Zyklon-Säbel

Kapitel 9

"They really look alike!" Fang Lei looked at Lin Xiao's and then at Li Hai's, and couldn't help but exclaim.

"It should be said that they are exactly the same, if you don't look at the color!"

"It seems someone's forgery skills are truly impressive!"

"Who said it's a forgery?" Li Hai asked, taking a sip of water.

"Is his one real and yours fake?" Fang Lei retorted.

“It’s all true!” Li Hai put down his cup. Before he came, his master had told him some things that he had thought were just legends, but he never expected that it was all true. There really are two Seven Star Heavenly Dragon Pendants in this world.

"Really? I never knew there were two pieces!" Fang Lei's eyes widened in curiosity. As one of the Seven Treasures of the Dharma Realm, shouldn't there only be one Seven Star Heavenly Dragon Pendant? Where did this other one come from?

“I didn’t know that before. However, before I came here, my master told me that there might be another Seven Star Heavenly Dragon Pendant in this world.”

"What did Master Tianyi say to you?" Fang Lei asked hurriedly. Everything was too mysterious and too strange, and she really didn't know what to do.

Do you know the origin of the Seven Star Heavenly Dragon Pendant?

"Isn't it one of the seven treasures of the magic world, and also an item worn by the former Master Wuzhen? But it mysteriously disappeared after Master Wuzhen passed away?" Fang Lei sat down and asked.

"Indeed, this was once Master Wuzhen's magical artifact. But what about before that?"

"Before that? I don't know." Fang Lei shook her head.

"Legend has it that the first recorded mention of the Seven Star Heavenly Dragon Pendant dates back to the Tang Dynasty. It was crafted by Master Lingchen, a master exorcist and the leader of the Maoshan Sect, using a piece of ten-thousand-year-old Xuan Jade collected from Kunlun Mountain, combined with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and his own cultivation of over a hundred years. It once became the treasure of the Maoshan Sect. Unfortunately, due to various reasons within the Maoshan Sect itself, it declined, and the jade pendant disappeared. It wasn't until the Song Dynasty that records of the Seven Star Heavenly Dragon Pendant reappeared intermittently, and its magical power grew stronger and stronger until it was later hailed as one of the Seven Treasures of the Magic World. Only about a hundred years ago did it fall into the hands of Master Wuzhen. Then, my master, Master Tianyi, discovered it and took it to the Magic Association as a reward for this Magic Gathering." Li Hai slowly told Fang Lei about the origins of the jade pendant.

"So, it's only one piece!" Fang Lei still didn't understand.

“That’s right, everyone thought there was only one. I always thought there was only one too, until before I came here, my master called me over and told me a legend about the Seven Star Heavenly Dragon Pendant, a secret known only to the leaders of the Maoshan Sect for generations. A legend that even the sect leader himself thought was just made up!” Li Hai paused, not continuing, because he remembered his master’s serious expression when he told the story, and his own disbelief at the time.

"What exactly is it?" I opened my eyes. Actually, I had been awake for a while, but I just wanted to hear what Li Hai was up to.

"You're awake!" Fang Lei asked happily. "Are you all better?" As she spoke, she touched my body, as if afraid that I would faint again, her concerned expression revealing her deep concern.

I nodded, touched. Being cared for by a beautiful woman felt so different! I stretched my limbs, and strangely enough, there was no pain or soreness at all. Instead, I felt full of energy, as if I had taken some kind of magic potion. Even more amazingly, everything I saw suddenly became incredibly clear. I used to be a little nearsighted, but now I could clearly see the calendar on the opposite wall.

"The effects of the Ten-Thousand-Year Ghost Jade are indeed amazing!" Li Hai looked me over, seemingly noticing the changes in me.

"What? A ten-thousand-year-old ghost jade?" Fang Lei covered her mouth in surprise and stared at me with the eyes of someone looking at a monster. Of course, being noticed by a beautiful woman is a good thing, but looking at me like that made me a little uncomfortable. No matter how I looked at myself, I looked like a little pig wearing a pair of flowery underwear and flying in the air.

