and pitch black. There is only a slight glimmer at the
edge of the blade... only the souls that will be slayed can see it.
He suddenly moves.
The howling stops. In just a split second, they're all beheaded

simultaneously.
The humongous beasts crumble down. Then, a few even larger ones
emerge, like undying weeds. It seems like someone desperately wants to
stall him.
As for Zhao and the guys, they are inside the cave. At first, the cave seems
ordinary, but as they move forward it gets deeper and darker, and eventually
pitch black. Zhao turns on a torch.
Around a hundred metres further in, a door blocks their way.
Under the torch light, the door cannot be clearly seen, but it seems to be
made of some ancient alloy; it's rusty, and three skulls hang on top and on
both sides. There is an inverted triangle marked on the door.
"A triangle? Is it Luobula restriction magic?" Chu moves closer and puts on
gloves. He carefully runs his fingers on the door, and then knocks on it
lightly as he puts his ear against it. He says, "there must be some hidden
switch, it's not that complicated, I will examine it."
Zhao kicks Guo on the butt, "move in closer and learn from your brother
Chu."
Guo mindlessly stumbles forward.
Chu looks down on him with disdain... the arrogant and intelligent probably
all disregard the dummies. But since the Chief is here, he examines the door
while responsibly explaining, "it's nothing remarkable, you will learn as you
watch more."
He says while taking out a torch. He points the torch at the door gap, and
peeks inside. He says, "there is one thick column with thirty five small
ones, making a total of thirty six. Since it's divisible by six, they're probably
all hooked together."
He signals Guo, "get down, I'll step on your shoulders."
Guo kneels down like a dog.
Chu doesn't give him an easy time: he steps right on to Guo, and starts
knocking at the triangle.
It's not easy sustaining the weight of a man... though Chu is very skinny,
Guo is very feeble. Soon, he starts shaking; afraid that Chu might fall, he
grits his teeth and stays still.
When Guo thinks he is about to be squashed, Chu jumps down and says,
"there are thirty six iron columns behind this door; because of the secret
switches there are hollow spots. The materials are different too, so density
varies. If your hearing is sensitive enough, you'll be able to tell the
difference with practice."
Guo kneels on the floor, eyes wide open, huffing and panting with his
mouth agape; he doesn't understand a word he's saying!
Chu glances at him, and ignores him. He is only talking to Zhao behind
him, "now that I know it's general structure, I'll have to guess the details
from experience."
Chu triggers a switch and pulls out a piece from the centre of the triangle;
Guo is startled and sits on the floor, falling backwards.
Chu runs his fingers across a circle and turns around, "there are thirty six
columns round this circle, I guess only three can be triggered. Which three
do you think it is, Chief Zhao?"
"South, Northwest, Northeast." Zhao says without thinking.
Guo finally hears something he thinks he can talk about, and quickly asks,
"so... are we counting upwards as North, downwards as South, left West and
right East?"
Chu and Zhao tacitly ignore his existence.
Guo's self-esteem is severely crushed; he doesn't dare say anything else.
In this instant, his drooping head is pulled up, and Zhao shines the torch at
the door. He points to the left and says, "what's that?"
Guo says stupidly, "... mountains."
Zhao violently turns his head to the right, "what about that?"
"Waves... water?"
"The Hanga people lived between the rivers and the mountains, from the
mid-levels down to the valley... I told you earlier, idiot... because of the
mountains it was hard for them to tell directions. To them, upwards were
the mountains, and that's the South, downwards were the water, and that's
the North. What's with the left West and right East," Zhao smacks him on
the head, "even a pig is smarter than you!"
As they are talking, Chu has already cracked the secret switches; the door
opens slowly.
A humid and decaying odour engulfs their nostrils.

"I'll lead the way, Little Guo follow me, Old Chu stay at the back." Zhao
starts walking, and thinks of something. He takes out a spare gun from the
bottom of his pants, and asks Guo, "did you pass the shooting test?"
Guo shamefully lowers his head, "the examiner said unless he dies and
comes back to life, otherwise he wouldn't let me pass."
Zhao sighs, "what about a knife? Can you use that?"
Guo lowers his head even further.
Chu laughs coldly and mockingly; his attitude makes Guo even more
miserable.
"I recruited a world peace ambassador." Zhao looks at the endless cave
sadly, and pulls out a miniature stun baton, handing it to Guo. He explains
impatiently like teaching a kid how to wipe his ass clean, "take this, its very
simple, just hold it out in front of yourself, no need to do anything else. Just
try not to be too scared to move, is that okay?"
Guo holds the small gadget and shakes it a bit, nothing happens. The thing
looks like a little torch. But Guo doesn't suspect that the Chief is lying, he
thinks he must be too dumb to understand what this does... he has a
tendency to think the worst about himself.
Zhao is tired of explaining, and starts moving forward. Guo runs a few steps
to catch up, pondering whether he should ask. A normal human's rational
mind tells him that under dangerous circumstances he shouldn't be kept in
the dark, but...
Guo stares at Zhao's tall figure, and fearfully thinks: if he asked, the Chief
would probably bite his head off.
When he imagines a furious Zhao, he trembles, and the "stun baton"
suddenly shoots out a string of sparkling flare, which rushes towards Zhao
from behind.
Luckily Zhao is incredibly alert, he hears something fishy, and swiftly

dodges aside. The streak of ember flies deep into the cave with a rush of
heat.
Chu shouts, "fuck!"
Zhao shouts, "fuck!"
Chu stares at Guo with shock, he never thought this piece of garbage would
do what nobody in the SIU dares to even think about... beating up the
bastard Chief.
Zhao embarrassingly wipes of mud and water from his clothes, "what the
fuck did you do!?"
Guo is extraordinarily innocent, "I, I don't know... it it it it it suddenly

moved..."
"Bullshit, that thing attacks when you're scared. The more frightened you
are, the more powerful it becomes. It's totally tailor-made for you, alright?"
Zhao is losing his mind, "what the hell were you thinking looking at my
back that got you so scared!? We were just walking!"
After a period of eerie silence, Guo points at the stomping and enraged
Zhao while quivering, "this... I was thinking about this."
Chu really can't hold it anymore, he laughs wholeheartedly at the hilarious

situation.
Then, Chu extends his hand, "let me take a look."
Chu rarely talks to him. Guo is flattered and dazed, and obediently hands it
to him.
Chu shakes the "stun baton" next to his ear, and knocks on it. His eyes seem
to realise something, and throws it back to Guo. He looks at Zhao with a
hidden realisation, "Chief Zhao, this is probably something inappropriate,
isn't it."
Zhao chuckles, "as if you're a decent guy yourself... careful!"
He hasn't finished his sentence, and his face changes. He kneels down and
pushes Guo aside. A large explosion blasts off, and a surge of gale sweeps
above their scalps. A putrid odour oozes out, and a giant comb-shaped
object flies above. Its base is made of thick wood, around three metres long,
and is covered with sharp blades. If it hits you, you'd turn into a meat pie
instantly.
Chu stands against the wall, and takes out a dozen of paper talismans.
The ten-feet "giant comb" makes a u-turn mid-air, and swings towards them
from above. The talismans in Chu's hand fly out like throwing darts, and
precisely adhere to the densely packed knifes. But perhaps he picked the
wrong talismans, the object is completely unaffected, and comes crashing
down with a penetrating gust.
Zhao's gun slides on to his hand.
At this instant, nobody sees it coming, but the slow-witted Guo finally
realises the situation, and screams inhumanly, "mommy!!!"
Then, a blast of flames shoots out from his "stun baton": three metres of
intense heat. The power of the fire is not less than that of a gas explosion.
Zhao and Chu dodge at the same time, and the pillar of blaze crashes
towards the few dozens of blades. The giant "comb" quivers in the fiery
vortex and eventually melts into a liquid, splashing on to the ground with
hissing noises.
For a minute, nobody speaks.
A long time has passed, and Chu rigidly turns his neck, sincerely looking at
Guo, and exclaims from his heart, "you're so badass."
Guo's mind went blank in pure terror, and his heart is still thundering. He
desperately needs some medicine to calm him down. When he hears Chu, a
million emotions surge up inside of him.
"I thought you just sealed an earthbound spirit into a stun baton, which
feeds on fear as a source of energy," Chu turns towards the Chief, shivering
a little, "what... what did you do to make that thing?"
Zhao's expression switches from astonished to pretentious at the speed of

light. He adjusts his clothes, and says seriously, "it's illegal to imprison
spirits, I'm a decent, law-abiding civil servant, why would I blatantly break
the law?"
Chu has nothing to say to that.
"Well... inside contains the shattered souls of a few hundred executed

ghosts, most of them I got from the Ghost Slayer, and some I exchanged
with the Hell Guards for spirit money. Then I mixed the souls with Samadhi
true fire..."
Chu is having an emotional breakdown, "and where the hell did you get the
fire?"
"Last year I captured an escaped Bifang bird, and I borrowed its flames to
light a cigarette. And then I saved up a fire seed."
Chu stays silent and can't make any comment. He extends an arm to help
Guo get up, and says feebly, "never mind, let's keep going."
He has a gangster Chief who makes friends with good and evil and all sorts
of beings from the three realms, he's afraid that in his entire life, through
normal means, he will never fulfil his wish of beating this person up...
perhaps this glorious and arduous mission will land on the office mascot
Guo Changcheng comrade.
Zhao smiles, and is about to remind them to be careful. Suddenly, a long

whistling sound comes from far away, and a cloud of grey smoke sparkles
in fluorescence, floating forward and landing in Zhao's arms. The shining
mist disappears and a letter emerges in Zhao's hand.
A familiar scent, pitch black envelope, blood-red words.
Chu's face tenses up, and he retracts his step. Zhao is afraid Guo might lose
control again, and walks forward a little to avoid that troublemaker.
Chu asks, "it's the Ghost Slayer?"
"Yea." Zhao rips the envelope apart, but what's written in the letter puts a
frown on his face.
The Ghost Slayer usually has a lot to say. He would have started with
greetings and unimportant formalities, as if he wanted to ask about all your
distant relatives, before he says what he's actually writing to say in just a
few words. Perhaps that's called the subtlety of an accomplished gentleman.
But this time, the letter is incredibly brief, and the writing is all scribbled; it
reads: "danger, do not proceed, return promptly."
Chu asks, "why would the Ghost Slayer send his letter here, what's wrong?"
Zhao folds the letter and puts it in his pocket, not saying anything.
The Ghost Slayer usually sends his letter to the office, unless it's extremely
urgent, otherwise the letter wouldn't fall right into Zhao's hands. After all,
the Ghost Slayer prefers not to be seen, and the same applies to his letters.
What's happening now?
How does the Ghost Slayer know where Zhao is?
Zhao stays incredibly calm on the outside, but his mind goes round and
round thinking of all sorts of possibilities. He hesitates, and says to Chu,
"Old Chu, you bring him back to meet with Lin and the others."
Chu says, "what?"
Guo asks, "we're not going to find Wang Zheng anymore?"

"I'll go alone, you guys go back first." Zhao pats Guo on the shoulder, "hold
it tight, and be careful on your way back. Destroy the ritual site on the
mountain with Lin, keep an eye on Shen and his students. Wait for the
rescue team to clear the road."
Chu has an uneasy feeling, "you're going alone?"
Zhao nods without saying a word.
Chu frowns, and holds Guo's hand decisively, "let's go."
Guo still wants to say something, "but..."
Chu says, "but what, don't waste time. Our Chief is in a hurry to get things
done and go back to his boyfriend. Now come on."
Chu pulls the reluctant Guo out of the cave, who keeps looking back at
Zhao worrisomely.
Zhao holds the torch in his armpit, with his leather-gloved hands in his
pockets, watching the two leave. As they leave his line of sight, and the
sound of a closing door is heard, he keeps walking.
Suddenly, the grey smoke from earlier reappears and solidifies into the
skeleton of a five-year-old. The skeleton blocks his way with arms wide
open.
"Oh, you're a very small puppet. Did the Ghost Slayer send you?" Zhao
raises his eyebrows.
Perhaps it's because of how small it is, the puppet's black eyeholes seem to
look very innocent. It doesn't seem to understand what Zhao is saying. It
blocks his way still.
Zhao rubs his chin... he never thought that the quiet Ghost Slayer actually
knows him pretty well. If he had sent a giant skeleton, Zhao would have
busted his way through violently. But this small creature doesn't speak, and
it's so tiny and fragile, Zhao doesn't want to hurt it.
Zhao examines the determined little puppet, "you're not gonna move away,
are you?"
The puppet twitches its mouth, and a cackling noise is heard.
Zhao shakes his head. He raises his leg and crosses above the small creature
with a big step.
The small thing has yet to realise what's happening, it turns its head
following Zhao's movements, and its skull almost falls off. It finally realises
that Zhao is already walking ahead.
The small puppet scrambles forward and grabs hold of Zhao's clothes, not
letting him go.
Zhao keeps walking with the skeleton attached to him... the small thing isn't
heavy after all.
If it had eyes, it would probably be crying anxiously.
As he heads forward, a decaying smell grows stronger and stronger. The air
humidifies. An ancient and battered flight of stairs extends downwards, and
it gets narrower the further down he goes. Then, Zhao doesn't want the
skeleton getting in his way, so he picks it up like a child and puts it on to his
shoulder. He looks at his watch.
The revealing mirror is eerily calm.
Zhao stares at it for two seconds, and he stops walking abruptly... he

realises, the hands are going backwards!
No... not all of them are. The second hand is going anti-clockwise, but the
minute hand is going clockwise, and the hour hand is at twelve o'clock.
There seems to be a strange force drawing the three hands together.
Finally, they all meet at twelve, and stop dead.
Zhao wipes off some mud from the cave wall, and sniffs.
"Perhaps it's an illusion." Zhao murmurs, perhaps also saying to the mini
skeleton, "but I feel like I'm buried alive."
The small puppet cackles, and stabs Zhao on the cheek with its tiny finger
bones. It then points towards a wall not far away, and cackles again.
Zhao raises the torch, and finds some writings on the wall.
"Well, you don't have eyeballs, but your eyeholes are sharp... that's Hanga
language." Zhao moves closer, and touches the wall lightly, "no... strictly
speaking the Hangas didn't have their own language, this must be a special
kind of spell."
The small skeleton says, "ga... ga...?"
"Don't ask me, I'm not a multilingual dictionary, god knows what that
means." Zhao moves in even closer, and murmurs, "but I do know that in
Hanga culture, round shapes were considered benign and peaceful, whereas
cornered shapes were considered evil. For instance a triangle is the prison
of spirits, and I saw an octagon too but I haven't yet figured out what it
means..."
He runs his fingers across the writings, and finds an octagonal symbol.
"There it is," Zhao says calmly, "great, now the scary part comes."
A huge explosion interrupts him, and the entire cave quivers. Zhao almost
loses his balance, and the small puppet screeches as it tightly clutches
Zhao's collar and hair. A flaming dragon howls and comes rushing forward;
Zhao holds on to the wall and puts the little skeleton in his arms, a blazing
red light shines on his face.
The flickering flames reflect on his black irises, with a peculiarly scorching
coldness. Zhao pats the scaredy skeleton on its skull, "don't hang on to my
clothes, get in my watch if you're scared."
The small puppet forgets all about his master's orders, and turns into a cloud
of grey mist and jumps into his watch. The next moment, a wave of flare
engulfs him.
Zhao clutches a paper talisman in his hand, but it doesn't burn in the fire,
and he doesn't feel the heat either.
Zhao hesitates, and puts away the talisman. He looks up to the vortex of
flames sweeping the entire cave clean, but the fire doesn't touch him. As the
fire wears away, the octagonal symbol on the wall falls off along with a
pinch of mud.
He quickly catches it and puts it in an empty cigarette box.
Then, larger pieces of the wall begin to crumble, and as Zhao wipes off the
dirt, a wall painting vaguely emerges.
Perhaps due to its age, most of the painting is obscured. The symbols on it
are very abstract, they're scattered all over the place like a stream of
consciousness. Maybe an archaeologist can figure it out, but not Zhao. He
studies the painting till his eyes almost become short-sighted, and still he
has no clue what it's about.
He loses interest quickly, and continues walking. Suddenly, he thinks of

something and stops, and looks at the wall from further away. The torch
light shines on to the top of the painting, then forty five degrees
downwards, theee o'clock position, then forty five degrees downwards...
He realises that the painting makes a giant octagon, and each corner has a
small octagon.
Zhao stares at the painting, and starts searching in his pockets: wallet, some
coins inside, and credit cards and receipts and finally, a small piece of
scruffy paper... teared off from an ancient book.
It's a page about Luobula restriction magic from the Ancient Scroll of Dark
Magic. For some reason, he didn't show it to Chu.
On it is a drawing of a hideous monster, with six arms, a head and only one
leg, each pointing to one corner of an octagon. The monster looks ferocious
and menacing, and its wide-open jaws hold a mountain, while its left chest
has an octagonal symbol on it.
"The mountain is in its mouth, and that thing is in its heart..." Zhao pauses
for a moment, and sticks the old map he carries around on to the wall.
Zhao then puts the drawing of the monster on to the map, and slowly rotates
the map, turning South upwards. He marks a line with his fingernail
connecting the monster's mouth with its heart and finally to the deepest part
of the stone cave.
The strange fire in the valley, the skulls at the mountaintop, and the dark
magic of the extinct tribe: these things all seem to hold a deeper and darker
secret.
And why did Wang run off here on her own?
Why is she so obsessed with her hundred-year-old corpse?
Zhao has an ominous feeling... when he finds Wang Zheng, he will lock her
up in a dark room for a month, this troublesome suicidal girl!
Zhao keeps heading into the cave, which keeps getting narrower and
narrower. He lowers his head and keeps walking, almost developing a
chronic spinal injury, and only then does he arrive at the end.
There is another door, with the six-armed monster engraved on it, the same
one from the page Zhao teared off.
Except it doesn't look terrifying, it looks terrified.
Zhao slowly raises his hand, and as his palm touches the door, his chest
sinks as if having a heart attack. But he does not hesitate and pushes the
door open. He finds himself on the edge of a cliff in the mid-ranges, and
below him is the mysterious valley.
He feels as though he were standing amidst a stormy ocean: heavy waves
crush towards his chest, suffocating him.
The sun is still up, but the clouds enshroud the sun and no light can shine
through. Zhao pauses for a moment, then walks ahead.
He takes the first step, and something is triggered.
From deep under the earth comes a silent wave of lamentation, like ripples
on water, spreading out from the mountains of the Hanga people.
This valley contains something... something mystical.
Zhao walks towards the valley, and the air gets thinner and thinner; the
force that clutches and squashes his chest grows stronger and stronger. His
temples seem to be clasped and crushed: only he can hear the rapid
pumping of his veins. His vision darkens, and he slowly adjusts his
breathing... he would be exhausted if he breathes too vigorously.
His intuition tells him: if there is something that Wang cannot forget even
after so many years since she died, it wouldn't be her corpse, it would be
this.
The small skeleton hiding in his watch sticks its skull out, and crashes its
jaws together. It seems to be saying something, but it's clearly scaredy; it
wants to stop Zhao, but it doesn't dare come out.
Zhao pushes it back into his watch, and moves forward against the
overwhelming pressure with a sombre expression. He takes out three yellow
paper talismans, but they are different from the ones he used before: they
each have "Guardian" written on them. If the black cat were here, it would
recognise them, as these are the legendary Guardian Order.
He doesn't make any other movements, and keeps walking. For every step,
one of the talismans will burn up, and as the final one burns and disappears,
a long whip appears in his hand with three whipping sounds. The whip
seems to be alive, it extends forward and pulls him along... until he sees a
disappearing white shadow.
Zhao's face darkens. He sends the whip flying, and pulls the white shadow
towards him. Wang's plastic body is long gone, and her spirit is incredibly
feeble. She looks at him with the calm gaze of a dying person.
"Motherfucking, you must have lost your kind." Zhao pulls her over and
furiously stuffs her into his watch. In this moment, his agonised heart is
about to explode, "this fucking place."
Zhao has Wang now, and immediately decides to head back. But something
seems to have attracted him, and he inadvertently looks up to where Wang
was standing.
He sees a colossal stone monument, a few dozens metres tall, towering

from the Earth into the Heavens. It's entirely black, thicker at the top and
thinner at the bottom, like a gigantic wedge nailed into the ground. At the
bottom is a ruined ritual site. Hanga spells are engraved all over stones at
the ritual site, and the offering table is filled with freshly-prepared bloody
offerings.
The moment when Zhao sees the humongous tower, a million faces emerge
on it, tightly packed together in a giant horde. Each of them is mourning
and screeching in agony and suffering; cacophonous wails pierce though his
ears. It's the sharp shrieks made by millions of people at the same time, with
all their might.
It's as if a huge boulder crushed on to his chest. A sharp whistle echoes

inside his brain. His entire body suffers in acute and tormenting pain. He
vomits and blood gushes out of his mouth. He struggles to stand up but he
can't feel his limbs. His knees bend, and he falls backwards.
For a few seconds, Zhao sees and hears nothing. His chest vigorously
quivers in agony and eventually becomes numb.
I can't pass out here, he thinks. He decisively takes out a knife with his
bloodied hand and slashes towards his other hand.
A freezing hand stops him. Zhao is pulled into someone's arms. Amidst the
odour of blood he picks up a familiar scent... the odd aroma that comes
from Hell.
Is it... the Ghost Slayer?
Zhao's knife falls to the ground. His heart softens, and he falls unconscious.
FAQs & changing book cover
Sorry to disappoint you, this is not a new chapter =)
First of all I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for supporting
my work. I didn't expect so many people to read my translation so I was
really surprised when I saw all the comments that started flowing in.
And speaking of the comments I apologise for not being able to reply to
most of them, it's quite difficult for me to even go through all of them. Just
know that I appreciate all your love and support, and feel free to message
me if you have any questions/feedback/proposals etc., I will try my best to
reply =)
Now, I have gotten quite a few questions repeatedly so I'm gonna do a little
FAQ here to answer them all at once.
[SPOILER ALERT: Some people asked about how the plot will progress so
please avoid if you don't want spoilers.]
Also, try your best to avoid spoilers in the comments some people might
not want to be spoiled. Thanks ^_^
FAQ starts here:
Q: how many chapters are there in this novel?A: 106 chapters + 3 epilogues
which are side stories.
Q: who is top and who is bottom?A: Shen is top and Zhao is bottom.
Q: will Guo Changcheng and Chu Shuzhi end up as a couple?A: not

explicitly, but it is insinuated.
Q: will this have a happy ending?A: yes.

Q: will [insert character] die at some point?A: the major characters do not
die, ghosts can't die, and honestly since this novel is about reincarnation and
a bunch of other supernatural things death is not really a problem for our
characters XD
Q: what does [insert Sanskrit/mythological term] mean?A: the author Priest

made it clear that many of the mythological elements in the novel have been
created by her, based loosely on traditional Chinese mythology and
Buddhist concepts. If it's something real, I will try to leave a note to
explain, if I don't it's probably made-up. Also, try Googling, I try my best
not to include words that return no meaningful results when Googled :)
Q: why did you leave out this/that in your translation?A: sometimes I get
lazy, so I'm sorry :| there are some rather confusing passages that I have
shrunk down to make them simpler, and also to make my life easier. Based
on my judgment I haven't reduced anything significant to
plot/character/setting or with symbolic significance. Hope you understand :)
Q: can I translate your translation into another language?A: certainly :) be

kind and include a link to my work, I appreciate it and have fun translating!
Q: can I repost your translation elsewhere (e.g. BL translation blogs)A: feel

free to share my work with others, just credit me as the translator
(RainbowSe7en) and put a link there.
Q: can I pay you for your work?A: I would feel bad for accepting payment
for this as I'm only doing it as a hobby, if you enjoy my work give it a vote,
leave a comment, follow me, and tell your friends about it =D thank you so
much for all your support!
Q: will you upload regularly in the future like you have since you started
translating?A: unfortunately no, in August I will become busy so my
uploads will be sporadic. I will try my very best but no guarantees >< In
September my semester starts, so I have no way of telling how busy I will
be, but I will still upload regularly as I usually have free time to spare.
Q: will you translate other novels in the future?A: after I finish Guardian I
will most likely start another BL novel unless I'm incredibly busy. Feel free
to give me suggestions on what to translate next :D
Now, on to the new book covers. I have three new book covers, please leave
a comment telling me which one you like better. Also tell me if you prefer
the current one. Here they are:
Thank you again, my lovely readers!!! See you in the next chapter ^_^
The Ghost Slayer's dark cloak is a thick cloud of smoke that no light can
shine through: a dozen metres of smokescreen whips up and engulfs the
two, and extends into the Heavens. The shroud of darkness blocks out
everything outside.
He embraces Zhao in his arms, and shouts towards the wristwatch, "come
out!"
The small puppet floats upwards, and droops its disproportionately big
skull. The Ghost Slayer glares at it, and absorbs it back into his sleeve,
"come back."
The small puppet obediently turns into a rush of grey mist and rolls into a
ball and back into his sleeve.
Wang comes out of the watch as well, and looks at Zhao worrisomely.
The Ghost Slayer glares at her coldly, his gaze sombre and frightening;
Wang quivers in terror.
After a long while, the Ghost Slayer looks away, sits on the ground, and
carefully adjusts the man in his arms, "you work for him, I won't judge
whether you were right or wrong; sit aside."
Wang dares not sit too close; she hesitates, and sits at the far corner in the
pillar of smoke.
The Ghost Slayer seems to be afraid of making Zhao dirty... although it's
not like Zhao is in a pristine state after this whole ordeal... he carefully sets
his weapon aside; Wang realizes that his blade is tainted with dark blood
stains.
A pale white hand comes out of the black hole of a sleeve, and gently wipes
away the blood stain at the corner of Zhao's lips. As the finger touches the
lips, he stops, as if he wants to kiss him. He acts like he is holding a piece
of fragile and precious treasure, but not the ill-tempered and crude
Guardian.
Wang's eyes widen in astonishment.
A long time later, Zhao finally wakes up. He finds his head leaning against
someone's shoulder. He frowns; it's as if he has just awaken from a deep
coma and his entire body is drained of vitality.
He struggles to open his eyes and looks at the Ghost Slayer, "you..."
A frigid finger lightly presses on to his lips. The Ghost Slayer holds his
hand against his heart, and says softly, "don't talk, focus."
Afterwards, a surge of freezing yet soothing energy gushes out of the Ghost
Slayer's palm. Zhao starts shivering, and yet as the energy passes through
his entire body, he closes his eyes, and comfortably lets go and leaves his
fate up to the other person.
The freezing flow comes from the ferocious and cruel nature of the Ghost
Slayer, but Zhao's vigorously chaotic heart seems to calm down amidst the
endless stream.
Zhao admires the Ghost Slayer: ever since the Guardian Order passed on to
him, the Ghost Slayer has always worked with him in times of crises.
Throughout these years, Zhao has never seen him lose control.
The Ghost Slayer always seems so perfectly poised, polite and yet
extremely restrained: his brutal and malevolent nature has always been in
chains, and not a sign of it can be seen.
Extreme restraint could be to achieve utmost freedom: if a person, for

thousands of years, has always hidden his true nature, then on one hand, he
lives in pain, but on the other, he lives above everyone else.
Soon, the agonising torture on his soul wears away. Zhao opens his eyes,
and sits up, "thank you, I guess I got lucky again this time."
The Ghost Slayer reluctantly lets go of him, and moves aside a little. He
says politely, "it's my pleasure... but the Guardian should not have ignored
my warning."
"It's all because of that stupid girl," Zhao points at the head-dropped Wang,
"I was worried sick, she works for me after all, I can't just leave her to die."
His face sinks into darkness, "come on over here, quick!"
Wang silently floats over, and Zhao's whip comes whipping towards her.
She closes her eyes, but the whip doesn't touch her, it only rushes towards
the ground, leaving a deep scar.
"Open your eyes. I never beat women up, now move in closer." The whip
transforms into a paper talisman, which floats like a feather on to Zhao's
hand. A corner of it is blood-stained. "You're not listening to the Guardian
Order now, are you?"
Wang kneels down in front of him.
But Zhao isn't moved at all, "get back up, don't give me that. What the hell
are you kneeling down for, my wallet is still in the car, no red pocket money
for you."
Wang bites her lips.
Zhao furiously glares at her, and takes out a cigarette and lighter. A hand
silently snatches the cigarette away.
He rubs his nose. He feels like something similar happened before.
"I checked your files," Zhao rubs his fingers unnaturally, "you died in 1713,
the second year of the civil war of the Hanga tribe. So what happened then?
Did you prepare the offerings at the bottom of the big pillar just now?
What's that thing?"
The Ghost Slayer interrupts, "that's not just any big pillar, it's called the
Pillar of Nature."
Sounds familiar. Zhao pauses for a thought, and frowns, "one of the Four
Mystical Artifacts?"
The Ghost Slayer nods, "the Guardian knows a lot."
First the Sundial of Reincarnation, then the Pillar of Nature. The Four
Mystical Artifacts have long been lost and scattered across the universe, it's
not like they are vegetables found in a wet market; coming across two of
them in just half a year, Zhao feels like he should have bought the lottery
ticket instead.
The conspiracy theorist in him emerges, a million possibilities shine

through his mind: the oddly tranquil office building of the Dragon City
University, the hungry ghost that chased after Li Qian, the missing sundial,
and the wanted criminal spirit beasts, and... the warning from the Ghost
Slayer.
Zhao's expression turns to solemn, and asks the most important question at
hand, "what's the Pillar of Nature?"
"People often say 'the gods and the spirits control Life and Death', but that's
not true. Ever since the dawn of time, there were Good and Evil. The
earliest judgment was engraved on to the Pillar of Nature, to tell Good from
Evil. This great pillar was formed from a million mountain and river spirits,
and it extends from the Nine Heavens down to the depths of Hell. On it is
the details of all Eighteen Floors of Hell, and the Book of Life and Death
comes from the judgment engraved upon it. Ever since the creation of the
pillar, people believed that the mountains and rivers have their spirits."
The Ghost Slayer pauses for a moment, and adds, "the Pillar of Nature was
first created to suppress ghosts, over time, millions of evil spirits end up
imprisoned within it. Who would have thought that humans made use of it
to enslave their own kind for eternity."
"Other people wouldn't be affected by it, but you..." The Ghost Slayer
hesitates, and he rarely does. He continues, "you were born with an unstable
soul, so you were affected greatly by it."
Zhao has never heard of that before, he asks, "my soul is unstable? My soul
is just fine, how is it unstable?"
The Ghost Slayer stays silent for a moment, and says, "a human has
Samadhi true fire in three places: head and both shoulders. Your left
shoulder is missing a fire, in the olden times that was called a 'ghost-handed
shoulder'. It causes instability in your soul, the Guardian must be extremely
careful in the future."
Zhao frowns and looks at his left shoulder. But he gets over it quickly and
continues, "so Luobula restriction magic was the Hangas using the Pillar of
Nature?"
The Ghost Slayer nods, "they would behead people and burn their bodies,
and use dark magic to trap their souls inside the valley. The pillar would
absorb the souls, and one can control the dead spirits using their skulls."
Zhao points at Wang, "what about her?"
The Ghost Slayer looks at Wang, who shivers as his gaze seems to pierce
through her soul and look into all her past-lives.
He says, "she was beheaded, but her body seems to have been kept intact,
so her soul was never imprisoned in the pillar."
Wang smiles bitterly, "yes, I was immature back then. I died with a grudge,
and took possession of the body of a living. The former Guardian captured
me and took me in under the Guardian Order. 'Wang Zheng' wasn't my birth
name, it was the name of the girl I possessed... my real name is Gelan, I was
the daughter of the leader of the tribe who died in the civil war."
Zhao realises with discontent that his SIU is full of people born into rich
and powerful families.
Wang continues, "the leader of the rebels was called Sang Zan, his mother
was my mother's maid. Our tribe didn't have normal citizens, you were
either the royals or a slave. So Sang naturally became a slave as well. He
was one of the elites among the slaves as he was capable and brave. My
father appointed him to be in charge of the war horses. He was quite
admired by many."
She laughs bitterly, "but in our tribe, no matter how capable you are, if
you're a slave, your life can only amount to that of a dog or a pig or worse.
You can be sold and killed for no reason. You could have had a lot of
admirers, and you could have been rich, but you wouldn't have had dignity
after all. At one point, my father got a female servant pregnant, and my
mother was furious... that servant was Sang's younger sister. My mother
furiously beheaded Sang's mother for some trivial reason, and my brother
killed Sang's father. His sister... well, she eventually hanged herself."
Zhao starts chewing some beef jerky, and comments, "your dad was a jerk."
The Ghost Slayer can see that he is not in a good mood; he coughs, and
asks, "there used to be a stone tablet at the bottom of the pillar, and on it a
list of all the imprisoned souls was engraved. I see that the stone tablet
remains, but the list had been scrapped, did that happen during the war?"
Wang nods, "Sang brought his followers to victory, and eventually arrived
at the forbidden site... the Pillar of Nature. He said he wanted everyone in
the tribe to live equally and with dignity, so he destroyed the name list on
the stone tablet. The leader... my father, mother and brother, the rest of the
royal families, and all their followers and soldiers were all hanged in the
watch house at the mountaintop. Ever since, the Hanga tribe abolished
royals and slaves."
"What about you?" Zhao asks, "you weren't executed, because you helped
Sang in secret, didn't you?"
Wang drops her head, "I knew him since we were little. My father was
hunting him down, and I hid him... I really didn't want him to die, but I
never thought the war would turn out like it did..."
Zhao frowns and looks at her, "you're not sick are you?"
Wang doesn't answer, she stares straight at the ground. She always seems to
be dazed when her eyes fixate on a spot. After a while, she says softly, "I
was young, around seventeen. I didn't know anything. I was naive and
foolish. I only saw what was happening right in front of me, and I only
considered one path in my mind. I... Sang and I had been close ever since
we were kids. Though he was a slave, I treated him as family. Dad wanted
to kill him, and I... of course I didn't want that."
"You hid him, like a form two girl hiding a love letter from her parents."
Zhao says impolitely.
A faint smile emerges but quickly vanishes from Wang's face, "perhaps. At
the time I blamed my father, he brought shame on me, he... he was our great
leader, how could he be so shameless?"
Zhao stays silent, still wearing an unpleasant face, but his gaze subtly
softens. Wang sighs after a long while, "is there a place in this world where
everyone is free, where everyone is equal?"
Nobody answers. After a long time, Zhao suddenly says, "yes."
Wang and the Ghost Slayer both turn towards him. Zhao's lips are still
stained with bright red blood marks; his face is particularly pale. Along
with his dark grey shirt, his figure is weathered, only his eyes are shining
astonishingly... his eyes are always sparkling, like nothing in this world can
wipe away the glimmer.
Zhao pauses, and says slowly, "in death."
The Ghost Slayer's face remains out of sight underneath a thick layer of
swivelling mist. As he hears this, he can't help but disagree, "wouldn't that
mean there is no hope? What is the purpose of living then? The Guardian is
too pessimistic."
"Only if one dwells on the surface, Your Honour." Zhao calmly looks up,
"what's fairness and what's equality? If someone considers himself equally
treated, others must feel that they are not. If people are starving, equality
would mean everyone is adequately fed. When no-one is concerned with
survival, equality will then entail dignity for all. Even if everyone lives with
dignity, there must be something each person desires to make one appear
superior over others, and they would never quit till death, wouldn't they?
Equal or not, isn't that all up to each person to decide?"
The Ghost Slayer is lost for words for a moment, and lightly laughs,
"nonsense."
Zhao laughs too, and changes the subject, "Sang won the war, killed your
dad, and abolished slavery, then what?"
"Afterwards, the eldest in each family would represent the whole family to
raise concerns and vote for solutions, the majority view would be adopted."
Wang says, "Sang suggested this system. He wasn't educated, but he knew
what the people wanted. It's like what people call democracy now. I guess
humans have always wanted the same things."
Zhao bends one leg, putting both his hands on to his knee, and sits in a
rather laid-back and unappealing position. But his words are still sharp like
knives, piercing at Wang's heart. He suddenly says, "that was when you
died, wasn't it?"
Wang is taken by surprise, and is stunned silent. Her gaze saddens.
And when everyone thinks she will not speak, suddenly, she says, "I was...
at that time I had nowhere else to stay but at Sang's. But I couldn't do any
work: when I was little, my mother only ever taught me how to dress up
and order the servants to do everything else. I couldn't hunt, and I couldn't
even take care of house work... Then, a girl in the tribe wanted to marry
Sang, her father came for matchmaking, but Sang turned him down. The
girl was devastated and ran up to the mountains on her own. When they
found her she was dead; she fell down the hillside and banged her head on a
rock. Her father despised me, he convinced a lot of people that since I was
the leader's daughter, I must have used magic to put a curse on the girl. So...
so they decided to behead me."
Wang's shoulders suddenly begin to tremble... she used to believe

wholeheartedly that her father was wrong: the people should not have been
enslaved, they were humans too, they didn't deserve to live with shame and
be controlled by others. She used to be like Sang, wishing that the people
could all live equally, freely and happily.
But despite her sympathy and compassion, the tribe loathed her.
"The girl's father led the tribe to vote raising their hands: those who didn't
meant they abstained or didn't want me to be killed, and those who did
meant they agreed to beheading me..."
When she says "beheading", her voice cracks and she starts crying.
That day, a huge crowd gathered together, all looking rather pleased. Rows
after rows of raised hands packed tightly in a cluster. When looked at from
above, they appeared as claws of evil spirits in the deepest river in Hell.
Almost everyone raised their hands. They glared at the tied-up girl, coldly,
blandly, foolishly, and sadistically.
Shockingly, they reached a consensus: kill her, chop off her head.
Even if there were thousands of lights in your heart, they would be

extinguished till not even ashes remain.
Nobody remembered what she did... or perhaps, she did it with an ulterior
motive anyway.
Tears fall in large droplets from Wang's eyes on to the ground, turning to
smoke as they hit the ground, and disappearing into thin air. Her figure
grows weaker... she died over three hundred years ago, so she shouldn't
have tears; but now her heart is broken beyond repair, and her soul is
burning up.
"Don't cry." Zhao feebly extends his hand and holds her chin. He wipes off
the tears on her face, and puts a soul-stabilising talisman against her
forehead. The crying stops, and she stares at Zhao with her innocent eyes.
Zhao's gaze is gentle and subtle, and Wang seems to be stunned for a while.
Zhao holds out his watch, and lowers his voice, "go inside first."
Wang suddenly feels that Zhao already knows the entire truth about her.
Wang is still silent, and feels a gentle but irresistible force pulling her into
the revealing mirror. Zhao says, "I'll let you out when it's night."
Wang disappears. Zhao and the Ghost Slayer are left in silence.
Zhao closes his eyes; he is exhausted.
The Ghost Slayer stays silent for a moment, then pats his shoulder, "don't
sleep just yet, if you did, your soul that was just stabilised might disperse
again. You can rest later... is your chest still painful?"
Zhao forcefully rubs between his eyebrows, and says with a coarse voice,
"I'm fine, it's just that stupid girl's drugs, my head is still dizzy."
"How about I escort you back first, then I will return for the Pillar of
Nature."
Zhao waves his hand, and forces a pretence of being energetic. Finally, he
can't help it but says painfully, "can I have a cigarette?"
Zhao treats his silence as acquiescence, and swiftly lights up a cigarette. He

smokes deeply like an addict, and not even secondhand smoke comes out;
every last bit of smoke is sucked into his lungs. He seems refreshed, "I'm
fine, really, I treat vomiting blood as detoxing. I just didn't know what that
thing was and I panicked. You don't have to walk me back, You Honour,
taking the pillar is the priority. Last time someone else got to the sundial
first, so don't waste time on me."
The Ghost Slayer freezes, "you saw everything last time?"

Zhao strangely looks at him, "I'm not blind... but the Hell Guards are
putting an arrest order for spirit beasts, I wonder who's behind all this, who
would dare challenge you like that?"
The Ghost Slayer is silent for a moment, and Zhao instantly feels his
embarrassment, and says, "oh, you don't have to answer me. It's just that I'm
in charge of the living world, so if it ever affects us here, it would be nice if
you could warn me in advance, Your Honour."
The Ghost Slayer agrees. Zhao stands up, puts off the cigarette in the snow,
and seems to be alive again. He pulls out a scruffy paper talisman, and eats
it, "damn, so hard to chew. Let's go, shall we, Your Honour?"
The Ghost Slayer nods, and retracts the smoke barrier; the Pillar of Nature
reappears in front of the two.
Zhao swallows the soul-stabilising talisman, but he still feels the incredibly
brutal and menacing force emanating from the Pillar of Nature. He puts a
hand into his pocket, and stands upright facing the colossal monument. He
realises that the cross-section of the pillar is an octagon. It sharply
penetrates the ground all the way down to the centre of the Earth.
The Ghost Slayer walks forward, stands still, palms pressed together, and
after a moment, from the ground whips up a fearsome storm. His hoodie
and dark cloak look as though they may be pulled away by the gale, but he
remains poised.
The Ghost Slayer bellows, "the Spirits of the Mountains!"
The Pillar of Nature quivers. Then the ground. Afterwards, the snowy
mountains tremble together as well. In the depths of the valleys and hills
comes a thundering blow, like a deity trapped under the icy rocks being
awakened, letting out a terrifying cry that darkens the skies.
Zhao struggles to keep his eyes open in the gusts, as he barely sees a mirage
flashing across in the air; it seems like a few figures have emerge.
He sees Wang in her teens, innocent and naive. He sees a handsome young
man in shabby clothing, standing atop, looking back at her with a bloodied
face and a genuine and pure smile.
Then he roars, and swings a giant iron shovel on to the stone tablet.
Underneath his feet is a blood-red hillside, laden with corpses.
Those who are alive look up intently at his every movement.
The man clears the stone tablet, stays silent, and suddenly howls in a coarse
voice. Zhao doesn't understand the language, but he knows what it means.
Bloodied and full of mud and dirt, though he emerges victorious, he doesn't
seem content, but only indignant... a tribe that has been repressed for a
thousand years. The first breath of fresh air in forever, it almost brings him
to tears.
The silent crowd eventually joins in; the howling and weeping of men echo
in the valley.
The mirage disappears abruptly, and the Pillar of Nature gradually rises up
from the ground. The Ghost Slayer points a finger, "the Souls of the
Rivers!"
Zhao stands motionless, and the black shadow of the pillar reflects on to his
irises. His eyes redden from the howling wind, and he presses on to the
watch, comforting the the soul of the girl trapped within: a soul of never-
ending solitude and melancholy.
At this instant, a screeching shriek pierces through the air and attacks the
ears. Zhao lowers his head inadvertently: his brain gets dizzy again. The
screaming gets denser and louder and the rigorous cries echo like
fingernails scratching at your internal organs.
The screeching continues to strengthen and soon explodes out of control;

Zhao feels like vomiting.
The Ghost Slayer stands not far away, and summons a wall of smoke again,
blocking out all noises. The Pillar of Nature reverts to normal and falls back
into the ground. Zhao tastes blood: he realises he bit his tongue.
"What was that?"
The calm and poised Ghost Slayer finally shows a sign of worry, he says, "I
was reckless, this must be handled with caution. That was the wails of ten
thousand ghosts."
The Ghost Slayer sits on the ground, and a moment later, he retains his
usual composure, "the Pillar of Nature has been erected here for thousands
and possibly millions of years. Sang Zan cleared the stone tablet, so
logically the spirits imprisoned within should have been freed, but who
would have thought... ghosts normally cannot cry, the spirits were
screaming and wailing with the risk of shattering their own souls. Neither of
us can withstand the force of their weeping, even the mountains may
crumble."
Zhao puts his hands behind his back and stands behind him in silence.
The Ghost Slayer says, "what happened exceeded my expectation."
Zhao has yet to reply, and suddenly, his revealing mirror flashes and a rush
of white swiftly emerges, pouncing towards the pillar at lightning speed
with determination.
Her body has yet to leave the watch entirely, and from Zhao's hand a
transparent string grows out like spider silk, tightly securing Wang in place.
Wang is stunned. She lowers her head, and the man and ghost lock eyes
with each other. Wang's eyes are watery, but the talisman pushes her tears
back. Zhao remains emotionless, appearing rather heartless.
"You ran away once under my watch, if I let you run away a second time, I
will chop my head off and you can kick it like a ball." Zhao says coldly.
Wang silently retracts a bit, and the spider silk is still restraining her.
Zhao stares at her with an unpleasant expression. Wang is scared, naturally,

and looks down. Eventually, the Ghost Slayer pulls him back softly, and
calmly advises, "Guardian, compose yourself, it's best not to get mad."
Zhao looks at him... he can reprimand his staff all he wants, but he has to
show the Ghost Slayer some respect. He tries to be as calm as he can, and
says to Wang, "you think if you sacrificed yourself to the Pillar of Nature
you can appease the spirits? I don't understand, do you really believe that
'faith can move mountains', or do you just want to become casserole?"
He started out nice, but he gets angrier and eventually howls, "are you
stupid!?"
The red line round Wang's neck grows brighter, and the talisman on her
forehead flickers as she trembles. Her appearance is almost comical, like a
silly zombie girl from a crappy horror flick, but nobody is laughing.
Zhao stops yelling; he finally let his anger out and begins to calm down. He
sits beside the Ghost Slayer on the ground, and mercifully says to Wang,
"you sit down too."
The binding silk swivels in the air and transforms into a silvery chair, just
big enough for one person to sit on.
Perhaps too much has happened in her life and afterlife, she doesn't have
the passion and rowdiness unique to ethnic minorities in the Northwest. She
always seems depressed, silent, and withdrawn.
The girl's dark hair hangs on both sides of her cheeks, floating in mid-air
with no movement.
With much effort, Zhao finally manages to speak with a mild tone, and
slowly says, "there are some things that outsiders can easily guess the
whole truth about, do you know why?"
Wang silently looks up.
Zhao sighs, "that's because it's gonna happen no matter what; it's fate. You
cannot stop fate."
Wang mutters, "you know?"

"I just understand people like Sang." Zhao says, "for centuries the people
had been enslaved, and nobody had ever rebelled. He was the first in his
time, and he must have felt immense indignation. Such a courageous and
elite man, he must have been fearless even in death, but he could not have
let anyone hurt his pride. And a man's pride has nothing to do with riches
and fame; it only boils down to protecting his wife and children, and
providing those he loves with a stable life, doesn't it?"
As the Ghost Slayer hears this, he can't help but ask, "is the Guardian the
same?"
"I cannot control my fate," Zhao cannot think of a reason why the Ghost
Slayer would want to discuss something as trivial as this, and just says, "but
if someone willingly and devotedly follows me, takes care of me and
worries about me, and I can't even protect them, then what kind of garbage
am I? Would I deserve to be called human?"
The Ghost Slayer hides his hands in the sleeves, and tightly clenches his
fists out of sight; he struggles to control his emotions. After a while, he says
in a deep voice, "the Guardian is truly a romantic, one wonders who might
be lucky enough to have that."
"Eh?" Zhao is stunned by the flattery, and it certainly sounded strange

coming from the Ghost Slayer. He laughs, "oh, don't flatter me, Your
Honour, I'm getting goosebumps."
The Ghost Slayer lightly laughs, but doesn't reply, and only says, "for the
sake of his tribe, Sang bore a terrible crime, and took an immense risk to
fight for the livelihood of the people. And he succeeded, he made the
unlikely wish a reality, but he must not have anticipated what followed."
Zhao says, "if I were him, and the person I loved died by the rules I set, I
must have hated those people more than the old leader."
"Not just that," the Ghost Slayer looks up and through the smokescreen he
created, staring at the towering pillar. He says softly, "not even a thousand
bludgeonings would ease the anger."
His tone exerts an appalling chill. Wang senses it and moves a little closer
to Zhao.
Zhao asks, "did Sang see your execution?"
"They detained him." Wang shakes her head, "that girl's father said he was
bewitched by me, and they locked him up for his own good."
Zhao pauses for a moment, and then asks, "so Sang hid your body?"
Wang nods.
"So, when you said you wanted to come back for your body and be properly
buried, that was a lie?"
Wang drops her head, and after a while, she nods.
Zhao frowns and looks at her, then he looks away and says stiffly, "don't let
there be a next time."
The Ghost Slayer sees that his attitude is softened, and continues, "and then
Sang put your body into the water?"
Wang takes a deep breath, and says after a moment of silence, "yes. Our
tribe believed that the mountains represent imprisonment and suppression,
whereas the rivers represent thousand miles of light and freedom. When
slaves or criminals died, they would be beheaded in the mountains. When
the royals died, their bodies would be washed down the rivers. Sang dug up
my head, and stole my body. He took the head of the girl who died
accidentally, and swapped the two bodies. Then, he sewed my head and
body together, and placed me into the girl's corpse bag next to the river. He
wept in front of my body all night. The next day, he watched as the people
washed my body down the stream."
She raises her head and runs her fingers softly across the red line round her
neck. The stitches are tightly sewn, normally, it would appear frightening.
Now, one somehow feels a wrench in the heart.
How did he feel when he was washing her face, when his fingers ran across
her dead and pale profile, and when he had to sew her head and body
together?
And perhaps, he never got the chance to tell her his true feelings that he
always kept hidden.
How preposterous and ruthless time is; just a slight hesitation, and it will
strip your life down. You will be left heartbroken, and there will be no
turning back.
The two men beside her are silenced. They must be thinking about
something.
"The river brought my body away but I never left," Wang says, "I watched
him. And he became another person. Originally, three people took turn to
initiate voting among the tribe: Sang, the man who initiated my execution,
and a respected elder. Sang married the granddaughter of the elder, and they
worked together to frame the third. Two years later, the people voted for
executing him."
Zhao takes out a cigarette, and sniffs it.
"Another year passed. The elder passed away. Everyone thought he died of
old age, but I saw Sang poisoning him." Wang's eyebrows twitch
vigorously, it seems that she still cannot believe the truth... poison is the
weapon of the cowardly; how did a brave warrior become a cunning coward
who uses poison?
"Then his wife, and his son who was still learning to walk... his own flesh
and blood," Wang clutches at her vague white dress with her translucent
fingers, "for every person he killed, he would behead them secretly, bury
their heads at the mountaintop, and put a rock in their corpse bags so that
their bodies would sink to the bottom of the river. Eventually, nobody in the
tribe could oppose him anymore, and they all followed him with the illusion
that they were making decisions out of free will. He became the new
leader."
An all-powerful leader who only wanted to destroy the tribe.
Then internal conflict arose, Sang would suppress them, but worsen the
conflict behind the scenes...
The once righteous and courageous young man became a villain; the young
man who held the body of his lover and wept for an entire night became
cold-blooded and dangerous... just like how the dancing and singing people
who only wanted to live a good life all raised their hands, and chopped off
the head of an innocent girl, and even wished for her soul to be enslaved
forever.
"Fifteen years after I died, a civil war broke out again. The people who used
to be enslaved turned against each other and divided into two forces. This
war was even more brutal than before. Corpses filled up the valley.
Bloodied children wept next to the corpses. Vultures circled the air but
didn't swoop down... since Sang led the rest of the people to the ritual site,
and started a fire. Standing in the flames, he pulled a switch under the stone
tablet."
Wang softly says, "the once cleared stone tablet had everyone's names
engraved on to it again. The flames burned brightly for a long time,
scorching the entire valley. And the Pillar of Nature stood still, like a pillar
of shame..."
The wails of ten thousand ghosts, it didn't happen without a reason.

Zhao heartlessly interrupts her tragic reminiscence, and rubs his palms,
"don't talk about the past, let's talk about what we do now?"
The Ghost Slayer is silent. Wang moves her lips and is about to speak, but
Zhao points at her and says, "I didn't ask you, shut your mouth."
"The Pillar of Nature suppresses souls and spirits. Not only the souls of
those who died of unjust, but any soul that becomes imprisoned within will
eventually become resentful." The Ghost Slayer ponders, and says with
composure, "in my view, there aren't many options available: either destroy
the artifact, or forcefully suppress the souls within."
Wang doesn't understand, and asks with bewildered eyes, "Your Honour,
what you meant by that..."
Zhao says, "he meant that if we can't blow up the pillar, he'll just slay all the
souls inside and shatter all of them into pieces."
Wang covers her mouth with her hand.
The Ghost Slayer shakes his head, "executing for no reason is unjust."
Then the only option left is to blow up the pillar.
The three are silenced.
Zhao sits on the ground and plays with the lighter. Suddenly, he stares at the
flickering flame and says to the Ghost Slayer, "now I remember, on our way
up the mountain, we met a Hell Guard with a paper lantern, on the road
right outside River Village. How could he not know what happened here,
and just passed by the Pillar of Nature like nothing."
The Ghost Slayer says, "he was leading hundreds to the afterlife, probably
too busy."
Zhao looks at him with suspicion, but he hides his doubts and continues,
"the Four Mystical Artifacts have been missing for a very long time,
scattered on Earth. Your Honour, why are you collecting them now? Last
time, we came across the sundial by chance, but this time, you probably
came for the pillar, didn't you?"
The Ghost Slayer instantly realises his carelessness, and remains silent...
this man is too smart. No matter how silly and unreliable he seems on the
outside, he is merely hiding his overly sharp mind. Whatever the incident, it
seems he can always puncture a hole in a story.
Zhao doesn't let him get out of this easily, and looks at his wide sleeves, and
points out, "your sleeves still have blood stains, Your Honour."
"I have never heard of spirit beasts, and they appeared together with the
sundial. Hell wouldn't say anything about them, what are they really? They
could not have appeared out of thin air, so where did they come from? And
the Mystical Artifacts, people must have fought for them till death, haven't
they? Why would you let the Artifacts stay on Earth for so long?"
The Ghost Slayer has always been the interrogator, never the interrogated.
He stays silent for a long time, and struggles to find a suitable explanation.
Finally, he says very gentlemanly, "forgive me, I can't tell you."
Lying to someone like Zhao is basically bringing shame on yourself. You're

better off being frank: "I know why, but I just don't wanna tell you", save
yourself the trouble of making up a story.
Zhao lights another cigarette, and sucks in deeply. Nobody knows what he's
thinking. After a while, he really stops asking about this.
Zhao stands up, and takes out his empty cigarette box. He takes out the
peeled layer of mud with an octagon on it, and asks Wang, "what does this
mean? Does it mean the Pillar of Nature in Hanga symbols?"
Wang ponders, "when I was little, my father taught me that means

mountain, and a circle around it means water."
"Your dad didn't lie to you, did he?" Zhao asks, "didn't your illiterate tribe
have another symbol for mountain?"
Luckily Wang is well-tempered, she remains calm and doesn't want to

punch the Chief at all. She explains, "the octagon represents the godly
mountain, which is where the Pillar of Nature is located. This place used to
be a forbidden site, and only the leader of the tribe could enter."
Zhao frowns, "but there are no rivers around this mountain."
Wang hesitates, "it's been so many years, perhaps the landforms have all
changed."
Zhao disagrees, "that's impossible; if a circle around the octagon represents

rivers around a mountain, that's understandable. But it can't just mean water,
in Hanga script, there is no precedent of such ambivalence."
Wang stares at Zhao dumbly: she always thought that although the Chief is
a nice guy, he is probably not the hardworking type. But in only a few days,
he already knows the Hanga tribe so well.
Zhao raises his head, and looks towards the pillar, "the spirits and souls of
the mountains and rivers... the Hanga people used the Pillar of Nature to
perform Luobula restriction magic for god knows how many generations.
They must have known something deeper: if water burial can prevent a soul
from being trapped by the pillar, then it's very peculiar that the circle around
the octagon represents water."
The Ghost Slayer follows his thought, "the Guardian is suggesting that
water might be the pillar's weakness?"
Zhao laughs, "why not give it a try?"
The Ghost Slayer stands up, and Zhao waves at Wang as if calling a dog.
He impatiently knocks on his watch.
Wang flashes, and vanishes.

The Ghost Slayer retracts the smokescreen, and points at the snow. The
layer of snow around the pillar melts rapidly, and a stream of water soon
surrounds the pillar.
As expected, the quivering pillar miraculously calms down, like a

temporarily appeased maniac in menacing silence.
This time, the Ghost Slayer doesn't force his way in, and stands cautiously
outside the stream, watching the pillar.
Under his movements, more and more snow begins to melt, and the streams
grow bigger in the freezing mountains. Gradually, they emerge through the
thick layer of snow and swivel towards the pillar like snakes.
Zhao hears an echo. He heard it as soon as the smokescreen was lifted up.
At first he thought the pillar was still having an effect on him, but now he
seems to hear a stuttering voice.
"Not yet old... not yet old but ravaged..."
He has a familiar feeling, like the sudden rush he felt after the earthquake
on that day.
Zhao listens to the voice closely, and shortly, he becomes mesmerised, and
inadvertently follows the voice, murmuring, "rock, not yet old but ravaged;
water, not yet cold but frozen; body, not yet lived but dead; soul, not yet
burnt but dispersed..."
The Ghost Slayer abruptly turns his head towards Zhao, his face is not seen,
but his gaze seems to pierce through.
Zhao quickly retains consciousness, and forcefully rubs his forehead. He

suspects that he must be over-sensitive and having illusions... he feels like
the Pillar of Nature is trying to connect with him, and attract him in.
As he lowers his head, he sees a flash of white light on the snow, and a
person emerges out of thin air behind the Ghost Slayer. A gigantic axe
slams towards the back of his head.
Ever since he entered the valley, Zhao's hand never left his gun in the
pocket. At the speed of light, he pulls out the gun and lands his hand on the
Ghost Slayer's shoulder, and pulls the trigger without blinking.
Under the silencer, the bullet goes right through that person's head. At the
same time, the Ghost Slayer turns around in a pitch black cyclone, and his
blade crashes with the giant axe with a screeching noise.
The two both stumble backwards, and Zhao sees that the person with an axe
is wearing a pale ghost mask. A bullet hole in the forehead exudes a dark
liquid.
Zhao looks at the Ghost Slayer, then looks at the person, and is confused...
he has never heard of anyone like that before.
The ghost face raises its hand and wipes off the black blood on its forehead.
The pale ghost mask turns towards Zhao and the painted face distorts into
an eerie smile.
"Guardian," a voice comes from beneath the mask, "it's been a thousand
years, and you haven't changed a bit."
Zhao isn't quite used to this way of meeting an old acquaintance.
The eyebrows on the mask droop down, and the face becomes half smile
and half cry, and the ghost face continues, "but the Guardian didn't use to be
so ruthless. But it doesn't matter, no matter how you treat me, I will never
forget borrowing the fire..."
The Ghost Slayer doesn't let it go on, and his blade slashes down with a
blinding ray, hacking the air with a screeching howl. Although Zhao has no
clue who is who here, he quickly dodges aside so that he doesn't become
collateral damage of two gods duelling.
He has never seen the Ghost Slayer so furious.
Wang's voice comes from his wristwatch, "Chief Zhao, who's that?"
With a cigarette in his mouth, Zhao kneels aside in an unnatural position,
and says with a dull voice, "How would I know, it's not like I know
everyone... do I look like I make friends with everyone?"
If Wang were a little more unrestrained, she would probably have replied
with a "can you be more shameless than that". Unfortunately, she is
naturally subtle and indirect, so she replies with silence.
Zhao is in the mood of watching an action movie in 3D, and leisurely stays
aside while putting off the cigarette in the snow. He warms his hands with
his breath and rubs his freezing palms together.
"Rock, not yet old but ravaged; water, not yet cold but frozen." He says, and
knocks on the watch, "I suddenly thought of something, I'll give it a try."
Wang is afraid of what crazy idea he has, and shouts, "Chief Zhao, Chief
Zhao!"
Zhao ignores her, and takes out a string of keys. There is an old key in the
shape of a book, the patterns on it are all weathered, and the back of it has a
scribbled "G" engraved on it. G for Guardian. The key is hollow.
He holds the key and walks towards the pillar. Suddenly, a few spirit beasts
emerge from the ground and surrounds him menacingly.
The beasts aren't attacking him, they only block his way to the pillar.
Zhao yawns and stretches, and says sheepishly, "Oh, I understand now, he
must be that 'master'. You guys took the sundial, but what do you wanna do
with the Four Artifacts?"
The spirit beasts do not reply, and move in one step closer to scare him
away.
Zhao laughs coldly, and takes out a cigarette. He opens the little book, but
inside isn't a family photo, it's a kindle of fire. It's like a miniature lighter,
lighting the cigarette.
Zhao closes the pendant, but he doesn't start smoking. He holds the
cigarette with two fingers, and sighs, "there are two things I hate the most in
my life: ugly thugs and disobedient dogs. You guys are quite the full
package, and you're really getting on my nerves..."
The cigarette in his hand flies out like a small firecracker, and as it leaves
his hand, it burns into a giant ball of flames. With a long tail, it pounces
towards the spirit beasts like an unstoppable meteor.
One of the beasts exclaims "Samadhi true fire", and they are sucked into the
inferno. The fire of the Bifang bird is one-of-a-kind; it burns them into
ashes in a matter of seconds.
Zhao smiles in the light of the blaze, "what true fire fake fire, haven't you
morons heard of the king of secret weapons, what people like to call the
'firecracker monkey'?"
The fire ball that's called a monkey rushes towards the base of the pillar.
The Ghost Slayer hears the commotion behind him, and twists his wrist,
swinging his blade at the ghost face. He turns around, and is almost blinded
by the gigantic flaming sphere. For a moment, he can't see where Zhao is,
and in sheer desperation, he shouts urgently, "Yunlan!"
As he is distracted, ghost face doesn't dodge, but lets the blade slash right
on to the mask. Strangely, the Ghost Slayer hesitates, and retracts his blade,
which slides right over the mask. It seems he doesn't dare break the mask,
and dodges aside.
Ghost face guffaws, and whooshes forward like a huge cloud of black mist,
rushing towards Zhao. The long cape swirls, and absorbs the Samadhi true
fire. The ghost face stands in front of the pillar, facing Zhao, and the spirit
beasts hide behind and surround the pillar.
Zhao takes a closer look at ghost face, and calmly says, "that Bifang
chicken even boasted that its fire can burn the Monkey King, but it couldn't
even burn your crappy cloak, you must be an important figure."
The ghost mask turns to emotionless, and stares at him, "I don't want to hurt
you, Guardian, you better stay out of this."
With one hand in a pocket, one side of his shoulders tilts upwards. There's
no need for street talk, his figure already looks very much like an
experienced gangster. He humphs insincerely, "wow, I'm scared to death."
The Ghost Slayer hurries forward and pulls Zhao behind him, his blade
blocking in front. The protectiveness in this gesture is too apparent, and
Zhao looks at him with confusion.
Ever since the creepy ghost face appeared, the Ghost Slayer hasn't been
acting normally.
But now is not the time for that. Zhao stands behind the Ghost Slayer and
fumbles around in his pocket; he says, "perhaps the pillar is really afraid of
fire... no, the pillar suppresses and imprisons all spirits within it, I suspect
it's afraid of anything that flows, including water, fire, and even the wind.
It's just that normal wind, water and fire are all too weak, perhaps?"
The frighteningly huge eyeballs on the ghost mask twitch, staring at Zhao,
"Guardian, being too smart will get you in trouble. It's been so many years,
but it seems you never learn."
The Ghost Slayer bellows with a horrifying voice, "if you dare touch one
hair on him, you will regret crawling out of 'that place'."
Ghost face cackles, "you?"
The Ghost Slayer waits for the laughter to end, and calmly says, "try me."
The ghost mask distorts, and ghost face springs up like a gigantic bat,
spreading its wings and swooping down towards the Ghost Slayer's
menacing blade.
At the same time, Zhao runs towards another direction, and a crowd of
spirit beasts rise up from the ground. He shoots all of them down, one by
one.
Ghost face's eyes sparkle, and doesn't care that the Ghost Slayer hacks its
back open, leaving a foot-long opening, and black blood starts squirting out
over a foot high. It chases after Zhao at all costs.
The density of the spirit beast horde rapidly surges, reaching the level of a
train station during the New Year. Zhao's kick lands on the face of a beast,
and who knows if his leg hurts.
The beast falls back, and Zhao steps on its shoulder. The long whip
suddenly emerges in his hand, and swirls towards the ghost mask.
For some reason, the Ghost Slayer is afraid that the mask will come off. He
is astonished by Zhao's attack, and almost uses his scabbard to block the
whip...
Luckily he remains sane, and restrains himself.
And though ghost face is immune to gunshot, it seems to fear the whip. It
jumps back seven metres at an instant, out of the reach of the whip.
Zhao suddenly smiles silently.
Ghost face senses something wrong with this expression, but it's too late, as
it turns around... with an explosive noise, a streak of lightning comes
crashing down from the Nine Heavens, sucking the spirit beasts round the
pillar into a storm of spark. They are quickly cooked and light up in flames.
The fire from the sky scorches the entire Pillar of Nature.
Nobody can stop it in time.
Zhao opens his hand and a thunder god talisman shatters into ashes.
The cunning, the evil, the filthy and the sinful are all subject to thunder and
lightning as punishment from the Heavens. The spirit beasts are inherently
filthy creatures, so summoning lightning here is easier than usual.
Zhao thinks he isn't infuriating enough, and says with an annoying voice
while dusting off his hands, "this story teaches us not to be a show-off,
unless you enjoy death by lightning."
As he finishes, the pillar begins shrinking like a melting glacier. The

lightning fire explodes into a hundred metres of intense flames, reaching up
to the sky. Amidst the thundering blows, a blazing cyclone surrounds the
pillar.
Countless obscured faces flash across in the light of the fire, and quickly
disappear. In the depths of the earth comes a vigorous quake like a
heartbeat; it's like he really called out the spirits and souls of the mountains
and rivers.
Ghost face leaps towards Zhao all of a sudden, but luckily the Ghost Slayer
isn't paying attention to the burning "Artifact" at all. His blade heavily
clangs against the giant axe.
Surprisingly, ghost face isn't going for Zhao, it turns back with a creepy
smirk and says beside the Ghost Slayer's ear, "he ruined my plan, and you're
happy? Let me tell you, he must know a lot more, it's just that he hasn't told
you."
The Ghost Slayer turns his wrist, the blade vibrates with vigour, and a hand
comes off of ghost face. But it doesn't seem to care, and rushes back a few
dozen metres faster than the eye can see. The surviving spirit beasts
scramble to catch up.
The blood-stained sleeve flickers in the wind, and with a screeching howl,
ghost face says one last phrase, "you better watch your back!"
The group vanishes into thin air.
Zhao's face lights up in the blazing heat, and as the Ghost Slayer looks at
his profile, he panics: what did ghost face mean by "he knows a lot more
than he said"?
What does he know?
Zhao turns around and says, "Your Honour, give me a hand with your
sleeves."
A familiar smokescreen rises up, and Zhao releases Wang. He holds out a
scruffy piece of paper talisman, "call him, see if I can summon Sang Zan's
soul."
Wang's eyes widen.
Zhao urges, "quick, do it before the fire burns up!"
Wang floats mid-air and shouts towards the pillar something that Zhao
doesn't understand. The talisman shatters, and turns into a soft breeze,
gently bringing Wang's words towards the blazing pillar. Wang cannot leave
the smokescreen, but she stands as close to the edge as she can.
The usual depressed expression of the girl turns into one of great
anticipation.
The Pillar of Nature continues to shrink, and the fire gradually begins to
wane. The sparkle in Wang's eyes eventually darkens, but as the flames are
about to burn up, a shadow of a man emerges in the ember, looking from
afar.
From Wang's expression, it's clear who this man is.
Zhao takes out a Guardian talisman, and flicks it with his fingers. The
talisman shoots up and floats mid-air, and he says to Wang, "go talk to him,
if you want you can go inside the Guardian Order."
This isn't necessary: as Sang sees Wang, he freezes shortly, and then he
walks out of the flames and enters the Guardian Order. The two vanish, and
the talisman flies into Zhao's watch.
After a long time, the last flame burns up, and only a battered ritual site
remains; the pillar is nowhere to be seen.
Zhao walks ahead slowly, and kicks around on the ground. He finds a small
octagonal rock, it's thicker at the top and narrower at the bottom, like a
wedge. He takes it out of the mud, and throws it to the Ghost Slayer, "your
Artifact, catch."
The Ghost Slayer catches, and examines the small rock that appears
ordinary. He puts it next to his ear, and listens closely: soft sobbing is heard
from within, it's incredibly feeble, and not violent at all. But the sound
leaves a mark on the heart: a mark of despair.
Wang's hopeful voice comes from the watch, "they... they are all freed,
aren't they?"
"No," the Ghost Slayer replies, "still inside. The Guardian said the pillar is
afraid of anything that flows, but that only applies to the parts of the pillar
that formed on Earth. This is the true form of the Pillar of Nature, and it
can't be burned."
Zhao smirks, "yea, I was just bullshitting, who would have known that
bastard was so easy to fool. I find that people who like to hide behind
masks are usually idiots."
The Ghost Slayer says nothing to that comment.
"Oh," Zhao adds, perhaps intending to make things worse, "of course I
wasn't referring to you, Your Honour."
The Ghost Slayer knows Zhao is probably pissed about him not willing to
answer his questions. This fearless jerk was making a deliberate
insinuation.
The Ghost Slayer can neither laugh nor cry, but the next second, he realises
perhaps Zhao only said that after what ghost face said. On one hand, he
wants to lighten up their relationship, and on the other hand, he is implying
that he won't think too much about what ghost face said.
The Ghost Slayer's heart sinks: this man is the best of his kind. He can't
help but feel like... the secret will come out soon.
Wang shouts and asks anxiously, "what can you do to release them? Can
you let them rest in peace?"
She finally draws the attention of the two.
"He is bringing the Pillar of Nature away, so the restriction on the souls will
be lifted naturally. When they want to, they can come out. If they don't, it's
because they don't want to. Besides themselves, what's left holding them
back?" Zhao pauses, and says with profound meaning, "what happened all
those years ago, wasn't it because of someone's heart?"
Wang doesn't speak.

