Jia Louluo felt that he had never really done anything wrong in his life, so why he was saddled with such an unlucky brother was something he couldn’t figure out for the life of him.
However, having cultivated Buddhism for a long time, he was a firm believer in karma. Thinking it over, since he hadn’t committed any sins in this life, perhaps in his past life he had killed Maha’s entire family and owed him five million, and that was why he had to pay such a heavy fraternal debt in this life.
With a terrified, rigid sea snake coiled on his head, Jia Louluo left the Sea of Blood with a blank expression, passed through the spatio-temporal barrier, and arrived at the other end connecting the Sea of Blood to the Asura Path. The Yama King Palace snaked along the majestic Double Iron Wheel Mountains, so vast that even from this distance, he couldn’t see its end.
He threw the snake back into the Sea of Blood and transformed into a Golden-Winged Great Roc. Under the gaze of countless demons, he flew over the sea surface and the crystal avenue, landing on the high roof of a tower in the demon palace. He found a spot with a wide view and sat down, reverting to his human form.
A child of the gods like Jia Louluo, who had grown up on the high-altitude snowy mountains, found it difficult to adapt to the harsh environment of the Four Evil Paths. The thick smell of blood that permeated the air made it hard for him to breathe, leading to sleepless nights. He couldn’t even bring himself to eat the flesh of the sea snakes from the Sea of Blood. When Phoenix arrived in the demon realm and saw him, he had suggested that Jia Louluo return to the snowy mountains, but Jia Louluo had refused.
He didn’t know why he wanted to stay here either. His family had been scattered for so long that he found himself somewhat reluctant to leave.
“Mother?” Jia Louluo turned his head.
Chu He walked along the moonstone tiles, the roof creaking under his feet. He came before Jia Louluo and reached out to ruffle his younger son’s messy short hair.
“Where’s your brother?”
“He was in the Sea of Blood just now. The Asura King Baḍin was leading vengeful ghosts to the human realm, and when they passed the Sea of Blood, he followed them to watch the fun.” Jia Louluo paused, then added, “It’s not necessarily to… eat people.”
Chu He sighed almost inaudibly and sat down beside his younger son, squinting at the gloomy sky in the distance.
Jia Louluo couldn’t help but whisper, “Maha’s hair has turned completely silver. Eating people is mainly to delay the symptoms of the five signs of celestial decay. He’s actually been quite restrained recently, only eating what the Asuras leave behind. He also knows that if he keeps eating like this, he’ll soon face another lightning strike…”
Chu He took a paper packet out of his jeans pocket, opened it, and revealed a small handful of reddish-brown dried grass. He gave half to Jia Louluo and put the rest in his own mouth to chew.
“What is this?” Jia Louluo asked, surprised.
“Demon realm tobacco. It’s refreshing.”
Jia Louluo tried it. It was intensely bitter at first, but after chewing a dozen times, an indescribable sweetness slowly spread from the root of his tongue.
He had tried the local tobacco in Nepal. It wasn’t as hard to swallow, but the aftertaste wasn’t as rich and lasting as this. And it was true that his mind cleared quickly, the fatigue from several sleepless nights lessening considerably.
“I will give Maha another divinity,” Chu He said, “but not now.”
Jia Louluo couldn’t help but ask, “When will that be?”
Chu He gave him a deep look.
It was a strange thing. Maha’s features, while based on a resemblance to Phoenix, were sharper. Yet, there was always a cold and strange aura flowing from the corners of his eyes and brows, sometimes even reminding one of a snake—a beautiful, evil snake that might suddenly appear behind you to deliver a fatal kiss.
But Phoenix possessed a sense of majesty within his gentleness. His features were elegant, noble, and inviolable.
Could the King of Proven Battle Merit and one who achieved perfect merit at birth really have such a great difference in their acquired nature? Jia Louluo couldn’t help but wonder. He tried to imagine the Peacock Bright King on a lotus throne in a kasaya robe, but the first image that came to mind was Maha running naked and wild all over the mountains, and instantly, all thoughts vanished.
“How much of your karmic debt have you paid off?” Chu He didn’t answer Jia Louluo’s question, but asked one of his own.
“…I’m not short… much, am I?” Jia Louluo thought for a moment. “I never had many incense offerings to begin with.”
