Chapter 88: The Choice

It had all become clear: this was their method and their purpose. They had staged an attack by malevolent spirits to make it seem like an accident. How could an ordinary man like Qi Yan hope to survive if he ran into those fierce evil entities and vengeful ghosts?

His only reliance was the power of the talisman, yet that was no heavenly windfall, no boundless force he could draw upon at will. There was a terrible price to pay, and that price was his own life force.

In the past, it had been manageable. But this time, the enemy was far too formidable.

Even after “Mother” had gone to such lengths, even after joining forces with the resentful spirits of Wang Yudong and Shi Xiaoxue, they still could not inflict a fatal wound on Watanabe Shinchi... Before the enemy could be brought down, Qi Yan’s body had already been unable to bear the strain of that power, and he had nearly died on the spot.

Qi Yan had no words. These matters were indeed far too grave, the complexity and peril of it all far beyond anything he had imagined, with grievances and entanglements impossible to foresee.

Yet one thing could be made certain: the reason he had been swept into this absurd crisis and struggle was simply that, in Thailand, he had been chosen by the Underworld Palace to become the owner of the seventh talisman, thereby binding himself by karmic ties to “Mother.” It was a perfect confirmation of that old saying: it is the charm that chooses the person, not the person that chooses the charm.

After saying so much... what about you all? What exactly are you people?

That had been his question from the beginning. Now that he understood the situation of those dangerous figures, what were Elder Yan, Xuanxuan, and Li Ruoke?

Seeing that matters had mostly been explained, Elder Yan finally began to lay bare their identities.

“Don’t misunderstand us. We’re not some official organization. We gathered only for one purpose: to deal with Xiao Yihong and the evil power under her control.”

“Of course... at first it was only me. For all these years, I have been quietly doing everything I can to contend with that woman. That was supposed to be my own affair, but... by chance, I came to know these children.”

Since Hao Dalong was guarding the door outside the ward, there was no need for any caution in their conversation.

Elder Yan introduced them one by one.

“Xuanxuan, you’ve met her in Thailand before. Her job was to serve as a local guide, but she is also... my student, my most outstanding student. She is a shaman truly skilled in spirit-binding and cursecraft, and because she is gifted beyond measure, in some respects she has long since surpassed me.”

Xuanxuan nodded to Qi Yan, as though they were meeting again for the first time.

Then Elder Yan turned to Li Ruoke.

“When I was young, I once received some kindness from Ruoke’s father. After I learned that something had happened to their family... I spent a long time searching for them. Later, Xuanxuan found her and Li Lan first, and only then did we gradually uncover the truth behind their parents’ deaths. Since then, we have all kept in close contact.”

Seeing that Qi Yan’s expression had darkened somewhat, Li Ruoke could not help but explain.

“Qi Yan, I truly didn’t mean to hide it from you. I know it’s hard for you to trust people completely, and this has always troubled me too. But apart from Elder Yan and the others, I haven’t lied to you about anything else. Over the years, Sister Xuanxuan has been far away overseas, yet she has given Li Lan and me a great deal of help. I only... after learning the truth of my parents’ deaths, had nowhere to lean on and felt utterly lost... At first this had nothing to do with you, and I had no idea they had already set their sights on you!”

Elder Yan pointed toward the door.

“That tall, thickset fool from just now is called Dalong. He’s Xuanxuan’s... boyfriend. He used to be in the military, and then...”

“Ex-boyfriend, thank you very much!” Xuanxuan cut in at once, unable to help herself.

“Ah, the knot between you two can be kept to a minimum... ahem.” Elder Yan cleared his throat and thought for a moment.

“Oh, right, there’s one more you’ve seen before. Do you remember that blind girl I brought last time? Ding... Ding Lingzi. She... she, like you, was once chosen by the Underworld Palace, the owner of the fifth Underworld talisman.”

A flash of astonishment crossed Qi Yan’s eyes, but he still said nothing, his face dark.