Zhao takes out his phone and sets the time on his watch, "you are the same,
aren't you? You silly girl."
"I have sinned..."
Zhao quickly say, "oh yes, I want a thirty-thousand-word reflection, and I'll
cut your annual bonus in half. Think about what you've done Wang Zheng
comrade, you will join the internal training at the end of the year. I will ask
Zhu Hong to find a body, wear it and go to the lessons."
She stays silent for a moment, and says softly, "from the beginning, there
was not a thing I could have done, was there?"
Zhao suddenly smiles, "you stupid girl, now you realise."

"There are always some things about which there's nothing you can do,"
Zhao says while digging a small hole and burying the page about Luobula
restriction magic. He pats the ground, stands up, and continues, "either
become strong enough to deal with anything, or let go and forget. Does you
no good remembering all the useless things, it's just a waste of space."
This time, Wang remains silent for even longer.
The Ghost Slayer walks forward, and extends one hand, "We should go, I
will bring the Guardian out of here."
Zhao is already exhausted, of course he doesn't want to walk if there is

another means of transportation. He holds the Ghost Slayer's hand, who
pulls him into an embrace. Their surroundings darken, Zhao has yet to stand
still, and as he opens his eyes again, everything is different.
The cloak opens up, and at an instant, they're back at the mountain pass.
The Ghost Slayer lets go, stands back, and fixes his cloak with a polite
greeting gesture. He leaves, and in the blink of an eye, vanishes into a giant
black hole.
Zhao looks at him from behind, and rubs his chin in deep thought. As he is
thinking, Wang speaks from inside the watch.
"Oh right, Chief Zhao, didn't you say you left your wallet in the car? Then
what was that you pulled out just now?"
Zhao's pretentiously mysterious expression shatters, and frantically covers

his chest. "What do you want? I'm short on cash lately, I can give my body
but not my money! What about your guy? What's he doing with you, and
why are you concerned with someone else's wallet?"
"He doesn't understand," Wang's tone relaxes a bit, "I heard you're buying a
lot of antique books lately, like you're planning to become an antique
vendor. Besides that, what did you spend all your money on?"
"A man eventually has to buy a house and support a family." Zhao hides his
hands in his pockets and dawdles forward. "You don't get it, little girl."
Wang laughs lightly, "I died theee hundred years ago, who's a little girl?"
Zhao agrees, "You're an old tramp who died three hundred years ago, and
you're asking for red packet money? How can you be so shameless?"
The two keep on squabbling back and forth in the white snow land. After a
long while, Wang says softly, "I didn't say it earlier, but thank you..."
Zhao smiles, and knocks on the watch, "Don't think a sweet tongue can
replace your reflection, email it to me next week. When it's New Year's Eve,
reading out your reflection in front of everyone will be one of the activities,
you won't get away with it."
When Zhao leisurely arrives at the mountaintop hut, it's already evening.
Zhu Hong's eyes signal a question, and Zhao waves his watch around. Zhu
understands, and takes out a handmade woollen doll. She pretends to pass
by Zhao unintentionally, and pushes the doll on to his watch without anyone
noticing. Two streaks of white smoke swiftly enter the doll, which moves in
Zhu's palm as if alive.
Zhao's gaze scans around the hut, and he finds that everyone is here; they
all look pretty well: Chu Shuzhi stealthily guards the door, with Da Qing
laying flat by his legs, Guo Changcheng helplessly tends to a cooking pot in
which something is boiling, the students sit around fake monk Lin Jing and
listen to his ghosts stories with amazement and fright, and Shen Wei... eh,
where's Shen Wei?
Why did he think that everyone was here?
Zhao's face darkens, and asks Zhu, "Where's Professor Shen?"

Zhu is apparently stunned, and her expression is marked with vacancy. But
shortly, Shen carries a pile of firewood and enters; he says calmly, "Looking
for me?"
It seems Zhu has just remembered, and smacks herself on the forehead,
"Right, Professor Shen said the fuel might not be enough for another night,
so he went out for firewood."
Shen puts the wood next to the fire to dry, "Just in case. Did you find Little
Wang?"
Zhao glances at him, and replies naturally, "Yea we did. We ran into the
rescue team on the way, I had some errands for her to run, so I had the
rescue team take her back."
"Oh." Shen turns around, and smiles gently and sweetly, "It's good you're
fine; you must be exhausted, drink some Indigowoad root water, it prevents
you from getting a cold."
Zhao stares at him for a moment, and smiles as if nothing happened. He

takes the medicine and guzzles it down in one gulp. He never mentions
what happened the other night and the many doubts he has tangling in his
mind.
These few days, Zhao has been living quite an inhuman life: first he drank
an entire night with Brother Lang, then he drove in the snow for one day, he
didn't sleep all night, then Wang drugged him, then the Pillar of Nature
almost killed him, he trod through the snowy mountains for ages, he
somehow ended up battling a horde of monsters... And so the sequelae of
such an intense lifestyle hit him the next morning.
He wakes up with a sprain neck.
But even with a stiff neck, the boss is still the boss. As soon as he wakes up,
he starts ordering people around, and the small mountain hut is in chaos
early in the morning... He orders Lin to give him a shoulder massage, and
Lin gives him the Shaolin Great Strength Vajra Finger, which almost breaks
the Chief's neck. Zhao is almost in painful tears, and suspects that Lin did it
on purpose. The two forget about the important things and chase around the
house like adolescents. After some twenty minutes, Zhu can't stand it
anymore, and growls "are we leaving or not"; the two boys finally stop.
Zhao heavily punches Lin, but his neck miraculously moves again. And so,
he dawdles away, hands behind his back, and begins packing. He picks up
Da Qing, and wears it around his neck like a fur collar.
The female class captain asks out of curiosity, "When did this cat get here?
Is it coming with us? I thought it's a wild cat."
Zhao the asshole says, "Have you seen a wild cat this chubby before?"
In response, Da Qing courageously slaps him in the face with its paw,
fulfilling its wish of beating up the boss violently.
The female class captain walks forward, and out of sympathy, caresses Da
Qing's shiny and smooth fur, "Poor thing, must have been uncomfortable
riding on the plane as luggage... Oh right, Big Bro Zhao, our teacher said he
will drive on the way back so you can have a good rest."
Zhao covers the cat-pawed side of his face, hesitates on the feet, and turns
around to look at Shen.
They lock eyes with each other. Shen looks down slightly, and smiles
mildly.
Shen's expressions and words are all too subtle. It seems to Zhao that every
look on his face conceals endless words yet to be conveyed. His heart
suddenly quivers, and thinks of the other night when he woke up and locked
eyes with Shen, who had been staring at him all night. It's as if his heart
were clenched, it softens and leaves a tinge of sourness.
Zhao falls asleep next to the driver's seat as the car goes downhill. When the
ringing phone wakes him up, it's way pass noon and the sun is shining from
the West. The car has left the snowy mountains, and there are a few people
along the highway.
It's Brother Lang calling, it seems that he really needs a favour from Zhao.
He enthusiastically arranges accommodation for them, and says that last
time they haven't had enough fun: this time they will not return if they're
not drunken.
Zhao hangs up, and his face is sullen... he is not a drunkard, nor is he
superhuman. What he really wants now is a bed he can sleep in for eternity,
not being forced to drink and chitchat with an old fat guy.
The unexpected tragic turn of events has him devastated, and he isn't even
in the mood to flirt with Shen anymore. He drops the phone and closes his
eyes: every second of sleep counts before tonight's disaster comes.
Shen waits for his breathing to even out, and then he pulls up a blanket
around Zhao.
When Brother Lang meets them in the city centre, Zhao comes back to life
from his withering, and becomes his usual energetic self once more.
The two start citchatting a bunch of nonsense, and half a bottle of white
wine is gone. Brother Lang is a little drunk, but still very spirited, and
eagerly calls for more.
Though Zhao makes drinking wine look like drinking water, his face is
getting paler.
Brother Lang howls in a thundering voice of mountain singing, and orders

the waiter, "Full! Full! Fill it full!"
Zhao doesn't want to stop him, and generously nods towards the waiter; his
smile shows a hint of desperation.
Brother Lang stands up and gives a speech, "I'm not very cultured, and I
don't speak well; I'm just a crude man. The luckiest thing in my life is to
have brothers like you. Like the saying goes, 'friends visiting from far away,
is that not...' Is that not a what? You know what I mean, cheers!"
Zhao can only raise his glass to 'is that not a what', but suddenly, Shen holds
him back.
Lang and Zhao are both shocked.
Shen raises Zhao's glass and stands up, nodding towards Lang, and says
politely, "Chief Zhao got a bit of a cold in the windy mountains, so he's not
feeling too well."
Zhao instantly coughs a few in co-operation.
Shen smiles, "But we all owe it to Mr Lang for taking care of us on this trip.
I only brought a group of poor students, there's no way we can pay you
back, so let me propose a toast, to you."
His glass clangs with that of Lang's, and he finishes the drink.
Brother Lang is quite taken aback: he knows what kind of person he is, he
can hang with a gangster like Zhao, but not an intellectual such as Shen.
He never thought Shen would join in, this is a completely new experience
for Lang. He gulps down the drink, and dizzily starts firing his words at
Shen.
Zhao looks around the table: fake monk Lin avoids drinking using religion
as an excuse, but he mumbles some Mantra and keeps gobbling down meat
till his mouth is covered in oil, and Zhu pretentiously says "a lady only
drinks red wine" and continues eating very happily, Chu only drank half a
glass and is already playing dead, Guo... well this poor and honest kid, he's
actually "dead". A whole table of people... none of them would help their
Chief out.
Zhao grits his teeth and makes a mental note of his disloyal staff. He
quickly stuffs a lot of food in Shen's bowl so that he doesn't get drunk too
soon. They work together to get the troublemaker Lang drunk as soon as
possible, and they are finally free from this nightmare.
Shen is clearly not used to this kind of gathering. His cheeks are crimson,
and his gaze vacant and disoriented. He struggles to stand up, but stumbles,
and drops back down. Zhao swiftly catches him, and asks quietly against
his ear, "Damn, can you walk? Are you okay?"
Shen doesn't reply and only wanders in intoxication. As Zhao grabs him, he
wraps his arm around Zhao's waist, rather tightly and assertively.
This time... someone is obviously not quite okay.

Zhao holds up Shen's shoulder, and drags him up, arms tangled together,
almost in an embrace. Fortunately, even when Shen is drunk, he is still very
well-behaved, and doesn't talk gibberish or frolic like a lunatic.
Zhao wakes himself up, hurriedly takes care of the others, and carries Shen
away. He swipes a key card and opens the door to the room next to his. He
hesitates, and miraculously decides not to take advantage.
He puts Shen on the bed and has him sit on his own. He looks at Shen's
vacant and bland expression, and can't help but ruffle his hair lovingly, "If
you can't drink you shouldn't have helped me, where do I find someone else
as silly as you?"
Shen looks up as he messes up his hair, and stares at him with wide,
unblinking eyes.
"Wait, I'll fetch you a towel to wipe your face." Zhao walks into the
restroom, and takes two towels. He soaks one in cold water, and the other
one in warm water. As he is about to bring the towels to the drunk cat, he
turns around and is startled: Shen has been standing at the door stealthily
since god knows when, in complete silence, and with a penetrating leer that
shoots right at Zhao.
His gaze has gravity and gloom that exert immense pressure.
Zhao hands Shen a towel, "Here."
Shen seems rather sluggish, and only raises his hand after a long time. But
his hand passes by the towel, and grapples Zhao by his wrist. Aggressively,
he pulls Zhao in.
Zhao has long felt something abnormal with Shen tonight, but his attitude
towards this turn of events is that of eagerness and enthusiasm. He doesn't
resist at all, and is easily pulled in.
With tremendous might, Shen thrusts him against the wall, and seal their
lips together, wrenching, seizing, and gnawing like a wild beast.
Zhao almost instantly tastes blood. His animalistic desires awaken, and with
elation, he enclasps Shen's back. His fingers sneak in beneath Shen's shirt
with dexterity, and seductively caresses his back. The skin he touches is
cooler than normal human temperature, like smooth and slushy jade...
except this precious gem is clawing and tearing his clothes sadistically.
Zhao lifts up his head in encouragement, and lets him go on a rampage. His
one hand extends downwards, and salaciously reaches for Shen's lower
back, exploring inside his pants.
But before he can explore further, his entire body is abruptly lifted up. This
takes him by surprise, as his feet dangle in mid-air, and his body turns full-
circle rapidly before he falls backwards, landing on to the bed. Shen
violently holds him in place.
The bed squeaks. Fortunately, the hotel has soft pillows and thick duvets, so
a fall wouldn't hurt. Zhao "ouches" pretentiously, and wipes blood off the
corner of his lips. He chuckles, "Babe, you're too hot."
Shen looks down at him. His black irises swirl with an inexplicable,
unspeakable, yet overwhelmingly profound affection.
A thin layer of light red surfaces on his face, and under the dim lighting, he
looks more handsome than ever. Zhao admires the sight and his heart
tingles with sensation. He takes off his spectacles, sits up, and pulls Shen in
round his waist. He pulls off his shirt collar, as his hands slide down his
body, lighting flames of passion as he slowly unbuttons the shirt. The man's
body is unveiled, pale, but not frail.
The light in Zhao's eyes darkens as he leisurely kisses Shen's chest. He says
with a magnetic voice, "I was gonna let you go tonight, you asked for this
yourself."
Suddenly, Shen seizes his shoulders, pushes him down, and pounces
forward biting on to Zhao's throat. He locks his wrists in place and holds
him on to the bed tightly.
Zhao feels that the man on top of him is panting more vigorously by the
minute; it's like he wants to swallow him whole.
Zhao is rather shocked by how passionate and aggressive he is. The biting
is making him uncomfortable, so he laughs and resists a little, "Alright
baby, take it easy, you..."
Zhao's small movements somehow trigger a switch, and Shen goes utterly
insane. He shoves Zhao's wriggling arm behind him, flips him face-down
and clutches his nape, as if trying to strangle him to death.
Zhao is forced to look up, and he feels that his old bones are cracking.
Shen weighs his own body downwards and his icy fingers grasps Zhao's
chin. Kisses bombard his face invasively. The lights in the room go off on
their own, and in the darkness the only sound is the man's bellowing and
unbearable gasps, like a starving monster.
Zhao's half-buttoned shirt is ripped apart with a slash.
"Ah... that's enough, babe...... Shen Wei!"
Though Zhao is aroused, he doesn't want a drunken and crazed Shen. With
great agility, he retracts his arm.
After his bellowing, Shen stops moving all of a sudden. Without a sound, he
falls into Zhao's arms. No movement. The lights go back on in the room.
Zhao struggles to open his eyes in the light, and stretches his agonised
shoulder. He holds Shen in his arms. He is not in the mood anymore, and
laughs bitterly, "Even when you're drunk you're special..."
Zhao's voice stops midway, and his eyes widen. His intoxication disperses
through pores in his skin: he wakes up in terror.
In the silence, he can't hear Shen's breathing!

Zhao presses his hand against Shen's neck. Some ten seconds later. Still no
pulse.
Shen's face is still a little red, but his body looks like a corpse.
"Shen Wei! Shen Wei!" Zhao flips him over and slaps him in the face.
There's no response. He starts performing CPR.
The man lying on the bed is like a mannequin. No matter how hard Zhao
tries, there's no change.
"Fuck!" Zhao jumps off the bed and picks up his phone from the floor. The
battery fell out when the phone hit the floor, he puts it back together and
calls emergency. Following the doctor's suggestion, Zhao looks through
Shen's luggage... if he has any long-term illnesses, there must be some
medicine.
At this instant, Zhao inadvertently sees his ripped shirt.
From the left shoulder to the lower-right abdomen, a long diagonal opening
cuts the thick winter shirt in two. Zhao examines the opening, and realises
that it was cut opening by a sharp blade.
Where did Shen get a sharp object?
Zhao was half-drunk and in tremendous shock. Only until this moment does
he come back to his senses... a normal human wouldn't stop breathing and
lose his heartbeat so instantly. Even a sudden heart attack has certain
symptoms that come with it. But Shen was like the lights in the room: pull a
switch and he is instantly turned off.
Zhao looks back at the man lying on the bed, and frowns. He takes out a
black leather-covered notebook and walks to the side of the bed. He pulls
out a yellow paper talisman from the notebook, and picks up a strand of
Shen's hair. He curls up the talisman with the hair inside, burns it, and lets
the ashes fall on to the notebook. Like salt sprinkled into water, they vanish
without a trace.
Moments later, a line of writing emerges on a page in the notebook: Great
Menace, a soulless person.
Zhao's expression suddenly turns sombre. He presses one hand on the page,
and asks, "Where does this person come from?"
The writing on the page flashes and disappears. After a long wait, another
line of words emerge.
"From the depths of Hell, an unspeakable place."
The look on Zhao's face tenses up.
After a while, he quietly tidied up the room, and holds his ruined shirt
together with a few small pins. He puts his jacket back on.
The ambulance arrives not long afterwards. The others are all astonished,
and amidst the chaos, Shen is carried away.
The students all panic in desperation, and Zhao forces them to stay behind.
He signals Lin to take care of them, and follows Shen to the hospital.
Shen's heart is still not beating. The doctors frantically try to save him.
Zhao waits aside in silence; he knows that Shen is alright. It's just that the
person who possessed this body has left or fallen asleep temporarily,
perhaps due to drunkenness.
He hides his hand behind his back and takes out a summoning talisman.
The paper ignites on his palm. Four burnt talismans later, Shen is still
unconscious.
Time passes, and the doctors begin to think he is dead.
Zhao concentrates, and ignites the fifth one. He recites in his mind,
"Wandering souls, heed my call."
The third time he recites this, the talisman flashes, and Shen's body quivers
vigorously. Zhao hears someone shouting, "He has a heartbeat! He has a
heartbeat!"
He sighs in relief, and hides a handful of ashes in his pocket.
Shen doesn't seem to be waking up just yet.
Shen is brought to the hospital in the middle of the night, and the doctors
run checks on him frantically. And yet, they can't find anything. Zhao
shivers in the winter night: he only called the ambulance stupidly as he was
still half-drunk.
Even Brother Lang got the news, and rushes to the hospital. He never
thought drinking can get you in hospital. Zhao urges him to go back; that
poor fat guy, his face turned green in terror like a cucumber, a shivering
cucumber.
When Shen finally wakes up, all sorts of tubes are connected to his body.
He struggles to recall what happened, sits up, and begins pulling off the
tubes.
"I'm afraid you would have to stay here for a few more days." A voice
comes from the corner of the room. Shen realises Zhao is in the room,
wearing a big overcoat and holding a steaming cup.
"Hospital?" Shen is stunned, and his face changes, "I... did I drink too
much?"
"Not just too much, your heart stopped beating."
"I..."
Shen never thought he would get drunk so easily. He hurriedly searches for
an excuse, and Zhao puts the cup aside. "But this is my fault, I was dizzy
and only half-conscious, and you scared me. I really shouldn't have called
an ambulance. These few days I would have to trouble you to stay and play
along..."
Shen realises something unusual.
Zhao pauses for a moment, and finishes his sentence. He says, "... Your
Honour."
For a few minutes, Shen doesn't make a sound. And Zhao is in no hurry: he
sits stately in a corner. The hospital room is incredibly tranquil, even the
ticking and tocking of the watch is barely audible.
After a long time, Shen sighs, and waves his hand as the hospital gown
comes off. In the blink of an eye, he sits in a giant black cloak. His blade
emerges in his hand, and he wears the ancient weapon round his waist... this
time, he isn't hiding his face anymore.
"How did you find out?" Shen asks quietly.
Zhao looks at him, and ponders. After a long while, he says, "Actually I
wasn't sure, I was just testing you."
The look on Shen's face is difficult to describe.
Zhao smiles and says, "Of course, I wouldn't have if I didn't pick up any
clues. Like your small puppet messenger that arrived just a while after I
reached the Hanga tribe cave. I mentioned the Hell Guard, but didn't say
what he was doing, but you already knew he was leading a few hundreds to
the afterlife. I couldn't help but recall the Hell Guard bowing twice towards
the car. I asked Zhu about you, and she only 'remembered' you when you
arrived. You travel much faster than me, Your Honour, so you must have
made a trip to the 'other side'. And also..."
And also when he stared at him sleeping all night in the hut... this was when
Zhao first became suspicious. But now it seems inappropriate to mention
that to the Ghost Slayer. Zhao pauses, and swallows down the rest of his
sentence.
"And also your breathing and heartbeat stopped so suddenly. I got curious,
and asked the Book of Life and Death. It told me that 'Shen Wei' is a
soulless person from an unspeakable place." Zhao's fingers lightly knock on
his knees, "Now that I think about it, you gave me a lot of hints."
The Ghost Slayer does not speak. He probably doesn't know what to say at
all.
Actually, Zhao feels rather uncomfortable as well. He regrets saying

everything so directly and bluntly. As soon as he remembers the things he
did with "Shen Wei" in the past and his motive, he really just wants to drop
dead and have amnesia.
Zhao massages his temples. He can't help but feel like his IQ just
plummeted rapidly tonight, he made so many foolish decisions.
The two remain in silence for long, until Zhao finally decides to face his
embarrassing past, and coughs, "I didn't know Professor Shen was... uh, if I
ever offended you, please forgive me, Your Honour."
Shen shakes his head.
The doubts in Zhao's mind haven't decreased, but more and more questions
arise. But as he sees the vacant and miserable look on Shen's face, there's
nothing he can ask.
He washes his cup and gets on the small single bed for visitors. Zhao curls
up in the tiny bed a little uncomfortably.
He says naturally, "It's late, get some rest, call me if you need anything."
Only then does Zhao realise he's not actually talking to a real "patient". He
finds himself saying the wrong things all day.
For the first time in his life, Zhao sombrely and undoubtedly realises the
cruel truth that he is a complete moron. He decides to shut up, lie on his
side, and pretend to sleep.
It's just that tonight, neither of them can fall asleep.
The next few days. Zhu is the first to sense something different: their Chief
Zhao has "changed his evil ways".
More specifically, he no longer goes drinking with Brother Lang, he no
longer spouts bullshit all day long, and he no longer finds excuses to flirt
with Professor Shen!
Even when they want to go shopping at the night market and claim work
expenses for it, Chief Zhao does not hesitate at all and just grants it; doesn't
scold anyone, doesn't seem to want to tag along either.
As Shen Wei stays at the hospital for a "check-up", Zhao brings his laptop
and stays in the small visitor's bed, looking up some peculiar information...
One thing that seems strange, though, is Zhu hears Zhao ordering Guo to
bring him some clothes from his luggage at the hotel.
Zhu stares at Zhao with profound thought. All these occurrences make Zhu
suspect that something must have went wrong after he got drunk, that he
must have did Shen.
Perhaps it was too rough, and he had to be rushed to the hospital?
Zhu feels doubtful. Zhao doesn't get drunk easily, that day only Shen was
actually drunk, Zhao was definitely still conscious and rational. Besides,
Zhao's reputation isn't bad: those who have dated him all admit that he is
willing to spend money, loyal, and always left his relationships on good
terms. Nobody ever spoke of any bad habits, let alone rape.
Or perhaps Professor Shen is just too attractive and Chief Zhao lost his
mind, turning it into an unorthodox story of coercive love?
Zhu ponders and ponders but still doesn't understand. She thinks with a hint
of envy: is this Shen guy really that good?
At night, Zhao succinctly reminds Shen to "play along", and who knows
how Shen manages that. Anyhow, two days later, the report is out and the
doctors say he went into cardiac arrest due to allergy to alcohol.
As Brother Lang bids them farewell at the airport, he apologetically holds

Shen's hands and says, "My brother, if your Old Brother Lang knew you
can't drink, I wouldn't have let you touch any at all!"
Zhao thinks of who this fat guy is calling his younger brother, and his
eyelids twitch inadvertently.
Brother Lang glances towards Zhao while speaking, and as he sees Zhao's
unpleasant expression, he lets go of Shen, "Next time I will make it up to
you. You can drink Iron Goddess tea, and I will drink one litre of wine, how
about that?"
Shen doesn't understand why he thinks drinking one litre counts as making
it up to him, but he politely nods.
Zhao carries both their luggage, and reminds him, "It's time to check in."
Shen hurriedly turns around, "I can do it myself."
Zhao dashes aside and silent carries away all their luggage.
The SIU boys witness all of this, and led by Lin, they both cough
suggestively. Neither of them understands their Chief's endless misery and
helplessness that floweth like a river all the way into the ocean. Intending to
cause further chaos, they make all sorts of faces and collectively tease
Zhao.
Lin turns around with a look of adoration, and asks Chu, "Are you hungry?"
Chu covers half his face with the boarding pass, and feigns embarrassment,
"Oh, I'm fine."
"Wait here, I'll get you something to eat."
Chu keeps covering his face, and acts like his teeth is hurting; he says with
a flirtatious tone, "Oh, don't trouble yourself, there's stuff to eat on the
plane."
Lin imitates Zhao's arrogance, and waves his hand, "Is that food even for
humans? Even if it were, would I let you eat something like that?"
And that time at Dragon City airport, Zhao bought Shen some junk food
"for humans".
As they recall how silly the Chief was, the guys look at each other smuttily,
and chortle smuttily.
Zhu elbows Guo, "Little Guo, do you have anyone you like?"
Guo shakes his head with a red face.
Zhu looks at Zhao from behind and says, "If you do in the future, learn
from your Chief, you will become a star of the new generation... but of
course, if you want to stay in a relationship for good, be selective in what
you learn, that dude usually messes things up in the end."
Guo's face and ears redden, but he has a slight feeling that Zhu is openly
cursing the Chief.
Zhao turns around and glares at them. Lin and Chu crazily snigger.
The depressed Chief cannot put into words his many embarrassments as his
gang of bastardly staff follow him around. He usually has thick skin, so
thick that not even the Pillar of Nature could get through, but his face now
heats up a little.
On their trip here, Zhao asked the air hostess to change his seat, following
behind Shen like a housefly tailing a farting butt, not giving a darn about
how silly and embarrassing he looked.
But this time, Zhao really isn't in the mood. But as he checks his boarding
pass, he realises that Lin switched their seats intentionally to two connected
seats away from the crowd.
As Lin helps him with his luggage, he whispers in his ear, "You don't have
to thank me, Chief."
Zhao grits his teeth, "I thank all your ancestors for this."
But his lousy teammate will not let him go. A difficult three-hour flight
finally ends, and they land. Lin realises that Shen didn't drive since he
brought his students along. So the fake monk diligently sends the students
on taxis, and turns towards Shen like a matchmaker, all smiles, "Doesn't
Professor Shen live quite close to Chief Zhao, he can drive you back then."
In his mind, Zhao stabs the little person named Lin Jing into a hedgehog.
Lin feels the grudge, he turns around and sneezes earthshakingly.
Shen smiles, "No need, I will call a taxi..."
Zhao squeezes out a smile, and starts carrying his luggage, "Let me drive
you, it's late, if I drive you it's..."
He wants to say "safer". But before he can, he unfortunately recalls that

night when he helped Shen with the gangsters. Not only did he beat them
up, he intentionally put on a cool and badass pretence, like a stupid and
conceited peacock fanning its tail when everyone can see its dirty ass.
The smile on Zhao's face almost wears away.
Like the poem goes... one cannot beareth reminiscing under the moon.
"Zhao Yunlan," he turns around and walks towards the car park decisively,
and says to himself in his mind, "just how idiotic are you!?"
Zhao drives to his apartment in complete silence, and accurately stops at

Shen's place, "We've arrived."
Shen looks up at the apartment building, and doesn't move in his seat. He
asks, "How did you know I live here?"
Zhao has nothing to say, and only laughs softly.
Shen looks at him, and suddenly says, "Guardian must have a lot of things
to ask me, yes?"
Zhao doesn't speak. The two lock eyes in the rear-view mirror.
After a while, Shen looks down, "Then why don't you just ask?"
Zhao stays silent for a while, before he says, "You assumed this human
form to stay here, it's probably not for a usual errand. Is it for something
very important, Your Honour?"
"No." Shen says, "It's just for personal reasons. It's just... because of
someone."
Zhao doesn't have to ask who that someone is at this point.

Right after saying that, Shen instantly regrets it. He doesn't know what he
tried to convey by saying that to Zhao, neither does he know what he was
hoping for. This moment, he finds himself despicable and ludicrous.
Shen is used to subtlety. Those few words had him slashing his chest open
and pulling his heart out for the other to see. But he doesn't want to hear
Zhao's reply. He has always been indecisive, and he feels he did not have
the right to say that at all.
All his life he has been a resolute executor, never has he been so hesitant.
Perhaps... it's just because he had yet to meet that special person whose joy
and sorrow heave and haul a string in his heart.
After a moment of silence, Shen lowers his head and opens the car door,
"Thank you, I'm going up then."
Zhao feels as if he were about to split apart. He spent almost half a year
going after Shen with all the tricks up his sleeve, and he was so incredibly
close to having him. If he were to describe the process, it was "completely
shameless, ask for the stars and I'll give him the moon too", he feels like
even a straight guy would've turned gay for him... but he dares not treat the
Ghost Slayer that way.
He has known the Ghost Slayer for many years, they aren't close, but
always on good terms. And yet they could never develop their relationship
any further. Any sane person would treat a formidable figure like the Ghost
Slayer with due respect.
His supremacy doesn't come from pure power... the Ghost Slayer was born
with godly powers, and there's not much to say about it... but from his own
person.
Usually the darkest places give birth to the darkest evil, and there is logic
behind. When there is no hope to hang on to one falls into darkness easily,
not to mention creatures born in the shadows are mostly born vicious and
deadly.
Since the dawn of time, the Ghost Slayer is the only exception: born in filth
but rising up as a god. And it wouldn't have been possible without an
indestructible heart of steel. Zhao doesn't doubt it for one moment: someone
like the Ghost Slayer... like Shen Wei, even if one day he were to fall and
perish, it would be immensely noble and irreproachable.
As Shen opens the door, his usuallly good-looking profile is marked with
profound melancholy. Zhao doesn't know what he is thinking anymore, and
suddenly holds the door in place, "I have never been to the Ghost Slayer's
place, why don't you let me in?"
Shen's eyes sparkle in a split second, but he only nods politely towards
Zhao, "Please."
Zhao locks the car, and follows Shen to his flat with an intricate sensation.
Shen's home is impeccable, especially when compared to Zhao's horrifying
dog lair... the phone and television are both in dust covers, the bin is very
clean, dozens of documents neatly pile up on the desk. The door to the
bedroom is locked; not an inkling of what's inside.
It's just that his apartment is inexplicably inhuman.
Shen says, "Sit."
Looking at the perfectly unwrinkled sofa, Zhao doesn't want to sit his butt
on it. His movements seem particularly civilised.
Shen fills up a kettle with cold water, but doesn't set it on a stove. He holds
the kettle in his hands, and shortly, the water starts boiling. He quietly takes
out tea cups and a can of tea leaves, makes some tea and puts it in front of
Zhao, "I usually just stay here for a short time, haven't got any new tea,
hope you don't mind."
Of course Zhao wouldn't mind... it's not like he can tell the difference
between new tea and old tea. He picks up the cup, and his fingers feel the
scorching heat. He suddenly asks, "Why didn't you tell me, Your Honour?"
Shen hesitates, "It's embarrassing to talk about."
Zhao almost finds this both infuriating and amusing, "Right, you saved
yourself the embarrassment, and just watched how embarrassing I was?
Were you cracking up when I did those silly things? I'm an idiot, there's
nothing I can say about that, I admit it, but Your Honour, you were quite
cruel to me."
Shen doesn't disagree, and only wears a well-tempered smile. He changes

the subject, "The ghost face we met that day, if you see him again, be very
careful."
Zhao blows the floating tea leaves, "He is coming for the Four Mystical
Artifacts?"
"Yes."
"What happens when all four are gathered together?"
Shen explains, "The Artifacts were produced under Pangu the Creator,
before the order of Yin and Yang was established. At the beginning of time,
there were souls but no spirits, life but no death; men were deities and
deities were like ants. The Artifacts contain power from a primordial time
of chaos, if manipulated with purpose, they can disrupt the order of
everything. It's my responsibility to keep them away from the wrong
hands."
At this point, Zhao has been listening in silence, which makes Shen rather
uncomfortable... he isn't afraid of Zhao's questioning, he's afraid of him not
asking. This man knows his boundaries, he never says what he's not
supposed to, and he never asks what he's not supposed to. And yet he has a
lot of speculations in his mind. What Shen is most afraid of is not knowing
what he has figured out in that brain of his.
After a long while, Zhao slowly asks, "Ghost face wore a mask, and that
day you didn't seem to want it to come off, is it because I would recognise
his face?"
He noticed right then and there, and the whip towards the mask was
intentional too!
Shen's face turns pale. What ghost face looks like doesn't actually matter,
they both travel between the realms of Yin and Yang, so they both
understand that a body is just a vessel. And yet, Shen doesn't want Zhao to
know all the convoluted intricacies behind this. But Shen is too used to
being a gentleman, he doesn't know how to lie, and so he freezes and
doesn't know how to respond.
Zhao instantly says, "Alright, you don't have to say anything, I know who it
is, and I won't ask. You... you don't have to frown."
His last few words soften, showing a hint of his usual and subtle caring.
Shen's heart is wrenched, his throat dries and he can't utter a single word.
Zhao rushes one whole cup of tea down, and feels like he might have
crossed the line. He is rather uneasy about this, and stands up, "We've been
out for so long, and many things happened, get some rest, I won't bother
you."
He turns around and leaves. When he is already outside the door, Shen calls
him suddenly, "That day when I was drunk, besides leaving this body, did I
do anything inappropriate?"
Zhao stops at his feet.
Shen looks rather anxious.
Zhao turns around and smiles; his smiles are usually either cold or indecent,
rarely is it so gentle and pleasing. He points to himself and says half-
jokingly, "Sure you did, Your Honour, you threw yourself at me, till now
I'm still flattered and in shock."
Shen can't tell if he is telling the truth, but his tone does sound indecent and
flirtatious. Shen looks at him helplessly, "Everyone else is frightened of me,
how dare you."
Zhao is all smiles, but his heart sinks.
He bids Shen farewell, and leaves the building. Before he gets in the car, he
can't help but turn around and look up: lights are still on in Shen's flat,
which isn't many floors up, Zhao's keen eyes can clearly see a shadow by
the window, quietly watching him leave.
It's like he has been seeing him off from behind forever.
Legend says he was born from the depths of evil, vicious and soulless; from
the periphery of Hell, his blade cold as snow... but every time Zhao thinks
of him coming from and into darkness, always in solitude, wandering along
the freezing road to Hell with countless souls, he can't help his feelings of
sympathy and tenderness towards this lonesome man.
He doesn't know what happened between him and the Ghost Slayer in all
his past lives, and the other person obviously doesn't want him to know.
Zhao didn't want to keep asking Shen. On one hand, the suppressed
emotions he saw in Shen's eyes at the hotel have him in fear and awe, and
he almost doesn't dare go near it. On the other hand... he really doesn't want
to hurt his feelings, and damage his pride.
And although it's hard to say whether his pampering and caring for Shen is
true love or lust or just a crush, Zhao can't bring himself to be so heartless
suddenly.
He leans against his car, finishes a cigarette, and throws it into a bin. Then
he gets in and slowly drives away.
When Zhao arrives at his place, the black cat Da Qing has been sitting
beside the refrigerator for long. It interrogates him furiously, "Where's my
cat food? You haven't been blessed with my presence for merely a short
time, and you threw away my cat food! Treason! Treason!!!"
Zhao ignores its yelling, silently puts on slippers, pours a plate of milk, cuts
up some sausages, and heats them up in the microwave for Da Qing... his
refrigerator only has so much food thanks to Shen.
Da Qing is shocked, and circles his leg. Sniffing his scent, it asks, "What's
up with you? Why do you look like you ate rat poison?"
Zhao extends his legs, and lays on the sofa. He picks up the black cat and
puts it on his legs, and asks while staring into its eyes, "When I was ten,
you found me, and gave me the Guardian Order."
The black cat strangely nods, having no clue as to why Zhao is feeling
nostalgic all of a sudden.
"At that time, I was a happy-go-lucky naive child. I thought I was some
male version Sailor Moon," Zhao laughs bitterly, and pats fat cat on the
head, "Da Qing, tell me the truth, who am I?"
Da Qing is stunned.
"You said you are a servant cat fairy of the Guardian Order, and that you
would seek out every generation of Guardians. I always thought that the
Order was like an ancient spiritual sword, that anyone worthy of it could
wield it, but... actually, the Guardian has always been just one person,
right?"
Da Qing's round eyes stare at him, sometimes its pretence isn't good
enough, and its gaze doesn't look like that of a cat.
"Where's the true fire on my left shoulder? And what crime did I commit?"
These questions have Da Qing's hair standing up furiously, "How did you
find out?"
"I was guessing, I tricked you, stupid cat. You're just as easy to fool as
him..." Zhao takes out a cigarette, and leans against the sofa in exhaustion,
"but paper cannot wrap fire, the truth will eventually come out, so what are
you angry about?"
Da Qing meows and hesitantly moves closer. Like a real cat, it curls up into
a ball of fur, and its head nudges his stomach softy.
Dat fat fuq is unusually good, so Zhao puts it into his arms and softly
caresses its back.
"I don't know," Da Qing says quietly, "I was only a little cat that still hadn't
finished cultivation; I spent my days fooling around, and you... you were
about the same as you are now, a complete jerk, fearless and unruly. But
one day, you suddenly left, for... a few dozen years. Nobody knew where
you went, and when you came back, the true fire on your left shoulder
disappeared. You held me, and patiently grilled me a fish, which you would
rarely do. You took out your whip and turned it into three talismans, and
gave them to me."
Da Qing closes its emerald eyes in the warm embrace of the man.
"What did I say?" Zhao asks gently.
"You said you made a god-awful mistake, and... that you would never
return. I kept the Guardian Order and continued my cultivation, and I
searched everywhere for you for centuries."
Da Qing's tone sounds as if it's about to cry. Zhao can't help but sigh, but
before he can say anything, Da Qing wriggles out of his arms, shakes its
shiny black fur, and stands on top of his thighs, demanding arrogantly, "So
you need to treat me better! The microwave rang for several times already,
go fetch my milk and sausage!"
Zhao has nothing to say.
And so he flips dat fat fuq off his lap.
~~~
[End of Part Two: Pillar of Nature]
~~~
[Update: I previously stated that this novel has 106 chapters and 3
epilogues, but recently, the author Priest wrote a forth epilogue owing to
how popular the drama series is. I will be translating the newest epilogue as
well. Cheers! ^_^]
[Another update: During the coming week I will be rather busy, so

unfortunately I probably will not post another chapter until 12 or 13 Aug. I
apologise for that and please wait patiently for Part Three. Thank you all for
supporting my work, it means a lot to me. =D]
Chapter 46 - Ink Brush of Virtue
In the evening, Guo Changcheng leaves the care centre for children with
autism. The sky is murky, and the streets are not easy to get through as
snow has just fallen in Dragon City. He can only drive like a snail in the
snow, and pray that he will get there before the post office closes.
His small battered car is stuffed with all kinds of books: some are textbooks
and exercises, some are young fiction; all wrapped in multiple layers of
kraft paper and plastic wrapping. Pile after pile, neatly arranged; at a
glance, it looks very much like a delivery from purchasing books online.
Guo plans on giving these to a primary school he is sponsoring before the

New Year.
His driving skills are rather mediocre, and he is not very brave. On the
slippery road, his car crawls like a giant tortoise, and still, he almost bumps
into someone.
A person in grey dashes out into the traffic, and almost rolls under the
wheels of Guo's car. Several cars stop abruptly, luckily everyone has been
driving slowly, so no further chaos is caused.
A grumpy driver rolls down the window. He bellows, "Are you sick!? Find
somewhere quieter for racketeering, will ya?
But Guo isn't as fierce. He's frightened, and his palms are drenched in
sweat. He scrambles off the car and his voice shivers, "You... Are you
okay? Sorry, I'm really sorry."
The person who fell is really skinny, so skinny as to appear deformed. A

weathered and withering face, the wide brim hat covers almost half the
face, as if the whole person is shrouded in darkness. With skin in the colour
of a pale yellow, the person looks to be on the verge of death.
The angry driver is still yelling, "Hey bro, leave him, will ya? He's a
lunatic! Why didn't you just run him over?"
Guo indecisively waves towards the angry driver, but as he looks at the
person in front of him, he is even more terrified. He hesitantly extends his
hands to help, "Can you stand up? How about... how about I send you to the
hospital?"
But the person in a hat doesn't accept his help and quickly squats his hands
away, facing up and staring at Guo. The eyes look dead, and the gaze
inexplicably petrifying. Guo shivers.
Then, the person with a hat stands up, and without looking at him again,
hurries off.
Guo notices a black stain under their ear as they pass by, like a fingerprint
left by a finger covered in ash.
He helplessly stands in place, and shouts from behind, "Are you really
okay? How about I give you my contact, if there's anything you can call me,
my name is..."
But the hat-wearer takes a turn into a narrow alley, and is gone.
The angry driver leaves too, and as he does, he says to Guo in the freezing
cold, "Bro, you stupid or what?"
Guo sighs. He opens the door to his car. As he does, he sees a person in the
reflection... the person with a hat.
The hat-wearer stealthily hides in a corner. Then, two women pass by, and
as they do, the hat-wearer suddenly opens its mouth and its head morphs
into a half-human form. A several-inch tongue slithers out, and the creature
sucks the two passers-by.
Guo's eyes widen. One of the two women stumbles and almost faints as if
from low blood pressure. Luckily, the other helps her stand. Guo cannot
make out what they're saying. He only sees a cloud of substance floating
from the body of the woman who almost passed out, which flies into the
agape jaw of the hat-wearer.
Guo is astonished, and looks back abruptly. But he sees nothing except a
snow-laden street and normal pedestrians.
He scrambles into his car, heart thundering. He pulls out the stun baton
Zhao gave him, and stuffs it in a pocket in his jacket, patting on it heavily.
It's as if he found his mainstay, and slowly drives forward.
That stun baton really is the best thing he got from SIU, besides his salary.
The next day, Guo arrives at work, and Zhu Hong's cafeteria card flies on to
his face, "Little Guo, I want a beef cake today, the very crunchy ones, and
get me a soured milk too!"
Guo puts down his bag and without saying anything other than a simple
"yes", he rushes to the cafeteria. He runs into Chu Shuzhi who's munching
half a deep-fried cake. Guo stands upright and greets, "Good morning,
Brother Chu."
Chu gives him the cold shoulder, and only glances at him, "Uh."
He keeps walking, but quickly walks back. He grabs Guo by the collar, and
pulls him back, "Hold on, did you run into something dirty?"
Guo stares at him stupidly.
Chu's hands that smell like deep-fried cakes grab him by his shoulders, and
turn him around, patting on the back of his heart and both sides of his waist.
Then, Chu wipes his hands with a paper towel, and pushes Guo away, "You
were oozing bad luck. Alright, now you're clean, you can go."
Guo's face and ears redden. He runs off with tiny steps. Chu finishes off his
meal, "What has this kid been cultivating, his virtue is so thick that it's
dripping oil."
Hungry Zhu swallows saliva, it sounds like he is describing a tasty pig.

"Food! Food!!!" Zhao crashes the door open, and without saying anything,
searches Chu's body. He finds an egg, and takes it as if it's his.
Chu is furious but dares not say anything.
Then, Zhao takes out a pack of milk, and drinks it.
Da Qing howls, "That's mine! Mine! You're robbing cat food! You
shameless prick!"
Zhao looks at it without a care, "Yea I did... short fatty, what can you do?"
Da Qing has nothing to say.
"Why don't you go to the cafeteria..." Zhu says.
"I'm in a hurry." Zhao finishes, and crashes into a wall. Guo comes back
with a beef cake and sees this. There is not enough time for him to be
scared, and Zhao already passes through the wall and disappears.
"You can close your mouth." Zhu takes her breakfast, "There's a door to the
library, you're not capable of understanding anything inside, so naturally
you can't see the door either."
Chu gobbles down his fried cake, and still feels one egg away from full. He
quickly snatches a small piece from Zhu's beef cake, "Better than me, I can
see it but can't get inside... the library is not open to me."
Guo asks, "Why not?"
Chu's grouchy face turns into an eerie smile, and says to him, "Because I
have a criminal record."
Guo is left silenced.
He really is still frightened of his Brother Chu.
A while later, Zhao hurries out of the "wall" with a rotten old book. He
throws the egg shell and empty milk packet into Guo's rubbish bin, and
snatches a paper towel from Zhu's desk. Without a word, he scurries off
with a strong breeze at his feet.
And then he disappears for one whole day.
It's been half a month since returning from the snowy mountain ranges. In
the blink of an eye, new year passes. Then Dragon City quickly gets cold in
the stormy weather, which brings everybody towards the Lunar New Year.
Chief Zhao is so incredibly busy that he is almost forgetting his own name.
He has to prepare gifts for all those with connections, and receive all the
gifts from fair-weather friends in all sorts of places. There are non-
memorisable dealings, unfulfillable gatherings, and incompletable work
reports and meetings. The phone in his office is becoming a railway
ticketing hotline.
New calendars are displayed on the working desks in all departments. This
day, the sky goes dark early, and Sang Zan floats to criminal investigations
before the day-workers leave.
This comrade has a tough life. He was a ruthless conspirator when he was
alive, and he entered the Pillar of Nature upon death, being trapped in a
lightless and timeless prison for centuries, until he is ready now to lead a
new life... no, afterlife. And yet he realises his transformation from
conspirator to moron: he can't even understand human language anymore.
Wang Zheng is the only one left who can communicate with him in the
whole wide world. And although Hanga language is Wang's mother tongue,
she only spoke it for less than twenty years, the some three centuries
afterwards she has been speaking mandarin. When Sang realises that Wang
is much more fluent when she talks to humans and other ghosts, he is
determined to learn mandarin.
There's no holding back when Sang is dead-set on a goal: he even poisoned

his own wife and child. In half a month, he almost spends every of his
waking moment murmuring Pinyin into Wangs's ears, which almost gives
Wang the ghost neurasthenia. Finally, he begins to grasp the basic rules of
pronunciation, and he is now capable of parroting, even making some
simple conversations on his own.
Sang spouts out one word after another in putonghua, and announces,
"Gelan said at the end of the year besides year... year-end 'bawnus', there
will be extra benafeets, so... everyone please send, send your flour."
He hasn't memorised it well, and is clearly mouthing without understanding

what he's saying.
Lin Jing asks, "Amitabha. What are we sending flour for, are we making
steamed buns for New Year's Eve?"
Sang says while gesturing, "Not bans, it's 'sending flour', butter be 'trunspart
fees'..."
"Chief Zhao said besides year-end bonus we'll get an additional five
thousand as extra benefits. Come get it from me by this weekend, and send
me the receipts next week. Better be transport fees, but it can also be labour
insurance." Wang floats downstairs hurriedly, and glares at Sang, "Can't
even speak properly."
Sang looks at her, and his sombrely fierce face softens as he smiles stupidly,
and carefully reaches for her hand.
"Don't give me trouble, I'm busy." Wang softly censures him, and asks,
"Zhao Yunlan went to a gathering with a brother-in-law of his, but I still
have a document for him to sign urgently."
Sang quickly says, "I... I go..."
Wang retracts her hand, "No you won't, you'll scare his brothers-in-law to
death."
Sang doesn't argue, and silently follows behind her, watching her busying
around when it's dark outside.
Wang turns around and says something no-one else understands. Sang's face
wears a tranquil and satisfied smile, marked with a settled sense of
transcendence.
"What I hate the most is PDA, especially in a foreign language. My eyes are
going blind." Zhu lowers her voice and mutters, "That bastard has just
stopped his flirting recently, and now these two are doing it!"
Lin says, "Goodness it be, madam please don't be burdened with envy and
hatred."
Zhu is about to hit him, but her phone on the desk rings. She picks it up,
"Hi... oh, where?"
She gestures for everyone to stay behind, as some are about to leave
already. She takes out a stack of memo pad papers, "Uh, go on... Yellow
Stone Road, Yellow Stone Temple Hospital. Alright, I'll tell them... oh right,
if you have time come back to the office, Wang has things for you to sign."
Everyone can tell it's their Chief Zhao calling. Zhu hangs up, and sighs
disheartenedly, "Come now, as it always happens in our office... no work
during the day, but overtime only at night. Five minutes after close of
business and our shady Chief has work for us."
Lin hears that, and pushes the door open like a surge of lightning, and
disappears at the speed of light.
Zhu writes the address on a memo note and sticks it on the wall. She covers
half her face with a scarf, "It's winter, and I'm a girl, I can't stand the cold..."
Da Qing continues, "This old cat hasn't got a down jacket."
Eyes stare at Chu who has no time to react. He faces his bastardly
colleagues, and a millions words only turn to one, "Motherfucker."
Ten minutes later, Chu sits in Guo's car, heading to Yellow Stone Temple.
Although Chu doesn't talk to Guo much, in the few times they've made
contact, he always manages to show off what he can do. In the "small and
young" heart of Guo, an everlasting impression is left.
Guo thinks, though the Chief is remarkable, he is usually a lot friendlier,

and his jokes and pranks give him a more down-to-earth vibe. He is at most
like a father or big brother, no matter how powerful he may be, there is not
much mysteriousness.
But Chu is different. Brother Chu is totally an otherworldly "sage".
Guo acts like he's following the "Code of Conduct for the Newcomer at
Work" online, he brings a small notebook with him, and follows Chu
eagerly. He dares not say anything, and only jots notes on everything he
sees.
The two enter the hospital, and they see a young policeman waiting at the
door. They show their police ID, and get inside a room.
The one waiting for them is called Little Wang, who says while walking,
"Our Chief is inside too, just now I briefly discussed with Chief Zhao. This
incident is particularly severe, family of the victim called the police to
report someone selling poisonous food. The victim is inside, till now, the
doctors still can't figure out what kind of poison it is."
Chu asks, "Food poisoning? What kind of food?"
"Fruit." Little Wang says, "The victim got off work last night, and didn't
have time for dinner; according to his family, he ate an orange he bought
from a street vendor, and passed out immediately and ended up in hospital.
I've heard of poisoned water or processed food with harmful chemicals, but
never poisoned fruits."
As he speaks, he pushes open the door to the patient's room, and a burst of
earth-shattering screams exlplodes. Guo is frightened, he tiptoes and peeks
inside behind Chu.
A man in his late thirties lay on the bed, wriggling and quivering. The
doctors and nurses hold him in place. There is a crying woman in the room
as well, probably family of the patient.
The man on the bed clutches the hand of a doctor, almost tearing off his
skin, and howls insanely, "My legs, my legs are broken... My legs! Ah!
Ah!!!"
In wails and in screeches, the veins on his neck pump up.
"Help! Help me... my legs are broken... it's so painful, help... it hurts!!!"
"Legs?" Chu asks Little Wang, "Didn't you say it's food poisoning? What
happened to his legs?"
"Nothing," Little Wang says. "not even a bruise. They scanned his legs and
found nothing... which is why we're clueless."
Chu walks forward and pats a nurse on the shoulder, signalling her to move
aside. He lifts up the man's eyelids, and studies his irises. Then he examines
the back of his ears, mutters something, and clutches a fist and pushes it
forcefully between the man's chest and abdomen.
The man suddenly stops struggling.
Chu asks, "Still painful now?"
The man catches a breath and gratefully looks at him, shaking his head.
The doctors and nurses beside all stare at them as if they were an evil cult.
Chu heartlessly releases his hand, and without a care for the resumed
screaming behind him, he turns to Guo and says, "We're done here, let's go,
we'll head back to write a report."
Guo is speechless.
Their job is done just like that! That... what just happened?
Shen's elective course is at night, as he watches the last batch of students

leave, he packs his stuff, and goes back to his apartment on Earth. On his
way, he can't help but keep looking at his phone... like he is really
concerned about the time.
His phone has merely three functions: phone calls, messaging, and telling
the time. The games came with the phone, and he never plays them.
Shen doesn't like this gadget, he finds writing a letter more convenient. If
it's urgent you could write a quick note, if it's not you can take your time
and write a little longer. Unlike making phone calls, which is charged by the
hour, whenever he thinks of that, he feels like someone is watching him talk
on the phone, it's very uncomfortable.
And opening a letter is a process marked with joyful anticipation, especially

when the sender is someone special. Only their handwriting can trigger the
deepest longing, and all their letters can be kept in a collection for a long
time.
It's a pity that Zhao never writes letters. Even when he's signing for a
delivery package he finds his name too long and just scribbles an illegible
"Zhao". To "Ghost Slayer", he gives the messenger puppet a verbal
message; to "Shen Wei", he bombards him with instant messaging.
The cold fonts of the messages look no different from those sent by the
telecom company to notify remaining values. Though Shen never deleted
any of them, he isn't quite used to it... but now there's nothing for him to get
used to, ever since they came back from the mountains, Zhao never
disturbed him again.
Perhaps this is for the best, Shen thinks. A normal human can only live for
several dozen years, to him, that's like snapping his fingers. Men die like
burnt-out candles, and everything from their lives no longer matter
thereafter; by then, Zhao will forget all about him once again.
Shen pushes open the door to his bedroom that has always been closed. As
it opens, the lights turn on automatically.
In the room, there is no bed, no table, and no chair; only a cluster of

pictures on the wall. From the frames one can see that they are aged, and
they are all paintings of a man: front, profile, back view; the paintings are
arranged chronologically, as seen from his clothes, which change through
dynasties and periods. And yet, it has always been the same person; even
the most detailed expression in his eyebrows is portrayed scrupulously, and
it never changes throughout centuries.
And after the ancient paintings come big and small photographs, some of
his teenage years, others of his older years... smiling, frowning, chitchatting
and fooling around; there's even one in which a cat pounces on to his head,
and he's tilting his neck and yelling.
All are Zhao Yunlan. It's always been just him.
Shen thinks, there are some things that only he has to know, only he has to
remember. When the time is up, he will also disappear, alone. Better if no-
one notices... after all, his very existence is a mistake.
Before that, the only thing Shen can indulge in is stealthily watching that
person, without his noticing.
He would sneak into Zhao's apartment late at night, but that man is very
alert, so he can't stay for long. Luckily, Zhao has been having a lot of dinner
gatherings lately, and he usually arrives home half-drunken. Only then can
Shen walk just a little closer.
Coming without a sound. Leaving without a sound.
Shen affectionately looks at the wall full of paintings and photographs, and
disappears in a cloud of black mist.
He speeds through the road to Hell, and beside the Bridge of Fate, the Judge
is leading a crowd of Hell Guards, including Black Ghost and White Ghost,
as well as Ox-Head and Horse-Face, all waiting for the Ghost Slayer.
The Judge is a pale-faced and plump middle-aged man; he wears a kind
expression. As he sees Shen, he's all smiles and incredibly polite, "Your
Honour, the Ten Kings of Hell are expecting you."
On the deserted land full of wails, next to the Bridge of Fate, Shen's
refreshing eyes seem a bit cold. He nods towards the Hell Guards, and
without looking up, he says politely, "Thanks."
The Judge watches his expression, and heedfully says, "Last time we sent
the Guardian the Book of Life and Death, that was truly a mistake on our
part. It almost revealed your identity, and we are incredibly sorry, Your
Honour."
Shen looks at him quietly. The Judge drips in cold sweat.
And so the old guy tries to brush things off, "But everything regarding Lord
Kunlun has been wiped away, I can guarantee, nothing remains, not even
the tiniest clue. The Guardian is now amongst the living, as long as that
ghost face doesn't spout, he will not find out anything. Besides, Guardian is
noble and pristine like the winds and moon, a filthy being like ghost face
would not dare 'awaken' him."
Shen laughs softly, marked with unspeakable ridicule. He doesn't say

anything... he really has nothing decent to say.
The Judge struggles to laugh dryly, and wipes off sweat with his sleeves.
He himself feels that sending Zhao the Book of Life and Death was indeed
an all-too-apparent and idiotic move on the part of Hell, but what can he do
about it?
It's not like he calls the shots here.
There are ten big deities above him. The big guys even ordered him to
secretly find out what the Ghost Slayer thinks, and which side he is on...
though the Ghost Slayer rarely speaks, and always seems gentle and polite,
his mind is clear as a mirror.
Nobody is stupid here. The old Judge really doesn't want to try how fast
Ghost Slayer's blade is.
Besides, if that big god is really awakened, would he then agree to be on

their side?
When he was banished all those years ago, wasn't it due to defiance?
"After investigating a case outside we need to write a report. I type slowly,
you do it." Chu pours a cup of tea, and leisurely leans back on a chair.
"Type what I say."
Guo immediately sits upright in front of the computer, as if he has to take

care of a huge task.
The "people" of SIU are all gone, all that's left are floating ghosts. In the
darkness, only one light shines in criminal investigations, like a lighthouse
amidst the ocean at night.
Not long after the two are seated, someone knocks on the door. Chu
answers, and a big steaming tray comes flying in. Upon a closer look, the
tray isn't flying on its own, but is carried by a headless person, you just can't
see them behind the big tray.
There are two sets of utensils on the tray, four dishes, a pot of soup and two
bowls of rice. The headless ghost floats inside softly, and softly places the
food on the table. It takes out a bag of cat food out of nowhere, and fills up
Da Qing's cat bowl.
Da Qing sits with elegant composure, and nods subtly, "Thank you... it
would be splendid if you could offer your king some concentrated milk as
well."
Some TV shows ought to include a warning: mentally retarded children and

fat cats must be accompanied by an adult.
Headless ghost floats towards the fridge and takes out a bottle of milk,
pouring a bowlful for Da Qing the Great.
Guo has gotten used to the environment in No. 4 Bright Avenue. Gradually,
he finds that humans and ghosts are not much different. Some ghosts are
kindhearted, like this headless fella who brings people meals whenever they
have to work overtime. When Guo leaves the post office everyday, he has
only twenty dollars left, so this helpful ghost really makes him feel the
warmth of Spring.
After their meals, Chu sluggishly drinks his hot tea, and says to Guo,
"That's roughly what it means. As for the format, find the old reports and
adjust them on your own... that guy wasn't poisoned, he was cursed by
spirits... uh, as in grudge. The victim's lower limbs suffer from pain, so the
spirit might have died of physical injury. The victim's forehead is darkened,
eyes are reddened, the Line of Karma beneath his eyelids isn't deep, and the
black Mark of Virtue behind his ear is very light. He is probably not directly
related to the spirit who laid the curse on him, and didn't deserve it. On the
face of it, that spirit is breaking laws..."
Guo's eyes widen, his paws lay dead on the keyboard... he doesn't
understand, and can't keep up with what Chu is saying at all.
Chu sighs, and extends his legs. He turns around and asks the dead-eyed
idiot, "Alright, what do you not understand?"
"What's the Line of Karma?"
Da Qing raises its head from the milk, and a white beard forms on its black
fur. It says furiously, without licking off the milk stain, "What's up with
Zhao Yunlan? He spends his days indulging in lust and greed, does he ever
have time for important business? Has there ever been a training session for
the newcomer? Why does this kid not know dog crap?"
Chu can't let a cat badmouth the Chief, so he says, "Chief Zhao is busy with
the renovation thing lately, if it's settled, we'll move to a private chateau
with a huge garden, and you can have a big cat house up on a tree, with a
view at the bird nests."
The bossy cat pauses, and its anger subsides a little. After a while, for the
sake of its big tree house with a bird-nest view, it wiggles its whiskers and
reluctantly explains to Guo without a care, "The Line of Karma is just that,
it's karma, it's causality. Let's say a murderer comes in, and kills you for no
cause, then there's no karma, and no Line of Karma. If a murderer comes in,
and you're blocking his way, and he stabs you to death, that barely counts as
karma, since you were at the wrong place at the wrong time, and that's just
fate. But the Line would be very light, and it can be wiped off easily. If a
murderer comes in, and realises that you were cheating with his wife, and
kills you out of wrath, the Line of Karma on you cannot be wiped off, but it
wouldn't be very deep. You weren't innocent, but didn't deserve to be killed
either, so the cause and the result do not match. If a murder comes in..."
Having been murdered several times already, Guo can't help but continue,
"and he realises I'm his enemy, the one he wants revenge on, and he stabs
me to death, then the Line of Karma would be deeper?"
Da Qing shakes its head to and fro, "Stupid but not completely hopeless."
Guo then asks, "Then... then what's the Mark of Virtue?"
Chu continues, "Whether a person has done good or bad deeds, there will
be a mark behind their ears. If a person kills someone without anyone
finding out, and not even the police could catch him, there would still be a
black mark behind his ear, that's the Mark of Virtue."
As for those with good virtue... Chu looks at Guo, and he can see an
apparent white mark behind Guo's ear, shining in a thick and gentle ray.
However, the shining light isn't visible to everyone. Even those with a third
eye must be immensely focused to see it.
Guo seems to be in thought, "Does the black mark look like a dirty hand
print?"
Chu is startled, "You've seen it?"
Guo nods, and tells them about how he almost ran someone over with his
car last night.
Da Qing giggles, "A black mark so big that even a normal human can see,
that jerk will probably be electrocuted by the Heavens very soon."
Chu explains as he sees Guo's puzzled expression, "A human's Mark of
Virtue isn't visible to the naked eye, the thing you met wasn't human. The
reason why most fairies dare not harm humans is because of the Mark of
Virtue. If the black mark gets too deep, they will be punished by thunder
and lightning, and that's no fun at all. Not only the punished fairy, but
nearby fairies will be electrified as well. And so every year when the fairies
gather before the New Year, they would monitor everybody's virtue to make
sure no-one is crossing the line. They would take care of the evildoers
themselves before it reaches the Heavens."
Guo understands only partly, "Then if a human does bad deeds the Heavens
would also punish them by lightning strike?"
"No," Da Qing wiggles its tail and jumps on the floor. Its back curls up into
a ball of fur and lays next to the heater, "haven't you heard of 'he who
mends bridges goes blind, he who kills people has plenty of children'? The
human world has its own laws, and most people never get to reincarnate
anyway. Life is so short, and men die like ants, long before karma can catch
up to them, so accruing good virtue really does a human no particular
good... perhaps it would make them luckier, but not always. You see, you
have great virtue, but you're still an unlucky little cabbage."
Guo lost his parents when he was still young. He became an orphan, and on
top of that he was born unintelligent and timid. Though Zhao jokingly said
that bringing him along as a mascot would bring some strange luck, fairly
speaking, Guo has had quite a difficult life.
"Really? I have good virtue?" Guo is shocked to hear this, "I have an
unlucky life? Not really, I think my life has been quite good, it's just that
I'm not very capable."
He always feels that he is not very capable. Since he was little, all his
relatives pitied him, and always gave him a lot. Now that he has grown up
his is still a useless piece of work, but his uncle arranged such a well-paid
job for him, and his Chief and colleagues all take care of him well, even
letting him stay when he adds no value to the team whatsoever... isn't he
kind of lucky?
The black cat's drooping eyes open wide, and looks at Guo. Its emerald eyes
shine with a flash of golden light.
Before it can give a speech, Zhao comes in with a whole body of coldness
and intoxication. He asks with a voice that is almost mute, "How's the
report going?"
"Eh..." Guo is about to say something, but before he can, Zhao waves
towards him and stumbles into the toilet. He vomits.
Chu and Guo hurriedly follow. Da Qing "pffts", sluggishly extends its fat
paws from underneath its body, and dawdles forward while rocking like a
boat, "Stupid human."
The stupid human presses his stomach and stands helplessly, with a pale
face. Chu pats his back, and orders Guo, "How did you get so drunk... Little
Guo, get some warm water."
Zhao finishes vomiting, washes his mouth, and stands up wobbly. He

laughs bitterly, "Those bastards ganged up and forced me to drink, what
could I have done?"
Chu replies, "That's bullshit, who can force you if you don't want to drink?"
Zhao walks outside while holding on to the wall, "I'm broken-hearted, why
can't I drown my sorrows in alcohol?"
"Ouch, Professor Shen still doesn't want you? Teachers really do have good
taste, the people approves." Da Qing slides against his leg, "Hey, it's almost
New Year, not a good time for drunk driving, you wouldn't be so stupid,
would you? You can land in jail for half a year."
Zhao succinctly and bitterly says to the fatty, "Fuck off!"
He finds a chair to sit down on, and sits feebly like a dying dog, "Little
Guo, go get Wang here, she has things for me to sign. Old Chu, tell me what
this is about."
Chu briefly summarises the uncomplicated incident, and Zhao pauses for a
thought, "How about you finish up the report tonight, I'll wait, when it's
done I'll stamp it and fax it, hopefully we can get a reply by tomorrow."
Chu wouldn't have a problem with that, after all, it's not like he has to type
up the report.
Then, Wang comes downstairs and pours him a cup of honey water. Zhao
doesn't even have the energy to look at what Wang has for him, he can't
even open his eyes, and just carelessly picks up a pen and signs a bunch of
illegible symbols. He waves at the ghastly man behind Wang, "No PDA in
front of a lonely single man, fuck off!"
When Chu and Guo finish up the preliminary report for Zhao to sign and
stamp, he has already been sleeping on his desk for long.
Da Qing wakes him up with a storm of mighty cat punches, and asks, "I
forgot to ask, how's my super luxurious tree house with a bird-nest view
going?"
Zhao says half-consciously, "Fat fuq, I'm gonna kill you and eat your meat."
Da Qing pounces on to his shoulder, and roars into his ears, "Meow!!!
Jerk!!! Where's my luxurious cat house? Where's my luxurious cat house!?"
He gobbles down a cup of cooled water, picks up the cat by its stumpy neck
and throws it aside. Wiping his face, he is a little more awake, "It's basically
done, if it goes through fast we can probably move by Autumn next year."
The black cat instantly changes its arrogant attitude, and nudges his hand in
flattery, "Well, well, our Chief is so capable. That... that nearby bird nest,
better have eggs inside..."
Zhao flicks its cat brain away, and wipes his hands.
"Fucking cat," he says coldly, "your fur is all over my hands."
He doesn't wait for Da Qing to get mad, and quickly signs the report and
gets up, "I'm going then, thanks for your work guys."
Chu asks, "Hey, wait, how did you get here?"
"Taxi. I'll take another one back."
Guo kindly reminds, "It's very late, and very cold outside, you might not be
able to find a taxi, how about I dr... Ow!!"
Chu steps on him heavily under the table, and rapidly rushes up and pushes
Zhao back on to his chair. He snatches Zhao's phone from his pocket like a
thief, "Professor Shen is probably on holiday, let me call him to pick you
up."
This guy wouldn't want to know who he is trying to call as a chauffeur!
Zhao tries to get his phone back, but Chu agilely jumps aside, and orders
Guo, "Hey, go hold him in place, look at how drunk he is... Trust me, when
he looks at you there is something strange, I don't believe Professor Shen
would hold off for so long."
Zhao is held in place by Guo and Da Qing the cat who just likes causing
trouble... it even diligently sits on his stomach, which almost suffocates
their Chief.
"No, say I beg you alright, don't give me trouble will you?" Says Zhao.
Chu raises his eyebrows, and Shen's voice comes from the other side,
"Yunlan? What is it?"
He picks up instantly, even a father might not be so attentive to his son's

phone calls. Chu gestures to Zhao... Chief Zhao, you're a badass! Why are
you heartbroken?
Chu coughs, "Oh, Professor Shen, it's me. Our Chief drank a lot tonight, he
is hugging everyone he sees. The office is in chaos, you see, could I trouble
you to come and pick him up?"
Zhao grabs a pencil holder, and hurls it towards Chu's brain. Chu dodges,
and continues, "No, nothing's wrong, it's just the drunk cat throwing things
at me... right, we'll take care of him. Please come as soon as you can, it's
No. 4 Bright Avenue, second floor, criminal investigations. See you!"
Zhao points at him, "A bunch of bitches."
Da Qing wiggles its tail, "Yup, we're bitches... big stupid guy, what can you
do?"
Guo is the most innocent accomplice, and under Chief Zhao's knife-sharp
gaze, all he can do is learn from the ostriches, and curl up into a shivering
mushroom.
Not long, Shen arrives.
He has only knocked once, and the door to the office is already sprung
open. A body is thrown outside, and Shen catches; Zhao falls right into his
embrace.
Zhao can't even stand properly, but he still has a fighting spirit. He points at
Chu inside the office, "Little bitch, just you wait."
Chu's bitter face suddenly wears a smile, "Ow, I'm scared to death."
Shen doesn't know to cry or laugh, and pushes down Zhao's trembling hand,
"Alright, alright."
Maybe Zhao really is drunk, or perhaps he is embarrassed in front of Shen,

and uses Chu to divert attention. "If I don't beat you up today, you don't
know how many eyes the Horse God has."
Then he struggles out of Shen and tries to pounce forward.
Shen sighs, and nods towards the few inside the office, "Thank you, I'll take
care of him."
He wraps his arm around Zhao's waist, the other hand grabbing Zhao's
wrist, not letting him quiver and ramp, and tows him away.
Da Qing stands at the door, and stares at the two from behind with profound
meaning. It suddenly says, "I'm sensing the peculiar vibe of a reverse
couple. Our Chief is such a slut, could it be... hey, homo sapiens, what do
you guys think?"
Chu kicks its fat butt away.

