Parents' Shrine (10)

The relationship between Green and Red Impermanences was not as simple as mere work partners. Usually, if the selected Green and Red Impermanences developed a tacit understanding, they would be able to cast a type of Empathy Spell. Once the spell was successful, the five senses of the two people could be connected for twelve double-hours, which meant that whatever Green Impermanence could hear, Red Impermanence could also hear. Whatever Red Impermanence could see, Green Impermanence could also see.

Therefore, Tan Yangzi's plan was to cast the Empathy Spell with Yan Fei, and then send Yan Fei into Young Master Shen's dream. This way, Tan Yangzi could guide Yan Fei to suppress Young Master Shen's evil thoughts back into the depths of his consciousness without harming himself, burying them beneath layers of self-control. At the same time, if Yan Fei encountered any danger, he could guide his retreat, or even go to rescue him in time.

However, this Empathy Spell was a highly intimate spell among the Impermanences, only used with the person most important to them. And he had not used this spell for over three hundred years. Even in the last few decades when Shivamara was still alive, they had never used it again.

And now, was he actually going to use it with this human youth who was barely twenty years old?

Leaving aside whether this matter would provoke gossip if word got out, if their tacit understanding was insufficient, it simply wouldn't succeed.

Tan Yangzi thought about it repeatedly, then explained the special nature of this spell to Yan Fei and told him, "If you are unwilling, forget it. I will report to Fengdu and have them send another Red Impermanence. Originally, human lives were not within the scope of our consideration; we are only responsible for subduing evil ghosts and bringing them back to Hell without disturbing the order of the Mortal Realm."

Who knew that Yan Fei would actually look overjoyed upon hearing this. "Master! You're willing to use the Empathy Spell with me?! Really?!"

Tan Yangzi was startled by his excitement and replied hesitantly, "En... only then can I guide you on what to do in the dream."

Yan Fei unexpectedly dashed forward and hugged Tan Yangzi's waist. "Master, you're too good to me! I'm willing, I'm willing, I'm willing!"

Tan Yangzi hadn't been hugged like this by him in a long time—or to be accurate, hadn't been hugged like this by anyone in a long time. For a moment, he was a little dazed. He forcefully freed one hand and pushed against Yan Fei's forehead, abruptly shoving his head back at an awkward angle. "If you have something to say, just say it properly! What kind of behavior is this!"

Yet Yan Fei still hugged him tightly and refused to let go. "Master, I'm happy! When I read about the Empathy Spell in a book, I wanted to use it with you! But you always disagreed before!"

"Nonsense! Is this something that can be used casually? This can only be used between a matched pair of Green Impermanence and Red Impermanence!"

"Master, I am your Red Impermanence!"

"You?" Tan Yangzi scoffed. "You're still a bit too green."

Yan Fei was displeased by this. He let go of his master's waist and looked earnestly into Tan Yangzi's eyes. "Master, I'm not young anymore. When sons of ordinary families are my age, they've already married and had children."

Tan Yangzi picked up the Karma-Severing Sword from the table, wiping it with a cloth as he said absentmindedly, "Even after your birthday next month, you'll still only be twenty. Do you know how long your master has lived? In my eyes, you'll always be a little brat."

Yan Fei knew that saying anything was useless; sooner or later, he would prove to his master through his actions that he was already a reliable and trustworthy man.

The Empathy Spell required Green and Red Impermanences to sit facing each other in a secluded place, surrounded by an array drawn with South Sea Butterfly Blood. Although Tan Yangzi didn't have any South Sea Butterfly Blood on him, he had dug out a bottle in Dasamara's house, so he would just make do with it for now. He locked the doors well and drew a complex array written in Hell Script on the floor of the east wing room. Sitting upright in the middle of the array, he said to Yan Fei, "Come in."

Yan Fei hurriedly sat properly in front of Tan Yangzi, the two of them facing each other. Tan Yangzi raised his hand, and the Karma-Severing Sword flew into his grasp as if there was a telepathic connection. He glanced at Yan Fei, then swiped the Karma-Severing Sword across his left palm. Blood immediately trickled down the blade. Yan Fei also extended his palm, letting Tan Yangzi slice a similar wound on his hand. Afterward, the two placed their palms together. The blood from their wounds merged, and bursts of stinging pain spread from their palms to their limbs and bones.

Tan Yangzi looked at Yan Fei. "Your turn."

Yan Fei focused his mind. Although the Soul-Guiding Bell wasn't forged from his Life Soul, he had used it for so long that a connection had formed between them. Sensing his summons, the Soul-Guiding Bell rose into the air, hovering continuously above their heads and emitting a rhythmic chiming. At this moment, Tan Yangzi suddenly said, "During this empathy process, you might catch a glimpse of a part of my true form for an instant. Many people cannot bear the appearances of the beings in Hell; it's not too late for you to back out now."

However, there was no trace of panic on Yan Fei's face. Instead, he looked quite excited. "Master, don't worry, I'm very brave!"

Yet Tan Yangzi still felt a bit apprehensive in his heart. He was afraid... afraid that once Yan Fei saw his true appearance, he would be terrified of him.

Many beings in Hell feared him, and he wanted it that way; after all, only like this would he no longer be bullied. This was an experience he had learned over countless years. But Yan Fei was different...

But on the other hand, he also vaguely wished to know what Yan Fei's reaction would be if he saw his true form.

