Month: April 2024 (Page 2 of 2)

       “The Nine Gates Yin Repelling Formation’s centre has been broken,” Xia Hongshen’s surroundings returned to the normal appearance of the haunted house, but he knew that the person setting up the spell array was not the person in front of him.

       This person was the person who was chased and hid from them just now, and he was also from the Demon Market.

       He was looking at Xia Hongshen in horror, as well as Ling Xiao and Xiang Wenxi, who came immediately after breaking the formation. Only Song Jun was missing.

       Although this man was said to be from the Demon Market, even he did not know the true identity of the owner of the Demon Market.

       “I have met the owner of the Demon City, but he always wears a mask when he appears. Since my cultivation is low, I don’t know his true identity.”

       “Who set up this spell array?” Xia Hongshen asked.

       The man said, “It was none other than the Lord of the Demon Market.”

       Ling Xiao frowned and asked, “Where did he go? Where did Song Jun go?”

       The man shook his head repeatedly and said that he didn’t know anything.

       Xiang Wenxi stepped forward, picked up his lapel, pointed at Xia Hongshen and said, “Have you never seen Demon Zhen? Are you not afraid that he will swallow you up if you dare to lie?”

       The man had a grimace on his face, “Of course I know about him, the Great Immortal, but I’ve told you everything I know, and I really don’t know about the rest.”

       Xiang Wenxi didn’t believe it, “Then why did you deliberately lead us here?”

       The man said, “I only followed the master’s orders. He said that if you all came, I should lead you all into the formation.”

       “You all?” Xia Hongshen asked.

       The man saw Xia Hongshen’s cold expression and felt frightened. He said, “It’s not you, but the young man who was travelling with you. He was the one Ling Xiao and the others called Immortal Sword Chunjun that day in the Demon Market.”

       Xiang Wenxi threw him away and looked at Xia Hongshen, “What should we do?”

       Xia Hongshen closed his eyes, slowly spread his arms, took a deep breath, and after exhaling, he let out a loud and intense roar—

       Xiang Wenxi immediately covered his ears in pain, and Ling Xiao pulled him away quickly.

       The entire amusement park trembled slightly with his roar.

       At this time, in the City God Temple, Song Jun raised his head in shock and said, “What was that sound?”

       Cen Le said softly, “Don’t panic. The demonic energy is spreading in the city, and the monsters are just restless.”

       Song Jun was still doubtful.

       With a wave of his hand, Cen Le completely blocked the passage between the amusement park and the City God’s Temple and, at the same time, completely isolated Xia Hongshen’s voice.

       Song Jun then turned around and continued to look at the lake, “No more?” he said.

       Cen Le said to him, “No more. What’s left is your memory in this life, which can no longer be seen from here.”

       Song Jun was silent for a moment and said, “I still don’t remember anything.”

       Cen Le raised his hand and gently touched the top of his head, “Because you drank Meng Po soup when you were reincarnated.”

       Song Jun was a little confused, “So those memories will never come back?”

       Cen Le did not answer him this time as if he acquiesced.

       Song Jun took a deep breath. His emotions were a little complicated. He couldn’t equate himself with Chunjun. After a moment of silence, he said, “So Senior Brother Xia came down to find Thousand Years Lamp because of me?”

       Cen Le smiled and said nothing.

       Song Jun squatted down slowly. He stretched out his hand to stir the water in the lake, and the scene he saw just now was completely gone.

       Cen Le said to him, “Princess Mei Ling is still waiting for him.”

       Song Jun heard this and turned to look at Cen Le in surprise.

       Cen Le said, “After retrieving Thousand Years Lamp, Demon Zhen will go back to the Heavenly Realm to get Princess Mei Ling, and at that time, the Jade Emperor might forgive you and allow you to return to the Heavenly Realm with Demon Zhen.”

       “Forgive us?” Song Jun repeated softly.

       “Chunjun,” Cen Le suddenly squatted down next to Song Jun, “stay,” he said while holding Song Jun’s hand.

       Song Jun was stunned for a moment.

