This celestial master cultivates both physical and magical arts; why did you provoke him?

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In the afternoon, in the courtyard of Qingheju.

Xia En lay on the wicker chair, a lollipop in his mouth, staring blankly at the sky.

Ma Xiaoling sat on the chair next to her, holding a notebook and recording her thoughts on yesterday's battle.

Fang Zijian squatted on the steps scrolling through his phone, while Liu Ruyan sat beside him reading a book.

Shen Ye leaned against the wall, hugging a porcelain jar, and dozed off. Cuihua floated by the well, basking in the moonlight and replenishing her yin energy.

Everything was peaceful.

Then Ma Xiaoling suddenly spoke up, "Senior brother, was what you said yesterday true?"

Xia En glanced at her. "Which sentence?"

"You're better at fighting than me. Is that true?"

Xia En paused for a moment.

"You set up the God-Binding Array, trapping Xuanhuang. I couldn't do that. So in that respect, you are stronger than me."

"But you killed it with one punch."

"That's because you trapped it. Without you, I couldn't have hit it with that punch."

Ma Xiaoling looked at Xia En with sparkling eyes.

"Senior brother, you really know how to talk."

"I'm just telling the truth."

Ma Xiaoling smiled.

She closed the notebook, placed it aside, then stood up and walked over to Shane.

Xia En looked up at her. "What?"

Ma Xiaoling reached out and pinched Xia En's cheek.

Xia En was stunned. "Xiao Ling, what are you doing?!"

"I'm confirming if you're a real person."

Ma Xiaoling smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents. "You're so strong, yet so humble. You don't seem like a real person."

Xia En brushed her hand away. "Okay! I'm real. Really, really."

Fang Zijian, standing nearby, took a picture of the scene with his phone.

Liu Ruyan looked at them, smiled, and shook her head.

Shen Ye opened one eye, glanced at it, and then closed it again.

The female ghost Cuihua floated over from the well, watching curiously as Ma Xiaoling pinched Xia En's face.

Ma Xiaoling withdrew her hand and sat back down in her chair.

"Senior brother, you just said you're so weak you can't even kill a chicken, is that true?"

Xia En glanced at her. "Do you believe me?"

"I don't believe it."

"Then why did you ask?"

Ma Xiaoling smiled, "I just want to hear you say it yourself."

Xia En took the lollipop out of his mouth and looked at the sugar residue left on the stick.

"It's normal for you, junior sister. After all, your senior brother is too weak to even kill a chicken. So, if we encounter a strong enemy in the future, you'll have to step in."

Ma Xiaoling paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, "Haha! Senior brother, you're hilarious!"

Shane threw the lollipop stick into the trash can and closed his eyes.

"Don't bother me, go to sleep."

The courtyard was quiet.

The only sound was the wind rustling through the leaves.

And the occasional sound of car horns in the distance.

Looking at Xia En's profile, Ma Xiaoling suddenly realized that this senior brother was really special.

He can smash a zombie king with a single punch, wipe out a hundred zombies with a single move, split the sky with lightning, and seal an ancient demon king with talismans.

But the way he lay on the wicker chair made him look like an ordinary, somewhat lazy young man who liked to suck on a lollipop.

He never flaunted his strength, and never talked about his abilities.

He would only say that he was "too weak to even kill a chicken".

Although everyone knows it's fake, a rumor.

But when he says that, you don't feel like he's faking it.

You might think that he genuinely doesn't consider himself that strong.

Ma Xiaoling lowered her head, opened her notebook, and wrote a line on a blank page:

"My senior brother said he was too weak to even kill a chicken. I believed him."

After she finished writing, she looked at the line of text and smiled.

That evening, Fang Zijian posted a message on his WeChat Moments:

"Today, Ma Xiaoling pinched Xia En's cheek and asked him why he was so strong. Xia En said, 'It's normal for a junior sister. After all, I, your senior brother, am powerless.' Ma Xiaoling laughed for a long time. I laughed for a long time too."

The comments section exploded.

"Useless? Shane? The Shane who punched the Zombie King to pieces?"

"Hahaha, Xia En is hilarious. He's so weak, does that mean all those evil creatures he killed just ran into each other and died?"

"Ma Xiaoling pinching Xia En's cheek? What an amazing scene!"

"The strongest duo at the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain, constantly bickering with each other."

When the news reached Longhu Mountain, the old Celestial Master Zhang Jingxuan was drinking tea in the back hall.

Zhang Jingqing walked in with her phone and read the post on her WeChat Moments to him.

After listening, Zhang Jingxuan put down her teacup and smiled.

"This kid is getting better and better at joking."

Zhang Jingqing sighed from the side.

"Master, Junior Brother wasn't like this before. He used to never say anything or laugh. Now he jokes around, teases Junior Sister, and lies on the wicker chair eating lollipops. He's changed."

Zhang Jingxuan looked out the window at Longhu Mountain, where the sun was setting.

