Five o'clock in the morning.
Qing Chen awoke from a chaotic nightmare. He dreamt of a brutal battle, where Daybreak members and Guardians' Union members perished, and he himself was afflicted with lung cancer, his days numbered.
Upon waking, Qing Chen saw Yang Yang lying beside his bed, her hand gently clasped in his—soft, moist.
Qing Chen had a fever, 39 degrees Celsius.
This was the first time he had fallen ill since becoming a Metahuman, highlighting the extent of the trauma he suffered in the battle with Chen Yu.
His mental and physical states had plummeted to their lowest points; he was incapable of fighting.
Yang Yang raised her head: “You’re awake. I’ll get you some hot water. Drink it and then sleep some more.”
Qing Chen’s gaze drifted past her, fixated on Shendai Yunluo.
At that moment, the young master had somehow procured a genuine leather recliner, lounging on it in his pajamas.
The Bone Girl placed her long sword aside, using a delicate, pure gold file to manicure Shendai Yunluo’s nails.Tianjingxia emerged from the well in the courtyard, tending to Shendai Yunluo’s eyebrows and face. She applied white foam evenly to the master’s chin, carefully shaving it with a razor, then applied a warm towel to the master’s face, beginning a head massage…
Hyakumegami massaged the master’s legs.
The Shikigami bustled about, each one busier than the next.
Qing Chen, still drowsy, was instantly invigorated by the sight—a room full of ghosts!
“Since when has this been happening?” Qing Chen gestured towards Shendai Yunluo.
Yang Yang shrugged.
Shendai Yunluo removed the towel from his face, saying refreshingly, “It seems your injuries are quite severe; you didn’t even notice such a commotion. I suppose now would be the perfect time to kill you.”
Qing Chen said, “Let’s not get into that. I’m asking you… is this how Shikigami are used?”
Shendai Yunluo chuckled, “How else? During the Yuan Clan era, Shikigami were simply the servants of Yin-Yang Masters. Why do you think the Cat You only catches mice and doesn’t participate in battles? Because its role was to keep the courtyard free of mice. What does the Zashiki-Warashi do? It warms the master’s cushions. What does the Dojoji Bell do? It keeps time, of course, in those days.”
Qing Chen raised an eyebrow.
Shendai Yunluo continued, “The ancestors of the Yuan Clan were lazy and frugal; they couldn’t bear to hire servants to look after their large mansion, so they captured over a hundred demons and ghosts to help. It saved money and worry. Servants would haggle over the price of groceries, but demons and ghosts wouldn’t. Moreover, he discovered that once demons and ghosts were given names, they were absolutely loyal—far better than humans.”
For a moment, Qing Chen wasn’t even sure if this was a secret.
You could say it wasn’t, as most people didn’t know.
You could say it was a secret, but it was so casually revealed.
Suddenly, Shendai Yunluo asked, “I’d like to know if little Shinguji Maki has started Cultivation. If she has, can she summon Shikigami? And… does she summon more Shikigami than we Yin-Yang Masters?”
Qing Chen’s heart skipped a beat: “Why are you asking this? She’s still very young.”
Shendai Yunluo shook his head: “She should be the princess of the northern royal family, but now she’s living among the common people. If possible, if the Shendai power ever changes hands, I will bring her back.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Yang Yang said, “She’s my and Qing Chen’s daughter. She will only grow up by our side.”
For a moment, both Shendai Yunluo and Qing Chen fell silent.
Hyakumegami gently helped Shendai Yunluo put on his shoes and socks, using his large body as a ‘curtain’ to shield Qing Chen and Yang Yang’s view while Shendai Yunluo changed into his parka.
Shendai Yunluo smiled at them, “Thank you. Take a rest.”
With that, all the Shikigami returned to his Spiritual Bridge.
Yang Yang mumbled, “He didn’t even offer us a spa treatment. Stingy.”
Qing Chen: “….”
Shendai Yunluo asked, “What are your plans today? Continue climbing?”
“Yes,” Qing Chen nodded, “For the next few days, until my injuries improve, I’ll rely on you all.”
“No problem!” Shendai Yunluo said, “But there’s a condition in exchange.”
