Chapter 106 – Anxiety and Unease

For the next two days, Wei Yang was kept busy, running around to set up the plan. The police who had been sent out to investigate had not reported back any news. The Jiangtou Master seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind. This was a case that had even caught the attention of the Provincial Public Security Department, and yet the perpetrator had managed to hide so thoroughly that it was almost terrifying. However, this situation also proved that the other party had not given up. As long as the fish hadn’t escaped, the bait would eventually come in handy.

By the third day, Old Yao was discharged from the hospital. Although he was still uneasy, he moved back into the courtyard of the railway community. Not only did he return to live there, but he also sorted through his collection and donated some of the precious Water Script materials to the provincial museum.

This matter could have been big or small, but word of it spread anyway. After all, Old Yao was a well-known figure in the circle, and this move left many people puzzled. Some were even indignant, thinking he was just seeking fame. However, this action clearly showed his stance—he had identified the source of the danger and no longer wanted to teeter on the edge of a cliff.

With such a clear gesture, the whereabouts of the ancient book also became apparent. After being discharged, Old Yao even made a special trip back to the hospital to visit a few patients. As for who he was visiting, only those concerned with the matter would know.

After some maneuvering, Old Yao completely extricated himself from the situation. Zeng Jingxuan, however, remained bedridden and showed no intention of leaving the hospital. On one hand, this was to attract the enemy’s attention; on the other, it was because public places like hospitals would limit the other party’s methods of attack, even if they really wanted to strike. Rather than directly confronting the big fish, it was better to loosen the line slightly, allowing the fish to lower its guard while also giving themselves more time to recover. However, while loosening the line, Zeng Jingxuan didn’t let Wei Yang off the hook and began to give the young charlatan some basic and systematic education.

“Not getting hurt at Old Yao’s place—was that because of my Wu Family bloodline? Wasn’t it the Bone Formation that worked?” When he heard Master Zeng’s explanation, Wei Yang couldn’t help but ask in surprise.

“No. From your description, the Copper Coin Formation had no reaction to that yin wind, which proves that the wind wasn’t purely yin evil energy but rather a variant of some kind of witchcraft. This is the strength of the Wu Family bloodline—these low-level witchcraft techniques can’t harm a descendant with Witch Bones,” Master Zeng replied frankly, his gaze at Wei Yang filled with interest.

Wei Yang clicked his tongue lightly. “This really is a gift from heaven…”

Indeed, over the past couple of days, Master Zeng had given him a good lesson, and Wei Yang finally understood just how rare the things happening to him were. Like his ability to see through the forms of yin evil, there was a lot to be said about it. In both Taoism and Buddhism, there is the concept of the “Wisdom Eye,” which uses the body’s potential to observe beings that don’t belong to the mortal world. However, the ability isn’t like what’s described in novels—most can only detect a mass of black energy or fog. Being able to observe yin energy during the day is already the highest level of the Wisdom Eye.

Wei Yang’s situation was different. What he possessed was more like a “Yin-Yang Eye,” capable of directly piercing through the boundary between yin and yang to see the true form of evil energy. In reality, ordinary ghosts rarely develop a true physical form. Stories about red-dressed women are just tales to scare people. However, extremely powerful yin evil can take on physical forms, such as the remnants of the fox demon’s soul or the true form of his grandmother’s current vengeful spirit. Being able to see these things isn’t just a matter of opening the Wisdom Eye—it requires innate talent. And Wei Yang happened to have such talent, the top-tier kind. It’s just that in the past, his talent and bloodline had been suppressed by the Talisman Jade, so he hadn’t shown any abnormalities.

If this had been two months ago, Wei Yang would have run as far as possible from this bizarre bloodline. But now, he listened with great attention and even began to seriously consider becoming a disciple. Unlike Zhang Xiuqi, Master Zeng not only knew these basic theories but was also a very competent teacher. He could easily break down the most esoteric concepts, making them easy to understand. It was likely a skill honed from years of teaching the Little Celestial Master.

After some thought, Wei Yang couldn’t help but ask, “Since not many people know about the witchcraft inheritance, can I try learning to draw talismans or set up formations? I’m really good at imitation—no matter how complex the formation or talisman, I can copy it. I even successfully drew a Soul Stabilizing Talisman once.”

“It’s precisely because you drew the Soul Stabilizing Talisman that you can’t learn ordinary talisman techniques,” Master Zeng shook his head. Over the past few days, he had spoken with Wei Yang several times and gradually learned about the various situations they had encountered. Some could be considered coincidences, while others even made him, a true master of the Sanliao Sect, marvel. One of these was the matter of drawing the Soul Stabilizing Talisman.

