“If you can truthfully answer a few questions, I might consider letting you die quickly!”
He Zhang frowned, his gaze turning icy: “Little girl, quite the bold tone. Very well, this old master has been lonely for ten years. Rare to encounter living souls, truly amusing, most amusing indeed! I’ll grant you a few more moments of life. Ask away.”
“Who is the true master of this tomb chamber?”
“Your ancestral master Qing Yazi.”
Lin Yao and Yan Wuyou couldn’t help but feel astonished inwardly: The demonic practitioner Qing Yazi from two hundred years ago?
He Zhang continued: “Two hundred years ago, Qing Yazi secretly established a Soul Locking Altar, harmed innocents, and cultivated The Way of Longevity. He was suppressed here by He Xuzi.”
Lin Yao asked again: “How did you find this place?”
“That’s a long story…”
As it turned out, the He family ancestors weren’t feng shui masters but tomb raiders. Perhaps because tomb raiding was too nefarious, the He family incurred heavenly punishment: none of their male descendants lived past forty.
The He family patriarch once found an ancient text in a tomb chamber that recorded matters about the demonic practitioner Qing Yazi. Thus, several generations of the He family began searching for Qing Yazi’s tomb, seeking The Way of Longevity. From then on, the He family presented themselves as feng shui masters, traveling various places to search for dragon veins and examine feng shui. It wasn’t until He Zhang’s father He Song’s generation that they finally located Qing Yazi’s tomb in this very place.
Who would have thought this tomb chamber would be beneath a bustling city! Thus the He family settled in Yidu. Unfortunately, not long after He Song built the residence, he reached the forty-year limit and passed away.
He Zhang possessed extraordinary talent in Daoist arts and, having been immersed in it since childhood, had long comprehended the evil art of “longevity.” After taking over the He family, as a precaution, he first married Mrs. Lin and had two children, then began preparing to personally cultivate the technique.
Ten years ago, He Zhang descended into the well, burned Qing Yazi in the coffin, then climbed into the coffin himself and stabbed viciously into his own wrist!
His vital essence flowed into the Yellow Talisman Paper Figure. At the brink of death, using blood energy as guidance, he transferred his soul into the paper figure, creating a completely new self. This new “He Zhang” was actually an Automaton Puppet that fully inherited the original’s consciousness and could perform feats beyond ordinary human capability. Every midnight when yin energy peaked, the automaton would return to the original body. The automaton would self-immolate, and the soul would return to the original body.
The original body would then feed vital essence into another paper figure, and a new automaton would be born. Repeating this cycle achieved the goal of immortality!
“Even if the automaton dies unexpectedly, the soul can return at midnight. Once midnight passes, a new version of this old master will emerge.” He Zhang grew excited as he spoke, “The original body doesn’t die, the soul doesn’t perish – this is longevity!”
“What about Mrs. Lin and her cousin…”
He Zhang looked contemptuous: “They sought death themselves, can’t blame this old master. That madwoman alerted everyone in the residence, so I simply disguised myself as a Daoist and sealed the well.” Then he gave a sinister smile, staring at Lin Yao: “Well now, if you obediently hand over that item, I can make your death quick!”
As his words fell, he crossed his hands, killing intent surging forth. Crimson energy poured from his body, flooding the entire tomb chamber.
“After talking this long you still hide your true form, you only deserve to remain in this sunless gutter.” Yan Wuyou said coldly, “Qing Yazi—”
“This old master still underestimated you, but what a pity…””Qing Yazi, you sent Lin Rushuang to investigate me. If I hadn’t come tonight, wouldn’t you have had to make the trip yourself?” Lin Yao spoke while channeling her energy and forming hand seals. Purple will-o’-wisps instantly coalesced. “Come and get it if you dare—”
As she finished speaking, the purple flames surged violently. Within the blaze, Tao Wu revealed her true form—a snow-white rabbit. She shook the silver bells on her ears mid-air, her eyes glowing intensely green. Baring her teeth and using all four paws, she gradually dispersed the blazing crimson energy.
