TRYMBPIETM 21: The Ancient Tree’s Deep Shade(15)

Chi Qingzhou did not answer.

He simply smiled as the enormous shadow beneath his feet slowly retracted, curling back to his side. The tendrils that had extended outward still held a few struggling wild ghosts in their grasp.

A chilling aura gradually gathered in the small courtyard, and a thin mist rose in the night.

Song Yuzhi’s vision blurred slightly. He instinctively pressed his eyelids, wondering if there was something wrong with his eyes.

Why were there so many flickering black shadows in the fog?

Why were there long, writhing things on the ground?

His scalp tingled. His fear had accumulated to the point that he could no longer react—he just stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the dark shapes in the mist.

The thing within the fog came closer and closer, and soon, he saw its true form.

It was a man with a twisted and grotesque face. His skin was tinged blue and purple, and his tongue hung unnaturally from his mouth.

His bulging, fish-like eyes barely had any whites, the dark pupils filled with bloodshot veins.

His limp limbs were bound by inky shadows, struggling desperately but unable to move an inch.

Song Yuzhi’s gaze slid over the strangulation mark on the figure’s neck, inch by inch, until it landed on the ground.

A slender shadow writhed and stretched—its other end connected to Chi Qingzhou’s feet.

His expression froze.

Like a freshly sculpted clay statue, he stood still in the mist, unable to even move his eyeballs.

Chi Qingzhou acted as if he hadn’t noticed Song Yuzhi’s fear. With a well-behaved smile, he asked, “Now that you’ve seen it, Teacher Song, do you believe me?”

Song Yuzhi stiffly turned his head, his movements jerky, like an old machine that hadn’t been oiled in years.

Chi Qingzhou’s smiling face came into view, and the sheer terror Song Yuzhi had been suppressing finally erupted. A wretched scream tore from his throat.

“Don’t come near me! Stay back—!!”

Panicked, he stumbled backward, his steps unsteady until he collapsed onto the ground.

Chi Qingzhou blinked innocently and tilted his head in a cute, puzzled manner. “What’s wrong, Teacher Song?”

He glanced at the still-struggling hanged ghost and seemed to understand.

“Oh, are you scared of this?”

With a mere thought, his shadow moved, tightening its grip. The hanged ghost, which had already claimed the lives of three innocent passersby, was instantly reduced to wisps of ghostly energy, which seeped into the shadow and disappeared.

He spread his hands happily and showed them to Song Yuzhi. “It’s okay, look—it’s gone now!”

Song Yuzhi was on the verge of tears.

“… …”

Thank you, but I’m even more terrified now!!

Chi Qingzhou clicked his tongue in distress. Why was Ah Lai’s fated person so difficult to deal with? He lacks courage.

Song Yuzhi trembled slightly. Looking around at the thick fog, he gritted his teeth, gathered his resolve, and hesitantly asked in a small voice, “Um, Teacher Chi… are you… alive?”

Chi Qingzhou: “Of course I am.” Seeing Song Yuzhi’s dubious expression, he thought for a moment and added, “Look, I have a shadow.”

Song Yuzhi: “…”

Thanks, now I think you’re even less human.

If Chi Qingzhou hadn’t mentioned his shadow, Song Yuzhi might not have thought much of it. But now, all he could recall was the shadow crushing that fierce ghost moments ago.

Could a normal person have a shadow like that?

He had read enough books—don’t try to fool him!

Song Yuzhi carefully observed Chi Qingzhou’s expression and, trying to be even more obedient than Chi Qingzhou himself, said sweetly, “I see, I understand.”

From within Chi Qingzhou’s shadow, Xing Shuangzhan stifled a laugh and was promptly stomped on by Chi Qingzhou.

Chi Qingzhou didn’t dwell on the matter. Instead, he asked, “So, Teacher Song, are you willing to help Ah Lai now?”

Song Yuzhi became even more cautious. “Well… that depends on what kind of help you need?”

Possibly worried that Chi Qingzhou would get upset, he quickly added, “You know I’m just an ordinary person. If it’s something too difficult, I might not be able to help.”

Chi Qingzhou replied, “Don’t worry, it’s nothing dangerous. I just need you to guide the way at the right time and accompany me to the Puluo clan’s territory.”

Song Yuzhi, completely unaware of the rules of the Puluo clan, breathed a huge sigh of relief at this request.

“That doesn’t sound too hard. But I don’t know the way… Should I ask around tomorrow?”

Chi Qingzhou waved off the concern. “No need. You’re Ah Lai’s fated person. Once we enter the mountains, you’ll naturally find the way.”

…Is it really that easy?

Song Yuzhi was skeptical but didn’t voice his doubts. He muttered to himself before nodding in agreement.

Seeing that Chi Qingzhou had nothing else to say, he cautiously asked, “Then… if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back now?”

Chi Qingzhou had no intention of keeping him.

However, before Song Yuzhi left, Chi Qingzhou reminded him, “You’ve picked up quite a bit of bad energy. Be careful of those around you in the coming days.”

Song Yuzhi froze. His mind jumped to the worst conclusions, and in an anxious, submissive tone, he stammered, “I get it! I won’t tell anyone! Teacher Chi, don’t worry, even if I slip up, no one would believe me anyway.”

Chi Qingzhou: “?” He looked confused. “What are you talking about? I meant that you might encounter danger soon, so be extra cautious.”

He was searching for Ah Lai, so he would protect Song Yuzhi’s life—but beyond that, he couldn’t guarantee much.

