Famine

Chapter 60

I handed him a vanilla cookie, and he happily ate it. My dad held him tightly, worried and wary. I thought, if anything were to happen to him, I wouldn't even be able to leave the house, let alone see the sun tomorrow.

"Hengzhi, be careful." Huang'e was inexplicably nervous. "I always feel that things are not as simple as they seem."

I also find it tricky. But I can't say I can't. I can only do my best.

My original plan was to drive out the parasitic ghosts from my half-brother and Aunt Huang, and then use the traps that the old demon taught me to protect my father's family. I placed pure salt and moonstone in the four corners of the house and used a mixed spell to lure the ghosts into the traps while driving away the fleeing ghosts.

Everything was arranged, but a problem arose with Aunt Huang.

I banished the ghostly energy from her, but she refused to eat the vanilla cake no matter what, her limbs twisting strangely and emitting a deep groan.

"...Aunt Huang, can you hear me?" I asked cautiously.

She looked at me with difficulty and nodded.

"Who taught you this evil law?" I started to feel uneasy.

She squirmed for a moment, her eyes rolling back, "I...can't...talk...talk...talk..."

A strong sense of panic gripped me. I didn't care whether it would further shatter her already wounded heart. I used the same high-pressure interrogation method that Yu Zheng used to directly interrogate her memories.

It's over.

"Get out of the way, Huang'e!" I shoved Huang'e away, but I couldn't dodge in time and was hit squarely by the black tide that Aunt Huang spat out with her mouth wide open.

"Don't touch it!" Although my chest and abdomen felt like they'd been hit hard by a sledgehammer, the black tide bypassed me. My uncle's talisman was very powerful. "That's 'karma'!"

With a shriek, Huang E flew low above the Black Tide, its fiery feathers bursting into brilliant light, forcing the Black Tide toward the trap.

"...I've never seen so much 'karma' before!" Huang E roared. "There must be at least a dozen generations of it!!"

“Oh,” I pulled out my slingshot, shot out moonstones, and forced the ghost streams and karmic tides flowing in the opposite direction toward the trap. “At least I’ve solved the mystery that Aunt Huang learned.”

I started to worry whether the trap could hold, given all the karmic burdens.

"This can be considered as having a family background in learning."

"What kind of time is this to be concerned about whether their family is knowledgeable or not?!"

"Karma" and "sin" are interconnected in some aspects. In a sense, "karma" (or karmic obstacles) is a materialized measure of "sin".

The concept of repaying karmic debts through vengeful spirits is an officially recognized method. The underworld issues official documents, ordering the wronged ghosts to collect their debts. This serves two purposes: firstly, it distributes the karmic burdens to future generations, often resulting in fewer deaths; secondly, it allows the vengeful spirits to vent their grievances and prevents them from becoming unmanageable vengeful spirits. It is a somewhat outdated but effective method.

Generally speaking, Huang'e and I dislike dealing with issues related to evil spirits or karma. Because their nature is inherently filthy and troublesome, they don't care about sentimentality or rules. We encountered that evil spirit, the mother in disguise, in Hsinchu. Although it was empowered by unorthodox methods, it was still only one in a generation, yet it was already so vicious and ruthless. If Huang'e hadn't intervened first, I would have been dead long ago.

What we are now facing is a "karma" that is essentially similar. What's more troublesome is that this is the accumulated resentment of ghosts from more than ten generations, and it is also a kind of deception.

The Huang family did not know which generation of ancestors had learned this evil art. They coveted the enormous wealth and power brought by the Ghost Stream, but also feared the vicious consequences of the Ghost Stream.

Therefore, they perform rituals to appease and extend the karmic burden to "the next generation of descendants".

The demons and monsters are quite similar in some ways; they are both very straightforward. They accepted these conditions but neglected the fact that "the next generation of descendants" was not specified.

So they passed down their evil magic from generation to generation, each generation promising to extend the karma to the "next generation," and so they dragged it out for more than ten generations.

This complacent mentality finally led to a major problem. Aunt Huang's generation had no male heirs, and this evil technique was passed down to her. She had no talent for it, learned it carelessly and only had a superficial understanding, so there were already many flaws. Unexpectedly, I, an ignorant child, ruined the talisman and altar.

Although she tried her best to make amends afterward, many rituals and key points had been lost over the past ten generations. She had not studied them carefully, and after the car accident, she was even more powerless. As a result, the karma hidden in her descendants gradually manifested, leading to the current uncontrollable situation.

