Liuzhou Thatched Cottage (3)

Two days later, around the third watch of the night, someone suddenly knocked on the courtyard door.

Tan Yangzi put down the book in his hand, feeling slightly surprised. How could there be a visitor this late?

Yan Fei had already gone to sleep. Afraid of waking him, Tan Yangzi quickly went to open the door. Standing outside, bathed in the faint moonlight, was a man wearing cyan clothes similar to Tan Yangzi's. He looked to be under thirty, not as tall and robust as Tan Yangzi, and though his facial features were ordinary, his warm and mellow brow and eyes gave him an air of scholarly elegance. Tan Yangzi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Dasamara? Why are you here?"

The man called Dasamara smiled and said, "I heard you caused quite a stir at Xiangguo Temple this time?"

Tan Yangzi rolled his eyes, ignored the other man, and turned back toward the house. With a slightly mocking tone, he said, "You flatter me, you flatter me. Not as big as the stir you caused in Xiangyang last year."

Dasamara, like Tan Yangzi, was a Green Impermanence. The two of them had become Green Impermanences around the same time and could be considered friends. As he walked, he looked around Tan Yangzi's home, clicking his tongue in admiration. "It looks quite decent. Did your little disciple manage all of this?"

Tan Yangzi gave a hum of affirmation. He entered the room, lit the tea stove with a fire-starter, and placed the teapot on it to slightly warm up the tea that had already grown cold. Dasamara sat on the chair opposite him, took out a token made from the bone of some unknown animal from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Tan Yangzi.

Tan Yangzi glanced at the completely blank token. He poured tea into an empty teacup, pushing it towards Dasamara as he asked, "What's the meaning of this?"

Normally, these tokens should bear a ghost's name written in Hell Script, distributed by an Underworld Judge to the various groups of Impermanence responsible for their capture. A blank token was truly a rare sight, meaning there was a ghost causing chaos in the Mortal Realm, but its name could not be found out.

"I've encountered a somewhat thorny issue on my end. The Underworld Judge told me to find you to lend a hand."

Tan Yangzi was a bit surprised. The strength of the Green Impermanence Dasamara and the Red Impermanence Kumamara was considered outstanding among the Green and Red Impermanences. They were a duo highly valued by their direct superior—Han Zitong, the Underworld Judge of the Punishment Division. An Evil Ghost that they found difficult to deal with definitely wouldn't be simple.

But lately, there hasn't been any news of a Ghost King breaking out of prison, has there?

Dasamara's expression turned serious as he said, "Xiangyang has recently seen a series of tragic cases of matricide and patricide. There's no connection between the murderers; the youngest was only ten years old, while the oldest was fifty. There's also no common thread among the victims. The matter is blowing up, and I'm afraid the rumors will reach Bianliang soon."

Tan Yangzi said, "I only just returned to the Mortal Realm the day before yesterday, so I haven't heard anything. Matricide and patricide... are you sure it has something to do with ghosts?"

"Xiangyang is only so big, yet in just one short month, eight similar incidents have occurred. On average, every three days, a father or mother is killed by their child. If it's not ghosts, could it be that all the sons and daughters in Xiangyang have collectively gone mad?" Dasamara shook his head and said, "What can be confirmed is that the ghost is not possessing any of the culprits. The murderers' reactions after being arrested by the authorities were also quite different. Some cried incessantly, some looked entirely numb, but no matter what they were asked, they wouldn't say a word. Right now, the entirety of Xiangyang is in a state of panic. Suspicion and fear have bred between parents and children. Many parents have even locked up their young children. For those who couldn't be locked up, many were chased out of their homes."

"Killing one's father or mother is a severe karma that sends one straight down to Avici Hell. For it to happen so frequently is indeed abnormal."

"What's even stranger is that Kuma tried to invade the murderers' dreams to investigate, but it was as if she hit some kind of barrier. Not only was she unable to go deeper, but her main body was severely burned. If she had come out even a step later, she probably would have lost her life." A trace of heartache appeared on Dasamara's face, along with a flash of anger in his eyes. "She can't act together with me right now. When you go, I'm afraid you'll have to escort her back to Hell for healing."

Hearing these words, Tan Yangzi's heart skipped a beat. "Why did that happen?"