"Yes." Li Hai looked at Fang Lei with a serious expression, confirming that what he said was true.

"How is that possible?" Fang Lei clearly still couldn't believe it and shook her head repeatedly.

"Unfortunately, that's the truth." Li Hai shrugged.

Fang Lei didn't speak again, but looked at Li Hai with questioning eyes, and Li Hai nodded again. To me, this looked like flirting, and what I found even more unbearable was that they were talking about me, while I, the protagonist, knew nothing about it, completely confused and bewildered.

"Please, can anyone tell me what this thing is?" I shouted, pointing to the jade pendant on my chest, finally managing to draw their attention back to me.

Volume One: The Three Ghosts of the City, Chapter Nineteen: Blessing or Curse?

Volume One: The Three Ghosts of the City, Chapter Nineteen: Blessing or Curse?

Li Hai glanced at me and said, "Actually, at first, Master Lingchen only managed to refine one Seven-Star Heavenly Dragon Pendant. However, what he didn't expect was that the nearly ten-thousand-year-old Xuan Jade, having absorbed ten thousand years of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, also absorbed ten thousand years of demonic and ghostly energy from the mortal realm. After its completion, it couldn't exert its power, and Master Lingchen once thought it was a failure. Later, Master Lingchen met a beautiful woman, the beloved daughter of a prince, and a very powerful princess. This princess fell in love with Master Lingchen, but he rejected her love, only giving her the Seven-Star Heavenly Dragon Pendant. The princess died of grief because she couldn't win the love of her beloved, and the blood she vomited before her death caused the jade pendant to split into two pieces. One piece was made of ten-thousand-year-old immortal jade, and the other was made of ten-thousand-year-old ghost jade. After learning this, Master Lingchen took one of the pieces, which is the one I'm wearing now." Li Hai pointed to the jade pendant on his chest.

"So, where is the other piece?" Fang Lei interjected.

"It's said that it was buried with the princess, because only a few elders of the Maoshan Sect knew about it, and after their deaths, the secret was buried with them. Only each successive sect leader would pass it down. So everyone in the world thought there was only one Seven Star Heavenly Dragon Pendant. I never expected that after so many years, it would reappear. I really don't know if this is a blessing or a curse?"

"A ten-thousand-year-old ghost jade? Is there any difference between it and yours?" I asked naively, because to me, there was really no essential difference between the two pieces, except for a slight difference in color.

"Of course there's a difference!" Fang Lei gave me a hard tap on the head.

"Ouch!" I rubbed my head, feeling wronged.

"Ghost Jade, as the name suggests, is a magical artifact that can gather the energy of all demons and ghosts in the world. If used well, it can eliminate demons and protect the righteous path; if used poorly, it can cause widespread suffering. Unfortunately, no one can use it for righteous purposes because its ghostly energy is too strong for anyone to resist. Therefore, most people will have their life force drained by it first. Moreover, most righteous people disdain using Ghost Jade as a magical artifact, firstly because it is harmful to their health, and secondly because it is against the principles of heaven and reason," Fang Lei explained.

"Heinous crime?" I never imagined that wearing a jade pendant would be such a serious matter.

"Didn't I tell you? The person wearing it will have their life force drained by the ghost jade, and the only way to compensate is to capture a living person and let the jade absorb their life force. Using other people's lives to increase one's own magical power, what is this if not a heinous crime?"

"Oh right!" I smiled. I wouldn't do something that would harm someone's life. Wait a minute, I suddenly realized something: the Ghost Jade absorbs the wearer's life force!?

"Hey, will I be in trouble?" I asked nervously.

"You?" Fang Lei and Li Hai exchanged a glance. "Oh, right!"

As they spoke, the two pounced on him in perfect unison, each taking turns examining him. It was really unpleasant to be touched and pinched like that by the two of them; he felt like a piece of pork waiting to be sold!

