Hui Yiguang looked at them blankly and puzzled: “What do you want me to do? Of course, I am Hui Yiguang!”
Seeing that everyone seemed to hesitate, her expression became more anxious. She shouted at Chi Banxia: “Banxia! You can recognize me, right?!”
Chi Banxia was injured so she couldn’t help in the battle just now as she leaned on the side to rest. At this moment, her gaze wandered back and forth between Hui Yiguang and the white figure made of light, trying to carefully identify them, but shook her head at Li Ying and the others, indicating she could not tell them apart.
Hui Yiguang said anxiously: “It was because of my problem that I asked you all to help me!”
The white light mass trembled violently, but because it couldn’t speak, it couldn’t defend itself.
Li Ying said quietly: “Do you remember how much you paid us?”
Hui Yiguang hurriedly said: “Originally, I told everyone it would be a little more than 200,000, but then I decided to round it up and asked Xiao Han to send each of you 300,000!”
So the mass of white light is really Wang Qi?
Everyone’s suspicion gradually dissipated, and Liu Qingbo raised his sword again and aimed at the white figure. Dong Zhi still felt something was off. The talisman array he had set up on the ground was slowly turning black, as if the talisman paper was being eroded by something invisible.
Was there something trying to break in from outside?
He raised his head and looked at the sky. It was pitch black filled with lights in the distance that flickered from time to time. Other than that, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong. Feeling uneasy, he suddenly turned his head and looked at Hui Yiguang. He wasn’t sure if it was him seeing things, but the corners of her mouth seemed to evoke a weird arc. But looking intently at her face, it was still full of fear so how could she be smiling?!
Chi Banxia was also afraid that Liu Qingbo would kill the wrong person and take out the rightful owner of the original’s body, so she hurriedly asked Hui Yiguang a few more questions, of which Hui Yiguang was able to answer them all correctly.
Li Ying said solemnly: “This can’t be dragged out any longer. The soul is absorbing energy and is slowly getting bigger!”
Everyone looked and saw that the white mass of light was slowly expanding as its shadow was slowly extending towards Hui Yiguang. Liu Qingbo no longer hesitated and swept his sword at the white figure.
Suddenly, a hissing sound was made, as if something had been torn apart and wind roared. Accompanied by the roar, Liu Qingbo heard Chi Banxia screamed behind him. He had no time to turn around as his body was thrown down from the force.
Dong Zhi fell on top of him, bowing his head to avoid the violent wind passing by. Liu Qingbo stared at Dong Zhi fiercely and stretched out his hand to push him away: “Get off!”
Dong Zhi said innocently: “I was blown down by the wind…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the white light and shadow were eroded by a black mist that condensed from all sides and screams rang out from the air. The black mist and the white light gradually merged, quickly turning gray and swelled sharpy, eventually becoming as tall as one and half person as it floated towards Hui Yiguang.
Hui Yiguang was horrified, rolling back and forth.
“You go away! Go away!” She screamed. She desperately tried to get up and escaped but kept collapsing to the ground as he body was too weak.
“Watch your step!” Dong Zhi suddenly shouted.
Gu Meiren looked down subconsciously. Under the light, clusters of black shadows appeared on the ground some unknown time ago and moved towards everyone’s feet. Li Ying threw out a talisman and after a while, it burned together with the black shadow, igniting it.
Gu Meiren played her flute, stopping a black shadow in its place as it heard the sound. Li Ying immediately placed a talisman on it, burning it out.
Another black shadow was about to jump out from the ground but was sliced to pieces by Liu Qingbo’s sword. He then stared at Dong Zhi harshly.
Dong Zhi didn’t bother to pay attention to his opponent’s irritability. With a talisman in one hand, he stopped Hui Yiguang, while holding his sword in the other, he drew it towards the gray shadow and forced it back.
“Are you the real Hui Yiguang?” He asked gray shadow.
The gray shadow was shaking violently, as if there was nowhere to vent its resentment and anger. When it heard Dong Zhi’s question, it abruptly stopped, as if it understood.
Dong Zhi turned his head again and said to Hui Yiguang: “And you… you’re Wang Qi!”
Hui Yiguang didn’t have time to hide her expression. It seems she couldn’t trick him, and panic flashed across her face. Although it was only for a short moment, it was enough for everyone to see that Dong Zhi was telling the truth.
Li Ying said angrily: “The soul that just popped out of Hui Yiguang is really her! Wang Qi is still inside Hui Yiguang’s body!”