       Cen Le said, “Demon Zhen just likes to collect weapons but doesn’t use them. Your value cannot be reflected at all by staying with him. What’s the point of following him back to heaven? Besides, you are not the only one around him. Do you still remember the days when you accompanied me on the battlefield?”

       Song Jun shook his head and retracted his hand, “I don’t remember,” he thought for a while and then said, “I don’t want to go to heaven with him.”

       Although he had no memory, he felt that the days in heaven did not look very good. If Xia Hongshen wanted to marry a princess when he returned, he would be even more unwilling to follow him back, but he also did not want to stay with Cen Le.

       Cen Le did not force him but asked, “Then what are your plans?”

       Song Jun said in a daze, “I want to get that memory back.” He looked at those pictures, but he had no idea what his past self was thinking, which made him feel uncomfortable.

       Hearing this, Cen Le said, “Let me help you find a way to neutralise the effect of Meng Po Soup.”

       Song Jun looked at him, “Is that okay?”

       Cen Le stroked the top of his head and said, “I’m willing to try it for you.”

       Feeling the other party’s gentleness, Song Jun suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. The memories of the past were right in front of him, and even though the person before him had once been his master, all he could think about was Xia Hongshen.

       “By the way,” thinking of this, Song Jun asked again, “Senior Brother Xia and Ling Xiao are still trapped in the haunted house. Will they be okay?”

       Cen Le said, “Of course nothing will happen. I am the City God, guarding the local yin and yang order, no one dares to mess around in my place.”

       Song Jun nodded slightly.

 

       Long Xing received an emergency call to the police that afternoon, saying that a man who had overdosed on drugs and had hallucinations was found in a community injuring people with a knife.

       After the 110 patrol officers arrived at the scene, they found that the situation was difficult to control and immediately requested support from the city bureau.

       Long Xing arrived at the scene and heard from his colleagues who had come earlier that the man had locked himself in the room with a knife and a hostage.

       They need to send someone to knock on the door and negotiate to attract his attention, and then one person could climb down from the upstairs window and seize the opportunity to break the window to save the person.

       Long Xing said, “I’ll go.”

       He secured a safety rope around his waist, then climbed out of the window of the upstairs house. Dangling, he slid down to the window of the floor below. Peering inside, he noticed that the assailant was currently distracted, holding a knife to the hostage’s neck while facing off with the people outside the door.

       He carefully reached out and pushed the window and found that it was locked from the inside and could not be opened.

       A colleague upstairs leaned out of the window to ask him about his situation, and he made two simple gestures.

       After a while, the people outside the door made a move to break in.

       The assailant shouted loudly not to come in, dragging the hostages back.

       Long Xing saw that the time was almost up; he clasped the outer edge of the window frame above his head with both hands, kicked through the glass with a strong kick, and entered.

       The assailant turned his head when he heard the noise, and Long Xing was stunned when he saw his face because his face was covered with scratched red sores, and his eyes were abnormally red.

       Although he was stunned for a moment, Long Xing still lifted his body into the air, wrapped his legs around the assailant’s neck and squeezed him hard.

       The assailant fell to the ground with his knife, and the hostages hurriedly crawled away from him.

       Long Xing subdued him, took out the handcuffs, tied the assailant’s hands behind his back, and then asked the hostage loudly, “Are you okay?”

       The man had not yet recovered from the shock.

       At this time, the assailant, who had been subdued by Long Xing, seemed to be going crazy. He twisted his neck at a terrible angle and bit Long Xing’s arm, making him bleed from the bite.

       When the colleague who broke in saw this scene, he stepped forward and kicked the assailant away and then worriedly asked Long Xing to quickly treat the wound. Because this person was a drug addict, the biggest fear was that he had AIDS.

       Long Xing did not react much. Even if this person really had AIDS, he would not be infected. However, he clearly noticed that his wound was filled with black mist that could not be seen with the naked eye. This was similar to the way Xia Hongshen was bitten by the beast. Just like wounds, they were manifestations of the invasion of demonic energy.