"He hasn't changed, he's come back to his old self. He was just like this when he was a child—always laughing, always playing around, always joking."

"After what happened, he closed his heart. Now that Xiaoling is with him, his heart has opened again."

Zhang Jingqing fell silent after hearing this.

Looking at his master's retreating figure, he suddenly realized that it was indeed true.

Junior brother Xia En has always been like this.

…………

It was a drizzly evening.

Xia En received a phone call from a strange woman.

His voice was tired as he said:

"Excuse me, are you Master Xia Enxia? My name is Lin Fang. I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"What kind of help?"

"Please check on my daughter. She hasn't left the house for three months. She's locked herself in her room, not eating, not drinking, and not talking. The doctor said she has severe depression, but I feel... it's more than just depression. There's something in her room."

Xia En paused for a moment, then said, "Give me the address."

Lin Fang gave the address.

In the old city of Jiangzhou, there is a very old residential building in a deep alley.

Xia En hung up the phone and stood up.

Ma Xiaoling was drawing talismans in the yard when she looked up.

"Senior brother, have you got any business?"

"Hmm. The old town seems to be haunted by evil spirits."

"I'll go with you."

Xia En glanced at her and nodded.

The two walked out of Qingheju.

Fang Zijian wanted to follow, but Xia En glared at him and stopped him.

Liu Ruyan handed the backpack to Xia En without saying a word, just looking at him.

Xia En took the backpack, turned around, and left.

In the old town, the alley is very deep, with old buildings from the 1970s and 80s on both sides, and the walls are covered with vines.

The streetlights were dim, with only one lit every long distance.

A light drizzle was falling from the sky, its cool touch on my face.

Lin Fang stood at the entrance of the building, waiting. She was in her forties, with gray hair and wrinkles on her face that were much deeper than her actual age.

She was wearing a faded sweater with frayed edges on the cuffs.

Upon seeing Xia En, she quickly approached him and tightly grasped his hands.

"Master Xia, thank you for coming."

"Take me to see the children."

Lin Fang led them up to the third floor and to a door.

The door was closed, with a faint light shining through the crack.

A faded "福" (good fortune) character was pasted on the door, and there was a deep crack in the wall next to it, as if it had been hit by something.

"She's inside."

Lin Fang's voice trembled, "It's been three months. Every day I leave food at the door, and she waits until no one is around to open the door and take it in. But I've never seen her. She won't see me, or anyone else."

Xia En walked to the door and reached out to touch the door panel.

The wooden board was very cold, icy cold, not the normal kind of cold, but a coldness of yin energy.

It's faint, but it's definitely there.

"Besides her, is there anything else in the room?"

Lin Fang's tears fell.

"I don't know. But I feel it. Every time I get close to this door, I feel cold. Not the cold of the weather, but a kind of... bone-chilling cold."

Xia En paused for a moment, then knocked on the door.

"Hello, I'm Shane. Your mother invited me. May I open the door?"

no respond.

"If you don't open the door, I'll just go in myself."

Still no response.

Xia En reached out and turned the doorknob; the door wasn't locked.

He pushed open the door.

The room was dark, with the curtains drawn tightly, and only a table lamp was on, emitting a dim yellow light.

There was a bed in the corner, and a person was curled up on it.

No, it wasn't a person, it was a shadow.

A figure, thin as a sheet of paper, wrapped in a blanket, huddled in a corner, trembling all over.

Her face was buried in her knees and could not be seen.

A faint, eerie atmosphere permeated the room.

It wasn't the malevolent energy of evil spirits, it was... sadness.

A sorrow so intense it almost solidified into a tangible form.

Xia En walked to the bedside, squatted down, and looked the shadow at eye level.

"Hello, my name is Shane. Your mother asked me to come and see you."

silence.

A long silence followed.

Then a voice came from behind the knee, very softly.

"Are you a Taoist priest?"

"Yes."

"Can you see ghosts?"

"able."

The shadow slowly raised its head.

It was a young face, in his early twenties, but so thin he was unrecognizable.

Her eyes were sunken, her lips were chapped, and her face was as white as paper. But her eyes were very bright, unnaturally bright.

"Then take a look and see if there are any ghosts around me."

Xia En looked around her; there were no ghosts. Nothing at all.

"no."

The young woman laughed, a shrill, grating laugh. "Of course not. Because it's not with me, it's inside me."

She reached out and rolled up her sleeves.

My arms are covered with scars.

The scars weren't from self-harm; they were from burns.

They were in round pieces with neat edges, looking like they had been burned by something.

"This is what it left behind."

Her voice was calm. "It comes every night. It doesn't hurt me; it just sits by my bed and watches me."

"Sometimes it talks, saying things I can't understand. Sometimes it reaches out and touches my face. Its hand is very cold, very cold. Every time it touches me, I get a new scar on my face."

Xia En stared at the scars for a long time before asking, "What's your name?"

"Lin Xiaoyu".

"Xiaoyu, when did that thing inside you come in?"

Lin Xiaoyu thought for a moment.

