Ya She

Chapter 62 Bo Ya Zhen

Sleep paralysis often occurs when a person is about to enter deep sleep or is about to wake up. It is more common in adolescence and is most likely to occur in people who frequently stay up late, experience high stress, and do not get enough rest.

Because the person is conscious but unable to move, feeling as if a huge boulder is pressing on their chest, and this is combined with a dream to create a hallucination, it is vividly called "sleep paralysis."

Strangely enough, the doctor has never experienced sleep paralysis.

So when he first realized it, the doctor seriously reflected on whether he had been too busy lately and whether his body couldn't take it anymore, as if he was subtly protesting.

But as the physical pain became unbearable, he began to panic uncontrollably.

Furthermore, he clearly saw a fleeting red figure in the dark corner of the room.

The doctor recalled Chun Ge's words; in his description of the encounter, there was absolutely no mention of seeing a red dragon!

Could it be from the wooden box...? No, that's a tiger! Not a dragon!

The more the doctor thought about it, the more confused he became.

He told himself it was just sleep paralysis, and the pain was because the blankets, though sun-dried, still had fleas... No, it was because his limbs were temporarily paralyzed and he was in a state of numbness, so he shouldn't be able to feel the pain!
Therefore, all of this should be a hallucination generated by his brainwaves during REM sleep; to be precise, what he saw was all his dream.

As the saying goes, "What you think about during the day, you dream about at night." Recent research suggests that dreams may be formed by the brain based on events that occurred during the past week. Perhaps it's something he saw during the day that's reflected in his mind.

Yes, the man in the Tang suit who appeared in the elevator crash incident was wearing a Tang suit embroidered with a red dragon.

Perhaps because this person had saved him once, subconsciously, the first person he thought of was this person.

Look, look closer, there really is a person there. The red dragon is an embroidery on the person's Tang suit. Because the fabric of the clothes is black and the lights in the room are not on, you can only see the red dragon at first glance.

The doctor was practically praising his own rigorous and meticulous logical reasoning, but he also felt that the imagined figure was useless. The pain in his body was getting worse and worse, to the point that he couldn't help but want to scream.

Just like Chun Ge had experienced, he was also unable to make a sound.

The doctor was anxious. Although his rational analysis was logical, he couldn't help but feel uneasy because he had never experienced sleep paralysis before. He didn't know if it was because of Chun Ge's earlier embellishment or the unbearable pain in his body, but he felt that if this continued, he might never wake up again.

Just as he was feeling anxious, he vaguely heard someone whispering in his ear.

"Strange, with the longevity lock protecting me and my yang energy so strong, I shouldn't encounter such supernatural things..."

Longevity lock? How would anyone know he was wearing a longevity lock? Or was he hallucinating because he imagined the longevity lock he'd worn since childhood was some kind of special talisman?

The doctor stared blankly at the approaching young man, his handsome face becoming clearer and clearer in his vision.

How could you even imagine what the other person looks like?
The man in the Tang suit seemed to take out something and wave it around. The doctor instantly felt his hands and feet regain feeling, and the excruciating pain receded like a receding tide.

The doctor sat up with a start, staring intently at the young man standing by the bedside, and muttered to himself, "Huh? He's still here? Does that mean I haven't woken up yet?" As he spoke, he reached out and took the other man's hand.

Look, it's ice cold; it really has no temperature.

He squeezed it. Huh? This feel...is it a real person?
The doctor quickly released his grip, rubbed his eyes in shock, and put on his glasses from the bedside table. He even pinched his thigh, wincing in pain, but still managed to demand, "How...how did you get in? I definitely locked the door!"

The man in the Tang suit ignored his question and instead began to look around the room.

The doctor hopped off the bed and tried to press the light switch on the wall, but nothing happened; it remained pitch black. "Why is there a power outage at this hour?" The doctor chuckled awkwardly, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

The man in the Tang suit frowned, and just as he was about to say something, a muffled thud came from the living room, as if something had cracked open, shaking the floor.

"Could it be that the new thermos flask exploded? Buying things online is just no good!" the doctor guessed dryly, but even he didn't believe it. The sound was definitely not something a thermos flask could make.

