Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Chen Ji’s face remained impassive, as if he were deaf. He slightly bent his index finger and tapped the air. Without even needing to draw them, the characters *Tōngxuán* instantly transformed into a golden seal that landed on the back of his hand, vanishing into his skin in the blink of an eye.

Chen Ji reached out and seized the furry, humanoid figure. Another bolt of divine thunder struck down. Chen Ji felt a surge of searing current flow through his palm, but it vanished in an instant. System Cat screamed, [Stop it! The monkey is really going to die!]

Chen Ji tilted his head slightly. [What monkey? I can’t see anything. Aren’t there only Great Immortals here?]

What’s visible is a second-class protected species; what’s invisible is just a monster. Given his current situation, even in court, this would count as justifiable emergency action.

System Cat: [...]

The third bolt of divine thunder crashed down. Chen Ji watched as the strands on the Great Immortal’s body scattered like dandelions blown by the wind, leaving only a bare stalk in the middle.

Chen Ji was calculating the power of the Five Thunder Talisman.

The first bolt of thunder had caught the Great Immortal by surprise, rendering it mostly immobile, which was why Chen Ji could seize it so easily. After the second bolt, the Great Immortal should have been completely paralyzed. By the third bolt, the Great Immortal’s foundational cultivation was likely severely damaged.

This Great Immortal probably wouldn’t last until the fifth bolt.

As the fourth bolt struck, the strands on the Great Immortal turned into ash that was nearly black. Chen Ji’s brow twitched, and he reluctantly gave up on the indescribable thread he’d been tracking. The thunderclouds dissipated instantly, but Chen Ji delivered a punch to the Great Immortal with his right hand.

The Great Immortal groaned, and Chen Ji released his grip. At that moment, a dozen timid young weasels scurried out from the weasel lair behind him, baring their teeth at the Great Immortal but not daring to get too close to Chen Ji.

"What’s going on here…" Second Master Huang’s voice echoed from the lair, followed by a gust of fierce wind and a bolt of black lightning bursting forth. Chen Ji finally understood—it was because Second Master Huang’s radiance was too intense, making it hard to see clearly.

To Chen Ji’s eyes, Second Master Huang now resembled a moving laser light sphere in the dark.

Second Master Huang glanced at the monkey Great Immortal, who was nearly shattered to pieces on the ground, his expression shifting from shock to mockery. "Holy crap, who did this?! So you finally picked a fight with someone you shouldn’t have and got half your life beaten out of you? Hahahaha, how pathetic!"

All the little weasels on the ground turned their eyes to Chen Ji.

Right outside their lair, it might not be absolutely safe, but it was still very, very secure. Not many dared to provoke their entire clan.

Monkey Six was Second Master Huang’s brother, living quite far away and rarely visiting. They had just seen Monkey Six accosting Brother Chen... They had sharp eyes—before Brother Chen and Monkey Six could exchange three sentences, before they could even step forward to explain it was a misunderstanding, Brother Chen had summoned the Five Thunder Talisman to strike Monkey Six.

...They didn’t dare approach.

Monkey Six’s charred tail struggled to rise, pointing weakly at Chen Ji.

Chen Ji was off to the side washing his hands. Little Translator had fetched spring water in a plastic bottle, poking holes in the cap to make a makeshift sprinkler. He had touched the thunder-struck Great Immortal earlier and now his hand was covered in ash.

He noticed Second Master Huang looking his way—it was hard to miss, since Second Master Huang’s presence was only slightly less intense than the sun. But Chen Ji pretended not to notice the pointing gestures, silently continuing to wash his hands.

Second Master Huang said, "No way! If Chen Ji could beat a monkey to this state, I’d kowtow to him standing on my head!"

Monkey Six’s charred tail pointed weakly toward Chen Ji as he gasped, "...You... damn it... help... your brother out first..."

Chen Ji smiled at Second Master Huang and extended a hand. Second Master Huang leaned in, nuzzling his head against Chen Ji’s palm, then hurriedly carried Monkey Six back into the den—After all, Chen Ji couldn’t see anything. How could he summon the Five Thunder Talisman? He doesn't even know how to draw the talisman!

Poor thing. He had brought Chen Ji back to keep him safe, but who would have thought that just sunbathing would lead to such a scare... Maybe he should ask around and find a Taoist priest to perform cleansing rites or improve his fortune for Chen Ji?

Little Translator nestled close to Chen Ji. "Brother Chen, Brother Chen, it’s my fault! I shouldn’t have left your side earlier!"

He had been worried that Brother Chen might get thirsty under the sun and had gone to fetch some water and fruit for him!

Chen Ji patted its head and said gently, "It’s not your fault."

Little Translator purred softly, pressing its head into Chen Ji’s palm. Chen Ji picked it up and was about to head back into the den when he suddenly noticed dark red lines scattered on the ground.

They were clearly the lines from the Great Immortal’s body, now lying scattered and broken, their purpose unknown.

Chen Ji paused, bent down, and made a grasping motion. For some reason, he felt they might be beneficial to Little Translator, so he pressed them onto its body. Before Little Translator could react, Chen Ji suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if something was surging upward. He immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood, his vision fading back into darkness as he passed out.

"Brother Chen has fainted—!"

