Chapter 11 – Yin-Yang Sage

Noises came from afar, chaotic and sharp, like a woman screaming at the top of her lungs. Wei Yang’s heart raced. He felt as though he had heard this voice before. Who was that screaming woman? What was she shouting? Gradually, amidst the hysterical cries, two figures vaguely appeared, somewhat hazy and swaying, hard to make out clearly. It looked like one person was choking another. The screams became intermittent, turning into dying moans. Was it the woman being choked? Why was she being choked…

Wei Yang felt he should step forward to stop it, but his feet were firmly nailed to the ground. A wave of fear rose from the depths of his heart. He was afraid, terrified of the scene before him. He should turn and run, but at the same time, he wanted so badly to step forward, to save that poor woman. These two conflicting emotions kept him rooted in place, staring blankly at the scene. As if sensing his gaze, the man choking the woman suddenly looked up. It wasn’t a human face but a long-necked weasel, its head a bloody mess, crimson eyes glowing with a predatory light. It grinned hideously…

“Ah!” Wei Yang jolted awake from the bed, gasping for air, his heart pounding like a drum, stars dancing in his eyes. It took a full half minute for the adrenaline to slowly subside, and his senses to return to normal. He saw the white walls before him, smelled the strong scent of disinfectant, and felt a slight pain in his palm. Looking down, he saw his hand wrapped in several layers of bandages, neatly dressed, with no trace of the previous cut. Was this a hospital?

“Ah Yang, you’re awake?”

A voice came from behind. Wei Yang turned his head and saw Sun Chengfeng lying on the adjacent hospital bed, his forehead wrapped in bandages, one leg hoisted in a fixed frame, his face bruised and swollen, two front teeth missing. The once dignified aura of a celestial master was completely gone, replaced by a pitiful state of dishevelment. But the old charlatan had no intention of seeking sympathy. Sniffling, he mumbled, “You passed out for a whole day after a car crash. You’re really not built for this. You’ve got a long way to go to catch up to me…”

Hearing the old charlatan’s annoying jab, Wei Yang’s heart finally settled. Looking down at his hospital gown and the luxurious double room, he finally came to his senses. They had been in a car accident and were now in the hospital. However, the bizarre scene he had witnessed earlier resurfaced in his mind. What had he seen? A monster, a flash of white light, a mysterious young man wielding a blade… Could it have been a hallucination from the concussion? Had the old charlatan seen it too?

But before he could ponder further, Sun Chengfeng, lying next to him, grinned through his swollen face, “Ah Yang, we’ve hit the jackpot this time…”

Wei Yang looked up, speechless, at the battered old charlatan, who lowered his voice mysteriously, boasting, “You were unconscious, so you didn’t see. This time, we’ve encountered a ‘Yin-Yang Sage’!”

“You mean the Golden Lock and Jade Pass?” Wei Yang frowned. In their line of work, the so-called “Yin-Yang Sage” referred to the Golden Lock and Jade Pass school of feng shui. Like the Landform School, the Eight Mansions School, the Flying Star School, and the Destiny Theory School, it was a common feng shui sect, based on the Houtian and Xiantian diagrams. Due to its reputation for being easy to learn and highly accurate, it was a favorite among charlatans. But what did that have to do with the car crash they had just experienced?

“No, not that. The real ‘Yin-Yang Sage,’ the feng shui lineage passed down by Master Yang himself!” Sun Chengfeng was genuinely excited now, ignoring his broken ribs and struggling to sit up. “You’re still young, so you might not have heard, but there really are masters in the Jiangxi Topography School. The ‘Yin-Yang Sage’ refers to those who have inherited Master Yang’s teachings, selected only from the six surnames of the Sanliao Village. I thought this generation didn’t have such masters anymore, but who knew… Tsk!”