"What are you doing?!" I struggled to break free from their clutches.

"That's strange, how come he's still so lively and energetic?" Fang Lei asked curiously, pinching my arm again.

“Ghost Jade can indeed greatly increase the wearer’s magical power, but the prerequisite is that it absorbs life force first. You don’t look like you’ve had your life force absorbed, but the latent ghost energy is also very strong! What’s going on?” Li Hai pushed me and asked.

"How should I know!" I pouted angrily. These people should know more than I do, but now they're asking me instead.

Li Hai and Fang Lei were at a loss, exchanging silent glances. The air in the room seemed to grow heavy. I truly didn't know what to say. Touching the jade pendant on my chest, I couldn't help but think of Yin Xue again. How she obtained this jade pendant was probably impossible to know, but I believed she would never harm me. Even if the whole world wanted me dead, she wouldn't hurt me! I gripped the jade pendant tightly, feeling a cool sensation. Strangely, the jade pendant gradually warmed up, and I heard a strange sound approaching.

Looking up, I saw many faces outside the window. Their grayish-blue faces were faintly tinged with black, and their eyes were empty. Moreover, they were just faces, one face after another, but no torsos.

"What's wrong with you?" Fang Lei suddenly nudged me.

"Window, there's something outside the window!" I pointed out the window. Luckily, I'm a forensic doctor and I'm used to seeing all sorts of messy corpses, but I was still a little scared of the dead face that seemed to still be alive.

"Outside the window? There's nothing there! Were you stunned by Li Hai's beating?" Fang Lei leaned closer and touched my forehead. A faint fragrance wafted from Fang Lei's body, instantly invigorating me, and I immediately took a greedy deep breath. Looking at her beautiful face, so close now, if Li Hai hadn't been there, I definitely would have kissed her.

"Hey, I'm talking to you! Are you bewitched?" Fang Lei pushed me again when I didn't answer, looking just like a spoiled wife coaxing her husband. My eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"I think he's not just bewitched, he's more likely bewitched by a beautiful woman!" Li Hai laughed heartily from the side, looking on with amusement.

Fang Lei glanced at Li Hai, who was grinning strangely, then at me, and immediately understood what was going on. Her pretty face flushed red, like a ripe peach that could drip with juice. Her eyes sparkled, radiating charm; she was truly a beauty. It would be strange if a woman like that didn't bewitch men! I swallowed hard, forcing my gaze away from Fang Lei's face and looking at Li Hai, giving him a knowing look to signal him not to interfere.

Unexpectedly, this kid wasn't finished and continued teasing, "I never thought our famous Lady Fang could be shy! I've really seen something new today! Haha!" He even glanced at me, adding fuel to the fire. Sure enough, Fang Lei twisted my arm hard!

"Ouch!" I yelled, and quickly looked at my badly bruised arm. The heroine was really strong. A large bruise was clearly visible. It was truly tragic!

"Hmph, who told you to be so lecherous!" Fang Lei tossed her head, stood up without even glancing at me.

I rubbed my arm sheepishly. Looks like this woman's got a wild side; I'd better be careful. Thinking about wild women, I suddenly got another headache. Damn it, in all this commotion, I'd left Cao Ying at the bar!

"Oh, my gold!" I slapped my forehead and collapsed onto the bed.

"What's wrong with you now?" Fang Lei asked, hands on her hips.

"I left Cao Ying at the bar!" The thought of being chilled to death by her icy face tomorrow sent a chill down my spine. I immediately jumped out of bed and rushed to the door.

"What are you doing?" Li Hai called out to me.

"I left a friend at the bar, I need to go find her!"

"Look at the time! The bar has been closed for ages! Your friend knows the way, he must have gone home by himself!" Fang Lei pointed to the clock, and when I looked, it was already 2 a.m. Oh well, I'll just have to explain to her tomorrow.

"Don't worry, it's okay!" Li Hai came over and patted my shoulder to comfort me.

