The Stolen Heart

Jiang Luo raced back to Shentu Village with the stolen Divine Statue Heart.

Shentu Village had changed. Figures could be seen everywhere in threes and twos, but they weren't people—they were Paper Figures dressed in human clothes.

The Paper Figures were so lifelike they could almost pass for the real thing. A glance across the village showed it was full of them, with hardly any living people left.

Jiang Luo ran quickly past the Paper Figures, his peripheral vision sweeping over them.

Villagers he'd met once were now Paper Figures, including the Village Head, the red-clothed little girl's parents, and even two competitors who had been replaced at some unknown time. A rough count showed over two hundred Paper Figures.

After Jiang Luo set fire to the Paper Figures underground, the ones above ground seemed to lose their vitality, instantly reverting to their original form. A village of over three hundred people was suddenly reduced to a few dozen survivors. The sudden change startled the competitors, who hurriedly notified the staff.

Jiang Luo took a quick look around, then ran into the mountains to find Wenren Lian and the others.

Apart from Kuang Zheng, who had taken Lu You to the Hospital, the rest were still waiting anxiously by the cave entrance, counting down the hour and almost ready to jump in. Luckily, Jiang Luo arrived in time. He didn't stop to explain. 'First, help me find a rock to block this entrance.'

The group moved a large boulder to block the entrance. Jiang Luo wiped his sweat and looked up to find everyone's eyes fixed on his leg.

'What happened to you?' Ge Zhu pointed at his pants. 'How did your pants get torn?'

Jiang Luo looked down. One pant leg was half gone. He simply tore the other leg to match, turning his cargo pants into knee-length shorts. 'Too much happened. Let's talk about it after we go Below the Mountain. Something's wrong in the village.'

The group didn't delay further and hurried down the mountain.

Below the Mountain, staff and police had already entered Shentu Village.

The village full of Paper Figures gave Ge Zhu and the others goosebumps. 'These people... how did they all become Paper Figures?'

Jiang Luo briefly explained what had happened.

Zhuo Zhongqiu shuddered. 'So the ones we were chatting with were all Paper Figures?'

Ge Zhu's face turned ashen. 'The meals we ate... were also cooked by Paper Figures.'

The staff were dealing with Shentu Village's problem, their expressions serious. This incident had clearly exceeded the Competition organizers' expectations. The staff were so busy they had no time to manage the remaining competitors. After confirming the number of survivors, they began a large-scale search of Shentu Village with the police.

Jiang Luo and the others went to help, taking small notebooks to register the list of surviving villagers.

The red-clothed little girl he and Lu You had seen before was on that list.

Shentu Village originally had 311 people. The final count of survivors was only 36. Among them, the beautiful girls who had been offered as sacrifices to the Divine Statue made up the majority. All the rest had been replaced by Paper Figures.

The Village Head's son, Wang Qian, was also a survivor. When the Village Head turned into a Paper Figure, Wang Qian had been eating with his parents. But as he ate, his parents stopped moving their chopsticks. Puzzled, Wang Qian looked up from his bowl and saw two Paper Figures in bright red and green clothes staring at him with eerie smiles.

Wang Qian's heart seized. He couldn't speak, letting out an instinctive scream as he scrambled out of the house.

Once outside, he saw that the villagers coming and going on the street had all turned into lifelike Paper Figures.

When Jiang Luo went to record Wang Qian's information, Wang Qian was already somewhat incoherent. He clutched the hot water a staff member had given him, lips trembling, eyes vacant, repeating endlessly, 'They turned into Paper Figures, they turned into Paper Figures...'

The staff member questioning him nearby looked unwell. Jiang Luo twirled his pen and tapped his chin. 'What do we do about this?'

'We'll ask Chengde Master to calm their spirits and stabilize their souls later,' the staff member said with deep concern. 'The difficulty of this round has already exceeded our expectations.'

Jiang Luo thought to himself, you still don't know there's a living Divine Statue underground.

