Chapter Six: A Glimpse of the Path (Part Two)

Motuo sat alone in the guest room, studying the immortal arts that Chiyang had given him. The deeper he delved, the more he realized their profound and boundless nature; how could such mysteries be grasped in a fleeting moment? Truth be told, he was never much of a diligent student, and now, seeing no hope of quick success, he soon began yawning uncontrollably. Before long, he had collapsed onto the bed and fallen into a deep sleep.

While he was dreaming, the room suddenly burst into brilliant light, and someone yanked him off the bed. In his haze, he thought he was back in the demon realm, with a few of his fellow disciples playing pranks on him. Annoyed, he waved his hand and muttered, “Stop making noise and let me sleep!”

“What are you sleeping for? Come help me check on Hai!” Shi Jun shouted anxiously right by his ear, startling him wide awake. Still not fully conscious, Motuo was dragged by Shi Jun—without even having time to put on his shoes—into Hu Hai’s room next door.

Upon entering, he saw Hu Hai lying stiffly on the bed, mouth half open, eyes wide with terror. Except for the slight rolling of his eyeballs, he was utterly motionless, looking for all the world like a living corpse.

“What happened to him?” Motuo leaned in, examined Hu Hai for a long while, and knocked on his head a couple of times. Satisfied something was indeed wrong, he turned to Shi Jun, bewildered. “Is he possessed?”

Shi Jun gave a bitter smile. “It’s not that Hai is possessed—it’s my fault.” He then recounted everything that had just happened.

“Oh, is that all? That’s easy then. Just undo the spell and he’ll be fine,” Motuo replied, unconcerned, still not clear on the details.

Shi Jun scratched his head in frustration. “The problem is, the spell I cast on Hu Hai was something I came up with on the spot. No one knows how to break it—not even me!”

“What?” Motuo’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “You invented the incantation yourself? And you used it on Hai? This is really tricky!”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect this either!” Shi Jun groaned, smacking his head. “You’re always boasting you’re a master from the demon realm, so I came to you for help. Surely, out of all the possible solutions, there must be one or two we can try?”

Motuo sighed. “It’s not that simple. Different incantations and hand signs need different methods to break them. Besides, I only know the arts of the demon realm; as for your self-made spell, I’m completely clueless!”

Shi Jun had initially held out some hope when he woke Motuo, but hearing this, his heart sank. At a loss for words, he could only gently pull up the blanket to cover Hu Hai and said apologetically, “Hai, I’m sorry. I’ll definitely find a way to break this for you!”

Though Hu Hai couldn’t move, he could still see and hear. On hearing this, he rolled his eyes expressively—he had always been adventurous and curious, and though Shi Jun’s spell had turned him into a living “mummy,” it was he himself who had insisted on being the test subject. There really was no one else to blame. Fortunately, Shi Jun had stopped the spell in time; after the initial awkwardness, although his body was still immobilized, the other side effects had ceased. Once his fear faded, he even found the situation rather amusing—this was just another new adventure, a chance to experience the wondrous mysteries of magic firsthand. Unlike Shi Jun and Motuo, he was not at all troubled, but instead felt smugly detached.

* * *

Shi Jun and Motuo discussed for a while but couldn’t come up with any better ideas. After a few words of comfort for Hu Hai, they went to the living room together to consider their options.

Lu Qing had been sitting on the couch watching TV the entire time—her schedule was all out of order, and she hardly needed to rest anyway—so she had a general idea of the commotion that had just occurred. Before Shi Jun could speak, she asked, “How is it? Is everything all right?”

Shi Jun forced a smile and shook his head. “We don’t know yet. Let me think it over.” With a sigh, he sank into the sofa, lost in thought.

Seeing Shi Jun’s distress, Motuo finally took pity and admitted, “It’s not that there’s no hope—it’s just that my knowledge and cultivation aren’t quite enough. Your spell is a fusion of spirit-chaos and binding arts. If you go to the Nether Realm and find a master skilled in water magic, there might still be a chance!”

It was as if he’d awoken from a dream. Shi Jun’s face lit up with joy. Of course! With Chiyang and the little troublemaker gone, getting help from the Nether Realm was probably out of the question, but wasn’t there already a ready-made Chishang in the human world? Motuo really had his moments when it counted. Shi Jun said, “Old Mo, I’ve got an idea—but I’ll need your full support!”

“What’s the plan? For Hai’s sake, I’d go through fire and water without hesitation!” Motuo declared, smacking his chest with a resounding thump.

“It’s nothing that dramatic. You just reminded me—Chishang is the creator of the spirit-chaos art and has plenty of power and knowledge. If we bring him here, and with the binding spell I have, it should be much faster than going to the Nether Realm!” Shi Jun explained his plan.

Hearing this, Motuo immediately regained his know-it-all composure and laughed heartily. “That’s exactly what I was thinking! Let’s go get that Chishang—if we can’t invite him, we’ll just drag him here to break the curse for Hai!”

“There’s no other way now. If the two of us together can’t catch him, then we’ll go back to the Nether Realm for reinforcements!” At this point, Shi Jun was determined; as long as they could cure Hu Hai quickly, he’d catch whoever he had to, even the Jade Emperor himself.

Lu Qing saw they were about to rush out and tried to dissuade them, “It’s so late, and you don’t even know where Chishang is. With Hai in this state, what if he comes here… Why not wait until tomorrow?”

Already at the door, Shi Jun turned back and said to Motuo, “Sister Lu has a point. Why don’t you stay here?”

But Motuo didn’t want to miss the action. He pulled a talisman from his pocket, stuck it on the doorway, dusted off his hands, and said, “Done!” Then, turning to Shi Jun and Lu Qing, he explained, “I’ve set up a barrier around the house. As long as the door is shut, no one outside can get in!”

“Alright then!” In truth, Shi Jun also wanted Motuo to accompany him—without his help, finding Chishang in that massive mental hospital would be quite difficult. So, together, they hurried out the door, heading back to investigate the mental hospital once more.