       He stood up and looked down at the assailant, still writhing on the ground. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the man seemed even more deranged, truly frightening. Concern washed over him involuntarily.

       After dealing with the assailant, Long Xing hurried to school to find Xia Hongshen. When he arrived, he found that Feng Junyuan and Xi Anling were both there, but Song Jun was missing.

       Xia Hongshen sat at the table and looked out the window expressionlessly.

       Xi Anling was very anxious and asked, “What happened to Song Jun?”

       Xia Hongshen glanced at her and said, “You don’t have to worry about it.”

       Upon hearing the words, Xi Anling felt the urge to get angry. However, seeing Xia Hongshen’s displeased expression, she didn’t dare to just leave like that. Just like that, she silently took a seat on the side.

       Xia Hongshen asked Long Xing, “What’s the matter?”

       Long Xing told Xia Hongshen what happened to him before.

       Xia Hongshen asked him to show him the wound on his hand.

       Long Xing stretched out his hand.

       Xia Hongshen looked at the wound on his hand and said, “There is indeed a demonic energy, but there’s no need to worry. Your body is not an ordinary mortal one; demonic energy cannot infiltrate through such minor wounds. In a few days, you’ll be healed.”

       Long Xing nodded and then asked, “What happened to Song Jun?”

       Xia Hongshen answered him, “Abducted.”

       Hearing this, Long Xing glanced at Feng Junyuan and Xi Anling next to him.

       Feng Junyuan shook his head, indicating that he didn’t know the situation.

       “The spread of demonic energy outside seems to be getting more and more serious,” Long Xing said, sitting down next to Xia Hongshen’s crib.

       Xia Hongshen did not comment.

       Feng Junyuan said, “My mentor has also fallen ill, the hospital is now overloaded with patients, doctors and nurses are being infected one by one, the situation is terrible.”

       Long Xing said, “The government has ordered the closure of roads in and out of the city, and medical rescue teams are on their way, but judging from this situation, it may be difficult to be effective.”

       Xia Hongshen suddenly raised his head and looked at the sky outside the window.

       Long Xing and the others fell silent, waiting for Xia Hongshen to speak.

       “Soon,” Xia Hongshen said, “The Jade Emperor won’t ignore this. The city may soon face an imminent catastrophe that will bury both those tainted by demonic energy within the city and the spreading demonic energy.”

       Long Xing’s face changed when he heard this, and he stood up, “What should we do?”

       “Find the root cause,” Xia Hongshen said. He always believed that the demonic energy here was related to the owner of the Demon Market, and the owner of the Demon Market was the one who took away Chunjun. But what was the purpose? Was it just for Chunjun’s sake?

       As Xia Hongshen contemplated, he suddenly remembered that there was a place that seemed unusually quiet at this time. Whether it was related or not, the entire city was in jeopardy, and as a deity, he should make an appearance to restore order.

       “We’ll go to the City God Temple tonight,” Xia Hongshen said.

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Turns out it’s really not scary, huh?

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       Owner? Song Jun felt as if he was in a dream; everything was covered with a layer of mist, and he couldn’t see clearly.

       The man walked up to him with a determined and handsome appearance. A gentle smile graced his face as he reached out and tousled Song Jun’s hair.

       Song Jun took a step back uncomfortably.

       The man was not angry. He said, “You don’t remember me.”

       Song Jun said, “I don’t know you.”

       The man said to him, “Do you still remember the person you saw just now? That memory is actually your previous life.”

       Song Jun’s eyes widened in surprise.

       Seeing his reaction, the man smiled and said, “Actually, I should say that he is you; it’s just that you forgot that memory.”

       “That person…is Chunjun’s sword spirit?” Song Jun asked hesitantly.

       The man nodded.

       Song Jun asked again in disbelief, “He’s me?”

       “Yes,” the man told him.

       Song Jun shook his head, denying, “No, I don’t just have that memory; even those pictures didn’t evoke any emotions in me. In my opinion, it seems to me to be someone else’s story entirely.”

       The man said, “Then do you want to finish this story?”

       Song Jun looked at him silently.

