Le Banquet des Cent Fantômes

Chapitre 31

"Huang!" The old beggar's eyes lit up, interrupting Ao Lao's chanting.

"Your surname is Huang..." Old Ao nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that as long as one was patient, there would still be gains.

But then things got tough. The number of characters in the "Hundred Family Surnames" was limited, and there were countless Chinese characters. Old Ao thought dejectedly.

“…Bright moon…” the old beggar muttered to himself.

"Your name is Mingyue! Huang Mingyue..." Elder Ao exclaimed in delight.

“Huang Mingyue… My name is Huang Mingyue.” The old beggar smiled with satisfaction.

"Alright, Comrade Huang Mingyue, do you know martial arts?" Old Ao asked eagerly.

"I know martial arts," the old beggar nodded, admitting.

"What martial arts do you know? Long fist, short fist, southern fist, northern leg, Shaolin, Wudang, Qingcheng, Emei, Tai Chi, Bagua, grappling and fighting..." Old Ao recited them one by one.

"The Great Technique of Absorbing Corpses in the Intermediate State," the old beggar muttered to himself.

Boss Ao was taken aback... He wondered if he had misheard. "Comrade Huang Mingyue, are you talking about the 'Intermediate State Corpse Absorption Technique'?"

"Yes," the old beggar affirmed.

Master Ao had heard his ancestors mention that this was the most evil technique in the Central Plains. The practitioner could suck the opponent's true energy from mid-air without touching their body. When the technique reached its peak, it could suck out the soul of a living person mouth to mouth, or spit it back into the opponent's body, controlling their thoughts and actions. As a result, everyone in the martial arts world turned pale at the sight of it.

"Comrade Huang, I've heard that the 'Intermediate Yin Corpse Absorption Technique' was lost long ago after the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties..." Old Ao shook his head in disbelief and said.

The old beggar suddenly turned his face, his gray eyes staring directly at Old Man Ao's lower abdomen, and he suddenly took a long breath through his nose...

At the same time, Ao Lao suddenly felt his dantian qi gushing out of his navel like water being released from a dam... His face changed drastically, and he hurriedly covered his Shenque acupoint (navel) with both hands, trying to stop the outflow of true qi by holding his breath and regulating his breathing, but it was of no use at all. He could even feel the air gushing out between his fingers.

The old beggar only took a few puffs before stopping, and then continued eating his meal as if nothing had happened.

Elder Ao suddenly felt a tightness in his Shenque acupoint, which stopped the leakage of his internal energy. At this moment, he was so shocked that he could not say a word.

Chapter 43, Part 2

Old Master Ao picked up the telephone, shook the handle, and had the operator connect him to Vice Chairman Dechin Pedin's residence.

"It's the middle of the night..." came Dechin Peding's muffled voice from the receiver.

"That strange man is truly a treasure!" Old Ao exclaimed excitedly.

"What? Has the restriction on him been lifted?" Deqin immediately perked up upon hearing this.

"Yes, Granny Mi Nang has lifted the restrictions on him, but the strange man's mind is still gradually recovering. His original name was Huang Mingyue, and he possesses unparalleled martial arts skills," Elder Ao said.

"What kind of extraordinary skill?" Deqin asked with great interest.

"The Great Technique of Absorbing Corpses in the Intermediate State," Elder Ao replied.

"Intermediate state...corpse absorption? What does that mean?" Deqin asked, puzzled.

Elder Ao explained, “'The Great Corpse Absorption Technique of the Intermediate State' is an ancient Chinese witchcraft, said to have been created by Guo Pu, a master of Yi studies during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It can absorb a person's vital energy from mid-air, killing them invisibly, and even controlling their mind. It can be called the ‘Number One Evil Art in the Central Plains.’ I originally thought that this art had been lost as early as the Northern and Southern Dynasties. I never expected that Huang Mingyue would know it. It is truly heaven’s help for us. The revolutionary cause of the Burmese people has a good chance of success.”

“Is this... possible?” Vice Chairman Deqin asked doubtfully.

“Absolutely true! He only took one breath in mid-air, and it almost killed me!” Old Ao replied with a flushed face and unwavering conviction.

“Oh, is that so…” Deqin pondered.

"If Comrade Huang Mingyue were to act as our assassin, I guarantee that he could eliminate anyone in the world without anyone noticing. We could easily kick away any stumbling block that hinders the cause of revolution and liberation," Old Ao said passionately, his hoarse voice rising eight octaves.

