Jiang Luo merely gave a polite smile, with a touch of puzzlement as to why this person was so persistent.
“…” The funeral parlor owner said, “Alright, let me tell you what this earring does. It’s called the ‘Soul Capture Pendant.’ Even though it bears the name and form of a Soul Capture Pendant, its actual function is to calm the mind. It helps clear the head, sharpen focus, and keep one’s sense of self intact. Not only that—it has a small extra function: it allows the wearer to glimpse into someone else’s soul once per day. After all, it is called the Soul Capture Pendant. It might not capture your soul, but it can capture someone else’s…”
The funeral parlor owner hyped up the tassel earring as if it were a once-in-a-lifetime treasure. Jiang Luo waited until he finished, then slowly asked, “Why are you so determined to make me wear it?”
The question circled right back to the start. The funeral parlor owner was on the verge of collapse. “Aren’t you the least bit tempted by such a good thing?”
Jiang Luo held the tassel earring tightly and shook his head.
The funeral parlor owner sighed, “…Fine. I wanted you to wear it for your own good—because I don’t want you to kill him…” He suddenly changed the subject. “Do you know who the best artifact refiner in the world is?”
Jiang Luo only knew one: Kuang Zheng. So he confidently answered, “Kuang Zheng.”
The funeral parlor owner laughed, “He’s very talented—I couldn’t help but teach him a few things. But you should know, everything your Baihua University classmates bought from my shop was handcrafted by me. Including the Soul Capture Pendant in your hand—it was made by me.”
Jiang Luo couldn’t help but look at him differently. The funeral parlor owner twirled the beaded tassel and puffed out his chest with a look that said “I’m proud, but I’ll modestly wait for your praise.”
The ginseng spirit in Jiang Luo’s arms clapped its tiny hands, “pa pa,” in applause.
The funeral parlor owner cleared his throat, just about to say more, when Jiang Luo asked, “Did you also refine my Yin-Yang hoop?”
The gloom on the funeral parlor owner’s face paused. The smile on his lips faded, then slowly pulled taut again. “No.”
He looked at Jiang Luo deeply. “That was made by the Fated One.”
“He left the Yin-Yang hoop in my shop, waiting for someone destined to find it,” Ji Yaozi said. “It bears twelve golden incantation seals, each one hand-carved by him. Each seal is capable of repelling evil spirits. It was a gift he prepared long ago—for a specific someone.”
“And you’re the only one who discovered the Yin-Yang hoop.”
Jiang Luo’s face turned exceedingly grim in an instant.
***
Right before Jiang Luo was about to crush the Yin-Yang hoop, he frowned and said, “There are clearly thirteen seals on the ring.”
“I wasn’t finished,” Ji Yaozi replied. “When I saw it had been left untouched for so long, I reforged it and added another seal. What powers the ring has now depends on the bond between it and its owner.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know exactly what abilities it has after you activated it, but it should still have the classic three: divining direction, discerning fortune and misfortune, and sensing yin and yang. But if someone doesn’t have much talent or strength—especially if they don’t even dare to try activating the ring—they won’t be able to use much of its power.”
The funeral parlor owner spoke casually, but in a flash, a realization dawned on Jiang Luo.
Did Ji Yaozi truly reforge the ring just because it was gathering dust? No—he only wanted to alter the weapon the Fated One left for “that person,” to leave a sliver of hope for Chi You’s survival. Just like the Soul Capture Pendant, which he gave Jiang Luo not to harm him, but to prevent him from being fully brainwashed into killing Chi You.
The Yin-Yang hoop was a weapon left by the Fated One who-knows-how-many years ago specifically for Jiang Luo. The first three activations did match what Ji Yaozi described. But the fourth…
Was to summon a ghost.
It would call forth the most powerful ghost in the world—one that would help Jiang Luo accomplish a single task. In return, Jiang Luo would be required to fulfill any request that ghost made.
If that most powerful ghost were Chi You… just imagine it. Suppose Jiang Luo had been successfully brainwashed by the Fated One, and ended up in a devastating battle against Chi You. Even with the twelve zodiac powers, they’d be evenly matched. In the end, if Jiang Luo couldn’t win, and used the fourth activation of the ring—and the ghost summoned was his enemy, Chi You…
Jiang Luo’s face twisted slightly.
Now that was one h*ll of a scene.
But at this point, Jiang Luo was convinced Ji Yaozi had been telling the truth. If he wanted to harm him, he could’ve done it long ago just with the Yin-Yang hoop.
He’d shown real sincerity, even revealing so much. More than that, Ji Yaozi didn’t give the earring to Jiang Luo directly—he handed it to Wenren and the others instead. That alone proved he had his hands tied. At the very least, he couldn’t openly support Jiang Luo or take Chi You’s side.
