“Chef Cheng, don’t panic. I really do know one of the victims from that car accident ten years ago. What was his name?”
“His name was Cheng Ping An. Ping An, as in ‘safe and sound.’”
Qin Shu and Pei Zhao exchanged a glance, then carefully studied Chef Cheng’s face. Qin Shu looked thoughtful. “He should be the ghost senior who’s been there the longest, right? Now that you mention it, your features really do look a little alike… He’s free now. You can rebuild the ancestral grave and summon his soul again. This time he should be able to answer.”
“F-free?” Chef Cheng’s heartbeat quickened. At the same time, he realized what that implied, and his eyes turned red. “Before this, my brother was… was being held somewhere? He wasn’t free?”
“We killed every last culprit. Don’t worry. They’re thoroughly dead. But those senior students may still be on the bus.” Qin Shu thought for a moment. “Do you have bull’s tears? Bring a small bottle. We can take you to find your brother right now, assuming he hasn’t gone far.”
“Yes! Yes, yes, yes! I’ve got some! I also have a peachwood sword. The master back home gave me lots of yellow talismans and little protective objects, and all kinds of things for warding off evil.” Chef Cheng hurriedly raised a hand and rubbed his eyes hard. “Immortal Master, do you need them? I’ll bring everything!”
“Please don’t. Definitely don’t bring anything else. Bull’s tears are enough.” Qin Shu laughed. “Your brother is a ghost now. If you carry a whole crate of evil-warding objects with you, what if they drive him away from a hundred meters off?”
“Ah, right! Hahahaha…” Chef Cheng finally realized it and laughed along, though his hands never stopped wiping his tears.
Yujun Pavilion was very close to Jing University. Once Chef Cheng retrieved the bull’s tears, Qin Shu did not bother asking the white dragon for help. He personally led the man to the university parking lot.
Pei Zhao had arrived ahead of them and found that the ghost seniors on the bus had indeed never left. Seeing Pei Zhao appear eerily in the middle of the night nearly made the group hug one another and howl in terror.
“Cheng Ping An, your little brother is here to see you.” Pei Zhao stared speechlessly at their nearly tearful faces. “Why do all of you look like vicious ghosts? Tidy up your posthumous appearances. Don’t scare your brother to death the moment he comes in.”
“Huh?! My brother? Which brother?” Cheng Ping An hurriedly let go of the two terrified ghosts beside him and frantically smoothed his hair. “My Lord, I have four younger brothers. I especially hate two of them.”
“The one who became a chef. Cheng Ping Jia.”
“Ah, he’s the one I hate most! He’s only a few years younger than me, but back in the village he spent all day loafing around, fighting, stealing chickens, teasing dogs, and refusing to do anything useful. He wouldn’t even finish middle school… That brat actually became a chef?”
The dislike in Cheng Ping An’s words was entirely sincere, but the sob in his voice was also becoming impossible to suppress.
The man had not even arrived yet when familiar yet unfamiliar footsteps drifted into the bus from the far end of the parking lot. Cheng Ping An did not dare stick his head out to look. He hurriedly ran his hands through his hair over and over without ever being satisfied, then suddenly collapsed onto the floor and covered his face, sobbing.
Pei Zhao was terrible at handling scenes like this. He stared blankly for a moment, quietly slipped outside, then appeared beside Qin Shu in an instant and tucked his cold fingers into Qin Shu’s palm.
At the same time, the equally nervous Chef Cheng began walking faster and faster. Without realizing it, he even moved ahead of Qin Shu, his eyes locked on the bus. It was a vehicle carved into Cheng Ping Jia’s bones. No matter how many times it had been refurbished and repainted, he would recognize it at a glance.
His steps grew faster still. He did not even notice Pei Zhao was there and never once registered his presence. That was probably a good thing for Chef Cheng. If, in the dark of night, he had accidentally caught sight of Pei Zhao’s expressionless face… that nonhuman aura really could have frightened him unconscious.
Qin Shu, on the other hand, was startled by Pei Zhao’s sudden appearance. He squeezed the cold fingers in his palm and lowered his voice. “What happened?”
