Chapter 19 - Subduing Devils

“Are you hurt? Who are you?” Chi Xiaoduo sensed that this yaoguai probably didn’t eat children; at least, right now, it didn’t have the energy to do so.

The monster cried out, wu wu wu, and Chi Xiaoduo said, “I’ll go find you a doctor, wait… wait for me.”

That monster shut its eyes, but just as Chi Xiaoduo was about to follow the path out, he found that the tide had risen, so he could only come back and sit down by that monster’s side.

“How about I push you back into the ocean, can you move?” Chi Xiaoduo acted like someone with ADHD - he couldn’t sit still, so he got up again to push the yaoguai with all his might.

The yaoguai let out a strange noise, and it turned its head slightly, its eyes blinking.

Chi Xiaoduo tried out every method, but he couldn’t successfully send the yaoguai back into the ocean. In the end, he could only give up and lean against the yaoguai’s body, looking outwards. This was a starless night, and the sea breeze blew over him. The night sky was a patch of pitch-black darkness, causing one’s hairs to stand on end.

“There-there-there… won’t be yaoguai ba.” Chi Xiaoduo was a little scared as he leaned against the yaoguai at his side.

The yaoguai blinked, and Chi Xiaoduo remembered that it was a yaoguai, but still, he couldn’t help but feel scared, and he hid behind the yaoguai’s back. The yaoguai closed its eyes, plunging the cave into darkness, and Chi Xiaoduo once again grew scared.

The yaoguai seemed to sense that, and every time Chi Xiaoduo got scared, the yaoguai opened its eyes. That way, there would at least be light in the cave, which caused Chi Xiaoduo to feel a little calmer. Sitting like this, he couldn’t fall asleep either, so he began to study this yaoguai.

Its body had rotted, and its scales had peeled away, revealing the rotting bloody flesh inside, which gave off an evil stench. A propeller was stuck in its tail, and its mouth, which wasn’t completely clenched shut, slowly dripped green blood out.

Chi Xiaoduo: “...”

Chi Xiaoduo stuck his head out to look into its mouth, only to see that half of its tongue had been exploded away by something.

The yaoguai’s eyeballs circled before it glanced down, its pupils reflecting Chi Xiaoduo’s expression of unease.

I’m so hungry, and so cold… Chi Xiaoduo thought. Are yaoguai edible?

For a yaoguai of this size, eating a little bit shouldn’t be an issue ba. Chi Xiaoduo remembered that sashimi could be eaten, and if he only ate a little, like how he would chew on a bit of skin that came off his finger once in a while, it shouldn’t hurt  the yaoguai.

Of course, he didn’t dare to try it casually.

The tide came pouring in, drowning the soles of Chi Xiaoduo’s feet.

“The water’s coming in,” Chi Xiaoduo said to the yaoguai. “Are you cold?”

The yaoguai was still panting, huchi huchi, but its breathing had already calmed a lot, as if it was afraid of scaring Chi Xiaoduo. Chi Xiaoduo carefully climbed onto the yaoguai’s back, avoiding the wet, cold tide. A moment later, he found something fun to play with… he could slide along the yaoguai’s head, down its spine, and use it as a slide.

The yaoguai’s eyeballs circled and turned to look up, following Chi Xiaoduo’s movements.

Chi Xiaoduo squatted on the yaoguai’s head. The seawater had already risen to the height of its tail, and he could no longer keep playing on the slide; it would be too easy for him to fall headfirst into the water.

Chi Xiaoduo: “...”

Chi Xiaoduo hugged his knees, peeking out from the crevice above the yaoguai’s head. Outside, it had started to rain, and on the surface of the sea, thunder and lightning entangled to connect the sky and the sea.

“Will the seawater come flooding in?” Chi Xiaoduo asked the yaoguai beneath him. “Will it drown the two of us?”

The yaoguai let out a series of garbled gulping sounds as its eyeballs turned upwards. The water level was rising higher and higher, and the tide was about to flood the entire sea cave. Chi Xiaoduo laid splayed out on the yaoguai’s head in starfish position, blinking tiredly.

After who knows how long, a series of tremors woke Chi Xiaoduo up. That yaoguai was actually trembling greatly under him, as if it was gathering its energy. Chi Xiaoduo watched it curiously, before he suddenly found, to his great fright, that the seawater had already covered the yaoguai’s entire body. Even its eyes were underwater, and all that was left was a small black-colored island at the top of its head.

