Chapter 63 – Transformation

That night, six police cars arrived, and over a dozen criminal police officers were busy arresting suspects and sealing off the scene for most of the night. In the end, the case in Wang Family Village was classified as a “tomb raiding gang feud,” resulting in 4 deaths and 5 serious injuries, with many suspects still at large. Over twenty nationally protected cultural relics were seized from the gang’s warehouse, making it the largest criminal case cracked by the city this year.

However, despite the sensational nature of the case, Wei Yang and the other two were not involved at all. Before the police even arrived on the scene, a high-ranking official from the province called and sent a special car to take them directly to the city’s central hospital. They were completely excluded from the case, not even being subjected to the routine questioning that usually accompanies such investigations.

Early the next morning, as soon as visiting hours began, someone came to see them.

“Master Wei, this was truly unexpected. I’m sorry you had to go through such an ordeal,” Director Sun arrived promptly, having likely rushed over as soon as he heard the news. He brought along the city’s Public Security Bureau Chief Jiang, appearing sincerely concerned.

“Thank you for your concern, Director Sun,” Wei Yang sat on the sofa in the reception room, his face pale and his voice hoarse, looking as though he had just been through a great ordeal. Yet, despite his injuries, his demeanor was not diminished; instead, it carried a newfound gravity.

Director Sun’s ability to read people was impeccable. With just a glance at Wei Yang, he could tell that the man was probably not in the mood for visitors. However, building relationships was secondary; today, he needed to get some information from them. Clearing his throat lightly, he gestured to Chief Wang standing beside him: “This is Chief Wang from the city bureau. The truth is, we’re a bit unclear about the details of yesterday’s case and would appreciate Master Wei’s guidance.”

Chief Wang quickly stepped forward, asking cautiously, “Mr. Wei, to be honest, the suspects we arrested yesterday were all in a state of confusion, and their descriptions of the events were very vague. We have no choice but to ask you for help. What exactly happened last night?”

Chief Wang was at his wit’s end. In over twenty years of police work, he had handled countless cases, even serial murders, but none as bizarre as the Wang Family Village feud. The body of the gang leader, Wang Tang, had already begun to decompose, clearly not having died that day. Yet, both the scene evidence and witness testimonies suggested otherwise. The escaped suspect named Wang Wei had inexplicably gone mad, injuring seven or eight of his accomplices before ultimately bleeding from his orifices and dying. What on earth was going on?

Such a strange case even the forensic experts in the bureau were reluctant to touch. After a night of fruitless efforts, Chief Wang had no choice but to ask Director Sun to bring him to these protected individuals to get a more reliable answer.

Faced with this unorthodox inquiry, Wei Yang’s lips twitched slightly: “They dug up a grave and unleashed a ghost—a powerful ghost fetus. During the exorcism, someone acted on their own and got possessed by the evil entity. The people downstairs were likely injured by him. As for the one upstairs, my senior brother and I took care of him.”

Perhaps because his voice hadn’t fully recovered, he spoke slowly, his tone carrying an indescribable hoarseness. Even in broad daylight, Chief Wang felt a chill run down his spine. Ghost fetuses, evil entities—this was anything but scientific! How was he supposed to believe such an unreliable answer?

While Chief Wang was struggling with his doubts, Director Sun wasted no time. Frowning, he zeroed in on the key point: “Master Wei, so does that mean the possessed individual still poses a threat?”

Director Sun had also reviewed the case report and was particularly concerned about the father and son who had exhibited unusual behavior. However, Master Wei had only mentioned the upstairs situation and not the downstairs, implying that the young man surnamed Wang hadn’t been dealt with. Having experienced such things before, he knew that even if a person died, the evil entity might not disappear. Given the scale of this case, if the evil energy spread to others involved, it could lead to a major disaster.

“In theory, no. But you should isolate Wang Wei’s body for now. Once my senior brother is in better condition, we’ll go and investigate further.”

Wei Yang’s voice was calm and even, but hearing this, Director Sun couldn’t help but feel relieved. This meant that Master Wei wasn’t planning to abandon them after the fact. As long as the two masters were willing to help, there shouldn’t be any major issues. With this in mind, he immediately said, “That’s great. By the way, we’ll also need you two to identify some items. Since you were kidnapped by those bandits, you must have lost some precious ritual instruments, right? Rest assured, we’ll take good care of everything and make sure it’s returned to you.”

The implications here were clear: they would offer some of the artifacts seized from the tomb raiders as compensation for the “lost” items. Director Sun had noticed that Master Wei had a keen interest in antiques, so regardless of what the tomb raiders had promised them, it was only right to give the two masters some form of compensation.

However, Master Wei, who was usually very receptive to “rewards,” didn’t respond this time. Instead, he closed his eyes, looking exhausted. Seeing this, Director Sun felt slightly awkward, but the incident in Wang Family Village had only strengthened his resolve to “maintain good relations.” Without further ado, he tactfully stood up and said, “Then please rest well, Master Wei. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to contact us.”

