Go all out

Chapter 26: Who Should I Trust?

I held my breath. Driven by intense curiosity, I slowly made my way toward the door—and just then, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind it. “Xiaotian, Xiaotian…” That’s—that’s my master’s voice! In that moment, my heart leapt with joy, and I rushed over—but Tian Zhan grabbed me and growled at me, “Don’t go out there—that’s not your master!” “It’s my master—that’s definitely his voice!” I was overcome with panic. My master had returned, and here I was, his disciple, actually refusing to let him in? My eyes welled up with tears; I had thought my master was dead. “Xiaotian, calm down!” Tian Zhan grabbed my shoulders and shook me vigorously. “It’s my master out there. His voice sounds very weak—he’s injured!” I looked at Tian Zhan with pleading eyes; his expression was mixed. “Xiaotian, your master is back, and he’s very tired…” The voice from outside continued to call out—that gentle, kind voice was so familiar that I could no longer hold back my tears. I broke free from Tian Zhan’s grip on my shoulders, took a few steps toward the door, and already had one hand on the doorknob. “Xiao Tian, if you trust your brother here, don’t open the door!” Tian Zhan’s words made my hand, which had been turning the doorknob, freeze in mid-motion. He stepped closer, a sharp gleam in his eyes. “If you’re determined to open the door, take a look at who’s out there first before you decide!” I glanced back at Tian Zhan, nodded, then pressed my face against the door crack, squinting through the narrow gap to look outside. It was pitch black, but I immediately spotted a figure standing at the doorway. He seemed to be wearing black clothes—completely dark—and the gap between his legs was very short, as if he were wearing hip-hop pants. His face was blurry, and I couldn’t tell if it was my master or not. Just as I blinked, trying to see more clearly, a pair of emerald-green eyes suddenly appeared on that blurry face—and locked eyes with me in an instant! Whoosh! My whole body trembled, and my face went pale in an instant. With a scream of “Ah!” I fell backward onto the floor, pointing at the doorway with a trembling finger. “It’s not my master—it’s that spirit monster! It’s that spirit monster!!” Tian Zhan grabbed me and pulled me to my feet, saying, “Don’t worry. Wait here in the shop. I’ll go out and deal with that spirit. Remember, whoever asks you to open the door, you must open it—even if it’s me!” As soon as Tian Zhan finished speaking, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a peachwood sword. He cast a meaningful glance at a spot beneath the door, then grabbed a yellow talisman, flung open the door, and charged out! Bang! The door slammed shut again. Soon, the sound of a fierce battle erupted from outside. The spirit monster was roaring furiously—its voice was truly terrifying—but it was growing fainter and fainter. In the space of a few breaths, it had vanished into the distance. I hurriedly pressed my face against the door crack to look out again. It was still pitch black outside, but the area was now completely empty—both the spirit that had just stood up and Tian Zhan were gone. My heart raced with anxiety. Tian Zhan was very powerful, but that spirit creature was no pushover either. If they really came to blows, the odds of victory would likely be fifty-fifty. Tian Zhan had gone out to protect me—if anything happened to him, how could I ever face his parents? Just as I was at a loss, I heard footsteps outside. Instinctively, I peered through the crack at the bottom of the door again and saw a shadow approaching. My heart instantly pounded with fear—could it be that the spirit had called for backup?? Now that Tian Zhan’s gone, how am I—a total novice—supposed to handle a fully-fledged spirit? I was so scared I didn’t dare breathe, silently praying that he was just passing by, that he was just… Knock, knock, knock! The knocking sounded again. With every knock on the door, it felt as if it were striking my heart, making my heart leap into my throat. Who on earth was coming now! I held my breath and crept closer, but just then, a familiar voice came from outside again. “Xiaotian, wake up. It’s your master. Hurry up and open the door for me.” This voice was equally weak and sounded exactly like my master’s, but my whole body went rigid, and I dared not move a muscle. If Tian Zhan hadn’t stopped me just now, the moment I opened the door, that spirit creature would likely have ripped out my heart with its claws. Torn by inner conflict, I could only inch forward cautiously, pressing my face against the door crack once more and peering out through narrowed eyes. It was pitch black outside, and there was indeed a figure standing at the doorway. In the faint moonlight, I saw his face—pale but utterly familiar—and I froze on the spot. It really was my master! Overjoyed, I quickly grabbed the doorknob, ready to turn it with all my strength, but Tian Zhan’s