Old Shu's Suggestion, the Seal

The fat man removed the Onmyoji's hold on Xie Xiaotang and was preparing to send her where she belonged. But before leaving, Xie Xiaotang wanted to see Gu Song once more. I agreed to her request.

Xu Qiuyan and I led the fat man and Xie Xiaotang toward where we had parked.

We had not been delayed in the woods for long, and Gu Song's group had not run into any trouble outside.

"Let them talk alone for a while," the fat man said to me. Then he glanced at Xu Qiuyan. "There's something I should tell you in advance, so you can be prepared."

Seeing how serious he was, I asked, "What is it?"

"This originally has little to do with me, but I like the look of you, so I'm giving you a heads-up." As he spoke, he felt around in his pocket and pulled out a cigarette pack, only to find it empty.

He gave an embarrassed smile and asked, "Got a cigarette?"

I handed him one and lit it for him.

"I'm not with Unit Nine, but sometimes they ask me to help out with small matters."

"Were you here tonight to help Unit Nine too?"

He coughed lightly, as though the smoke had caught in his throat—or as though my question had choked him up.

With a sigh, he said, "I came for Sister Xie. I owed her a favor, so when I learned that she'd been murdered and that her soul had been controlled, I wanted to help her. If I didn't free her from those Onmyoji, she would ultimately end up with her soul scattered to the winds."

I said nothing. He owed Xie Xiaotang a favor, so there was nothing wrong with what he had done.

"But Unit Nine did ask me to do something for them."

Xu Qiuyan had only been listening without speaking, but she cut in at that point. "Does it have something to do with us? You came here tonight partly for Xie Xiaotang, and partly for us. If I'm not mistaken, it should have something to do with the people around us, right?"

The fat man's eyes widened. His mouth fell open, and the cigarette clenched between his lips nearly dropped to the ground.

"Why would you think that?" he asked.

Xu Qiuyan answered calmly, "Because I clearly felt Sister Hong's fear. And I also clearly sensed the killing intent you had toward her."

I had felt the same thing from Duan Hongbin.

"Fine, I admit you guessed right. But there's one thing—you mistook it for killing intent. I only wanted to see how strong they were. I never intended to lay a hand on them. Otherwise, they wouldn't have lasted until you showed up."

My heart skipped a beat. It seemed I had still underestimated the fat man's strength.

The fat man stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette and carefully put it into his pocket. "Someone from Unit Nine came to me and asked me to do something. It concerns you."

Xu Qiuyan took a step back and said warily, "I won't let you hurt them!"

I also stepped back, standing close beside Xu Qiuyan. I knew the people she meant were probably Sister Hong and the other person hidden within her.

Could the fat man really be planning to make a move against them?

I silently called for Chu Ge in my mind. Chu Ge quickly replied, "None of us are his match. Even if we joined forces with those two companions of your little girlfriend, we still couldn't beat him."

I knew that Chu Ge, Duan Hongbin, and Eccentric Song were all extremely confident people, yet I could hear fear in his voice.

Was he really going to attack Xu Qiuyan's companions and mine? And was this Unit Nine's decision?

Whose decision in Unit Nine? Xie Yi's, or Old Shu's?

I suddenly regretted joining Unit Nine. Even now, I knew absolutely nothing about what kind of department Unit Nine was or what sort of people were in it.

Maybe I had been too naive.

"I think you've misunderstood. Neither Unit Nine nor I bear you any ill will. To be honest, this was Old Shu's idea."

Just as I had guessed—it really was Old Shu's idea.

The fat man gave a bitter smile. "You don't have to act like this. Old Shu said you could refuse, but he believes that would do nothing for your growth."

I was starting to get curious. "What exactly does he want you to do?"

The fat man's expression turned serious. "He wants me to temporarily seal your companions away for one year. During that year, your companions will no longer be able to appear whenever you need them, as they did before."

I frowned. Xu Qiuyan's eyes shifted. "I think I understand. Does Old Shu believe we've become dependent on our companions?"

The fat man nodded. "Not that you might become dependent—you already rely on them too much. You rely on their fighting skills and their wisdom. Whenever something happens, your first thought is to have them handle it and solve it. Of course, in a sense, they are actually part of yourselves. But they are also a way for you to escape reality. That's why Old Shu hopes I can temporarily seal them away. For this year, you can only rely on yourselves. Only then can you truly grow."

After hearing him out, I fell silent. Xu Qiuyan said nothing more either, only looking at me.

Thinking back, the three of them had always been by my side over the years. During my hardest and most helpless times, it was their steadfast presence that had carried me through to this day. It was what gave me the courage and determination to uncover the truth behind the Little Ancestral Hall Entrance incident. The three of them were my entire support.

But from another perspective, Old Shu was right. I had no ability to survive independently at all. No matter what happened, they were always the first ones I thought of. Sometimes, I did it without even realizing it.

That was why they could appear at my side anytime, anywhere.

As long as the slightest thought arose in my mind, they would appear.

One could fight, one understood mysticism, and the other possessed extensive practical psychological skills. Most importantly, they understood this world far better than I did. And what about me? What could I do without them?

At that thought, fear rose in my heart.

Xu Qiuyan gently squeezed my hand. "Maybe Old Shu really is doing this for our own good."

The fat man nodded. "That's right. Old Shu is a good man. Once you've spent enough time with him, you'll understand. He also asked me to tell you that the abilities of those three companions are all things you gave them. Since you can grant them those abilities, it means you already possess those abilities yourself."

I froze. I had truly never considered that before.

The fat man turned his gaze toward Xu Qiuyan again. "You're the same, except your companions truly exist, in the form of Soul Bodies. Your constitution is special too. If it were anyone else, they would have died long ago. Yet you can withstand such immense sinister and baleful energy."

I asked, "Will this seal harm them in any way?"

The fat man smiled. "No. Of course, I mean it won't harm her companions. On the contrary, it may bring unexpected benefits. Over this year, they can recuperate properly. Their strength might even undergo a qualitative breakthrough. But your companions are different. How should I put it? They were created by your consciousness. Once you truly master all their abilities, they will naturally disappear from your world."

I seemed to understand. "So those companions of mine don't actually exist, and I really do have dissociative identity disorder, right?"

The fat man thought for a moment. "Not exactly. Old Shu said you don't have dissociative identity disorder, but they really were created by your consciousness. That does resemble dissociative identity disorder. Ah, I'm not a psychology expert. This question is too profound for me. Back to the point—are you willing to temporarily seal your companions away? Think it through before answering. The road ahead is still long and dangerous. Once they are sealed, you can only face those dangers yourselves."

I hesitated and exchanged a look with Xu Qiuyan. She nodded heavily.

I had not expected a girl like her to make a decision so decisively.

She smiled at me. "He said it too—this is good for Sister Hong and the others. Besides, I don't want to rely on them for everything. We have to face things ourselves eventually, don't we? And besides, I still have you."

I smiled too, nodded, and said to the fat man, "All right. We agree."

The fat man looked somewhat stunned. "I thought you would refuse."

"Old Shu is right. There are some things we should face ourselves."