Beginning with the Ubume Bird
Chapter 673 - Chapter 673 Chapter 59 The Late Zhao Jianzhong

Chapter 673: Chapter 59: The Late Zhao Jianzhong Chapter 673: Chapter 59: The Late Zhao Jianzhong “`

“Kill him, don’t kill him, kill him, don’t kill him.”

Se Kong walked along, plucking at a plastic flower picked up at random from the roadside. Until the petals in her hand were completely stripped bare.

Muni followed closely behind Se Kong, matching her pace.

Se Kong scratched her purplish scalp and, looking up, asked Muni, “I was planning on killing him after he finished his drink, but after he rattled on, I felt embarrassed to make a move. Does this mean I’ve lost all my dignity?”

Muni lowered her head, “No.”

Se Kong’s expression eased a bit, and she clenched the flower’s stem, kneading it vigorously, “If I help you hold off Zhao Jianzhong and that ugly woman, can you take care of the rest?”

Muni answered, “It’s enough if you only hold off Zhao Jianzhong.”

Se Kong showed a radiant smile and gave Muni a big thumbs-up, “You’re still the most reliable.”

As they spoke, Se Kong and Muni arrived in front of a dessert shop with cartoon signs.

“I want two lemon cakes.”

Se Kong gestured two fingers towards the opposite side of the counter.

…

In the bustling square, Li Yan stood alone, puffing on a gloomy cigarette. He wore a black leather glove on his right hand to cover the unusual appearance of his arm. He looked somewhat odd.

“Beep~” “Beep~”

On the black and white LCD screen, the phone book entries flickered back and forth. Li Yan stared at Judy’s number for a long time, but finally, he sighed and pocketed his phone.

Better not to contact her.

After Cha Xiaodao was seriously injured, she was swallowed by Yu Shiqie’s adopted daughter “Wei Hong” and was temporarily out of danger. For a moment, Li Yan couldn’t find a single person to talk to.

He had planned to find a nearby book stall to pass the time with a martial arts novel, but instead, he unexpectedly discovered a movie ticket in his pocket.

It was for the premiere of “A Chinese Ghost Story II: Human Path” today. Li Yan had bought the ticket earlier, planning to revisit the memories when he had some free time, but a series of unforeseeable events caused him to forget about it entirely.

Li Yan smoothed out the crumpled ticket and, after thinking for a moment, stood up and weaved through the crowd.

…

The ticket was for a corner spot in the third row; the seats in front were mostly empty. People entered the theater in an orderly fashion. Li Yan sat back to rest with his eyes closed, while a few girls chattered behind him.

“I just saw it with my cousin last night. This movie is really awesome!”

“I love anything my brother films.”

“What’s with this crowd? All these old men, people in their fifties also watch movies? They should go next door to the Yue Opera Club for ‘The Butterfly Lovers.'”

A stooped figure with a goat beard, dressed in a long robe, was moving arduously between the seats when suddenly, his cane slipped and he fell forward, steadying himself with Li Yan’s assistance.

“Thank you, young man.”

“You’re welcome.”

The goat-bearded man sat next to Li Yan and after looking him over, said, “Young brother, looking at your face, you seem to have an impending disaster involving blood, be careful.”

Li Yan opened his eyes, his face breaking into a dimpled smile, “Old man, you can read faces, too?”

“Just to get by.”

Twirling his beard, the goat-bearded man continued, “I see fate has brought us together. Give me your hand, and I won’t charge you.”

Without waiting for Li Yan’s response, he grabbed Li Yan’s wrist, muttering, “Left hand the innate, right hand the acquired, destiny from heaven, fortuity from oneself.”

He scrutinized Li Yan’s palm, nodding from time to time, “Not bad, not bad at all.”

“Old man, what do you see?”

The goat-bearded man looked up, “Young man, you’re going to strike it rich.”

“How so?”

Li Yan couldn’t help but offer a smile tinged with irony.

“Your kind of fate is described as the ‘Sanqi Noble’ in the four pillars of destiny, an exceptional phenomenon that arises once in a hundred years.”

Snort~

The girls in the seats behind couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

The goat-bearded man looked sheepish.

Li Yan toned down his expression and leaned in to whisper, “Old man, don’t mind them. Please go on.”

The goat-bearded man’s face improved a bit and, as if afraid of being overheard, he muttered to Li Yan, “This is a good place, it’s just that the young people are not very bright.”

After a pause, he continued, “The Sanqi Noble is divided into Heaven, Earth, and Man. Man Sanqi aspires to achieve unprecedented feats, and Earth Sanqi has the ability to uncover mysteries and penetrate the depths. But you, you are neither.”

