Chapter Thirty-Eight: Congratulations, You’ve Won the Lucky Grand Prize…
In the early morning hours.
Huasang had a dream, in which she found herself in a vast, misty space, glowing with a faint light, being chased by a beam of golden light.
The object wrapped in that golden light seemed to be a finger of some entity, exuding a highly alluring aura.
Temptation often signifies danger.
She ran, glancing back from time to time, and through the mist, she could vaguely see a figure.
That figure was very blurry, with a light golden outline, almost merging with the mist, appearing and disappearing like an illusion.
The figure resembled a human but was much taller and more robust, with a body close to five meters, almost in golden ratio, radiating a different kind of beauty.
However, just as Huasang concentrated to try to see the figure clearly, the dazzling golden light suddenly erupted, stabbing her eyes with pain.
Accompanied by the sting in her eyes, Huasang awakened, opening her eyes to see a dimly lit room.
“…”
Sitting up, she rubbed her dry eyes and was surprised to find that the stinging sensation in her eyes from the dream was still so vivid.
What did that dream mean? Huasang wondered in confusion.
Just then, a sudden knock on the door echoed.
“Knock knock knock—!”
Immediately after, she heard her senior brother’s voice from outside.
“Junior sister, are you alright?”
To prevent Huasang’s spirit patterns from going out of control again, Li Xuan had brought her to his home, letting her sleep in the bedroom while he took the sofa.
It was just a day or two; they would manage… Though Li Xuan thought this, the moment he heard a bit of noise, he was startled from his light sleep.
He had been frightened by the Night Invasion and feared that if it happened again, his master might not help him with the treatment.
That’s right, after being washed by the lightning, he had confirmed with his master that he asked, “Master, it must have been you who gathered the brothers and went to Zixiao Terrace to call the thunder to help me with my treatment, right? I knew it, you still care about me as your disciple.”
Bi Xuzi was silent for a few seconds before replying to Li Xuan, “No next time.”
If there were a next time, Bi Xuzi, who was far away in Dachunyang Palace, really wouldn’t be able to do anything.
…
After roughly checking her spirit patterns and seals, Huasang turned to the closed door and said lightly, “I’m fine; senior brother need not worry.”
Her spirit patterns were still stable for the time being, without signs of going out of control.
“Is that so!” Li Xuan’s voice came from outside the door, “Then rest well; I won’t disturb you.”
“Mm, good night, senior brother.”
Huasang replied and lay back down, pondering as she stared at the ceiling until dawn.
She missed Dachunyang Palace a little.
Besides the little village she could never return to, only in Dachunyang Palace could she shed the heavy “turtle shell”…
“Click!”
The sound of Li Xuan leaving early in the morning echoed from the living room.
She looked out the window, and through the curtains, a bright and beautiful morning light fell on her pillow, barely a finger’s distance from the tip of her delicate nose, which peeked out from her messy long hair.
But…
She was too lazy to stretch her hand or shift her body to touch that light.
————
In the early morning, the sky washed by rain shed its first rays of sunshine.
Within a half-finished building on the edge of University City, a tempting m*an echoed.
“Mm, hm…”
Soon, as the sunlight dispelled the remaining darkness on the balcony of the half-finished building in just a few seconds, a handsome, cold-looking young man flipped back into the building, heading toward the underground parking lot.
Using a targeted soul summoning spell to call his dad was something Lu Yibei initially refused. After all, he knew the essence of this spell was to let the summoned spirit descend as a non-ranking urban legend. The process of delivering the spirit involved a relatively gentle way of “killing” the summoned non-ranking urban legend.
To let a long-deceased relative return in the form of an urban legend and then personally “k*ll” him…
It felt like a single farewell was not enough to express his sincerity, right?
Is that a bit too good at filial piety?
If it were a year ago, even with his current abilities and the strength required to confront his father’s soul, he would never attempt to use a targeted soul summoning spell to call his dad.
But now, things were a bit different; the more he learned about his father’s lesser-known side, the more suspicious he felt.
Various signs indicated that his dad was at least an A-Class Spiritual Ability User, and even when facing Cataclysm Grade enemies, escaping shouldn’t be too difficult.
Of course, Lu Yibei inferred this based on Stinky Sister, Big Boss, and Wang Ying, but their conditions were somewhat problematic, and he was unsure if his speculation was reliable.
