Chapter Sixty: Emptiness After Departure

To be honest, I was quite nervous myself—I had never experienced anything like this before. I barely understood the matters between men and women; whatever little knowledge I had came from those racy magazines. But when desire takes hold, impatience follows fast.

“Honey, I’m your husband—what’s there to be afraid of?” I held Wang Ying’s soft body in my arms, losing myself in the moment.

“No, I’m scared... I’m scared I’ll get pregnant,” Wang Ying said, covering herself with her hand.

Suddenly, I remembered that time Wei Qi gave me several condoms. That guy must have a secret stash—I needed to get some from him. Hurriedly, I fixed my clothes and climbed down from the bed. “Honey, wait for me here. I’ll be right back.”

Shuffling into my slippers, I walked toward Wei Qi’s house. When I reached his door, I hesitated, feeling a bit embarrassed. As I wondered how to broach the subject, Wei Qi burst out of his house and nearly ran smack into me.

“Da Chuan, I was just looking for you,” Wei Qi said, sounding agitated and anxious.

“Uncle Qi, is something wrong?”

“Li Danian called. He’s gathered dozens of practitioners of the yin-yang arts. Tonight, we’re going to confront Old Zhao together. He specifically asked for you to join us. Honestly, I’d rather you stayed home with Wang Ying, but your Three-foot Dragon Abyss sword is a powerful weapon. Having you there would be best.”

I felt a bit annoyed, but there was no help for it. This was my duty as a walker-between-worlds, and besides, Wei Qi and I had already been to Old Zhao’s house and knew the situation well.

I told Wei Qi to wait a moment, then hurried home. Wang Ying was already sitting there, her clothes slightly disheveled—a result of my earlier impatience.

“Honey, where did you go?” Wang Ying asked sweetly, tidying her hair. Seeing her like that, my heart melted. If it weren’t for this mission, I wouldn’t have left her side for anything.

I embraced her, kissed her cheek, and stroked her waist. “Darling, I have to go out, but I’ll be back by tomorrow morning at the latest. Will you be all right here alone?” I worried about her—a young woman, unfamiliar with this place, no family or friends around. I couldn’t help but be concerned.

To my surprise, Wang Ying nodded. “Go ahead. Men have their business. I won’t interfere. I’ll be fine at home.”

Her words set my mind at ease. I bought her some daily necessities from the village shop before heading out. Before I left, I made sure to keep the Soul Urn at home—in other words, I left Shangguan Wan’er and Qingting behind, while Xuanli crawled into my pocket.

The reason I left Shangguan Wan’er was so she could keep Wang Ying company and, if necessary, protect her. In case anything happened, Shangguan Wan’er could at least hold the fort for a while.

Wei Qi and I drove straight to Li Danian’s house, halfway up the mountain. In his watchman’s cottage, more than twenty men and women of all ages were gathered, hailing from all over the country. Their appearances varied, but they were all passionately discussing the matter at hand.

When Wei Qi and I arrived, Li Danian had us recount the events of that day. Wei Qi described, from start to finish, how Old Zhao had attacked us with his army of shadow soldiers.

“Zhao Wuji is training shadow soldiers? That can’t be! The boy has talent—he doesn’t need to dabble in these crooked arts. Why would he do this? For his own use?” asked an elderly man with a bristling white beard but not a single hair on his head.

“I sense a conspiracy. There must be someone pulling the strings behind him—someone formidable,” Li Danian replied, then described how Wei Qi and I saw corpses with their hearts cut out in the county hospital morgue.

The room buzzed with anxious speculation—connecting shadow soldiers, corpse oil, and more. In the end, everyone agreed: something major was about to happen in the spirit world.

As the discussion heated up, the white-bearded elder fixed his gaze on me. “What’s your name?”

I was puzzled—why ask my name? Did I seem special somehow? But seeing his age and hearing his insightful remarks, I replied, “Elder, my name is Wang Dachuan. My father’s name is Wang Liang, and my second uncle is Wang Jun.”

