Chapter 13: About Digging a Hole
Chapter 13: About Digging a Hole
Gu Tong was huffing and puffing while digging a hole, a look of frustration on his face as he said, “How did you know I came?”
Ling Yi sat on a large rock nearby, repeatedly wiping a small knife that already had not a speck of dirt with a white cloth, and said, “The radio news was blaring about the Demon Beast invasion. As the city’s protectors, you definitely had to rush over as soon as possible…”
“Bro, I’m the captain of the public security team, not the field operation team!”
“Don’t get worked up, you’re my brother,” Ling Yi glanced at him. “Are you really just an ordinary City Guard Army security captain?”
Gu Tong fell silent and went back to huffing and puffing, digging the hole.
After a long while, he couldn’t help but say, “Was this guy really a Golden Body?”
“Didn’t you just secretly test it?”
“…”
This kid’s eyes were sharp. He had only poked a bit to see if it was truly impervious to blades…
Gu Tong kept digging as he said, “It’s really a bit hard to believe that a proper Golden Body Expert actually died at your hands.”
Ling Yi said, “That’s a bit disrespectful.”
Gu Tong curled his lip and called him out, “Cut it out. When I arrived, I saw your legs were still shaking.”
Ling Yi was a bit annoyed. “Senior brother, see through it but don’t say it!”
Gu Tong said, “But I’m really curious, how did you do it?”
Ling Yi said, “What if I said he was walking, accidentally tripped and fell in front of me, and I casually stabbed him with my knife? Would you believe that?”
“…”
“No!”
“Hmm, I don’t believe it either,” Ling Yi nodded. “But he’s dead.”
Gu Tong finally finished digging the hole. He dragged the middle-aged man’s body into it and started covering it with dirt, saying, “Actually, it’s a bit of a shame. This person’s identity is too secretive. You said he’s from the Chu State, but that’s not very useful. I just contacted the Intelligence Department at the Military Headquarters, and they couldn’t find out who he is either. Otherwise, we really could have used this for something.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Ling Yi. “That recording you have on you, are you planning to release it now?”
Ling Yi shook his head. “Of course not.”
Gu Tong let out a sigh of relief. “Good!”
Ling Yi’s heart felt warm. His senior brother was truly good to him!
Even though they hadn’t known each other for long, this senior brother was absolutely faultless towards him.
Like with this incident, Gu Tong clearly could have called his subordinates to dig the hole and bury the man, but he did it himself instead.
In fact, after discovering signs of a fight near the Red Wolf’s body, he left his subordinates there and chased here alone.
On one hand, he was worried about his subordinates getting into trouble; on the other hand, wasn’t it also to protect the secrets of his junior brother?
A young genius, judged as crippled by the Old Divine Physician and indeed having his Acupoints sealed, actually took down a Fourth-Order Golden Body…
If this got out, it would absolutely be an earth-shattering super big news!
“I’ll help you keep this quiet, but your recovered cultivation… probably can’t be hidden for long,” Gu Tong said.
Gu Tong finally finished leveling the dirt and then shoveled some flowers and grass to scatter over it randomly. After a rain, this place would be lush and green, just like the surroundings.
He didn’t build a grave mound because it wasn’t necessary. Not leaving the body exposed in the wilderness was already the greatest mercy.
“This is simple. The Old Divine Physician is my elder. He just misjudged things before,” Ling Yi said lightly.
Gu Tong smiled and said, “In that case, many people will probably hate the Old Divine Physician to death, and they’ll lose sleep over it from now on! No matter how much they hate the Old Divine Physician, they definitely won’t dare do anything to him. Offending a divine physician has much more serious consequences than offending others. But you on the other hand…”
“Yeah, so let’s keep it hidden for now. Hide it as long as possible. Best to find a suitable opportunity to get Old Man Chen out of this,” Ling Yi said.
Gu Tong nodded. That was what he wanted to say too.
That night, in his single dorm room, Ling Yi steamed those few golden-scaled fish, made a cold dish, casually stir-fried a couple of other dishes, and treated Gu Tong.
Gu Tong brought wine over. Seeing the several dishes on the table, he raised an eyebrow. “I say, junior brother, after helping you so much, you think you can settle with me with just a few dishes?”
Ling Yi looked at him. “Eating or not?”
“Eating!”
A short while later, four clean and neatly arranged fish skeletons lay in front of Gu Tong. He let out a long burp and sighed—
“Really tasty!”
…
Late at night.
Looking at Gu Tong, who after drinking too much had taken over his clean bed and was lying there snoring loudly, Ling Yi’s face was full of melancholy.
Damn.
He turned, went out the door, and went downstairs.
He came to the empty, silent training ground, found a bench, took out a piece of paper, wiped it carefully, and only then sat down.
It was slightly cool, but quite comfortable.
At least better than listening to someone snore.
“Hey,” Ling Yi focused his mind and sent a thought in his head.
“I’m not called ‘hey,'” the thought in his mind quickly responded.
It was quite rare. This one hadn’t spoken since Gu Tong appeared.
“Then what are you called?” Ling Yi asked.
“I’m called… what was I called again? Oh no, I forgot!” The thought in his mind seemed a bit panicked.
“…”
After a moment of silence, that cool voice came again in his mind. “Is a name that important? A name is just a label.”
Ling Yi thought about it. “It’s not important. But why are you inside my body?”
“I don’t know either. I woke up like this,” the thought was cool and calm, speaking confidently.
“Was it you who messed with my Acupoints before?” Ling Yi asked again.
