Volume One: The Soul-Guiding Gourd and the Flame of the Spirit Chapter 51: The More You Think, the More Terrifying It Becomes

Dark clouds surged above, casting a dim and sullen light over the land. Yet, the air was thick with moisture, heavy and palpable with every breath.

After dispatching the riffraff, Gu Mo stood there, chest heaving, brandishing the Fiery Ruler—its length still flickering with ghostly flames—at Li Hetang, who until now had only watched from the sidelines. He spat out a curse, “You little punk, it’s your turn!”

But to his surprise, the mysterious Li Hetang merely laughed heartily, applauding with slow, deliberate claps, and spoke words that left Gu Mo utterly bewildered.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

“Not bad at all—you’re truly a remarkable talent. No wonder our company’s ‘Number One’ holds such high hopes for you two.”

Gu Mo was left completely at a loss, the Fiery Ruler trembling slightly in his grip. Before he could make sense of the situation, Li Hetang strode forward with a swagger, heading straight for Gu Mo. As the distance closed between them, Li Hetang turned his head politely towards Xiao Yulou.

“Master Xiao, if you would be so kind as to withdraw your divine arts.”

Without ceremony, Xiao Yulou made a casual gesture with one hand. In an instant, the blazing fires on the ground and the surging clouds above dissipated, vanishing without a trace. The armed men, regaining their senses, clambered to their feet and returned to their trucks.

Xiao Yulou shrugged, taking the opportunity to show off with an air of self-satisfaction. “Friend, if it weren’t for the electronic eyes in the sky, I wouldn’t have needed to stage such a spectacle.”

Gu Mo grew even more confused at these words. From what Xiao Yulou implied, the organization Li Hetang represented could utilize the so-called ‘Heavenly Eye’—a point that deserved serious scrutiny. They were clearly formidable.

Li Hetang then produced two black business cards, handing them to Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou. “Our company intends to construct a secret base downtown. The higher-ups have decided to invite you both to serve as consultants. I wonder…”

Gu Mo snorted, planting the searing Fiery Ruler deep into the ground with a thud. “Your company? What, you want us to be security guards? Besides, I’m not exactly short on instant noodles and sausage…”

Xiao Yulou, not missing a beat, raised a hand to interrupt Gu Mo. The disheveled, cunning Taoist cleared his throat and adopted an expression of unabashed greed. “Brother Hetang, since your esteemed company wishes to recruit us, shouldn’t you clarify the terms of employment?”

He rubbed three fingers together suggestively. “These days, who would risk their lives without real silver and gold, after all?”

Li Hetang’s sly grin turned sincere. “That’s easily settled! As long as I draft the report, our company’s compensation is second to none.”

Xiao Yulou tucked his hands into the wide sleeves of his black Taoist robe; his posture, forced smile, and oily, avaricious air made him look less like a transcendent cultivator and more like a pork vendor haggling at the market.

With the ‘deal’ tentatively struck, Xiao Yulou glanced at the bound corpse by the military truck and asked softly, “Brother Hetang, since we’re willing to serve as your hired help, shouldn’t the principal show some good faith as well?”

Li Hetang offered cigarettes to both men. Once they’d lit up, he replied openly, “As the temporary representative of the principal party, I’m willing to hear Master Xiao’s requests.”

Xiao Yulou gestured lazily toward the walking corpse. “In that case, I’d ask the principal to release that corpse. If you wish, I can offer three corpses in exchange—three experimental samples are surely better than one, aren’t they?”

Li Hetang took a deep drag on his cigarette, then exhaled with a chuckle. “Agreed! Since Master Xiao puts it that way, I won’t pretend otherwise.”

Gu Mo felt a pang of unease. If they’d gone to all this trouble for a single corpse, why relinquish it so easily?

Puzzled, Gu Mo merely frowned, saying nothing. As the cigarettes burned to their ends, Li Hetang stubbed his out and tucked the butt into his pocket. After a few polite words and handshakes, he turned toward the truck, then paused, giving a wicked half-smile over his shoulder.

“Mr. Gu, the White Lotus Sect is planning something big very soon.”

With that, he laughed and climbed into the truck, vanishing in a cloud of dust.

Xiao Yulou, with all the airs of a sycophant, whipped out a pink silk scarf and waved it with exaggerated charm. “Take care! Do come again!”

Gu Mo could only stare, dumbstruck, so mortified that the dark lines on his face could have woven a towel.

Once the truck was gone, Xiao Yulou straightened up, snorted coldly, and muttered, “Little punks, did you really think I don’t know your tricks? Facing off with me—you’re still too green!”

He flicked his robe sleeves with a dramatic flourish, clasped his hands behind his back, and began pacing, brow furrowed with deep thought. He paced back and forth five or six times in the span of a few breaths, leaving Gu Mo utterly baffled.

Finally, Gu Mo coughed softly and smiled with genuine curiosity. “Brother Xiao, what’s on your mind?”

At this, Xiao Yulou halted abruptly, raised two fingers in reproach, and scolded, “Brother Gu! You’re truly clueless!”

Gu Mo, even more bewildered, protested, “What did I do? Why are you scolding me for no reason?”

