Chapter 18: Blood Test for Kinship

The "dragon tendon" she spoke of, of course, wasn’t an actual dragon’s, but rather the tendon of a century-old serpent. Serpents only begin to develop tendons after fifty years, and those from a hundred-year-old snake are quite rare. Serpents are of the yin, and their tendons can be used to control spirits.

“I have that. Wait a moment,” Liu Goudan replied, and soon gathered all the mysterious items the woman requested.

She took the items and melted into the night, leaving without paying. Liu Goudan didn’t even mention money.

...

Tonight, I saw several emergency cases, and there was even a surgery to perform. After toiling through half the night, I finally had a moment to rest. Only then did I realize that Wang Meiyu hadn’t come for her night shift. Ever since she’d made her feelings for me clear, she’d always followed my schedule.

I went to the nurses’ station to inquire and learned that Wang Meiyu had taken a week-long leave. I was stunned—she hadn’t told me anything. I pulled out my phone to call her, but seeing it was already two in the morning, I hesitated and decided I’d visit her at home after my shift.

A week’s leave must mean something serious. Yet, an uneasy feeling gnawed at my heart.

I went outside and lit a cigarette.

At that moment, someone in a black leather jacket strode toward the emergency department. At first glance, I thought it was a man, as the person had a close-cropped haircut. But as they drew near, I realized it was a woman—tall and strikingly beautiful.

When a woman exudes that kind of cool, men really don’t stand a chance, I thought.

Through the glass, I watched her enter my office. Was she here for treatment?

I stubbed out my cigarette and went in. But as I entered, I saw her coming out of my office, heading toward the restroom.

I looked away and returned to my office. No sooner had I sat down than something felt amiss. I glanced around, the sensation intensifying. Then I realized what was wrong—my spare white lab coat, which I kept hanging on the rack, was missing.

It was that woman—she’d stolen it. But why? An assassin? A thief?

My mind raced. After all the bizarre things I’d experienced lately, if ghosts exist, then assassins and master thieves from the movies didn’t seem that far-fetched either.

I sprang up and headed to the restroom, pausing outside the women’s bathroom, uncertain. If someone caught me here, my reputation would be ruined.

It had been about five minutes since she’d left my office, just enough time for her to don the coat and leave, though she might still be inside if she’d stopped for other reasons.

Suddenly, I smacked my forehead. I wasn’t just an ordinary person anymore—I could use a minor spell to see if there was any yang energy inside.

I formed a hand-seal, summoned my power from my dantian, and my eyes grew misty. With the Dragon of the Netherworld’s Eye open, I could see yin energy and sense human yang energy. To perceive clearly and expand my range, I needed to channel magic.

Living people possess yang energy, which manifests as three flames: one atop the head and two on the shoulders. The stronger the vitality, the brighter the flames; for the dying, the flames are all but extinguished.

“No yang fire detected—no one inside,” I murmured, my vision clearing.

That made things easier. She hadn’t come back, so she must have gone deeper inside.

Following the long corridor, I found myself in Building B, where the elevator had stopped at the second basement level.

The morgue!

My heart pounded furiously. The only suspicious corpse in the morgue was Li Mei’s. Could this woman be the mastermind?

I licked my dry lips, nerves taut, and slipped down the stairwell to the basement.

As expected, Old Li, the night watchman, was snoring away in the duty room. I pressed my ear to the morgue door and listened. All was quiet inside.

Should I wait outside or rush in? I hesitated. If she was really the culprit, could I handle her? But if I didn’t go in, who knew what she might be doing?

Taking a deep breath, I flung the door open and charged inside.

There she was, in my white coat and a mask, examining Li Mei’s body. She was startled by my sudden entrance. Without a word, she leapt up and lashed out with a whip-kick aimed at my neck.

From the force of the blow, I could tell she’d trained for over a decade.

I dared not take the kick head-on. Ducking to the side, I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around her waist, using my weight and momentum to throw her to the floor.

I knew I couldn’t match her skill, but I was stronger and heavier. Playing to my strengths was my only hope of subduing her.

With a heavy thud, she hit the ground and let out a muffled grunt. But she recovered quickly, driving her elbow into my chest so hard I nearly lost my breath, my grip faltering.

She shoved me aside, but I managed to grab her from behind as she tried to get up, entwining my legs around hers.

