Chapter One Hundred Seventeen: Awaiting

I clenched my fists tightly.

For anyone, immortality is an irresistible temptation.

The elderly seek longevity through vegetarianism, worship, and dieting.

The chronically ill fear death and will spend all they have on cures.

Not to mention the rulers and ministers throughout history who sought immortality and enlightenment.

If it were someone else, or if I learned that humans could live forever by another means, I would undoubtedly crave it deeply.

But what Zhang Chang spoke of as immortality came at the cost of stealing others’ lifespans—borrowing life.

Living endlessly by taking others’ lives, killing continuously. What kind of immortality is that?

I do not have such a twisted mindset, nor could I commit such vile acts.

I shook my head and croaked, “I don’t want to learn those dark arts your son uses. I don’t want to use them. He has harmed countless people. I only harbor hatred for him.”

Zhang Chang seemed thoughtful but said no more.

He had me squat beside him, facing away.

At this moment, there wasn’t a single scale left on me; the ones hanging around my neck, as well as Li Yue’s, had vanished at some unknown time.

To remove the shadow monkey, Zhang Chang made it clear that scales were necessary.

But in the frantic escape just now, I had forgotten this crucial detail.

Without hesitation, I squatted down, back to Zhang Chang.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him pick up a dagger.

The next moment, a sharp pain seared behind my ear.

Veins bulged on my forehead as I instinctively wanted to lunge forward.

Suddenly, Zhang Chang’s other hand gripped my shoulder fiercely.

“Don’t move! The scales of the flood dragon can kill the shadow monkey. Neither of us can bring any out. I have to extract it completely from your body now. Its body has come out. If it burrows back in, it won’t grow behind your ear anymore but into your veins and flesh, and then no one can save you.”

Fear washed over my face. I clenched my fists on the boat’s wooden board, nails nearly breaking.

Another wave of excruciating pain followed, as if a chunk of flesh was forcibly pulled from behind my ear!

I trembled violently, groaning, nearly losing consciousness.

It wasn’t just flesh — it seemed connected by sinews running throughout my limbs and bones.

“Xie Yuan, you must endure. The shadow monkey is more than just this one piece. You only get one chance. Don’t waste it.”

Zhang Chang’s tone grew grave.

Pain blurred my mind, but I clung to consciousness by sheer will.

If the shadow monkey wasn’t removed, I couldn’t return to Baihu Village. Even if I did, I’d lose control of myself, my body manipulated by whatever lurks beneath Baihu Village.

Wangjiaya was also within range; I couldn’t save my mother.

I would be forced to live a lifetime hiding and running.

Biting my teeth until my gums bled, the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. I didn’t move a muscle.

A faint sound dropped onto the floor.

A foul metallic scent mingled with a sudden surge of dread.

I briefly cleared my mind and saw something gruesome on the boat’s floor—about the size of a thumb.

Suddenly, it leapt toward my face!

My expression changed sharply. Instinctively, I raised my hand; the talisman brush appeared.

In an instant, a Dou symbol emerged and struck the creature!

A burst of blood mist exploded, yet the unsettling feeling deep within did not fade.

Because the sinew-like thing pulled from my body was rapidly retreating back behind my ear!

After the Dou symbol exploded the shadow monkey’s form, I saw a thin blood thread, like a strand of hair, shrinking quickly.

I couldn’t think further. I reached out and grabbed that thread!

Its tip writhed wildly, as if trying to burrow into my palm.

At that moment, a tiny skeletal hand suddenly sprouted from my right hand, grasped the blood thread, and yanked downward!

I screamed in agony as darkness threatened to swallow me, feeling the sinews within me being pulled out!

The symbiotic ghost appeared on the floor before me, fiercely pulling the blood thread backward.

Zhang Chang grabbed my body, his voice grave: “Pull it out! That thing grows in your flesh and blood. Only when it’s pulled out completely is the shadow monkey truly gone.”

I had no strength left to control my body or speak.

Suddenly, blood began to flow uncontrollably behind my ear, then the pulling sensation vanished.

The symbiotic ghost had pulled out a blood thread several meters long, trembling violently as it lunged toward me.

But it swallowed the thread whole; the blood thread vanished instantly.

It returned inside my body.

At this moment, Zhang Chang blocked the wound behind my ear with something unknown. Only then did I feel the bleeding stop.

Breathing heavily, I first felt weak, then gradually improved.

There was a pool of dark blood on the floor. I turned pale and looked back.

Zhang Chang nodded. “It was pulled out. It grew very deep. Your reflexes were quick; that talisman just now directly destroyed the shadow monkey’s form—a very good talisman. And the ghost with you is powerful too. I sensed the aura of a resentful woman. It probably swallowed the soul of the female ghost from Dark River.”

I nodded weakly in agreement.

“Rest well for a while. Soon we’ll reach the shore. After a short break, we’ll go to a place where I left some things. Only then can you leave.”

This was Zhang Chang’s last sentence to me on the boat.

I checked Li Yue’s breathing; she was much steadier now.

The old boatman rowed silently, having witnessed everything just now and managed to suppress his fear. I admired his composure and mused that he must have some special qualities; otherwise, how could Zhang Chang appoint him as the chief elder of Yalong Mountain?

The boat drifted along the Yinlong River all day.

During this time, some boats passed us, while others returned upstream.

We hugged the riverbank tightly, never stopping.

By evening, Li Yue regained consciousness.

Having escaped death, she clung to me, weeping bitterly.

I comforted her, recounting everything Zhang Chang had told me once more.

Since Zhang Chang shared this with me, it was no longer a secret.

When we disembarked, it was nearly midnight.

We did not get off at the river’s end but a bit earlier than where Li Yue and I had boarded.

During the journey, Zhang Chang said nothing to the old man, yet seemed to know exactly where to stop.

After landing, the old man rowed back.

Zhang Chang carried two bundles, looking every bit like an elderly man returning home.

For some reason, this place was not Zhang Chang’s home; it was far from Yalong Mountain, yet I still felt this thought.

Following a narrow path along the riverbank, we walked inland.

After about ten minutes, we saw a solitary stilt house.

Nearby, corn, beans, and various crops grew.

Outside the house were several thatched huts.

Zhang Chang’s pace quickened noticeably.

Li Yue and I exchanged glances.

As we approached the stilt house, dogs barked.

An elderly woman’s voice called out, “Xiao Bai, don’t bark so much.”

Soon after, a very old woman dressed in colorful ethnic clothing appeared.

She looked small and thin but sturdy.

Though her face was wrinkled, her eyes lacked the typical frailty of old age; instead, they were sharp and alert.

Upon seeing us, her lips trembled slightly.

My heart skipped a beat—not because of Li Yue or me, but because of Zhang Chang!

At that moment, the old woman’s eyes reddened.

Zhang Chang’s voice grew lighter, “Finally home. I never thought I’d make it back. Old lady, you waited for me after all.”

The old woman’s hands trembled, and the winnowing basket she held clattered to the ground.

“I... I... there’s braised fish in the pot. I’ve cooked it for over thirty years without missing a single meal. Let me serve you some rice.”