So as soon as I finished interrogating him, I cried out in alarm. The final hurdle in the karmic retribution is "secrecy," but I directly interrogated him, which meant I broke through the final barrier.

The karma accumulated over a dozen generations poured out, and I could only hastily activate a trap, hoping to trap and destroy both the karma and the demonic flow. This was far beyond my capabilities.

Now, most of the ghosts have fallen into the trap, but the karmic tide continues unabated. No matter how powerful the desolate calamity is, it will be difficult to face the sins of more than ten generations, and the trap is already showing signs of being overwhelmed.

If the trap is destroyed, the karmic tide and the ghostly flow will merge, and I think no one in this house will be able to survive.

Although it was risky, I carried my uncle's talisman, so my physical body should be safe. I tried to synchronize with Huang'e, "attaching" myself to her to make her truly whole.

I looked again with the eyes of desolation, riding on the wings of desolation. And the once dim fire feathers of desolation shone brightly like the sun, warm and radiant, which frightened the extremely yin ghost streams and karmic tides to rush towards the trap of least pressure.

We soared through the cramped room, fanning up a warm breeze, penetrating every nook and cranny, and reinforcing the trap once more.

When I am one with the desolation, I feel an extreme sense of peace and tranquility. Even in such a perilous situation, we believe that we can overcome everything.

I am the desolation, and the desolation is me. We belong to each other.

The feeling of flying was so sweet. Having expelled all the evil spirits, Aunt Huang finally expelled the last gust of karmic tide and collapsed weakly to the ground.

We opened our mouths and together emitted extremely high-pitched sounds, pure as flames, beginning to burn away the accumulated ghost streams and karmic tides of dozens of generations.

But I couldn't continue. I was overwhelmed by pain and cold. Looking down, I saw Aunt Huang writhing over me in a strange position, grabbing from my neck to my lower abdomen. Blood had stained Uncle's talisman.

I forgot. The karma she carried was her own, accumulated over generations. It was something that would only be incorporated into the karmic tide upon her death. Now, she allowed her karma to control and break the weakest link in the restraints: me.

The originally warm breeze suddenly changed. Before the desolation could be saved, the trap let out a loud wail. The karmic tide and ghostly streams that had not yet been burned poured out. I took out the moon water from my pocket and splashed it. They dodged the range of the moon water, but grabbed my left hand. With a twist and a wringer, I saw my forearm bone come out and greet me.

So this is what bones look like; it's the first time I've ever seen my own bones.

But this vague and comical thought vanished in an instant. I didn't detach myself quickly enough, so I was essentially half in my own body and half in the Wasteland. When my forearm was twisted off, the Wasteland also broke its wings, letting out a sharp cry of pain.

At that moment, the pain struck me intensely. I think it pierced an artery, and blood gushed out. Soon after, I collapsed in a pool of blood, and my blood gradually eroded the effects of the moon water.

I dragged the broken-winged Huang'e over and held her in my right arm. I just needed to buy her a little time. Huang'e was a demon; she recovered quickly.

At the very least, she has to leave alive.

I have failed. Faced with the karma and resentment accumulated over generations, I can only admit defeat.

Indeed, the most terrifying anomalies in the world are, in essence, creations of humanity. Whether it's Li or Ye.

It's alright, at least I need to keep Huang E alive.

With my limp hands, I struggled to move to a corner and lean against the wall. There was salt and moonstone there; it would help me out for a while.

"We can go!" Huang E tried to raise his wings, but cried out in pain.

"Say no more, my lady." She's only a little shorter than me now, so I can't hold her in my arms to protect her anymore. I gently stroked her sweaty hair. "You need to find a way to heal your injuries quickly... otherwise, neither of us will survive."

I took out my slingshot, held the pellet slot in my mouth, and pulled it back fully.

I don't care about sacrificing my health for this desolation. She's the one I dragged down, and this is something I'm going to end myself.

I released the bow, pushing the ghost stream and the karmic tide further away.

One minute? Two minutes? Actually, everything happened very quickly.

I couldn't stop the bleeding; I could only helplessly watch the blood gush out. As for my dad? He was holding his child, huddled far away in a corner, too afraid to move.

I knew I couldn't count on him... but I started to feel weak and cold sweats, and worst of all, my pain sensitivity gradually dulled.

I think I'm going to go into shock.

I can't faint, no way. If I go into shock, the wings of the Desolate Wings won't have recovered yet, and I don't want to die, to be honest.

I promised Tang Chen that we would go to the beach and have a water fight together in the summer. I promised him.

