Chapter 12 – Fourty Thousand: A Debt Collecting Ghost's Story
Although You Shu was young, he had seen a lot. He very quickly shook off his fear and worked hard to survive. He raised his hand again and resolutely dug out the monk’s eye. He immediately released his hand, covered his eye and gave a blood-curdling scream. Taking advantage of this distance, You Shu freed himself and ran like mad. He glaced back but saw that the monk was not affected at all by his damaged eyeball and was chasing after him at a lightning speed. The evil spirit was probably also thinking that this body wasn’t his after all and even though there was pain, he would endure it for the sake of the flesh and blood of the foreigner of the world.
Blu: If only there was someone out there who would be as dedicated to me as this ghost was dedicated to You Shu’s flesh and blood. …….Wait, wouldn’t that be a stalker? *shivers*
You Shu’s legs were short, so how could he compare with an adult? He was going to be overtaken soon and couldn’t help but secretly complain. If he had known earlier that the evil spirit would pursue relentlessly and was so unwilling to let him go like this, constantly seizing every opportunity, he would have followed by the Master’s side at all times. However, it was too late to regret now. Even if he stuck on wings on himself, he couldn’t fly back in an instant.
“Help! Master, save me!” You Shu open his mouth to yell, but this place was far away from the temple and the path was also very desolate. Don’t speak about the youth, there was not a single trace of the monks from the temple.
Hearing the footsteps behind him that got closer and closer, You Shu felt faint in despair. But in the midst of his mental crisis, the sound of something cutting through the air echoed. Immediately after, there were two screams. You Shu turned to look back and found that the monk who was being possessed by the malicious spirit was on the ground paralysed. There was a bloody hole in both his legs, clearly having been injured by a hidden weapon. Who helped him? And why did that person hide in the dark and refuse to show himself? Despite this, You Shu didn’t dare to stop. While he ran, his thoughts spun rapidly. Soon, the arched door of the small courtyard was almost within reach and he almost cried tears of joy.
He knew that although his past history was strange, there was definitely no one who would protect him from the shadows. His father did not have the heart, his mother did not have the strength. Thinking about it over and over, only the Master could be the cause of protection from these people hiding in the dark, would. That’s right, he was carrying the air of a dragon around his body. Having a few hidden guards was only reasonable.
Counting it, how many times now has Master saved his life? When You Shu stepped past the entrance and into the courtyard, he couldn’t thank his hidden guard enough.
At the same time, the youth also received the news of You Shu’s attack from a shadow guard. AS he pushed open the room’s door and rushed out, he collided straight into the flustered and confused child. As soon as he fell into the warm embrace, smelling faintly of sandalwood, You Shu felt completely at ease. His limbs forcefully wrapped around the youth’s leg and could not be moved. Until the malicious spirit was eliminated You Shu would not part from Master this entire life. Thinking this way, he held on even tighter, pressing his little pale face into the youth’s thigh.
“It’s okay, don’t be scared You Shu, it’s fine now.” The youth bent down and lifted the shivering child into his embrace, patting his back to comfort him.
You Shu didn’t say anything. When he felt that he was being lifted from the ground, he hastily hugged the youth’s neck and buried his face in the his neck. The safest place in the world for him is really only here.
The youth brought the frightened child back into the room and found Jinchuang medicine to wrap up the bitten ear that was dripping with blood. Ah Da and Ah Er were ordered to interrogate the monk, but they found that the other party had inexplicably died already. The body was sent secretly to the coroner for examination, but they weren’t able to find the exact cause of death.
Who did the monk come for? You Shu or himself? This problem was very difficult for the youth to understand. But, after more than half a month, they did not find anything suspicious and the investigations were abandoned.
You Shu did not receive only a small shock this time. so, only after he gnawed on a dozen or so steamed buns did he feel refreshed. From then on, he would stick to his Master. Wherever Master went, he would follow, just like a small tail. The youth also did not feel fed up with it. He not only looked after him wherever they went, he also taught him personally to read and write. The interactions between them became better and better, no longer looking like Master and servant, but more as father and son.
