After locking onto the target, Zhong Chengshuo desperately began to shrink his size. Humans were already small, and human infants would be even smaller. If he waited until he arrived at the destination to shrink, it would surely attract attention.
It was a major undertaking. Zhong Chengshuo patiently shrank his body, gradually reducing it from the size of a sea to the size of a suitcase. After shrinking, he still wasn’t satisfied. He tapped against the adjacent intact bones, comparing their sizes.
The skeleton was clean and intact. It belonged to that person.
The bones emitted a faint ripple, slightly stronger than the nearby fragmented bones, but there was no significant change. Zhong Chengshuo “looked” at the corpse for a while with regret, then instinctively manipulated the space, creating a gap.
He slid into the gap, smoothly gliding towards the wisher.
So many ripples.
Living beings and inanimate objects emitted unique ripples, and Zhong Chengshuo had never been in such close proximity to such a large quantity before. He had to get closer, feeling the familiar aura emanating from the offering.
The ripple of the offering was somewhat similar to that person’s ripple.
Near the offering, two humans were still praying. In the gaps between prayers, they occasionally exchanged a few words. Unfortunately, at that time, Zhong Chengshuo could only barely “hear” a small portion of their conversation.
[The child’s features are severely misaligned. Are you sure your modifications are fine?]
[I used the best source of corruption. It’s normal.]
[The brain is damaged; the organs are incomplete… It won’t live for long. If we kill it, I wonder if it will count as a sacrifice to the gods…]
[Today is almost done. Let’s rest for now.]
It seemed that these two individuals had no other wishes… Well, at least no wishes that he could understand.
After the ripples of the two individuals moved away, Zhong Chengshuo cautiously tore open the gap. He extended a small portion of his body and touched the corpse of the infant. He quickly explored the body cavity—the infant’s body was dissected, with its organs forcibly pulled out, leaving an empty void within the torso.
The facial features of this infant grew on the surface of the body, with the hands and feet in disarray and misalignment. Now it seemed to be a typical characteristic of severe corruption from Evil Force.
While sealed underground, Zhong Chengshuo came into close contact with numerous corpses, gaining some understanding of human physical structure. Parts could be adjusted if they were in the wrong place; he contemplated this slowly.
As for other physiological details…
This was different from that rabbit. He could mimic the appearance, but he couldn’t easily deceive the senses. He needed to be more perfect, which surely required obtaining true human senses.
Vision, hearing, smell… He couldn’t complete them purely through imagination. It would be better to absorb and fuse with this body.
As for what would happen after the fusion, how his physique would change, Zhong Chengshuo had no idea. He was only curious and not afraid—failure and death were merely outcomes.
At that moment, he remained indifferent.
Without hesitation, Zhong Chengshuo entered the empty cavity of the corpse, completely merging his body with the flesh of the remains. His body flowed through the nerves, integrated into the blood vessels, deciphering the subtle information from every part and assimilating with each cell.
Throughout the process, the deceased infant became “whole” once again.
The corruption within the body was no longer an obstacle. The damaged brain was repaired by activated cells, and the misaligned limbs gradually returned to their proper positions along with the bones. The facial features that were scattered throughout the body decayed and fell off, and the infant’s head gradually displayed regular and normal features.
As the fusion deepened, the surrounding ripples gradually weakened. The void was rapidly filled, and countless fresh perceptions surged like a tsunami.
The sticky fabric was dampened with blood and the hard surface beneath the fabric.
The cold air, the choking incense, the heavy scent of blood.
Sounds—the muffled conversation behind a door, the gentle rain outside the window, the thudding of wheels rolling on the street, the sharp honking of a horn, the advertisement music from a snack shop mixed with the laughter and anger of customers; these all created a cacophony that crashed directly into Zhong Chengshuo’s mind.
And darkness.
Compared to emptiness, darkness was a dense and rich “sight”.
The eyes of the infant’s corpse had yet to open, only sensing darkness. Zhong Chengshuo had heard about “colors” from that person, and he thought there might be something wrong with his own eyes, hesitating if he had grown an extra pair. However, there was still only darkness before him.
It was only later that he realized there was a thin layer of flesh on his eyeballs that he could move.
He struggled to adapt to this body, tilting his head slightly and exerting effort to lift his eyelids a little.
He was not far from the window. Outside, it was nighttime, and the colorful neon lights of the city shone through the dirty glass, dazzling to an indescribable extent. Raindrops pattered against the window, gathering into streaks of water that refracted countless brilliant, fragmented lights.
Zhong Chengshuo stared blankly at the window.
In the past, he didn’t particularly like raindrops. They would annoyingly pelt his body, creating a continuous series of ripples that made him feel irritated.
Now, he could no longer sense those ripples. His body had deeply merged with the flesh of the infant, and the human sensory perception completely replaced those ripples.
He saw a brand-new world.
Zhong Chengshuo struggled once again to turn his head and looked at the ceiling, dyed indigo by the night. A spider leisurely crawled across the ceiling, and the tracks left by its long legs appeared so fresh and unpredictable.
