Chapter 19 – The Three Pengs

After exhausting himself in the recent ordeal and reaping rewards far beyond his expectations, Wei Yang decided to be uncharacteristically generous this time. He took Zhang Xiuqi to the renowned Juxian Lou in the city, where he ordered a table full of signature dishes like abalone, sea cucumber, and prawns, ready to treat their stomachs to a feast.

Zhang Xiuqi looked like he was starving. As soon as the cold appetizers were served, he picked up his chopsticks and began eating, his speed noticeably faster than usual. Wei Yang chuckled helplessly, “Brother Qi, slow down. There are still more dishes coming. Don’t fill up on cold food… Huh, we ate a pretty decent lunch earlier. How come we’re so hungry already?”

Zhang Xiuqi never spoke while eating, and Wei Yang wasn’t really expecting an answer. Deep down, he could guess that it was probably due to the massive energy expenditure from using magic, much like how a game character needs to replenish health and mana after unleashing a big move. Still shaken from the earlier scare, Wei Yang didn’t have much of an appetite himself. He pulled out the item Zhang Xiuqi had handed him in the haunted house.

The situation had been too chaotic at the time, and he hadn’t taken a good look before stuffing it into his pocket. Now, as he examined it, he was shocked to see that it was a small jade cicada, about two inches long. The carving was exquisite, with every detail of the transparent wings on its back and the fine legs on its abdomen clearly visible. What’s more, the jade was genuine ancient jade, with a smooth, lustrous surface and an even blood stain that had seeped into the body of the jade, giving it a reddish hue. In terms of craftsmanship and material, it was a masterpiece. However, true collectors probably wouldn’t wear such an item.

This jade cicada was a burial artifact, typically placed in the mouth of a corpse, known as a “Jade Han.” Given the heavy blood stain and the cicada shape, this item likely dated back to the Han Dynasty, having been in the mouth of a corpse for who knows how long. Even if someone wanted to collect it, it should be kept in a safe and only taken out occasionally for admiration. Yet, this one had a hole drilled through it with a string attached, clearly meant to be worn as a pendant.

“Damn, was this thing found in the bathroom?” Wei Yang clicked his tongue in disbelief, his lips curling. This jade could easily fetch a hundred grand on the market, if not more, and it was the kind of item that was rarely available. How could it have been left behind in a haunted house? But as he pondered, his hand trembled, and he almost dropped the jade cicada. Could this be… related to that strange little bug?

A cold sweat broke out all over his body. Wei Yang carefully inspected the jade cicada again and soon noticed something odd about the hole where the string was attached. It seemed like a simple hole for the string, but it appeared deeper than it should be, as if something had pierced through the jade. He swallowed hard and couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Qi, was that little bug we dealt with today from here? What the hell was that thing? Was it some kind of corpse centipede?”

With the recent surge in tomb-raiding-themed media, depictions of corpse centipedes were everywhere, often used to heighten the sense of horror. But thinking back, Wei Yang felt that the little bug he saw today didn’t quite match the ones in movies and TV shows. It didn’t have hairy claws or large pincers, nor did it look particularly ferocious. Instead, it resembled a mutated version of a pill bug, with slender legs and a round back, just a bit redder in color. Zhang Xiuqi had captured the bug but didn’t explain or show it again, leaving Wei Yang quite curious.

Perhaps the appetizers had done their job, because when Wei Yang asked the question, Zhang Xiuqi actually paused his chopsticks, swallowed the food in his mouth, and uttered two words: “Three Pengs.”

“Three Pengs?” Wei Yang was taken aback. “You mean that worm is called Three Pengs? Wait, that name sounds familiar… Let me think…”

After racking his brain for a while, he suddenly exclaimed, “Ah! I remember now! The ancients referred to the Three Corpses as the Three Pengs, right? Is that thing the legendary Three Corpses worm?”

The so-called Three Corpses refer to three worms that govern human “evil desires,” residing in the upper, middle, and lower dantians of the body. The Upper Corpse craves luxury, the Middle Corpse craves flavors, and the Lower Corpse craves lust. These are the roots of human desires such as obsession, greed, and anger. Therefore, Taoism speaks of “slaying the Three Corpses” to eliminate these desires and achieve enlightenment. Since the Three Corpses are surnamed “Peng,” they are also called the Three Pengs. In the past, medicine and Taoism were intertwined, so some medical practitioners also regarded the Three Corpses worms as real entities, claiming they were connected to spirits and could cause external evils, leading to unexplained physical or mental symptoms.

In the countryside, many elderly people still say that mental illness is caused by the Three Corpses worms entering the brain, and there’s no cure. However, in modern society with its advancements in science, terms like parasites and neurological disorders have replaced such mystical concepts. Wei Yang had never believed in such superstitious nonsense.

Zhang Xiuqi gave a soft “mm” in response, then continued eating as if nothing had happened. Wei Yang’s lips twitched. The Three Corpses worm was supposed to be some kind of mythical creature, and they had just gone through so much effort to subdue it. Yet, Zhang Xiuqi’s reaction was as casual as if he’d just squashed a cockroach. Feeling speechless, Wei Yang looked at the jade cicada again and suddenly realized that this thing was probably deeply connected to the suicide case.