Although it was safe to stay by the young master’s side, putting his life in the hands of others made You Shu feel not at ease Whenever he was free, he began to wonder on how to kill the ghost. Presently, he still hadn’t discovered the malicious spirit’s weakness. Instead, he had let the other party gain information that could be used against him. The other party had dared to venture into the temple and had even killed a monk. It was clear that it was not fearful of those clay sculptures of gods and Buddhas at all. There may be many things in this world that could restrain it but out of them the one that You Shu knew personally, was only the youth.
Therefore, the key to killing the malicious spirit was still Master. It would be nice if he could use the Dragon Qi for his own use. While he was thinking on this, You Shu’s had a new train of thought. He had never studied Dragon Qi, but the so-called Dragon Qi was ultimately a kind of power, no different from abilities. If abilities can be attained, then Dragon Qi was naturally the same.
To attain abilities, one only needed to dig out the crystal nucleus of ability users and absorb it. What about Dragon Qi? It can’t be that he had to drink his blood and eat his meat? Just like how the evil ghost wanted to deal with him? You Shu frantically shook his head and thoroughly got rid of this awful thought. He may have no moral integrity and a lower limit, and his Three Views was also somewhat crooked, but he had always pursued the code of conduct of repaying kindness with gratitude and paying enmity with revenge. Master never harmed him. On the contrary, he even saved him from fire and water several times. To plot against the youth’s life just to protect his is something he would never do.
Blu: Forgive me, but: Ohohoho~
You Shu thought hard for a few days and eventually suppressed the idea of attaining the Dragon Qi. He asked the youth for a piece of jade that he carried with him. He wanted to know if an item that had been by the youth’s side for a long time, would be tainted with Dragon Qi and thus have the effect of exorcising and self-defence. Truthfully, he took one step out of the courtyard with this jade pendant and was almost immediately attacked by the malicious spirit. He was fortunately prepared and immediately opened his mouth to yell for Master once he felt a gust of evil wind rolling over, scaring the ghost away.
Since then, You Shu no longer dared to play with his own life and furthermore, did not dare to even take one step away from his Master.
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Years slipped by and time flew, 10 years already unwittingly passed. From a short-limbed breastfed child, You Shu grew up to become a handsome young man. And the youth, who’s figure was originally tall and straight, became ever more so handsome, his noble air becoming threatening.
The burning of incense at Kaiyuan Temple was still as desolate. The inner rooms of the temple had been in disrepair for a long time and have already become utterly ruined. Many of the monks could not take the hardship and had returned their secular lives one by one. The little courtyard that You Shu and his Master dwelled in had wormwood growing along all the roof tiles because no one was managing it. The birds hide in the wormwood and built nests for laying eggs. After spring and summer had passed, the sounds of orioles was everywhere. The sparrows’ cries had a somewhat rustic charm.
Oriole Sparrow
On this day, Ji Changye, who was originally the youth, was standing behind the desk practicing writing characters. He had a scholarly temperament and gentle features, but the wild cursive hand was fully imbued with courage, the momentum of his might shaking all directions. Ah Da moved closer to take a carefully look. It was four words “Upend Heaven and Earth”.
Ji Changye put down the writing brush and habitually looked at the corner. He saw You Shu with a candied fruit in his mouth. His cheek had a little bulge which made the face, whose baby fat had never receded, cuter and even more amusing. However, what made people unable to restrain their laughter were his actions. He held an embroidery needle and was skilfully threading the needle to make clothes. If he had been wearing a colourful jacket and skirt, he would look like a little girl.
Ji Changye pressed his fist against his lips and laughed lowly twice. Only then did he beckoned and called him over, “You Shu, let’s see if you’ve grown taller or not.”
You Shu put down the needlework, walked over and stood still by the bookcase. He had grown up but still needed to look up to see his Master. To put a hat on the other party, he needed to stand on tiptoe. There was no hope in this life, of ever catching up. He pressed his back against the bookcase and stood perfectly straight, and asked full of hope, “Did I grow taller?”
