Zhou Yi stood for a while in front of the glass door, which looked like it was dyed with ink in the darkness, quietly as if waiting for something, then suddenly pushed the door open and walked in.
“Mr. Chu? Oh, there you are. I was wondering where you went.”
Zhou Yi turned around and saw Chu He standing by the wall, slightly panting, his face in the moonlight barely better than white paper, and upon closer inspection, his clothes seemed a little dishevelled. “Why are you here?”
Zhou Yi chuckled, “That’s strange. This is such a famous restaurant in H City. If you can come, why can’t I? Speaking of which, the braised lobster here is indeed good, it’s a pity I was in such a hurry just now that I didn’t taste much…”
Chu He said, “Then you continue to taste it. I’m leaving first.” As he spoke, he walked around Zhou Yi and headed out. Unexpectedly, as they brushed past each other, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.
“Mr. Chu,” Zhou Yi said with a smile, “Your tie is crooked.”
He reached out to adjust Chu He’s tie, his movements very slow and meticulous, even a little gentle. If not for the wrong timing and wrong location, two people standing in such a posture would be so intimate that they would almost resemble a deeply affectionate couple.
“…Are you done?” Chu He asked.
Zhou Yi stepped back half a step to admire his handiwork. “No rush, no rush.” He then reached out again, meticulously smoothing Chu He’s collar, even gently flattening every tiny crease, his movements as tender and precise as if caressing a young girl’s skin. After tidying up for a while, he finally looked up and smiled, “Meeting is fate. On such a beautiful night with blooming flowers and a full moon, why don’t we stay and chat about life?”
“…” Chu He turned and walked away.
Zhou Yi didn’t stop him, just watched him with a smile. Chu He suddenly stopped just before he was about to exit the garden—only to see a transparent wall silently rise before him! If not for the occasional blue electric currents flickering across the wall, it would have truly been unnoticed in the darkness!
“What is the meaning of this, Mr. Zhou?”
Zhou Yi still had that very composed expression. “No meaning, just want to tell you that in my presence, no one can just come and go as they please.”
“Coincidentally, Mr. Zhou,” Chu He said, not angry but smiling. “No one in this world can make me go or stay as they please. Do you want to try being the first today?”
—The night wind seemed to pause abruptly, the air solidified inch by inch, sparkling with ice crystals as small as knife blades. The flowers and trees around them simultaneously let out crisp snapping sounds, unable to bear the immense pressure.
“…Mr. Chu,” at this explosive moment, Zhou Yi suddenly laughed. “The way you speak, it really reminds me of my ex-wife…”
The fierce energy around him suddenly dissipated, as if the sharp confrontation just moments ago had been an illusion. He snapped his fingers with a grin, and then a tall table with red wine appeared out of thin air beside him. He poured a shallow glass of red wine into a crystal goblet, as if nothing had happened. “Mr. Chu, a drink?”
Chu He said coldly, “Your mind might not be quite normal. Have you had it checked?”
“Oh, I’m perfectly fine like this. Do you have a problem?”
“No,” Chu He said. “I just think, no wonder your wife became your ex-wife.”
Surprisingly, Zhou Yi showed no reaction to this provocation. Not only that, his smile grew even wider. “You’ve misunderstood. My ex-wife and I have a very complicated history, not something that can be explained in a moment… To put it simply, what do you think are the main reasons for human couples getting divorced?”
Chu He suddenly felt very absurd inside, but after a moment, he replied, “Infidelity, infertility, emotional incompatibility.”
Zhou Yi said, “Whether feelings are compatible or not is subjective. We once had two sons, so infertility can be ruled out. As for infidelity, we’ve been together for at least a thousand or eight hundred years, so even a cuckold situation wouldn’t be a big deal—you really don’t want a drink?”
Chu He shook his head. Zhou Yi snapped his fingers, and everything except the wine glass in his hand disappeared.
“I later thought about it, and the main reason she left me was that our eldest son died.”
Zhou Yi drained the red wine, tossing the glass into the air, and slowly said, “She thought I was the one who killed him.”
Chu He could no longer restrain himself. “You should say that to your ex-wife, what good does it do to tell me?!”