Actually, Zhao is feeling a rather unique sensation.
He really drank too much, and can't really walk straight. But he already
threw up and took a nap, so he isn't as drunken by now.
It's just that Chu exaggerated on how drunk he is, and so he just decides to
play along. Pretending that he is utterly disoriented, he lays in the seat next
to the driver like a dead corpse, feigning unconsciousness.
Shen went upstairs to pick him up, but left the car engine on to keep the air
con running. Zhao feels it as soon as he gets inside.
Shen sits down and pushes him lightly, "Wake up, you can sleep when
you're back at home, it's easy to catch a cold outside."
Zhao plays dead.
He hears the man beside him sighing. Shen sees that he can't wake him up,
so he leans forward to pull his seat belt for him. The two men are so
incredibly close that Zhao can smell Shen's scent, it's different from when
he's the Ghost Slayer. He has the scent of soap from the clothes that
probably just came out of the laundry... when the Ghost Slayer sheds his
feared black cloak, what's underneath is actually such a clean and soft man.
Then, Shen takes out a bottle of mineral water, and pours some into a little
cup. He shakes the cup a bit, and the cold water warms up with white mist.
He holds the cup beside Zhao's mouth, "Drink some."
Zhao opens his eyes slightly, and inside of the car is pitch black, with only
the light shining from Shen's eyes. They are just the right amount of light,
not murky but not glaring either.
Zhao's heart suddenly stomps heavily. He leans forward, and guzzles down
the cup of water in Shen's hand. Then, Shen takes out a blanket from
underneath the seat and wraps him tightly in it. He turns up the temperature
of the air con, and drives away steadily.
Zhao leans against the seat with his eyes close, but he is awake... it's been a
long time since he felt so warm in a cold winter's night.
It's been half a month since they came back from the snowy mountains, and
Zhao never contacted Shen.
But constantly annoying and worrying about the thing he likes has become
a bit of a habit, and it's always painful to change ones habits. Zhao has
therefore been living quite messily. And although humans are social
animals, too much socialising can wear anyone out.
If you don't take care of your appearance meticulously, it's perhaps to make
you appear less alone.
Men and women go after him, it has always been like that. When he is in a
good mood, he likes engaging in a bit of an ambiguous love affair, just to
make himself feel better. But ever since he stopped contacting Shen, he
began comparing everyone with him. And the more he did, the more
disappointed he was... among all those people, none of them has the same
charisma of a well-educated scholar, none of them has the same features
that look as though they come from a famous portrait.
Zhao feels like he turned into an old monk void of desires in just one night.
One time during a dinner gathering, someone hired a young model that he
always liked, but he was utterly uninterested... Da Qing can testify, there
was a time when Zhao very pervertedly set a swimsuit picture of that model
as his desktop background.
And whenever he is so drunken that he forgets what year it is, he thinks

about the day when he shamelessly coerced Shen to stay at his place till
night time because of his stomachache.
They watched movies together, and talked occasionally. When he got bored
of the old movies he picked up some files that he was reading. They would
do their own thing and not disturb one another. And then, Shen would place
a pillow behind him.
It's a lifestyle that Zhao has always dreamt of... two people who don't
always have to talk, who won't annoy each other or demand a lot all day
like going on movie dates and giving flowers. They live their own lives, but
they're not distant... it's like they are meant to live together, just the two of
them.
At this age, Zhao is smart enough and experienced enough to realise that
when a man looks at someone he likes, and doesn't see tiny waist long legs
big butt, but sees home, that's definitely not lust.
If it weren't like that, perhaps he would have treated it as a joke, and ended
it with the Ghost Slayer openly.
But he can't let go.
Whenever Zhao thinks of the pair of eyes he saw when he woke up at

midnight in the shabby house in the snowy mountains, he can't help but feel
that if he ended things just like that, he would regret it for the rest of his
life.
Zhao's dog lair isn't far away from No. 4 Bright Avenue. He has yet to
retrieve himself from his convoluted thoughts, and they've already arrived.
Shen helps him get upstairs, takes off his jacket and hangs it aside nicely,
and then puts him on the bed. He heads to the washroom for a wet towel.
Though Zhao seems to be drunk as mud, Shen is incredibly well-behaved.

He only wipes his face and limbs, and avoids touching all other places, not
even one millimetre. He wraps him in a blanket, sets the towel aside, and
helps him tidy up the trash habitually. He sets it beside the door and plans to
bring it out as he leaves. Then, he begins picking up clothes that are
scattered everywhere, and gathers them into a laundry bag. He sticks a
memo note reminding Zhao to send the clothes for washing the next day.
Attentive to every detail, he takes away the cup of water on the bedside
cupboard so that Zhao wouldn't knock it off when he's sleeping.
Zhao listens to the rustling noise of the man tiptoeing around, tidying up the
room, and not only does the knot in his heart not loosen up, it just gets
messier inside.
Shen puts him in his heart, and Zhao can feel it. All his life, besides his
parents, other people always seem to want something from him, or want to
rely on him. Never has anyone cared so deeply for him.
Well, Da Qing isn't a person, it's just a bad-tempered fat cat.
When Shen finishes, he then realises that Zhao, who was still half-
consciously peeking a moment ago, now seems to be in deep slumber,
laying there restfully.
He seems so tranquil. Shen hesitates shortly, but doesn't want to leave. He

stands beside the bed, staring at him lustfully.
"Fuck," Zhao thinks, while pretending to be asleep. The blood in his heart
pour out like streams, "please stop looking, just go. This is killing me."
The Ghost Slayer doesn't hear his thoughts, the god above doesn't hear his
thoughts. After a while, Shen seems to be hypnotised, and slowly bends
down, leaning closer and closer to Zhao, till he can feel his breath on his
face.
Zhao holds his corpse-like pretense with the strongest will possible. And
yet, he can clearly feel that he is about to collapse.
At this instant, Shen can't hold it anymore. With his arms placed on either
side of Zhao on the bed, he nudges on to Zhao's lips gently. Like a
dragonfly dipping its tail in water, touching for just a split second. Shen
closes his eyes, just one short-lived touch has given him immense
satisfaction. Thundering thumps thrust through his body of flesh. For one
instant, Shen feels like a human. Under dim lights, stealing a kiss from
someone you love, and joy and sweetness swell up in your heart. Even if he
died right now, he would have no objection.
All of a sudden, Zhao's mind goes completely blank.

A strand of hair holding up countless tonnes of weight breaks in his heart,
in just a flashing moment, and without a sound. Zhao's slightly intoxicated
brain is incredibly awake, "Ghost Slayer? So what if he's the Ghost Slayer?
If I like him he's mine, to hell with everyone else!"
And so Zhao who was "sound asleep" just a moment ago suddenly wraps
his arms around Shen. Shen has yet to realise what's happening, and in great
shock, Zhao flips him over and weighs down on top of him.
In his breath, a tinge of alcohol remains. And yet, his eyes are crystal clear,
staring into Shen's eyes. He asks softly, "What are you doing, Your
Honour?"
Shen opens his mouth, in great embarrassment, there is nothing he can say.
Zhao stares at him with complex expressions for a while. Suddenly, he

pinches Shen's chin lightly, "I always thought you were a gentleman, Your
Honour, but who knew you're the kind who kisses someone else secretly in
the middle of the night. And it was such an unprofessional kiss as well."
Then Shen hears his muffled laughter.
Until Zhao's kisses come raining down, Shen is still stupefied. As though he
were in an absurdly splendid dream, he can't help but embrace Zhao's body,
pulling him in tighter.
This man is incredibly adept at kissing. Frisky, and flirtatious. As though

only carelessly, Shen is already stripped of his helmet and armour, utterly
vanquished.
And then, Zhao holds his body up a little. The two men are almost touching
noses, and Shen hears him whisper, "This is called professional level."
Shen is lost for words.
Two buttons are undone on Zhao's shirt, and his slender and refined collar
bones are unveiled. A faint aftertaste of cologne comes pouring out, and
with just a soft stream, Shen is sealed in silence. He can no longer tell who
is really drunk now.
Zhao sighs. He gently brushes away Shen's messy fringe, "Let me ask you,
for such a long time, you've always hid from me, but never too far apart, is
it because a long time ago we knew each other and you did something
terrible to me, or are you afraid that human and ghost aren't meant to be
together?"
Shen is stunned. His eyes become clearer, and he pushes Zhao away and sits
up. The tinge of flowing blood wears away from his body, and his hands
quickly retract.
Zhao sits facing him sideways, half his body on the bed, and pulls his hand
in. He slowly opens Shen's clenched fist, "Look at you, why do you give
yourself such a hard time. If it's the first reason, I'm telling you now, from
now on, whatever happened in the past is completely written off. You won't
mention it, and I won't even remember. As for the second reason... isn't that
bullshit? Humans die and become ghosts too, maybe someday I'll..."
Shen quickly covers his mouth.
Two men, four eyes, they stare at each other for long. Then, Shen finally
shakes his head, very, very slowly.
Zhao sighs, and gets out of bed. From his words he seems very conscious,
and yet he stumbles as soon as he touches the ground and falls bottoms first.
He wraps his hands around his head and moans, "Fuck, I see dozens of bees
flying around."
Shen makes haste to help him get up, "I thought you weren't drunk. Does it
hurt?"
Zhao is now in a peculiar state where his logical mind remains, but he
struggles to walk straight. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so blunt and
bold.
He shakes his head, kneels and opens the bedside cupboard. From the
bottom he scoops out a plastic folder, and slaps it on to Shen, "Open it."
Shen hesitates, but opens it soon. He finds a property contract, it's for a
house near University Road, Dragon City University... he spent such a
tremendous amount, this explains why he has been so short of cash lately.
Zhao hides his teasing smirk, leans against the cupboard, and sits on the
ground, legs straightened out. He looks up, and lights a cigarette.
He stays silent till almost the entire cigarette burns out, and says with a
deep voice, "I bought it before we went to the mountains. I thought it's a
nice environment there, and it's quite accessible. It's just beside the
University, so if you're willing to move in with me, you wouldn't have to
drive to work, and you can even wake up later in the morning. Next year,
I'll move the SIU office to somewhere nearby. The house is quite big, more
than enough for the two of us, you can have a huge working room, you can
bring your students over, I can invite some friends over sometimes... and I
also thought about having a big silly dog, I could provoke it to fight with
Da Qing and we can watch Dog Versus Cat live, New Year Edition..."
Shen's hands tremble out of control, the plastic folder crackles.
Zhao chuckles, "Who would have thought, that after going to the big
Northwest, I'd find out it's you, Your Honour... you can get from East City
to West City in the blink of an eye, why would you have to drive? And
waking up in the morning? If I had known I wouldn't have spent
unnecessary money, now I don't even have enough for New Year."
Shen gradually lowers his head, and they lock eyes with each other. He
finds this man's gaze the same as ever. Without mischief, all that's left is
deeply, deeply hidden tenderness. Even just a minuscule fragment of it, like
a tiny feather, grab it, and you shall drown within it.
Shen is being split in halves: one half is over the moon with ecstasy, the
other is sinking deep down into the abyssal depths of Hell. In just one
moment, he finds himself on the verge of insanity.
Several thousand years of solitude, and yet he always remained sane. Just a
few careless words from that man, and upheaval, havoc, tempest: unruly
passion engulfs him.
No wonder the old saying goes like this: For love, the living can die, and
the dead can once again live. The living who feareth death, and the dead
who cannot again live, art those who love enow not.
Mind and soul in utter disarray, who would remember what day and what
year it is?
Shen's heart quakes with convulsion, he almost loses control.
Now he realises, for thousands of years, he hasn't been void of emotions,

and he hasn't been unaggrieved. The things Zhao said tonight have only
ever appeared in his dreams. On one hand, he knows none of this will ever
be possible, but on the other, he can't help but hope.
Hope is like a strand of spider silk, and his life depends on it.
He was born because of him, and lived till this day because of him.
The strongest of hearts cannot be defeated by the knives and blades that are
the storms and blizzards of life, but only by a helping hand that comes out
of nowhere, or a gentle whisper by the ear, "Come home."
For one moment, he really wants to ask, why does he have to be the Ghost
Slayer? Short-lived ants can come and go in pairs under the sun and dew,
voyaging birds can find a nesting place among tree branches, and yet in
heavens and earth, he was born unique, why isn't there a place he can
belong?
Everyone is frightened of him, respectful on the outside but plotting

discreetly and wanting him dead.
He was born in chaos, brutality and menace. There is always a part of him
that overflows with malevolence, wishing to slay all those people with his
blade.
But that... no, he chooses to abide by a promise that only he remembers. Till
now, many thousands of years have passed, and he never strayed, since that
is the only thing left connecting him with that person.
Zhao watches Shen's eyes redden, looking like they will drip in blood.
Much later, Shen shakes his head incredibly slowly.
Zhao hears him whisper, "I'm bad luck, you will get hurt because of me."
Zhao frivolously tilts his lips upwards, and two dimples emerge on his
cheeks, "Sure, do you wanna try if your Attack is higher, or if my HP is
thicker? Hey, by your logic, I ought to marry a Maneki-neko, damn... isn't
that a bit too kinky?"
Shen doesn't understand his humour, and doesn't reply. His palm is almost
clenched till blood comes out, and he finally says, "How can you... how can
you pressure me like this?"
Zhao's smile wears away, and he puts off the cigarette in an ash tray.
When he first saw Shen, he fell for him instantly. He thought Shen is just
the type he likes, but neglected the sense of natural familiarity, the feeling
as though they've met before. The past of Ghost Slayer, Zhao has yet to find
out, and he cannot bear to ask him face to face.
He always finds Shen in so much suffering. Why does the air freeze every
time he wears his black cloak?
Does he not feel the cold?
"Sorry." Zhao stays silent for a while, and flips open Shen's fist. Holding his
hand, Zhao kisses the back of it gently, and carelessly tosses the expensive
property contract aside.
Shen shuts his eyes. He finds himself immensely disgraceful.
Why didn't he stay further away, why didn't he hide in the depths of Hell,
then no matter how many times Zhao reincarnates, they would never meet,
and he would never know of his existence; but he couldn't help it.
He finds himself very much like a shameless slut, who stands seductively
on the streets, but when that someone comes, he puts on an honourable and
upright pretence.
He has always loathed himself, now more than ever.
Zhao lays sideways on the bed, and massages his temples gently. Then, he
speaks with a stifling tone, "I have other things, but you probably wouldn't
want any of it. There is only one thing: my heart... if you don't catch it, then
forget about it."
These words brutally bludgeon Shen's heart like a rock. He is reminded of a

long time ago, when someone said beside his ear, with the same ostensibly
careless sigh, and a profound tone that he rarely spoke with, spouting one
word after another, "I am rich with the mountains and rivers of this world,
but if you think about it, that's hardly worth relishing: just an old bunch of
pebbles and some wild creeks. There is probably only this one thing on me
that's worth a little something: my heart. You want it? Take it."
The past is still present, flashing before his eyes.
All of a sudden, he embraces Zhao with all his might. Zhao's bones crackle,
and Shen buries his head in his neck.
Those who show their emotions do weep or howl in grief and despair.
But for Shen, all he can do is sink his teeth into his own wrist over Zhao's
shoulder. It's hard to tell how much force was in that bite, his wrist is
soaked in blood-red instantly, and the wound almost reaches his bones.
Yet, he doesn't seem to feel the pain.
The unending depth of Hell weighs down on him. He sheds no tears, but in
extreme agony, he can only shed his blood.
Zhao picks up a bloody odour, and senses something wrong, "Shen Wei!
What are you doing!? Let go!"
Shen only locks him in place even tighter.
Men can only live for a few dozen years, that time passes by momentarily,
like a flashing glint, a swooping silhouette. Shen suddenly thinks, how
come he doesn't deserve to have just this tiny fragment of time?
"Shen Wei!" As Shen is lost in thought, Zhao finally struggles out of his
arms, and sits up. He finds his bed sheet covered in red. Infuriated instantly,
he almost censures Shen as if he were Guo, "Is your brain made of nuts!?
Yes I'm a motherfucking vulgar pig, but I would never force a guy against
his will. You shook your head, and did I say anything? Did I say anything?
Did you have to shed your own blood?"
Then, he grumpily pounces up, and tries to find the first-aid kit. But Shen
suddenly grabs him.
"I caught it."
Zhao hears Shen say, very lightly.
Zhao is stunned. But Shen smiles, and with a greatly contrasting... almost
tranquil tone, he continues, "I caught it. In your entire life, whether living or
dying, dying or living, I will never let go anymore. Even if one day, you
become sated and jaded with me, and you want to leave, there is no way I
will let you go. If I have to, I will strangle you to death in my arms."
In silence, Zhao blinks. It took him a while to understand what Shen meant.
Up until now, he finally smells a tinge of what belongs to the Ghost Slayer
on "Professor Shen".
Then, Zhao makes no comment about his sweet yet savage speech, and
takes out a first-aid kit from underneath the bed. He finds an anti-sceptic
towel, and sits on the edge of the bed, frowning, pulling up Shen's bloodied
wrist, and wipes off the blood stain that is slightly cold like the person. He
treats him tenderly, but his words are not so pleasant: after a long while,
Zhao sighs, and comments, "You're really quite crappy you know."
Afterwards, Zhao is probably exhausted to death. Half-human and half-

ghost creatures saturate the SIU, and not one of them is reliable. Zhao is
always busy, like he was born to labour hard everyday. After he changes the
bloodied sheets, he is in no mood for lovemaking anymore. He falls head
first on to the bed, and shortly, his breathing evens out.
He really is sound asleep this time.
Shen looks at his wrist, which is wrapped tightly and neatly. He lifts up the
other half of the blanket, and holding his breath, he lies down on the other
side of the bed with incredibly gentle movements.
He holds Zhao's hand against his chest, and shuts his eyes.
Shen never thought the day would come when he sleeps through the night.
He has never been blessed with the sweetness of slumber, and he has never
tasted a serene, dreamless night.
It's been too long since he last felt this blissful.
The next morning, a weird smell from the kitchen awakens Shen. To his
surprise, he gets up and is stupefied for half a minute before he realises
where he is. He sees the "incriminating evidence" on his wrist, and his face
that always seems to be pale is veiled in a pink film.
Look at the things he did, and the things he said last night!
Such is... the unbearable past.
This moment, someone mumbles, "Morning."
Shen looks up, and sees Zhao holding a pair of chopsticks in his mouth. He
has a one-metre-long plastic tray in his hands, with five slots on it, each big
enough for a huge bowl or a moderate-sized plate.
Five slots, if there aren't a lot of people, that's just enough for the standard
four dishes and a soup, and he can carry everything in just one trip.
What kind of sloth designed this godly tool, the world may never know.
And yet the godly tool in Zhao's hands has other godly things on it. From
left to right, a tidy queue of large-size instant cup noodles sits on the tray,
steaming with a mix of indescribable odour.
What can Shen say in this situation.

And so Zhao sits himself on to the couch like a badass, and starts explaining
as if counting mountains, "First left is braised beef noodles, boiled in water,
second left is old-altar pickled cabbage noodles, boiled in hot milk, in the
middle is mushroom and chicken stew noodles, microwaved in water, with
a knob of butter, second right is assorted seafood noodles, I found it a bit
bland, so I added a spoon of sweet sauce, first right is bacon cream noodles,
boiled in hot coffee... this one should be good. Pick whatever you like."
Then, he finally finds himself a little awkward, "Well, you see... I don't
know how to make other things. You don't come over often, and I thought
just making two instant noodles was a bit too embarrassing."
And so he made five... oh how generous of him.
Shen glances across the five steaming cup noodles. He cannot fathom how
this man hasn't poisoned himself to death already.
But luckily, even if he were to cook a bowl of arsenic, Shen would eat it
willingly without so much of a frown... but Professor Shen still chooses the
bowl that looks the most normal, and subtly reminds him, "These oily foods
are bad for your health, don't eat too much."
Zhao admits honestly, "I'm poor lately, if I don't get my bonus, I'm gonna
have to ask my dad for help."
As he is saying, he catches a glimpse of Shen, and he just so happens to

think of something, and says, all smiles, "A gold digger, and a bed warmer."
Shen gags on a mouthful of spicy soup, and coughs vigorously, turning his
head away.
Zhao "hee hees", and says carelessly, "It's almost the end of the year, the
time for reviewing virtue is here again. Recently there are more and more
thieves on earth, the fairy tribes and ghosts are all scrambling last-minute."
Shen sits up, poised, and wipes his mouth. He says tardily, "Deliberate
deeds can only amount to superficial karma, how can good virtue be
accrued so easily?"
"Yea," Zhao seems to have impaired taste, as he guzzles down the god-
awful mixture of coffee and instant noodle soup, "speaking of which, there's
a case recently, and you'd think they'd behave this time of year."
The Sundial of Reincarnation is the first of the Four Mystical Artifacts, then
comes the Pillar of Nature, and the third is the Ink Brush of Virtue. Now
that the first two have surfaced, Shen is understandably a little oversensitive
towards the word "virtue".
But he has yet to ask, and Zhao's phone rings.
Zhao hurriedly puts down the noodles, and looks at his phone, "Speak of
the devil, here it is again."
Just one night, and there are two more victims who ended up in hospital.
The same symptoms: no illness, no injuries, just frantically jerking to and

fro while holding their legs. The victim's family called the police five
o'clock in the morning, so the comrades in charge of the case have no
choice but to crawl out of their beds.
Widespread poisoning has severe impact on the well-being of the society.

The incident is worsening by the minute, and it just so happens to be the
end of the year, when stability maintenance is crucial. The chief of the
district police has not a clue what to do, so Zhao is harassed with death-
threatening frequency.
Chu and others have basically concluded that this case will sooner or later
be handed to the SIU. When it's morning they will send the report up, and
Zhao won't be able to brush it aside.
But it's gonna take one whole day, give or take, before the procedures go
through. Zhao promises over the phone that he will go to the hospital to
take a look today.
If you asked Zhao Yunlan, besides Shen, he doesn't want to bring any third
wheel. But considering black cat Da Qing's vigorous protest the other day,
Zhao squeezes out an ounce of responsibility from his brain full of
rainbows, butterflies and unicorns, and gives Guo a call, telling him to
come along, and help him learn in fun and games... ah, no, it's practical
training for the newcomer.
Pitiful little officer Guo, it's been over half a year since he first started
working for the SIU, but he still knows next to nothing. Till now, there is
finally a tiny hint of basic training for him.
Guo is a responsible and diligent kid, and naturally, he wouldn't have the
Chief wait for him. As soon as he gets the phone call, he rushes out at the
speed of light, and to avoid morning traffic, he sprints towards the subway
station. He tries to get on board at the busiest station, but is crammed out of
the carriage twice. Third time's a charm: a fierce old lady gives him a kick
from behind, and he is jammed inside just before the doors close.
All soaked in sweat, Guo arrives at the hospital, and realises he is there too
early. The day-shift doctors are only just arriving at work, as for their Chief,
well, he is still too captivated in whatever paradise he calls home sweet
home.
Guo rubs his hands together, withdraws his necks, and waits in the freezing
winter of Dragon City for more than two hours. A whole pack of tissues is
used for his runny nose, and his whole body almost crystallises into a
snowflake. Finally, the belated Zhao arrives... oh, and Professor Shen too.
Guo is so cold that he can't speak clearly anymore, "Chi...

Chichichichichichi-Chief Zhao."
Zhao is rather amused by his appearance, "When did you arrive? How long
have you been waiting?"
"Al... almost three hours."
Zhao doesn't ask things like "why didn't you call me" or "why didn't you go
inside", he is used to it... if Guo wasn't stupid, is he still Guo?
But Shen is quite surprised, "Why don't you go inside if you got here
early?"
Zhao locks the car, and carelessly tosses the car keys into Guo's arms, and
chuckles, "He doesn't dare."
Bingo. Guo shamefully sucks up a trickle of snot, and glances at Shen.
Shen sees it, and patiently says, "Morning, have you had breakfast?"
Guo nods, and at the same time thinks with his messy brain: why is Chief
Zhao bringing "family" to work?
On the face of it, it seems like the Chief has a problem. And yet, Guo can't
help but feel like a gargantuan third wheel. Greatly embarrassed, as he sees
Shen and Zhao whispering to each other, he only dares to stand three steps
away, head drooped and shoulders shrugged. His frozen face is looking all
the more miserable, like a small eunuch following behind.
It's influenza season, and the hospital is too crowded to begin with. As Guo
tries to keep his distance, swarms of people quickly surpass and surround
him. While he tries to wriggle his way out of the crowd, at the same time he
stands tall on his toes searching for the other two men. But when he finally
manages to bust out of the horde, Zhao and Shen are nowhere to be found.
Luckily, he came here once before, so he knows to go upstairs to in-patient

department on the sixth floor.
As he arrives on the sixth floor, some doctors and nurses are hurriedly
pushing a patient, and Guo quickly steps aside to make way.
He tilts his body, and accidentally looks towards a window.

After having witnessed "filthy things" on reflective glass for several times
already, Guo is quite mentally disturbed. He now has a habit to close the
curtains and turn on the TV as soon as he gets home, cover the reflective
table with a tablecloth, and only ever lift open the laptop when he's using it.
But it only took a careless glance, and Guo's eyes are drawn to the glass.
He sees a person outside the window of the sixth floor. A man, slender,
wearing a shabby beanie, and from underneath it his coarse-skinned ears
and white hair can be seen. He is wearing an equally shabby cotton-padded
jacket.
Instinctually, Guo senses his eccentricity. His heart begins beating rapidly,
and yet sometimes, the more terrified you are, the harder it is to look away.
As Guo slowly looks down, his mouth widens, and a look of extreme horror
emerges on his face... he sees the man floating mid-air, and he has no legs!
The man's legs are cut from near the pelvis; on the narrow window, Guo can
clearly see the irregular wound: a short segment of bone protrudes from
within the rotten flesh, and it's, it's still bleeding! The blood oozes out of the
gaps of the window, dripping on to the ground, gathering into a small
puddle, like it will never stop flowing.
But the doctors and nurses passing by don't seem to notice.
The legless man quietly glares at the in-patient department, half his face
covered in dirt and blood. His eyes are popping out and his face is void of
expression like a frightening wax figure. All he does is creepily eyeing the
people that come and go, and tilting up his parched and cracked lips slightly
to one side, wearing an inexplicably begrudging, mirthless smile...
Right this moment, a hand forcefully pats on his shoulder out of nowhere,
and Guo's fear reaches a certain level where he can't even scream, and only
silently leaps up, eyes dilated, and even his breathing stops. The heart in his
chest "kachunks", and skips a beat.
Not exaggeratingly, Guo clearly feels a surging urge to pee.

Luckily, he soon realises it's Zhao patting him on his shoulder, and so he
forces the urine back inside.
Zhao sees his pale and petrified face, and his hunchbacked and cross-legged
awkward posture, and frowns, "What's up with you now?"
Guo opens his mouth, attempting to explain, but his brain is a blank slate.
He is still trapped in a state of temporary mutism, and all he can do is raise
his trembling hand, and point towards the window at the end of the corridor.
Zhao looks up with suspicion, and follows Guo's pointer... not particularly
glistening, but not particularly filthy either. Besides a little dirt and tiny
fractals, nothing can be seen.
Zhao asks, puzzled, "What did you see?"
As Guo panickingly looks up again, he is shocked to find the window

completely blank; he sees nothing.
He frantically glances around, realising no-one is looking, and lowers his

voice, speaking on the verge of tears, "I saw a man floating outside the
window... no, half a man, his legs were cut off, blood dripping from the
gaps of the window, and spilled everywhere."
Zhao looks at him while frowning: Guo sucks a trickle of snot back in with
all his might, still the same silly look that has "come bully me" written all
over it.
Zhao knows he isn't lying. From what he knows of Guo, he finds it highly
unlikely that this kid has the intellect to support the demanding task of
"lying to the Chief".
He heads for the window, but his revealing watch does not respond, and
only calmly walks by the second. Zhao touches the window sill, and opens
the slightly rusted window; just a small gap, and a chilling northwesterly
comes gushing in.
Yet it's just a breeze. Besides chill, he doesn't feel anything else.
Not long after, a young female nurse comes running towards Zhao by the
window, and protests, "Hey, this mister, will you please close the window?
If you need fresh air please go outside, there are patients here, and they
can't stand the cold."
Zhao closes the window, turns around, and gives the young nurse an
apologetic smile, nodding.
The girl is stunned by this high-quality handsome, and struggles to react.

After a while, her face reddens, and she feigns a discontent mumble, and
rushes off.
Shen, who walked towards them not long ago, can't hold it anymore, and
coughs lightly, intentionally blocking the way of the girl staring back with
his body.
Zhao glances at him with a half-smiling face, and pulls his scarf gently.
Leaning forward, he whispers into Shen's ear, "Did you catch a cold? Why
are you coughing?"
Shen hastily stumbles backwards. The look on his face and his movements
make Zhao suspect that if he were to wear a long gown, he would flick his
sleeves and lower his head, saying, "in broad daylight, men shall not stand
too close".
He can't help but laugh subtly.
"What are you looking at?" Shen's ears grow reddish, and awkwardly
changes the subject.
Zhao glances at Guo, who stands far far away, not getting anywhere near
the window whether dead or alive. He summarises what happened briefly.
Shen ponders, and lowers his voice, "Logically speaking, he shouldn't have
a third eye. But it's very bewildering, I think he can see what happened in a
place from reflective surfaces."
Zhao frowns, "How so?"

"Do you remember the first time we met at Dragon City University, I
suddenly appeared and interrupted him?" Shen says, "Actually, the night
before I heard something happened, and suspected that it was related to the
escaped hungry ghost. I sent a puppet to investigate the bedroom of the
victim, and the puppet left before sunrise. But when this young man
climbed up to the window sill, he and my puppet suddenly had a strange
connection. I was afraid of blowing my cover, so I had to stop him... it's just
that I didn't know you were there."
That day, someone, by unknown means, cut off his sense of Zhao's
whereabouts.
In Guo's report, he did mention seeing a skull on the window, and

something along the lines of "a figure in a black cloak in the eyehole of the
skull". But Zhao only skimmed through the report, and found that ninety
percent of it was fabricated bullshit, and so he used the report as drink
coaster... he never expected Guo would be able to write anything useful
anyway.
"Which means that last night, there was a legless man... or ghost, peeking in
from the window?"
Shen lowers his voice even further, "Didn't you say these two were sent in
in the middle of the night? If I had a plan to hurt people, I'd probably come
see for myself what happened to them."
Zhao smirks, "Oh you wouldn't hurt anyone, even when you kiss someone
you do it so secretively..."
Shen cannot get used to whispering in each other's ears, and even touching
on such a private subject in the eyes of the public. His face reddens
instantly, and he interrupts him, bellowing, "Stop that nonsense!"
Zhao shuts his mouth. But a slut is still a slut, even with his mouth closed.
He uses his gaze to invade and sexualise, and he does it skillfully and with
great experience.
Finally, Shen can't stand his eyeing up and down his body, and turns
around, heading to the rooms with wide steps.
The three awkwardly walk towards the patients' room, and Guo realises that
the bestial solo lament from the other night has turned into a duet, and the
first victim isn't here anymore.
Big officer cap from a police branch comes out with a difficult face, holding
Zhao's hands, as welcoming as the Fourth Red Front Army meeting the
Second Red Front Army in victory all those years ago. He says with great
anguish, "You must be Chief Zhao? I'm Li. Our Chief ordered me, and I
have been waiting for you all day."
Zhao asks, "Where's the victim from yesterday?"
Office Li says, "He is almost dying, sent to the ICU. The hospital is about
to send these two over there as well."
Zhao asks, "How is he almost dying?"
Officer Li says, "He was screaming through the day, like a fish out of water.
His eyes widened, and he couldn't speak. He was in a comatose state, he
would quiver occasionally, and he wouldn't feel anything from the legs
down... is this really poisoning? All these years I haven't came across a drug
that can get someone in this state."
"Maybe it really isn't poisoning." Zhao looks at him, and Officer Li finds
this man's eyes dark and hollow, as if he had some kind of insinuation. Li
trembles. Zhao pats him on the shoulder, "After all, the hospital doesn't
have a conclusion yet, anything is possible... you work on moving them
first, I'll talk to the victim, and figure out what's the situation."
Doctors, nurses, and the victims' relatives are all called out by Officer Li,
and only the two victims are left complimenting each other in a screeching
duet.
Zhao glances at the two, and knocks one of them unconscious. He asks
Guo, "Did you bring a notebook?"
Guo nods eagerly.
"Jot notes." Zhao bends down, and asks the victim, "Miss, do your legs
hurt?"
The victim is a middle-aged woman. She thrashes about in pain, and the
medical staff had to tie her to the bed. She nods with watery eyes.
Zhao takes out a wallet, but this "wallet" doesn't have cash or credit cards in
it. He opens it, and inside is a thick pile of yellow paper talismans.
Zhao flips through the talismans, and explains to Guo, "Paper talismans are
very important tools. You have to keep them organised, according to their
categories... ones used for attacking, ones used for exorcism, and so on...
otherwise when you need them you won't be able to find what you want.
Learning how to use them is also a profound subject..."
This inconsiderate Chief starts giving a slow-paced lecture amidst the pig-
slaughtering screams of the victim.
Guo doesn't have that kind of mental strength. He can't listen to a word, and
all his attention is diverted by the miserable victim.
"Let's talk about her." Zhao continues, like a medical professor giving his
students a lecture with the help of a corpse. He walks forward, and flips up
the woman's ear, "You don't have a third eye, so you can't see her virtue. A
very basic talisman can do the job for you."
He takes out a paper talisman and shows it to Guo, "It's called the third
eye's talisman."
Guo has yet to take it, and Zhao slaps the talisman precisely on to Guo's
forehead, right between his eyebrows, "Like this."
Guo is slapped with a talisman like a zombie, and he instantly feels an

inexplicable surge of chill rushing from the talisman. As if with great
weight, a force enters his forehead, and the world in his eyes changes... but
exactly what changed, he can't really say.
"Come take a look." Zhao waves at him.
Guo looks down, and he shockingly realises that the victim is shrouded in a
dark mist. Her weathered look has turned unspeakably creepy, with a hint of
impending death. Her legs, though unharmed, are engulfed in black smoke,
looking as though they were cut off irregularly.
Guo looks at the woman's ear. He sees a big black mark behind her ear, not
a very deep colour, but murky and surrounding almost her entire neck, like
an eerie birthmark.
"A black mark behind the ears, that's a sign of bad virtue." Shen suddenly
says behind Guo, "The Book of Life and Death has records of a person's
virtue. Whenever a person commits a bad deed, small ghosts will leave a
black hand print behind their ear. The darker the colour, the more culpable
the deed. Like this one here, none of the marks are very deep, but the area is
large, which means she never did anything too out of line, but she's selfish
and does small evil frequently."
Shen pauses, and adds, "But of course, this isn't punishable by death. That
thing put her in such a state, and it wasn't appropriate."
Guo nods with modesty. But soon, he realises he might be nodding to the
wrong person, and suddenly looks at Professor Shen as if looking at an
alien.
"The heck you looking at." Zhao turns his brain around, "He is the real
sage. I was blind to not have realised sooner."
As he hears this, Guo turns from surprised to astonished, and greatly

admires this "sage" the Chief speaks of.
Then, Zhao takes out another talisman, and again puts it in front of Guo for
him to observe, "This is a simple exorcism talisman, it's rudimentary, so
sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Of course, when it doesn't
work, then at least we have an idea of how strong the opponent is."
Guo says nothing.
He doesn't want to know how the woman must be feeling hearing this.
As Zhao sticks the yellow paper talisman on to the woman on the bed, Guo,
with the help of the artificial third eye, sees a massive cloud of black smoke
spouting out like a geyser, surging up and back down as it reaches the
ceiling, and from within emerges a distorted face. Mouth agape, the face
howls with all its might.
Faster than lightning, the lecture quickly becomes haunted mansion horror.
Guo yelps, and reflexly runs towards the door. However, Chief Zhao pulls
him back by the collar as though he has an eye on his back.
Zhao calmly holds Guo with one hand, and with the other in his pocket, he
locks eyes with the... thing floating mid-air. After a while, he mutters,
"That's strange, why is there so much grudge?"
Guo screams, "Ghost! Gh-gh-gh-ghost!!!"
Zhao snickers, "Yea how surprising, like you've never seen a ghost before?
If there isn't one I wouldn't call you here."
"It hurts people! It's an evil ghost!" As Guo squeals, a strong surge of
electricity bursts out from his pocket. Luckily Zhao has had experience with
this, he lets go and dodges even though he created this mighty weapon, and
the floating shadow is vaporised with the same power seen in the Hanga's
cave.
"I haven't asked anything, who told you to kill it!?" Zhao the Monday-
morning quarterback waits for the smoke to disperse, and slaps Guo on the
back of his head.
Guo's eyes are flooded and tears can fall any moment, he looks at Zhao, "I...
I was scared..."
"Why didn't you hold it for a while?" There are always idiotic chiefs who
like to demand their staff of the humanly impossible.
Unfortunately, Guo is a die-hard fan of his Chief, and he has always

respected and feared him at the same time. Even if Zhao uttered some
bullshit, he would probably regard it as the highest law, and find the Chief's
bullshit greatly sensible.
Guo follows his orders and begins holding back his fear. He stands in place
in silence as his face reddens, and yet his internal organs are still trembling,
and he whispers like a mosquito, "I... I really can't hold it."
Zhao stares at him sideways, Guo cannot figure out what it means and
trembles in fear. Another jolt of thunderbolt almost comes out again, but the
heartless Chief suddenly laughs, and praises, "You're so amusing."
Guo stays silent.
He finds this sentence a rather weird praise.
Shen looks at the two of them, and finally says something, "Don't bully
him."
Zhao doesn't say anything else, and instantly shows the good quality of
"listening to ones wife". He lets go of Guo, and stands upright. The sheer
speed of his movements shows how well-trained he is; he can probably
enter the next round of the "National Canine Championships".
The woman on the bed has calmed down. She witnessed the whole process,
and is petrified for long. As she regains her senses, she struggles to get up,
and kneels on the bed and bows towards Guo, "Thank you angel, thank you
little angel!"
Guo is greatly embarrassed, "No no no, I I I..."
He stutters, and his face and ears are all red. His mind goes blank in the
face of a stranger, and the stun baton in his pocket crackles. A spark
discharges, and Zhao's coat almost catches fire.
Guo quickly shuts his mouth. As he feels more at ease, he also realises how
Wonder Boy must have felt.
Zhao gets serious, pulls a chair and sits down. He waves towards the
woman on the bed, "Alright, stop bowing now. I have a few questions for
you, please co-operate."
The middle-aged woman quickly nods.
"Last night you also ate an orange you bought on the street, and then ended
up in hospital?"
"Yes. It was night time, I went to the supermarket, and when I came out I
saw someone selling oranges by the road."
"Hold on, did you see the fruit vendor when you were heading to the
supermarket?" Zhao interrupts.
The middle-aged woman thinks, and says uncertainly, "Probably... not?

Most likely no, I was out to buy fruits, I would have noticed it."
So it was waiting for her intentionally.
"The one selling fruits, did you see their face?"
"Uh... a man, slender, wearing a shabby beanie... and, and a dusty and grey
jacket, I think?"
"What about his legs?" Zhao asks.
"Legs?" The woman is taken aback, and only remembers after a while, "Oh,
right! I remember. His legs had a problem, he was limping, and walked with
difficulty. I didn't think of it until you mentioned, he was probably a cripple
with a fake leg, no?"
She doesn't wait for Zhao's response, and begins commenting, "I tell you
what I think great saint, the crippled and the dumb and all the handicapped,
none of them are good people. Their bodies are incomplete, so all their
minds become messed up. They are poisoning people, isn't that insane? I
think these people should all be locked up and monitored, after all they can't
live normal lives anyway, all they do is disturb the society."
Zhao wears a deep frown. He finally knows where the huge black mark
behind her ears come from. Some people are born wicked, every pore on
their skin oozes small evil. None of it fatal, but none of it not hurtful.
The woman continues, "Like the deaf guy in our neighbourhood. He can't
get a woman, and so he got a crappy dog. As soon as he opens the door I
can hear the dog barking and barking. He is deaf so of course he can't hear
it, and he just lets his dog bark. I should've bought that rat poison long ago,
that thing didn't die soon enough..."
Zhao is growing impatient. He looks up and stares into the woman's eyes.
Without sympathy, he controls her mind by force, and the babbling
woman's eyes instantly go blank. Soon, her eyes roll back and she falls
unconscious.
Zhao says next to her ear, without any expression, "You ate something dirty,
but you went to the toilet just now, and all the dirty stuff are now gone. Oh,
and you lost your balance and fell into the toilet. The stink on your body
will not go away no matter how hard you wash..."
Shen hears him getting out of line, and heavily coughs.
"Uh, although you turned yourself into a pile of shit, your food poisoning
has recovered. In the afternoon some handsome policemen came to ask
about the guy who sold poisonous oranges, just standard police business.
And while they were here, they also gave someone's filthy mind some kind
of moral education..."
Shen coughs again.
"That's all, reflect on your conscience." Zhao shuts up as per Shen's request,
and as he is walking out of the room behind the others, he turns around and
smirks, "I wish you have nightmares, old woman."
Shen pulls him out, afraid that he might narrate The Ring to her ears.
"She clearly doesn't know the poisoner." Zhao leaves the room, and enters
into teaching mode. "The Line of Karma under her eyelids isn't deep.
Though I find her incredibly annoying, it probably wasn't the dog selling
poisonous oranges. From experience, it's usually the poisoner hurting
random people."
He stops here, and looks at Guo who is rapidly dashing his pen across the
pages. He slows down, waits for Guo a little, and continues as though
without a care, "If the old woman is directly related to the poisoner... say
she killed him, and he is back for revenge, then there's nothing we can do.
Human laws forbid revenge, but the order of Karma, and Yin and Yang does
not."
Guo hastily nods.
"But according to the victim, she clearly doesn't know the guy. And since
the Line of Karma is light, their only connection is probably something
trivial like bumping into each other on the streets. Of course, there could be
something more. But most likely, it's the evil ghost deliberately hurting
people. In that case, not only can we capture the ghost, we can execute on
the spot."
Guo subconsciously pats on the pocket with his stun baton in it. The corner
of Zhao's mouth cramps, and he is so helpless that his balls are hurting a
little.
"Then, I'll go to ICU to check out the even more unlucky one."
He looks to Shen, who knowingly nods, "I'll take care of the other victim."
Zhao smiles to Shen like the breeze of Spring. Then he turns around, and
switches to a menacing look towards Guo, "You go, call Zhu and tell her to
contact the authorities. I want full authority on this case by tonight... stop
dawdling, whenever I see you dawdle I wanna kick your ass. Faster!"
Professer Shen, the one who can stand up for him, is gone, so Guo covers
his butt and runs off to do his job.
Past four o'clock in the afternoon, before sunset, Zhu rushes to the hospital
with a formally approved letter of authorisation.
"The police from the district branch have all been called back. Just now I
ran into Little Li downstairs, and he said he would treat us to dinner later,
so..."
Zhu stops here, and swallows the rest down... because she sees Shen
walking towards them with a drink. She pauses, and switches to a more
subtle tone, "Now the case is entirely up to us, what do you think we should
do."
Shen senses the doubt in her eyes, and quickly stuffs the drink in Zhao's
hand, and says considerately, "You get to work, I'll leave you alone."
Zhao grabs him, and shows his true nature, that of a sticky candy, "I'm not
letting you go. What if you change your mind, and I can't find you anymore
after you're gone?"
There are always passers-by in the corridors of the hospital. Besides, Zhao
is a tall and well-built handsome, so he has always been quite an eye-
catcher. Not to mention now he is getting handsy and intimate with another
man, and soon there are curious eyes staring.
Shen quickly glances around, and whispers, "We're still outside. Be

careful."
Zhao hears, and immediately turns towards the people who are staring,
staring back at them, and says without a care, "Whatcha looking at? You've
never seen handsome gay guys?"
They really haven't seen one so bossy and full of himself, and
embarrassingly turn away.
Zhao tries to ingratiate himself with Shen, and turns to him, "hee hee hee."
Shen is speechless.
Zhu cannot believe this idiotic guy is supposed to be their brave and
formidable Chief Zhao. Her raging heart withers until four words are left:
what an appalling sight.
But Shen lightly frowns, and says, "You are working, it's not very
appropriate for me to stay."
Zhu whispers, "Yea, Chief Zhao, we have regulations..."
Zhao interrupts, "I set the regulations, if I don't like them I can change them
anytime... besides the regulations say to avoid outsiders witnessing or
participating, but he's not an outsider."
Shen is stunned. For a moment, he thinks Zhao is about to reveal his

identity.
But Zhao lowers his voice, and says to Zhu with a smug face, "He's my
'wife'."
Shen is left speechless again.
Zhu turns towards the window after a moment of silence, and says to Guo,
much like saying "the number you have dialled is not in service", with the
same monotonous voice, "Little Guo, look, the sunset is so green! It looks
like it was marinated in vinegar!"
Guo rubs his eyes.
Zhao coughs dryly, adjusts the look on his face, and resumes his composure
as the Chief, "Alright... Zhu, call the guys, I want the whole team here.
Especially Lin, last night he left very early, today I'll have him know the
consequences."
Zhu gives him an "okay" and turns around to send a message to everyone in
criminal investigations at No. 4 Bright Avenue, "Come to Yellow Stone
Temple Hospital, have a look at the smug face on our bastard Chief."
And so everyone rushes to the hospital before the sky is dark. And yet there
is nothing for them to see, just Zhao sitting there like a boss, ordering
everyone around, "Old Chu, go to the rooftop and set up two layers of 'net',
one way in, no way out; don't let him escape. Little Guo follow him, and
write me a learning report. Zhu go and set up 'surveillance alarms', and
isolate this area, turn it into your zone, don't let anyone enter. Make it clean,
don't leave any traces... Da Qing will help with that."
Da Qing is listening to Lin, who's whispering, "Look at Professor Shen's

hand, it's wrapped in gauze. Just how much of a beast is our Chief." And as
Da Qing is lost in imagination, it hears its name and quivers.
Shen uncomfortably pulls down his sleeve.
"As for Lin..." Zhao takes out a small bottle, and Lin has an ominous
inkling.
Zhao smiles cunningly, and says to Lin, "Inside is a fragment of grudge

taken from one of the victims."
Chu explains to the newcomer who knows nothing, "All evil ghosts are
born from grudge. Fragments of grudge will be left on people they make
contact with, and they are like his tentacles. Since their nature is the same,
the ghost will react to it."
Guo has been following Zhao around all day, and he hasn't had dinner. As
he hears this, somehow he thinks of grilled octopus balls, and swallows a
mouthful of saliva; his stomach bellows.
Chu is left speechless.
Sometimes he really can't understand what this piece of garbage is thinking

all day.
Zhao crosses his legs, and throws the bottle to Lin, "One was killed
accidentally today, but the thing didn't show up, probably couldn't during
the day. At night, I'm afraid he won't fall for the trap, so your mission is to
crush the tentacle inside when it's night time, and lure the evil ghost into
Zhu's zone."
Lin silently looks at him, and then looks at the small bottle in his hand.
Realising he is to become a human shield, he denounces with the emotional
weight of a speaker at a funeral, "You're using me as bait."
Zhao does not hesitate, "Yea, so what?"
He can so openly admit to his immorality, you can see just how carefree he
is!
Lin looks around, and only sees the black cat's cunning sneer and all the
others being void of expressions and sympathy; despair rises up within him.
The fake monk suddenly turns around, and pounces towards Shen who has
been standing against the wall quietly, "The King wants to use me as
sacrifice, please save me, Queen!"
Shen is speechless.
When he's the Ghost Slayer, whoever sees him acts like a mouse seeing a
cat. He has never been joked with like that, and doesn't know how to
respond. As though seeking help, he turns towards Zhao.
Zhao finds this especially flattering and amusing. He looks the other way.
Shen pauses for a thought, and takes the bottle, "Then how about I go."
As soon as Shen says that, Lin realises what will go wrong. Of course, he
instantly feels two glaring eyes piercing straight through his spine from
behind. The gaze comes with a force that seems to pin him on to the wall
and slash him with a thousand swords.
Lin laughs dryly, and takes the bottle back. He walks away, and says
quickly, "Amitabha. Battling evil and protecting the lives and property of
the people are our responsibilities. It's a glorious and daunting mission, how
can I abandon it? I'm going."
Then, the fake monk runs away at the speed of light.
Shen asks, "So what can I do to help?"
"Oh," Zhao says, "I know there's a decent restaurant nearby, you can have
dinner with me."
Shen is left in embarrassing silence.
Zhu grits her teeth, "Angry but dare not say anything."
Chu drops his head, "Dare not say."
Da Qing meows.
Guo really dares not say anything.
Luckily Professor Shen is kind-hearted, and he sees the look on everyone's

faces and hears their spoken thoughts, so he shakes his head, "How's that
appropriate? How about this, you stay here, and I'll help you guard the life
door. If anything happens, I can help."
After he says this, everyone is silent.
Zhu instantly looks at Shen with very complex emotions, and even Chu is
lost in thought. But Guo stupidly asks for clarification, "What's the life
door?"
Chu ignores him, gets serious, and asks, "How does Professor Shen know
what formation my two layers of 'net' will be in?"
Shen smiles lightly, "'Two Layers, Four Doors, Eight Trigrams; Life Door,
one way in, Death Door, no way out.' I figured it out from the surveillance
spots Yunlan pointed out... it's just that if the grudge is too strong, the evil
ghost might break the 'net', if the life door becomes a death door, then the
formation will lose control. I will stand by the guarding eye, just in case."
As he finishes, he nods towards everyone politely, and then looks at Zhao.

Bending down slightly, he lowers his voice and says, "I'm going then, you
be careful."
Zhao sees him out, feeling great.
This time neither Zhu nor Chu are using what Shen said to tease Zhao, they
both turn towards him. The black cat Da Qing lies on the window sill, and
sees Shen walking outside the hospital, and precisely standing on to the
'spot'. It even seems like he already knows it's watching, and smiles,
looking up.
Da Qing's eyes sparkle, "An expert."
Zhu lowers her voice, her eyebrows tightening, "Chief Zhao, who is this
Professor Shen?"
Zhao is in a splendid mood, and doesn't mind her tone. He says half-
jokingly, "You wouldn't want to know."
Da Qing turns around, and stares at him with emerald eyes, "So you know?"
Zhao sluggishly leans on the chair, and asks with a fake smile, "Is there
anything I don't know?"
Zhu starts firing, "I found it strange a long time ago... he was there in the
first case involved with the Sundial, and then a second time he just so
happened to be with us in the mountains where the Pillar was. Dragon City
is so big, I don't even recognise all my neighbours, how can there be so
many coincidences? Don't you think it's too deliberate? You..."
Zhao blinks. He didn't think Zhu would be so agitated.
Even Chu looks at her silently.
"Oh, about the Four Artifacts, there really is a reason behind." Zhao pauses,
"But I think he probably doesn't want you to know, so about him, I can't tell
you anything, please understand, okay."
So the man who considers himself brothers with the gods above said
"please understand", but Zhu is not touched at all. What she's feeling is
inexplicable.
If Shen were just an ordinary professor from Dragon City University, then
she can talk about these two like a joke with Lin and the gang, teasing the
Chief, and even writing stories about them on Weibo. And yet, now that she
knows Shen is not so ordinary... and he even might be partly the "same
kind" of people as them, she is feeling very difficult.
Like someone pierced her heart with a fine needle, not gently, but not
heavily, and a painful and numbing liquid oozes out.
Chu asks, "Then is he an expert in formation? Maybe we can discuss that

when we're free?"
Da Qing's tail stands up, and asks doubtfully, "So this time you're not
involved with a normal human, what're you gonna do? Even if you can't tell
us, at least let us know which tribe he's from?"
Zhu is still frowning with a solemn face... as if Zhao didn't just find a
partner, but a sugar daddy.
Finally, Zhao's temporary good temper because of his good mood crumples
in the face of their vigorous questioning, and he impatiently waves, "Go do
your job! Fuck off! Why are you so nosy? Did I say this is a press
conference?"
Chu runs off with Guo, full of excitement; he decides to make an

impeccable net tonight... better not make a mishap in front of an expert.
Zhu still wants to say something, but Da Qing jumps off from the chair and
turns around, meowing towards her. Zhu takes a deep breath, looks down,
her fists clenching under the sleeves, and silently follows Da Qing.
Zhao senses Zhu's subtle hostility, but he doesn't mind... he thinks that
women are particularly attentive to details and also particularly prone to
thinking too much. He suddenly brought someone like Shen into their
circle, and without any explanation, so she must be feeling insecure.
So he considerately calls her, "Hey, wait."
Zhu stops at her feet.
Zhao says, "You see, I can't say anything, out of respect for him. But I
assure you there's nothing to worry about, just treat him as me."
Zhu doesn't say anything after hearing that, and just walks away. She really
wants to slap Zhao across the face.
Eventually, the sky darkens.
Chu finishes his job, and stands on the rooftop with hands in his pockets.
The north wind howls and blows his hair up. Guo suspects that he might be
whipped up by the wind the next moment; Chu really is too skinny, so much
that he appears malnourished.
Guo doesn't dare to move; beneath his feet is a rooftop covered with
cinnabar powder.
Chu used the rooftop as a big piece of yellow paper, and drew a gigantic
"talisman" with cinnabar powder. Then, he used black stones to mark eight
positions. Guo, standing at the centre of the "talisman", instantly feels a
change of atmosphere. The night breeze comes with some kind of special
odour; he can't describe it well.
The smell is sticky, humid, not putrid, but mixed with the scents of mud and
blood, and a touch of elusive bitterness.
Guo is pumping his nose, puzzled, "Brother Chu?"
"That's the smell of grudge." Chu doesn't turn around. He looks down into
the darkness. They have set up an elaborate trap, and in the gloom, Shen
wears a light grey coat; especially outstanding. He is standing right on the
spot of the capturer. Chu shakes his head, "Who is Chief Zhao involved
with this time? Shen... I've never heard of such a figure before."
This instant, Shen looks up, but it's too dark so Chu can't make out his
expression. The next moment, he vanishes from where he stood.
Chu's face tenses up, "It's coming."
Guo says, "Ah?"

"Ah your head!" Chu rushes towards him, and like treating psoriasis, sticks
a yellow paper talisman on to his face, "Shut your mouth! Don't make any
sound."
The special smell grows thicker and thicker. Lin puts away his phone after
taking selfies, and in the northeastern corner, he opens the bottle with a
stern face. A filthy cloud of black smoke ascends; Lin looks up, holds with
his hands a Mudra Mahabala, his face incredibly solemn. And yet, he
doesn't kill it as Zhao ordered, but begins chanting transcendence scripture.
This used to be a living soul, born within the Heavens and the Earth, and
from the essence of Nature. Perhaps it's a new soul, or perhaps it's one that
had reincarnated countless times. Lin cannot bring himself to execute it so
violently, unlike Zhao.
And yet the bellowing chant has as much effect on it as music does on an
oblivious ox. The grudge will not be appeased, and the repetitive babbling
only causes it to grow larger mid-air and spread out like a colossal monster.
It howls towards the sky, and the moonlit night is quickly shrouded in
darkness.
The next moment, three gunshots pierce through the silence of the night.
The small fragment of grudge shatters into pieces, and in a short while,
dissipates in the air.
A window on the sixth floor is open. Lin can see a flickering light, and he
can almost imagine Zhao's expression, as he looks down, frowning, and
says "stupid monk chanting scripture" with discontent.
Not everything in this world is capable of transcendence. If that were the

case, the Guardian Order and the SIU wouldn't have to exist. Maybe you'd
like to help him cross the river, but he wouldn't even budge a step.
A screeching howl comes from afar. Lin holds his palms together, bellows a
mantra, and somersaults on to a branch of a withered and leafless tree. An
enormous sphere of black smoke crashes like a bomb on to where he stood
just a moment ago; the bricks on the ground are instantly shattered, and
pebbles fly out into the air. A humongous figure arrives with a whirl of
gust, around four, five metres tall, with only the upper body, and all that's
left of the legs are bones; black blood drips as it walks, and every droplet
sizzles on the ground, melting rocks along the way.
"You're not letting anyone stand in your way at all, so it seems." Lin laughs
bitterly, but his legs are not hesitant. Like a giant spider, he leaps on to a
window of the second floor, and with bare hands he ascends the hospital
building, climbing up the windows and cracks in the wall; he moves even
faster than an elevator. The black shadow follows behind persistently.
Lin mounts up to the sixth floor, and shouts towards the black cat by the
window, "Catch!"
Da Qing pounces out like a black meatball, and six bells hung in several
corners ring together. With the sound of a woman's shout, a giant serpent
slithers out from a corner, forked tongue rolling, and a cloud of black smoke
is sucked in.
The black shadow tailing Lin thrashes about. The ringing grows more and
more intense, and clouds of black smoke are being sucked into the mouth of
the giant serpent. The half figure is shrinking down.
Then suddenly, the shadow floats in the air and from within the clear face of
a man emerges. It's the man Guo saw: white-haired, red-eyed.
Zhao puts out a cigarette on the window sill, "Zhu Hong, dodge!"
At the same time, the six ringing bells are stuck, and are muted
simultaneously.
The black cat pounces on to the serpent, and as they fall to the ground, the
serpent transforms into a woman again. The windows on the sixth floor are
all shattered, and the half-bodied man swells up a few sizes.
Zhao bends down and helps Zhu get up. He then stands by the window, just
a few metres away from the grudge floating mid-air.
"Guardian Order." He says, like it's only standard police business, "So you
died and didn't enter reincarnation properly. It's almost New Year, and you
decided to start poisoning people?"
The words "New Year" seem to have aggravated the grudge, he extends his
ginormous hand and tries to seize Zhao's neck with an endless swirl of
black smoke.
The Guardian Order morphs into a whip and grows like a living vine,
sliding out of the man's sleeve and wrapping around the giant hand. Man
and ghost are in a deadlock standing on a bunch of shattered glass.
Zhu pushes Lin hard, "Are you blind, go help!"
Lin was just chased after by the grudge and played Spider-Man for a while,
his fingers are still hurting, and he has yet to catch his breath. He wears a
bitter face, "Help? He... help with what? Do you see how big this thing is,
what do you think I can do?"
"Chime your bell! Aren't monks supposed to chime bells every day!?"
She shouts into Lin's ear, which begins to buzz. He says helplessly, "Good
madam, please calm yourself down. I'm a Shaolin disciple, we don't chime
bells all day! Besides, may Buddha have mercy, mercy on dark and evil
souls. This one used to be a human, the bell wouldn't have much effect
anyway; and you couldn't even swallow the grudge, you think my crappy
bell will work?"
"I don't care, think of something!"
Lin looks towards Zhao, and sighs miserably, "May Buddha have mercy...
mercy on my face and make me more handsome."
Then, he takes out a small pot, about the size of a hand; he opens the lid,
and a smell of lamp oil oozes out. Lin very reluctantly looks inside, and is
about to put his hand in, but Zhao waves towards him, like he can see
sideways, "Save your lamp oil, I don't need your help."
The next second, the grudge wriggles out of the Guardian's whip, which
swirls into the air and retracts into his sleeve. The grudge roars and rips out
the window frame; a massive cloud of black smoke squeezes inside, almost
bursting open the wall.
At the same time, Zhao stands back, both hands straightened out in front,
fingers spread out, holding a dagger in his right hand, and silently slashes
open his left palm. Bright red blood flows into the fuller of the blade, then
stops moving as if solidified.
A smile emerges on the man's face.
Da Qing sees it, and its fur stands upright, pouncing away from him and
into Zhu's arms. That smile does not look like Zhao in the slightest. In that
moment, his eyes are incredibly hollow, his gaze menacing, the silhouette
of his nose casts on to half of his face, and his mouth curves up with
chilling diabolism.
For a moment, none can tell which of the two is the actual ghost.
"Depths of Hell, heed my call," The voice doesn't seem to be Zhao's either;
deep and inexplicably coarse, it cuts ones ears like a blunt saw, "blood as
oath, cold iron as proof, borrow thy three thousand soldiers, men and gods,
none shall survive..."
The last few words were uttered slowly, one after another; indescribably
eerie and berserk. The blood on the blade turns black, and countless empty
armours burst through the white wall behind him, riding on skeleton war
horses, towing rotten blades, charging forward with the force of crumbling
mountains and devastating tsunamis. The grudge is forced outside, and one
of its hands is quickly slashed off.
Zhao stumbles backwards, as if fatigued, and leans on to the wall, falling to

the ground amidst the horrified gazes of the others. He lowers his hand,
from which blood keeps on flowing, and says, puffing and panting, "Fuck,
it's all over my sleeve, can dry washing clean this up?"
Da Qing walks forward and a little closer to him, testing the waters; it stops
around half a metre away, and asks carefully, "Yunlan?"
Zhao raises his eyebrows, "Hmmm?"
Black cat is familiar with this look... it's familiar with all looks that make a
cat want to paw, and so it does not hesitate to slap him across the face, and
roars, "What the hell was that just now!? I never taught you this kind of
dark magic!"
"Humans read, stupid cat." Zhao says boastfully.
Da Qing almost loses it, climbing on to his body, it stands on his legs with
its front paws on his upper arms, "What book did you take from the
library!?"
Zhao pats it on the head with his uninjured hand, "Book of Souls. Don't
worry, I was just trying to clarify something, and accidentally came across
this. Just now I happened to think of it. I'm not plotting anything, do you
not believe in my integrity?"
Black cat roars, "Do you have integrity at all!?"
Zhao has an entire face of cat saliva.
But the black cat eventually jumps down from Zhao's shoulder, and barely
accepts his explanation. It can somewhat believe in Zhao's judgment, but it
still says with discontent, "If you want your ugly ID card picture to be
posted on Hell's arrest order and passed around for everyone to see, then I
have nothing to say."
As it finishes, Zhao pushes it on to the ground, and scolds, "The picture on

my ID card is handsome, cool, extraordinarily good-looking and
captivating, you're just jealous, you cake-faced pig-fat cat."
Chu calls on the phone from the rooftop, overflowing with excitement,
"Was that Shadow Blitz? Who the hell did that? That was totally insane!
That was too motherfucking awesome, alright?"
Zhu can't help it; she snatches the phone and hangs up.
Lin feels compelled to ask, "Shadow Blitz? Catalysed with blood?"
"Blood and iron serve as channels." Zhao catches a breath, crawls up from
the floor, pats off some dirt from him, and heads outside, "The true catalyst
is malice. From malice comes brutality, I guess this counts as fighting evil
with evil."
Zhu hesitates; as she follows him out, and asks, "You have malicious
thoughts?"
"Of course, am I not human?" Zhao smiles, and candidly admits, "I have a
lot in fact... I actually think that Shadow Blitz should not be classified as
dark magic, I think it's quite nice: spiritual yoga, detox; you come out of it
refreshed and relaxed."
Zhu has nothing to say.
Da Qing jumps on to Zhao's shoulder, and punches his nose.
"Ouch! You fat fuq!"
The grudge is being cornered by the Shadow Troops, it realises that this is a
losing battle, and decides to run for it.
Chu's two layers of 'net' are instantly triggered. Actually, they didn't expect
the evil ghost to be so powerful. If Shen weren't in the guarding position, as
the grudge is almost defeated by Zhao, it might escape.
A lightning strike, having accrued for long, comes crashing down from the
sky. The grudge is being held in place by something invisible, and the
Shadow Troops on its tail vanish suddenly. It struggles frantically, and the
entire area around the hospital is quivering; those outside of the protected
zone must think it's an earthquake.
Chu shouts from the rooftop, "The bug is on the web, spider don't let the
prey escape!"
Having vanished for long, Shen suddenly appears behind the grudge, and
claws in the air; the grudge's neck is seized by an invisible hand, and the
black smoke shrouding its body disperses until a legless man remains,
glaring at Shen with contempt.
Without much movement, Shen's fingers tighten. Like a piece of paper, the
grudge is squeezed into a sphere. Flash, and it evaporates in Shen's grasp.
The prey is caught. Zhu's zone automatically unlocks, and the shattered
glass sticks back on to the windows. Nurses come and go checking on the
patients, and a few people have arrived at night for emergencies. Some
patients are awakened, going outside to see if there are any abnormalities,
and one by one they return to their rooms.
Street vendors have called it a day and all left. Occasionally, a few taxis
pass by quickly, not intending to pick up passengers.
Shen rushes up the building, and bumps into Chu coming downstairs. Chu
is the conceitful type, he is fine with people he knows, but to strangers, he
almost never says anything. But now when he sees Shen, he extends a hand
and praises, "That was a beautiful catch."
Shen quickly nods in acknowledgement, but the look on his face is even
worse than the patient who came in with acute appendicitis. He takes out a
small medicine bottle, and says briefly, "It's inside, take care of it."
Then he tosses the bottle to Chu, and grabs Zhao by the hand, "You come
with me, we need to talk."
Zhao is pulled away without resisting.
Shen pushes him into the toilet, locks the door, and glares at him in the dim
lights; he lowers his voice, "Just now, was that Shadow Blitz."
"Yea."
"You did it?"
Zhao nods, "Uh, yes."
Shen says no more, and his hand comes slapping across.

