Chapter 23: You Will Fall into My Hands Sooner or Later
When Wei Zixi saw these phantoms, he felt a sharp pain in his heart.
Although what appeared before him were illusions, his Master had indeed experienced this in his past life!
He hadn’t expected that even within the illusion array, the Thousand-Faced Ghost would intend to humiliate Ming Ji like this!
Wei Zixi forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart, raising his sword once again to slash away the nightmare before him.
Before he could consider his next move, the scene shifted again.
This time, Wei Zixi remained a bystander to the scene, watching helplessly as the moment of his family’s extermination when he was five years old replayed.
Clearly, he had forgotten the lingering fear of his childhood, yet now that scar on his heart was being torn open once more.
“Zixi, run! Don’t look back!”
Hearing the voice from the illusion, Wei Zixi froze completely.
He knew it well; that heart-rending scream came from his mother.
Wei Zixi slowly closed his eyes, recalling the memories of that time once again.
The Thousand-Faced Ghost was particularly skilled at mimicking human faces. After killing Master Wei (Wei Zixi’s father), he took his face skin to play the role.
From then on, the people in the house disappeared one by one. It started with servants who didn’t serve closely, then gradually escalated to the butlers and wet nurses.
As the person who spent day and night with Master Wei, Madam Wei was the first to notice the anomaly.
Suppressing her terror, she secretly instructed a loyal subordinate amidst the chaos to take Wei Zixi away.
Madam Wei’s voice stiffened instantly, and she turned her head slowly like a mechanical puppet.
She saw it—the evil ghost wearing her husband’s face skin appeared silently behind her. Seeing her look back, his smile grew increasingly cruel.
Madam Wei let out a piercing scream, but the sound stopped abruptly.
Hearing this, the subordinate gritted his teeth, quickening his pace as he carried the five-year-old Wei Zixi, hiding here and there until they finally entered the Wei family’s old residence.
They didn’t have much time to catch their breath. The evil ghost followed quickly and knocked on the door of the old house.
“Young Master, hide here.”
The subordinate looked up, his eyes bursting with an emotion Wei Zixi couldn’t understand.
He first hid Wei Zixi in the wardrobe, then pasted a talisman Madam Wei had begged a Taoist priest for to protect his life.
With almost suicidal resolve, the subordinate grabbed a weapon and charged toward the door, his voice carrying a fierce intent. “I’ll fight you to the death!”
Perhaps people truly gain courage when they don’t fear death; he actually managed to hold on for a moment with that sheer will.
But how could a human defeat an evil ghost?
Amidst a tragic scream, a head was sliced off at the neck by the evil ghost.
The Thousand-Faced Ghost, still wearing Master Wei’s face skin, examined the still-warm head, humming a little tune, clearly in a very good mood.
“Where exactly are you, my obedient son?”
The voice was clearly very loving, but coming from the mouth of the demon before him, it was like a death warrant, torturing the mind of a five-year-old child.
“Is he in here?”
The Thousand-Faced Ghost grinned wider, suddenly rushing over to check under the bed. Finding nothing, his voice carried a hint of regret.
“Actually not here.”
Afterward, he checked other possible hiding spots one by one.
Time passed, and the Thousand-Faced Ghost, finding nothing after searching everywhere, lost interest.
He casually tossed aside the bloody head he had been playing with.
The round head rolled down, bumping against the cabinet with a dull thud.
Through a sliver of a gap in the wardrobe, Wei Zixi could faintly see the subordinate’s head rolling over, eyes wide open in death, staring straight into the wardrobe—right into Wei Zixi’s eyes.
Terrified by this image, he clamped his hands tightly over his mouth, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Only when he sensed the footsteps of the Thousand-Faced Ghost leaving after the fruitless search did Wei Zixi lean against the wardrobe, gasping in relief.
But was that really the case?
Soon, a pair of sinister eyes appeared at the gap in the wardrobe, staring dead at him.
Accompanying it was a sentence… that nearly stopped Wei Zixi’s heart from fear.
“I… found you.”
After saying this, the Thousand-Faced Ghost laughed eerily. Without much effort, he broke the talisman and opened the cabinet, the knife in his hand still dripping blood and radiating cold light.
Wei Zixi looked at the cold blade surface, seeing his own terrified and fearful eyes reflected in it, and subconsciously closed his eyes.
Seeing this, the Thousand-Faced Ghost found it even more amusing.
He seemed to enjoy torturing human minds. Discovering such interesting prey, he didn’t kill him immediately.
This evil ghost from the abyss flicked the blade unhurriedly with his finger.
“Obedient son, it will be quick.”
His eyes flashed with an evil expression, and in the next instant, the cold light was about to pierce Wei Zixi.
Unlike what Wei Zixi imagined, Ming Ji did not come to save him this time.
Instead—the evil ghost peeled off his father’s face, changing back to the original appearance of the Thousand-Faced Ghost, and then spoke faintly: “Zixi, do you not recognize Master?”