Hui Yiguang argued: “Not true! I’m really Hui Yiguang! Don’t be fooled by that fierce ghost!”
Chi Banxia suddenly shouted: “Yiguang! You told me before that you want to visit your hometown with me when you have time. Don’t you remember?!”
Hui Yiguang looked flustered and responded casually: “Of course I remember!”
Chi Banxia said angrily: “You have never said such a thing!”
Hui Yiguang collapsed and cried: “I can’t recall anything right now!”
Before the voice fell, the gray shadow trembled abruptly, crossed the Dong Zhi and others, and rushed directly towards Hui Yiguang, wrapping itself around her whole body. Hui Yiguang scarmed.
“Help! Help me!”
“I will kill you! Bitch!”
“Let me go! Return back my body!”
“I don’t want it anymore. I want to die with you!”
For a moment it would be Hui Yiguang’s voice and for another moment it’ll change to a different tone. The gray shadow and Hui Yiguang were entangled with each other that no one could distinguished who was who.
Liu Qingbo held his sword wavering.
“What the hell are these things?!”
Gu Meiren and Li Ying worked together to destroy the dark shadows on the ground. One played the flute while the other stuck talismans to them, but soon they found that the shadows were endless and more kept coming and they couldn’t be eliminated.
It’s like… demons. But Dong Zhi wasn’t entirely sure.
He had seen the Archfiend getting wiped out on Tianyuan Building. Heavenly lightning had struck it down instantly charring Xu Wan that there wasn’t a single trace left. Now in front of him were clusters of shadows no bigger than a palm size. Occasionally a wisp of smoke would rise, and they can be easily destroyed with a talisman. Don’t bother mentioning Archfiends, even a Sneaky Yaksha was much more difficult to deal with than them. Are they really demons?
Dong Zhi couldn’t bite his finger or mouth, so he had to scratch his finger on the Qingzhu Sword to draw blood. As beads of blood gushed out, he quickly drew the runes on the talisman paper and pasted them in the position where the talisman array was leaking!
Slap!
The loophole immediately closed as the array was restored and the shadows on the ground stopped increasing. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly wiped out the remaining shadows. Li Ying glanced at Dong Zhi, surprised by his capabilities.
With his relationship to his father, Li Ying had a general understanding of everyone who participated in the exam long before it even started.
People like Gu Meiren and Cheng Yuan had great skills but lack the deep background. They had practice in the deep mountains and old forests. While they may seem weak, their respective masters were well-known dominant figures in their field of expertise. If they can make it to the end, they would most likely go to group three.
Liu Qingbo was from a famous family and his skills were on par with everyone else. The chances of him entering the Special Administration Bureau are almost guaranteed and he would be considered a rising star. As for Chi Banxia, her family roots were in Hainan and the Chi family are famous witchdoctors in that area and Southeast Asia, so it would be inevitable that they will come into contact with each other again in the future.
Li Ying himself was born on Mount Maoshan and his father was a consultant for the Special Administration Bureau. He was well-liked by the officials and the average people. Such a figure like him need not to flatter others, but others would come befriend him. However, he was purely average and was not as eye-catching as Liu Qingbo.
As for the others, they all fall into one these categories previously mention. The only exception was Dong Zhi. Before the written exam, Li Ying didn’t even know of his existence. It wasn’t until he came first, and 20 points higher than second place, that he was surprised to find such a dark horse in this year’s candidates.
But after seeing his resume, Li Ying learned that Dong Zhi was just an ordinary person. Even if he was the top scorer on the written exam, the most he could do would simply be logistics. Thinking like this, he was proven wrong again as the Dong Zhi’s interview was the longest out of all the remaining candidates. After his father, Li Rui, returned that day, he expressed anger and the object of that anger was none other than Dong Zhi. Li Ying had to admit that his opponent was quite courageous to argue with an examiner during an interview. If it was another person, even if that person had a differing opinion, they will only show an obedience demeanor at that time.
Li Ying wasn’t interested in forming deep friendships. In his opinion, learning to judge others and interact with them is a necessary skill to have in life. People that are neither capable nor flexible will only have a limited future prospect. Even if they can enter the Special Administration Bureau, they are destined to have no great achievements. When he invited everyone to dinner and they each got to know each other, he didn’t treat Dong Zhi special, although he also didn’t deliberately pit him either. He wasn’t as interested in him as he was with Liu Qingbo.
But seeing his performance just now, Dong Zhi was beyond his imagination. Even if he couldn’t judge the situation, he was by no means a useless ordinary person.