But though this slap comes with tremendous force, he still cannot bring
himself to hit Zhao, and his hand stops right next to Zhao's ear.
Zhao is stunned, and asks, bewildered, "Shen Wei?"
"Don't call me!" Shen's face goes pale with fury, and his hand trembles in
mid-air. After a long while, he grits his teeth, "'Men and gods, none shall
survive', Guardian is certainly formidable and fearless. Are you... are you
not afraid the Heavens will punish you!?"
Zhao rarely sees Shen get angry, not to mention this angry. It hurts him
seeing Shen so infuriated, and he grabs hold of his cold hand, "Yes, yes, it's
my fault, if you want to hit me then hit me. Don't be mad. Don't be mad."
Shen flicks his hands away, "I'm not kidding! Do you know gathering the
Shadow Troops is absolutely forbidden dark magic? Do you understand
what's dark magic? Can the three worlds tolerate this? You have no regard
for the laws of nature do you, how big of a mess do you need to make
before you learn!? You... you..."
His voice stops abruptly. After a long time, he asks with a quivering voice,
"What will I do if that happens?"
Zhao wraps his arms around him, and softly kisses his hair, "It's my fault,
baby, I'm sorry."
He thinks his attitude is really good, but this phrase gets on the wrong side
of Shen, who pushes him away, locking him against the door with one hand,
and the other grappling his collar, "Don't use the tricks you've used on
countless others to fool me."
Zhao smiles helplessly, "Then what do you want me to do?"
The fury on Shen's face gradually wears away when Zhao smiles. After a
moment, it softens a little more... there's always this one jerk, even if he
punctured a hole in the sky, Shen wouldn't scold him too severely.
After quite some time, Shen sighs, lets go, and says blandly, "Can't you
change your temperament a little?"
Zhao is all apologetic, and hastily nods... although he doesn't think he has a
problem at all, as long as Shen says there is one, he will apologise no matter
what.
Shen looks down, and holds his injured hand; he asks softly, "Does it hurt?"
Zhao shakes his head.
"I... just now I was a little short-tempered..."
"But you hurt my back." Zhao says, without an expression, "And you
shouted at me. You're always polite to other people, but you shouted at me."
The look on his face scares Shen, who doesn't realise he's just flirting. Shen
hesitates, and helplessly holds up Zhao's face with both hands, "I..."
Zhao keeps looking at him with a blank expression.
"I didn't mean to..."
Panicking, he has yet to finish, and Zhao points towards his own lips, "Take
care of me well and I'll forgive you."
Shen is stupefied for a second before realising what he said. His face goes
blank before saying, "Such indecency!"
Then his ears turn red, and he heads out.
And yet as he walks to the door, he looks back and finds Zhao still leaning
against the wall in the same pose, looking at him with a half-smile.
Shen's hand is on the door handle. But he hesitates for long. Then, he rushes
back in big steps, embraces Zhao's waist and kisses him.
He has him wrapped around his fingers, what will he do in the future?
Zhao's lips are swelling a little. When Zhu sees them, she furiously looks
away, and thinks: this queer man whore, is he really that horny?
The gang head back to No.4 Bright Avenue. Chu sets up another 'net'
around the interrogation room, and sticks yellow paper talismans
everywhere like prayer flags. And then he locks the door, opens the bottle,
and lets the grudge out.
Zhao moves a chair for Shen to sit on, and leans against the wall with arms
crossed. He lights a cigarette, and says sluggishly, without looking up, "You
have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used
against you in court. Think before you say anything."
The legless grudge is locked on a chair by three fettering talismans. Raising

his head eerily, he asks with a coarse voice, "Used in court? What court?"
"The Court of Hell, fair and impartial, to judge all the crimes of your life.
No more babbling, just answer our questions!" Lin was chased after by him
like a giant gecko, and he is not content... he is the most schizophrenic
when it comes to this, outside he is a cunning monk who puts on an honest
and upright pretence, but once he is in the interrogation room he transforms
into roaring Lin, as if he has to shout to exert dominance.
The grudge laughs scornfully.
Chu glances towards Guo, who instantly sits upright, clears his throat, and
peeks at the "cheats" scribbled all over his palm, and recites, "Na... name,
age, time of death, cause of death."
The grudge looks at Guo, who shivers.
Chu puts a hand on Guo's shoulder, and at the same time, Lin slams his
hands on to the table, and says with hostility, "The hell you lookin' at,
speak!"
"Wang Xiangyang, 62, died last year, December 29 of the lunar calendar,
car accident."
Guo carefully looks at Chu, who nods, signalling him to continue. And so
Guo looks at his cheat palm again, and Chu can't help but peek as well;
written on his palm is: "2. Oh, XXX (insert their name), if your cause of
death was XXX (insert their cause of death), then why did you hurt
innocent people?"
Then he hears Guo stuttering, "Oh, Wang Xiangyang, if your cause of death
was December 29... no, your cause of death was car accident, then why did
you hurt innocent people?"
Chu really doesn't want to laugh in this sombre occasion, so he turns around
to Zhao, "Chief Zhao, give me a cigarette."
Using this to hide his overly creepy expression.
"Innocent?" Wang's face wears a greatly distorted smile; like a lunatic, he

leans forward, "Who's innocent? Tell me, kiddo, who's innocent? They're
innocent? You're innocent?"
Oh no, why is he replying with a question? He didn't prepare a response to

that.
Guo is instantly puzzled, and doesn't know what to do.
Chu looks down, and Lin looks away; his two backup both tacitly abandon
him.
But Shen suddenly asks, "Can you tell me how you died in a car accident?"
Wang turns towards him with a bland face, in silence.
Shen asks again, "Was it related to the people you cursed? Was it related to
the oranges you were selling?"
"I used to sell oranges for a living." Wang answers him after a long time, "I
lived in a village on the outskirts of Dragon City. Every day, I would push a
small cart full of fruits into the city, and sell them on the streets; my entire
family lived off of this source of income. My wife had uremia, she couldn't
work. My son, he was almost thirty, couldn't get a wife, and since we were
poor farmers, I couldn't afford a house for him in the city."
"If you have to ask, then I'll tell you... I really really liked the few days
before and after the New Year. It's usually when most street vendors have
went back home, and when the supermarkets are the most crowded. Some
people would buy from me out of convenience; and I would make the most
money around that time." Wang calms down in Shen's gaze, but he wears a
scornful smile nonetheless, "December 29, what a great day."
Guo finally finds something useful on his palm, and seizes the chance to
ask, "Do you despise society because of family problems?"
"Despise society?" Wang repeats, and shakes his head, "I don't. I know all
those who wronged me, and I just had to get to them. I would've left if I
were done with all of them. If you want to grill me, then do it; if you want
to throw me down to Eighteen Levels of Hell, then do it. But I had to make
sure those people would go down with me, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a
tooth."
He says all that calmly, but to the others' ears, it comes across as vile and
vicious.
Then, Wang Zheng knocks on the door, and comes in with a tray full of
fruits, along with her eternal follower Sang.
Wang Zheng hands the fruits to Zhao, and looks at Shen with a strange
gaze. But she doesn't say anything, and only reminds Chu, "The talismans
outside, if you're not using them then take them off, don't give the janitor a
hard time."
When the two cleaner ghosts are gone, Shen continues, "Who are they?"
"Those three in the hospital, and many more... uh, but it really wasn't the
driver's fault." Wang Xiangyang says as though he were an outsider,
"People can light firecrackers on December 29. That day, two teenagers
were fooling around like buffoons, though they were dressed like humans,
and most decently too... down jackets that must have cost a few thousand
per piece. They went crazy and threw firecrackers everywhere, and their
parents wouldn't interfere. They threw some under my cart, and I scolded
them; I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it, my brain was probably
malfunctioning in the cold. Those kids got even crazier, and started
throwing firecrackers at me, I chased after them, and one kid ran behind me
and flipped my cart over. Oranges, apples, all my fruits rolled on to the
streets."
He stops here, and looks down at the neatly arranged fruit platter. He can't
help but lick his lips. He could never bring himself to eat his own fruits
when he was alive, and now he cannot eat any even if he wanted to.
Bizarre lights sparkle in his eyes, "That cartful of fruits was our entire year's
worth of income. I was desperate. I ran out to pick up the fruits, but I
couldn't get all of them back. It was daytime, and there were many passers-
by. I said, 'Please help me, will you please help me', but someone picked up
one of my oranges, didn't even look at me, and started eating it. He even
said, 'your stuff are all dirty now, nobody will buy them, whatcha doin' that
for?' And then he picked up an apple and left."
Wang Xiangyang pauses and his face surprisingly wears a serene and
relieved smile, as though his words pleased him greatly, "Many were like
him, so many... they saw the fruits, and they took them and left; some even
came with bags. I said you can't do that, you have to pay, you can't just take
my fruits like that. Once they heard that, they took my fruits and ran off. I
went after them, and a taxi ran me over."
"It was snowing a lot that day. The car couldn't stop; the driver hit the
brakes, but the car glided a few metres forward, grinding over me. My
upper body rolled out with the wheels, and my legs were cut off and left
where I fell. Before my last breath, an orange bumped into my face. You tell
me, didn't I die of injustice?"
Nobody speaks.
Wang Xiangyang continues, "Shouldn't I take revenge? Should you have

arrested me? When I'm in Hell, how should the Kings of Hell judge this
case?"
No wonder the Lines of Karma on the victims were all so light... the person
who actually caused his death was the driver, and yet the driver wasn't
related to any of this.
Wang Xiangyang leans back on to the chair, an action that looks particularly
terrifying when a legless man does it. He laughs with a deep voice, "When I
was alive I didn't know there were people like you whose jobs were to look
after these kinds of things. If you want to uphold justice, then why arrest me
and not them? Forget it, I'm done with this world."
Guo sees the final reminder on his palm, which says "family, friends", and
so he says without thinking, "Haven't you thought about your son and your
grandchildren? What about your wife who is sick? Don't you want to do
good deeds for their sake?"
Wang Xiangyang says with a bland face, "My son didn't get married, I don't
have grandchildren. Besides, my wife and son are both dead. Our bloodline
ends here, who the fuck should I do good deeds for?"
Guo hears himself ask, shakily, "How did they..."
"I did it. I put out the fire on the stove we used as a heater. It was night
time, and they were both still sleeping. They were poisoned by the gas
leak." And Wang Xiangyang adds, "No pain."
Guo says, "How... how can you do that?"
Wang Xiangyang looks at him candidly, and smiles lightly, "I think being
alive is more painful than being dead, what do you think?"
Now Lin understands why Wang Xiangyang's grudge would not transcend
to Heaven... he never did any bad deeds in his life, and yet he struggled to
earn a living, and despite all his hard labour, eventually died an absurd and
tragic death.
When hatred mounts to the extreme, no more delicate emotions will remain
in a man's heart. And so he cut off all his connections with the living, and
from then on, nothing could ever arouse nostalgia or joy in him anymore.
Perhaps if he lived, after a few years, time would heal and wash away his
anger, and let him peacefully cross this obstacle. And yet, he is dead.
As his life has ended, there is nothing more he can get, and there is nothing
more he can lose. His soul is forever trapped under the wheels that took his
life, and he has since descended into evil.
Zhao frowns. This is a difficult situation... picking up a few fruits from the
street, how can that be a crime punishable by death? A wallet thief will at
most be sent to prison, not executed by firing squad; this kind of crime is
hardly deserving of the death penalty, isn't it?
And yet because of the greed of those people, an honest man who was
looking forward to returning home for the New Year died an unjust death,
should he not be enraged? Should he not avenge? If this happened to other
people, can anyone just get over it with a laugh, and enter reincarnation
willingly?
This seems logical as well.
And so our resourceful Chief Zhao quickly comes up with a wonderful

idea: he decides to send Wang Xiangyang to Hell, and as always, he can
bring his case to the Court of Hell, and if the Kings of Hell unanimously
agree that he ought to be entitled to vengeance, then he will be given a
permit, which will allow him to do whatever he wants on earth. Then, this
matter will no longer be related to the Guardian Order, and if anything goes
wrong, that other side will take the blame.
But just when he is about to put forth his perfect solution, Shen interrupts.
He says steadily, "Appropriating without permission is theft, whether with

gold and silver, or just a few fruits, the nature is the same. Not to mention
someone was killed because of it. I think that's tantamount to 'murder for
property', so you should get your revenge."
The words are said, and there is no stopping it. The usually eloquent Chief
Zhao is choked to death.
As Shen is finished, the force restricting Wang Xiangyang disappears.
The others may not know, but Zhao is well aware that although he appears
as Shen Wei, he really is still the Ghost Slayer; ever since the dawn of time
there has been the Ghost Slayer judging Good and Evil under his blade, and
then long after that came the Court of Hell.
That is to say, the Ghost Slayer's authority is supreme; even the Court of
Hell cannot change his verdict. Now as Shen makes such an authoritative
statement in the interrogation room, that is effectively giving Wang
Xiangyang the "permit".
"But there is never an end to vendetta, if you let them go, perhaps karma
will get to them a few years later... or if they die before that, it will
eventually get to them in their next incarnations. But you are only a human
soul, because of immense grudge you descended to evil, and you even
committed the heinous crime of killing your own wife and child; after you
have your revenge, you will probably be locked up in the Eighteen Levels
of Hell. It's a double-edged sword, do you have any objection?"
Besides Zhao, who knows the truth, Wang Xiangyang knows better than the
others in this room that Shen is special. He looks at Shen in scrutiny, and
says succinctly, "No."
Shen turns around, and asks Zhao pretentiously, "How do you want to
handle this?"
You've already handled it on your own, what the hell are you asking me
for... Zhao stares at him, and coughs. He still has to help him cover up. And
so he takes out a Guardian Order, slams it on the table, and pushes it
towards Wang Xiangyang, "Wait here, the Hell Guards will get to you
before dawn. Show this to him, and he will take you to the Kings of Hell for
a permit."
Wang Xiangyang's lips quiver. After a while, he leans forward, and holds up
the Guardian Order talisman with both hands.
"Final reminder," Zhao says routinely, "like he said, once you've got the
permit, you can get your revenge, but afterwards your punishment will be
sized up, think before you act."
Wang Xiangyang stares at the Guardian Order in his hands intently, and
shakes his head, "No need to remind me, I've killed more than a dozen, I'm
already in deep water."
Then, he smiles bitterly, "I never thought after dying, there would still be a
place of reason. Thank you."
Everyone in the room is shocked. Zhu immediately asks, "Hold on, you said
you already killed more than a dozen? Using the same method? And they're
all dead?"
"Of course they are, and they died untimely and dreadful deaths too, the
kind that prevents them from entering reincarnation for eternity."
Zhu looks at Zhao with astonishment... since the population is dense, and
the city is busy and loud, it's normal if they can't realise when an evil ghost
killed a few people. But when the number rises, not only the Guardian
Order, but urban tribes in the same city with some cultivation should all be
able to feel the black aura that reaches up to the skies.
And yet, till now, if it weren't for Wang Xiangyang mentioning, none of
them realised he had already killed more than a dozen people... including
Shen Wei!
Shen instantly thinks of the Ink Brush of Virtue, and asks, "Did you by any
means... change the Mark of Virtue on you?"
"I did." Wang Xiangyang candidly admits, "I had just poisoned by wife and
son, and was about to go after my first target. Then someone made a deal
with me."
"What kind of deal?"
"He said if I went on a killing spree so overtly and fearlessly, that would
quickly alert law enforcers on earth. So he sold me a talisman, and told me
to wear it around my neck, then you wouldn't sense my presence. And in
return, he would take away the souls of the people I killed." Wang
Xiangyang says frankly, "I thought, I had no use for the souls, and I'm
already a dead man, I haven't got anything to lose anyway, so I went with it.
And turns out, he really up held the end of his bargain, and no-one stopped
me... most of those people thought they got some strange, incurable disease
and died in hospital, and who would have thought that someone eventually
called the police for food poisoning."
Zhao follows up, "Did you see what was written or drawn on the talisman?"
"I did." Wang Xiangyang says, "There's my name, date of birth and
horoscope readings; first written in black, and then the words are circled in
red, with cinnabar powder."
He says, while holding up a small paper talisman folded into an octagon

from his neck, "This one, you can take a look if you want."
Chu takes it and unfolds it, and sees a line of words circled in red. But he
has yet to take a closer look, and the paper talisman combusts into a small
pile of ash.
In just a glimpse, it is difficult for Shen to make out who the handwriting
belongs to. But from Wang Xiangyang's description, it's almost certainly the
Ink Brush of Virtue: black for evil and red for good, one on the left and one
on the right, whether you're a boon or a bane, a villain or a hero, it does not
matter; the moving brush writes, and having writ, all will be forgiven.
Legend says that the shaft of the Ink Brush of Virtue comes from the root of
a tree that grows in Hell. The wood is invincibly sturdy, unbreakable by
blades. And yet the tree is leafless, flowerless and fruitless, and for
unknown reasons, people call it the "Primeval Tree of Virtue". The name
came from ancient times, and the reason for its naming is now lost.
But Shen thinks, perhaps the naming of this "not yet lived but dead" tree
ridicules the very concept of virtue and karma in the three worlds: doing
good for good virtue, eschewing evil for fear of karma, virtue is born, but
the heart is dead, and pure good is dead.
Zhao then asks, "What did the person look like, and where did you see
him?"
Wang Xiangyang hesitates, then replies, "He looked... quite normal I guess.
It's strange, I can't think of it now that you mentioned it, it was...."
He pauses, and rubs between his eyebrows; he seems to find it weird

himself, "Exactly where I saw him, I can't really remember. But it was
probably near my home, in Plum Village, twenty miles from the city. You
can take a look there."
Shen stands up, and nods, "Thank you."
Wang Xiangyang says calmly, "I should thank you instead. I will not lie
about killing or anything, there really isn't anything I can't tell you, so you
can just ask me if you have questions."
Shen gives Zhao a knowing glance, and leaves the interrogation room.
Zhao pats Lin on the shoulder, and says with a low voice, "Call the Hell
Guards, explain the whole thing, and the other side will know how to take
care of this."
Then, he follows Shen out.
Shen awaits at the end of the corridor, and Zhao brings him to his office,
locks the door, and asks, "So? Do you think it's THE Ink Brush of Virtue?"
Shen frowns, "I'm not entirely certain, but it's very probable. Even if it were
a fake, whoever made it knows the Four Artifacts inside and out."
"Hmmm." Zhao touches his own chin.
"What?" Shen asks.
Before Zhao says anything, suddenly, the silhouette of a skeleton puppet is

cast on to the window of Zhao's office. He opens the window and lets it in.
The puppet lowers his skull, and eerily bows towards Zhao. Then, he walks
beside Shen, transforms into a letter, and floats on to Shen's hand.
Zhao squints, stands beside the window, and looks into the hazy night. He
can't help but feel like a pair of eyes is watching his every move.
After a while, he closes the curtains, and laughs scornfully. But as he turns
around, he returns to the know-it-all knucklehead prone to all sorts of
ridiculous hoity-toity with or without a reason.
And as Shen finishes reading the letter, he frowns.
Zhao asks, "You've got something to do?"
"It's urgent, I've got to go." Shen swiftly transforms from a gentle and polite
professor to a cold and cloaked Ghost Slayer. He rushes towards the
window, and reminds Zhao, "You will not go to Plum Village on your own,
no matter what, wait for me to return."
Zhao doesn't answer.

Shen turns around to look at him, who is sluggishly leaning against the
wall, and half-genuinely complaining, "Jeez, it wasn't easy getting Your
Honour to open up you know, and here I thought I would get some tonight.
I'm horny, and I get insomnia when I sleep alone. Sigh, I'm gonna go to
work as a panda tomorrow."
Shen realises he can't talk about serious matters with this one, and so he
silently passes through the window, swoops into a cloud of black smoke,
and vanishes without a trace.
Zhao stands beside the window, and takes out a cigarette. Without moving,
he silently finishes it. Knowing that Shen is probably long gone, he opens a
drawer in his desk, fully loads the gun he usually hides at the bottom of his
pants, and adjusts the dagger he wears on him. Then, he takes out the
talisman wallet, leaves half of them, and only brings with him those for
attack and defense.
"Why wouldn't I go?" Zhao snickers, "I wouldn't want to let down whoever
led you away intentionally."
Then, Zhao puts on a jacket, takes with him his bag, and like always, greets
his colleagues and walks out steadily. He turns on GPS in his car, and heads
for Plum Village.
The roads are clear at night. In about two hours, Zhao arrives at Plum
Village. It's like any other village on the outskirts of Dragon City: very
tranquil, with the occasional dog barks.
He drives around the village, and finally, at the western corner, he finds
several conjoined pagoda trees.
Zhao stops his car, walks around the gigantic trees, and finds something...
years ago, when the fairy tribes ran rampant, they used the same trick: they
would plant pagoda trees in the shape of the asterism Big Dipper, the
"bowl" in shadows and the "handle" extending to the west, taking the
meaning of connecting Yin and Yang, the realms of the dead and the living.
When an enough amount of dark energy is collected, the entrance will be
found.
And just so happens, the mountain above these trees is laden with barren
tombs.
A deserted and frozen hillside, a land full of mounds.

Wang Zheng's complaint echoes through the corridor, "Chu Shuzhi, I told
you, if you aren't gonna use these talismans take them off, what should the
janitor do when she comes tomorrow?"
Chu frowns with great contempt and suffering, Guo knows what that look
means, and with the alertness of a newcomer, he diligently runs forward and
starts cleaning.
Without a word, Da Qing passes by them and heads straight into the "wall"
of the criminal investigations office.
What a wonder it is behind the wall: rows of bookshelves made of hard

wood, reaching almost up to the ceiling, with an old ladder. There is barely
enough space for one cat to pass through between the shelves and the
ceiling. On the wall a big Sea Dragon Pearl is inlaid, brightening the entire
room like it's daytime, but ghosts and spirits that cannot withstand sunlight
will not be affected.
Among the bookshelves oozes out the smell of antique books; it's the long-
sedimented aroma of ink, mixed with the subtle scent of mould from
between the pages that have not seen the sun for long. The resulting mixture
is the ripe, misty and freshening aroma of books.
Sang is working on organising the books. With most of them written in

either traditional or simplified Chinese, he simply doesn't recognise any of
the words, and so he has to do a lot of symbol-matching between the spines
of the books and the markings on the shelves. He is very slow, but he
checks everything thoroughly, and he has never made a mistake.
After Zhao got him out of the Pillar of Nature, he opened the restricted
library to him, and left him in charge of this job. His salary is the same as
that of Guo: the regular pay check for all junior staff members, but the
benefits are pretty good. Except that Guo is getting bright red banknotes,
whereas Sang gets a lot of paper money and high-quality incense for the
dead.
This is the first dignifying job he ever got in his life: no longer a slave
ordered around like an animal, no longer a leader looked up to by foolish
people that he simply wanted to destroy... though this job comes a bit too
late, now that he has already died a few hundred years, he still treasures it a
lot.
Living a peaceful and unfettered life with the person he loves: it's a kind of
life that he couldn't get no matter how extensive his schemes were.
As he sees Da Qing walking in, he greets it with seriousness, "Hellu, cat."
Da Qing replies, "Hellu, stutterer."
Sang is confused... Wang is a polite and quiet girl, so naturally she would
not have taught him to insult people. He doesn't understand, and asks
properly, "Studd... studdera, is... is what?"
Da Qing treads atop the wooden shelves with a bustling mind, and says
carelessly, "Studdera means good brothers."
Sang nods in understanding, and says passionately, "Oh, hellu, cat

studdera!"
Da Qing is silent.
Sang continues, "Cat studdera, waat... what do you want to read?"
Da Qing is not really in the mood to tease him anymore, it lays on top of the
shelf above him and asks, "Zhao Yunlan... Chief Zhao took a book from
here the other day, did he put it back? Let me see it."
Like doing a listening exam, Sang listens to the "recording" devotedly and
asks Da Qing to patiently repeat it three times, after which he finally
understands most of it. He wears a big smile of accomplishment, and takes
a book that has yet to make it on to the shelves from a small cart, "Eats... it's
this wan."
The book cover is ruined, and a corner of it is stained with coffee... there is
no need to say which clumsy dude did that. The words "Book of Souls" are
written eerily on its cover, but a part of it is torn off, looking particularly
dilapidated.
Da Qing leaps off from the top of the shelf and lands on to Sang's small
cart. It paws through the pages, but they are all blank; nothing is written.
Its heart sinks; it has yet to reach the level of cultivation to read this book.
For some reason, its power has shrunken down to less than ten per cent
compared to when its power was at its peak. It can't even transform
anymore. Nevertheless, it's still a few-thousand-year-old cat fairy, it could
not have been surpassed by a mere human who is not even thirty, could it?
That is utterly impossible.
Unless... that somone's soul is gradually awakening, little by little...
"I have never seen this book before," Da Qing pats its paw on the book, and
then inadvertently spins around in place, chasing its own tail, "where did it
come from?"
If it doesn't know, Sang obviously doesn't either. A cat and a ghost stare at
each other for a while, and the black cat slowly droops its head. WIth
repressed emotions it bounces from the cart on to the ground, and walks
out; not even in the mood to have milk-dipped cat food, its usual favourite.
It really can't tell whether Zhao "awakening" is a good thing or a bad thing,
but it just feels uneasy.
Zhao is living quite well now: on one hand intelligent and on the other
moronic, he eats well and when he's free his dirty mind starts fantasising, he
has a comfortable and pleasant life on the whole.
The black cat is a kind of animal that only wants to find a nice, warm spot
to sleep all day when it's winter, and only wake up to eat, and then go back
to sleep. By its very nature, it cannot comprehend the so-called "ideals"
humans pursue. Now that its owner is silly and happy, looking just like a
jolly and naive youngster all day, Da Qing feels rather pleased, and it really
doesn't want any... complications to crop up.
And yet complications have indeed cropped up.
The biggest complication Shen Wei closes his eyes, passing through Hell.
Even the emotionless spirits and ghosts that have been soaking in Hell for
eternity inadvertently float away to the sides like duckweed washed away
by big waves.
He keeps sinking for an unkown amount of time, into the depths of Hell.
The water gets deeper and darker, and it is utterly pitch black down there. A
black aura seems to be drawn to him, swivelling around him and sucking
him in. As he gets further down, there is no water anymore, but only dead
darkness. If a human visited this place, their sense of time and space would
be quickly lost, and replaced by the solitude of being the only man in the
universe.
The road behind and the road ahead, neither can be seen. Frighteningly
cold, and frighteningly empty.
Here is the land of nothingness: nothing can be seen, nothing can be heard,
nothing can be smelled, nothing can be tasted, nothing can be felt.
And as a deep roar breaks through the silence, Shen's blade almost
silmutaneously touches the other's neck.
In the sheer darkness several sounds of footsteps approach him. A handful

of spirit beasts and one Ghost Slayer: all born in here, grew up in here.
They were all born out of the light, and they are all equally familiar with
darkness. No-one has the upper hand here: it's a fair match of whether the
Ghost Slayer's blade is faster, or the spirit beasts' fangs are sharper.
Shen cannot shake away the thought of Zhao. He doesn't want to waste time
here: he dodges three times in the dark, and the cautious beasts quickly turn
from testing to attaking, pouncing towards him. Shen shouts, and the blade
in his hand slashes out horizontally, chopping off a row of beast brains with
sheer destruction; the heads roll all over the ground.
Shen does not hesitate; without looking at the corpses, he kicks away a
brain, and walks ahead.
After a long time, he stops, and from beside him comes a vague sound like
that of a human's heartbeat.
The "troops" summoned by Shadow Blitz are not soldiers from Hell in the
usual sense. After all, how could the small ghosts working for Hell answer
to the feral and supercilious command of "men and gods, none shall
survive"?
Indeed, they come from a lightless place even darker and deeper than Hell.
The white skeletons in iron armour riding on warhorses are only a result of
the unrealistic imagination of the guy who did the magic. In fact, these
things are not corporeal, and perhaps... if it weren't for Zhao using blood
and iron as catalysts, most people would only see them as a horde of "spirit
beasts".
In that kind of situation, Zhao summoned the Shadow Troops, and even
managed to keep them under control. On one hand that could be because of
his natural talents, on the other hand, it was perhaps good luck: after all,
Shen was just downstairs, those things didn't dare cause any trouble.
"In the lightless land lies a blasphemous prison." When Pangu the Creator
first stretched out Heaven and Hell, there was an apparent boundary
between the clean and the filthy. The Earth was filth, and the order of the
world was set in stone. As chaos subsided, and filth accumulated for
millenia after millenia; outside of Heaven and Hell, there came a place
where foul matter would reside.
Afterwards, when Nüwa created humans out of clay, she did not have the
patience to wait for the filth to sediment, and so humans were born
naturally and intrinsically from sin, and the root of that lays here... from
which originates the inherent desire of malice and destruction in human
beings.
Once the saints were enlightened, they were greatly remorseful for the
creation of the lightless land, and named it the "great blasphemy", and
sealed it away by force. Till now, the primeval godly prison has broken, and
a huge opening is ripped apart from its roots. Afterwards, someone added a
layer of protection with some formation, and yet this newer seal is about to
crumble down as well. The ghost face is freed and runs rampant, and more
and more spirit beasts follow suit.
The opening cannot be bigger.
Shen kneels down on one knee, chanting an imprisoning spell, temporarily

sustaining the seal. The commotion gradually quiets down, and the opening
seems to be covered with an added layer.
With a sombre expression, he leaves. No-one knows how much longer this
quiescence can last.
Shen returns to the living, and the sky is turning bright. He arrives at Zhao's
small apartment, and plans to put off his black cloak quietly, without
waking Zhao. Suddenly, he is in great shock; as he turns on the lights, there
is no-one in the apartment. The bed he had made in the morning is still
perfectly untouched.
Having been out all night, Zhao tightens his coat in face of the mountain of
tombs, stops the engine and gets off the car.
When Shen mentioned the puppet that Guo saw in the reflection, Zhao
realised the hidden truth Shen left untold... when he met Zhao as Shen, it
was not his intention, and he was probably set up.
Zhao believes, if he had not been so persistent, Shen would have avoided
him the best he could. If at that time he knew Zhao was there, no matter
what Guo saw, even if he saw Ghost Slayer himself, Shen would never have
appeared... wiping away Guo's memory is just a piece of cake.
And then Zhao thinks of the incident of the sundial, when the Ghost Slayer
went to Li Qian's place, he heard something on the rooftop: "and so he is
sent here to you". Who? What does that mean?
If the master of the spirit beast is the ghost face, why is he so determined on
making the Ghost Slayer meet Zhao?
At the Pillar of Nature, Zhao felt that ghost face had been using something
to blackmail the Ghost Slayer, and yet he had no intention of letting Zhao in
on the truth. In comparison, the black book the Hell Guard gave him was a
much more apparent move.
Zhao stands on earth, among the living, and yet he feels as if there were a
gigantic whirlpool beneath him, with thousands of entangled hands
grabbing and pulling him; everyone is plotting, everyone's face is shrouded
in mist.
Zhao lifts up his head, and sees a sparkle of ghostly fire in the mid-ranges.
Chilling lights pierce through like menacing eyes in the darkness of the
night, staring at Zhao not far yet not too close away. He stops, and the fire
stops as well, as though it were leading the way. Zhao follows it, heading
steadily towards the graveyard in Plum Village.
Fog engulfs the place, growing thicker and thicker. With only a visibility of
one metre, amidst the beguiling whiteness, still a flickering flame leads the
way.
The air dampens, and the ocassional droplet wets his face; eerily cold.
A moment soft and then heavy, ebbing and surging sighs pass by the ears,
like countless spirits wandering in the depths of the woods. Zhao looks
straight ahead, and walks straight ahead... they do not commit evil, nor do
they do good, they wander among the living, and never enter reincarnation,
all weeping and wailing, all mourning for themselves.
How many people ever die without regret?

Zhao treads through the thickening fog, and his long dark grey coat sweeps
along his path: white mists and groping hands extending from tombstones
all can't help but make way. No ghost dares come near him.
Afterwards, in the barren graveyard of the wilderness at nighttime, weeps

and wails sound from far and near. Zhao cannot stand it any longer, he stops
at his feet, violently opens his palm and some talisman papers light up in
intense flames. The wails swiftly turn into screeches, and countless
silhouettes scurry away in chaos. The white mist seems to be inflammable,
and flares up easily like a fire dragon, spouting out from his palm and
instantaneously sweeping clean the misty graveyard.
"If you have complaints, go to the Court of Hell and hit the drum for your
grievances. What good does it do you crying in front of me?" He looks up
with a stern face, and the ghostly fire has disappeared.
The night cold as water, and the starlit sky pristine as cleansed.
A half moon hangs in the sky. Droughty and frigid gale whips like sharp
knives, slashing on to his skin. Zhao pulls up his scarf, almost covering half
his face.
This moment, a voice sounds from beside him, sometimes nearby and
sometimes from afar, and with a piercing coarseness, it chants:
Shadow moon, barren tombs, will-o'-wisp ignites the path of doom;
Grove zephyr, bone piper, man skin on spectral fox impostor.
This grey wight shall count for thy, will you please attend to I,
One human head for silver sold, one beauty's skin for pot of gold;
In hundred days fifty ounces carcasses oil,
For riches and grandeur in half a lifetime thou shall roister;
If three of souls seven spirits one can bestow,

Then dust unto dust shall from dirt to dirt your life return to quietus;
Thy time on earth a butcher must enlighten evermore.
That voice penetrates like nails scratching on glass, inexplicably agonising

