Chapter 003: The Six Divine Heavenly Annihilation

“You… why did you bury me alive?” I gritted my teeth and asked Uncle Wang.

“Huh?” But, faced with my question, Uncle Wang looked a little bewildered.

“What? Wasn’t it you who buried me alive?” I pressed, confused.

“Yes! I was the one who knocked you out, then Mr. Zhang and I put you in the coffin and buried you! What’s wrong?” Uncle Wang questioned me with an air of perfect justification.

Hearing his words, I started cursing inwardly. How could he sound so righteous about it? Judging by his tone, it was as if I should be thanking him for knocking me out and burying me alive.

What kind of reasoning was this?

I was buried alive! If it hadn’t been for that torrential rain and the collapse of the reservoir dam, I would already be dead!

He…

Looking at him, I found myself at a loss for words.

“What’s wrong? Do you have any questions?” Uncle Wang asked, genuinely puzzled.

“What do you think? You buried me alive! Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?” I glared at him, so angry I was breathing hard.

“Wait a minute—don’t tell me you don’t know you have the Heavenly Severance Hex of the Six Spirits?” Uncle Wang suddenly raised his hand.

“What? The Heavenly Severance Hex of the Six Spirits? Me?” I was completely stunned.

The Six Spirits Heavenly Severance Hex—I’d seen those words among the discarded scraps of paper from Mr. Zhang’s study. I’d once suspected it was his special fate, and that burying me alive was meant to resolve the poisonous hex upon him.

But how…

How was it me now?

I am the one with the Heavenly Severance Hex of the Six Spirits? That is to say, this so-called hex is my unique fate?

What… what was going on?

Did Mr. Zhang bury me alive to resolve my own special fate?

Had I wronged him?

For a moment, my mind froze like a crashed computer.

“That’s right. To solve your problem, Mr. Zhang paid a great price this time. Just the tomb where you were buried—he used up many rare treasures. He even used his prized pair of bronze lions,” Uncle Wang explained.

Hearing Uncle Wang’s words, I began to believe the Heavenly Severance Hex of the Six Spirits was indeed my special fate.

I knew about those bronze lions—they were Mr. Zhang’s treasures, handed down from his master through generations, already passed down more than a dozen times.

If he really used even those, then the price was truly high.

“So… is my problem solved now?” I asked.

“Sigh…” Uncle Wang let out a long sigh.

“Why are you sighing? You mean my problem isn’t solved yet?” My anxiety spiked.

I didn’t know how terrifying this Heavenly Severance Hex of the Six Spirits truly was, but if Mr. Zhang had to resort to such an extreme method as burying me alive, it had to be dire.

Was even that not enough?

“Fate, fate! You were just ten hours short. If you could have stayed buried in that grave for another ten hours, everything would have been resolved. But heaven was against you—ten hours short, and a once-in-a-century downpour struck. We didn’t even have time to dig you out before the flood swept you away.”

“But you’re lucky. You have a strong life force. Even though the flood carried you far, you survived—at least for now.” Uncle Wang’s expression was full of helplessness and pity as he looked at me.

“Uncle Wang, what do you mean ‘at least for now’?” I hurriedly asked.

“Well… I… Oh, never mind! Don’t worry about that for now. Just rest and recover. When you’re better, we’ll talk.” Uncle Wang stood, adjusting my covers.

“No, Uncle Wang, don’t leave me hanging! If my special fate hasn’t been resolved, will I die?” I called after him in distress.

“Enough questions. Mr. Zhang said you’ve already spent more than twenty hours being purified in the Nine Nether Creation Formation. Your poisonous hex is under control for now. As for the future, I don’t know. So don’t overthink it—just rest,” Uncle Wang said, patting me on the shoulder.

“Nine Nether Creation Formation?” I frowned deeply.

I hadn’t heard of this formation before, but I knew it wasn’t some legendary array from stories like the Grand Immortal Formation or the Executioner’s Formation.

It was a feng shui formation, like the Jade Belt Encircling the Waist, the Five Ghosts Bringing Wealth, or the Seven Stars Shining—arrangements designed to channel energy. In our line of work, we called manually arranged feng shui patterns ‘formations.’

And to be called a ‘Creation’ formation, it must have been extremely powerful. No wonder Mr. Zhang used even the bronze lions.

“That’s right, the Nine Nether Creation Formation! But who could have foreseen such a once-in-centuries storm?” Uncle Wang said.

“Then… what about Mr. Zhang? Where is he?” I asked.

“Mr. Zhang… he’s at home. He caught a bit of rain and got a cold. You just rest, he’ll… maybe tomorrow, or in a couple of days, he’ll come see you.” Uncle Wang sounded nervous, even stammering.

Seeing him like that, my heart tightened. Had something happened to Mr. Zhang?

“Uncle Wang, what’s wrong with him? Is it really just a cold?” I grabbed his arm.

He glared at me, his face darkening. “Would I lie to you? You just woke up, you need to rest. I’ll fetch the doctor to check on you.”

With that, he patted my hand and hurried out.

“Uncle Wang…” I called after him, struggling to sit up.

But the movement pulled at my wounds, sending waves of pain and blackness before my eyes.

No, this can’t be right! If Mr. Zhang really only had a cold, Uncle Wang would have gone to tell him the moment I woke up.