Chi Xiaoduo: “What should we do? Ah! You can swim away now! Can you take me out too?”

The yaoguai sucked in a long breath of water, its lungs expanding, and it let out a stream of bubbles under the water. It slowly opened its mouth, and where its tongue had broken off, a light like that of the stars above shone from that point. It then turned into countless tendrils glowing with blue light that danced around and entwined with each other as they reached towards its head.

“Ah…”

The intangible tendrils of blue light acted just like arms as they came questing over to envelop Chi Xiaoduo, wrapping gently around him as they reached out of the sea cave. The rainwater around the blue light flew away, before the tentacles reached out from under the water, holding Chi Xiaoduo as they reached towards the very end of the crags, gently placing him on a large rock.

Chi Xiaoduo’s entire body was soaking wet, and he looked to his left and right, sensing that he had been saved.

“Is anyone there!” Chi Xiaoduo shouted on the beach. In the distance, a tall, broad man came walking over.

“Is anyone there?!” Chi Xiaoduo shouted. “Bring me home --!”

That person revealed his face - it was Xiang Cheng.

Chi Xiaoduo ran towards him, and Xiang Cheng spread his arms, kneeling with one knee on the ground as he picked him up. Without knowing why, Chi Xiaoduo began to cry in his dream, and he tightly grabbed Xiang Cheng’s neck, not letting go, burying his face into the side of his neck.

“I’m here,” Xiang Cheng said.

A flash of lightning shot by, and thunder rolled out across the ocean, as if there were thousands of cavalry charging towards them.

In his dreamscape, Chi Xiaoduo sensed Xiang Cheng’s burning hot body temperature, as well as the beat of his heart, separated from him by his shirt. Xiang Cheng kissed his forehead, and then headed down from there. Next was his nose, then his lips...

Chi Xiaoduo jolted awake, and there was a crack of thunder outside that startled him greatly.

“AAAAAHHH --”

Chi Xiaoduo sprung up from bed, his entire face bright red. His pajama pants were covered in a slippery fluid; he actually had a wet dream… it must have been that he was too tired yesterday, plus the addition of the stimulation he had received during their shower.

It was storming hard in Guangzhou, and blackened clouds covered the sky as if Judgment Day had arrived. Countless lightning strikes shot towards the three hundred plus meters tall buildings, and above the Zhujiang Bridge, the storm shifted constantly. The sky at noon was so dark that it was like a dark night where you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, and the Canton Tower, which touched the sky, attracted strikes of lightning from all around. Within that  lightning storm, it turned into a magnificent scene to behold.

The entire city was collecting water, and all of the sewers were completely open to release the discharge of the flood. The Pearl River was flooding, and the torrent came rushing down from upstream, flooding the Zhujiang Bridge amidst the wild winds.

In the rain, Xiang Cheng raced along in pursuit of a van, sending a spray of water up behind him. He whistled towards the sky, and Si Gui spread its wings and flew to him, landing on his shoulder. One of the van’s doors opened, and Xiang Cheng squeezed into it. He closed the door, and the world went quiet.

The interior of the van was filled with smoke. Director Li, Director Lu, two thugs, and an old granny were all squeezed inside. The person driving up front was Elder Qu, and Qi Wei turned his head back from the front passenger seat, saying, “Thanks to your help, the water monkey case has been closed.”

Xiang Cheng stuck the umbrella into the strap on the side of his bag, and Director Lu, who was exhaling a stream of smoke, handed him a Zhonghua cigarette.

“This is Xiao Luo, Xiao Wen,” Director Li said, “And behind is Granny Wang.”

Xiang Cheng turned around, bowing slightly to her. Director Lu continued, “She lived next door to Chi Xiaoduo’s old place, and for a while before this, she and Elder Qu took turns trailing him.”

Xiang Cheng hurried to say, “Thank you, Granny Wang.”

"No need, no need," Granny Wang replied. "It was just what I should have done, Xiaoduo is a very good kid."

"Turns out that you guys were always protecting Xiaoduo, how long has it been?" Xiang Cheng asked Director Lu.

"From when we found out, until today," Elder Qu said, driving the van along, wearing a pair of sunglasses. "Three years. In the beginning it was me and Granny Wang, and perhaps because that devil was afraid of the organization, it didn't reveal itself for a long time. Later, since you came, we figured we'd hand it over to you, and as expected, we've finally caught a big fish."

