Chapter Twenty: The Seal (Part Two)

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As the immense Yin fiendish energy swirled and gathered above my head, I could distinctly feel that chilling sensation piercing into my body. In an instant, it was as if I had been plunged into a colossal, inescapable black hole.

Within that darkness, slaughter and hatred seethed all around.

The moment I opened my eyes, I saw countless wraiths surging toward me.

“Can a mere mortal bearing the Blood Fate Array truly restrain me?”

That voice echoed again from within the Cave of Malevolent Shadows. But this time, as the cold, ageless words faded, a hand extended from within the cave.

This hand was not of flesh and bone—it was formed entirely of flames.

As the hand emerged, the vortex above my head began to fracture and shatter, and I heard innumerable anguished screams.

“Rise!”

Just as the hand was about to touch me, I suddenly heard the voice of Xiyue. At that instant, I sensed a massive black hand reaching out from behind me, piercing through the swirling vortex of Yin energy. Within that spectral palm, countless vengeful souls coalesced out of the fiendish aura.

Tremble!

Then a cold, commanding voice resounded across the whole of Mount Fenghua. When it rang out, a long, mournful sigh drifted from the depths of the cave.

“So it is fate!”

“Am I destined to be suppressed once again?”

“Doomed by fate, the will of the heavens reversed… Xiyue, wait for me—one day I will have my revenge!”

The voice gradually faded, and the black hand plunged deep into the cave.

A sudden, wild gale swept across Mount Fenghua, howling madly. The mountain, which had been trembling without cease, slowly calmed.

“Destiny is the fate of man. The art of Fate’s Trajectory—reverse it!”

At the very moment the black hand was shattered, I saw Xiyue rise into the air, her hands weaving intricate seals, then bringing her palm down upon my forehead.

In my daze, I only felt myself being pulled into that dark vortex, my entire being slowly sinking into its depths.

...

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

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When I startled awake, I found myself inside the Longevity Agency.

A lazy ray of sunlight slanted across my body.

“Xiaodong, you’re finally awake!”

It was the voice of the Immortal Lady. I hurriedly asked her what had happened, why I was here. Hadn’t I gone to Mount Fenghua with Zhao Fifteen? Yet my memory of what transpired there was hazy—only a woman’s name, Xiyue, lingered in my mind.

The Immortal Lady told me that three days ago, atop Mount Fenghua, Xiyue had completely unlocked the Blood Fate Array within my body in order to subdue an unrefined Yang corpse. She had drawn upon the magical power within my array to perform a powerful transformation, utterly suppressing the Yang corpse buried beneath the mountain. But as a result, my fate had been wholly depleted.

Originally, my Blood Fate Array was tied to my very life and destiny. Now, it was linked to this ancient corpse named Xiyue. A new Blood Fate Array had been imprinted upon me, but this one was connected to Xiyue’s fate.

I didn’t quite understand at first.

The Immortal Lady patiently explained further.

“So, because of the Blood Fate Array, I’ve begun a new chapter of life, and from now on, my destiny is intricately bound to this person named Xiyue?”

“That’s the gist of it!”

Just as I was sitting up, Chen Chuyi entered.

“Xiaodong, you’re awake?”

I nodded.

I followed Chen Chuyi to the sofa in the living room.

Chen Chuyi grasped my wrist to check my pulse, then spoke softly: “Your family called. I told them you’re away on business and won’t be back for several months. You should call your parents soon and transfer them some money—just say you’ll be working out of town for half a year.”

I felt a bit puzzled. Looking at Chen Chuyi, I asked, “Half a year on business—where am I going?”

“Hua Mei Village.”

He replied in just those three words, then slowly closed his eyes, as if carefully analyzing my condition.

“Looks like Xiyue was right—your constitution is much improved, and all three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity within you have fully opened. From today, you’ll begin studying the arts of Yin and Yang. Don’t ask about anything else. Spend this month training here at the agency—don’t concern yourself with anything outside. If a case comes in, take it as practice. In a month, we set out for Hua Mei Village!”

As he spoke, Chen Chuyi took a bank card and an ancient thread-bound book from his bag. Four archaic characters were inscribed on the cover:

“Azure Dragon Secrets.”

My heart surged with excitement, but I did not immediately reach for the card or the book.

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“Grandpa Chen, may I ask a few questions?”

At this point, my mind was a tangled mass of confusion. First and foremost: what was this Hua Mei Village? And what about Zhang Keqing—wasn’t she waiting to be rescued?

Seeing Chen Chuyi withdraw his hand and nod, I began.

“What kind of place is Hua Mei Village? Where is Sister Zhang now? And I want to see Xiyue!”

Chen Chuyi smiled gently. “I don’t know where Hua Mei Village is—only Miss Xiyue knows that. As for Keqing, I’ve divined her fate. This ordeal is her destined tribulation, but Xiyue said Keqing is in Hua Mei Village. If you wish to see Miss Xiyue, go to Lingquan Village tonight—she’ll be waiting for you there.”

With that, Chen Chuyi stood and declared he had much to prepare. Zhao Fifteen had already returned to Azure Dragon Mountain to report to the higher-ups, so, for now, the agency was in my hands.

He hurriedly left.

“It looks serious this time! Xiaodong, get ready—we’re going to Lingquan Village!”

At this moment, I was probably the most confused of all.

“Immortal Lady, I’m getting more and more muddled—what’s going on?”

“Think about it—if Xiyue could break open the Blood Fate Array in your body, who do you think she could be? Remember, Xiyue once said the Three-Corpse Soul Rebirth Array was to restore her fragmented soul. Meaning this Xiyue…”

“Could Xiyue be Su Ying?”

“It’s only my guess, but since ancient times, the only way to break a Blood Fate Array is for the person designated by the array’s creator—someone your blood acknowledges. Which means, when the array was laid, Xiyue must have been present!”

“Please slow down, Immortal Lady! If that’s true, then who is Su Ying? Was it the ghost bride I saw holding a lantern on the ghostly road, the one who married me? Or the corpse I awakened from the Lingquan Reservoir?”

At the thought, my head throbbed fiercely.

“A person has three souls and seven spirits. If they’re shattered, memories can be split apart. In the arts of Yin and Yang, even a single lingering thought can possess a body and become a living being. If one’s mastery is profound, there’s no way to detect it!”

“Could it be…”

A thousand wild, shocking thoughts flashed through my mind all at once!