The man in the Tang suit walked towards the living room. The doctor glanced around the dark bedroom and felt it would be even more terrifying to be left alone there. Without even putting on his slippers, he immediately followed.

Strangely enough, even though this person had inexplicably broken into his home and his identity was unknown, the doctor subconsciously felt that the other person would not harm him. On the contrary, he felt a sense of reliability and security.

After all, if the man in the Tang suit wanted to do something to him, he would have done it already. The elevator incident earlier could be considered a coincidence, but the doctor believed it was a deliberate act by the man to save him.

Stepping out of the bedroom, you can see a faint, warm light emanating from the kitchen, breaking through the eerie darkness.

"There's electricity here, isn't there? Looks like the bedroom light is broken." The doctor breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that leaving the revolving lantern on all night as a nightlight was a wise decision. He glanced around the living room, found no one there, and headed towards the kitchen.

The man in the Tang suit was indeed standing beside the revolving lantern. The warm, dim light illuminated his handsome face, making him appear even more radiant and refined, with bright eyes and delicate brows. He heard the doctor's footsteps but didn't turn around. Instead, he sighed softly, "So it's a revolving lantern. No wonder..."

The voice was like a gentle breeze, captivating and mesmerizing. The doctor was stunned; the voice he had heard in his half-awake state was indeed from this person. He quickly pressed, "Is there really something wrong with this revolving lantern?"

The man in the Tang suit lowered his eyes, pondered for a moment, as if hesitating whether to tell the truth. The melancholy that had settled between his brows finally turned into a sigh of helplessness, and he said, "Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise; a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise. This lantern, depicting the story of the old man who lost his horse but found it to be a blessing in disguise, is a masterpiece made by a master lantern maker. Its original intention is to warn people to take a detached view of worldly affairs and to face life with a calm mind."

"Fortune and misfortune flash by like a revolving lantern..."

"But as time went by, the paper of this fortune and misfortune lantern was damaged for various reasons. When it came into the hands of someone, he was advised to cover five sides with dark glass, leaving only one side to be shown to people. This fortune and misfortune lantern then became a completely evil object."

"An evil entity?!" The doctor was shocked and subconsciously took a step back, but then felt it wasn't safe to stay too far away from the man in the Tang suit, so he quietly took another small step closer to him.

"This lamp only displays a single paper picture at a time, which will foretell whether the owner of this fortune-telling lantern will encounter misfortune or good fortune. Misfortune is followed by good fortune, and good fortune is followed by even greater misfortune, like a snowball rolling downhill, becoming more and more unbearable."

The doctor recalled that his first misfortune was simply not being hired by the hospital. The second misfortune had already nearly broken his leg; so, by that logic, wouldn't the third misfortune be fatal?!
The man in the Tang suit turned to look at the doctor, as if he had guessed what the doctor was thinking, and nodded, saying, "That's right. Since its modification, this fortune and misfortune revolving lantern has never landed on the sixth paper painting. No one has been able to complete a full cycle. It's a pity that the original owner, who wanted to possess the greatest fortune, lost his life because of greed."

The doctor was about to blurt out that he was lying when he suddenly remembered that the fortune-telling lantern was a keepsake of Yin Han. The latter, too, had been admitted to the provincial hospital but died in an accident…

The more the doctor thought about it, the more terrified he became. He immediately went over and unplugged the power cord, but the revolving lamp was still on even after the power was cut off. The light that had originally looked warm and soft now appeared as terrifying as a ghostly flame to the doctor.

"This...this is a power outage..." The doctor's voice trembled slightly.

"Even if the power is cut off, it won't help. Once this cycle of fortune and misfortune reaches the fifth paper painting, it can't be stopped."

The doctor stared wide-eyed at the paper drawing depicting famine, then glanced at the man in the Tang suit, hoping he could handle the situation.

The man in the Tang suit reached out and, under the doctor's hopeful gaze, picked up the revolving lantern and walked out of the kitchen.

The doctor quickly followed, only to see that the man in the Tang suit did not walk out the door, but instead went towards the living room, occasionally shaking the revolving lantern up and down, for some mysterious reason.

Finally, the man in the Tang suit squatted down in front of a wall, frowned, and said, "This wall is cracked."

