Chapter Ninety-Five: Farewell, White Spirit

Because Zhou Shen had died, Zhang Shengnan was also temporarily removed from duty and sent home to recuperate, bringing that matter to a close.

That day, while Fang You was still at the divination shop drawing talismans and studying mystic arts, an unwelcome guest arrived at the door. Without even asking permission, the man strode straight in and came before Fang You.

At a glance, Fang You could tell the fellow looked like one of those old-style grave robbers. He carried the thick stench of earth about him, and there were clumps of dirt still clinging to his shoes.

Fang You immediately grew wary.

A grave robber like this was one of those gangs that specialized in digging tunnels and breaking into tombs. As had been said before, tomb raiding had four major schools: the Gold Touchers, the Seal Seekers, the Mountain Movers, and the Ridge Shifters.

But this sort of earth-worm was different. They were loose folk from the common people who organized themselves into grave-robbing bands. In those old, war-torn years when men were desperate enough to eat human flesh, some peasants who could no longer survive formed such groups and risked their lives to rob tombs, digging up valuables to trade for grain.

After all, starving to death was still death. Better to take a gamble.

These grave robbers were all desperadoes with their heads hanging by their waistbands, doing work that could cost them their lives.

There had even once been a saying: better offend a tomb-seeking officer than provoke even the smallest band of earth-worms.

In other words, if you crossed a Gold Toucher, at worst they would make you suffer a bit. But if you dared to fight an earth-worm over gold and silver, they would go all out and risk everything to kill you.

Fang You looked at the man before him and thought that he had never offended this sort of person. So why had he come looking for him?

The grave robber, however, said angrily, “You’re the son of the Maoshan Daoist Fang Zheng, aren’t you, Fang You? You know what they say about a father’s debt being paid by the son, right?”

“Fang Zheng?”

The name made Fang You hesitate.

Fang Zheng was indeed his father’s name, but his father had already passed away when Fang You was still too young to remember much. He knew very little about him.

Yet the grave robber before him seemed to know his father quite well.

“May I ask who you are?” Fang You said.

“I am Gao Changyi, the head of the grave robbers. Your father truly caused us immense harm!”

Gao Changyi’s voice was filled with both anger and helplessness.

“Why is that?” Fang You asked. He did not know exactly what kind of man his father had been, but he certainly did not believe he would have harmed others on purpose. Since this grave robber was accusing him like this, there was clearly some old grudge between them and his father.

“In that case, I’ll be frank with you. Just by looking at what I’m wearing, you can tell I’m one of the grave robbers. More than ten years ago, your father went with our ancestors to seek the Earth-Avoiding Pearl.”

“It was a spiritual artifact passed down among grave robbers in the folk tradition. Whoever obtained the Earth-Avoiding Pearl could carry it on his person and ward off evil, block misfortune, and remain untouched by any malevolent force.”

“But for reasons unknown, your father never showed up at the appointed place. Our ancestors waited in vain on Dragon King Mountain for seven days, and in the end could only set out alone.”

“As it turned out, without the help of Maoshan sorcery, they vanished without a trace the moment they went in. They disappeared on Dragon King Mountain and were never heard from again.”

“Your father, Fang Zheng, broke his word and ignored the agreement between our elders. That is why all of them disappeared. This is all your family’s fault!”

Gao Changyi was livid as he spoke, laying the blame for his ancestors’ disappearance squarely on Fang You’s father, Fang Zheng.

By then, Fang You roughly understood what had happened.

His father must have promised to help the grave robbers enter a tomb and search for the pearl, but on the agreed day, he failed to show up. Without their helper, the grave robbers had gone into Dragon King Mountain themselves and then vanished without a trace.

“I know very little about my father. All I know is that by the time I was old enough to understand things, he had already passed away. Since he never went, he must have had his reasons. My father was absolutely not the sort of person who would break his word!”

Fang You said this with conviction.

After all, to any child, a father is always tall and towering. And Fang You could not believe that if his father had been a Maoshan priest, he would have gone against Maoshan’s principles and abandoned his promise.

The grave robber’s expression changed slightly at that. Then he shifted his tone.

“The descendants of our grave-robbing line now want to uncover the mystery of our ancestors’ disappearance. If fate allows, it would be even better if we could find the folk artifact known as the Earth-Guarding Pearl.”

Hearing this, Fang You laughed.

So that was all it was. They had merely come up with an excuse to have him help them search for a pearl.

Fang You picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and said unhurriedly, “If you want my help, at least show some manners. What’s with this bullying attitude?”

At that, Gao Changyi flushed red with embarrassment, but he still forced himself to maintain an imposing air.

“Your father already promised our ancestors. As the son of Fang Zheng, shouldn’t you keep that promise?”

Fang You replied, “My father’s promise is my father’s promise. I am me. If you’re going to be this unreasonable, then go find my father and make him fulfill it. I’m not getting involved.”

He too put on a haughty air.

After all, the other side was the one asking him for a favor. If he acted humble instead, wouldn’t that make him lose face? And if that happened, they would only look down on him even more.

Hearing this, Gao Changyi instantly flew into a rage. He drew a Luoyang shovel from behind him.

“You little Daoist, seems like I’ll have to teach you a lesson today!”

Just as Gao Changyi advanced toward Fang You with the shovel in hand, Fang You remained calm and composed. With a casual motion, he pinched a talisman from the table.

“Binding Talisman, seize!”

A yellow talisman flew straight toward the grave robber. The moment it贴ed itself onto Gao Changyi’s body, he suddenly felt his entire body stiffen. He really did seem to have been frozen in place.

“You dare use sorcery? If you’ve got the guts, come fight me like a man!”

Gao Changyi shouted while desperately trying to break free from the talisman’s restraint.

Fang You merely smiled.

“The talismans of a Maoshan Daoist aren’t something you can simply shake off. These charms borrow the power of heaven and earth and answer to spoken command. No matter how much strength you have, you cannot stand against the power of heaven and earth.”

“You filthy Daoist who only knows how to use witchcraft! If you’ve got the guts, face me head-on! Are you afraid?”

“Gao Changyi, mind your manners!”

From a distance, a familiar figure leaped in.

“Little Daoist, long time no see!”

The moment Fang You saw who had arrived, he relaxed at once.

“Bai Ling, descendant of the Gold Touchers!”

Fang You knew this newcomer well. He had once gone with Fang You into Cao Anman’s tomb and survived together with him. Fang Zhong, the Mountain Mover who had traveled with them, and Qiu Ruji, the Seal Seeker, had both perished inside that tomb.

If not for Cao Anman’s lingering soul telling him the way, Fang You would never have escaped from the water tunnel beneath the coffin with Bai Ling.

Thinking of the little fox, Xiao Bai, tucked in his arms, Fang You also remembered that he had once accepted several blood fruits from Qiu Ruji and promised to accompany that Daoist to Mount Taiwu. But because of everything that had happened lately, he had actually forgotten all about it.