This was the “human world” he was about to explore.
Zhong Chengshuo remained dazed for several hours before he remembered that even after the fusion, he still needed to retrieve the organs that had been pulled out of the infant’s body—they were still connected to his body, which was much more convenient.
He extended the short and chubby hand of the baby, grabbing the organs near the abdomen, and started the effort of pushing them back into the abdominal cavity.
At that moment, the lights in the room suddenly turned on.
A haggard-looking woman wearing slippers walked in, her face was unusually exhausted, but remnants of her once beautiful appearance were still visible. She walked crookedly towards the refrigerator, took out a can of beer as blood continued to drip between her legs.
“Damn it, such a nuisance. Need to find a decent clinic to deal with it,” the woman grumbled irritably. “That Wei guy is so good at modifications, why didn’t he give himself a uterus…”
With a popping sound, she opened the beer can, and her gaze unconsciously swept over the altar on the table.
Zhong Chengshuo hadn’t had a chance to put down the intestines in his hand. The situation was urgent, and he couldn’t naturally move his head, so he strained to move his eyeballs. This resulted in the baby’s two round and black pupils deeply sinking into one corner, looking particularly horrifying.
For a moment, both the woman and the baby froze in place, with only the incessant ticking of the clock in the room remaining.
“Wei Huaxian!” After about half a minute, the woman used magic to summon an empty hand, shouting loudly, “Wei Huaxian, come over and see what you’ve done?!”
Zhong Chengshuo continued to be frozen, unable to understand what the woman was saying at that moment. He only held onto his intestines, unsure of what to do next.
He had exposed himself too quickly!
What was worse, he was completely unfamiliar with this completely new form. After the fusion, Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t separate smoothly. At the moment, he couldn’t exert his original power and had no idea what he could do in his current state.
“Ah… Ah…” In a moment of desperation, Zhong Chengshuo subconsciously made a sound, but he had no idea of the meaning behind those sounds.
The woman took a deep breath, using magic to shield herself, and cautiously approached.
In the next moment, the beer can clattered to the ground, and white foam spilled out from the opening, filling the air with the characteristic bitter taste of beer.
The woman stared directly into Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes, and her magic suddenly shattered. In the dim yellow light, she collapsed to the ground, her face contorted, bleeding from all seven orifices, trembling like a leaf caught in the wind.
Only then did Zhong Chengshuo remember that when he grew his eyes, the program was too chaotic due to the confusion caused by the “eyelids”. He didn’t handle it properly—his eyeballs still retained the simple structure of his original form.
Through his pupils, the woman saw a part of his original form.
He was careless, but luckily it turned out well.
“Ah…” The woman curled up on the floor, limbs trembling, and her body convulsing.
At that moment, a handsome man arrived late. At first glance, he saw the woman convulsing and groaning on the floor, but he didn’t show any intention to help. The man named “Wei Huaxian” activated the spirit weapon in his hand and looked around warily.
Zhong Chengshuo had a sudden inspiration and used the same trick again. “Ah…”
As expected, the man’s gaze was immediately drawn to him. However, just as the man was about to approach and take a closer look, a knocking sound came from the door.
The knocking was heavy and urgent, filled with impatience.
The man instinctively concealed the spirit weapon and turned around. “Who is it?”
“When are you guys going to pay the rent!” A spirited female voice sounded from outside the door. “I’ve been asking for an increase in rent every week, and you still haven’t paid!”
The man cursed under his breath and didn’t open the door. “My wife just paid you yesterday!”
“I said it’s an increase, but she still gave me last week’s amount. Give me the extra money now. Give it to me! If you don’t, I’ll call the police!”
As soon as the word “police” was mentioned, the man’s expression changed. He glanced sideways at the woman convulsing on the floor and spat fiercely.
“Stop shouting. I’m coming!” The man took out his wallet and counted several bills.
But as soon as the door opened, a series of blunt sounds erupted. The man was instantly pinned down by several burly men. “Don’t move, police!”
The remaining police officers rushed into the room, searching everywhere. The middle-aged man in charge was the first to notice the woman in the living room. “Suspect found, Kong Miao. Xiao Li, call 120! Xiao Wang, let the forensic team in!”
The middle-aged man squatted down, flipping the woman’s eyelids. Two female officers promptly took their positions, guarding the woman closely.
“She fainted but still has a pulse,” the man stood up.
At this moment, the middle-aged man finally noticed Zhong Chengshuo on the table—a newborn with an unusually small size, holding onto intestines without moving, looking like some kind of strange ornament.
Zhong Chengshuo quickly closed his eyes, hiding the remnants of his original form in his pupils.
Immediately after, the middle-aged man’s voice echoed through the room. “Where’s the ambulance? Call them again, there’s a child here!”
“Captain Zhong, Xiao Li just made the call…”
“Call them again!” The man shouted anxiously.
Then he approached Zhong Chengshuo, whether due to nervousness or fatigue, he was panting heavily. The heat and sweat radiated through the fabric, and Zhong Chengshuo could clearly feel it.
