Chapter 82

 Chapter 82: The Heirloom Jade Seal of the Realm [6]

Effortlessly going down the thief’s tunnel, as they had guessed, there were no mechanisms along the way. It led straight to the largest palace, they looked around at the dazzling array of treasures, everywhere was glittering. 

“This is basically a treasure room.”

Zhang Qiu sighed. 

With several people refusing to be distracted, they soon found the box that Uncle Kule had said was knocked off. From a pair of treasures, a square piece of jade fell. The jade seal was not as transparent as Zhang Qiu imagined. Although there were no impurities, it was as if it was wrapped in something misty.

“Could it be a fake?” This was made from the legendary Heshibi. 

“Whether it is genuine or not, take it first and talk about it later.” Qi Xi stretched out his hand to pick the thing up, his face changed, and he instantly threw the thing away. Zhang Qiu, the closest to Qi Xi, caught the thing out of reflex, and said “Even if it is a fake, don’t throw it!” Turning it over and looking, there were eight big characters in Qin Zhuan[1] script at the bottom. It looks a little different, but it’s not a fake.

Qi Xi stared at Zhang Qiu suspiciously, “Do you feel anything else?” 

“What else?” 

“As soon as I touched it, I felt that this thing is too evil, it seemed to suck the power from me.” 

Zhang Qiu turned it over and still didn’t feel anything. He handed it to Er-ge, and as soon as Zhang Yushui took it, his face changed. Zhang Qiu quickly took it back. Finally, they passed it around. Pei Qing, Zhang Yushui and Qi Xi couldn’t touch it. Ling Dang only touched it for a moment and his complexion was flushed. After a few seconds, he called out: “Gege, there is a force running through my body, I, I am too hot, it’s like I’m about to explode.”

Scared, Zhang Qiu quickly took it back. Pixian Hui Wang, Xiao Jiang, Ling Dang and Uncle Kule all seemed to benefit from it, but the power was too evil and domineering that he didn’t dare to try anymore. Him and Li Shu didn’t feel anything, they felt that it was just an ordinary jade seal.

At the beginning, Uncle Kule could become a physical entity with just one touch, showing the peculiar power of this thing. 

“Have you noticed that it’s a little brighter than before?” Zhang Qiu was about to put the jade seal back into the box it was found in. It was a bit brighter than when they first saw it.

“It does seem to be a bit brighter.” Zhang Yushui looked at it and nodded, “You pack it up first and then take it back to study.”

Zhang Qiu packed the jade seal into the wooden box and was about to hand it to Xiao Fei for safekeeping, when Li Shu suddenly said: “Someone has entered.”

Several people looked, Ling Dang immediately hid in the spirit bead, Li Shu quickly pulled Zhang Qiu and Xiao Jiang onto the beam, Zhang Yushui saw that it wasn’t a bad idea and also pulled Pixian Hui Wang onto the beam. In the end, all their people were on the beam.

The crystal palace was built with characteristics of the Yuan dynasty. The beams they were on were high, long and wide enough to support the entire roof. They were not crowded when hiding. Zhang Qiu thought for a long time, he didn’t know how the beams withstood the weight of this many people.

His imagination ran wild. Hearing the sound of very disorderly footsteps approaching, Zhang Qiu slowed his breathing and looked down. 

Because there were many night pearls[2] in the palace, it was not very dark, but the roof of the palace was very high. The roof was in the shape of a round arch and the distance from the ground was at least five metres, so the top appeared very dark, just enough to hide their figures.

“Close the door.” 

It was a woman’s voice, Zhang Qiu didn’t dare to poke his head out, thinking of yesterday’s sneak attack, the distance was no more than a few hundred metres, this woman would be able to identify them.

With messy footsteps, at least a dozen people followed the woman, panicked as if there was something behind them, chasing them. Listening to the woman’s words, the door was closed. The woman’s eyebrows were impatient, and she swung the whip fiercely and cursed, scolding, “Search, what can you all do while being in a daze.” 

The thugs didn’t dare refuse. Their clothes were a mess, and their faces were more or less injured. They weren’t as human as they were yesterday. 

Qi Xi’s eyes were accurately locked onto a man who was cursing, he was the one who deliberately tripped Xiao Rongrong that day, suppressing the sharpness of his eyes.

In a room full of treasures, that group of people did not try and hide the greed in their eyes. The woman swung the whip and said harshly: “It’s important to be serious. If you don’t find anything, just stay here.”

“Got it, Miss.” 

The woman put her whip away and paced around the palace, suddenly she raised her head and looked up. Zhang Qiu’s nervous palms were sweating. What he didn’t notice was the wisps of red fog that surrounded the people on the beam.

