Yin Ci was curious.
He knew that Shi Jingzhi was clever and shouldn’t be underestimated. He also understood that the more he spoke, the more mistakes he might make, so he should immediately throw out the smoke bomb and leave the scene. The current Shi Jingzhi wouldn’t be able to stop him.
But he was just too curious—what was Shi Jingzhi going to do to him? And how did he view “Yin Ci” as his disciple?
So he laughed wantonly. “Most likely, I killed him.”
How would Shi Jingzhi react? Surprise, regret, fear, or—
A strong murderous intent suddenly erupted.
The half-broken flagpole instantly aimed at Yin Ci’s throat, but Yin Ci pinched it with two fingers and firmly stopped it. “Kid, you’re no match for me.”
Shi Jingzhi cautiously moved his feet, and the light from the tomb illuminated his face. He wasn’t wearing a mask, and his face flickered in the shadowy light, exuding an unusually strong demonic aura.
“I know,” he said hoarsely, his tone completely different from usual.
Yin Ci was slightly taken aback.
He had never seen Shi Jingzhi so angry before. In Yin Ci’s impression, his cheap master was usually never serious and only knew how to joke. This was the first time Shi Jingzhi had shown anger in front of him.
And it was an anger filled with killing intent.
Although Shi Jingzhi said he knew, he didn’t show the slightest sign of retreat. He refused to let go of the flagpole, and his gaze was like that of a vicious wolf selecting its prey.
All for a disciple he had only been with for less than a month?
Yin Ci’s interest grew. He decisively pulled back the flagpole, but unexpectedly, Shi Jingzhi held on tightly and charged straight at him. Yin Ci sidestepped, hooking Shi Jingzhi’s waist and pressing a finger on his shoulder, firmly pinning him to the stone pillar.
Leaning forward, almost touching noses with Shi Jingzhi, Yin Ci asked, “Since you know, why dare to provoke me?”
Shi Jingzhi struggled a few times, and his tone carried bloodlust. “I can’t kill Senior, but that doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you.”
“You two have a deep master-disciple relationship.”
Shi Jingzhi whispered, “It doesn’t matter if it’s deep or not; it’s ‘my possession’.”
Yin Ci: “…”
What kind of nonsense was this? Why hadn’t he heard about this before?
Yin Ci’s mind wandered for a moment. A layer of golden fire surrounded Shi Jingzhi’s body, and his amber eyes almost reflected a golden hue. The golden fire was scorching. Shi Jingzhi started to struggle fiercely that holding him by the shoulder alone wasn’t enough to restrain him.
He needed to find a better place to subdue him and make him more obedient.
Yin Ci moved his left hand upward, holding down Shi Jingzhi’s chin, forcing him to expose his throat. Just as his right hand was about to clamp down on his neck, Shi Jingzhi suddenly turned his head and bit down on Yin Ci’s left thumb.
Shi Jingzhi’s bite was incredibly strong. His teeth instantly broke the skin and reached the bone, staining his lips with blood that then flowed down his chin, shining brightly in the light of the yang fire.
Yin Ci could feel the scorching sensation of his opponent’s tongue. Shi Jingzhi seemed to be burning all over, like a moth drawn to the flame.
With a cold snort, Yin Ci firmly pressed his hand against Shi Jingzhi’s neck, allowing him to bite.
Leaving a wound would be good; later, the wound would disappear without a trace, and the suspicion of being “Mountain Dweller Yin Ci” would be smaller.
“Forget it, I only killed a few followers of the Ling Sect. Judging from your actions, you don’t seem like someone from the Ling Sect.” Yin Ci saw the other person increasingly losing control, and he didn’t want to take things too far.
Shi Jingzhi’s state was clearly not right.
Previously, he had been cautious and cherished his life. Even if he occasionally said a few foolish words, Yin Ci knew very well in his heart—they were just acquaintances with some good feelings, still guarded against each other, and far from committing their hearts to each other.
During these days, Shi Jingzhi had also not shown any extraordinary interest in “Mountain Dweller Yin Ci”.
Based on such a relationship, would it make Shi Jingzhi abandon his fear of death and fight desperately like this? Moreover, his current state seemed more like he had gone insane rather than being overwhelmed by grief.
…Was this loss of control really due to “his disciple being killed”, or was it because “everything was taken away”?
