Go all out

Chapter 25: The Master Has Disappeared

Tian Zhan nodded. “Remember when the village chief died and I chased after the creature? That spirit ran very fast, but it wasn’t your mom. I saw your mom today—there’s a huge difference between the two. At the very least, your mom is pale, but that spirit wasn’t…” My eyes welled up with tears. So that’s how it was. My mom took the blame for the murder because she was afraid I’d be in danger, without saying a word. When I questioned her that day, she didn’t show it on the outside, but deep down, she must have been heartbroken. “Then who exactly killed the people in the village?” I asked eagerly. I really wanted to know—who was the one who’d forced my mom to do that? “The one that followed us the whole time we were up on the mountain!” Tian Zhan said. My heart skipped a beat. I should have realized long ago that it was that spirit creature with the emerald-green eyes. But if that spirit creature was the killer, why did that man in black—Gu—force my mom to confess? Was it just to make my mom take the blame so he could get off scot-free? Tian Zhan looked at me gravely. He hesitated for a moment before asking in a low voice, “Also, do you remember what that rat spirit said?” “I…” I froze. The rat spirit’s meaning was simple: the spirit that had been following us all along was connected to my master. So, then… I couldn’t bring myself to think it through. My master was lying in the hospital, severely injured and in a coma every day—how could it possibly be him? Seeing the struggle on my face, Tian Zhan didn’t say anything else; he just watched me in silence. After a long silence, I finally said calmly, “Are you saying that the man in black who cut my rope is very likely my master? And that it was also my master who ordered that spirit to kill people?” As I said this, my heart was filled with bitterness. Tian Zhan nodded. “Then why would he kill anyone?” I asked calmly. My master was just a fortune-teller—what reason could he possibly have to kill anyone? “I’m not sure yet, but your master is a prime suspect,” Tian Zhan said with certainty. “Suspect?” I let out a bitter laugh. “My master is still in the hospital, in a coma for four or five days now. How could he have made that spirit monster kill someone? And how could he have gone up the mountain to cut my rope?” Tian Zhan’s expression remained calm as he looked at me and asked, “Are you sure your master has been in a coma these past few days?” “I…” I was taken aback, unsure how to answer him. I really couldn’t be certain, but my master had suffered such severe injuries that day—even if he had woken up, how could he have made it up the mountain in his weakened state? “Also, before the village chief died, didn’t everyone keep wondering where he’d gone? Let me tell you—he went to the hospital to find your master,” Tian Zhan continued. “Why was the village chief looking for my master?” I asked instinctively, only to realize how pointless the question was. The village chief had disappeared that day, and coincidentally, the doctor at the hospital had noticed someone injecting a drug into my master’s IV. By the time I arrived, that person was long gone, and when I returned, the village chief had just been killed—what a helpless coincidence. “It’s simple. When the village chief discovered Uncle He was dead, he knew right then that he’d be next. So he went to find your master—if he killed your master, he wouldn’t have to die himself. But he still underestimated your master. Even if your master had lain right in front of the village chief, ready to be killed, he still wouldn’t have died—because by then, your master had already broken the taboo and cast a divination on himself! He knew he couldn’t die, so he didn’t need to guard against anyone at all…” Tian Zhan said in a low voice. I fell completely silent. If what Tian Zhan said was true, just how deep were my master’s schemes? Was he still the master I knew? Was he still the master who had raised me since childhood? I couldn’t be sure anymore. Because the evidence at hand does indeed point all suspicion toward him—but should I just believe it? The bitterness in my heart left me unable to speak. I clutched the thousand yuan tightly in my hand—it was the medical expenses I’d set aside for my master, but… He cut my rope and tried to kill me? The shop fell silent. I didn’t speak, and after Tian Zhan sighed, he fell quiet as well. A few minutes later, the ringtone from my phone broke the silence. In a daze, I pulled out my phone and answered it. A few seconds later, my eyes widened, and I jumped to my feet. “What are you saying? My master’s gone missing?” I roared into the phone. After hanging up, Tian Zhan looked at my furious expression with a hint of surprise—he clearly hadn’t expected my master to suddenly go missing either. “Let’s go check on him at the hospital,” Tian Zhan said to me. “Okay.” I tidied up the shop, locked the door, and then the two of us ran toward the edge of the village. An hour later, Tian Zhan and I arrived at the hospital and went straight to my master’s hospital room—and sure enough, it was completely empty. As I looked at the empty hospital bed, my eyes immediately welled up with tears. Tian Zhan sniffed the air, his expression darkening. The attending physician who’d let us in kept insisting it wasn’t the hospital’s responsibility and told us to call the police. I couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed the doctor by the collar. “I paid you to provide round-the-clock care for my master—and you’re telling me it’s none of your business?” I was really livid, and the attending physician knew he was in the wrong. He just muttered an apology and didn’t offer any further explanation. I really wanted to beat him up, but Tian Zhan walked over, patted me on the shoulder, and signaled for me not to act impulsively. I had no choice but to let him go. Tian Zhan turned to the attending physician and said, “Pull up all the surveillance footage from your hospital so I can take a look. As for the rest, that’s none of your hospital’s business.” “Really? Then those two will have to wait a moment.” The