Chapter Twenty-Eight: A World-Shaking Revelation

Page (1/3) The Fifth Kind Without Pop-ups Chapter 28: Shocking the World

The person who set this Gu was truly malicious. I was furious and despised such despicable methods—using a curse within a curse to plot against others. They deserved their misfortune for running into me; if it had been anyone else, they might have actually fallen into the trap.

As the corpse Gu flew toward me, I was already prepared. The green shadow shot at my chest, slicing through the air with a sickening, “sss” sound that made my stomach churn. Its speed was astonishing—even a bullet would be slower.

Since I was ready, I didn't let it succeed. The fact that this person would use such vile means made me loathe them; it had been a long time since I’d felt such disgust toward anyone. So, when I caught the corpse Gu, I couldn't help but use several degrees more force than usual.

With my index and middle fingers, I pinched the flying corpse Gu, trapping it between them. I was confident in my grip—no pair of iron tongs could match the strength of my fingers. Back in university, to save Old Liu, I once snapped an iron door as thick as two fingers using just these two fingers.

To my surprise, the corpse Gu didn’t snap under my grip. Instead, my fingers ached faintly from the rebound, but at least it was firmly caught. The corpse Gu struggled fiercely, trying again and again to escape my grasp, its mouth emitting pitiful, “zzz” cries.

Gu Jing nodded when he saw me catch the corpse Gu. He took the silver needle in his hand and stabbed it into the Money Talisman, then traced a sigil in the air above the talisman while chanting. Finally, he took a handful of glutinous rice from the bowl and smeared it onto the Money Talisman. The rice stuck to the talisman, releasing a foul stench. The white rice turned blue, congealed into a lump, and fell off with a “plop.” The wound on the talisman, originally broken by the corpse Gu, was now intact, though the area was slightly redder than the surrounding skin.

Gu Jing first broke the Money Curse with a talisman, then used the glutinous rice to cleanse the corpse poison left in Gangzi's body. Now Gangzi was fine. Gu Jing said to me, “Give Gangzi a Protection Charm.”

Seeing Gangzi was alright, I was overjoyed and replied, “Alright!”

With the corpse Gu pinched in my right hand, I formed a hand seal with my left and struck Gangzi’s back from a distance. His skin sank as if struck by an invisible palm, then bounced back.

It was done—Gangzi's problem was resolved. Wang Yatou stole a few glances at the corpse Gu. If even I had never seen one, how could she not be curious? She studied it closely, just as I did.

Girls will be girls. After seeing it, her fair face turned green, and she covered her mouth, groaning, “Ugh, take it away, it's disgusting!”

Of course, the corpse Gu was disgusting. Girls fear cockroaches most, but compared to this, cockroaches would probably be adored by them. The corpse Gu looked just like a caterpillar, but much shorter. Its green body was covered in mottled spots and had eight legs, each with toes—a detail I hadn’t expected. Every foot had ten toes. Its head bore antennae like a snail’s, but much thicker and blood-red, resembling horns if you didn't look closely.

I kept pinching the corpse Gu as it struggled, sometimes fiercely, almost escaping my fingers, then suddenly weakening as if surrendering. This creature still dared play tricks with me.

Gu Jing fetched a glass jar, cleansed it with a talisman, and signaled for me to put the corpse Gu inside. I teased, “Old Gu, don’t forget my share when you serve this as a side dish tonight.”

The mere mention of serving the corpse Gu as food nauseated Wang Tingting, who darted out of the Spirit Hall, calling out, “Wanyan Changfeng, you’re disgusting! Don’t touch me ever again!”

She was already downstairs in the living room before the words finished. Gu Jing and I looked at each other and laughed out loud.

A talisman sealed the jar. The corpse Gu, sensing danger, struggled violently before I threw it in, punishing it with a bit more force. Its ugly little mouth opened with a few cries, then it was tossed into the jar. Gu Jing slowly pulled the incense stick from Gangzi’s mouth out through his nose.

Once the stick was out, Gu Jing held it, bowed thrice to the ancestral master, and murmured, “Thank you, Grandmaster, for your protection. Returning the favor now.” After the third bow, he scraped the incense ash from the stick’s base and gently blew it into Gangzi’s nose, sending the ash into his body. Then he snapped off the burning tip, and, facing the corpse Gu in the jar, said, “Such venomous methods are forbidden by the Daoist path; don’t blame me.” With a flick of his middle finger, the incense tip shot like a spark into the jar, landing in the corpse Gu with a “zzz.”

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People go to temples to burn incense and pray for blessings; if their wish comes true, they return to thank the gods for their protection—that’s called repaying a vow. Gu Jing had invoked the ancestral master for aid in this magical duel; now he must thank the spirit, or “send off” the deity, as it’s called.

After being hit, the corpse Gu writhed in pain, then trembled and stiffened, lying rigidly in the jar.

I thought that was the end of it, but Gu Jing said, “Don’t think a dead corpse Gu is useless—your friend’s soul was scattered by the Money Curse, and we’ll need it to summon his spirit back.”

He added, “Seems your trouble isn’t small this time. The one who set the Gu is probably a Southern sorcerer, likely connected to the Nine Chrysanthemum Sect. Be cautious if you tangle with them.”

I nodded. He made sense, but I remained unconcerned and coldly replied, “If they don’t provoke me, that’s fine. But if they dare, I’ll make them wish they were in the Millstone Hell.”