Thinking of his name, I gave a bitter smile. Just thinking about it warmed me up; he has always been the brightest sunshine in my life.

“…Tang Chen.” I whispered his name, as if trying to give myself courage.

The sunlight seemed to suddenly pierce through this dark and sorrowful room, swirling around me and gradually taking shape. A golden snake opened its eyes and looked at me.

Twisted horns sprouted from his forehead, and the snake scales all over his body shed with a whooshing sound, revealing hexagonal dragon scales beneath, gradually changing, changing. I and a young dragon gazed at each other.

He let out a long, mournful dragon roar that shook the karmic tides and ghostly currents of Pangu for over a dozen generations. I threw myself into the desolation, holding nothing back, and took away her pain.

We dance together, dance together. Once again, our soaring songs rise, pure enough to incinerate all evil.

The desolate creature, dancing in the wind, with its fiery feathers and shimmering tail feathers, is truly beautiful.

***

I remain conscious, embracing the utter desolation.

Tang Chen's call seemed to come from a very, very far place; I knew he was outside the iron gate. I really don't know what such a sturdy iron gate is for; I think it's far more effective at taking lives than at preventing theft.

Tang Chen somehow opened the iron gate, rushed in, and carefully hugged me, brushing the hair from my forehead. "...Don't be afraid, I'm here."

"I'm not afraid," I whispered, forcing a smile.

He tried to speak, but coughed, and drops of blood trickled from between his fingers. He had risked his life to release his primordial spirit, but he had no cultivation and didn't know how to use it; he had acted solely on impulse.

“…I should be the one protecting you.” I gave a short laugh. “But I always make you risk your life like this.”

He was bandaging me, tears streaming down his face. "I will always take care of you and protect you forever."

“Hey,” I laughed out loud this time, “whether it comes true or not, it sounds really good.”

I tried to grab his clothes, but I missed and fell straight into the dark abyss.

I heard that on the very first day I was admitted to the hospital, they issued three critical condition notices. I had lost too much blood, and the wound on my newly severed arm had begun to fester and turn black. In addition, my internal organs had ruptured, causing massive internal bleeding.

My arm was beyond saving, but Shuo arrived at the hospital less than half an hour after I was taken there.

Huang E later told me that she was truly impressed by the witch. Shuo forcefully dragged the tangled karma from my wound and crushed it with his bare hands, as if crushing a piece of clay.

The doctors at the hospital were terrified, but because the necrosis (?) in the wound disappeared out of thin air, my left arm was saved after emergency surgery. The ruptured internal organs healed silently, but I lost so much blood that I don't know how much blood I needed to be transfused before my condition stabilized.

I only found out about all of this when I came to my senses. Actually, I thought I was going to die. Several times I wanted to give up struggling, but Huang E was crying out, and Tang Chen was desperately calling my name again and again.

I'm in so much pain, I really don't want to go back into this broken body. You can't imagine the intense pain. I feel like a ripped rag doll being forcibly pieced back together, every stitch making me want to die.

But I... really want to go to the beach with Tang Chen, and bring Huang E along. She would look so beautiful in a swimsuit. Just imagine, I could take a handsome man and a beautiful woman to the beach! Everyone would be so envious of me.

I endured it all for such an absurd and ridiculous reason. Apparently, I had almost all my blood replaced, which caused an allergic reaction, and I kept scratching myself.

When I woke up, Tang Chen, who was lying in the hospital bed next to me, jumped up and said, "Thank God," and then "Amitabha."

“You…” I began with difficulty.

“Xiao Zhi!” He climbed off the hospital bed and held my hand tightly. “What do you want to say?” He put his ear close to my mouth.

I said in a weak voice, "You missed saying 'Amitabha Buddha' and 'Allah'."

He paused for a moment, then burst out laughing, clutching his stomach and groaning.

I laughed too, and damn it, even laughing hurt like hell. But I was in a great mood, extremely great.

As soon as I was out of danger, my uncle took me back to Tainan without saying goodbye to my father.

However, while I was lying in the intensive care unit, he rushed in and launched into a tirade of insults, saying that I had turned his family upside down.

When it comes to life and death, who can control their strength? Huang E and I burned away all evil, except for the karmic tide and the ghost flow, even the evil in Aunt Huang's body was burned away.

But having coexisted with Gui Liu for so long, it's as if a large chunk of her brain has been ripped out and left unfilled, making her appear docile and dull, no longer as clever and intelligent as before.

"Anyway, you won't see me again, and I won't see you again either," I said wearily and gently.