“That was self-protection. When I sensed you were in life-threatening danger, didn’t I immediately remove those seals and guide you to successfully take down the opponent?”
“Can we take down Golden Body Experts every time we encounter them from now on?”
“What are you thinking? This time we caught the other party off guard. In a normal face-to-face fight, even with my guidance, it would be hard for you to get close to a Golden Body.”
Ling Yi sighed softly. Actually, he understood himself. Being able to take down that Golden Body today indeed involved a huge element of luck.
Change the time, change the place, even with the guidance from the being in his head, it would probably be hard to repeat.
Thinking of this, Ling Yi asked, “Then when can you leave my body?”
The cool thought was silent for a long while. “I don’t know.”
“…”
“Let me put it this way: I’ve forgotten who I am, but I definitely have a huge background, you understand? The very, very powerful kind! Right now, I also don’t know how to get out of your body. But one thing is clear and certain…”
“Hmm?”
“I need a lot of Spiritual Energy! No, for you… it’s an ocean amount!”
“…”
“The more Spiritual Energy, the faster I recover. So, for our happy future, you need to work hard!”
Ling Yi’s face immediately darkened. Whose happy future with you?
Also, why should I give you my Spiritual Energy?
“I can read minds. Don’t curse me in your head secretly!”
The cool voice said, “From now on, when you cultivate, I’ll take ninety percent of your Spiritual Energy. You can’t use that much right now anyway…”
“In your dreams!” Ling Yi flatly refused.
“I won’t take your things for free. I’ll definitely exchange something of equal value. For example, I could teach you a cultivation technique, or give you some pointers here and there. Look, if it weren’t for me today, you’d already be dead. I essentially saved your life and didn’t even ask for repayment. Isn’t that especially generous?”
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have faced this calamity today! My Adoptive Father wouldn’t have died!” Just thinking about it made Ling Yi’s anger surge.
The consciousness in his mind fell silent for a moment, then said, “Sorry, I don’t remember that.”
“……”
Ling Yi was speechless, unsure if this being was truly amnesiac or just pretending.
“Ninety percent is impossible. I don’t want to give you a single percent.”
“Then eighty percent. If you don’t give it, I’ll just take it! Annoy me, and I won’t leave any for you!”
“If you annoy me, I’ll just stop cultivating! You can stay trapped in this body!”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll spy on your privacy?”
“No!”
“Hmph, what’s with the tough act? Prove it by not begging for mercy!”
“Whoever begs for mercy is a grandson!”
This round of negotiations ended unhappily for both.
Early the next morning.
Gu Tong arrived at the playground feeling refreshed. Seeing Ling Yi running laps, he looked surprised.
“I was looking everywhere for you. Not bad, getting up so early to exercise?”
Ling Yi didn’t want to talk to him.
Eight a.m.
After breakfast, Gu Tong looked at Ling Yi. “We can go claim the house today.”
Ling Yi nodded. Although this place was okay, it wasn’t his home after all.
Stepping into Baihua Lane again felt different from last time.
Last time, he was sad and downhearted, all alone. Even though he was returning home, this city he had left for over a decade had become unfamiliar.
This time, he had a friend by his side. Even though this friend had a low alcohol tolerance and snored when sleeping… he was still a good friend.
When they reached the old house again, a group of old neighbors had already gathered.
Before Ling Yi and his group could speak, the old man in his seventies from before spoke up indignantly. “This family has absolutely no shame. They haven’t made any move these past days.”
“Exactly. After you left, they just carried on, living here as usual.”
“Right. And they acted so sure of themselves, saying they just won’t move, wanting to see what could be done to them…”
A crowd of elderly men and women chattered, voicing their grievances on Ling Yi’s behalf.
In the end, they were really upset on behalf of Principal Shen. Ling Yi never knew his Adoptive Father had such high prestige in his hometown.
“Look, look! They even installed a surveillance camera at the main gate. They’re probably watching us secretly right now!” someone said angrily, pointing at the camera on the gate.
Gu Tong stood there watching quietly. He pretty much understood the situation. With a soft sigh, he took out his phone and sent a message.
Then, the two vermilion doors opened. The young man who had been meek in front of Gu Tong before now walked out calmly. Behind him followed several others whose demeanor clearly indicated they held official positions.
The young man walked up to Ling Yi and said flatly, “Let them explain it to you.”
Following that, a middle-aged man with a somewhat authoritative air approached Ling Yi. He looked Ling Yi up and down, then glanced at Gu Tong standing behind him, asking unhurriedly, “Are you Ling Yi?”
“Yes,” Ling Yi nodded. “That’s me.”
“Good that it’s you. I am a staff member of the Great Qin Supervisory Court. Here also are the Deputy Head of the Great Qin Bank’s Spring City Branch and personnel from other relevant departments. You are hereby notified that due to your personal account being frozen and your significant outstanding debts, upon application, this property registered under your name located at 156 Baihua Lane, Spring City, is officially seized…”
Ling Yi looked quietly at the group before him, his heart filled with emotion.
Incredible!
Truly incredible!
What does it mean to be haunted?
What does it mean to never end?
What does it mean to be absolutely relentless until you’re destroyed?
So now, thinking back, the trap Gu Tong laid back then was really freaking brilliant!
Ling Yi could hardly wait to see the looks on these people’s faces when they learned the truth.
Just then, the young man who had occupied the old house for years suddenly leaned close to Ling Yi. Unable to suppress his smug smile, he whispered, “Brother, I’m about to become the real owner of this house!”
Ling Yi looked at him and said calmly, “No. You’re about to run away from here in a panic.”