He furrowed his brow, stood up, and walked over, placing his hand atop my head. I felt a wave of unease. After a long moment, he withdrew his hand. “Young man, you are a talent the likes of which come once in a thousand years. If you flourish, the spirit world flourishes with you; if you fall, it will suffer a great loss. Remember my words—do not walk the crooked path.” With a sigh, he returned to his seat.

Worried about Wang Ying at home, I didn’t say much more. Throughout my life, anyone who met me said I was gifted, extraordinary—but to this day, I couldn’t see what made me so special.

Because it was still daylight, no one wanted to attack Old Zhao, lest we alert him too soon. So, we sipped tea in Li Danian’s orchard, chatting while my thoughts drifted home. I regretted coming—there were more than enough people for the mission. Had I known, I would have stayed with Wang Ying.

The white-bearded elder came over to chat with me, delving into topics far beyond my understanding—celestial stems, earthly branches, yin-yang, and the Eight Trigrams. I could only nod along. In the end, he handed me a business card. “If you ever need help, come find me.” His name was inscribed: Master Dhi Chan.

I seemed to recall my second uncle mentioning him—a legendary figure said to possess the power to conjure soldiers from beans. Whether or not that was true, I was pleased to have spoken with him today.

Nightfall came at last, and we all drove straight to Old Zhao’s house.

At the village entrance, we divided into groups—some stayed to guard the entrance, others went with us to Old Zhao’s home. Master Dhi Chan had me accompany him, prompting Wei Qi to shoot me a wry look.

We reached Old Zhao’s front gate. Master Dhi Chan waved me over, signaling for me to knock. My heart thudded as I recalled the events of that night.

I knocked for a long time, but no one answered. Master Dhi Chan gestured, and with a bang, the heavy black door swung open. I was stunned—was this the stuff of kung fu movies? It was incredible! I couldn’t help but look up to him with awe.

We filed inside, splitting into two groups—one for the front yard, one for the back. I entered the front with Master Dhi Chan and others; inside, chaos reigned, and the place was long deserted.

We hurried to the back, and the gruesome scene Wei Qi and I had witnessed remained—blood stains everywhere, bits of rotten flesh and bone scattered about, and a stench of blood so thick it made everyone wrinkle their noses.

“It’s too bloody—this is no different from raising an army of shadow soldiers. If we can’t find him, I fear all of Juxian County will face disaster,” Master Dhi Chan said with a sigh.

Everyone’s faces darkened. It was a failed expedition—Wei Qi and I had disturbed Old Zhao, letting him escape. Master Dhi Chan warned everyone to stick together from now on, never to act alone. If anyone heard news of Old Zhao or his shadow soldiers, they must inform him at once.

We kept at it most of the night, but found nothing—not even a trace of Old Zhao, let alone shadow soldiers. The group was dejected, but I, at least, was secretly happy—my beloved was waiting for me at home. I wanted to hurry back and continue our story.

Upon returning to Juxian’s Wei family vegetable farm, I followed Wei Qi into his house. “Uncle Qi, do you still have any condoms?”

“Condoms? What for? Heh! Planning to get intimate with Wang Ying?” Wei Qi grinned mischievously.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Am I that much of a brute? She only has seven days to live—how could I bear to take advantage of her?” I replied, shamelessly.

Wei Qi fished out a box of condoms from his drawer and shook it in his hand. “Tell me the truth, or I won’t give them to you.”

I had no choice but to admit it. “Uncle Qi, I’ll owe you one.”

Wei Qi handed over the box, warning, “Be careful. She only has seven days. If she gets pregnant, it will become a ghost child—so take every precaution.”

I snatched the box from him, shooting him a look. “Old man, you’re such a nag! You’re holding up important business, you know?” With that, I strode off toward home, condoms in hand.