Chapter 37 - 35: Evil Crow

Chapter 37: Chapter 35: Evil Crow

「Three days later. South Sea, the train station.」

A young man carrying a backpack walked out of the station, drawing strange looks from many people.

He was perfectly ordinary in appearance; what was surprising was the crow perched on his shoulder!

A few of the bolder young women even went up and asked for his WeChat.

The young man watched a cute girl walk away, a smile playing on his lips.

"The girls in South Sea are so much more vibrant than the ones back in the county."

Though his clothes were simple and his fashion sense was average at best, he was brimming with confidence.

He had the air of a Daoist descending the mountain in one of those power-fantasy novels.

His name was Wang Lei, and he was from a small county in Jiangzhou.

Back home, the Wang Family was quite famous.

The Wang Family held no business or government post, but they possessed the ancestral Fortune-telling Art.

It was said that in every generation of the Wang Family, a prodigy would emerge who could communicate with Ghost Souls.

The crow on his shoulder was also magical.

Its eyes were fixed on the beautiful women on the street, a disturbingly human-like lecherousness in its gaze.

Wang Lei sighed with feeling.

"South Sea is such a great place. I should have come out to see the world much sooner."

The Wang Family had an ancestral decree.

No descendant was ever to leave Pingchuan County.

Generation after generation of heirs had abided by this rule, living out their lives peacefully within Pingchuan County.

The origin of this decree was likely simple enough.

The ancestors feared that if a Wang heir left the county, they would alter the destinies of too many people and throw the Human World into chaos.

But this generation was different.

Wang Lei’s philosophy was...

’Isn’t my background the perfect template for a power-fantasy protagonist?’

’What power-fantasy protagonist stays cooped up in a small county his whole life?’

’And if the Human World falls into chaos, what’s that got to do with me?’

’The dazzling world out there is so captivating. Why should I follow some ancestral rule and stay locked up in boring Pingchuan County?’

Yesterday, someone had called him, inviting him to South Sea to resolve a puzzle for a major figure. The pay was extremely generous.

Wang Lei knew his opportunity had arrived.

’I have to seize this chance! Just like a power-fantasy protagonist, I’ll use my abilities to win over this big shot!’

Of course, that was just the first step.

’I’ll use that big shot as a stepping stone to climb to the pinnacle of life!’

’Build a harem, make a fortune, and dominate both the underworld and the establishment!’

He heard he wasn’t the only one who had been invited?

There were quite a few other practitioners of the metaphysical arts?

Wang Lei scoffed at the thought.

’How could those charlatan masters, with their pathetic firefly-glow, dare to compete with the splendor of his full moon?’

As Wang Lei lost himself in these thoughts, a smug smile appeared on his face.

Just then, a raspy, aged voice spoke up.

"Please, sir, spare some change."

Wang Lei frowned and turned his head.

He saw an old, white-haired beggar woman holding a broken bowl, looking at him with a hopeful expression.

Wang Lei suddenly shrieked and shoved the old woman away.

"What the hell are you?!

Get lost! You’re filthy! I’m a neat freak!"

The beggar woman was too frail. She was easily knocked to the ground and lowered her head to pick up the spare change that had scattered everywhere.

"Fucking idiot. An old fucking idiot."

Wang Lei muttered filthily under his breath, walking away with a look of disgust.

The Crow on his shoulder watched Wang Lei, its eyes filled with disappointment.

The Crow turned back to look at the old woman, its disappointment turning to concern.

Only when it saw the old woman slowly get back on her feet did the Crow seem to breathe a sigh of relief.

The Crow’s throat bobbed. It opened its beak, and a diamond appeared.

With a soft spit, the diamond fell into the old woman’s broken bowl.

The old woman stared in astonishment at the diamond in her bowl, then slowly raised her head to look at the Crow in disbelief.

...

「South Sea. The Westlington Star Hotel.」

Wang Lei lay on the large bed, reveling in its softness with a look of pure bliss.

"Big cities really are the best!"

The Crow, perched on a table lamp, spoke in a raspy, quacking voice.

"I don’t like South Sea."

The Crow could actually speak!

Wang Lei glanced at the Crow.

"You don’t like South Sea?

Sorry, but you have to like it here.

Because this is the place where my great fortune begins, understand?

Don’t you like diamonds?

Once Lord Lei makes it big, I’ll buy you plenty of diamonds."

The secret to the Fortune-telling Art lay with this very Crow.

This Crow could traverse the realms of Yin Yang and communicate with Ghost Souls.

