The old man smiled as he spoke three sentences, without malice. He said to , "Don't worry, he will co."
I thought they wouldn't let leave. I couldn't go. As long as the Liu family had that strange note, I couldn't escape this place.
"If that's the case, what would you like to eat? Look, I didn't have lunch this afternoon. I'm starving, and my aunt will be displeased when she finds out."
Looking at the old man's jokes, he said, "The child is quite amusing, Mr. Fu, go buy so food for this kid!"
Upon hearing the words "Mr. Fu," Mr. Liu stood up and bowed to the old man. After that, he took a gourd and walked away.
The old man carried two chairs, one for and one for himself.
Not a single ntion. Upon taking the chair, I placed it right beside the old man.
If the old man wouldn't speak, then I wouldn't either—this was a psychological battle. Whoever spoke first would lose! It was just like the argunts I had with my father. Needless to say, every ti, I lost.
At last, the old man couldn't resist glancing at and said, "Little doll, have you seen a red pearl with symbols carved on it like this?" Even as he pulled out a sheet of paper that they had ruined to show .
I glanced at the patterns, most of which contained symbolic anings, but my attention was drawn solely to the top part. That word matched exactly the one I had carved onto the skeleton table in the Bronze Hall. Seeing it made uneasy. Please, don't let too much ti pass!
Later, I responded briefly and returned my hand to the old man. I gazed at it for a long ti and still couldn't decipher it. I asked, "Have you seen this pearl before?"
I shook my head and said, "I've never seen my aunt have that kind of pearl, let alone any pearls like this."
The old man gazed at , then shifted his look away, as though suspecting I was hiding sothing.
With a laugh, the old man said, "Alright, then. Since you've never seen this before, I won't press you further. When your aunt arrives, I'll ask her personally!"
A while later, Liu Fusheng brought food in his hands, placed it before , and turned to leave!
I opened the packaging, looked at the food, and stared at my drooling mouth. At that mont, my stomach agreed it was the right ti to awaken. Three ats and a vegetable. Not bad at all.
I started eating. Four bites. Then, another round. Half an hour later, all the food was empty on the floor. I had never thought I could eat so much. Three bowls of rice, and I devoured them all!
The old man, who watched eat throughout, laughed heartily, saying, "You can really eat! When you don't eat often, I never expected that you'd consu more than most adults! Three bowls of rice—for soone your age—that's a lot."
A little embarrassed, I quickly shot back, "I was starving. Without lunch earlier, I got too hungry."
I raised my head and gazed at the sky—the situation was getting worse. I told the old man, who had kept his eyes closed all this ti, "You're seeing what I'm seeing, aren't you? By tomorrow, I'll be late for school, and my aunt won't show! You'll find her, but ensure she leaves with dignity!"
The old man smiled again, saying, "Don't worry, she will co. There's no urgency."
I sat helplessly in my chair, looking fearlessly at the river. Curious, I asked, "Do you know what people do near the mass grave?"
The old man showed visible surprise as he asked, "You an to say, your aunt never ntioned anything?"
I shook my head, signaling that I had no clue. Stroking his beard, the old man said, "You don't know? Let reveal sothing else. I always assud your aunt had enlightened you about the divisions of birth between three boundaries: heaven, earth, and humanity."
Upon hearing this voice, I felt a slight joy. It was rarely a familiar tone—none other than my aunt's. At the sa ti, I felt a pang of anxiety. After all, she seed to be dealing with quite a crowd.
"Qiu Niu, how dare you tread such paths, committing vile acts like abducting children? Aren't you ashad? Don't you feel the disgrace?"
Taoist Qiu stroked his beard and laughed. Hee Daogu cried out aloud, "If you're here, stay here! You may be a nephew and a descendant, but who granted you so much power? I've searched for you in vain all this ti."
I was aware that my aunt was angry. Every instance, whenever I provoked her wrath, she would always mock .
As wind and sand swept before my eyes, a fra of humanity erged from the dust—it was my aunt, though she now seed significantly aged. Her face bore deeper wrinkles, her backbone bent extensively beneath burdens.
Seeing my aunt, I felt my speech falter, as tears stread unbidden from my eyes.
Upon seeing , my aunt greeted with a warm smile. She addressed gently, "Xiao Dong, forgive ! Can you bla your aunt for pulling you from this chaos?"
I shook my head vehently, which brought a smile upon her face once more. Then she spoke again, "Don't be afraid, Xiao Dong. Your aunt will deal with all those bullies herself and avenge you."
Nodding, I attempted to stand and run toward my aunt's side, but as I made the effort, Taoist Qiu placed firmly back in the chair, rendering immobile.
"Hee Daogu, your thirty-year absence proves reckless and senseless."
My aunt snorted, saying, "There's no need for nonsense with your so-called righteous hypocrites. Let my grandson go at once. Otherwise, I shall pave a river of blood right here."
Taoist Qiu countered with a scoff, "You stole the Heavenly Pillar, a sacred artifact. Only yesterday, after thirty years of pursuit, you vanished into the mass grave. Now, in the na of Taishan Beiming, I demand the imdiate return of the Heavenly Pearl. Fail to comply, and face judgnt."
My aunt snorted dismissively, "The Heavenly One Pearl is my rightful family heirloom. To seize it, you've sent over a hundred people to raid my ho. Had I not been absent that day, I would have been murdered by your lot. What belongs to —is mine; why should I surrender it?"
"In desperate tis, you committed injuries recklessly, but why did you kill those unrelated souls of northern elders? What gives you the gall to enslave their ghosts—or, more precisely, why devour every woman among their spirits? Poison Liquid's n," ca her stinging rebuke. Next, Qiu Tao erupted into violent coughs. Liu Fusheng rushed to Qiu Lu's aid, pulling a white pill bottle from his pouch and withdrawing two pills used for treating Taoist Qiu and Taoist Qiu's retinue with spring water.
"If wrongdoing exists, it exists far removed from here. I've done no killing—rely reclaid what belongs to . If you continue to misunderstand, it's no longer my concern."
Taoist Qiu struggled briefly for breath, then withdrew five pieces of stationery from his pocket.
"If so, there's nothing left to discuss. Everything rests upon your capabilities. Heaven and earth tremble; life erges unto all; let power manifest the will of the heavens."
Even so, Taoist Qiu retrieved five golden cards. Radiant light burst forth without delay, resonating more rapidly than five days prior in the Bronze Hall—it appeared just before .
My aunt was caught amidst the heavenly glow. Panicking, I peered outward, shouting frantically, "Aunt, leave! Don't worry about !"
She smiled at serenely while the little boy beside her stomped the ground aggressively, staring at Taoist Qiu with fiery eyes and shouting, "Qiu Tao, do you recall the ghostly gods I created? Qiu, do you think you can still best ? Ten Ghost Emperors have been summoned forth."
My aunt's cry echoed—then the river waters lifted and ascended slowly, all of which occurred under a darkened sky once brightened by day's sun. Winds howled, forcing , the small boy, to close my eyes as sand swept harshly by.
When my eyes reopened, ten figures wielding various weapons appeared near my aunt, hovering ominously mid-air. They were spirits, moving as though weightless.
A female Ghost Emperor, seemingly not above thirty years old, exuded a mystic allure. Dressed in a crimson gown, she turned her gaze toward my aunt. She shifted the ter-long scissors strapped behind her back and queried, "What brings you here, woman? It's been more than a decade—why do you summon us now?"
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