He subtly touched the oval Stone Heart on his person.

After parting with Chi You, this Stone Heart had never beat again. But Jiang Luo was certain that the heartbeat he had felt earlier and the vision he had seen were not hallucinations.

Jiang Luo didn't plan to reveal the existence of this heart to anyone. He decided to keep it for himself.

If this heart could truly let him see Chi You's past, then Jiang Luo couldn't let it go no matter what. He wanted to know what had happened to Chi You, his secrets, and his weaknesses more than anyone.

That desire was enough for him to risk keeping this heart.

Later, the judge teachers also arrived on the scene. Jiang Luo spotted Feng Li in the crowd at a glance. Feng Li's gaze swept through the crowd as well, and when he saw Jiang Luo, he scanned him from head to toe before his expression eased slightly.

It had to be said, the sense of security these judge teachers brought to the competitors and staff was unmatched. After they arrived, the scene gradually calmed down. Soon, the competitors were gathered to prepare for the collective debrief.

Jiang Luo sorted out his thoughts, omitted the parts involving Chi You, and wrote down his experience in Shentu Village on paper.

Shentu Village was remote, with a pagoda tree in front and mountains enclosing it on both sides. It had many desolate graves—a so-called Yin-gathering place.

It enshrined a Divine Statue, but the Divine Statue had developed self-awareness. Wanting to transform from a dead object into a living one, it bewitched the villagers into worshipping it, weaving them a false dream of immortality.

But the Divine Statue didn't just need the sacrifice of young girls; it also needed Yin Souls. Under the Divine Statue's guidance, villagers hanged themselves or drowned. Souls unable to reincarnate became nourishment for the Divine Statue's revival.

The hanging ghost Jiang Luo saw on the large pagoda tree at the village entrance was also one of the villagers the Divine Statue had tricked into hanging themselves.

Jiang Luo filled three full pages before writing down everything.

After the competitors finished their answers, there wasn't much else to do. Jiang Luo and Wenren Lian's group squatted nearby for a smoke. While smoking, they saw the Chi Clan judge teacher storm out to find the staff.

The Chi Family Judge was furious, his image as a respected elder in the circle shattered by his roaring.

Jiang Luo turned to ask Wenren Lian beside him, 'Why is he so angry?'

'Two competitors turned into Paper Figures in this round,' Wenren Lian flicked ash from his cigarette. 'One is He Zhi, the other is from the Chi Clan.'

Jiang Luo raised an eyebrow. 'Chi You's Collateral Line?'

Wenren Lian nodded, sighing. 'This is the first time I've seen someone from Chi You's Collateral Line die.'

Jiang Luo hadn't expected the dead person to be from the Chi Clan Side Branch. He looked toward the chaotic scene, vaguely wondering if Chi You's Side Branch's death was related to Chi You.

The words young Chi You said in the illusion echoed in his ears: the Chi Clan's destruction, the curse's disappearance, dragging the Xuanxue World down together.

A blatant villain's script.

Did he want to be a tyrant of the Xuanxue World?

The Chi Clan judge teacher didn't make a scene for long before returning to the judges' room with a dark face.

The other five judges were reviewing the competitors' answers.

Each answer needed to be scored individually by all six judges. The National Science Competition differed from ordinary competitions only in content; the rest was largely similar. To ensure fairness, all six judges followed the same grading criteria—a ten-point scoring system where no judge's score would differ by more than three points from another's.

Seeing the Chi Clan member enter, the Qi Family Judge was the first to express concern. 'Brother Zhongye, how is it? Did you find your kid?'

Chi Zhongye's face was stormy. 'He's had an accident.'

The Qi Family Judge exclaimed, 'An accident?'

Chi Zhongye sat down with a grim face. The Qi Family Judge wanted to ask more, but Feng Li frowned and tapped the table twice with his knuckles. 'Attend to business first.'

The Qi Family Judge agreed, then whispered, 'Brother Zhongye, there are plenty of examples of competitors having accidents during the Competition. You're upset, but don't cause trouble now, or it won't look good.'

