He and It Chapter 183: Inquire Here (11)

Chapter 183: Inquire Here (11)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

In the year 316 of the Xia Dynasty, just after the Grain Rain season, at the beginning of summer, the world showed no signs of vitality.

“Senior brother, how are things outside?” Meng Xiaotang turned her head and asked anxiously under the dim flickering light of the ores.

“Shh,” Sun Yinian whispered. “Don’t make a sound. Another group is coming.”

The group sat in the cave, holding their breaths, as they waited in terror for a group of flying ghost beasts to pass by. Those beasts waved their deformed black wings, as they turned the sky into a muddy, rotting red-black mess.

The barrier at the cave entrance emitted a faint, flickering light that perfectly concealed the auras inside, and left the ghost beasts unaware of any presence.

“Whew…they passed,” Zhen Yue sighed in relief. “These days they are coming more frequently…”

He spoke in a low voice that brought a wave of silence to the cramped cave.

Three months ago, Liu Fuguang used the Sun Pearl to kill a nascent soul demonic cultivator in that tomb, then caused a ghost beast general to commit suicide, which saved all four of their lives. However, he then fell into a coma and never woke up. Following his prior instructions, the four placed him in a spatial artifact and struggled to escape the collapsing tomb.

Unfortunately, misfortunes never come in ones. The severely injured group sent a message to their sect and sought a safe place to rest, but before reinforcements could arrive, the world shook violently from a terrifying wail—Dragon Patrol Day, the Ghost Dragon awakened!

As she looked back at the hardships now, Meng Xiaotang felt as if it were a lifetime ago. The Ghost Dragon, carrying the Black Sun, turned the sky into a swollen, rotten paradise. Countless clouds, stained with filthy blood, gathered like a massive red eye, and pressed down on the earth. From those blood clouds, a vast army of ghost beasts emerged, and quickly overwhelming the Mortal Realm.

Faced with such a dire situation, they had no choice but to flee in panic. The four of them, carrying the comatose Liu Fuguang, seemed as conspicuous as a light in the dark, and attracted ghost beasts like moths to a flame. Even under cloaking robes, the ghost beasts, guided by some unseen force, relentlessly pursued them.

While they could deceive lower-level ghost beasts who had no intelligence, it was a different story with mid-level and high-level beasts. Those were often accompanied by demonic cultivators, which made it even harder for the inexperienced group to escape. They hid and ran, and were constantly in danger.

The most perilous encounter was with a ghost Kui. ¹ The ghost beast’s appearance brought a storm that drenched them in foul rain and exposed their presence. It roared and summoned two more high-level companions. With the combined force of the ghost beasts and demonic cultivators, the four were nearly crushed, and were left bleeding from every orifice.

Just as they were about to be killed, Xue Li threw out a jade box he had picked up in the tomb. The jade, inscribed with demonic cultivator marks, piqued the interest of a nascent soul demonic cultivator. As he opened the scroll inside, a warning from a demonic cultivator in the tomb echoed in their minds: “Touch this painting, and not even the supreme beings will spare you.”

The ghost Kui roared furiously upon seeing the painting. The nascent soul demonic cultivator was immediately killed by the beast, which gave the four a chance to escape. They fled at full speed, and narrowly escaped death.

Surrounded by ghost beasts, the capital of the Mortal Realm had raised a barrier, and was refusing entry to all, which left the group to wander aimlessly. Worse, their identities had spread among the ghost beasts and demonic cultivators, and made them the target of relentless pursuit. Everywhere they went, they heard demonic cultivators interrogating and harming innocent cultivators or mortals, in pursuit of information about them.

Miraculously, they survived numerous crises. Finally, they met a rogue cultivator named Ji Yao, who possessed an artifact that concealed them from ghost beasts. Together, the five finally found a place to rest.

As she reflected on their recent hardships, Meng Xiaotang couldn’t help but glance back at Liu Fuguang. She used a water condensation spell to gather some water in a stone basin and gently wiped the dust from his face.

“Fuguang still hasn’t woken up,” Meng Xiaotang said sadly. “He can’t even take medicine…”

Ji Yao, who was boiling medicine for their injuries, smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, young lady,” he said. “Your brother will wake up soon. No one can sleep forever.”

She shook her head, and whispered, “He…he’s not my brother.”

“Not your real brother,” Ji Yao nodded. “I see. You two don’t look very alike. However, I can tell he’s seriously injured. It’s kind of you to keep him safe.”

The injuries Ji Yao referred to were naturally Liu Fuguang’s dantian. Meng Xiaotang held back her frustration. She caught a glance from Sun Yinian, then puffed her cheeks and hunched her shoulders in defiance. 

What do you know, you old man? she thought indignantly. Fuguang is incredibly powerful, capable of killing a nascent soul demonic cultivator and a ghost beast general. If he were awake, we wouldn’t be hiding in such a small cave!

