Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Liu Nanzhou ran all the way into the town without stopping, the bustle of the town calming his still-jangled nerves.

He habitually walked over to the charity porridge stall before remembering he no longer had a bowl.

The lady ladling the porridge kindly gave him a bowl and a scoop of plain rice porridge. Holding the warm porridge, he walked along the street, still shaken.

"Did you hear? Someone died on the west side of town."

"Really? How did they die?"

"Not sure. I heard they died a horrible death, bleeding from all seven orifices."

"Hey, now that you mention it, wasn't there another person who died the same way just a couple of days ago?"

"Yeah. Maybe an enemy got revenge?"

"Who knows."

People along the street were chattering. Liu Nanzhou listened nearby, his mind filled with the image of that dead man. A growing dread settled over him, his palms going cold even while holding the hot porridge.

This wasn't right.

Liu Nanzhou wouldn't claim to be particularly brave, but having lived alone in a godforsaken, broken-down temple for two years, sleeping in the same nest as rats and remaining sound asleep even during thunderstorms and heavy rain, he certainly couldn't be called timid.

He had never seen a corpse before, so getting a scare was understandable. But upon careful thought, the corpse was just bleeding from the seven orifices. It wasn't missing limbs, and the man's expression was even peaceful. Apart from the blood on his face, he looked as if he were merely asleep. There was no reason for him to be so terrified by such a peaceful corpse.

It was strange but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was strange. He was still scared, even starting to shake a little.

Liu Nanzhou couldn't help but think: Would he also die suddenly like that one day? Die on an ordinary day, in the broken temple, or somewhere else, ending his pitiful, boring life? No one would find him, no one would know, and no one would care. His body would become food for birds and beasts. If that really happened... it might actually be... fine.

Lost in thought, Liu Nanzhou was bumped into by a child playing nearby. His arm jolted, and the white porridge spilled out, splashing onto someone.

The little fatty who bumped into him not only didn't apologize but also shoved him. "Stinky beggar, get lost!"

After saying that, he shook his hand and patted the arm that had touched Liu Nanzhou as if brushing off bad luck, then pinched his nose and walked away.

Liu Nanzhou, all skin and bones, was no match for the push. He stumbled back a step, nearly toppling into a bow to the person in front of him.

Just before he fell, a hand caught him firmly.

Liu Nanzhou looked up. It was a middle-aged man dressed simply but not poorly. The porridge had spilled onto his clothes.

Two younger men accompanied him. The three of them carried an air of otherworldly refinement, clearly not from ordinary families. Liu Nanzhou couldn't hide the panic in his eyes and bowed repeatedly in apology. "S-sorry."

The garment looked incredibly expensive. Even selling ten Liu Nanzhous probably wouldn't be worth a single corner of that fabric. Liu Nanzhou hung his head even lower.

"Sect Leader, are you alright?" the man beside him asked.

Xie Yongdao dusted off his clothes. "It's fine."

With that simple motion, the porridge stains were completely brushed away. Not a trace of porridge or even a hint of dampness remained on the fabric.

Liu Nanzhou shot a regretful glance at the porridge on the ground, feeling both amazed and thinking: Does this mean he doesn't have to pay for it?

Xie Yongdao looked at Liu Nanzhou. The child wore tattered clothes, his face was dirty—clearly a poor child coming to beg for porridge.

He examined Liu Nanzhou's face more carefully. The mole on his nose bridge looked familiar. One of the several corpses he had seen a couple of days ago, a man, had a similar mole. That had been a family of three, all dead.

Was the mole on this child's face a coincidence?

Xie Yongdao looked at him. The child was dressed in rags, covered in dust, but his eyes were remarkably bright.

He crouched down and raised his hand. Liu Nanzhou instinctively flinched.

The expected pain didn't come. Xie Yongdao simply patted his head. "Little dirty monkey, why are you alone? Where are your parents?"

Liu Nanzhou shook his head. "I don't have parents."

Xie Yongdao nodded slightly. He initially intended to turn and tell Zhao Yi to give the boy some money, but then he saw a faint, dark mist emanating from Liu Nanzhou's shadow.

Ordinary people couldn't see this mist. Liu Nanzhou followed his gaze and looked down at his own shadow. Before Liu Nanzhou could notice anything, Xie Yongdao led him to a less crowded area and asked, "Have you encountered anything strange recently?"

Liu Nanzhou was startled. How did he know?

"Yes."

Liu Nanzhou recounted his encounter with the corpse and his strange feeling about it. After listening, Xie Yongdao raised an eyebrow and gave Liu Nanzhou a somewhat intrigued look.

Liu Nanzhou found his own "fear" strange, but Xie Yongdao understood immediately upon hearing it. Combined with the dark mist in his shadow, it was a classic case of being haunted by a Shadow Demon.

Xie Yongdao kept it to himself.

A Shadow Demon couldn't actually change a person's thoughts, but it could amplify their emotions. Because these were the person's own thoughts, the Shadow Demon's parasitism often went unnoticed by the host.

Even adults might not realize this was happening. For a child this young to sense that his own thoughts were off showed remarkable intelligence and attentiveness.

Liu Nanzhou asked, "They call you Sect Leader. Do you handle matters?"

Xie Yongdao found his question somewhat amusing. "I handle some."

"Can you handle this matter?"

"You want me to handle this?"

Liu Nanzhou nodded. Xie Yongdao asked with interest, "Why?"