After all, up until now, he hadn’t encountered Cataclysm Grade beings like [Black Emperor] and [General] in their prime state, and he didn’t know if they had any extraordinary means.
Another point that made him suspicious was that he had almost lost all memory from the time after the accident and had not seen his father’s corpse at all.
If he were still an ordinary university student with a deadpan face, he might still believe that his father had passed away.
But now… he felt that a jar of ashes and a grave could not prove that a spiritual ability user, especially a high-ranking one with bizarre means, was truly dead.
He had no means to confirm this before, but now he did.
I have a grave at Lions Mountain Cemetery! It holds more than half of my father’s youth…
So, he still needed to try. He didn’t need to actually bring his dad back; he only needed to reach the point of condensing the unformed urban legend to confirm whether he was alive or dead!
Thinking of this, Lu Yibei narrowed his gaze and began to operate the targeted soul summoning spell.
He set up the incense altar, lit the ghost candle, placed sacrificial wine and Five Animal Stones, and then picked up the scarf that had the longest contact time with his dad, raising his hands in front of him, closing his eyes, spreading out his spirit energy fluctuations, and softly reciting the incantation.
“Farewell to youth, bright sun… Spirit, return! No east, no west, no south, no north…”
As the incantation was recited, the voice and intent extended into the void, and the gaze and strange whispers of the “onlookers” appeared as expected, the process of casting the spell proceeded as usual.
“Lu Ming, spirit, return!”
Finishing the last line of the incantation, Lu Yibei held his breath and began to wait.
In an instant, every second seemed to stretch, moving so slowly it felt frozen.
Suddenly!
The thread of intent trembled violently, and his heartbeat suddenly slowed by half a beat.
“!!!”
His dad responded!
But this also meant that his dad really had…
His mood experienced a drastic rise and fall, bringing a huge shock to Lu Yibei, excitement and sadness intertwined into an intense vortex, ravaging his nerves.
His heartbeat began to accelerate, pounding wildly in his chest, his nostrils flaring slightly, breathing uncontrollably growing heavy.
Lu Yibei did not stop the incantation, nor did he proceed to the next step of the “promise,” but stood there in a daze.
He looked as if he were a child studying abroad, feeling aggrieved, hesitating with his phone in hand about whether to call his parents to complain when he suddenly received a video call from them, lost and helpless.
After a long while, he called out in a barely audible voice, “Dad…”
As if responding to Lu Yibei’s call, the other end of the thread of intent trembled again.
Although it was just a simple tremor, Lu Yibei felt as if he heard a familiar voice.
“Hungry, huh? I developed a new dish today… Not hungry? You still have to eat!”
“Annoying! Why do you need a parent’s signature again? Do you want to learn my signature?”
“See this? This is a soccer signed by C Ronaldo. I spent several days to get it, don’t you thank your old man?!”
…
Memories surged in his mind, and Lu Yibei couldn’t control his emotions any longer, violating the rules he had set for himself before performing the targeted soul summoning spell.
“I promise, I’ll never find Lu Ming’s chatter bothersome again and will listen to him seriously.”
“I promise, if Lu Ming picks food I don’t like into my bowl, I will obediently finish it.”
“I promise I won’t cancel Lu Ming’s childish pranks anymore, unless I can’t help it.”
“…”
Lu Yibei spoke softly, as if making promises, yet it felt like he was sincerely apologizing.
With every sentence he finished, he could feel the thread of intent tremble slightly.
As if saying, “Okay, I understand.”
When he finished the third sentence and opened his mouth to say “I promise” for the fourth time, the thread of intent suddenly trembled violently.
It was a tremor beyond any of his previous soul summonings.
It felt like fishing in the small ditch of Mudan Street, unexpectedly catching a full-grown Nile crocodile.
A dire d*ath roll that caught him off guard.
In that moment, Lu Yibei even had the illusion that his soul was being pulled out of his body by the thread of intent.
Is he coming?
Was his dad summoned?
Lu Yibei opened his eyes, bit his lip, looked at the space between him and the incense altar, his fists clenched in nervousness.
Just then, the flame of the ghost candle in the incense burner flickered suddenly, and everything used to cast the spell—the incense altar, wine cup, and Five Animal Stones—shook violently, creating a chaotic clattering sound.
“Pfft… pfft…”
Accompanied by two sounds resembling water droplets falling onto a heated pot, the flame of the ghost candle suddenly turned from orange-yellow to pitch black.
