Chapter 603: I Want You to Help Guard the Mountain

The lockdown zone dissipated, and the sky gradually brightened.

With dawn approaching, Lu Yibei felt the psychic energy inside her beginning to stir. Her eyes trembled slightly, and she stopped trading threats with Zhang Huainan.

“Junior Brother, you want to see Lu Yibei, right? I’ll go find him now. Give me five minutes… No, three. How about I have him standing in front of you in three minutes?”

Morning sunlight was about to pour down. If her body changed in front of both of them, it would be the kind of social death that left her ready to lie on a slab and sleep in a coffin.

I need to find somewhere to change back, fast… Lu Yibei thought.

What trick are you trying to pull now, brat? Zhang Huainan grumbled inwardly before nodding. “Very well. I shall wait here for three minutes.”

He was not worried that Lu Yibei would use those three minutes to flee. Forget three minutes—even if he gave her thirty, she could not escape the range of his psychic sense.

Besides, amusing as it was to watch Lu Yibei squirm in an awkward predicament, that was hardly serious business. Obtaining information from her about the haunting behind the Esoteric Society was the real priority.

Relieved that Zhang Huainan had agreed, Lu Yibei walked over to Huá Sāng. “So, uh…”

Lost in her own world with her thoughts in utter disarray, Huá Sāng heard Lu Yibei’s voice beside her. Her face instantly grew even redder, as though it were on fire. Her body trembled, and she shuffled aside before mumbling, “Y-you were saying?”

Like a frightened little animal, she lowered her head, not daring to look at Lu Yibei.

For more than a decade, she had always lived passively. If she could not solve a problem, she slacked off and hid from it. Afraid that her Spirit Pattern would lose control, she used her psychic energy as little as possible. Terrified that she might kill the fiancé she had never met, she simply pretended the engagement did not exist and avoided all contact with him.

She was like a little turtle, always hiding herself beneath a thick, hard shell.

But now her fiancé was standing right in front of her. Not only would she not kill him, he might even be able to cure the problem with her out-of-control Spirit Pattern. She had no idea how to handle the situation.

The unpredictability of life was like a merciless hand determined to drag that turtle out of the shell she called home.

Seeing Huá Sāng acting so strangely, Lu Yibei tilted her head in confusion. She did not ask about it, however, and merely continued, “The timing isn’t great right now. I’m afraid I can’t talk with you for the moment…”

“I-it’s fine,” Huá Sāng hurriedly replied.

“Uh, good…” Lu Yibei scratched the back of her head. “How about I come find you tonight?”

“Huh?” Huá Sāng stared at her in surprise, eyes wide. “W-why at night?”

“It’s more convenient at night!”

“C-convenient for what?” Huá Sāng asked blankly.

“For talking!” Lu Yibei replied, baffled. “What else would we do? Of course, if you want to stay up all night playing Aeroplane Chess, I can keep you company.”

Huá Sāng froze, then quickly looked away and lowered her head once more. She nodded. “Mm. See you tonight.”

“All right, see you then!” Lu Yibei answered. Without lingering any longer, she hurried toward a nearby residential building.

Huá Sāng watched Lu Yibei’s retreating back, lightly biting her lip with a complicated expression.

Zhang Huainan strolled over and gently patted her shoulder, sighing soundlessly.

Through divination, he had already sensed that Lu Ming’s clever scheme had taken effect. Not only had Lu Yibei’s trajectory of fate changed, but the fate of the person destined to marry her had been disturbed in turn.

Huá Sāng was the clearest example. She should have endured the torment of the night erosion inside her until the day she could bear it no longer, when her Spirit Pattern would lose control and transform her into a haunting, ultimately leading to her death.

But now, an opportunity had appeared.

Still, where had that brat Lu Yibei acquired the strange ability to absorb night erosion and convert it into psychic energy?

From his great-grandfather to his father, I watched every one of them grow up. Their family never had a Spirit Pattern like that… In that case, perhaps it came from an encounter of his own?

Could Lu Ming have anticipated even this?

Zhang Huainan found Lu Ming increasingly difficult to fathom.

Although Lu Ming’s talent made it nearly impossible for him to become a catastrophe-class psychic, he seemed to harbor far more secrets than many catastrophe-class beings.

————

When bright morning light awakened the earth from a night of deep sleep, Lu Yibei—back in his human form—walked out of a residential building. He darted behind a stone pillar, leaned half his body out, and furtively scanned the surroundings.

Seeing that Zhang Huainan had disappeared, his urge to slip away began stirring again. Just then, a human-shaped shadow suddenly fell across his field of vision from above.