Of course, she couldn’t reveal that to outsiders. If word got out that a severely injured Liu Fuguang, whose dantian was completely destroyed and was practically a cripple, managed to kill a nascent soul demonic cultivator and a ghost beast general, the attention on him would be overwhelming. Liu Fuguang would be lucky to escape with his life.

But…

She hesitated, and glanced at Liu Fuguang again. Who exactly is Fuguang? In private, Senior brother and Xue Li from the Ninefold Palace speculated that he was the owner of the grand tomb. They suspected the contents of the painting might be related to him, and even entertained the far-fetched idea that the Ghost Dragon had been searching for him for thousands of years. The timing of his coma and the Ghost Dragon’s awakening was too coincidental, suggesting a connection even the most foolish could not deny.

Who is he, really?

As she was thinking deeply, Sun Yinian noticed Liu Fuguang’s right pinky finger twitching in the dim light.

“Xiaotang,” he said immediately. “The young master is waking up.”

Meng Xiaotang turned around in surprise. Ji Yao had just predicted Liu Fuguang would wake up, and now it was happening. Xue Li and Zhen Yue put down their swords and came over.

Liu Fuguang’s chest suddenly heaved, just as it had the first time he woke up. He took a deep breath and exhaled in bursts, as his body and throat convulsed involuntarily. Xue Li frowned and placed a firm hand on his chest, as he helped him breathe smoothly.

Liu Fuguang’s eyelids fluttered, and finally after three months of unconsciousness, he slowly opened his eyes, still unaware of the current date.

“Fuguang?” Meng Xiaotang held her breath and asked softly, “How are you feeling? Is there any…”

She wanted to ask if he felt uncomfortable, but considering his frail state, she swallowed her words.

Liu Fuguang coughed. He felt pain from his chest to his dantian, from his head to his toes, as if his bones had been crushed and reassembled. Just by moving his hand, he could almost hear the imaginary sound of bones cracking.

“Where…are we?” he asked weakly, as he tried to sit up. However, the mere thought of moving made his forehead and back break out in a cold sweat.

Sun Yinian quickly pressed on his shoulder, and prevented him from moving. “We’re in a safe place, young master. Focus on healing and don’t rush.”

Liu Fuguang managed a faint smile. “I thought…we had already escaped…”

“We did escape,” Xue Li couldn’t help but interject. “But we went from one danger to another. Escaping is…just like that.”

At that moment, Ji Yao squeezed into the group, and kindly took Liu Fuguang’s hand. Meng Xiaotang had watched closely but hadn’t noticed him move.

“Young master Liu, right?” Ji Yao said, “This old man may be a bit older than you, but let me use my limited medical skills to check on you. Ah, your injuries are severe.”

“Hey, you…”

He moved too close, and the others were about to protest when Liu Fuguang smiled weakly and asked, “May I know your name, sir?”

“Surname Ji, Ji Yao,” Ji Yao replied. “I usually dabble in fortune-telling and divination. From your noble appearance, you should be very fortunate. How did you get such serious injuries?”

Liu Fuguang didn’t reply. His smile faded as he looked deeply at Ji Yao.

“Is fortune truly as reliable as it seems?” he asked softly. “Destiny is unpredictable.”

Ji Yao exclaimed, “What a bold spirit! This old man is quite impressed.”

After he examined Liu Fuguang, Ji Yao pondered for a moment before taking out a coarse porcelain bottle. He poured out a greenish, shimmering pill, scooped some medicinal broth from his pot, and handed them to Liu Fuguang.

“Meeting is fate,” Ji Yao said. “I am old and no longer need this medicine. But you, young master, have a promising future. Take this, and it won’t be wasted.”

Sun Yinian frowned. “Medicine should not be taken lightly—”

“Yinian,” Liu Fuguang interrupted, and gave him a faint smile. “It’s okay. I trust him.”

The four were puzzled. They had just met, and Liu Fuguang was already talking about trust. However, Liu Fuguang’s innate charm made it possible for them to believe in such an extraordinary gesture of giving away a family heirloom upon first meeting.

While they were still conflicted, Liu Fuguang drank the bowl of medicine in one gulp and swallowed the pill. Instantly, his complexion improved visibly. He was even able to prop himself up on his elbows, and though still trembling, he managed to half-sit up.

Zhen Yue exclaimed, “You’re amazing, old man!”

Ji Yao chuckled and stroked his beard. “I never lie. I never lie.”

Liu Fuguang thanked him and fell silent, as he remembered everything he had seen in Yan Huan’s dream. After a moment of melancholy, he asked, “Where are we now?”

The group was silent for a while until Sun Yinian replied softly, “To be honest, young master, we don’t know where we are either. We just know this might be the only safe place within a thousand miles. The Dragon Patrol Day has arrived, and the Ghost Dragon has awakened.”