That was… the aura of the Black Sun?! Lu Yibei’s pupils contracted sharply.
The black flames swayed, as if consuming both light and sound as fuel, shrouding the surroundings in an eerie, suffocating silence.
The existence of the black flames felt like a thorn stuck in his throat, bringing a strong sense of discomfort.
A horrifying power tugged at the thread of intent, transmitting a wild and frenzied force that gradually unraveled his thoughts into chaos.
The spirit patterns on his back seemed to sense something, causing a dull pain, fiercely consuming Lu Yibei’s spirit energy.
Negative emotions intertwined, rolled, and twisted in his heart, transforming into the most primal pain.
“d*mn it, stop!” Lu Yibei shouted angrily.
Taking a second or two, he regained his bearings from the shock of this sudden change, endured the discomfort, and swiftly drew out Ling Tai Purification from the God Realm Prototype. He quickly set up a stance for his sword art, silently chanting the incantation for the Four Beasts Bright Sky Cannon, moving forward with agile steps.
Then, brilliant golden light flashed in his eyes.
【Royal Authority】, activate!
He didn’t know if his methods could interrupt this abnormality, but his instinct told him he had to do so; otherwise, the targeted soul summoning spell would collapse.
Lu Yibei moved forward, his gaze fixed on the flames, feeling as if space had been stretched by some unknown power, making the short distance of two or three meters seem impossible to cross.
That black flame seemed to possess a strong corrosive quality, burning through the ghost candle in a breath, spreading to the incense burner, which then caught fire.
Just a little closer; if he could touch it… touching it would give him a chance! Lu Yibei thought anxiously.
However, he could only watch helplessly as the black flames consumed the incense burner, spreading to the incense altar, igniting it, and in an instant reduced everything needed to cast the targeted soul summoning spell to ashes.
Like an illusion, the sound of shattering glass echoed in his ears; that was Lu Yibei’s spirit energy enveloping the incense altar.
“Bang—bang—!”
The dissipating spirit energy released a deafening explosion.
Accompanied by the booming sound, the thread of intent connecting Lu Yibei to his father’s spirit suddenly snapped like a broken line.
A terrifying wind swept through the ash-covered ground, like a pair of merciless big hands pushing Lu Yibei’s off-balance body aside.
“Boom—!”
Lu Yibei’s back slammed against a concrete pole, crashing to the ground, unable to get up.
From a single attempt, he confirmed two things.
His dad had truly left him forever, and…
The Solar Eclipse Society was suspected of imprisoning his father’s soul or somehow interfering with the spell.
“Solar Eclipse Society… ha, wonderful…”
He slumped on the ground, looking at the small pit where his spirit energy had exploded not far away, lost in thought for a long time, his eyes filled with exhaustion, under the weariness, a flame flickered wildly…
————
In the early morning, at a certain crossroads in Yancheng’s Financial District.
Fang Ji sat on the stone steps of the greenbelt at the crossroads, watching the bustling street with a blank expression.
He had set out from Qiuchun Town in the early morning toward the city center, and just after leaving Qiuchun Town, he encountered a garbage collector in a Jeep who was going to cash in on some stolen goods.
His luck was good; that garbage collector was one of the rare good-hearted ones among the many, only charging him eighty-seven yuan to take him to the nearest toll station in the city.
Yes, he even left him fifty cents.
If it were any other garbage collector, even if they were willing to give him a ride, they would at least ask for a fresh kidney as payment.
“But… why did I come to the city?” Fang Ji murmured to himself.
He felt empty-headed, unable to recall any memories of the past.
In addition to various basic knowledge and common sense, he didn’t even know his name when he saw his ID with his photo on it, as if he were a letterhead filled with grids and patterns but with nothing written on it.
This lack of memory brought him a strange sense of loneliness.
He desperately wanted to find someone who knew him and a place where he could belong.
So he felt he should leave Qiuchun Town and go to a more populated area, and by luck, he had arrived here.
Unfortunately, even after wandering around the city’s busiest commercial street for a long time and asking many people, he learned nothing.
Besides a few boys who mistook him for a girl due to his adorable appearance and flower-like visage, and then were scared off by his masculine voice and slightly neurotic questions, he hadn’t encountered anyone who knew him, even just a little.
Looking at the crowd coming and going, Fang Ji rubbed his face with both hands and sighed silently, speaking to himself, “It would be great if someone could just tell me.”