The doctor was shocked. It turned out this guy really was just using that terrifying fortune-telling lantern as a light source! Hey! Is this kind of carelessness really okay?!
Despite his internal complaints, the doctor still went over. A crack, about the width of a finger and the length of an arm, stretched across the wall, emanating a dark, breezy light that seemed to be blowing out in gusts of cold air. He looked closer and noticed that the wooden box on the floor had been overturned, and the red telephone cord had somehow become tangled around the bronze tiger, completely embedded in the crack in the wall.

It's like... it's like that red thread is alive, trying to pull the bronze tiger into the wall, only to be blocked by the wall and then crack...

The doctor shuddered, realizing his imagination had run wild. He forced himself to consider the problem practically: "What if the wall cracks? Do I have to pay the landlord for compensation? I haven't lived here long. Maybe I should hire a cementman to patch it up... But I don't know if it will affect the neighbors. I'll have to go ask them tomorrow when I have some free time."

“No need to go next door,” the man in the Tang suit interrupted his rambling.

"Huh? Why?" the doctor asked, puzzled.

"Because on the other side of this wall, there isn't another household at all." The man in the Tang suit spoke solemnly, but offered no further explanation.

Just as the doctor was about to ask further questions, he heard a phone ringing from the bedroom. Without thinking, he went back to the bedroom and grabbed the phone from the bedside table. The screen showed Chun Ge calling, and the doctor pressed the answer button.

"Finally got through! What were you doing? Why were you out of service area the whole time?!" Chun Ge's loud voice burst from the phone receiver, and the doctor immediately moved the phone away a little.

"I don't know why, I've been staying at home the whole time!" the doctor said helplessly.

"That's why I'm worried!" Chun Ge suddenly lowered his voice. "Do you know what's wrong with the house you live in?"

"Huh? What's the problem?" The doctor put the phone back to his ear.

"I asked someone to look up the name 'Li Hua,' and it turns out she's the killer in a horrific case from over a decade ago!" Chun Ge's voice was chilling. "This Li Hua was our senior. Because her boyfriend cheated on her, she used a scalpel to slice off his flesh piece by piece. In the end, according to the forensic examination, the poor man was still alive when only a skeleton remained!"

The doctor was so startled that he almost dropped his phone.

"Of course, the man died in the end, and Li Hua turned himself in. From this, we can deduce that the house you're living in is the crime scene! Move out quickly!" Chun Ge urged anxiously.

"But... what's wrong with a haunted house?" The doctor was still reluctant to pay such a cheap rent. Although he experienced sleep paralysis, nothing really happened to him!

"Nothing?! I checked the floor plan of your building again, and the room you're living in is completely wrong! It should have been a two-bedroom apartment! In other words, there's a room sealed off with cement behind the wall of the living room!" Chun Ge roared in exasperation.

The doctor felt a chill run down his spine, suddenly remembering what the man in the Tang suit had said: the other side of the wall wasn't another house at all... So that's what it meant!
"And what's even more terrifying is that it's said that not all of the man's flesh was found. Who knows what kind of weird stuff was sealed up in that room! Hey? Hey! Are you listening to me...? Hey..."

The call suddenly dropped. The doctor stared at the "No Service" message on the screen, a chill running down his spine. He shuffled out almost involuntarily, and as he passed the living room, he caught a glimpse of the man in the Tang suit still squatting there, examining the cracks in the wall. The more the doctor thought about it, the more terrified he became. He rushed to the door, wanting to escape this eerie house.

However, the door was completely sealed shut and could not be opened at all.

The doctor exerted all his strength, sweating profusely, but the door, which he could usually open easily, remained motionless, as if it weighed a hundred thousand pounds.

"You won't get out of here until you deal with that thing."

The doctor was startled by the sudden sound, and it took him a moment to realize he had heard it before. He quickly turned around and found the man in the Tang suit standing not far behind him. Perhaps the man's calm demeanor calmed the doctor down a bit, and he mustered his courage, asking tremblingly, "Th-that thing... what do you mean?"

“They are the wronged souls who died here,” the man in the Tang suit calmly explained. “Generally speaking, a soul can only remain in the world for seven days. Only wronged souls with deep attachments can linger for a long time.”

