Chapter 30: The Black Tiger Curse

Old Thief Yuan lit a cigarette and continued, "At the time, Zong Zheng stared at Zong Hanlin for a long time as if he were stunned. Suddenly, he grabbed his hair and squatted on the ground, muttering to himself, 'How could he see it? He shouldn't be able to see it! No, that bastard must have done something!'"

After a good while, Zong Zheng looked at Zong Hanlin with bloodshot eyes and asked, "Hanlin, tell me, when is your birthday exactly?"

Zong Hanlin was bewildered. "Grandpa, what's wrong? Haven't you been celebrating my birthday every year?"

"That’s not it! According to your birth chart, you shouldn't be able to see these things. How did you suddenly open your eyes?" Zong Zheng, seemingly struck by a sudden realization, stomped his foot hard. He grabbed a bag from the room and dragged Zong Hanlin out.

Zong Zheng ran straight into my friend. Before my friend even knew how to greet him, Zong Zheng had already dragged Zong Hanlin away. From that day on, the two of them vanished as if they had disappeared off the face of the earth.

Old Ghost Ye stroked his beard upon hearing this. "That sounds suspicious. Zong Zheng drying stones in his yard is normal; Ghost Script Stones must be exposed to sunlight to erase the ghost characters on them."

"However, a child of the Zong family suddenly opening his eyes is wrong. There isn't anyone in this world who can open their eyes on their own without having a special fate."

"Furthermore, the last thing that fellow surnamed Zong said was wrong too. How could a grandfather not know his own grandson's birth date? Unless he wasn't present when his grandson was born, and someone lied about Zong Hanlin's birth details."

"Was this the work of Zong Zheng's son?"

Old Thief Yuan replied, "That is exactly what I am talking about. I investigated. Zong Zheng's son, a lad named Zong Ren, was a somewhat famous sorcerer in the provincial capital, though his reputation wasn't exactly sterling. It was said he was always dabbling in evil practices. He couldn't make it in the provincial capital, so he left for other parts, dumping his son on his father."

"However, I suspect Zong Ren had other motives!"

Old Thief Yuan continued, "Let’s not worry about what kind of tricks Zong Ren is pulling for now; that is their family business and doesn't concern us."

"Right now, we need to accomplish two things. First, find Zong Zheng and uncover clues to the Thirteen Ghost Gates. Second, force him to reveal the secrets of White Dragon Cliff. If the third old Daoist is truly there, Ye Huan won't have to worry about lacking evil energy to protect his body for at least another ten years."

Old Ghost Ye’s eyes turned red upon hearing this. "Let's leave now!"

"No rush, no rush!" Old Thief Yuan said. "This time, let Yuan Zheng and Ye Huan track down Zong Zheng. No matter how powerful that guy is, he is still just a man; Yuan Zheng and Ye Huan can handle him."

"You and I will head to White Dragon Cliff to scout the area first. What if we can crack the secret of White Dragon Cliff ourselves without needing to find Zong Zheng?"

"Well said!" Old Ghost Ye stood up to pack his gear.

I wanted to stop Old Thief Yuan, but he blurted out, "Don't worry. The two of us old bones have more capability than you think; nothing will go wrong."

Old Thief Yuan placed a piece of paper on the table. "This is what I had a friend dig up—the hospital where Zong Hanlin was born. Go there and intercept Zong Zheng; you might just find him."

Old Ghost Ye added, "The Old Thief and I are both at the Primordial Foundation Realm. There is nothing we cannot handle. You two go your own way."

I thought to myself: You have no idea! What is he capable of?

Old Thief Yuan didn't understand the classifications of cultivation realms, but Old Ghost Ye was an expert.

Old Ghost Ye explained that for sorcerers and martial artists, reaching the Innate realm is both a beginning and an end. No one can surpass the Innate realm.

Innate sorcerers, according to Taoist tradition, are divided into five realms: Taiyi, Taichu, Taishi, Taisu, and Taiji. Each of these five levels is like climbing to a new heaven; few reach the Taiji realm. Beyond the Taiji realm, cultivation levels are roughly the same, and since no one has ever broken through the Innate realm, no one bothers to classify levels beyond it.

According to Old Ghost Ye, Ye Huan and I had just reached the Innate level and hadn't even touched the edge of the Taiyi realm; the road ahead was still long.

Old Ghost Ye himself had originally reached the Taishi realm, but after sustaining injuries while battling a zombie at Box Ridge, he had regressed to the Taichu realm. He believed Old Thief Yuan’s cultivation was a level higher than his, which was why he couldn't gauge the Old Thief’s true depth.

I nearly choked on my own saliva when I heard this. He couldn't see the Old Thief’s cultivation because the Old Thief had none!

I was baffled—why did everyone treat the Old Thief like a master?

Old Thief Yuan didn't give me another chance to speak and ran off with Old Ghost Ye. I had no choice but to follow the address Old Thief Yuan gave me, which led to a maternity and infant hospital in the city.

I circled the hospital once, bought a bag of milk candies at a nearby convenience store, and then turned into an alley behind the hospital.

As soon as I entered the alley, I began tossing candies on the ground as I walked forward.

Before long, I felt as if someone was following me.

I turned around and saw a child of about five or six years old hovering behind me, his pale face nearly colliding with mine.

I blew a breath at the child, and he was instantly sent flying.

The child rolled on the ground several times before standing up. When he looked at me again, his face had become hideously distorted, with two fangs protruding from his mouth, as if he were about to pounce and bite.

Ye Huan gently adjusted his Miao saber, the scabbard pressing against the child's forehead. The faint aura of the blade leaking out immediately terrified the child, who began to tremble, his little face turning pitiful. "Big brother, please, don't kill me!"

Ye Huan didn't say a word, his gaze growing even sharper.

The child shouted, "Quick, find the police! Someone has a knife!"

I walked up and smiled. "That knife of his is made of wood. The police won't arrest anyone for that. But as for you, it’s hard to say whether you’ll survive until the police leave."

I wasn't lying. Ye Huan's Miao saber looked menacing, but it was indeed a wooden blade—though one hard enough to clash against steel.

I squatted in front of the terrified child. "I’m here to get some information from you lot. If you behave, you’ll get candy and money. If you try to mess with me again, you’ll get a beating. Do you understand?"

When sorcerers want information, they usually go to wandering ghosts. These spirits are everywhere, much like the beggars in martial arts novels. While their cultivation is low, they are numerous, making it easy to gather intelligence.

Maternity hospitals are full of infant spirits. I threw the candies to trade with them. The child had tried to be cheeky and scare me, so I had to use a countermeasure.

The child immediately put on a cute smile. "Big brother, tell me, what information do you want? There isn't anything here that I don't know."