This person was too abnormal. A faint chill rose on Yin Ci’s back.
On the other hand, upon hearing Yin Ci’s denial, Shi Jingzhi finally loosened his grip. He licked the blood off his lips with a face filled with doubt. “You have his smell on you.”
Yin Ci narrowed his eyes. “Smell? This place is filled with the smell of blood. Where would there be his scent?”
Shi Jingzhi said in a cold voice, “I applied a special-scented ointment on him, so I can’t be mistaken. Senior definitely had contact with him.”
He knew that the peculiar-smelling burn ointment had some tricks. The ointment was applied to the ghostskin robe, so his hands inevitably picked up some of the scent.
Yin Ci sneered, then grabbed the front of Shi Jingzhi’s clothes, lifting him up along the pillar while concealing his healing thumb. “There’s no need for me to deceive you. Considering your young age, you wouldn’t have been able to take in disciples for many years. How did things escalate to this point? Are you and your disciple involved romantically?”
Shi Jingzhi clenched Yin Ci’s wrist with great force. “A’Ci saved my life, understands my emotions, and cooks delicious food…”
As he said this, he suddenly smiled, and the madness in his eyes diminished slightly. “He is ‘my’ disciple. As his master, I cannot let him down.”
Upon hearing this, the smile on Yin Ci’s face gradually disappeared.
At that moment, another “Suffering From Parting” mechanism was activated, and the dull friction sound reverberated through the hall.
Well, that was good timing.
Yin Ci looked coldly at Shi Jingzhi. “You’re somewhat pleasing to the eye, so I’ll spare you this time.”
He released his cheap master and struck forcefully at the spot where Shi Jingzhi had been. Debris flew as a large piece of the pillar shattered. The entire pillar cracked and slowly toppled.
At the same time, Yin Ci threw the smoke bomb, filling the space with gray-white smoke.
Taking advantage of the smoke not yet dissipating, Yin Ci quickly returned to the room. He put on the freshly dried ghostskin robe and lay down beside the monk, pretending to be unconscious.
Shi Jingzhi soon arrived.
“A’Ci, A’Ci.” He forcefully slapped Yin Ci’s face and shook him vigorously. “Wake up!”
“…Shizun, even if I’m awake, I’ll be knocked unconscious by you.” Yin Ci, irritated by the slaps, had to open his eyes.
Shi Jingzhi had already lost the anger he had before, and that look of madness seemed like an illusion. He checked Yin Ci’s pulse and sincerely breathed a sigh of relief. “Are you injured?”
Yin Ci gritted his teeth. “My face hurts.”
Shi Jingzhi: “It’s good that you’re fine. What happened here?”
“I woke up early and saw people from the Ling Sect, so I found a place to hide,” Yin Ci massaged his face while coming up with a prepared story. “I was discovered by an elder from the Ling Sect halfway through, but it was another person who jumped out. It was a man in white clothes, without any weapons.”
“He fought with the members of the Ling Sect, and that master was knocked unconscious by him while I was also dragged out and knocked unconscious… That’s all I remember.”
The nearby monk also woke up, clasping his hands together. “The Young Patron is right. This humble one also saw the person in white clothes. Unfortunately, my skills were no match for him, and I was knocked out by his palm.”
After the monk finished speaking, he looked up at the void and muttered softly, “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form*.”
*A Buddhist concept associated with the Heart Sutra, a fundamental text of Mahayana Buddhism. Its idea is that everything is interconnected and that all things are fundamentally empty of inherent existence. It points to the interconnectedness and interplay of form and emptiness, challenging dualistic perceptions and inviting a deeper understanding of reality.
“Perhaps it was a skilled master who infiltrated anonymously,” Shi Jingzhi innocently said, his expression unchanged. “This has nothing to do with us. Let’s go and get out of here.”
This was the Shi Jingzhi that Yin Ci was familiar with.
Yin Ci didn’t sit up immediately. “Shizun, how did you get out?”
“Me? I ended up with the people from the Rong Palace. They happen to have some knowledge about these things and didn’t think much of our small sect. I just took advantage of the situation.”
“Your mask…”
“Oh, right. I was in a rush and forgot to put it on.” Shi Jingzhi scratched his head in embarrassment as he gave a radiant smile.