Hui Yiguang struggled and screamed desperately as she was enveloped by the gray shadow. Liu Qingbo swung his sword towards her and stabbed right in the middle of the gray shadow. A loud sound was heard, seemingly screams from an unknown creature.
The voice was so sharp pitch that it almost pierce everyone’s eardrums, but it slowly got weaker.
Does this mean that these demons are easier to deal with than an Archfiend?
The gray shadow was led aside by the thin sword as it shook violently. There seems to be a sign that it was separating. Liu Qingbo no longer hesitated and stepped forward to insert his sword into the shadow.
“Ah!!!”
Hui Yiguang’s screams rang in everyone’s ears. It wasn’t really her screams but rather the wailing of her soul. Liu Qingbo continued as he held the hilt of the sword with both hands and stirred the shadow vigorously with the body of the sword.
“Yiguang!” Chi Banxia couldn’t bear it, and wanted to step forward to stop him, but held off by Li Ying.
“His sword is not an ordinary sword. It’s the Feijing Sword* that can calm the soul and exorcise evil spirits!”
*(飞景) Translated could be the Sword of Light. It’s part of the three swords of Feijing, crafted by (Emperor Wen of Wei) Cao Pi. Their names are: Feijing, Liucai, and Huafeng. See Kinky Thoughts for lore.
The Feijing Sword was not as famous as the Gan Jiang or Mo Ye*. To the average person, they may think it was an imitation sword of the future generation. Since Chi Banxia didn’t know much about swords, she was confused by his words.
*Swordsmith couple who forge a pair of swords name after them. See Kinky Thoughts or go to the Wikipedia for the lore.
Dong Zhi on the other hand had worked on a game with the background of ancient Chinese mythology. Many game props were added to it from ancient classics, and among them was of course, the Feijing Sword, so he was no stranger to this name.
It was said that this sword was one of three swords crafted by Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi. He gave the sword the name Feijing because it was “clear like the sky and its light was like a shooting star”. Later, Cao Pi often wore it by his side. On the day of the sword’s completion, he was able to conquer hundreds of miles with ease.
But there was another little-known allusion to the sword. Legend has it that at that time, Cao Pi had dreams in the middle of the night that would leave him restless, and he would wake up sweating profusely. He once dreamed that he was wandering on the Naihe Bridge when encountered a man who was about to take his life. Fortunately, a white-faced man jumped out from nowhere and protected him. When Cao Pi woke up, he saw the Feijing Sword lying on his pillow. He had taken it off before going to bed and didn’t let anyone touch it yet here it was. Since then, he had always worn the Feijing Sword, allowing it never to leave his side.
Liu Qingbo continued to stir the gray shadow with his sword. The gray shadow was dragged by the sword as it struggled desperately but unable to break free. Slowly the black and white that were entangled forming the gray shadow gradually showed signs of separation. Strand by strand they were separated from each other from the agitation of the sword forming a picture just like the two ends of the yin and yang symbol, flowing into each other endlessly.
Seeing his opportunity, Li Ying used cinnabar to draw a rune directly on the palm of his hand and coldly stretch it out grabbing the top of Hui Yiguang’s head.
“It’s not your body. Leave now! Go!”
“No!!!”
A white shadow fell out of Hui Yiguang’s body. Li Ying took the opportunity to grab the white shadow under Liu Qingbo’s sword and threw it into Hui Yiguang. At this moment, Liu Qingbo’s body shook slightly that it gave pause to force he was using to hold the black shadow in place. It quickly took the chance and escaped, flying towards the white shadow that was on the ground and merged with it. The speed was instantaneous that no one had time to even blink.
As Hui Yiguang’s soul was return to its rightful place, Wang Qi’s soul was merged with the black shadow and the metamorphosis speed made everyone speechless. Wang Qi was full of resentment, so it was a match made in heaven for the black shadow. The two quickly merged and it was much faster than when it was with Hui Yiguang. In a blink of an eye, a figure that was taller than the average person began forming. The mass of light wavered and condensed until it formed into a human-like shape, vaguely like a woman.
“Wang Qi!” Hui Yiguang called out in a daze.
Her soul had just returned to her body and her face was pale like paper. When she opened her eyes, she saw the gray shadow rushing towards her, overwhelming her with fear that she fainted right on the spot.