The man in the Tang suit walked back to the living room as he spoke, and the doctor quickly followed. Hearing this, he wholeheartedly agreed; that unfortunate man had been slowly tortured to death, and anyone would have found it unbearable.

“Actually, if no one were to provide for it, this vengeful spirit wouldn’t have been trapped here for long.” The man in the Tang suit pointed to the cracked wall and said calmly, “The layout of this room has been altered. The vengeful spirit is probably sealed behind that wall.”

"So... all those tenants who left after only a few days, and my friend who stayed here, were all caused by this vengeful spirit?" The doctor thought of Chun Ge's description and suddenly felt something was wrong. "But I didn't feel anything unusual before, so why did this happen tonight?"

“You have a protective talisman; ordinary demons and monsters can’t get close to you. The trouble tonight is because of this thing.” The man in the Tang suit opened his palm.

By the light of the revolving lantern, the doctor saw the bronze tiger that Chun Ge had sent lying in his palm.

"This is a Bo Ya Zhen," the man in the Tang suit explained, knowing the doctor wouldn't understand. "Simply put, it's a paperweight. 'Zhen' means 'to press down.' In ancient times, before paper was invented, these were called 'zhenshi' (镇石), used to press down mats or bed curtains, so a set had four. Later, they also became the weights for the game of Liubo, placed at the four corners of the board. In ancient tombs, Bo Ya Zhen were also popular burial items used to ward off evil spirits."

"So, according to that logic, this should be a treasure to suppress evil spirits! How come it has backfired?" The doctor knew that Chun Ge meant well and was giving him this thing to save him.

"The person your friend asked probably only has a superficial understanding. A set of four Bo Ya Zhen (a type of magical artifact) must appear simultaneously to enhance its spiritual power, forming a complete system to guard a region. If I'm not mistaken, this set should be the Four Gods Bo Ya Zhen. According to the Five Elements theory, this White Tiger Bo Ya Zhen should be placed in the due west. Placing it in the wrong direction, and being a lone hand, is like offering up a powerful tonic." Before the man in the Tang suit finished speaking, the red thread, like a living venomous snake, darted towards the White Tiger Bo Ya Zhen in his hand.

The doctor exclaimed in surprise, but was quickly dragged out of the living room by the man in the Tang suit. He watched as the red line grew longer and longer in front of him, like a persistent, intractable disease.

Just as the red thread was about to strike his face, a fair, jade-like hand grabbed it without hesitation and flung him towards the bedroom.

The bedroom door slammed shut, and a low growl came from outside: "Stay put and don't come out." Then came the terrifying sounds of a struggle.

How could a doctor let a stranger risk his life for him? He twisted the bedroom door, but it wouldn't budge, just like when he opened the main door before. He wondered what mysterious method the other party had used.

The doctor could only press his ear against the door, listening intently to the sounds outside, his imagination running wild – it was pure torture.

Perhaps a long time had passed, or perhaps only a few minutes; the doctor could no longer determine the duration. When the bedroom doorknob turned, he instinctively took two steps back.

The door slowly opened, and bathed in the warm, soft light of a lantern, a man in a Tang suit stood in the doorway. He looked somewhat disheveled; his once neatly combed hair was now a mess, and his already fair complexion appeared even paler. Perhaps it was the doctor's imagination, but the crimson dragon robe he wore seemed to have deepened in color, like the color of blood.

"It's all over now," the man in the Tang suit said casually.

The doctor mustered his courage and went out to take a look. He found that the crack in the wall in the living room was still there, but the red line had disappeared.

"Find a cementman tomorrow and seal it up," the man in the Tang suit said calmly. Although the vengeful spirit had been eliminated, the house had been altered to house a vengeful ghost, and had been occupied by it for many years, making it extremely yin and likely attracting strange things. The doctor was so oblivious; he probably wouldn't notice even if he wasn't told. Besides, with the longevity lock on his person, the doctor wouldn't sense anything unusual. If it weren't for the sudden appearance of the Bo Ya Town, nothing would have happened. The cement-sealed room only contained the deceased's belongings and was harmless. The man in the Tang suit thought for a moment and then said nothing more.