If words could be carved on a face, 'bullying the weak and fearing the strong' would be written on Chi Zhongye's forehead. He didn't need the Qi Family Judge's persuasion. After Feng Li spoke, he pulled himself together and forced a smile. 'Don't worry. Let's review these answer sheets first.'

Half an hour later, the competitors' scores were tallied.

But surprisingly, two people had the same top score this round.

One was Jiang Luo; the other was Liao Si, descendant of the Xiangxi Region corpse-driving Liao family.

Zhuo Zhengyu worried, 'What do we do about this?'

'Both answers are clear, precise, and well-organized,' Chengde Master pondered. 'Shall we call these two students in to take a look?'

'Why bother with the trouble?' Chi Zhongye interjected. 'Isn't this Jiang Luo kid Feng Tian-shi's disciple? Someone as powerful as Tian-shi must have a deeply hidden disciple. Let's just give him first place.'

Chengde Master looked at Feng Li. 'What does Tian-shi think?'

Feng Li's expression remained unreadable. He looked down at Jiang Luo and Liao Si's answer sheets on the table, subtly performing a hand-calculation. After getting a favorable result, he said calmly, 'Call them in.'

Jiang Luo and Liao Si soon arrived in the judges' room.

Learning they had the same score, Jiang Luo glanced at Liao Si.

He had learned Shentu Village's underground secrets through personal exploration. He was curious—how had Liao Si found out?

The judges asked the same question. Liao Si smiled slightly. 'As you teachers know, I'm a descendant of the Xiangxi Region corpse-drivers. I used the corpses in Shentu Village to investigate for me.'

It was indeed a flawless reason.

Liao Si coughed and continued weakly, 'My health is poor, so I can only use such methods. Luckily, I had good fortune to achieve such a good result.'

Zhuo Zhengyu felt this was a difficult matter and simply handed the problem to them. 'You both have the same score, but only one person can be first place. How about this: can you mention any additional points not written in your answers? Whoever adds one more point than the other wins.'

Jiang Luo thought for a moment, but Liao Si had already spoken gently. 'I discovered the Divine Statue had two guardians—one a living corpse, the other a man wearing a fox mask.'

Jiang Luo immediately turned his head, looking coldly at Liao Si.

Liao Si noticed his gaze and smiled apologetically at Jiang Luo, saying softly, 'Jiang Luo, that living corpse even came looking for you and Lu You. Don't you remember?'

Jiang Luo hadn't written about the Divine Statue's guardians in his answer sheet, and neither had the others from Baihua University. They hadn't revealed the existence of the dead ghost in their answers. But Jiang Luo never expected Liao Si to mention it here.

'A living corpse?' Zhuo Zhengyu frowned, speaking with slight severity. 'Jiang Luo, is this true?'

Jiang Luo stared fixedly at Liao Si, then slowly smiled.

Liao Si suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

The corners of Jiang Luo's lips lifted, free of any shadow. The infectiousness of his smile made others relax and want to smile along. 'Classmate Liao Si, what do you mean by a living corpse?'

He also smiled apologetically, pursing his lips. 'Sorry, as you know, I used to drift along... not very studious. I've never heard the term 'living corpse.'

'If a living corpse came looking for me and Lu You, why didn't you tell me, Classmate Liao?' He sighed regretfully, his brows and eyes full of pity. 'I've never seen what a living corpse looks like.'

Liao Si's eyebrow twitched.

The atmosphere in the judges' room shifted subtly. Zhuo Zhengyu's gaze toward Liao Si held a hint of suspicion.

Liao Si had become curious about Jiang Luo because of Chi You's comment 'Jiang Luo is no good' and wanted to test him. He never expected Jiang Luo wouldn't fall into the trap, and instead he'd gotten himself into trouble.

But Liao Si wasn't ordinary either. He said without changing expression, 'Then I must have seen wrong in the deep night.'