“I’m not short much either, but Maha hasn’t paid back a single bit. He would have to kneel and chant sutras for at least a thousand years to offset his current karmic debt. If he were to regain his divine status now, his incense offerings would increase, but if he doesn’t change his bad habit of eating people, he will soon attract divine retribution by lightning again.”
Jia Louluo thought to himself that eating people was Maha’s nature and was almost impossible to change. The best solution for him was to reside permanently in Hell, where he could wreak havoc in the Sea of Blood as he pleased. It was better for him not to go to the human realm.
“Wait, Mother,” Jia Louluo suddenly realized. “Do you mean you’re going to make Maha pay off his current incense debt, and then take the Demon Lord’s…”
Chu He raised his index finger, instantly silencing Jia Louluo.
“The Yama King Palace is Fan Luo’s eighth consciousness,” he said. “Don’t speak carelessly.”
Jia Louluo nodded, then frowned, thinking that if that were the case, did his mother intend to wait in Hell for a thousand years for Maha to pay off his debt before making a move on the Demon Lord, and only then return to the human realm to reunite with his father?
That was too tragic. His father would probably flatten Hell with bombers first, then grab Maha and strangle him to death.
“It won’t take that long,” Chu He said, as if he had read his mind, his eyes bright and deep. “In seven days, Fan Luo will lead the hell demons to the human realm to release death qi. I will accompany him…”
Jia Louluo’s pupils widened slightly as he realized something.
But Chu He didn’t explain further. He only placed his hands on Jia Louluo’s shoulders and studied him carefully. For the first time in so many years, he looked at his younger son so seriously, so solemnly, not missing the slightest detail. This handsome young man had grown up without him noticing.
Children always grow up so fast, he thought.
No matter how many long years it takes, in the eyes of parents, they always seem to blow up like a balloon overnight and suddenly become adults.
Now, thinking back to the impulse he had when the children were just born, the urge to cling to them with his entire being, that fervent, abnormal affection, it seemed to have transformed over thousands of years of family life into a deeper, heavier, and at the same time, calmer love. He was still willing to sacrifice himself to protect his children, but that extreme, reckless passion felt like something from a past life.
He was finally beginning to realize that his children had their own future paths to walk. Perhaps the person destined for them was hesitating just around the corner, waiting. And as a parent, he had his own life already laid out before him, and he too had someone waiting for him in the distance.
“What are you thinking about?” Jia Louluo asked subconsciously.
“Nothing,” Chu He smiled slightly and patted his son’s spiky hair, feeling it was much like touching Zhou Hui’s head after he’d used two kilograms of hair gel.
A hairstyle that took Zhou Hui half a day in front of the mirror every morning, his son had naturally.
Jia Louluo wanted to ask something more, but Chu He gave his head a firm pat, stood up, and said, “Go back to the human realm. Don’t go to the snowy mountains in the Tibetan region. Go to Beijing and find your father.”
“…Huh?”
“Fan Luo’s ability to travel freely through the six realms relies not only on his divinity as the Great Asura King of the Four Evil Paths, but also on a barrier that can erode space. In other words, this ability only works within the range of his barrier.” A playful look flashed in Chu He’s eyes. “Your father acts all arrogant in front of the Demon Lord, yelling about sealing him, but it’s just to appease the Heavenly Dao. He’s never seriously thought about how to deal with Fan Luo’s ability to travel freely… I’ve long advised him to study more theories on demonic prohibitions, but he never listens.”
Jia Louluo seemed to understand something. He watched as Chu He turned and walked away across the large expanse of moonstone tiles, the creaking sounds fading as he went.
“Wait!” Jia Louluo suddenly took two steps forward. “But you’ve lost your original body, Maha is suffering from celestial decay, and I must stay to help you—”
“No,” Chu He said gently. “Go back. You’ve done enough for your brother. And a parent’s problems are a parent’s problems. Sometimes, you have to have a little faith in the abilities of adults.”
·
It was unknown what Chu He said to the Demon Lord, or if he said anything at all. Perhaps the Demon Lord himself was wary of this youth who looked so much like his mortal enemy and didn’t want him to stay in Hell for long. In any case, Jia Louluo encountered no obstacles when he left the Four Evil Paths. Even Maha didn’t show up to say anything.