“What’s the condition?” Qing Chen asked warily. “If you say you want to take away little Maki, don’t even think about it; I’ll tear down your entire family.”
“Relax, it’s just everyday stuff.”
…
…
Little Zhang, the tour guide, and a few others were waiting at the entrance of the guesthouse.
Jiang Ming, a member of the climbing team, asked, “Did you hear the explosion last night?”
“I did. It sounded very close,” Zhou Hui, the female travel blogger, said, “I felt like the explosion was right above our heads…”
At this point, Qing Chen and Yang Yang came downstairs, both still covering their faces with scarves, while Shendai Yunluo followed behind them, looking refreshed and without any intention of concealing his face.
The moment Zhou Hui saw Shendai Yunluo, Qing Chen could clearly see her eyes light up.
Little Zhang quickly introduced, “Last night, Mr. Liu Shuangxi’s wife left Nanchi Market due to altitude sickness. This gentleman from Japan, Shendai Yunluo, is a solo climber staying in Nanchi Town and will be joining our team to climb Mount Everest.”
Mr. Liu, eyes red, silently glanced at him. Only he knew the cause of the explosion last night, and he also knew that Shendai Yunluo was Qing Chen’s teammate, a master of superhuman abilities, not some solo climber.
“Let’s go. Today we’ll climb Luobuqie Peak for basic acclimatization training, and tomorrow we’ll depart from Luobuqie Village and reach Mount Everest Base Camp in about five hours!”
They set off again. This time, Qing Chen was not acting; this time, he really struggled.
The high-altitude environment seemed to magnify all his injuries.
The pain from the mending of his fractured arms was unbearable, while his internal organs ached and itched during healing.
Muscle, bone, and organ repair all relied on the blood carrying oxygen and nutrients. An injured person would involuntarily gasp for air because their brain told their body that they needed more oxygen.
However, in this high-altitude environment, lack of oxygen would be fatal.
Yang Yang looked at him worriedly, then wrapped Qing Chen’s backpack with a Force field to reduce the burden on his body.
Qing Chen glanced back at Shendai Yunluo’s position, seeing if he was protecting himself properly.
But when he looked back, he found the young master making the female blogger laugh. The female blogger’s body almost hung on him…
This is the treatment of a young master.
On the way to Mount Everest Base Camp, via Luobuqie Peak, it is a standard practice for most climbing teams.
So, there were over ten teams, nearly a hundred people.
When Qing Chen looked back the first time, only Zhou Hui was with Shendai Yunluo.
An hour later, when he looked again, over twenty women had gathered around Shendai Yunluo, all giggling, vying for the closest position to him…
Amazing!
Qing Chen looked at other climbing teams and clearly saw several people glaring at Shendai Yunluo.
This is far more hated than he is…
Yang Yang smiled and asked, “What? Jealous?”
“No,” Qing Chen shook his head, “He promised to be my Guardian, but he’s flirting with girls. My combat power is virtually zero. I need this Guardian…”
Yang Yang laughed happily, “I think it’s great. It saves him from being a third wheel.”
Shendai Yunluo, during a break, found Qing Chen, “I’ve found out. There are two more climbing teams with suspicious people. They never open their backpacks in front of others. Don’t worry, I’ve formed a neighborhood watch team. We’ll check on those people tonight; those with weapons in their backpacks will be killed.”
Qing Chen and Yang Yang were speechless…
While they were still Makabaka, Shendai Yunluo had already gathered a neighborhood watch team of over twenty people using the women in the group!
They even planned to check and kill suspicious people at night!
Amazing!
Shendai Yunluo looked at them, “You don’t really think I’m romancing, do you? I’m very picky. Those who dated me, Shendai Yunluo, aren’t they all famous actresses or wealthy heiresses in the Federation?”
Qing Chen sighed, “You sure know how to have fun.”
…
…
At night, everyone descended from Luobuqie Peak and rested briefly in Luobuqie Village, preparing to head to Mount Everest Base Camp the next morning.
Everyone was setting up tents, and Shendai Yunluo smiled, “Now it's time to return the favor. Qing Chen, Yang Yang, help me set up my tent. That's the condition of me being your Guardian.”
Qing Chen was stunned, “That's it?!”
