Hearing the shouts from outside, the ghost mother lying on the ground let out a cry for help. “Gugu, gugu,” her throat was small, emitting a toad-like croak.
“It’s you!”
“It’s you!!”
My gaze met with the fake Taoist who had just arrived. Fortunately, no sparks flew between us.
The newcomer was Ji Ruyue, the Flying Centipede, the master of Yang Pao.
Truly, if the mountains don’t turn, the waters will; if the waters don’t turn, people will. Last time I wanted to find him, he managed to escape. And now, unexpectedly, we meet here.
No wonder there were so many centipedes—it was because the Flying Centipede, Ji Ruyue, was here.
Ji Ruyue wore a tall bun with a wooden hairpin and a black Taoist robe. Dark energy radiated from his brow, showing significant improvement compared to two months ago.
He carried a single-compartment satchel, inside which something was moving, and held a black briefcase in his hand.
“Flying Centipede. Did you raise these starving ghosts?” I asked in a low voice, pouring the remaining half bottle of alcohol over the ghost mother.
The ghost mother had been kept for a long time and had undergone many transformations. Alcohol poured over her could set her ablaze. When I first heard Pig-Ear Ghost mention this at Blue Moon, I found it unbelievable—that fire could burn a ghost to death.
The old professors in the bedroom grew even more terrified upon seeing Ji Ruyue.
“What do you want!” The Flying Centipede glared at me.
“Did you raise them?” I lost my temper and pulled Yi Miao aside. At this critical moment, I couldn’t let the Flying Centipede kill anyone.
Yi Miao didn’t push back. “Since you two know each other, go ahead and talk. I’m in no hurry—I’m not an impatient man.”
“Yes, I raised them.” The Flying Centipede knew I had leverage over him and didn’t dare act recklessly.
I immediately lit the alcohol. Soon, a foul stench filled the air. The ghost mother wailed miserably before finally turning to ashes.
Ji Ruyue, the Flying Centipede, cried out, “You actually killed my treasure! My master, Gu Rechang, caught a starving ghost years ago and went through great pains to raise it. Do you even know that these little starving ghosts were nurtured with women’s eggs?”
“Your master is Gu Rechang!” That name sounded familiar. A month ago, in Tiger Leaping Gorge Town, Xie Lingyu had mentioned how the Taoist Gu Rechang once subdued a starving ghost.
If we count from the Republican era, that ghost must be over sixty years old by now. It would have been worth studying—maybe even had historical value. After burning the ghost mother, I felt a twinge of regret.
The ghost mother had been brought to Jiangcheng by Ji Ruyue and kept in this old building. He had sought out women to collect their eggs. My stomach churned—so that’s why Ji Ruyue had been soliciting prostitutes.
Wait.
It seemed I hadn’t killed the ghost mother just now, but possibly the father of the starving ghosts.
No, still not right.
I asked, “Was the old starving ghost I burned male or female? If it was male, collecting eggs makes sense. But you shouldn’t call yourself ‘father.’ If it was female, why would you need eggs?”
Ji Ruyue gritted his teeth in frustration. “Ignorance is truly terrifying. The ghost mother can’t ovulate.”
Fine, I’m ignorant.
The Flying Centipede probably used his own sperm, women’s eggs, and the ghost mother’s womb—something like that. The exact details were beyond me. But having killed the Flying Centipede’s sons, I felt genuinely sorry.
Ji Ruyue placed the briefcase on the floor and clicked it open. Inside, resting on a quilt made of two venomous snakes, was his prized possession—the Rainbow Centipede.
A centipede as large as a rat.
The Rainbow Centipede was incredibly toxic. The death of the ghost mother had clearly enraged Ji Ruyue, and he wouldn’t stop until I was dead.
“Elder Taoist, don’t be angry. You waste plenty of your descendants with your hands anyway—no need to be so petty with me.” Feeling somewhat guilty, I tried to smooth things over.
I crouched down, pulled up my socks, and tied my pant legs tightly.
The Flying Centipede was furious.
Under Ji Ruyue’s command, the Rainbow Centipede scurried across the floor at lightning speed. Unfortunately, the rooster I had brought had been killed by something, leaving the centipede free to wreak havoc.
Seeing the centipede darting around, Yi Miao stepped forward to stomp on it.
Ji Ruyue sneered. “Where did this lowlife come from, acting tough in front of me?”
Yi Miao flicked his horsetail whisk twice on the ground, sending a wave of force that halted the centipede in its tracks.
Ji Ruyue’s brow twitched. “Not bad.” He blew a whistle, and the Rainbow Centipede lunged even faster toward Yi Miao.
“It’s highly venomous! Be careful, brother!” I shouted.
The centipede’s dozens of legs moved swiftly. Yi Miao swung his whisk downward, but Ji Ruyue countered with a pointed finger, neutralizing the force.
“Qi energy!” Yi Miao gasped in surprise.
I instinctively stepped back. Could this invisible qi really harm people? Ji Ruyue shadowed Yi Miao closely, throwing a punch straight at his handsome face.