This was quite normal. Maha’s daily energy was spent on causing trouble in the Sea of Blood and delaying the speed of his decay. Jia Louluo suspected it would take at least another three days before he even noticed his disappearance.
Beijing, long-distance bus station.
Jia Louluo jumped off the bus, his eyes scanning his surroundings as he landed.
He carried an old travel bag, wore a gray hoodie, and his jeans outlined his strong, long legs. His face, except for his eyes, was tightly wrapped in yellowish bandages, and he wore fingerless black leather gloves.
This getup made him look like a slightly eccentric migrant worker, or perhaps a terrorist with a backpack ready to bomb the station. People kept turning to look at him along the way, but he was completely oblivious.
“Hey, you over there, stop!” Two patrolling police officers noticed something was off and immediately moved to intercept Jia Louluo, flanking him and watching him warily. “Where are you from? What’s with your face? Do you have any ID?”
Passersby frequently turned their heads. Jia Louluo froze for a moment, then took off his backpack and began to search for his documents.
He searched for a long time but couldn’t find them. The set of fake identification and loose cash that Chu He had arranged for him, wrapped in a small cloth and tucked into an inner pocket of his backpack, was gone. The inner pocket was now empty, with a faint, hard-to-see knife slit at the very bottom.
Jia Louluo: “…”
Jia Louluo had never seen a thief in his life. He never thought that even a Golden-Winged Great Roc could be pickpocketed. He was a bit dumbfounded on the spot.
The patrol officers exchanged a look, their tone becoming more serious. “Young man, what’s your name?”
“…Jia Louluo.”
The police officer thought, Are you an ethnic minority? What kind of weird name is that? “What’s with your face?”
“Sensitive to light.”
…What’s with being sensitive to light? Can’t you come up with a more coherent excuse?! The officer on the left started to turn and wave to his colleagues nearby for backup, while the other scanned Jia Louluo with undisguised suspicion. “Young man, where are you from?”
Jia Louluo was quite frank. “From Tibet, looking for my father.”
“Who is your father? What unit does he work for?”
This was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
Jia Louluo said, “Ministry of State Security.”
Five minutes later, Jia Louluo was pushed into a police car, which sped away with sirens wailing.
·
Police station.
Jia Louluo sat properly on a chair. Two police officers sat opposite him, sizing him up with undisguised wariness. In the middle of the table lay his open backpack.
The contents of the backpack were spread out—sutras, sutras, sutras, and a string of agarwood prayer beads.
“Could this kid be selling Buddhist artifacts illegally?” one officer said to the other.
Voices were heard from outside the door:
“He’s our director’s younger son. He was too influenced by his family and ran off to Tibet to study Buddhism from a young age… Yes, it’s all the fault of irresponsibly having a second child. The parents favor the older one and neglect the younger… No, no, I don’t think they’ll have a third. Do they want our director to jump into a river? Housing prices in Beijing are so high these days, where would they get the money to buy them houses and find them wives!”
The deputy chief led two men in black in, saying sympathetically, “That’s right. If you don’t have the ability, don’t try for a second child. If you can’t raise them well, don’t have them.”
Jia Louluo: “…?”
“These two comrades are from Peking University’s Institute for Religious Studies. The young man’s father sent them to pick him up.” The deputy chief introduced the two men in black. The police officer stood up to greet them, and one of the men in black immediately offered cigarettes, a whole pack of special-supply Little Pandas. “Sorry, sorry, for causing trouble for your work. We’ll take this kid with us now…”
Both sides politely deferred, one saying “no need, no need,” the other insisting “you must, you must.” After a few rounds of polite refusal, the police officers contentedly accepted two packs of Little Pandas each. The two men in black turned to look at Jia Louluo, and their mouths visibly twitched when they saw his bandaged face. “Lao Zhou… Teacher Zhou sent us to pick you up. He’s waiting in the car outside.”
Jia Louluo narrowed his eyes.
When his gaze was still and unfocused, it wasn’t obvious, but as soon as he showed any expression, Zhou Hui’s shadow was clearly visible. Especially the deep-set brow bone and eye sockets, and that sharp, calm gaze—it was as if they were cast from the same mold.
He stood up, packed up his backpack from the table, and walked out. When he slung the bag over his back, the muscles in his arm were clearly defined.
