TRYMBPIETM 71: Mirror, Night, Snow Peak (34)

Sheng Yihang trembled with rage and instinctively struggled.

Daoist Du Ming was startled and reflexively pressed him down.

The next second, with a muffled thud, Sheng Yihang’s legs went weak, and he collapsed face-first onto the ground, even dragging Daoist Du Ming into a stumble.

He quickly steadied himself. Only then did he belatedly recall that most of Sheng Yihang’s bones were broken, and his gaze wavered slightly.

It wasn’t really his fault for forgetting—after all, what kind of living zombie was this fragile?

Sheng Yihang was honestly the strangest one he had ever encountered.

He couldn’t help but sigh, “Looks like forcibly refining a living zombie through dark arts doesn’t work.”

At best, this level of power was just for show.

Chi Qingzhou and the others strongly agreed and all nodded.

Lying on the ground, Sheng Yihang’s expression twisted: “……”

The system, having realized why Sheng Yihang was so unlucky: “……”

It glanced at the mission panel in the backend and wisely chose to stay silent.

Since its host wasn’t asking, why should it take the initiative to court trouble?

Since the system didn’t speak up, Chi Qingzhou ignored it and instead asked about the formation beneath the Gu pool.

Ah Ting said, “This is my first time seeing such a formation, so I don’t know exactly what it is. But just now, when Sheng Yihang took the formation’s core position, Xiao Luo and I tried pulling him out of the snow and failed.”

Luo Huaiyu added, “I tried twice. Even though the formation had stopped running, it was still leaking energy, so I couldn’t touch Sheng Yihang at all.”

According to standard cultivation, a damaged formation should have weakened power.

Luo Huaiyu had originally planned to personally take revenge, so he naturally intended to dig Sheng Yihang out of the formation.

He had thought it wouldn’t be difficult, but who knew the formation would keep resisting him?

The force was so great that he couldn’t move forward. He and Ah Ting tried several different methods but still couldn’t pull Sheng Yihang out of the formation’s core.

In the end, it was the Paranormal Control Bureau that arrived and used “scientific methods” to separate Sheng Yihang from the formation.

Chi Qingzhou tilted his head in confusion. “Scientific methods?”

What did that even mean?

Daoist Duming cleared his throat and calmly answered, “They brought in an excavator.”

The Miao woman: “……”

Luo Ting: “……”

Luo Huaiyu: “……”

The three of them opened their mouths but didn’t know what to say.

Chi Qingzhou, on the other hand, had a sudden realization. Looking around, he indeed spotted a bright yellow excavator parked beside a bamboo building.

He couldn’t help but praise, “ Hard times create string men. This method is great. Master Du Ming, you all reacted really fast.”

If he and Xing Shuangzhan ran into something like this in the future, maybe they could use it as a reference?

Daoist Duming flicked his horsetail whisk and gave a reserved smile. “You flatter me, Mr. Chi.”

The other three were even more at a loss for words.

Having been ignored for so long, Sheng Yihang struggled to lift his head. Seeing the few of them standing around in silence, his eyes burned with resentment.

He had had enough!

It was bad enough that these people didn’t take him seriously, but why did they have to keep emphasizing how unlucky he was?!

Did he want to be unlucky?

Didn’t he also want to be like Luo Huaiyu?

But why was it that every time trouble arose, it was him who suffered, while Luo Huaiyu remained lucky?

Clearly, he was the one with a family background in the cultivation realm—so why was Luo Huaiyu the one with talent?

Clearly, he was the one ruthless enough to go all the way—so why was Luo Huaiyu the one who ended up stronger?

Sheng Yihang clenched his teeth and stared hard at Luo Huaiyu, as if he wanted to tear a piece of flesh from him.

He was the one who became a living zombie first.

He had spent so much effort, endured humiliation in front of Bei Shen for so long, and hadn’t even had the chance to step on Luo Huaiyu properly before everything changed in an instant.

Now, Luo Huaiyu was also a living zombie—and his strength far surpassed his own.

Why?

Just because Luo Huaiyu got lucky and encountered some heavenly energy?

But didn’t Bei Shen say that this kind of energy was poisonous to zombies?

Sheng Yihang seethed with madness, struggling to move his limbs, but he couldn’t get up no matter what.

Du Ming was a true Daoist, powerful and deeply rooted, far beyond the reach of someone as fragile as Sheng Yihang.

The humiliation was unbearable.

Even though no one was paying attention to him, he still felt like he had lost all dignity, as if everyone was looking down on him.

