A Good-for-Nothing

191. I Never Sleep with My Fans (1)

Translator: Dragon Rider

In the hotel.

Qiu Luo and Zu Zhichong returned to the hotel half an hour later than He Zheng and the others, but Zu Zhichong was the only one showed up in the room, for Qiu Luo had, according to Zu Zhichong, been immediately sent to the sub-bureau in Hang City to receive medical treatment.

The couple of trainees involved in this incident finally sighed deeply in relief, feeling that they could have a rest now.

Wu Fangshuo seemed to be reproaching himself hard. The central air-conditioning machine was dutifully doing its work, but the bridge of his nose was covered in sweat. His anxiety had dissolved considerably as he’d seen He Zheng come back safe, but his face had gone grave again at the news of Qiu Luo being wounded.

He didn’t wipe away the sweat on his forehead. “I’m sorry. None of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t taken you guys there. I was saying I was a local and I asked you to trust me. I…”

Wu Fangshuo was stammering, guilt deepening on his face.

“It’s not your fault. You don’t have to beat yourself up so hard.”

“Yeah. If anyone is to blame, it’d be me. I was the one who suggested we go to a karaoke bar…” said Chi Li, whose eyes were all red. She seemed to have been worried about them for a whole night.

“Let yourselves off the hook, guys. Qiu Luo’s injury is not bad. He’ll recover in a couple of days.” Zu Zhichong let out a cough. In circumstances like these, he felt obliged to cheer the others up. “Alas, Wu Fangshuo, Chi Li, if you two keep acting like this, everybody else will have to start blaming themself.

He Zheng is fine, and so is Qiu Luo. If you really feel bad, you may buy Qiu Luo some Zhouhei Duck (a Chinese brand of pot-stewed peppery duck) and Xiang-Piaopiao (a Chinese brand of milky tea) to help him recover the next time you see him.”

Originally the others had been feeling blue, but after Zu Zhichong made this joke, the atmosphere in the room gradually lightened.

“None of you should feel responsible for this. There’s no need for self-accusation.” Li Zong’s voice was quite consoling, and all the others couldn’t help looking in his direction.

“Why’s that?” asked He Zheng.

Li Zong replied, “There’s nothing wrong with that alley. You were under the influence of the Human Devil’s mind-control. I think his intention probably has something to do with our task of hunting him in this city.”

Jin Qianlai was perplexed. “Then how did He Zheng end up in the Phantom Market? I mean, theoretically, he should’ve been kidnapped by the Human Devil, right?”

He Zheng let out a cough, glaring at him.

Jin Qianlai hurriedly waved his hands and explained, “Ur, that’s not what I mean. Last night was a Lunar Yin Night (in Chinese philosophy and medicine, yin and yang are the two opposing principles in nature, the former feminine and negative, the latter masculine and positive), and the gates to the underworld were wide open, but no spirits of living creatures could gain entry into the Phantom Market, not to mention He Zheng, a human who’s still alive. How did he get in there exactly?”

Clearly, Jin Qianlai’s words piqued the others’ curiosity.

“I think you’re all tired. Go back to your rooms and get some rest.” Li Zong glanced at the trainees and said in a bland tone of voice, “There’s no point making wild guesses here. Tomorrow we’re going to start searching for the Human Devil, and I expect all of you to be at your absolute best.”

On hearing the sound of the Human Devil’s name, all the others perked up, especially Chen Qianlin for whom being unable to fight back due to lack of a weapon had been an unbearable humiliation. After hearing Li Zong’s words, he was the first to leave to go back to his room to rest.

The others took their leave one after another.

He Zheng still had some questions. ‘Why was I dragged into the Phantom Market?’ he wondered.

Li Zong and He Zheng returned to their room, the latter at the former’s heels. Seeing He Zheng was still thinking about the incident, Li Zong held He Zheng’s chin between his fingers, stroked his eyelid and said, “You want to talk about it?”

“It confuses me how the Human Devil targeted us… Maybe someone leaked our location, but what good is it attacking us? Was it because the Human Devil thinks we’re soft targets?”

“He probably did that to check out the lay of the land.”

“Ah?” He Zheng’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected that Li Zong shared the same opinion. “Are you saying that the Human Devil could think?”

It seemed that the Human Devil had a pretty high IQ.

“Of course,” replied Li Zong. “Even spirits of weapons have their own sentience, let alone demons originating from human emotions. If it weren’t for the fact that years of imprisonment in the seal had weakened the Human Devil significantly, none of you would’ve survived the attack of his duplicate last night, given that Qiu Luo was the only one with a weapon.”

He Zheng gave an involuntary shudder of fear at Li Zong’s words, inwardly admonishing himself to carry his weapon with him wherever he went in the future. Besides… He Zheng threw a glance at the man in front of him, his lips tightening into a thin line.

After quite a while, He Zheng’s voice was heard in the room.

“I’m sorry.” He Zheng hung his head and made a sincere apology, which was not something he did very often.

It’d never crossed Li Zong’s mind that his flat-chested marriage partner was actually capable of apologizing. He narrowed his eyes and said in a low, deep voice, “For what?”

He Zheng was unafraid of Li Zong’s gaze, staring squarely back at him. “I made you a promise that I’d be cautious and keep myself safe. I’m sure I would’ve got my ass kicked so hard last night if I had brought the Shadow Sword with me.”

Li Zong didn’t have the heart to say anything harsh, caressing He Zheng’s head.

Besides, He Zheng had already realized his mistake, and he wouldn’t make it again. Li Zong knew what kind of person He Zheng was.

“I see.”

Seeing Li Zong gradually brightening up, He Zheng relaxed and asked, “Just now I gave it some thought. Do you think it’s possible that my accidentally entering the Phantom Market had something to do with that piece of yin jade which used to be inhibiting my endowments?”

“Smart.” Li Zong tossed He Zheng a glance which was quite admiring and then said matter-of-factly, “It’s true that Xuanqing has rid your body of yin Qi, but you were suppressed by that yin jade for over twenty years. It compromised your lifeblood. In addition, last night was a Lunar Yin Night and yin Qi surged into our world, which was why the gates to the underworld opened up for you and you entered by accident.”