“Oh, maybe I’ve just been bored for too long and wanted to find someone to judge for me,” Zhou Yi said unhurriedly. “After all, the accusation of killing a child is too messed up, even I don’t feel good about it… Besides, I think he himself clearly killed the child. If it weren’t for his excessive doting and indulgence, allowing the child to commit a monstrous mistake that brought down divine retribution from the six paths of gods and Buddhas…”
Chu He turned to leave, and the transparent wall at the garden entrance instantly flared with blue light, then was violently shattered by his furious finger! Zhou Yi sharply asked, “Did I say you could leave?!”
His figure vanished into thin air, reappearing behind Chu He the next second, and a palm struck towards his throat! Chu He blocked him with a backhand, swung a fist hard to knock his face to the side, and then was heavily kicked in the abdomen by Zhou Yi’s bent knee—this blow was so forceful that an ordinary person’s internal organs might have been expelled from their mouth! Even Chu He’s throat instantly filled with a metallic taste, but he didn’t even pause. He immediately swallowed the blood he had vomited, and his elbow slammed upwards, making Zhou Yi stumble. “Get lost!”
Zhou Yi spat out a mouthful of blood, his ferocity instantly surging. “What did you say?”
Chu He retreated half a step—and in that half-step, Zhou Yi’s figure instantly vanished, only to reappear behind him! In a flash of lightning, Chu He saw Zhou Yi’s shadow rapidly transform in the moonlight, his pupils instantly dilating and then constricting. He was all too familiar with this process; even though it hadn’t appeared for many years, a single glance was enough to recognize it—
It was a Dharmakaya! Zhou Hui, the first of the six realms of existence, had unleashed his Heavenly Dao Dharmakaya!
“Demon Lord! Come out!” Zhou Yi grabbed Chu He and slammed him to the ground, looking up with crimson eyes. “—The Underworld didn’t kill you back then, come out and face your death—!”
With several loud bangs, the surrounding glass shattered! Chu He gasped for breath, and amidst the showering glass shards, he abruptly stood up and ran out. However, after only two steps, Zhou Yi grabbed him by the back of the shoulder and pulled him back, his face grim. “You stay here and watch…”
Before his words had even landed, footsteps sounded from behind, followed by Zhang Shun’s horrified shout: “Brother!”
Chu He’s breathing hitched. He suddenly turned back, but being in a human body after all, a large piece of broken glass had pierced his forehead, and blood flowing down his face obscured his vision. Out of the corner of his eye, he could only see Zhang Shun rushing over, grabbing him and pulling him behind himself.
Even Chu He, who usually kept his composure, couldn’t help but want to curse now. “Zhang Shun! Why are you here again?!”
But it was too late. Zhou Yi, his face livid, grabbed Zhang Shun, intending to toss him out like a shopping bag—if he had truly thrown him, he would likely have been hurled directly off the building. But then something unexpected happened: Zhou Yi’s hand, holding Zhang Shun, suddenly emitted black smoke, and then, as if burned by fire, it abruptly let go!
“This is—”
Zhou Yi, in a flash of lightning, returned to his human form, standing on the ground, raising an eyebrow as he looked at his hand. His palm was a bloody mess, and within the open flesh, a golden swastika (卍) Buddhist seal was faintly visible, vanishing in an instant.
“Reincarnation of the Buddha relic,” Zhou Yi murmured, “…I truly underestimated you.”
“What are you doing? Brother, are you alright?” Zhang Shun, still shaken, supported Chu He. Seeing his face covered in blood, he completely lost it. “Damn it! You were beaten?! Quack! Are you trying to die, you bastard?! Just you wait! If I don’t see you carried out of H City horizontally, I’ll take your last name!”
Chu He grabbed Zhang Shun’s hand and gasped, “Let’s go.”
“But you…”
“But what?!” Chu He yelled. “Leave now!”
Zhang Shun was unwilling, but he could only support his brother, retreating step by step. Chu He didn’t have time to explain to him, only keeping a close eye on Zhou Yi, afraid that he would suddenly change his mind and lunge at them in a fit of madness. But Zhou Yi didn’t do that; he seemed to have suddenly calmed down again.
Standing there, he even looked up at Zhang Shun and smiled, “My apologies, brother-in-law, for my lapse in composure. But your brother’s complexion, I’m not exaggerating, his heart’s blood is almost depleted—if you don’t find a way quickly, then for the next month or two, just let him eat whatever he likes, and just go along with it.”
Zhang Shun asked in astonishment, “What did you say?”