Staring at the five of them chatting leisurely, he finally couldn’t suppress his hatred and demanded, “Luo Huaiyu, how did you become a living zombie ? Forest energy is supposed to damage the meridians for creatures like us—I don’t believe you advanced using that! You must have harmed someone too, didn’t you?!”

For a zombie to grow stronger, they needed corpse energy, yin energy, and moonlight. What “forest energy”? Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

For Luo Huaiyu to ascend overnight, he must have forced his way up using the blood of the living.

“Hahahahaha.” Sheng Yihang’s lips twitched as he let out a deranged laugh. “And you have the nerve to look down on me? Aren’t you the same? Killing the innocent just to get stronger—how are you any nobler than I am?!”

What “he’s an unforgivable criminal,” so they handed him over to the Paranormal Control Bureau—excuses, all excuses!

Luo Huaiyu was just using them to get rid of him!

Sheng Yihang’s laughter became even more erratic, but when he lifted his gaze, he saw Luo Huaiyu looking down at him with an expression of contempt—tinged with a hint of pity.

His fingers trembled. A bad feeling crept up his spine, and his expression slowly faded.

Luo Huaiyu, seeing this, merely smiled.

“Sheng Yihang, I’m nothing like you.” He enunciated each word clearly. “You have no friends. I, on the other hand, do.”

Sheng Yihang’s face darkened as he glared at him hatefully, saying nothing.

Luo Huaiyu wasn’t bothered. With a hint of mockery, he continued.

“You’ve never had a friend reach out to help you—but I have.”

“And speaking of that, I should thank you. If you and that man hadn’t plotted against me, I wouldn’t have met Zhouzhou, and we wouldn’t have become friends.”

He took a step forward, looking down at Sheng Yihang with an air of superiority.

“It seems you’ve guessed it too. The reason I became a living zombie so quickly is all thanks to Zhouzhou. Are you jealous? Good, you should be.”

Sheng Yihang’s features twisted, and he couldn’t help blurting out, “Impossible! Unless he sacrificed live people for you, there’s no way you could have suddenly become a living zombie!”

Luo Huaiyu sneered. “People should have some self-awareness—oh, I almost forgot, you’re not even human anymore.”

“If I told you that Zhouzhou gave me a mass of moonlight essence, would you also scream that it’s impossible?”

“You idiot, if you’re ignorant, at least don’t embarrass yourself in public. Do you really think you’re the only one who knows things in this world?”

Sheng Yihang opened his mouth, but the words “impossible” got stuck in his throat. His pale face turned a deeper shade of purplish-red, making him look like some kind of pickled vegetable left to ferment for months.

He glanced at Chi Qingzhou, who was watching him curiously from the side. He wanted to say that he didn’t believe it, that there was no way someone could condense moonlight essence. But before he could speak, he realized he had no confidence in denying it.

Because before becoming a zombie, he hadn’t truly understood much about cultivation. And after becoming one, Bei Shen never taught him these things either. Everything he knew was just assumptions he had made.

Sheng Yihang’s body trembled violently, rage rising from his now unbeating heart, burning his eyes blood-red. He couldn’t help but let out an enraged howl.

Daoist Du Ming’s brow twitched, and he smacked him on the back of the head. “Be quiet!”

Pure Daoist power surged into Sheng Yihang’s meridians, cutting his roar short.

Just as he had managed to push himself up a little, he collapsed back down, struggling twice before completely losing strength.

Sheng Yihang froze, slowly turning his head to stare at Luo Huaiyu, who wasn’t even paying him any attention. His emotions suddenly collapsed.

Why!

Why?!

He fought and struggled desperately, yet Luo Huaiyu could just brush him off with indifference?!

He had tried so hard to become someone extraordinary, yet in the end, all his efforts were in vain. Meanwhile, Luo Huaiyu, this pretentious hypocrite, got to meet such an incredible friend—why?!

If Chi Qingzhou had been his friend, he would have already become a remarkable figure by now.

So why wasn’t it him?

Why couldn’t it be him?!

Sheng Yihang’s mind was a chaotic mess—anger, jealousy, longing, resentment—all tangled together, overwhelming him until he completely lost control, bursting into loud sobs.

Luo Huaiyu frowned in disgust and took a few steps back, putting more distance between them.

Sheng Yihang: “…”

His lips trembled, and he immediately started crying even harder.

Chi Qingzhou slowly hummed in thought. “It seems that not only is his body and meridians fragile, but his mind is also quite fragile.”