Naturally, I wasn’t afraid, but I did worry for my friends. I didn’t have many because I didn’t want them dragged into my troubles or exposed to the supernatural. If anyone dared target my friends, I would never forgive them.

Gu Jing, hearing my words, probably felt chills for those who would dare cross me. The Millstone Hell is the seventeenth layer of the underworld, where souls are ground into pulp, reconstituted, and ground again—a punishment reserved for the netherworld.

Night had fallen; after all that bustle, more than an hour had passed in an instant.

After Gu Jing secured the jar with the corpse Gu, I patted his shoulder and said, “Gangzi’s in your hands. I still have to deal with Tang Xin.”

He nodded and went downstairs with me.

Ma Junfeng was chatting with guests in the living room, laughing and keeping everyone lively. But as Gu Jing and I came down, I could still see worry on their faces beneath the forced cheer.

However, Wang Tingting blushed when she saw me, deliberately snorted, and ignored me. I laughed and asked, “What’s everyone talking about that’s so funny?”

At that, everyone burst out laughing, almost unnaturally, even Gu Jing grew curious. Wang Tingting pouted, “Laugh laugh laugh, what’s so funny!”

Everyone laughed except her, so it must have involved her. District Chief, standing by, sneered, “Wanyan Changfeng, you’re disgusting! Don’t touch me ever again.” Then he laughed and asked Wang Tingting, “How many times has Changfeng touched you?”

At that, Wang Yatou’s face reddened even more, and she kicked at him mercilessly, “I’ll break your jaw!” District Chief, skilled as he was, dodged easily, sidestepping her attacks with a grin. The two of them traded blows, locked in lively combat. Though highly skilled, District Chief was on the defensive, even at a disadvantage.

I’d never seen Wang Yatou’s skills in detail before, so I watched closely without intervening. Gu Jing and Ma Junfeng were also curious, observing from the side. Even Shi Sanfei, seeing Wang Yatou force District Chief into defense, watched with interest. Li Feng and Long Hongtao watched, marveling at such skilled fighters in Guangzhou; even Long Hongtao, from a special forces background, doubted he could withstand five moves from her.

Wang Yatou’s attacks were crisp and clean, not blustery like others, but swift and silent—you couldn’t predict where the next blow would come from. District Chief dodged every move, his steps following the Eight Trigrams, agile yet measured.

After more than ten exchanges, everyone fell silent, watching intently. District Chief, who had started dodging with laughter, now cried, “Help, murder!” while retreating behind me for cover.

Wang Yatou chased him around me—when he hid on my right, she came at my left; when he switched sides, she followed. At last, exasperated, she stood facing me, hands on hips, fuming, “Idiot, move aside!”

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“District Chief, did you hear that? The girl wants you to move!” I grinned, shifting the blame, though I knew Wang Tingting meant me.

District Chief laughed, “Idiot, Miss Wang meant you!”

Wang Yatou, seeing the two of us tease her, narrowed her eyes slyly. I sensed trouble—this girl was up to something, and I was sure to suffer for it.

Sure enough, she pointed at District Chief behind me and cursed, “Don’t think you’re safe with this idiot as your shield. I’ll show you ‘striking the ox across the mountain’!”

I’d never seen her use that move, but what she actually did was “strike across the pants”—her beautiful leg lashed out at my groin, aiming for District Chief behind me.

District Chief, thinking he was safe, was caught off guard. Worse, I was in front—if I didn’t dodge, my precious future generations would be at the mercy of her kick.

So both District Chief and I howled in alarm. In desperation, I used Tantric lightness skill, my body floating straight up almost two meters, nearly hitting the ceiling, without bending my knees. District Chief, clinging to my clothes, was pulled along. Fortunately, the villa’s beams were high enough, or we’d have crashed. I hooked the main beam, swinging both of us to the other side.

This display of lightness skill left everyone dumbfounded—carrying a man over a hundred jin, I’d leapt so high without bending, as if pulled by an invisible cord. District Chief, after landing, stared at me, stunned.

Wang Yatou and Long Hongtao swallowed hard, suppressing their surprise.

To them, this was the second time I’d revealed my skills. The first was in the hospital, suppressing the Money Curse—mysterious, but not unthinkable. This time, I’d simply floated up out of nowhere.

Long Hongtao, panting, said, “If I hadn’t seen it myself, I’d never believe such skill existed.”

Shi Sanfei also stared, tugging Wang Tingting’s sleeve and whispering, “Who exactly is he?”

My display left everyone speechless. Even Wang Tingting’s earlier anger vanished. For a moment, time stood still—all eyes were on me.

I knew I’d shocked them. Even though I tried to be careful, sometimes I slipped—this was truly astonishing. Luckily, none of them were ordinary people and could accept the truth. To ease the tension, I smiled at Wang Yatou, “So, how was that move? My jumping skills aren’t bad, right? Next time, don’t try to cut off my descendants.”

Gu Jing smoothed things over, deftly changing the topic. He began telling everyone about Gangzi’s situation. Cunning as he was, he knew that only an extraordinary story could distract them from me, so he recounted the subduing of the corpse Gu, embellishing its origins and defenses, leaving everyone amazed.

Gangzi still needed his soul summoned, but with the corpse Gu, it wouldn’t be hard. This soul-calling ritual was far too mysterious for them, so their attention shifted to Gu Jing. Because of Tang Xin, I had to excuse myself—we were short on time. Wang Yatou and Ma Junfeng followed me as helpers, while the others stayed to assist Gu Jing and witness the soul-calling.