No one knew the Crow’s origins.

It was only known that a hundred years ago, the Wang Family’s great-grandmother had tamed it, making the Crow serve the Wang heirs for generations.

The Crow was also very obedient, heeding the every word of each successive heir.

Wang Lei had long since grown accustomed to the Crow’s magical nature.

Wang Lei’s father and grandfather had always addressed it respectfully as "Little Master Hei."

Wang Lei, however, scoffed at this.

As a power-fantasy protagonist, others should be calling *him* "Lord," not the other way around.

Calling a beast "Master?"

’Sorry, not happening.’

If the Crow were a bit fiercer, or if it might leave the Wang Family when it was in a bad mood, then Wang Lei would naturally have scampered over to call it "Little Master Hei."

After all, without this Crow, the Wang Family was nothing.

But this Crow was a total pushover. He had no idea how his great-grandmother had managed to break it.

He had already discovered that the Crow would work tirelessly without complaint. He could even beat and scold it, and it would act just like a loyal dog.

The Crow sighed.

"I feel that South Sea is very dangerous."

It had sealed its own memories many years ago.

But after arriving in South Sea, those memories had begun to loosen.

The Crow’s intuition told it that something terrifying existed in South Sea.

Wang Lei let out a derisive laugh.

"You’re just afraid of disobeying great-grandma’s ancestral rule, aren’t you?

So you’re trying to trick me into going back to Pingchuan County?

I really don’t know how great-grandma trained you to be this way.

But you need to understand that I’m your master now.

Stick with Lord Lei, and you’ll live the good life.

I’m done talking to you. I need to get some shut-eye. I have to meet that big shot tonight."

Not long after closing his eyes, a thought occurred to Wang Lei.

He got up, took a collar and chain from his backpack, walked over to the Crow, and fastened it on, muttering:

"Can’t let you run off. If you flew back to Pingchuan County, what would I do tonight?"

Wang Lei glanced at the Crow, bound by the iron chain, and nodded in satisfaction.

He returned to the bed with his mind at ease and fell into a deep sleep.

The Crow’s talons gently touched the chain.

This thing looked sturdy, but it would shatter with a light touch from it.

The Crow looked at the sleeping Wang Lei on the bed and murmured:

"Cuicui, I may not be able to protect your descendant.

It’s not that I’m unwilling; I will always do what I promised you.

It’s just... your descendant won’t listen. He has left Pingchuan County after all.

There is a terrifying fellow in South Sea. I can feel it. He’s already noticed me."

...

「South Sea. Antique Shop Zero.」

Jiang Chaosheng was sitting behind the counter, reading a book.

Suddenly, he felt something and looked up toward the door.

His gaze pierced through the street, past the tall buildings, and fixed on a certain location.

Jiang Chaosheng murmured to himself:

"A lost Taboo Item has come to South Sea?

It’s not an inanimate object. It’s alive.

Is it that Crow?"

Jiang Chaosheng took out the Manager’s notes and began flipping through them.

[Code 1-03, Evil Crow.]

Jiang Chaosheng said to himself:

"It really is him."

A hundred years ago, a Jianghu Sorcerer named Wang Cuicui traded fifty years of her life for it.

That Crow was ridiculous. It actually fell in love with Wang Cuicui.

For love, it was willing to be enslaved by the Wang Family’s descendants for generations.

The Crow had a few tricks of its own.

To dodge the Manager’s debt collection, it willingly sealed its own memories and even used Magic to block the Manager’s perception of Pingchuan County.

But it didn’t know that the Manager had far more tricks.

With so many Taboo Items in the antique shop, there was bound to be one that could help the Manager find it.

The previous Manager, Li Qinglian, didn’t go to retrieve it only because she pitied the Crow’s love story and was unwilling to interfere with its promise to Wang Cuicui.

Jiang Chaosheng took a black feather from a drawer and walked into the back room.

He stopped in front of shelf ’3’, picked up a mirror, and placed the black feather on it.

[Code 3-27, Queen’s Magic Mirror.]

By placing a biological sample on the mirror, one could consume the sample to see a real-time image of the creature.

Jiang Chaosheng saw the chained Crow and a smile tugged at his lips.

"It really is that Crow. How did it get tied up?

Skipping out on your debt is one thing, but are you going to disrespect my property, too?"

Jiang Chaosheng glanced at Jin Meiting, who was wiping the shelves with a cloth.

"Tell Xia Li to bring the Evil Crow back."

It was time the members of the Taboo Association did something.