Chapter 27 - Heart Lamp

Beijing, outside Lingjing Alley.

Chen Zhen picked up an LV bag, handed it to Chi Xiaoduo, and said, "Help me hold it for a bit."

Chi Xiaoduo thought, you also have a lot of money, so why is Xiang Cheng so poor. 

"I find that you and Qiqi are both pretty rich despite being exorcists." Chi Xiaoduo asked.

"No, exorcists are all poor." Chen Zhen replied, and as if he guessed what Chi Xiaoduo thought, explained, "Although exorcists have strong abilities, we’re not allowed to use it on ordinary people. If someone is discovered doing so, the consequences would be very serious."

"Then for example, if I wanted to make some extra money, how do I do so?" Chi Xiaoduo asked.

"Most of the time, you’re not allowed to take extra money without due reason." Chen Zhen said, "You have to report it to the organization, and the government will give some subsidies. We are currently having internal discussions about how to reform the system, how to modernize the exorcists, and how to collect some limited fees in the name of fengshui and divination. But you know, there are primitive superstitions, and along with jianghu charlatans, it’s unclear and difficult to manage. "

Chi Xiaoduo said, "I thought it was very profitable to do this job."

"You don’t make profit in the form of money." Chen Zhen said, "It’s to earn blessings for yourself, your relatives, and your future generations. It’s easy to make money these days; an individual can easily make money, but it's difficult to accumulate blessings. Don't you think so?"

"It's not easy to make money." Chi Xiaoduo said, "Things like blessings and stuff, I actually think are easier, just do one good deed a day ma."

"If everyone thought like you," Chen Zhen started the jeep and said, "there wouldn't be so many yao and devils in the world, right? Sorry, I’ve been a leader too long, and I like to use rhetorical questions...ignore me ba. "

Chi Xiaoduo started laughing. 

"The organization has no money." Chen Zhen said, "All civil servants are like this, but this profession does have a unique charm. Professions from all walks of life need skills to get by."

"That’s true." Chi Xiaoduo said, "In fact, thinking carefully, even without any pay, I’m willing to do it. I can not only travel all over the world, but also become a master in some skills and save the world."

"‘As soon as she saw Yang Guo, she made a mistake for the rest of her life.’" Chen Zhen sighed that the jeep slowed down.

"I'll ask you to help me later. I'll ask you what you see, and you can just tell me."

"Don't you guys have spells to see yaoguai?" Chi Xiaoduo asked curiously.

"If we had this ability," Chen Zhen laughed and said, "there would be no need for yao-revealing mirrors anymore. The procedure to apply to use a yao-revealing mirror even once is incredibly annoying. Most of the time we can only rely on our own abilities to sense them. Finding yao and devils is the most important part, and some yao are not bad. Not all yao will be exterminated."

Chi Xiaoduo asked, "Is Xiang Cheng in danger?"

Chen Zhen hesitated for a moment and answered, "Theoretically, he shouldn’t be in any great danger. His professional level is enough to stand out against most of his peers, and judging by his performance record, he just sometimes tends to underestimate the enemy."

Chen Zhen pulled into a wide road and pulled out a walkie-talkie from the car.

"Need assistance outside Xuanwu Gate." Chen Zhen said.

The street lights on both sides of the road went out. Chen Zhen turned off the car, and the two of them sat quietly inside it. Chi Xiaoduo’s hair stood on end as he looked out the window. 

"What is this place? Chi Xiaoduo asked.

"Caishikou." Chen Zhen whispered, "The place with the most ‘spirits’ in the capital."

A gust of wind blew past, and Chi Xiaoduo felt that the entire situation was a bit unreal. He dimly saw a huge black shadow, accompanied by a gust of wind, slowly fly past the road from Caishikou. 

It was both like a kite that took up a huge area and a giant. 

Chi Xiaoduo described the thing by saying, "It's a fatty who flew past."