“Let go! Where do you think your filthy hands are?” she hissed in anger.

Only then did I realize my hands were tightly clasped across her chest.

“I won’t let go. The police can deal with you,” I replied.

Suddenly, she slammed her head backward, smashing into my nose. A sharp pain shot through me, my head buzzing, and I reflexively released her.

She rolled to her feet, dashed to the door, and glared back at me as if to burn my image into her memory.

“Pervert, just you wait!” she spat, and stormed out.

Clutching my nose, I stood up and felt something wet. Looking down, I saw my palm was slick with blood.

“Damn woman, just you wait. You made my nose bleed—I’ll make you bleed elsewhere,” I muttered, irked. It was the first time I’d been bested by a woman, and I was determined to set things right.

Glancing at Li Mei’s body, I saw she’d only been examining it and hadn’t tampered with anything. I zipped the bag shut and left.

Afterward, I went to the security office to copy footage of the woman entering and leaving the hospital.

The next day, after my night shift, I went straight to Wang Meiyu’s house. Her mother was home and scrutinized me for some time before warming up after I showed her my work badge.

From Mrs. Wang, I learned that Wang Meiyu had gone to Xiushan to accompany Fu Yiman.

Leaving her home, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Hadn’t Wang Meiyu once said she had a shadow over Xiushan?

I called her, and she answered quickly.

“Qin Feng, what made you think to call me?” Wang Meiyu’s cheerful voice came through.

“You took a week off and didn’t tell me?” I asked.

“Do you miss me already? Hehe!” she teased.

“Well... maybe a little,” I admitted.

“I meant to tell you, but Yiman suggested we use this chance to test your reaction. I’m glad you showed you cared. It proves I matter to you, at least a little,” she said.

I was about to say more, but she interrupted, “Yiman’s calling me. I have to go, we’ll chat later.”

Listening to the beeping on the line, I shook my head with a wry smile.

So, I’d been overthinking it.

Back home, I bathed, changed, burned incense, and prayed. Then I took out the compass and peachwood talisman crafted from darkwood.

The compass had yin and yang sides, its surface marked with complex, interlocking runes. Outsiders wouldn’t understand; one had to align the lines into a whole, then channel power into it by a special method to fully activate it as a consecrated magical tool. The peachwood talisman was the same.

With the compass and talisman ready, my gear was more complete. I was also preparing a true trump card weapon, forged from ninety-nine ancient weapons once wielded by soldiers, their blades drenched in the blood of countless battles. Such weapons were now saturated with murderous energy.

Once I fused the ninety-nine blood-soaked weapons, it would become a single blade so fierce that ordinary ghosts would be scattered at its mere approach.

Xu Baoguo had gathered several hundred such weapons from the earth, but only thirty-something were suitable.

After consecrating the compass and talisman, I took out the drop of brow blood obtained from Zhang Huixiang and placed it in the compass’s central hollow.

The drop of blood did not sink, but floated within. I formed a hand seal and pointed at the compass.

The compass trembled, absorbing a wisp of my power. Its mechanism clicked to life, splitting into three tiers, each with its own pointer aimed in a different direction.

“One person, southeast, twenty li away,” I murmured. As expected, a direct descendant of the Zhang family remained in Linjiang.

I threw on my coat, grabbed a shared bike, and rode off toward the target.

It wasn’t that I didn’t own a car. Xu Baoguo had tried to give me a flashy Ferrari, which I refused; then he traded it for a big Mercedes, which sat unused in my apartment’s garage. I had a license and drove well enough, but I just didn’t like cars unless absolutely necessary.

Besides walking, I preferred cycling. Perhaps, deep down, a bicycle represented freedom of spirit to me.

I rode southeast for twenty li, then stopped, my expression peculiar.

I was already beyond the city limits, standing in a desolate expanse of hills. Years ago, there was talk of developing this area, but nothing had happened since.

I took out the compass and followed its pointer up the mountain.

There, I stopped, staring at a field of scattered graves.

The compass needle pointed unwaveringly here. I swallowed hard, my heart skipping a beat. Was the compass playing tricks on me?

The cold wind howled, leaves rustling like the wails of countless souls.

Steeling myself, I tightened my collar and stepped into the overgrown burial ground.

Suddenly, a tombstone caught my eye. Upon it was a photo of a beautiful young woman. Reading the inscription, I was struck with astonishment.