“Of course,” Shendai Yunluo said, “What did you think it would be?”
“Can't you set it up yourself?” Qing Chen complained, “Opportunities to ask you for a favor are rare. You should cherish them.”
“I can't,” Shendai Yunluo said leisurely, “I’m a Shendai young master, my fingers don't touch the spring water. How could I do such a servant’s job? If it were in the Inner World, I would use Shikigami, but I don’t want to scare others by letting them out.”
“Fine,” Qing Chen sighed.
He and Yang Yang helped this guy set up his tent, while this guy went on chatting with the women.
Subtly, they felt like Shendai Yunluo's attendants…
During the evening campfire, Shendai Yunluo was socializing with the women, leaving only men in each climbing team staring blankly at each other, sharing dry stories about their lives…
Only Qing Chen's team was okay; at least they had Yang Yang.
Little Zhang, the tour guide, smilingly took out a radio, “In the highlands, radio equipment is our only means of communication—calling for rescue from below, contacting those above, and obtaining weather information. Our equipment here is a bit rudimentary. There’s no TV, so we can only listen to the news on the radio for twenty minutes, then go back to our tents to sleep.”
The radio was old. When turned on, it broadcasted the day’s news: Funds plummeted, causing widespread lamentation among investors. A reminder to listeners not to gamble with their finances. If you don't manage your money, it will stay with you.
During this time, Qing Chen suddenly saw everyone around the campfire simultaneously yawning, their eyes gradually becoming sluggish.
Even Yang Yang was not immune!
Within a minute, everyone around the campfire collapsed to the ground, except Qing Chen, who sat there, thoughtfully stroking his Beyond the Three Realms Buddhist beads.
Little Zhang was surprised: “Why aren’t you asleep?”
Qing Chen thought for a moment and replied, “I’m not sleepy yet…”
Little Zhang was shocked. Is this even possible? The person who handed him the radio said that as long as the news channel is playing, everyone who hears it will fall asleep, except the person who turned it on!
Even A-Class were not immune!
Qing Chen smiled curiously, “This radio is a Forbidden Artifact, right? The Inner World Federation doesn’t seem to have any record of such a Forbidden Artifact. Also, all the buttons on the radio, even the production information on the back, are in English, so is it a North American Forbidden Artifact? So polite…”
Little Zhang said tremblingly, “Why are you okay? A-Class members will also fall asleep, and no one in the Outer World can resist it.”
Qing Chen smiled, “Is there a possibility… that I’m already S-Class?”
At the foot of the mountain in Luobuqie Village, someone was listening to everything through Little Zhang’s chest button communication device, deciding whether to act.
When Qing Chen said this, a translator conveyed the meaning to the people in the darkness, shocking them all!
S-Class?
How long have Outer World Time Travelers existed? How is it possible to have a Demi-God-level strong person?
Even the Kingdom and Future Organization don't!
Someone whispered in the dark, “How credible is this?”
“I think it’s unlikely, unless he directly substituted a Demi-God right after he time-traveled. But his profile shows that he was just an ordinary person when he became a Time Traveler.”
“But he did exempt the ‘hypnotic radio’ rule. Only Demi-Gods can exempt this rule, we both experimented, A-Class is not immune.”
“That’s true, but I think that… he is not a Demi-God.”
Then someone said, “If you think he doesn’t have the power of a Demi-God, then you test him.”
“Why me? I think he really might be a Demi-God.”
Another person whispered, “Regardless of whether he is a Demi-God or not, now is not the best time to act. The best information has already been provided. What we need to wait for is the moment he challenges the Trials of Life and Death.”
“In that case, our plans targeting him need to be revised. I need more members to arrive in Nepal,” someone said gravely, “This Qing Chen is a staunch warmonger. He must be killed before we can continue our colonization. My Royal Organization will immediately gather manpower.”
“My Future Organization will also make immediate arrangements.”
In the darkness, a person with half of his face disfigured sneered, “Koshima also has the determination to kill him.”
“Then we will act when he challenges the Knight Trials of Life and Death. That's when he’s most vulnerable.”
“By the way, what about Zhang?”
“Unsalvageable, let him fend for himself.”
At this moment, Little Zhang, looking at Qing Chen, had fallen into despair.