“There is something outside the door.” Li Shu whispered.

Zhang Qiu was almost scared to death. Why did Li Shu still speak? this woman is so cunning.

Li Shu smiled and pointed to Zhang Qiu’s body. Zhang Qiu lowered his head to see Xiao Fei’s red fog. He was shocked and said in a low voice: “So awesome!” Not only can it hold things, but it can also isolate space.

The woman didn’t see anything suspicious and took back her gaze, hearing the pounding getting louder and louder, she impatiently asked: “Have you found it?”

“Miss, there is no jade seal.”

“I can’t find it. I can’t find the wooden box you spoke of.” 

“Impossible!” The woman moved a few people aside to look, frowning, “Father said it was here, it’s impossible for it not to be.”

The banging outside the door got louder, the steps light and uniform. Zhang Qiu heard his ears ringing, he always felt that the door was shaky and about to break open at any point, and whispered, “What’s outside?” 

Li Shu also didn’t know, “It’s not the breath of a living being.” 

The people on the roof beams were all shocked when they heard that. The people below were already panicked, and said in a disorderly and confused manner, “Miss, how about we go first—” 

The woman brandished the whip, and the red whip was tightly wrapped around the talking man’s neck like a snake. The man’s face flushed instantly, “Let me hear one of you say that again, I will let him feed my little snake first.” 

Thinking of using these losers as meat shields, the woman loosened the whip, the man doubled over and coughed, concealing the hatred in his eyes. 

“As long as you find the jade seal, what are the monsters outside? They will have to listen to me obediently.” The woman raised her brows when she said that, and she said ruthlessly: “Hurry up and look for it.”

Just listening to the crackling sound of the whip, because of what just happened to the man, these people didn’t dare to pay the treasures any mind. They rudely threw the antiques to the side as they rummaged. As they were stumbling around everywhere, the sounds of crashing outside intensified, like a series of reminders of their impending deaths.

“Miss, I’ve searched all over, there really is nothing.”

The woman wanted to be cruel, but only heard a bang, the door was knocked open and the group of things outside rushed in.

Zhang Qiu’s eyes went wide, there was a small army outside. There were about 30 – 40 people in armour. They were fully armed and covered tightly. They had sniper rifles in their hands, he only listened to the orderly pace of clattering, with a whoosh, the sniper rifles were all aimed at the group of people below.

“It’s just a puppet.” The woman’s eyes were fierce, as soon as her voice fell, the whip in her hand was swung out, directly wrapping around an armoured head.

They took the lead in breaking the confrontation, the thugs in the back and the puppet soldiers got into melee. Zhang Qiu and the others lay in wait, watching with excitement, especially Qi Xi who was waiting for an opportunity to catch the woman.

The whip wrapped around the neck of the puppet soldier and the woman yanked hard, only to hear the puppet soldier’s head fall to the ground, but unexpectedly the body was still moving. The sniper rifle in its hand instantly penetrated the abdomen of a thug. 

The fight below was hard to separate from[3]. It didn’t take long for the puppet soldiers to lose ground, their limbs were mutilated, yet they were still able to move. There were dead thugs everywhere, bleeding all over the ground. The woman’s face was fierce, she licked the blood beside her mouth. The whip in her hand seemed to be dancing, leaving her hand. Only after listening to a few slaps, the puppet soldiers fell to the ground.

This was the moment.

Qi Xi flipped his hands and jumped down. No one noticed a small piece of armour that shot in from the open door.

The woman raised her head and dodged Qi Xi, not caring at all about the black piece of armour. She was hit directly, and she bent her knee, half kneeling on the ground. Zhang Qiu and the others had already jumped off and took care of the remaining four thugs. 

“Just in time.” From outside, Yue Qincang came in, pushing the wheelchair.

Kai Ming sitting in the wheelchair, dressed very thinly, the profoundly handsome face saw the bloodthirsty feeling in the woman’s eyes.

“You took the Golden Bone.” 

Yes. 

The woman raised her head, and smiled, she didn’t seem like a prisoner at all. She very arrogantly said: “What about it?” She looked around, licked her lips and smiled coldly. “You are just my father’s tools. Now, the time has come, and the things that were cultivated should be returned.” 

Qi Xi drew his dagger and pressed it against her eye sockets, and said with a smile: “Then first, let me gouge out your eyes with this tool to see if I can cultivate something else.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” 

In an instant, the tip of the dagger was pierced in, and the woman covered her face in disbelief, with blood flowing down it. Qi Xi still had a smile on his face, “What is your father’s name?”

“Hehe, just because you want to see my father.” The woman seemed to not feel the pain on her face, and the corners of her mouth curled up strangely.