A familiar voice sounded beside his ear.

“What are you looking for?”

“I’m looking for…” Lu Yibei got a few words out before realizing something was wrong. He jerked his head up and saw Zhang Huainan standing behind him in the exact same pose, peering toward the street outside the residential area.

“…”

At that moment, Lu Yibei understood with perfect clarity that this old monster possessed tremendous powers. There was no escaping his grasp.

He had already ended his haunting transformation and even asked the jacket to conceal his presence, yet Zhang Huainan had still caught him.

When Lu Yibei remained speechless, Zhang Huainan smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “You’re Lu Yibei, correct? Come along. I know a century-old breakfast shop nearby. We can talk there and have breakfast while we’re at it.”

“Mm. All right,” Lu Yibei replied obediently.

Whatever you say! It’s not like I can resist, is it?

Lu Yibei quietly made up his mind. If Zhang Huainan used force to make him do anything that violated his principles, then he would have no choice but to ask his “parent” to help him settle the score afterward.

The Ancestor would definitely take my side, right?

Lu Yibei pursed his lips. “But before that, there’s something else I need to do. Please wait a moment…”

“Oh?” Zhang Huainan frowned. “What else?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t run. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t get away!” Lu Yibei said. “It’ll only take a few minutes. Just watch.”

Zhang Huainan parted his lips as though he wanted to speak, then nodded instead.

He watched Lu Yibei walk toward a heap of corpses by the street, bend down, and rummage around for a while before dragging out a delicate-featured “girl.”

Zhang Huainan: “…”

Isn’t that the operator from The Midnight Watchers Society who appeared at Xuanwu Terrace before?

He was swept up in this incident too?

To think he hid the man in a pile of corpses. When it comes to playing around, this brat truly is in a league of his own.

————

As Lu Yibei and Zhang Huainan walked side by side out of the residential area, Qingxiazi had already arrived with a group of Great Pure Palace disciples and begun dealing with the aftermath.

Cordon tape had been drawn across several intersections surrounding the residential area. Hundreds of metal stakes engraved with solidified spell formations designed to interfere with cognition had been driven neatly into the ground. More than ten Great Pure Palace disciples in specialized protective suits sprayed Alchemical potions throughout the neighborhood to eliminate residual psychic energy.

For a haunting incident of this magnitude, completely erasing its effects was impossible. Merely limiting the spread of its haunting legend and preventing secondary harm would consume tremendous manpower and resources.

Among the busy Great Pure Palace disciples, Fu Xinyi stood in front of a residential building with a tablet computer in hand, carefully recording something.

After handing the unconscious Fang Ji to the Great Pure Palace disciples responsible for medical care, Lu Yibei passed Fu Xinyi and happened to encounter Yi Sihan, whom he had met before, emerging from the building with red-rimmed eyes and a grave expression.

“How is it?” Fu Xinyi looked up and asked Yi Sihan. “Did you find any survivors?”

Yi Sihan shook his head. He wiped away tears that were about to spill and choked out, “Senior Sister Fu, they’re all gone. All four hundred and seventeen people in the building… How could anyone bring themselves to do that?!”

“…”

Hearing the exchange between Fu Xinyi and Yi Sihan from a distance, Lu Yibei faltered. He turned to look, fists clenching as anger flickered faintly in his eyes.

That’s right. How could they bring themselves to do it?

Seeing this, Zhang Huainan reached out and gently rested a hand on his shoulder.

Feeling the weight there, Lu Yibei turned toward him and said heavily, “Someone told me that when it comes to dealing with the Esoteric Society, I can trust you unconditionally. I trust her, so I intend to tell you everything I know. After that…”

Seeming to guess what Lu Yibei meant, Zhang Huainan smiled. “You want this old man to avenge these innocent people?”

Lu Yibei nodded.

According to the PL girl, his strength alone was not enough to destroy the Esoteric Society, but Zhang Huainan possessed more than enough power.

Zhang Huainan shook his head. “I will naturally find the one responsible for all this, but not to avenge these people. I will do it so that no similar tragedy ever happens again.”

Is there a difference? Lu Yibei looked at Zhang Huainan with confusion in his eyes.

“Of course there is. Even when performing the same action, a different purpose can lead to vastly different methods and results… Anger and hatred blind the eyes more easily than anything else.”

After a pause, Zhang Huainan saw that confusion remained in Lu Yibei’s eyes and sighed soundlessly. “Never mind. Shall we go?”