       The man said to him, “You don’t have to doubt me. You have seen me before in your story just now.”

       Song Jun looked confused.

       The man said, “I told you that I am Chunjun’s owner. Have you forgotten?”

       When Song Jun heard this, he suddenly realised, “Are you the general who sealed Chunjun?”

       The man smiled slightly and said, “Gou Jian’s general, whose real name is Cen Le.”

       Song Jun then asked doubtfully, “You have been dead for so many years. Why haven’t you been reincarnated?”

       Cen Le said, “Because I was a general before my death and became an official of the underworld after my death, without being reincarnated.”

       Song Jun was surprised and understood when he heard this.

       Cen Le stretched out a hand, “Come, follow me, and I will take you to find the part of your lost memory.”

       Song Jun looked at him, hesitated for a long time and did not hold his hand but said, “I’ll go with you.”

       Cen Le was not displeased, turned around and walked in front of Song Jun, leading him in one direction.

       The two walked one after another for some time. Song Jun suddenly saw a pagoda standing in the distance. He had seen this pagoda before. Xia Hongshen told him that the pagoda was called Soul Suppressing Pagoda, and it was located in the City God Temple.

       He turned around and looked around, and Song Jun suddenly found that he was already in the City God’s Temple. He couldn’t help but quicken his pace to catch up to Cen Le and said, “Is this the City God’s Temple?”

       Cen Le said, “Yes, this is the City God’s Temple.”

       “What on earth are you…” Song Jun asked.

       Cen Le said, “I am the City God.”

       Song Jun looked at him, not very surprised, but although he had heard the name of the City God and had been to the City God Temple, this was the first time he saw the City God.

       After taking a few steps forward, Song Jun suddenly stopped.

       Cen Le turned back to look at him.

       Song Jun asked him, “Do you know who the owner of the Demon Market is?”

       He hadn’t forgotten why they went to that amusement park in the first place.

       Cen Le stood opposite him, calmly saying, “I am the owner of the Demon Market.”

       Song Jun looked at him in shock.

       Cen Le said, “This is originally the method I used to maintain order in this city. Who says that the owner of the Demon City must also be a demon? I just use the existence of the Demon City to restrict the balance of these demons wandering in this city. Don’t let them act recklessly.”

       Song Jun asked, “What about the spread of demonic energy?”

       Cen Le smiled faintly, “You have wronged me. I also want to find out what happened. How can I easily tolerate disturbing the order of this city?”

       Seeing Cen Le’s smile, Song Jun didn’t know whether he should believe it or not.

       At this time, there was a distant sound of bells, and the smell of incense was wafting in the air.

       Cen Le said to him, “Come with me.”

       Song Jun hesitated but followed.

       Cen Le took him walking in the City God Temple. Song Jun saw no one else along the way until they came to a lake. The lake had a perfectly round shape, but it was divided into two halves like a yin-yang symbol, with one side being darker and the other lighter.

       Cen Le stood by the lake and asked him, “What else do you want to know?”

       Song Jun said, “What happened after Chunjun was sealed.”

       Cen Le said, “Okay, what this lake can reflect are your own memories of past lives. Whatever you want to know, just go and see for yourself.”

       After Song Jun heard this, he slowly took two steps forward, lowered his head and looked towards the lake.

       Chunjun was sealed, and the stars moved. Two hundred years later, a man in white appeared in the sealed place. The man’s appearance had not changed even after thousands of years, and Song Jun saw that it was none other than Xia Hongshen.

       Xia Hongshen held the Chunjun inserted in the rock with one hand, and the palm of his hand glowed slightly; then he broke the seal and pulled the Chunjun out of the stone.

       At that time, Chunjun had not yet obtained the immortal body and could not transform. The so-called sword spirit was just a spirit attached to the sword.

       Xia Hongshen seemed to feel that the sword in his hand was about to move, and the sword spirit turned into a shadow in the air. Song Jun looked carefully at the shadow, and it was clearly Jijun, the villain whose body was refined to the sword before. Song Jun didn’t notice it at that time, but now he looked carefully It seemed that Jijun’s face was exactly the same as his own, but with a lot more ferocity, making it look like two different people.