System: 【…Pfft.】

It hadn’t expected its host to be so mischievous. It couldn’t hold back a couple of chuckles before quickly clearing its throat and getting back to the main topic.

System: 【Host, the system just notified me that the mission to humiliate Sheng Yihang has been completed. Do you want to claim the reward now, or later?】

Chi Qingzhou recalled the details of the reward and replied, 【Now.】

The system responded promptly, claiming the mission reward.

The next second, Daoist Du Ming’s phone beeped.

Not knowing about the system’s existence, Daoist Du Ming was momentarily surprised. He picked up his phone and glanced at it, then quickly gestured apologetically to Chi Qingzhou and the others, temporarily handing Sheng Yihang over to Luo Huaiyu before stepping aside to take the call.

Chi Qingzhou curiously observed for a moment, then commented to the system, 【Your reward distribution is pretty fast.】

System (somewhat proud): 【With me keeping an eye on things, rewards will never be delayed! Please rest assured, host, the reward distribution will always be this fast.】

Chi Qingzhou nodded thoughtfully.

A few minutes later, Daoist Du Ming hung up the call and returned.

He looked at Luo Huaiyu somewhat hesitantly, then spoke in the most gentle tone possible.

“Mr. Luo, I know Sheng Yihang is the main culprit behind the deaths of you and your family, and I completely understand your desire for revenge. Previously, when you agreed to hand Sheng Yihang over to the Paranormal Control Bureau, we were deeply grateful and promised that he would face justice.”

He carefully observed Luo Huaiyu’s expression. Seeing that he neither agreed nor disagreed, he felt a little relieved.

“I’m not saying this to ask you to abandon your revenge. In fact, the Bureau has no intention of letting Sheng Yihang go either.”

Luo Huaiyu’s expression improved slightly. “Then, what do you mean, Daoist?”

Daoist Master Duming said, “Just now, my senior brother told me that a certain elder has divined some information, and the Bureau needs to conduct some… well…questioning. I’m not sure how long it will take, so dealing with him will have to be postponed for a while.”

Luo Huaiyu’s expression completely relaxed. “That’s fine, ask whatever you need, as long as it doesn’t violate our prior agreement.”

As long as Sheng Yihang paid the price, sooner or later didn’t matter.

Daoist Master Duming couldn’t help but smile. “Mr. Luo, you are very understanding. I also spoke with the Bureau just now—if you’re willing to wait a little while, once we’ve finished questioning him, we can hand Sheng Yihang over to you so you can deal with him personally.”

Luo Huaiyu’s eyes lit up instantly. “Absolutely, I agree!”

Not only did he agree, but he was absolutely eager for it!

Previously, if he had been able to drag Sheng Yihang out of the formation himself, he would never have sought the Paranormal Control Bureau’s help—he wouldn’t have given up the chance to take revenge with his own hands.

Now, all he had to do was wait a little longer, and then he could exact his revenge himself. What was there to be dissatisfied with?

Both sides were getting what they wanted—it was a win-win.

The two exchanged a glance. Daoist Master Duming picked up Sheng Yihang and gestured politely to Luo Huaiyu.

“Mr. Luo, there are still some details we need to confirm with you. Please, let’s talk in private. By the way, during the questioning, we may use some special methods.”

Luo Huaiyu walked with him. “What kind of special methods…?”

Daoist Master Duming said, “We might have him experience some of the things he has done. For example, he will go through exactly what his victims went through when he harmed them. According to Bureau regulations, we need the approval of the relevant parties first…”

Luo Huaiyu: “There’s actually something this great—?! Oh, I mean, if I can be of help, of course I agree…”

The two of them talked as they walked away. Chi Qingzhou quietly listened for a moment before withdrawing his attention.

He turned his gaze back to the Gu pool, still covered in ice and snow, and began scrutinizing every detail more carefully.

Luo Ting asked in confusion, “Zhouzhou, what are you looking for?”

Chi Qingzhou said, “I’m not sure either.”

He just had a feeling that Sheng Yihang suddenly becoming the formation’s core wasn’t normal—he suspected that there was something else hidden in the Gu pool.

“I know Su-Ge’s ghostly aura better than anyone. It alone couldn’t have caused such a change.”

Luo Ting understood immediately.

He didn’t ask further and instead walked to another side, splitting up with Chi Qingzhou to search.

Half an hour later, their careful examination led Chi Qingzhou to discover something unusual.

Supporting himself on the frozen soil at the edge of the Gu pool, he leapt into the deep pit, avoiding the frozen Gu insects. He picked up a small, greenish-blue shard from the edge of the formation.

