Spirit Hunters of Maoshan Sect

After he sent Xie Yuqing off, Ye Shaoyang moved a chair and sat down in the living room . Xiao Ma still slept soundly, and his buttock stuck out from the couch . Ye Shaoyang took out his phone and called Rui Lengyu, but no one answered . While he pondered about whether to send a message to her, he suddenly felt something strange beside him . Abruptly, he stood up and grasped a black shadow from the air . The black shadow spread its arms and a jet of black Qi repelled Ye Shaoyang’s attack . At the same time, the black shadow immediately retreated .

“You have skills,” Ye Shaoyang formed a hand seal and slapped toward its face . The black shadow moved aside at once and waved its hands, “Stop! Stop! It’s me, Sorcerer Ye! Don’t be so sensitive . ”

Ye Shaoyang stopped and carefully examined the figure . It was a middle-aged man dressed in western attire . He looked quite familiar, but Ye Shaoyang could not recognize him immediately . So, he asked, “Who are you?”

“It’s me, the informant spirit, Mr . Zhang,” the middle-aged man shook his head and continued, “Busy men tend to forget, Sorcerer Ye . ”

“Ah, Mr . Zhang . I was wondering which spirit has such a high level of cultivation,” Ye Shaoyang cupped his hands, “Long time no see, Mr . Zhang . To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Nothing important . I’m just here to congratulate you . ”

“Congratulate me? What kind of good news?” Ye Shaoyang felt puzzled .

Mr . Zhang chuckled, “You have cleared the spirit nest and all the spirits in the Formation of Eighth Paths . You\'ve earned at least tens of thousands of years of virtue for your second life with this . Let me add it up for you . ” Then, he took out an abacus and started to calculate .

“Congratulations, you\'ve earned seventy-six thousand and five hundred years of virtue for your second life!” Mr . Zhang said .

Ye Shaoyang tilted his head to one side and laughed, “How come you know of the situation so well? Were you there when we fought at the spirit nest? Why didn’t you help us?”

“Hehe . You’re a sorcerer from Maoshan Sect . It is your responsibility to capture spirits and subdue demons . I have my own responsibilities as a spirit informant . I can’t help unless it is absolutely essential . You know the rules, Sorcerer Ye,” he paused slightly . Then, he continued, “You’ve earned so much virtue for your second life in this battle . I guess you are one step closer to your promotion . Congratulations to you . ”

Ye Shaoyang rolled his eyes, “This is just a one off thing, I probably won’t get the chance to eliminate such a huge spirit nest in the future . Furthermore, we barely escaped this time . It was not easy . ”

“Anyway, you managed to settle it . Hehe . I purposely came here today to congratulate you . ”

Ye Shaoyang knew Mr . Zhang’s plan . He waved to Mr . Zhang, “I will burn twenty candles and ten stacks of joss papers to you . ”

Mr . Zhang could not refrain from smiling . He cupped his hands, “Thank you so much . I have to leave now . Please invite me if you have other business for me next time . ” After he spoke these words, he disappeared into thin air .

“What did he mean by virtue for your second life?” Xiao Ma asked as he sat up . He had woken up the moment Ye Shaoyang tried to capture Mr . Zhang . He had sat quietly at the side and did not interrupt them until Mr . Zhang left .

“I’m in a very good mood today . Let me tell you some matters regarding the discipline of Daoism . We have different rankings like Dao apprentice, Necromancer, Enlightened one, and Heavenly Master . Then, there is the divine rank . The divine rank is one of the heavenly secrets . You don’t need to know much about this . The virtue for an individual’s second life is one of the methods to promote your ranking . It is calculated according to the age of the spirit, not the spirit’s mortal age . If you kill or transcend more spirits, you can accumulate more,” Ye Shaoyang replied as he stretched .

Xiao Ma nodded, but he still felt a bit confused, “Is it the same as gaining experience and leveling up in games?”

