Chapter 11: The Great Fiend Dong Wutian

After fulfilling all their requests, I sat on the stone bench by the door, staring blankly at the cowshed.

"Xiaobei, what's wrong?" Seeing my eyes were red as I sat there, He Yanran came over to ask with concern.

I looked up at her, feeling certain that she already knew about my parents, so I asked, "Did you know all along that they were going to leave me?"

Hearing this, He Yanran was so shocked that she covered her mouth, as if unable to accept it, but I could see she knew. I just looked at her and said, "You knew, didn't you?"

She nodded, then said, "Wasn't there supposed to be more time? How did it happen so suddenly..." She seemed unable to believe it, and before I could reply, she ran into the house. After searching and not seeing my parents, she came out again to confirm, "Xiaobei, are Uncle and Auntie really gone?"

I nodded. "They're buried in the cowshed. Do you want to see them?"

"No, Auntie told me before that I shouldn't go in there." As she spoke, He Yanran's eyes turned red as well.

I nodded, and then she added, "Actually, I knew they'd been waiting for this day. I just didn't expect it to come so soon."

I lowered my head in silence.

After a while, she asked, "Xiaobei, what are you planning to do now?"

"They told me to leave this place," I answered truthfully.

She nodded. "That might be for the best. But I remember Auntie mentioning, you surviving comes with conditions. So, if you need my help..."

"Yanran, you needn’t worry about me. I know your grandmother doesn't like me, so you'd better stay away from me in the future," I said. I knew she cared about me, but I didn't want to bring her trouble, because from now on, our paths would be very different.

"Xiaobei, how can you say that? Whether my grandmother likes you is her business, not mine. Besides, I promised Auntie!" He Yanran frowned as she spoke.

Hearing that she’d promised my mother something, I asked, puzzled, "What did you promise her?"

"To always look after you!" she said, a little embarrassed.

Since I could now see through people's hearts, I understood what she meant. Before, I hadn't realized why she was so kind to me, but now I knew—it was because she liked me. But with my current situation, I couldn't let anything happen between us.

So I told her directly, "Yanran, I can't give you what you want, nor do I want to hurt you. I'm not who I used to be. I can see ghosts now, and my life from now on will be spent dealing with them every day. Do you understand?"

"I understand, but you don't. I promised Auntie, and if you leave, I'll go with you," she said resolutely.

Seeing her so determined, I didn't try to dissuade her further, only asking, "Are you really sure about this?"

"Yes," she replied firmly.

"In that case, I won't try to persuade you. But you need to know, life with me won't be a normal one. If you ever can't handle it, just tell me."

She smiled and nodded. "I can handle it. When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow," I replied.

"Alright, I'll go pack my things. Don't be too sad!" With that, He Yanran turned and ran home.

After she left, I went back to the cowshed, hoping to see my parents' souls.

But there was nothing there except the two coffins buried beneath the earth.

I sat on the threshold, gazing inside, when I suddenly remembered the black mist that had enveloped the room as my parents entered last night.

I stood up quickly, wondering if there really was something hidden here that I had missed.

That's right—the Earth Immortal had stayed here for three months. Maybe he really had left something behind.

But where could it be? There was nowhere to hide anything. I fetched a flashlight and searched every corner of the cowshed.

Could it be underground? I checked along the ground, but still found nothing.

A little discouraged, I decided to give up. But just as I was about to leave, my flashlight swept upward, and a square shadow appeared on the ground.

I looked up. At first, I saw nothing unusual. But when I moved to the east side, I spotted a small box wedged between two beams on the ceiling.

So that was it. I quickly found a wooden stick and knocked it down.

The box felt quite exquisite in my hands. I wondered what was inside and was about to open it, but then I remembered the black mist from last night. If it came out of this box, opening it here might be dangerous.

For safety's sake—and not to disturb my parents' coffins—I decided to take the box outside before opening it.

But just as I was about to close the door, a ghost dressed in Republic-era clothing appeared before me and said, "Lord of the Living, you cannot open it yet!"

"Why not?" I asked in confusion.

"This was left by the Earth Immortal. He said you must not open it until you retrieve the Underworld Soul Pendant," the ghost replied.

