Chapter 34: The Blood Fiend Blade and the Yang-Ming Thread

I could not refuse Xu Baoguo’s request.

“Well, since you’ve asked, I, a humble doctor, will give it a try,” I nodded, stepping in front of Wang Qing, who was foaming at the mouth with black froth.

With a flick of my fingers, I pinched a Soul-Calming Needle between them and swiftly pricked her forehead and behind her ear. Instantly, Wang Qing stopped convulsing, the black froth in her mouth turned white, and then ceased altogether.

A cheer erupted from the surrounding crowd, and many now looked at me with newfound respect. In their minds, what they had witnessed was a display of miraculous traditional acupuncture, proof of my extraordinary medical skills. To know a doctor who could save your life at a critical moment was a connection of immeasurable value.

Little did they know, what I had used was not acupuncture, but the arts of Yin and Yang.

Wang Qing’s body was beset by evil Yin energy, and when Xu Bao’er provoked her, the malevolent force surged to her brain and assaulted her main soul. I used the Soul-Calming Needle to anchor her soul and suppress the evil within.

“Doctor Qin, what’s wrong with my wife?” the middle-aged man with a beard asked anxiously. “She’s always been healthy, she’s a doctor herself, gets checked every year, never any problems—how could she suddenly fall ill like this?”

“Are you doubting me?” I frowned.

“No, not at all. I just want to understand her condition.”

“She’s out of immediate danger, but as for you…” I leaned in and whispered, “If you value your life, don’t sleep with her. Believe it or not.”

With that, I turned and left the hall. Xu Baoguo and his daughter quickly followed.

Meanwhile, Wang Qing, now awake but filthy and ashamed, hurriedly asked her husband to take her to the hospital for a checkup.

“Leilei, listen to me. From now on, stay away from Xu Bao’er, and don’t go near that Doctor Qin either, do you hear me?” Ouyang Zhihua warned his daughter in a low voice.

“Yes, I heard you,” Ouyang Lei replied meekly. This surprised Ouyang Zhihua, who was used to his daughter always going against him. Today, it was as if the sun rose in the west.

Outside the manor, just as I put a cigarette to my lips, Xu Bao’er eagerly helped me light it.

“Master Qin, Ouyang Zhihua is a business partner, and that woman just now is his wife’s younger sister. What exactly happened to her?” Xu Baoguo asked.

“Possessed by evil, outwardly depleted of Yang, inwardly deficient in Yin—a little filthy,” I replied coolly.

“I see, I see.” Xu Baoguo’s face shifted, understanding my implication. He seemed to want to say more, but hesitated.

“You can just tell Ouyang Zhihua to keep his distance from that woman. Apart from her husband, no one else is in any danger,” I said.

Xu Baoguo nodded and changed the subject. “Master Qin, the weapon you requested is finished. It’s in my car.”

Delighted, I said, “What are we waiting for? Let’s take a look.”

Sitting in Xu Baoguo’s extravagantly luxurious car, I opened a finely crafted sandalwood box. Inside, on a bed of brocade, lay a short blade sheathed in crocodile leather.

I drew the blade with a metallic ring. Its cold gleam rippled like autumn water, exuding a murderous aura. Two characters were engraved on the blade: Blood Fiend.

Xu Baoguo and his daughter seemed unaffected, only finding the blade chilling. As per my instructions, it hadn’t been sharpened.

Satisfied, I sheathed the blade. If I’d had this knife at Wushan, I wouldn’t have had to brush so closely with death so many times. This blade had absorbed the baleful energy of battlefields over a thousand years—deadly to ordinary ghosts, who would be annihilated at a touch.

However, to sharpen it required my own blood and a rather complex ritual.

“Thank you, Mr. Xu,” I said with a smile, tucking the Blood Fiend blade away.

“So long as you’re satisfied, Master Qin,” Xu Baoguo beamed.

I had no wish to linger at the gathering, and Xu Baoguo, noticing this, had his daughter drive me home. His intentions were transparent—he wanted her to get close to me.

On the way, Xu Bao’er was uncharacteristically quiet.

“I understand your father’s intentions. I may not be a good person, but I keep my word. You don’t need to worry,” I said.

“Heh, I figured you’d see through it. At first, I resisted, but to be honest, you intrigue me. And curiosity, you know, is often the prelude to a woman falling in love.”

“I’d call it a bad omen,” I laughed.

Xu Bao’er abruptly hit the brakes, pulled over, leaned over, and winked at me. “Want to know what color it is?”

“Uh?” I was caught off guard.

She giggled, “So much for your reputation as a ladies’ man.” Then she floored the accelerator, sending us speeding off.

Only then did it dawn on me—modern girls really are this bold? Back in school, the upperclassmen and underclassmen were all gentle, delicate flowers.

