There are many kinds of kisses—those from women, those from men, those from parents, and those from lovers. Clearly, the one before me was the last kind I ever wanted to receive.
The ghostly hand was slashed away, and the jade ruler fell to the ground. Freed suddenly, I felt a surge of joy—until I saw Meng Liuchuan opening his mouth, aiming for an intimate contact.
Meng Liuchuan, a man in his fifties, had a tongue so red and throbbing it resembled—well, I couldn’t quite place it. The tongue wriggled, and though I instinctively tried to dodge, it was already too late.
Oof…
A foul, turbid corpse energy seeped from Meng Liuchuan’s mouth.
Yes, corpse energy.
And yes, mouth to mouth.
Black corpse energy spewed from his lips. If inhaled, it would surely knock me unconscious, draining my life force until death. A living man exhaling corpse energy—this was a first for me.
Was Meng Liuchuan already dead? Or had he turned himself into something undead?
Just the thought of being muzzled by a man neither alive nor dead made me feel like my dignity was beyond salvage. Best to forget this ever happened.
Actually, what Jie Se said earlier wasn’t entirely correct. Readers may recall that I once mentioned there are several types of corpse energy. The first is white corpse energy—visible only as a faint trace when squinting quickly. The second is black corpse energy, lethal and discernible under dim lighting. The most vicious is red corpse energy, rumored only to be emitted by supreme zombies like thousand-year-old drought fiends.
At most, Meng Liuchuan was a carrier of the second type—not the most extreme. So Jie Se was wrong. Otherwise, the first breath I inhaled would’ve reduced me to a puddle of blood, my soul hurled into the underworld.
My eyes widened in horror. Meng Liuchuan wrapped his arms around me, rolling us across the ground. First, he exhaled a burst of corpse energy, dizzying me senseless. Then, with a sharp inhale, he tried to steal my breath—my very life force.
He Xiao Miao meowed twice, bewildered, as if witnessing something unprecedented. Xie Lingyu stepped forward gracefully, picking up the jade ruler.
“Meng Liuchuan,” she said, “you never imagined encountering a relic that could suppress you today.”
With a swift motion, she pressed the jade ruler against his back. The corpse energy surged violently, coiling around the ruler before dissipating rapidly. The black, slimy substance covering Meng Liuchuan’s body receded, revealing his original pale skin.
Meng Liuchuan collapsed limply. I shoved him away, staggering aside to retch. Jie Se approached, grinning. “Little Rascal, you can’t call me ‘Master of Lust’ now, can you?” I shot him a glare, pushed past him, and rushed to Ji Qianqian.
He Xiao Miao leaped around the warehouse, shredding and gnawing through the grotesque ghosts Meng Liuchuan had raised.
Jie Se followed me to check on Ji Qianqian. After a moment, he gasped, “Miss Ji Qianqian… seems to be dead.”
In my arms, Ji Qianqian’s face grew paler. Xie Lingyu turned sharply. “What did you say?” She sheathed the jade ruler and strode over, pressing fingers to Ji Qianqian’s nose. Silence stretched between us.
Xiao Xiao’s eyes reddened. She glared at me, then suddenly bit down hard on my left forearm—so hard it hurt.
Jun Ge walked up to Meng Liuchuan, raised his leather shoe, and stomped on his hand. Meng Liuchuan screeched, “I’m a foreign guest! How dare you harm me?”
Jun Ge pressed harder. “What sorcery did you use?”
Meng Liuchuan sneered, certain Jun Ge wouldn’t kill him. “Go ahead, kill me if you dare.”
A sickening crunch—bones shattered under Jun Ge’s foot. Meng Liuchuan convulsed, his corpse energy nullified, now no different from an ordinary man. “You bastard! You crippled my hand—!”
Jie Se scooped up Xiao Xiao. “Xiao Qi, stop dawdling! Get her to a hospital!”
Snapping back to reality, I lifted Ji Qianqian. Uncle Da Dan had already bagged the pig’s head, declaring he’d take it home to honor their ancestors.
Xie Lingyu said, “Ji Qianqian is neither dead nor alive—likely in a vegetative state. Meng Liuchuan’s attack was fatal, but killing him won’t help. The ghost-tear necklace around her neck is staving off the worst. Perhaps she’s still aware, her body reacting. Let’s get her to the hospital.”