Before the doctor could ask any more questions, his phone rang deafeningly. This was more effective than any test; the vengeful spirit must have been appeased, the magnetic field had returned to normal, and the phone had a signal again. The doctor didn't rush to answer Chun Ge's call, but instead focused his gaze on the Bo Ya Zhen (a type of magical artifact) in the man in the Tang suit's hand. Whether or not it was a treasure capable of suppressing evil, the doctor admitted he couldn't control it. What if it attracted something else? So, after thinking for a moment, he asked, "Could you please trouble the Celestial Master to keep that Bo Ya Zhen safe?"

"A Celestial Master?" The man in the Tang suit was taken aback, then smiled and said, "A Celestial Master is one who catches demons."

The man in the Tang suit had maintained a stern expression since they met, but this smile was like the first melting of ice and snow, as if the temperature around him had instantly risen several degrees. The doctor was stunned for a moment, then quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry, so sorry, the one exorcising the ghost is... a Taoist priest? Anyway, it's definitely not a monk, right?" The doctor glanced at the short hair on the man's head.

"Answer the phone quickly. I'll accept this Bo Ya Zhen as... payment for 'ghost hunting'." The man in the Tang suit's smile deepened, containing a hint of indulgence and helplessness. The doctor quickly answered the phone, pretending to be sleepy, and calmed the agitated Chun Ge on the other end of the line with a few words, while also confirming that the Bo Ya Zhen was indeed a gift from him. He wanted to say a few more words, but seeing the man in the Tang suit turn to leave, he hurriedly hung up the phone and chased after him.

"Wait! Your hand is injured! Let me get you a band-aid!" The doctor had already noticed the scratches on the other person's right palm, guessing that it was caused when he was holding the red thread.

The man in the Tang suit was taken aback by what he heard, but he did not insist on leaving. Instead, he found a sofa in the living room and sat down.

The doctor took out a medical kit containing various commonly used emergency medications, some of which were high-end products only available in hospitals. This was, of course, a perk for medical students. The doctor found some iodine solution and bandages, knelt on one knee in front of the sofa, and carefully began treating the patient's wound.

The man in the Tang suit's gaze fell on the doctor's neck. The longevity lock he wore had dangled outside his pajamas as he ran, gleaming with a smooth, jade-like luster under the dim, yellowish light of the lantern. The man in the Tang suit was so focused that he didn't notice the wound on his hand being treated so quickly.

"Ah! The paper painting on the revolving lantern has changed! Does this mean I've escaped my troubles?"

The doctor's delighted words brought the man in the Tang suit back to his senses. He looked up and saw the paper painting slowly rotating in the revolving lantern on the coffee table. The painting depicted an old man and his son, on the verge of starvation during a famine, saving a man who had collapsed on the ground. Unbeknownst to them, the man was actually a prince traveling incognito. Grateful for their life-saving act, the prince brought them to the capital, providing them with a life of luxury and comfort.

"This is... meeting a benefactor? Haha, perhaps I've encountered the best thing that's ever happened tonight!" The doctor packed his medical kit and smiled knowingly.

The man in the Tang suit gave a wry smile and muttered to himself, "Knowing me isn't necessarily a good thing..."

"Huh? What did you say? Oh right, I still don't know your name!"

"...My shop will be opening soon, not far from here. Welcome to visit."

"Huh? What kind of shop? Can you open a business now that you're exorcising ghosts?"

"...Antique shop."

……

The doctor snapped out of his reverie, looking down at the black jade ball in his palm that had returned to its original state, filled with shock and anger.

Is this his memory?

Why does he have no memory of anything?

In the video, he and Chun Ge both looked as young as they did four or five years ago, while the man in the Tang suit looked exactly the same as the stranger who came to the house today, as if... as if time had left no trace on his face...

The doctor stood there blankly for a long time, so long that even Tang Yuan noticed something was wrong and ran out to see what he was doing.

The doctor first put the black jade ball into his pocket, closed the door, and returned to his room. Then he went to Tang Yuan's room, the one where the living room had been converted into a bedroom. The doctor stood in front of the wall, remained silent for a long time, and then reached out and peeled off the wallpaper.