Liu Fuguang was startled. Yan Huan was awake? I was just in his dream…Ah, that’s right. There was a pulling force, dragging me down. In the moment, I spoke a heartfelt truth. Could that have changed the course of the dream and awakened Yan Huan?

His face turned deathly pale at the thought. Sun Yinian thought he was scared, and quickly reassured him, “Don’t worry, young master. Fellow Daoist Ji Yao has a treasure that can block the ghost beasts’ senses. We are safe.”

Liu Fuguang shook his head without speaking. Ji Yao coughed twice and interjected, “Speaking of the Ghost Dragon, I know a rare tale. It’s late now, would you like to hear it?”

Xue Li looked up indifferently and said, “We have nothing better to do. Go ahead.”

Ji Yao cleared his throat, coughed twice, drew a circle on the ground, then divided it in two halves. He darkened one half and left the other white. “The world knows the Ghost Dragon as a ‘half-ghost, half-god, neither dead nor alive, embodying both good and evil, purity and impurity…”

Liu Fuguang remained silent. He had heard half of that description from Meng Xiaotang when they were on the cloud chariot, but she had stopped when he began coughing heavily.

“…But look at the Ghost Dragon now. Where is the good in ‘good and evil’? Where is the purity in ‘purity and impurity’?” Ji Yao shook his head. “However, this is the true immortal’s conclusion, so many don’t dare to question it.”

Under the flickering light of the ore lamps, Ji Yao continued, “But I know that when the Ghost Dragon was born, a true immortal declared he would become a great evil. And that wasn’t the end. With great evil, there must be great good. The balance of the heavens demanded it, so a being of great goodness was also born in the Mortal Realm.”

His story was novel, different from any other versions circulating. The others gradually became engrossed.

“Now, if the great good and great evil could unite, balancing each other, wouldn’t the world be at peace?” Ji Yao smirked. “However, it’s not that simple. The Ghost Dragon, born as a god bearing the world’s sins, was constantly constrained by the true immortals. He’d had enough and didn’t want to endure anymore. Desperate for freedom, and perhaps for reasons unknown, he devoured the great good, and gained absolute power. From then on, nothing in the world could truly restrain him.”

As he spoke, Ji Yao darkened the white half of the circle entirely.

“Sadly, in this world, everything is balanced. Just as good and evil are opposing ends, the stronger the evil, the weaker the good.” Ji Yao’s gaze flickered briefly towards Liu Fuguang. “Without the good to balance him, the Ghost Dragon’s body and power grew uncontrollably. He became unbalanced. His Dao was not only unfulfilled but doubly incomplete and broken…This led to his immense suffering and regret.”

Ji Yao paused, and stared at the almost completely blackened circle with a sliver of white at the edge. Around him, everything fell silent, as if time and space had halted. The others remained in their listening poses, even their hair suspended motionless.

“Tell me, did I get it right, Immortal Lord?” Ji Yao looked up at Liu Fuguang.

“Truly, Immortal Zhou Yi,” Liu Fuguang said softly. “It has been many years since we last met.”

The elderly Ji Yao suddenly transformed into a young, nonchalant immortal who bowed before Liu Fuguang.

“When did you recognize me?”

“I am no longer Yan Huan’s Dao companion, so the title of Immortal Lord is not appropriate.” Liu Fuguang shook his head. “I recognized you the moment I saw you. Your eyes reveal the essence of Yin and Yang.”

Zhou Yi stood up, and smiled self-deprecatingly. “Indeed, to the eyes of the pure, nothing is hidden.”

Liu Fuguang coughed twice and said softly, “Thank you for helping these children, and for your medicine…and for saving me at Bell Mountain.”

Mentioning Bell Mountain darkened Zhou Yi’s smile. He recalled the scene. The Cliff of Bell Mountain, where the Mountain God perished, filled with the wrathful beasts born from the Mountain God’s resentment. Had he arrived any later, Liu Fuguang would have been torn apart.

“The ambitions, ruthlessness, and determination of the past great evil were indeed beyond ordinary comprehension.”

“I suppose you’ve seen his dream,” Zhou Yi sighed, as he changed the subject. “What do you think?”

Liu Fuguang was silent for a long time before speaking softly, “He hates me. I have nothing to say.”

Zhou Yi was stunned. “He…hates you?”

“Yes,” Liu Fuguang nodded. “I saw it all. His thoughts, his desires, his…everything. Yan Huan hates me deeply. Without a doubt.”

Zhou Yi blinked in confusion. He, who usually spoke in riddles, found Liu Fuguang’s words harder to understand than any scripture.

…Wait, what did you see exactly? Considering his mad behavior and the grand spectacle of the Dragon Patrol Day…hate? 

If that is hate, then he must absolutely love us true immortals!