Xiang Cheng felt a little uneasy, but he didn’t say anything.

Director Lu patted Xiang Cheng's shoulder and said, "You've done very well, Xiao Xiang."

"I still don't understand," Xiang Cheng said. "Chi Xiaoduo could never recall where he saw the chiwen before. I also don't know why the chiwen would target him."

"As for this, don't look too deeply into it," Director Lu said. "This fellow has already caused us too many troubles, and since we've found where it's gone, we just need to surround it and get rid of it as quickly as possible."

"The involved party is still at home?" Elder Qu glanced at Xiang Cheng from the rearview mirror.

"Yes," Xiang Cheng replied. "Brother Kuang went to go protect him, so unless the chiwen knows how to split itself, it won't be able to hurt Chi Xiaoduo anymore. But every day that we can't figure it out, I spend that day unable to feel any relief. It's too dangerous, I shouldn't have left the Devil-Subduing Staff in the chiwen's body."

"Very soon, you'll be able to ask it." Elder Qu turned on the blinker, turning out from the small alley. The Zhujiang Bridge was blocked off by roadblocks, and the lights of the police cars flashed. The water of the river had flooded over the surface of the bridge, as if there was a huge, ferocious beast making waves in the midst of the river.

Elder Qu pulled out his ID and handed it to the special forces officer, who checked it over. Qi Wei grabbed the fixed handle on the roof of the car, asking loudly, "Has the scene been cleared?!"

“The scene’s already been cleared!” the special forces policeman said. “We’re heading out now! It’s up to you guys now!”

The roadblocks were cleared away, and the van backed up and turned around, charging onto the Zhujiang Bridge. The wind and waves were fierce, and the world was pitch-black. Lightning rained down from the heavens, and the river's unseen currents rolled under them. A huge wave came crashing down, sending the wires of the bridge swinging, and the van hit max speed.

"Begin," Director Li said.

In the narrow confines of the speeding car, everyone ducked to the sides, while Xiang Cheng sat in the middle of the car, and he clasped his hands together, making a motion.

A beam of light shot out from the darkness of the river bottom, shooting right into the sky --

The Devil-Subduing Staff stuck in the chiwen's neck shook greatly, shining with a blindingly bright white light. That pillar of light sped across the surface of the river, passing through the bridge, rushing towards the lower reaches of the Pearl River.

The van hit the railings, sending out an arc of snowy white spray in the pouring torrent of rain. The van doors opened, and four exorcists rushed out.

Thunder peeled again and again, and a flash of lightning struck the unvisited skyscraper not too far away, which let off leaping arcs of bright light.

Chi Xiaoduo lifted his head and glanced outside before he continued to scrub at his underwear, his pajama pants soaking in the basin.

At the security outpost of the Chunlin Apartments, the rainwater swept away the bloodstains on the ground. Half of Kuang Desheng's body was sunk in the entrance to the sewers, his head leaned up against the flowerbed at the side of the road, his electric scooter strewn horizontally on the ground.

A pair of police boots stepped into the complex, the silt washing off in the water puddles.

"Police," a man's voice said. "Here to investigate a matter, Building 2, Floor 6, Unit 3."

The security guard opened the door, letting that man in.

Chi Xiaoduo's face was set in an expression of madness as he washed his pants, thinking that thankfully, he hadn't slept together in the same bed with Xiang Cheng, otherwise he really would have died of awkwardness. As the music played, he suddenly sensed some movement, and when he turned it off, he heard that someone was knocking on the door.

Butt-naked, Chi Xiaoduo ran to the peephole, only to see Yang Xingjie standing sopping wet outside.

"Xiaoduo!" Yang Xingjie said. "Are you at home?"

Chi Xiaoduo: "Wait a sec! Let me put on some pants!"

Yang Xingjie: "..."

When Yang Xingjie walked into the house, there was a puddle on the floor, and the doormat had a pitch black shoeprint left on it.

“Come in quickly,” Chi Xiaoduo hurriedly said. “You didn’t bring an umbrella, right? How come you came running here?”

Yang Xingjie took off his jacket and said, “I finished a case which just happened to be nearby, and since it was raining heavily, I couldn’t get a cab, so I came over coincidentally.”

Chi Xiaoduo brought him a towel so he could dry his head, and Yang Xingjie sat down, saying, “Brother Wang had me come by to check on you. He feels like you’ve recently had something going on… where’s your roommate?”