Liu Qingbo had just used the Feijing Sword to separate the dark shadow once, so he had lost a lot of qi and physical strength, so he didn’t have the power to stop it. Li Ying being quick handed, slapped the gray shadow with his cinnabar painted palm but was easily overturned by it. He fell heavily onto the concrete ground and the pain was so bad that he vomited a mouthful of blood.
Gu Meiren played her flute desperately trying to stop the gray shadow’s movements. She managed only to stagnate it in the beginning, but eventually it was unaffected by her music as it continued to rush towards Hui Yiguang.
Seeing the gray shadow inches away from pouncing on Hui Yiguang’s body, everyone thought it was too late, and all their efforts have been in vain, when suddenly, Chi Banxia threw herself in front of Hui Yiguang, stretch out her hand and sprinkle a cloud of gray powder.
To the eyes of an ordinary person, it would look like powder, but it was in fact countless of small insects. She could only pray that these insects were enough to stop the gray shadow. Unfortunately, her expectation fell through.
When the white powder came into contact with the gray shadow, it was immediately absorbed and melted into becoming a part of the gray shadow itself. It then quickly rushed towards Chi Banxia. Everything happened so fast, within a few seconds, that Chi Banxia could only watch as the shadow approached her like a hurricane.
It’s over! There’s nothing they could do! Was the thought that flashed through Liu Qinbo as he could only helplessly watch the gray shadow about to become entangle with Chi Banxia.
If she was also possessed by that ghost, with her own abilities as a witchdoctor, it would be even more difficult to deal with than Hui Yiguang. This was his second thought.
At this moment, a sudden flash of light appeared in front of him. Liu Qingbo thought it was a short circuit that caused the light to become unstable, but then a muffle sound filled his ears.
It seems to be… thunder? The sun was shining brightly all day without a cloud in the sky. Where did this thunder come from?
The thought just appeared in his mind and in the next moment, he saw a thunderbolt passed by the top of his head and strike the gray shadow leaving behind a loud booming noise! The heavenly lightning was not big, at most its size was a thick as a baby’s arm, but the brightness was enough for everyone to subconsciously close their eyes.
The gray shadow slowly dispersed as it was struck by the lightning, it outstretched arms were inches away from grabbing Chi Banxia’s hair. Chi Banxia was in shock as she gasped heavily, still digesting the fact that she has escape death.
Li Ying and others looked around seeing a young man’s face getting paler as it was illuminated by the flash of lightning.
He held a magic talisman in one hand and a sword in the other. After he summoned the thunder, he didn’t have the strength anymore to hold up his sword as his wrists hung down, causing the tip of the sword to lean diagonally against the ground. Using it as a support, Dong Zhi leaned on the sword and breathe heavily. Sweat covered his hair as it flowed down his temples. He staggered a back a few steps and lean against the wall like a prostrated figure.
Looking up, he saw that Gu Meiren was staring at him, so he cracked a smile and joked: “Am I awesome or what?”
Gu Meiren laughed: “Awesome!” She hadn’t look down on Dong Zhi so she wasn’t particularly surprised by his feat, though that couldn’t be said for Liu Qingbo and Li Ying.
As their shock subsided, even if he was unwilling, Liu Qingbo had to admit that this ordinary person who he thought wasn’t qualified to become Long Shen’s apprentice when they first met, had some capabilities in him.
“Dong Zhi, I didn’t expect you to hide such a thing. You know the Five Thunder Law1 technique!” Li Ying panted and gave him a smile.
As someone born on Mount Maoshan, it was natural he would’ve learned the Five Thunder Law technique, though Maoshan calls it the Five Thunder Command1. The name is different depending on the sect, but it’s pretty much the same spell. One that attracts heavenly thunder that can slay monsters and demons.
1Clarity: There’s 3 terms so far for this technique. The Hezao Sect calls it Five Thunder Talisman [wu lei fu] (五雷符). When Li Ying mentions it the first time, he calls it Five Thunder Law/Dharma [wu lei zheng fa] (五雷正法). The Maoshan Sect calls it Five Thunder Command [wu lei ling fu] (五雷令符). || I’m assuming Five Thunder Law is what it’s commonly known as while other sects give its their own name. I’ll be translating it as how it’s referred to in the original text but note that they all refer to the same technique.
In Maoshan, it’s also stipulated that only disciples who have been in the sect for more than five years would be taught this technique and can start practicing it. It’s relatively rare for an outsider to be taught so casually. This is also the reason why the Hezao Sect has declined, as they are relatively loose in their rules. If this kind of thing were to happen at strict sects like Maoshan or Longhu, this kind of things would never occur.
