Finally, before there is time to catch the "broken bowl G.o.d", Zhao leaves under his father"s menacing aura... his father just seems displeased seeing Shen, and when he is displeased for long, he will begin to make others around him displeased as well.

Zhao feels very ashamed of this. He continues mumbling as they get in the car, "Most people only get possessed by beautiful fox fairies. Only someone as s.h.i.tty as he is would attract a broken bowl, of all things... in his past life he must have been a beggar, or a c.r.a.ppy monk bringing his c.r.a.ppy bowl everywhere."

"It"s fine, don"t worry. Shennong"s followers are known for their kindness, they wouldn"t harm humans for no reason. Besides, didn"t you put a marker on him already? I"ll keep an eye on him for you."

Zhao cackles drily, "Hehe, thanks babe. We aren"t even married yet, but you"re already troubled by that jerk father-in-law."

He really is the forgetful kind. He has already forgotten about Shen"s outrage just earlier, and is teasing him callously again.

Zhao"s plan was to watch a movie together; it"s Valentine"s Day after all. But perhaps the car is too warm with the heater, he soon falls asleep. Just before drifting away into slumber, Zhao wonders, why does he tire so easily lately?

Perhaps it"s the common cold.

And while he is asleep, he is bothered by waves and waves of cl.u.s.tered dreams. There always seems to be someone amidst the white mist, incessantly repeating, "You fail to look beyond forever. You fail to tell right from wrong, good from evil, life from death..."

The words wheel through his mind back and forth, and soon Zhao can"t help but wonder: what really are life and death?

The endless interrogation bombards him with increasing dissonance. Zhao knows he is dreaming, but for the life of him, he just cannot wake up. These chaotic dreams draw him deep into a depthless swamp, sucking away his breath as he struggle to break free.

Then, someone pushes a bowl against his mouth, which reeks of a foul odour. Forcing his mouth open, the medicine is stuffed down his throat. Zhao naturally resists, and tries to push the thick liquid away with his tongue. His head is then held in place, and then, there is a familiar scent; soft lips adhere, as the medicine flows downwards.

Zhao finally breaks free from his dream, and finds himself home, in bed. Shen puts down the bowl, and brings a cup of tea. Foreheads touching, Shen says tenderly, "Come on, drink some to clear the taste."

Zhao stares at him quietly, taking the cup. Long and lush eyelashes point downwards, as his forehead is still wet with sweat after the nightmare.

He downs the whole cup, and says coa.r.s.ely, "Don"t know why, I am always so tired lately."

Shen hesitates and answers, "Must have been exhausted after going inside the holy tree."

"Oh." Zhao suddenly looks up, and stares at him suggestively. He speaks in elongated sounds, "And I thought maybe..."

That sends shivers down Shen"s spine.

That idiot moans with fake tears and an unnecessary intonation in his voice, "I am pregnant with your child."

Shen shudders, and almost drops the bowl and the cup to the floor. He quickly scrambles off.

Zhao takes out his phone to see what time it is. There is a brief message from w.a.n.g Zheng: in an urban area around 300 km away from Dragon City there is a cl.u.s.ter of villas, one resident found a corpse, green-faced with a horrified expression, and a black dog"s neck in his grasp. Both man and dog were cold.

Then, w.a.n.g professionally reminds him, "It"s almost 7th of January."

Legend says that the 7th day of the first month is everyone"s birthday, and there are tricks for borrowing people"s lifespans.

Folklore teaches that the blood of a black dog can communicate between the living and the dead. The blood is used to write the horoscope readings of two people on a piece of paper, and on it the number of years borrowed is specified. Four incense candles are placed at the corners of the paper, if they stand upright, that means a h.e.l.l Guard has taken the bribe. Then, burn the paper, and have the borrower swallow the ashes, and the ritual is done.

In olden times, usually when old people got ill, their children or grandchildren might willingly lend their lifespans. But nowadays, these rituals are lost; only selfish cowards try to find defective ways to steal other people"s lives.

In the past, if the rituals failed and the ill pa.s.sed away nonetheless, the child or grandchild would perform another ritual to get back the lifespan. But stealing is very different. If successful, the Taoist priest who helped with the ritual would have made money in the expense of his virtue. If unsuccessful, it could backfire and cost the life of whoever performed the ritual.

A human corpse next to that of a black dog is not a rare sight near the 7th of January. SIU has several of these cases every year. Zhao forwards the message to everyone, and asks that whoever is free go and take a look.

Before he finishes typing, his eyelids begin to droop. He pulls through and barely hits send. Like a black-out, he drops on the bed and falls asleep before he could even count one sheep.

When Zhu Hong receives the message, she is meditating on the roof. Her long snake tail bathes in the moonlight... Northern cities are quite the trouble, as sunny weather is rarely seen in winter; even moonlit nights are rare and precious opportunities for meditation.

Zhu opens her eyes, but not to look at her phone, as she immediately sees the man sitting opposite her, and is shocked, "Uncle?"

Her uncle four looks at her and says, "Years ago, you failed in your cultivation, and was maimed by Heavenly Thunder. I left you under the care of the Guardian, in the hopes that his most Yang energy could protect you. It seems he has taken good care of you."

With a wave of the hand, a small pavilion emerges on the windy rooftop. Inside there is a big tea tray, with a small burning stove and water pot, and a tea pot beside with tea leaves readily stored inside. Uncle four invites Zhu in, "Come on."

Her snake tail turns into legs, as she quickly skims through Zhao"s message. She hesitates, and says, "The Guardian says there is a case..."

"A life stealer got what he deserved, these cases happen every year." Uncle four glances at the message, and then continues, "There"s something I need to discuss with you now."