"Hey! Uncle! What's wrong with you in the middle of the night? Even if you're angry with me, don't ruin the house!" Tang Yuan was so anxious he was jumping up and down. "What do you want to see? Hmm, this wall was cracked before? This is such a shoddy construction project. But the repair marks are really ugly."

"I patched it myself..." the doctor mumbled. Fragmented images flashed through his mind. He remembered that because he was short of money and because the crack was so bizarrely formed, he was afraid of being misunderstood, so he bought some cement and sand, mixed them together, and painstakingly patched it up. Later, feeling it was too conspicuous, he waited until he had some more money before buying wallpaper to cover it up.

Tang Yuan blinked but didn't reply.

The doctor casually shoved the torn-off wallpaper into Tang Yuan's hand: "Figure out how to stick it back on yourself!"

"Hey!" Tang Yuan was furious and about to protest when he noticed the doctor's gaze was frighteningly serious. "Wh...what's wrong?"

"Do you know the person who came tonight?" the doctor asked, emphasizing each word.

"Yes...yes! He's my senior brother!" Tang Yuan initially sounded a little guilty, but then he realized it was the truth! Why should he feel guilty? So he puffed out his chest, looking proud.

"I want to see him, right now."

The owner, who should have been in the Silent Shop, was now standing in a deep mountain forest. The sky was covered with dark clouds, and the stars and moon were not shining, making the place seem even more gloomy and terrifying.

Deep in the mountains and forests, there lies a long-abandoned house. The lanterns at the gate are broken and the tattered paper flutters in the cold wind. The two stone lions that stand silently in front of the gate are covered with withered ivy branches, making them look as if they are bound and tied there by ropes.

If Lu Zigang were here, he would recognize this place as the mansion where he participated in the Liubo chess tournament back then. However, things are different now. This mansion is no longer as grand and magnificent as it once was, and only a desolate scene remains.

The boss stood in front of the courtyard gate for a long time before finally reaching out and pushing open the half-closed door.

The fallen leaves in the courtyard covered the blue bricks on the ground, and it looked like no one had been here for a long time.

After quickly determining the direction, the boss headed towards the due west of the house.

This house, resembling a chessboard, is unlike ordinary houses that face south or have a north-facing orientation with the main gate facing southeast. The entire courtyard is laid out in a square, with the four corners positioned precisely in the four cardinal directions.

Those who are new to this residence, without the help of celestial bodies to identify directions, would probably not notice this anomaly and assume that the residence faces south.

The boss walked along, the only sound the rustling of leaves in the night wind accompanying his footsteps. He kept his eyes straight ahead, continuing until he reached the western corner. At the foot of the courtyard wall stood a stone platform, upon which was embedded a bronze handle.

The boss narrowed his eyes, because this was the very White Tiger Suppression Spell he had received from the doctor years ago.

This White Tiger Suppressing Talisman should have been lying obediently in a brocade box in the inner room of the Silent Abode, but now it has been placed here. If he hadn't been checking the antiques in the Silent Abode, he wouldn't have discovered that some antiques had mysteriously disappeared.

It was precisely because of the loss of the White Tiger Bo Ya Zhen (a type of divination tool) that the owner deduced that there was a problem with this Liubo (a board game) residence. Bo Ya Zhen, where "Zhen" means "to suppress" or "to suppress." The character "Bo" in this context can be interpreted in many common ways, but it can also refer to the game of Liubo.

“If I’m not mistaken, there is also a corresponding Four Gods Suppression Spell in the other three locations.” The shopkeeper seemed to be muttering to himself, but he turned his head and pointed his gaze at a certain spot in the corridor. “I really underestimated you. You actually managed to collect all the Four Gods Suppression Spells that were scattered in all directions.”

"Heh, I've already returned to the real world, what's impossible now?" Accompanied by a flat, cold voice, a figure slowly emerged from the darkness. Although his clothes and hairstyle were different, his gloomy face and bewitching eyes made it impossible for the shopkeeper to mistake him for someone else.

"Lord Ling, it's been a long time." The boss said calmly and respectfully. He had been prepared to meet Zhao Gao on this trip, but he did not expect the other party to arrive so quickly.

