Chapter 44: Assassination of the Past

  It's been over ten days since he returned to the world of the living, but Xu Bo still hasn't shown any signs of waking up. He doesn't move, and I can't move either. The ancestors said that to lift the curse of the Ten Thousand Souls, we have to listen to this guy.

  This waiting makes me feel like I'm counting the days, facing an unknown road, I don't even know how to prepare, feeling lost and confused. What is my life, what does it look like? It's really a very philosophical question.

  It's exhausting and unbearable to work hard every day, but doing nothing is also boring, it feels like just going through the motions of eating and waiting for death.

  My father stays in the study all day, I don't know what he's busy with. My mother is still praying for my life in the quiet contemplation house every day. Every time I see this Xu Bo, it's like a zombie standing behind my father, holding that black paper umbrella, making me feel eerie and ghostly. Although I know the reason, I still feel uncomfortable in my heart. Every time I see him, I want to go over and wake him up.

  At this time, Tie Yi added: "Remind you, although Xu Bo now looks like he's in a deep sleep and doesn't seem to know anything, but from my experience, it's still best not to talk nonsense."

  At this point, Tie Yi's expression seemed to have a hint of imperceptible pain.

  Under my repeated questioning, Tie Yi finally compromised and spilled the beans: "At first when I returned to the Cui family, because I was still young and didn't understand things, I saw Xu Bo and, being young and arrogant, said a few words about white zombies. As a result, I was suddenly woken up by Xu Bo and chopped into a baldy with his peach wood sword. It was probably around the time when you were beaten to a pulp by Wang Dan...".

  Upon hearing Tie Yi's words, I immediately decided that it would be better to just sit and wait for death. Even if I were to sink into a deep sleep, there will eventually come a time when I wake up. Everyone knows that a sleep from which one cannot awaken is not called sleep, but rather... death.

  No wonder Iron Clothes didn't lend a hand back then, it turns out there was another plot twist. I didn't expect Iron Clothes to have the same disease as me, not handsome enough to take action, even neglecting his Shadow Guard duties, and now he seems to have gained some popularity through his words.

  "Ask you something, what does Xu Bo's state mean? Is he in a trance, hibernation, cultivation, or is he walking the yin?"

  It's fine to say that the old man is just sleeping in bed, covered with a quilt, but this Xu Bo wakes up on time every day, and after waking up, he stiffly pushes his father around, and can even serve tea, water, and food, which is really strange.

  Tie Yi didn't say a word and just shook his head, as if he had no curiosity at all, nor the ability to communicate.

  "Say something! Aren't you also a zombie bitten by Xu Bo?" Chatting with Tiekuai is really depressing.

  "Curiosity killed the cat, ignorance is bliss. Some things are better left unknown."

  "Don't you want to know?"

  "I don't want to know."

  "Damn it, you're a freak!" I retorted with a scowl. Interacting with Tie Yi was basically like talking to myself, completely lacking in mutual engagement, extremely dull and uninteresting.

  "We met last time, won't Xu Bo be in this state when he wakes up? He didn't seem very normal the last time either!" But looking around the room, it seems like I can only talk to this iron lump.

  "Xu Bo is the emissary of the Cui family, a very important figure. When he's sober, he seems normal, like an old man with some quirks. But when he's drunk, he walks around holding a black paper umbrella, eats and jumps around without any consciousness, like a zombie. It's quite scary to run into him at night." Tie Yi responded with such a bland and unremarkable comment, completely lacking any highlights.

  It's pointless to talk to this stubborn guy, I've lost interest in continuing the conversation with him.

  I muttered to myself, "I really don't know what's so special about this white-skinned zombie, it's unreliable."

  Holding the iPad in my hand, I picked it up and put it down again. When I didn't have one, I treasured it, but now that I do, I don't feel anything at all. I hold it in my hands, staring blankly at the screen, not knowing what to do.

  Watching Iron Clothes still studying that so-called tea art, I shook my head, completely without appreciation, just a mouthful of tea water, why bother with such effort, really bored to death.

  I glanced at Tie Yi and said, "Hey, Tie Piao, stop messing with those old people's toys? After all, I'm also the honorary general manager of the Cui Group. The last time I went to the headquarters building with my father, I haven't been back since. Why don't you come with me to take a look at the little secretary? Accompany Little Sister for a bit? By the way, I'll introduce you to someone, I think Xiao Xiao is pretty good, typical angelic face, devilish figure! Exuding innocence."

  "I feel like other girls seem to have that kind of intention towards you too, what do you think?" I looked at Tieyi with enthusiasm and longing.

  "This phrase is really stingy with words."

  "Why?" I curiously asked, that girl named Xiao Xiao, in her early twenties, a graduate of a famous school, looked good, had a great figure, and was certainly the target of many admirers, if it weren't for Zhou Mo who was etched in my mind, I would have taken the initiative to make a move on this tender grass by the nest.