Chen Zhen: "Wait a bit longer."

The giant flew back again, and this time, Chi Xiaoduo saw it clearly. It was spherical, translucent, black, and with big feet, as it crawled outside the Xuanwu Gate.

"Is the fatty two-dimensional or three-dimensional? How many feet does it have?" Chen Zhen asked, "Does it have hands or wings?"

"It’s three-dimensional, as for wings... I didn’t see any,” Chi Xiaoduo said hesitantly, "It doesn’t have hands, and it has four feet."

"What does it look like?" Chen Zhen said, "Draw it out."

The huge monster wasn’t moving anymore, just standing there in the middle of the road. Chi Xiaoduo said as he drew, "It looks like a fat dog with no head, ten meters tall, and completely transparent." 

Chen Zhen slightly frowned, and then Chi Xiaoduo suddenly said, "Yi? Someone is coming over."

"What do they look like?" Chen Zhen asked.

Chi Xiaodo replied, "An old man with a cane, holding a cloth fan..."

"I see him." Chen Zhen said, "What is he doing?"

In Chen Zhen's view, there was an old man on the side of the road, looking up at the sky, but in Chi Xiaoduo's view, the old man was actually meeting the gaze of the huge invisible black monster. 

“He-he-he….he’s sucking up that fatty!” Chi Xiaoduo was immediately scared out of his senses. 

"Shh." Chen Zhen made a gesture and asked, "How is he sucking it up?"

"He’s sucking it in!" Chi Xiaoduo shouted wildly, "Sucking it in AHHHHH——"

"Where is he sucking it in from?" Chen Zhen asked.

"His mouth!" Chi Xiaoduo held in his pee and said, "What is this ah, it’s so horrifying ah——"

"Shh!" Chen Zhen said, "Has he finished sucking it in?"

Chi Xiaoduo: "....”

In Chi Xiaoduo's view, the old man slowly sucked the whole gigantic black monster into his body, leisurely waved around his cattail leaf fan, and walked all the way down Caishikou Street.

Chen Zhen started the car and drove neither slowly or quickly behind the old man.

"Have we caught up to him?" Chen Zhen asked.

"Can't you see him?" Chi Xiaoduo asked.

Chen Zhen pressed his Google glasses twice and said, "Suddenly, I can't see him again. He should have gone invisible using yao power, so prepare to ask him some questions."

Chi Xiaoduo: "I-I-I... how do I start?"

"Ask him where Xiang Cheng is." Chen Zhen turned his head and saw that the sidewalk was also empty and asked, "Is he within or beyond those railings?"

Chi Xiaoduo made a gesture to show that they were already close. Chi Xiaoduo said, "Slow down a bit... Hello, grandpa, hello!"

The old man strolled leisurely ahead. 

"Hello!" Chi Xiaoduo lay on the window and stretched out his hand to wave at him.

"Don't touch him." Chen Zhen whispered.

"What's going on?" The old man didn't look back and said, "Young man, I heard you."

Chi Xiaoduo's heart jumped wildly. Although he was very nervous, he felt that the old man was still normal——or at least, his voice was normal. The scene he saw just now had been as if the old man had been practicing breathing exercises, so it was still within the limits of what he could tolerate. 

The old man still didn't look back. Instead, he stopped and stretched out a hand.

Chi Xiaoduo took out his cellphone, pulled up a photo of Xiang Cheng, and waited for him to look back.

The old man didn't look back and said, "Don’t look at videos, look at photos."

"Hey, there’s a photo right here." Chi Xiaoduo said.

"Not ones taken with a cellphone, ones that are developed," the old man said.

"What?" Chi Xiaoduo said blankly, "I don’t have any developed ones here..."

"I meant for you to look at the picture." The old man said, "Kid, take care of your Da Ge and don't let him drink."

Chi Xiaoduo: ".....”

The old man's voice carried a smile, and his withered fingers lightly touched Chi Xiaoduo's cellphone.

