He wore a set of ancient black robes, the fabric looking exceedingly luxurious. Draped over one shoulder was a piece of fur from some unknown animal.
It covered only a small portion of his upper body, sleek and glossy, making people want to reach out and stroke it.
A five-clawed golden dragon was embroidered on both the front and back of his robes, so lifelike they seemed ready to fly away.
They looked as though they had truly been sewn with gold thread. He wore a pair of ancient knee-high boots, each embroidered with a golden dragon claw.
Around his waist was a belt inlaid with countless pieces of jade, every one of them round, lustrous, and translucent.
It was as though every piece of jade had been measured beforehand. Neither too large nor too small, they were set into the belt in neat, orderly rows.
Several jade pendants and beads that were clearly anything but ordinary hung from the belt, five or six little strings of them in all.
Every pendant looked painstakingly carved. Even from far away, one could feel their magnificence and elegance.
This man possessed a head of beautiful hair not the least bit inferior to Nangong Yiyi's. It was tied into a topknot, making him look like an emperor who had stepped out of an ancient painting.
Then I looked at myself: a windbreaker with several holes in it and a pair of faded jeans.
And a pair of filthy hiking boots. Compared to him, I looked like some street beggar asking for alms.
I had once thought Nangong Yiyi dressed extravagantly, but compared to him, even she was only a little better off than a beggar.
That handsome face, those incomparably splendid clothes, that aura—it was simply unreal. How could there be such a perfect person in this world? I asked myself.
"What exactly are you?" Nangong Yiyi asked the man.
I could see that Nangong Yiyi's bearing was somewhat lacking—not in terms of strength, but in that innate air of nobility.
The man yawned, stretched lazily, and said,
"I already told you, I don't know who I am. Why are you refusing to let this go?
"Oh, right. If you happen to know who I am, please tell me. Thanks," the man said.
"What exactly is your purpose?" Martial Uncle asked the man.
"I told you already. It's that thing around the kid's neck. I feel like sleeping inside it would be more comfortable than sleeping in that jar, which is why I wanted to come out.
"As for anything else, I haven't thought about it, and I don't want to." With that, he yawned again.
Then he continued, "You don't need to be so nervous. One of you has such high cultivation.
"One is a Ghost King, while I'm merely a Ghost Spirit. You don't have to look at me as if facing a great enemy, do you?"
"How can we trust you?" Nangong Yiyi said. "We won't believe you based on empty words alone."
Martial Uncle nodded as well, indicating that he felt the same way as Nangong Yiyi.
The man sighed. "Sigh... how about I make a Ghost Oath too?"
Then he added, "No, that won't work. I don't have a name, so I can't make a Ghost Oath."
The man pondered for a moment, then said, "How about this? See if it works for you."
As he spoke, he raised his hand. A ball of light wreathed in hazy, mist-like energy immediately appeared in his palm.
Martial Uncle and Nangong Yiyi both looked astonished, then spoke in unison. "Life Source Qi?"
"That's right, Life Source Qi. I'll give this to you.
"If you think I might harm you, just crush it, and I'll immediately be scattered to the winds.
"What do you think? You should be reassured now, right?
"I just want to find a comfortable place to sleep," the man said lazily.
Martial Uncle and Nangong Yiyi exchanged a glance, then Martial Uncle said to the man, "Wait here first. We need to discuss this."
The man nodded and stood there, holding his Life Source Qi in his palm.
Martial Uncle told Nangong Yiyi and Qianqian to keep an eye on the man, then grabbed me and headed off into the distance.
We walked a long way before stopping. Martial Uncle uneasily looked back to see whether anyone had followed us.
Only after seeing that there were just the two of us around did he relax. I took out a cigarette and handed one to Martial Uncle.
I lit one for myself as well, and uncle and nephew smoked together like that.
"What do you think?" Martial Uncle asked me.
What could I think? I was completely green.
I didn't know anything. Since I knew nothing, how could I offer an opinion?
Martial Uncle sighed and said to me, "Sigh... listen to my analysis first, then make your decision. What do you say?"
"Alright, go ahead," I replied.
"This fellow is extremely strange, but despite having lost his memories,
"he seems to understand certain things very well. When you go out into the world in the future, it'll be hard to avoid misjudging people.
"Having someone with a discerning eye by your side wouldn't be a bad thing for you.
"Besides, my master took him in. If he truly wanted to cause trouble, he would have done so during these past ten-odd years.
"I say you should keep him by your side. Even if his strength isn't much,
"his eye is good, and he should be able to offer advice.
"Otherwise, if you go out into the world alone, to put it bluntly, you'll be all alone, won't you?
"Having someone you can control by your side will always be much better.
"And that Nangong Yiyi—honestly, I don't dare trust her completely, even though she made a Ghost Oath.
"But if she truly wanted to kill you, she could absolutely kill you after breaking the oath and before the punishment descended.
"Of course, I'm not judging a gentleman's heart with a petty man's measure. I just want you to have one more helper. Think it over," Martial Uncle said.
I took several deep drags from my cigarette, then fiercely threw the butt to the ground and said to Martial Uncle,
"Alright, I'll listen to you. Martial Uncle wouldn't harm me anyway."
"Let's go. We'll head back first," I said.
Martial Uncle grabbed me. "Hey... don't rush."
As he spoke, he took a small wooden box from his clothes and handed it to me. I asked what was going on.
Wasn't this one of Maoshan's highest-grade talismans, the Golden Light Purple Thunder Talisman?
"That's right. Your grandfather originally gave this to me. This talisman used countless materials.
"It took decades to make, and there were only two in total. Your grandfather kept one and gave one to me.
"Now I'm giving it to you. To be honest, I'm not entirely at ease about Nangong Yiyi.
"After all, she's a Ghost King. Don't judge her by how she is now—she was still a powerful figure who ruled over one region.
"Once I leave, no one will be able to restrain her, so I'm giving you this talisman.
"If she harbors murderous intent toward you, take out this talisman and throw it at her. Summon heavenly lightning and strike her dead.
"Don't worry. Even if she's a Ghost King, if she gets hit by this move, she'll be scattered to the winds, dead beyond all doubt.
"If a Ghost Emperor were struck by this move, killing them would be unlikely, but injuring them would be more than enough.
"Throw the talisman toward the person you want to attack, and just think of locking onto them.
"No matter where the person you lock onto flees, heavenly lightning will blast them into dregs."
"This... this won't do. What will you do if I take it? It's dangerous for you to go out alone too. Keep it for yourself," I said.
"You brat, your martial uncle has plenty of skill. Even if I can't defeat someone,
"if I want to run, even a Ghost Emperor might not be able to catch me. Take it. Don't worry about me."
Martial Uncle tried every possible argument, but even after talking for a long time, I still refused to take the talisman.
"Don't make me slap you," Martial Uncle said angrily.
"But you're my only family. Well, even if not family, you're the only person in this world who treats me well.
"I don't know whether my grandfather is alive. My father's whereabouts are unknown; whether he is dead or alive remains a mystery.
"The world is so vast, and there are so many people in it.
"But the only one who truly treats me well is you, Martial Uncle."
Martial Uncle froze at once, and the anger vanished from his face.
I saw his eyes slowly redden. Then he quickly turned around and wiped his face.
He seemed to be secretly wiping away tears. Then he turned back with a smile and said,
"Hahaha, you... you brat, why are you saying something so sappy?" I knew he was forcing a smile.
Then Martial Uncle said seriously, "That's precisely why you need to stay alive.
"You need to live and find your father. Maybe you'll even get to see your grandfather again."
Before you continue