Chu He angrily retorted, “He’s just a lunatic! What are you still dawdling here for?!”
The second blockhead, Zhang Shun, wanted to ask a few more questions, but his brother stumbled out, so he had no choice but to quickly follow. At this point, people from the downstairs restaurant also rushed up. Zhang Shun cast a final, puzzled glance back, only to see Zhou Yi standing amidst the shattered glass, opening his bloody, mangled palm to him, and coldly curling his lips.
“Your brother already has a boyfriend.”
“The haunting in your house was caused by him. If you don’t deal with it, both of you will die by his hand.”
“Your brother’s heart’s blood is depleted. If you don’t find a solution, he only has a month or two left.”
Zhang Shun tossed and turned irritably in bed, his eyes wide open, staring at the white ceiling of the private room. In the fish tank in the corner, several colorful tropical fish swam, casting shimmering water reflections on the walls in the dark.
—His brother already had a boyfriend, how did he not know?
For as long as Zhang Shun could remember, he had never seen a woman by his brother’s side. If his brother lived in the Middle Ages, he would be a living ascetic monk. Young Master Zhang was handsome, rich, and enjoyed beautiful women and good times. Over the years, many stunning beauties had appeared by his side, but his brother looked at them as if watching a play on a screen.
Zhang Shun once thought his brother would continue like this, either dying alone, or one day suddenly meeting a virtuous, graceful, incomparably beautiful, and equally elegant young lady from a prominent family, then living respectfully, faithfully, and becoming a model couple in high society.
But he was wrong.
Someone, like a divine soldier descending from the sky, unexpectedly became his brother’s “boyfriend,” and this man, it seemed, was a formidable character. Zhang Shun couldn’t help but sit up, turning to gnaw at his back teeth, staring at his brother. His brother lay unconsciously on the bed, a white bandage faintly visible in his temple hair.
Actually, upon closer inspection, although his brother was ordinary-looking, with an inorganic paleness in his complexion like he had lost too much blood, and spoke and acted distantly and politely without being endearing, he was actually a very striking person. Zhang Shun didn’t know why, but he often went to the company and knew that from fresh new female recruits to capable female white-collar managers, they would secretly pay attention to every move and word of their CEO Chu. They would even blush and their hearts would pound at his cold glance. That thrilling feeling was probably more effective than Young Master Zhang approaching them with a diamond watch and a luxury car.
It was hard to describe that kind of grace and charm in words; it was a captivating power, far beyond what handsome looks and sweet words could achieve. Zhang Shun even felt that a person with the appearance and physique of a Hollywood star like Zhou Yi was subtly overshadowed when standing next to his brother.
—Which man had conquered his brother?
Zhang Shun had once been impulsive enough to ask directly, but Chu He had fallen ill the night he returned. In all his memories since childhood, Chu He had never been sick, but this time, the illness struck like a mountain collapsing. When he returned to the hotel, his fever had reached nearly forty degrees, and he hadn’t woken up despite doctors fussing over him all night. He also missed the meeting between Mayor Huang and the Japanese investors the next day, remaining completely unconscious, unable to eat or drink, relying entirely on glucose drips to sustain his physiological functions.
Zhang Shun was almost beside himself with worry, nearly running to the dean’s office to pound on the table, but the doctors truly had no solutions. Zhou Yi’s kick had caused no internal injuries, and the hand and forehead wounds were superficial, yet Chu He simply wouldn’t wake up. In the end, the dean could only order constant monitoring of Chu He’s heart rate and breathing, with immediate transfer to the ICU if any changes occurred.
Fortunately, the private room had advanced facilities, and Young Master Zhang was entirely devoted to his brother, tirelessly accompanying him 24/7 without feeling hardship.
“It’s already the third day, damn it,” Zhang Shun mumbled, looking at the flickering LCD calendar on the bedside table. Perhaps because the time dragged on, Zhang Shun grew increasingly agitated. H City was already hot, and the past two nights had been like a steaming cage. Even the air conditioning blowing cold air continuously was ineffective; Young Master Zhang felt a fire burning in his heart.
He made an internal call, asking the night shift nurse to watch over his brother for a while, deciding to go for a walk outside himself.
The hospital corridor was deserted, the fluorescent lights casting a pale, slightly greenish glow on the walls. Perhaps because the corridor was so long, the wind carried a sharp whistling sound; if this were a ghost movie, they wouldn’t even need to build a set, just bring a camera and start filming. Young Master Zhang stood by the window at the end of the corridor for a while and couldn’t help but feel a chill. He decided to go downstairs to the vending machine to buy a pack of cigarettes.