“Cheng Ping An is crying.”
Pei Zhao spoke gloomily. His gaze followed Chef Cheng’s back as the man sprinted onto the bus. A moment later, deafening sobs erupted from inside, and Pei Zhao could not help closing his eyes.
Family separated for years, reunited only to find themselves on opposite sides of life and death, able to see one another but unable to touch. Far too wholesome and beautiful. Pei Zhao did not enjoy personally intruding into such sorrowful warmth.
“Oh, then it’s fine. They’ll be crying together in a minute anyway.” Qin Shu relaxed and stayed outside the bus with Pei Zhao. “That ghost senior is pretty lucky. His family still remembers him. Chef Cheng isn’t doing badly either. He must’ve met a kind cultivator back home. That protective jade around his neck feels unusual. It looks especially pure under moonlight. I think it’s genuine jade that can nourish the soul, and probably not cheap.”
“It is. That sort of jade is rare now and seldom circulates on the market. It may be a specialty from the mining region near their hometown.” Pei Zhao glanced at Qin Shu. “When they finish crying, I’ll ask him to sell you a piece.”
“Huh?” Qin Shu froze again.
“Things that nourish the soul are better in greater quantity. Their effects can stack at least a little.” Pei Zhao thought for a moment, then added, “Forget it. We’ll help them one more time. I want to buy an especially, especially large piece.”
Qin Shu finally understood what he meant. He laughed and squeezed Pei Zhao’s hand. “Actually, you just like pretty stones that glow under the moon, don’t you?”
“I do.” Even after being exposed, Pei Zhao remained perfectly calm and solemnly changed the subject. “Right. It’s about time. Send Huang Yu Yuan a message. Tell him to hurry and bring his whole family over to eat some leftovers.”
“…Huh?” Qin Shu froze yet again. “What leftovers?”
“The Dragon King’s discourse.” Pei Zhao did not explain further. “The first half wasn’t suitable for yao cultivators to hear. The timing is about right now. Let them listen to what remains. It’ll benefit their cultivation.”
“Wasn’t Uncle Ao telling deep-sea stories? When did that turn into a discourse? How did I not hear it?” Qin Shu was thoroughly shocked. He still did not understand, but his hands moved quickly as he pulled out his phone and sent a message.
“Everyone has their own Dao, and when they give a discourse, they can only speak on their own Dao. It’s fine if you can’t hear it. It’s also fine if you understand it completely. The dangerous position is understanding only a little, admiring that path, and carrying preconceived ideas while actually knowing only half the truth and being unable to separate what is useful from what is harmful… Listen too long, and the invisible intent inside it will gradually pull you into that person’s Dao and shift you away from the direction you should have taken yourself.”
Understanding dawned on Qin Shu. “I get it. So human cultivators can treat it like filling gaps in their knowledge and won’t suddenly go crazy and try to walk a yao cultivator’s path of enlightenment. But yao cultivators have a bloodline reverence for dragons, so they’re especially likely to listen themselves into a dead end…”
“Mm. Huang Yu Yuan in particular mustn’t listen for too long.” Pei Zhao nodded slightly. “Going now is ideal. The few who drank too much should be mostly sober by now too, so they won’t gather together and cause trouble.”
“Zhao Zhao, you’re so thoughtful. You’re wonderful.” Qin Shu gave him a loud kiss. “Speaking of which, why is Xu Min fine?”
“Xu Min is quite capable. His senses are sharp to an unscientific degree. Sometimes, sharper than yours.” Pei Zhao tilted his head. “If he weren’t so timid, and if his nose weren’t so sensitive that he insisted on hiding in No. 2 High School to survive, he would have achieved far more than he has now… Of course, he’d also be much more likely to die.”
“It’s rare to hear you praise someone else as capable. Hahahaha, no wonder Teacher Xu was scared half to death by Sister Xu Qian right from the start. Now I don’t even dare take my eyeball out in front of him. I’m afraid he’ll faint.”