The old man said, "The guy next to you is bad news. He’s too cunning, don't be with them."

Chen Zhen's expression flickered, and the old man said, "There’s no harm in telling you though. Go straight through the Xuanwu Gate, and there is a Drum Tower outside of Yandai Xie Street. The person you're looking for was taken away by Mr. Die."

"Where was he taken to?" Chi Xiaoduo's voice trembled.

"If you hurry over now, maybe you can find him." The old man said, "At dawn, you may have no idea of his whereabouts anymore."

"Thanks." Chi Xiaoduo said in a shaky voice, "Thank you."

With the sound of crutches moving, the old man started walking slowly again, never looking back even once. 

"The drum tower..." Chen Zhen drove faster and said, "What was his name? Mr. Die?"

"Mr. Dieh, Mr. Dié." Chi Xiaoduo said, "It’s the second tone, I don’t know which word. Who was that person just now? "

"I also don't know." Chen Zhen replied, "There are too many yao in the capital, especially recently."

"Did he hurt people?" Chi Xiaoduo asked, "I think he might not hurt people."

Chen Zhen said, "I guess that he regarded you as the same as him."

Chi Xiaoduo's first reaction was ‘Die’, not anything else. Die, Die, Die, Die, the old man reminded him of the phrase ‘a ripe old age until death.’

Chen Zhen drove a circle along Yandai Xie Street, below the Drum Tower, and asked Chi Xiaoduo to get out of the car. Chi Xiaoduo was a little afraid, but according to what the old man had said, Xiang Cheng might have been kidnapped. It was useless to be afraid now; he had to pluck up his courage to go find him. 

Chen Zhen flipped into the Drum Tower. Chi Xiaoduo was still clumsily climbing when Chen Zhen said, "If anything happens, hide behind me immediately ."

Chi Xiaoduo nodded. At two o'clock in the middle of the night, the Drum Tower was completely dark and silent. Chen Zhen took out a small flashlight from his LV bag, turned it on, and shone it around. 

Chi Xiaoduo stood in front of a huge drum, leaned over slowly, picked up a feather, and met Chen Zhen’s gaze. The two of them stood quietly in the dark, and Chen Zhen raised his hand to touch the smooth drum surface.

"Xiang Cheng, are you here?" Chi Xiaoduo whispered.

Chen Zhen made a “shh” gesture, motioned for Chi Xiaoduo to stand behind him, and stretched out his fingers to lightly flick the drum surface, which let out a dull sound.

At the same time, Xiang Cheng, with his back against the wall, suddenly opened his eyes.

"There is usually a blindstory in the middle of a drum tower." Chi Xiaoduo said, "Could he be locked in the blindstory?"

Chen Zhen circled around, and the mink slipped down and smelled everywhere. Chen Zhen asked, "How do you get into the blindstory?"

"Give me the flashlight," Chi Xiaoduo said.

Carrying the flashlight around, Chi Xiaoduo first went down to the next floor, looked around, found a small door, and forcefully tried to open it with his shoulder. Chen Zhen motioned for him to step back, and that mink shrank a bit before tunneling in through the crack between the door and the frame. After a moment, the bolt behind the door sounded. The small door opened, and there was a staircase inside.

They walked along the stairs about halfway up to the second floor. There was a beam that was coming in at a diagonal from the side. Chi Xiaoduo said, "Found it."

Chi Xiaoduo walked up along the beam. In this way, they left the first floor, but they weren’t on the top floor, instead now in the concealed layer between the two floors. This was a space that no one had ever come into before, the secret structural layer of the Drum Tower.

This floor was full of vertical and horizontal wooden beams. Looking down, the ceiling of the first floor was two meters below them. 

Chen Zhen moved the flashlight around. 

There was only an old drum in the blindstory. The mink quickly went over there, sniffed in front of the drum, and squeezed in. Chi Xiaoduo’s heart chilled, but the mink then squeezed out from the other side. 

