Absolute Gate

Chapter 45 The Shadow

Wu stopped dwelling on it. The most urgent thing was to contact the two people who had been separated.

"Here's your cucumber. Hurry up and contact Brother Xia."

Yang Chunsha took the cucumber, pursed her lips and said, "Um... since they've already been scattered, why do you still need to go looking for them?"

"How about the two of us form a team?"

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to find a quiet, peaceful place, take on only simple delivery jobs, and live a carefree life?"

Wu Zhong shook his head. To be honest, he had longed for such a leisurely life.

But I also know that this is impossible.

If the matter of ghosts and spirits is not resolved, it's like a sword hanging over your head; how can you have a peaceful day?

Moreover, he will inevitably have to go back to his grandfather one day, whether he returns in disgrace or is treated with equal respect, he will have to give an explanation. He can't just freely dream about good things.

"No need to say anything, people like us don't deserve it."

"At least I don't have that right. Whether it's to deal with the ghosts and gods or to repay Brother Xia for his investment in me, I have no reason to slack off."

“I can feel that meeting Brother Xia is a kind of luck. He has given me a very high starting line.”

“I didn’t have a choice in the past, but now I want to be a big shot.”

Wu Zhong's tone was unusually firm in his last sentence.

Yang Chunsha was stunned, then nodded sadly: "Okay... fine... you're right, I actually guessed that I would get involved in trouble one day, and it's impossible to stay peaceful forever."

"It's a miracle that I haven't been involved for seven years... but good times always come to an end."

"Well, you said you let the gourd escape, so doesn't that mean your intelligence has been exposed? That's even worse."

Wu Zhong sighed, "Hulu doesn't know much, but we still need to contact Brother Xia as soon as possible to discuss what to do next."

Yang Chunsha said no more, and immediately grabbed a cucumber and called out to Endless Summer.

After a while, she spoke to Xia Heng, and sure enough, Xia Heng was fine; he hadn't even been injured.

On the contrary, the matsutake mushrooms and gourds were all wiped out, all caught by 985. Xia Heng witnessed this before he left.

"Hulu got caught?" Wu Zhong was still scared. Luckily, he didn't pursue the matter further or go back to find Xia Heng. Instead, he just slipped away.

Yang Chunsha relayed Xia Heng's words: "It's a wonder you managed to escape. Is Luo Yi with you?"

Wu Zhong was taken aback and asked Yang Chunsha to relay the message: "No, wasn't he under the illusion spell along with you?"

Xia Heng was clearly stunned, and it took him a while to answer, "Didn't I tell him to stay and protect you? Didn't you escape with Luo Yi?"

Wu Zhong was even more surprised: "Huh? You asked him to protect me? He was directly under the influence of an illusion to go and support you."

Xia Heng relayed, "He's not under any illusion. He has Observation Haki; Matsutake's illusion won't fool him."

Observation Haki? Wu Zhong blinked.

Well, Luo Yi really has an imposing presence, doesn't he?

Wu finally remembered that when Luo Yi was driving, he mentioned something about the stalker's aura-gazing technique, saying something like, "I am as outstanding as a firefly in the dark, with an undeniable domineering aura."

So it turns out that Observation Haki really does exist.

"He wasn't under an illusion?" Wu Zhongkuang scratched his head.

The two exchanged a few more words and recounted everything that had happened.

After checking the accounts one last time, Xia Heng laughed angrily: "When he pretended to be under an illusion to come to my aid, did he not have a shadow?"

Wu Zhong recalled for a moment and said, "I didn't notice. When he rushed to support you, I was so anxious that I called out to him. His back view did look a bit out of place."

"The unease you felt at the time was probably because you didn't see the shadow at his feet..." Xia Heng explained.

Wu Zhong exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? A person without a shadow? Is this his ability?"

Xia Heng asked Yang Chunsha to relay: "He is 'Shadow Lord'. His shadow is his permanent clone. He can separate from his main body to move and can also instantly switch positions."

"Sigh, if you shout a few times, he'll definitely be nearby... That damned Luo Yi, I asked him to protect you, but he's been probing your abilities and hasn't even shown himself."

Wu was surprised and immediately shouted.

"Master Luo! Are you there?"

He shouted, but there was no response from the surroundings.

He shouted louder, startling birds and beasts from all directions, but still no one came.