Qin Shu shook his head with a sigh and sent Pei Zhao’s key points to Huang Yu Yuan, urging him to move quickly and, if possible, bring the Mountain Lord too. Then he left them to it.
Huang Yu Yuan and the others were still helping clean up the Dragon Palace, especially handling matters the white dragon genuinely could not understand. With the Mountain Lord holding down the fort, plus Huang Yu Yuan, the most highly regarded member of the younger generation, the panicked yao cultivators had been reassured several times over.
But no matter how busy they were with cleanup, no idiot would willingly miss the Dragon King’s discourse. Qin Shu still did not understand how precious it was, but every yao cultivator knew perfectly well. This was an enormous opportunity one might not encounter even after living two lifetimes.
Not long after the message went out, before the Cheng brothers had even finished crying, Qin Shu’s ears twitched. He heard one distant rush of air after another cutting through the night sky.
A cold yao wind swept through the treetops and startled countless birds from Jing University’s woods. Qin Shu looked up involuntarily, then stared in astonishment.
Among the stars of the night sky, thin clouds scattered before the violent wind while thick ones were torn apart. Even the moonlight seemed distorted by the overwhelming yao qi, taking on a strange blue-green hue.
Around a hundred little calves and tiger cubs were hidden in the sky! They were arranged in two perfectly neat square formations, with leaders in front and guards bringing up the rear.
The Mountain Lord had taken the form of an enormous, glossy-furred tigress. Majestic and heroic, she stepped across blue clouds beneath the moon and led the beasts in a silent charge through the night sky.
Huang Yu Yuan had not returned to his original form. Dressed in black with long hair flowing loose, he quietly followed at the end of the procession, hands clasped behind his back as he stood on a long, slender silver sword and flew upon it with effortless style.
“…You people who can fly are unbearably fashionable.” Qin Shu slowly exhaled. “Xiezhi can clearly fly. Why can’t I?”
“In theory, yes, they have wings. Naturally you can’t fly before yours grow out.” Pei Zhao stared at the fluffy tiger cubs. “But once your wings grow, the essential nature of your life will move infinitely closer to your primordial state and farther and farther from humanity. If something goes wrong with your mindset, you may not necessarily be able to return to your present appearance. You need to pay close attention to that.”
Qin Shu listened seriously. After thinking in silence for quite a while, he asked, “Zhao Zhao, do you like how I look now?”
“I do.”
“How much? Compared with that so-called primordial state… would you like both equally?”
“I’d like both equally.” Pei Zhao finished, then under Qin Shu’s threatening stare quietly added, “I like you very much.”
“Then isn’t that enough? From now on, just praise me a little more whenever you get the chance. My sense of identity will only get stronger and stronger. I’ll want to maintain human form even in my dreams and never lose myself… Wait, no. Speaking of which, I haven’t exercised in ages! Once we get back to Jiangcheng, I need to buy a gym membership.”
Qin Shu suddenly realized that lately he seemed to have done nothing but eat wildly and had not been watching his figure at all. Alarmed, he lifted his sweatshirt and hurriedly felt his abs before reluctantly calming down.
Fortunately, fortunately. They still felt pretty good. For the moment, they had not fused into one enormous, irreversible slab.
Pei Zhao was amused by his horrified expression and curved his lips. “You don’t actually think your activity level has been low lately, do you? Expending spiritual power is the best weight-loss method. Without that expenditure, your appetite wouldn’t be so good.”
“Mm, that’s true. I have absorbed a lot of spiritual energy lately. No wonder none of you spell cultivators are fat…” Qin Shu was not entirely sure. “Did my body actually get better?” He grabbed Pei Zhao’s wrist, took a deep breath, and guided his hand beneath the hem of his sweatshirt.
A cold, soft palm suddenly pressed against his warm abdominal muscles. It felt like taking a hard scrape from Profound Yin Cold Jade through a scabbard. What a rush.
Pei Zhao felt around for a moment. His hand traveled upward beneath Qin Shu’s sweatshirt before he seriously concluded, “Mm. Better.”