He hid the remnants of his original form deep within his eyes and then opened his eyes to look at the man.
“Shh… It’s alright, it’s alright. Don’t be afraid.”
The man had a scruffy beard, bloodshot eyes, and pulsating veins on his forehead. He leaned over the table, afraid to touch the “internal organs turned out” child and his eyes were filled with worry.
“Damn it, those scum from the cult. They’re not human…!”
Although Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t understand what the man was saying, he knew that he might be safe now.
So he made an effort to move his arm and brushed his fingertips against the man’s nose, moistened by sweat. The warm and moist skin; this was how it felt to touch a human. Zhong Chengshuo thought carefully.
The “Captain Zhong” became teary-eyed.
“It’s alright.” He cleared his throat, his voice hoarse. “It’s alright…”
He repeated it over and over again, as if he wanted Zhong Chengshuo to understand.
Zhong Chengshuo didn’t understand, but he had a vague sense that he might never see this man and woman again.
It wasn’t his fault. They were taken away earlier, and they hadn’t explained their wishes clearly. Now, after merging with a human body, Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t perceive ripples or traverse through space. Zhong Chengshuo thought seriously, it wasn’t his fault.
If they can meet again, they can discuss it then.
……
In the next memory, a four- or five-year-old Zhong Chengshuo was observing green bean worms in a rural courtyard. He held the plump worm in his palm and carefully felt its body contract when it wriggled.
“Hey, want some sweet preserved fruits?” An old man smiled and beckoned.
“Yes, thank you, Grandpa,” Zhong Chengshuo said fluently.
“Do you want to come with Grandpa to pay respects to our ancestors this afternoon? There’s a fair outside, where people draw sugar paintings, make dough figurines, and even perform magic tricks! How about it? Do you want to go?”
“Paying respects to our ancestors?”
“Yes, our ancestors were well-known metaphysical masters. Everyone in the nearby villages knows about ‘Master Zhong Ma’…”
“How do we pay respects?” Zhong Chengshuo’s attention seemed to be elsewhere.
“We burn incense for our ancestors, offer fruits and preserved fruits, and if we have money, we might even offer some meat.”
“Offering sacrifices?” Zhong Chengshuo put down the bean worm, took a piece of sweet preserved fruit, and chewed vigorously. “But the ancestors are already dead.”
Most deceased humans were unable to fulfill their wishes. Zhong Chengshuo analyzed it seriously in his mind.
“Just for our ancestors to have a taste.” Grandpa Zhong handed Zhong Chengshuo another piece of sweet preserved fruit. “This is our gesture of goodwill. Ancestors have spirits in heaven, and they can also enjoy something delicious.”
Zhong Chengshuo chewed on the sweet preserved fruit, looking at the apples on the nearby fruit tree.
“Okay, I’ll go…”
“Dad! What are you saying? Weren’t you the one who said we shouldn’t bring a child to pay respects to our ancestors?” Zhong Yude, in his fifties, rushed over with a bag of snacks. “Come on, Chengshuo. We don’t need these feudal superstitions.”
“Zhong Yude, have you become rebellious?” Grandpa Zhong chuckled and raised his cane, pretending to strike.
“Alright, alright. I’m past my rebellious stage. Here’s the plan: I’ll take Chengshuo with me, and you and Mom can perform the ancestral rites. I’ll take Chengshuo outside to wander around.”
“That works.”
Zhong Chengshuo was lifted up by Zhong Yude, but his gaze remained fixed on the apples on the tree not far away. The apple tree in the courtyard was short, and a few green apples swayed on its branches.
“‘The dead can taste it,’ a widely recognized belief.” He muttered to himself.
That night, Zhong Chengshuo took an apple he had begged for at the market. He found a plate, stood on his tiptoes, and placed the apple on the table.
“I don’t know whose human this is. I haven’t forgotten your wish. I brought you an apple. I will also protect the descendants of those children from before.”
He rested his hands on the edge of the table and murmured softly.
“You’re right, this human world is indeed worth visiting. Everything is interesting, but there are still many things I don’t understand, and I need to learn slowly. I will study diligently.”
In the darkness of the night, Zhong Chengshuo lifted his head and sniffed the fragrance of the apple. Then he reached into a plastic bag under the table and took out another apple. He rinsed it with water and took delightful bites.
“Fulfilling wishes is so troublesome.” He mumbled to himself. “I won’t take on so many in the future.”
The memory ended.
Yin Ren floated silently in the darkness, looking at Zhong Chengshuo, who was so close.
Why did Zhong Chengshuo go to such lengths to investigate his sister’s death, even delving into the dark side of the metaphysical world?
Why did Zhong Chengshuo engage in the arduous and thankless task of hunting down ruthless killers?
…And why did Zhong Chengshuo leave a fresh, vibrant red apple every day?
It turned out to be much simpler than he had imagined. There were no conspiracies, no peculiarities. It was just a once formidable Primordial Elemental that fused itself with a human body, clumsily fulfilling three wishes through a series of coincidences.
Yin Ren let out a sigh of relief.