       At this time, Chunjun was still a fierce sword containing endless murderous energy.

       But Xia Hongshen didn’t care. He put the Chunjun away and took it with him to start his long journey. Demon Zhen really liked to collect divine weapons from all over the world. Whenever he heard that someone had a powerful weapon in his hand, he would go and see it himself.

       During these long years, Chunjun had been by his side.

       Demon Zhen didn’t kill people; he only ate ghosts. The blood stain on the Chunjun sword slowly washed away over time, and the murderous aura in his body gradually subsided.

       Song Jun saw Xia Hongshen hugging Chunjun and sitting under a big tree to take shelter on a night of heavy rain. However, the rain was too strong, and his white clothes were soaked. He impatiently transformed into an animal shape, and the rain soaked him. The wet fur clung to his body, looking a little pitiful.

       The Chunjun Sword was pressed under him, and the sword spirit turned into a phantom and sat beside him with an empty expression. He had not taken it out of its sheath for a long time, and he had almost forgotten who he was.

       Demon Zhen shook his head from time to time, but the annoying rain could not be shaken away. He looked at Chunjun and tried to talk to him for the first time.

       During these years, although Demon Zhen travelled around as a human being, Xia Hongshen still maintained his beastly habits. He did not have close friendships with people and rarely talked to people.

       He was not very good at expressing himself, so he just said to Chunjun, “You can try cultivating.”

       Chunjun was a little slow. After a long time, he turned to look at the big cat lying on the ground.

       Demon Zhen said to him, “You are a spiritual weapon. Maybe you can try to cultivate the sword into a human form.”

       Chunjun was stunned for a moment, then asked, “What difference it made?” When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, and his tone was weird.

       Demon Zhen looked down at the sword pressed beneath him, then looked up at the torrential rain that continued to pour down and said, “You can help keep me out of the rain.”

       This was a very strange reason, but Chunjun’s paused thoughts inexplicably accepted it.

       He continued to follow Xia Hongshen, watching him search and collect the dragon tip whip, then the crescent moon bell, and finally the gilded phoenix wings. However, suddenly, one day, he found that he could escape from Xia Hongshen’s hands and transform into a physical entity—human form.

       That time it rained, he held an umbrella for Xia Hongshen.

       Xia Hongshen sat on a branch, feeling happy that he didn’t have to get wet in the rain.

       When the rain stopped, Chunjun closed his umbrella and sat down next to Xia Hongshen. He saw Xia Hongshen lying down with his head on his lap.

       Chunjun stretched out his hand and gently lifted the sideburns from Xia Hongshen’s cheeks.

       Later, Xia Hongshen began to persistently search for suitable beings to inject life into his weapons. Wherever he went, Chunjun would follow, not knowing joy or sorrow, with eyes only on his only master.

       Then, even with Longshao, Yueya, and Fengliu, whenever Xia Hongshen felt tired, he still liked to lie down on Chunjun’s legs and sleep. When it rained, Chunjun would hold an umbrella for him. It was like they were irreplaceable to each other.

       Day after day, year after year, Demon Zhen devoted his long life to cultivation and finally ascended to immortality. The Chunjun Four Soldiers naturally followed Demon Zhen to ascend to the upper realm and became immortal soldiers. They lived in the heavenly palace for a long time, accompanied by the lively Yueya and cheerful Longshao, and were not very lonely.

       What Demon Zhen liked most was that he revealed his original form every day and spent his days leisurely in the heavenly palace. He even liked to put his head on Chunjun’s lap and let Chunjun comb his fur.

       This kind of leisurely time was about to last until the end of the world, but a sudden change disrupted their good life.

       Jade Emperor suddenly proposed to Demon Zhen that he would marry his daughter Princess Mei Ling to him. Jade Emperor originally did not approve of this marriage because he felt that Demon Zhen was still wild and did not want his daughter to marry him.

       But Princess Mei Ling’s whole heart was tied to Demon Zhen. No matter how Jade Emperor and the Queen try to dissuade her, she would not marry if it was not him.