“Ahem… So that means if we keep going into the Void to salvage people, I can get even better than I am now.” Qin Shu was satisfied. “Good. Nobody else needs to see it. As long as you’re pleased.”
Pei Zhao softly said, “Mm.” He looked as though nothing unusual had happened, but Qin Shu had already loosened his grip on Pei Zhao’s wrist and yet Pei Zhao’s hand remained openly beneath his sweatshirt.
At that same moment, Chef Cheng finally emerged from the bus after crying himself weak, supported by Cheng Ping An and Li Xiao Feng. He had been about to sprint over and make a grand bow to thank his benefactors… only to see this peculiar scene beneath the moonlight.
One human and two ghosts froze where they stood, mouths open, none of them daring to speak. If they interrupted something they should not interrupt and got slapped to death for it, that would be hilarious.
Pei Zhao frowned and reluctantly withdrew his hand. “Cheng Ping Jia.”
“…Present!” Chef Cheng answered in a panic. All the grief that had refused to stop, all the wild joy and longing from their reunion, were cleared from his mind at maximum efficiency.
Now he could not have cried even if he wanted to.
“The jade around your neck is good. Is there more raw stone for sale? I want to buy in bulk. Price doesn’t matter. I’ll take however much there is.”
“Yes, yes, there is, Immortal Master! A childhood friend back home owns coal mines. He accidentally discovered a small jade deposit while mining coal. Jade prices aren’t great these days, and judging by the quality it isn’t anything particularly rare. He doesn’t have any good buyers, and selling it cheap would mean taking a loss… so as far as I know, most of it gets processed into special shapes and supplied every so often to masters at Daoist temples.”
“Sell it as an unconsecrated ritual object and the price multiplies several times. Your friend’s pretty shrewd.” Qin Shu raised an eyebrow. “Do us a favor and contact him. We want some too.”
Without another word, Chef Cheng kept one hand tightly clasped around Cheng Ping An’s while taking out his phone with the other. He called his childhood friend on the spot and loudly chatted in dialect for nearly twenty minutes.
By the time Qin Shu went nearby, bought three cups of milk tea, and returned, Chef Cheng finally put away his phone with his face glowing. “Immortal Master, I bought the mine from him! From now on, take as much as you want whenever you want. Contact me and I’ll ship it to you. No charge!”
Qin Shu froze. Before he could respond, Cheng Ping An, who had nearly fallen asleep listening, shot into the air. His emotions were so intense they stirred a gust of yin wind through the parking lot.
“…You bought it?! Cheng Ping Jia, you’re that rich? Where did all that money come from?!”
“Hiss, it’s freezing… Come on, Big Brother, calm down. I’ve been drifting around Jing City for ten years. If I hadn’t made anything of myself by now, wouldn’t I have frozen to death on the street ages ago? Hahahaha!”
Chef Cheng shivered from the yin wind yet could not stop laughing.
For the first time, he had the chance to show off in front of his older brother with complete confidence and no burden at all. He proudly declared, “I own shares in Yujun Pavilion and get dividends every year. Several roast-duck and barbecue places near Jing University belong to me too. I make money off college students. Before, I had money but didn’t want to spend it. I wasn’t in the mood and had nowhere I wanted to spend it anyway… But now? If I don’t splurge a little, I’d be insulting the ten years of suffering I went through. Hmph.”
As Cheng Ping An listened, he gradually fell silent. He wiped his eyes with one hand and said quietly, “Fuck.”
“Hey, Senior Cheng. Civilized language, civilized language. And thank you so much, Chef Cheng. We won’t let you lose money either. We can’t take it for free no matter what. We’ll pay market price.” Qin Shu smiled. “The main thing is that the stones need to be shipped back to Jiangcheng. Just give us a discount on the shipping.”
Pei Zhao nodded, then added, “No one currently manages the underworld, and Black and White Impermanence aren’t collecting souls. If I send you down there to line up for reincarnation directly, you may exhaust your ghostly lifespan before your turn ever comes. Cheng Ping An, you can live inside this jade and stay with your younger brother.”