Perhaps, a thousand years ago, they were merely passing acquaintances, briefly accompanying each other or barely brushing shoulders.
He was supposed to have died on that rainy day a thousand years ago in the Valley of Remains… The children who lived in the Valley of Remains might have grown up healthy and gradually established a beautiful city nestled by the mountains.
The Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi would only exist on paper until he was buried deep in the annals of time.
Who would have thought that his ending would become a new beginning, all starting with that crude altar and that peculiar black rabbit?
Yin Ren found it hard to determine whether he felt bitter or joyful at this moment.
The exchange of thoughts was only momentary. Zhong Chengshuo’s descent into the abyss was followed by Yin Ren’s inability to suppress his emotions, and darkness erupted completely.
“What are you thinking?” Zhong Chengshuo sincerely asked through their mental connection.
“Leaving this place,” Yin Ren said, “and then eating all the apples in the refrigerator. In the future, I can buy them myself.”
“And then?” Zhong Chengshuo’s expression momentarily turned sorrowful.
“And then I’ll share with you the wish for ‘peace and safety’, and we can make it together.”
“And then?” The sadness on Zhong Chengshuo’s face slowly faded away.
“And then… and then we’ll figure out what all of this is about.”
Yin Ren had a faint feeling that among the scattered clues of the Primordial Elementals, the Other Side, and the Divine Descent, a vague thread had emerged.
……
The capital city, Huajisi.
Fu Xingchuan stood at the incredibly detailed headquarters of Huajisi and sniffed near the base of the wall. Ge Tingting stood in front of the giant statue of Zhong Yi with her mouth gaping wide open, frozen in place. Huang Jin had found a corner and slumped inward, ignoring everyone.
Fortunately, this place was within the sphere of influence of “Fu Shangliu” and “Li Heyan”. The members of Shian had been particularly vigilant, and there were no suspicious individuals following them into the internal premises of Huajisi. It was unknown whether the elusive follower had given up.
“It’s really strange, isn’t it?”
Lu Xiaohe glanced at the bustling interior of Huajisi with a complicated expression. She was dazed for a moment, then began to browse through the letters that “Li Heyan” needed to handle. “The scenes here are too vivid. Even now, I still can’t figure out where these memories came from.”
“Uncle, do you think this spell is based on the Archive’s spell?”
Fu Tianyi pondered, almost pulling out his beard in frustration.
“It’s strange. There shouldn’t be any problems. I mean, the Archive is a personal memory database, while this one is just connected to the network…”
Fu Xingchuan’s tail drooped, his face wrinkled, lost in thought.
Fu Tianyi didn’t wait for an answer from Fu Xingchuan. Instead, he heard a suppressed exclamation. In an instant, everyone’s gaze turned toward the source of the exclamation—Lu Xiaohe was holding a piece of paper with an incredibly grim expression.
“What’s wrong, Xiaohe Jie?” Ge Tingting finally tore her eyes away from the statue of Zhong Yi.
Lu Xiaohe read the words on the paper once again, closing her eyes.
“It says here that the 150,000 Gouluo troops were completely wiped out in the mountains.”
Fu Tianyi and Fu Xingchuan exchanged a glance. “Could it be the work of that flesh puppet, or…?”
“I don’t know. The problem is, the emperor firmly believes that it was the work of the Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi. In Yin Ren’s memories, the annihilation of the 150,000 troops was probably mentioned by the emperor as well.”
Lu Xiaohe carefully chose her words.
“He wanted his trusted cultivators to go to the Valley of Remains, invite the Great Celestial Master, and seek his assistance in resisting the Gouluo army.”
“…What the hell?” Huang Jin, in the corner, finally couldn’t help but interject. “Yin Ren was supposed to be dead at that time, right? Besides, he never had any contact with people outside Yin Village.”
A wry smile slowly appeared on Lu Xiaohe’s face.
“Yes, only Huajisi had communication with the Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi. This time, the Great Celestial Master single-handedly annihilated the main force of the Gouluo troops. The emperor believes that Huajisi knew but deliberately concealed the true strength of the Great Celestial Master, allowing the Gouluo army to invade. That’s why he wants his own cultivators to go to the Valley of Remains instead of sending Huajisi… The last ruler of the Gong dynasty truly lives up to his reputation.”
Ge Tingting listened, seemingly grasping only fragments of the conversation. “But at that time, Yin Ren was already…”
Yin Ren had already sunk into a deep slumber in the depths of the earth, leaving a seal at his place of rest, fearing that his existence as an “Evil Spirit” would have additional impact.
“Breaking a seal, excavating the altar… top-tier cultivators are capable of that. And even if they obtain the corpse of the Great Celestial Master, there are many… many ways to make use of it.”
Lu Xiaohe turned away.
Within her line of sight were rows and rows of walls adorned with corpses.
The author has something to say:
Xiao Zhong: Xiao Zhong here, taking orders. But why is it that nothing can be immediately fulfilled? Ugh…
Xiao Yin: …Because that wasn’t even a wish to begin with!