Could it be…

A terrible thought crept into my mind.

No, it can’t be. Mr. Zhang is a feng shui master, deeply versed in fate and fortune; avoiding disaster is second nature to him.

But Uncle Wang’s behavior was so odd I couldn’t help but worry.

“Doctor! Doctor!” I called out.

My whole body was bandaged, and every move hurt. I couldn’t get out of bed. But I had to know about Mr. Zhang’s condition. At the very least, I needed a phone to call him.

There were two other beds in the room, but both were empty. Since Uncle Wang obviously wouldn’t let me call Mr. Zhang, I thought maybe I could borrow the doctor’s phone.

Just then, the door opened and someone walked in.

I looked up and froze.

“Mr. Zhang…”

I could hardly believe my eyes.

It really was him.

“Xiaowei, you’re awake!” He came to my bedside, smiling.

“Mr. Zhang… you… Uncle Wang…” I was dazed.

His face was pale, and he looked haggard, but it was nothing serious.

Uncle Wang, honestly—why did he act so strange about Mr. Zhang? He nearly made me think something had happened to him.

Mr. Zhang sat down by my bed and said, “Oh, Uncle Wang? I ran into him at the door. I asked him to go pay your hospital bill.”

“Are you really okay, sir? Uncle Wang said you caught a cold.” I examined him, noticing his poor spirits.

“A cold?” He frowned slightly, then continued, “Yes, I’m getting old. My body’s not what it used to be.”

“Have you taken any medicine?” I asked with concern.

Now I believed Uncle Wang had told the truth. I had indeed wronged Mr. Zhang. If he had meant me harm, he wouldn’t be sitting here so naturally.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. Since you’re awake, let’s talk about the poisonous hex on you,” he said.

“Alright!” I nodded eagerly.

This was exactly what I wanted to know.

“Actually, I knew you had a special fate the moment I took you from the orphanage,” he began.

I was shocked. “What…”

He interrupted me. “Don’t talk, just listen.”

I immediately kept quiet.

He nodded, then continued, “When I first took you in, I thought your fate was the Lone Star Severance Hex. It wasn’t until you were about to turn eighteen that I realized I was wrong. Yours isn’t just the Lone Star Severance Hex—it’s the extremely rare Heavenly Severance Hex of the Six Spirits.”

“That’s why I was so desperate lately to find a solution. You must understand, this hex is terrifying. It brings unimaginable suffering, driving one to despair, wishing for death but unable to die.”

Seeing my confusion, he nodded and explained, “Yes, this poisonous hex erupts when you turn eighteen. It will strip you of your six senses, one by one. Once all six are gone…”

The six senses—I knew them: sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, and perception.

I couldn’t even imagine. If I lost all six senses, what would be left but a living corpse? Only my thoughts would remain, unable to perceive anything of the world. That truly would be a fate worse than death.

“No one ever endures until all six are lost—they end their suffering themselves before that. And when the hex erupts, it acts swiftly. That’s why I tried to resolve it before your eighteenth birthday.”

“But fate had other plans. I still failed.”

“Though the hex is suppressed for now, it will erupt again. I don’t know when. Be prepared.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he raised his hand to stop me.

“The Nine Nether Creation Formation was the only method I could devise. But I can’t set it up again for you.”

“In the desk drawer in my study, I left some notes. Read them when you have time. Whether you can suppress the hex in the future depends on you.”

“But, sir… are you… abandoning me?” I couldn’t hold back, shouting out.

I had the dreadful feeling he was saying his last words to me, and it terrified me.

“Child, it’s not that I don’t want to help—it’s that I’m powerless now.” He sighed, forcing a smile. In his smile, I saw helpless bitterness.

“Sir…” An ache grew in my chest; my eyes stung and I nearly cried. All these years, he’d called me ‘Xiaowei.’ This was the first time he’d addressed me as ‘child.’

“Enough. You’ve been my student for more than ten years—you’ve learned seventy or eighty percent of my skills. My failure doesn’t guarantee yours. I believe you’ll succeed in overcoming the hex. I’m certain that, given time, you’ll far surpass me.”

He stood, addressing me.

“You… you’re sending me away?” I cried, struggling to sit up and reach for him.

But the effort made my wounds flare with sharper pain; my vision darkened and my head buzzed.

I shook my head, fighting to stay conscious.

When I came to, he was gone.

He had left?

How could he just leave like that?

“Sir…” I called out.

At that moment, the door opened again and Uncle Wang entered.

I immediately asked, “Uncle Wang, where’s Mr. Zhang? He left without finishing his words!”

“Huh?” Uncle Wang was stunned, then looked around the room in panic.

“I’m asking you—where’s Mr. Zhang? He was right here just now. Didn’t you see him?” I pressed, growing impatient.

“Xiaowei, don’t scare me! Are you talking about Mr. Zhang?” Uncle Wang’s voice trembled.

“Of course! Who else would I mean? Did you see him or not?” I snapped, irritated by his odd behavior.

“You… you mean Mr. Zhang was just here?” Uncle Wang asked, horrified.

“Yes! He was here talking with me for quite a while!” I shouted. Uncle Wang had been acting strange, and now this—I was getting exasperated.

He stared at me in shock. “That… that’s impossible. Mr. Zhang… Mr. Zhang passed away three days ago.”