Chapter 40: The Free-Spirited Second Grandfather

“Demon, release my granduncle!”
Zhang Kai was furious, glaring at the swirling black mist.
The weasel spirit reappeared, its eyes cold and taunting as it looked at Zhang Kai, one claw pressed mockingly against Granduncle’s neck.
Zhang Kai’s face darkened.
What a brazen beast.
With a swift change of hand seals, he chanted a Buddhist mantra; golden swastikas glimmered, spinning around him.
The weasel screamed and shrank behind Granduncle, who then began to wail in agony.
“So hot, so hot! Stop attacking me! Please stop!” Granduncle cried out in pain.
Zhang Kai fell silent.
He hurriedly withdrew his inner force, and the Buddhist radiance faded.
Granduncle pleaded in terror, “San’er, let me go, please! I’m suffering, truly suffering!”
Zhang Kai kept his face expressionless, staring intently at him.
“Granduncle, this fiend has possessed you—I can’t let it go.”
“This is karmic retribution, a debt. It was my mistake all those years ago, and now it must be repaid. You leave, this is my fault, it has nothing to do with you.”
Hearing this, Zhang Kai’s eyes turned strange, and suddenly he smiled. “You’re clever, demon. Almost had me fooled.”
With that, Zhang Kai unleashed his inner strength. His hand seals changed again; Buddhist light and chanting filled the room.
He thrust out his palm, sending a golden imprint flying directly into the black mist.
With a thunderous crash, half the house was blasted apart.
The black mist shattered, and in its shrill death-throes, the weasel’s spectral image was destroyed.
At the same time, a figure appeared—Granduncle himself.
Now, Granduncle looked at Zhang Kai with a gentle smile, his eyes full of pride.
“Granduncle,”
Zhang Kai murmured.
“Good child, well done,” Granduncle praised him, smiling.
Zhang Kai’s spirit soared with delight. “It’s really you?”
“Of course it’s me. But how did you realize the one before wasn’t real?” Granduncle asked with a chuckle.
Zhang Kai replied, “Begging for mercy isn’t your way. You once told me: to stand firm, one must steel one’s heart. In your eyes, a beast is just a beast—if you kill it, you eat it, never any guilt. That weasel never understood you.”
Granduncle smiled with satisfaction. “Good, it seems my teachings weren’t wasted. And it looks like you’ve inherited something remarkable, to be able to banish evil spirits.”

Zhang Kai was about to respond when he noticed Granduncle’s figure was fading, becoming translucent. Alarmed, he summoned the Investiture of the Gods scroll.
“Granduncle, don’t speak yet—let me grant you divinity, so you can remain with us. We can talk at our leisure.”
“No need,” Granduncle suddenly refused.
Zhang Kai was stunned.
Granduncle continued, “I appreciate your intention. In my life, I never harmed the innocent, but I took many lives and my hands are stained with blood. You’ve seen that weasel just now. Years ago, it terrorized our village, causing chaos. I hunted it several times, and it bore a grudge—killed all the chicks your grandaunt was raising, breaking her heart. In anger, I wiped out its entire brood. Never expected it had some supernatural power—it set a trap for me, nearly got me. Now it returns as a demon for vengeance. But I have no regrets. If I killed it, so be it. If it can take revenge, that’s its own skill.”
Granduncle then laughed, “Besides, your grandaunt has waited long enough. We promised each other three lifetimes, but she left first. Forbade me to follow her in despair. Now my time is up—it must be that she misses me. I’m off to find her. Why stay here as some useless deity? How could that compare to holding her and living out our days together?”
“But…”
“No buts. This is my choice. If you try to trick me, I won’t let you off,” Granduncle glared at Zhang Kai.
Zhang Kai could only give a wry, speechless smile.
Who in this world doesn’t dream of becoming a god?
Yet his own granduncle had shattered that notion.
“But let me warn you, that damned weasel wasn’t the only one. It has a whole nest in King Yama’s Ravine. That place is cursed. I nearly lost my life there once. If you’re capable, go and wipe them out for good, so the village won’t ever suffer again,” Granduncle went on.
Zhang Kai pursed his lips. “I understand. I’ll take care of it. But, Granduncle, you’re really leaving? Won’t you see the eldest and second uncles before you go? They’re coming back.”
“See them? Those two scoundrels have resented me half their lives. They never came back after leaving, and they’re just like me in temperament. But I know they’re doing well, both have families. That’s enough for me; no need for goodbyes.” Granduncle was utterly at ease, smiling as though he’d truly let everything go.
Zhang Kai fell silent again.
The feuds and grudges of the older generation were beyond his understanding.
“Well, it’s time for me to go. San’er, you’ve outshone us all. To see our Zhang family produce someone accomplished—I’m content. When my body is cremated, bury me with your grandaunt. That completes my life’s journey. Ah, your grandaunt has come to fetch me now.”
As he spoke, Granduncle’s eyes grew distant, as if he saw something far away, and a blissful smile appeared on his face. His soul slowly dissipated, fading from sight.
Zhang Kai’s hands trembled. He couldn’t help but want to grant Granduncle divinity, even if it angered him.
But the Investiture of the Gods scroll remained motionless.
Zhang Kai’s face went pale.
He couldn’t do it!
Was Granduncle unworthy of godhood?
Damn it! I brought you out, I should be able to grant divinity to whomever I choose! Why won’t you obey? What’s the point of having you?
Watching Granduncle’s soul dissolve, Zhang Kai was overwhelmed with rage and tore the scroll in two.
With a rip, the scroll was split.
Yet the divine light shone on, utterly unchanged.
Zhang Kai stared in astonishment. He loosened his grip, and the two halves danced upward, merging back together, as if never torn.

Was it indestructible?
Was it protected by the laws of heaven and earth?
Zhang Kai gazed coldly at the sky.
The sky was a clear blue, clouds drifting lazily—no sign of anything amiss.
Yet an invisible force pressed down, forbidding any violation.
A thousand emotions welled up in Zhang Kai as helplessness overtook him.
What good is a golden finger if, before the rules, even gods and Buddhas, once able to move mountains and fill seas, pluck stars and grasp the moon, and attain immortality, have all fallen?
How could an ordinary person like him ever defy the rules?
I must become stronger.
After a long silence, Zhang Kai’s eyes grew resolute.
Granduncle’s fate was a warning bell.
If, in the future, his parents, siblings, or loved ones were harmed—what then?
Would he also be powerless under the rules?
Become stronger.
Only by growing stronger and mastering greater power could he protect his family.
Not like now, so helpless and defeated.
Collecting himself, Zhang Kai stepped out of the ruined house. The mountain breeze was fresh, the grass and trees swayed, and the scenery was lush and green.
His gaze turned in a certain direction.
King Yama’s Ravine.
A forbidden place on Beard Mountain, rumored to be a graveyard of countless souls, where demons lurked and none who entered returned.
It was Granduncle’s final wish.
He must see it through.
The next target: wipe out King Yama’s Ravine.