"Xiang Cheng?" asked Chi Xiaoduo.

No one answered. Chi Xiaoduo took out his cellphone and looked at it. It was four o'clock at night.

“Chen Zhen?”

“En.”

Chen Zhen raised his head and looked at a white amulet on the column. He took out a lighter and a lamp from his bag, and lit the lamp.

Chi Xiaoduo's pupils contracted, and he trembled in fear. Chen Zhen immediately grabbed him and pulled him behind him.

With the bright yellow light in Chen Zhen's hand, the layout of the blindstory could be seen at a glance. The eight beams staggered above their heads were quietly covered with hanging paper amulets, and the eight beams shaped like the 井 character under their feet were filled with candles of different lengths.

At the end of the beam was that abandoned drum.

In front of the drum, there was a wooden frame with a strangely positioned white skeleton. 

Chi Xiaoduo's heart almost slammed into a sudden halt through sheer fear. He leaned against Chen Zhen's back and couldn't breathe. Chen Zhen just glanced at it and pinched out the light of the spherical glass lamp in his hand. The blindstory fell into darkness again. 

Chi Xiaoduo broke out in goosebumps all over. 

Chen Zhen said, "Don't be afraid."

Chen Zhen’s hand slowly swept in front of him, and he said, "This is a spirit gathering array used by yaoguai, and the bones are just tools for the array. They won't come to life, don't worry."

Chi Xiaoduo calmed down a bit. Chen Zhen said, "People have a fear of mysterious things because it’s unknown to them. Once they understand its principle and essence, the fear will be eliminated."

"Ye...Yes." Chi Xiaoduo thought that such an explanation seemed to dilute his fear, but he was still afraid to the point of going wuwuwu and was about to pee himself. 

Chen Zhen looked at wooden beams shaped like the 井 character under his feet and asked, "What do you see?"

Chi Xiaoduo: “I…… I…..”

"Look into my eyes," Chen Zhen said. "Calm down."

Chen Zhen put away his flashlight, put his hands over Chi Xiaoduo's ears, forced him to look directly at him, and then quickly recited a mantra. Chi Xiaoduo's heartbeat instantly calmed down.

He saw a little green light in Chen Zhen's pupil. That green light was a reflection in his pupil, and it was coming from Chi Xiaoduo’s left eye. 

It was dark and still all around, and the light in Chi Xiaoduo's pupil was particularly obvious. He and Chen Zhen’s breaths mingled as they looked into each other’s eyes. The green light was like a swimming fish, forming the symbol of the Tai Chi as it slowly spun in the depths of his pupil.

Chen Zhen covered Chi Xiaoduo's right eye with one hand and made him turn around and stand behind him.

"Tell me," Chen Zhen said, "what did you see?"

Chen Zhen hugged Chi Xiaoduo from behind and formed a magical array with one hand. Chi Xiaoduo's vision suddenly grew clear, and that previously clear-then-indistinct feeling disappeared. Instead, the world in front of him began to glow everywhere, letting out countless rays of light.

"The skeleton is emitting red light." Chi Xiaoduo said, "Light, a lot of light."

"What's unusual about the drum at the end of the beam?" Chen Zhen asked. "Hurry, look for the essence of it, my strength can’t last for long."

"The drum...is also glowing." Chi Xiaoduo was surprised to find that everything was glowing: the amulets, the beam under his feet, and the entire drum tower. The beams of light were like flowing streamers, flying in from all directions and merging into the drum. Only the red light coming from the central skeleton floated towards the sky.

Chi Xiaoduo described the scene, and Chen Zhen immediately let go, as if a little tired.

“Chen Zhen?”

Chen Zhen waved his hand, motioning for him to not ask any more questions. Then he stood up, with his left hand in the sword finger pose, his right palm flat, and his left hand propped on his right palm.

