Ge Wuchen had once told Jiang Luo two methods to deal with the Fated One: either cut off their offerings or steal their followers.
“It’s like drawing water,” Ge Wuchen said. “Think of the followers as faucets, and their offerings as the water flow. Right now, all the water is flowing toward the Fated One. If we want to stop him from absorbing it, we either redirect the water or shut off the taps.”
Shutting off the taps meant converting the Fated One’s followers to another faith—or killing them. There was nothing confusing about that. What Jiang Luo was curious about was the first method. “So how do you redirect the water?”
Ge Wuchen smiled slightly, then began to speak at length.
He went on and on for twenty minutes, circling around the point like a political lecture, turning what should have been a simple idea into something convoluted. Jiang Luo bore with the headache for a while, then raised a hand to interrupt him. “Hold on, hold on.”
Ge Wuchen stopped accordingly.
Jiang Luo pondered a moment. “Why do I feel like you’ve been talking nonsense this whole time?”
Ge Wuchen was visibly shocked and immediately protested, wearing a look of “I didn’t, I swear.” “Benefactor Jiang, how could you say that? I’ve already told you everything I know. Don’t accuse me unjustly.”
Jiang Luo put his spoon down in the meal container, smiling without warmth. “Ge Wuchen, you actually have no idea how to redirect the flow of offerings, do you?”
Ge Wuchen’s mouth paused, then he gave a polite smile. “Benefactor Jiang, there’s no need to be so blunt.”
Jiang Luo let out a cold laugh. “So you were playing me all along.”
Ge Wuchen shook his head in disapproval. “Not at all. Everything I said is true. The Fated One really is a false god formed by incense and offerings. And those two methods really are the most effective I’ve found through my research. How is that playing you?”
Heh.
Jiang Luo was now absolutely certain—Ge Wuchen had tricked him.
Ge Wuchen did know that the Fated One became gods through offerings, but he didn’t know how they absorbed those offerings. The scriptures in the Sutra Library didn’t describe the mechanism either, which is why the Fated One had to leave Bailu Temple to search for the method on his own. That’s also why Ge Wuchen was unable to become a false god himself.
When Ge Wuchen first came to Jiang Luo, his opening line was: “Benefactor Jiang, please be with my master.”
When Jiang Luo refused, Ge Wuchen cleverly shifted the topic to the secrets of the the Fated One. To gain Jiang Luo’s trust, he even half-truthfully revealed his own past.
Then, when Jiang Luo grew suspicious of his motives, he changed his goal to convincing Jiang Luo to stop Chi You from destroying the metaphysical world—a goal that not only aligned with Jiang Luo’s, but also subtly provoked his desire to conquer Chi You.
In the end, he boldly revealed everything he knew about the Fated One, making Jiang Luo believe there was more knowledge to come once the plan succeeded.
Jiang Luo took the bait. He eagerly helped devise the plan, willingly revealed his feelings to Chi You, and personally pushed their relationship further.
Now, things had become entangled beyond unraveling. They had just been biting each other in bed. At this point, Chi You would never let him go.
Wasn’t that exactly Ge Wuchen’s original goal? To get Jiang Luo and Chi You together?
Jiang Luo’s expression shifted constantly, now pale, now dark. He let out a chilling laugh. “Ge Zhu was right—Ge Wuchen, you really are a master manipulator. I underestimated you before.”
Ge Wuchen personally made a cup of tea for Jiang Luo and offered it with both hands in apology. “Benefactor Jiang, you’re a smart man. There’s no need for me to say more. But truly, I’ve told you everything I know. These past five years, I’ve studied a great deal. I even had people craft statues of me, using incense and offerings in an attempt to walk the path of the Fated One. But sadly, none of it worked. Benefactor Jiang, I want to redirect the flow too, but I can’t even figure out why the flow goes to him in the first place.”
He sighed and sat down again. “But blocking the faucets—that’s something we’ve always been doing.”
“All these years, my master’s influence has infiltrated every sector. Whether it’s the metaphysical world or the ordinary one, his followers and puppets are too many to count. If he wants to, he can cut off most of the Fated One’s sources of offerings in an instant. But this method will only be used at the final moment, as a killing blow.”
Jiang Luo didn’t trust him anymore. He asked warily, “Why are you telling me this?”
Ge Wuchen picked up his teacup and smiled. “At this point, Benefactor Jiang, do you still think you can get away from my master? Sooner or later, we’ll be on the same side. No need to play games anymore.”
Jiang Luo rolled his eyes. “I’m not on your side.”
He got up to leave. After two steps, he suddenly turned back and said toward the bottom of the table, “Teng Bi, aren’t your legs numb?”
Then he left.
Over ten minutes later, Teng Bi finally crawled out from under the table, muttering gloomily, “What did he mean by that?”