Song Yuzhi took a moment to process this. He looked at the shadow beneath Chi Qingzhou’s feet, and a realization struck him.

He was utterly stunned. “Teacher Chi… you’re a master?!”

Chi Qingzhou corrected him. “I know a bit. Not just anyone in the cultivation world can be called a master.”

“Oh, oh.” Song Yuzhi assumed Chi Qingzhou was a ghost-taming expert, and his fear lessened slightly.

He recalled the hanged ghost that had been dragged out earlier and started suspecting that the entity might have threatened the production crew’s safety. That meant Chi Qingzhou hadn’t been wandering outside for no reason—he was actually protecting them.

This place was so dangerous, and yet he had casually gone out for a smoke…

A cold sweat ran down Song Yuzhi’s back.

His attitude changed instantly—he respectfully bowed to Chi Qingzhou and thanked him profusely.

Chi Qingzhou: “……?”

Baffled, he gave Song Yuzhi a few puzzled looks. Not in the mood to continue chatting, he impatiently waved him off. “Go rest already.”

Song Yuzhi, looking as if he had gained profound enlightenment, thanked him again and again before leaving.

Chi Qingzhou was left standing there, completely perplexed.

“Hmm… Living people sure think in weird ways,” he muttered to Xing Shuangzhan. “Do you know what he was thinking?”

Xing Shuangzhan chuckled from within the shadows, then emerged and wrapped his arms around Chi Qingzhou’s slender waist. “No idea. I’m not a living person either, so I can’t understand them.”

…Fair enough. Chi Qingzhou thought for a moment but decided it wasn’t worth figuring out.

He shifted his focus back to the deep, dark night.

….

Song Yuzhi returned to his room, washed his face in the bathroom, and drank two cups of hot water to calm the panic in his heart.

Now, thinking back on the scene he had just witnessed, he still found it hard to believe.

Chi Qingzhou was actually a master?

Did the Chi family take him back because of this?

As a member of the Song family, Song Yuzhi had seen many masters and knew that many of them were truly capable.

Even those in their circle who didn’t completely believe in the mystic arts would not dare to offend them easily.

Song Yuzhi thought about what he had done earlier that morning and his face flushed with embarrassment.

He had been so rude, yet someone as powerful as Chi Qingzhou, a master, didn’t teach him a lesson and even warned him that he might be in danger. He felt deeply ashamed.

He was wrong. He shouldn’t have believed the rumors.

After the filming of the program, he would properly apologize to Master Chi.

Song Yuzhi sighed, unlocked his phone, and stared at the picture of his old fan for a while. He hesitated before calling his agent.

The agent calmly asked, “Have you figured it out?”

Song Yuzhi chuckled bitterly, “Brother Dai, you put the evidence right in front of me, I’m not blind, how could I pretend not to see it?”

The agent asked, “What are you going to do now?”

Song Yuzhi paused for a moment, “I don’t know.”

He felt confused, lost, and more than anything, sad.

When he met Chi Qingning on the set of Wanxiang, he really believed Chi Qingning’s words. He thought this person was his soulmate, the one who truly understood him.

But in the end, it was all a lie.

Song Yuzhi couldn’t tell if he was angrier about being deceived or disappointed because he had mistaken someone for his soulmate.

“I feel so stupid.” Song Yuzhi laughed at himself, “Back then, when I was squatting downstairs smoking, I was wondering if Chi Qingning, seeing me so happy, was secretly thinking I was an idiot.”

The agent was very surprised. “Yuzhi, I’ve always said you’re stubborn, but how come you’ve come to terms with it so quickly this time?”

Especially when Chi Qingning’s assistant had repeatedly helped Chi Qingning play the victim, saying that after Chi Qingzhou returned to the Chi family, Chi Qingning had been bullied a lot, which made Song Yuzhi sympathize with him. He even considered helping Chi Qingning improve his situation.

“You’ve always been so protective of talent,” the agent said.

Song Yuzhi didn’t answer.

How could he not come to terms with it?

What kind of person was Chi Qingzhou? He was a master.

If Chi Qingzhou really wanted to deal with Chi Qingning, it would be a simple matter—no need for the complexity that the assistant had said.

So…

Song Yuzhi was even sadder. “He lied about all of this, he was just fooling me.”

The agent was both surprised and puzzled. He didn’t understand why Song Yuzhi had changed his attitude so quickly.

But this was actually a good thing.

He took advantage of the situation and brought up Chi Qingzhou’s real identity.

“Do you remember what I was going to discuss with you earlier? It’s about this. The Chi family’s attitude is strange—they won’t accept their own flesh and blood but instead dote on an imposter. If you say there’s nothing wrong here, I don’t believe it.”

Song Yuzhi was nearly numb from the shock.

He lowered his head, remaining silent for a while, then hoarsely said, “I need to tell Feifei about this. I’ll call her later and tell her about the Chi family’s issues. The collaboration I helped the Chi family with, I’ll never bring it up again.”

…

While Song Yuzhi was heartbroken over the end of his first love, Chi Qingning still didn’t know anything.

He took his phone back from the production team, feeling restless, and called his older brother, Chi Xiaoyuan.

“Brother, did you watch today’s live broadcast?” he asked, his voice trembling. “Didn’t you feel like something was off with Chi Qingzhou?”

“Busy today, I didn’t watch.”

Chi Xiaoyuan was silent for half a minute. His next sentence greatly surprised Chi Qingning.

He said, “You know now?”