A loud DONG sound rang out as all the drums facing the outer street on the third floor of the Drum Tower thundered together!

The sound was deafening and made Chi Xiaoduo feel as though his lungs were vibrating with that sound. Right at the moment where the entire Drum Tower was ringing under the first rays of the morning sun, the broken drum at the end of the beam in the blindstory suddenly started glowing with a strong light!

"Go!" Chen Zhen said, then pulled on Chi Xiaoduo's hand and rushed forward.

Chi Xiaoduo shouted and jumped into the strong light with Chen Zhen!

When Xiang Cheng heard the sound of the drum, he immediately turned his head. However, it was only a brief sound, and the world was quiet again.

"What happened?" Chi Xiaoduo's voice asked, "Where is this?"

"Shh..." a man's voice said.

"Xiaoduo?" Xiang Cheng asked.

Without saying a word, Chi Xiaoduo rushed over to Xiang Cheng from the dark passageway. Xiang Cheng found this unbelievable and hugged him tightly. Chi Xiaoduo hugged his neck and didn't say a word, just rubbing him nonstop around his neck. 

"As an exorcist," Chen Zhen emerged from the darkness, turned on the flashlight, and said, "you actually didn’t suspect that this was a magical barrier set by a devil heart. That was too careless."

Xiang Cheng was so excited that he couldn't breathe. He hugged Chi Xiaoduo's shoulder and protected him by pushing him behind him, before he frowned deeply, and looked at Chen Zhen.

Chen Zhen made a gesture, like he was saluting Xiang Cheng.

Xiang Cheng narrowed his eyes, stood still, placed his palms together, and saluted Chen Zhen back.

"Why didn’t you say anything?" Chi Xiaoduo said.

"My cellphone ran out of battery," Xiang Cheng said guiltily. "I'm sorry, I thought I'd be back very soon."

"What are you looking for?" Chen Zhen asked.

"Chasing a yao," Xiang Cheng replied, "Who are you?"

"The director of the Lingjing Alley Exorcism Committee."

"Chen Zhen?" Xiang Cheng asked.

"Qi Wei asked me to come find you." Chen Zhen said vaguely, "I don't know what the hell you two were doing, but it seems that the most important thing right now is to get out of here."

"It’s a wall technique." Xiang Cheng replied, then held Chi Xiaoduo's hand and said to Chen Zhen, "The cycle of yin and yang: it can’t be broken until the moment yin and yang intersect. Xiaoduo, do you remember now?"

Chi Xiaoduo had already spent all his strength finding Xiang Cheng and said, "Exactly how much more are you hiding from me?"

Xiang Cheng's expression showed great embarrassment. Chi Xiaoduo thought again that he had already been found, so he wouldn’t interrogate him for now. Anyway, the future was long, and in the end, there were many things he would get answers for. 

Chen Zhen shone his flashlight and walked into the darkness. Chi Xiaoduo wanted to call out to him, but Chen Zhen disappeared at the end of the passageway. Xiang Cheng motioned for Chi Xiaoduo not to speak first and let him sit down.

"Have you eaten yet?" Xiang Cheng asked, "Are you hungry?"

"I had some food, what about you?" Chi Xiaoduo asked.

"Is there any water?" Xiang Cheng asked.

"Yes." Chi Xiaoduo searched through his bag and found a bottle of mineral water. Xiang Cheng gulped it down wildly, water trickling down from the corners of his mouth. Chen Zhen's mink stood up and looked at them motionlessly.

"It’s a loop." Chen Zhen's voice came from behind them. Chi Xiaoduo looked back and was startled. Obviously, he had walked forward, but in the end, he appeared behind them. 

"This is an underwater passage," Chen Zhen said. "After being distorted by powerful yao forces, the waterway overlaps with the dreamland."

Xiang Cheng didn't answer. He wiped at the corners of his mouth, hugged Chi Xiaoduo, and let him lean against his arms.

"Sleep."