Ge Wuchen shrugged.
When Jiang Luo returned to the room, the malicious ghost was showering in the bathroom. He sat on the bed and stared at the bathroom door. Soon, the ghost came out wrapped in a bath towel.
Muscles tight and well-toned, lines smooth and defined—enticing but not overdone. The malicious ghost’s physique could be called flawless. Jiang Luo let out a whistle and watched as water dripped from the malicious ghost’s wet hair. He swiftly undid the buttons of his shirt and grinned, “Teacher Chi, care for another round?”
….
The next morning, Chi You opened his eyes.
Jiang Luo’s figure was already gone from the bed. On the bedside table sat two red banknotes and a small card.
“See you tomorrow night at nine. I’m sure you’ll be able to find where I am. The two hundred yuan is your service fee for last night.”
“P.S. — Did you know that your handsome bald monk subordinate once tried to ask me out in private? He talks way more interestingly than you.”
Chi You lingered on that last sentence for several seconds, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Ge Wuchen.”
***
The investigation into the Qi family and the Chi family was in full swing. Qi Ye had already been cleared of all charges.
Jiang Luo arranged to meet with him. When he finally saw Qi Ye, he was taken aback by the other’s state.
Most of the Qi family had been arrested. Only a few younger members, still unaware of anything, were spared. After witnessing his relatives go to prison and his father die before his eyes, Qi Ye’s mental state took a huge blow. He looked like a different person entirely.
They met in a park.
Qi Ye sat silently on a bench. His face was pale from the cold, his appearance unkempt, with stubble across his face—just barely a step above a homeless man on the street.
He stared blankly at the ground until Jiang Luo walked up to him. Then he raised his head and forced a small smile. “You came.”
Jiang Luo sat beside him. “Cold?”
“Not too bad,” Qi Ye replied honestly. “The coldest part’s already over. It’s starting to warm up now.”
“No wonder there’s no snow,” Jiang Luo said. “How’s your family?”
Qi Ye’s expression darkened. “About what you’d expect. Nothing much to say. I’ve taken over the household. Sold everything we could. Paid off the debts, and gave the rest to the people… the ones we wronged. But it’s still not enough.”
Jiang Luo didn’t know what to say. He simply sat beside him, being a quiet trash bin for his words.
But Qi Ye didn’t speak for a long time. He tucked his face into his coat collar and stared at the ground tiles. “That’s not even the worst of it. After I got out, I went to find the people my father hurt. I wanted to apologize to them. But Jiang Luo… you don’t know what kind of lives they’re living…”
He lowered his voice. “They’re suffering.”
He, the beneficiary, got to live carefree as a rich young master. The ones his family harmed, on the other hand, lived in agony. Justice and morality tormented Qi Ye’s soul, like hot oil over fire, like drowning with no air. He began to doubt himself—Was I really innocent?
He’d been running around for days trying to do something, anything, to ease the suffocating guilt pressing down on him. At night, he tossed and turned, sleepless, haunted by memories of the past and his father’s death—and by the hatred in others’ eyes.
He gasped for breath, tears sliding silently down his cheeks.
He realized with chilling clarity:
I am guilty.
I was a little villain, sheltered by the big villain.
Qi Ye’s emotions were on the verge of collapse. Jiang Luo handed him a tissue. Qi Ye wiped his face and slowly calmed down, murmuring, “Sorry.”
Jiang Luo patted his shoulder. “What do you plan to do next?”
“Pull the remaining Qi family members together and pay off the debt,” Qi Ye shrugged, feigning lightness. “I’m already an adult, a man. Time to take responsibility.”
They chatted idly as the trees swayed and the park lights came on.
At the far end of the path, footsteps approached.
Jiang Luo and Qi Ye looked up, only to see Chi You strolling over with a smile.
The malicious ghost was dressed in a sharp suit, unhurried. The moonlight was veiled by dark clouds, as if even the light feared to touch him.
Qi Ye instantly tensed.
The footsteps stopped in front of their bench.
Chi You stood tall, lowering his eyes to look at Jiang Luo, then Qi Ye. “A date for three?”
“Technically two,” Jiang Luo corrected. “And one ghost.”
Chi You’s smile was ambiguous, his gaze slow and sticky as it swept over Jiang Luo.
Though they’d just been intimate the night before, the malicious ghost’s hunger for Jiang Luo had only intensified. A mere day apart was enough to rile him up. Just laying eyes on him was enough to excite him. His gaze smoldered, dark and burning.
Never satisfied—the more he possessed, the more insatiable he became. In Chi You’s ocean, whirlpools were already churning beneath the surface, all for Jiang Luo.
“You brought someone else to our date?” Chi You asked lazily.
He completely ignored Qi Ye.