Seizing the opportunity, Yan Wuyou sat cross-legged. Seeing this, Xiao Yuanzi also sat cross-legged behind him, transferring her own energy into his body. His clear voice rang out: “By the decree of Yuqing, I inform the Three Primes—open salvation for heaven and man, erect an altar to summon deities—”
The tomb chamber instantly filled with blue radiance that gradually condensed into an elderly man with crane-like whiskers and white hair.
“Junior brother, return now—” The old man lightly flicked his horsetail whisk toward Qing Yazi. The blue brilliance burst forth, firmly enveloping and burning him.
Qing Yazi stared incredulously at the old man before him, ignoring the soul-devouring pain as he murmured: “So it was your own blood sacrifice that suppressed me back then—”
“Indeed. By sacrificing myself to prove the Dao, I ultimately achieved perfection.”
“No wonder the deity summoning ritual called upon you. So you’ve been here all along… I am your Dao, and also your coffin! Senior brother, I am your obsession too, am I not?”
The old man remained silent.
“Two hundred years together is enough. Today, I shall help senior brother truly attain the Dao and become a deity!” Having said this, he released all his energy and closed his eyes. The chamber’s crimson energy abruptly vanished.
Senior brother, your coffin is broken. Let your obsession end now.
Within moments, only Lin Yao and her two companions remained in the tomb chamber. The previously oppressive and stifling atmosphere instantly disappeared.
Lin Yao felt a warm current subtly flowing into her chest and transmitted a message: Tao Tao, what’s happening?
Tao Wu: Eliminating demons brings merit—your fractured soul is healing! Your wellbeing is mine too, remember—accumulate more merit!
So exorcising demons and eliminating evil can repair a fractured soul!
“Rushuang.”
The group turned toward the voice and saw He Zhang’s feeble spirit leaning against the coffin. When Lin Rushuang saw him, she screamed in terror.
“It’s me,” he said, slowly moving toward Lin Rushuang.
Reaching the corner, he sat down beside her.
“I wronged you.” He Zhang sighed. “Since it’s heavenly punishment, I should have accepted it. Yet I foolishly tried to defy fate, ultimately harming others and myself.”
It turned out that ten years ago, when He Zhang descended into the well and burned Qing Yazi’s corpse, he accidentally released the suppressed spirit.
Qing Yazi’s spirit entered He Zhang’s body, replicating the “Method of Longevity” to return to the world using Automaton Puppets. Unexpectedly, Lin Rushuang noticed something amiss, so he controlled her into killing her cousin Zhong Xueyan, causing her mental collapse and suicide by jumping into the well. He Zhang witnessed all this but couldn’t move, his spirit controlled by Qing Yazi.
“I deeply regret it. Had I not delved into dark arts, I should have had children and a harmonious marriage.” He Zhang said painfully. “What use is longevity? A family living in harmony, a life without regrets—that is true fulfillment.”
Hearing this, Lin Rushuang wept bitterly, tears streaming down her face as she repeatedly nodded.
“Since you haven’t committed sinful karma, I shall assist your passage to rebirth.” Yan Wuyou then began chanting scriptures. As the sutras resonated, golden halos enveloped Lin Rushuang and He Zhang. The two spirits gradually transformed into shimmering specks before finally disappearing.
“Alright, what they’ll be reincarnated as depends on their own karma now.” Yan Wuyou crossed his arms and leaned casually against the coffin.
Xiao Yuanzi stared in astonishment: “Senior brother, isn’t the Rebirth Mantra something chanted by Buddhist monks? Where did you learn it?”
“Self-taught. One can never have too many skills!” Yan Wuyou glanced sideways at Tao Wu with indifference, then asked Lin Yao, “This little thing is quite unique. Where’d it come from?”
Lin Yao extended her palm. Tao Wu shot a glare at Yan Wuyou before instantly dissolving into specks of purple light that retreated back into her body.
Mimicking Yan Wuyou’s posture, she crossed her arms and leaned against the coffin, teasing, “Summoning technique. Self-taught.”