  Looking at Tieyi's lukewarm and unenthusiastic expression, I said "You won't have any special hobbies, don't tell me you secretly like me?"

  This guy didn't say a word, with a "plop" sound, he sprayed the tea water that had just been poured into his mouth onto my face without wasting a single drop, and then coughed violently. When he finally calmed down, Tie Yi said to me:

  "Are all of you university students, especially those majoring in liberal arts, like this?"

  I proudly puffed out my chest and nodded slightly.

  Tieyi didn't say anything, and instead let out a long sigh.

  It seems like this way, I guess he's not interested in me, so I'm relieved.

  "So are you coming with me or not? Staying at home is so boring, and it's a good chance to clear my head. How about I let you drive my new Porsche?" As for the family business, I'm basically just a rich second-generation heir who does nothing, although it sounds awkward, this sense of superiority is really comfortable.

  I recalled my previous extreme remarks about the rich second generation and deeply reflected on myself.

  Tie Yi seemed completely uninterested in the tempting conditions I put forward, and instead asked me a strange question: "Cui Ming, do you know what is the most basic quality of a yin messenger? What is the saddest thing in life?"

  Unfortunately, whether people are good or bad, they can't escape the pain of regret. It's a power that freezes your smile and brings tears to your eyes every time you try to laugh.

  This guy's words make me feel like I'm listening to a recitation of free verse poetry and a reading of love letters. He casually blurts out such a sentence, with a deep sense of pretentiousness. It seems that this tea art is closely related to his main job as an iron-clad warrior, but he doesn't even bother to think of an excuse, and instead runs off on a tangent to such an extent that it can't help but make me feel extremely disgusted.

  I thought for a moment and said, "You say we two old men, without any little girls around, what's the use of writing that useless love letter? I think being a yin yang catcher is not just about having a good waist, legs and feet, quick hands, clever brain, ruthless hands, and big muscles."

  "Simply put, as long as it's fierce and violent enough, that's all that matters. As long as you can catch the ghost, you're a good ghost catcher. What's the problem?"

  Tie Yi shook his head and said, "Wrong, Cui Ming, you're wrong. The most important thing about being a spy is not skill or bravery, but calmness, not being impulsive or reckless, thinking thrice before acting, only then will you have no regrets." After Tie Yi spat out these three words, he stood there blankly, as if recalling some past event, his hands stopping all movement.

  This unusual behavior instantly piqued my curiosity.

  "A moment's impulse may be death. A moment's impulse may be a lifetime of regret." Tieyi stopped the movement in his hand, and let out a soft sigh, as if there was some untold story in that breath.

  I have no love for this guy's Buddhist chanting-like words.

  However, judging from his demeanor and tone, there must be some story behind it. Tieyi's unusual words piqued my interest, and I put down the car key and coat in my hand, sat back on the sofa, and watched Tieyi look back on past events, reminiscing about the years that had passed like flowing water.

  Seeing my focused and concentrated appearance, Tie Yi completely put down the teacup in his hand, handed me a newly brewed cup of tea, looked very serious, and said "Let me tell you a story. I hope it can inspire and help you on your future path."

  I heard that there's a story about the Iron Clothes, and I thought to myself, "This guy knows so many of my secrets, it's not easy to get some interest back, as material for the Iron Clothes to tease me in the future." Suddenly, I became interested, sat up straight, and immediately forgot about going to the Cui Group to rescue my lonely little sister.

  "As for my story, I think you should already know the general experience. To talk about this fearful thing, after witnessing the eighteen layers of hell, I rarely have a feeling of fear. But the moment I feared the most was not in that dark prison, but right in the human world, during a failed action." Hearing that Iron Pockmark actually had something to be afraid of, my interest began to change from a small spark to a vast ocean.

  The suspense setting of Tie Yi is very deep, and I was instantly attracted to it, concentrating my attention, afraid of missing a single word.

  He looked at me and saw that I was ready to listen, then he began: "It was a human purgatory-like experience. Because of that action, I have regretted it for my whole life. Every time I think about it, I feel guilty and fearful."

  It was from that moment on that I realized, the thing people fear most is not sensory stimulation, but rather the regret in their hearts. The feeling of defeat and helplessness when faced with regret, knowing where one went wrong, yet having no opportunity to change it, no chance to make amends, the fear brought about by despair and disappointment!

  I didn't expect Tie Yi to be so wooden, and the storytelling setup would take a soul-stirring route, almost making me stunned. However, looking at it this way, this matter must have had a very serious impact on him.

  "And this regret was initially due to my lack of calmness, because of my impulsiveness. After completing the task, Tiexiong personally taught me how to learn the way of tea, how to balance my inner heart and how to control my emotions."

  It turns out that this guy's infatuation with the art of tea is not for show, but actually for self-cultivation and nurturing his nature. This is really beyond my expectations.

  "That was my first time carrying out a mission as a Yin-Yang Ghost Captor, a mission to capture and kill the living dead." Iron Robe said solemnly.