“He…” Chi Xiaoduo paused for a moment, before continuing. “He’s gone to work.”

Chi Xiaoduo poured Yang Xingjie a cup of warm tea, and Yang Xingjie smiled. “Your new house is in a pretty good neighborhood, why didn’t you let me come over?”

Chi Xiaoduo hurried to get a  hairdryer for him, and Yang Xingjie undid his collar, revealing a black bloody hole on the side of his neck, which went so deep that the bone could be seen. Chi Xiaoduo brought the hairdryer over, and Yang Xingjie’s handsome face lowered to block the sight of the wound on his neck.

The hairdryer was turned on, and it hummed as it blew Yang Xingjie’s short hair.

"Xiaoduo," Yang Xingjie said. "Do you still remember me?"

“What?” Chi Xiaoduo asked, turning the hairdryer off.

“What I asked you last time, have you come to a conclusion yet?” Yang Xingjie asked.

Chi Xiaoduo smiled before turning the hairdryer on again. As it hummed, his emotions were very complex, and Yang Xingjie turned to look at him, as if he was waiting for an answer.

On the Zhujiang Bridge, thunder resounded and lightning flashed as Qi Wei and the two other young exorcists stood on wooden planks, fighting against the wind and the waves, rushing towards the center of the river.

Xiang Cheng stood tall and erect at the top of a vertical rod sticking out of the water. The wild lightning in the sky lit up his face streaked with rainwater, and his hands moved as if they were harnessing an invisible power, moving with the ceaseless tides of the river as they churned along the center.

The chiwen finally couldn't hold out any longer, and with a roar, it burst out of the water.

Huge waves were sent up, and a colossal, pitch-black thing flew through the sky, drawing out an arc.

"Return!" Xiang Cheng roared angrily.

The Devil-Subduing Staff hummed as it left the chiwen's body, flying towards the ground like a meteor. Xiang Cheng caught it, then with both hands on the staff, he moved it to the side and flicked it forward, shooting out a streak of silver light that caught everyone's eye.

At the same time, Qi Wei roared, "Golden Light to pierce devils!"

Three spinning wheels of golden light shot out from the ground, turning into three golden rings, locking around the chiwen's body just as it left the water and shot towards the top of the bridge. Xiang Cheng controlled the Devil-Subduing Staff with both hands, his entire body bathed in silver white light. Si Gui flew towards him, landing on one end of the Devil-Subduing Staff, before turning into a ball of blindingly bright light that collapsed in on itself. It gathered at the top of the staff, and then shot out a brilliant light that began to burn the chiwen! 

The chiwen roared and wailed, and its rotten body emitted a surge of devil qi that dissipated into the sky.

The wild lightning flashed through the sky, wave after wave, as if the sky was about to fall down. A wild gust of wind, accompanied by rain, blew open the balcony door.

"Sorry, Xingjie," Chi Xiaoduo said to Yang Xingjie as he turned off the hairdryer. "I already have someone I like."

Chi Xiaoduo put the hairdryer away and asked, "Do you want to take a shower?"

Chi Xiaoduo ran to his room to close the window as Yang Xingjie's face began to rot away. He said, "Do you still remember that year when you were seven, you promised me one thing?"

Chi Xiaoduo turned. Yang Xingjie appeared behind the door to the main bedroom.

All the blood in Chi Xiaoduo's body froze, and he let out a loud shout of terror.

From head to toe, Yang Xingjie gave off black qi, and the bloody hole on his throat kept expanding, rotting, and spreading over his entire body.

"You… you…" Chi Xiaoduo shrieked. "Help me AAH --!"

Yang Xingjie strode forward rapidly, but the stone guardians on the bedside table suddenly took the forms of evil-repelling beasts. Because Yang Xingjie was not expecting it, he was immediately slammed against the ground. Chi Xiaoduo was originally thinking of racing past to the door, but the window behind him suddenly opened again with a huala, and the rain came pouring in. A gust of wind blew over him, before two black-colored hands reached in and tightened around Chi Xiaoduo’s neck.

The room spun 180 degrees in front of his eyes, before the pitch-black sky appeared in his vision. Chi Xiaoduo couldn’t even get a gasp of air as the upper half of his body flipped out the window, and  he plummeted down headfirst.

