Chapter 39: Listen to Me

Wasn’t Zong Zheng supposed to be channeling the malevolent energy away from his grandson, Zong Hanlin? Why was he doing the opposite, pulling the baleful energy into the house? The reason the mouth of the alley had been narrowed wasn't to hinder people, but to prevent the malevolent energy from leaking out.

Driven by curiosity, I pushed the door open and stepped into the courtyard. The ghost pinned to the armchair, seeing someone appear so suddenly, erupted with malice in its eyes. But once it realized who I was, a look of desperate pleading surfaced. Its lips moved, silently forming the words, "Save me!"

I touched one of the iron nails on the master chair and shook my head helplessly. The ghost’s soul remained intact only because of this nail; if I were to pull it out, the spirit would instantly vanish into thin air. Furthermore, I would inevitably alert Zong Zheng, who was nearby.

Just as I prepared to retreat from the courtyard, the ghost’s eyes bulged, and an explosion of baleful energy surged from its body. I stepped back twice, shielding my face with my arms. The ghost shattered with a thunderous roar, and the splashing ghost-fire surged out of the courtyard along with the malice.

Ye Huan, who had caught up from behind, whispered, "There is someone in the adjacent courtyard."

I gestured for him to be silent, then quietly leaped onto the roof, lying flat to peer into the distant yard. The first things I saw were two corpses hanging from an old elm tree.

The corpse hanging on the left was an old man wearing an old-fashioned blue cloth Mao suit, his feet bare. On the right hung a black cat. The two bodies were close to each other. There was nothing unusual about the black cat, but the old man had white threads tied to each of his fingers and toes. Judging by the direction the threads stretched, one of them seemed to lead toward the courtyard where I stood.

The malevolent energy from the ghost wasn't intended for Zong Hanlin, but for that old man. In a spot hidden from my view, someone was likely crouching, their back against the wall, facing the corpses. I couldn't see what they were doing, but I could vaguely sense them trembling.

Just as I was trying to get a clearer look, Ye Huan nudged my arm. "Someone's coming!"

I signaled for silence and lowered my body. A moment later, I saw a middle-aged man with a sinister expression walk in. He looked up at the corpses in the tree, glanced toward the wall, and shook his head. "Father, why do you insist on this?"

The corpse, which had been keeping its eyes closed, spun half a turn in the air, its eyes wide open as it glared at the man below. Its lips did not move, but a roar emanated from its abdominal cavity: "You beast, do not call me father."

"Our family could never raise something as sinister and venomous as you."

The man who had entered must be Zong Ren. Yet, looking at his features, he bore no resemblance to Zong Zheng hanging in the tree.

Zong Ren chuckled. "Fine, I won't call you that, then. You aren't planning on acknowledging me anyway."

"Why did you have to kill yourself just to help me cultivate the Black Tiger Malevolence? You weren't born on the Great Ominous Day of the Year of the Tiger; no matter how much baleful energy you absorb, you’ll never become a Black Tiger. Were you hoping Zong Hanlin would cut your stomach open and stuff that black cat inside?"

"Look at him—that coward can barely hold a knife, let alone gut you and stuff a cat inside."

"Even if he could, you’d only end up as a cat-spirit demon. A cat is a cat; it can never become a tiger."

"Listen to me: while you can still move, just refine Zong Hanlin and be done with it."

Zong Zheng cursed, "Beast! You are a beast! That is your own son."

"Hahaha..." Zong Ren clutched his stomach and laughed wildly. "My son? You’re quite the joker. Whose son is he really?"

"Just because he carries the Zong name, does that make him my son? And am I even your biological son?"

"The 'Mountain-Guarding Dogs' of the Zong lineage are all castrated. No matter who enters this family, they can never have their own children."

"That would be fine on its own, but to keep up appearances, you force us to take wives and bear children. Did the ancestors of the Zong family accept this? Can you?"

"You killed my biological father, didn't you? And my birth mother was slowly poisoned by you, too." Zong Ren sneered. "Father, you killed my father, but I can understand you. Because I, too, killed Zong Hanlin’s real father and that bitch."

"I couldn't stand the woman I loved cheating on me, and I couldn't stand a bastard calling me 'father'."

"I forced your hand not just for revenge, but because I hate this. I hate the unfairness of heaven."

"Heaven tells us 'Mountain-Guarding Dogs' to guard the mountains and banish demons, so why must we be denied the ability to procreate? Why should I suffer this humiliation?"

As Zong Ren roared, he looked up again. "You gave me this humiliation, so I hate you, too."

His tone suddenly softened. "Father, think about it. If I raise Zong Hanlin and pass on the secret arts, what if he finds a chance to kill his so-called father, just like I did? I'm afraid!"

Zong Ren stopped there. Zong Zheng, hanging in the tree, remained silent.

Zong Ren continued, "Father, tell me, if I want a child of my own, what should I do?"

Zong Zheng finally spoke: "Dissipate your cultivation, change your name, and abandon the Zong surname. That is all."

Zong Ren chuckled. "I have no attachment to the Zong name. I don't even know who my real father was; I don't care if I'm called Zhang or Li."

"But I cannot give up this cultivation. You taught me nothing in this life but secret arts. If I lose my cultivation, how am I to survive?"

Zong Zheng was speechless for a moment.

Zong Ren spoke again: "Father, you have guarded the White Dragon Cliff for so long—are you truly not tempted by the secret burial there?"

"With that secret burial, I wouldn't be bound by the inheritance of the Mountain-Guarding Dogs. I could live freely and happily. I could even have my own children. Isn't that better?"

"Father! I am only in my forties; it is not too late to have a child!"

"As long as you are willing to help me, I swear the child will carry the Zong name. Our family's lineage will continue for generations. Why should we remain 'Mountain-Guarding Dogs'? Can't we just live a normal life?"

Zong Zheng remained silent, seemingly lost in thought. Zong Ren was in no hurry to urge him; he simply paced back and forth in the courtyard, not even sparing a glance for Zong Hanlin, who was huddled in the corner.

I quietly nudged Ye Huan. "You're saved."

"In a moment, if Zong Zheng agrees to help, ignore everything else. Go straight for Zong Hanlin and devour his Black Tiger Malevolence."

Ye Huan couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to look for the Mountain-Guarding Dog?"

I replied, "I’m going to capture Zong Zheng. Don't worry about anything else; just focus on consuming the Black Tiger. There are other Mountain-Guarding Dogs out there. If we miss this one, we'll eventually run into them or the Thirteen Ghost Gates again. But this Black Tiger Malevolence? If we let this chance slip, it’s gone forever. Listen to me."