on ones head.
~~~
[Wow what a poem that was. It took me a considerable amount of time to

translate, as I was trying my best to keep the artistry of the original, so
please leave a comment telling me what you think! If you appreciate poetry,
I hope you enjoy it. =D
Also, friendly reminder: Please kindly note that I'm a full-time student
going to law school, hence my schedule can be very packed sometimes. It's
September which means the semester just started, and I might not be able to
commit to uploading as frequently as I did before. Please understand. And
please be patient.
If you would like to encourage me to translate faster, leaving more

comments would be a great way of so doing. After all, I enjoy reading
through the comment section and it always leaves me greatly motivated and
happy. Seriously, thank you for all your support. :)
However, please reserve personal messages only for when you have
genuine queries, constructive feedback, or recommendations on future
translations. I endeavour to reply to all such messages, and it would be a
shame if those who come with genuine concerns are flooded by other
messages.
Again, thank you for supporting my work. I love you all, and see you next
time!]
Zhao says coldly, "Legend says that villains with opening lines that are too
long usually get one-shot-killed, do you think that's true?"
Hustling noises come from near and far in the woods, like countless
fluttering footsteps. Zhao presses on to his lighter, the small flame is lifted
high-up, shedding light in a small halo.
Suddenly, he turns around, and a stubby figure flashes across from behind,
floating mid-air, and instantaneously vanishing; leaving behind a long, web-
like trail of a gown, dashing away faster than the eye can see.
Laughter sounds, like the night squeals of obituary birds.
Zhao stands silently in place for a while, and that thing seems to be wary of
him; it only floats around cautiously, emerging and vanishing, but never
getting too close to him.
Suddenly, a long whip extends with a whirling vortex, and traps the creature
by the waist at a strangely precise angle. Zhao thrusts his wrist, and the end
of the whip falls heavily. A muffled screech comes from the creature, and as
he takes a closer look, a "person" just above one metre tall falls to the
ground.
It isn't clear if that "person" is male or female: an entire face laden with
wrinkles, an exceptionally outstanding nose, which takes up over half of the
face with the eyes and mouth almost having nowhere to be placed. On a
glance, the creature looks like an ominous bird; the tiny eyes are pitch
black, with no white to be seen, exuding a sinister vibe. With a sudden
smirk, sawtooth and contorted yellow teeth are seen.
Zhao gets down on one knee, arm on his knee, and stares at that person; he
says, "Hey, what the hell are you?"
That person glares at him eerily, and says with a sawing voice, "Puny kid,
you do not know the highness of the sky and the depth of the earth."
"Ow," Zhao eyes him up and down, "so tell me, just how high and how
deep?"
He takes out a pack of cigarettes, jerks his wrist and a cigarette is in his
mouth. The lighter somersaults in his hand flexibly, sparkles fly, and lights
up with a crackle. The mint-flavoured smoke smoulders the person, who
leans back and coughs incessantly.
Zhao holds the other end of the whip, and without untying it, he asks, "Just
now you were peddling?"
The person humphs, "Right, you got anything to offer?"
Zhao ignores that, and asks, squinting his eyes, "And so the Ink Brush of
Virtue is with you?"
The person says nothing; cunning, small eyes glare at Zhao like a viper.
Zhao flicks off ashes from his cigarette, and picks the shorty up by the
collar, lifting him up to eye-level, "I don't believe that the Four Artifacts
have all been unearthed like carrots, who sent you? And who told you to
lure me here with a fake Ink Brush of Virtue?"
A sinister smile emerges on that person's face, looking more and more like
a gigantic bird; he says with hoarseness, "Someone you can't afford to mess
with."
Zhao isn't angered by that, but rather, he laughs. With his cigarette dangling
on the side, he says sluggishly, "There are only two people I can't afford to
mess with: my mum, and my wife; look at your face, do you think you meet
the aesthetic standards of either of them?"
He doesn't wait for a response and throws the person in his hand on to the
ground, stomping fiercely on to the stumpy figure. The smile on his face
wears away, and he says coldly, "I'm growing impatient, don't make me kill
you. Speak!"
The person under his foot glares up at him with a strange gaze, and asks
with a rugged voice, "In the southwestern lands of the West Sea, the
northwestern lands of the North Sea, thirteen million miles onshore. With
the Ruoshui River swirling and encircling... Abreast of the portal to the
skies, beneath the doorway to Heaven. Such sublimity, resplendence and
marvel, do you remember still?"
Zhao replies with no expression, "You should say that to my wife, I have
always failed language when I was a kid."
That person cackles coldly, and moves his deformed shoulders with great
difficulty; he reaches for a small golden bell and takes it out, "Then what
about this, do you not remember either?"
Goosebumps crawl up his skin as he sees the bell. Bells can reach the spirit
world, and are usually used to summon souls and gather spirits. He is
missing a soul fire on his left shoulder, so his soul is naturally unstable
compared to the regular human. Without hesitation, he breaks the other's
shoulder with a stomping leg and reaches for the small golden bell, bending
down.
And yet as his hand touches it, he finds it impossible to lift up. The tiny
bell, only the size of a fingernail, seems to weigh more than a dozen tonnes.
His wrist is in agony as the bell weighs down on his hand, not moving even
a millimetre.
The shorty laughs heartily, "Oh the almighty and great... can't even lift a
bell. Muahahahaha, is there anything in this world that's more absurd?"
This instant, a sweeping rush of mystical wind abruptly assaults. The bell
hanging on the shorty's broken arm rings lightly. Zhao's nerves tense up
instantly, the whip in his hand flies outwards as a humongous sphere of
ghost fire is swirled away, landing on to a tree. In the blink of an eye, the
thick tree is swiftly scorched and charred, withering as it is drained of life.
Afterwards, huge lumps of ghost fire come swivelling with the wind; Zhao's
whip whirls thrice and he is soon forced to retreat twenty metres away.
He can't help but feel that as the end of the year approaches, apart from his
love life, all other areas of his life have been victims of bad luck. Not only
is he penilless, the kinds of criminals he has to deal with all seem to be
increasingly devious and cunning.
Claws of white bones crawl out from underneath the tombstones of the
mountain on to the ground. The shorty who was just crushed under his foot
now agilely floats mid-air, with three hundred sixty degrees of surrounding
ghost fire roaring behind him. The small golden bell hanging on a broken
finger begins to wobble lightly in the wind, emitting a subtle and vaguely
audible ring. Dark energy gathers among the mountains and huge swarms of
white mist emerge from hibernating in the canopy layer. The trees soon
wither and die; a crow residing in the trees shrieks a long screech, and soars
into the dark and endless night sky. At some point in time, the moon has
already started glowing with a blood-red hue.
Zhao knows that tonight will probably not end well.
He puts off the cigarette, sprints towards the edge of the woods, and says,
"Hey, don't start attacking for no reason, you haven't told me why you lured
me here."
Zhao is suddenly the world peace ambassador, and who knows which guy
just broke someone else's arm.
"You wouldn't just want to fight, would you?" Zhao says, "I'm always at the
office, and I rarely workout, I'm no good at fighting. Perhaps we could
resolve this in a more civil way, what do you think?"
The shorty only gives him a mirthless grin.
With ghost fire tailing him, Zhao climbs up a big tree with bare hands,
swiftly hanging on to it, and then somersaulting back down to face the other
side. Getting down on one knee to buffer the impact, he asks the shorty,
"Reviving dead corpses, manipulating ghost fire... are you a spectral mage
or an earth angel? From what I know spectral mages avoid all contact with
the living so as not to damage their pure darkness, or cause them to
remember incidents from before their deaths. Perhaps you're in fact
someone from Hell? But from what department?"
This time the shorty hesitates for a moment, then denies, "Hell is nothing, I
wouldn't bother getting involved with them!"
"Ah," Zhao nods, "I understand what that means. So you must be from one
of the fairy tribes, but which one?"
The shorty knows he has said too much, and shuts up.
Zhao's eyeballs twitch, and dimples emerge on his face, "You don't have to
say it, just from your look, you're probably 'those who can hear the dead',
from the Black Raven Tribe, no? Well after this I'm gonna have to talk to
the elders of the fairies, I have always been quite close to the fairy tribes,
though not to the point that we're brothers, but we're always friendly with
each other. What do you think you are doing now?"
The shorty cannot let him keep guessing, and begins abruptly jiggling the
bell in his hand. At this time, Zhao laughs, and takes out both his hands
from behind his back.
He has already made a cutting in his finger, and used blood to draw a
complicated symbol between two paper talismans. Each makes one half,
and together they merge into one.
And the two pieces have already quietly burnt up, one towards the sky and
the other towards the earth.
Zhao lets go of the talismans, and lightning strikes from the sky, as a
flaming dragon emerges from the earth. Heaven lightning and Hell fire
instantly sear and char the entire mountain of tombstones till everything
turns black. Countless ghost fires are sucked into the vortex, devoured
without a sound. Massive flames set the raven shorty's clothes ablaze, and
yet the vile-looking fairy stands in place without nudging.
His stature is little, but in that moment, the look on that hideous face is one
of stoicism.
Zhao locks eyes with the creature, and is stunned.
And though he can summon lightning and fire, keeping them under control
or stopping them are out of his capabilities. Zhao extends a hand, as if he
wants to pull the other out, or say something.
Suddenly, the shorty engulfed in flames, with a half-human and half-bird

face, grows black raven feathers, and spreads out a pair of shrivelled and
deformed wings. The feathers are instantly lit up, and behind his body is a
pair of grilled New Orleans chicken wings, pathetically grotesque.
The shorty screeches towards the sky, transforms into a cloud of black
smoke, and enters into the golden bell.
The flare surrounding the golden bell instantaneously changes colour, like
millions streaks of blinding light fusing and condensing in one place. Zhao
hastily closes his eyes, but it is too late: extreme pain comes from his
eyeballs, as he rapidly stumbles backwards, arms out, and in a sightless
state. Rings of the bell come raiding on his soul, like a drill piercing into his
ears.
Momentarily, he seems to hear the sound of mountains crumbling, the

pillars holding up the sky rupturing and crashing down with incessant
thundering roars, as if the sky is falling down altogether.
Zhao feels someone behind him. Someone who must have watched in the
shadows for long, watching two dogs fight for a bone, and now the third
one comes in, reaching out to grab his shoulder.
Zhao struggles to hold himself up in a state of dizziness. He steps aside and

his whip comes swirling towards the one behind him. And yet he cannot see
or hear anything, and knows not where the whip goes. After a small noise, a
great force comes from the other end of the whip, pulling him forward.
Zhao isn't afraid of losing the whip; he instantly lets go with rapid reflex.
Then, a ghastly hand reaches his nape, fully demonstrating mastery of
fishing in troubled waters. Zhao passes out in that someone's arms.
Ghost face's giant cloak covers the burning fire, putting it out instantly, and
the thunder and lightning wear away as well.
Seemingly without much effort, he grabs Zhao, and picks up the heavy-as-
anvil bell with just two fingers. Examining it closely, he sniggers, hides it in
his sleeve, and leaves.
Shen leaves the empty apartment, and rushes to No. 4 Bright Avenue. But
he finds that all lights are out, and only the ghosts are here still working
meticulously. Shen is like ants in a hot pan, he heads to the backyard and
takes several deep breaths to calm down, barely. Forcing himself to stay
focused, he begins sensing for Zhao's whereabouts.
In astonishment, he finds that Zhao is coming towards him.
Where was he all night, and why is he heading back to the SIU?
Shen turns around abruptly, and finds a familiar figure floating mid-air.
The expression on the usually gentle and polite Professor Shen drastically
changes.
Ghost face calmly faces the Ghost Slayer's blade pointing at his chin, not at
all frightened. Rather, he patiently tidies up Zhao's messy clothes, and softly
laughs, "When he sees you he is all smiles, following you around, pleasing
you, virtually inseparable; when he sees me, he gives me a whipping, do
you see just how biased he is."
Shen bellows between his teeth, "Let go, don't touch him with your filthy
hands."
"Filthy hands?" Ghost face chuckles, "So you must be very clean?"
Shen's face freezes.

With a soft titter, he throws Zhao forward. Shen hastily puts the blade away
to avoid hurting him, and holds him steadily in his arms.
"The other side never treated you like one of their own, but I'm different."
Ghost face says with patience, "I want you to think carefully, who treats you
better. Harming yourself for people who don't matter, whether it's really
worth it."
He pauses, and looks at Zhao, "Who are you? Is there anyone you can't
have? Even if... why make yourslef so anxious, on edge all the time,
craving, and yet never having? Even I pity you."
Shen says coldly, "No need for you to worry."
The mask on ghost face wears an eerie smile, "Fine, don't regret it."
Ghost face turns around, the huge cloak swirls up and vanishes into the
night sky.
Shen immediately takes Zhao back to his apartment. Zhao's injuries do not
look to be serious, just small scratches and bruises. His nape has a red mark,
probably left by a striking palm that knocked him unconscious. Other than
that, Shen can't see anything wrong with him, and so he impatiently sits
beside the bed, waiting for him to wake up.
Zhao sleeps till afternoon the next day. His phone rang several times but he
still laid in bed without any movements.
As the sun is in the south, his fingers begin moving. The anxious Shen
instantly grabs his hand, shaking it gently, and says nervously, "Yunlan?"
Zhao has yet to open his eyes, and he covers his neck, "Fuck, which son of
a bitch..."
Shen is half-relieved seeing that Zhao is swearing, but afterwards Zhao

calls him with a deep, nasal voice.
Shen hastily asks, "Uh, what?"

Zhao seems to be only half-conscious still, and he asks, puzzled, "What
time is it, why are you still up? Why didn't you turn on the lights?"
Shen freezes for a few moments. Then he extends his hand slowly, under
the blazing sunlight of the brightly-lit noon, waving it in front of Zhao's
eyes.
Zhao's gaze has a subtle hint of misery and confusion, and does not react to
Shen's movements at all. Shen's heart plunges downwards.
From his silence, Zhao senses that something is wrong, and reflexly turns to
the side, "Shen Wei?"
Zhao frowns, and suddenly he extends his hand, precisely grabbing on to

Shen's hand, like he expected Shen to make such a move. Shen's hand is
cold as porcelain, and Zhao only says after a moment of silence, "Oh... so
something's wrong with my eyes?"
His eyes can't see, and so Zhao's gaze appears exceptionally miserable,
floating around without a place to rest on. Shen suddenly clenches his fists,
and forces his voice to stay low, "I'll get you to the hospital right away."
On their way, Zhao is exceptionally quiet, almost not saying anything at all.
And who knows what he is thinking. As he gets off the car, he occasionally
wears a look of perplexity while walking.
It is really distressing for an ordinary man to suddenly lose his eyesight. He

doesn't know which leg to raise when he walks, and he can't help but to
grab at everything he can reach... even though Shen is holding his hand.
Sometimes he cannot tell towards which direction Shen is pulling him,

especially when they're making a turn.
Those who do not see well usually have their other senses sharpened, but
that is the result of long-term habit and subconscious training. If a person
suddenly loses the ability to see, his reflexes are slowed, and he can't help
but concentrate too much on what he's hearing. Without his vision, it is
difficult to discern what all the sounds represent; on top of that his sense of
balance is affected as well, and it takes him long to react to Shen pulling
him.
Perhaps the ghost face hit him quite hard, or it's the many injuries he had
accrued, but Shen finds his face exceptionally pale. Zhao seems to be quite
calm towards going blind: he is not panicking, nor is he whining. He only
wears an emotionless look, as his eyebrows subtly frown.
Shen is well aware that Zhao makes the same face normally as well, it's
only that he changes his expression instantly when he finds someone
looking at him... but now he can't tell if people are looking or not.
Shen's expression is abruptly clouded, and a hint of ferocity emerges

between his eyebrows. Yet, his hands help Zhao move forward with
increasing tenderness.
The nurses are almost trembling in fear as they take Zhao from him. They
can't help but find this bespectacled gentleman very much like the low-
profile mafiosos in crime movies who slaughter people like pigs but pray to
Buddha and are vegetarians.
As expected, Zhao's eyes don't have any discernable problems: no injuries,

no diseases, and yet he can't see... the doctors find it very strange, and after
almost an entire day, they subtly imply that temporary blindness could be of
a mental cause, and advise him to see a psychiatrist.
When they're out of the hospital, the sky is already dark. And finally, like a
sturdy cockroach, Zhao adjusts to life as a blind man with shocking speed.
As they leave the hospital, Zhao grabs Shen, and says, "The sky is dark
probably."
Shen is the most afraid of him not talking, so he hastily asks to get him to
say more, "How did you know?"
Zhao says, "I feel the air is a little wetter, and cooler, so the sun is probably
set."
Shen opens the car door, one hand leading his way, the other blocking the
ceiling of the car so he wouldn't bump his head. Then he bends down and
helps him fasten his seatbelt, and as he gets up, he sees Zhao smiling. Shen
asks, "Why are you smiling?"
Zhao says, "I was thinking, if one day I'm old and dumb, and you're still
willing to take care of me like this. What if I don't recognise people
anymore, and I call you daddy?"
Shen doesn't reply.
Although he is happy to see Zhao smile, sometimes Shen really cannot

understand his eccentric sense of humour.
Zhao fantasises for a while, and even laughs. His hands start wandering
everywhere; Shen sits in the driver's seat, and holds his hand. Zhao shakes
him a little, "Oi, if I call you daddy you can't answer, don't take advantage
of me when I'm dumb."
Shen is rather helpless, "It would be nice if you were dumb."
"What?" Zhao feigns astonishment, and holds on to his collar, "What do

you want to do to me? Do you want to lock me up for a game of coerced
forbidden love?"
Shen blinks. He knows this is just Zhao's usual bullshit, and yet he can't
help but imagine...
Zhao sniggers pervertedly, and continues, "Actually I think that's a

possibility."
Shen is silent again.
As the car starts moving, Zhao can't stand having been introverted for
almost a day, and begins performing his fun show with retarded kid.
He finds the buttons for adjusting the seat, and he adjusts it back and forth,
and to and fro, like a newborn stupid monkey messing around in the car. He
also occasionally presents his ideas to Shen, "Hey I tell you what, being
blind is actually quite fun. There is a darkness experience showroom in the
town centre, and it costs 40 for a ticket, so now I'm saving myself 40
dollars."
Shen answers, and reluctantly smiles; he really cannot understand how this
can be amusing.
Shen stops the car at Zhao's place, and reminds him not to move. And yet,
once the car is stopped, Shen finds Zhao walking on to the street on his
own, practising walking in a straight line like walking on stilts.
The straight line is not bad, it's just that he is heading straight into a street
lamp.
This kid just likes getting himself in trouble...
Shen rushes forward and picks Zhao up by the waist, and Zhao's ribs rest on
Shen's shoulder.
Perhaps it's a thrilling experience to be lifted into the air while blind, when
Shen puts him down, Zhao merrily whistles.
"I find that my balance is still okay, I can walk a straight line." Zhao says,
and then he lowers his voice, "Perhaps I can even..."
Even what, Shen can't hear, but he sees him softly smiling.
Shen pats his arm, and bends down, "There are stairs ahead, I'll carry you."
Zhao stands aside, smiling, and not saying a word.
Shen turns around, and asks gently, "What? Come on."
Zhao finds Shen's hand, caresses it softly, and then lifts it up, and lowers his
head for a kiss on the back of his hand, "I can't let you carry me, I'm too
heavy, what if you get hurt?"
Shen doesn't say anything.

This one probably doesn't understand who carried him home last night.
After saying that, Zhao slowly walks forward. If he hadn't kicked at the
stairs lightly to check where it is, Shen might have thought he got his sight
back.
He goes upstairs, head up and chest out; smoothly mounting the stairs one
step at a time, each step is basically the same distance, and reaches the
elevator eventually. He finds the button, presses it, and then stands aside
waiting for Shen.
Shen walks with heavy footsteps intentionally, "How did you know the
elevator was here?"
Zhao says arrogantly and shamelessly, "Someone as observant as myself

would know the place I live in inside out, wouldn't I? How many steps in
the staircase, how many steps from the stairs to the elevator, I don't need to
see, I know all that."
Shen knows he is bullshitting, as if he is really that smart... he can't even

find his tea cup and slippers without running his hands over everything.
He must have counted the steps and remembered them when he left the
apartment in the afternoon.
It's probably in his nature: no matter what happens, Zhao always gives other
people the feeling that "this is no big deal". Sometimes even when other
people know it really is a big deal, they can't help but be influenced by his
attitude.
He is just so keen on face-saving.
Zhao opens the door and goes inside, and he hears a voice from below, "If
you dare step your stinky foot on to my tail you're dead."
"Da Qing?"
Zhao bends down and pats it. Da Qing instantly feels something is wrong; it
climbs up his arm and stands on his shoulder, watching closely, and asks,
"What's with your eyes?"
Zhao walks into the apartment with his hands finding the way, and says
carelessly, "My ability is disabled."
Shen pulls him back, "Careful."
Zhao almost bumps into the doorframe.
Da Qing is astonished, and pounces off of him and then on to the sofa
quickly, "What happened!?"
Then it carelessly glances at Shen, with an apparent look of interrogation...

since Shen already went to No. 4 Bright Avenue, Da Qing really doesn't
need to hide the fact that it's a talking cat.
Shen immediately says, "It's my fault."
Zhao doesn't know whether to laugh or cry, "How the hell is this your fault
now?"
His hand grabs at air, and Da Qing looks at his hand hanging mid-air,
wearing an annoyed cat face with squinting eyes that says "I'm only doing
this 'cause I pity you", and nudges its head into Zhao's palm.
Zhao smiles, and says with an unclear connotation, "Don't be worried, there
is no weal without woe."
He finds the sofa and sits down, takes out a cigarette, and hands it to Da
Qing bossily, "I can't see, light it for me!"
After a moment of silence, it quietly rolls up into a ball of fur, facing away,
ignoring him.
Shen takes his hand, lights the cigarette with a fizzling flick, and hands him
the ashtray.
"Last night I ran into a small raven fairy," Zhao ponders, and succinctly
summarises what happened the other night, with a bit of cherry-picking. He
continues, "and he said to me about... uh, some place of the West Sea, and
some place of the North Sea, how many miles from the shore, and then I
didn't quite understand; probably talking about a mountain."
Da Qing is stunned, but Shen instantly understands, and his face darkens,
"Don't talk about that, how did you hurt your eyes?"
"Don't even mention it." Zhao waves, and briefly describes his most
unfortunate experience, clearly expressing his hatred towards bells.
Da Qing suddenly stands up, "What kind of bell?"
"I have it." Shen puts his hand in his pocket, and takes out a dusty little
golden bell, "Are you talking about this?"
Da Qing's irises contract, and not waiting for Zhao to reply, it interrupts,
"Why is this with you?"
Shen looks at Zhao, pauses, and says subtly, "Well... the person who sent
you back last night gave it to me."
Da Qing goes in circle around Shen's hand, staring at the small bell for a
while, and suddenly says with a lowered voice, "That's mine."
"That's from my... first owner," Da Qing glances at Zhao, "he wore it round
my neck, about a hundred years ago, but I lost it because of some accident."
Zhao extends his hand, "Let me see."
Shen retracts, "You probably can't lift it up yet."
Now that he thinks of the dark history of the other night, Zhao blows out a
ring of smoke with melancholy; can't even lift up the bell his own cat wears
round its neck... just how pathetic that sounds!
This moment, Da Qing lowers its head, snatches the bell with its mouth,
and without a word, jumps out the window.
As plump and carefree as it usually is, it is quite rare for it to seem so
occupied emotionally.
Zhao listens, "Da Qing?"
"Gone." Shen closes the window, bends down, and caresses the corner of
his eye, "I will find a way to cure you."
Zhao thinks of something, and suddenly chuckles, "Actually there is no

hurry."
Shen has an intuitive feeling that he will not say something decent to
follow. As expected, Zhao is still perverted and persistent as ever even
when blind, and he continues, "Now that I can't see, it really is quite
inconvenient, could you take a shower with me tonight?"
Shen swats away his filthy and lascivious swine hands that somehow started
molesting his butt.
Without a word, he turns around and heads for the kitchen.
Zhao retrieves his smile, closes his eyes, and leans on to the sofa. He listens
to the clinging and clanging from the kitchen, and in sheer darkness, he
feels a rare sense of tranquility. He is almost enjoying this moment, and as
he is more and more relaxed, he suddenly sees some strange shadows,
vaguely in the distance.
He abruptly opens his eyes, and yet he still can't see a thing. The shadows
are gone.
Zhao calms his mind and concentrates. He closes his eyes again, counting
his breathes and ridding his mind of excessive thoughts, and he begins to
see a few shadows after a moment. On his left, he sees a lump of green,
glowing and flickering, very softly, and with an exceptional beauty in its
flowing movements... the shape is rather familiar.
After a while Zhao thinks of it: that's the direction of the window sill, and
there is a pot of plant a friend sent as a gift.
This is... the third eye.
And so it seems the third eye between the eyebrows does not depend on
normal eyesight.
Zhao concentrates between his eyebrows, and begins to see his

surroundings clearly. He is "seeing" more and more things around him: the
flowers on the window sill, the cat fur on the couch, some antique books on
the bookshelf... and the reportedly precious antique painting on the wall.
But things like the sofa, the coffee table, the bed... things without spiritual
energy are still invisible to him.
Zhao "looks" down at his own body, and sees a swirl of while light flowing
through; a blazing ball of light is hanging on his right shoulder, but on his
left, there is nothing.
This kind of light is very familiar... he feels he must have seen it somewhere
before.
Suddenly, Zhao stands up, his knees heavily crashing onto the coffee table,
but he doesn't care, as he stumbles into the kitchen.
He hears the sound of chopping, but does not see Shen, who is merged with
darkness, or even darker than darkness... the only thing visible is the small
pendant, which holds a sphere of dazzling flame, identical to the ball of
light on his right shoulder.
Shen is handling a Chinese cabbage; he hears a sound, and turns his head
looking at Zhao, "It's messy in here, don't come in."
Zhao ignores that, and carefully walks inside while holding on to the walls,
heading towards Shen's voice. He slowly reaches his hands out, and
embraces Shen from behind; his chin rests on Shen's shoulder, his eyes
closed.
First, he tries to "look" at the chopping board, but the vegetables are all
derooted and frozen, so he can't "see" anything. Then he sniffs, and barely
smells a faint scent of vegetable juice.
He lowers his head, and he sees Shen's incredibly coal-black body

overflowing with a blush of blood-red the moment he hugs him. The
colours flow from his heart, gushing out like magma, and instantaneously
saturates Shen's entire body. In Zhao's murky vision, a slender and svelte
silhouette is outlined.
It's as if... the dark shadow is suddenly given life.
Seeing such a sight, Zhao is left in silence for a while. Then, without
showing it on his face, he half-seriously complains to Shen, "What are you
cutting? I don't wanna eat this, I want meat. I'm not a rabbit, I'm disabled
now, and I have the right to better meals."
He hears Shen laughing softly with pampering, lifting the lid on a small pot
slightly, from which an aroma of meat disperses, and says, "I made what
you like, but you have to eat a bit of everything, don't be picky."
As he says this, the flaming colours on his body are lightened, and the
swiftly flowing scarlet transforms into a tinge of exceptionally warm cherry
pink... like the colour at the break of dawn, when one first sees the sun rise
and shine.
Shen lets him keep hugging, and doesn't push him away. Zhao swings left
and right with Shen's movements, listening to the sound of the vegetable
knife chopping on to the chopping board. Zhao doesn't speak for a long
while; his eyeballs black with depth, looking down, but not with gloom,
only with inexplicable darkness.
After a long time, Zhao nudges forward, and asks randomly, "Hey, do you
think I'm handsome?"
Shen's hands stop moving, and he shakes his head helplessly, "Do you ever
have anything decent to say?"
"Oh, something decent." Zhao clears his throat, and announces beside
Shen's ear with great enunciation, like a news reporter, "Shen Wei comrade,
do you find this man beside you, this colossus of cognition, this pioneer in
his career, who bathes in the comfortable breeze of a peaceful society,
handsome or not?"
Shen has nothing to say in response; after a while, he only smiles lightly.
He looks down, cutting the vegetables into thin slices; even a simple task
like this seems to warrant his full concentration. Then he says softly, "It
doesn't matter whether you're handsome or not, I don't care. Even if you
were hideous with warts and lumps all over, in my heart, there is no
difference."
Zhao says with a lowered voice, "So touching, the next moment you should
be proposing to me."
Even though they're at home, and there are only the two of them here, they
are in the kitchen after all, which isn't a place for intimacy. Shen is
somewhat embarassed, and shoves Zhao away with his shoulder, "Move, I
have to fry the vegetables. Go sit outside, don't give me trouble."
Zhao obediently lets go, steps backwards, and his hands touch the cold
metal edge of the sink.
Suddenly, he says half-unintentionally, "Then would you ever lie to me?"

Shen is stunned with his back facing Zhao.
Zhao continues, "Would you?"
Shen takes a deep breath, still not turning around. After a moment, he says
with a deep voice, "I will never lie to you, and I will never hurt you."
Zhao uses the third eye to search for his shadow. He sees very clearly that
the shining lights on Shen's body gradually grow dim and fade away, like
firework at its end. An inexplicable surge of sadness springs up all of a
sudden.
And so he nods, "Uh, good, then I believe you."
Shen abruptly turns around, "Just a few words, and you believe me?"
Zhao smiles unexpectedly, "As long as you say so, I believe you."
After he says this, he can no longer bear to "look" at the waxing and waning
radiance on Shen's body. Zhao turns around, and pretends that the
conversation they just had was merely chitchatting, and could be forgotten
in the blink of an eye. He runs his hands through every compartment in the
cupboard, and mumbles, "Where's my beef jerky, I remember I have a pack
of beef somewhere..."
In panic, he bumps into a plastic broom, steps on it, and almost falls flat on
his face.
Shen has a handful of vegetable juice, and doesn't want to make him dirty,
so he reaches out his arm and blocks him mid-air. Zhao falls right into his
embrace.
Zhao's apartment is not very big. The kitchen is so small that it's barely
suitable for one person. With two big men cramped inside, they can hardly
move at all. Shen can only keep this pose, extending his hands forward,
washing them under the faucet. His chin naturally rests on Zhao's shoulder.
Zhao suddenly doesn't speak anymore, nor does he move.

After Shen cleans his hands, he keeps the same pose, hands guarding Zhao's
waist, and pushes him outside, "They probably expired a long time ago,
stop looking for them. There are some dim sum under the table, I just put
them there, if you're hungry you can eat some. But don't eat too much,
dinner's almost ready."
Zhao looks down and smiles, "I'm starving, but I don't want to eat rice."
Shen is stunned, "Eh? Then what do you want to eat?"
Zhao turns his head to the side, finds Shen's chin, and runs his hand along
the jawbone, reaching the ear. He leans towards Shen's ear and whispers, "I
wanna eat you."
When he says this, his gaze precisely "looks" towards Shen's face. Zhao's
eye sockets are very deep, irises intensely black, and as his eyelids are half-
down, his eye lashes cast a shadow on to his high nose bridge... although
Shen knows he cannot see anything, there is still the false impression that
"his gaze is full of passion".
Shen finds his spirit quivering under that piercing gaze.
Zhao leans even closer, smiling, and sniffs the scent of shampoo in Shen's
hair. He kisses him on the cheek, "Why are you so nervous? You can give it
a try, I'm very gentle."
Shen doesn't say a word, throws him on to the sofa, and runs away.
Zhao extends his legs, and sits on the couch like a boss. He thinks he really
should order two red candlesticks, and light them up beside the bed at night.
Perhaps only in this kind of atmosphere can he get this conservative
gentleman's clothes off.
As night has truly fallen, Zhao's heart is itching all over. Shen is afraid that
he might be bored when he can't see, and so he leans on the side of the bed,
and reads to him.
Shen's voice is mellow and tender, with perfectly ideal sonority. And yet
Zhao is in no way cultured amidst the flowing aroma of books, but he only
wants to unleash his inner beast.
And in Zhao's suffering and joy, Shen seems to feel something. He

suddenly stops reading, and turns towards the window with an ambivalent
expression. At the same time, Zhao holds Shen in his arms and rolls on to
the bed, weighing on top of him, and whispering beside his ear, "Stop
reading. Turn off the lights."
The lights in the apartment go out instantly.
Zhao's hand probes under Shen's shirt, and skilfully runs along Shen's waist
side all the way up to his chest. He pinches at his chest, and a surge of
numbing sensation rushes towards his head. Shen can no longer process
what he just said, and he panickingly holds Zhao's wrist in place.
Zhao lowers his head and nibbles softly on his collarbone. He says with an
exceptionally flirtatious tone, "You're already hard with just one touch, do
you miss me so much?"
Shen is incredibly embarassed, and he almost forgets that someone is

outside the window.
At this instant, the howling wind brings along the subtle sound of wooden
clappers from outside the window. Zhao's fingers that were lighting flames
along Shen's body quickly write "don't move", and he pulls the duvet and
covers Shen entirely.
Zhao sits on the edge of the bed, the buttons on his shirt undone till his
stomache, shakily hanging on his body. He says coldly, "If I were alone,
Your Honour is welcome here anytime. But now that I have company, this
seems like a bit of an intrusion, doesn't it?"
A soft cough sounds from outside, "The Judge heard that Guardian injured
his eyes, so I was sent here to take a look. If I am bothering you, I am
incredibly..."
"The Judge?" Zhao raises his eyebrows, and laughs with profound meaning,
"His Honour sure found out fast. I went to the hospital during the day, and it
isn't even midnight now, he has already sent you here, Your Honour? I'm
just fine, tell him that, and thank him for asking."
After a deep "yes" from outside, in just a moment, the thick cloud of dark
energy disappears.
Zhao searches on the bed, and Shen grabs his wrist, "Hell Guard? How..."
"You silly bean," Zhao sighs, and runs his hand across Shen's hair, stroking
gently. He says with a lowered voice, "they're all plotting against you... Hell
probably knows about 'Shen Wei', right?"
Shen hesitates, and nods. He has disguised himself as a human and stayed
on earth for a few decades already. And all that just to stalk someone, of
course he wouldn't announce that publicly. And yet, Ghost Slayer staying
among the living is not trivial matter, so at the very least the Ten Kings of
Hell have to be informed about it.
Zhao frowns, and says worrisomely, "You really don't have to get involved
with the other side, they have their way of thinking, and between humans
and ghosts, there are always so many convoluted schemes and plots, and
you..."
Shen asks softly, with uncertainty, "Are you... are you worried about me?"
Zhao stops. Then he lowers his head towards where the sound is coming
from, "What do you think?"
Shen clenches his fists, and suddenly embraces him tightly, his face buried
in his nape for a very, very long time. Shen is incredibly strong; Zhao
totally wants to do something else seeing that the mood is right, and yet he
cannot wriggle out of it at all.
Shen hugs him as tightly as he can, with immense possessiveness. He

probably intends to keep hugging till dawn. Zhao ponders for a long time,
but cannot think of a good plan, and quickly grows drowsy. And so he falls
asleep reluctantly with a mind full of filthy thoughts. He has never fallen
asleep so helplessly in his life.
He is so horny that his nose might bleed.
Perhaps Shen is squeezing too tightly, making him a little uncomfortable.

Zhao falls asleep and begins dreaming.
In his dream, he finds himself wandering around in a foggy place filled with
ruins and debris all over the ground. Countless people prostrate themselves
in worship towards the sky. He looks at them, and keeps walking.
Afterwards, he finds himself in an incredibly barren place, and in utter

darkness. Zhao feels inexplicably perturbed, and tries to light a fire by
snapping his fingers. The flame dies before it can light up anything. Then,
someone sighs beside his ear and says, "I didn't mean it when I said that,
did you have to go that far?"
That voice is difficult to describe. It doesn't seem to go through the ear, but
instead it goes through the heart. The words pierce through his chest like an
ice pick, coldly pouring into his heart. Zhao shivers vigorously, and wakes
up. It seems to be morning already. Shen is not beside him; he probably
went out to buy something.
It's dark when he opens his eyes, and also dark when he closes them. Zhao's
heart thumps like thunder, thrashing about incessantly. The air in his lungs
is almost depleted, and his palms are frigid.
That was... who was talking?
Zhao sits on the bed, and pinches between his eyebrows with force. He
swipes off cold sweat, which dribbles on to his fingers. His heart is knotted
with a million thoughts, and all he can see with his eyes is sheer darkness;
he really cannot stand this state for another second.
Hastily, Zhao washes up, and finds the bandages and medicine on the coffee
table. He closes his eyes, wraps bandage around for a few times, and takes a
piece of paper and a pen from the nightstand. It doesn't matter what kind of
paper it is; he scribbles some messy symbols which are supposed to read
"I'm going to No. 4 Bright Avenue", then he leaves the apartment with
cautious steps.
His heart which has been thumping since he woke up from the nightmare is
now gradually quietening in his swift movements.
When the elevator stops at the first floor, Zhao adjusts his breathing, and
concentrates all his energy to the third eye between his eyebrows. He walks
outside with big, confident steps.
He sees a lot of people coming and going, very rapidly. Zhao can quickly
work out that the figures with a glowing halo are people, as for those
without, he clearly would not know what they are.
At first, for some reason, his vision is not very clear; he only sees a blurry
layer of shadows and lights. And yet as Zhao slowly walks out of the small
residential area, he seems to be gradually getting used to this way of
"looking" at the world, and the figures are beginning to materialise.
Slowly, he begins to see the Samadhi true fire on everybody, and even the
three flowers on their heads. Finally, Zhao sees very clearly from someone
who passes by... the halo on a living person is really a layer of blurry
"membrane", covering the entire person from head to toe, with strange
symbols written all over.
Zhao stands still by the road, and puts his hand out to hail a taxi. But after
all, he can't see, so all he can do is just keep his hand out, and try his luck.
When he does hail a cab, and finds his way into the car, Zhao can clearly
see that the symbols written on people's bodies aren't exactly hieroglyphs,
but they are words.
Incredibly small, and incredibly dense; changing every second. Zhao can't
help but stare at the taxi driver. The driver calls him twice, and he comes to,
"Oh, sorry. No. 4 Bright Avenue, just bring me to the entrance."
The taxi driver gives the bandages on his eyes a strange look, "Hey kid,
what's with your eyes?"
Zhao casually lies, "Hurt it playing basketball."
The driver goes "yikes", and continues, "Can you still see?"
"Applied ointment, can't open my eyes." Zhao says, "I'll just have to be
blind for two days."
They chitchat along the way and finally arrive at No. 4 Bright Avenue. The
taxi stops on the side of the road; Zhao ponders, and takes out his wallet,
handing it to the driver, "I can't see anyway, just take as much as it costs."
The driver is stunned, "Ah? You trust me?"
Zhao smiles, "There aren't a lot of money in there anyway, go on."
The driver hesitates, prints him a receipt, and puts his hand into the wallet.
At the same time, Zhao stares intently at the ever-changing words on his
body. He hears the driver going through his wallet, making rustling sounds,
and he also hears him take something out, hesitate, and putting it back.
Then, he takes out another bank note, takes some change, and put them into
Zhao's wallet.
Zhao's lips lift up on one side... his vision is getting clearer and clearer, and
he can now tell the colours of the words. He sees both black and red. As the
driver puts the change into his wallet, Zhao sees a line of small red
characters passing by on his body.
So that's what it means... he thanks the driver, and tells him there is no need
to help him walk. Zhao realises that the small words indicate a man's virtue:
red is good, and black is evil. Turns out the driver didn't take advantage of
him just now.
Then, Zhao frowns, as he feels an apparent sensation that something seems

to be awakening within him with an unstoppable speed. He cannot tell
whether it's a good or a bad thing.
This feeling... it started when the earthquake unearthed the Pillar of Nature.
Was that really a natural earthquake caused by tectonic movements?
The doorkeeper who's sculpting bones sees him from afar, and merrily puts
down the sickle, greeting him, "Hey, Chief Zhao! Oh? What happened to
your eyes?"
"Accident." Zhao says calmly, "Uncle Li, can you help me a little."
Uncle Li has yet to come forward, and someone else already rushes up from
behind. Shen grapples his hand, and suppresses the force in his grip and the
tremble in his voice with might, "Why didn't you wait for me? All I did was
go out to buy breakfast, and you were gone when I came back. Do you
know I was worried sick? If you do that again I swear I will..."
Will what?
Shen takes several deep breaths, as his lungs are almost bursting in anger.
And yet he can't seem to finish his sentence.
Zhao turns towards him, and through the vision of his third eye, which is
becoming increasingly bright and clear due to unknown reasons, he sees
rows after rows of bright red characters on Shen's body, representing good
virtue.
And yet they do not last. Like a rush of waves, swiftly surging up, then
immediately drenched in a tsunami of darkness and rinsed away. Like a
beach on which no markings can ever remain.
Zhao's eyes are sore, but he doesn't understand where the unexpected surge
of soreness comes from. It is like an ancient memory that had been buried
for centuries, and finally a violent gust blows away countless inches of
floating dust, unveiling the naked body underneath, the inevitable corner of
truth. His heart is pierced with sorrow.
"That's because I knew you would catch up with me in no time." Zhao

almost loses control. He puts on a smooth-talking pretense, but his voice
has a subtle tremor that is not easily noticeable, "Just in time, go in with
me."
Zhao makes his grand entrance without telling anyone in advance, which
sets the office in utter chaos. Da Qing has gone off sulking somewhere, so
up until now, the folks of SIU finally realise that their Chief who
disappeared for two days wasn't out having fun, but had an accident.
Zhu's hands shiver as she unties the bandages, and when she sees the bright
yet unfocused eyes, her eyes redden.
Zhao moves his hand, but realises that since he cannot see it would be
inappropriate to touch a female colleague blindly. He embarassingly puts
down his hand and says heplessly, "Is it you or me that's blind now, I'm not
even crying so what are you getting so worked up about?"
Zhu hurls the bandages on to his face, "You crying? If only you knew how
to cry! There is not a place in this world that you dare not go to, and there is
not a person in this world whom you dare not mess with, is there? You
really think you're the younger brother of the gods of above, don't you?
Moron!"
Zhao stays silent for a while, and replies, "Aye, the moron heard you."
No knifes and guns can hurt him, and no words, whether harsh or kind, can
get to him. Zhu gives up on trying on him, and glares at Shen. And as if she
ate gunpowder, her words fire like machine guns, "Don't you like him?
Aren't you an expert? What were you doing when this happened?"
Chu and Lin stare at each other in silence; this situation really seems to be
somewhat... awkward.
Zhao can hear it too. He instantly feels embarassed, and tries to cover it up
with a joke... Zhao pulls at Shen's sleeves, and tries to wear a pretentious
smile, "You like me? Why you never mentioned it? I say, Professor Shen
that's mighty odd of you, if you like me why did you tell her first..."
Zhu does not want an easy way out, and interrupts him, "You shut up!"
The smile on Zhao's face looks like a drawing, and it instantly wears away,
"That's enough from you, I got into an accident on my own, what the hell
does it have to do with him? Do we have to be tied together twenty-four-
seven? Tell me that when three-legged races enter the Olympics!"
Zhu's gaze almost becomes hostile, and Shen can't help but interrupt,
"Actually it was my f..."
Zhao frowns and waves his hand, domineeringly ending the conversation,
albeit stiffly, "I don't want to discuss this now. We can discuss trivial
matters later. Shut up for now."
Then, he takes out a Guardian Order, and lights it up. He says, "Da Qing,
come over here."
With the rings of a kitten bell replacing his voice, Da Qing emerges from
the corner of a wall, and silently passes by everyone. He jumps on to Zhao's
legs, and examines his eyes.
Then Da Qing jumps on to the table, "I thought for a long time, and went
through some books. I roughly know what's wrong with your eyes now. You
said you summoned Hell fire, burning the little crow, and then he sacrificed
himself and entered the golden bell, right? The sound of soul crashed with
Hell fire, and the amount of dark energy must have skyrocketed. You were
standing too close, so you're eyes were injured, and you're temporarily
blind."
Zhao nods subtly, but Shen notices what the black cat said, "Temporarily?"
Da Qing confirms, but then looks at Zhao.

In fact, it feels like Zhao already knows something.
But Shen does not notice. He panics when he is anxious about Zhao, and he
keeps asking, "When can he recover? What medicine does he need? Where
to find it?"
Da Qing silently glances at Shen, and sees that he is genuinely concerned.

With a sigh in its heart, it continues, "The Flower Fairies usually stay
hidden from the rest of the world. But they have an extraordinarily precious
kind of honey, the Thousand Flowers. Legends say that this kind of honey is
made from thirty three kinds of flowers from the Heavens, thirty three kinds
on Earth, and thirty three kinds from Hell; taking the purest essence from
the nectar of each flower to make. It can cure all kinds of toxins, it heals
and revitalises, and is the most suitable for eye injuries... if you want to find
them, probably..."
Zhao softly continues, "In the fairy market at the end of the year."
Da Qing asks bluntly, "How did you know?"
Zhao pats its head, but doesn't answer. He seems to be pondering

something. Then, after a while, he says with a low voice, "You're done now,
so it's my turn to say something... First, from now on, whoever contacts
Hell must send me a transcript, don't leave anything out. Second, No. 4
Bright Avenue is now strictly forbidden for unrelated persons, those who
come with gifts during the New Year can just stop by the reception office.
Third, tell other departments that we're entering the finalising period at the
end of the year, so unless the Commissioner hands down a case directly, try
not to take any cases. Fourth, if anyone under the Guardian Order cannot
come to work on time or has to take leave of absence, I must have signed
and approved it. I need to know your whereabouts at all times."
Zhu loses focus for a little, and asks, "So the fairy market..."
"That's not a big deal, Shen Wei can go with me." Zhao pauses, "I will have
them set up a room for you on the third floor, if you need to rest you can go
there."
He doesn't care about other people's reactions, and stands up holding on to
the desk. He walks towards the library in the wall, "I need to talk to Sang
Zan. Shen Wei wait for me. The others inform the other departments of
what I just said."
The library is brightly lit, yet without a ray of sunlight, so Sang can freely
work inside even during the day. He sees Zhao, and happily greets him,
"Hallu, Shiev Zhao studdera!"
Zhao stays silent for a while, and comments, "What the heck, who taught
you that?"
"Cat studdera." Sang knows his pronunciation is not accurate, so he

diligently practises, "Shie... Chies... Zhao studdera!"
Zhao smiles, and doesn't mind him. He looks around with the third eye, and
finds that he can see the shape of most of the books. He searches around for
a while, and says to Sang, "Get me the book I read the other day."
Sang swiftly takes out the Book of Souls. It's quite impressive that although
he doesn't know the words, he clearly remembers where each and every one
of them is.
Zhao clearly "sees" the words "Book of Souls" on the cover. And before he
moves, the book opens itself, and he sees something he didn't notice
before... a page has been torn off, and under the vision of the third eye, the
torn page seems to be dripping with violet blood.
Zhao slams the book shut. Sang peeks at his expression, and Zhao does not
say a word.
After a long while, Zhao asks in a deep voice, "Do you believe there are
perfect 'coincidences' in this world?"
Sang makes much effort, and after some time he finally figures out what
"coincidence" means. Because he cannot speak with clarity, he always
appears a little dumb. But after all, he isn't actually dumb, everybody knows
that.
Sang shakes his head, and says with rare accuracy, "I don't."
"Neither do I." Zhao says slowly, "The fairy tribes seem to be friendly with
Hell, but they really aren't. I hold the Guardian Order, and all I really want
to do is fulfill my own responsibility and protect the realm of the living,
then enjoy my happy life with the wifey and the fat cat. But some people
just don't want to give me an easy time."
Too much was said, and it was far too complex, so Sang doesn't understand.
And yet he gives Zhao a look of realisation, and asks directly, "How can I
help yar?"
Zhao lowers his eyes, "Hand me a piece of paper."
He writes down what the raven fairy said the other night. Turns out he was
feigning ignorance; in fact, he can remember every single word. Then,
under the final line, he writes "Kunlun" with broad characters, and a heavy
turn of the pen at the last stroke.
"I want all books with this word." Zhao says, "Don't tell anyone about this,
including Wang Zheng. Thank you brother."
Sang treats him as half a saviour. Though he used to be a cunning and

manipulative schemer, deep down he knows good from evil. He promises
Zhao formally, "Don't worry, Chief Zhao studdera."
Zhao says half-jokingly, "Good, I will kick dat fat fuq's fat ass for ya."
The night carnival of the fairies in Dragon City will be held on December
28 of the lunar calendar, which is the second last day for this year.
In the morning, Zhao receives the invitation to the fairy market. A sparrow
sent it to his window side.
His office has been brightly cleaned by housekeeping, windows are crystal
clear and the tables are glistening. On one side is a giant ceiling-to-floor
window which faces the sun. Opening the curtains, the winter sunshine
glows inside in a broad beam. With ample air conditioning, one can
comfortably stay in-doors with just a shirt on. Two pots of alocasia plants
dripple with morning dew in lush viridescence. There is also an aquarium
by the door, with a silver arowana fish swimming leisurely.
The hi-fi set is playing a soothing guqin piece. In the spacious office, the
two men enjoy their own space... Shen comes in to water the plants, and
then sits aside to read a book, like a temporary assistant. Zhao asks him to
prepare a bowl of cinnabar powder, and he takes out a thick pile of yellow
paper talismans that have yet to be used. With his eyes closed, he begins
drawing on the talismans. At first he would mess up a lot, but gradually he
gets used to it, and this becomes a way of mental relaxation rather than just
to kill time. Exorcising talismans pile up in the corner on his desk.
From a great distance, one can feel the warm and overflowing energy
oozing from the talismans. Usually he would find these things hard to stand,
and yet when he is with Shen, he can't help but be influenced by him, and
his heart inevitably settles down.
Zhu knocks and comes in, and sees the two men who fit together like puzzle
pieces spending time with each other so independently and blissfully. Her
steps hesitate at the doorway apparently, and feels like going inside is
redundant. It really feels meaningless.
She bites her lips, and coldly nods towards Shen. Then she says to Zhao,
"I'm going out. The year-end bonus is here, I am going to the bank for
Wang."
Zhao the penniless is instantly revitalised as he hears this, and hastily nods,
"Uh, uh, right, go."
Zhu takes a form from a folder, "Also, this is our department's budget for
this year's reunion dinner. Besides food, we need to buy offerings
beforehand. I will read it to you, sign if there's no problem. Then I will get a
loan from a moneylender."
Zhu reads out every entry, and Zhao sits and listens. The two quickly go
through everything, and Zhao signs on the paper. After they're finished, Zhu
looks at Shen, and asks, stuttering, "So this year... this year are you still
spending New Year with us?"
Zhao doesn't look up, "Yea, why wouldn't I?"
Joy emerges on Zhu's face, but the next moment, she hears Zhao say, "Not
only me, I'm bringing family as well, am I right wifey?"
Perhaps he has gotten used to the constant harassment and flirtation, or

perhaps since Zhu is here, Shen does not overreact, and only softly grins,
and almost playfully chides him, "Go away."
Zhu face darkens instantly, and after a while, she says disheartenedly, "Oh, I
will go if there is nothing then."
"Hey, wait." Zhao calls her back, and tidies up the talismans on the desk.
Then he opens the drawer, and takes out a thick pile that he drew before,
and hands them to Zhu, "There is a small shop in Antique Street, behind the
big pagoda tree at the very end. There is no shop sign, and only an old man
looking after the shop. Go inside and show these to the old man. Same price
as always, he knows. But tell him, I drew these blind, so if there are defects,
give him a discount."
Zhu takes them, stuffs them into the pocket of her down jacket, and asks,
surprised, "You're selling paper talismans?"
Zhao smiles, "I have to raise the family you know, I've gotta bring home
some bacon. Just bought a house, now I urgently need some cash for
renovation."
Zhu doesn't wait for him to finish, and leaves without a word.
She was going to ask whether she should accompany him to the fairy
market, but it seems that would be rather unnecessary now.
The door of the chief's office is violently slammed shut. Shen raises his
head from an antique book, "Does she have feelings for..."
"Uh." Zhao takes a new yellow paper, and says while measuring with his
fingers, "I didn't notice before. But now that I know, I better make her give
up as soon as possible."
Shen sighs.
"Why are you sighing?" Zhao laughs without a sound, "Can office romance
ever amount to anything? Besides, I'm human and she's a fairy, we don't
belong together."
Zhao says that unintentionally, but Shen has every intention to read into it.
After a moment of silence, he says, "Then you and me... I'm a ghost and
you're human, do we belong together?"
"Eh?" Zhao dips into the cinnabar powder, and is stunned. He soon realises
he said something wrong, and immediately corrects himself, "How are you
the same? I like you so much."
He says this so carelessly, curtailing the seriousness of it that it doesn't even

seem like deliberate sweet-talking, but merely... when the whole world is
engulfed in blizzards of the winter, the casual chitchat as you raise a cup to
sniff the aroma of tea in a cosy, toasty room.
Suddenly, someone grabs Zhao's hand on the talisman paper. His pen derails
and the magic on the talisman is lost; the paper goes to waste.
Before Zhao realizes, Shen leans very close with his hands holding the
armrests of the chair; his two arms surrounding Zhao. He even holds his
breath, and devotedly moves towards the other. With his eyes shut,
eyelashes subtly quivering, he heedfully kisses the other's nose. A while
later, he gathers the courage to slowly move downwards, testing the waters,
one inch at a time, and gradually landing on Zhao's slightly arid lips.
So incredibly sensual, and so incredibly gentle. Even though he tenderly

pries open Zhao's lips and enters, it doesn't seem like he wants to do
anything.
It's just that the sensation of love overwhelms him, and he desires for an
intimate kiss.
To Shen, that feeling is a certain kind of deadly toxin. After effortful

struggle, it is impossible to endure, and he inevitably sinks deeper and
deeper downwards.
At this instant, someone comes in without knocking. After it sees something

it's not supposed to see, that thing moans, and silently goes back out.
Shen is startled by the sound of the door, and panickingly springs up. He
coughs dryly, trying to conceal something.
Da Qing scratches at the door, and attempts to shrug off what just happened,
but fails. It asks loudly with elongated words, "Chief? Chief comrade are
you there? Are you busy?"
Zhao is pissed, "Just come in!"
Da Qing wiggles its butt inside, and glances at Shen. It finds this specimen
very intriguing... it has never seen such a subtle and easily-embarassed
human being with Zhao before. For a moment, Da Qing miraculously finds
Shen's expression rather like the prostitutes being arrested by the police on
the news.
He is almost dying of embarassment; a rush of blush spreads from his face
to his neck.
From this sight, he truly has the beauty of peach blossoms, and the
aesthetics of a well-crafted portrait. No wonder the big gangster so
persistently went after him for over half a year, and yet until now he has yet
to have his meal. Da Qing silently scrutinises Shen with its cat eyes.
Then it wriggles its tail, and merrily thinks: no matter how good-looking,
the big gangster still doesn't get to see it.
The big gangster says impatiently, "Two minutes to say what you need to
say, if you give me catshit I'm gonna skin you to make a fur neck collar!"
The black cat crouches on his desk, "I wrote to the flower fairies, you've got
the invitation, right? You've quite a lot of acquaintances among the fairies,
after dusk, someone will be waiting for you at the western entrance of
Antique Street. Just go in directly, but don't forget to bring gifts."
At this point, it looks at Shen, "Professor Shen knows the rules, I assume?"
Shen nods, "Don't worry, I'll take care of him."
Da Qing is relieved... it believes that if a human knows shame then he

knows boundaries, and if he knows boundaries then he's reliable. Professor
Shen seems so much more credible.
Zhao is about to send the guest away, but his phone rings. He finds his
phone without a care, mumbles "who is it", and picks up. Da Qing crouches
on the desk and peeks at the phone screen, it reads: "Empress". It instantly
feels refreshed, sits up straight, and waits for a hilarious show.
First, Zhao says frivolously, "Hi, Chief Zhao of the SI..."
Then his voice abruptly stops, and he turns into feeble cat, speaking in a
gentle and obedient tone, and says, "Aye, aye, I didn't see, it's my fault,
mum."
A moment ago, Zhao was just sitting in his comfortable swivel chair like a
boss; such majesty and arrogance. And yet as soon as he picks up the phone
he begins curling up into a ball, wiggling its tail like a eunuch following
behind an emperor. Da Qing silently rolls on the desk laughing.
"No, I wouldn't dare to forget." Zhao says, "I really have something to do
tonight, really... ow, please don't ask, it's work... no, why would I fool
around? Where would I go fooling around in this freezing weather?"
Shen stands aside, and hears him talking to the other side with an intimate
and affectionate tone. His gaze darkens. This time, it cannot be clearer to
Shen that Zhao is a living, breathing human of flesh and bones, and with
parents, with countless ties in the living world. Zhao is, after all, different
from himself.
Since Zhao finds this phone call rather detrimental to his image, he stands
up, holding on to the chair, and slowly dawdles into a room.
Da Qing licks its paws, and stares at Shen. After a while, it asks, "Are you
human?"
Shen is left in silence.
Da Qing hastily explains, "Oh, I'm not scolding you. I just meant its literal
meaning. Literal meaning, you understand right? So... are you human, or,
uh... something else, or whatever, you know?"
This question pierces into Shen's painful spot. He stays silent for a while,
then shakes his head.
But Da Qing seems quite relieved, and murmurs, "Not human, not human is
good... uh, that kid looks like a jerk most of the time, but he's actually quite
nice. He really likes you, don't hurt him."
Shen replies with an incredibly soft and stately tone, spouting one word
after another, "As long as he still wants me, I will never let him down,
whether in life or in death."
Da Qing stares into his eyes. It feels the indescribably deep affection and
sincerity in his pitch-black gaze. It has been many, many years since it last
saw such genuineness from someone; for a moment, it is mesmerised.
Then, Zhao hangs up and returns. Da Qing comes to, dashes towards his
legs and goes in circles around, "What did the old lady say? I want to eat
her fried yellow corvina!"
"Eat your ass. Go away, don't stick to me." Zhao nudges it away with his
leg.
Da Qing persists, and claws on to his trousers tight. Following his

movements, it flings to and fro in the air like a round ball of fur, and yells
with much energetic noise, "I want to eat... FRIED, YELLOW,
CORVINA!!!"
"I'll bring you along, okay? Cat ancestor." Zhao bends down and picks Da
Qing up by the nape, hurling it aside. Then slaps it on the butt, "We'll go at
night on the first day of the New Year. To quote my mum, that cat has lived
for so many years, it probably doesn't have much time left. So she told me
to treat you better."
Zhao turns towards Shen, "I told her to make dinner for one more. You
free? Got other plans? Wanna come home with me?"
Shen is stunned. He retrieves his voice after a long time, "I... I better not.
It's the New Year, an outsider like me probably..."
"Outsider?" Zhao raises his eyebrow, and carelessly says, "So what now,
you've decided to dump me?"
Shen has nothing to say.
Da Qing silently shakes its head, and slips out through the door gap. Then it
kicks the door shut agilely with its rear legs. It feels like someone inside
must have had his sense of decency eaten by a dog.
Needless to mention how gangster Zhao can be. As night falls, and they
head to the fairy market, somehow he got Shen to agree.
The two arrive in Antique Street. Zhao wears a pair of sunglasses, holding a
walking stick that came out of nowhere. Shen helps him walk with one
hand, and in the other he brought along a big lacquer box, which has four
layers. The first layer contains lingzhi mushrooms and Haworthia cooperi
plants picked from the mountains, the second layer contains antique golden
and jade ritual instruments, the third layer contains precious pearls and
dragon whiskers from the deep sea, and the fourth layer contains black gold
and iron from Hell. With all the treasure inside, this box probably weighs a
few hundred kilograms.
Antique Street in fact does not have a western entrance. Its western side is a
dead end, and the handful of shops there have already closed early. There is
only a big pagoda tree with a red paper lantern hanging from it. The mottled
wall is lit with a glowing halo.
The two men walk below the lantern. With a flash of light before their eyes,
a carriage appears in front of the two, but with no horse. A "person" comes
out of the carriage, exceptionally tall and slender, wearing a strangely old-
fashioned long gown. It has a fox face, like a furry mask when seen from a
distance.
The fox hides its paws in the long sleeves, its narrow and cunning eyes
glaring at the box in Shen's hand, and bows, "Welcome my important
guests, please come this way."
The fairy market is usually organised in different units, one unit per district,
like the village markets in the past. Normally, they are organised annually,
and some units are more crowded than others.
The roads in Dragon City form an elaborate network of transportation, so

congested with traffic that citizens get into roadside quarrels every day. The
hustling and bustling crowds of pedestrians in the city are also the largest.
And yet, the size of the fairy market is basically the smallest in the area.
Though the big city is densely populated, mixed with myriad kinds of good
and evil, and there is even the saying that "legends lurk in the cities", it is in
fact not an ideal place for cultivation. Unless with ties to the living, or
having come all the way here to complete karma, otherwise most fairies
would not reside here, for their own sake.
Once Zhao's SIU was established in Dragon City, countless fairies have
been his stool pigeons, and many more whom he calls brothers. And yet, he
has never been to the fairy market... this is basically the year-end reunion
dinner of the fairy tribes, it wouldn't be appropriate for an outsider like him
to join, no matter how close they are usually.
Come to think of it, this is the first time he has ever been invited to the
fairies' night festival.
Zhao sits inside the steady carriage, and his lips suddenly curve up into an
unconcealable, eerie smile.
Shen asks, "What is it?"
Zhao pinches Shen's hand, which has been holding on to him the whole
time. Amidst the whirs of the wheels, he lowers his voice, "I think our
relationship is developing quite traditionally. First we introduce ourselves
and get to know each other, then we begin by holding hands, and now we're
going out on dates. I feel like if we develop further, we'll soon get to the
'endgame'."
Shen hastily glances outside the carriage door; he knows foxes have sharp
ears. He lowers his voice and says to Zhao, "You can say these things when
we're back home tonight, but not now."
Zhao says, "What do I say it with?"
Zhao is met with silence.
He continues with an operatic tone and a multitude of expressions, "My

good big brother, I miss you so much, I can't stand it anymore, become
mine."
Shen flicks his hand away. After a while, he sees Zhao's hand wandering in
mid-air, grabbing at everything. He hesitates, and secretly holds his hand
again.
Nobody knows if the fox heard them, but the carriage has been steady
throughout. Around a quarter of an hour later, the carriage stops; the fox
lifts up the curtains, and invites the two outside. Chilling breeze rushes in.
From neither afar nor nearby, the rough duet of guqin and xiao can be
heard; the tune is melancholic, and yet the players embarassingly try to
create a joyous atmosphere with it, the resulting music is rather freakish.
At the entrance stand two doormen, with horse heads and human bodies.
Not far away, there is a man standing with a snake tail... this is one of the
unspoken rules of the fairy market: all fairies must reveal a part of
themselves besides their human bodies, so that the less experienced
newcomers could recognise everyone, lest unhappy misunderstandings
occur.
The snake man smiles towards Zhao, "The Guardian is here."
It's freezing cold during Winter, and by their nature, snake fairies tend not
to go outside once it's cold. They usually avoid the festivity, and only send
one or two members to represent all of them.
This snake fairy was clearly waiting for Zhao at the door.
Zhao listens attentively, and says politely, "My eyes are not working today.
I hope I didn't hear wrong, it must be Uncle Four?"
The snake man nods, "What a surprise that the Guardian still remembers.
Come in, Zhu Hong told me everything. If you need anything, just tell me."
Shen hands the lacquer box to the horse doorman, and helps Zhao get
inside.
Once they are inside, it's like walking in a pedestrian zone. The street is
some one hundred metres long, paved with flagstones on both sides, and
divided with a long and narrow river in the middle. A small stone bridge
hangs across the river, with tall tables already set on the bridge. Both sides
of the street are incredibly crowded, brightly lit with lanterns and decorated
with pompoms and ribbons. Yet, the pedestrians are mostly half-beast and
half-human. Some fairies have set up stalls selling products to other fellow
fairies.
Uncle Four the snake walks ahead, leading the two all the way to the stone
bridge.
The cold stone bridge still has a thin layer of snowfall, but the small stone
pillar at one end of the bridge has already been wrapped in flowering vines,
sprouting small yellow flowers scantily.
Uncle Four stands still and says to the flowers, "Miss Yingchun, the
Guardian is here. Please come out to meet him."
As he says this, the lone shoot of winter jasmine suddenly bulks up and
instantaneously spreads across this side of the bridge, covering the deck
with a flower rug. Countless tiny and young blossoms bloom across the
floor. Then, a young girl springs up from the vines; her upper body is that of
a human, but her lower body is still connected to and virtually
indistinguishable from the lush vegetation.
From her looks, she appears to be around fifteen. With a double bun
hairstyle, long and narrow eyes, she looks like a young girl. She looks at
Zhao, and then at Shen.
For some reason, Yingchun seems to be rather frightened of Shen. She only
glances at him, and quickly looks back at Zhao, and giggles, "Uncle Black
Cat said Guardian is a great handsome, why are you covering your face
with such big sunglasses?"
Zhao takes off the sunglasses and hangs them at his collar, "To attract
sympathy... little girl, when you see a handsome guy like me, but find out
I'm blind, you might want to give me more honey."
Yingchun laughs, and then looks at his eyes closely. She frowns, and asks
Uncle Four, "What's with the black ravens? Why are they hurting humans
for no reason?"
Uncle Four pats her on the head, looks down, and says nothing.
Yingchun glances around, "The Raven Tribe didn't send anyone this year?"
"Not only here, but all night festivals in other areas too." Uncle Four says,
"You don't need to bother with this, focus on your cultivation, and bloom
some beautiful blossoms when Spring comes."
Yingchun murmurs; a little upset. She takes out a small bottle, and puts it
on Zhao's palm, "Our leader told me to give this to you. He even said that if
Guardian needs anything in the future, just tell him, we're all willing to
listen to your commands."
Zhao is stunned, "My commands? No, no, no, your leader is way too
kind..."
His voice is interrupted, and a small monkey jumps on to the tables on the
bridge out of nowhere, and heavily clangs with copper gongs in its hands.
The fairies immediately quiet down, and many stone tables emerge along
the street. Yingchun goes "oh", and says, "The dinner is going to start, I
have to perform. Big brother Guardian, that's all I can say for now, please
excuse me. Take care!"
"Wait..."
Before Zhao can continue, Yingchun transforms into a sweep of flowering

vines, and swiftly covers all the tables on the stone bridge. Each and every
post of the fences are wrapped completely in vines, and the small platform
on the stone bridge is quickly brightened up and replete with exuberance.
Zhao has yet to retrieve his hand from his pocket. In his pocket is a small
linen pouch, given to him by Da Qing, who claims that it's from the former
Guardian... and so it seems it must be a treasure from his former life, or the
former life of his former life and so on... it's a small jade cup with patterns
of moonflowers engraved on it; indescribably intricate and enchanting. It is
said that the cup can preserve moonlight; for the cultivation of flower
fairies, that would be a priceless item.
Zhao intended to exchange this with the Thousand Flower honey, but he
never would have thought the fairy would just hand him the honey without
a price, like an offering to a deity.
The flower fairies' attitude towards him, coupled with the black ravens who
attacked him, seem to have unthinkable implications. Zhao ponders, and
turns around to ask Shen to leave. And yet as he does he bumps into a
corner of a stone table.
Shen holds on to his waist, embracing him, and blocking the sneaky glances
of several fairies who are peeking towards them curiously. He says to Uncle
Four, "We've got what we came here for, since this is the fairy tribes' dinner
gathering after all, us outsiders will see ourselves out. We wouldn't want to
bother you, would we?"
Uncle Four catches a glimpse of his possessive gestures, and says stately,
"They've already set tables for you; we treat you as our most honourable
guests. Please stay for a few drinks before you leave, do you mind?"
Shen frowns.
Uncle Four says, "Next year is our tribe's year... the Year of the Snake. I
will be hosting tonight's activities, please excuse me."
Before Shen can reject, he steadily mounts the small platform with his long
snake tail trailing behind and long sleeves almost sweeping the floor. Music
begins again, but not an eerie duet anymore; this time they are playing ritual
songs from ancient times.
From afar, a bright female voice sings, "Lives of Heav'n and Earth, born
from Mount Buzhou."
All fairies are solemnly silenced. Uncle Four flicks his sleeves, looks down,
and stands still. He begins with a deep voice, "The old fades, the new nears.
'Tis year-end, all fairies bow to the Three Saints. Bow to the Primordial God
of the Mountains. Bow to our Great Ancestors..."
The fairies all stand up, and silently bow towards the northwest.
The female voice continues to chant with elongated tones.
"Lands of primal times, hills in form unjoined. Peaks abreast of clouds,

pillars of the skies. Son of God of Fire, King of all the Seas. Touch with
dragons called, stars shall turn the time..."
Zhao raises his eyebrows in astonishment, and whispers to Shen, "Who is

she singing about? Sounds like Gonggong the God of Water."
Shen is still frowning, and his face darkens further by the minute. He hears
his question, and nods, replying succinctly, "Uh, it's him."
Zhao continues, "Is it the part where Gonggong knocked down Mount
Buzhou?"
Shen replies incredibly briefly once again.
Zhao asks again, "But isn't Gonggong the God of Water? Who is this
Primordial God of the Mountains? The mountain god of Mount Buzhou?"
This time, Shen is silent for a while, and then replies vaguely, "Uh...
perhaps? I'm not too sure what happened back then."
Zhao seems to have heard something from his tone of voice, and he stops
asking questions. With his finger to his palm, he taps to the rhythm of the
song.
The fairies' song is long-winded, and tells of the battle between Zhuanxu
and Gonggong, how Gonggong made Mount Buzhou collapse out of rage.
Legend says because of how inconsiderate Gonggong was, the world began
to have the order of the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. This
story seems to be greatly connected with how the fairies came to being, and
yet what exactly is the connection, the lyrics do not tell explicitly.
Many tales of history are incomplete, and all that can be deduced from bits
and pieces of information is "this is more than meets the eye". Not to
mention these are stories from the dawn of time, telling of far-from-accurate
legends and myths of gods. Zhao knows that he really shouldn't get bogged
down in some age-old lyrics, and yet he can't help himself. It's as if a voice
in his heart is telling him that these stories which appear petty and
unrelated, in fact hold some profound meaning.
It is unheard of that primeval deities would take two jobs at the same time.
If Gonggong is already the God of Water, then he cannot be the "Primordial
God of the Mountains" that the fairies worship right after the Three Saints.
Which chief of which mountain village made it in history as a godly figure?
Zhao's fingers twitch. He suddenly recalls what the raven fairy said. A word
emerges in his mind... Kunlun.
After a very long time, the fairies finish their worshipping. Beautiful female
fairies rush back and forth, pouring tea, wine, and bringing dishes. The
fairies' reunion dinner officially begins.
Shen uses driving as an excuse to reject the wine. He watches Zhao drink a
cup, and urges, "Should we leave."
Zhao nods, and is about to stand up.
He hears a commotion from within the crowds of fairies.
Zhao listens intently, "What's wrong?"
Shen looks at the high platform, "The snake pushed a half-fairy on stage.
The thing is oozing black smoke and reeking of blood. Probably did a lot of
terrible things. To avoid punishment from the Heavens affecting innocent
fairies, they will execute him first. It's an old tradition."
If Guo were here, he would recognise that this is the same guy he ran into
accidentally.
Zhao listens, and realises that it's the fairies' family matters, and so he loses
interest. Amidst Uncle Four's reciting the many counts of sin, he has Shen
hold on to his arm, and help him walk outside.
As they are about to leave, Uncle Four is done with the charges. He
announces, "Half-fairy of the Raven Tribe, who had steered from the
righteous path. Many people he had harmed, and the Laws of the Heavens
he had breached. This is a shame for our kind. Now I shall rid our kind of
outlaws, and exercise justice for the Heavens..."
"Raven Tribe" has Zhao and Shen stopped at their feet.
Simultaneously, a voice interrupts Uncle Four, "Wait!"
The voice is incredibly coarse, with a hint of unspeakable ill omen.
Shen shoves Zhao behind him, and his gaze freezes with icicles... at the
entrance of the fairy market stand a row of black and hideous figures, all
laden with pitch-black feathers and wearing wings.
It's the Raven Tribe.

Zhao grapples Shen by the wrist. Though he is blind, he can still feel the
malevolence materialising from the intruders, so frigid that it pierces deep
into the bones.
He hears Shen's voice, no longer gentle as always, but deep and

indescribably horrifying. Shen says, "How dare the ravens harm you, those
ungrateful creatures. I shall slaughter them with a thousand lacerations and
obliterate their kind..."
The last few words are overflowing with bloodthirst. Zhao embraces him
and Shen instinctually struggles out of his embrace.
For some reason, at that moment, something dawns on Zhao's mind, and he
says without thinking, "Little Wei!"
Shen is petrified. After a while, he asks with a quivering voice, "What...

what did you just call me?"
"Shhh, listen to me, don't move." Zhao closes his eyes, and opens his third
eye, which is a little blurry under the influence of the fairy market. He pulls
Shen back and the two hide into the crowd of fairies.
Shen is utterly flustered. He did not control what he said, and Zhao instantly
grasped the tiniest hint... what was meant by "ungrateful"? Shen and the
Raven Tribe... no, Shen and all the fairies, what is their connection?
Zhao recalls something he heard a long, long time ago, "Crows foretell
calamities."
What did the black ravens foretell?
Uncle Four's tone does not change at all. He nods towards the ravens with
reserve, and says calmly, "And I thought the ravens were not coming this
year."
The leader of the Raven Tribe is a woman. And yet, in this tribe, apart from
the half-fairies, they are all stumpy with big noses and faces infested with
wrinkles. One simply cannot tell whether they are young, old, pretty or
ugly.
Her eyes are slanted and she seems to be glancing aside, carelessly peeking
at Zhao. The murky eyes sparkle with a subtle light. Then, she crashes the
ground with a spectre, and as she lifts up her hand, the tied-up half-fairy is
instantly freed from bondage. The raven elder lowers her voice, "Child,
come here."
Uncle Four hides his hands inside the sleeves, and disregards this action,
with no intention of stopping it. Discussions within the fairy market spring
up from all corners.
Until the half-fairy stumbles forward and almost comes down from the
platform, Uncle Four says, "If the elder wants to take one of their own, I
have nothing to say. But if the Raven Tribe does that, does that mean you
wish to leave the fairies and be on your own?"
The raven elder says with a coarse voice, "Yes!"
That word is met with complete silence. The fairies look around with
confusion; Yingchun sticks her head out from the flowers and helplessly
look here and there.
Uncle Four looks at her with a bland expression, "The ravens can eat all the
carrion you want, and be as close to death as you can. And yet you are still
fairies, not Hell Guards, and not ghost angels. The words are out of your
mouth, elder, and there is no turning back, think carefully."
The raven elder suddenly bursts out with bellowing laughter. Her voice is
rough and thick; one cannot tell whether she is contented or agitated, but all
that there are seem to be ancient indignation and ridicule. She says stately,
one word after another, "If Uncle Four didn't hear me the first time, I'll say
it again... We the Black Raven Tribe shall no longer be part of the fairies.
We shall form our own clan, and we will never turn back. If we go back on
this oath, let Heavenly thunder punish us!"
She waves her hand, and the pitch-black ravens come and go with her.
In just a few moments, like thunder and lightning, everything has been
decided. The other fairies have yet to react to what had happened.
Murmurs and whispers turn into hectic commotion. Nobody knows what's
going on.
Uncle Four signals with a wave, and the little monkey beside him gongs to
berate the crowd. Amidst the chaos, Zhao pulls Shen out of the crowd and
the two head for the doorway swiftly, where there is a giant cloud of fog.
Beyond the fog is the neon-lit streets of Dragon City. Night extends far and
wide.
A flock of pitch-black ravens land on to the giant pagoda tree outside

Antique Street. A taxi swiftly passes by, and the talkative driver says to his
passenger, "Look, mister, even crows are celebrating New Year!"
The black cat silently emerges from the corner of a wall, its thick paws
cling to the ground lightly, and it agilely mounts a wall. Dozens of ravens
turn towards it simultaneously; a row of blood-red eyes glow like ominous
lightbulbs.
Da Qing stops at a distance, and doesn't walk forward; showing that it

means good.
The raven elder steps forward into the shadows where she cannot be seen,
and says impolitely with a coarse voice, "What do you want?"
The black cat holds still, its emerald eyes sparkle like two Cat's Eye
gemstones with a murky glow, tilting slightly upwards. The sloth and
elegance unique to felines manifest perfectly; for a moment, one almost
forgets about how it is a laughably plump ball of fur.
"I have a bold request." Da Qing says politely, "I would like to ask the
elder, how did the bell I lost a few centuries ago end up with your tribe?"
The raven elder stare at it in scrutiny, and says coldly, "What a foolish
question. Our tribe tell of calamity, not of prosperity; we delve in death, not
in life. How did it end up with us? From a dead person of course."
Da Qing's body tenses up for an instant.
A while later, the black cat asks, "When and where, and how did the person
die?"
The raven elder cackles screechingly, "A dead person is a dead person. His
former life is no more, once reincarnated, in the next life he could be a
swine or a canine. Why do you care when and where he died?"
Da Qing's head droops a little, and it says nothing for a long while.
The raven elder looks at it again, and after a while, she says impatiently, "A
pavilion twenty miles outside Shanhai Pass. If you want to, go and see for
yourself. I wouldn't lie about this. Wearing a bell from a dead man... I see
that you don't mind bad fortune."
She whistles, and a huge flight of ravens soar up into the sky, into the
horizon of black jade.
Da Qing droops its head in the darkness. It stands in place for a while;
suddenly, its figure appears to be that of a desolate stray cat.
Then the headlamps of a car shine, and it leaps off the wall silently,
disappearing into the night.
A blink of the Torch Dragon's eyes, and a night has passed. It is now New
Year's Eve.
The night before New Year, SIU is brightly lit. Humans feast on lavish
meals and ghosts on incense.
Old Wu finally gets the chance to meet with his daytime colleague who
likes carving bones; he merrily raises a burning incense in a toast to the
other... of course, the other returns the toast with wine in a bone china cup.
Old Li seems to have some kind of almost sickly obsession with bones.
Later that night, the bells have rung, announcing the New Year, and the
drunken men and ghosts begin to go on insane sprees... Guo rests on the
table and weeps generously, but for no reason it seems. Then, he stops
crying and sits in a corner as if there are no other people but himself. He
carefully takes out a piece of lens cloth and begins wiping his staff card
endlessly. Wiping more, and more and more, until he rolls under the table,
and falls sound asleep.
Chu, Lin, Zhu, and Da Qing have set up a Mahjong game. The gambling
chips will magically turn into small dried fish when they are put on the cat's
side of the table. Da Qing wears a stern expression... it can only keep
winning, since it has almost eaten up all its chips.
Old Li takes out a giant bone out of nowhere, and starts pole dancing with
it. Sang pulls Wang into an embrace and lifts her high-up by the waist.
Wang giggles, and starts humming an ancient tune. They dance the
choreography of the Hanga people.
Luckily, No. 4 Bright Avenue is locked behind closed doors; normal people
cannot come in.
Zhao drank a lot tonight, and isn't sitting upright. His eyes can see a little
now, but still very blurry, like severe short-sightedness. Although he can't
tell six dots from nine dots, he squints his eyes with persistence, face
sticking on to the table, and says behind Da Qing, arms frantically waving
in the air, "Pong! Pong! Pong!!!"
Da Qing paws him away, "Pong your mother! Professor Shen, take that
talkative donkey away... four bamboos!"
Zhu Hong says, "Sorry, I win."
Zhao hits Da Qing on the head, and says, angered at its misfortune, "See,
ignore what your elders say, then it's you who's going to pay!"
Da Qing heart-wrenchingly watches its dried fish being taken away and
turned into chips, and roars furiously, "Take him away!"
Shen comes over with a smile, and bends down to get Zhao. Gently, he
pulls him out. Be it a tall man or a few-hundred-kilo lacquer box, he picks
up almost anything like a thin antique book.
Zhu looks down and intentionally avoids eye contact.
Shen sits on the couch, and lets Zhao rest on his legs. He tenderly massages
his temples, and says with a deep voice, "Close your eyes. They haven't
recovered fully. Don't trying to see just yet, it'll wear you out."
Zhao closes his eyes in incredible bliss, and mumbles, "Pour me some
warm wine."
Shen is apparently not paying attention; he doesn't hear him.
Zhao opens his eyes, and watches Shen with his blurry eyesight. He finds
that Shen is staring at a corner of the table, spacing out.
Zhao's quick mind instantly understands, and pulls Shen's collar gently. He
whispers, "What's up, you're nervous about meeting my parents?"
Shen comes to, and caresses his hair. Well-tempered as usual, he only says
softly, "All parents want their children to have peaceful lives, marry well
and have children, and build a beautiful family. If you just bring me there so
recklessly, and they can't even enjoy New Year peacefully, isn't it too..."
Zhao grapples his hand, and shuts his eyes... since his eyesight is coming
back, his third eye is affected and he can no longer see the virtue written on
someone. And yet, he still remembers the words on Shen being washed
away by darkness like the never-ending tides.
Zhao asks with rare seriousness, "If I don't bring you along, where will you
spend the New Year?"
"Whether I celebrate New Year or not, it really doesn't matter..."
"You'll return to the other side?" Zhao interrupts him, "To Hell? Where
there's not a beam of light, and only the occassional spirits wandering by?"
No, it's even worse down there.
Shen never thought anything about this kind of life. But for some reason,
now that Zhao mentions it, he suddenly feels wronged. The lifestyle that he
had gotten so used to now seems unthinkable and even impossible to
endure.
But after long silence, Shen only says blandly, "It's alright, I'm used to it."
From the dawn of time, the chaos of the beginning and the genesis of the
spirits of many and all things in the universe, all the way until now: the
passage of time has written and erased many things from this world. Still,
he has always abided by the vow he swore with someone who no longer
remembers; it's as if his entire life has been about those very words and
nothing more.
Zhao speaks no more. He holds Shen's hand against his heart. His hearbeat
is racing a bit, probably because of the alcohol. After long, till Shen almost
thinks he is asleep, Zhao asks with a lowered voice, "Wei... why this
name?"
"At first it was 'Wei' as in 'mountain ghost'." Shen looks down, his dark
irises gaze on to the dazzling floor, visualising the distant past, "But
someone said to me, although 'mountain ghost' is quite fitting, it is perhaps
a little lacking. The seas and mountains of this world conjoin in a splendid
nexus, and countless majestic hills extend across the horizon and beyond.
He suggested that I add a few more strokes, and gave me a grander name."
Zhao rubs his nose, and finds the way this person speaks oddly familiar,
"Who was this egomaniac, who gave him the right to change other people's
names?"
Shen smiles, "Just someone I met by chance."
They do not keep chatting. It's dawn, and the entire avenue is replete with
the cacophony of blasting firecrackers. The Mahjong players are making an
uproar. Small ghosts hide from the morning sun, and sprint off into the
shadows.
The vibrant and hectic New Year can blind one's eyes.
A slight touch of snowfall raises the curtains for New Year in Dragon City.
Peace and quiet bless the bounds of the Earth; flamboyant lanterns are put
out to welcome the first sunrise.
The first breath of air, mixed with the flavour of timely snow and the scent
of gunpowder, reaches the nostrils of numerous from numerous families.
Another year, another multitude of joy and sorrow for the living.
When it is almost noon on the first day of the New Year, the devilish chaos
at No. 4 Bright Avenue has finally subsided, and the intoxicated crowd grab
their coats and queue up at the doorway waiting for taxis.
Old Li washes his face when everyone has left, takes out some cleaning
equipment out of nowhere, and begins cleaning up the giant mess in the
office.
Da Qing heads inside, and as it sees the room in an utter shambles, it

cautiously retrieves its paws.
Old Li hastily takes out a towel and wipes the chairs clean, then proceeds to
line them up. He puts master cat on to the chair with reverence, "Walk up
here, it's not dirty."
"They left you here all on your own again. Youngsters these days, so
inconsiderate." Da Qing mumbles with conceited venerability. It carefully
bounces from the chairs on to the desk.
"Not just me, there is still someone." Old Li points towards a corner, and Da
Qing sees Guo crawling up.
"Oh, perfect. Hey kiddo, come here, I was looking for you." Da Qing glares
at Guo, and grabs a saucer on Zhu's desk. It paws the saucer away and finds
a red packet with a few shopping coupons inside. It picks up the red packet
with its mouth and hurls it towards Guo, and humphs, "Old Zhao wants you
to bring this to your Uncle Two. Chief Zhao said he won't disturb the
Director's New Year holiday, so help him pass this gift, maybe buy some
new clothes for his wife and children... humph, stupid human, these kinds
of words are sure to disgust a cat."
The slow-witted Guo understands after a while: he stands in place, dizzied

and half-conscious, and finaly remembers where he is. He picks up the red
packet and puts it away with restraint, and smiles sluggishly. He turns
around and sees Old Li smiling at them, holding a mop. He immediately
rolls up his sleeves and walks forward, "Big Brother Li! Let me help you,
let me..."
And he trips on the leg of a chair and falls flat on to the floor.
Da Qing humphs and sits upright in front of the computer. It turns on the
computer, and uses its cat paws to move the mouse, inconveniently, and
opens a web browser.
Old Li sees that and walks up enthusiastically, "What do you want to type?
I'll help you."
Da Qing carelessly says, "Shanhai..."
"Hai" comes out of its mouth but quickly changes in tone and almost
sounds like "he". Then, Da Qing shuts it, stares at the monitor with no
expression, and then looks down, "Oh, I mean I want to go on Weibo."
Zhao said he is headed to handle a "big deal", and will come back to pick it
up later. Da Qing sits behind someone's computer, and opens its Weibo
account "No. 1 Master Cat in the World", and begins posting selfies out of
boredom.
Old Li and Little Guo quietly clean up the chaos. In that moment just now,
Da Qing really wanted to find out about the pavilion twenty miles outside
Shanhai Pass.
But the raven elder was right. So what if you find out? A dead person is
dead; all are from the dust, and to dust all return.
"Click" and Da Qing posts its fatty cake face on to the web, and adds a
description: "World's Handsomest Cat". In no time, many cat lovers have
left comments; some praising the cat for its pure-bred fur, others kindly
suggesting: "OP, your cat might be too fat. Be careful of what it eats, and
remember to take it exercising to keep it healthy."
Da Qing deletes that comment at the speed of light. It thinks angrily,
"Stupid humans."
The bell round its neck wiggles to its movements, but it doesn't ring; only
the occasional golden light reflects on to the snow-white walls.
Old Li can't help but block the blinding light. He turns around and looks at
the unusually desolate black cat, and is about to say something. Suddenly,
Chu rushes out of the wall. It seems that the first day of the New Year is the
only time when he is allowed in the library. And yet, he doesn't look like he
borrowed any books or read anything. He wears an incredibly bizarre
expression: mocking, yet inherently wretched.
Guo instantly stands upright to greet him, "Brother Chu!"
Chu doesn't seem to hear. He heads for his bag, lips slowly curving upwards
into what can almost be described as a smirk marked with grief and
suffering. Then, he heads outside.
Da Qing peeks out from behind the computer, and asks randomly, "How
many years?"
Chu stops walking, and says almost inaudibly, "Exactly three hundred."
Da Qing goes "ah", and says, "Well then... uh, congratulations I guess?"
After it says this, Chu suddenly takes out a black wooden plate. He doesn't
turn around, and just holds up the plate and shakes it in the cat's face.
Perhaps it's Guo's own imagination, but there seems to be a flash of writings
on Chu's face, right on his cheeks, like the engraved words used to mark
criminals in ancient times.
Da Qing's ears stand upright, and its eyes widen.
Chu's hand turn pale green as he clutches the wooden plate with tremendous
force. Veins pump up on the back of his hand, oozing in ferocity.
Without a word, he heads out in hasty steps. Da Qing instantly turns

towards Guo and says, "Little Guo, call a taxi for your Brother Chu!"
Guo replies sluggishly as usual, and Da Qing continues with a stronger
tone, "He is drunk, go home with him and make sure he is alright before
you come back, do you hear me?"
Guo rapidly takes out a napkin and wipes his hands, then sprints outside,
and helps Chu carry his bag. Chu is acting like he lost his soul; Guo takes
away his bag, and he has no reaction at all.
From behind, his figure is incredibly slender. For one moment, he almost
appears cadaverous.
Just as Shen is carrying the drunk-as-mud Zhao home, the plump, good-for-
nothing head teacher who only knows flattery suddenly calls. Apparently,
he needs a document urgently.
Shen finds this very odd. Before he can ask further, the head teacher is like
ants in a hot pan, and hangs up hastily after some hurried mumbling.
Shen has no other choice, so he brings Zhao the koala to his cold and tiny
apartment that he rarely stays at.
He steps inside, and coincidentally, the head teacher's stubborn and resilient
phone call is on to him again, urging him to send the stuff to the west gate
of Dragon City University.
Zhao rolls around on the cushionly sofa, opening his eyes only slightly, and
says, half-awake, "It's the first day of New Year, is that fat guy out of his
mind?"
Shen searches for his stuff, while sparing a hand to save Zhao's head from
banging on to the coffee table. He puts a pillow under his head, "I have to
go, I'll be back soon, you..."
"I need sleep." Zhao's voice sinks down like his eyelids.
Shen asks, "Want some water?"
"Uh..." Zhao turns to the side, and gently squats his hand away, "No."
His eyes glisten in watery light, cherry lips soft and fine. His long eyebrows
tilt up and almost hides underneath his hair. His head is slanted a little,
extending his neck, and his chin is marked with a slightly rigid outline.
Buttons are undone on his shirt; his slim and long neck is bared with
indescribable charisma.
Shen skips a breath, and carefully flicks his fringe away. He covers him
with a blanket, thumb tenderly lingering over Zhao's lips, caressing him
affectionately, and leaning forward to kiss him on the forehead. He takes
what the head teacher needs and car keys, and heads out.
A moment later, Zhao hears the door close.
Zhao instantly springs up like a zombie, though he was still intoxicated and
disoriented just a few moments ago. He takes out his phone and sends a
message: "hold him for longer", and then he phones the moving company
he contacted before.
The young man from the moving company has never received such a
ludicrous order before. He hesitates, "Then... if the owner is not here, shoud
we..."
"Should your head, I want everything moved today." Zhao says bossily,
"Sooner or later I'll add his name to my household register, you think I'll
write two addresses in the same booklet? I am pissed whenever I see all his
disposables. Get your ass here in five minutes, do you hear me?"
Zhao hangs up and takes out a big pile of memo notes from his bag, and
starts rapidly making a list of what to move, and what to throw away and
buy again later.
Suddenly, Zhao stops at the tip of the pen, and an extremely lecherous
thought sprouts in his mind... He absurdly begins to ponder: wherever
might Shen's underwear be? Especially the ones he has worn... Although
recently Shen has been forced to stay at Zhao's tiny apartment, half-
reluctantly, he has managed to keep his fine tradition of "love shall be
bound by etiquette" in such a cramped space.
Besides, Zhao has been blind for more than half a month, though he never
stopped trying to actualise his perverted plots, he is nevertheless limited by
the confines of his physical capabilities. He lives under the same roof with
the man he loves every day, and yet it is not for him to see or eat, only to
imagine... Gradually, he finds himself living very much like a monk.
"I really have no other choice, you see." Zhao rubs his hands, snickers a
"hehe" to himself, and walks outside to the balcony. Perhaps it really has
been long since Shen stayed here; the clothes hangers are still on the
balcony, but nothing is hung. Zhao doesn't give up, and proceeds to open
the big wardrobe in the living room. Yet, he only finds a few shirts, trousers
and coats, and a few pairs of shoes that look basically alike; there isn't even
a pair of socks.
Zhao's eyesight is still recovering, and he doesn't see a small box covered
under a long trench coat. He adds "clothes" to both the "move" and "buy"
lists. Still not willing to give up, his gaze rests on the eternally-shut door of
Shen's bedroom, which seems to contain an otherworldly dimension.
The door does not have a handle, nor is it locked overtly. Zhao takes out a
small hand torch, flashing it around through the gap and the shaft of the
door. He doesn't find a pivot, nor does he find a hidden lock.
He finds this oddly suspicious. With his palm on the door, he sees subtle
markings on the door with his third eye; the black door seems to contain
some kind of flowing energy. It flows in a steady path, with indescribable
solemnity. Each strand of marking is tightly fitted with another, and all are
impeccably woven.
Zhao feels the door with his hands for a while, and finds this sensation
somewhat familiar. Soon, he remembers, "Kunlun lock?"
These few days, behind everyone's back, he has been asking Sang for help
in researching about Kunlun. But besides the fact that it is a really awesome
and really ancient mountain, as well as some strange techniques named
after Kunlun, he did not find anything useful.
Using his third eye, he came across Kunlun lock as recorded in one book.
It is said that the Kunlun lock is round at the top and square at the bottom,
symbolising that the sky is round and the earth is square. There are fourteen
pins in the middle, thus the eight direction points of the compass, and the
six direction co-ordinates. At that time, the sixty-four hexagrams system
had not been developed yet. The Kunlun lock was only based on Yin and
Yang, and is therefore not as convoluted as succeeding lock structures. Yet,
on some level, it is in fact more eccentric and capricious, and difficult to
grasp.
What would require a Kunlun lock to protect?
No... what is the relationship between the Ghost Slayer and Kunlun? Why
does Shen know about this ancient seal?
Zhao stands at the door for a while, his mind filled with uncertainty. Then,
he gathers spiritual energy at his palm, and tries moving the Kunlun lock.
The lock is instantly activated, and all fourteen pins begin propelling in and
out, according to the order of Yin and Yang. It is difficult to catch up with
the constant motion. Zhao has too many thoughts in his mind, he knows an
ample but is an expert in none. Sometimes his imagination brings him to
greatly unrealistic places. All in all, he is not as apt in dealing with such
intricate structures as Chu.
However, when Zhao is faced with the Kunlun lock, for some unknown
reason, a sense of familiarity boils up inside of him. He sees every change
and every motion, and the shifting lock seems to be in sync with a particular
rhythm ready to launch from within his heart.
Zhao's fingers rapidly run across the door, as if someone is guiding them.
Sky door, earth joint, round square, along thirty-six columns, until...
Kachunk!
The pitch-black door slowly opens a small gap. There is not a beam of light
inside. Zhao stands at the doorway, and is suddenly hesitant.
For some reason, he regrets opening this door.

But after moments of hesitation, he takes off a miniature torch from his key
chain and cautiously enters the room.
What the walls are congested with has Zhao effortfully squinting his eyes in
the light, and instantly petrified in place.
Filling up the entire walls: some large, some small, some angry, some
laughing, all are... Zhao's hand trembles and the torch almost drops to the
ground. His subtle intoxication quickly wears away.
In a while, the torch light slowly moves towards an antique painting on the
western wall. It is gigantic, almost taking up the entire wall. Made with
some unknown material: as light and delicate as cicada wings, and as
smooth and clear as snow. On it is a portrait.
The man is painted with fine and detailed eyes and brows; his presence
vivid as to almost coming to life, with lengthy hair extending to the earth
and in a long turquoise gown that cannot be more simplistic. He looks to the
side slightly, and appears to be wearing a hint of a smile... Zhao feels like
he is looking into a mirror.
On the side of the painting, a line of small words are written. It is not in
simplified or traditional Chinese; in fact, it is not in any script that he is
familiar with. Though he has never seen these characters before, for an
uncertain reason, he understands what is written instantaneously:
Beneath the umbra of peach woods
First encounter with Lord Kunlun
One fleeting glance from astounded allure
The aria of my heart had stirred
Wei
Ten minutes later, the young man from the moving company arrives and
knocks on the door. A strange man comes out of the apartment.
He does not explain anything at all. All that he says is there is no need to
move anything. He grabs his wallet and pays. He apologises for having
troubled them for nothing.
When Shen sees their head teacher, he realises that someone intentionally
lured him away. His face sinks; when the head teacher turns around, he
gives his shoulder a forceful tap, and asks coldly, "Who told you to call
me?"
His voice exudes unspeakable pressure, and in the blink of an eye, the head
teacher's soul is enveloped tightly in his body, crushed into immobility. Like
a soulless cadaver, the head teacher's gaze loses focus and blandly stares
ahead with disorientation.
Shen tightens his grasp, turns the head teacher around, and bellows,
"Answer me!"
No person can lie deliberately in the face of the Ghost Slayer's blade that
judges all good and evil. And yet, the head teacher's expression is
increasingly blank; he cannot utter a word. Shen's heart sinks; he knows that
this human's memory has been messed with.
Shen lets go of him and leaves without looking back. The head teacher
regains consciousness, and watches Professor Shen leave hurriedly with
bewilderment... Luckily, he never thinks to check other people's eletronic
devices; Shen never uses that stuff, and he would never think along those
lines when it comes to it... not to mention, anyone who dares go against him
wouldn't use these human tricks anyway.
Of course, in Shen's very gentlemanly mind, he would never imagine that

someone would go through so much trouble, with a meticulous plan, just to
move his things and steal a few pieces of underwear.
Shen hurried back to his apartment, and busted inside. The living room is
empty. His heart almost freezes solid.
He stands stupefied at the door, and a surge of uncontainable brutality rises

up within him, like a ginormous dragon that has been in deep slumber for
eons suddenly roused by someone touching its reverse scales... Ever since
his carelessness which resulted in Zhao's eye injury, Shen's heart has been
on edge like a dangerously strained string, although he looks fine on the
outside.
The emptiness of the living room almost breaks that string... luckily, he
hears a voice from the balcony. Shen comes to his senses, and his figure
flashes and reappears on the balcony instantly.
He sees Zhao nicely laying on the window sill, lazily smoking, and yelling
at the phone, "No, not the ones made of stone, I know... white marble? The
heck! I'm not decorating a fucking palace. Don't be like that, Old Wu, don't
give me this nonsense... no, no, no, you listen to me, do your job nicely, and
I will pay you extra bonus. I will not give you a penny less than what you
deserve, alright? But I tell you, if you mess with me you're gonna be in deep
shit..."
Shen is greatly relieved. He leans on to the balcony door. Now he realises

that he is soaked in cold sweat, and even his palm is cold.
Zhao hears some noise, and sees Shen when he turns around. He wears a
smile instantly, and says to the other side, "Alright, alright, don't argue
about unimportant things, I want eco-friendly materials, ok... what
Copenhagen, I have to live there, just don't turn it into the ruins of bio-
chemical warfare, otherwise the smell will not go away for centuries.... my
wife's home, that's all for now, bye."
He hangs up, puts out the cigarette, and leans against the wide-open
windows amidst the chilling winds, opens his arms in his scruffy shirt, and
says pervertedly, "Baby come here, your hubby wants a hug."
Teasing Shen has become a habit of his, but this time Shen really comes
forward and embraces him, burying his face into his shoulder. Then he
picks Zhao up by the waist with both hands, lifts him off the window sill,
and closes the window. Shen touches Zhao's icy hands, and frowns, "Silly
kid, do you not realise it's cold?"
Zhao the silly kid places his hands on to the window sill and traps Shen
inside his arms. He stretches sluggishly and lazily places his chin on Shen's
shoulder. Closing his eyes, his lips curl up into a tranquil and peaceful
smile, like a sunbathing cat with a full belly.
Shen finds him a little weird, and asks, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." This word comes out after a while. Then, Zhao opens his eyes,
gazing at Shen's profile, and says without a change of expression, "Rarely
does the great beauty show his affection, I'm overwhelmed by the pleasant
surprise... of course, if I can be blessed with a smooch, I'll be even more
flabbergasted."
Then, before Shen notices, he quickly pecks on his lips. When Shen realises
what happened, he escapes at the speed of light and announces, "I'll go
wash my face, pick up Da Qing, and then I'll bring you home."
Not a single word about what he saw.
Zhao and Da Qing were planning on going there empty-handed and empty-
stomached, but this shameless plan is rejected by Shen, who forcefully pulls
the yawning Zhao off the car to shop for a lot of gifts.
The closer they get, the more nervous Shen becomes. If it weren't for his
insistence on keeping promises, he would have ran away.
The door to Zhao's home is not locked. He doesn't have the habit of
knocking either, and opens the door right away, like he knows that someone
is waiting for him.
The place is rather large and appears somewhat vacant. Past the entryway,
they can hear the clanging of plates and bowls from the kitchen. Two pairs
of brand new slippers are placed at the door.
Da Qing bounces off of Zhao, tiptoes towards the doorway of the kitchen,
and politely meows.
Zhao mumbles as he puts on the slippers, "Shameless fat fuq, trying to act
cute, as if nobody knows how old you are."
Da Qing glares at him with a vicious look.
"Oh, isn't this Da Qing?" The gentle voice of a woman comes from the
kitchen. She wipes off the flour on her hands and tenderly picks up the
heavy black cat. The sheer weight of the cat almost breaks her wrists. She
sighs, "Look at your smooth little face, why are you getting fatter and
fatter?"
A ruthless attack on Da Qing's greatest weakness. It has no response to that.

Two fat paws furrily tap on the female owner's hand, keeping its adorable
pretence, with its long body looking more and more like a big, fat and
stupid black caterpillar.
Zhao laughs.
Shen reluctantly lifts his lips upwards a little, but he really cannot bring
himself to smile.
Zhao's mother aged well. Her long hair is tied up, revealing a slender neck.
She doesn't look a lot like Zhao, but on a closer look, there is perhaps some
resemblance between the eyes and brows. But the shape of her face is much
more gentle and pretty, with a hint of a smile even when she is not in fact
smiling. She is wearing a pair of rimless glasses.
On a glance, she has the appearance of a well-educated and elegant upper-

class lady... perhaps when it comes to taste in a romantic partner, it's like
father like son.
But who would have thought that as soon as this "lady" sees Zhao at the
door, her look changes instantly. With a vicious expression like that of
"female yaksha", she growls, "What are you laughing at, like you wanna
laugh your teeth off. Get your ass over here!"
Zhao hastily obeys, and Zhao's mother sees Shen behind him.
She is stunned. She washes her hands, adjusts her glasses, and says with a
welcoming look, "Oh, this must be little Shen?"
Zhao puts his arm around Shen's shoulder, and pushes him towards his
mother, "Your soon-to-be son-in-law, good-looking, right?"
Shen is left speechless instantly in great embarassment. He has never hated

Zhao more for his disrespectfulness.
Luckily, Zhao's mother doesn't take him seriously. She glares at him, and
sees the stuff that Shen is carrying, "Oh you didn't have to bring gifts when
you come to auntie's place, why the formality?"
Zhao points at his own nose, "It's me, I bought all of that."
Zhao's mother beats him with a rolling pin, "No need to bullshit me. You? If
you ever have the decency to do that, then I will have no regrets... go pour
some water for our guest, and then help me make the wrappings!"
Zhao's back is stained with the trace of a flour-filled rolling pin, he dares
not get mad, "Roger..."
Shen cautiously sits on a corner of the couch. When he's given fruits, he
would take a tiny piece of apple with seemingly no interest. When he's
given water, he would sit upright and take a very tiny sip. When Zhao's
mother finds out Shen teaches Chinese at the University, she says
passionately, as if meeting a long-lost friend, "Oh that is great! Wouldn't it
be nice if you were my son, unlike the two men in our family... sigh, I don't
want to say anything about them. Just sit here and wait, auntie will go make
you some dumplings, then we can talk more."
Shen smiles unnaturally. His back is upright and greatly tensed, like a fully-
drawn bow.
Five minutes later, Zhao has proven unhelpful in the kitchen... the
wrappings are irregular and hideous. He is punished with further rolling pin
strikes. Zhao stretches his shoulders, pretentiously dodging, but not actually
dodging. While she is beating him with the rolling pin, he whispers, "Don't
make me lose face in front of someone else."
Zhao's mother says, "All you do is eat and play, and you don't even come
home anymore, what did I raise you for? Lose face, do you even have any
to lose?"
Zhao steps aside to leave her some space, but doesn't leave the kitchen. All
smiles, he puts one hand on the wall and watches her busying in the
kitchen. Pretentiously, he asks, eyes rolling, "Where's auntie? And dad?
Why is it only our beautiful miss at home?"
"Your aunt went home for the New Year. Your dad has work tonight, he's
not coming back."
"Great." Zhao is relieved. He watches his mother from behind, and

cautiously lowers his voice, "If dad finds out about this... I'm dead."
Zhao's mother turns around, "What did you do now?"
"Nothing actually..." Zhao's gaze wanders on to a chopsticks rack. His

eyesight has yet to recover fully. He can't help but squint his eyes. Then, he
peeks towards his mother, and continues, "So... um, mum, what do you
think about being gay?"
Zhao's mother doesn't seem to understand, "Not much. It's a normal social
phenomenon, and it exists even in animals. Sooner or later, the law will
recognise it... Why are you asking this? I was talking about your problem."
"This is my problem." Zhao rubs his nose, "Don't be so academic with me. I
just wanna ask, if one day, your son came out to you, what would you do?"
"Don't change the subject, I..."
"Mum," Zhao interrupts her. His wandering gaze settles, and his expression
shifts from "guilt-ridden" to "stout-hearted" instantly. He looks at her with
incredible seriousness, "I mean it, I'm not joking."
The rolling pin drops on to the floor with a thud.

Zhao sighs. He bends down and picks up the rolling pin. The musles on his
waist contract, outlining a robust shape beneath the clothes, "I'm afraid dad
will find this hard to accept, so I wanted to tell you first. I have thought
about this, I can't hold it any longer, and I can't hide it from you, you're the
only mother I'll ever get..."
Zhao's mother is petrified still. In shock, she takes the rolling pin. After a
long time, she stutters, "So... you brought him here..."
Zhao nods. Then, he blocks the door with both hands and his body, and
says, "But I have to tell you first, I went through so much for the past
months, I used all kinds of tricks and tactics: encirclement, ambushing,
Thirty Six Stratagems, this-that and what-not, every single scheme that I
could think of I used. It was even harder than a revolution. If you're angry
just kill me, don't hurt him, I will be heart-broken."
Zhao's mother seems to be struck by lightning. She stands motionless for a

long time. Then, like a rebooted robot, with a bland expression, she begins
picking up the dumpling wrappers and adding ingredients inside
thoughtlessly.
Zhao suspects he might have been too direct. He asks, "Ma?"
Zhao's mother doesn't hear at first. For a few minutes, she is trapped in a
narcotised state, like she doesn't know what she is doing or what she is
hearing, but she only keeps working with her hands on auto-pilot.
Zhao calls her for a few more times, and she suddenly awakens. She begins
firing, "What about your work? And... what will other people say about
you? Will your future prospects be affected? Right, I... I heard from your
dad that you bought a house, do you still have enough money?"
Zhao is stunned. He can't figure out why coming out suddenly relates to
money issues. It seems that her logic is a gigantic mess now, and she is
hastily picking up keywords, messily constructing sentences and brainlessly
spouting them out.
His mother is well-educated and never had to worry about necessities in her
life. Thanks to his dad, she seems to be always in a good mood, and has an
open mind. Zhao's plan is simple enough: if he can take care of his mother,
then his father won't be a concern. And luckily his mother is easy to
communicate with; she is knowledgeable, well-tempered, sharp-witted, and
not stubborn at all. She can almost always deal with something rationally.
He formulated many possible reactions from her. For instance, maybe she
would be angry at first, or maybe she would calmly suggest discussing this
matter for a few hours, or maybe like other mothers she would begin
grilling him about Shen's background... but he never expected such a
worrisome and astonished reaction.
Perhaps it's because he has never been a parent himself.
Zhao is speechless. He really doesn't know what to say for a moment.
Zhao's mother seems to have calmed down a little. Her hand stops moving,
holding a pair of chopsticks, and she asks after some hesitation, "Are you
serious about this or is this some kind of joke?"
"How can I joke about this. Dad would cook me in a pot."
Zhao's mother leans aside. A long time later, she takes a deep breath, and
says, "Don't... don't tell your dad yet. You let me think about this first... who
is he? What... what does he do?"
Before Zhao can answer, she pinches between her eyebrows, "Oh, right, my
bad, you told me, he is a teacher at Dragon City University."
Zhao's mother concentrates effortfully, and fires a load of questions,

"Where does he live? Do his family members agree with this? What is he
like? Is he a good person? Does he treat you well? I... I remember you had
girlfriends before, why suddenly..."
Zhao answers very skilfully, "As long as you agree, no-one in this world
will dare disagree. Dad will have to agree with you too, right? As for what
he's like..."
He smiles, "In my heart, he is 'a perfectly crafted piece of jade, he is one of
a kind in this whole wide world'. Just talk to him and you'll know. And hit
me if you're mad, but besides girlfriends, I dated a few boys before as well.
But I'm willing to be completely gay for him."
Zhao's mother stares at his expression. Her heart sinks... this cannot be
considered selfish; as parents, watching someone fall in love with your
child is moving, heart-warming and delightful, but if it's the other way
round, perhaps it would be a bit bitter.
Amidst this bitterness, she says a little snappishly, "I don't believe you."
Zhao's expression remains, but his heart is jumping out with anxiety.
Unexpectedly, his mother continues, "If he really is as good as you say, then
why would he want you? Does he not have the right glasses?"
Zhao trips and almost falls kneeling down.

Chu says his address when he gets in the car, and then he rests in silence
with his eyes closed.
Guo doesn't know the truth behind all this. He secretly peeks at him along
the ride, and finds his Brother Chu's face shrouded in a layer of dust; with
his eyes closed, his face resembles sculpted and weathered mountain rocks:
cold and void of emotion.
After Guo pays the taxi driver, he remembers the task he was given by Da
Qing. Hastily, he picks up Chu's bag, which he has forgotten, and runs
behind him in small steps.
Chu lives deep within a small hutong. They are standing where the wind
blows strong. Some northwesterlies pour into Chu's collar, inflating his
already-oversized jacket, like he is about to be carried away by the wind.
Guo can't help but call him, "Brother Chu..."
Chu suddenly stops walking, turns around and viciously glares at Guo. He
says with an incredibly soft yet incredibly vile voice, "Why are you still
following me, don't you know I'm not human?"
Guo stops at three steps away from him, and stares at him blankly, "Then...
then what are you?"
Chu instantaneously flashes towards him, his agility escapes the naked eye.
He snatches his bag from Guo; his fingers are icy cold, and his entire body
oozes an eerie stir of moisture. His pitch-black irises sparkle with an
indescribable gleam, "Have you seen zombies? Zombies feast on human
flesh. Let me tell you what humans taste like. Human flesh is tender and
greasy, the tendons chewy and crunchy, the organs are rank and reek of
blood. You pull them out from the stomach while they are still steamy and
fresh, like meat straight from a cooking pot..."
He leers at Guo with malice, and licks his lips, "I'm a zombie."
Guo shivers intensely, but only from the frigid hands. He feels that it must
be only logical to be frightened in this situation, and yet he does not feel
fear boiling up inside him as it should. Perhaps he has worked with Chu for
too long, and it seems no matter what his Brother Chu is, he can accept him.
Strangely, an incredibly strange thought flashes in his mind: no wonder

Brother Chu doesn't eat peas.
Chu seems to think that he must be horrified, and from his horror he gets an
unspeakably vile sense of satisfaction. He turns around and leaves, but only
a few steps later, hesitant footsteps sound from behind him. He turns
around, and there is Guo following behind him again.
Chu raises his eyebrows, "What, you want to follow the zombie into a
coffin?"
Guo stands still, "I... I..."
Chu humphs, and goes again. And there goes Guo following behind him in
typical little waifu steps, again.
Chu's patience has finally run out, and he bellows, "Before I get mad, fuck
off!"
Guo stutters, "Da... Da Qing told me to make sure you get home, you
haven't..."
Before he can finish, he is suddenly crushed on to a wall with immense

force. Chu's skeletal hand of steel easily picks up Guo and squashes his
throat. Guo's feet are lifted off the ground, his back against the wall, and the
weight of his entire body is sustained by that one hand grasping his neck.
He begins suffocating very soon; his face reddens completely.
Chu looks up at him coldly. Only in a short distance can one see the subtle
tinge of grey in Chu's irises, which isn't usually apparent. Under the beam
of the sun, there from within comes an elusive emanation of death.
Guo's legs struggle in the air frantically, but in vain. Instinctually, he grabs
hold of Chu's hand, but he cannot remove it no matter how hard he tries.
"I never deviated from the conscience of Heaven and Earth. I have borne
this crime for three hundred years. No matter what I did, it must have been
repaid by now. Who do they think they are, what gives them the right to
judge whether I leave or stay?" From between the gaps of his teeth, Chu
squeezes out these words with terrifyingly sunken eyes, "Maybe I should
actualise this crime for them to see!"
Guo's eyes become watery. He really is a cry baby; anything can make him
cry. He is boneless and soft. One simply has to wonder how he survived
growing up; it's like he lacks any sort of strength whatsoever. As he looks at
Chu, he is incredulous, he is beseeching, he is dejected, and yet, he is not
angry.
Guo moves his mouth with incredible difficulty, but fails to make any
sound. Vaguely, from his mouthing, he seems to be trying to say "Brother
Chu".
Chu lets go and Guo drops on to the ground. He slowly retracts his hand,
and stands aside coldly, watching Guo cough with the most sky-shattering
vigour.
With a perplexing expression, Chu looks at this kid who is always carrying
a small notebook, following him around and jotting notes... his notes are
ludicrous: child's handwriting, scrawly and scribbly, all about pointless
matters. Basically, he jots down everything anyone says, even pet phrases.
Chu has seen him write down Da Qing's "stupid human" many, many
times... it doesn't seem like he is trying to learn how to do his job, but
rather, he is cautiously writing the biographies of all his seniors.
In his gaze, he can still see the immense white light of virtue emanating
from Guo, who is coughing till his respiratory tract almost curls up into a
ribbon knot. He suddenly finds the light somewhat irritating on his eyes.
The hand that seized Guo's neck just now suddenly pats him on the head
gently. Reflexively, Guo curls up.
Chu caresses his head, and then softly fondles his hair, like patting a child
or a small animal. He says deeply, "You probably didn't study well when
you were young. Do you know an excerpt from 'The Injustice to Dou E'? It
says very clearly, 'those who do good lead impoverished and short lives,
those who do evil are blessed with fortune and thrive'; ever heard of it?"
He has heard of it, more or less. Unfortunately, studying really isn't Guo's
strong suit. Whenever he tries to remember something from a textbook, his
brain automatically erases everything like formatting a hard disk. He has
yet to escape from the state of a reddened face and a bulging neck. He
crouches on the ground and looks up at Chu miserably.
Chu bends down slightly, holds up Guo's head by the chin in scrutiny, and
shakes his head, "Your forehead is not wide, that means bad fortune for
your parents. Your auricles are thin and soft, that means frequent hardships
in your younger years. Your dorsal bridge has a slight hump, that means by
middle age you would lose support from your elders, and probably die in
destitution and decrepitude. Your face determines your dreadful fate. No
matter how many good deeds you do, apart from making you poorer, what
good does it do you? Don't be so stupid; just enjoy being from a rich family
while you can, perhaps there are still a few prosperous days ahead of you."
Guo looks up at him with perplexity.
Chu stares at him for a while, and suddenly laughs bitterly, "You're really
just a naive child, aren't you."
Then, he picks up Guo like a little chick, and waves his hand, "Go back and
tell that cat fairy. What's there to worry about me? I'm just a nobody. I'm
gutless and powerless. I'm just a puppet. I don't have the means to cause
trouble, and I'm not suicidal. But if there isn't anything, I'll take a few days
off during the New Year. I'll be back after the fifteenth."
He finishes, and vanishes into thin air under Guo's gaze. Like a cloud of
vapour, gone in the blink of an eye.
The long and narrow hutong is empty and exuding the odour of sulphur
from firecrackers. The streets on the first day of the New Year seem rather
desolate; chilly breeze swirls up strands of protruding hair on Guo's head.
With tear stains on his face, he snorts and stands spacing out for a while.
Finally, he turns around and heads home in heavy steps.
He doesn't know whether what Chu said was for his good or just whining,
but Guo finds what he said unreasonable.
Bad fortune is his destiny, and nothing can be done about it. But what does
that have to do with what he does with his life?
Guo has always felt like an incurably useless piece of garbage, an utter
waste of space and resources. As for other things, some might say it is
"charity", some say it is "kindness", but he only does it so that he feels like
he can be of some use.
Guo never wanted anything in return.
Yet... hearing someone attest to his "dreadful fate" clogs his heart a little.
When Shen leaves Zhao's place, he feels like he is about to collapse. He

was immensely cautious so as to not give away any "flaws" in front of
Zhao's mother, lest Zhao get into trouble because of it. But Zhao's mother
glared at him with X-ray vision incessantly, almost scrutinising him till
holes were punctured in his body.
On the way back, Shen pinches between his eyebrows, "Why did your
mother keep looking at me like that, did I give away anything?"
Before Zhao can say anything, Da Qing interrupts, holding a full box of
dried fish in the backseat, "Old Zhao used to fool around a lot before, he is
a notorious playboy. I think his mum must be afraid of her own shadow
now."
Shen does not want to make trouble out of nothing, but after hearing this he
can't help but frown.
"You little fat fuq if you keep saying nonsense I'll throw you out of the car,
do you hear me?" Zhao says with a bland expression.
Da Qing sits with its tail curved up, wiggling like a clock pendulum in all
innocence, "Meow, meow..."
Zhao glares at it in the rear-view mirror. Then he says to Shen, "About that,
don't think too much, though I used to be... cough, I've never brought
anyone to meet the old lady. Besides, I'm a brand new person now, I've
changed my evil ways; even criminals are given a chance to start a new
life... no, hold on, besides being dumped all the time, I never did anything
bad in the past. Dat fat fuq, tryna mislead me... actually her reaction just
now wasn't because of you, it was mainly because while making dumplings
I accidently came out to her..."
Shen's expression freezes. Luckily, he is not the one driving.
"Oh," Da Qing pauses for two seconds, and says dryly, "gladiator of the
new age, Zhao Yunlan I have faith in you."
Shen stutters, "You... you told your mum..."
"I told my mum that I love you till the sky crumbles and the earth shatters
into splinters. If she agrees, she would have another son, so two sons in
total, but if she doesn't, she would lose a son, and then she won't have any
left." Zhao says pompously, "My mum is not stupid, she can do the math,
don't you worry."
Da Qing very ruthlessly takes the wraps off him, "Drop the act, you would
never dare speak to the empress like that... Professor Shen you see flour on
his body right, he must have kneeled down to his mum in the kitchen... two
days ago he even made sure that his dad wasn't coming home today, what a
puny wimp."
Zhao is speechless.
Mother... fucking...
Shen doesn't know what to say for a moment. After some time, he says
softly, "You're really..."
Really what? He doesn't say. The sentence ends in an ever softer sigh.
Eventually, Da Qing breaks the ambiguous and embarrassing silence. It's

tired of their sluggishly irresolute relationship, and says bluntly, "Oh right,
Old Zhao, let me ask you something, do you know Old Chu's shackle of
virtue expires today?"
"Ah?" Zhao hesitates, and a moment later he comes to, "Has it been three
hundred years? Then what did he say? Is he leaving SIU? But either way it's
a good..."
"Thing" hasn't come out, and Da Qing interrupts, "Good your ass, Hell
doesn't let him take it off."
Zhao frowns, "Why not?"
"How would I know, some nonsense like 'not enough virtue'. It's not like
they have a clear index, who knows how virtue is measured, and how much
is enough; after all, they call the shots."
Shen asks, "How come? Chu is wearing a shackle of virtue?"
"Uh." Da Qing says, "Sometimes the Guardian Order is short-handed, and

the Guardian will take in a prisoner from Hell, as some form of
rehabilitation I guess."
Shen nods, and explains with a somewhat discontent expression, "This is

inevitable. Most prisoners in Hell are small ghosts and spirits, and are not
particularly useful. As for those with actual power, unless they hand
themselves in, it is not so easy for Hell to capture them. It has been Hell's
habit to extend the duration of the shackles of virtue; when this happens,
they usually add one or two centuries more."
Zhao doesn't say anything. His frown deepens.
After a series of events, Zhao's grudge against Hell is not news, it's just that
the time for turning against them has yet to come. Zhao is no longer a naive
teenager, he is well aware of all the messed up plotting and scheming, but
so long as everyone's goal is generally the same, some level of underhand
dueling is not a concern.
But lately the other side has been intervening in quite a lot of matters,
though Zhao doesn't say it, deep inside he is vexed.
Then, Shen asks, "Why is Chu wearing a shackle of virtue, could you tell
me?"
"I only know roughly what happened, but not the details," Zhao replies,
"you should ask Da Qing."
Da Qing sits in the back seat, cat eyes gazing towards Shen... it knows that
Shen must be a powerful figure, but exactly how powerful is uncertain. Not
even Zhao can explain all the unscrupulous, unwritten rules of Hell, how
come Shen seems to know them inside and out?
This has Da Qing hesitating for a long while before it says laggardly, "Chu's
cultivation is the path of the undead, Professor Shen must have realised as
much?"
"Initially, he was pointed on to this path by a sage. You could call it fate, or
fortune. But he did not become one of his disciples... and this is not peculiar
either; the undead are mostly eccentric and deviant. Chu is a good apple in
the bunch; their kind usually struggle to communicate with anyone, which
is why most think they are devilish and foul creatures. All those years ago,
Chu somehow stumbled into their kind, and he was not aware of a lot of
rules and taboos."
"Professor Shen is a crouching savant, so you must be aware that the

foundation of the undead's cultivation is their tombs. If they have yet to
reach a certain level of competence, and their tombs are destroyed, then so
would their spiritual essence be damaged. All life is judged by karma.
Sabotaging another's cultivation with no good reason will be met with
rightful vengeance, and that aligns with the conscience of the Heavens and
no-one can intervene." Da Qing embraces its precious little dried fish
snacks, and says stately with a wiggling tail, "Once, someone was chasing
after a cricket into a mass grave, and dug up Chu's tomb looking for it. In
rage of not finding it, they then burned down Chu's grave. Fortunately, Chu
had already passed the Gates of Hell and was on his way to the Doorway to
Heaven. He was no longer afraid of the sun and could walk freely out of his
grave. So although his grave was demolished, his body was not harmed."
"No wonder Chu is always so on edge, he is even worse than me," this
seems to be the first time Zhao has heard of this, "I thought it was just
because he is an undead. He deals with the dead every day; he is alright
though when nothing gets in his way, but if he is mad he will bite anyone's
head off... so what did he do to that person? Cut up the stomach and ate all
the insides? Swallowed in whole?"
"Hung up to dry, then gobbled down like bacon." Da Qing says, "Normally,
it would be considered that person's own fault, and no-one would intervene.
But the problem was that the tomb vandal was merely a kid. He was a spoilt
one from a wealthy family, and when he did that, he was one day and a half
from being seven."
Zhao doesn't quite understand here, "Eh, why does it matter that he was not
yet seven?"
Shen explains softly, "Small fairies that have yet to complete their
cultivation fear young children below the age of seven the most. If they're
hurt by adults they can seek revenge, but kids are innocent, and the saying
goes that 'Heaven chastises not the juvenile, but only accredits rectitude'. So
if they are killed by impish kids, they can only succumb to their fate. And if
any dares to hurt them, it would be a serious sin. His case had been decided
three hundred years ago, and closed cases cannot be re-opened, otherwise
I..."
Otherwise, the Ghost Slayer has the power to negotiate his release, perhaps.
"What can I say, Old Chu is really..." Zhao doesn't really know what to say.
When it comes to cultivation, it is inherently against the Heavens. Only one

in a million would ever succeed. There is want of talent, diligence and luck;
especially luck.
If it were Zhao, though he must have thought that the kid was a brat, all he
would have done was maybe cast a nightmare to scare him a little. After all,
no injury or death was caused, he would not have held a grudge against a
six-year-old... "Heaven chastises not the juvenile" is a rule with good
reason. Does a young infant understand right from wrong? Cultivating
fairies can avoid them; play dead, or camouflage. It's not difficult to hide
from kids. As for the ones that really cannot be avoided, perhaps it is
karma, perhaps it is a set-up, or perhaps, as the old saying goes, "the
Heavens determine all".
Unfortunately, Chu is as narrow-minded as can be, and when he is out for

revenge, he will not let the Heavens stop him.
Indeed, fate is inexorable as it is insidious.

Zhao's gaze freezes... certainly fate in the Heavens is inescapable, but since
when did orders from Hell become the same?
He takes out his phone and hurls it on to the back seat; he says to Da Qing,
"Call Chu."
First attempt, Chu hangs up.
Zhao says blandly, "Try again."
By the third call, Chu turns off his phone.
Zhao hits the brakes on the side of the road. He takes out a Guardian Order
from his wallet, and rapidly scribbles a few words on to the talisman...
"Meet me at No. 4 Bright Avenue before midnight". Then, he folds it into a
paper crane.
Before he can send it out, a traffic officer knocks on the window, "Hey,
what's going on, why is your car parked here?"
Zhao bends down and puts on an agonised pretence, "Sorry, I have a cramp
in my legs. I need a minute, just one minute."
He stealthily wipes his palm on the car door, and the paper crane in his hand
sublimates into a swirl of smoke, vanishing in the air.
Afterwards, Zhao does not head back to his place. While the sky is not too
dark, he drives to their new place near Dragon City University.
The place is only one street away from the backyard of the university. It's a
garden villa with a unique architectural style. Zhao takes out a bunch of
keys from a small storage compartment in the car, carefully takes off one
set, and hands it to Shen, "I know you don't need keys to get inside, but let
this be a formality."
Shen is stunned. His hand inadvertently tightens, grasping the keys.
Zhao grabs his hand and pulls him forward, "The walls and ceiling works of
our place are basically done. They started work on the floors before the
New Year, so it must be quite messy now, but give it one more week and
it'll probably be finished. You can then move your stuff here, put what you
use often at my place; then after January, we'll move in together... come on,
the lift is this way."
His palm is warm and dry. Shen feels as though his heart is dipped in water;
aching, softening and swelling.
There are only four floors: one flat per floor. The car park is in the
basement, with elevator access; there are still some renovation debris in the
elevator.
But inside the apartment, natural lighting is ample. Even at sunset, the
afterglow shines through and delineates grubby sundries on the floor with
golden contours. From the window, one side is the lush view of Dragon
City University, and the other side is an artificial creek. Though the water is
sucked away in winter, stains left by the running river is still visible on the
river-side stone statues.
Zhao says, "As the saying goes, a wife deserves a golden house. But I don't
have that much money, if I build a house out of gold I'll probably be
investigated for corruption. You will have to settle for this first, when I earn
more money we will build a better one."
Then, he turns around, all smiles, "The master bedroom is in the south, it
has a balcony; you can pick one from the other rooms to be your working
room."
Shen's gaze sinks deep with a few millennia of repressed longing and
affection, so effortlessly ignited by his words. Fervour intensifies to the
extreme, and awakens inexplicably sadistic desires within Shen; he wants to
lock him in an embrace and crush his flesh and bones into dust in his palm.
But Shen knows that he is reluctant to even touch a strand of hair.
Of course, there is always a third wheel, there is always some insolent cat
who likes to exert its sense of presence. It is a feline victory that the two
lovebirds have been prevented from getting too cosy on the messy floor.
Before Shen can say anything, Da Qing bounces on to the window sill and
announces at the top of its voice, "I want a guest bedroom! I want a
suspended cat bed! Swing style!"
"Fuck off," Zhao says with no regard, "suspended your fat ass, can you
manage to jump up with all that weight? Let the people downstairs have
their peace... besides, I didn't ask you, don't you see I want some alone time
here, keep your dog nose out of my business, remember that you're a cat!"
"My jumping power is just fine, and I'm much faster than you. You're the
stupid dog, you blind guy!"
Zhao doesn't bat an eye, "Fat fuq."
All this talk of weight problems have gotten Da Qing quite mad, it pounces
on to Zhao's shoulder and runs its claws through his hair.
"I will let you know what a fat guy can do!"
"Fuck, you messed up my hairstyle, you're a dead fat fuq!"
Man and cat rapidly get into a chaotic row.
Shen slowly sighs, and leans against the window. Afterglow warms his
body, and even his forever-pale face is begining to warm up. He quietly
watches the bustling living room, and inadvertently smiles.
At this moment, a black shadow emerges in his sleeve. Shen's smile wears
away; frowning, he flickers his fingers and the black smoke turns into a
letter. Shen opens the letter, and it reads, "Black clouds have emerged in the
northwest of the Thirty Three Skies. It's an evil omen. Requesting Your
Honour's prompt return."
Shen crushes the letter into a ball and seizes it in his palm.
"Yunlan," he suddenly says, which catches Zhao and Da Qing's attention, "I
have some urgent matter, I need to go. If you're free during holiday go
home to spend time with your parents. Have them take care of you so that I
don't have to worry."
Zhao frowns, "What is it?"
"I don't know yet. My puppet delivered a letter from Hell, black clouds in
the Thirty Three Skies; a big storm is coming. No matter what it is I must
go." Shen gently pinches his frowning brows.
"Black clouds?" Zhao is stunned.
Shen mistakenly thinks that Zhao doesn't understand, and explains,

"Normal clouds never reach the Thirty Three Skies. There are only two
types of clouds up there: auspicious ones glowing with a purple aura, or
ominous ones in sheer darkness."
Da Qing licks its paws, "It's been a long time since black clouds last
appeared. From what I know, it was eight hundred years ago when black
clouds were last seen up in the Thirty Three Skies."
Zhao asks sensitively, "What was the cause that time?"
Da Qing is puzzled, "How would I know?"
Shen is speechless. He inadvertently avoids eye contact.
Zhao is almost becoming the god of reading people... especially someone

who is bad at hiding their feelings, like Shen. He can't help but ask, "Is it
related to ghost face? Was it him as well last time? Who is he really, why is
he so powerful?"
Da Qing is even more puzzled, "Ghost face? Who the hell is this ghost
face?"
The slightest tinge of redness from the sunset vanishes from Shen's face.
Zhao can't bear seeing him like this; he glares at Da Qing with warning.
Then he gives up questioning, "Then go, be careful. I will wait for you at
home, come back soon."
Shen can't say much since Da Qing is here. He gazes at Zhao longingly;
then within three steps, he vanishes into a cloud of black smoke.
Zhao walks on to the balcony, and looks up into the sky; the afterglow is
greying out. He lights a cigarette.
Da Qing jumps on to the fence, and asks, "Do you really know Professor
Shen's background?"
Zhao silently nods.
Da Qing's head tilts to one side, "What are you worried about?"
"A lot." Zhao lets out a ring of smoke, and squints his eyes in the mist,
"Hey, Da Qing, let me ask you something. How come there is this one
person I just can't find anything about no matter how many classics I go
through?"
"Who?"
Zhao hesitates, then says, "Lord Kunlun."
Da Qing opens its mouth, then after while, it closes it. Then it sighs and
walks towards Zhao on the fence, "Plants and animals are not like humans,
we are not born with intelligence. We need to be immensely fortunate to
even have the chance to set foot on the path of cultivation, and only with
much experience do we begin to understand humans. Lord Kunlun was
around in the times of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. When
Mount Buzhou collapsed he was already accorded as a deity. Then
afterwards he disappeared, and till now it has been at least five thousand
years. Yes, I was there too, but I was like an ignorant infant. Do you
remember things that happened when you were a baby? To tell the truth,
until you left me, I was only a lazy little cat. You overestimate my
cultivation."
Zhao lights a cigarette impatiently.
Da Qing lowers its head, and whispers, "If I know, I won't lie to you. We're
different from humans, we're stupid, we're naive even after centuries. I only
have one owner, and I only need you."
Zhao flickers some ashes, and suddeny says, "Actually, I saw a portrait of
Lord Kunlun somewhere."
Da Qing looks up.
Zhao doesn't continue, but Da Qing understands from his expression.
"Little cat," Zhao is silent for a while, then he blows out smoke, "for how
long did you remain a litte cat... what place on earth can impede the growth
of a cat?"
Mount Kunlun was the origin of all the deities, as well as the resting place
of many gods and devils. Forever shrouded in white snow, on the mountain
sprouts a flower that blossoms every millennium. From the dawn of time till
now, it is still just a thick branch, but every growth ring marks an era of
countless tales.
In that instant, Da Qing grows more and more uneasy... ever since Zhao
said "Lord Kunlun". It can't help but feel like an invisible hand is pushing
everyone towards a destined direction.
Just like all those years ago when Pangu ended Chaos, when Gonggong
demolished Buzhou, when the man from Qi Guo apprehended the sky
collapsing, when Kuafu halted at Yuan Yu, when Houtu dissipated in the
depths of Hell...
Da Qing has goosebumps all over, and its fur stands right up.
All things wax and wane. In the past and at present, in only five thousand
years, countless deities have risen and fallen like ants; no different from
humans. Nothing can always remain on top in this world.
Did Pangu really put an end to Chaos? Or did it merely assume another
form?
Da Qings's emerald eyes exude unspeakable terror. Most memories from its
kitten days are gone, and yet, some memories have found their way deep
into its flesh and bones.
Lord Kunlun, the Primordial God of the Mountains, not less divine than the
Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors; why did he vanish and never came
back for some thousands of years?
Da Qing vaguely remembers the green gown, of the colour of mountains in

a distance, exuding the aroma of new snow and bamboos between the
sleeves. Bellowing laughter marked with rowdiness, warm hands tenderly
lifitng its body up... could he really be...
At this moment, a shrieking screech of a bird pierces from not far away. Da
Qing and Zhao look towards the same direction. Even in winter, the area
near the university is the most replete with vegetation, and many birds
reside here. Countless crows soar into the sky after that shriek; all the crows
in the city flap their wings and almost cover the entire sky.
Crows foretell calamities.
Zhao asks a serious question amidst the crying crows and howling wind, "I
want to tell you something, can you keep a secret?"
Da Qing turns around cautiously, and looks at him, "Nothing comes out of
this mouth, tell me."
Zhao says carelessly, "Shen Wei is the Ghost Slayer. I'm worried about
him."
Da Qing stumbles as if having a stroke and falls straight from the window
sill.
~~~
October has been crazy. Sorry for late update but it will probably be quite a
while before I get back to a normal schedule. Work is accumulating like
sand and I'm getting lost in the desert. In any case thank you all for
continuing to support the story. Cheers... and I will see you next time. ^_^
Da Qing embarrassingly rolls on to the floor and pounces up like a fat
meatball. Its first reaction is a loud roar coming at Zhao, "I can't believe you
have the gall!"
Inattentively, Zhao replies with "uh".
"You... you you you....!" Da Qing is lost for words. It has been roaming
over the world for centuries, and it has seen countless strange phenonmena.
Yet, this is the first time it realises what is meant by "love will find a way".
Now it seems apparent why King Zhou of Shang killed to please Daji, why
King You of Zhou pranked his army, or why Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
abandoned the affairs of his empire... these foolish men will do anything in
the face of beauty!
Da Qing is flustered and petrified. Then, it asks in a feeble voice, "Then...