earlier words made me hesitate, and I instinctively stopped. He told me not to open the door! Images flashed through my mind—the hospital surveillance footage showing that spirit creature clamping its huge jaws around my master. In the footage, my master appeared to have stopped breathing; his body was slumped over. He might already be dead—and besides, that spirit had snatched him away; why would it release him in the middle of the night? But who was this person outside the door, looking exactly like my master? “Xiaotian, hurry up and open the door for your master—your master is back…” The voice outside rang out again, so feeble, so weak. I gritted my teeth and held my ground, speaking in a low, firm voice, “Go away. You’re not my master. Go!” “Xiaotian, don’t you even recognize your master anymore? Hurry up and open the door for me!” The voice outside grew somewhat cold—exactly the same as when my master was losing his temper. Torn inside, I shouted at the door with bloodshot eyes, “My master was devoured by a demon—you’re not my master!” “Who says I was eaten by a spirit monster? Xiao Tian, look closely—am I your master or not?” The voice outside immediately turned icy. I hesitated for a moment, then peered through the crack in the door again. Outside, my master’s cold eyes were fixed on me. I didn’t tremble at all—only a sense of familiarity washed over me. He really was my master. I pressed my face against the door, my eyes moist, but my voice trembled as I asked, “Master, Tian Zhan said you killed people—that you killed all four people in the village.” “Bullshit!” My master cursed from outside. “Does that kid think that just because he’s been out in the world for three years, he can slander his own master? What did he tell you? Tell me.” “Master, you really didn’t kill those people, did you?” With tears in my eyes, I asked, “Seeing you so angry, Master, reminds me of the times you used to scold me, but no matter how you scolded me, you never meant to hurt me.” “Xiao Tian, I’ve been lying in a hospital bed these past few days—how the hell could I have killed anyone?” my master roared. “But…” “No ‘buts’! Hurry up and tell your master—what did that kid tell you, and how did it end up involving me?” I paused for a moment, then said slowly, “The night before last, Tian Zhan and I went to look for my mom. I started climbing down on a rope, but halfway down, the rope suddenly snapped. My mom saved me. Then, after Tian Zhan found me, he told me that a man in black had cut my rope while he wasn’t looking, and then…” “Hmph, and then he said that man in black was me, your Master? What a false accusation!” Master snorted derisively from outside. He cleared his throat a few times, then sighed, “Xiao Tian, you’re being foolish. If what you’re saying is true, that kid was the only one up there at the time. Are you sure he didn’t cut the rope?” “No way. Tianzhuan wouldn’t hurt me.” I shook my head firmly. Tian Zhan and I had been brothers since childhood—so close we could’ve shared a pair of pants. How could he possibly harm me? “You’re sure? Xiao Tian, you’re too kind-hearted. You don’t realize that people’s hearts can change. He’s been out for three years—that’s more than enough time to turn a person into a bad guy. Are you sure he’s still the same brother you used to know?” “I’m sure—absolutely sure!” I nodded frantically. “Xiao Tian, haven’t you noticed that your brother is different since he came back this time? To change this much in just three years—your master can tell you for certain that he’s probably practiced some kind of dark magic.” “No way.” I took a deep breath and shook my head. “Then tell me this: when he left, he didn’t know anything. Yet in just three years, he’s grown to this level. If it were you, could you do the same?” “I…” It was true. Who knew how much hardship Tian Zhan had endured or how many trials he’d faced over these past three years to reach his current level of power? I hadn’t gone through everything he had—so what right did I have to say I could do the same? “If you sense carefully, you should be able to detect a very heavy aura of malevolence on your brother—which means he’s killed a lot of people.” My master said slowly, and I froze. It was true—sometimes I felt that Tian Zhan’s gaze was particularly terrifying, exceptionally cold—the kind of cold that comes only from facing life and death. “Also, haven’t you ever wondered why he’s suddenly returned after being gone for three years? Don’t you find that strange? He’s accusing me, his master, of murder—but what about him? He wasn’t even by their sides when they died, was he?” I… I was taken aback. That’s right—when Uncle He and the village chief died, Tian Zhan really wasn’t by my side. When Uncle He died, he got off the car partway through the journey, and when the village chief died, he said he’d gone to chase that spirit… Just thinking about it sent a chill down my spine. If it really was as Master said, Tian Zhan is terrifying!!