Yu Daohen glanced at the burning corpse, then turned and walked towards his electric scooter. He got on and rode away as if nothing had happened, circling the bonfire and heading straight for the shop.
The electric scooter quickly arrived at the shop entrance. Yu Daohen dismounted, opened the shop door, placed a wooden plank over the threshold, and pushed the scooter inside. He then placed another plank on the back yard threshold and pushed the scooter to its designated spot.
With everything done, he intended to open for business again, but he was utterly exhausted. He walked to the front of the shop, closed the door, and headed towards his room. Upon entering, he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
In a daze, Yu Daohen had a very strange dream. He dreamt he was fighting an Yin Ghost, and from somewhere he produced a long sword, stabbing it directly into the Yin Ghost’s heart.
Yu Daohen looked at the Yin Ghost’s face and was suddenly horrified. He stumbled backward, because what he had stabbed was not an Yin Ghost at all, but himself. It was an exact replica of himself, and that face was smiling sinisterly at him. The scene shifted, and the surroundings began to darken. The person identical to him was trapped inside a mirror.
Yu Daohen walked up to the mirror and gazed at his reflection, which seemed like him but wasn’t. He reached out and touched the mirror's surface. The mirror suddenly shattered, and a vortex appeared beneath his feet, sucking him down.
Yu Daohen’s eyes snapped open, and he stared at the ceiling, realizing he had been dreaming. Cold sweat covered his back. He took out his phone and saw it had powered off. He plugged it in to charge, then got up and went to the bathroom.
He took off his clothes, turned on the shower, and let the cold water cascade over his head. Looking at himself in the mirror, he saw an invisible aura had appeared between his brows. He sighed and said, "I've broken my vow."
From the moment he entered this line of work, a qi would condense within the body – Buddhist qi or Daoist qi. This qi could not only be used for combat but even for healing.
The so-called breaking of a vow meant the condensation of an invisible qi between the brows. This qi would only appear after taking a life, essentially a killing intent. And it could not be erased; this was the meaning of breaking a vow.
Once a person who had broken their vow harbored murderous intent, this qi would manifest, signifying the presence of killing intent. .oΓg
After showering and changing into clean clothes, Yu Daohen turned on his phone and saw seventeen missed calls. Ten were from Old Dai, also known as Dai Chengfan, three were from Old Biao, and four were from the same unknown number.
Yu Daohen tapped Old Dai’s number and called him. The call was answered with a beep, and Old Dai’s voice came through: "Master Yu, your phone is finally on."
Yu Daohen picked up the half-empty bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and drank it down in one gulp. He apologized, "Brother Dai, I'm sorry. My phone ran out of battery, I didn't know."
After a brief chat, he hung up and scrolled to the unknown number, dialing it.
The call was quickly answered. Before Yu Daohen could speak, a woman's voice rang out: "Antique guy, where the hell have you been? Your phone’s been off for two whole days."
Yu Daohen frowned. He had slept for a full two days. Zhao Yiyi on the other end continued to chatter. Yu Daohen remembered his promise to Old Biao, hung up on Zhao Yiyi, found Old Biao’s number, and was about to dial when his phone rang.
Yu Daohen looked and saw it was Old Biao calling. He pressed the answer button, and Old Biao’s voice came through: "My lord, you can’t play games like this."
Yu Daohen cleared his throat and said, "Old Biao, tell me what happened."
Hearing Yu Daohen’s ignorance, the voice on the other end grew anxious: "My lord, what have you been doing these past two days? How can you not know anything?"
Yu Daohen scratched the back of his head and said with a wry smile, "Sleeping. What’s wrong?"
Old Biao on the other end almost died of anger hearing Yu Daohen say he was sleeping: "Master Yu, you’re truly sleeping in a coffin and scratching an itch, completely unaware of the danger."
Seeing Yu Daohen still unfazed, Old Biao continued. "The Sha Ghost you encountered last time was raised by Meng Jingbao. And two days ago, Meng Jingbao died in Jiangdu. Do you know who Meng Jingbao's brother is?"
"Who is Meng Jingbao's brother?" Yu Daohen asked.
The voice on the other end lowered: "Meng Dalong, ranked twelfth on the Black List."
The Black List was the strongest practitioners’ ranking. Only the twelve strongest individuals recognized by the martial world were qualified to be on this list. Besides the Black List, there were also the Heaven List and the Earth List, each with fifty people.
Those on the list had a token to prove their identity.
Upon hearing it was Meng Dalong, Yu Daohen’s heart sank. Rumor had it that Meng Dalong possessed a particularly formidable curved saber, and it was with this saber that Meng Dalong had climbed from the Heaven List to the Black List.
Just as Yu Daohen was about to speak, he heard a knock on the shop door. He hung up the phone, pulled a dagger from under his pillow, tucked it into his waist, and slowly walked towards the front of the shop.
Yu Daohen kept his steps low. As he reached the front of the shop, he heard a deep, powerful voice from outside: "Master Yu, you’re a bit slow. Were you sleeping?"
Yu Daohen was startled, then smiled slightly. He yanked open the shop door and said with a laugh, "As expected of Master Meng, your hearing is excellent."
As the door opened, a man’s figure appeared before Yu Daohen. He had a massive build, well-defined muscles, and two thick eyebrows that were slightly raised, exuding an imposing aura. His gaze was like that of an eagle, making one feel targeted.
Meng Dalong waved his hand and said, "Not at all, not at all. It's Master Yu who is the one who can cover the sky with one hand in Jiangdu."
Yu Daohen cupped his hands and made an inviting gesture: "Master Meng, please come in."
Meng Dalong wasted no words. He stepped into the shop and sat down at the tea table.
Seeing Meng Dalong sit down, Yu Daohen was about to retrieve tea from a drawer when Meng Dalong waved his hand. A gust of wind forcefully closed the shop door. Yu Daohen’s heart tightened. He turned towards Meng Dalong while gripping the dagger at his waist.
The shop’s light dimmed. Yu Daohen stared at Meng Dalong, who was seated on the stool. Meng Dalong took out a small porcelain bottle, opened it, and after a puff of clear smoke, a Sha Ghost stood beside him.
Yu Daohen’s hand gripping the dagger tightened, ready to attack. Suddenly, Meng Dalong laughed heartily: "Master Yu, don’t be so tense."
As soon as he finished speaking, he drew the curved saber from his waist and swung it. The Sha Ghost was instantly annihilated. Yu Daohen was shocked; he couldn't even see Meng Dalong's drawing motion.
Yu Daohen glanced at Meng Dalong’s saber and asked tentatively, "Master Meng, what is the meaning of this?"
Meng Dalong sighed: "This Sha Ghost is the one Master Yu encountered before. I have now destroyed her. As for my useless brother, he committed too many wicked deeds. His death is a just end."