Chapter 118 – Concealment

The subtle interactions between the two went completely unnoticed by Master Zhou. He carefully laid the silk cloth from the tweezers flat on the workbench, then pulled out a magnifying glass from who-knows-where and began meticulously examining it inch by inch. As he looked, he kept muttering in amazement, “This map seems to be quite old. It must have been coated with some kind of waterproof adhesive, which is why the painting could be mounted so thinly. But what are these characters here? What does ‘Spiritual Aperture’ mean?”

Wei Yang also stepped forward and immediately understood why Master Zhou had been so surprised. On the table lay a square piece of pale yellow silk, about a foot in size. Its texture was extremely fine, even more delicate and translucent than ordinary silk. A few mountain-like patterns were drawn on it, accompanied by small annotations. However, while the mountains were arranged in specific directions, there were no details or markings of the surrounding terrain, making it unlike any typical treasure map.

Of course, Wei Yang didn’t actually think this was a treasure map. After a moment of thought, he frowned slightly, “Spiritual Aperture? Could this be a map of mountain veins and earth meridians?”

“What’s a mountain vein and earth meridian map?” Master Zhou’s curiosity was immediately piqued.

Wei Yang released his grip on Zhang Xiuqi’s hand and gently pulled the silk cloth closer, carefully examining the patterns on it. His expression grew even more serious, “To be honest, our profession is feng shui and geomancy. In our field, this is a terrain record map left behind by those who search for dragon veins and pinpoint auspicious sites. It’s used to document some of the best burial grounds or lucky locations. It’s likely a treasure left behind by some senior master, which is why my senior brother could sense an inexplicable aura from it.”

This explanation was something the Zhou father and son had never heard of before. However, Wei Yang offered them an apologetic smile, “While this isn’t a treasure map in the traditional sense, it is quite important to us. We’ll need to take it back for our master to examine. I hope Master Zhou doesn’t mind.”

Generally, during the process of peeling and mounting a painting, the craftsman has the right to study the artwork thoroughly—not only to ensure better mounting but also as a perk of the job. Now that Wei Yang wanted to take it away after just a glance, Master Zhou was naturally a bit reluctant. But since the other party had already explained that it was a feng shui map, further study would indeed be pointless.

Master Zhou sighed softly and put down the magnifying glass, “I never expected that such a masterpiece, crafted with such skill, was only used to hide a feng shui map. You people always seem to be involved in these mysterious and supernatural things… Ah!”

The sigh was heartfelt, but Wei Yang paid it no mind. He simply asked Xiao Zhou to find a clean piece of rice paper to wrap the map, then discussed the remounting of Master Yuanji’s landscape painting before leaving the studio with Zhang Xiuqi.

It wasn’t until the car was back on the road that Zhang Xiuqi spoke up, “This is from the manuscript.”

“I figured as much. It probably has a direct connection to Sun Yunhe, right?” Wei Yang smiled, not shying away from the topic. The story he had spun for Master Zhou and his son was all nonsense. The key was to retrieve the map and muddy the waters as much as possible. Were those Jiangtou masters, who had come twice to cause trouble, searching for this very map?

“What did you dream about?” Zhang Xiuqi hadn’t forgotten the earlier incident. Wei Yang had likely been struck by the aura within the painting, causing him to momentarily lose consciousness. But this time, the reaction had been unusually intense. Previously, he had only entered a dream state, but this time it was almost as if he had been possessed, which was somewhat concerning.

“I did dream of something, and it was quite a spectacle…” Even if he wanted to forget, the scene was hard to shake off. Wei Yang let out a bitter laugh, “We’ll probably need to discuss this in detail with Master Zeng. I’ll explain more once we get home. By the way, Brother Qi, what exactly is this ‘Spiritual Aperture’ mentioned in the map? It’s not actually some kind of dragon vein or auspicious burial site, is it?”

Zhang Xiuqi hesitated for a moment before finally answering, “A Spiritual Aperture is a naturally occurring sinkhole. In its yin form, it’s like the Forbidden Land of Longhu Mountain, which connects to earth veins and leads to the path of the Yellow Springs. In its yang form, it’s the legendary Blessed Land and Heavenly Cave. Cultivating in such places makes it easier to achieve enlightenment and ascend. Therefore, regardless of whether they are yin or yang, most Spiritual Apertures have been occupied by various sects. However, with the rise and fall of dynasties, many of these apertures have been destroyed and no longer exist.”

It was rare for Zhang Xiuqi to speak so much and explain things so clearly. However, Wei Yang’s brow furrowed slightly, “So, the map depicts the Spiritual Apertures that still existed at the time? What was Sun Yunhe trying to do by finding so many of them? Was he planning to establish a new sect?”

“No, not to establish a sect. He developed a formation that could draw power from the Spiritual Apertures to extend his life and ward off disasters.”

Zhang Xiuqi’s voice was cold, like a chilling frostfire, both icy and intense, carrying an indescribable emotion. Wei Yang gripped the steering wheel, staring straight ahead, and remained silent for a long time, as if he didn’t know what to say.