Zhao Gao chuckled upon hearing this, shook his head, and sighed, "I just heard that title not long ago."

The boss was stunned, his face immediately changing as he asked, "You've seen the eldest son? What did you do to him?" In this era, besides him, only Fusu could address Zhao Gao as "Lord Lingshi."

"What can I do to him? This is a society governed by law." Zhao Gao spread his hands and said jokingly, looking completely innocent.

The boss didn't believe a word he said. He stared at the man intently for a long time before slowly asking, "Zhao Gao, what do you want?"

"What do you mean by that, Your Excellency?" Zhao Gao raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and looked like he was all ears.

"If you wanted to rise to the highest position in the court and wield immense power, you have already achieved that."

“If you wanted to become the ruler of a country, then Hu Hai would not be your match, and you could have easily replaced him, but you did not.”

"You schemed and plotted to climb to a high position, yet you manipulated the entire empire at will, turning the tide and changing the course of events, all for the sake of destroying it with your own hands?"

“Everyone has things they want, people they want to become, and achievements they want to build. But all your actions are completely unpredictable, which I can’t figure out. So, after I climbed out of Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum, I went to Handan to investigate.”

The boss's ethereal voice echoed through the dilapidated mansion. When he finished speaking, Zhao Gao's composed expression finally changed slightly.

He lowered his head and rubbed his fingertips, chuckling softly, "Oh? What did you find out, High Minister?"

"Zhao Gao was the second son of King Daoxiang of Zhao, Zhao Yan. He was born on the day of the massacre at the Battle of Changping, a day imbued with the blood of 400,000 soldiers. The Grand Astrologer, who observed the celestial phenomena, deeming him an ominous child. He suffered constant humiliation in the royal palace from a young age, and because his grandfather disliked him for the time of his birth, he was not even registered in the family genealogy." The shopkeeper spoke slowly, and for a moment, one could almost hear the sounds of ancient battlefields, the clanging of swords and the clashing of horses. But upon closer listening, it was merely the rustling of falling leaves.

Zhao Gao's lips curled into a knowing smile: "It seems I underestimated you, Lord Shangqing."

"Given such a background, it's easy to imagine how difficult it must have been for you, Lord Lingshi, in the State of Zhao. And your friendship with the First Emperor probably began in your youth in Handan." The shopkeeper, unfazed by the coldness in Zhao Gao's eyes, slowly shared his speculation.

"Your prediction is correct, Your Excellency," Zhao Gao readily admitted.

"And after your mother's tragic death, you switched allegiance to the Qin state and assisted the First Emperor in destroying the Zhao state. That martial crown of King Wuling of Zhao that the First Emperor bestowed upon you, I suppose, was partly due to some obsession?" The shopkeeper shook his head and sighed, recalling the purple clam hairpin that had caused such a stir back then. "The death of Zhao Ji and Empress Dowager Zhao was probably also your doing, wasn't it? It was all for the purpose of ordering the death of Zhao Daohou. Back then, the eldest prince was implicated in this matter and lost the Emperor's favor. You really played a brilliant game, Lord Ling."

"What you did back then, Minister, truly amazes me. You are indeed a fine disciple of my master!" Zhao Gao clapped his hands and laughed, but there was not a trace of warmth in his bewitching eyes.

"Lord Ling has been secretly helping the First Emperor unify the world, but afterwards he recklessly destroyed the empire. He has no principles or laws in his actions, acting solely on his whims. It's no wonder that Master sealed you in the Investiture of the Gods Formation, condemning you to eternal damnation." The boss's voice turned cold, completely disregarding whether his words would anger the person before him.

"It seems you really do know a lot!" Zhao Gao leaned casually against a pillar, his tone returning to its flat, monotone manner.

Some things were told to him by his junior brother, Tang Yuan, after they had met. The boss looked up at the night sky where the dark clouds had dispersed. More than two thousand years had passed, yet the stars in the sky still moved according to their trajectories.

Life is short, like morning dew.

"The ideals and goals that people pursue in life are ultimately nothing more than leaving behind proof of their existence in the world."

"Life is short, only a few decades. Those with ambition will strive to do things that will go down in history and be admired by future generations. Or, if they cannot do that, they can still be infamous for eternity."