you... what... how far have you gone?"
Zhao rubs his nose, "Not far, we've been in bed together, but we only slept;
he is shy, he never let me touch him."
Da Qing is left speechless.
In bed... together... shy... didn't let him touch......
These words are like a bombing raid; explosions echo around Da Qing and
its soul is bombarded with force even greater than thunder and lightning
from the Nine Heavens.
At an instant, images of Zhao and Professor Shen together flash across Da

Qing's mind. Every memory punctures an endless abyss in its brain; all of a
sudden, this poor black cat experiences some sort of otherwordly wonder
and philosophical lament... motherfucker, is there a worse cat owner in this
world than Zhao Yunlan?
Da Qing struggles to extend its neck beyond the thick layer of meat, and
stares at Zhao for long with deference, admiration and incredulity. Then,
truest words have never been said: "What a pervert."
The black cat bounces back on to the window sill, but with a weakness in
its legs, "Do you know what kind of person the Ghost Slayer is?"
Zhao flickers some ashes, "That's what I want to ask you."
"I don't know either." Da Qing gets serious, "Ever since the beginning, all
the deities of the Heavens and all the fairies of the earth, I have seen them
all and I know them all. But the Ghost Slayer is a different story. Do you
know how serious this is?"
Zhao is not surprised. He saw Shen's painting... if he has seen Lord Kunlun,
then he must be from a time when Da Qing was still ignorant.
"Just tell me what you know."
"Do you know Houtu?" Da Qing asks.
Zhao hesitates, and then says, "According to the Classic of Mountains and
Seas, Gonggong gave birth to Houtu, so she is a descendent of the Flame
Emperor. In the Summons of the Soul, Houtu is said to be the goddess in
charge of Hell. In some later folk tales, 'Houtu' is usually seen as the
counterpart of 'Huangtian', so her status seems to be even higher... in some
legends, Houtu is thought to be Nuwa."
"More or less." Da Qing says, "When Gonggong destroyed Mount Buzhou,

and Nuwa repaired the Pillar of the Sky, she then turned into soil, and
separated Yin and Yang; that marked the beginning of the order of the
universe. Some say that the Ghost Slayer was born from pure dark energy,
and some say that he was born in the depths of Hell. But the dreariness of
Hell is only the imagination of humans, this so-called dark energy really has
nothing to do with Hell... after all, when the Ghost Slayer was around, Hell
was not yet formed, why say he was born some thousands of miles
underground?"
"So you're saying that the Ghost Slayer wasn't born in the depths of Hell?"
"Perhaps somewhere nearby. But I think he is only working with Hell for a
mutual partnership, they are not actually related." Da Qing says, "I can't say
for sure about incidents that are too ancient in time, I can only hazard a
guess. Most say that Houtu is the earth, but the true earth was formed when
Pangu struck with an axe and destroyed Chaos. Just think, Nuwa repaired
the Heavens, she finished her job, why did she have to turn into Houtu and
become one with the earth? Was she trying to cover up the true earth?
Whatever is down there, it must be somewhat related to the Ghost Slayer."
The cigarette in Zhao's hand is almost burnt out, but he does not notice.
Da Qing sighs, "I can only think of so much. These things are too ancient;
this water is way too deep, and you... how did you get involved with him?
You really just can't keep it in your pants can you?"
Perhaps it's even more tragic that he hasn't even gotten the chance to get his
pants off...
"Too late." Zhao puts out the cigarette and hurls it on the floor among the
debris, "You're telling me this way too late."
Da Qing says grumpily, "That's because you didn't tell me who he was
when you first started seducing him! Otherwise I would have stopped you
no matter what it took..."
"No, when I say you're too late," Zhao interrupts, "I mean you're late by a
few thousand years."
The black cat stares at him blankly. For one moment, it seems like Zhao is
remembering something. But then, Zhao lights yet another cigarette, and
stands by the window; the afterglow casts a long shadow.
Da Qing accompanies him while he finishes a whole packet of cigarette.

With a whole floor full of cigar butts and an empty pocket, he signals Da
Qing to jump on to his shoulder, and walks out.
Da Qing asks, "Where to?"
Zhao says with a cold face, "No. 4 Bright Avenue, I'll see Chu first, and
then meet with someone from Hell... my people will not be taken advantage
of by anyone."
The day workers of No. 4 Bright Avenue have just left. Chu is not here yet.
Zhao takes out some dried fish and milk for Da Qing, and enters the library.
He takes out a pair of glasses, puts them on, and then sees Sang and Wang
separating panickedly in the corner. Zhao says calmly, "Keep going, don't
mind me."
Wang tsk-tsks, and hurriedly leaves.
Sang ruffles his own hair; he has a thick skin, and doesn't seem to feel
embarrassed at all.
"Still need Kunlun?"
For some reason, Zhao's gaze is obscured by the lenses, and seems
exceptionally cold. His nose seems even higher, and in these few days he
seems to have gotten slimmer. His handsome profile appears somewhat
unapproachable and withdrawn.
"No need, all the useful ones have been wiped by someone." Zhao's fingers
run across the books on the shelves, "I want to find out... about Nuwa."
Sang hesitates.
"Nuwa creating humans and repairing the Heavens, Chiyou battling the
Flame Emperor, Gonggong fighting Zhuanxu... I want all of it. I don't
believe besides wiping out one person, they can even change the entire
history." Zhao adjusts his glasses, and climbs up the ladder.
He crosses his legs, sitting high up on the steel ladder. One after another, he
goes through every book he can find. Sang quietly awaits on the floor, and
organises the books into a pile.
Most people would assume that someone like Zhao probably never reads
anything decent, but his knowledge of ancient texts is exceptionally
profound, and he reads at an exceptional speed. He can quickly finish a
page as his fingers fly across it; the library is filled with the sound of
turning pages.
Occassionally, Zhao would pause for a moment, put down the book, and
massage his eyes with force; he would then chat with Sang very slowly.
"Mount Buzhou is the path to Heaven," Zhao gestures with his hands, and
continues with a coarse and worn out voice, "as it is recorded in history,
Gonggong and Zhuanxu fought for power; in the end, Gonggong was
defeated, and in fury he rode a godly dragon, and destroyed Mount
Buzhou."
Sang listens effortfully, and slowly nods.
"I don't buy this." Zhao stares at Sang, "The Flame Emperor battled Chiyou
for countless years, the sky, the earth and the universe were in utter chaos,
but Mount Buzhou was never affected; Pangu hacked open the sky and the
earth with an axe, but Mount Buzhou was still intact. Even if the godly
dragon was born with godly powers, would it really be enough to knock
down Mount Buzhou?"
Sang is used to ignoring all unnecessary adjectives and nouns. After a

while, he says with a weird accent, "If this is impossible, someone must
have caused it."
"Destroying the path to Heaven," Zhao's finger lingers on the ancient book,
"Huangtian, Houtu... not counting the ones that have fallen, or the ones that
have gone missing, then we're only left with..."
Sang looks up into his deep gaze.
"After Mount Buzhou collapsed, Nuwa repaired the collapsing sky with a
giant boulder, and then transformed into Houtu, and dissipated into Hell."
Zhao's eyebrows are tightly locked, and he continues, "Mount Buzhou was
connected to the sky, but not to the earth... Hell was not yet formed at that
time. So Nuwa repaired the sky and created the earth... the sky had a hole
and was raining incessantly, but what about the hole in the earth? The
earth... the ground... soil..."
Zhao gradually begins to whisper, and then he suddenly says, "Hold on,
give me the passage about Nuwa creating humans again."
Sang hands him the book, and Da Qing sneaks in, saying to Zhao, "Old Chu
is here."
Zhao puts away the book, climbs down the ladder, takes off the glasses and
hands them to Sang, and pats him on the shoulder.
He is about to leave, but Sang says, "At tat dime, it was orderless, everywon
wanted more bow... power. Moun... you said the path to the sky, if it brake,
mybee someone, wonted to end..."
He can't think of the appropriate word; he gestures with his hands, and Zhao
instantly understands... he is trying to say "war". Zhao nods, and leaves. All
of a sudden, he has a new perspective.
The universe was first created; it was a time when countless deities fought
with each other. The Flame Emperor defeated Chiyou, and gave rise to a
new order. Mankind flourished after Nuwa breathed life into figurines made
of clay; thus, something called power was born. No matter who it was,
perhaps knocking down Mount Buzhou was an attempt to put an end to the
old order, and make a new one; to return the world to... back to the very
beginning, when it was a peaceful time?
Zhao recalls his weird dream. Who was talking to him in the dream? What
did he mean?
Chu isn't alone, he has a little tail... Guo is dressed like a ball of cotton, and
his neck is wrapped up in at least two scarves, covering half his face. His
look is that of a new generation Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
And so it turns out, when Chu vanished, Guo thought that he must not fail
the mission that Da Qing gave him. And so he went searching for him
tirelessly, forcing himself to ask strangers for directions.
His constipated expression and inarticulate words resembled a foreigner

learning Chinese.
After over half an hour, cold and red-nosed Guo was luckily brought to
Chu's doorstep by a kind woman.
When she left, Guo didn't dare knock on the door. He circled around in
front of Chu's door, and couldn't hear a thing. He couldn't and didn't want to
leave, but he didn't dare knock on the door when he thought of how
annoyed Chu was at him. Until Chu received the Guardian Order and went
outside, only then did he realise a frozen, foolish child has been sitting at
his doorstep for long, and so he brought him along.
The atmosphere in the office is stiff. Chu sits at the office desk, one hand in
his pocket, and the other fooling around with Zhao's lighter. He glares at the
desk with a menacing expression. Da Qing walks back on forth on the side
quietly. The SIU office is only filled with the noise of Guo's sniffing nose.
Zhao comes out of the wall with a book, and Chu looks up slightly, "What
am I here for?"
Zhao sits across, studies Chu's expression, and says, "No small talk, I just
have one question, are you planning on leaving?"
Chu looks down; doesn't say a thing.
Zhao says coldly, "Take out your hand, I can smell what's inside!"
Chu snickers, and takes out a small piece of bone from his pocket. The end
of it sparkles with a faint glow of indigo; the bone is hollow, with four holes
on its side. This is a bone whistle, used to control zombies and other
undeads. Because manipulating a dead person's corpse is disrespectful, the
bone whistle has always been considered a kind of dark magic.
Guo sneezes. Chu glares at him, and says slowly, "I think you should send
this poor kid back first..."
Zhao ignores him, and says to Guo, "Little Guo, sit down... Da Qing, ask
the kitchen to make him some Indowoad Root water."
"Tell me, what do you plan on doing?" Zhao pressures him, "You're gonna
take this stinky thing and go back into the soil to be your Zombie King?
Forever trapped in the shackles of virtue, hiding in the shadows, and always
running away from Hell?"
Chu's face freezes, "Three hundred years ago, I didn't know the rules. I
broke the rules so I suffered the consequence, I didn't complain for the past
three hundred years... otherwise what can a few Hell Guards do to me? And
now they just can't get enough!"
"Extending the shackles of virtue is as expected, if other people can accept

it, why can't you?"
Chu deepends his voice, and spouts out one word after another, "I, am, not,
other, people. Let me remind you, Zhao Yunlan, I willingly put on the
shackles, but that doesn't mean I admit I was wrong..."
Zhao interrupts furiously, "You have the audacity to mention the messed up
things you did in the past?"
Chu slams on to the desk, "Yes, I said it, so what? I don't regret it. If I went
back in time, I would have still skinned that brat alive, I don't mind another
three hundred years of imprisonment! How are kids and adults any
different? There are only two kinds of people: those I can kill, and those I
can't. After all, Chief Zhao, I'm not asking for trouble, they are coming for
me. If three hundred years weren't enough, then it will never be enough... I
might as well then, it doesn't matter how many times I do it. Kids better
watch out for me, my bone whistle will dissolve their souls and turn them
into small ghosts."
Zhao slaps him across the face. Fast, precise, firm and loud. Chu's face is
knocked to one side.
Chu doesn't seem to mind, but Guo anxiously leans back and falls off the
chair.
The two men glare at each other with hostility. Da Qing growls softly. For a
moment, it seems like they want to fight.
In that moment, a cloud of grey mist seeps in from the window, and rolls
down Zhao's shoulder and arm and turns into a letter.
It's an urgent note from Shen: "The Hell Guard is coming, no matter what
he asks you to do, don't agree to it, wait for me to come back -- Wei."
Zhao reads the note silently, and his cold and stern expression loosens up.
Carefully, as he rarely is, he folds up the note and stores it safely inside his
wallet, as if having received a love letter.
Chu glances at him, and gets up to leave. But before he can, three Guardian
Orders fly from Zhao's hand with a tail of ember, soaring up and burning
into a shackle, crashing down and locking on to Chu.
A tremendous force crushes Chu back on to the chair; he cannot move an

inch now.
Chu's contract with the Guardian Order has yet to be discharged. No matter
how powerful he is, he is still bound by this pact.
Zhao glances at him, and takes out a sound recorder. He hits playback:
"Kids better watch out for me, my bone whistle will dissolve their souls and
turn them into small ghosts."
Sounding from the machine, the man's voice is horrifyingly cold and
excruciatingly coarse.
"Do you hear yourself? Is this something a sane person would say?" Zhao
asks without an expression.
Chu's eyes sparkle. But the next moment, he obstinately turns away, and
says defiantly, "I am not a person."
Guo mutters, "Chu... Brother Chu, don't be mad."
Chu peeks at him coldly, not saying a word.
Guo hesitates for a long while before cautiously walking walking and
nudging at his clothes. He whispers with the voice of a mosquito, "I... I
think you... you don't believe that at all, I didn't understand, but I know
Brother Chu is a good person, you won't do bad things for no reason..."
Zhao humphs, and leans back on the chair. He flickers the lighter, lights a
cigarette, and turns towards Chu angrily, "Put the saddle on the right horse,
Chu. Even a little kid like Guo understands that, but all you do when you're
pissed off is fuck everyone. I really feel ashamed for you."
Chu glares at him with pitch black eyes.
"What are you looking at? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? I don't have
time to deal with you right now... Little Guo, push him into my office, lock
the door and keep an eye on him. There is a single bed in there, if you're
tired you can lay down and have a rest."
Guo immeditely asks, "Then what about Brother Chu?"
"Him?" Zhao glances at Chu, "He can sit, give him time to think things
through and wake up."
He picks up a tea cup, and stirs the cold tea. He continues, "I really wanna
splash you a face full of tea."
Guo pushes Chu on the office chair. When he gets to the door of the office,
he looks back towards Zhao, who waves, and so he pushes Chu all the way
into the office, and closes the door lightly.
Zhao rests his legs on the desk, puts a book on his knees and starts reading.
The legends related to Nuwa are scattered to different sources. The book he
has is the Book of Primeval Secrets, in which there is a chapter on Nuwa. It
was probably written by a saint from the Song dynasty. The author is
anonymous, and the original version cannot be found; this is an audio-video
version from modern times.
The beginning quotes from the Imperial Reader, the passage about Nuwa
creating humans: "Legend has it that at the dawn of time, humans did not
yet exist. Nuwa crafted men out of clay, yet the quest of creation proved
onerous and toilsome, thus the goddess led a rope through the soil, and from
the earth haled up innumerous people."
Then the author makes a small note to supplement: "Humans, blessed with
five sensory organs, all take the form of empress Nuwa herself. They are
born with the power of speech from the soil of the earth. The winds from
Heaven feed three eternal fires on each and every one, the soil from the
earth befalls three eternal evils on each and every one. They are gifted with
intellect but are unclean. From infancy to senescence, they are born at dawn
and perish at dusk. Nuwa pitied them, and took the role of matchmaker. The
goddess married them in pairs and thus the species flourished for centuries."
Zhao takes a pen from the desk and underlines "the winds from Heaven
feed three eternal fires on each and every one, the soil from the earth befalls
three eternal evils on each and every one". Then, he flips over, and begins
reading the part on "repairing the Heavens".
"Huainanzi reads: In primeval times, four pillars collapsed, nine continents

fissured. The sky ceased to shelter, the earth ceased to bear. The world was
devoured by inextinguishable flames and irrepressible torrents. Beasts
preyed on humans, raptors snatched the decrepit. So Nuwa repaired the
Heavens with five multicoloured stones, cleaved the four legs of the Ao to
replace the four pillars, killed the black dragon to free the people, and burnt
reed to halt the flood. Hereinafter, the Heavens were complete, the pillars
were intact; the flood was dried out, the land was at peace; the monster had
been slayed, and the people had been saved."
There is another footnote which reads: "The longevous Ao bestowed its

legs, and empress Nuwa was eternally grateful. She granted it extravagant
garbs as fins. The four pillars held up the universe. In the northwest of the
skies, Kunlun declaimed: Rock, not yet old but ravaged; water, not yet cold
but frozen; body, not yet lived but dead; soul, not yet burnt but dispersed.
Such are the impossible, thus sealed where unreachable, and named the
Four Mystics. The sky shall not collapse, the earth shall not crumble, and
the Four Mystics shall not come forth. Henceforward, the world shall be at
peace."
Zhao strokes Da Qing's fur, and says queitly, "It says here that human's evil
come from the soil, and then Nuwa used the Ao's legs to hold up the sky.
Kunlun spoke of the four pillars... mountains don't speak, so here 'Kunlun'
must be referring to Lord Kunlun... also, I have heard of these few lines
before."
"Where?"
"Under the Pillar of Nature." Zhao says, "If 'the impossible' is referring to
the Four Mystical Artifacts, then does that mean when all four are gathered,
'the impossible' will be completed, and the four sky pillars will be
reachable?"
Da Qing goes around in circles round his hand, and mumbles, "What kind
of mess is all this, I'm getting a headache just listening to it."
Zhao ignores it, and continues along his train of thought, "Five
multicoloured stones to repair the sky, then if I'm right, perhaps the four
pillars are in fact meant to ground the earth... I think it all makes sense now;
ghost face wants to use the Four Mystical Artifacts to destroy the four
pillars."
Zhao touched the dried fish snacks, and an aroma lingers on his fingers.
Although Da Qing doesn't want to appear too desperate, it really can't resist
the temptation. It sniffs incessantly among Zhao's fingers, and asks, "Who
is this ghost face that y'all talk about?"
Zhao briefly summarises what happened at the Pillar of Nature, then, with a
stern expression, he says, "Ghost face wears a mask, but I think I know
what he looks like."
"It can't be..." Da Qing wonders.
"Probably looks almost identical to Shen." Zhao sighs softly, "This guy, he
keeps way too much to himself. He is kind to everyone, but not to himself;
who knows why he is an enemy of himself, I really worry about him..."
Da Qing looks up, "What?"

Zhao looks down at the black cat. Then all of a sudden, he takes down his
legs from the desk, sits upright, and whispers, "Someone's here."
The sound of wooden clappers come from far away and approach nearer
and nearer. A cold and murky aura begin to manifest, and the
northwesterlies attack the windows with a crakling noise. Zhao calmly takes
out some incense from the drawer, lights them up, and fixes them in the soil
in a flower pot. Then, he takes out an ashtray and burns some paper money
inside. Smoke rises; he puts away the book, and pours himself a hot cup of
tea.
Having learnt their lesson last time, the intruder stands at a distance outside
the door, and says, "My apologies for intruding, Guardian, may I come in?"
Zhao adjusts his tensed up expression, and clears his throat, "Please come
in."
The door to the SIU office opens, and the visitor smells the aroma of
incense and burning paper money... even ghosts care about money; the
visitor smiles, and greets politely, "The Guardian is too kind."
Zhao sees who the visitor is, and is stunned. After a while, he stands up, and
says with surprise, "What brought you here, Your Honour?"
The judge remains his friendly composure, not like someone sent by Hell,
but perhaps like a kind matchmaker.
The two chitchat about unimportant things back and forth, and then they
both take their seats; amiable on the outside, sly on the inside. Da Qing
bounces on to Zhao's lap, and its tail wraps around his wrist. It glares at the
judge with emerald eyes, as if in a guarding posture.
The judge finally gets serious, "Sorry for disturbing late at night. I have a
request, hope that the Guardian can help for the sake of the people."
"Oh please," Zhao waves his hand, "don't flatter me. I'm just an ordinary
human; I know a little magic, and it's an honour that you see me as the
icing, but I'm really no cake. I don't know what to do if you flatter me like
that. Go on, if it's something that I can do, I will try my best."
The judge sits still and sighs. He wants to wait for Zhao to start asking
questions, but Zhao seems to be utterly oblivious, and keeps drinking tea.
After a while, the judge can't help it, and asks, "Did the Guardian notice the
crows in the evening?"
Zhao puts on a surprised face, "No. I was watching television with my

mum, I really didn't pay attention."
The judge is speechless.
Zhao asks with utmost innocence, "What about the crows?"
The judge knows that he is playing dumb. He really didn't want to come
talk to the Guardian. For starters, the judge is one of the few who knows
about Zhao Yunlan, and he would really prefer not to anger this mighty god.
Not only that, but the mighty god has the thickest skin possible, and is as
sly as a fox. He has three godly skills: being shameless, stalling, and going
off-topic... in short, the stuff of the judge's nightmares.
"Crows are always bad omen. Black clouds are forming in the northwest.
Someone is not afraid of divine punishment, and has set up an altar at the
peak of Mount Kunlun, attempting to steal one soul from every living
person."
Zhao is stunned, and asks, "Every single person? There are billions of
people on earth, is he strong enough to lift them all?"
Met with silence, Zhao smiles, and says, "I'm confused, do explain. Who is
on that snowy Tibetan mountain, what did they build, and what for?"
The judge takes out a wanted poster, Zhao glances forward to a familiar
face... ghost face.
"He is the king of the foulest creatures from the filthiest place in the world.
Long story short, Nuwa sealed him in the depths of Hell in primordial
times. Gradually, the seal has loosened, and he managed to escape. The
Guardian understands, I won't beat around the bush with you... I'd say eight
tenths of his power is still under the seal of goddess Nuwa, if we go up
against him together we still have a chance, but if he breaks away from the
seal completely..."
Zhao pretends not to understand, and asks, "Ow, that's terrible. A filthy
creature sealed by Nuwa, so it must be different from other evil creatures?
Which one is more powerful?"
The judge has nothing to say.
Zhao continues with enthusiasm, "Then what does he need so many souls
for?"
The judge catches a breath, and says, "He is going after the Ink Brush of
Virtue. Every person carries a soul and on it good and bad virtue is
recorded, from past lives and the present, red as good and black as evil. If
he collects the souls and gathers them at the peak of Mount Kunlun, he will
get the Ink Brush of Virtue. We cannot let that happen, otherwise..."
Zhao suddenly interrupts, "Some time ago, a small raven fairy lured me
with a fake Ink Brush of Virtue, and hurt my eyes. Now my vision is still
not perfect, I see shadows all the time, and when I look at you you seem to
have gained weight. Now that I think about it, 'someone' tricked me
intentionally, didn't they?"
The judge's heart pounds faster, but no words come out of his mouth. He
looks at Zhao who stares back with a mocking look. The raven tribe feeds
on decayed corpses, and has always been oppressed by Hell. That the
ravens are sent by Hell is a no-brainer; the judge can't help but wonder
which idiot came up with that idea.
Sweat dribbles as the judge tries to think on his feet.
"The Four Mystical Artifacts has been scattered across the universe for so
long, but Hell never thought about them, never thought to search for them
or to keep them safe. Now that something has happened, then you tell me
it's serious, and leave me with this last-minute mess... that's not very
reasonable, is it?"
The judge squeezes out a smile, "Well... this is negligence on our part..."
"Negligence?" Zhao raises his eyebrows, "Why do I feel like it's an abuse of
power?"
The judge really is on tenterhooks.
Zhao knocks on the desk, and his face turns dark, "Let's get to the point,
what do you want me to do?"
The judge says, "Will the Guardian please lead me up to Mount Kunlun to
put an end to his plans."
Zhao says calmly, "Why me? I stay indoors all day, I'm no backpacker, I
don't even know which side to enter Mount Kunlun, you're asking me to
lead the way?"
Finally a response that the judge foresaw. He has an answer prepared, and
speaks with much better fluency, "The Guardian might not know, but the
Guardian Order is in fact a piece of wood from the holy tree on top of
Mount Kunlun. That holy tree was planted by Pangu the creator, and has
lived for as long as the universe has. The peak of Mount Kunlun is a
forbidden place, and only this can serve as a pass."
Zhao points towards the photo on the wanted poster, "Then this... 'king of
evil', how did he get up there? Through the backdoor? Don't tell me he is
Pangu's brother-in-law."
"I would not disrespect the divinity," the judge says cautiously, "but this evil
creature was born beneath Hell, next to the primeval tree of virtue, which
was conjoined with the holy tree of Mount Kunlun. Indeed, he is somewhat
related to Kunlun, so..."
Zhao continues with half a smile, "Then summoning the Ink Brush of
Virtue on top of Mount Kunlun is also related to that tree?"
The judge is not sure what he means, and doesn't dare answer lightly.
Zhao says, "Beneath Hell... hey, isn't that quite near where the Ghost Slayer
lives?"
The judge hesitates, and answers ambivalently, "You could say that."
"Oh," Zhao's face brightens up with a smile, but his eyes gaze coldly, "so
the judge is implying that the Ghost Slayer is related to the evil creature."
The judge can't be sure whether he is really dumb or playing dumb now. He
hesitantly scrutinises Zhao, but can't find any clues whatsoever.
They already gave him the black book, does he not know that Shen Wei is
the Ghost Slayer?
The last time the Hell Guard came back, and said that being blind didn't
stop him from fooling around with his lover; then... perhaps he doesn't
know? Otherwise, how can the Ghost Slayer tolerate...
The judge calms himself down, nudges his beard, and wears a concealing
smile, "I wouldn't dare speak of the great saints behind their backs, would
I? The Guardian must be kidding."
Zhao looks at him, and starts searching in his pockets, "You want the
Guardian Order? Hold on, let me find it for you."
The judge hastily waves, "No, no, we cannot touch the holy Guardian
Order. The Guardian will have to come with us to Kunlun."
Zhao hesitates, and stares at the judge with an unclear purpose. His irises
are black and bright, and his gaze pierces right through. The judge finds
himself stuck with an arduous and fruitless task.
~~~
I have been told that the notifications did not work for the last chapter.
Wattpad has quite a few bugs sometimes. I don't really know how to fix it.
Hopefully the problem will not persist. If you missed the last chapter go
check it out!
Quick announcement
Sorry to disappoint you guys, but boy am I busy these days. My exams last
till mid December (more precisely the 17th), so until then don't expect
another update :|
Thank you for all your support! I know quite a few of you check for an
update daily, I would hate to keep your hopes up for so long. I promise after
the hiatus updates will be back to regular and frequent because I have a
long Christmas + New Year holiday coming.
Until then, stay happy, see you in December! ^_^

After a while, Zhao withdraws his pressurising glare, looks down and half-
genuinely frowns. He asks nonchalantly, "Besides, I find this exceptionally
strange, that you don't even dare touch the Guardian Order, and yet you
recognise an ordinary human like me as the Guardian, why is that? You see,
I have a big mouth and a thick skin, but I have really got no real talents, and
my brain is not working well either."
The judge finds a rusty organ in his stomach squirming with pain, but
rigidly squeezes out a smile, "That is not true."
Zhao suddenly leans forward, and says, "Don't tell me my ancestors are
related to Kunlun. That's way too badass."
The judge is calling out for help deep inside.
Unfortunately, Zhao has no intent of letting him off easy, and keeps on
yapping, "And boy has it been hectic the last six months, first the Sundial of
Reincarnation, then the Pillar of Nature, and now the Ink Brush of Virtue, if
the fourth one appears too we'll have the Four Winds. Do tell, where do the
Four Artifacts even come from? So it seems the Ink Brush of Virtue is
related to Kunlun. As for the Sundial, legend tells that it was crafted from
the Stone of Reincarnation. When Nuwa created mankind, a pebble would
form when every human was created, and soon the pebbles have gathered
into a pillar piercing through the sky, threatening the three realms. Empress
Nuwa made haste to collect the pebbles, turning them into a stone, which
contained the limitless reincarnations of all mankind. As for the Pillar of
Nature, Xuanwu belongs to water,so perhaps it's related to Fuxi? We're in
deep water here, aren't we? I'm terrified just thinking about it."
The judge wipes off sweat, "My knowledge is limited, this is really..."
"Besides, a calamity that affects the Thirty Three Skies would definitely
attract a good amount of formidable figures. Saving all living souls, what a
tremendously virtuous deed, there must be many who would want to seize
this opportunity. What's Hell's backup? The fairies ? Cultivationists?
Angels? The Ghost Slayer must be obliged to settle a problem that hits so
close to home, is he not?" Zhao pauses for a moment, and glances towards
the judge, "What can a wishy-washy jellyfish like me do ? The only person
I know is the Ghost Slayer. Don't tell me..."
The judge's heart sinks and skips a beat, as Zhao laughs lightly, and slowly
says, "I'm just supposed to go and say hi and chitchat?"
The judge is terrified, and looks up abruptly to the same impenetrable and
inexorable face.
For a moment, he believes the man sitting across might have figured him
out, but there does not seem to be any discernible clues.
Da Qing's fur stands upright, and screeches with an unfriendly "meow"

from the throat: it doesn't sound like that of a normal cat, but rather the roar
of a tiger. It stands up on Zhao's legs, and reveals its razor- sharp claws; the
bell on its neck quivers.
The judge seems to fear it, sitting back on to the chair. He looks up to Zhao,
all smiles, "What is the Guardian trying to say..."
Zhao cannot be more relaxed: unfashionably leaning back on to the chair,

"I'll tell you what I'm trying to say. I'm just an ordinary human, getting
involved in such a perilous ordeal, what if something goes wrong, what if I
don't get to see next year?"
"We swear to ensure the Guardian's safety."
Zhao sneers, "Can't even get into mountain on your own, how do you
ensure my safety?"
"Well..."
"I'm bringing my own men, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
The judge flinches.

Then, Zhao the bane puts on a look as if he had a toothache, and the judge
can't help but feel like he is getting one too, as Zhao lets out a long sigh,
"But I don't have enough backup, you see. Almost all my staff are
nocturnal, the only exceptions are a little snake that still can't fully
transform, a little cat less than a foot long, a useless trainee, and a selfie-
obsessed geek..."
The judge can somewhat tell where he is going with this.
"We do have a Zombie King who is quite strong, except... oh, what a pity!"
The judge knows well between Chu's matter and the Ink Brush of Virtue,
which is more important. Though Hell has made it a custom to keep
postponing jail time, but it seems now that it wouldn't do them any good
opposing Zhao, especially on something so trivial. So the judge
compromises, "Mr Chu's time has been served, we only have some
procedural matters to finish. Since the Guardian mentioned it, then I will
issue the order first, he is free to go immediately."
"Ow," Zhao hears his tone and seizes the opportunity to twist the knife
deeper into the wound; he says with austerity, "and here I thought he did
something terrible behind my back, I even locked him into the room... look
at this mess, your people aren't very efficient it seems; what a
misunderstanding, those who don't know the details might even think Hell
is stalling on purpose."
The judge is lost for words; he really wants to drop dead right in front of
Zhao. He wonders what he has done to displease this troublesome
Guardian, who seems to be toying with him all day: this game of trick or
treat leaves the judge no time to catch a breath.
Zhao waves, feigns helplessness and takes out a piece of letter paper from
his desk, and begins writing while he says, "Forget it, Old Chu and I are not
on good terms, so I really don't have enough backup right now. But this is
an important matter, of course I won't be the one who hampers it, I can't
bear this sin..."
The judge seems to be getting used to his torture. A breath is held in
suspense; in a horror movie, if the sky is clear and bright, something
menacing must be looming. The judge looks at Zhao with increasing
anxiety.
Zhao continues, "I can't go, but you won't take the Guardian Order either, so
I have come up with the perfect plan: find someone who dares to take it..."
The judge instantly has a bad feeling. He takes a look at the letter, and
barely understands Zhao's chaotic handwriting: "To the Ghost Slayer: take
this letter as my person."
The judge almost falls off the chair.
Hell is of course not too afraid to take the Guardian Order. This is nothing
but a scheme of those ten ruling Hell: they thought that three of the Four
Mystical Artifacts have emerged, the Sundial is with ghost face, the Pillar is
nowhere to be found, and the Ghost Slayer naturally has no intention of
handing it away. Who can say for sure that the Ghost Slayer will never try
to do what ghost face is doing? If he turns, what will they do then?
There is no-one on Hell's side who can stand up to those two mighty gods,
so all they can think of is to use Zhao to threaten the Ghost Slayer.
But this Guardian is no average Joe, what goes on in his mind can almost
qualify him for ascending to godhood, it's no wonder trying to take
advantage of him is virtually impossible, isn't it? The judge feels like Zhao
already knows everything they're thinking, and he is only toying around
with him.
He doesn't know exactly how much Zhao has figured out, or whether he has
a plan that the Ghost Slayer also knows, but he simpy can't handle this
anymore; his face sinks, "What does the Guardian mean by this?"
Zhao says innocently, "Nothing really, does the judge think this is
inappropriate?"
The judge stares at him coldly.

Zhao continues, acting surprised, "How come? Doesn't the Ghost Slayer
come from Hell as well?"
Another question the judge can't answer.
After moments of painful silence, the judge finally understands what is

meant by "to hide a lie, a thousand more are needed". He says rigidly, "That
foul creature was born beneath Hell in front of the Primeval Tree of Virtue,
and is somewhat related to the Ghost Slayer, so it might be inconvenient for
him."
"Oh," Zhao's smirk wears down a little, and nods, "and here I thought the
judge would stick by 'not talking about the great saints behind their backs",
turns out beating around the bush gets us nowhere, though, wouldn't you
agree? You worry about him, I can understand that... this is my being
inconsiderate then."
He crumpled up the letter into a ball, "I will go with you."
The judge is knocked unconscious by this manna from Heaven.
The next moment, Zhao takes out his phone, and calls HR, "Hey, Wang
Zheng, it's me, did you get my message? Uh, right, print a copy, bring it
upstairs for our guest."
Wang is well-trained for this: she floats in within three minutes with an
extended namelist; when the door opens, the judge can see a horde of
ghosts, small and big, all glaring inside, nervewreckingly headache-
inducing for the judge.
Zhao's chin rests on one hand, the other handing the namelist to the judge,
"When it comes to unjust cases, these few years have been full of them.
Some perpetually postponed by procedural technicalities, some were simply
disproportinate punishments. Since the judge is here already, how about we
settle this once and for all... ah, right, as for Chu Shuzhi's incident, were
there not some 'old belongings' still with you?"
The judge sits in silence.

"Hm?"
The judge squeezes out one phrase with great difficulty, "They will be
returned."
Zhao seems displeased still, "When, we are gonna need some time to pack."
The judge doesn't want to see more of him, utters "before sunrise", and
leaves with the namelist.
Zhao smirks at his scurying figure, lights a cigarette with the burning paper
money, puts them out, and opens the window for some air.
Da Qing jumps on to the window sill, "Didn't the Ghost Slayer tell you not
to go?"
"Why are you so nosy?" Zhao glares at him, and then gets serious, "There is
no debate, I must go."
Although Shen Wei seems gentle and polite on the outside, he is in fact
extremely stubborn. Most of the time he needs to consider his status, but he
would not tolerate Hell like this. Zhao thinks that there must be something
more, something that he must abide by. And not only that, it seems like he
has already planned the future for him, and Zhao has a bad feeling about it.
He fondles with Da Qing's head, and agilely dodges a cat paw, then says. "I
want the Ink Brush of Virtue, it can be my wedding gift..."
Da Qing is pissed, "Don't be ridiculous!"
"A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye." Zhao's face darkens, "The Kings of
Hell have a term of a century; this batch has only been up for 20, and they
have been more and more delporable. I never meant to cross them, but they
messed with me in the first place... so, I'm taking you up to Kunlun
together, Mount Kunlun is a forbidden and sacred place, not a backyard for
their freak show."
Da Qing bounces on to his shoulder, "What about Chu?"

"Leave him, how dare he talk to his boss like that." And yet Zhao can't help
but want to go in to take a look.
Guo is already sound asleep, but not on the bed, only on the desk. Chu can't
do a thing against the Guardian Order, so all he can do is sit. But he has a
blanket wrapped around him, and Guo probably feared that he might be
bored, and gave him earphones, then put a long movie playlist on.
Chu nonchalantly glances towards Zhao, and as if he saw nothing but air, he
turns back towards the computer screen.
Zhao locks the door and leaves, "Keeping an eye on a prisoner became
serving the great king, Guo this motherfucking idiot, how I pity his uncle."
The next day, Guo is awakened by a phone call from Zhao. He rubs his
eyes, and is shocked to find Chu already standing up, and the blanket now
no longer on him but wrapped around Guo himself. Chu stands in front of
the window with a stern expression, brows intensely frowned, glaring at the
sky... pitch-black; the street lights are out.
The sky is still dark.
Zhao sasys, "Little Guo, are you up?"
Guo rubs his eyes again, and replies.
Zhao puts on a very rare gentle tone, "Later someone will be coming over
to Bright Avenue No 4, it's someone from the 'other side', prepare some
gifts. Keep an eye on your Brother Chu, tell him to stay calm, this is not the
time to start a fight. No need say too much to them, but don't be afraid, got
it?"
Guo nods sluggishly, "Chief Zhao, where are you?"
"I have something to do." Zhao seems to be losing signal: some buzzing
noises are heard. He says finally, "Call your family, and listen to Chu."
Guo puts away the phone, and immediately hears a chilling sound of
wooden clappers. He turns around, and hears a knock on the door of Zhao's
office. Chu turns around, and says calmly, "Come in."
The locked door opens itself, and a paper man wearing a high hat comes in
with a gigantic bag, placing it in front of Chu with reverence. The person
puts their hands together, mutters something, and Chu's body begin to
change: some writings appear on his face, and shackles emerge around his
neck, wrists and feet, then all these things fall off on to the floor, roll up into
a ball, and is sucked in that person's hands.
Guo's mouth is agape with shock.
The paper person bows, Guo returns the bow, and accidentallyy bangs his
head on Zhao's computer.
Chu glares at the Hell Guard with arrogance, and then opens the bag... most
of the items inside are made from bones, sparkling with cold violet light.
These are all familiar to him... from three centuries ago.
Chu frowns, and then says with an unfriendly tone, "Where's the
Guardian?"
The Hell Guard must have been lectured by the judge... shaking their head,
showing that they won't talk, bows, and then leaves.
Right this moment, the Ghost Slayer is at the bottom of Mount Kunlun. He
takes a deep breath of the thin and freezing air, almost carrying a brush of
primeval solitude and sobriety. It is dawn, and yet the peak is pitch-black
and the sky is still night.
Vaguely, sounds of wailing and weeping are mixed in the wind; chillingly
macabre, as if slumbering souls from Hell are being awakened.
He holds on to his blade. Just this moment, the Ghost Slayer hears footsteps
from behind. Without turning around, he says stately, "We should get
moving."
"Hang on," a familiar voice says, "the one who invited me is not here yet. I
was afraid the plane might be delayed so I came early."
The Ghost Slayer turns around aruptly, and sees Zhao wrapped around in
many layers of hiking gear, with a black cat following him by his feet. He is
holding a cup of coffee, and takes a bite out of a burger. He waves, and says
with a blissful smile, "Have you eaten? I still have a hash brown."
~~~
Sorry for the long wait, lovely people! Welcome back, and I hope you are
all feeling festive for the holidays coming up. Have a great time, and stay
tuned for the next chapter! ^_^
The Ghost Slayer - Shen Wei is at the end of his tether; his hand begins
trembling inadvertently.
Zhao doesn't seem to realise that he is making the other's blood boil... or
perhaps he is pretending. He sits on a rock with less snow, finishes his cup
of coffee, and nabs out the piece of cheese in the burger and hurls it away.
Shen silently waits for him to finish his breakfast, and asks with a restraint,
almost inaudible voice, "What did I tell you?"
"No matter what Hell asks for, don't agree to it, and wait for you to come
back." Zhao wipes his mouth.
Shen's voice gets deeper and deeper, spouting one word after another, "Then
what are you doing here?"
Zhao looks around, making sure that there is no-one else besides the black
cat. He walks forward, and wraps his arms around the ice sculpture that is
the Ghost Slayer. On his toes, he gives the head behind the large hood a
light kiss, "Are you mad?"
Da Qing looks away, not wanting to watch this disaster.
Shen doesn't move, but remains still as a rock, "Do you really like getting
on my nerves? I... I really wish..."
Zhao lets go of him, and looks at his shrouded face. For a moment, he can
find where his eyes are beneath the black mist, and he can even feel the
glare. Zhao sighs, grabs Shen's hand, but then lets go, and whispers, "You
can punish me however you want, alright? There won't be a next time, I
promise... Besides, this is not entirely my fault, you can ask Da Qing, it's all
because of Chu Shuzhi; that brat, otherwise Hell wouldn't have the goods
on me..."
When in fact it's Zhao who has the goods on Hell, and even managed to
bargain for Chu's release... the black cat ignores him, and begins cleaning
its face with its paws... if this deceitful man can be trusted, pigs can fly.
"And there's no going back at this point." Zhao puts his palms out in
helplessness, "Hey... don't be mad, I can't bear seeing you mad... Shen Wei?
Ah Wei, Little Wei, baby.... don't ignore me, say something."
Shen makes no sound, his fists clenched with pain underneath the sleeves.
This "baby" thing got Da Qing shuddering and its head bumping on to its
tail. It silently walks away, not wanting to hear anything else.
Zhao is about to lean forward, but the next moment, he rapidly returns to
normal, and steps back a few... not long, a crowd following the judge
approaches, with ox-head, horse-face, black ghost, white ghost, and
numerous others, including the fairy tribes, and perhaps a few saints. Zhao
takes a glance... none of these people are of the ordinary.
The Ghost Slayer remains his enigmatic mien, while Zhao stands on the
other side emotionless, perhaps due to the cold, or lack of oxygen; his face
is pale and his lips with no colour. He turns around, with a slight frown, and
nods politely, "Morning."
The judge can't tell for how long has Zhao been here, or what is going on
between the two.
Yet, for Zhao and the Ghost Slayer to meet first was their plan after all... the
Ghost Slayer wouldn't let Zhao go back on his own, so he has no choice but
to bring him along. With his sweetheart here, even if he has second
thoughts, he wouldn't do anything.
But with such a plan, Hell is blatantly prodding the Ghost Slayer's reverse
scale.... they have utterly infuriated him.
The judge tries to work out the Ghost Slayer's enshrouded figure; his heart
pounding with fear.
Despite his title, the judge is under the Ten Kings of Hell, and has no real
power. At times he feels like his job is nothing but running tiresome errands
and being the scapegoat... now that the ones in power are the younger
generation, they know little to nothing about the ancestors. The judge thinks
that those ten are simply idiots who think they have great power.
Zhao is better, but someone like the Ghost Slayer... forget cosying-up and
flattery, they are deliberately locking horns with him; haven't they heard of
"dogs that bite don't bark"? If the Ghost Slayer gets seriously mad, not only
Hell, but even the Thirty Three Skies might not survive his blade.
The judge laughs dryly, his heart almost jumping out of his mouth,
muttering, "The Guardian arrived quite early."
Then he turns towards the Ghost Slayer, bows almost to the ground, and
says most reverently, "Your Hon..."
Before he can finish, the Ghost Slayer heads up the mountain without a
word... he is throwing his manners out the window; he really is enraged.
The judge makes haste to bring the crowd forward; he knows that the Ghost
Slayer is only constraining his anger because Zhao is present.
The sky grows darker and darker. Violent gales rush through the thundering
Nine Heavens; looking up, there seems to be a black dragon swivelling and
dancing behind the clouds.
Perpetually snowbound, endlessly lofty, magnificently jagged and steep,