“…This… this…”
Chef Cheng stared again, too stunned to understand most of what he had heard. He only understood that Cheng Ping An could stay, stay beside him. His eyes reddened, and after a long time he finally squeezed out, “Half price and free shipping forever.”
“Deal.” Pei Zhao agreed immediately and looked at Cheng Ping An. “Any objections?”
“…But I’m a ghost. If I’m constantly beside my brother, will it harm his body?” Cheng Ping An hesitated. “Or affect his blessings or wealth?”
“As long as you live in the protective jade for a long time and let it nourish you, the nature of your existence will gradually change. You’ll no longer be an ordinary ghost, but his hereditary guardian spirit. Your freedom may be somewhat restricted.”
“…I’m willing! I’m willing! No matter how restricted I am, it’ll still be much better than that broken bus!” Cheng Ping An slapped his younger brother. “What are you hesitating for? Take off that pendant. I’m moving in.”
Chef Cheng sniffed. “Mm. All right.”
He wanted to cry again.
Pei Zhao took the pendant. “Cheng Ping Jia, eat more red meat for a while. Replenish iron, qi, and blood. As long as your body stays healthy, his moving in won’t affect you much even at the beginning.”
After quickly giving the instructions, a stream of light flickered over the jade pendant. Soft moon-white radiance suddenly bloomed and transformed into a gentle pulling force, leading Cheng Ping An step by step into the pendant.
It was a finely made double-fish bagua pendant. A moment later, the eye of the black fish lit with pale moonlight, indicating that Cheng Ping An had successfully moved in.
Pei Zhao returned the pendant to Chef Cheng, briefly explained how to use it, then glanced at Li Xiao Feng floating quietly nearby and at the other ghost senior furtively peeking from the bus.
“Li Xiao Feng, do you want to leave?” Pei Zhao shifted his gaze. “And you too.”
Li Xiao Feng shuddered and laughed awkwardly. “The two of us are the only ones nobody wants. If we stay here as little bugs peeking at other people’s happiness, at least we can keep each other company.”
“I don’t like this bus, so I’m throwing it away. It’s New Year. It’s unlucky.” Pei Zhao was never going to comfort him. He simply said, “You can go to Jiangcheng No. 2 High School. There are plenty of ghosts there. Come on. Don’t waste time. We still have things to do.”
“H-huh?”
Pei Zhao saw the hesitation in Li Xiao Feng’s eyes and gave him no more time to think. He grabbed both trembling ghost seniors and shoved them directly into his storage space for temporary safekeeping.
Then he returned to Yujun Pavilion with Qin Shu. Chef Cheng, still feeling as though he were dreaming, hurried after them. With too many emotions churning inside and nowhere to put them, he simply went back to the kitchen and started cooking again.
Qin Shu did not stop him, because his late-night-snack hour was approaching and he honestly craved a second dinner.
At that exact moment, the private room was eerily silent.
Aside from Xing Yong, who had sobered up and was covered in question marks, everyone sat around the sofa with eyes half closed, immersed in a strange meditative state.
And not only humans. A huge crowd of little calves and tiger cubs had packed the private room to bursting.
This was the largest private room Qin Shu had been able to reserve, yet there still was not enough space. Several little yao had sprawled across the windowsill or hung upside down from the Mountain Lord’s enormous tail. They formed such a dense mass that even the moonlight outside was blocked.
Xing Yong was about to piss himself from fear.
He tried calling Liang Ming Yue’s name. No response. Liu Yang Yang ignored him even more completely. The scene was bizarre beyond words, yao qi, ghost qi, and dragon qi all mixed together like some mysterious and evil ritual in progress.
Only when Qin Shu and Pei Zhao pushed the door open as though nothing were wrong, even holding milk tea and noisily sipping from the straws, did Xing Yong finally reach the end of his patience. “What the hell is going on?!”
Pei Zhao looked mildly surprised too. He tilted his head and examined Xing Yong. “…You have the least spiritual aptitude of any human I’ve ever met.”
“W-what?!”