Chapter 85: Reverse Lifespan Talisman

"Open the door for him!" Zheng Shouhe commanded, his grip tightening on the dagger pressed against Wen Xiangyu’s back.

Wen Xiangyu had no choice but to comply.

As the door swung open, it revealed a clean-cut face—it was Lu Yang.

Wen Xiangyu desperately signaled him with her eyes to run, but Lu Yang seemed utterly oblivious, a professional fake smile plastered across his face. "Your barbecue skewers."

Zheng Shouhe returned the professional fake smile; the newcomer looked like a simpleton, someone who would be entirely too easy to lure inside. "Come on in and take a seat, brother. Let me get the money for you."

Believing him completely, Lu Yang stepped inside. Noticing the pitch-black interior, he smiled. "Going to sleep this early without even lighting a lamp?"

Seeing Lu Yang walk blindly into the trap, Wen Xiangyu grew frantic. Hardening her resolve, she lunged forward to push him back out.

Zheng Shouhe, sharp as ever, caught on to her sudden move. It was too late. With a cold sneer, he shoved her behind him and thrust his dagger through the darkness toward Lu Yang.

Having spent a long time in the dark, Zheng Shouhe’s eyes had fully adjusted, whereas someone walking in from the street would inevitably need a moment for their vision to adapt. That brief window was his perfect opportunity!

It seemed tonight was destined to be a night of bloodshed!

Lu Yang delivered a kick that sent Zheng Shouhe flying four or five meters back.

There was no point in bringing logic to a cultivator.

Zheng Shouhe had never expected such a blow. The kick was devastatingly heavy, crashing against his chest like a massive boulder; spots danced before his eyes, several ribs shattered, and he vomited a great mouthful of blood!

Realizing he had run into a formidable adversary, he knew his only hope of survival lay in using the hostage!

Forcing his sheer willpower to suppress the agony in his chest, he rolled over and lunged to grab Wen Xiangyu by the wrist.

"If you move another inch, I’ll kill her!" Zheng Shouhe threatened savagely.

But the figure pinned beneath him let out a cold laugh. "Who exactly are you going to kill?"

Zheng Shouhe looked down, horrified to find that the person he had seized was not Wen Xiangyu at all, but Lu Yang!

Lu Yang slammed a palm upward against Zheng Shouhe’s jaw, snatched the dagger with his other hand, and systematically dislocated the man's limbs.

"What a stroke of luck. How does a simple food delivery turn into such a mess?"

Exhaling a long breath, Lu Yang struck a match to a candle, filling the room with a dim, flickering glow.

Wen Xiangyu had not expected the tables to turn so instantly; the humble shop assistant from the barbecue joint had acted like a god descended to earth, subduing the vicious criminal in the blink of an eye.

"Are you alright?" Lu Yang asked, helping the dazed Wen Xiangyu up from the floor.

"I... I’m fine."

"Good to hear. Now, about the money for the skewers," Lu Yang said politely.

"Ah? Oh... right." Wen Xiangyu finally remembered that Lu Yang had come to deliver food, saving her life purely by coincidence.

After handing over the coins, a wave of delayed panic washed over her. Seeking any kind of distraction to ease her terror, she stammered, "You... you’re a cultivator?"

"That's right."

"Cultivators run shops too?"

"Just trying to make a living."

Groaning on the floor, Zheng Shouhe was consumed by bitter regret. What terrible luck to cross paths with a cultivator the moment he stepped outside; had the cultivation world really fallen so far that they resorted to delivering food just to survive?

Seeing Wen Xiangyu still trembling from the ordeal, Lu Yang let out a soft laugh and shook his head. "Come on, I'll walk you to the magistrate's office to report this."

"Thank you." Wen Xiangyu then remembered the intruder upstairs. "Oh, right, there’s another one upstairs. He must be an accomplice."

Having woken up to see both Zheng Shouhe and Lu Zhi, she had assumed they were partners who had simply fallen out over her beauty.

Lu Yang made his way upstairs and found Lu Zhi tied up securely. He too assumed the man belonged to the same crew. "A coordinated operation, I see."

Lu Zhi cried out in protest, "Don’t talk nonsense! I’m not with that guy! He’s a kidnapper, I’m just a thief—our sentencing thresholds are completely different!"

Lu Yang was amused. "You certainly know your penal codes."