Zhang Huainan knew that, given what the Eclipse Society had done to Lu Ming and his wife, Lu Yibei would confront the Eclipse Society sooner or later.

He saw nothing wrong with opposing them, but Lu Yibei could not do so with revenge in his heart. The Eclipse Society had countless ways to exploit such extreme emotions.

If Lu Yibei allowed his feelings to dictate his actions in a clash with them, as he had just now, he would undoubtedly suffer a terrible loss.

It did not matter that Lu Yibei failed to understand at present. Fortunately, there was still time. Zhang Huainan could guide him slowly. They had a long road ahead.

Still…

Who was this person he mentioned, the one who said I could be trusted unconditionally?

Could it be Senior Brother Qing Ji?

Heh heh. Thinking about it that way is rather embarrassing! Zhang Huainan thought, a bashful smile like a young boy’s appearing on his aged face.

————

A short while later.

At a century-old breakfast shop near Sleepless Street.

In a relatively secluded corner of the shop, two bowls of plain congee and two plates of delicate side dishes sat on a square wooden table. They appeared to have been left there for quite some time and had already gone cold, without a trace of steam.

Lu Yibei and Zhang Huainan sat on opposite sides of the table, speaking quietly.

“…That’s everything I know about the haunting hidden behind the Esoteric Society.”

Lu Yibei had recounted in detail all the information he had obtained from the PL girl. He lifted the bowl of congee and ate slowly while waiting for a response.

Although it had already cooled, the congee still tasted rather good—lightly sweet and pleasant. As expected of a century-old shop.

“…” Zhang Huainan listened with a grave expression. After carefully analyzing the intelligence Lu Yibei provided, he nodded. “This information is already extremely thorough. Now that I know the reason its power took shape, I have a seventy-to-eighty-percent chance of locating it.”

“Huh? Only seventy or eighty percent?” Lu Yibei widened his eyes and set down the porcelain bowl. “How is that any different from not finding it at all? Old man, are you sure you can do this?”

Zhang Huainan: “???”

“Since when has seventy or eighty percent been considered unreliable? Why don’t you do it, then?”

Contempt appeared in Lu Yibei’s eyes. “I’m telling you because I can’t do it! If I could, why would I need you to show up?”

He had always excelled at saying the most cowardly things in the most forceful tone.

“…”

Zhang Huainan fell silent for two seconds before continuing, “However, if we can capture an Esoteric Society member and seize one of the corrupted objects in his possession, I will be completely certain.”

“Completely certain?” Lu Yibei smacked his lips and nodded thoughtfully.

One hundred percent was barely… acceptable, he supposed!

“By the way, you said that person’s alias was Gu He, correct?”

After Lu Yibei nodded, Zhang Huainan continued, “I have heard that name before. He is said to be an exceptionally talented disciple. Now that I think about it, he seems to have risen to prominence only within the last four years.”

“When you mentioned him just now, I contacted my sect’s elders and asked them to investigate. I expect results soon.”

“But setting that aside for now, there is one matter I need you to clarify.”

“Please ask.” Lu Yibei nodded.

“Based on your description of how the haunting behind the Esoteric Society formed its power, I believe it may currently reside inside a Divine Land constructed from that power. Given the nature of its power, it cannot possibly be harming only the Great Pure Palace or Shizhou City.”

The exits from its Divine Land might exist in every corner of the world, and any of those locations could become its target.

After a pause, Zhang Huainan studied Lu Yibei’s expression and continued, “I will not press you about the identity of the person who gave you this information. That is your secret. But if possible, I think you should ask that person what other places the haunting has afflicted besides the Great Pure Palace.”

“No problem!” Lu Yibei agreed immediately. “Leave it to me. I’ll go take care of it right now.”

The PL girl probably would not refuse to answer such a small question.

When Lu Yibei rose to leave as he spoke, Zhang Huainan raised a hand and stopped him. “There’s no hurry. I haven’t finished yet.”

“Once I locate the haunting, I will likely have to devote all my strength to dealing with it. When that happens, disturbances may arise within the Great Pure Palace…”

“Huh? What are you getting at?” Lu Yibei asked, baffled.

“I want you to help guard the mountain…”

Before Zhang Huainan could finish, Lu Yibei’s face went from green to white. He cried out, “Damn it! You really do want to capture me and make me the Mountain-Guarding Divine Beast, don’t you? No! Absolutely not! I’d rather die than go!”

As he spoke, he backed away rapidly, even suspecting that Zhang Huainan would pull out a collar in the very next moment.

Zhang Huainan: “???”