       Jade Emperor had no choice but to agree to the marriage and gave the artefact Thousand Years Lamp to Demon Zhen as Princess Mei Ling’s dowry.

       In response to this matter, Demon Zhen had yet to react, but Yueya vehemently opposed it. The disagreement escalated to the point where it reached the Jade Emperor, who angrily dismissed Yueya.

       Yueya was very angry and privately encouraged Chunjun to come out to oppose Demon Zhen’s marriage to Princess Mei Ling.

       Chunjun disagreed at first, but later, under Yueya’s coaxing, he accidentally smashed the Thousand Years Lamp, and the pieces of the Thousand Years Lamp scattered around the world.

       Jade Emperor was furious and demoted Chunjun and Yueya to the mortal realm, not allowing anyone to intercede. Demon Zhen pleaded with the Jade Emperor, volunteering to descend to the mortal realm to seek redemption by finding the Thousand Years Lamp. Longshao and Fengliu insisted on accompanying him.

       Driven by anger and unwillingness to let Mei Ling continue pursuing Demon Zhen, the Jade Emperor granted Demon Zhen’s request. Along with Longshao and Fengliu, they were banished from the heavenly realm and instructed to return only after retrieving the Thousand Years Lamp.

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       If the lights were on in the haunted house at the amusement park, Song Jun believed everything around would appear comical in the bright light. However, in this pitch-black environment, even fake and laughable toy ghosts could frighten someone to half-death.

       People’s biggest fear often stemmed from the unknown in the darkness. It was the anticipation of what might be, coupled with the uncertainty, that made it particularly terrifying.

       However, with Xia Hongshen in front of Song Jun and Ling Xiao and Xiang Wenxi behind him, those fears were buffered, and he felt much more relaxed.

       For example, right now, Xia Hongshen was pushing back the hair of a female ghost who suddenly fell from above with some disgust.

       Song Jun hurriedly followed Xia Hongshen, trying not to be swept away by the female ghost’s hair falling again.

       The haunted house in this amusement park was actually not big. It was originally located in an urban area, and the surrounding land was very expensive. The amusement park did not have much land to build such an unpopular haunted house.

       However, they had been walking for more than ten minutes and still had not seen the exit. Along the way, Song Jun was sprayed with air-conditioning, saw a coffin that was suddenly opened under a green light, and heard all kinds of ghostly screams. But now, the surroundings suddenly became quiet, and nothing strange was seen anymore. Only the green light not far from the ground still extended toward the front.

       Song Jun heard Ling Xiao, who was walking not far behind him, say, “Something’s not right.”

       Xia Hongshen said, “Something is indeed wrong. We walked into a formation set up by others.”

       “Formation?” Xiang Wenxi was surprised.

       Xia Hongshen stopped and said, “Nine-gate Yin-dispelling Formation? Do you know this formation?” There was some confusion in his tone, and then he said, “Be careful. No matter what you see or hear, don’t panic.”

       Hearing what Xia Hongshen said, Song Jun became even more panicked. He said, “What will we see?”

       Xia Hongshen just said, “Don’t be afraid.”

       Xia Hongshen closed his eyes and carefully checked the formation alignment before continuing to walk forward with Song Jun.  Although the spell array was complex, the location of the formation’s centre was also the position of the one who set it up. For him, breaking it was not difficult, as no scene could induce fear in him.

       Similarly, Chunjun would not be afraid because he shouldn’t have any fear emotion.

       But Song Jun didn’t consider himself Chunjun, and he felt extremely scared.

       He couldn’t see the people in front and behind him, and the weak light near the ground was not enough to illuminate the people in front and behind him. He could only feel Xia Hongshen holding his hand and the footsteps before and after him.

       Somehow, Song Jun felt very scared. He always tried to distinguish which footsteps belonged to whom. For example, Xia Hongshen’s footsteps were very light and almost silent, while Xiang Wenxi’s footsteps were slightly brisk, and Ling Xiao’s were relatively calm. But as he walked, Song Jun always felt that there was an extra person in front of him.