The two members of Unit 1 saw his heavily covered attire and old backpack and thought to themselves, No wonder he was arrested as a terrorist. If he went to Tiananmen Square looking like this, it would be a miracle if the patrol didn’t stop him and cuff him to the ground on the spot.
·
Jia Louluo walked out of the police station. A silver Lexus was parked at the bottom of the steps. Zhou Hui, in a motorcycle leather jacket and sunglasses, leaned against the car door lighting a cigarette. He waved when he saw his son come out.
“How did you get arrested?”
Jia Louluo walked down the steps and stood a step away from Zhou Hui, saying flatly, “My money and ID were stolen.”
The father and son, who hadn’t seen each other for several hundred years, faced each other at close range. Although Jia Louluo’s face was covered, his facial structure, hair, and build were incredibly similar to his father’s. Especially that still and formidable aura when they weren’t speaking, which in the evenly matched clash, created a very chaotic yet familiar sense of resemblance.
Zhou Hui was still very young, but Jia Louluo was already a young man of seventeen or eighteen. When they faced each other, they didn’t look like father and son, but more like a mature alpha wolf and a young, strong challenger confronting each other in a wolf pack.
The two members of Unit 1, walking out of the police station from the steps above, subconsciously stopped in their tracks.
After a long moment, one of them hesitated, “Team Leader…”
Zhou Hui suddenly grinned, flicking away the long ash that had formed on his cigarette. He kept the cigarette in his mouth, pulled out the pack, and offered one to Jia Louluo. “Hmm?”
Jia Louluo took the cigarette but didn’t light it. “I came to tell you that the Demon Lord will invade the border in a few days.”
Zhou Hui said, “I know.”
“And Mother knows how to deal with the Demon Lord’s method of traversing the six realms.”
Zhou Hui’s movements paused. He watched as Jia Louluo lowered his head to sniff the cigarette, seemed uninterested, and casually tossed it into a sewer grate by the sidewalk.
“…” Zhou Hui scanned his son from top to bottom. After a long moment, he said coldly, “Get in the car. We’ll talk there.”
It was Jia Louluo’s first time in a car. After getting in, he carefully examined the instruments and steering wheel on the driver’s seat, seemingly developing a great interest.
Zhou Hui casually asked a few questions about the Asura Path. Jia Louluo picked out the important points and relayed everything he knew, speaking concisely. Finally, he said, “Maha has already shown symptoms of the five decays. Mother told me not to stay in Hell and to come find you in the human realm.”
Zhou Hui grunted, his face expressionless.
Jia Louluo couldn’t help but turn his head to look at him.
“What is it?” Zhou Hui asked nonchalantly.
“…I thought you would ask how Mother is doing in the Yama King Palace…”
Zhou Hui turned to his younger son, his long, deep-set eyes narrowing slightly.
His eye sockets were naturally deep, his eyelids not prominent, and his gaze had the characteristic focus of an archer. When his sight locked onto something, it created a sense of penetration, like a sharp arrow.
“How your mother and I are is our own business. Parents have problems that only parents can solve. Besides, no amount of worthless concern can change Phoenix’s current situation, so you don’t need to tell me.”
After speaking, Zhou Hui turned his head back and closed his eyes, leaning against the leather back seat.
Jia Louluo stared blankly at his father, completely unable to understand where this intense, confrontational emotion was coming from. After a long moment, he turned his face forward in a daze, once again feeling the urge to ask his dad for some travel money and leave, to go back to the Yama King Palace and be with his mother.
However, Zhou Hui, having vented the pent-up frustration of many days on his son, immediately received his retribution.
—It was Jia Louluo’s first time in a car in his thousand-year life. He was already feeling unwell after several hours of bumping around on a long-distance bus. The congested traffic in Beijing, with its constant starting and stopping, further stimulated the dizziness in his brain.
After a long journey of stop-and-go, they finally reached the gray iron gate of State Security Unit 547. Zhou Hui turned to his son with a blank expression, about to lecture him, when Jia Louluo suddenly slapped a hand on his shoulder and cried out in pain, “Dad…”
Zhou Hui paused in confusion. In the next second, a spray like a celestial maiden scattering flowers appeared before him, as Jia Louluo let out a “wah” and vomited all over him.