Wei Yang was stunned. The “Master Yang” Sun Chengfeng mentioned was, of course, the renowned Yang Junsong, also known as Yang Jiupin, the ancestral master of the entire Jiangnan Topography School. He authored a series of feng shui classics such as Hanjing, Yijing, Qingnang Aoyu, and Yuchi Jing, and was a top feng shui master on par with Guo Pu. It was said that after settling in Sanliao Village in Jiangxi, he passed on his teachings to six disciples: Zeng Wentuo, Liu Jiangdong, Huang Miaoying, Li Boshao, Ye Qi, and Liu Miao. Some of them stayed in Sanliao Village, while others traveled far and wide. Over hundreds of years of evolution, the vast Topography School gained a rich heritage, and many contemporary sects traced their origins or borrowed from Master Yang’s name, making it common knowledge.

But Wei Yang had never heard of this “Yin-Yang Sage” title. What era was this? Even if Master Yang’s teachings had truly been preserved, how could there still be such a martial arts alliance leader-like title?

Seeing Wei Yang’s disbelief, Sun Chengfeng chuckled, “This is the shortcoming of your Northern School. Although the Southern School has its share of charlatans, it still preserves some genuine knowledge. My master also told me about the ‘Yin-Yang Sage.’ I suppose quite a few people have heard of it, which is why the name was borrowed and slapped onto the Golden Lock and Jade Pass to give the new sects a grand banner. But who would have thought I’d actually run into a real master!”

The so-called Northern and Southern Schools were common terms in the feng shui world. The Northern School was the Theory School, using the “Five Arts” theory to deduce feng shui. However, during the Qing Dynasty’s invasion, the massacres were too severe, and later, during the Cultural Revolution, much of this knowledge was wiped out. Thus, it was an indisputable fact that the Northern School had more charlatans than genuine practitioners. The Southern School, on the other hand, had always been far from the reach of the central government, preserving its foundations more intact, and naturally maintained its disdain for the Northern School.

But at this moment, Wei Yang wasn’t concerned about the North-South rivalry. He asked directly, “How do you know he’s a ‘Yin-Yang Sage’? Did he tell you himself?”

“Of course not!” The old charlatan immediately shook his head, gesturing mysteriously, “I guessed…”

Wei Yang: “…”

“Don’t look at me like that. He’s a direct descendant of the Zeng family from Sanliao Village! A true noble lineage. This time, we bumped into him while he was subduing a demon—a fully-formed white-haired Jiangshi¹From Wikipedia: A jiangshī, also known as a Chinese hopping vampire, is a type of undead creature or reanimated corpse in Chinese legends and folklore. Due to the influence of Hong Kong cinema, it is typically depicted in modern popular culture as a stiff corpse dressed in official garments from the Qing dynasty. that nearly took our lives. Since innocent people were hurt, he even sent us to the hospital, arranged a special ward. I think if we play our cards right, we might even be able to build a relationship and learn some real skills from him…”

Wei Yang: “…”

At this point, Wei Yang didn’t know what to say. Even if he hadn’t seen a Jiangshi, he had certainly heard what they were supposed to look like. Whether white-haired, green-haired, or black-haired, shouldn’t it still have a human face with fangs? How could it turn into a weasel! And a ‘Yin-Yang Sage’? Why didn’t the old charlatan just guess he was Lam Ching-ying! And that young man he had seen—though only for a moment—he was certain that person wouldn’t lie about such things. How could he give the old charlatan such an absurd answer. The unease in his heart flipped into suspicion. He couldn’t help but be suspicious. To a small-time charlatan like him, this smelled all too familiar!

Just as he was listening to Sun Chengfeng’s wild tale, the door to the hospital room was gently knocked twice. The old charlatan immediately shut his mouth, flopping back onto the bed, his previously animated face twisting into a bitter expression, mumbling incoherently, “Please, come in…”

Wei Yang silently turned his gaze toward the mysterious “savior.” But with just one glance, he was stunned. It wasn’t one person who entered, but two. The one leading the way was a middle-aged man in his forties, strikingly handsome, as though time had been unable to erode his charm. Instead, the years had added a mature charisma that radiated from within. His star-like black eyes glimmered with a reserved wisdom, and paired with his tall stature and luxurious attire, he exuded an unforgettable aura of dignity. In the presence of such an original, the old charlatan’s counterfeit celestial master aura was instantly exposed, incomparable in every way.