Liu Nanzhou pursed his lips. "Even the dead deserve someone to collect their bodies."

If no one cares for them, even as ghosts they would be sad.

Xie Yongdao stood up, looking at him thoughtfully.

Quite a righteous child.

Liu Nanzhou didn't dare look up. Had he lost his mind? Who did he think he was, daring to order others around? Why would they bother with this messy affair just because of his words? Who wouldn't consider a dead person bad luck?

Liu Nanzhou's head hung lower and lower. Then he heard Xie Yongdao ask, "Would you be willing to come with me?"

He had a very clear understanding of himself—he was an unwanted piece of trash. Who would pick up trash and take it home?

"Huh?"

Xie Yongdao said, "I came here specifically to deal with the matter you mentioned. Since you have no parents, I assume you have nowhere to go. Why not come with me?"

The Tianyao Sect had received a commission from Quan Tai Town. Hearing of unusual activity, he had brought two disciples down the mountain to investigate, fearing something major might be happening.

Shadow Demons weren't particularly troublesome. They couldn't possess people; they could only reside in a person's shadow, feeding on their host's emotions, making them negative, listless, and eventually causing them to wither and die.

Xie Yongdao flicked his sleeve, and the Shadow Demon lurking in Liu Nanzhou’s shadow was swept out, fleeing in abject terror. Then, with a snap of his fingers, the demon vanished without even a chance to utter a last word.

Liu Nanzhou stood stunned for a moment before realizing what had just happened.

“You were likely latched onto by the Shadow Demon when you saw the corpse this morning. You’re safe now.”

Xie Yongdao turned and instructed his two disciples, “Go check if there are any traces of Shadow Demons left in the town.”

The disciples bowed and left, leaving Liu Nanzhou and Xie Yongdao standing there awkwardly, looking at each other.

Xie Yongdao glanced at him and couldn’t help but brush off his clothes. A soft white light washed over him, instantly cleansing his grimy clothes and removing the foul odor. His hair was neatly combed, leaving him feeling as fresh as if he'd just stepped out of a bath. Liu Nanzhou even felt cleansed down to his very core.

“So, have you thought it over? Do you want to come back with me?”

There wasn’t much to consider—nothing could be worse than the life he was living now.

Liu Nanzhou wasn’t afraid Xie Yongdao might be running a scam. Aside from his life, he had nothing worth swindling. If he were tricked and killed, it would simply be his fate.

As for why this person wanted to take in a stray like him... well, maybe everyone had their own peculiar quirks. Some people just liked collecting junk.

So, Xie Yongdao took Liu Nanzhou to eat first, waiting over the meal for Zhao Yi and Chu Minghe to return.

Liu Nanzhou had never eaten at a restaurant before. Faced with a table full of dishes bursting with color, aroma, and flavor, he wished he had an extra set of hands and stomach.

Zhao Yi and Chu Minghe returned quickly.

Chu Minghe reported, “Master, we’ve checked. Found five in total and have already dealt with them.”

Xie Yongdao nodded. “Did anyone see you?”

“No.”

“Good. Being seen could easily cause panic.” He gestured for the two to sit. “Good work. Have something to eat, and we’ll head back after.”

After the meal, the four set off. Liu Nanzhou, stuffed and in a daze, followed along groggily.

A faint mist began to rise, shrouding the mountain in clouds. Xie Yongdao waved his hand, and the mist suddenly dispersed, making everything on the mountainside snap into sharp focus.

Liu Nanzhou watched in amazement but felt too embarrassed to show it. He kept his expression calm and his gaze forward, though inwardly he was brimming with curiosity and wonder. While pretending not to look, his peripheral vision took in everything around him.

Xie Yongdao observed him, the boy's thoughts an open book. He didn’t call him out on it, simply explaining things as they climbed the steps. Before long, Liu Nanzhou saw a grand gate, above which hung a plaque inscribed with bold, powerful characters “Tianyao Sect.” Upon closer look, a faint golden glow shimmered over the words.

Xie Yongdao told him, “From now on, you’ll stay here.”

Liu Nanzhou stared at the plaque. He only recognized the first character, ‘Tian,’ which meant ‘Heaven.’ He thought this place truly resembled the “Heaven” from the mythical tales told by storytellers—soaring above the clouds, majestic and magnificent.

Xie Yongdao entrusted Liu Nanzhou to Zhao Yi’s care, instructing him to take the boy to rest, while he himself headed to the Chang’an Hall.

He sent for several elders. Three arrived one after another, but one was conspicuously absent.

Xie Yongdao first pulled out a few small pendants from his robes and distributed them.

The elders thanked him. Xie Yongdao always brought back little gifts for them whenever he returned from a trip.

After distributing them, one pendant remained. Xie Yongdao asked, “Where’s Qi Wuyu?”

Shen You replied, “He’s always elusive, appearing and disappearing. Who knows where he’s off playing?”

Hearing this, Ying Nianling’s eyelids twitched, a sinking feeling in his gut. He hadn’t seen Qi Wuyu all morning—his vegetable garden was probably under attack!

Just as he thought this, a voice floated in: “Right here.”

Qi Wuyu walked in, dressed in Mist Mountain robes, a wine gourd hanging at his waist. With his handsome features and silver hair tied high, he looked brimming with youthful energy. He sauntered in casually. “What? Has the Sect Leader Senior Brother missed me already after such a short time apart?”

Author’s Note:

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