Zhang Qiu happened to see that, subconsciously shouting to be careful, and only heard a bang, the woman on the ground exploded. Flesh, blood, and limbs flying everywhere.

Everyone was stunned for a while, especially Qi Xi, who did not expect the woman to blow herself up.

The smell of blood filled the tip of the nose. Several of Zhang Qiu’s people were close, covered in flesh and blood, feeling disgusted. They couldn’t figure out why this woman would seek her own death. The blood on the ground slowly, transformed into a red python.

“Bitch, you ruined my skin. Next time, I will take your skin.” 

The python stared at them with poison in it’s eyes. Before Zhang Yushui could take out the talisman paper, the python instantly disappeared after speaking.

“No wonder this person is not afraid of life and death.” Zhang Qiu whispered.

Christine escaped, and the Golden Bone had still not been taken back. Kai Ming’s face was as heavy as water. Yue Qincang pushed the wheelchair and scolded Christine in his heart. This lousy tortoise would use him to vent his anger as long as he was unhappy, either serving tea or massaging his shoulders, he really thought he was the emperor! This method is also very poisonous, ‘if you are not satisfied, torture him.’

The group of people were not interested in the treasures all over the snow mountain, especially in this place where there are broken arms, short legs and broken fleshy mud. The smell of blood was too disgusting, they just wanted to leave as soon as possible. Besides, it was not without gain. At least the Imperial Jade Seal was now in their hands.

When they got out, the traps had already been triggered by that group, so there were no surprises and no danger. They found Amur’s corpse at the palace entrance. He was wearing a jacket and was frozen solid. One of his hands was missing. Looking at the teeth marks, it should’ve been a blood zongzi. Uncle Kule squatted down with wet eyes, hugging his dead son, and touched his son’s face with his frail hands. “A-ba will take you home, home to find your mother.” 

There was a refitted Jeep parked outside. 

With a face of resignation, Yue Qincang assisted Kai Ming into the car and Kai Ming whispered: “I wish you would hurry up, I still don’t enjoy getting in and out by being embraced.” 

Kai Ming lightly snorted down at Yue Qincang. Yue Qincang immediately puffed his face and shook his head, saying nothing. He turned to help Uncle Kule lift Amur’s corpse up. Uncle Kule sat in the back with Amur. Yue Qincang didn’t mind sitting in the back with two dead people. Qi Xi transformed into his original form, flapped his wings, and let Qi Zhirong sit on his back. Li Shu stopped Zhang Qiu and pointed to the Phoenix next to him, “You and Xiao Jiang go with Er-Ge.” 

“Li Shu, you are really petty, Xiao Qiuqiu and I have a pure friendship, do you understand friendship?” Qi Xi snorted.

Zhang Qiu got on Er-Ge’s wings, not turning his head, Qi Xi indignantly said on the spot: “Xiao Qiuqiu you are too neglectful of your friends[4].”

“Shut up.” Qi Zhirong said coldly like he couldn’t stand it.

Qi Xi was stunned. He didn’t expect Qi Zhirong to speak first. Since Qi Zhirong helped him[5] in the tent, he has been coldly rejected for a thousand miles. He didn’t expect him to be so angry all of a sudden.

In the afternoon, everyone went to Uncle Kule’s house and helped bury Amur. Uncle Kule begged them to let him meet his wife and son, but he was still obsessed with reincarnation, and that baffled Zhang Yushui. Uncle Kule wasn’t sure if he could be reborn in this situation. 

“You can ask Xiao Lin.” Zhang Qiu said.

Zhang Yushui was stunned and suddenly smiled: “I never would’ve thought that we would have contacts down there.”

“Kai Ming, you said you could help fix Xiao Rongrong’s eyes.” Qi Xi was determined to let Qi Zhirong see the light again. He always felt that Qi Zhirong was cold to him because of his eye problems.

Qi Zhirong was taken aback, covering his eyelids with his hands, “Can it be cured?”

“I said I would, and I will not break my promise.” Kai Ming said.

Zhang Qiu asked Xiao Fei to take out the small box, Qi Zhirong had composed himself, but his tone was still a bit unsettled and nervous. Qi Xi shamelessly wanted to stay and see but was strongly forced out by Qi Zhirong.

Maybe he didn’t want Qi Xi to see his hideous appearance without eyes.

Everyone waited outside, and ten minutes later, the door opened. Qi Zhirong was tall and thin, standing indifferently, his eyes still hadn’t adjusted, there was still a layer of fog. However, he saw Qi Xi in the crowd, still so foolish. 

When Qi Xi saw Qi Zhirong looking at him, he was immediately overjoyed. Since Qi Zhirong had been injured this time, he knew clearly that he could not forget Qi Zhirong or let go of him. Regardless of their past and present lives, he was him and he liked Qi Zhirong. 