       He shook Xia Hongshen’s hand and asked, “Senior brother, is there no one in front of you?”

       “No,” Xia Hongshen told him very clearly.

       Actually, Song Jun knew the answer. He just wanted to hear Xia Hongshen say it so that he could feel relieved. Then he told himself not to think wildly and hummed a song in his heart. Anyway, he didn’t need to know the way; he just needed to be led by Xia Hongshen.

       However, while walking, Song Jun suddenly found that the footsteps behind him disappeared. He was stunned for a moment, then listened carefully. He really couldn’t hear the footsteps of Xiang Wenxi and Ling Xiao anymore; only his and Xia Hongshen’s were still there.

       Song Jun swallowed and said, “Senior Brother Xia, Ling Xiao, they are missing?”

       Xia Hongshen said calmly, “Got separated and had hallucinations.”

       Song Jun suddenly became worried, “Will something happen to them?”

       Xia Hongshen said, “Don’t underestimate Ling Xiao.” After saying that, he was silent for a moment and then said, “Don’t let go of my hand, or we may get separated.”

       Song Jun nodded, then realised that Xia Hongshen couldn’t see it, so he whispered, “Yeah.”

       After taking a few steps forward, Song Jun suddenly asked curiously, “Why didn’t I have hallucinations?”

       Xia Hongshen did not answer him immediately, but after a brief silence, he asked, “How do you know you are not hallucinating?”

       Song Jun was startled when he heard this.

       Xia Hongshen continued in a calm voice, “What you heard and saw, can you tell which one is true and which one is false? You may have been hallucinating from the moment you entered without knowing it. Do you know whose hand you are holding?”

       When he finished speaking, Song Jun suddenly felt goosebumps all over his body, and the hand of Xia Hongshen that he had been holding became cold. The outline of the person in front seemed to be faintly visible in the dark. He was very thin and tall, not like Xia Hongshen at all.

       Maybe what he said was true. Maybe the person he held was not Xia Hongshen’s hand from the moment he came in!

       Song Jun couldn’t help but scream, throw away the hand he was holding, and back away hastily.

       After taking a few steps back, he heard Xia Hongshen ask him, “I told you, don’t let go of my hand no matter what. Why didn’t you listen?”

       Song Jun was suddenly stunned. He stood there at a loss because he had let go of Xia Hongshen’s hand. He had clearly held Xia Hongshen’s hand before entering the haunted house. As long as he didn’t let go, there was no reason he was led by other people by mistake.

       However, he let go now.

       Xia Hongshen walked to him, held his hand again, and said, “Be obedient, don’t let go again.”

       Song Jun was led forward by Xia Hongshen. He felt that he was completely confused because he no longer knew whether Xia Hongshen was real or fake, and he didn’t know what was reality and what was an illusion.

       As he was stumbling, Song Jun suddenly heard footsteps chasing after him behind him. As he chased him, he shouted, “Song Jun!”

       That was Xiang Wenxi’s voice.

       Song Jun stopped quickly and pulled Xia Hongshen to stop. He said, “Xiang Wenxi is here.”

       However, Xia Hongshen said, “That’s not Xiang Wenxi.”

       At the same time, Song Jun heard Xiang Wenxi’s surprised voice, and he said, “Song Jun, who is that person with you? That doesn’t smell like Demon Zhen. Who is that?”

       Song Jun looked blankly into the darkness.

       “Go quickly!” Xia Hongshen urged him.

       But Xiang Wenxi said, “Song Jun, why don’t you come here quickly! That’s not the right person!”

       Song Jun was so frightened that he finally shook off the man’s hand, then pushed him away and ran towards the darkness. The small lights on both sides illuminated the way for him. As he ran forward, he shouted loudly, “Senior Brother Xia! Where are you?”

       He ran like this in the darkness for several minutes but still received no response. ‘Xia Hongshen’ and ‘Xiang Wenxi’ who were originally beside him, had long since disappeared. He felt tired and finally stopped running forward. Instead, he stepped aside, touched a wall, and then slowly sat down against the wall.