Just as he was wondering if Xia Heng had made a mistake.

Suddenly, a humanoid black figure rushed out from the shadows of many trees in the distance, having just arrived from a great distance.

Something resembling a 'shadowy' murderer from an animated film just walked out like that.

The shadowy figure blended completely into the shadows, and would have been completely undetectable had it not revealed itself at this moment.

“Master Luo…” Wu Zhong stared wide-eyed.

He could tell that the shadowy figure was holding a cigarette in its hand.

Sure enough, the next second, the dark figure transformed into Luo Yi in a flash.

Luo Yi, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, chuckled, "You run really fast. I haven't been following you for a moment, and you've already disappeared."

Wu Zhong said dejectedly, "No, you've been following me the whole time."

"You were there when I was fighting someone to the death? You just watched?"

Luo Yi was a little embarrassed and chuckled awkwardly, "Isn't that pretty impressive of yours?"

"I don't think you need my help."

Wu Zhong took a deep breath: "What do I not need help with? I've been longing for someone to help me, okay?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Luo Yi looked completely innocent. "Actually, I wanted to show myself and save you several times, but you didn't give me the chance. Kid, you actually won..."

Wu Zhong pointed at him: "Oh, so you blame me for winning?"

Luo Yi said, "It's all Lao Xia's fault. He told me not to help you too much, just to make sure you're safe and let you gain some experience."

Wu Zhong's lips twitched: "Aren't you helping me much? You haven't helped me at all!"

"I was too good to give you this chance? How could you say there was no chance? I've been in dire straits so many times... De Biao even almost died, his neck was broken!"

He knew in his heart that Luo Yi actually wanted to explore his characteristics. Xia Heng didn't say much to Luo Yi, but Luo Yi took this opportunity to deliberately let him face it alone and observe his characteristics.

Luo Yi licked the saliva from the corner of his mouth: "Crazy Blood Clan members don't die that easily. Even if her neck is broken, she can still hold on for a minute before she's completely dead."

"And you should say no more, you didn't suffer any fatal injuries from beginning to end."

Wu Zhong became even more excited: "How could I not? When Fei Peng infused me with his internal energy, I truly felt like I was dying." Luo Yi tilted his head: "He infused you with his internal energy?"

Wu Zhong was taken aback, realizing that he didn't know about this.

"You just said there was a period when you didn't talk to me. When was that?"

Luo Yi shrugged: "After I saw you use the first generation's special ability to escape from a desperate situation, I knew you were alright, so I didn't pay much attention to you."

Wu Zhong said, "But Fei Peng came again, and my injuries hadn't healed yet."

Luo Yi shrugged and said, "I knew he was here, but isn't he in a worse state than you? Good heavens, that sword in my anus gave me the chills."

"You already knew you were the first generation and discovered the mechanics of the first generation. There was Yang Chunsha and an old lady on the scene for you to use your mental illness on. If you had any brains at all, you wouldn't have lost."

"Xia Heng is so unfair. He didn't even tell me you had a mental resistance effect. No wonder he was so eager for me to pass on my mad blood. You and the mad blood clan are indeed a perfect match."

Wu pressed further, "So after you saw Debiao come to help me, you left? What did you do there?"

Luo Yi grinned: "Where did I go? Of course, I came to 985."

"The advance troops also came from the direction of Chengdu, so they went to Lao Xia's place first."

"And my main body is there too. If Old Xia pushes me too far, he can just teleport away. I can't do that so easily. I need to make sure my shadow is in a safe place, and then switch places with my main body."

"Then manipulate the shadow to escape the scene."

"Although my shadow can ignore many kinds of attacks, mental power can hurt me. And among the people from 985, there are those with mental power, so I have to be on guard."

"By the time I had completely run away and came to my senses, I found that the fight had already ended and you were no longer in the village."

"Luckily I have Observation Haki. After searching around, I found your footprints and followed you here. You run really fast, kid. I barely caught up with you."

Wu Zhong's expression turned solemn; so that's how it is.

Luo Yi only saw the first half of the battle; he didn't pay attention to how he ultimately won... he was busy dealing with 985.

During this time, he completed his final comeback, absorbed Fei Peng's internal energy, recovered from his injuries by relying on the old woman's illness, killed Ya Bai, and finally chased Fei Peng away from the village.