But Qi Ye couldn’t ignore him. He looked at the man who had killed his father, dazed.
“Jiang Luo,” he said, fingers curling slightly on his thigh. “Can I speak with Teacher Chi You alone for a moment?”
Jiang Luo tactfully stood up, but not before shooting Chi You a warning look not to do anything reckless.
Once Jiang Luo’s figure disappeared, Chi You finally withdrew his gaze. He slowly sat on the bench, reclining back in a relaxed, indifferent posture. “What do you want to say?”
Qi Ye suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud before Chi You.
He bowed his head. “The spirit inside me—it’s your father.”
Chi You looked at him expressionlessly.
Qi Ye took a deep breath. “I want you to extract it from me.”
Removing the spirit would be extremely painful—potentially fatal. And once it was gone, Qi Ye would no longer see ghosts or spirits, would lose all sense of yin or yang energy, and would no longer be able to use talismans or arrays.
He would only become an ordinary person.
“I want to return the spiritual body to you,” Qi Ye said, wanting to repay the debt on behalf of his family. “And, on behalf of my whole family, say to you, your father, and your grandfather… I’m sorry.”
***
Two hours later, Jiang Luo finally saw Qi Ye, whose footsteps were unsteady and face pale as paper.
Jiang Luo glanced behind him. “Where is he?”
“He’s gone,” Qi Ye’s voice was low. He was drenched in cold sweat, and speaking seemed to take effort. “Jiang Luo, I—”
Before he could finish, he collapsed.
Startled, Jiang Luo hurriedly carried him home.
Qi Ye remained unconscious the entire day. Jiang Luo and the others took him to the hospital, where he developed a persistent high fever and his vital signs weakened to nearly nothing. The hospital couldn’t find anything wrong, but it didn’t seem like malicious ghostic possession either. Jiang Luo gave him two drops of ginseng spirit tears, careful not to overdo it for fear his body wouldn’t withstand it.
Two days later, Qi Ye finally opened his eyes. He laid there in a daze for a long time before slowly sitting up.
His classmates were whispering softly by his bedside. He saw Jiang Luo and Lu Youyi joking around in a corner.
Qi Ye asked hoarsely, “What are you all doing?”
Having not spoken for two days, his voice was rough.
Lu Youyi looked surprised and pointed to the wall, “There’s a little girl who died young over there, can’t you see her?”
Qi Ye froze and silently looked toward the corner they were staring at. But in his eyes, there was nothing there—not even dust or trash.
Lu Youyi chuckled, “Such a cute little girl. She said she’s been here for a year, just wanting to see her mom one last time. But her mom was so heartbroken by her death that she hasn’t stepped into this hospital since. We’ve been trying to get in touch with her.”
“I see…” Qi Ye pulled the blanket up around himself. “That’s nice. I’m a little tired, I’ll nap for a bit.”
Over the next few days, Jiang Luo didn’t notice anything wrong with Qi Ye. Until one night, he woke up to find Qi Ye silently writing a useless talisman at the desk—one without any qi—then he realized the truth.
Jiang Luo contacted Dean Xu, who examined Qi Ye thoroughly and regretfully concluded, “His spiritual body is gone. From now on, he’ll just be an ordinary person.”
Even though Jiang Luo had already guessed this outcome, his heart still sank.
Dean Xu sighed, “The spiritual body is what we call ‘talent.’ Talent is the cornerstone of our field. Without the cornerstone, even the best house will collapse. What a pity. Everything this child learned over the years is now useless.”
Lu Youyi said in a panic, “I even made him look at the little girl in the hospital earlier… I didn’t know. How did Qi Ye suddenly lose his spiritual body…”
The bathroom door opened, and Qi Ye came out dressed in clean clothes.
He had overheard them and spoke with an indifferent tone, “I’m doing great now. I feel relaxed, I can sleep well, and I’m not waking up in the middle of the night screaming ‘what the h*ll’ anymore.”
The others laughed along, but their smiles were stiff, filled with confusion and sympathy.
After a moment of silence, Qi Ye smiled and said, “No need to worry. I’m doing fine. It’s just that I’m not really suited to study with you guys anymore. I’ll be transferring schools.”
Dean Xu frowned, heart softening. “No need to transfer. You’re right that you’re not suited for the metaphysics program anymore, but Baihua University doesn’t only offer that one field. You can transfer to another major.”
Qi Ye said, “Alright. Thank you, Dean Xu.”
Once those words were said, the atmosphere turned quiet again. Qi Ye rubbed his fingers, picked up the bag he had packed the day before, and said, “I should head home now. Goodbye.”
Lu Youyi and the others wanted to say something, but didn’t know what to say. They pushed each other forward until Jiang Luo was the one left standing.