“Then what am I?”

“`

Li Yan stared at the goat beard, his expression fluctuating between light and shadow.

“You’re a Sanqi Noble, emerging out of nowhere, a celestial being descending upon us. To put it bluntly, you’re not from around here.”

Not a trace of a smile could be seen on Li Yan’s face.

“But no matter. I’m not from around here either,” the goat beard said with a smile to Li Yan.

“Then you are?”

“People call me Zhang Fu. I’m just a country bumpkin on the martial arts circuit. Someone invited us over for some tea and food and, well… to watch this.”

He nodded toward the big screen where the movie had just begun, and the logo of Golden Princess Film Production Company appeared.

“Who invited you?”

Li Yan couldn’t hold back, and just as the goat beard was about to answer, someone patted his shoulder.

“Brother Zhongshan, this young man is under my wing, stop teasing him. We haven’t seen each other in a long time, why don’t you swap seats with me?”

Goat beard turned around, clasped his hands in a salute to the newcomer, and walked away.

The man who sat down beside Li Yan kept his eyes glued to the big screen–it was Zhao Jianzhong.

“Weren’t you supposed to arrive tonight?”

“I arrived this morning.”

“And, the person just now?”

Li Yan looked around the movie theater and realized that the first three rows were filled with old men yawning and shedding tears, who didn’t look like the kind of people who would usually go to a movie theater.

“They’re guests I invited from other fruits to subdue the dragon, and I wanted to entertain them with a movie. Afraid they wouldn’t understand the story, I thought long and hard and picked this one. Quite a few of them here have read Pu Songling’s works. This movie’s mix of humor, rage, scolding, and mirth should be right up their alley. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Li Yan’s mind was a bit messy, and he hadn’t sorted it all out when the movie’s theme song started to play: “Why have the rivers and mountains of yesteryear turned into a raging sea of blood? The road home, why has it turned into a no-return path?~”

“Who is that young man?”

“Just an indigent scholar from the street behind us.”

“He’s only back now? The world has changed.”

…

“This is all the fault of my ancestors who were blind, forcing me to pursue scholarship. When I grow up, I write books and become a learned gentleman, but whether I recount travels, I’m accused of revealing state secrets, or if I write history, I am charged with using the past to satirize the present. Alright then, let me annotate military strategy, and I’m accused of inciting rebellion. I write about myths, and they say I lead people astray with superstitions. In the end, all I can do is write biographies for others, and then that person gets arrested, labeled a traitor, and I’m sentenced to life in prison alongside him. Tell me, is it my fate to be imprisoned?”

The audience in the theater burst into laughter. Li Yan had already seen this Hong Kong movie, so he didn’t react much. Zhao Jianzhong did not laugh either.

The movie “Human Path” was considered a big production at the time, with certain special effects and props outsourced to Hollywood. With a star-studded cast from Hong Kong, it was undeniably a classic.

More than an hour passed quickly, and the movie was nearing its end.

“For those who cultivate the path, Buddha is in their hearts. Even though I know he’s fake, I still can’t overcome it.”

“What kind of place is this? Who are you, what demons or monsters? Where have you taken the flesh and blood of these noble ministers and great generals?”

“You’re so bold, even daring to impersonate Tathagata. You despicable monster, if you keep pretending, even you’ll start to believe it’s real.”

“No matter how you disguise yourself, I will expose your false face to the world.”

“…”

“Stop being hypocritical in front of us. Do you really think you can cover the sky with one hand?”

“You’ve deceived the world for so long, I must reveal your true face to everyone.”

“People love to worship idols, why must you go against the world?”

“Pah, it’s precisely because people are ignorant that you seize the opportunity to intrude.”

“The Buddha’s law is boundless. If you don’t follow my guiding light, there is only one path to death.”

On screen, the play of light and shadow was mesmerizing.

Li Yan’s expression grew increasingly odd, while Zhao Jianzhong continued to watch intently, the light casting his slack facial muscles in alternating brightness and shadow.

As the movie ended, everyone left the theater. On the street, the goat-bearded man named Zhang nodded incessantly, clearly very pleased with the novelty of cinema.

“Bewildering and varied, Mr. Zhao, you have been considerate, indeed very considerate.”

“As long as Brother Zhongshan is happy.”

After some idle chatter, Zhao Jianzhong saw the miscellaneous group of elderly men off in their vehicle. He glanced at Li Yan beside him and called out, “What are you thinking about?”

“Ah, nothing.”

“It’s just a movie, don’t take it to heart.”

Zhao Jianzhong abruptly changed the subject, “You’ve met with the new Eight Sufferings, especially that one called Muni. I have some questions for you.”