After locking onto the target, Zhong Chengshuo desperately began to shrink his size. Humans were already small, and human infants would be even smaller. If he waited until he arrived at the destination to shrink, it would surely attract attention.
It was a major undertaking. Zhong Chengshuo patiently shrank his body, gradually reducing it from the size of a sea to the size of a suitcase. After shrinking, he still wasn’t satisfied. He tapped against the adjacent intact bones, comparing their sizes.
The skeleton was clean and intact. It belonged to that person.
The bones emitted a faint ripple, slightly stronger than the nearby fragmented bones, but there was no significant change. Zhong Chengshuo “looked” at the corpse for a while with regret, then instinctively manipulated the space, creating a gap.
He slid into the gap, smoothly gliding towards the wisher.
So many ripples.
Living beings and inanimate objects emitted unique ripples, and Zhong Chengshuo had never been in such close proximity to such a large quantity before. He had to get closer, feeling the familiar aura emanating from the offering.
The ripple of the offering was somewhat similar to that person’s ripple.
Near the offering, two humans were still praying. In the gaps between prayers, they occasionally exchanged a few words. Unfortunately, at that time, Zhong Chengshuo could only barely “hear” a small portion of their conversation.
[The child’s features are severely misaligned. Are you sure your modifications are fine?]
[I used the best source of corruption. It’s normal.]
[The brain is damaged; the organs are incomplete… It won’t live for long. If we kill it, I wonder if it will count as a sacrifice to the gods…]
[Today is almost done. Let’s rest for now.]
It seemed that these two individuals had no other wishes… Well, at least no wishes that he could understand.
After the ripples of the two individuals moved away, Zhong Chengshuo cautiously tore open the gap. He extended a small portion of his body and touched the corpse of the infant. He quickly explored the body cavity—the infant’s body was dissected, with its organs forcibly pulled out, leaving an empty void within the torso.
The facial features of this infant grew on the surface of the body, with the hands and feet in disarray and misalignment. Now it seemed to be a typical characteristic of severe corruption from Evil Force.
While sealed underground, Zhong Chengshuo came into close contact with numerous corpses, gaining some understanding of human physical structure. Parts could be adjusted if they were in the wrong place; he contemplated this slowly.
As for other physiological details…
This was different from that rabbit. He could mimic the appearance, but he couldn’t easily deceive the senses. He needed to be more perfect, which surely required obtaining true human senses.
Vision, hearing, smell… He couldn’t complete them purely through imagination. It would be better to absorb and fuse with this body.
As for what would happen after the fusion, how his physique would change, Zhong Chengshuo had no idea. He was only curious and not afraid—failure and death were merely outcomes.
At that moment, he remained indifferent.
Without hesitation, Zhong Chengshuo entered the empty cavity of the corpse, completely merging his body with the flesh of the remains. His body flowed through the nerves, integrated into the blood vessels, deciphering the subtle information from every part and assimilating with each cell.
Throughout the process, the deceased infant became “whole” once again.
The corruption within the body was no longer an obstacle. The damaged brain was repaired by activated cells, and the misaligned limbs gradually returned to their proper positions along with the bones. The facial features that were scattered throughout the body decayed and fell off, and the infant’s head gradually displayed regular and normal features.
As the fusion deepened, the surrounding ripples gradually weakened. The void was rapidly filled, and countless fresh perceptions surged like a tsunami.
The sticky fabric was dampened with blood and the hard surface beneath the fabric.
The cold air, the choking incense, the heavy scent of blood.
Sounds—the muffled conversation behind a door, the gentle rain outside the window, the thudding of wheels rolling on the street, the sharp honking of a horn, the advertisement music from a snack shop mixed with the laughter and anger of customers; these all created a cacophony that crashed directly into Zhong Chengshuo’s mind.
And darkness.
Compared to emptiness, darkness was a dense and rich “sight”.
The eyes of the infant’s corpse had yet to open, only sensing darkness. Zhong Chengshuo had heard about “colors” from that person, and he thought there might be something wrong with his own eyes, hesitating if he had grown an extra pair. However, there was still only darkness before him.
It was only later that he realized there was a thin layer of flesh on his eyeballs that he could move.
He struggled to adapt to this body, tilting his head slightly and exerting effort to lift his eyelids a little.
He was not far from the window. Outside, it was nighttime, and the colorful neon lights of the city shone through the dirty glass, dazzling to an indescribable extent. Raindrops pattered against the window, gathering into streaks of water that refracted countless brilliant, fragmented lights.
Zhong Chengshuo stared blankly at the window.
In the past, he didn’t particularly like raindrops. They would annoyingly pelt his body, creating a continuous series of ripples that made him feel irritated.
Now, he could no longer sense those ripples. His body had deeply merged with the flesh of the infant, and the human sensory perception completely replaced those ripples.
He saw a brand-new world.
Zhong Chengshuo struggled once again to turn his head and looked at the ceiling, dyed indigo by the night. A spider leisurely crawled across the ceiling, and the tracks left by its long legs appeared so fresh and unpredictable.
