Chapter 1 I Woke Up in Bed

When I woke up the next day, I was already lying in bed, not knowing who had dragged me back into the house.

When I went downstairs to get a drink of water, Yun Shang told me that Xie Sanbao had come. Yun Shang told him that Ye Yang was recuperating from his injuries and that I had gone out to run errands and hadn't returned yet, so Xie Sanbao left.

When he left, he kept looking back at the house, as if hoping to see me walk out of it.

Xie Sanbao was undoubtedly a qualified father, but unfortunately, his daughter was an evil spirit.

I really wanted to help Xie Sanbao, but now was not the time!

I had to find a way to save Ye Yang and myself.

Nie Xiaochun brought me some very bad news: the Yin Division had suppressed all secret decrees, saying that they wanted to reclassify the secret decree levels and would not restart them until next year.

Was this a move against Ye Yang and me?

Nie Xiaochun told me that after the Yin Division detained the secret decrees, it directly affected the entire Yang Jian Jie Ming Ren (life borrower) circle. Many life borrowers with little lifespan left were buying life with heavy money. Now, the lifespan among life borrowers could be sold by the day, and it was still a seller's market.

The scholar-official faction was playing a ruthless game.

As I tapped the table, pondering how to break the situation, someone I didn't expect came to Liangjie Tang (Two Realms Hall): Cang Tianji.

Before this, I had only heard of Cang Tianji's name, but I had never met her in person.

At first sight of Cang Tianji, I felt that she was even more mysterious than the legends said!

Cang Tianji was like a deity sitting in time. You could see her, but you would never know how much space or time separated you from her.

I calmly raised my hand and said, "Please have some tea! What brings you to Liangjie Tang?"

"The tea ceremony of Liangjie Tang's advisor is still commendable," Cang Tianji picked up the teacup. "I'm here to make a deal with you. I'll trade three years of lifespan for the zombie you dug up."

My eyes narrowed slightly. How did she know I had dug up a zombie?

Although I was suspicious, I responded calmly, "Three years of lifespan isn't enough to exchange for a Jiangshi (undead corpse)."

Cang Tianji said, "You should be very clear about Liangjie Tang's situation. When I offer three years of lifespan, I'm actually giving you three lives."

"The Yin Division's withholding of secret decrees will cause at least 10% of the life borrowers to die. The lifespan between life borrowers has reached the point of being worth a fortune. My ability to help the three hall masters of Liangjie Tang hold out until the release of the secret decrees isn't that giving you three lives?"

I smiled, "If that's all you have to offer, then please leave! I can still get three years of lifespan. At least, I can buy life from Wu Sheng."

Wu Sheng, who fought with me in the Little Yellow Springs, had not appeared in my sight for a long time.

However, Zhao Ci always had news of them, and it wouldn't be difficult for me to find them.

Cang Tianji said, "I'd like to know what conditions you plan to use to impress Wu Sheng? As far as I know, Wu Sheng has always been greedy. If Liangjie Tang wants to trade with Wu Sheng, I'm afraid it will pay an even greater price."

I smiled, "How we trade is our Liangjie Tang's business, so you don't need to worry about it."

Cang Tianji was silent for a moment and said, "Hall Master Li, what other conditions do you want to add?"

I asked noncommittally, "Rumor has it that Cang Tianji is one of the few masters of fate in the world. Could it be that you can't figure out what I want?"

In my opinion, Cang Tianji's sudden visit to Liangjie Tang was definitely not as simple as just wanting a Jiangshi. She should have other purposes. However, she wouldn't throw out all her chips as soon as she sat down.

My refusal to take the bait was to see the other party's true purpose.

Cang Tianji said, "You want a method to break the Ye family's curse!"

My eyes suddenly narrowed. Cang Tianji had hit my weakness.

If she really held a way to break the Ye family's curse in her hands, I would fall into an absolute disadvantage.

I smiled calmly, "It seems that the hall that manages intelligence in Dong Apang needs to be replaced. She can find out the grudges between a leaf and a tree, so how could she not know that Ye Yang is in Liangjie Tang?"

"Wouldn't Ye Yang know how to break the Ye family's curse?"

It wasn't surprising that Cang Tianji could find out about the grudges between the Mu and Ye families. Ling slaughtered the Mu family, and Ye Yang and I blew up the Feng Shui Grand Formation. We could hide it from the authorities, but we couldn't hide it from the occult world. As long as she put in a little effort, it wouldn't be difficult to find out about the grudges between the Nan Yi Mu (Southern Mu Family) and Bei Yi Ye (Northern Ye Family).

Cang Tianji smiled, "The easiest way to break a curse is to slay the god. However, the prerequisite for slaying the god is that you can find the other party. Ye Yang just can't find the place of the curse. If you don't believe me, you can ask Ye Yang."

I looked at Ye Yang in surprise, and to my surprise, the latter nodded.

A murderous intent rose slightly in my body. "That's strange. Even Ye Yang doesn't know where the cursed place is? How would you know?"

Ye Yang wouldn't lie to me, which meant that Cang Tianji had come prepared. What she wanted was probably more than just a zombie.

Could Cang Tianji be a link in the Yin Commander's struggle with the civil officials? If that was the case, I couldn't let her leave.

As I reached for the hilt of my knife, Cang Tianji, who was covering her eyes with a white cloth, seemed to see my movement and gently pointed her finger to the left of the teacup, which was also the path I would take to draw my knife. Cang Tianji said calmly, "Because my name is Cang Tianji!"

Cang Tianji said, "Lao Miao's whereabouts are uncertain. If you want to find Lao Miao, first remember this incantation."

"A rage boils the sea. Nine cauldrons suppress the imperial court. Zero is before the character one. Three stars conceal the sun. The Nine Bends Yellow Springs Road, a leaf falls in another land. The four extremes are difficult to see, two blades reveal a cold light."

"Connecting the numbers in the incantation is fate, you can see Yang Jian Jie Ming Ren. Find the Eight Great Guides among the life borrowers to reach the realm of insight."

"The palm strikes the gavel, turning around and hiding into the subtle—the storyteller Lao Miao is in the realm of insight."