I hesitated for a moment. Although Cao Ying was long past the age of causing worry, I still felt uneasy for some reason. Black Forest Bar was not a good place, and my heart suddenly started beating faster, and I felt a bit of chest tightness.

"What, worried about your little lover?" Fang Lei glanced at me and asked sourly.

"No way!" I quickly raised my hand in protest. Oh well, whatever, we'll just have to talk about it tomorrow. I sighed, hoping my worries were unnecessary.

Book One: Three Ghosts of the City, Chapter Twenty: A New Murder Case

Book One: Three Ghosts of the City, Chapter Twenty: A New Murder Case

With a slam, I hung up the phone. This was the twelfth time I'd called Cao Ying's hotel, and I still hadn't heard from her. Could something have happened to her? If so… I glanced at Old Cao on the dissection table beside me and felt a sudden pang of fear. If Old Cao knew something had happened to his precious daughter, he'd jump up and strangle me! Thinking this, I involuntarily took a step back.

"Lin Xiao?" A voice came from outside the door, it sounded like Li Yang.

"Come in!" I was wondering how this kid knew to knock before coming in, but to my surprise, it was Li Hai who walked in. Although they did look very similar, it wasn't hard to tell them apart after getting to know each other. Li Hai was steady, composed, and reserved, while Li Yang was more lively and casual.

"What are you doing here?" I asked curiously. Since when can you just come and go from a police station like you're in a market?

Li Hai walked to the autopsy table with a calm expression, showing no fear what an ordinary person would feel when seeing a corpse.

"Looking a lot like someone does have some use!" Li Hai stroked his chin. He had originally intended to inform them, but no one had stopped him along the way. It seemed they mistook him for someone else!

I smiled. It's understandable that someone meeting them for the first time would mistake them for each other, just like I did last night.

"Li Yang has never mentioned that he has a twin brother!" I leaned back comfortably. Although I had been living with Li Yang for a while, I never expected that a brother would suddenly appear.

Li Hai looked a little embarrassed and helpless, and shrugged. "He doesn't like me."

"Oh? Did you do something to offend him?" I looked at Li Hai with a sly smile. This is a common occurrence when brothers turn against each other: both brothers fall in love with the same girl, and one of them wins her heart but loses his brotherhood in the process.

"You're so smart!" Li Hai slapped me on the shoulder, and the pain made me see stars. Who said something like, "Loose lips sink ships"?!

"Hehe, not at all!" I carefully pried Li Hai's hand away and changed the subject: "What brings you here?"

"Oh, I'd like you to come with me to the Black Forest Bar one more time."

"Tonight?" I asked.

“No, not now.” Li Hai shook his head.

"But it's my work hours now!" I pointed to my watch.

"Okay!" Li Hai smiled at me, a smile that sent chills down my spine and gave me goosebumps all over.

"Then I'm going to find the beautiful Miss Fang! You two are all alone together, so don't regret it later if anything happens!" Li Hai winked at me.

So, don't judge a book by its cover. Li Hai seemed quite gentlemanly, but I never expected him to be such a... *#-—%~…* I immediately cursed his entire family in my mind.

With a forced smile, I waved fiercely at Li Hai and said, "Let's go!"

Li Hai was so happy he felt like he was floating on air. Who said he and Li Yang were fundamentally different? Twins are twins, I just saw a Li Yang celebrating his victory.

※※※

Li Hai was standing blankly at the entrance of the Black Forest Bar. I could tell he was practically drooling to show his dazed state. I took a step back, trying to keep my distance, hoping others wouldn't mistake me for him.

"Comrade, you've been standing here for ten minutes already! Aren't you going in?" I rubbed my nose and urged.

"I can't believe I managed to get into this bar last night!" Li Hai sighed.

"What's wrong?" I asked curiously. Is it because we can't go into this bar?

"No wonder people keep dying here!" Li Hai pointed at the bar's door and said, "This setup is seriously flawed!"