This was the “human world” he was about to explore.
Zhong Chengshuo remained dazed for several hours before he remembered that even after the fusion, he still needed to retrieve the organs that had been pulled out of the infant’s body—they were still connected to his body, which was much more convenient.
He extended the short and chubby hand of the baby, grabbing the organs near the abdomen, and started the effort of pushing them back into the abdominal cavity.
At that moment, the lights in the room suddenly turned on.
A haggard-looking woman wearing slippers walked in, her face was unusually exhausted, but remnants of her once beautiful appearance were still visible. She walked crookedly towards the refrigerator, took out a can of beer as blood continued to drip between her legs.
“Damn it, such a nuisance. Need to find a decent clinic to deal with it,” the woman grumbled irritably. “That Wei guy is so good at modifications, why didn’t he give himself a uterus…”
With a popping sound, she opened the beer can, and her gaze unconsciously swept over the altar on the table.
Zhong Chengshuo hadn’t had a chance to put down the intestines in his hand. The situation was urgent, and he couldn’t naturally move his head, so he strained to move his eyeballs. This resulted in the baby’s two round and black pupils deeply sinking into one corner, looking particularly horrifying.
For a moment, both the woman and the baby froze in place, with only the incessant ticking of the clock in the room remaining.
“Wei Huaxian!” After about half a minute, the woman used magic to summon an empty hand, shouting loudly, “Wei Huaxian, come over and see what you’ve done?!”
Zhong Chengshuo continued to be frozen, unable to understand what the woman was saying at that moment. He only held onto his intestines, unsure of what to do next.
He had exposed himself too quickly!
What was worse, he was completely unfamiliar with this completely new form. After the fusion, Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t separate smoothly. At the moment, he couldn’t exert his original power and had no idea what he could do in his current state.
“Ah… Ah…” In a moment of desperation, Zhong Chengshuo subconsciously made a sound, but he had no idea of the meaning behind those sounds.
The woman took a deep breath, using magic to shield herself, and cautiously approached.
In the next moment, the beer can clattered to the ground, and white foam spilled out from the opening, filling the air with the characteristic bitter taste of beer.
The woman stared directly into Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes, and her magic suddenly shattered. In the dim yellow light, she collapsed to the ground, her face contorted, bleeding from all seven orifices, trembling like a leaf caught in the wind.
Only then did Zhong Chengshuo remember that when he grew his eyes, the program was too chaotic due to the confusion caused by the “eyelids”. He didn’t handle it properly—his eyeballs still retained the simple structure of his original form.
Through his pupils, the woman saw a part of his original form.
He was careless, but luckily it turned out well.
“Ah…” The woman curled up on the floor, limbs trembling, and her body convulsing.
At that moment, a handsome man arrived late. At first glance, he saw the woman convulsing and groaning on the floor, but he didn’t show any intention to help. The man named “Wei Huaxian” activated the spirit weapon in his hand and looked around warily.
Zhong Chengshuo had a sudden inspiration and used the same trick again. “Ah…”
As expected, the man’s gaze was immediately drawn to him. However, just as the man was about to approach and take a closer look, a knocking sound came from the door.
The knocking was heavy and urgent, filled with impatience.
The man instinctively concealed the spirit weapon and turned around. “Who is it?”
“When are you guys going to pay the rent!” A spirited female voice sounded from outside the door. “I’ve been asking for an increase in rent every week, and you still haven’t paid!”
The man cursed under his breath and didn’t open the door. “My wife just paid you yesterday!”
“I said it’s an increase, but she still gave me last week’s amount. Give me the extra money now. Give it to me! If you don’t, I’ll call the police!”
As soon as the word “police” was mentioned, the man’s expression changed. He glanced sideways at the woman convulsing on the floor and spat fiercely.
“Stop shouting. I’m coming!” The man took out his wallet and counted several bills.
But as soon as the door opened, a series of blunt sounds erupted. The man was instantly pinned down by several burly men. “Don’t move, police!”
The remaining police officers rushed into the room, searching everywhere. The middle-aged man in charge was the first to notice the woman in the living room. “Suspect found, Kong Miao. Xiao Li, call 120! Xiao Wang, let the forensic team in!”
The middle-aged man squatted down, flipping the woman’s eyelids. Two female officers promptly took their positions, guarding the woman closely.
“She fainted but still has a pulse,” the man stood up.
At this moment, the middle-aged man finally noticed Zhong Chengshuo on the table—a newborn with an unusually small size, holding onto intestines without moving, looking like some kind of strange ornament.
Zhong Chengshuo quickly closed his eyes, hiding the remnants of his original form in his pupils.
Immediately after, the middle-aged man’s voice echoed through the room. “Where’s the ambulance? Call them again, there’s a child here!”
“Captain Zhong, Xiao Li just made the call…”
“Call them again!” The man shouted anxiously.
Then he approached Zhong Chengshuo, whether due to nervousness or fatigue, he was panting heavily. The heat and sweat radiated through the fabric, and Zhong Chengshuo could clearly feel it.
