Chapter Fifty-Eight: Rebirth

“You’re not Old Ma’s apprentice, are you?” Master Wei asked.

I saw no reason to conceal the truth; I figured Su Feiyong and the others must have already spoken to her.

I replied, “I’m indeed not Old Ma’s apprentice. I simply had something to ask of him, and he called me along.”

After a while, a beam from a flashlight shone from ahead. Soon, Su Feiyong appeared, carrying Huang Wenyang on his back.

Seeing Master Wei, whose clothes were stained with blood, Su Feiyong was instantly alarmed. He quickly set Huang Wenyang down and hurried over. “Master Wei, what happened to you? I’m so sorry—it was my negligence!”

She didn’t speak, but made a gesture. Su Feiyong asked no further, though worry lingered on his face. He went back to pick up Huang Wenyang and led the way.

I remembered Old Ma’s corpse and asked Su Feiyong if he could call someone to come.

“I tried earlier—there’s no signal in here,” he replied.

With that settled, there was nothing more to be done. The man was dead; we’d have to come back at dawn to collect the body. In our current state, we couldn’t carry a corpse back.

A long sigh welled up inside me. Old Ma was dead; no one could lift the ghost curse for me now. Sooner or later, I would die as well. Truly, the longer the night, the more dreams. Dragging things out always leads to trouble. After so many delays, everything had fallen apart. Thinking of my dwindling days, I grew melancholy.

We passed through the vine forest. The fat cat with stitched-up belly lay motionless on the ground, utterly still. The force controlling them had vanished; they had returned to their lifeless state. I found it odd—this was Huang Wenyang’s cat. Why had Ze Yi bothered to stitch it up? When he stroked the cat at his home, he’d shown genuine affection.

Retracing our steps, several beams of flashlights shone from ahead. As we drew closer, I saw it was Xiao Qingwan and her companions.

“We’ve found them!” I shouted.

They quickly came over, Xiao Qingwan moving fastest—even outpacing the tall, burly bodyguard.

She rushed over and, seeing Master Wei wounded and bloodied, anxiously asked, “What happened? Why is it like this? Who hurt him?”

Xiao Qingwan looked ready to hunt down the culprit and avenge him. Seeing her so deeply agitated, I hesitated whether to tell her about Master Wei’s condition. After some deliberation, I decided against it. After all, we weren’t really on the same path, and likely wouldn’t meet again. Better to leave her with a lingering hope.

“It’s a long story,” I said, just as I was about to ask Xiao Qingwan to help support Master Wei, but the bodyguard had already stepped forward and was preparing to assist.

Master Wei made a gesture, indicating the bodyguard should take Ze Yi from my back. Without hesitation or question, the bodyguard took him from me. I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Without Ze Yi, I couldn’t ask Xiao Qingwan to take over supporting Master Wei, so I had to keep helping him myself. It felt awkward—if only she were a man. I still couldn’t believe she was truly a woman.

Xiao Qingwan now noticed Ze Yi. “Why is this child here? Where did you find him?”

She still hadn’t realized that the forbidden figure she’d been searching for all along was Ze Yi.

Gu Yangyu’s attitude was much more composed. He probably guessed the truth, though his gaze at Ze Yi was tinged with curiosity, as if pondering something. He looked around us and asked, “Where’s Old Ma?”

Sadness welled up in my heart—partly for Old Ma’s death, mostly for my own impending fate. “Old Ma, he…”

“You brat! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Leaving me, an old man, in the woods to fend for myself!” A furious voice thundered from behind.

I jolted, immediately turned, and shone my flashlight. There, hunched and scrawny, his appearance as sly as ever, Old Ma marched toward us in a rage.

I was utterly shocked, eyes wide. Wasn’t he dead? He had no breath, no pulse, his limbs stiff—dead as could be! How was he alive again?

Hands on hips, Old Ma strode briskly, behaving as usual. The only difference was how furious he was; his eyebrows nearly stood upright, as if he could cut me to pieces to vent his anger.

“Old Ma! You’re alive!” I exclaimed.

He strode up, raised his hand, and slapped me hard on the forehead. “You’re the one who’s dead! You brat! Just leave my old bones in the woods and walk off on your own! Are you hoping I’ll die sooner? You almost killed me with rage! How did I end up with a disciple like you? You’re infuriating!”

Rubbing my sore forehead, I felt no anger. Old Ma alive meant I could live, too. I gave him a foolish grin. “As long as you’re alright, that’s all that matters.”

Old Ma saw Ze Yi and immediately frowned, still seething. “What’s with this little boy? The forbidden ghost in his body is gone!”

The latter half of his sentence rose in pitch, clearly astonished. His old eyes widened in shock, clearly asking me what had happened.

Xiao Qingwan, hearing ‘forbidden ghost,’ was baffled, still not understanding.

“It’s a long story. Let’s talk as we walk,” I said, signaling Su Feiyong to call Zhuang Xingrui and the others—it seemed we had signal here now.

I explained everything that had happened, including the man in the long coat and the matter of the Green Shade, omitting unnecessary details, such as Master Wei’s gender.

After my account, Old Ma, Gu Yangyu, and Xiao Qingwan all fell silent, their expressions odd, faces strange, lost in thought.

“So you say he captured the Green Shade, and removed the forbidden ghost from the child?” Old Ma said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

“Yes, it’s sealed within the little figure made from vines,” I answered truthfully. Was there a problem?

“Where is the little figure? Let me see it,” Old Ma demanded.

I took the vine figure from my coat pocket and handed it to him. Old Ma examined it, Gu Yangyu and Xiao Qingwan crowded around. Old Ma pressed a hand against the figure, muttering, “The yin energy is concentrated—there’s definitely something evil sealed inside, but there’s no sign of any suppression spell…”

“How can that be? If there’s no suppression, why would the ghost willingly stay sealed?” Xiao Qingwan asked.

Old Ma shook his head. “No! It’s not that there’s no suppression spell, but the method wasn’t used on the vine figure—it was directly applied to the Green Shade itself!”

“You—you mean he subdued the Green Shade first, then sealed it?” Xiao Qingwan said in disbelief.

I couldn’t understand the details of their discussion, but it was clear the man in the long coat was exceptionally powerful.

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