“The Soul Stabilizing Talisman used on Xiao Qi is actually a type of talisman that can only be used by the person who draws it. During the process of drawing the talisman, it absorbs the power of the formation to stabilize the soul of the person drawing it. This is the most reliable method we could think of to stabilize the soul. So, not only can others not use his Soul Stabilizing Talisman, but even I can’t draw one that would work. When needed, we have to use other methods. So, it would be normal if you couldn’t draw the Soul Stabilizing Talisman. The fact that you did and it actually worked is strange.”

Wei Yang hadn’t expected such a conclusion and asked in astonishment, “So you’re saying that what I drew wasn’t a real Soul Stabilizing Talisman? But it did bring Brother Qi’s soul back!”

“What could awaken the soul definitely wasn’t the talisman you drew. I’ve thought about it for a long time, and I have a guess. When you succeeded that time, did you mix your blood into the talisman?”

“This…” Wei Yang frowned slightly. Indeed, he had been injured that time, and his emotions had been too intense. It was possible that blood had gotten onto the talisman paper. But could his blood alone really have restored Brother Qi to normal? How was that possible?

As if sensing Wei Yang’s confusion, Zeng Jingxuan smiled faintly. “You think blood alone isn’t useful? You carry the pure bloodline of the Wu Family, a bloodline that can activate Witch Bones without any training. In ancient times, it wasn’t uncommon to use Wu Family descendants like you as ingredients in medicine or formations, let alone using your blood to draw talismans.”

This answer was earth-shattering. Wei Yang couldn’t help but widen his eyes. “Is Wu Family blood really that powerful?”

“Otherwise, why do you think the Wu Family bloodline disappeared so quickly? The Taoist lineage has gone through countless wars and struggles for survival, but it’s nothing compared to this,” Zeng Jingxuan sighed lightly and concluded, “So I think you can try using your blood to activate the power of the Bone Formation or attempt to draw some simple talismans to see if you can ignite the talisman’s power with your fingertip blood. Once we find a suitable witchcraft method for you, you can start learning then.”

This was something Wei Yang had never considered, but after a moment’s thought, he felt like he’d hit the jackpot. After all, this “blood cow” role required no technical skill. If his blood was really that useful, wouldn’t it also greatly enhance the power of Brother Qi’s formations or talismans? Not to mention the passive triggering effect of the Bone Formation, it was already a pretty good outcome.

However, even so, he didn’t give up the opportunity to learn from Master Zeng. In this situation, the more power he could grasp, the more confidence he would have. Even if he couldn’t be of much help to them, Wei Yang didn’t want to hold these two true masters back. After all, he still wanted to stay by Brother Qi’s side and didn’t want to be abandoned by Master Zeng.

With this hidden goal in mind, Wei Yang had been quite busy over the past few days. He had to keep an eye on Old Yao’s arrangements, and he was spinning around like a top with no time to slack off. This was a good situation, but there was one thing that was particularly frustrating. Zhang Xiuqi was firmly tied to Master Zeng’s side, and while the two of them spent a lot of time together in the same room, it was never alone. This left the young charlatan, who had shared a bed with him for nearly two months and had just taken their relationship to the next level, feeling quite defeated. However, even if he had the heart to do so, he didn’t dare show the slightest hint of impropriety in front of Master Zeng. He could only watch Brother Qi with longing, hoping to find a chance to sneak a bite.

However, while Wei Yang could still endure, the Little Celestial Master didn’t understand the concept of discretion.

Another morning, right at 6:30, Zhang Xiuqi opened his eyes. Following his usual habit, he turned to look beside him, but the bed he was lying on was extremely narrow, and there was no one else next to him. His handsome brows immediately furrowed, and he turned to the other side, where he saw his uncle still asleep and the person curled up on the sofa.

Why isn’t Yangyang sleeping with me? Zhang Xiuqi didn’t quite understand the reason, but he felt extremely uncomfortable, as if he hadn’t drawn a Soul Stabilizing Talisman in a long time, and there was a slight disturbance in his soul. Without much hesitation, he got up and walked to the sofa in the corner, standing in front of Wei Yang in just a few steps.

Who knows when he had fallen asleep last night, but Wei Yang was curled up on the sofa with a troubled expression, his long legs dangling in the air, and the thin blanket he had been covering himself with was now a crumpled ball clutched tightly in his arms. On the small coffee table next to the sofa, a few Yellow Talismans were scattered about, likely the result of his late-night efforts. However, Zhang Xiuqi didn’t look at the talismans but instead reached out and gently touched Wei Yang’s sleeping cheek before leaning down to kiss his lips.