After taking a deep breath, Zhang Xiuqi continued, “Sun Yunhe was a madman, but also a genius. The Spirit Seizing Technique and the Soul Binding Formation were the two most powerful techniques he developed in his lifetime. However, after he mastered the Soul Binding Formation, he suddenly disappeared for unknown reasons. Some say he died trying to seize spirits, while others believe he was struck by heavenly retribution and perished. After his death, these two techniques also vanished.”

“Yet now, someone has learned them?” Wei Yang voiced what Zhang Xiuqi hadn’t said, “Maybe not a direct inheritance, but someone has mastered his techniques and is trying to retrieve this map of Spiritual Apertures. Are they the same people who went after Old Yao?”

Zhang Xiuqi didn’t answer, and Wei Yang didn’t press further. He chuckled softly and drove on in silence. The city wasn’t very large, and soon they arrived at Chaoyang Community. However, after parking in the underground garage, Wei Yang didn’t open the car door. Instead, there was a soft click as he locked the doors. Zhang Xiuqi frowned and looked over.

Wei Yang didn’t turn his head. Instead, he stared distractedly at the steering wheel for a moment before finally speaking, “Actually, the Spirit Seizing Technique was used twenty years ago, wasn’t it? Was it in Wang Village? Or in the Forbidden Land of Longhu Mountain? What Master Zeng has been searching for all these years has been those people, hasn’t it? He’s been looking for them for twenty years.”

He paused, then let go of the steering wheel and slowly turned to face Zhang Xiuqi, “Now, have you found them? Or have you learned something? All the recent preparations with the medicine and talismans—they’re for a battle, aren’t they? You and Master Zeng are planning to confront those people, and…” His voice carried a hint of bitterness, “…you never planned to tell me about this.”

When Wei Yang had first seen the map, he had been holding Zhang Xiuqi’s hand. But upon hearing the words “Spiritual Aperture,” Zhang Xiuqi’s fingers had tightened abruptly, almost painfully. Zhang Xiuqi knew about the Spiritual Apertures, and they were of great importance to him.

So Wei Yang had asked, probing carefully, piecing together the outline of the matter. Had Master Zeng been searching for Zhang Xiuqi’s Heavenly Soul for the past twenty years? Perhaps not entirely. That young Celestial Master, who had been fiercely righteous even after losing his soul, would he really give up on these things after regaining his Heavenly Soul? Probably not.

They were going to seek revenge. And they didn’t have absolute confidence in victory.

That was why he had been left behind.

Wei Yang finally understood the source of that deliberate coldness and realized what Zhang Xiuqi had been hiding. But he couldn’t accept this outcome!

A flash of anger appeared in his eyes as Wei Yang stared directly at the man before him, speaking word by word, “No matter what, I was one of the victims back then, wasn’t I? And this matter has been inextricably linked to me from the beginning. Even if you don’t need me, you could still use the Bone Formation. Something this important—how could you not tell me? If I hadn’t figured it out, would you have just disappeared one day, never to return?”

Faced with this barrage of questions, Zhang Xiuqi tensed his shoulders, as if trying to shield himself from Wei Yang’s anger. But after a moment of silence, he finally spoke, “You can’t go.”

Four words, with no room for negotiation.

Looking at Zhang Xiuqi’s stern, almost rigid expression, Wei Yang nearly laughed in frustration, “Because I don’t know any spells? Because I’d hold you back? Don’t forget, I have the Wu Family bloodline and can control the Bone Formation. That was one of Sun Yunhe’s trump cards!”

But Zhang Xiuqi didn’t budge. A flicker of anger appeared in his eyes as well, “You can’t use the Witch Bone anymore. It can be activated by the Wu Family bloodline, but it doesn’t just drain your energy and vitality—it consumes your life! It will kill you!”

This answer was completely unexpected. Wei Yang was stunned for a moment before gradually understanding the meaning behind those words. That thing he had considered a protective talisman—it would kill him? No, it was a ritual instrument passed down by the Wu Family. If descendants couldn’t use it, why would they have created the Witch Bone in the first place? Or perhaps, to use the Witch Bone, one needed a specific method…

But these weren’t the main points. Wei Yang suddenly shook his head, “And if I don’t go? Will you come back? Will you return here safely, without sacrificing yourself to take them down? Can you promise me that?”

Zhang Xiuqi didn’t answer. Wei Yang smiled.

“Since you can’t, then I’m sorry, but I can’t promise either. You’re afraid I’ll die at their hands, so afraid that you’d rather pretend to forget me, forget everything that’s happened these past two months, thinking that would let me live a peaceful life? But you’re wrong…”

In that moment, Wei Yang remembered the figure slumped on the ground, the withered white hair and smooth fingers, the man who had killed countless people and even tried to open the path to the underworld, all for the sake of one soul. That man hadn’t died with that Jiang Wu, but was he still alive? Perhaps not. He had already gone mad, driven insane by anger and loneliness.

When a person loses everything, whether they are alive or not ceases to matter.

A faint smile appeared on Wei Yang’s lips as he suddenly reached out, grabbed Zhang Xiuqi’s collar, and pulled him closer, bringing himself closer as well. In the cramped front seat of the car, the two pressed tightly together.

A kiss landed on those tightly pressed lips.