Vice Chairman Dechin Pedin was silent for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "Would he be willing to work for us?"

"Comrade Huang Mingyue calls me Dad," Old Ao said proudly.

"Dad? No, I mean, he calls you 'Dad'?" Deqin asked, puzzled.

“That’s right. Although Huang Mingyue’s mind is not entirely clear yet, I am absolutely confident that I can control him,” Elder Ao assured.

“I need to see him immediately. Remember, this matter must not be revealed to anyone,” Vice Chairman Deqin said solemnly.

"Don't worry, I know what to do," Elder Ao replied.

Old Master Ao gently put down the receiver and turned around.

At that moment, the old beggar Huang Jianguo had just finished eating and put his bowl and chopsticks on the table.

"Huang Mingyue, do you still recognize this old man?" Elder Ao asked cautiously.

“You’re the dad,” Huang Jianguo said with a grin.

"Yes, I am your father, and you are my son. A son should obey his father in everything. Do you understand?" Old Master Ao said sternly, his eyes gleaming.

"Yes, son will listen to his father, and father will feed his son," Huang Jianguo replied, his voice filled with trepidation.

"You must absorb the yang energy of whomever your father tells you to. You are not allowed to disobey, or you will not have any food to eat, understand?" Old Ao shouted sternly.

"Yes, son understands," Huang Jianguo said timidly.

"Son, can't you see anything?" Old Master Ao asked with great concern.

"It feels like there's a thin curtain blocking my eyes," Huang Jianguo replied.

“I’ll pull you along,” Old Ao sighed, saying helplessly, “Let’s go before dawn.”

"Dad, where are we going?" Huang Jianguo asked in a weak, low voice.

"Don't say anything! You'll find out when the time comes," Elder Ao said seriously.

Chapter 43, Part 3

The Salween River is known as the Nu River in China. It originates in the Tibetan region and is called the Nagqu River in Tibetan. It is the longest river in Myanmar and an important waterway for transporting teak from the northern plateau of Myanmar southward.

A small, stilted bamboo house stands on the riverbank, heavily guarded. This is the residence of Thakin Pe Tin, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Myanmar and head of the 8.19 Department.

At dawn, Ao Lao led Huang Jianguo by the hand to the foot of the bamboo house.

The guards had already gone up to report. Huang Jianguo shook his head and looked around, as if everything in the world was new and intriguing to him.

The human body has five viscera and six bowels. The five viscera are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys; the six bowels are the gallbladder, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, bladder, and triple burner. In addition, there is the concept of "extraordinary bowels," which refers to the brain, marrow, bones, blood vessels, gallbladder, and the uterus (ovaries) in women. Huang Jianguo injured his brain, which belongs to fire in the Five Elements theory. Fire is yang, and the brain is the yang within yang, corresponding to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches as Bingwu.

The Hakka matron used the fifth move of the Zhuyou Divine Skill, "Substituting Plum for Peach," to transfer the pure yang energy lock in Huang Jianguo's head into the sweat corpse. The remaining part dispersed into the eight extraordinary meridians, causing his brain to become confused. However, his unparalleled evil technique, "Intermediate Yin Corpse Absorption Technique," was completely released, and his distorted face gradually returned to its original appearance.

"The Vice Chairman requests your presence upstairs," a guard announced as he approached.

"Son, come with Dad." Old Ao took Huang Jianguo's hand again and led him up the stairs.

Huang Jianguo stood straight in front of Vice Chairman Deqin, timidly holding onto Ao Lao's hand tightly.

"This strange man, he seems to have originally been a rather handsome young man?" Deqin said, sizing up Huang Jianguo.

"That's probably true. He hasn't fully recovered his past memories yet, but that's for the best, otherwise he might be difficult to control," Elder Ao replied.

"Is he completely obedient to you now?" Deqin asked.

Old Master Ao smiled and said to Huang Jianguo, "Son, will you listen to what I'm saying?"

“I will listen to whatever Dad says,” Huang Jianguo replied.

"Whatever you're asked to do, will you do it?" Elder Ao then asked.

"Yes," Huang Jianguo affirmed.

Deqin nodded and said thoughtfully, "We need to verify that 'corpse-absorbing technique' you mentioned."

Old Ao nodded and said, "Where can we find a test subject?"