It was a simple morning kiss without any special meaning. Feeling his lips being kissed, Wei Yang let out a soft hum and instinctively reached out to wrap his arms around the other’s neck, trying to deepen the kiss. However, as soon as he opened his mouth, he suddenly snapped his eyes open and, as if struck by lightning, leaned back, pulling away from the other person.

Zhang Xiuqi’s furrowed brows tightened even more, like a puppy that had been kicked, and he called out unhappily, “Yangyang…”

“Holy shit…” Wei Yang shuddered, covering the other’s mouth with his hand. Like a thief, he peeked at Master Zeng, who was still sound asleep, and, without even putting on his shoes, barefooted, he dragged the Little Celestial Master into the bathroom.

“Brother Qi, you nearly scared the life out of me,” Wei Yang whispered as he carefully closed the bathroom door, a bitter smile on his face. “It’s not just the two of us anymore. Have you forgotten Master Zeng?”

Zhang Xiuqi seemed not to have recovered from the earlier rejection, his brows still tightly knit. Although his face showed no expression, his eyes were filled with disappointment and confusion. Seeing the Little Celestial Master like this, Wei Yang couldn’t resist any longer and leaned in to kiss his lips.

The light kiss quickly turned into a deep one, and the soul that had been scared away seemed to return. Wei Yang finally felt the same longing and hunger from the other person, as if they were both suffering from a kind of skin hunger, desperately wanting to stick together. After finally separating, he rested his forehead on Zhang Xiuqi’s shoulder and sighed softly, “Brother Qi, have you forgotten all about ‘Uncle won’t allow it’?”

Zhang Xiuqi’s furrowed brows had relaxed, and the inexplicable anxiety seemed to have eased. He lowered his head and gently nuzzled Wei Yang’s temple. “I’ll tell Uncle…”

“Do you think Master Zeng will agree if you tell him?” Wei Yang tried to suppress the desire surging within him and hugged the other tighter. “I’m not so sure. It’s possible that if Master Zeng finds out, he’ll break my legs and take you away. Brother Qi, I’ve thought about it, but I really can’t make up my mind. Damn it, I’m just such a despicable little man…”

Not understanding Wei Yang’s words, Zhang Xiuqi reached out again, tightly gripping the other’s shoulder blades to pull him closer. This passionate “invitation” was clearly more appealing than any words, and Wei Yang swallowed hard, gently pressing the other against the sink.

“It’s fine. We can keep it a secret from Uncle for now. Just a little sneak peek…” He licked his lips and kissed the other’s thin lips again, his hand slipping under his pajamas…

They didn’t go too far, just a few stolen tastes, and Wei Yang finally stopped. He carefully tidied up the Little Celestial Master, wiping away any traces that might be discovered, then turned on the faucet and let him wash up. He then sneaked back out and quietly returned to the sofa.

After pretending to still be asleep, Wei Yang couldn’t help but glance at the other bed. Master Zeng was still as sound asleep as before. Although his internal injuries had improved somewhat and he could move around a bit, he still needed a lot of sleep. Thanks to that, Wei Yang dared to sneak around like this. But this time he was lucky—what if next time he wasn’t? What if Master Zeng really found out?

His mind was in chaos when Zhang Xiuqi finished washing up and came out of the bathroom. Seeing the other’s gaze, Wei Yang avoided it and jumped up from the sofa, smiling at the Little Celestial Master, “Brother Qi, wait here. I’ll go check when breakfast is coming…”

With that, he didn’t even wash his face and just threw on his jacket and walked out. Zhang Xiuqi was a bit disappointed, but he didn’t think too much about it and obediently walked to the bed, sitting down on his small single bed. Just as he sat down, Zeng Jingxuan, who had been sleeping, suddenly turned over and looked at him.

“Uncle is awake?” Zhang Xiuqi looked at his uncle’s deep black eyes and thought for a moment before saying, “Yangyang went to get breakfast.”

“I know,” Zeng Jingxuan’s voice was calm, without any emotion. “But there’s a lot I don’t know, it seems.”

He looked up and down at his soul-deficient nephew and sighed softly, “Xiao Qi, how do you really feel about that kid? You…”

He didn’t finish his sentence but instead beckoned Zhang Xiuqi over to the bed and gently placed his hand on the other’s still-damp hair.