'No, I trust the judgment of a corpse-driver's descendant,' Jiang Luo said. 'Classmate Liao, when that living corpse supposedly came for me and Lu You, were Lu You and I really both there? What about the others? Were they there? Maybe I didn't recognize which one was the living corpse, but surely the others couldn't all have failed to recognize it either.'

But of course, the Baihua University group wouldn't say they'd seen a living corpse. Liao Si wiped cold sweat from his forehead and suddenly began coughing violently.

With this coughing fit, Jiang Luo couldn't press him further. He tactfully said, 'Forget it, it's a minor matter. Classmate Liao, take care of your health.'

Liao Si said weakly, 'Thank you for your concern, Classmate Jiang.'

People with poor health often evoked sympathy, but after this incident, the judges who had felt soft-hearted toward Liao Si hardened their resolve. Zhuo Zhengyu looked at Jiang Luo. 'Jiang Luo, do you have any additional points you haven't written?'

Jiang Luo thought for a moment. 'There are two more things I didn't write.'

Chengde Master encouraged kindly, 'Good child, what are they?'

Jiang Luo smiled modestly. 'The villagers turned into Paper Figures because I burned a grove of Paper Figures underground. Besides that, I discovered a pond of Blood of Female Poisonous Scorpion underground.'

Liao Si froze, looking at Jiang Luo in disbelief.

That was the master's possession. How dare he reveal it like this!

Fortunately, the judges' expressions mirrored his shock, preventing Liao Si from exposing himself. Zhuo Zhengyu even gasped, pressing, 'What? A pond of Blood of Female Poisonous Scorpion?!'

Jiang Luo nodded firmly.

The judge teachers exchanged glances. Chengde Master said gently, 'Alright, you may leave now.'

Jiang Luo and Liao Si walked out of the room side by side. Liao Si smiled bitterly. 'Jiang Luo, birds die for food, men die for wealth. Sorry, I wanted the Yuantian Pearl too.'

'It's fine,' Jiang Luo instead smiled, his attitude seemingly unchanged from before. 'I understand.'

Ten minutes later, the results were announced. Unsurprisingly, Jiang Luo took first place. Amid congratulations, the group boarded a bus and, after four hours of bumpy travel, finally settled in a simple hotel in a small town.

By then, the sky had darkened, night about to descend. The hotel had no air conditioning. Jiang Luo was sweating all over. Taking advantage of the hot water, he took a good shower, washing away the dust of the past two days. When he came out of the bathroom, Feng Li sent someone to summon him.

Jiang Luo threw on some clothes and went to find Feng Li, still damp.

He knocked on the door. Feng Li's cool voice sounded. 'Come in.'

Jiang Luo pushed the door open and entered. As soon as he stepped in, he felt a wave of coolness wash over him, more comfortable than air conditioning. Jiang Luo narrowed his eyes in comfort, scanned the room, and saw a white porcelain bowl placed upside down in the corner.

A horizontal chopstick lay on the bowl's base. Where the bowl's rim met the floor, white mist and cold air seeped out, like an ice block continuously emitting cold.

Since coming to this world, Jiang Luo was no longer surprised by such unscientific methods, but he still found it novel. Feng Li noticed his gaze and said flatly, 'Is your room hot?'

Jiang Luo nodded. 'Not just hot, but dry and stuffy.'

'I'll have your shixiong prepare a bowl of ice water for your room later,' Feng Li said. 'Come, sit down.'

Jiang Luo sat at the desk. Feng Li was about to speak but noticed his dripping wet hair and frowned. 'Why didn't you dry your hair?'

'Didn't have time before coming to see you,' Jiang Luo said indifferently. 'It'll dry in a while.'

But Feng Li disapproved. He got up, found a dry towel, and draped it over Jiang Luo's head. Jiang Luo pulled the towel to his shoulders, glanced sideways, and saw Feng Li still standing beside him.

Jiang Luo found it odd. 'Shifu?'