Xiao Yulou resumed his pacing before answering, “No matter what, how could you openly defy them? Even the military has to tread carefully around these people! Yet you just blurted out, ‘Let’s fight!’ I was caught off guard myself!”

Gu Mo’s face went dark. “Don’t act so high and mighty. Weren’t you the first to strike?”

Xiao Yulou glared, his eyes bulging. “You’d already provoked them. Naturally, I had to stand with you!”

Gu Mo, feeling a bit sheepish, realized that Xiao Yulou was, in his own way, quite loyal.

Soon, the two of them gazed helplessly at the bound walking corpse, sighing in resignation. Niu Suo and Liu Haiyang, seeing the dust settle, came over to smooth things over. Though they’d dealt with Xiao Yulou before, it was their first time witnessing his true powers. The earlier clash had left them both wide-eyed and shaken.

Now, the image of Xiao Yulou as a refined, enlightened master was firmly etched in their minds.

The four men squatted together, sharing another smoke.

After a long silence, Xiao Yulou’s expression darkened. “We’ve been had by that kid!”

Gu Mo, Liu Haiyang, and Niu Suo were entirely lost.

Xiao Yulou, eyes wide and face grim, seemed ready to bite someone. “Brother Gu, we’ve fallen right into that kid’s trap!”

Gu Mo frowned, his instincts confirming Xiao’s words even if he couldn’t explain why. In a flash, he glanced at the “cheap elder brother” bound in chains—a walking corpse, still standing docilely as butterflies of every hue danced about his head. The corpse seemed entranced, its gaping maw almost comical as it followed the fluttering of the butterflies, as if trying to play with them.

Looking closer, the corpse was naked, its skin ashen and eyes blank, mouth stuffed with shreds of its own flesh. A gash across its chest exposed ribs stripped of all organs, corroded by air.

If not for the corpse’s ghastly appearance, it could have been mistaken for a stroke victim.

The longer Gu Mo observed, the more uneasy he felt.

An idea struck, and he turned to Xiao Yulou, who was deep in thought. “Brother Xiao, you mean…”

Xiao Yulou nodded, his brow still furrowed. “You’ve guessed right.”

Niu Suo and Liu Haiyang remained utterly bewildered, as if the conversation made sense and yet not at all.

Xiao Yulou sighed deeply, grinding out his cigarette before continuing, “Brother Gu, if I’m not mistaken, from the very start you’ve been played by the White Lotus Sect and that so-called food company—they’ve had you dancing in the palm of their hand!”

He paused, then continued with resignation, “The goal of the White Lotus Sect has always been your late father and the Underworld Artifact. They traced their way to him, but he’d already passed away. The fake grandson he adopted—Gu Mo—became the perfect substitute. When they realized something was amiss, they turned Gu Mo into a walking corpse and hung him in the incense shop! And the reason you’re so saturated with ghostly energy is all thanks to the chilling soul cord of White Impermanence and the corpse energy injected into you. These two similar forces have made you what you are now…”

Xiao Yulou arched a brow, puzzled. “But why go to such lengths? Don’t they know about the Underworld Artifact?”

Gu Mo was stunned by the sheer scope of the conspiracy. As incredible as it sounded, Xiao Yulou’s deduction made perfect sense.

With a heavy heart, Gu Mo asked quietly, “Brother Xiao, could it be because of my cursed destiny?”

At this, Xiao Yulou suddenly saw the light. “Of course! How could I forget that!”

He lit another cigarette, nodding as he exhaled. “That’s it! You were born with a Pure Yin Fate—making you the ideal candidate to break into the Underworld. If you joined them, the White Lotus Sect’s chances of success would skyrocket. You’re practically a weapon designed to storm the underworld!”

But Xiao Yulou’s thoughts only grew more tangled. “Still, why haven’t they gone after the Underworld Artifact? Or do they truly not know its whereabouts?”

Gu Mo’s mind was a sticky mess, and Niu Suo and Liu Haiyang were even more lost.

“Brother Xiao… Brother Xiao…” Gu Mo called, pulling Xiao Yulou from his thoughts.

“What is it, Brother Gu?”

Gu Mo frowned, gazing into Xiao Yulou’s clear eyes. “Let’s sort this out. The White Lotus Sect wants immortality, so they targeted my grandfather. Then my ‘cheap elder brother’ became a decoy. But why, when my soul was being taken, had they already begun their assault on the underworld?”

Xiao Yulou fell silent, his intuition still churning. “That urgency… I suspect their leader’s time is running out.”

Gu Mo drew a sharp breath. “All this, just to prolong one person’s life? They’d launch an all-out assault on the underworld?”

Xiao Yulou nodded firmly. “I’d heard rumors, but never thought the White Lotus Sect could stir up such trouble. And who would have guessed that ‘749 Food Company’ would jump into the fray!”

After a long discussion, Xiao Yulou finally rose and walked over to the walking corpse once called ‘Gu Mo.’ With a casual flick of his robe, he gripped the corpse by the neck and, with a swift motion, stuffed it into the wide sleeve of his black Taoist robe.

With a whoosh, Gu Mo’s ‘cheap elder brother’ vanished into Xiao Yulou’s sleeve.

The other three men were so stunned their jaws nearly hit the ground.

“Holy shit!”