“Let’s go back to China first. If you send a letter from abroad, Xiao Lin and the others can’t get through.” 

Zhang Qiu understood, “Can’t get involved with foreign business?” If that is the case, and ghosts are divided into nationalities, what will Uncle Kule do? 

“You forgot that Uncle Kule’s wife was Chinese, he (Amur) is also half Chinese, just ask before speaking.” Zhang Yushui said with a smile 

Bayin[7] bought plane tickets for them and returned to Beijing. Senior Brother Lu Feng came to pick them up. However, this time there were too many people, so they divided into two cars. When they arrived at the villa, Er-Ge sent a letter to Xiao Lin, but after a while, he still hadn’t arrived. Instead, the white-faced man they saw last time had come.

“He can’t come over right now during the evaluation period. Tell me what the problem is!” The white-faced man had an unpleasant expression, as if someone owed him eight million.

Zhang Qiu talked about Uncle Kule’s problem. The white-faced man threw a sentence and waited. He took out an iPad from his briefcase and started to check it. After a while, he said, “Lin Yuejiao[6] has been reborn, and Amur is not under our control. I will find someone and ask, just wait.” Then he answered a phone call, hanging up after a few short words, saying: “He (Amur) has been reborn, as for his (Uncle Kule’s) reincarnation, I assume he wants to be there. If he is in China, I can arrange it now.” There will be more commissions this month. 

After it was all sorted out, Zhang Qiu was stunned for a while. He didn’t expect that the Underworld was so advanced that business had developed abroad.

“Can my first child be with my wife again?” Uncle Kule rubbed his hands and was embarrassed.

Zhang Qiu had never seen this old man look nervous or tense. The white-faced man made an unpleasant face and said something about inconvenience, but he looked into it. “You have done nothing bad in your life, your wife is more than six months old, I will try my best to arrange it. As for future marriages and brothers and sisters, it depends on fate.

When Uncle Kule heard he could be a brother or sister his face became stiff, but after thinking about it, he gritted his teeth and agreed. His son was gone, and he would never meet his wife again. What is the point of him living alone in this world?

The white-faced man helped process Uncle Kule, turned his head and stared at them flatly, “Is there anything else?” 

“No, no more.” Zhang Qiu was stared at by the white-faced man, thinking that he was worthy of working in the Underworld because he could subdue people.

When the white-faced man left, Zhang Qiu remembered the Imperial Jade Seal. He took it out to show Senior Brother to see if it was genuine. Hua Ting had never seen the genuine product, but after a careful study of all aspects, he felt that it was most likely genuine. 

“It feels a bit strange……” Hua Ting stared at the words under the Imperial Jade Seal.

Zhang Qiu thought that Senior Brother, like Qi Xi, would be absorbed by the energy, but seeing him frowning and thinking about it, his complexion was still good.

“What are you holding in your hands?!” 

Suddenly a voice came from behind, making Zhang Qiu’s hair stand on end, turning his head to see the white-faced man who had just left.

From the crowd, the white-faced man stared at the Imperial Jade Seal in the hands of Senior Brother, his face changed, and he said, “Yugui Military Tally[8].”

__________________________________________________________________

[1] 篆 zhuàn – a style of Chinese calligraphy, also known as seal script, so the script at the bottom of the seal was from the Qin dynasty, used especially for said seal.

[2] 明月珠 míngyuèzhū, a kind of rare gemstone in ancient times. Under normal circumstances, it refers to a fluorescent, luminous stone.

[3] Idiom: 'loath to part from each other'

[4] A saying: ‘to neglect one’s friends when smitten with a new love.’

[5] Ok, yes, it says helped, helped him with what? In the raw, it said ‘Qi Zhirong helped rub him’. I know the author’s note in the previous chapter said that nothing happened, but this sentence says something different? The verb was ‘to rub one’s palm along (sth. long)’, so it suggests that Qi Zhirong gave Qi Xi a handjob? I dunno, I wrote it ambiguously and now we can all come to our own conclusions. 

[6] Uncle Kule’s wife.

[7] In case you forgot, he was the group’s guide before Uncle Kule. 

[8] Another name for the ‘Imperial Jade Seal’.

__________________________________________________________________

Translators note:

Hey guys! This chapter was supposed to be up on Christmas as a gift to you all, but the editing took longer than I thought. Anyway, here it is, just in time for the New Year! The next few chapters might take a while because they are a bit longer, but I will get them out as soon as I can! (since I don't have a set release schedule)

I hope you are all enjoying reading this as much as I am translating it!

~ Jia

Previous | TOC | Next