"We still don't know. I heard from Kuma that as soon as she entered, a red light flashed before her eyes, and then she felt an unbearable, agonizing pain as if her whole body had caught fire."

Red light?

Tan Yangzi took out the Utpala Flower wrapped in a cloth from his sleeve and carefully opened it. Upon seeing it, Dasamara stood up in shock and took two steps back, a hint of fear in his expression. "How do you have this thing!"

"When catching ghosts at Xiangguo Temple, I found this on that Thorn-Heart Ghost. A similar incident occurred three hundred years ago; do you remember?" The eerie, cold light of the blue lotus flower reflected in Tan Yangzi's pupils, making his already stern and solemn face look even more grim.

Dasamara naturally remembered; Tan Yangzi's Red Impermanence had died under the holy light of Lihen Heaven's sacred relic, the Medicine Buddha Relic. He furrowed his brows. "Are you saying that Kuma was injured because she also encountered a magical treasure from the Heavenly Court?"

"For something to injure a Red Impermanence so severely in an instant, it's highly likely..." Tan Yangzi said. "If it's true, these magical artifacts from the Heavenly Court repeatedly appearing in the hands of Evil Ghosts is probably no coincidence."

Dasamara nodded and said, "In any case, let's catch that ghost first, then bring it back to Hell and hand it over to the Investigation Division to interrogate thoroughly."

Tan Yangzi covered the blue lotus flower with the cloth. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm bringing Yan Fei with me."

For a moment, Dasamara thought he had heard wrong. "What?"

"I said, I'm bringing Yan Fei with me to Xiangyang."

Dasamara almost thought Tan Yangzi was joking, but the problem was that Tan Yangzi never joked. He was speechless for a moment before asking, "Have you been exposed near the Utpala Flower for so long that your sanity has been affected by its cold energy? How can you bring a child along for this kind of thing?"

"He's not a child anymore; in less than two months, he'll reach the age of twenty." Tan Yangzi replied calmly. "This time at Xiangguo Temple, that Thorn-Heart Ghost was empowered by the Utpala Flower and trapped me in an illusion. It was all thanks to him that I was able to successfully capture the ghost. He has high comprehension and is very gifted. Given time, perhaps he can..."

"But he is human!" Before Tan Yangzi could finish, Dasamara sternly interrupted his words. Dasamara was normally modest and gentle; he rarely looked so serious. "I know you've raised him for ten years and developed feelings for him, but humans cannot become a Red Impermanence! Even if he learns the spells of a Red Impermanence and can help you catch ghosts, what about after that? Do you really intend for him to enter Hell in a human body?! In that case, even if his body isn't destroyed by the harsh environment in Hell, his mind will probably collapse. You're bringing harm to him!"

How could Tan Yangzi not understand the words he spoke? The reason ghosts could possess human bodies was because a ghost's body was much more ethereal than a human's. Therefore, even though ghosts found it difficult to withstand the yang energy of the Mortal Realm, they could use a human body as a barrier to live normally. However, a human body was too dense to attach to a ghost. Furthermore, the environment of Hell was so wretched that a human body would struggle to endure it, and there was no way to use a ghost's body as a barrier. Thus, one only ever heard of ghosts coming to the Mortal Realm; it was unheard of for a living person to enter Hell.

Not to mention the sights within Hell, which ordinary humans were simply unable to understand or imagine. Any person possessing human memories who witnessed the macabre and evil things there would go mad.

Tan Yangzi never wanted Yan Fei to walk this path. He didn't take Yan Fei in to teach him to become a Red Impermanence. It was just that back then, seeing him so pitiful yet with a trace of unyielding stubbornness in his eyes, he bore some resemblance to a certain someone deep in his memories. Besides, he really had been alone for too long. Much like taking in a stray little animal, he accepted this disciple, teaching him martial arts for self-defense and some Taoist inner alchemy techniques, and nothing more. Tan Yangzi hoped Yan Fei could grow up safely like a normal human, perhaps studying to obtain an official rank, running a small business, or joining a martial arts sect to become a general or a wandering swordsman. Or even marrying a wife and peacefully tending to a plot of land. Anything was fine, as long as he didn't get involved with Hell.