Yan Fei chanted the incantation Tan Yangzi had taught him, and the ringing of the bell gradually transformed into a cloud of dense mist, enveloping the two of them. They both closed their eyes. A strange, tingling sensation began to rise from their tightly pressed palms, and the blood on their palms seemed to be attempting to drill into the other person's body, restless and stirring.

Within this thick fog, Yan Fei felt his entire body turn feather-light. He knew that this was because his seven mortal souls had slowly left his body. Unlike the Life Soul, which was immortal and indestructible, the seven mortal souls were merely temporary aggregations formed from the arising thoughts and desires of joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and lust. If a person died, they would dissipate into the world, nowhere to be found. However, since a Green Impermanence like Tan Yangzi no longer had a Life Soul, his seven mortal souls had existed for who knew how many years. When they aggregated, one could see the other's form in Hell. Even if it wasn't perfectly accurate, it was close enough.

Yan Fei suddenly felt a wave of gloomy, frigid air closing in from all directions. That sinister coldness was a chill that pierced straight to the bone from the inside out, making every hair on his body stand on end. Following it was a foul, evil aura, like the calm before a storm. The scent of dried blood and decay permeated his nasal cavity, as if some terrifying entity was silently spreading massive, fleshy wings in the darkness.

Yan Fei slowly opened his eyes, but the sight before him nearly made him suffocate.

The person in front of him seemed to be Tan Yangzi, yet also seemed not to be Tan Yangzi anymore. His stature was even taller and more towering. His cyan-blue skin was covered with deep blue, vein-like patterns, and fine lines trailed down from the corners of his eyes, as if he were weeping. The contours of his face were similar to his human form, but the lines were deeper and harder. A pair of bright yellow eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, their slit-like pupils holding bottomless exhaustion and wickedness. Sharp fangs protruded from the corners of his thin lips, and many scales gleaming with a vivid green pearlescence grew on his cheeks, cheekbones, and forehead. And from amidst a full head of grayish-white hair, a pair of huge, curved horns extended from near his temples, scarred and covered in bloodstains.

His upper body was almost completely bare, revealing solid pectoral muscles and a tight, narrow waist. His neck, shoulders, spine, and the sides of his waist were all covered in those cyan scales. However, many of these scales were inverted—evidently having suffered severe trauma, they had healed to form clusters of lotus-shaped inverted scales protruding outward, equivalent to scars on the skin. And in the areas without scales, many hideous scars crisscrossed each other, as if he had experienced countless tragic battles. Hanging around his neck was a necklace woven from the bones of some unknown creature. A long cloth wrapped around his long, powerful legs; it was so coated in various colors of bloodstains that its original color could no longer be seen. Numerous gemstone and bone ornaments, resembling necklaces, hung from his waist, making one suspect whether they were spoils of war taken from the corpses of other ghosts.

His feet were bare, with scales covering the soles as well. Both his hands and feet bore sharp, scimitar-like iron claws, and sharp barbs grew from his knuckles. Moreover, in the centers of his palms—which were much larger than a human's—grew circular mouths. When open, concentric rings of rotating fangs could be seen, with a long purplish-red tongue faintly writhing in the middle.

Extending from his back were several thin, barbed purplish-red blood vessels, connecting all the way to the Karma-Severing Sword not far away. Looking closely, the Karma-Severing Sword wasn't made of bronze at all, but rather woven layer upon layer from these blood vessels flowing with purplish-red liquid.

No wonder Tan Yangzi could manipulate the Karma-Severing Sword as he pleased, even controlling it from a great distance. It turned out this sword grew directly from his body! Looking at the still-fresh wound on his back, the shape of which resembled the sword, this sword was originally stabbed right into his body.

Tan Yangzi, his ghost form completely revealed, stood towering before him. His long white hair danced like spirit snakes behind him, terrifying yet possessing a bizarre sense of beauty. Yan Fei stared unblinkingly, entranced, until the ghostly figure suddenly revealed a vicious look, opening its mouth wide to expose rows of sharp teeth and lunging at him. Only then did he finally snap out of it out of instinctive terror, involuntarily turning to flee. However, his waist was abruptly wrapped by the long tongue spat out from the mouth in the palm. He heard Tan Yangzi sneer in his ear, "Now you know fear?"

Only then did Yan Fei realize that, out of fear, he had instinctively resisted the merging of Tan Yangzi's seven mortal souls with his own. He hurriedly relaxed his body, smiled somewhat awkwardly, and turned back to look at the blue-faced, fang-baring ghost form of Tan Yangzi. "Sorry, Master. That was an instinctive reaction..."

Tan Yangzi sighed and averted his bright yellow eyes. "It's normal to be afraid. This is my fault; I shouldn't have let you see my true form. Let's forget this matter. If you empathize with me, you will experience the five senses and six sensations of an evil ghost. If merely looking at it frightens you, I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it if our senses are completely linked."

Yan Fei could tell that there seemed to be a hint of melancholy on Tan Yangzi's expressionless face, and wondered inwardly, 'Could it be that my panicked expression just now hurt Master's feelings?' He hurriedly said, "Master, I wasn't scared! I think you look absolutely beautiful right now! I was just struck dumb watching you earlier!"

Tan Yangzi glared in utter bafflement at the somewhat illusory youth formed by his seven mortal souls...

Absolutely... beautiful? What the hell kind of description was that?

Although his ghost form was relatively close to a human's, no matter how one looked at it, there was no way it could be described as beautiful...