"Some people write books or stories, hoping that these words can become books, be passed down by word of mouth, and exist for a long time."

"Some people build structures, whether magnificent or beautiful, multi-story or ornate, in the hope that they will last forever."

"Some people will make exquisite porcelain, jade and bronze artifacts, hoping that these items are so exquisite that they can be collected by the powerful and wealthy, and that these items can be passed down."

"This is actually the meaning of the existence of antiques. Every piece that has been imbued with the marks of time is proof that many people have existed."

"Then, Lord Minister, could you tell me what you are pursuing? If you were seeking eternal infamy, then you have certainly achieved that. So what about now?"

The boss kept questioning Zhao Gao, but it didn't move him in the slightest. He smiled smirkly and said, "Since you've found this place, you must have guessed something, right?"

The shopkeeper fell silent for a long time before frowning and saying, "This place was built by my master so that Hu Hai could use people as chess pieces to play Liubo. Once a life or death situation arises, the lifespan of the opponent can be taken away according to the rules of this game. But given my master's temperament, this residence is not that simple."

"Oh?" A night breeze blew through the hall, and Zhao Gao's long hair, which was tied behind his ears, was scattered and partially obscured his face, making it difficult to see his expression.

"The courtyard is like a chessboard, and the four corners are also like chessboards, with places reserved for placing the Bo Ya Zhen. Once this set of Four Gods Bo Ya Zhen is collected, this place will probably become its own world, becoming... a yin house..." The shopkeeper hesitated for once at the end, "This place should be the yin house that Master prepared for you, but in the end, fearing that he would not be able to take you down in one fell swoop, he changed the Qiankun Formation to seal you."

"Heh heh, the Taoist priest built this house back then to play a game of chess with me, a game where he risked his life." Zhao Gao laughed contemptuously. "Unfortunately, at the last moment, he retreated and tricked me into the game, and was imprisoned for more than two thousand years."

"So what you want is..." The boss vaguely guessed what Zhao Gao wanted, but he didn't hear the last part, which was hard to believe.

“That’s right, what I want is to finish the game he owes me.” Zhao Gao brushed aside the stray hairs that had blown across his forehead, revealing a charming and seductive face, and smiled smugly. “With him and me as the two chess pieces, the loser will disappear from this world completely.”

A cold glint flashed in the boss's eyes, and he said coldly, "There is another option, which is not to play chess, but to send you to see the King of Hell right now!"

Before the boss could make a move, Zhao Gao casually raised his hand, and the Four Gods Suppressing Suppression on the stone platform rotated slightly, causing the boss to feel a sharp pain in his chest, spit out blood, and lose his balance, kneeling on one knee on the ground.

“Fool, I’m your senior brother. How could I not guess what you’re trying to do?” Zhao Gao revealed a sinister smile and turned to leave. His chilling voice trailed off: “You’d better find the remaining five chess pieces and five players within a year. I can give you some information first. I’ve collected countless evil artifacts over the years. Be careful when choosing the antiques to use as chess pieces!”

The boss wiped the blood from his lips, his gaze sharp.

He had no doubt about the truth of Zhao Gao's words, and his confidence was so great that probably none of the antiques in the Silent Shop could match him.

Could it be that we should go to the treasure vaults in various parts of the Central Plains to select suitable antiques?

The night wind blew, and the fallen leaves rustled.

The boss slowly stood up, his expression grave.

Zhao Gao had exploited his weakness, leaving him with no choice.

But the treasure vault...

The shopkeeper touched the jade pendant on his chest; this jade pendant was the key to opening the Guardian Treasury. Ever since this item was accidentally bound to Fusu by his blood, the Guardian Treasury could only be opened with Fusu by his side. After Fusu's death, he could only take the reincarnation of that Fusu with him.

Fusu had been mentioned by Zhao Gao before, and he had probably already fallen into Zhao Gao's hands, which is why the latter was so fearless and not afraid that Fusu would not submit.

So... is there only one option left...?

He really didn't want that person to get involved in the incident again...

The boss closed his eyes, his hand holding Yu Xuanji trembling slightly.

(End of this chapter)