Pick it up, let it go; enter it, exit it. That's the true path of cultivation in the mortal world.
※※※
It's said that cultivators do not dwell on good or evil, nor on human desires and the laws of heaven. Everything is like the light from a mirror with no mirror—when something comes, it responds, and that's all.
I'm a cultivator too, and at least in this regard, I fully agree. After thinking it through, I decided to go see Xiao Man. The incident with the mummified corpse, the karmic cycle—it's all tied to me.
Cultivators take karma very seriously, and perhaps it's time for me to settle this karmic debt.
I told my cousin that I had an urgent matter and didn't pay attention to his surprised expression as I quickly turned and ran toward the direction where Xiao Man seemed to be.
On the night of November in the provincial capital, a hint of coolness was in the air. Under the dim streetlights, occasional shadows of pedestrians passed by. Even at this hour, the streets were still crowded.
Our school is located near the eastern suburbs of the provincial city, close to several universities, so the streets around here are full of food stalls, open-air restaurants, and even barbecue stands selling lamb skewers...
I had never asked Xiao Man where her home was, nor had I ever thought to inquire from others.
At this moment, I had to rely entirely on the mysterious feeling guiding my steps, as I raced forward.
I wasn't sure how fast I was running, but it was definitely faster than any of my past sprint tests. My hearing was unusually sharp now, a side effect of cultivation, and I could clearly hear screams behind me.
"Darling, look! Someone's running naked!!"
"Dad, look! It's Superman…!"
"Damn, who's this crazy person?…"
...
Hearing these voices almost caused me to lose my breath. Damn it, cultivation made my hearing so sensitive!
I could sense Xiao Man's increasing panic and confusion through my spiritual awareness. Gritting my teeth, I sped past a few girls screaming, turning left by ninety degrees, and sprinted toward a pedestrian bridge.
In the distance, under the shadow of the bridge, I saw a few young men standing in a circle, laughing strangely, while the voice of Xiao Man's screams mixed with the rasping, muffled sounds of the mummified corpse calling for her soul.
I slowed down to a walk when I was about ten meters away from the group…
"Come on, you idiot, take off that girl's clothes! Hehehe!"
"Haha, tsk tsk! This is better than watching a movie, come on, hurry up, let's go, I'll keep watch."
"Bro, let's get out of here, this guy looks like a lunatic, what's with him talking about his soul coming back…"
...
The strange laughter of the young men reached my ears, and I sighed. It seemed that these guys had stumbled upon the mummified corpse entangling Xiao Man, and instead of playing the hero and rescuing her, they were just enjoying the scene.
If these arrogant young men knew the "idiot" or "lunatic" they were talking about was a resurrected mummified corpse, I wonder what their reactions would be? Heh heh!
None of these guys noticed my arrival. They were so caught up in the scene. As I approached, I cleared my throat loudly.
"Cough!"
The five young men immediately turned around, looking at me, standing on the outer circle.
I saw Xiao Man and the mummified corpse at the center of their circle.
My appearance didn't seem to attract any attention from the mummified corpse or Xiao Man.
The mummified corpse's vacant eyes were fixed on my poor desk mate, Xiao Man. It mumbled, "Return my soul... return my soul…"
The mummified corpse looked so much like a mentally ill person or an idiot. At least, it hadn't made any physical movements toward Xiao Man.
Xiao Man, squatting by the pillar on the pedestrian bridge, had her head down and was frantically waving her hands as she sobbed, "Please, let me go, please, let me go…"
Under the dark shadow of the bridge, the scene certainly looked eerie and terrifying, no wonder it attracted these young men.
"Hey, bro, there's a good show here, come check it out!"
I turned toward the voice and saw a skinny, flat-headed guy bending his back and waving his hand at me.
I glanced at him faintly and ignored his invitation. Even though they were standing there watching the mummified corpse torment Xiao Man, I didn't feel angry or annoyed.
"Hey, kid, why aren't you speaking? Are you mute? I'm talking to you, can you hear me?" The flat-headed guy, looking a little annoyed that I ignored him, glanced at his companions and shouted at me arrogantly.
Normally, I wouldn't have bothered with this guy. Whether he called me mute or not didn't matter. But when he called himself "old man" while talking to me, my body flashed, and without a word, I slapped him across the face.
"Slap!"
"Ah…!"
Ah, what a crisp sound of a slap!
What a miserable scream of pain!
The mummified corpse was finally alerted. It suddenly turned its pale face toward me, and it seemed like the mummified corpse had more expression now than it did a few nights ago—there was surprise, there was fear.
Xiao Man also noticed my presence. She screamed, then with a flash of movement, she sprang to my side in an instant. Damn, that was quick!
"Zhang San Tong, hurry! Help me get rid of him... he... he keeps asking for my soul…" Xiao Man trembled, clutching my arm tightly, pleading with me.
Ah! My beautiful desk mate, how helpless she seemed at this moment! I sighed and shifted my focus to the mummified corpse.
Xiao Man let out another scream, and sensing movement behind me, I sneered, swinging my arm behind me.
"Slap!"
Another crisp slap echoed, but there was no scream of pain this time.
It seemed like the person sneaking up behind me wasn't the flat-headed guy from earlier.
I didn't move. Lifting my right leg, I kicked out sideways.
"Boom!" Another young man was sent flying several meters before hitting the ground, groaning in pain.
Hmm? No more sounds? Fine, I couldn't care less about those young men. The mummified corpse in front of me was my main target. My gaze remained locked on the mummified corpse, and strangely, its hollow eyes seemed to show excitement.
How should I deal with this mummified corpse? I had drawn so many talismans, but they were all from the past cultivation sects, mostly for protection or exorcism. I had no offensive talismans at all.
Sigh! Could I be forced to use the Xuanhuang Flag?
"Wa... ah... ah!"
Suddenly, before I could come up with a solution, the mummified corpse let out a strange cry. Its eyes flashed with a ghostly white light as it suddenly raised its hands, nails growing rapidly, and with a swift lunge, it came at me.
"Ahh...!"
Xiao Man, who was clinging to my arm, screamed once more before rolling her eyes and fainting.
"Ghost...!"
"Oh my god...!"
...
My spiritual sense caught every subtle movement of the mummified corpse as it lunged at me, and I also noticed that the five young men, including the one I had kicked, were all shrieking in terror and quickly scampering away, disappearing into the distant shadows under the dim streetlights...