Xiao Yuanzi finally snapped out of his daze, full of suspicion, and scratched his head: “How did you two figure out he wasn’t He Zhang, but that demonic priest Qing Yazi?”
Yan Wuyou pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and waved it before Dong Yangzi: “This has your Pure Yang Blood on it. I wiped it on the Wind Piercing Sword and saw two overlapping soul shadows on ‘He Zhang’s’ body.”
He smoothed his messy short hair and said seriously, “That made me think of the paper figures in the coffin: First, the stack of Yellow Talisman Paper Figures in the coffin all had ‘blazing sun’ patterns as their base design. That’s unique to Flaming Sun Temple’s talisman paper, and the temple has long been gone. So these paper figures must have been prepared by the original tomb occupant—Qing Yazi. Second, when guiding souls into the Yellow Talisman Paper Figures, to prevent others’ souls from accidentally entering, Qing Yazi had already claimed ownership by dripping his blood on all the paper figures.”
Seeing Xiao Yuanzi still looked confused, Lin Yao explained: “He Zhang’s soul couldn’t control Qing Yazi’s paper figures. The Automaton Puppet we saw was created when Qing Yazi’s soul entered the Yellow Talisman Paper Figure. Though He Zhang’s soul was also inside the paper figure, it was imprisoned by Qing Yazi and completely immobilized.”
Xiao Yuanzi finally understood but then grew worried: “What do we do now? When the He family wakes up and finds He Zhang gone…” As he spoke, rustling sounds began echoing from the tomb passage outside.
Lin Yao sensed trouble and quickly found a corner to sit in. She slumped over and “fainted”…
Xiao Yuanzi stared wide-eyed, pointing at Lin Yao then at himself. Yan Wuyou pressed down his finger: “She can pull that off. You can’t.”
Xiao Yuanzi pouted: I’m just a child, why can’t I faint too?
“Third brother, fourth brother—finally seeing you alive! Wuwuwu…”
Xiao Yuanzi looked at the ragged He Lian Mingche before him, then at the officials and He siblings behind him, utterly baffled: “Second senior brother, what happened?”
He Lian Mingche began weeping as he recounted…
Earlier, He Lian Mingche had been chased all over by “He Zhang” until exhausted. He deliberately lured him near the government office. On-duty officials spotted them, mistaking them for burglars, and signaled the city patrol. Thus “He Zhang” chased He Lian Mingche while officials chased “He Zhang,” running three laps around the city until finally alerting Prefect Lu Xiaolian.
Lu Xiaolian recognized “He Zhang” and repeatedly called to him, but discovered “He Zhang” could twist his neck to look at him at impossible angles. Though terrified and trembling, as the city magistrate, Lu felt compelled to investigate thoroughly. He eventually followed the trail all the way to the He residence.
They happened upon the He siblings trembling behind the door, so they descended the well together.
“Today my sister told me she suddenly saw our mother at the Matchmaker Temple,” He Changfeng said with a grave expression. “It felt like a dream yet so vivid. In the vision, she witnessed how strangely Father behaved and how Mother jumped into the well…”
“I was afraid Brother wouldn’t believe me and think I’d gone mad, but he told me he’d long suspected something wrong with the well in the west courtyard, and that Mother’s death back then was utterly baffling and suspicious,” He Wanyin said. “We decided to investigate Father tonight, but who would have thought…”
He Wanyin seemed to recall the terrifying memory and began sobbing quietly.
He Changfeng gently patted her shoulder and continued: “We saw Father jump into the well, then fly out and chase after the monk with a strange expression. We had no choice but to hide behind the door, not daring to come out. It wasn’t until the monk brought Magistrate Lu that we gathered our courage to come down and investigate.”
“Young Master He need not worry. Leave the rest to me,” Lu Xiaolian said before arranging his subordinates.
He Changfeng nodded: “We appreciate your assistance, Magistrate Lu.”
He Wanyin looked toward the corner and suddenly pointed at Lin Yao in surprise: “Why is she here?”