Chi Xiaoduo was a bit more relieved. He leaned against Xiang Cheng's bare and dirty shoulder and closed his eyes. At this time, he was a bit agitated and couldn’t fall asleep. 

"What are we going to do now?" Chi Xiaoduo said. "Can we get out of here?"

"Wait for the right time." Chen Zhen said, "The moment the sun comes out, the loop will change. If we can find an opportunity, we can get out."

Xiang Cheng did not answer.

"Are you an exorcist?" Chi Xiaoduo asked.

"Chen Zhen told you everything?" Xiang Cheng whispered in the dark.

Chi Xiaoduo let out an “en.” Xiang Cheng was already prepared to face a long list of questions, but Chi Xiaoduo shook his head and asked nothing. As long as he found him, it was fine. In contrast, even if Xiang Cheng was a yaoguai, that wasn’t important. 

Chi Xiaoduo looked up at Xiang Cheng, then looked sideways at Chen Zhen, who was sitting not far away. Chen Zhen didn't seem to know why Xiang Cheng had appeared here, but he didn't ask much about it. Xiang Cheng was still thinking and looked at Chi Xiaoduo uneasily from time to time.

Chi Xiaoduo thought when we go back, I’ll torture you with questions, and let out an “en.”

"He was practically about to cry while searching for you," Chen Zhen said. "Thankfully he had dragon pupils, and the yao regarded him as one of their own."

Xiang Cheng lowered his head again and examined Chi Xiaoduo's left eye. His expression was completely helpless.

"What exactly happened to my eye?" Chi Xiaoduo said.

"Nothing," Xiang Cheng replied. "Don't ask right now and also don't tell anyone, otherwise it will be very troublesome."

Chen Zhen said faintly, "At least you don't have to hide your matters from him anymore."

Xiang Cheng didn't say anything.

Chi Xiaoduo leaned against Xiang Cheng and was hopelessly sleepy. As soon as he had just fallen asleep, a moment later, he heard the sound of a tide at the end of the long passageway, rustling away. 

"Get ready," Chen Zhen said.

Xiang Cheng pulled out the Demon Subduing Staff. Chi Xiaoduo didn’t know why, and looking around, Chen Zhen took out the spherical glass light from his bag and put it in his left palm.

The rustling sound was getting louder and louder, and the water surged at the end of the long passageway, but they could only hear the sound, but not see the water. Xiang Cheng and Chen Zhen turned their backs to each other, Chi Xiaoduo stood in the middle, and the passage was silent.

The sound of the water grew louder and louder. When there was a rushing sound, Chi Xiaoduo felt as if he had been submerged in an invisible flow of water. However, the passageway was still the same, and the mink and white bird took in a deep breath at the same time, while both Chen Zhen and Xiang Cheng glowed with magical light. 

"Breathe in," Xiang Cheng said.

Chi Xiaoduo was very confused but took a deep breath. 

"Bright light over the mountains and seas, ten thousand devils retreat——"

"Unlimited burning light! Shine in the world——"

"Break!" Chen Zhen and Xiang Cheng roared at the same time. In an instant, the Demon Subduing Staff and the glass lamp burst into a blinding, dazzling light at the same time. "Boom", Chi Xiaoduo felt cold water appear out of thin air and lift him up while flooding the entire space, and then a huge force dragged him quickly along with the flow. Chi Xiaoduo spit out a string of bubbles, but Xiang Cheng turned around in the water and held Chi Xiaoduo in his arms. The three of them were washed out of the waterway by the powerful current!

"Pfft." Chi Xiaoduo was choked by the water and stretched out his hand to frantically grab at something, but Xiang Cheng held him tight. He was dizzy and disoriented and was carried along by the tide with the turbulent current. The water pressure in his ears suddenly lightened and they one by one came to open land.

As the sun rose, Xiang Cheng held Chi Xiaoduo and swam with Chen Zhen to the glittering lake above his head.