Jun Ge crushed Meng Liuchuan’s other hand with his shoe. “Lucky for you. If she dies, I’ll take your life.”
Xiao Xiao was placed in the car’s backseat by Jie Se. I settled Ji Qianqian beside her, with Xie Lingyu keeping watch. Gou Xiao Jian and He Xiao Miao hopped in after them. Xie Lingyu tended to Gou Xiao Jian’s injured paw.
“Jun Ge,” I called, “drive ahead and wait for me.”
“What are you planning?” Jun Ge asked.
I grinned. “Nothing. Just go.”
Jun Ge revved Gao Mo’s car, peeling out with a screech. Jie Se muttered a Buddhist chant and left with Zhang Da Dan, who carried a basket of butcher knives in one hand and a bloody pig’s head in the other, his broken sunglasses askew.
I picked up the Black Star pistol. Two bullets remained…
—
Soon, I caught up to the others in my Wuling van. Jie Se’s motorcycle, adorned with a fierce Arhat tiger decal, was easy to spot. Liu Jun’s car was stuck in traffic due to an accident ahead.
He honked furiously—until a fake taxi (the same one I’d encountered on my first day in Jiangcheng) rammed into him.
The driver flung his door open, slamming it against the hood. “Bitch! Get out! Don’t think driving a fancy car means you can skip paying!”
Liu Jun leaned out. “You again?” He kicked the door wider.
The fake taxi driver paled at the sight of Liu Jun’s bloodstained clothes (unaware it was pig blood). Without a word, Liu Jun yanked him forward and bashed his head against the hood. “Next time, pick your targets better. Maybe a beating will teach you.”
Jie Se parked his bike. “Trouble?”
Zhang Da Dan puffed his cigarette, his basket of knives clanking, a blood-dripping sack in hand. The driver’s eyes bulged—that sack looked heavy enough for multiple heads. He bowed frantically. “S-sorry, boss!”
Xiao Xiao wailed, “Hospital! Save Mommy!”
Liu Jun floored it, ramming the taxi aside. Jie Se sped off. The road cleared after two intersections, leading straight to the city hospital.
The fake taxi driver dialed his phone. “Boss, my car got hit, I got beaten—” He froze under my glare, then continued as I drove off, “A red Mercedes, a beat-up Wuling, and some biker gang…”
“Got weapons?” the voice asked.
“A whole basket of knives,” the driver muttered.
“Handle it.”
—
Jun Ge screeched to a halt at the ER. He carried Ji Qianqian inside while Jie Se sprinted with Xiao Xiao under his arm. I parked and found Da Dan waiting at the ATM.
“Grandson of the Long family,” he said, “go ahead. I’ll catch up.”
Inside, Xie Lingyu slumped on a bench, weakening. “Should you rest in the jade ruler?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I’ll hold on.”
“Can she really be saved?” I pressed. “Don’t lie to me. I can take it.”
“I don’t lie. Modern medicine can preserve her body. I’ll handle the rest. Just trust me.”
Jun Ge pulled me aside. “Did you kill him?”
I shook my head. “No, but he’ll wake up a vegetable.”
“The gun?”
“You taught me how to dismantle it.”
He nodded. “Good. They won’t report this. We’ll lay low.”
I called Shen Yihu. “She’s rescued, in critical care. The Japanese is alive.”
A minute of silence. “Understood. Stay reachable.”
He meant: *Be ready to run.*
Da Dan handed me 3,000 yuan, sheepish. “It’s not much, but…”
Jie Se returned with Xiao Xiao clutching yogurt drinks. “Uncle, no need. I paid.”
Da Dan chuckled, reaching for a cigarette before noticing the sterile hallway. Xiao Xiao gazed at him, then stretched to kiss his stubbled cheek, leaving a milky drool mark.
She kissed Jun Ge next, then Jie Se—but glared at me, silent.
The doctor emerged. “Family?”
“Here. How is she?”
“Physically stable, but her heart… It’s odd. She won’t wake up. Worst case, a vegetative state—what ancient texts call ‘lost soul syndrome.’” He muttered, baffled.
“Can she recover?”
“Comas aren’t cured by medicine. It’s up to her will to live.”
I begged, “Please, save her.”
He sighed. “Your presence is her best medicine.”
As he walked off, Xie Lingyu whispered, “A man in white robes and a black hat—a soul reaper—is here.”
Meow…
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