But in any case, it’s one thing to learn the Five Thunder Law technique, but it’s another thing to be able to use it. Li Ying thought his skills of using talisman was much deeper than the shallow knowledge that Dong Zhi possessed, but he only had one Five Thunder Talisman on him, which was drawn by his father. Under such circumstances at that time, he was unprepared as he never thought about using it, mainly because he didn’t think he was able to use it.
However, if Li Ying only knew how drained and exhausted Dong Zhi was and he wasn’t as relaxed as he seems on the surface, his evaluation probably wouldn’t be so high.
Under the sky lingering with thunder, the black shadow that belonged to a demon had disappeared. Wang Qi was now dead, and her soul was masterless. Since it was entangled with a demon, under the power of heaven, it was naturally destroyed, turning into dust.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they all collapsed on the ground. Li Ying took out his phone as it had been vibrating nonstop, but he hadn’t time to check as they were handling more important matters. Now that he got the chance to look, he saw he had over a hundred missed calls. It was from Cheng Yuan and the others.
He called them back and their voices sound extremely anxious and as they knew something had happened. Li Ying didn’t want them all to run to the rooftop of the hospital and attract unwanted attention, so he told them to meet up with Hui Yiguang’s assistant and picked them up by the hospital. When he hanged up, they all carried Hui Yiguang down.
During this battle, not only was the talisman array deployed but there was thunder and lightning from the sky. Such movements were not small, and it quickly attracted the attention of the security guards. When they came up, they were surprised as they saw Li Ying carrying on unconscious Hui Yiguang on his back. Li Ying and the others had no choice but to find an excuse, saying she was in a bad mental state and was contemplating suicide. After being questioned for a bit, the guards let them go.
Cheng Yuan and the others had been waiting anxiously at the entrance of the hospital for a long time, and finally saw Li Ying and the others appear with Hui Yiguang. Finally, they were able to breathe a sigh of relief.
“What happened?” One person said.
Everyone was worn out from the fight, and no one had the strength to speak. Li Ying reluctantly raised his spirits and recounted the story. Hui Yiguang’s assistant face turned pale with fright after hearing it.
“How can you tell the security guard that Yiguang wanted to commit suicide! The gossip magazine will be all over this!” A woman in the car said angrily.
Little Han hurriedly introduced her: “This is Sister Mary, Sister Hui’s agent!”
Li Ying said coldly: “We only guarantee her life and safety. As for her reputation, that’s for you guys to worry about!”
The agent was speechless and could only glare at Li Ying fiercely as she helped Hui Yiguang into the car.
Li Ying said to Cheng Yuan again: “Her soul is unstable, so she may need some repairs for her soul.”
Cheng Yuan nodded: “I see, leave it to me.” This was something he specializes in, and as a psychic, this thing would naturally be a cinch for him.
There were too many people to fit in the car and they didn’t want to go back with Hui Yiguang and her agent, so Dong Zhi and the others bid their farewells and parted ways. On the drive back, Dong Zhi fell asleep in the taxi and was woken up by the driver when they had reached his destination.
He got out the car groggily, feeling the aftermath of the battle. Summoning heavenly thunder took a lot out of him as his entire body was weak and sore, and he felt like he was getting a fever. When he touched his forehead, it didn’t seem to be very hot. He walked to the back door of the Special Administration Bureau with a heavy head.
The uncle was still there guarding the door, sitting with his arms around his neck. Dong Zhi had never seen him playing games on a phone or even listening to music like other standard gatekeepers. He was now familiar with him since he passed by him often, so he greeted the uncle and went inside.
The gatekeeper raised his eyes slightly and glanced at him. Seeing that his face looked pale and fragile, the uncle who rarely speak asked: “Are you okay?”
Dong Zhi was in a daze that he didn’t even know what he said. He just vaguely remembered that he waved goodbye politely to the uncle as he entered the building. When he walked up the stairs, he felt that they were endless. Step by step he slowly trudged as if he was stepping on clouds as the same thought rewind over and over in his head: ‘Why is there no elevator? Why is there no elevator? Why is there no elevator?’
He wanted to cry as he kept climbing until he couldn’t any longer. He collapsed on the stairs and thought that it would be fine if he just slept there. Vaguely, he heard the sounds of footsteps coming. Seeing a figure lying on the stairs like this would surprise anyone.
“What happened to make you like this?”
The familiar voice made him barely open his eyes as tried answering hazily. After a while, he suddenly thought the voice seems to belong to Long Shen.
“Boss Long?”