Yi Miao dodged gracefully, retreating two steps.
The old professors, seeing Ji Ruyue strike, cried out:
“It’s you, you beast! It’s you!”
“So what if it’s me? Back then, you freaks were the ones I beat down. What can you do now?” Ji Ruyue sneered, pulling out a handful of Soul-Locking Nails and hurling them.
Before the professors could utter another word, the nails struck them, further fragmenting their already weak souls.
“Beast! Absolute beast!” the professors wailed.
Ye Wenxin mustered her courage and shouted, “We were blind to trust you!”
Yi Miao yelled, “I’ll deal with you!”
“Big talk. Little treasure, I’ll handle this whisk-wielding idiot myself. You go avenge your ghost mother sister.” Ji Ruyue, a descendant of Mount Sanqing, was far more skilled than Yi Miao, capable of projecting qi. Ignoring Ye Wenxin, he lunged forward.
Every move Yi Miao made was effortlessly blocked by the old Taoist.
A golden horsetail whisk might work on ghosts, but Ji Ruyue was a living man—it had no effect. Just then, Yi Miao executed a White Crane Spreads Its Wings, pushing Ji Ruyue back before leaping to another position.
“Wudang style!” Realizing Yi Miao’s martial arts background, Ji Ruyue’s killing intent flared. His deeds could not be exposed—he still had a reputation in the Taoist Association to uphold.
“I’ve been tracking you for a while. A heretic like you deserves death.” Yi Miao showed no fear.
But he was already at a disadvantage.
I wasn’t faring much better. The Rainbow Centipede, raised by Ji Ruyue, was ferocious.
I tried several times to communicate with it, but to no avail—I couldn’t control it at all. My insect-controlling skills were hit or miss.
Unfortunately, this time, it was a miss.
The centipede scurried up the table after me. With nowhere left to go, I retreated into the kitchen.
I could no longer see what was happening outside.
“Yi Miao! Run!” I shouted.
Seizing the moment I spoke, the centipede crawled onto my leg. It was vividly colored, with countless legs. If this centipede ever went shoe shopping, I guarantee it’d take half an hour just to put them on.
My pant legs were tied with socks, leaving the centipede no place to bite. It climbed swiftly, reaching the back of my neck in seconds. I slapped at it, but my neck went numb.
Too late. The Rainbow Centipede sank its fangs deep.
“I’m going to die!” I screamed.
“Me too,” Yi Miao’s voice echoed from outside.
I couldn’t see him, and he couldn’t see me. I had no idea what was happening out there.
My neck numb, I collapsed to the floor. The centipede tumbled off my clothes, landing on its back, motionless.
I lay there, barely conscious, struggling to keep my eyes open.
Then I saw it again—that enormous eye. Strange, distant, filled with secrets.
The lights, which had been flickering, suddenly went out completely.
I had no idea what was happening.
After what felt like an eternity, strength returned to my body. I pushed myself up, only to step on the Rainbow Centipede—now reduced to white powder.
It seemed I had poisoned it to death. Maybe the blood spider from Zuo Shan had saved me.
Crawling out of the kitchen, I found the living room pitch black.
The flashlight was nowhere to be found. Groping around, I touched two feet, then two hands—a person, wearing a Taoist robe with diagonal lapels. Probably the Flying Centipede.
I checked for a pulse. None.
His body was cold. Two vengeful snakes were coiled around his thighs, their fangs buried in his flesh. They too were dead.
Moving forward, I felt another pair of legs. Tracing upward, I found nothing.
Had Yi Miao’s legs been severed by the Flying Centipede?
Wait—why were they getting thinner? And there were feet.
I slapped my own face. Damn it, scaring myself for nothing. I’d been feeling in the wrong direction. Reversing course, I skipped over certain areas and finally reached the chest—a heartbeat.
Yi Miao’s arms and head were still intact.
It seemed Yi Miao had killed the Flying Centipede but passed out in the process.
What the hell had just happened?
“Granny Ye, are you still here?” I called out repeatedly, hoping to learn what had occurred. But the empty house gave no reply, as if no ghosts had ever been there.
“Granny Ye…”
No choice. It was too dark. I needed a light source—maybe a lighter was still in the house.
I groped around the floor, finding only scattered grains of rice.
Suddenly, I sensed something eerie dart through the darkness.
That eye again. Just my luck.
What kind of mess was this?
Finally, I returned to Yi Miao’s side, fishing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket. Lighting one for myself, the lighter flickered weakly.
I doubted the Flying Centipede could have died so easily. Maybe he was feigning death. Holding his finger over the flame for minutes, I confirmed he was truly gone.
After more searching, I found half a candle.
The room brightened. At last, I could see the two figures on the ground. Yi Miao lay in a peculiar pose.
The Flying Centipede’s face was ashen, matching his black robe. The sight made me acutely aware of time’s passage and life’s fragility—I couldn’t end up like him.
As the light steadied, Yi Miao stirred awake.
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