He had tried many methods: recounting the tragic scenes of Hell to scare him, forbidding him from practicing spells, and threatening him with domestic discipline if he peeked at those books again. He had even once burned all the books related to Hell. But no method could stop Yan Fei. Watching those books burn in the flames, Yan Fei's first reaction was actually to throw himself forward, uncaring of whether the fire would burn him, just to rescue those books. It frightened Tan Yangzi so much that he hurriedly waved his sleeve, using his yin energy to extinguish the fire. Thankfully, it didn't actually burn him...

Yan Fei was dead set on learning, as if he were possessed.

Seeing Tan Yangzi remain silent, Dasamara let out a sigh, his expression reflecting a hint of lamentation. He stretched out a hand and placed it on Tan Yangzi's shoulder, earnestly advising, "Qianna, I know it's been three hundred years, and you still can't let go of Shivamara. Truly, no one can replace him, but he has been gone for so long, and you can't keep going on like this forever. We Green Impermanences specialize in martial prowess and demon-slaying arrays; no matter how much you practice the spells of a Red Impermanence, you could never possess their natural talent for seeing into people's hearts. Although you've managed on your own until now without encountering any major obstacles by sheer luck, if you run into something as cunning as this Thorn-Heart Ghost, you're bound to suffer a loss. From how I see it, when you return this time, you might as well apply to Judge Han for a new Red Impermanence, so you won't have to walk this solitary path alone anymore."

"No!"

The sudden interjection carried a trace of youthful immaturity, and the door was forcefully pushed open right after. Yan Fei was seen still wearing his sleepwear, a red outer garment draped over his shoulders. His hair was untied, and his beautiful face carried a trace of anger as he glared at Dasamara.

Tan Yangzi froze. Earlier, immersed in his own thoughts, he hadn't even noticed Yan Fei eavesdropping outside the door.

Dasamara had noticed, but since he felt there was nothing to hide in their conversation, he hadn't pointed it out. Though he knew Tan Yangzi had adopted a child, he had never met him before. Seeing him for the first time now, the gentle moonlight and the hazy candlelight blended together upon the youth's captivating face, which combined delicate, almost feminine features with the masculine, sharp contours of a man. His waterfall-like hair fell loosely past his cheeks, and even flushed with anger, he was still stunningly beautiful, causing Dasamara to stand momentarily dumbfounded.

Tan Yangzi frowned slightly and said, "Why are you up?"

Yan Fei stepped through the door, his eyes still glaring at Dasamara. "You guys were talking so loudly, how could I sleep?"

"Don't be rude." Tan Yangzi was also a little perplexed. Yan Fei had always been the most obedient, polite, and persuasive; every single one of their neighbors had been charmed by him. What was going on this time? "This is Sir Tao, Tao Min from Xiangyang. Hurry and greet him."

Tao Min was Dasamara's name in this life. His identity in the Mortal Realm was a fortune-telling and word-analyzing master.

Yan Fei reluctantly and hastily cupped his fists in greeting, but his gaze urgently fixed on Tan Yangzi. "Master, you're going to Xiangyang?"

Tan Yangzi was highly dissatisfied with his rudeness, but since Dasamara was present, it wasn't a good time to scold him, so he simply gave a cold hum of affirmation.

"You'll bring me with you, right?" Yan Fei asked.

"We'll talk about it later." Tan Yangzi pulled a long face. "Go back to sleep first. I still have matters to discuss with Sir Tao."

"You promised me!" Yan Fei pressed on stubbornly.

Anger surfaced in Tan Yangzi's expression. Seeing the atmosphere becoming tense, Dasamara quickly spoke up, "The journey this time will be arduous. Virtuous nephew, it would be better for you to wait at home; your master will return very soon."

"Master, whatever a Red Impermanence can do, I can do too!" Yan Fei just kept staring at Tan Yangzi, ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth.

"Enough!" Tan Yangzi slammed his hand on the table, startling even Dasamara, yet Yan Fei continued to stare at his master with that stubborn, unshakable, clear gaze, seemingly not knowing the meaning of fear. Tan Yangzi rubbed his brow as if he had a headache and said angrily, "Did I say I wouldn't bring you? What is this nonsense, making such a racket in the middle of the night!"