The private room was on the tenth floor. When he entered the elevator, there was already someone inside, dressed in a green surgical gown, standing motionless in the corner. Zhang Shun went in without noticing at first, and only when he pressed a button did he realize the elevator was going up and would stop at the top floor.
“…” Zhang Shun didn’t think much of it and pressed the first floor directly.
Ding!
The elevator doors slowly opened on the top floor, but the person behind him didn’t move. Zhang Shun casually looked out and saw the elevator facing a long corridor that ended at the operating room. At this moment, the red light had just turned off, and the large doors clanked open, with several doctors and nurses rushing out, pushing an emergency cart. The patient on the cart was already covered with a white sheet.
“Holy crap!” Zhang Shun was startled. His reflex was to press the close-door button, but just as he raised his hand, he heard a doctor’s shrill voice: “Wait a minute!”
“Yeah, why is this young man in such a hurry!” a nurse also said.
“Are you in such a hurry to get going?”
“Even those reincarnating aren’t as eager as you!”
Zhang Shun was already unnerved by the doctors and nurses talking over each other when he suddenly saw a hand emerge from beneath the white sheet, quickly flipping it open. Then the patient sat straight up. “Wait for me!”
“Oh, motherfcker!” Young Master Zhang instantly exploded. In his panic, he didn’t know how many times he slammed the close-door button. The elevator doors slowly closed, and then a hoarse voice suddenly sounded from behind: “Wait for me!”
Zhang Shun turned back in shock, only to see the person in the surgical gown looking up, their face deathly pale and covered in livid spots, eyes staring straight at him. “Why are you in such a hurry? Why didn’t you wait for me?” Zhang Shun felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head—this person was clearly the patient who had just been covered by the white sheet on the bed!
“Wait for me!” The patient took a step forward, then suddenly reached out and lunged fiercely. “Wait for me to go together!”
“I-I-I-I-I-I-holy crap!!!” Zhang Shun almost peed his pants. His reflex was to desperately raise his hands to block the patient, his elbow heavily hitting the floor button without him even noticing. “H-h-h-h-help! Help me ahhhhhh—! Brother! Brother! Holy crap—!”
The patient wildly swung long nails, scratching furiously at Zhang Shun’s face. In his desperation, Zhang Shun unleashed immense strength, actually kicking the thing, whether it was a ghost or a zombie, in the chest, sending it crashing into the back wall of the elevator with a bang. Then the patient wheezed and stumbled to its feet, reeking of decaying flesh, and lunged forward. Ding! The elevator returned to the tenth floor and slowly opened.
Zhang Shun scrambled out of the elevator, unprepared for the patient to follow him. Two grayish, cloudy eyes stared straight ahead. “Wait for me, wait for me…”
“Wait for your mother!” In extreme fear, people feel extreme anger. Zhang Shun no longer felt afraid at all. The anger towards Zhou Yi, towards his brother’s boyfriend, and towards Chu He not waking up for days, instantly rushed to his head. Without thinking, he punched the lunging zombie, knocking it down, then rushed up and frantically stomped on it with his feet. “I’ll let you wait! I’ll let you wait! You motherfucker, if I don’t send you off horizontally, I’ll take your last name!”
The zombie, driven mad by the stomping, howled and embraced Zhang Shun, lowering its head to bite his neck. Zhang Shun screamed, pushing against the zombie’s grayish, decaying face. In his panic, the zombie’s sharp nails fiercely scratched his face, and blood instantly gushed out.
“Holy crap… son of a bitch…” Zhang Shun struggled to resist the zombie, but a living person’s strength really couldn’t compare to a dead one’s. The zombie’s teeth, reeking of decay, still moved inch by inch closer to his throat. Holy crap, why isn’t anyone coming to help… Am I going to die…? Zhang Shun gritted his teeth, feeling his strength slowly draining away. Just as he could no longer hold on, his entire body suddenly relaxed. The zombie was lifted in a strange posture, and then with a crisp crack!, its head abruptly tilted.
Zhang Shun exclaimed, “Brother!”