As he spoke, the Thousand-Faced Ghost transformed into Ming Ji’s appearance. His voice remained gentle, his face peerlessly beautiful, and the corners of his mouth even held the smile Wei Zixi usually liked best.
“Master simply suffered a Qi deviation and had no choice but to kill your family.”
Seeing this scene, Wei Zixi was stunned, feeling as if his whole body had fallen into an ice cellar. He shook his head, refusing to believe it. “No, impossible.”
Clearly, it was Master who saved him. How could Master be the evil ghost who killed his family?
Ming Ji squatted down halfway. He looked at the five-year-old Wei Zixi, gazing into his incredulous eyes, and continued, “Master didn’t mean to. You like Master so much, surely you will forgive Master, right?”
Then, Ming Ji sighed. His warm fingers stroked Wei Zixi’s head in comfort. “Don’t you like Master the most? Is it all fake?”
“Since you are unwilling to forgive, then just forget it.”
Ming Ji looked into his eyes, a smile remaining on his lips.
He was a Nascent Soul cultivator; making a young child forget the events of tonight was no difficult task.
Soon, spiritual power overflowed from his fingertips, sealing the five-year-old Wei Zixi’s memory.
When Wei Zixi woke up, the panic in his heart made him look helplessly at this banished immortal-like person. In his remaining impression, there was only that flash of cold light that nearly slit his throat.
“Did you save me?”
Ming Ji smiled silently. He remained that wind-clearing and moon-bright Immortal Venerable, as if the cruel harm to Wei Zixi’s family earlier had nothing to do with him.
His eyes were extremely gentle, and his slender hands slowly reached out, pulling the young child who was about to fall into the abyss.
“Don’t be afraid. From now on, I am your Master.”
Five-year-old Wei Zixi’s memory was a blur, retaining only a few terrifying images.
In his fear, he didn’t take those hands. Instead, he hugged himself tightly into a ball, entering a state of self-protection.
Even though this banished immortal said the Thousand-Faced Ghost had been killed, the child’s body still trembled, shivering uncontrollably.
“Don’t be afraid.” Ming Ji reached out and patted his back. At an angle invisible to others, he hooked up a meaningful smile.
“Mas… Master.” The child cried for a while, then came out of the dark, narrow wardrobe and hugged Ming Ji’s leg tightly.
A trace of disdain flashed in Ming Ji’s eyes. Watching little Wei Zixi look up at him with admiration as if he were a god, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
He squatted halfway down and extended his palm to hold little Wei Zixi’s hand.
Spiritual power flowed silently from his wrist, probing into Wei Zixi’s body to detect his current physical condition.
For some reason, a strange emotion suddenly flickered in Ming Ji’s eyes—a thrill of excitement inconsistent with his cold face, causing his cheeks to flush slightly.
Yes, this is the Supreme Yang Body mentioned in the ancient books I consulted, the one that matches the Extreme Yin Cauldron.
Once this child comes of age and we engage in dual cultivation, my cultivation will improve uncontrollably.
Five-year-old Wei Zixi didn’t know what the Master he admired was thinking. He just obediently let Ming Ji hold his hand, following him in a daze.
Sensing Ming Ji’s body tremble slightly, he looked up subconsciously and saw the smile Ming Ji hadn’t managed to suppress.
“Master?” Wei Zixi asked, confused.
Ming Ji looked meaningfully at this Supreme Yang Body, pondering ceaselessly in his heart.
That book also said that if the Supreme Yang Body offers himself willingly, my cultivation will rise even faster.
Thinking this, he released a smile toward Wei Zixi again and said, “Master is simply overjoyed to have accepted such a good child like you as a disciple.”
Although Wei Zixi was young at the time, hearing Ming Ji praise him like this, he still blushed with embarrassment.
But now, sixteen-year-old Wei Zixi, witnessing this scene, couldn’t help but be astonished.
His five-year-old self couldn’t see Ming Ji’s calculations, but now, as a spectator watching the whole process, he not only sensed Ming Ji’s unspeakable dirty thoughts but also saw Ming Ji painstakingly searching ancient texts, finding the description of the Supreme Yang Body matching Wei Zixi word for word.
Wei Zixi’s mind wavered quickly, and before long, he felt hatred toward Ming Ji.
The person he had always looked up to as a god had killed his family, and even the kind adoption was for the sake of his Supreme Yang Body, to provide so-called cultivation!
Wei Zixi, filled with hatred, looked on with eyes full of rage.
He hated it so much—hated that he had treated the person who exterminated his family as the bright, high moon!
In an unknown place, a masked person leaning comfortably in a chair was watching Wei Zixi’s resentful expression through the phantom projected by the jade stone in his palm.
He had been playing with this jade stone from time to time, and then, seemingly bored, he crushed it lightly, accompanied by a burst of laughter.
You see? Your most pampered and valued little disciple doesn’t believe you anymore.
Thinking of this, the person looked as if he had tasted something delicious, his eyes full of satisfaction.
And you… will fall into my hands sooner or later.
Recommended Reads