Thousands of water monkeys were crouched outside his building, and now they swept like the tide towards Chi Xiaoduo, letting out ear-piercing screeches as they came racing after him.

The black qi from Yang Xingjie once again blasted outwards, imploding the stone guardians in the air with a hong. He then used the wall to pull himself to his feet, covering his murky left eye, his right eye shining with a weak green light as he began to chuckle evilly.

On the Zhujiang Bridge, Xiang Cheng slid down along the metal wires, his hands clenched tightly around the Devil-Subduing Staff. The silver light had already turned into a huge net that enveloped the body of the chiwen, its flesh and blood disintegrating, its scales flaking off and falling.

With Qi Wei as the head, the three exorcists each formed hand seals. The Golden Devil-Subduing Ring grew tighter and together, and waves of black water were sent up by the chiwen. It was no longer able to escape to the bottom of the river, so it could only thrash about wildly on the surface of the river. The blood and qi roiled in Xiang Cheng’s chest, and he expended all his effort to hold the chiwen in place.

The chiwen raised its head, and an angered roar sent up a wave the size of a mountain. Thousands of water droplets reflected the torrential wave that could level mountains and empty seas, but just at this moment, Xiang Cheng’s pupils contracted, and his heart skipped half a beat.

“Chi Xiaoduo?!” Xiang Cheng swiftly turned his head.

“Capture it --” Director Lu shouted.

The light of Xiang Cheng’s Devil-Subduing Staff trembled. The chiwen had been waiting for this exact opportunity, and it once again left the water. With a flip, it broke free of the Devil-Subduing Golden Ring and the net of silver light.

The surface of the river came crashing down with a resplendent, heavenly majesty that was impossible to stop. The waters of the river immediately flooded over the Zhujiang Bridge, and the van swiftly sped up, sending up waves of water as it rushed towards the end of the bridge.

Xiang Cheng pointed to the sky, and Si Gui turned into a streak of silver light that shot into the distance.

In the next instant, the wall of water came crashing down, and the four exorcists split up and fled in the face of that wave. They rushed along the Zhujiang Bridge, fleeing for their lives at top speed, running towards safety.

With a flying leap and a roll to the side, Xiang Cheng made an arc through the air as he rolled into the Pearl River, plummeting down from almost ten meters above. In mid-air, his hands formed a seal, and he sent up a spray of droplets as he entered the water. As soon as he sank into the river, the moment thunder boomed, Xiang Cheng drifted along with the currents of the river, as if he was hibernating, his entire body shining with silver light.

Under the dark sky, Chi Xiaoduo’s feet dangled in the air as a group of water monkeys hopped  across the rooftops while carrying him. Thunder and lightning flashed overhead, and Chi Xiaoduo’s consciousness began to blur. He saw a phoenix shining with silver light over the rooftops in the distance, and it spread its wings, releasing glowing powder that filled the sky as it flew, like it was trailing along a sea of stars.

The water monkeys screeched wildly, and Chi Xiaoduo felt the restraints around his neck loosen.

“Si Gui --” Chi Xiaoduo struggled with all his might as he shouted loudly, before he suddenly opened his eyes, seeing Xiang Cheng’s eyes through Si Gui.

Si Gui dispersed all of the water monkeys, and in the end, the monkey yao tossed Chi Xiaoduo aside as they fled in horror up the skyscraper across from them. Chi Xiaoduo began to plummet downwards from his position in the air. Si Gui flew over, circled, and caught Chi Xiaoduo, but just as it was about to rise, a streak of black qi shot through the air, hitting Si Gui.

In the air, Si Gui shattered into points of light, revealing the form of a young fledgling. It fell onto the balcony of a residential unit, incessantly flapping its wings and trying to rise. Up high, the black qi took the form of Yang Xingjie, who smiled hideously and grabbed Chi Xiaoduo’s collar as he shot out from a  skyscraper over thirty stories high.

On the lower banks of the Pearl River, Xiang Cheng maintained his hand in the position for casting magic from beginning to end, and as soon as Si Gui was hit, Xiang Cheng opened his eyes, and his qi circulated backwards as he spewed a mouthful of blood out, where it mixed into the waters of the river.

The storm was wild around him, and the lightning and thunder grew more and more intense. In the pitch-black sky above, the silhouette of Chiwen faintly appeared, as black rain floated towards the earth, accompanied by wild thunder and the crackle of a lightning blade of judgement.