He hid the remnants of his original form deep within his eyes and then opened his eyes to look at the man.
“Shh… It’s alright, it’s alright. Don’t be afraid.”
The man had a scruffy beard, bloodshot eyes, and pulsating veins on his forehead. He leaned over the table, afraid to touch the “internal organs turned out” child and his eyes were filled with worry.
“Damn it, those scum from the cult. They’re not human…!”
Although Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t understand what the man was saying, he knew that he might be safe now.
So he made an effort to move his arm and brushed his fingertips against the man’s nose, moistened by sweat. The warm and moist skin; this was how it felt to touch a human. Zhong Chengshuo thought carefully.
The “Captain Zhong” became teary-eyed.
“It’s alright.” He cleared his throat, his voice hoarse. “It’s alright…”
He repeated it over and over again, as if he wanted Zhong Chengshuo to understand.
Zhong Chengshuo didn’t understand, but he had a vague sense that he might never see this man and woman again.
It wasn’t his fault. They were taken away earlier, and they hadn’t explained their wishes clearly. Now, after merging with a human body, Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t perceive ripples or traverse through space. Zhong Chengshuo thought seriously, it wasn’t his fault.
If they can meet again, they can discuss it then.
……
In the next memory, a four- or five-year-old Zhong Chengshuo was observing green bean worms in a rural courtyard. He held the plump worm in his palm and carefully felt its body contract when it wriggled.
“Hey, want some sweet preserved fruits?” An old man smiled and beckoned.
“Yes, thank you, Grandpa,” Zhong Chengshuo said fluently.
“Do you want to come with Grandpa to pay respects to our ancestors this afternoon? There’s a fair outside, where people draw sugar paintings, make dough figurines, and even perform magic tricks! How about it? Do you want to go?”
“Paying respects to our ancestors?”
“Yes, our ancestors were well-known metaphysical masters. Everyone in the nearby villages knows about ‘Master Zhong Ma’…”
“How do we pay respects?” Zhong Chengshuo’s attention seemed to be elsewhere.
“We burn incense for our ancestors, offer fruits and preserved fruits, and if we have money, we might even offer some meat.”
“Offering sacrifices?” Zhong Chengshuo put down the bean worm, took a piece of sweet preserved fruit, and chewed vigorously. “But the ancestors are already dead.”
Most deceased humans were unable to fulfill their wishes. Zhong Chengshuo analyzed it seriously in his mind.
“Just for our ancestors to have a taste.” Grandpa Zhong handed Zhong Chengshuo another piece of sweet preserved fruit. “This is our gesture of goodwill. Ancestors have spirits in heaven, and they can also enjoy something delicious.”
Zhong Chengshuo chewed on the sweet preserved fruit, looking at the apples on the nearby fruit tree.
“Okay, I’ll go…”
“Dad! What are you saying? Weren’t you the one who said we shouldn’t bring a child to pay respects to our ancestors?” Zhong Yude, in his fifties, rushed over with a bag of snacks. “Come on, Chengshuo. We don’t need these feudal superstitions.”
“Zhong Yude, have you become rebellious?” Grandpa Zhong chuckled and raised his cane, pretending to strike.
“Alright, alright. I’m past my rebellious stage. Here’s the plan: I’ll take Chengshuo with me, and you and Mom can perform the ancestral rites. I’ll take Chengshuo outside to wander around.”
“That works.”
Zhong Chengshuo was lifted up by Zhong Yude, but his gaze remained fixed on the apples on the tree not far away. The apple tree in the courtyard was short, and a few green apples swayed on its branches.
“‘The dead can taste it,’ a widely recognized belief.” He muttered to himself.
That night, Zhong Chengshuo took an apple he had begged for at the market. He found a plate, stood on his tiptoes, and placed the apple on the table.
“I don’t know whose human this is. I haven’t forgotten your wish. I brought you an apple. I will also protect the descendants of those children from before.”
He rested his hands on the edge of the table and murmured softly.
“You’re right, this human world is indeed worth visiting. Everything is interesting, but there are still many things I don’t understand, and I need to learn slowly. I will study diligently.”
In the darkness of the night, Zhong Chengshuo lifted his head and sniffed the fragrance of the apple. Then he reached into a plastic bag under the table and took out another apple. He rinsed it with water and took delightful bites.
“Fulfilling wishes is so troublesome.” He mumbled to himself. “I won’t take on so many in the future.”
The memory ended.
Yin Ren floated silently in the darkness, looking at Zhong Chengshuo, who was so close.
Why did Zhong Chengshuo go to such lengths to investigate his sister’s death, even delving into the dark side of the metaphysical world?
Why did Zhong Chengshuo engage in the arduous and thankless task of hunting down ruthless killers?
…And why did Zhong Chengshuo leave a fresh, vibrant red apple every day?
It turned out to be much simpler than he had imagined. There were no conspiracies, no peculiarities. It was just a once formidable Primordial Elemental that fused itself with a human body, clumsily fulfilling three wishes through a series of coincidences.
Yin Ren let out a sigh of relief.