The monk quietly turned away. “Form is emptiness—”
Shi Jingzhi quickly put on his mask. “A’Ci, come here. I’ll carry you.”
Yin Ci obediently extended a hand for Shi Jingzhi to pull him up. He looked straight into Shi Jingzhi’s eyes. “Shizun, you really came to rescue me.”
“Of course.” Shi Jingzhi’s tone was light and cheerful. “I am your master, after all.”
Yin Ci took two steps forward, almost leaning close to Shi Jingzhi’s ear, and asked directly, “I was wondering, why did you give me the Buddhist bead?”
Shi Jingzhi held Yin Ci’s shoulders with both hands, still smiling. “If I had taken away the bead, wouldn’t you feel anxious—afraid that I would abandon you or something. As a good master, there is no reason to make my disciple afraid.”
Yin Ci remained silent and just gazed steadily at Shi Jingzhi.
Previously, he was the “strange man in white”, and Shi Jingzhi had no need to act in front of him. Shi Jingzhi’s words were genuine, but there was an inexplicable sincerity that couldn’t be deduced by conventional reasoning, which made Yin Ci feel a bit uneasy.
Unaware of Yin Ci’s thoughts, Shi Jingzhi held his disciple’s hand.
“A’Ci, hold on a little longer. We have arrived at the entrance to the third level… Do you trust me now?”
“As your master, I will never let you down.”
Yin Ci reflexively wanted to withdraw his hand, but he held back. In the end, his hand trembled in Shi Jingzhi’s palm.
Initially, he agreed to follow Shi Jingzhi for seven parts utilization and three parts interest. Later on, perhaps the balance between “utilization” and “interest” shifted to fifty-fifty, but it still didn’t surpass the realm of “having fun”.
Now, among these reasons, a darker one emerged—he wanted to see if this person would fulfill his promise before dying.
People change. Shi Jingzhi was still too young. He didn’t yet understand that some promises should never be made lightly.
I will never let you down. I will never let you down.
If he considered the recent past, Sun Huaijin had also said these words. But every time he made a move behind Yin Ci’s back, Yin Ci saw it and couldn’t be bothered to point it out.
As for the person who said these words first…
Yin Ci stopped reminiscing, pulling out the most harmless smile and mixing in a perfectly timed sense of gratitude.
“I trust you, Shizun.”
I definitely don’t trust you.
Shi Jingzhi fully regained his spirits and lifted Yin Ci and the monk up from the ground, directly facing the people from the Taiheng Sect and Jianchen Temple.
Shi Zhongyu was in the middle of a conversation with Monk Juehui. Upon seeing the safe return of the Kushan Sect master and his disciple, she stopped talking and had a slight smile on her face. “Both of you are really lucky.”
Yan Qing’s divination was quite accurate. The Taiheng Sect indeed had good luck, and they didn’t suffer many casualties this time. Shi Jingzhi couldn’t hold back his question. “Miss Shi, how did you break the ‘Suffering From Parting’?”
“Thanks to the masters of Jianchen Temple. They have been practicing asceticism for years, with their limbs bound by heavy sand hoops. The sand hoops are extremely heavy, which was more than enough to deal with the stone pillars.”
Yin Ci: “…” He had completely forgotten about this matter. If he had remembered, perhaps he could have avoided losing a few limbs.
Shi Jingzhi didn’t understand his disciple’s pain. He continued cheerfully, “That means only the people from the Ling Sect, Chigou Sect, and Yueshui Pavilion are left.”
Before he finished speaking, the fourth “Suffering From Parting” slowly descended, carrying a strong smell of blood.
Matron Wuxue was the first to jump out. Her eyes scanned the Taiheng Sect and Jianchen Temple, clearly counting the number of people. In the end, a hint of regret could be seen in her gaze.
“Let’s go.”
She flicked the blood off her hand.
“This Ghost Tomb is finally over.”
The author has something to say:
There is a reason why Fox Shi is regarded as an evil by his brothers! Xu Jingming won’t go all out just because of a prophecy… The reasons will be revealed later (?
Let’s rule out two wrong answers: It’s not about multiple personalities or being possessed, haha.
Yin Ci: Are you having an affair with your disciple?
Many years later.
Shi Jingzhi: Yes.