“It’s me.”
Dong Zhi leaned back on the steps and said softly: “I’m sorry, I can’t walk anymore. I hope I didn’t scare you.”
Long Shen: “The matter is resolved?”
Dong Zhi said weakly: “Sort of…”
Thinking of it, it raised his spirits as he said: “You’re just in time. I have something to report to you! This time, it seems we have encountered demons again.”
Long Shen said: “Let’s go back and talk.”
Dong Zhi felt it was a bit ridiculous to lay on the stairs and give a report, but at this moment he couldn’t stand up.
“Then wait a bit. My legs are a little bit too soft now so let me catch my breath for a sec.”
Long Shen stretched out his hand and grabbed Dong Zhi’s arms. Dong Zhi thought that he wanted to help him, so he quickly tried to get up. Who knew that Long Shen suddenly lifted him up as one of his arms held his back while the others laid firmly on the back of his thighs*.
*Clarity: think princess carry.
“Don’t move.”
Long Shen carried him up the stairs, step by step. His hold was steady, and he moved fast. Under the lights of the night, two figures were seen, and the sound of footsteps could be heard, sketching a dream that will never end.
The author has something to say:
I’m sorry Little Dong Zhi. When I read the last scene, I suddenly remember the words: Zhu Bajie carrying his daughter-in-law*…
*(猪八戒背媳妇) Refers to Journey to the West where Zhu Baije carries a beautiful lady on his back but ended up with naught. It’s an allegory referring to thankless hard work.
Dong Zhi: (╯’□’)╯︵┻━┻
Kinky Thoughts:
I’m loving these small, sweet interactions between Long Shen and Dong Zhi.
—
Three Swords of Feijing (飞景三剑)
Also called [Baipi Baojian] (百辟宝剑) were 3 swords commissioned by Emperor Wen of Wei/Cao Pi. They each have their own names:
—
Gan Jiang and Mo Ye
Were a swordsmith couple, discussed in the literature involving the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. Some aspects of this material may be considered historical; others are certainly mythological. A pair of swords was forged by and named after them.
According to the historical text Wuyue Chunqiu, King Helü of Wu ordered Gan Jiang and Mo Ye to forge a pair of swords for him in three months. However, the blast furnace failed to melt the metal. Mo Ye suggested that there was insufficient human qi in the furnace, so the couple cut their hair and nails and cast them into the furnace, while 300 children helped to blow air into the bellows. In another account, Mo Ye sacrificed herself to increase human qi by throwing herself into the furnace. The desired result was achieved after three years, and the two swords were named after the couple. Gan Jiang kept the male sword, Ganjiang, for himself and presented the female sword, Moye, of the pair to the king. The king was already very displeased since he ordered the sword made in three months’ time but Ganjiang did not come back in three years, when he discovered Gan Jiang had kept the male sword, he was angered and had Gan Jiang killed.
Before his death, Gan Jiang had already predicted the king’s reaction, so he left behind a message for Mo Ye and their unborn son telling them where he had hidden the Ganjiang Sword. Several months later, Mo Ye gave birth to Gan Jiang’s son, Chi (赤), and years later she told him his father’s story. Chi was eager to avenge his father and he sought the Ganjiang Sword. At the same time, the king dreamed of a youth who desired to kill him, and, in fear, he placed a bounty on the youth’s head. Chi was indignant and, filled with anguish, he started crying on his way to enact his vengeance. An assassin found Chi, who told the assassin his story. The assassin then suggested that Chi surrender his head and sword, and the assassin himself will avenge Ganjiang in Chi’s place. He did as tell and committed suicide. The assassin was moved and decided to help Chi fulfill his quest.
The assassin severed Chi’s head and brought it, along with the Ganjiang sword to the overjoyed king. The king was however uncomfortable with Chi’s head staring at him, and the assassin asked the king to have Chi’s head boiled, but Chi’s head was still staring at the king even after 40 days without any sign of decomposition, thus the assassin told the king that he needed to take a closer look and stare back in order for the head to decompose under the power of the king. The king bent over the cauldron and the assassin seized the opportunity to decapitate him, his head falling into the cauldron alongside Chi’s. The assassin then cut off his own head, which also fell into the boiling water. The flesh on the heads was boiled away such that none of the guards could recognize which head belonged to whom. The guards and vassals decided since all three should be honored as kings (With Chi and the assassin being so brave and loyal). The three heads were eventually buried together at Yichun County, Runan, Henan, and the grave is called “Tomb of Three Kings”.