Chu He gasped, gripping the zombie’s neck from behind, and with a sudden surge of force, he snapped the zombie’s decaying neck with a crack. The zombie’s body thumped to the ground and quickly began to burn, turning into a pile of black ashes almost in the blink of an eye. Zhang Shun frantically tried to get up, but with a slight effort, his vision blurred, and the scratched area on his face burned intensely. He just raised his hand to touch it when he felt half of his body had gone numb.
“Brother, what’s going on?” Zhang Shun lay on the ground, unable to get up, his voice trembling. “How am I, what is this—”
Chu He, gasping for breath, half-knelt and helped Zhang Shun up, swaying precariously towards the hospital room. It was remarkable that he could still walk while carrying Young Master Zhang, who was half a head taller than him, but after a few steps, he completely lost his strength and knelt to the ground with a thump.
Zhang Shun’s voice changed pitch. “Holy crap! Help! Someone quickly—!”
However, the entire floor seemed to have suddenly emptied. Forget people, there wasn’t even a sound, only his sharp, lingering echo reverberating in the corridor.
“Brother! Brother, what’s wrong with you?!” Zhang Shun finally realized something was seriously wrong. He frantically supported himself with the half of his body that still had sensation and grabbed Chu He. He saw his brother’s face, pale and tinged with a sickly grey, his lips completely devoid of color. His scattered, unfocused gaze lingered on Zhang Shun’s face for a moment. He opened his mouth, as if trying to say something.
“What are you saying? Brother?” Zhang Shun leaned closer, but Chu He suddenly turned his head, and his icy lips pressed against Zhang Shun’s, passing a breath.
“…” Zhang Shun was instantly stunned.
Even the collapse of heaven and earth, rocks piercing the sky, couldn’t describe Zhang Shun’s shock at that instant. He seemed to have forgotten everything—the unknown danger, the chaotic situation—all vanished into a blank, leaving only this kiss. Only his brother’s icy, soft, slightly trembling lips.
Zhang Shun involuntarily rose to a half-kneel, grabbing Chu He’s shoulders with his other hand. An intoxicating aura flowed through his entire body from the joining of their lips and tongues, like a warm current in winter. Wherever it passed, it made him shiver with comfort. Along with this warm current, he felt the numb half of his body quickly return to normal, his pulse stable, his limbs strong, and even the bleeding on his face stopped.
“Brother…”
Zhang Shun’s fond voice abruptly cut off. He saw his brother trembling as he pushed him away, the breath he had passed immediately severed—at this moment, Chu He’s face no longer resembled that of a living person; if anything, he looked almost like the zombie from earlier. Zhang Shun was terrified at the sight, scooped him up in his arms, and rushed into the hospital room. “Brother! Wake up! Don’t fall asleep! Doctor! Doctor! Where the hell is everyone?!”
Chu He trembled, shaking his head. He grabbed Zhang Shun’s hand and gently turned his palm over. Zhang Shun’s pupils instantly dilated—
He saw that a golden “卍” was imprinted on his palm.
“A Buddhist… Buddhist seal?!”
“I… I returned the Buddha relic to you…” Chu He clutched Zhang Shun, his gaze scattered, his consciousness blurry, but his icy fingers clutched like a drowning person grabbing driftwood. “Can… can you…”
Zhang Shun’s mind was blank, but his brother’s trembling voice still reached his ears, word by word: “Can you… return Mahā’s life… to me? Is that okay?”
Mahā?
Who was Mahā?
Zhang Shun, half-holding the unconscious Chu He, was in a daze when he suddenly heard the urgent ringing of his phone on the bedside table. He jumped, seeing that his brother’s phone screen showed the caller information—Li Hu.
Normally, Zhang Shun wouldn’t answer, but in this hospital where everyone had suddenly disappeared, and heaven and earth seemed unresponsive, even if it was Zhou Yi calling, Young Master Zhang felt like he had suddenly grabbed onto driftwood. He quickly picked up the phone. “Hello?!”
“Young Master Zhang, right?” Li Hu’s calm voice sounded. “Don’t hang up, listen to me. Someone used a spell to harm Mr. Chu. The danger isn’t over yet. Stay by your brother’s side and don’t move. Don’t leave!”
Zhang Shun angrily retorted, “I know! I just wanted to go out and buy a pack of cigarettes and I ran into a ghost! What do we do now?!”
“Close the door of the ward and don’t open it no matter who knocks.” Li Hu said, “Wait for me to get over there.”