Perhaps, a thousand years ago, they were merely passing acquaintances, briefly accompanying each other or barely brushing shoulders.
He was supposed to have died on that rainy day a thousand years ago in the Valley of Remains… The children who lived in the Valley of Remains might have grown up healthy and gradually established a beautiful city nestled by the mountains.
The Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi would only exist on paper until he was buried deep in the annals of time.
Who would have thought that his ending would become a new beginning, all starting with that crude altar and that peculiar black rabbit?
Yin Ren found it hard to determine whether he felt bitter or joyful at this moment.
The exchange of thoughts was only momentary. Zhong Chengshuo’s descent into the abyss was followed by Yin Ren’s inability to suppress his emotions, and darkness erupted completely.
“What are you thinking?” Zhong Chengshuo sincerely asked through their mental connection.
“Leaving this place,” Yin Ren said, “and then eating all the apples in the refrigerator. In the future, I can buy them myself.”
“And then?” Zhong Chengshuo’s expression momentarily turned sorrowful.
“And then I’ll share with you the wish for ‘peace and safety’, and we can make it together.”
“And then?” The sadness on Zhong Chengshuo’s face slowly faded away.
“And then… and then we’ll figure out what all of this is about.”
Yin Ren had a faint feeling that among the scattered clues of the Primordial Elementals, the Other Side, and the Divine Descent, a vague thread had emerged.
……
The capital city, Huajisi.
Fu Xingchuan stood at the incredibly detailed headquarters of Huajisi and sniffed near the base of the wall. Ge Tingting stood in front of the giant statue of Zhong Yi with her mouth gaping wide open, frozen in place. Huang Jin had found a corner and slumped inward, ignoring everyone.
Fortunately, this place was within the sphere of influence of “Fu Shangliu” and “Li Heyan”. The members of Shian had been particularly vigilant, and there were no suspicious individuals following them into the internal premises of Huajisi. It was unknown whether the elusive follower had given up.
“It’s really strange, isn’t it?”
Lu Xiaohe glanced at the bustling interior of Huajisi with a complicated expression. She was dazed for a moment, then began to browse through the letters that “Li Heyan” needed to handle. “The scenes here are too vivid. Even now, I still can’t figure out where these memories came from.”
“Uncle, do you think this spell is based on the Archive’s spell?”
Fu Tianyi pondered, almost pulling out his beard in frustration.
“It’s strange. There shouldn’t be any problems. I mean, the Archive is a personal memory database, while this one is just connected to the network…”
Fu Xingchuan’s tail drooped, his face wrinkled, lost in thought.
Fu Tianyi didn’t wait for an answer from Fu Xingchuan. Instead, he heard a suppressed exclamation. In an instant, everyone’s gaze turned toward the source of the exclamation—Lu Xiaohe was holding a piece of paper with an incredibly grim expression.
“What’s wrong, Xiaohe Jie?” Ge Tingting finally tore her eyes away from the statue of Zhong Yi.
Lu Xiaohe read the words on the paper once again, closing her eyes.
“It says here that the 150,000 Gouluo troops were completely wiped out in the mountains.”
Fu Tianyi and Fu Xingchuan exchanged a glance. “Could it be the work of that flesh puppet, or…?”
“I don’t know. The problem is, the emperor firmly believes that it was the work of the Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi. In Yin Ren’s memories, the annihilation of the 150,000 troops was probably mentioned by the emperor as well.”
Lu Xiaohe carefully chose her words.
“He wanted his trusted cultivators to go to the Valley of Remains, invite the Great Celestial Master, and seek his assistance in resisting the Gouluo army.”
“…What the hell?” Huang Jin, in the corner, finally couldn’t help but interject. “Yin Ren was supposed to be dead at that time, right? Besides, he never had any contact with people outside Yin Village.”
A wry smile slowly appeared on Lu Xiaohe’s face.
“Yes, only Huajisi had communication with the Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi. This time, the Great Celestial Master single-handedly annihilated the main force of the Gouluo troops. The emperor believes that Huajisi knew but deliberately concealed the true strength of the Great Celestial Master, allowing the Gouluo army to invade. That’s why he wants his own cultivators to go to the Valley of Remains instead of sending Huajisi… The last ruler of the Gong dynasty truly lives up to his reputation.”
Ge Tingting listened, seemingly grasping only fragments of the conversation. “But at that time, Yin Ren was already…”
Yin Ren had already sunk into a deep slumber in the depths of the earth, leaving a seal at his place of rest, fearing that his existence as an “Evil Spirit” would have additional impact.
“Breaking a seal, excavating the altar… top-tier cultivators are capable of that. And even if they obtain the corpse of the Great Celestial Master, there are many… many ways to make use of it.”
Lu Xiaohe turned away.
Within her line of sight were rows and rows of walls adorned with corpses.
The author has something to say:
Xiao Zhong: Xiao Zhong here, taking orders. But why is it that nothing can be immediately fulfilled? Ugh…
Xiao Yin: …Because that wasn’t even a wish to begin with!