"Three months ago, my boyfriend died in a car accident. That night, it came. It sat by my bed and looked at me. I thought it was him coming back."

"But then I found out it wasn't him. It just looked like him, and its voice was like his, but its eyes weren't like his. His eyes were gentle, but its eyes... were cold."

Xia En paused for a moment, then asked, "What's your boyfriend's name?"

"Chen Yang".

Xia En stood up, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains.

The rain stopped, and a sliver of sunset glow appeared on the horizon, golden and warm.

He turned around and looked at Lin Xiaoyu. "Do you want to see Chen Yang?"

Lin Xiaoyu suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with light.

"Can you let me see him?"

"Yes, you can. But seeing him might cause you even more pain. Because he's gone, he can't come back. What you'll see is only his spirit. After that one meeting, you'll never see him again."

Tears streamed down Lin Xiaoyu's face. "I...I want to see him."

Xia En nodded, took out a talisman from his pocket, and stuck it on Lin Xiaoyu's forehead.

"Close your eyes. No matter what you hear, don't open them. Open them only when I tell you to."

Lin Xiaoyu closed her eyes.

Xia En took a step back and formed a hand seal.

"Thunder Magic - Summoning Souls"

A tiny bolt of lightning shot from his fingertip and entered Lin Xiaoyu's forehead.

The room suddenly went dark.

The lamplight dimmed and became weak, the sunset outside the window disappeared, and the air grew cold.

Then, a faint figure appeared in front of Lin Xiaoyu.

He was a young man, in his early twenties, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, and looked sunny and handsome.

It was translucent, like a shape formed from a wisp of mist.

He looked at Lin Xiaoyu, his eyes filled with heartache and helplessness.

"Little Rain..."

Tears welled up in Lin Xiaoyu's eyes.

"Chen Yang...is it really you..."

"it's me."

The figure reached out, trying to touch her face, but the hand passed right through her skin and touched nothing. "Xiaoyu, you should let go."

"I don't want to! You said you'd marry me! You said you'd be with me for life!"

"sorry."

The voice was very soft, as soft as the wind, "I can't do it. But you have to live. You still have your mother, your friends, and a very, very long life ahead of you."

"Don't ruin yourself for my sake."

Lin Xiaoyu burst into tears.

"The thing inside you is not me. It's a wandering spirit, drawn here by my death. It means no harm, but it will hurt you. You must let it go."

"I...I don't know how to get it to leave..."

The figure looked at Xia En, "Taoist Master, I'm begging you."

Xia En nodded.

The figure looked at Lin Xiaoyu and smiled.

"Xiaoyu, I'm leaving. You must live well."

His figure began to fade, like mist dissipating in the sunlight.

"No—! Chen Yang!!" Lin Xiaoyu suddenly opened her eyes.

The room has returned to normal.

The lamplight was still dim and yellow, and the sunset outside the window reappeared.

But the figure had already disappeared.

Lin Xiaoyu lay paralyzed on the bed, tears streaming down her face.

Then she suddenly sat up and looked at her arm.

Those scars are fading little by little, like ink fading on paper.

"It's gone..." she murmured to herself, "It's really gone..."

Xia En looked at her and remained silent for a moment.

"That wandering spirit isn't evil. It's just a lost, lonely soul that doesn't know where to go. It was drawn to you by your sorrow, but it won't harm you. It just wants to stay with you."

Lin Xiaoyu looked at Xia En, tears still streaming down her face. "Where...where did it go?"

"It's gone. To where it's meant to be."

Lin Xiaoyu lowered her head and remained silent for a long time. Then she looked up at Xia En. "Thank you."

Xia En nodded, turned and walked out of the room.

Ma Xiaoling stood at the door, her eyes red.

She looked at Xia En, wanting to say something, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't utter a single word.

Xia En walked past her and went downstairs.

Ma Xiaoling followed behind him for a few steps, then suddenly spoke up and asked, "Senior Brother."

"Um?"

Do you think ghosts can be kinder than humans?

Xia En stopped and turned to look at her.

The moonlight shone on his face, giving him a silvery glow.

Sometimes.

He said, "Ghosts have no desires, no greed, no selfishness. They only have obsessions. And human obsessions are far more complex than those of ghosts. Human desires, greed, and selfishness can destroy everything."

He looked at the sky; the moon was round and bright.

"Xiao Ling".

Hell is not elsewhere. Hell is here on earth.

Ma Xiaoling fell silent.

She watched Xia En's retreating figure. This senior brother understood "human nature" better than anyone she had ever met.

Lin Fang chased after him out of the building, clutching an envelope in her hand.

"Master Xia, this is your reward. It's not much, but it comes from my heart."

Xia En took the envelope and weighed it in his hand.

It's very thin, probably only a few thousand yuan.

He put the envelope in his pocket. "That's enough. Be careful."

Tears streamed down Lin Fang's face. "Thank you, Master Xia. Thank you for saving my daughter."

"You're welcome."

Xia En turned and left.