“I’m already over fifty. I once had a son and a daughter, but later... I no longer did. To be shameless, I’ve come to treat them as my own children. We have all suffered in one way or another at the hands of those people, so I can only do my utmost to protect them. That is why we have gathered together now.”

Unlike these younger people, Elder Yan could still remain calm when recalling his painful past, even wearing a faint, strained smile.

“Qi Yan, now that you understand the truth and your own situation, and we’ve all spoken so candidly for so long, I’d like to invite you... to join us.”

“Join you... do what?” Qi Yan asked in a low voice.

“I never wanted to get involved in this mess. Why is it that ever since I got this talisman, even wanting to live an ordinary life has become such a luxury?” He was of course deeply uncomfortable now, not because these people had hidden the truth from him for so long, but because... all of this felt too distant from the life he had known.

What talisman, what spirits, what criminal syndicates that relied on sinister arts to cause mischief... None of this had anything to do with him. Why must he be dragged into such dangerous strife?

Elder Yan had expected this reaction, and patiently urged him on.

“I understand, I understand. It’s too much to ask you to digest all these things you had never even heard of before. But there is one thing you must know: from the moment you appeared in their sight with that talisman in your possession, you had already become their target.”

“That certainly wasn’t your own choice, but they can’t possibly let you go... Xiao Yihong is ruthless and venomous to the core, determined to achieve her aims no matter the cost. Even now, I still haven’t figured out why she has such an obsession with the Underworld Palace talismans. Over these years, it seems she has been secretly engaged in some bizarre and unfathomable research... She is extremely firm in all things occult, even searching everywhere for supernatural beings to use as research subjects—ghostly spirits, strange apparitions, even corpses that never decay into zombies... I still haven’t uncovered what kind of unspeakable plot she is hatching.”

“But now you’ve seen it for yourself. Merely to obtain one Underworld Palace talisman hidden within a statue, she was willing to make such a huge stir, take such enormous risks, and pour in so much effort... Her determination speaks for itself.”

“As I said just now, including yours, all seven Underworld Palace talismans have now appeared in the world. At the exhibition this time, she succeeded in obtaining the first talisman of the Underworld Palace, and two years ago she used that same method against you to drive another talisman bearer to death, thereby taking the fourth talisman. By now, she already possesses two talismans.”

“And on our side, there is only Ding’s fifth Underworld talisman. It was only because I discovered her early that the poor blind girl hasn’t yet fallen into her hands. Then there is you yourself—the bearer of the seventh Underworld talisman. She will not let you go...” Qi Yan was choked with anger now, and said with some resentment.

“Is it the innocent who suffer for the treasure they carry? Just because I have what they want, must they insist on putting me to death? But you just said that only if I die from the talisman’s backlash will the karmic bond be severed, right? Do they mean to force me into danger again and again?”

Elder Yan shook his head. What he said next made Qi Yan’s fear rise yet another level.

“Yes, and not entirely. You weren’t listening carefully. Xiao Yihong is a poisonous woman whose evil methods are far more monstrous than you can imagine. She won’t just target you alone... Qi, do you have a girlfriend? Close friends? Ah... at the very least, you must have family, right?”

“I’ll ask you only one thing: if one day Xiao Yihong and Watanabe Shinchi make a move against those you cherish around you, and those people’s lives are in danger, would you use the power of the talisman for their sake?!”

Qi Yan was speechless. His mouth parted slightly, his gaze unfocused, yet not a single word would come.

Elder Yan leaned a little closer, then looked at him with utter seriousness and gave a slight nod.

“Believe me, she would... If it’s that woman, she absolutely would do it. That is what it means to stop at nothing.”

After saying that, his shoulders eased, and his tone softened somewhat.

“I don’t want you to think I’m forcing you. Nor is this about you, or any of us, being idle and preferring to abandon ordinary life just to pick fights with them. It’s because they have pressed forward step by step and started this war themselves... The choice is entirely yours. Qi, in the end, you really do need our help and protection...”