"Footprints...I was careful to cover them up along the way..."

Luo Yi said, "Hehe, no matter how careful you are, you will inevitably leave traces and scents wherever you go."

"I can keep up with you, let alone the 985 unit with its invincible tracking dogs. Your skills are still too rough."

"Don't worry, I've already cleared out your trail, there won't be any pursuers behind you."

Wu Zhong felt a chill run down his spine.

Yes, that invincible tracking dog, 985 has one. It chased me over several mountains back then, and I couldn't shake it off no matter what.

In fact, how could he possibly escape the pursuit of a 985 university?
In reality, Luo Yi helped him escape; otherwise, he would definitely have been caught up by 985 by now.

"I see... Well then, thank you very much, Master Luo. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to leave." Wu Zhong thanked him honestly.

Luo Yi waved his hand: "It's nothing, just a small matter!"

"I came to help Lao Xia at his request; he owes me a huge favor."

"I just didn't expect your ghostly mark to have so many effects. Hey, what's that shield? Can you create derivatives?"

Wu Zhong casually said, "Yes, according to Brother Xia, the shield I bless will be soft and invincible, so De Biao's triple Rashomon is also blessed by me, because the ghost-face window in the middle is also considered a shield."

Luo Yi stroked his chin: "Interesting. So your characteristic is related to shields. No wonder you also have a mental resistance effect... You actually have a mental shield, right?"

"Hey, your ghostly mark, is it perhaps a shield-shaped tattoo or symbol?"

Wu Zhong shook his head: "I have no tattoos or markings."

"Is that so..." Luo Yi remained noncommittal, then beckoned, "Hey, let me play with the shield."

Wu finally threw the shield directly to him, but in mid-air, the broken parts on it were blown away by the wind pressure.

When it reached Luo Yi's hands, it was shaken again and fell to pieces.

"Huh? Isn't it Soft Invincible?" Luo Yi asked in astonishment.

Wu Zhong tilted his head and said, "Uh, I can destroy it myself, but no one else can."

"It was already full of cracks. When I threw it, it was like I was putting force into it, so it broke. It's okay, I'll make you another one."

He went to cut down the tree, thinking to himself.

Although Luo Yi had been paying attention to him for a long time, he could only see the surface.

It is known that the mark of the spirit or deity endows it with effects such as a solid mental barrier, an unhealable barrier, and a forced silence.

But like the cliff cypress, they believed it was bestowed by the mark of ghosts and gods.

No, not necessarily. It's just that the Ghost and God Mark is the only known calamity on him with a name. In colloquial terms, saying these are the abilities of the mark is the same as saying these are the abilities of Wu Zhong himself.

"Hey, no need. Are you really going to abuse your special abilities like that?"

"How can you be so sure that the only price a demonic mark with so many functions would be draining your life force?"

Luo Yi rejected Wu Zhong's suggestion to create another one for him to play with, saying that he shouldn't use the special features casually.

Wu Zhong paused for a moment: "Indeed, who knows what other price awaits me among those ghosts and gods? Who can say for sure..."

"I've learned my lesson, Master Luo. I won't use it unless it's a matter of life and death."

Luo Yi had an expression that suggested he was a promising student, while Wu Zhong's heart stirred slightly.

He believed it! He believed it!
In his despair, he deceived Ya Bai Shi into believing him, which gave him the opportunity to embrace Ya Bai for the first time.

Unexpectedly, Luo Yi, who was secretly observing, also believed it.

Yes, from an outsider's perspective, this price is quite reasonable, because Xia Heng is indeed sparing no expense and is very eager to make him a member of the Mad Blood Clan.

His own idea that "the life force of the Mad Blood Clan is needed to resist this cost" corresponded to Xia Heng's behavior.

These people believe not because they believe in Wu Zhong, but because they believe there must be a logic behind Xia Heng's actions. Even if that's not actually his motive, no one has God's perspective.

"Only the truth can deceive people," Wu Zhong murmured to himself.

Just as Xia Heng had taught him, in the world of calamities, the only thing that can be trusted is the truth.

When speculating on the characteristics of catastrophic objects, one must base judgments on facts and think divergently.

Conversely, this makes people easily misled by 'facts'. Therefore, when making up stories, one must try to stay true to the facts as much as possible.

……

　P.S.: Sorry.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)