"Underworld Soul Pendant? What's that?" I pressed.

"It's the vessel for your parents' lifespans. It was stolen, wasn't it?"

I nodded. But how did he know it was stolen? Did he know who took it? I asked, "Who are you? How do you know it was stolen?"

"Who I am isn't important. But without the Underworld Soul Pendant, you cannot open this box," he said.

I considered forcing it open, but judging by his attire, he'd been dead for many years. With my limited skills, I probably couldn't defeat him, so I didn't insist.

Perhaps he might know how to find the thief. So I asked, "Can you tell me how to find the Underworld Soul Pendant?"

"Don't worry. Without it, the thief can't use the box, so you don't need to look for him. He'll come looking for you," he answered.

So that's how it was. I thought getting the two vessels would be enough, but the Earth Immortal had left another layer of precaution.

Still, I was curious about the thief. I asked, "Sir, can you tell me who took the Underworld Soul Pendant?"

"Wu Tian. Dong Wu Tian. The most notorious evil spirit left in the mortal world. But in a way, you are a descendant of his followers."

...Wait, isn't he the evil spirit my great-great-grandfather once worshipped? So why did he steal from me? What use does he have for the Underworld Soul Pendant? As I pondered, the ghost saw my confusion and said, "He doesn't want you to live."

"Why?"

"Because you are the Lord of the Living."

"...Wait, what does that have to do with it?" I didn't understand, but seeing the faint smile on his face, I realized something. "Don't tell me I was chosen to be Lord of the Living just to catch him. I can't do it. You said he's the most powerful evil spirit in the world, while I'm nothing. How could I possibly catch him?"

"But you've already signed the contract," he said calmly.

"Damn, if I'd known this from the start!" Suddenly, I felt utterly tricked by the Earth Immortal—and the judge as well. No wonder he gave me so many things last night. I thought it was out of kindness, but now I see they were just sending me off to catch Dong Wu Tian.

Seeing my frustration, the ghost said, "There's no need to worry, Lord of the Living. They chose you for a reason. Besides, it's because Dong Wu Tian changed your family's fate that you were born. So, isn't this your duty?"

"Duty, my foot! If that's the case, I should be thanking him, not catching him. There's no way I can do it," I shook my head again.

He just smiled, "You don't understand Dong Wu Tian yet, but you will in time. For now, I'll take my leave."

"Wait, what should I do with this box then?" Since I couldn't open it, I couldn't just put it back either.

"Keep it with you," he replied.

"You're not afraid I'll open it secretly?"

"You can't," he said, and vanished.

Seeing how confident he was, I felt a bit defiant and decided to prove him wrong.

But as soon as I put my hand on the box, he reappeared, grabbed my hand, and glared at me, "Do you really want to test it, Lord of the Living?"

Feeling the strength of his grip, I didn't dare to provoke him further. I quickly shook my head, "I won't touch it again until I have the Underworld Soul Pendant."

"If you want to find me, just knock on the box twice," he said, and disappeared once more.

Looking at my hand, I saw deep finger marks where he'd grabbed me.

He really was strong. Was he the guardian of the box? He seemed powerful—so why didn't he deal with Dong Wu Tian himself?

I locked the cowshed, took the box inside, and put it in my bag.

Just then, He Yanran came over again and called, "Xiaobei, come have dinner at our place!"

I was surprised. "What about your grandmother?"

"She's at home," she replied.

"Then why are you inviting me? You know she doesn't like me."

"That's true, but she told me to invite you," He Yanran said.

Now I was even more surprised. Did she know about my parents already? Perhaps Yanran had told her.

Well, she'd find out sooner or later. So I nodded and agreed to go.

"Grandma Wang," I greeted politely when I arrived at Yanran's house.

Grandma Wang glanced at me, then said, "Sit down."

"Thank you for having me," I said as I took my seat.

"Here, Xiaobei," Yanran said, handing me a bowl of rice.

"Grandma Wang, your cooking is as wonderful as ever!" I said, trying to flatter her after tasting a bite.

She shot me a look. "Yanran made this!"