       He stretched his hand towards the small green light in the corner and finally saw his hand. However, at this time, he also used the faint light to see another hand not far from him.

       That hand was covered in blood.

       Song Jun was extremely frightened, but now he calmed down. He even asked, “Who are you?”

       He thought he wouldn’t get an answer, but unexpectedly, the hand beside me moved, and then a haggard voice said, “I am Jijun.”

       “Ji…jun?” Song Jun repeated blankly.

       The man said, “Someone is chasing me.”

       Song Jun asked, “Who is chasing you? Why are they chasing you?”

       The man said, “He is King Goujian of Yue’s man.”

       Song Jun felt a bit disoriented in time and space. “King Goujian of Yue? Why is he chasing you?”

       The man slowly raised his hand and clenched it into a fist, “Because I have killed countless people and am the most vicious person in the world.”

       The most vicious person in the world? Song Jun felt like he had heard it somewhere.

       The surroundings suddenly lit up. Song Jun stood up suddenly in surprise. He saw that the little green light was gone. The surrounding area was not a dark and endless passage but an open desert. The place where he was leaning just now was a piece of stone. It was a big yellow stone, and there was a person leaning on the stone at this time. The person was wearing a short coat and long boots in a style reminiscent of ancient barbarian clothing. His clothing was tattered and dishevelled, and his long hair hung loose. The person looked haggard, covered in bloodstains from head to toe.

       He raised his head and closed his eyes as if he had no strength to continue running away.

       Not long after, Song Jun heard the sound of horse hooves, and a group of people came from a distance. They surrounded the place and then took away the dying man who was sitting next to a stone.

       No one saw Song Jun. Except for the conversation with the man at the beginning, Song Jun seemed to be just a flicker of consciousness floating in this world. He could see and hear, but he could not touch or communicate.

       He watched the man being taken away and followed him unknowingly. After a long journey, he saw the man being brought into the palace, tied and kneeling in the main hall, and then taken down and locked in a cell.

       Two days later, someone took him out of the cell again, tied his limbs tightly, and brought him to an old man. The old man looked at him and nodded. The men pulled him up and threw him alive into a huge sword furnace; the furnace door was closed, he was burned alive, and the sword was forged with his flesh and blood.

       “…Extolling its splendor, like a lotus just emerging; examining its patterns, dazzling like the procession of stars; observing its brilliance, turbid like water overflowing a pond; inspecting its break, rugged like intricate rocks; observing its talent, radiant like the release of ice. This is what is called Chungao.¹check author’s note“

       Chunjun was presented to King Goujian of Yue by Ou Yezi, and was later given to the general of Yue. The life and death of that general were unknown, and he was the one who sealed Chunjun.

       Song Jun looked at all this, and he understood that this was Chunjun in his previous life, but this past could not evoke any memories in him.

       He stood there, watching the Chunjun sword being sealed, and the surroundings turned dark again. He couldn’t help but take a few steps forward. He wanted to see Xia Hongshen coming to unseal the past for Chunjun, but at this time, he heard someone ask him: “Do you still have your memories?”

       Song Jun turned his head and saw the outline of a person clearly in the darkness.

       The man was wearing a black robe, with long hair hanging over his shoulders. He was clearly someone from modern times. He took a few steps towards Song Jun and asked, “Do you still have your memories?”

       “Who are you?” Song Jun asked him.

       The man smiled slightly, walked up to Song Jun and said, “I am your master.”

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The author has something to say:
Note: Chunjun, also known as Chungou, is excerpted from “Yue Jue Book: Chronicles of the Precious Sword”

It’s so sad that my previous articles were locked…

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Notes:
Thanks to Immortal Mountains Glossary for those who are interested in Formation~
Formations (阵 zhèn) (阵法 zhènfǎ) – divided into battle formations and spell formations, although they are often just called “formations”. Battle formations are “fantasy-fied” tactical formations used by several cultivators or martial artists attacking in concert. Spell formations are also called Arrays. They’re essentially magic circles which cast a continuous area-of-effect spell on the location the formation encompasses.

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