Feng Li ignored his wet hair, his slender hand reaching for Jiang Luo's collar.

A single finger gently pulled down the collar, revealing the black-haired youth's collarbone. Feng Li looked down. 'The Life-Saving Talisman wasn't used.'

Hearing this, Jiang Luo moved the black hair on his shoulder to the other side to let Feng Li examine the Life-Saving Talisman on him. 'Though it was dangerous, I got through safely. It didn't reach a critical moment.'

Feng Li released his hand, lost in thought as he returned to his seat.

Jiang Luo yawned. 'Shifu, what did you want to see me about?'

Feng Li snapped back to attention, took a box from a drawer, and placed it before Jiang Luo. 'This is the Competition prize, the Yuantian Pearl.'

Jiang Luo instantly woke up. He took the box, opened it, and saw a transparent pearl in the center, faintly emitting an icy aura.

This familiar feeling was exactly the same as that of the Yuantian Pearl in the funeral shop owner's hand.

Jiang Luo took the pearl in his hand. Touching it felt like holding ice. Its texture was smooth as jade, glowing silver-white, as if it might dissipate into the air at any moment.

Jiang Luo stared intently at the pearl, growing fond of its color. 'Shifu, what exactly is the Yuantian Pearl?'

Feng Li said, 'I'll tell you after we return.'

Jiang Luo came back to his senses, returned the Yuantian Pearl to the box, and smiled at Feng Li. 'Alright.'

Seeing his tired expression, Feng Li said, 'Alright, go back now.'

Jiang Luo stood up to leave. As the door was about to close, he looked up through the crack. Feng Li sat at the desk, entirely in shadow.

His eyes were deep. His Tang suit, nose bridge, and profile lines sank into the darkness like a statue made of plaster, motionless as time's dust swallowed it.

An essential, soul-deep loneliness and coldness leaked from him.

For a moment, Jiang Luo felt the person sitting there wasn't Feng Li, but Chi You.

With a 'click,' the door closed.

Jiang Luo stood still for a moment, then slowly turned and walked toward his room.

After a few steps, a thin layer of cold sweat appeared on the tip of his nose.

He thought.

In the original book, why did Feng Li help Chi You cultivate and seek revenge?

If Chi You's ultimate goal truly was to drag the Xuanxue World down together, how could Feng Li, as the new Tian-shi, help him?

Unless.

Feng Li had also become Chi You's Puppet.

Or Chi You's new body.

*

With such a huge conjecture surfacing, Jiang Luo thought he'd feel chilled and restless. But he ate when it was time to eat, slept when it was time to sleep. The next day, when they could visit the Hospital, he went with his companions to see Lu You.

Lu You was fine but had been forced to lie in the Hospital for a day. A day later, he was a lively, energetic fellow again.

Jiang Luo teased, 'Lu You, you recover quickly.'

Lu You said, 'Can't compare to the dead ghost.'

As soon as he said it, he glanced around and cautiously leaned close to Jiang Luo. 'Jiang Luo, did you rescue the dead ghost?'

Jiang Luo said, 'He's called Teng Bi now.'

Lu You understood what that meant. The one who was friendly to them, who treated them as friends, was the dead ghost, not the living corpse Teng Bi. And now that the dead ghost had become Teng Bi, he naturally was no longer their friend.

Lu You was downcast all the way until they packed their luggage and boarded the plane. Then he recovered, sighing deeply. 'Fated to meet, but not to stay.'

Jiang Luo closed his eyes to sleep. 'Alright, let's sleep.'

*

In remote Shentu Village.

In the uninhabited deep mountains, a large boulder suddenly trembled twice. After a two-second pause, it trembled violently again.

With a loud 'bang,' the boulder finally shook loose and fell, revealing the black hole it had been blocking.

A man wrapped in ragged cloth, covered in dust and mud, crawled out of the hole.

He held a Great Sword. After climbing onto the ground, he looked around somewhat bewildered.

'Friend...'

But his nose could no longer smell any living scent.