“Someone come here!” Deqin shouted, then said to Ao Lao, “The guard is also a revolutionary comrade. Tell him to stop when he’s done his job and not to kill him.”

A guard rushed up to the bamboo house and asked Vice Chairman Deqin what his instructions were.

Deqin winked at Elder Ao, indicating that they could begin.

“Son, use the ‘Intermediate Yin Corpse Suction Technique’ to suck him up twice,” Ao Lao whispered in Huang Jianguo’s ear.

Huang Jianguo nodded, his hazy eyes fixed on the guard's navel, and his nose suddenly twitched as he gasped...

The guard suddenly stiffened, his body trembling as if he had a seizure. He opened his mouth but couldn't speak, his terrified eyes staring straight at Huang Jianguo. He was ashen-faced with fright, and within seconds, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Stop! That's enough..." Elder Ao quickly interjected to stop him.

Huang Jianguo stopped inhaling through his nose, stuck out his tongue, and licked his lips as if he had just eaten something.

"Excellent, excellent, it truly is a treasure, simply unbelievable!" Vice Chairman Deqin exclaimed in admiration.

"If I take a few more breaths from him, I'll be dead," Old Ao said smugly.

"Can we send him on a mission now?" Deqin asked anxiously.

"Of course," Elder Ao replied.

"Send him to assassinate someone," Vice Chairman Deqin ordered expressionlessly.

Chapter 44, Part 1

In northeastern Myanmar, there are separatist forces led by the Communist Party of Burma's People's Army and the former 93rd Division of the Republic of China Army in the Golden Triangle. Recently, the military government of U Ne Win in Yangon has joined forces with the 93rd Division, now known as the "Northern Thai Mountain People's Self-Defense Force," to jointly encircle and suppress the Communist Party of Burma's armed forces. Tens of thousands of troops are pressing on the border, and war is imminent, making the situation extremely critical.

Vice Chairman Deqin stared intently at Elder Ao, and said with a heavy heart, "The current military situation is extremely tense and fraught with danger. Moreover, we are not receiving support from the Chinese government. General Bo Nong, the frontline commander of the Burmese government army, is a cunning and ruthless commander, and a very formidable opponent. Six years ago, he wiped out our base in the south. If this man is not eliminated, he will always be a major concern for our party."

"Vice Chairman, do you want Comrade Huang Mingyue to go to the enemy-occupied area to assassinate General Bonong?" Elder Ao asked.

“Yes, right now there’s an excellent opportunity. We’ve just received news that General Bo Nong will be meeting with the leaders of the 93rd Division in Mae Salong in the Golden Triangle in a few days to jointly plan a military operation to attack us. Mae Salong was the former headquarters of the Kuomintang Fifth Army, and it’s heavily guarded. The Central Committee originally planned to send snipers to hunt down General Bo Nong, but considering the difficulty of success and the low probability of success, they gave up. Now, with Comrade Huang Mingyue, we don’t even need to use weapons. We can drain Bo Nong dry without anyone noticing. This is heaven helping our party…” Deqin said, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"Should we wipe out all the leaders of the 93rd Division in one fell swoop?" Elder Ao suggested.

“No, it’s only targeting Bo Nong. Comrade Huang Mingyue poisoned him, leaving no trace on his body. This way, Bo Nong will die mysteriously on the territory of the Nationalist Army in the Golden Triangle, and the Burmese will think that the 93rd Division secretly poisoned their general. We’ll then spread rumors that the 93rd Division had a falling out with General Bo Nong, and they will be implicated. The alliance between the two sides will collapse without a fight. This is a plan to kill two birds with one stone,” Deqin explained.

"A brilliant plan! This eliminates Bonong and breaks their alliance, subduing the enemy without a fight," said Elder Ao with genuine admiration.

“Elder Ao, in my opinion, Comrade Huang Mingyue is not quite clear-headed yet, and it may be difficult for him to carry out the mission alone. You should go with him,” Deqin pondered.

"I will go with him," Elder Ao readily agreed.

After leaving Vice Chairman Deqin's residence, Ao Lao and Huang Jianguo returned to their own bamboo house and immediately began preparations for their departure.

First, Ao Lao shaved off his full head of white hair and beard, put on a gray monk's robe, and disguised himself as an old monk. Huang Jianguo changed into a black Wa ethnic group robe and became Ao Lao's follower. Then they secretly set off, taking a mountain road and heading straight for the Golden Triangle in the southeast.

Chapter 44, Part 2