Mount Kunlun pierces through the clouds. Countless hills see not a bird fly
by, numerous paths bear not a footprint in sight.
As they enter the mountain ranges, Da Qing suddenly moves around

restlessly on Zhao's shoulder; it seems to have recognised something.
All his suspicions and speculation are resolved as soon as Zhao sees Mount
Kunlun.
He has never seen Kunlun before. Not in a million years would he ever
think that a gigantic snowy mountain could have any connection with him.
And yet, as he enters the Kunlun range in his sleep-deprived state, he
instantly feels the inborn blood-bond.
It's a mystical feeling, like a data line deep in his soul suddenly connecting
with the entire mountain range as one elaborate network.
For one moment, Zhao forgets about all the complications, all the strange
creatures behind him, and doesn't even look at the infuriated Shen anymore.
He walks forward, guided by instinct; the Guardian Order burning with

increasing heat against his chest.
"Guardian... Guardian?"
Zhao is startled, and breaks out from his trance. He turns around towards
the judge, eyes widened with perplexity.
Without him realising, the group has reached a plain covered in untrodden
snow. On the side are giant boulders, each taller than an average person,
arranged in the 64 hexagrams formation. Tiny cyclones ocassionally rush
through; tranquil to the point of solemnity.
The judge continues cautiously, "Beyond this is the entrance to Mount

Kunlun, would the Guardian please lead the way."
Though Zhao can't see Shen's face, he feels his gaze. But when he tries to
find it, Shen turns around as though he doesn't care.
Zhao smiles miserably, and gives Da Qing a pat on the butt; it jumps off his
shoulder. He takes out the Guardian Order, and walks into the huge rock
formation.
With every step he treads, the crowd holds their breaths, and the wind stops
blowing as he reaches the centre of the boulders. A long trail of footsteps
are left behind Zhao, marking a track of solitude and serenity.
He shuts his eyes, wearing a face as calm as a rippleless gulf; echoes
throughout the boundless ranges reach his ears and resonate.
North of the Scarlet River, pillar of Heaven and Earth; great hill of
immensity, the birthplace of deities.
Upon the colossal peak, vista of the vast plains within the seas and beyond;
the root of all mountains and rivers, the fabric of the world and all things in
it.
Thus named Kunlun.
No-one is telling him what to do, nor has he asked anyone - and yet Zhao
simply knows, as if a voice in his heart is guiding his every move. He opens
his eyes, and glances through the giant boulders, which revolve around him
along with his mind and soul; capricious like the galaxy, flashing before his
eyes.
Finally, some people begin chattering, wondering who is inside the

formation; Shen ignores all, and only looks at one person.
Though he is wearing an unfashionable jacket and hiking shoes, his short

hair blown into an unpleasant bird nest, but in Shen's eyes, this figure
miraculously fuses with that in the long blue gown from years and years
ago.
He begins to lose control; dark mist oozes from his sleeves, engulfing Zhao
and blocking out everyone else, as if they are the only two left in the world.
Momentarily, Shen laughs mirthlessly at himself. A few thousand years

ago, all he wanted was for the other person to look at him; he would have
died for him, and yet he feared that he was unworthy and too filthy. Now
his greed overflows, wanting to have him all for himself, not wanting others
to even lay an eye on him.
Without him noticing, from centuries ago, a seed had been sown, sprouted
and spread throughout him into an unbreakable obsession.
Perhaps it's his nature, perhaps it's instinct, but Shen has been fighting
against them since he was born, and yet, one fateful encounter has had him
spiralling down ceaselessly.
The earth trembles, a thundering echo comes from far away up in Mount
Kunlun. Lightning strikes through thick clouds, reaching the earth in a
threat of destruction. Upon the barely visible peak, an eerie mask flashes
and flickers; it seems to be ghost face, standing up above coldly glaring
downwards.
With a tremedous rumble, the palace of giant boulders sink into the earth,
and in an instant, the group is brought to the peak of Mount Kunlun.
Most have yet to keep their balance, and the black cat in Zhao's arms
screeches, as the group follows its gaze towards the holy tree, that which
has lived as long as the universe. The entwined branches have almost
completely withered; no leaves, no flowers, only a sense of death.
The black cat breaks free from Zhao's embrace. The instant its paws touch
the ground, its body abruptly elongates, transforming into a human.
Zhao never knew that Da Qing can transform. He flinches in shock; the
man before him has long black hair flowing down behind, a pair of cat eyes
sparkling like precious gems, gleaming with dazzling and freezing light. He
speaks; still Da Qing's voice that Zhao is familiar with.
It... he says deeply, "Who dares to desecrate Mount Kunlun?"
Da Qing stares at the withering tree, his eyes reddening with tears.
At this moment, countless spirit beasts emerge from the soil, absorbing
energy from the roots of the holy tree, jumping on to the ground in a giant
horde, screeching and wailing.
Violent gales whip through, as ghost face's gigantic head emerges behind
the thick clouds, of some several thousand metres long, covering the sun
and the sky, grinning devilishly.
Then, his mountainous limps flicker in the darkness, his hands barely
visible as a humongous cauldron rises up from behind him, as tall as a
multistorey building, whirling rapidly. Wind howls aggresively, bombarding
the ears to the point of agony.
Someone screams with fright, "Soul Cauldron! It's a Soul Cauldron!"
The hand behind ghost face's back suddenly comes crashing down with a
ginormous axe.
Zhao is pushed aside in a pinch, almost losing balance; when he manages to

stand still, a blood-scented cyclone is whirling in front of him as he
struggles to open his eyes. The axe strikes down like a mountain, but is
stopped by a thick blade only three feet long.
The Ghost Slayer is like an ant holding up a giant boulder. With a blast of
vicious gust, his sleeves are torn, revealing his bare hands. Then, with a
slight crack, the Ghost Slayer's wrist twists, leaving a fracture in the
gigantic axe.
Then he adds another swing, and with a resonating clang, the gigantic axe is
swung away as the small fracture spreads like wild fire. The axe crumbles
to the ground, making a hundred-metre-long abyss on the peak of the
snowbound hill. Numerous spirit beasts perish in the abyss under the axe of
their master.
"Soul Cauldron." After this petrifying duel, the Ghost Slayer bellows,
"You're out of your mind."
~~~
Happy New Year!! Looking back, 2018 has been a year with ups and
downs, but the decision to translate Guardian was one of the highlights of
my year. I hope you all had a great run with 2018, and will welcome the
new year with hope and drive.
I hate to ruin the festivity of saluting the new year, but I'd like to take this
opportunity to draw your attention to a recent incident. A Chinese BL
novelist known by the name of Tianyi () has been convicted and sentenced
to imprisonment of 10 years and 6 months for producing and selling
pornographic materials on the mainland.
Follow this link for a helpful bilingual article:
https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20181120/tianyi-china-erotic-novels-
prison/dual/
Oppression in China is no news, but it is this kind of incident that reminds

me while the fight for equality might have seen moderate success in some
parts of the world, in other parts progress is stifled. This is the reason why I
will keep writing LGBT stories.
Spread the word and show your support. Never underestimate the power of
a crowd. We as a community of minorities have fans like you to thank. I
still vividly remember the first time I discovered the genre of BL and the
vast number of dedicated fans it has. More than being just a genre of
storytelling across various media, BL has driven large populace especially
in Asian countries towards a more progressive and accepting view towards
sexual minorities.
The fight continues, and I urge all of you to not only be supporters of the
fiction, but partakers in the reality of it. Every thought counts. Every tiny
act counts.
Thank you once again. I'll see you soon in 2019!!! ^_^
"I'm not. You have the Pillar of Nature, and so be it; you will bring it to me
eventually. But I must have the Ink Brush of Virtue. If half of the four
pillars holding up the sky collaspe, no-one will be able to stop me then."
Ghost face finally speaks. Then, his dark gaze scans through the crowd, "I
see you brought company... are they afraid that you might switch sides?"
His words come out like a slap across the face for almost everyone present.
Ghost face looks around, and sees Zhao; his smile growing ever more eerie,
"Oh, the Guardian is here as well, no wonder."
Da Qing is about to take a step forward, wearing a stern face, but Zhao
grabs his long hair and pulls him back.
With an ersatz smile, he clenches Da Qing's hair and locks him in place, the
other hand searching for a cigarette from his pocket.
Now in human form, Da Qing is still instinctually feline; he turns around

and claws at Zhao, but without cat claws it is not very effective. Zhao's
hand is freezing cold, which has Da Qing flinched.
"Don't give me trouble, fat fuq." Calling this ethereal "person" by that
nickname doesn't seem out of place at all coming from Zhao.
Da Qing says, "What's wrong with you?"
Spewing a ring of smoke out of his pale and bloodless lips, his eyes sparkle
with shocking light. He whispers while fidgeting with the cigarette, "I'm a
little nervous."
Da Qing's eyes widen.
Zhao glances towards the sides, "The Ravens are with Hell, the other fairies
in their own tribe, and the Arhats of the West, what about those people,
Taoists?"
After ghost face's earth-shattering axe crumbles down, the crowd naturally
divides into their own groups.
"Some are saints, some have transcended and are working for Heaven." Da
Qing says, "But none of them have what it takes to meddle with these two;
without you, they can't even get up here. Besides these two, the only one
who dares start a fight up here would be the one with the snake body."
The face of a person, the body of a snake: that would be the ancient goddess
and almighty empress, Nuwa.
Snowflakes fly in the murky sky. Hideous spirit beasts and the angels and
demons from all places stand on opposing sides; a battle erupts.
Da Qing avoids contact with the holy tree, attempting to keep himself calm,
and says to Zhao, "You better stand back."
Snow falls on Zhao's cigarette. He takes out some tissue, wraps up the
cigarette and stuffs it in his pocket, and leaves the battlefield as Da Qing
suggests. He walks under the holy tree, and puts his hand on the freezing
and withering trunk.
It is hard to tell how tall the holy tree is, but its roots protrude from the
earth all the way up to Zhao's chest level; the tree itself is like a deity.
"Even though I don't know anything," Zhao says in his mind, "but you
recognise me, right?"
All of a sudden, a verdant sprout springs out of the tree trunk, slowly
curling like a strand of hair, and gently wraps around his finger.
Zhao grabs hold of his small backpack, and smiles, "Then I will give this a
try."
At this moment, the gargantuan Soul Cauldron is lifted into ghost face's
sky-covering grasp. Upon his pale fingers, a dark substance boils within the
cauldron.
"The primeval tree of virtue... a body not yet lived but dead." Zhao hears
ghost face mumbling, "Does the Guardian know what really is the Ink
Brush of Virtue?"
Zhao turns around, back against the holy tree, and looks up to ghost face
from afar, "Let's hear it."
"Before the Yan and Yellow Emperors battled Chiyou, numerous conflicts
among deities were common. Fuxi and Nuwa wanted to establish order, so
they went up to Mount Kunlun, and obtained a branch from the holy tree.
Nuwa regretted the three eternal evils from the soil when she created
humans, and so she took it upon herself to plant the branch in the land of
great blasphemy..."
The Ghost Slayer roars, "Shut up!"
A depthless void of darkness surrounds him, as the blade in his hand

mounts up indefinitely, like Sun Wukong's Ruyi Jingu Bang; only the
handle remains in size, supporting the colossal weight of the mountainous
blade.
The Ghost Slayer's blade almost reaches the bounds of the horizon,
whipping up a violent thunderstorm, which seems to puncture an opening in
the sky, causing thunder and lightning crashing down... the divine lightning
comes striking towards ghost face's head.
With bellowing laughter, ghost face looks up, opens his mouth and
swallows the lightning. The Ghost Slayer's blade comes crashing down
immediately, aiming for the Soul Cauldron in his hand, and all the way
towards his chest. The blade attacks with strong gusts to follow, whipping
up pellets of ice the size of fists. A mass of spirit beasts comes pouncing
forward; amidst the dark chaos on the peak of Mount Kunlun, the battle
with the many deities and ghosts persists.
Zhao struggles to keep his balance, and takes a seat on the roots of the holy
tree. There is nothing to do amidst the chaos, so he lights another cigarette;
he finally understands the Ghost Slayer's dilemma... ghost face doesn't treat
him as an enemy, others do not treat him as an ally... here they are finally
showing their true powers; last time under the Pillar of Nature, if it weren't
for ghost face holding back, it would not have ended that easily.
Ghost face doesn't seem to want a real fight with the Ghost Slayer.
"The land of great blasphemy?" Zhao repeats; ghost face very succinctly
uncovers all the questions he has... legend says that humans are born with
three evils, that being "greed", "hatred" and "ignorance"; in that book, it is
said that the three eternal evils come from the soil, so the land of great
blasphemy is probably the root of "greed, hatred and ignorance".
Ghost face springs up, dodging the Ghost Slayer's blade, which crashes on
to the ground, causing a tremor throughout Mount Kunlun. He continues,
"The holy tree showed clemency, it withered and died, and then sprouted
again and became the legendary primeval tree of virtue. Then, after the
battle between Chiyou and the two emperors..."
"Shut up! Shut up!" The Ghost Slayer's blade slashes towards him
horizontally. Zhao cannot see where Shen is standing, and cannot imagine
how he is wielding a hundred-metre-long blade with ease.
With a slash in the middle, ghost face is stopped; his body shrinks and as
his height is halved the Ghost Slayer's blade barely miss his head. With a
large thump, the Soul Cauldron crashes on to the ground, and countless
voices come from all directions instantly, calling out its name.
An infinite horde of spirit beasts spawn from the Soul Cauldron.
Zhao stares at the Soul Cauldron, neither with indignation nor with
agitation. He doesn't even realise it as someone is approaching from behind.
Da Qing is a lot less calm. He pounces down from the tree with a dagger in
his palm, like hiding cat claws in his paws, dashing towards that someone
like a phantom.
Ghost face blocks the dagger with his bare hand of steel, and with a light
clang, Da Qing's dagger is sent flying away. Ghost face reaches out to
grapple Da Qing by the neck, but even after transforming, he is still agile as
a cat; he bounces back with two back flips and on to the holy tree, glaring at
ghost face.
"Think about who's the owner before you try to hit a cat." Zhao finally
speaks; he pauses, turns towards ghost face slowly and stops smiling.
Staring at him blankly, he laughs, "You only made it up here because of the
flame on my shoulder, do you really think this is your territory?"
With these words, the conceited ghost face stops at his feet, standing three
metres behind Zhao, and dares not approach.
Shen hears the same, and is frozen in shock.
"After the battle between the Yan and Yellow Emperors and Chiyou, the
Three Sovereigns could not bear to see the world in its state, so they crafted
the Ink Brush of Virtue from the primeval tree of virtue; all things in the
world have spirits, so the Ink Brush of Virtue records all good deeds and
bad." Zhao leers at ghost face's mask, spouts out a ring of smoke and
continues without haste, "Then the Ink Brush of Virtue, as one of the Four
Mystical Artifacts, was sealed away as Nuwa repaired the Heavens and
turned the four legs of the Ao into the four sky pillars. The Sundial of
Reincarnation was left on earth, the Pillar of Nature was buried
underground, the Ink Brush of Virtue..."
Zhao's lips curl up slightly, as he glances towards the other side, "The Ink
Brush of Virtue shattered into countless pieces, and landed on to every
living soul on earth... is that right, honourable judge?"
A figure hiding behind the holy tree trails forward and kneels on the
ground, head against the soil, trembling, "Please forgive my dishonesty,
Lord Kunlun."
Zhao doesn't look at the judge ant longer, and only sighs, "Perhaps the
judge is a kind soul and not very good at lying... let me tell you, the key to
lying is to get the details right. What you said to me last night was nothing
but a load of nonsense, anyone could see right through it... human souls
came with Nuwa's creation, how can the shattered pieces of the Ink Brush
of Virtue be human souls? A soul from every living person to form the Ink
Brush of Virtue. I wouldn't be able to do that, none of us here would be able
to do that, wouldn't you say? I'm afraid many who came here today were
tricked by your little story?"
The judge shivers like sifting.
At this moment, the colossal Soul Cauldron suddenly tremors, along with
the entire Mount Kunlun. The holy tree behind Zhao suddenly overgrows
with countless sprouts, and a few flowers blossom where the branches have
already withered.
The man sluggardly leans against the tree trunk, seemingly unmoved by this
commotion, and even adds after the quake, "The Ink Brush of Virtue
belongs to me, so why don't you return it to its rightful owner?"
The mask on ghost face twists and deforms; Zhao squints, catches
something with a tissue, wet from the snow, squats away some ashes, and
tosses away a bomb, "Don't play tricks with me, I know what you look
like."
Zhao lowers his voice, "Looks are but an illusion, do you really think I can't
tell the difference?"
Before the Ghost Slayer can say anything, a giant storm whips up on Mount
Kunlun. Da Qing is almost blown off from the tree, he transforms into a cat
and hangs on to the branch with his claws. Besides ghost face and the Ghost
Slayer, and Zhao who has the holy tree for cover, everyone else is swept off
their feet.
The judge rolls on the floor with a face full of dirt, those who were fighting
mid-air are sent crashing down, those who were going under are sent back
up; numerous spirit beasts are whipped into the cyclone which threatens to
suck everyone in.
In the centre of the cyclone, a gigantic ink brush sparkles with wavering
light: it's the Ink Brush of Virtue!
The Soul Cauldron shatters instantly, and the Ink Brush of Virtue is whole
again.
And yet Zhao, Shen and ghost face are not moving at all, as if that giant ink
brush they have all been after suddenly doesn't matter anymore.
Ghost face suddenly asks, "If the Guard... Mountain God must have it, why
don't you go get it?"
Zhao successfully keeps his cool in the crushing gusts, and says with
connotation, "I'm afraid someone might try to take advantage."
The judge's head stays low, and does not dare utter a word.
Ghost face sighs, "We owe you one for the fire, I really don't want to do
this."
He whistles, and a horde of spirit beasts rise up from the ground,

surrounding them in the centre. The Ghost Slayer stands beside Zhao, hand
on his blade.
"Oh." Zhao says coldly, "So my tree has worms in it."
Suddenly, something comes out from his hand, like some kind of acidic
spray. The spirit beasts wail with inhuman screams; the judge is scared
bloodless, and sprints away while saying, "Five black soup, it's... it's five
black soup..."
Five black soup, made from the blood of a black dog, black cat, black mule,
black pig and black chicken, they must be born at a dark hour of a dark
month, has black innards and completely black fur. Not anything
particularly precious, but particular, and is used against those from below
the earth.
It's needless to say who this was prepared for originally.
Before anyone can make a move, the Ink Brush of Virtue shrinks and flies
into the holy tree in a split second, sinking into the tree trunk.
Nobody could foresee this turn of events. Ghost face swats the judge,
sending him flying away, and heads for the holy tree. Zhao blocks his hand.
Ghost face's arm is hard as steel, Zhao's wrist must be bruised.
But he doesn't show the pain, and ghost face doesn't seem to want to deal
with him head-on; he slips through to the other side and tries to enter the
holy tree.
With a piercing screech, ghost face's hand is bounced back by the tree; with
such sheer force, two of his finger nails broke, dripping with black blood.
Zhao puts his hand into his pocket, looking like he was that coming, and
says with a smile, "Didn't want you to hurt your hand, but you don't like a
favour, do you?"
Ghost face grits his teeth, and then quickly vanishes into a cloud of black
smoke. Yet, he did not bring his minions away, though the horde is quickly
beheaded by Ghost Slayer's blade.
Zhao lets out a sigh of relief, and wears a sly grin. Then, he touches the tree
trunk of the holy tree, and feels a force pulling him in.
What a great tree, Zhao thinks to himself.
"You..." Shen's hood was blown away when the Ink Brush of Virtue
appeared, and even the dark mist that usually shrouds his figure has
dissipated. The face that Zhao is familiar with wears complex emotions:
hope, angst, nerves... "You remember everything?"
"Of course it was all bull crap, these idiots, so gullible." Zhao winks, and
flicks his wrist, "Oh fuck me, hurts like Hell, that ghost face kid is like a
steel statue."
Shen feels like his heart has ascended all the way to the tip of his throat, and
then sent crashing down into his stomach; his chest hurts.
"Help me stall them; the holy tree is calling, I have to go take a look. Even
better if I can get the Ink Brush of Virtue." Zhao says, and jumps into the
holy tree. With half his body already submerged, he thinks of something,
and turns around towards Shen, "Whoever gets back home first leave the
lights on and the door unlocked. Love you."
Then, he disappears into the holy tree.

With ghost face gone, Shen proceeds to clean up the peak of Mount Kunlun,
ridding it of the spirit beast infestation. Soon, most of the crowd that the
judge brought along has left. Only ox-head and horse-face are left helping
the judge get back up, who seems to have something to say, but does not
dare approach. Shen gives Da Qing a hand, and says, "Come, I'll bring you
back."
Da Qing jumps on to his shoulder. Shen has roughly the same build as
Zhao, their shoulders are roughly the same width. Yet, standing on the
Ghost Slayer's shoulder seems awkward nonetheless. It curls up into a ball
of black cat, holding on to his clothes with its claws.
Then, the judge seems to have gathered the courage, and says, "Your
Honour..."
Shen puts his blade away, but keeps moving, and only says with a bland
expression, "Run off, don't make me curse."
The sky is finally bright, seeping with belated rays.
When Shen returns to Zhao's small apartment, it's already afternoon. Every
TV channel is reporting about the anomalies in the morning, inviting all
sorts of experts to prate about what happened.
But Shen is only doing one thing... waiting by the door.
Literally. He moves a small sofa chair by the door, and just sits there.
Da Qing quietly crouches at the window like a cat statue, feigning non-
existence.
Some three, four hours later, the sun is almost gone, and Shen's phone
finally vibrates.
He doesn't even realise at first. After a while, as if "resurrected", he picks
up his phone.
Three messages in a row.
"Finally got signal. I'm fine, I'll be back soon."
One minute later. "Shit, my boss is calling me, there is a dinner gathering.
Don't wait for me."
Another minute later. "Sleep earlier, be good."
Da Qing jumps off from the window sill, circles the sofa half-way, and
finally gathers up the courage to ask, most politely, "Your Honour, is that
the Guardian?"
"Uh," Shen nods, "he's got something to do, so he'll be back later."
Da Qing sighs, hesitates, and then says, "Then.... then I shall head back to
No. 4 Bright Avenue."
Shen looks down, and Da Qing naturally droops its head... he doesn't seem
to remember the cat that went "Professor Shen" this, "Professor Shen" that
all the time.
Shen nods, "Take care."
With great relief, Da Qing opens the door and skedaddles. Sharing a room
with the Ghost Slayer is no joke; if it weren't for the douchebag Zhao, it
would not have left a whole fridge of dried fish snack uneaten and came
here to suffer.
Zhao isn't going to any sort of gathering. He isn't going anywhere really.
After he sends the messages, he begins wandering on the streets of Dragon
City.
It's usually dry in winter here, but this winter, for some reason, is
exceptionally snowy and foggy. The roads are frozen with a layer of thin
ice; the occasional car drives by cautiously and sluggishly. Most shops have
closed, pedestrians are few; the city seems somewhat desolate.
With misery in his eyes, he doesn't seem to know where to go. Streaks of
blood reach for the irises: a look of exhaustion.
Some time later, his phone rings. Zhao answers with a coarse voice, "Hey
dad."
"Hm." A voice replies from the other side, "How come I couldn't call you
earlier?"
Zhao stands on the side of the road, where the wind blows quite strongly.
Dry and cold gust makes his eyes redden. Dumb for two seconds, he then
answers sheepishly, "No signal perhaps."
Zhao's father asks, "Where are you now?"
He doesn't know either. Looking up for a road sign, he utters his

whereabouts.
"Wait. I'll come pick you up."
Zhao crouches on the side of the road, waiting. About twenty minutes later,
a car stops beside him. The driver looks at him with disdain, "Why do you
look like a beggar? Get in the car."
Zhao throws him a scowling glance, and gets inside the car. Like a dying
dog, he sits his butt on the seat next to the driver, arms crossed against his
chest, shoulders shrugged, acting out the message "I don't want to talk to
you or answer any questions".
His father begins driving, and glances at him, "Where did you go, why are
you dressed like this."
"Tibetan Plateau." Zhao says, expressionless.
"What were you doing there?"

"After some nefarious Kekexili bandits."
Zhao's father says, "Bullshit."
Zhao doesn't say anything.
After a moment of silence, Zhao's father says, "Your mum told me two days
ago. I couldn't figure out what to say to you, so I didn't come and find you
sooner."
Zhao looks at him with exhaustion.
"When you were young, that was around the time when my career took off.
I was busier than ever. Back then it was always your mum taking care of
you, but I never thought too much about it. Not until you started going to
school, and your mum dragged me to the school's parents club. Only then
did I realise, after chatting with teachers and other parents, that you're
different from all the other kids."
Zhao smiles bitterly, "Not just different, you gave birth to a freak... alright,
dad, let's find some other time to talk. I really don't feel like it today."
Zhao's father looks at him quietly, "I think I've spoilt you.... Did I say
anything when you came up with the outrageous idea of starting up a
Special Investigations Unit? I even helped you pull some strings. Don't
push it too far."
Zhao sits quietly for a moment, "Alright, what do you wanna ask?"
"I know I'm old-fashioned, but I have to ask, can you break up with that
teacher?"
"No." Zhao says, steely and resolute.
"I'm not fighting with you, we can discuss this calmly." Zhao's father
frowns, "Tell me, what do you like about him? What about him is
irreplaceable? Does it have to be him? Even with all the social stigma, and
the fact that you can't be together legally?"
"Mum is not as beautiful as Chi-Ling, why did you give up the entire forest
for a tree?" Zhao says impatiently, then humphs unpleasantly, "What do I
care about stigma, what about legal or not? If I want, I can make my own
wedding cert. I can buy seals made from carrots on University Street, five
dollars each, what's so great about that?"
"I'm discussing this with you calmly, what kind of attitude is that?"
"Sorry..." Zhao sits silently for a while, looks down, and pinches between
his eyebrows.
"Perhaps one day, when your hormonal levels are back to normal, you will
regret this decision." Zhao's father maintains a calm and stately tone,
relaxing and not at all intimidating. It's much easier to persuade someone
this way; he says, "Passion is attractive; I've been young, I know that
feeling. But I don't agree with difficult love, do you know why?"
Zhao does not reply.
"Have you read 'Anna Karenina'?" Zhao's father drives sluggishly on the
empty streets, "Why did Anna die in the end? Of course, you could argue
that her love affair is immoral, but your relationship isn't. And I would
agree. But there is still a similarity... love is strong yet frail; perhaps in the
face of adversity, it can rise up with great power, transcending into a sort of
exemplary ardour, and that is why it's been praised since ancient times. But
you have to remember the saying: 'It isn't the mountain ahead that wears
you out; it is the grain of sand in your shoe'."
Zhao does not make a sound.
Zhao's father sighs, "Difficult love can be overcome with perseverance and
grit. But love has to subside eventually, have you thought of that? By that
time, the passion is gone, and when you look at the other person, you won't
recall any pleasasnt memories, you'll only remember how difficult it was.
What would you do then? Have you thought of that? Everyone is the same,
you're no exception; do you remember the ice cream shop that you really
liked as a kid?"
Zhao shakes his head slowly.
"Your mum thought it was bad for your health, so she didn't let you eat any
junk food. You were obsessed with it all day, and even went on a hunger
strike. Then I came up with an idea... I brought you to have ice cream three
times a day, and you would eat at least two big boxes everytime; even when
you got an upset stomach I still brought you there. That went on for a
month, then whenever I mentioned the ice cream shop again, you would cry
and refuse to go."
Zhao's lips very reluctantly curl up. Zhao's father says calmly, "Think again.
Can you really keep going like this with that teacher?"
When he reasons like this, no-one would refuse to listen. Zhao pauses for a
moment before he replies, his voice still incredibly coarse; he grabs a bottle
of water, drinks half of it, and then says slowly, "I have known Shen Wei
for a very long time, way back when I first started working; it's been quite a
few years now. Dad, I know what you mean, but there is always someone in
your life, it's not because of attraction, allure, obsession, or mere lust; it's if
you don't treat this person right, then you'd feel like a worthless prick."
Zhao's father turns to look at him. Zhao leans on the seat, eyes half closed.
Perhaps in his sleep-deprived state, his double eyelids almost look three-
fold, with an extra touch of exhaustion.
His father remains silent for a while, and then says, somewhat with
difficulty, "All right, you're an adult now, some things are not for me to
decide. If you really believe that, then I've nothing to say... when I'm free
and at home, you can bring him over to have a meal."
"Thanks." Zhao doesn't seem relieved or merry. He keeps wearing the same
frown; after a while, he says with difficulty, "Dad, let's have a few drinks?"
Zhao's father looks at him, and turns the car around. He drives to a small
local restaurant that is relatively quiet. Puhing the menu in front of Zhao,
"Order what you like, my treat."
Then he says to the waiter, "Give me a pot of Iron Goddess Tea."

Son and father sit on opposite sides, miraculously alike in air and mien. One
downing tea, one downing alcohol; neither making any sound, neither
disturbing the other whatsoever.
Intoxication never hsows on Zhao's face: the more he drinks, the more pale
he becomes. By his second emptied bottle, his father stops him and calls the
waiter, "Give him some honey water... you can drink a little when you're
feeling down, but I'm your dad, I've to keep an eye on you; too much can
cause poisoning or worse."
Zhao stops, and says, "I haven't eaten, I'll have some fried rice."
"So what's going on with you? Got in a fight with your teacher?"
"Of course not." Zhao smiles with unease, "I'm way past the age of
throwing tantrums."
"Then what is it?"
For a while, Zhao says nothing; only staring at the marble table, seemingly
searching for some pattern amongst the totally random swirls. When his
honey water and fried rice arrive, his eyeballs turn slightly and says, "Many
things... I can't figure out if I'm right or wrong, what to do?"
Zhao's father lights a cigarette, keeps silent for a while before replying, "I
can tell you how I feel. All these years have made me realise, there are four
things in life you can't get too bogged down in: forever, morality, virtue,
and life and death."
Zhao looks up at him.
"Insistence can sometimes be a virtue. But if you insist too much on

'forever', your fear of losing someone will blur your vision; if you insist too
much on 'morality', it will just become a stubborn obsession, most things
are not so black and white; if you insist too much on 'virtue', you will
become conceited, and try to change the rules to suit your values; if you
insist too much on 'life and death', you're dwelling on the insignificant, and
you would just be living a second-rate life."
Zhao listens in silence.
"There are just some things that ought not to be questioned, ought not to be
dwelled upon. What's done is done, whether it was right or wrong matters
not. Wouldn't you rather think about the future?"
Zhao doesn't reply. He downs the whole cup of honey water, and then says
calmly, "I've lost my appetite. I need to throw up. After that, just drive me
home."
Zhao's father drives him to his place, and doesn't plan on going up, "That
teacher is at yours, right? I won't interrupt you. We'll meet some other
time."
With his back facing his father, he waves, and goes upstairs with
exhaustion.
Shen has been waiting by the door. The doorbell rings. He flings the door
open. Zhao looks somewhat awake still, but he stinks of alcohol. He trips
on the doorsill, and Shen holds him in place, "How much did you drink?"
"I'm fine." Zhao's head rests on Shen's shoulder. After a while, he smiles,
"I'm gonna take a shower... anything to eat?"
Regarding Zhao going to Kunlun on his own accord, Shen has quite a few
bones to pick with him, and yet when he sees his poor stomachaching face,
none of it comes out of his mouth. Finally, Shen only sighs, and says, "I'll
heat up some dim sum."
Zhao pecks him on the neck quickly, then takes out a small and thin wooden
box and hands it to Shen, calling it a "gift", and then heads for the
bathroom.
Shen opens the box, and inside he finds a slender ink brush: its handle made
of wood, with an unknown kind of hair, which, surprisingly, sparkles in
gold. The brush is astoundingly heavy, gleaming with shining dazzle, and
exquisitely lustrous, yet humbly delicate. Undoubtedly, this is the legendary
Ink Brush of Virtue.
Shen is mesmerised. At this moment, besides the sound of flowing water,
and bang is heard from the bathroom.
Startled, Shen quickly puts the Mystical Artifact away, and knocks on the
door, "Yunlan, are you alright?"
There is a bathtub in Zhao's bathroom, with a shower head; on a slow day

he might take a bath, in a hurry he could just take a quick shower. Zhao
accidentally turns the temperature up too high, and the hot water pushes his
mild intoxication up to his brain; the bathtub is very slippery, and he trips
and falls, almost ending in a concussion.
Twinkling stars are all he sees; he doesn't hear Shen's voice at all.
With no response, Shen can't help but worry, and pushes open the bathroom
door.
~~~
Ending the first month of the year on a steamy cliffhanger. Hope you
enjoyed this chapter! :)
As always, thank you for reading. You can expect the next chapter on a very
special day in February ;)
See you then!!

Nobody wears any clothes in the shower.
Zhao finds himself lying helter-skelter in the bathtub, hot water drenching
his face, sending him into disorientation. He grabs on to the edges of the
bathtub with both hands, and struggles to get up. His hunched back outlines
his strong shoulder blades, the smooth lineation of his muscles curve
narrowly downwards towards his waist, forming a densely alluring shape,
and below that... Shen doesn't dare look below, the mere sight of the bruised
wrists is an assault on his eyes.
The bathroom is too hot for Shen. He is almost cooked in just a second.
He hastily grabs a large towel, and is about to hurl it out hurriedly, when he
realises the water is still running, and so he frantically turns off the tap,
looks away, holds out his arms and wraps Zhao in the towel. Blushed and
red-eared, he carefully carries Zhao out of the bathroom.
Fortunately, Zhao does not add insult to injury with his trademark
shamelessness; indeed, he gives no response whatsoever, since his brain has
been reduced to a puddle by alcohol and steaming hot water.
The towel is quickly drenched in body heat, still wrapping up most of the
body except the two long legs, bare and uncovered. Shen listens to the
pounding pulse in his own temples, while lightly placing Zhao on to the
bed, who is curled up into a ball.
Then, as if touching a hot frying pan, he quickly retracts his hands and
stands beside in helplessness, fidgeting with his fingers.
Only when Shen sees the growing water stain on the pillow does he come to
and pull a blanket over Zhao. Then, pulling out one corner of the towel, he
tries to drag it out from beneath the blanket.
But at this moment, Zhao suddenly catches his hand.

Warm and moist, Zhao's hand grapples with the immense strength of
intoxication. He barely opens his eyes, but with no focus in his irises: a
gaze even more miserable than when he was blind, as his cheeks heat up in
crimson.
Flames flare up within Shen's throat. He swallows with dryness.
Zhao utters something inaudibly. Shen bends down, centimetres away from
the other man's mouth, "What did you say?"'
Zhao's grasp tightens. This time, Shen hears him clearly.
The man murmurs, "Sorry... I'm sorry..."
Shen flinches.
Zhao's grasp tightens yet again, as Shen starts feeling pain.
Shen sits on the edge of the bed sheepishly, then carefully, with the blanket
still wrapped tightly, he embraces Zhao, and pats his back lightly, "What are
you sorry for."
Zhao turns over and wraps his arms around the other's hip, revealing his
bare torso. Shen's hand awkwardly freezes mid-air, as if turning into stone;
his forehead is bulging with veins.
After a while, he realises that Zhao is shivering all over.
Shen tries to wriggle out of it gently, but Zhao tightens his embrace in a
deadlock. Then, Shen realises, much to his astonishment, that his own
clothes are getting wet. He lifts up Zhao's chin, and finds his eyes reddening
with tears, "You..."
If Zhao were only half drunk, he could perhaps still put on a pretence. But
now he is genuinely intoxicated, and after the fall, he is only half-
conscious; all he does is unwittingly repeating the same phrase: "I'm sorry".
A fire burns bright in Shen's heart. Even all the water from the lakes and
rivers of the world cannot put out this blazing flame.
His palm finally rests on Zhao's naked back, slowly but steadily. The
warmth radiating from every single inch of Zhao's skin entices his senses.
Shen's voice turns coarse, as the abyss within his irises darkens. He
whispers into Zhao's ear, "You're the only person in the world who doesn't
have to apologise to me."
Zhao shakes his head. His eyes close suddenly, and a teardrop emerges on
his eyelashes. He feels like weeping, otherwise he would have no way of
venting his sorrow. Yet, he has no strength to do so. He is losing strength to
speak, even. In the thirty years of his life, he never experienced such
profound distress... and Shen has never seen him in tears. Although Shen
has stood by him for all these years, at that moment, he is almost
overwhelmed inside.
Shen lowers his head, and kisses Zhao on the eye with utmost care. He
savours the slightly bitter flavour, and says, "You gave me my life, you
gave me my eyes, you gave me my everything... what do you have to be
sorry for?"
"If I had known..." Zhao mutters inaudibly, "If I had known, I would rather
have killed you then..."
He doesn't go on. Shen enfolds him in his arms, letting go of the blanket,
and pushing Zhao on to the bed. With his arms holding out on either side of
Zhao, he seems to be catching his breath, as his chest vigorously heaves.
After a long while, he says, "Kunlun, is it you?"
Zhao lies on the bed, looking up. A tiny trickle of tear stream down from
the corner of his eye. He shuts his eyelids, with utmost dejection. A bright
scarlet ring has emerged around his eyes, as his lips tremble for long, and
with nothing else to utter, still the same: "I'm sorry."
"It's been five thousand years, up above and down below. Is that all you
have to say to me?" Shen asks. After a while, he sighs, "Do you remember
what I said to Li Qian? I said, there are only two things worth dying for:
first, for the country and the world, and that is for the sake of the people;
second, for your soulmate, and that is for the sake of yourself. People have
found love worth dying for, ever since the beginning of time. If I can die for
you, then I can live for you. I have no regrets. You have never cried before.
Don't cry for me."
Then, Shen gently strokes Zhao's face with the back of his hand, "Some
things are better kept inside than said out loud. But keeping them in for too
long starts to become suffocating. They all want Lord Kunlun to come back,
I want that too actually... you're quick-witted, there is no point in beating
around the bush... those who make sacrifices, no matter how willingly, and
no matter how discreetly, always secretly hope that the other might one day
realise it. I am no different."
Shen gazes into the windows of Zhao's soul, "Sometimes I think, if one day
you can remember everything, then I will be able to say to you: look, I did
it, I did all that I had promised you; not one bit did I miss, not one word did
I go back on. What would be the look on your face then? No-one is entirely
selfless, Ah Lan, and that goes for me too... but I really couldn't bear it.
Destiny commands life, even the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had
to follow a set path, Pangu collapsed, Nuwa's soul dissipated. You were the
almighty Mountain God, but nonetheless subject to the same fate of the
great saints before you... you had no choice. Lord Kunlun bore the weight
of all the mountains of the world, I couldn't bear to see you live in pain.
Being a happy human seemed a much better choice. When they all turned
against you, on top of Mount Kunlun, I really... really wanted to kill them
all."
Zhao asks, lowering his voice, "You blocked Da Qing's memory? You cut
my connection with the Guardian Order? I... a happy human? And leave
you to bear all the burden? What gives you the right?"
Zhao's voice lowers and lowers, till it is barely audible, and mutters with all
his might, "When you made that promise, were you thinking that since the
life of a human passes in the blink of an eye anyway, I would soon forget
about you, and so you planned to stay with me for this final stretch, and
then follow in the footsteps of Nuwa?"
Shen says nothing in response.

Zhao wrenches his collar downwards, fingers quivering with convulsion,
teeth clattering uncontrollably, "I would never agree to it, not over my dead
body! Not over my dismembered body! Not over my dissipated soul!"
Shen is pulled down, as Zhao tightens his arm around Shen's neck, pulling
him down and kissing him chaotically. He rips off two buttons from his
shirt, revealing Shen's pale chest, "I'll never... agree to it!"
The first time of intimate passion lights up a sweep of wild fire, paralleling
the many scenes of euphoria Shen had awakened from at night, like a
magnificent dream that sends the world into disarray.
One does not know when a dream ends. Though the sky might collapse, and
the earth might shatter, it might never see the light of day. Such is all the
thoughts that never emerge under broad daylight... never expressed, not in
life, not in death, never forgotten, and never remembered passion.
Finally, Shen loses control, and flips over, shoving Zhao into the soft
pillow. His heart overflows with towering torrents, plunging out potently.
The next morning, Zhao is awakened by the shining sun seeping through
the curtains. His mind goes blank for a moment, in an utter state of stupor.
For most of the night before he was in a muddled daze. Now and then
suffocating, and utterly intoxicated, he could not tell if he had a ludicrous
dream, or actually...
He tries to force his eyes open, but his eyelids weigh down heavily. As he
manages to get up, his head begins spinning as he watches the ceiling
whirling and twirling, and his body plummets back down.
If he looks into the mirror now, he will see that he is not simply tired. His
face is shrouded in a cloud of murkiness, he is plainly beyond exhaustion,
almost reminiscent of death... then, a pair of hands carefully lift him up, and
a bowl is placed beside his mouth. It holds an unknown kind of medicine
with a terribly strange flavour, like the smell of gore. Zhao instinctually
dodges, "What..."
"Herbal medicine. I hurt you last night." Shen's voice is incredibly gentle,
but his hands are not. He turns Zhao's head to face him, and basically forces
the medicine down his throat.
Zhao suddenly regains strength, and pulls his hand away. After vigorous
coughing, he feels as though the awful smell is about to make him puke.
Then, a glass of water is handed to him; he finally regains consciousness,
opens his eyes, looks at Shen, and drinks the water quietly.
He sits up in bed, leans against the headboard, elbows against knees,

throwing Shen a distressed look. Then, he looks down and reflects upon
something for a while, and then throws Shen an even more distressed look.
Finally, he utters, "I'm a fucking total top, you... you... you couldn't have
been gentler with me?"
A sweep of cerise spread over Shen's cheeks, who turns away and coughs,
embarrassedly, "Sorry."
"I..." Pain from his waist down paralyses Zhao as his face contorts into an
ugly expression. He takes a deep breath, but when he looks at Shen's
expression, it almost seems like Shen is the victim but not Zhao!
Though he has dreamed of dying in the bed of beauty, at least figuratively,

he never dreamed of it quite the same way...
He'll be damned. Who will he speak his mind to?
Emotions flash through Zhao's face. Then, he looks down at the bowl that
contained the unknown medicine. Reminded of the taste, his expression
contorts again, "Get me another glass of water. For this, anti-inflammatory
pills should work just fine."
Shen takes away the bowl, "This is effective, I mean no harm."
Zhao says, expressionless, "You mean no harm, but you like to torture me to
death."
The gentlemanly Professor Shen stands aside with tremendous guilt on his
face for having wronged the saint, like a wifey who broke a bowl.
Zhao has nothing to say to that.
Shen carefully helps him lie down, "You should... sleep for a while longer.
What do you want to eat?"
Zhao says stubbornly, "You... lie down and let me ravish you."
Shen looks down rapidly, as his ears redden. He pouts, embarrassedly,

"What nonsense are you talking about."
"Motherfucking." Zhao thinks.
Whatever Shen gave to him seems to be helping him sleep. Zhao quickly
grows drowzy, as he still clings on to Shen's hand persistently, "I've even
lost my virginity to you, don't give me any more troubles, do you hear me...
there's always a way... I'll find a way... I'll find..."
Shen sits down beside him, and tenderly places his palm on his forehead.
As he feels his breathing becoming steady, under the effects of that "herbal
medicine", Zhao's face begins to lighten up and return to its normal colours.
Shen is relieved. He tiptoes into the kitchen and cleans up the bowl.
Zhao sleeps till night-time, in a deep slumber replete with scattered and
fragmented dreams.
~~~
[End of Part Three: Ink Brush of Virtue]
~~~
Happy Valentine's Day!! May all the love in the world be praised without
prejudice.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! XD

Chapter 76 - Primordial Past
When Zhao went inside the holy tree, he took away more than just the Ink
Brush of Virtue.
The holy tree has always been connected with Mount Kunlun, overseeing
the five-thousand-year history of this universe. Zhao headed inwards to a
brand new dimension. He tried to grab hold of something behind him, but
the tree bark was nowhere to be found. As he moved forward, he could not
make out anything in front.
Lightless were his surroundings, where the air ceased to flow, and all was
dark.
He squinted his eyes, and tried to look into the distance. Finally, he found a
feeble flicker in the darkness, much like that of a firefly. As he moved in
closer, he could see that it was the Ink Brush of Virtue, having shrunken
down to the size of a normal ink brush.
Zhao tried to take hold of it, and surprisingly, it did not take much effort at
all. He raised his eyebrows, and found acquiring this treasure too easy to be
true. Soon, the Ink Brush exerted an unknown force which pulled him
forward.
Rationally, Zhao knew he should have taken the Ink Brush and headed
back. Yet, he could not help but be enticed to keep walking forward.
As the Ink Brush settled down, it had already lured him in.
None of his lighting equipment was working, as he sat on the ground,

helpless in the never-ending darkness.
He held his mind strong, and was not frightened by darkness or loneliness,
so that place did not trouble him a great deal. Still, a boundless space of
complete darkness can be rather depressing. The dark, however, was a very
strange kind of dark: not only was he indifferent to the possibility of being
trapped, he even started to believe that he was always supposed to fall into
deep slumber there.
As he sat in the darkness, he yawned, and grew drowsier and drowsier.
At that moment, a crumbling roar bombarded his ears, as the dark space
shattered, and a glaring light flashed in. Zhao jumped on his feet and
backed up several feet. As he looked up, he squinted his eyes in the
gleaming light; a gigantic axe had hacked the darkness apart, and a massive
opening on the ground widened with a bellow, splitting the earth in two.
A colossal man towered amidst the chaos, wielding an axe. His head
reached the sky, his feet on the earth, his lush beard and hair flowed in the
wind as he furiously bawled, sending shock waves across the wild lands.
He who bested the sky and surpassed the earth; day by day, the sky soared,
the earth thickened, and Pangu grew. It had been so for eighteen thousand
years, till the sky soared to its zenith, the earth thickened to its extremity,
and Pangu grew to his acme.
Thus the belief that the sky and earth sit apart ninety thousand miles, and
the Three Sovereigns came thereafter.
Such was Pangu the creator.
Zhao opened his eyes to the vast sky and earth, and watched as Pangu
collapsed, his humongous axe splitting into two: the handle became Mount
Buzhou, and the head became Mount Kunlun. The giant fell as his limbs
and head became numerous mountains and hills, towering into the skies.
Then rivers flowed, the sun and the moon shone, and valleys and caves
were formed.
The stars above shone in mass like an ocean; an inexplicable touch of

sorrow arose in Zhao's heart. He inadvertently began moving forward to
take a closer look at this giant man that made him, but he soon witnessed
the giant dissipating.
Zhao turned around abruptly, and found himself in the vast wilderness, as
several ten thousand years flashed forward. He heard the sublime resonance
of the wind from Buzhou, and he heard the restless tempest from within the
depths of the earth. Yet, time flew swiftly without leaving a trace.
From the depths of the earth: the truest, cruelest, crudest, savagest,
fiercest... were all connected by blood with the true Kunlun. As they were
born from chaos, the unknown connection was too.
Mount Kunlun was born with the sky and earth, and after one hundred
million and three thousand years, the soul of the mountain had materialised,
and thus Lord Kunlun was born.
At that time, the Three Sovereigns were young, and the Five Emperors had
yet to be born. The world was only replete with raptors and beasts, and
humans were nowhere to be found.
Zhao was soon bewildered: on one hand, he knew where he came from, and
held the Ink Brush in a tight grasp; on the other hand, he thought he had
turned into a mischievous, troublemaking youngster.
He peed on the almighty Fuxi's tail, then he scared away the phoenix
nesting in the holy tree, which made the bird frightful and from then on to
exclusively nest in parasol trees. Finally, Nuwa found a kitten from
somewhere and gave it to him, which got him the quiet down at last.
The kitten was very fragile, and the forever-snowbound Mount Kunlun was
not of any help: it looked as though it was about to die.
Lord Kunlun had never seen anything quite as troublesome. He made a

small bell out of golden sand, which stabilised one's soul and enlightened
one's wisdom. He hung it around the cat's neck, and after some hassle, he
finally managed to keep it alive, and he no longer had anytime to give
others trouble by then.
He only left the mountain when the kitten had grown up and began running
around on its own, so he took it downhill, and there, he saw Nuwa making
humans out of clay.
She made a rope out of vines and carelessly swirled it in the air, then
numerous "people" that looked much like gods emerged from the earth.
Lord Kunlun had never witnessed such fever, and was instantly
mesmerised.
Nuwa turned around and smiled at him, "Kunlun, you've grown a lot."
Lord Kunlun put down the cat in his arms, and carefully trod forward. He
stared at a clay man intensely.
He saw the man quickly grow from juvenile to adolescent, and the
adolescent kneeled and worshipped him with fear and reverence, then
before he could stand up, he grew to adulthood, then his full head of hair
started falling and turning white, and finally he laid motionless on the
ground, and turned back into clay.
Lord Kunlun felt an inexplicable envy, though he could not tell why:
perhaps time had been moving too slow for him, so he coveted a life that
burnt bright and brief like a shooting star.
"How fun." Lord Kunlun held the clay in his palm, "What is this called?"
Nuwa replied, "Humans."
Lord Kunlun said without much thought, "Humans are great, so innocent,
yet they carry with them the things I have heard from beneath the earth
even before I was born."
When Nuwa heard this, her expression changed to one of utmost terror and
menace.
Lord Kunlun was still young, and knew only of fooling around with his cat
under the holy tree. He did not understand from Nuwa's eyes that in a split
second, she had already foreseen the great calamity that was to come.
Humans were born from the earth, and ridden with the Three Corpses,
along with the evil that came from within the depths of Hell. And yet they
have already started living their happy lives like monkeys, and even started
pairing in marriage, according to Nuwa's rules, and started creating
offsprings.
Why make men from the earth? The Heavens had granted Nuwa great
virtue for creating humans. Suddenly, when she looked up to the chaotic
stars, she felt something... something cold and ever-present, like an
invisible hand that grappled her and pushed all men and gods forward, and
none could resist.
Yet it was water under the bridge, unless she killed all the humans.
For forty nine days, Nuwa could not sleep. The clay men had already ran
across mountains and traversed across rivers and seas. Countless days and
months, soon several generations have passed. Nuwa turned around
abruptly, and saw that humans had already started forming tribes. Men and
women wore the skin of beasts, and children were playing in crowds: all of
them looked identical to the gods.
She suddenly covered her face and wept... Kunlun and the cat stood beside
helplessly, neither could understand her sorrow.
Looking back, it was probably natural for a mother to feel for her children.
Nuwa sought help from Fuxi, and borrowed three thousand stars from the
galaxy. The two worked together for thirty three days, and made the Great
Seal, which covered the earth like a giant net.
Lord Kunlun held his cat in his arms and sat beside; he never knew so much
flame was hidden beneath the earth. It roared ferociously from beneath: yet
nobody wrote of it, and nobody knew of it. All who witnessed it were
ignorant, completely oblivious to the fact that a battle more intense than the
battles of gods that were to come had just taken place.
Finally, Fuxi made the Eight Trigrams, and forced the Great Seal upon the
depths of Hell.
Nuwa asked Lord Kunlun for a branch from the holy tree, which she
planted at the entrance of the Great Seal, and named it "the Land of Great
Blasphemy". From then on, Lord Kunlun never saw Fuxi again.
When the Great Seal was made, Lord Kunlun felt empty inside. The evils
from the depths of Hell burnt like wild fire, and could cause great disaster if
not handled with care. Yet, it was free and passionate, and Kunlun suddenly
felt nostalgic.
The young Kunlun could not put his feelings into words; a single droplet of
tear fell from his eye, which became the Yangtze River.
Fuxi had disappeared, leaving Nuwa behind, wandering alone across the
lands of the primordial times. She watched the sunrise and sunset, she
watched humans endure the challenges of life, and she grew more and more
anxious.
Then, Nuwa went into hiding, and Lord Kunlun returned to his mountain.
For a hundred years, he passed by the Land of Great Blasphemy several
times, and saw the withered branch from the holy tree. As time passed, he
matured, and gradually, he began to understand what was locked away by
the Great Seal, and he began to realise the reason behind. Though he was
curious to take a look inside, he never did.
Kunlun could not forget what Fuxi sacrificed to make the Great Seal. He
could not let all that effort go to waste.
Yet, the seeds of the Three Corpses were sown nonetheless. Men grew to
become emperors and saints: Shennong's downfall, followed by the rise of
the Yellow Emperor and his battle with the God of War, Chiyou. All
creatures of the universe were inevitably sucked into that vortex of
calamity.
The Three Sovereigns disappeared, and the primordial lands never saw a
day of tranquility again. Humans have lived devoutly and sturdily, with
warmth and with joy, and still with the same inevitable need for bloodshed
and warfare much like any other animal.
They were like gods, and they were like demons. They were ones with
countless eccentric emotions: envy, aversion, obstinacy, repression... and
incomparable love and hate.
Yet the ones from when they were first created were nowhere to be found.
Lord Kunlun finally understood why Nuwa was so afraid of her creation
despite the great virtue the Heavens bestowed upon her.
When Pangu destroyed chaos, it had merely been dispersed into the
universe. Chaos remains, as it waxes and wanes. Great virtue, great evil,
great wisdom, great valour: all would come to this world with hubris, yet
leave in vain and emptiness.
Smoke signals announced the outbreak of war, as the clouds gathered in the
Nine Heavens; the Kun Peng ascended to the West, never to return. Kunlun
turned a blind eye to the first great war of gods and demons, which
coincidentally revealed his own destiny. Within his heart of solitude and
purity which had been hidden from the world for millions of years, there
suddenly emerged an uncontrollable surge of grief and unbearable
loneliness.
Chiyou seemed to have foreseen his failure, and came to Mount Kunlun.
Lord Kunlun refused to see him, so the three-headed, six-armed God of War
made his way up the snowy mountain, one step one kowtow. Blood flowed
along his way, as the figure in ragged clothing eventually transformed into a
galsang flower struggling to survive in the deep snow. Chiyou had hoped
that Lord Kunlun would remember that witches and fairies were born from
his mountain, and would protect them.
Chiyou kowtowed repeatedly on Mount Kunlun, yet the Primordial

Mountain God was not moved.
Kunlun was born atop that freezing mountain, and his heart grew to be as
cold and hard as the peak. Yet, the black cat was born of the fairies, and was
inadvertently attracted by their ancestor. The cat sneaked out, and licked
Chiyou on his bloodied forehead.
By the time Lord Kunlun found out, what was done had been done. The
God of Mountain, much like Nuwa, was pushed towards a future that he
wished to avoid, and he, too, could not escape this invisible force.
Change of book cover +
announcement
Exams are coming, so this is a stressful time for me. Unfortunately, this
means a roughly one-month hiatus. Over the course of the summer I should
be able to make good progress, and hopefully finish up the entire novel
within half a year (fingers-crossed).
A big shout-out to user @Kot_Grayez for the amazing book covers below.
Please vote by commenting next to the photos which one you would prefer.
For those who prefer not to change the book cover, please comment here ---
->
~~~
Thanks for your time, and see you in May! An early... happy easter (I
guess!?) =D
Chiyou perished from fatal wounds of war, and turned into a blood-red
maple forest. The Yellow Emperor was impressed by his bravery, and
named him the God of War posthumously.
From then on, witches and fairies of the world worshipped Lord Kunlun as
their leader, and were protected by the mountains.
Unfortunately, after the great war, humans continued warring, among tribes
and among races, and soon a single tribe could split into several, and so on.
Yet, Lord Kunlun never showed up. He was waiting.
He witnessed Fuxi's downfall, Nuwa's solitude, Shennong losing his

powers, and went missing. For all this time, he waited.
He witnessed the Yellow Emperor lifting Chiyou's head up, without a word.
It mattered not who it was, but he needed someone to bring peace to the
world.
He awaited the Yellow Emperor to conquer the Land of Gods, and he

awaited the end of all conflicts. But the Yellow Emperor fought all his life,
and passed away having only made slight progress.
The Flame and Yellow Emperors left descendants who fought for power
along the Yellow River. The East was not in peace either, for the descendant
of Chiyou, Houyi, somehow acquired the great bow Fuxi left behind,
crowned himself "Emperor Jun", fought the barbarians and won, and united
the Eastern tribes, along with the witches of the primordial lands.
That year, all the ravens fell to the ground and never made a sound again.
The descendant of Shennong, Gonggong the God of Water, and the
descendant of the Yellow Emperor, Zhuanxu, began another great war.
Gonggong had power over water, and was the descendant of the Flame
Emperor. He made an army of dragons from the oceans, and subsequently
fairies were involved in the war as well. Though Houyi from the East had
yet to partake in the war around the Yellow River, the witches and the
fairies, who were both protected by Kunlun, started splitting paths.
In that war, many of the fairy tribes perished. The world was in great chaos,
souls trapped among the living howled with great despair day and night
amidst the charred battlefields.
After Chiyou's death, he got the utmost respect of his rival, but his
descendants had burnt the Temple of the God of War to the ground.
Gradually, no-one seemed to remember this ancestor anymore, who was the
very symbol of savagery and bravery.
In common folklore, Chiyou slowly took the image of a hideous and evil
deity.
Lord Kunlun was greatly disappointed.
He finally understood why Nuwa was in such great shock. She must have
foresaw the tragedy that would befall the world as soon as she created
mankind. However, she could not resist the hands of fate, and could not
bear to see the world decay.
Lord Kunlun was master of all the mountains of the Earth, and always took
a liking to spirits of the hills and rivers. Chiyou lured the black kitten to lick
his blood, and Lord Kunlun had no choice but to suffer the consequences.
Still he promised Chiyou that he would protect the witches and fairies of the
lands.
He witnessed them grow, cultivate and find their places in the world.
Then, he had to watch them perish in the war one by one.
If this is destiny, if destiny means endless warring and bloodshed, if destiny

dictates boundless chaos that troubles the world and waxing and waning
depair...
Gonggong lost the war and rode the godly dragon to make his retreat. The
dragons were always a cherished bunch on Lord Kunlun's part, and yet as
Gonggong reached the great void ofthe Northwest, Lord Kunlun stabbed the
godly dragon in the eyes, and Gonggong crashed on to Mount Buzhou
along with the dragon, puncturing a hole in Fuxi's Great Seal.
The ghosts of the Land of Great Blasphemy wailed horrifyingly, sending a

surge of evil energy into the atmosphere. They enveloped the entire Mount
Buzhou with nothing to fear, as if they were deities themselves. Lord
Kunlun took a soul flame from his left shoulder and awakened the entire
Hell from its deep slumber. He destroyed the heavenly pillars, and the sky
collapsed.
Whereat do the Sky and Earth converge;
whereto doth the bourn of Heav'n extend?
Whereat are the Eight Pillars of Skies;
wherefore are the East and South havocked?
The God of Mountain standing atop Mount Kunlun had finally grown to
become a man, and went on a path that differed greatly from those before
him. Nuwa finally reappeared after years of disappearance. She almost did
not recognise the child who was so easily distracted by a kitten... his green
cloak danced vigorously amidst the strong gusts of the mountains, eyes
sharp as the great axe of Pangu from all those years ago.
Lord Kunlun had already sent the cat down the mountain. He turned around
at the roaring collapse of a fallen sky pillar, and saw Nuwa. He was not
surprised, and simply said, "What you could never bring yourself to do in
the past, I have done in your stead."
Pangu spent his life separating Heaven from Earth, and shattering darkness.
Finally, he was destined to perish. Why should the deities of primordial
lands bow to something so nebulous? Why should they all be pushed
towards a predetermined tragic end?
"I want the sacrifices of the sons of Zhuanxu to bring a land of peace. I
want Heaven and Earth to no longer converge, so unknown forces above
shall no longer interfere. I will cut off the pathway to Heaven, so that life on
Earth will be born of Yin and Yang as in Fuxi's Eight Trigrams. They will
be their own individuals, and they will take fate in their own hands. No-one
shall ever judge my deeds, I will make an ink brush from the dying branch
of the holy tree: every living soul shall write their own destiny. I will purge
this world of its sufferings."
Nuwa stared at him, wordless.
"Whatever shall come, let it come my way... Pangu and Fuxi are gone, now
it's only you and me. You wish to retire from this world, but I have my
aspirations." Lord Kunlun laughed lightly, and his voice was quickly
swallowed by the howling wind, "I will never stop, unless Heavenly
Thunder crash down to Mount Kunlun, and strike me to death."
And exactly that happened. Heavenly Thunder struck down as the never-
ending hail swirled around the peak of Mount Kunlun. Nuwa's eyes watered
in the glaring light; she could not see a thing.
But she could hear Lord Kunlun's feral laughter.
Heavenly Thunder roared for an entire day. Heavy rain peltered the lands,
as spirits roamed everywhere. The next day, Lord Kunlun's clothes were
unrecognisable, as his entire body was scorched black, and he sat
completely nude on the ground.
Then some time later, he stood up, with new, freshly-grown skin and flesh,
like a cicada having come out of its shell.
He extended his arm, and a single leaf falled off from the holy tree,
wrapping around his body into a new green cloak. Lord Kunlun flicked his
hair back, stood straight, and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Then, he
turned around towards Nuwa with a bloodied smile, "See, what can the
Heavens do to me?"
That smile looked the same as always, with a never-caring naivety.

Nuwa finally spoke, "Kunlun, come with me to get the stone to repair the
sky, don't be obstinate."
"But I want to try." Lord Kunlun said, "No matter what, I want to try... even
if I die trying, I would die as Mount Kunlun, not just a small mound in the
middle of nowhere."
Then, he went down the mountain without turning back.
Pangu died of fatigue, then Nuwa was compelled to create humans, from
which countless more stories would come. Fuxi foretold something with the
symbols of the Eight Trigrams, but nonetheless could not avoid the fate of
perishing. Shennong saw his own downfall, and gradually became like any
ordinary being. Only Nuwa was left.
The great saints fell one after another. Then, it was Lord Kunlun's turn.
In this world, are only the feeble and the foolish allowed to live brainless
and brief lives?
Fungi of dawn know not of the month, winter cicadas know not of spring
and autumn.
In myths and legends told centuries after, Mount Kunlun was portrayed as
the land of the gods. Nobody knew that the primordial god of the mountain,
Lord Kunlun, was the first to rebel.
Lord Kunlun came down from the mountain, and saw the countless spirits
from Hell running wild. These were the Ghost Tribe. They did not come
from living souls, but from the evil energy sealed in the Land of Great
Blasphemy for ages. They have turned mad, and they preyed on humans
and drank their blood.
And yet, such creatures had somewhat of a hierarchy.
The lowest class was the ones with no discernible shape, like muck rolling
on the ground, feeding on decaying corpses. A slightly higher class above
that was the ones with a barely humanoid shape, infested with pustules,
with distorted faces, and savage bloodthirst... those were the spirit beasts.
As the creatures went up the ranks they would resemble humans more and
more. A Ghost King looked like an angel. As if the filthier the creature, the
lovelier the appearance.
Legend says that in the depths of Hell, there were only two Ghost Kings.
Coincidentally, as Lord Kunlun went downhill, he arrived at where Kuafu
had left a field of peach woods, and encountered one of them.
It was a youngster with dark eyes and dark hair. He sat on a giant boulder,
bare-footed, long hair resting on his shoulders, wearing clothes made of
rough garments. He saw Lord Kunlun suddenly emerging from the woods,
and carelessly fell from the boulder into a small stream.
At this instant, a spirit beast emerged from underground and viciously

gnawed at the youth's neck, which looked tender and weak, as if it could be
broken with one hand.
Suddenly, the youngster's hand extended from under the water in an eerie
angle, smothering the beast's gaping jaw. He pushed the beast into the
water, crushing its skull in half. Blood gushed out on to his face, like red
plum blossoms on a white field of snow.
The teenager panicked as he was covered in blood. He carefully kneeled

down, and washed his hands and face in the stream. Then, he picked up the
corpse habitually, and started nibbling at the neck with his sharp tiger fangs.
Lord Kunlun was then certain that he was a Ghost King. He had never seen
anyone more like one than the teen in front of him. The handsome
youngster sat expressionless in bloodied stream water, feeding on a dead
spirit beast; it was a scene more gruesome than anything ever seen above
the underworld.
As the teen realised that Lord Kunlun was watching him, the eating slowed
down. He peeked at Kunlun, then looked down and took another
disinterested bite, careful not to let the blood spill out of his mouth. Then,
he tried to wipe the blood stain off of his mouth.
Although Lord Kunlun did sacrifice a soul fire for Hell, he only did it to
break off Mount Buzhou, which connected Earth to Heaven. He had
forgotten Nuwa's regrets when the Land of Great Blasphemy was first
sealed away, and he never showed any interest in coming close to these
bloodthirsty creatures.
At that moment, however, he strangely walked forward, as if inadvertently,

and said, "Hey kid, you're a Ghost King, right? Shouldn't you be able to
control the Ghost Tribe, why did that thing try to bite you?"
The teen trembled and the corpse fell from his hands into the water, sending
a splash on to his face. He looked at the approaching Lord Kunlun with
panick, mouth agape, and could not respond for a moment.
"Do you not know how to talk? That can't be." Lord Kunlun leaned against
the boulder awkwardly, raising his eyebrows, "Got a name? What do I call
you?"
"... Wei."
"Which Wei?"
"...Mountain, ghost."
"Mountain Ghost?" Lord Kunlun laid on the boulder, "Fitting, but not quite
impressive. Look at all the endless mountain ranges of the world. How
about we add a few more strokes, and change it to Wei?"
~~~
Sorry for the long wait! Please take a moment to appreciate the new book
cover, credits to @Kot_Grayez for making it. Many thanks!
More chapters to come, stay tuned! :)