attending physician’s heart leapt with joy. Before we could even respond, he scampered out the door. In less than three minutes, the attending physician led us to the hospital’s surveillance room—though it wasn’t really a surveillance room; it was just a security office. Tian Zhan motioned for all the security guards in the room to leave. After closing the door, he skillfully maneuvered the mouse and began searching for the footage he needed. I stared at the screen without saying a word. To be honest, my mentor’s sudden disappearance had left me at a loss. Why had he vanished so suddenly? Could it be that he knew Tian Zhan had already suspected him? “Xiao Tian, take a look for yourself.” Tian Zhan pointed at the surveillance screen. The image was frozen: a man with his head bowed was walking out of the hospital. Based on the timing, the clothes he was wearing, and his fairly clear face, there was no doubt it was the village chief. He really had come to the hospital to look for my master—so it was the village chief who injected the drug into my master’s IV! So does that mean Tian Zhan’s deduction from earlier was correct? I felt increasingly weighed down and distressed. Tian Zhan kept stalling for time. This scene shows the hallway outside my master’s hospital room—there were many people coming and going, but no one went into my master’s room, nor did anyone come out of it. So how did my master disappear? “Huh…” Tian Zhan suddenly let out a soft “Huh,” because in the footage, a black animal suddenly darted into a corner of the hospital. It flashed by and vanished. My heart skipped a beat, and I stared intently at the screen. A few minutes later, the black creature reappeared—only this time, its massive jaws were clamped around a person. The person was wearing a hospital gown, but I recognized him instantly: it was my master! The black creature leaped out effortlessly, and neither it nor my master ever appeared on the surveillance feed again… I stood frozen in place. What was going on? This black creature must be that spirit, but had it eaten my master? Tian Zhan stared at the surveillance footage, also falling silent. It wasn’t until a full three minutes later that I asked, my voice trembling, “Is my master dead?” Tian Zhan stood up, looked at me, his expression impossible to describe. “Xiao Tian, your master isn’t going to die that easily.” “Not that easy to kill?” I shook my head with a bitter smile. “That spirit beast already has my master clamped in its jaws—and he’s not going to die that easily?” At that moment, I felt nothing but self-reproach and heartache. How could I have ever doubted my master? After spending nineteen years with him, there’s no way my master would kill anyone! “Xiao Tian, calm down. There must be something we’ve overlooked. Your master is such a shrewd man—how could he possibly have been devoured by a spirit beast? Besides, that spirit beast is very likely one your master raised himself. It only came into the hospital to take your master away!” Tian Zhan said in a solemn voice. I let out a bitter laugh and said nothing. Compared to the thought of my master being dead, I, too, wanted to believe everything was just as Tian Zhan described—after all, that would at least mean my master was still alive. But was that really the case? I spent a long time in a daze at the hospital. Tian Zhan took me to the spot where the spirit had appeared earlier, hoping to use his special abilities to track down where it had gone, but we found nothing. Tian Zhan took out his phone and called someone. After a brief exchange, Tian Zhan’s expression darkened. I didn’t know who he’d called or what they’d discussed, but on the way home, Tian Zhan remained silent. With tears in my eyes, I said nothing either and lay down on the mat, drifting off to sleep. I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep. In my dream, my master looked at me with a sigh on his face. His expression was sorrowful, and he kept muttering to himself, “How could my disciple suspect me? I raised him from childhood.” My master kept repeating those words. I opened my eyes—not because I’d been startled awake, but because I felt heat on my face. I was crying. “Xiaotian, people are impossible to fully understand. You must understand that.” Tian Zhan, lying on the bed with his hands behind his head, gazed at the ceiling and said softly, “I suspect your master not because I have anything against him, but because all the clues point to him.” “But he’s dead now,” I said. “Maybe so, Xiao Tian. No matter what, never let your emotions cloud your judgment, because emotions can blind you. If one day I ever do something to wrong you, don’t hold back!” Tian Zhan continued. I remained silent, not knowing why Tian Zhan had suddenly said such things. I figured he was just trying to comfort me. I closed my eyes, but just then, I suddenly heard a knock at the door. Thump, thump, thump! I thought I must have heard wrong—who would be knocking on the door in the middle of the night? I closed my eyes again, but less than a minute later, the knocking sounded once more, exceptionally clear—it was definitely coming from the shop door. I instinctively sat up, and Tian Zhan suddenly jumped out of bed, his eyes darting about. “Do you think it might be that spirit that ate my master?” I asked in a hushed voice. I didn’t know if it was just my imagination or what, but I felt a chill run down my spine—as if an inexplicable cold had sent goosebumps all over my body. Maybe it was because I’d been asleep before, but I’d never heard a knock on the door in the middle of the night—until now. “If it dares to come, I’ll wipe it out tonight!” Tian Zhan flipped his backpack over his shoulder. I hurriedly got dressed, but Tian Zhan motioned for me to follow him. I tiptoed from the backyard into the store. The shop was pitch-black, with an inexplicable sense of oppression, but through the crack at the bottom of the door, I clearly saw a shadow—as if someone were standing right at the entrance. Knock, knock, knock! The knocking sounded again—no sense of urgency, neither fast nor slow. I held my breath. Who on earth could it be?!