Chapter 125: Seeking a Mentor

Hearing the sound, the two quickened their pace, but the terrain here had become treacherous. Thick weeds and tangled branches obscured the narrow mountain path, and the soil was so loose that one false step could send you tumbling, with no telling where you might land.

Pushing aside a dense thicket of leaves, Qi Yan nearly lost his footing. Fortunately, he held on tight; beneath him lay a deep, earthen pit.

"Xuanxuan, are you... down there?"

"Thank heavens, you’re finally here! Why did it take you so long?"

It was indeed Xuanxuan’s voice. Though he still couldn't see her, she sounded relatively unharmed.

Qi Yan and Uncle Yan searched around the edge of the pit and then shouted down, "Hold on, we’re finding a long branch to lower down so we can pull you up."

"Hurry up..."

While searching for a sturdy branch, Uncle Yan scanned the surroundings, wondering where that restless spirit had vanished to.

From the bottom of the pit, Xuanxuan called out, "This pit seems to be the monster’s lair. I was attacked and accidentally fell in. I’ve twisted my ankle, and the walls are too steep and loose for me to climb out on my own. My phone has no signal, and... my Kuman Thong seems to have been destroyed, so I couldn't use it to reach you."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine... I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

Qi Yan spotted a branch as thick as a thumb but exceptionally long. As he prepared to use a sharp tool he carried to trim it into a makeshift rope, he replied, "Give us the bad news first."

"The bad news is that I can locate Da Long, but he might be elsewhere. Pull me up quickly so we can go find him together. I can sense that he isn't too far from us."

Uncle Yan asked, "And... the good news?"

"The good news is that I think I’ve found another 'Long.' He Yulong is down here too... the holder of the fourth Yin Palace plaque."

Qi Yan snapped the branch and began clearing the leaves from it. "Let me guess—he’s already reduced to a skeleton?"

"Naturally... but the Yin plaque is still hanging on him, which is how I knew it was him."

Uncle Yan didn't help Qi Yan; instead, he tiptoed around, searching for Hao Dalong. "I also have two pieces of news for you, but there’s no bad news—it’s all good. Which one do you want to hear first?"

Xuanxuan fell silent for a moment below, likely rolling her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. If both are good news, what difference does it make which one I hear first?"

"The first piece of good news is that Xiao Ding’s condition has stabilized. I’ve found a way to control the spread of that parasitic plant."

"The second piece of good news is that the monster is dead. And besides the insect powder trail you left behind, we had a guide leading us to you: the spirit of the fourth Yin Palace plaque. No wonder it vanished when it reached this area—the Yin plaque was here all along!"

Qi Yan lowered the two-meter-long branch into the pit. Knowing Uncle Yan’s physical condition, he couldn't expect much help, and he had to be careful pulling Xuanxuan up so they wouldn't both be dragged down.

He braced himself against a thick tree trunk nearby and shouted to Xuanxuan, "Hold on tight! You can use your uninjured leg to push, right? We’ll pull together."

Afterward, Qi Yan glanced at Uncle Yan, deciding this was the perfect moment to broach a thought that had been brewing in his mind. Since he was asking for a favor, there was no better time than during their shared ordeal.

"Uncle Yan, tonight I witnessed some of your and Xuanxuan’s... how should I put it? Supernatural talents. They aren't as flashy as what you see in the movies, but this is... real magic, right?"

Uncle Yan, busy wiping sweat from his brow, nodded. "Magic? You could call it that. Strictly speaking, it’s Sorcery... but tell me, how do movies depict us when we cast spells?"

Qi Yan chuckled. "Nothing too wild. No flying talismans or ghosts defeated with a single punch. But I imagine this—the danger, the obstacles, the disheveled state you’re both in—is what real mystical arts are like, right?"

"I heard you say there are many types of spirit-suppression arts, and that Southeast Asian ghost sorcery is quite famous. You can command these terrifying spirits at will. Even if that Gulu wasn't summoned by you personally, you were still able to subdue it. Is this path something I could follow? I mean... if I encounter danger, could I use the power of spirits to fight back?"

Uncle Yan looked stunned, but he answered patiently, "Yes... that’s true. Our methods differ from those of the Taoist priests you’re familiar with. They use artifacts and talismans to drive away ghosts. I prefer using medicinal insects, and Xuanxuan... she’s quite skilled at raising spirits, though she doesn't keep evil ones, just small spirits at home. Why do you ask?"

Qi Yan pressed on, "Assuming I could learn... even if not the full extent of ghost sorcery, could I at least learn to control my Yin plaque? To make it obey me?"

"That... your Yin plaque is too powerful. Full control won't be easy, but if you understand the basics of binding spirits and sorcery... you might be able to restrain it. At the very least, you wouldn't be as passive as you were when you first acquired it."

Uncle Yan adjusted his glasses. "Wait... Xiao Qi, what exactly are you trying to say? Are you... asking to become my apprentice to learn ghost sorcery?"

Qi Yan felt a bit shy about stating it clearly, so he spoke in metaphors. "Well... I don't want to learn too much. Your sorcery is too terrifying... or rather, too profound. I don't think I have the talent for a quick mastery of it.

"I just feel that if I could learn the basics, it might help me suppress the plaque’s power long-term, or give me some defensive skills for when I run into those terrorists again. Otherwise, I’m just a punching bag; I’ll end up dead sooner or later..."

Uncle Yan let out a wry laugh. "Hey... if you want to be my apprentice, just say so! Why beat around the bush? If you really want to learn, I’ll teach you once we’re back in Xinzhou. Learning the basics of binding spirits shouldn't be too hard for you. After all, your constitution has already been forcibly altered by the Yin plaque, and you can already see most spirits. That’s enough to get started.

"But if you decide to do this, your life will take a very different turn. I must warn you of that first."

Hearing his straightforward response, Qi Yan knew he had agreed. His face lit up. "It’s fine! My life? Haha... it’s already a wreck. I go on vacation and get haunted; I go for a hike and get attacked by monsters; I go to pick up a drunk friend and run into a vengeful spirit... I was someone who didn't believe in anything, and now I’m trading in Buddha amulets. My life has already veered far off course! How much further could it possibly go? I just want to do everything I can to survive—it’s that simple."

Suddenly, Xuanxuan cursed from the bottom of the pit. "For God's sake... do you two really have to discuss this right now? Can you please just pull me up first?!"