Ji Changye used a dagger to make a mark on the bookcase and nodded, “You grew an inch taller, not bad.”
“Grew an inch?” You Shu’s bright eyes dimmed. You Shu turned and gazed at his hand on his head, comparing it with the mark on the bookcase. There was no choice but to admit this cruel fact.
“Growing an inch every year. You can still grow for 5 years. Perhaps you can reach up to my ears.” Ji Changye messed with the younger’s soft, black hair, his face filled with gentleness and pampering. Carefully raising a breastfed doll to a incomparably handsome youth, although that kind of satisfaction could not be compared to the carefreeness gained from stirring up events under the sky from the dark, it also has a special kind of flavour. If he received the love and gratitude of the other party while he raised him, then it made him more unable to let go.
Ji Changye was somewhat addicted. So when he found that his arrangement had started to show results, he actually didn’t know what to choose. He looked for an excuse to send You Shu away and twisted his eyebrows, “Any unusual moves in the Capital?”
“This is the letter that just arrived. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor are launching a chess game on the issue of the Seventh Prince’s affiliated land. It may be assumed that they will summon you back to the Capital within a few days time.” Ah Da offered a secretive letter.
Ji Changye unfolded the letter and examined it carefully. His brows not smoothen out, instead they wrinkled even more tightly.
Ah Da did not know what exactly he was worrying about, but he insisted on poking his sore spot, “Master, when should we return You Shu to the Wang family? If you open your mouth, he will definitely sacrifice his life for you. Wang Xianggan is now the confidant of the Crown Prince. If he is knocked down, then the Crown Prince’s faction would definitely inflict heavy losses.”
Cultivating a spy and then sending them to his enemy. For Ji Changye, this kind of matter was already sparse and did not need to be worried over. But when it was You Shu’s turn, he was slow to make up his mind. You Shu was very clever, especially in reading and writing. He was able to pick up something after being taught once and was able to deduce many things from one topic. However, he was simple in the ways of the world, like a piece of white paper. He never learnt to hide his emotions and did not understand what was sinister. If he sent him back to the Wang family, Ji Changye was afraid that he would become riddled with scars after facing the dark secrets and winds and all kinds of conspiracies of the Imperial Court. Eyes filled with great changes, Ji Changye was reluctant, very reluctant.
He kneaded his temple and sighed, “Wait some more, let me carefully think on it.”
Seeing that the Master’s expression was clear, Ah Da did not dare to pursue the matter further.
Over the past 10 years, the malicious ghost had come time and time again to cause trouble, causing You Shu’s vigilant nature to increase greatly. As long as there was any trace of peculiarity in the room, he would immediately sense it. Because of this, he slowly became aware that in this seemingly desolate temple, there were more than a hundred hidden guards inside and outside.
Song Mama and Baishao came by every few days to see him and brought news from the outside in passing. He knew that Prince Sanzi had been banished to Liangzhou because of his lack of morals. Although he had not cut the jade, he was ordered to stay in the temple forever to redeem himself. What mistake that Prince Sanzi actually made and which temple he was sent away to, no one knows.
Prince Sanzi was Empress Yuan’s only son and should have inherited Datong and established it as the Crown Prince. However, the current Emperor was fearful of Empress Yuan’s maternal clan. In order to prevent those relatives from monopolizing power, he focused on suppressing the mother and son. 15 years ago, Empress Yuan passed away and 11 years ago, Prince Sanzi was exiled. His mother’s clan was quarantined. Till today, regardless whether in the Royal Court or among the people, very few people remember that the Emperor still had another son.
You Shu briefly thought about it and then knew that his Master was definitely Prince Sanzi. You Shu may appear a little bit dull but he was actually highly intelligent. Learning from everyday clues, his Master definitely wasn’t that unbearable and useless person from the rumours. Recently, shadow guards had been increasingly moving in and out from the small courtyard and from time to time. carrier pigeons could be seen hovering outside the window You Shu had a distinct premonition that his Master was probably going to return to the Capital.
TRANSLATOR'S CORNER
BLU: Awww yessss, let all the drama begin!
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