However, such an impressive figure failed to hold Wei Yang’s gaze, because he saw the other figure behind the man—handsome, cold, and utterly devoid of life, like a boulder or a sturdy pine tree, standing straight behind the middle-aged man. Wei Yang opened his mouth but couldn’t speak. He thought that person had already left. Why was he still here, with this suspected charlatan…

“Mr. Sun, how are you feeling today?” The middle-aged man spoke first, his voice calm and warm, exuding a charm that made people feel at ease.

The old charlatan immediately groaned, “Master… Master Zeng… I… I’m much better… Haha, ouch… It’s just… the shop… I’m worried about it…”

While groaning, he put on a forced smile, emphasizing the word “shop” with great determination. The middle-aged man smiled slightly but didn’t respond, instead turning to Wei Yang and asking, “And you? How are you feeling?”

Wei Yang averted his gaze, avoiding looking at the young man, and replied with a smile, “It seems I’m fine now. Thank you, Master Zeng, for saving my life.”

“It wasn’t me who saved you. If it’s convenient, could we speak privately?”

The speaker’s tone didn’t change, but there was an inexplicable sense of authority that made it impossible to refuse. Wei Yang was somewhat surprised. He glanced at the old charlatan, who was frantically signaling with his eyes, then looked at the man’s calm and gentle smile. He took a deep breath, “Of course.”

With that, he pushed himself up and climbed out of the hospital bed. Though not as injured as the old charlatan, Wei Yang was still a car crash survivor, and his movements weren’t as nimble as he’d hoped. Limping, he followed the two out of the room. Outside, he realized they were in the VIP section of the city’s top-tier hospital’s new ward building, the kind of place where officials would stay for extended periods, costing tens of thousands of yuan for just a few days. Even a genuine charlatan wouldn’t go to such lengths, right?

But Master Zeng didn’t give him time to think, stopping at a corner by the floor-to-ceiling window and asking, “Do you remember what you saw before you lost consciousness?”

Hearing the question, Wei Yang was taken aback. He couldn’t help but smirk slightly, asking sarcastically, “You mean when you were exterminating the white-haired Jiangshi?”

Zeng Jingxuan frowned slightly, “That wasn’t a Jiangshi. It was a Human Husk.”

He glanced at the young man behind him and explained, “A Human Husk is a type of evil spirit. If the corpse of someone who died a tragic death is placed in a cursed location and the head is separated from the body, the corpse will form a cursed pit. Some creatures that have gained power will choose such a body as a vessel, burrowing into it from the neck, feeding on the resentment of the corpse to nourish their spirits. The bodies used as nests will also become immortal, like Jiangshi. There are several types of Human Husks, with Fox, Weasel, Dog, and Willow being the most dangerous. What you encountered was a Yellow Husk.”

Not expecting such a direct explanation, Wei Yang was momentarily at a loss for words. This was completely different from what he had anticipated. If it were a genuine scam, shouldn’t they be playing along with the old charlatan’s story, twisting the facts? Why was he so straightforward, without any embellishment? And the Yellow Husk… Wei Yang shuddered slightly, finally recalling that the thing that had leapt out of the corpse’s neck was indeed a weasel, with a long wound on its abdomen, but its head and tail were intact, exuding a vaguely human-like sinister aura. It really didn’t look like an ordinary animal. Could the Human Husk theory be true?

As if guessing Wei Yang’s thoughts, Zeng Jingxuan sighed softly, “No wonder you don’t believe it. Human Husks are semi-artificial monsters, not easily formed. After the founding of the country, with the end of wars, they’ve become even rarer. This time, we happened upon a nest, and in the chaos, the smaller one escaped injured, nearly taking your lives. But this has little to do with you. There’s only one thing I want to ask…”

Zeng Jingxuan’s sharp, reserved gaze locked onto Wei Yang’s eyes, asking word by word, “Where did you get that Talisman Jade you were carrying?”

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  From Wikipedia: A jiangshī, also known as a Chinese hopping vampire, is a type of undead creature or reanimated corpse in Chinese legends and folklore. Due to the influence of Hong Kong cinema, it is typically depicted in modern popular culture as a stiff corpse dressed in official garments from the Qing dynasty.