As soon as he finished speaking, something suddenly smashed violently against the back of his head.
“Hiss—!”
He inhaled sharply, rubbing his head and turning to look, only to find a brand new Cherry 14PROPLUS phone. The phone was unlocked, displaying a private chat interface from some social app.
Internet Warped Person (Urban Legends Chat Group): “Do you have any other questions?”
Fang Ji held the phone, hesitating for a few seconds, then typed a message asking: “Do you know who Fang Ji is?”
Internet Warped Person (Urban Legends Chat Group): “Why are you asking this?”
A Xiao Cangshu: “Just curious; can you tell me? It’s important to me.”
After waiting a few seconds, Fang Ji received a reply.
Internet Warped Person (Urban Legends Chat Group): “I checked; Fang Ji is an operator from Yancheng Siye Society. It seems he made outstanding contributions in the previous work of repairing the Pestilence Taijie’s seal and was awarded. He should be on his way to the Dachunyang Palace for his spring training!”
A Xiao Cangshu: “That… Dachunyang Palace? How do I get there?”
Internet Warped Person (Urban Legends Chat Group): “Just baidu it; it’s a national 4A scenic area… tsk, don’t worry about those things. About that bounty task, don’t do it; it involves the Solar Eclipse Society. Continuing might cost you your life!”
A Xiao Cangshu: “Solar Eclipse Society? Is it very dangerous?”
Internet Warped Person (Urban Legends Chat Group): “What do you think?”
A Xiao Cangshu: “Got it, thank you for the warning.”
The Solar Eclipse Society is very dangerous; don’t get involved… Fang Ji mentally noted this and then exited the chat interface, baidu-ed the address of Dachunyang Palace.
“Uh, it’s so far! Over two thousand kilometers… there’s no way I can hitchhike there, right?”
Saying that, he pondered slightly, using the knowledge he had in his mind, opened the ticketing app on his phone, selected a flight and the high-speed train and bus tickets for the transfer, checked them against his ID, entered the information, and clicked confirm payment.
Immediately, a prompt appeared before his eyes.
【Insufficient balance for the current payment method; please confirm the correct payment method…】
Seeing this prompt, Fang Ji slapped his head, realizing, “Oh right, this costs money! Let me see… balance… got it!”
After several minutes, miraculously passing facial recognition authentication, he glanced through all of the original owner’s accounts on that phone, frowning, “This… there’s only about two hundred yuan that can be used; that doesn’t seem enough, right?”
With a face full of bitterness, Fang Ji switched the phone screen back to the booking interface, shaking his head helplessly, just about to cancel the order when he suddenly noticed a pop-up ad floating at the top of the screen and frowned.
【Get a chance to win a prize when booking tickets. I’ll cover your commuting for the whole year!】
He thought about the advertisement for a few seconds, realizing he had no money, so he might as well give it a try. He clicked on the ad, ordered the cheapest high-speed train ticket, and happily used his one chance to choose a lottery.
In the next moment, the phone in his hand vibrated, the screen exploded with confetti, and a lively music played, startling him to throw the phone away.
【Congratulations, you’ve won the lucky grand prize…】
Looking at the screen with “Special Prize” written on it, the little piglet was hopping around. Fang Ji tilted his head, “Did I win? Does that mean I can go to Dachunyang Palace without spending money?”
“What a good person, offering to cover the bill just like that…”
He spoke as if devoid of emotional fluctuation, as if it were something completely natural.
————
Moments later, in the Yancheng Siye Society, Office No. 1.
A young woman walked in, looking at the middle-aged man with slightly graying temples behind the desk, handing him a document.
“Boss, take a look at this; it seems there’s been some bizarre urban legend incident…”
The middle-aged man browsed through the document handed over by the woman, frowning. “At 6:30, there was a car accident at the toll booth on Highway No. 2.
Weak spirit energy fluctuations were detected wandering in the city; between 8:30 and 9:50, a total of 174 people were accidentally injured, with 75 sustaining superficial injuries, 88 with soft tissue contusions, and 11 fractures…”
“What kind of urban legend incident is this? During the morning rush hour with such heavy traffic, it should just be a coincidence. Stop being so paranoid… By the way, has Fang Ji been found?”
Hearing this, the young woman lowered her head and shook it.
“sigh…” The middle-aged man withdrew his gaze and looked out the window, gently sighing.