Perhaps someone had drilled a hole in the burial jade cicada, awakening the Three Corpses worm that had been dormant inside. The worm then interfered with the person wearing the jade pendant, leading to the tragic incident. However, when the person jumped, the jade cicada was somehow left behind on the 13th floor, triggering the subsequent series of supernatural events. As for Wei Yang himself, he was carrying the Longhu Mountain Talisman Jade, which made him immune to the Three Corpses worm’s influence. That’s why he had dismissed the whole thing as a farce and casually went diving to make some money.

“Damn, if I think about it this way, have I actually encountered a lot of evil spirits before but never noticed because I was protected by the talisman jade? Isn’t that just asking for death…” Wei Yang suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. He was supposed to be a professional scammer in the supernatural field, but this was like wading in the river without knowing how to swim. He could’ve died without even realizing it.

“The talisman jade, my father made it. Safe,” Zhang Xiuqi suddenly interjected, this time without even putting down his chopsticks.

Looking at Zhang Xiuqi’s handsome, serious face, Wei Yang was momentarily stunned, then suddenly laughed. “Alright, with a Little Celestial Master like Brother Qi by my side, what do I have to fear? Don’t rush with the cold dishes. Wait, the hot dishes are coming soon.”

As he spoke, the main dishes started arriving, each steaming and fragrant. Zhang Xiuqi seemed unfamiliar with seafood, frowning at the sea cucumber and even unsure how to tackle the prawns. Wei Yang happily stepped in to help, even making sure the food was at the right temperature before serving it to Zhang Xiuqi, mindful of the injury on his tongue. The meal turned out to be quite enjoyable, and the life-and-death struggle earlier was quickly forgotten.

After the satisfying meal, the two returned home. As soon as Wei Yang lay down on the soft bed in his humble abode, he felt his entire body relax. The past few days of sleeping on the floor had been torture, making him miss the comfort of a proper bed. Yawning softly, he said to Zhang Xiuqi, “Brother Qi, I’m too full. I’m going to nap for a bit. Remember to wake me up later so we can go for supper.”

Without waiting for a response, he flopped onto the pillow. Zhang Xiuqi didn’t reply but quietly walked to the wall, opened his travel bag, and placed the small bottle containing the remains of the Three Corpses worms in a deep inner pocket. The bag looked stylish, but the inside was lined with talismanic inscriptions, a special piece of equipment from Longhu Mountain that Zhang Xiuqi had been using since childhood. His movements were orderly, and he soon finished tidying up, taking out a few copper coins and talisman papers to carry with him before zipping up the bag.

As he looked up, he noticed something squatting by his feet—it was Wei Yang’s pet turtle. Somehow, Lao Ye had made its way to Zhang Xiuqi’s feet, stretching its neck as if trying to peek into the bag. Seeing that the bag was zipped up, it didn’t seem bothered. It glanced at the stranger beside it, then slowly crawled to the bedside, stretching its front leg to hook onto Wei Yang’s clothes that were hanging off the bed. The clothes weren’t placed firmly and fell to the ground, causing the jade cicada to roll out of the pocket.

The turtle seemed to be looking for this very item. It crawled over slowly, extending its neck to carefully sniff the jade cicada. It let out two “huff” sounds, seemingly annoyed, and swatted the jade cicada with its claw. The cicada rolled twice and landed by Zhang Xiuqi’s feet. He bent down to pick up the Jade Han and gently touched the cold, hard patterns on the turtle’s shell. After a long while, he said, “The Three Pengs are gone.”

As if worried the turtle wouldn’t understand, he added after another pause, “The evil aura is gone too.”

This kind of explanation might not make sense to an ordinary person, but Lao Ye seemed to understand. Its round head nodded twice, then it stretched its neck to rub against Zhang Xiuqi’s wrist before slowly crawling back to the bedside. It changed direction, lowered its head, and quietly settled at the foot of the bed.

Zhang Xiuqi watched the turtle for a while, then stood up and picked up the fallen jacket, placing it on the back of a chair. The jade cicada was placed on the desk. After finishing these tasks, he didn’t occupy the desk to draw talismans as usual. Instead, he sat quietly by the bed like the turtle, seemingly guarding the man who was deep in sleep.

The sun slowly set, and Wei Yang slept soundly. Perhaps due to the exhaustion from the day’s events, he showed no signs of waking up. After some time, Zhang Xiuqi stood up again and headed to the bathroom for his nightly routine. After washing up, he changed into his pajamas, neatly folded his outer clothes, and placed them aside. Glancing at the figure curled up on the bed, his brows furrowed slightly. He patted the other pillow and lay down.

The bed in the rented room wasn’t particularly small, but with two grown men lying side by side, it was a bit cramped. Zhang Xiuqi adjusted his position to lie more comfortably, his arm naturally brushing against Wei Yang’s back. As if curious about the sensation on his arm, he blinked but didn’t move away.

Lao Ye the turtle slowly lifted its head, its wrinkled mouth opening slightly as if yawning, then it waddled back to its water bowl.

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