“I went to your hospital, you know. That flirty little nurse of yours quit to become Fu Yiman’s agent. Why don’t we give it a go?” Xu Bao’er teased.

“Give it a go? Not a chance. I’m not about to give up the whole forest for one tree,” I flicked her forehead.

“You can date me and still enjoy your forest—I don’t mind,” she retorted.

“You’re nuts,” I grumbled.

“You’re a doctor. Cure me,” she quipped.

I fell silent, gazing out the window. Night had fallen, the streetlights stretched like a ribbon of light, piercing the endless darkness.

I got out at a street corner in Jiangdong District and made my way to the Underworld Goods Street in Wuyi Alley.

At this hour, the entire street was deathly quiet, only paper money occasionally swirling through the air on the wind. Even the bravest souls would feel uneasy here at night.

Liu Dog-egg’s coffin shop was brightly lit, as usual. He was in the back, diligently working on coffins.

When he saw me, his eyes narrowed in surprise, but he quickly smiled warmly. “Master Qin, what can I do for you tonight?”

I handed him a list of items—all things I needed to sharpen the Blood Fiend blade.

“Give me a moment to gather these,” Liu glanced at the list. Nothing rare, he had them all.

Soon, he handed me a large bag of materials. I transferred half a million to him.

“Boss Liu, do you know Mo Wuyi, Master Mo?” I suddenly asked.

“I do. He’s quite famous in the circle, a top master in the northwest,” Liu replied smoothly.

“Do you know any of his disciples?” I pressed.

“Master Mo has hundreds, if not a thousand disciples. Which one do you mean?” Liu asked.

That stunned me. Was the path of the Onmyoji so widespread now?

“Master Mo runs a large sect and has many disciples. That’s normal,” Liu explained.

I understood then. Master Mo was likely a Daoist, and most of his ‘disciples’ were nominal—part of his business and a way to spread his teachings.

Gu Lijinsha clearly wasn’t one of them, but I couldn’t mention her name. She might be a secret disciple whose existence wasn’t public.

I said nothing more and left with the materials.

As I left, Liu Dog-egg’s thoughts drifted to the black-robed figure who’d recently come with Master Mo’s token. That man wanted the darkwood, but Master Qin had taken it. Now Master Qin was asking about Master Mo’s disciples. Was there some conflict between the two?

With that, Liu pulled out his phone and dialed a number. When it connected, he spoke respectfully, “Master Mo, this is Dog-egg. Here’s the situation…”

He recounted everything. On the other end, a gruff voice barked, “Master Qin, is it? Tell him to wait for me. I’ll go to Linjiang myself and skin him alive! Damn it, how dare he bully my dear disciple!”

Liu listened to the beeping as the call ended, then slapped his own mouth. “Why can’t I mind my own business?”

He’d also overheard a young woman’s angry voice: “Master, if you dare go after Qin Feng, I’ll wreck the chess game you’ve planned for ten years, and I’ll tell my mom you’re bullying me!”

This wasn’t hatred—it was clearly love.

“Ah, love. Youth truly is wonderful,” Liu sighed, picking up his tools to continue working on his coffins. In the end, even the most beautiful love is buried in the ground with these coffins.

...

At three in the morning, I extinguished the lamp burning with lion-tiger oil. This oil, also called Beast King Oil, is rendered from the skins of living lions and tigers. It repels ordinary ghosts and, more importantly, contains murderous energy.

Tonight, I was to sharpen the Blood Fiend blade, condensing its ferocious aura and sealing it into the edge.

I picked up the blade and channeled my power. The Blood Fiend trembled and gave a low, resonant ring.

At that moment, my phone rang.

I frowned—who would call at this hour?

The caller ID showed Xu Baoguo.

“Master Qin, forgive me for disturbing your rest,” he said anxiously. “I just received news—Zhong Guofeng is dead.”

“Who is Zhong Guofeng?” I asked, not recalling the name.

“Oh, I forgot you wouldn’t know. Zhong Guofeng is Wang Qing’s husband.”

The bearded middle-aged man—he was dead?

“Did he die in bed?” I asked in a low voice.

“Master Qin, you are indeed wise. Yes, that’s exactly how it happened. Wang Qing was cleared at the hospital, but tonight, while at Ouyang Zhihua’s house, she slept with her husband. During the act, the man suddenly died,” Xu Baoguo explained.

I sighed inwardly. I had warned him, but he did not listen. That was his fate.

“His corpse is as shriveled as a mummy. The police are there, and they’ll probably come looking for you soon,” Xu Baoguo said.

“Me? Why?” I was baffled.

“Because, as he was dying, he mentioned you—said he regretted not heeding your warning,” Xu Baoguo said.

I frowned. It seemed trouble had come knocking.

At that moment, I felt a stirring from the Eye of the Nether Dragon at my chest—a line of fate had appeared.