Jiang Luo glanced ahead at Feng Li and Daoist Wei He, seeing they weren’t paying attention. He dropped the act. Hidden by shadows, he turned to Ji Yaozi and gave him a chilling smile.
That smile was dripping with poison, slow and malicious. Jiang Luo lowered his voice and drawled, “Ohhh, so you made this earring—and even got someone to personally deliver it to me, huh.”
In the stunned gaze of the funeral parlor owner, the black-haired youth curled his blood-red lips. “Ji Yaozi—Old Ji—who would’ve thought you cared about me this much? I had no idea. Turns out you and I are grasshoppers tied to the same rope.”
Ji Yaozi: “…”
He almost forgot to breathe.
His voice trembled. “Y-You were pretending?”
Ji Yaozi couldn’t disobey the Fated One, so he could only secretly help Jiang Luo. He thought that after taking such a long detour and having Wenren Lian deliver the Soul Capture Pendant, things would be fine. But upon seeing that Jiang Luo, even after having his desires wiped away, still refused to use the pendant, he panicked and ended up revealing everything.
It was over. He was exposed.
The one who exposed him was still chuckling, his voice like a malicious ghost’s, “Old Ji, you went through all that trouble to help me in secret. I really must thank you. Don’t worry, I definitely won’t expose you. I won’t tell anyone about the things you’ve done.”
A threat. This was a naked, blatant threat. His words were practically saying: If you don’t stand on my side, I’ll tell everyone what you did behind their backs.
Ji Yaozi’s heart sank halfway into despair.
Is Jiang Luo even human?
Not only had his desires not been wiped out, but he even used this whole setup to trick them?
After a long silence, he let out a bitter laugh and accepted his fate completely.
Forget it, he deserved it anyway.
He didn’t have the courage to openly resist the Fated One, yet he still wanted to secretly stop things from turning worse. Playing both sides like this—sooner or later, he was bound to get outplayed by someone.
As he thought about it, he actually started to feel amused.
The one who outplayed him was Jiang Luo. Jiang Luo’s nature of being ruthless to himself and even more ruthless to others was exactly what he liked. Even without the help of the Soul Capture Pendant, he could stay clear-headed and deceive them all. Thinking about it this way, Ji Yaozi felt hopeful about the future once more.
If it’s Jiang Luo… maybe he can change the fate of this world.
After a long while of reflection, the funeral parlor owner straightforwardly said, “I can’t openly help you with anything, but if there’s something you need me to do, just say the word. If it’s within my ability, I won’t refuse.”
Ahead, Daoist Wei He had already led them into the house. It wasn’t the right time to talk. Jiang Luo shook his head. “We’ll talk later.”
At dinner, only Jiang Luo, the one who’d been starving all day, truly enjoyed the meal. He ate meat, and the ginseng spirit gnawed on vegetable leaves. Both were quite content and, without interrupting the elders’ conversations, prepared to head back to their room.
Feng Li set down his wine cup and ordered in a commanding tone, “Don’t wander. Go straight back to your room.”
Jiang Luo maintained his smile. “Okay.”
By the time he returned to his room, it was already 8 p.m.
Jiang Luo placed the ginseng spirit inside the room and went out alone to find a chunk of ice. He used it to numb his ear. Once his left earlobe had lost all sensation, Jiang Luo didn’t blink as he pierced it with the Soul Capture Pendant.
The pendant was as long as an adult man’s palm—exquisite and full of vitality. Three long, bright red tassels hung amidst his black hair. Red and black intertwined, bewitchingly beautiful.
Though it looked heavy, the pendant was incredibly light in hand. Whatever material had been used made it feel as airy as a feather floating on the wind. It placed no burden on Jiang Luo at all.
Once he’d put it on, Jiang Luo stood in front of the mirror and carefully examined himself.
It was no longer unusual for men to have pierced ears. The exotic charm of the Soul Capture Pendant peeked out from under his hair, not diminishing his already careless and rebellious features, but adding an eerie and seductive allure.
The man in the mirror, and the earring—both were stunning.
But if the malicious ghost were to see this, he’d probably be furious that “his” earlobe now had a piercing he hadn’t approved of.
Jiang Luo looked at the moonlight, his eyes flickering for a moment. He began considering whether to make use of the ghost tonight or not.
In the end, he happily decided: Forget it for tonight.
After all, he had just obtained the Soul Capture Pendant and could test its effects tomorrow. Besides, that ghost’s insatiable and greedy demeanor might have made Jiang Luo feel smug—knowing he was the object of Chi You’s obsession—but those possessive, undisguised words about his skin and blood made Jiang Luo quite unhappy.
Might as well leave him hanging for a bit.
Author’s note:
Luo Luo: Might as well bait him a little.