Under the moonlight, the shard was coated in a layer of soft radiance, appearing extraordinarily beautiful at first glance.

Chi Qingzhou opened his palm, studied it for half a minute, and murmured, “Green jade?”

The fragment’s texture bore some resemblance to that of the deity statue.

Could it be leftover scraps from the carving?

He put away the jade fragment and searched along the formation again, eventually collecting a total of 36 pieces.

The fragments varied in size; some were carved with star patterns, while others were plain, but they were clearly from the same piece of jade.

Chi Qingzhou tried piecing them together but found that they didn’t form a complete piece. His gaze flickered slightly.

He turned to Luo Ting , who looked rather serious. “Ah Ting, did I ever tell you that I wanted Ah Shang to carve a deity statue for me?”

“A deity statue?” Ah Tong thought carefully before shaking his head. “Never heard that before. But you did mention wanting Ah Shang to make you a green jade compass.”

Chi Qingzhou froze. “A green jade compass?”

So, what he originally wanted wasn’t a deity statue?

…

The torrential rain in Yuntian Province hadn’t let up for a moment. Meanwhile, in Hexing City, a light drizzle had begun to fall.

Inside the Chi family villa, Fan Tao jolted awake in terror, leaping out of bed barefoot and stumbling back toward the bedroom door. Her wide eyes locked onto the mildew-stained wall, her face as pale as paper.

She was so frightened that she failed to notice the jar of skincare cream she had knocked over, nor did she hear the sound of glass breaking on the floor.

But the housekeeper working in the Chi household heard the commotion. She immediately put down what she was doing and rushed over to check on Fan Tao.

“Madam, is something wrong? Should I call security?”

The housekeeper gently pushed on the bedroom door, opening a small gap.

Fan Tao snapped back to her senses, gripped the door handle, and instinctively raised her voice. “I’m fine! No need to call security!”

Through the gap, the housekeeper saw Fan Tao’s ghastly expression and hesitated for a moment before obediently letting go of the door handle.

She had been working for the Chi family for years and knew well what she could and couldn’t ask about.

Since Fan Tao said she was fine, she didn’t press further. “Understood. Do you need me to clean the room? I think I heard glass breaking.”

Fantao was stunned for a moment. She glanced around and finally noticed that she had knocked over her skincare cream.

Her grip on the door handle slowly loosened, the muscles in her face twitching slightly. After a moment of silence, she finally responded.

“I accidentally broke my cream. Call someone to clean it up.”

She opened the door and casually instructed the housekeeper.

“And change the bed sheets. Be careful not to leave any glass shards behind.”

She straightened her posture, striving to maintain her composure and poise.

The housekeeper pretended not to notice her bare feet, called another staff member, and together, they cleaned the room and replaced the bedding.

Fan Tao discreetly observed them and soon confirmed that they had no reaction to the mildew stains on the wall.

She glanced at the wall again, a flicker of doubt forming in her heart.

Could the mildew stains have been a hallucination?

Had the stress of the past few days gotten to her?

Uncertain, her heart still held remnants of fear. Instinctively, she clutched the silver bracelet around her wrist.

The housekeepers quickly finished cleaning, carrying away the old bed sheets. They informed Fan Tao that the room was ready for her to rest.

She nodded calmly. “Got it. You’ve worked hard—rest early.”

The housekeeper smiled. “Thank you, madam.”

She watched them leave the second floor before cautiously stepping back into her bedroom.

She closed the door with her heel, her eyes never leaving the wall opposite her.

The mildew stains remained unchanged—neither growing nor disappearing.

Scattered across the wallpaper, they looked like countless watchful eyes.

Fan Tao uneasily curled her lips, staring at the stains for a while longer, but nothing happened.

Her nerves slowly relaxed, and she released the bracelet from her grasp, suddenly feeling drained.

She trudged toward the bed and sat down heavily, exhausted.

Then, a faint cracking sound reached her ears.

Fan Tao’s expression froze.

Almost mechanically, she slowly lowered her head.

In her line of sight, the silver bracelet she had worn for over thirty years was now covered in a layer of black ash.

The pearls embedded between the silver links had lost their luster. One by one, they began to crack.

A deep sense of foreboding welled up in her.

She wanted to do something, but her mind went blank.

Before she could gather her thoughts, all the pearls suddenly shattered, scattering fragments across the floor.

Fan Tao’s breath hitched, and a cold sweat drenched her back.