"In our line of work, we always check the statutes before a job to see how many years we're risking," Lu Zhi explained, evidently quite proud of his expertise.

"Well then, let’s go to the yamen and find out exactly how many years you’ll get."

Hearing the word 'yamen,' Lu Zhi panicked and began to beg. "Wait, wait, wait, brother! Let’s talk this out. We’re both men of the world, why push me to the brink? Tell you what, I’ll give you something incredible if you let me off the hook. Deal?"

Lu Yang studied Lu Zhi, assessing him to be nothing more than an ordinary mortal. "What kind of incredible thing?"

"A piece of yellow paper that can make anyone fall asleep. With this paper, you can make whoever you want drift off, and do whatever you please to them!"

Connecting this to the recent strange occurrences around town, Lu Yang’s brow furrowed. Sensing a deeper plot, he demanded coldly, "Where is it?"

Lu Zhi was no fool; he wasn't about to give up his leverage so easily. "You have to promise to let me go first!"

Lu Yang swore solemnly, "I, Chi Xulong, swear to the heavens that if I do not set you free, may Chi Xulong be struck down by five bolts of heavenly lightning!"

Lu Zhi rejoiced. "The yellow paper is hidden in the corner of the exterior wall on the first floor."

Evidently, Lu Zhi was not particularly bright either.

Lu Yang leaped down from the second floor and searched around the perimeter of the ground level. Sure enough, he uncovered a slip of yellow paper.

The paper was inscribed with symbols Lu Yang could not decipher, resembling some sort of occult talisman.

Tucking the talisman away, he returned upstairs. "Where did you get this?"

"Right beneath the Great Stone Bridge. I was escaping by boat once and happened to look up, and there it was, pasted under the bridge."

Lu Yang nodded. He went downstairs to pop Zheng Shouhe’s legs back into their sockets, then marched the two criminals toward the magistrate’s office, with Wen Xiangyu following closely behind.

"Hey, hey, hey! You broke your word!" Lu Zhi screamed.

Lu Yang let out a cold mock. The one destined to be struck by lightning was Chi Xulong; what did that have to do with him, Lu Yang?

As it happened, Captain Wei was on duty that night. When he saw Lu Yang escorting two criminals into the yamen, a distinct feeling of 'you again' washed over him.

After hearing the details of the two captives, Captain Wei put away his casual demeanor and grew serious. This Zheng Shouhe was a wanted murderer, a high-profile felon; capturing him was a significant achievement for Lu Yang.

"This is the yellow paper Lu Zhi spoke of," Lu Yang said, handing the item to Captain Wei, having already memorized the symbols drawn upon it.

Taking the paper, Captain Wei also recognized the gravity of the situation.

He had heard rumors of townspeople suffering from sudden daytime fatigue; he hadn't thought much of it himself, assuming it was a minor ailment, but now it appeared someone was pulling the strings intentionally.

There was no telling how many of these yellow papers were currently hidden throughout Yanjiang County.

However, Captain Wei could not decipher the meaning of the runes either. He decided to wait until morning to consult the Chief Constable when he came on duty.

"Much obliged. I'll have another honorary banner sent to your shop tomorrow," Captain Wei said, waving goodbye after taking statements from Lu Yang and Wen Xiangyu.

Before leaving, Lu Yang paid a visit to the cells to find Chi Xulong. "I have a brother named Zheng Shouhe coming in for a while. Take good care of him for me."

Chi Xulong sneered inwardly. So, the day had come where Lu Yang needed a favor from him. 'Take good care of him'? His Stone-Spitting Technique had reached mastery; he would show this newcomer exactly how he dealt with friends of Lu Yang.

After escorting Wen Xiangyu back to her tofu shop, Lu Yang resolutely declined the block of tofu she tried to press upon him as a token of gratitude.

By the time the ordeal was settled, the barbecue shop had already closed for the night. When Lu Yang returned, his two bound ghosts were busy washing dishes.

Lu Yang sketched the runes from the yellow paper for Lan Ting. "Take a look at this symbol. Is its effect meant to induce sleep?"

Lan Ting studied the drawing carefully, a look of astonishment dawning on her face. "Where did you find this? This is a Lifespan-Reversing Talisman. It drains a person's vital essence. Those affected appear lethargic and sleep excessively to the outside world."

"Such talismans only work on ordinary mortals; they have absolutely no effect on cultivators."