***

When Chen Ji woke up again, it was probably because of the dazzling light. The white tiger lay at his feet, no longer just a shining light ball—it was like a high-intensity stadium floodlight, illuminating the entire room brightly. In comparison, Chen Ji’s form appeared as dull as a cup on the table.

The white tiger lifted its head, and Chen Ji couldn’t help but shield his eyes with his arm. It leaned closer, and Chen Ji’s voice was hoarse as he said, "Come here obediently, let me hug you."

The white tiger looked at Chen Ji’s outstretched arm and gently rested its head on it. Chen Ji tightened his embrace, a faint wry smile tugging at his lips—a smile of exasperation. Just as he was about to ask something, he heard someone clear his throat lightly. "Just woke up and already hugging a tiger? Planning a vacation to Hangzhou’s West Lake next year?"

Only then did Chen Ji realize there was someone else in the room.

He turned his head toward the voice. The white tiger was so bright that everything else seemed dim in comparison. He strained to make out the features formed by lines of the same color as the tiger and guessed, "Taoist Master Qingjing?"

Taoist Master Qingjing sneered. "It’s me."

Chen Ji asked, "What are you doing here?"

Taoist Master Qingjing sneered again. "How should I know? I was sleeping soundly when a weasel barged in, saying something about connections, favors, and expanding connections, then tied me up and brought me here. Only after arriving did I find out I was supposed to treat you."

Chen Ji couldn’t help but cough, suppressing a laugh. "Sorry for the trouble. I’ll make it up to you with some incense offerings later."

"You think I need your money?" Taoist Master Qingjing retorted sarcastically, recalling the fear of being kidnapped by a monster, his surprise at seeing Chen Ji, and how he’d had to call his master, grandmaster, and even his grandmaster’s master in the middle of the night for a remote diagnosis because he didn’t know how to treat Chen Ji. He’d been reprimanded severely for his incompetence.

Well, he was technically a junior anyway.

Chen Ji said, "Alright, then I owe you a favor... What’s wrong with me?"

Although Chen Ji and Taoist Master Qingjing often blocked each other and rarely chatted, their relationship was surprisingly reliable in critical moments, as if fate had bound them deeply despite their superficial ties.

Taoist Master Qingjing said, "I told you not to keep all these random miscellaneous creatures at home! You’ve severely damaged your primordial energy, and your meridians are congested. My grandmaster said if you don’t take good care of yourself, you only have..."

Chen Ji cut in, "A year left to live."

"Heh," Taoist Master Qingjing said. "Six months."

Chen Ji shrugged. It was probably because he’d transferred those crimson threads to Little Translator—likely the monkey’s cultivation. Forcibly transferring one demon’s cultivation to another defied the natural order, which was why he’d coughed up blood and passed out.

Taoist Master Qingjing scratched his messy hair. "Your eyes are also affected because of this."

"As for my eyes..." Chen Ji turned his head, his unfocused eyes somehow accurately meeting Taoist Master Qingjing’s gaze. He paused and said, "I’m still adjusting to it."

He had intended to tell the truth but decided against it, remembering they were in the Xiaoqing Mountain territory.

Taoist Master Qingjing raised an eyebrow slightly at this. "I don’t understand much about this, but you can’t just ignore your eyes. Why not come down the mountain with me and stay at the Taoist temple for a while? We can properly treat your condition."

Chen Ji tilted his head. "Am I allowed to go?"

"What do you mean, ‘can I go’..." Taoist Master Qingjing started to say, but then noticed Chen Ji was looking at the white tiger.

Chen Ji asked, "Still not planning to speak?"

"...Mew." The white tiger let out a soft sound.

The silence between Chen Ji and Taoist Master Qingjing was deafening.

Some people cared too much about saving face, and yet had no shame at all; to avoid speaking and revealing their identity, they were even willing to imitate a cat's meow.

Taoist Master Qingjing couldn't hold back any longer and said, "I'm going out to use the bathroom first! You two take your time chatting!"

Who'd want to hear a tiger meow like a cat! Even if it dared to imitate, he didn't dare listen! Everyone knew how vengeful these demons could be! He was afraid it might remember and come to kill him in the middle of the night someday!

Taoist Master Qingjing left, and Chen Ji said slowly, "When Second Master Huang brought you back earlier, he transformed you into human form."

"I saw."

"Good boy, do you have anything to say?" Chen Ji's pale, slender fingers ruffled the white tiger's thick ears. "Or... could you meow for me again?"

The white tiger had already buried its head in its fur, staying completely silent. Its paw pads pressed down over and over against the animal hide, and its claws had already torn several gashes in the skin.

Chen Ji watched this scene. If he provoked the good boy a few more times, it probably wouldn't be difficult for it to dig a hole with its paws and crawl into it. The only question was whether Second Master Huang's floorboards could withstand the excavation.

"My eyes can't see right now. Taoist Master Qingjing is sending me down the mountain for treatment," Chen Ji paused. "What do you think—can I go down the mountain?"

The white tiger paused, then pressed its forehead against Chen Ji's. A few words echoed in Chen Ji's mind: "You can go down the mountain, but once He wakes up, He will definitely kill you."

"If you don't go down the mountain and stay away from me, He will heal you."