Zhuo Zhongqiu whispered, “Jiang Luo, he really needs comfort right now. The seven of us combined don’t have the same effect as a few words from you. Say something, quick.”
Jiang Luo wasn’t sure what she meant, but still cleared his throat, “Qi Ye.”
Qi Ye’s footsteps paused at the doorway.
Jiang Luo said, “Are you really willing to leave the metaphysics world?”
Qi Ye forced a light tone, “What else can I do? Jiang Luo, don’t try to talk me out of it. I’ve already made up my mind. I’m smart—whatever I do, I’ll be fine.”
Jiang Luo nodded. “Yes, you’re very smart. Qi Ye, you’re a genius.”
“I’m not,” Qi Ye quickly denied. “I’m not a genius.” I’m just a thief.
Jiang Luo looked at Qi Ye’s dim, defeated figure, frowning. His voice turned more forceful, “Qi Ye, answer me. Are you truly willing to never touch metaphysics again for the rest of your life? After seeing the wonder and brilliance of this world, are you really going to walk away?”
Qi Ye fell silent.
After a long time, he said in a low voice, “I have no reason to stay, Jiang Luo.”
“I’m not like you guys,” Qi Ye whispered like a breath of air, “I’m like a stray dog now. I have no parents or family, no home or money, and I’ve lost what I thought was innately mine since birth. I’m only twenty-one. The past twenty-one years feel like some bullsh*t stroke of luck, completely fake. All I have left now is a sliver of self-respect, and I want to leave with it, like a man with some dignity. So I’m begging you, Jiang Luo—just let me keep a little. Let me keep the last bit.”
Jiang Luo pressed his lips together.
Qi Ye pushed open the door and left.
Jiang Luo stood still for a few seconds. The others watched his expression cautiously. Then Jiang Luo suddenly turned and chased down the stairs.
Qi Ye moved surprisingly fast. By the time Jiang Luo caught up, he had already exited the apartment complex.
Jiang Luo wasn’t someone overflowing with kindness, but he still remembered how he had stolen the Yuan Tian Bead under Qi Ye’s cover. He had no sympathy for anyone from the Qi family, but Qi Ye truly was innocent.
Qi Ye had treated him as a friend. Jiang Luo didn’t want him to regret it in the future.
Did Qi Ye really want to leave the metaphysics world?
Judging by the look in his eyes and how he wrote talismans in the middle of the night, of course he didn’t.
Jiang Luo caught up with him in a few quick strides. “Hey, Qi Ye.”
Qi Ye paused for a moment, but instead sped up.
“Did you hear that the country has just established a new metaphysics division?” Without waiting for a reply, Jiang Luo continued, “It’s called the Research Bureau. Right now, there’s only one team, and I’ve been appointed the team leader—just a small role. We’re short on people. As long as someone has talent that could help the Bureau, we welcome them.”
He smiled slightly. “Don’t rush to say no, just listen. You may have lost your spiritual body, but don’t be so discouraged. What about your martial skills? You trained those through years of grinding, crawling, and fighting. Don’t tell me you’ve lost those too?”
Qi Ye was momentarily stunned.
Jiang Luo knew he’d gotten through, so his tone became even lighter. “Honestly, even if you’ve lost some natural gifts, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re still impressive. The spiritual body wasn’t yours, but your memory and comprehension are. You can integrate all kinds of formations and spells—read them a few times and you can use them. That’s your ability. The Qi family made it into the Six Great Houses relying on that eclectic learning style—you had to study a bit of everything, even some of the long-lost Qimen Dunjia. You’ve learned all that, haven’t you?”
Qi Ye couldn’t help but nod.
“That’s your real strength,” Jiang Luo said. “Excellent martial skills and broad theoretical knowledge. Compared to you, the rest of us eight haven’t learned nearly as much. So now that your spiritual body’s gone, are you going to throw away all that knowledge too?”
Qi Ye slowly clenched his fist. “It’s all still there.”
“Exactly.”
Jiang Luo took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Qi Ye. “Logistics, theory, guidance—no matter the role, you’d be a great fit for us. If you think it over and want in, contact this person—he’ll help you get set up. Oh, and by the way, besides me, Lu Youyi and the others have also joined the Research Bureau.”
Qi Ye stared hard at the card in his hand. After a while, he finally reached out and took it. Head lowered, he said quietly, “Thanks.”
Finding a place in the industry where his abilities were still useful—this should have made him happy.
But beneath the joy, Qi Ye felt an inexplicable sorrow that wouldn’t fade.
Maybe it was because he realized the distance between him and Jiang Luo was growing wider and wider.
The moment he took the card, he admitted that distance with his own hands. His laughable pride and dignity clearly meant nothing in the face of such a gap.
He even felt a little grateful—thank goodness Jiang Luo had chased after him.
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