Soon, the reception room fell silent again. Wei Yang didn’t get up to see them out. After sitting quietly on the sofa for a while, he stood and walked into the inner ward. Since the room had been arranged by a high-ranking provincial official, it was naturally no ordinary hospital room. This VIP room was even more luxurious than the one he and the old swindler had stayed in before, comparable to a star-rated hotel. It was fully equipped with a bathroom and even had a separate reception area for visitors, with impeccable environment and soundproofing.

However, no matter how luxurious, it was still a hospital room. Entering the inner room, Wei Yang saw a large white bed in the pale blue room, surrounded by high-end medical equipment. The young man lying in the center of the bed was still unconscious, seemingly in a deep sleep. Wei Yang didn’t stop but walked straight over and sat down beside him. A breeze stirred the scattered yellow talismans on the bed, creating a soft rustling sound.

Since arriving at the hospital in the early hours of the morning, after having his wounds bandaged and undergoing a check-up, Wei Yang hadn’t slept. Instead, he had been drawing talismans, trying to use Soul Stabilizing Talismans to restore Zhang Xiuqi’s consciousness. However, hours had passed, and the yellow paper in his stationery box was almost used up, yet Zhang Xiuqi still showed no signs of waking up. Since all his physiological indicators were normal, the doctors repeatedly assured him that it was likely just a stress-induced coma and that he would wake up naturally. But knowing what had happened the previous night, Wei Yang couldn’t let go of his worries.

What if the last two of his souls had also dissipated? What if his spirit had been severely damaged and he would never wake up? The worst-case scenarios kept swirling in his mind, and Wei Yang couldn’t find a solution. He had already contacted Uncle Qi and Master Chizhi, but neither of them could offer any useful advice. Perhaps he should take the Little Celestial Master back to his sect at Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi.

His heart tightened slightly as he reached out and took the hand resting on the white bedsheet. The once warm fingers were now cool, as if the sleep had robbed them of their warmth. Wei Yang gently rubbed the cold fingertips with his palm, feeling as though his heart had been hollowed out, leaving behind an empty, aching void.

After sitting by the bed for a while, he finally gritted his teeth and stood up, ready to try drawing a few more Soul Stabilizing Talismans. But just as he rose, the fingers he was holding twitched slightly. Wei Yang froze: “Brother Qi, Brother Qi, can you hear me?”

The long lashes fluttered slightly, and Zhang Xiuqi opened his eyes.

Wei Yang was overjoyed and immediately leaned back in: “Brother Qi, are you okay? Do you need some Soul Stabilizing Talismans? I’ve already contacted Master Chizhi; he should be here by noon…”

Zhang Xiuqi didn’t respond to his words. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, looking toward the pillow. There, the shattered Talisman Jade had been wrapped up and placed beside him. Wei Yang had also tried using the Talisman Jade to awaken his consciousness, but it hadn’t worked. As if finally recognizing what it was, Zhang Xiuqi’s lips trembled slightly, and he uttered a single word: “Father.”

Wei Yang’s voice caught in his throat. He remembered the scene before Zhang Xiuqi lost consciousness, the tears streaked with blood. Suddenly, he couldn’t speak. He took half a step back, trying to pull his hand away. But before he could, the cold fingers curled slightly, gripping him tightly.

The blood-streaked eyes looked up at him, Zhang Xiuqi’s gaze dazed, as if he was struggling to find something in the depths of his memory. After a long while, he finally tightened his grip on Wei Yang’s hand: “Yangyang?”

The voice was unclear, tinged with confusion and uncertainty. Wei Yang’s nose tingled, and he gripped the hand tightly in return: “Brother Qi, I broke the Talisman Jade… I didn’t expect… It must have been something your father left behind. If only I were stronger…”

He couldn’t articulate the turmoil in his heart—regret? Guilt? Or the kind of pain that couldn’t be shared with others. All his cunning and eloquence had fled, leaving only clumsiness and fear, along with an inability to hide his distress.

However, Zhang Xiuqi didn’t seem to hear him. He simply held Wei Yang’s hand quietly. After a long, long while, a soft voice emerged: “You… didn’t leave…”

It was clear that his missing souls had not yet returned. The usually sharp brows furrowed with difficulty, tugging at the small wounds nearby, but Zhang Xiuqi ignored his own injuries, only tightening his grip as if trying to pull Wei Yang closer.

“Stay… don’t go.”

Wei Yang slowly knelt by the bed, burying his face in the white sheets. He took deep breaths, trying to control the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. His voice, even hoarser and more strained, emerged from his throat: “I won’t leave, Brother Qi. I won’t leave you.”

The hands clasped together were warming up, becoming hot and burning, as if igniting each other.