Lord Kunlun asked, "Little Ghost King, why aren't you with your people?"
The young boy lowered his head in silence for a moment, and then said
softly, "They're dirty."
Lord Kunlun hesitated for a while, and asked with enthusiasm, "Dirty
how?"
The youngster did not dare to look at him, but instead stared at Lord
Kunlun's reflection in the water. He said with a serious tone, "All they do is
slaughter and eat. Is there anything else that they can do? I don't want to be
near them."
Lord Kunlun pointed out solemnly, "The Ghost Tribe is like that."
The young Ghost King looked down with glaring eyes of gloom. But when
he looked back up towards Lord Kunlun, he successfully restrained his
savagery, perhaps out of habit. In a while, he lowered his voice, and asked
softly, "Must I be the same as them, purely because I was born of the Ghost
Tribe?"
Lord Kunlun did not reply. The teen stood up in the water, probably having
lost his appetite. He stowed away the corpse of the spirit beast, and hurled it
aside. Then, he washed his face with the water that is now clean, and wrung
his clothes out as he bent down. He rolled up his trousers, got up from the
water, and looked at Lord Kunlun.* His eyes were like raven feathers on a
field of white snow. Then, he said with utmost nonchalance, "I don't like it.
I'd rather not live."
After that, he did not sit near the boulder he sat on moments ago, which was
now occupied by Lord Kunlun. Instead, he sat beside the water, his bare
feet wet on the ground, as he gazed upon the peach woods, and the
mountain ranges behind the woods, and the fog and snow atop the
mountains, and the thundering skies in perpetual rain.
Lord Kunlun couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking at?"
The teen pointed towards where he was looking, "What's nice to look at."
"What's so nice about rain?" Lord Kunlun said, as he sat beside the
youngster against the boulder. "When it's sunny, Mount Kunlun is truly
magnificent. The golden beams of the sun shine downwards, sending
gleams on the snow, like blossoms . And when it is summer, a thin layer of
green will grow on the craggy layer of rocks beneath the snow. And flowers
too... those small blossoms, we call them galsang flowers."
The youngster was mesmerised for a moment, staring at Lord Kunlun

intently.
Lord Kunlun then said, all of a sudden, "Ah, none can be seen anymore."
"Why?"
"I punctured a hole in the sky to set your people free." Lord Kunlun couldn't
help but caress his head. The young Ghost King's hair looked so soft; his
neck froze in place, and tamely let him touch his head. It was unbelievable;
just a moment ago he was gnawing at a spirit beast's throat, and on a closer
look he hadn't even wiped his mouth clean.
This reminded Lord Kunlun of his pet kitten.
"Why puncture the sky?" The young Ghost King asked.
"It was a promise." Lord Kunlun pressed lightly on his head, "You wouldn't
understand, kid."
The youngster looked up with utmost seriousness, "I do understand. I never

knew what was outside. If I had known sooner how beautiful the world
beyond the Great Seal was, I would have punctured a hole in it too."
Lord Kunlun shook his head, and laughed. The youngster looked at him
with unblinking eyes. After some time, Lord Kunlun said gently, "If one has
no choice in life, one would rather not live. Looks like I've met my
soulmate."
Lord Kunlun stood up, and was about to leave, as Nuwa's figure emerged in
mid-air. Hurriedly scrambling, she must have been desperately searching
for the stone to repair the Heavens. Lord Kunlun let out a low chuckle; life
had plunged into darkness and chaos, and he felt a strange surge of ecstasy.
The young Ghost King stood up after a moment of hesitation, and followed
after Lord Kunlun.
Lord Kunlun didn't stop him. He held up one hand, and a hefty mountain
sprung up from the Earth: Mount Penglai. The fairy and witch tribes went
to Mount Penglai to hide from the storm, which caused a humongous flood
that had devoured the lands with a sweeping surge to the East.
The flood took away countless lives on Earth. Zhuanxu knelt and beseeched
the Heavens.
Yet the Heavens never heeded his pleas.
Young Ghost King followed Kunlun on their way to the peak of Mount
Penglai. The endless mountain ranges of the Earth rumbled amidst the
chaos, which sent waves all the way to Mount Penglai. All were shaken; the
witches brought Chiyou's descendants, and Houyi led his people in the
footsteps of his ancestor, ascending Mount Penglai with one kowtwo every
step. Infants would cry amidst the crowd, and for fear of disturbing the
gods, these infants were suffocated to death.
On their way up, the monstrous flood caught up to them and swept away a
large group of people. The God of Mountain sitting atop the peak closed his
eyes, like Nuwa, and acted like a statue.
Then, from the West came another group of people led by an old man with a
medicine basket. Zhuanxu followed after the old man reverently. Lord
Kunlun finally opened his eyes, and said, "Shennong."
Shennong felt something, and suddenly look up from amongst the crowd.
Thunder and lightning in the sky seemed to flash within his murky eyes.
Kunlun said he would destroy Zhuanxu's people, and destroy all of
humanity, but he never did. He simply would not yield to fate, and he did
not bother slaughter these living beings with his own hands. He watched as
Shennong brought the people up to Mount Penglai. Zhuanxu knelt and
worshipped Lord Kunlun, thanking him for creating Mount Penglai as a
refuge. Shennong said nothing.
When the humans stepped aside, Kunlun stood up, and before he could
greet Shennong, the withering old man slapped him across the face.
The young Ghost King shone his manacing claws; roaring, he was about to
pounce towards Shennong, but Lord Kunlun stopped him.
Lord Kunlun looked at the senile god, and saif softly, "You're no longer a
god. You're on the verge of death."
Shennong looked at him with yellow eyes, "My sacrifice is worth it, as I
have achieved what I set out to do. You were born of the mountains of the
Earth; naturally, you were connected with the chaos and menace of Hell.
And you carried with you the three souls of Pangu's axe. I always said that
you were born of violence, and you would one day become the bringer of
destruction; the never-ending snow atop Mount Kunlun was one such omen.
And now here we are."
Kunlun stood in silence.
"You fail to look beyond forever. You fail to tell right from wrong, good
from evil, life from death. How dare you defy the Heavens?" Shennong
slowly uttered one word after another, "Can't believe you had the gall, you
will suffer the consequences! You... sigh!"
What Shennong foresaw had unfortunately came true.
On the third day, stars in the sky shattered into chaos, and ghouls terrorised
the lands.
On the fourth day, the flood rose, and the people fled towards the peak.
Witches and fairies had began warring again.
On the seventh day, the war continued, and half of each tribe had perished.
Descendants of the Flame and Yellow Emperors allied with the descendants
of Chiyou, and they struggled to survive.
On the tenth day, Shennong preached words of wisdom amidst catastrophy

and eulogies, beginning with the dawn of the universe.
On the twelfth day, Nuwa finally repaired the skies, and took the four limbs
of the great Ao as the new sky pillars; she had exhausted herself to the
extreme.
On the thirteenth day, the Heavens were collapsing. The Ghost Tribe
plagued the lands. The four pillars trembled. The sky slanted downwards in
the Northwest; mountains crumbled and the Earth cracked.
The ignorant deities had brought destruction upon themselves after defying
Heavenly fate time and time again.
Heaven and Earth were merging, and the Ghost Tribe was on its way to
devouring the entire world into chaos.
Lord Kunlun sat atop Mount Penglai like a statue, without a movement or a
word.
"Nuwa wrote in a letter that she had sealed the four pillars to secure them.
She plans on sacrificing herself to stabilise Fuxi's Great Seal." Shennong
said, "You did no wrong, Kunlun. Pangu did no wrong. All of us did no
wrong. But there are countless sufferings in the world, all of which are
destined. Whether silent as Fuxi, rebellious as you, death is inevitable. I
will soon perish like an ordinary human, and this is also fate. No-one can
resist that. The problem is you know too much."
Kunlun opened his eyes calmly, and asked, "Chiyou asked me to protect the
witches and the fairies, and now fate has me decide which to save, or else
they shall both perish, is that it?"
Shennong stared at him in silence.

"Save the fairies." Kunlun finally said.
Shennong let out a long sigh, knowing that he already compromised.
The great flood finally subsided. Nuwa greatly injured the evil Ghost King
who wielded a great axe like Pangu. She then turned into Houtu, and
repaired the opening in the Great Seal, forcing the Ghost Tribe back under
the four pillars. Yet, Nuwa had used up too much of her energy repairing
the sky, and she had suffered injuries from the Ghost King's axe. The Great
Seal was barely repaired, but was unstable still.
Shennong sat at Kunlun's temple, not uttering a word.
"I thought I would have died by Heavenly Thunder." Lord Kunlun suddenly
said, "Who would have thought that my death had been determined when I
stabbed the dragon in its eye, and destroy Mount Buzhou."
Shennong lifted his weathered eyes, and silently looked at the final one
remaining of the four great saints of the primordial lands... perhaps Lord
Kunlun could have went into hiding, he could have forced the doors of
Mount Kunlun close with his primal magic. Even if the universe returned to
chaos, he could have survived.
Yet, Lord Kunlun was born of Pangu's great axe, and he was the only one
who would never go against what Pangu had hoped for the world.
Lord Kunlun was Pangu's legacy.
"I want to... see my cat one more time."
Shennong carried his medicine basket and trod towards the deep mountains.
Nuwa was nowhere to be seen.
All seemed lost. Lord Kunlun returned to his empty temple, and found only
a dark-haired, dark-eyed, slender and feeble-looking teen.
The young Ghost King asked softly, "Are you sending me back under the
Great Seal?"
"No. There is nothing I can do, except... I can at least protect you." Lord
Kunlun grinned, as his body trembled strangely, and his voice quivered
subtly, "You don't want to be one of the Ghost Tribe, so I will grant you that
wish."
The young Ghost King was greatly shocked. He turned Lord Kunlun around
by the shoulder, only to find the mountain god with an almost translucent
body, and a face white as snow. Lord Kunlun held up his hand with a gust
of wind, and a ball of fire shone bright like a star in his palm, "Take it."
The young boy received it with both hands.
"This is the soul flame on my left shoulder," Lord Kunlun was sweating on
his forehead, but he kept a gentle smile, "and I... I will give you another
thing."
His body trembled vigorously, as he pulled out a silver tendon from his
body... there is no pain greater than that of peeling off one's skin and pulling
out one's tendon. The young Ghost King teared up, but Lord Kunlun looked
as though nothing had happened, "With this, you'll be able to... escape from
the Land of Great Blasphemy, and become a god..."
"You... you have to help me protect the four pillars." Kunlun smiled, "With
Nuwa's Sundial of Reincarnation, Fuxi's Pillar of Nature, and... the Ink
Brush of Virtue from the primeval tree of virtue. I will add one last thing to
that..."
"Kunlun!"
Lord Kunlun held up the young boy's face with his thumb, and said softly,
"Rock, not yet old but ravaged; water, not yet cold but frozen; body, not yet
lived but dead... If Shennong was willing to give up godhood and become a
human, I will give him one last thing to complete his dying wish..."
He coughed up a mouthful of blood in his palm, which transformed into a

crimson candle wick. The mountain god standing before the Ghost King
was becoming more and more transparent, more and more feeble. As he
dispersed, a snow-white lamp remained, with just one word engraved at a
corner: "Guardian".
Soul, not yet burnt but dispersed. The Lantern of the Guardian.
From then on, the Four Mystical Artifacts were complete, and the four
pillars were saved. The young Ghost King was somehow tasked with the
tremendous responsibility of protecting the pillars that held up Heaven... it
was Lord Kunlun's final ridicule of Heavenly fate.
And thus began some 5000 years of such responsibility.
Zhao Yunlan thought something had exploded in his brain. He must have
experienced the pain of being skinned, of being crushed by all the
mountains of the Earth, and of being bound by the Heavens all over again.
Years flashed before his eyes, as an undated sigh came from within the holy
tree... a voice saying, "Why did you have to..."
"Pan... gu..."
Zhao opens his eyes to glaring white light. He feels heavy on the head and
light on the feet. As he opens his eyes yet again, he is back in Dragon City
during the New Year. Lights are out at No. 4 Bright Avenue; lush trees
cover the courtyard even in the cold.
He feels a bit cold on his face. With his hand, he wipes off a face full of
tears.
~~~
[End of Part Four: Primordial Past]
~~~
Part Four was a lot to take in. I know some of you might be confused by all
the references to Chinese mythos. Bear in mind that the author took a lot of
liberties in creating her own story, only loosely basing some parts on the
Classic of Mountains and Seas.
I hope the following summary of key events helps. We'll start from the
beginning of the universe.
1. Pangu died separating Heaven and Earth, thus paving way for life; the
head of his axe became Mount Kunlun, and Lord Kunlun was the
manifestation of the soul of the mountain.
2. Kunlun was a naughty teenager, so Nuwa gave him Da Qing to distract

him.
3. Nuwa created humans.
4. Realising humans were born of the evil of Hell, Nuwa sought help from
Fuxi to create the Great Seal to seal away the evil; Fuxi died to make the
seal.
5. Nuwa went in hiding, Kunlun grew up, and humans began to war.
6. Kunlun witnessed the war for countless years, and finally put an end to it
by breaking the Great Seal, awakening Hell with his left shoulder flame,
and destroying the pathway to Heaven.
7. Kunlun wanted a world free from Heavenly fate, he wanted to create the
Ink Brush and let every living being write their own destiny. But his plan
ultimately caused greater chaos.
8. Kunlun met the young Ghost King for the first time.
9. Nuwa repaired the sky and restored the sky pillars, then sacrificed herself
to restore the Great Seal; Shennong died too.
10. Kunlun gave young Ghost King his left soul flame and his tendon so
that the Ghost King could become a god, the four mystical artifacts so that
he could protect the four sky pillars; Kunlun then died.
If you still have questions feel free to ask here, I will try my best to answer
them. And do tell me if you think I have made a mistake. Thank you for
reading, and see you in Part Five, the final part! :)
Chapter 79 - Lantern of the
Guardian
When Guo Changcheng gets home, his first priority is sleep. Once he gets
his sleep, and starts looking more like a human, he tidies up his place, and
heads out to visit relatives, not forgetting to pick up a few gifts on the way.
First, he arrives at his second uncle's place... he has to hand uncle the red
packet as per Chief's instruction; Guo has this problem, if he has "someone
else's stuff" on his person it gives him the heebie-jeebies... despite the fact
that he knows uncle will probably just hand the red packet back to him
anyway.
When he enters his uncle's place, after a greeting, the first thing he takes out
is the red packet. Like giving a police report, he recites everything
verbatim, "Uncle, our Chief said it's the New Years, so this is for aunt and
sister to buy some new clothes."
Guo's sister is a spoilt brat: spends money like water and brings back none.
This is his uncle's very first time receiving a red packet from one of his
nephews. Greatly surprised, he takes the packet after a while, and peeks
inside with disbelief, then returns it to Guo, "Wow, that's quite a lot, you
can use it to buy something for yourself... that's strange, isn't that Old Yang
a total scrooge, why did he think of giving out red packets all of a sudden?"
Guo is confused, "Who is Old Yang?"
Uncle stands up to take a tray of dumplings, and says, "Isn't the head of the
Residence Registry Old Yang? His name's got three words, what was it
again?"
Guo says, "Our Chief is Chief Zhao."
Uncle seems nonchalant, as he places pairs of chopsticks on the table, and

says, "Whatever it is, I remember hearing that this guy is as thrifty as one
can get. But then again, everyone's got a family to feed, so it's
understandable. You need to work hard, especially if your boss likes you,
you're not a kid anymore, don't spend all your money, save some for
emergencies and what not, you've got to learn how to take care of
yourself..."
Guo is more and more bewildered, "Uncle, our Chief isn't even married."
"How is that possible? Isn't his daughter going to university soon? I was
telling everyone to go easy on him, that things are not easy for him." Uncle
finally feels like something is wrong, "Hold on, who gave you the red
packet?"
Guo replies, "Our Chief Zhao."
"Chief Zhao? Which Chief Zhao?"
"Chief Zhao.... of the Special Investigations Unit?"
"SIU? Bright Avenue? Chief Zhao? Zhao Yunlan?" His uncle fires a flurry
of questions, and stares at Guo intently. He puts a dumpling in his mouth,
and starts chewing distractedly. Still, he finds this all too incredible, and
says with a mouthful, "That makes no sense, how do I have the influence to
recommend someone to the SIU?"
"What influence?" Aunt sits down at the table as well, "Aren't you at the
Residence Registry?"
Guo replies candidly, "I'm working for the Special Investigations Unit
now."
"The what now? Crime investigations?" Aunt knows this embarassing kid
all too well, and immediately begins to worry, "What's with your uncle's
recommendation, how can our boy work for crime investigations? It's
dangerous, and unstable; what if he gets given a deadly case.... say, what
kind of cases do you work on?"
Guo's mouth is agape, but uncle slams his chopsticks on the bowl and says,
"Don't ask, SIU cases are all classified, I won't have him breaking the
rules... just say, is your work dangerous? Do you get tired all the time? How
about I help you put a word out, maybe you could switch to a safer position,
albeit less well-paid."
At this point, the slow-witted Guo finally realises... from the very
beginning, his being assigned to the SIU was a mistake. Considering his
brain-power, he knows well enough that he is not qualified for this position.
Of course, Guo no longer remembers how he passed out from fear on his
first day.
Guo has always been the unsociable kind. He had barely gotten used to the
atmosphere at No. 4 Bright Avenue, but he has already became strongly
fond of that place, especially Chu Shuzhi and others.
As for Zhao, Guo basically treats him like half a dad... although this "half-
dad" suddenly found him a stepfather unannounced.
And yet, this stepfather is the kindiest, and easiest to talk to, so Guo very
adamantly says to his uncle, "I don't wanna leave."
Guo has always been indecisive, and would jump at any chance to agree
with everyone else. Uncle and aunt are both taken aback by his new-found
decisiveness.
After a good while, aunt asks, "Is that place.... really that good?"
Guo nods his head very forcefully.
"You really want to work there?" Uncle is still worried, "Is it really not
dangerous?"
In order to stay, Guo very decisively lies, "Not dangerous at all."
"Well alright then," Uncle thinks, he is an adult now after all, though he has
never had any achievement or ambition. Now that he has passion for his
work, it wouldn't be wise to extinguish that passion, so he hesitantly agrees,
"Then give me your Chief's number, I will find the time to meet with Zhao
Yunlan. He is not much older than you, you need to learn from him."
The ringing cell phone awakens Zhao. He feels as though his temples were
punctured, pain radiates, and he seems even more exhausted despite having
just woken up.
He doesn't know for how long he had slept. Chaotic dreams drowned his
mind in disorder, always revolving around stabbing the godly dragon blind,
and then crashing into Mount Buzhou. The visions would never go away.
Zhao's hand runs through the nightstand, and soon his phone is gently
placed on to his hand. His eyes have yet to open as he is answering the
phone. Once he realises who is calling, he enters the appropriate mode
automatically. After some lengthy pleasantries, Zhao very carefully and
arduously picks a few of Guo's strengths, taking care not to exaggerate, so
as to stealthily butter up the other. And so the two agrees to meet up.
Zhao hangs up, and buries his head in the pillow, "My head hurts."
Shen immediately stops whatever he was doing, and holds him in his arms,
endlessly caressing his forehead, "A bit hot, why do you have a fever all of
a sudden?"
Zhao leans his feeble head on the other's shoulder, and says with gritting
teeth, "Why do you think? Get me some inflammation and fever medicine,
you quack doctor."
With immense regret, Shen silently abides.
Zhao swallows a few small pills in one gobble, then rolls up the sleeves on
the pyjamas that Shen somehow put on him. Suddenly, he pushes Shen on
to the bed, a horrifying expression emerges on his face, "Mister, were my
services last night satisfactory?"
Shen sees that he still very unstable, and makes haste to hold him by the
waist, and buttons up his pyjamas properly, "Don't mess up the blanket, you
will catch a cold."
"That's none of your business." Zhao pushes down his shoulder with one
hand, the other pulling up his collar, and says with a menacing voice, "If
mister was satified, maybe you owe me my tip?"
Shen lets him do whatever he wants, and only looks up at him. To Zhao,
that is blatantly an invitation to ravish him. His courage somehow
skyrockets in his anger, and he begins ripping Shen's clothes off, "If I don't
do you today, I will take your last name tomorrow... ow, fuck!"
Shen hurries and wraps his arm around him, "What's wrong?"
"Ow... ow ow ow, leg cramp."
Zhao probably always lacked iron, and on top of that last night was utter
ravages, which only worsens his cramps... first his thighs, then his calves,
then the feet. Shen can only stretch his legs amidst all the screaming and
swearing, and gradually relieve his cramps.
Zhao's pain worsens till he starts biting the blanket. Then, after a while, the
pain subsides. Shen catches a glimpse of patches of olive and mauve bruises
on Zhao's body. He sits besides Zhao apologetically, and begins massaging
his sore muslces. Zhao settles down, and lays on the bed to enjoy. He peeks
at his phone on the nightstand, and suddenly says, "Guo's second uncle is a
higher-up, he only started his current position starting this year, and I don't
know him too well. Some say that he is not good at anything, but he knows
how to please everyone."
Shen murmurs a reply.
"His nephew has been working for me for over half a year, but he has never
contacted me all this time. That is until just now, do you think that's
normal?"
Shen doesn't understand the messy unspoken rules of the workplace, and
asks, "How so?"
"I suspect that the old man only just found out that Guo is working for me,
and that..." Zhao stops for a moment, and doesn't continue. He peeks at
Shen, and quickly changes the topic, "Did I really destroy the pathway to
Heaven, Mount Buzhou?"
Shen hesitates, and then says, "Legends say Gonggong destroyed Mount
Buzhou."
"Uh." Zhao closes his eyelids... if the Ghost Tribe was only released after
Mount Buzhou collapsed, then Shen probably wouldn't know who exactly
destroyed Buzhou.
Shen hesitates, but he couldn't help asking, "So when you were in the holy
tree, what..."
"I saw things that happened five thousand years ago." Zhao lays on the
pillow, and turns towards him, "I saw you meeting me for the first time,
when you fell from a big boulder into a pool of water. And so I thought, that
must have been because I was too handsome, so handsome that you were
blinded by the glimmer, and fell into the water out of shock... ah!"
Shen's grip inadvertently tightens on Zhao's hip.
"My... my old hip... are you trying to murder your husband?"
Shen gently massages him, staying silent for a while. But perhaps since
they have already taken the most intimate step, he very surprisingly admits,
"When I saw you for the first time, I was in huge panic. I will never forget
that moment."
Zhao's smile is smug and lascivious, "Hehehe, hey, Professor Shen, take off
your glasses, and show your husband your old long-haired look."
Shen very obediently takes off his glasses, and returns to his original look.
Jet black hair lengthens and spreads on the bed.
Perhaps these stupid men just somehow have a thing for long hair. Zhao
finds that a soft spot in his heart is pierced precisely with an arrow. He
stares at Shen intently for a long time, and then his dirty paws begin
carefully caressing Shen's hair, and he murmurs, "Super, super super super
beauty. This life is definitely worth living."
Shen massages his shoulders, and Zhao gradually hides away his obsessed,
idiotic expression. He ponders in silence, frowns, and then continues, "But I
think, since I grew up with dat fat fuq, even if he did anything wrong, like
eloping with a cat mistress, I still wouldn't do anything to him."
Shen blinks in confusion, not quite sure why the topic has now turned to
eloping cat.
"If I really promised Chiyou to take care of his descendents, and I watched
generations of dragons grow up from small worms to several-million-mile-
long beasts, I would have never stabbed the godly dragon in its eye and
crashed it into Mount Buzhou. I would have rather stabbed myself in the
hand." Zhao very adamantly announces, "I definitely didn't stab the dragon
in the eye, and Mount Buzhou was definitely not my doing either."
"The judge very shamelessly spewed a bunch of bullcrap, and none of it

was true. How much of the things that I saw in the holy tree is true, do you
think? And who showed it to me?" Zhao twirls Shen's hair around his
finger, with a smile on his face, but coldness in his eyes. After a while, he
says gently, "Hey, baby, tell me more about when we met at the peach
woods."
Shen lets out a quiet chuckle, and says quietly, "There's not much. I didn't
know anything at that time, and you treated me very well. You took me to
see the mountains and streams of the Earth. But Nuwa had yet to repair the
skies, and you would always say that even the most beautiful landscapes
lose their charm when it's raining perpetually. But I didn't mind, it was the
most beautiful landscape I have ever since."
"Even the most beautiful landscapes lose their charm when it's raining
perpetually". Perhaps that was only a casual complaint. Zhao frowns, and
ponders that if he indeed planned to send the world into chaos, he would not
have brought a beautiful stranger travelling.
"Then afterwards, I made you a god." Zhao says.

Shen smiles, "Don't feel sorry for it. I was born an abomination, and you
rescued me from the depths of Hell. I will always be grateful."
As he is saying this, he leans forward and gently places a kiss on Zhao's

beard. He grabs hold of Zhao's hand, and says, "The days that we spent
together are worth dying for."
"Bullshit." Zhao interrupts him, "After Nuwa repaired the Heaven, I sealed
the sky pillars with the Mystical Artifacts, and then I left you behind and
died... didn't I?"
Shen's hands freeze in place, and he embraces Zhao tightly.
"Why..." Zhao murmurs, "Was it because of Nuwa?"
A flash of discontent emerges on Shen's face, and Zhao happens to catch a

glimpse of it. This idiot immediately forgets all about what he was thinking
about, and lifts up Shen's chin with his finger, "Don't be upset. I was just
asking casually. You are way prettier than Nuwa of course. Come on,
beautiful, tell your husband, how did you use your young, pretty face to
seduce me all those years ago?"
Shen covers him with the blanket, and glares at him unnaturally, seemingly
about to enter serious mode and chastise him for misbehaving. But then, he
sees the marks of love left on Zhao's collarbone, which reminds him of god-
knows-what. He looks away, and his ears turn red. Finally, all he can say is,
"I am going out."
He speedily stands up, takes the laundry receipt on the table and heads out.
Zhao massages his hip, which is still very sore. A million feelings swell up
that words can't describe.
After a while, he crawls up and cleans himself. He eats a bowl of food Shen
prepared for him, and starts talking on the phone, "Hey dad, you free
tomorrow? I'm bringing Shen Wei to meet you."
As he says this, there is no joy on his face, but only freezing coldness.
Guardian
And as expected, Zhao's father is not home. Mommy Zhao is all apologetic,
and keeps explaining that "he was really called away last-minute by a super
important phone call".
Of course Shen wouldn't mind. Zhao wears a smile, and surprisingly has
nothing to say. The two enjoy a meal at Zhao's place and leaves.
Zhao was thrown into dismay by the holy tree, so he somehow didn't
notice... but what father would coldly excuse himself because "preparations
need to be made, so we shall meet later", when he knew full well his son's
male lover was right there in the apartment?
It's not a date, what's there to prepare for?
He simply doesn't want to meet Shen.
But why not? Does he not want to? Or does he not dare to?
Just before leaving, Zhao retrieves a small and weathered wooden box from
his bedroom. Mommy Zhao asks, "Didn't you play with that when you were
young? How come you never threw it away, and what are you doing with
it?"
"Sharing childhood memories with my lover. Lonely, old married couples

like you who have grown to hate each other wouldn't understand."
And for that, his mother beats him out of the house.
It's Valentine's Day. The empty streets are suddenly crowded with people. A
girl who sells flowers passes by the two nonchalantly, but is called back by
Zhao, "Hey girl, how many flowers do you have?"
The girl looks at them with surprise, and then smiles, "As many as you
want, I can go back to the shop to get them for you."
Zhao says, "Then I will have five thousand..."
"Sorry, sorry, he is just kidding."
Shen covers Zhao's mouth and tows him away.
Zhao struggles to free his head from Shen's arm, "I still wanna buy stuff,
wait!!!!!!"
Shen pulls the car door open and stuffs him inside without a word.
Zhao half-genuinely complains, "Do you know romance?"
Shen fires back, revolted, "As if you do?"
Zhao very irresponsibly says, "I will buy a few thousand flowers, and cover
the entire car with flowers, then I will take you as my wife."
Shen has probably been bullied by him for too long, he no longer silently
bursts out in anger, but has silently become corrupted. He takes down his
glasses, and somewhat inhibitedly wipes the snow off of them. He feigns
nonchalance, while arduously raising a flag of resistance.... he says, taking
care to appear calm, "I thought you wanted to become a flower supplier...
shouldn't I be taking you as my wife? Yesterday you said you will take my
last name."
Zhao has been used to one-sided abuse, other than that one time he got
drunk, his teasing has never met any comeback. He is instantly left
gobsmacked.
Of course, what he doesn't know is that much like Guo, Shen had to
rehearse his line three times in his mind to finally be able to say it smoothly
out loud.
And yet, this old, sly gangster very quickly recovers, and very shamelessly
starts taking his clothes off, "Alright, I will take your last name, wanna
bone right here, hubby? You don't need to do anything, just lie there, I will
satsify you."
Shen is furious, "Zhao Yunlan!"
"Present."
"How... how can you be so improper?"
Zhao's hands press on to his car seat, and says with a naughty smile, "You
haven't seen me at my worst."
Embarassed and outraged, Shen's face darkens. He pulls Zhao in by the

collar, and glares at him menacingly, spouting one word after another, "Do
you realise we're on the streets? Do you realise people might see us? Do
you know for how many times I've thought about the people who have been
with you before, and wanted to scoop all their eyes out?"
Zhao is speechless.
After a good while, Zhao finally withdraws back to his seat, and mumbles,
"Hey, actually I was just kidding, just kidding. I wasn't gonna do anything.
Still got serious stuff to do here."
Shen starts the engine in silence. Zhao rubs his nose, and sits aside in good
discipline. He opens his little wooden box, and starts rummaging through
the sundries inside. He finds a small radio receiver, and then takes out a box
of small screwdrivers kept in the car, and begins working on the small
machine.
His fingers are incredibly dexterous. Obviously, he used to mess with wires
at school all the time... one can totally foresee, if only Zhao weren't the
thriftless and fickle kind, being with a man like him means no new
electrical appliances needed, ever.
The two sit in silence for a while, and as Shen's anger subsides, he becomes
regretful... most people are pretentious and uptight in front of strangers, but
relaxed and genuine with their loved ones. But Shen is the exact opposite,
he has gotten too used to restraining himself in front of Zhao. He is always
afraid that Zhao would notice his condemnable nature. Sometimes, Shen
doesn't even know what to say to Zhao... he has always found himself filthy
and disgraceful, thus not worthy of Zhao.
Zhao has been working his small tools for long, and hasn't said a word.
Shen finally peeks at Zhao at the traffic light, and very anxiously whispers,
"What are you doing?"
Luckily, Zhao is quick to forget, and quick to forgive. He excitedly

explains, "This is a signal receiver I made as a kid. I'm fixing the broken
parts... stop at the supermarket later, I'm gonna get some batteries."
Zhao has his batteries, and the small monitor on the receiver lights up with
a "hiss". There is a barely visible dot on the screen, but the brightness is
very low. Zhao puts his hands around the screen and leans in for a closer
look.
He changes the channel slowly, and adjusts the size of the dot, while
comparing with some markings on the side that nobody understands. After
a while, he says, "Uh, not far away. Seems to be avoiding us... let's turn
back."
Shen makes a u-turn, while Zhao leans close to his small screen, and gives
instructions, "Turn left... this is a tracker I made out of a radio receiver
when I was a kid."
"What does it track?" Shen seems to be quite interested, although he

probably doesn't even understand what "radio" means.
"It tracks my dad. I put a signal generator in his phone, and who would
have thought he is still using the same phone for all these years." Zhao says,
"I was still going to high school, so my technique wasn't very good. It's
unstable, and it loses track if the signal is too far away."
Shen can't help but touch his pocket, as he thinks of his age-old phone that
he never uses, and doesn't even know how to answer sometimes... if
someone did something to it, he wouldn't have any idea.
Zhao sees what's going on, as he crosses his legs and lights a cigarette
leisurely, "Don't worry, I won't put anything on you as long as you aren't
cheating on me with some young pretty boy."
Shen glares at him, irritated.
"Left, left. Yes, that teahouse. I see my old man's car." Zhao's voice seems
lighthearted, but his face sinks deep, "I must find out today, just who is this
man who raised me."
Shen's car has barely stopped, and Zhao is already out of his seatbelt and off
the car. He runs up the stairs.
Shen locks the car, and adjusts his glasses. He finally follows suit, with
utmost composure. He even nods towards the waitress as he goes up the
stairs.
The waitress is only in her twenties. She is mesmerised, and a tea cup falls
to the floor, and shatters.
Zhao's father sits with his back facing the door. He turns around when he
hears something, and his eyes look out from behind the light-reflecting
lenses of his glasses.
His eyes look calm and his gaze is distant. Zhao stops at first, then he takes
big leaps forward and signals the waiter to leave. He sits opposite his father,
and lowers his voice, "You're not my dad, who are you?"
"Zhao's father" has yet to answer. He looks towards the stairs with a stern
expression, and watches Shen making his way up. The two lock eyes
precisely, and after some hesitation, Shen very politely nods, "Uncle."
"Zhao's father" has a strange gaze, and his facial features tighten greatly.
Because of his age, smile lines on his face deepen. After a while, he replies
with a neutral tone, "You are too kind."
Shen wears a barely noticeable smile, and does not sit at the table. He sits in
a chair on the side, a few steps away from the two. He takes a new cup,
washes it, and makes some tea for himself. Without batting an eyelid, he
clearly doesn't intend to join the conversation.
Zhao says, "I was a drunken fool that day, otherwise I would've realised you
are a fake just from your eyes... my dad has always been an ambitious
beast, he would never wear a face with so much tastefulness. You tricked
me into calling you dad for a few times, and I can let that slide, but where's
my dad? And how are you connected to Shennong? Don't tell me.... you are
Shennong?"
"Zhao's father" moves his lips, but for whatever reason, doesn't say
anything. After a while, he lowers his eyelids, and glances to the side at
Shen. He then takes a sip of tea, and still makes no sound.
Zhao's patience is running out. He knocks on the table lightly with his
finger, and says, "Hey mister, I'm only so civil with you because you might
be related to Shennong, if you won't co-operate... as a son, I owe it to my
dad, this is something I cannot ignore."
"I'm not Shennong." After a good while, "Zhao's father" begins, "And your
father is fine. I borrow his body once in a while, and I always leave some
useful memories for him. I've never been an inconvenience."
"Then what are you?" Zhao asks.
"Zhao's father" smiles, "I'm only the great Shennong's medicine bowl.
During the war of gods, by some sheer luck I completed cultivation and
became a minor deity. If I was any inconvenience to Lord Kunlun, I am
truly sorry."
"What are you doing in my dad's body? Are you connected to the memories
I saw in the holy tree?" To Zhao, whether he is a deity or something else has
no bearing, he treats people and gods the same anyway. Somehow, he has
assumed the role of a cop interrogating a criminal.
"Zhao's father" raises his eyebrows, and asks slowly, "How did Lord
Kunlun find out that the memories inside the holy tree aren't your true
memories?"
"I'm not that childish zombie who works for me, and I'm not Sun Wukong
either," Zhao drinks tea like water, and finishes a cup in one gulp, "I might
be a bit wild sometimes, but mostly I'm carefree. If there is anything that
can force me to rebel, it must be some tremendous rage. But why didn't I
feel anything while watching, except sorrow?"
"Zhao's father" nods in agreement, "Makes sense."
"No matter what, I just cannot believe I would do something so simple and
violent like puncturing a hole in the Heavens out of anger." Zhao continues,
"After all, Kunlun was born master of the mountains and rivers, the
protector of life on Earth. For all my past and present lives I have always
been an animal rights activist. I would never stab the godly dragon blind."
"Zhao's father" smiles lightly, and doesn't speak.
Zhao's gaze grows cold, "So I want to know, why did you mislead me using
the holy tree?"
"Zhao's father" sighs, "Perhaps when Lord Kunlun can look beyond
forever..."
"Don't give me that bullshit." Zhao interrupts, "Talk like a human, I'm
running out of patience. If you make me angry, I don't care who's broken
bowl you are, you're gonna be in real pain."
"Zhao's father" looks at him, and then his gaze lightly shifts, falling on Shen
who is flipping through a magazine. Suddenly, his body trembles
vigorously. Zhao's father loses focus in his eyes, and then soon regains clear
sight, but his gaze... no, his entire person has changed.
Zhao's father massages his temples, and then frowns, looking at Zhao, and
asks confusedly, "What were you saying? I'm a bit tired these few days, I
couldn't concentrate."
Zhao flinches. Immediately, he transforms from a ferocious gangster to a

juvenile delinquent. He almost melts down, and after a while, he very softly
says, "Dad?"
Zhao's father frowns, "Hm?"
That expression speaks a thousand words. Zhao can clearly make out a
complex message: "say whatever crap you need to say, I will give you one
full minute only because you're my son, I'm tired I don't want to hear some
bullshit wasting my time".
Zhao immediately pulls Shen towards him as a human shield, "Nothing. It's
just that we agreed to meet. You're not home, so I brought him here to meet
you..."
"I had something to do last-minute, came here to meet a friend." Zhao's

father murmurs, and then rigidly turns to look at Shen. After some detailed
scrutiny, owing to Professor Shen's gentlemanly charisma, he could not find
any wrong to nitpick. Finally, he greets him drily, and then says, somewhat
forcedly, "I have been rude to our guest, I hope Professor Shen wouldn't
mind."
Shen very politely greets him back.
Zhao takes out a paper talisman, it's a deity repellent. He secretly folds it
into a triangle behind his back, and then pushes it towards his father, "And
also, I went to the temple to get you a talisman for good luck. Don't open it,
keep it on your person."
Zhao's father unsuspectingly accepts it.
And yet, nothing happens. The talisman does not respond. Zhao instantly
frowns... has that broken bowl ran away, or is it so strong that even an
advanced talisman like this has no effect?
~~~
There is a huge bombshell next chapter so stay tuned. (Unless someone

already spoiled it for you in which case I apologise.)
Guardian
Finally, before there is time to catch the "broken bowl god", Zhao leaves
under his father's menacing aura... his father just seems displeased seeing
Shen, and when he is displeased for long, he will begin to make others
around him displeased as well.
Zhao feels very ashamed of this. He continues mumbling as they get in the
car, "Most people only get possessed by beautiful fox fairies. Only someone
as shitty as he is would attract a broken bowl, of all things... in his past life
he must have been a beggar, or a crappy monk bringing his crappy bowl
everywhere."
"It's fine, don't worry. Shennong's followers are known for their kindness,
they wouldn't harm humans for no reason. Besides, didn't you put a marker
on him already? I'll keep an eye on him for you."
Zhao cackles drily, "Hehe, thanks babe. We aren't even married yet, but
you're already troubled by that jerk father-in-law."
He really is the forgetful kind. He has already forgotten about Shen's

outrage just earlier, and is teasing him callously again.
Zhao's plan was to watch a movie together; it's Valentine's Day after all. But
perhaps the car is too warm with the heater, he soon falls asleep. Just before
drifting away into slumber, Zhao wonders, why does he tire so easily lately?
Perhaps it's the common cold.
And while he is asleep, he is bothered by waves and waves of clustered

dreams. There always seems to be someone amidst the white mist,
incessantly repeating, "You fail to look beyond forever. You fail to tell right
from wrong, good from evil, life from death..."
The words wheel through his mind back and forth, and soon Zhao can't help
but wonder: what really are life and death?
The endless interrogation bombards him with increasing dissonance. Zhao

knows he is dreaming, but for the life of him, he just cannot wake up. These
chaotic dreams draw him deep into a depthless swamp, sucking away his
breath as he struggle to break free.
Then, someone pushes a bowl against his mouth, which reeks of a foul
odour. Forcing his mouth open, the medicine is stuffed down his throat.
Zhao naturally resists, and tries to push the thick liquid away with his
tongue. His head is then held in place, and then, there is a familiar scent;
soft lips adhere, as the medicine flows downwards.
Zhao finally breaks free from his dream, and finds himself home, in bed.
Shen puts down the bowl, and brings a cup of tea. Foreheads touching,
Shen says tenderly, "Come on, drink some to clear the taste."
Zhao stares at him quietly, taking the cup. Long and lush eyelashes point
downwards, as his forehead is still wet with sweat after the nightmare.
He downs the whole cup, and says coarsely, "Don't know why, I am always
so tired lately."
Shen hesitates and answers, "Must have been exhausted after going inside
the holy tree."
"Oh." Zhao suddenly looks up, and stares at him suggestively. He speaks in
elongated sounds, "And I thought maybe..."
That sends shivers down Shen's spine.
That idiot moans with fake tears and an unnecessary intonation in his voice,
"I am pregnant with your child."
Shen shudders, and almost drops the bowl and the cup to the floor. He
quickly scrambles off.
Zhao takes out his phone to see what time it is. There is a brief message
from Wang Zheng: in an urban area around 300 km away from Dragon City
there is a cluster of villas, one resident found a corpse, green-faced with a
horrified expression, and a black dog's neck in his grasp. Both man and dog
were cold.
Then, Wang professionally reminds him, "It's almost 7th of January."
Legend says that the 7th day of the first month is everyone's birthday, and
there are tricks for borrowing people's lifespans.
Folklore teaches that the blood of a black dog can communicate between
the living and the dead. The blood is used to write the horoscope readings
of two people on a piece of paper, and on it the number of years borrowed is
specified. Four incense candles are placed at the corners of the paper, if they
stand upright, that means a Hell Guard has taken the bribe. Then, burn the
paper, and have the borrower swallow the ashes, and the ritual is done.
In olden times, usually when old people got ill, their children or
grandchildren might willingly lend their lifespans. But nowadays, these
rituals are lost; only selfish cowards try to find defective ways to steal other
people's lives.
In the past, if the rituals failed and the ill passed away nonetheless, the child
or grandchild would perform another ritual to get back the lifespan. But
stealing is very different. If successful, the Taoist priest who helped with the
ritual would have made money in the expense of his virtue. If unsuccessful,
it could backfire and cost the life of whoever performed the ritual.
A human corpse next to that of a black dog is not a rare sight near the 7th of
January. SIU has several of these cases every year. Zhao forwards the
message to everyone, and asks that whoever is free go and take a look.
Before he finishes typing, his eyelids begin to droop. He pulls through and
barely hits send. Like a black-out, he drops on the bed and falls asleep
before he could even count one sheep.
When Zhu Hong receives the message, she is meditating on the roof. Her
long snake tail bathes in the moonlight... Northern cities are quite the
trouble, as sunny weather is rarely seen in winter; even moonlit nights are
rare and precious opportunities for meditation.
Zhu opens her eyes, but not to look at her phone, as she immediately sees
the man sitting opposite her, and is shocked, "Uncle?"
Her uncle four looks at her and says, "Years ago, you failed in your
cultivation, and was maimed by Heavenly Thunder. I left you under the care
of the Guardian, in the hopes that his most Yang energy could protect you.
It seems he has taken good care of you."
With a wave of the hand, a small pavilion emerges on the windy rooftop.
Inside there is a big tea tray, with a small burning stove and water pot, and a
tea pot beside with tea leaves readily stored inside. Uncle four invites Zhu
in, "Come on."
Her snake tail turns into legs, as she quickly skims through Zhao's message.
She hesitates, and says, "The Guardian says there is a case..."
"A life stealer got what he deserved, these cases happen every year." Uncle
four glances at the message, and then continues, "There's something I need
to discuss with you now."
Her uncle four is already the leader of the Snake Tribe. He is always
benevolent, but never easy to read. He would never "discuss" anything with
anyone, as he would have made up his mind already; the "discussing" is
merely a formality.
Zhu adjusts her posture.
Uncle four pours hot water into the tea pot, and begins calmly amidst the
rising vapour, "Dragon City is not the right place for cultivation. Most of
the fairies at the market live near the urban areas. In the past 20 years, you
haven't achieved much, I'm sure you are aware."
Zhu takes a cup of tea, and tests the water, "So, uncle wants me to move to
the urban areas?"
Seeing that she is playing dumb, uncle four doesn't beat around the bush.
He smiles, and says, "I want you to leave Dragon City."
"But the Guardian Order..."
"I left you under the care of the Guardian, and in return you would work for
him, but you are not bound by the Order, so you can leave anytime."
Zhu bites her lips.
"What now, you don't want you leave him?" Uncle four is always amiable
when he speaks, with a warm smile like a buddha statue at a temple. Yet,
his eyes glare into another's with menace, "If you still see me as your uncle,
listen to me and just leave. If there is a place for you in his heart, I'd hate to
be a killjoy. But don't you know what he really thinks about you?"
Zhu stays in silence.
Uncle four knocks on the table lightly, "You have always been a smart kid
growing up. I don't need to spell it out for you. You know what to do."
Zhu tightens her grasp around her phone as her fingers contort, and veins
bulge out at the back of her hand. The poor electronic device is not
designed to withstand this, and its screen shatters into a spider web with a
pop, and withers away.
Uncle four calmly sips tea, and is in no hurry to urge her.
After a long while, Zhu says quietly, "I will... I will help him wrap this final
cause, and then I will quit... is that okay?"
Uncle four very considerably agrees, "Never do things by halves, that's the
way it ought to be."
Then, he takes out a small box. There is a pearl gleaming with brilliance
inside, "This is a water dragon pearl. It brings good fortune, defends against
fire and water. Give this to the Guardian when you leave. He took such
good care of you all these years, the entire tribe owes it to him. This is just a
small gift."
Zhu takes the box and is about to say thanks, but uncle four vanishes in the
blink of an eye.
The moon is radiant, but her heart is in chaos. She is in no mood to meditate
any longer. She cleans up the mess that is left of her phone, retrieves the
SIM card, and disappears into the night.
At midnight, Zhao receives Zhu's message: "I'm going with Lin Jing. Don't
forget to pay us for OT."
Shen never falls too deep asleep. Sometimes Zhao suspects he does not
sleep at all. He is always afraid of disturbing him, so he would turn his
phone to vibrate mode and put it on a nightstand on his side. But tonight he
fell asleep holding his phone.
His phone vibrates in his palm, and he is awaken without a sound.
Zhao doesn't check the message. He holds his breath and turns around to
see if Shen is awake. But he finds the other side of the bed cold and empty.
Zhao sits up, and rubs his eyes. He sees that the kitchen is lit. Bare-footed,
he heads towards the light.
In the kitchen, Shen has his back turned, and a small clay pot seems to be
cooking something on the stove. There is a faint medicinal aroma. Could it
be some kind of medicine that has to be stewed overnight? Zhao blinks, and
rolls up his sleeves, half-awake, "What are you making? I'll help..."
Shen is startled, and a knife falls to the floor, dripping with fresh blood.
Blood spatters across the snow-white cupboard. Zhao's irises refocus, and is
instantly fully awake: that knife... was inside Shen's chest just a moment
ago.
Shen's face is pale as paper. For a few seconds, a pin drop could have been
heard in the kitchen.
A moment later, Zhao stomps forward, and rips apart Shen's clothes. The
stabbing on Shen's chest heals instantaneously, but the blood stain remains
on his clothes. Zhao feels as though the knife had been stabbed on his chest.
He runs his fingers across Shen's seemingly unharmed chest with utmost
care, and asks after a while, almost failing to make a sound, "What is going
on?"
Shen stands in silence.
Zhao pulls him in by the collar, and raises his voice, "I asked you what's
happening, answer me!"
Shen is shoved on to the kitchen cupboard with a loud thud. Zhao is short-
tempered around others, but never towards Shen. Yet this time, his anger is
genuine.
At this moment, Zhao seems to understand how Shen felt when he used the
Shadow Blitz at the hospital, and how Shen almost slapped him across the
face. He can barely catch a breath as anger overwhelms him and his mind
goes blank. After a while, Zhao fires away again, "What have you been
feeding me? Shen Wei! Look at me! You fucking answer me right now!"
"All those years ago... you lost your left shoulder soul flame, and you
poured out blood from your heart to make the Lantern." After a good while,
Shen replies, "Your soul is unstable. You made me a god, but I was born
from filth nonetheless. If you spend too much time with me, at first you will
begin to lose strength, and then gradually it will become much worse until
one day you will die because of me."
Shen closes his eyes, and says almost inaudibly, "A few thousand years ago
Shennong said that I am destined to a miserable end just as my miserable
beginning. I was born Ghost King, and will always be, and if you won't
leave me, one day, you will meet the same fate."
Like a needle, these words suck away all strength from Zhao's body. He lets
go of Shen, and stumbles backwards, almost knocking over the small pot on
the stove.
"The 'medicine' I drank... had blood from your heart." Zhao's lips shiver
tremendously, "And this is supposed to be my 'life support'?"
Shen looks at him, and smiles extremely subtly, "Even my soul is black.
There is only one place in my heart I have left for you, where the blood is
still red. I am willing to use it to protect you."
Zhao stares at the floor. After a while, he looks up and covers his eyes with
his hand.
If Shen doesn't like him, he could keep going after him, or he could choose
to leave.
If Shen wronged him, he could choose to forgive him, or he could choose to

leave.
But Shen is like a spider that has trapped him in a most ambivalent place,
where he cannot hate, but cannot accept either.
Long after, Zhao has yet to say a word. He grabs a jacket, and heads out the
door.
As it turns out, there is a kind of love that is a knife in the heart.
~~~
Oh boy, long time no see! Sorry for not updating for such a long time, I
have been caught up in a summer internship. What a busy summer! And
everything is fine so don't worry ^_^
More chapters coming up! Will try my best to upload more frequently :)
Cheers everyone!
Guardian
For administrative purposes, off-site work requires the logistics department
to arrange transport. Before the sun rises, Zhu Hong and Lin Jing head to
No. 4 Bright Avenue to find Wang Zheng. As they enter the front door, they
see their Chief curled up on the sofa, still in his pajamas, and covered in a
thick wool jacket.
Da Qing is crouched in front of the sofa, contently licking its paws in the
face of a bowl with only the carcasses of fish in it.
Zhu tiptoes and whispers, "Why is he sleeping here? Isn't it cold, will he
catch a cold?"
She turns up the air conditioning, and takes off her down jacket to cover
Zhao with it.
After the New Years celebrations, Lin has gained weight as if he were hit by
an air gun. Stroking his big fat dumpling of a chin, he says, "Not going
home during the New Year is a sure sign of trouble. Either he is getting
married against his will, or getting separated against his will."
He is just about to go on, but Zhao wakes up with messy hair and heavy
dark circles round his eyes, and throws a menacing glare Lin's way. He
demands succinctly, "Shut up, fuck off!"
Lin has always been foul-mouthed. After two seconds of silence, he can't
help but continue, "No way, how do you stand this guy... when your wifey
wakes you up for breakfast, is that what you say as well?"
Zhao grabs a small plant nearby and hurls it towards him with a loud bang
to follow.
Da Qing and Zhu stare at each other in silence, and Lin flinches as well...
seeing that Zhao seems truly mad, this foul-mouther silently gets a broom to
sweep up the aftermath, mumbling, "Amitabha, the blessing is in the
breaking."
Da Qing hops on to the couch, and paws Zhao on the shoulder, "Oi, you
okay?"
Zhao takes two deep breathes, and falls back down, sinking his face into
Shen's clothes. Zhao only realised this problem after he left; the collar is
encompassed by that person's clean and pleasant scent.
After a good while, Zhao mumbles, "I'm fine... Lin Jing you can put that
down, I will clean up. I wasn't mad at you... I just don't feel well, let me lay
here for a while. Go do your work."
Da Qing's whiskers quiver; Zhao rudely pinches the hair on its head, and
pats the fat cat on the butt half-heartedly, "If you're free help me do some
research on the Book of Primeval Secrets."
"Freeloading on your cat ancestors." Da Qing huffs with discontent, "What

about my red packet? What about my lucky money?"
Zhao, with his eyes still shut, scrambles to find some cash in Shen's jacket,
and stuffs it under the cat's collar, "Is your skin really that thick? No-one
can afford it if you got a penny for every year you've been on Earth, old
man. Go on, shoo."
Da Qing tries to claw at his clothes, but Zhao blocks it agilely, and as Da
Qing's claws make contact with warm human flesh, they retract. Yet, a
white mark is left on Zhao's arm.
Having lost the right to grind its claws... Da Qing runs off with steam,
thinking that this big bastard Zhao Yunlan has used this high-class, elegant
cat like a fare box on a bus.
Since there are so many customs during the New Year, and most of the SIU
staff is inhuman, each having their unique ways of spending the New Year,
official work days usually only begin after the 15th. During the day, No. 4
Bright Avenue is practically empty. Zhao is still upset about Shen, and
sleeps till a little before noon.
When he wakes up, the black cat is gone. All is quiet in the office. Zhao
takes up the down jacket which almost fell to the floor, and dusts it. He
soon realises, as he opens his eyes, that he wore a pair of leather shoes
without socks, as he was in a hurry to leave. He feels a bit cold.
Then, Zhao soon sees a pair of boots he often wears, with a pair of socks
stuffed inside, sitting on the floor next to him. A set of neatly ironed clothes
are placed on the sofa, underwear folded on the inside, and on top are his
phone, keys and wallet... but that person did not bring a jacket; he probably
wanted Zhao to keep the jacket he's worn before.
Someone suddenly says, "Professor Shen brought those over. I was gonna
wake you, but he didn't let me."
Zhao sees Zhu Hong at her desk, wasting time on the web.
"Where is Shen?"
"He's gone." Zhu looks away from the monitor.
Zhao's voice is a little coarse, "Where to? What else did he say?"
"Oh, he said: 'It's cold outside, go home when you're done working, you
won't see him at your place, he is going back to his place'." Zhu repeats
back what Shen said, and then continues, "Then he left, probably went back
home... so why did the two of you pick a fight during the New Year?"
Zhao does not answer. He knows where "his place" really is: not what Zhu
thinks. As he thinks of this, it hurts like there is a knife to the heart; before
others, he keeps a straight face.
After a while, Zhao sits up and puts on his socks. He heads to the toilet to
change, and hurriedly wash up. Arms against the sink, he stares into the
snow-white porcelain, and then buries his face into the freezing water.
For a moment, he dares not to think about Shen. For the first time in his life,
just thinking about that certain someone seems to eat away at his heart.
He stays in the toilet for a long time, and Zhu starts to worry. She knocks,
"Chief Zhao, you okay?"
Zhao replies, and wipes his face. He shaves carefully in front of the mirror,
and then stands upright and gets out.
He knows hurting never solves any problem. He must figure out what is
going on.
Zhu awaits him at the door. She struggles to say something, but Zhao asks
nonchalantly, "Anything to eat? I'm hungry."
"The canteen must have some food, you wanna go there?"
Zhao nods, and walks to the second floor. Zhu is shocked... the normal
Zhao would sit at his desk and go "get me a bowl of congee", rarely would
he condescend to go to the canteen by himself.
Zhao gets a regular breakfast set from the canteen, and silently sits down to
eat. His entire person is in an eeriely peaceful state. Zhu follows him
quietly, thinking that even if the sky were to collapse, he would probably
just look up for a bit, and keep eating his congee. She gets even more
scared.
Then, as Zhao finishes all his food, and finally feels a bit of warmth in his
limbs, he looks to Zhu and says, "Why are you at work?"
After a moment of silence, Zhu replies, "I was gonna take the train with Lin
to look at the black dog and corpse."
"Oh, then why didn't you?"
"I was worried about you, so I had him go alone."
Zhao wipes his mouth, and takes away the tray, without a care, "What's
there to worry about me, just go home."
Zhu doesn't say a word, and just follows him.
Zhao goes back to his office, and turns on his computer like a normal day.
He glances over to Zhu, "What are you still doing here?"
"What's going on with you?"
Zhao took out a box of cigarettes and a lighter, and brushes it off,
"Nothing."
Zhu will not let him go, "If nothing's wrong why did you spend the night in
your office?"
"Ah," Zhao sucks the white smoke deep into his lungs, "We just had a tiff
last night."
"Bullshit," Zhu says, "You think everyone's blind? You treat that Shen like
treasure, if you were only quarreling over something trivial, you would be
back apologising already, why are you still here?"
Zhao has nothing to say.
"Did he do something to hurt you?" Zhu's eyes glare up, like if Zhao nods
she would go and swallow Shen whole.
"Don't talk crap." Zhao flickers away some ash, "Why are you so nosy.
Nosy women can't get married."
Zhu says with melancholy, "The person I like doesn't like me back, I am not
gonna get married anyway, so why does it matter?"
Zhao understands what she means, but pretends not to. He decides to run
away shamefully... he grabs his briefcase, stuffs his wallet and phone inside,
and leaves without turning off the computer.
But Zhu does not intend to let him go, she follows right behind him, "What
are you doing?"
"I'm meeting with a higher-up." Zhao stares at her, "Why are you still
following me?"
He unlocks the car, and Zhu rapidly takes the seat next to the driver, and
kachunks the seat belt on, "I'm going too."
Zhao stands at the car door, sighing, "Good madam, will you please let me
go?"
Zhu silently looks to the other side.
The two remain in silence for a good while, and Zhu refuses to budge.
Then, Zhao takes a deep breath, suppresses his exasperation, and gets in the
car after putting out his cigarette.
He drives in silence. Zhu secretly glances at him several times, and only
sees his handsome and cool profile. She finds something to talk about,
"Who is this higher-up?"
"Little Guo's uncle." Zhao says, "Right, about this. Can you help me find
out who pulled the strings to get Guo transferred to our team?"
"Pulled the strings? To transfer Guo? What can he do? What for?"
Zhao says nothing.
Inside, he is suspecting the bowl possessing his dad must have done this,
but what for? And why Guo? He has good virtue, a lot more than average,
but there is nothing else special about him, or is there? Looking at the
whole SIU team, Little Guo seems like the most human, or is there
something hidden about him?
If possible, Zhao wants to retrieve the power and true memory of Lord
Kunlun. If not, at least he must find out what is truthful and what is not, and
get to the bottom of all this; he cannot act rashly.
Shen Wei... just this name gives Zhao an excruciating headache, like there
is a fire starting in his heart, burning and eating away his strength. But he
must endure, and keep calm like still water. Sometimes, Zhao finds himself
frowning intensely when nobody's around.
A vision would recur in his mind... in a deep and freezing darkness, half of
Shen's body is engulfed in murk, as he desperately looks up searching for a
piece of blue sky, but his gaze cannot escape the never-ending black, and
finally he loses hope, and submerges into the dark with an unspoken
longing...
Suddenly, someone pushes Zhao, and he awakes. Heart pounding like

thunder; a brush of cold sweat on his forehead.
It's Zhu. She says, rather unpleasantly, "We've arrived."
Zhao's mind goes blank for a moment, before he realises that it was a
dream... he had drunk a few with Guo's uncle, and Zhu drove on the way
back; he fell asleep in the passenger's seat somehow.
Zhu sits motionlessly, "What were you dreaming about? You were
screaming 'Shen Wei' like your life depended on it."
Zhao is embarrassed, and doesn't want to continue this conversation. He

pretends to have missed it.
"Yunlan," Zhu stops him.
Zhao flinches.
She takes out a small box; she had tied a red string around the water dragon
pearl for good fortune, "My uncle's gift, to thank you for taking care of
me... I... I am gonna leave with him soon."
Zhao frowns slightly, "Leave? To where?"
"Not sure. Probably back to the tribe." Zhu laughs dryly. Zhao doesn't take
it, so she hangs the red string around his neck, and places the pearl in place,
"This is a holy item of our tribe, it will protect you from fire and water, and
keep you safe... if there's anything you want me to do, you better tell me
now, there isn't much time left."
Zhao says after a while, "Dragon City is not a place of cultivation. It's better
if you go back to the tribe, you'll be further away from humans, and there
would be less trouble. Your uncle is an important figure, learn from him,
and maybe you will be the next leader of the Snake Tribe."
Like words in a will, Zhao makes a calm account. Zhu impulsively says,
"Chief Zhao, just say the word and I will stay with you forever, I can cut
ties with the tribe, and I would do anything for you."
She waits for his response restlessly, as if her life depended on it.
But Zhao avoids her gaze, and laughs at himself, "We've known each other
for long, how could I trap you here forever? I know you will do well in the
tribe, and I am relieved."
Sparkles extinguish within Zhu's eyes.
And Zhao exits from the other side of the car.
~~~
Sorry for the long wait, but I have been impossibly busy! Oh, and thank you
for 3 million reads (which happened long ago but still)!!! You're all lovely
people :)
Please wait patiently for the next chapter ^_^ Have a nice day everyone!

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Guardian (English Version BL

Wet, and sticky.

At this time, Guo Changcheng finds himself carrying a document of notice,

Unfortunately, Guo fails to live up to any sort of expectation imaginable, he

Afterwards, when his uncle was transferred to the Ministry of Public

"Guo Changcheng comrade,

Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China

Special Investigations Unit

And so, he never made the phone call.

No. 4 Bright Avenue is not so bright, but rather hidden in a secluded

"I am reporting as a new recruit, this is my notice letter... I am reporting as a

"What?" Asks the bewildered, middle-aged man at the reception.

Guo tenses up in an instance, not feeling lucky whatsoever.

Meeting the Chief? He'd rather meet ghosts.

Surprisingly, when the handsome man sees someone standing by the

"Hi, my warmest welcome." Chief Zhao extends his hand eagerly.

Guo nods nervously.

No matter how desperately hurried Chief Zhao seemed a moment ago, as he

The office is full of busying people, it really seems to be a hectic time.

"No worries," Old Wu explains, "you will mostly be working during

Guo shamefully admits his rather disappointing and lackluster academic

What stuff? Private school?

"Oh, we're here!" Old Wu cheers.

What is meant by... "can only do night shifts"?

Guo feels increasingly uncomfortable, another wave of frost rushes through

He... he he he he he he he doesn't have legs!!!

"Meeting the Chief? He'd rather meet ghosts."

Perhaps this is karma paying back.

Two seconds later, Guo passes out without a sound.

His frozen body lies straightly on the floor.

In the suffocating heat of a summer's night, Li Qian puffs and pants

Gradually, her expression becomes strangely unsettling, like an evil smirk,

The footsteps have stopped.

Li rolls up her sleeves, her snow-white arms now infested with

The invisible is the most frightening.

A shadow... it's a shadow!

Li is paralysed on the ground, but the shadowy figure is standing upright.

She seems to hear a screeching laughter.

Zhao has a greatly resentful expression, like he is about to burst out

"Someone died," Wang's voice came from the other side.

"Last night or this morning, just a while ago."

"Chu Shuzhi went on a business trip to Xiangxi."

"What about Lin Jing?"

"Got called under by Hell."

"......" Zhao asks, "what scared him?"

He hangs up, washes himself in three minutes, and speeds towards

In the Ministry of Public Security, everyone knows of the secretive

The police officer in charge of the investigation is a senior policeman,

"Zhao, Zhao Yunlan, you can just call me Little Zhao."

At this moment, someone is growing impatient, and a loud and clear

Old Yang stares at it and it stares right back, "this... this...?"

"..." Old Yang is left speechless.

The further they go, the nastier the smell.

While Yang is still mesmerised and stupefied, Zhao remarks in a serious

Dragon City University is a famous school with a long history.

Guo sheepishly stumbles forward, and says, "I'm here..."

Guo trembles, and begins muttering inaudibly, almost sounding like a