“I don’t understand what you mean, as I’ve never played such games before . The Three Pure Ones will decide one’s promotion . If you accumulate a certain amount of the virtue for your second life, you can hold a ceremony and pray to The Three Pure Ones, and they may promote you . ”

Xiao Ma asked, “Does that mean you will grow more powerful if you rank up?”

Ye Shaoyang answered, “There will be no direct changes in your power . However, you can practice and perform more Daoist Arts . For example, you can only learn the inner arts of Maoshan and how to use talisman papers after you reach the rank of Necromancer . Different colors represent the different rankings of a sorcerer . From a Daoist Apprentice to a Heavenly Master, the colors will follow this order: yellow, blue, red, and purple . The power greatly differs among different colors of ritual tools . ”

Xiao Ma slowly nodded and recalled that Ye Shaoyang used purple talisman papers every time he performed Daoist Arts . He had thought that it was the same for all Daoists but had never thought it was all related to the Daoist’s ranking . Xiao Ma admired Ye Shaoyang even more after he heard this explanation . He grinned, “Little Ye, I always hear them address you as Heavenly Master . I thought they addressed every Daoist as Heavenly Master . Now, I finally learn that you are so awesome . ”

“So, you finally realize . ” Ye Shaoyang raised his eyebrows; he felt proud of himself .

“Little Ye, how do the ranks work after Heavenly Master?”

Ye Shaoyang waved to Xiao Ma, “I told you . I can’t tell you now . I am going to bathe now, and we will go to eat after that . ”

After Ye Shaoyang bathed, he changed into a set of Nike sports attire that he bought from a marketplace . He thought of wearing the belt that carried his ritual tools, but he did not after he gave it a second thought . Since they had already settled the case, he should relax . So, he did not bring any of the ritual tools, as he headed out to eat with Xiao Ma .

In order to celebrate, they chose to eat at a slightly high-class restaurant . They ordered a few dishes and a bucket of beers . Ye Shaoyang’s phone rang just when they were about to eat . It was from Zhou Jingru . He thought of the incident she had previously mentioned, so he picked up the call at once .

“Big brother Shaoyang, are you done with your matters?” Zhou Jingru’s voice sounded as peaceful as usual .

“I’ve just finished with it . How is your dad now?”

“It has become worse recently . Can you come over when you are free?”

“Where are you? I can head over to your place now . ”

After she gave him the address, Ye Shaoyang hung up the phone . He grabbed two pettitoes and rushed out, “I’ve something to do right now . You have to eat alone . You can bring the food back if you can’t finish it . I will eat when I return later . Just don’t waste the food . ”

“Are you going to leave right now?” Xiao Ma felt shocked, “Where are you going?”

“To capture a spirit . ”

Once Ye Shaoyang exited the restaurant, he took a taxi to the First Hospital in Stone City . He arrived at the room number that Zhou Jingru had given him . A mature, pretty lady opened the door after he knocked . Ye Shaoyang felt stupefied for a moment . Before he could say a word, the lady smiled and said, “Welcome, Mr . Ye . Please come in . ”

Ye Shaoyang saw Zhou Jingru, who walked toward him when he entered the room . She looked wan and sallow . Once she saw him, her eyes shone with hope, “Big brother Shaoyang, you are finally here . ”

Ye Shaoyang nodded . The hospital bedroom was as good as a room in a luxury hotel . A man laid on a large, engraved wooden bed . Ye Shaoyang paused and laughed at himself when he looked at the man .

It was Zhou Ming, Zhou Jingru’s father, the chairman of Star City Corp .

On the way to the hospital, Ye Shaoyang had imagined Zhou Ming’s appearance . He thought Zhou Ming would be an ugly man with a big head and a pair of large ears . But his imagination was totally off—the bespectacled Zhou Ming had a handsome, yet earnest look . He looked mature, calm, and refined . Even though he was very weak, he still insisted on sitting up and greeting Ye Shaoyang politely .

“I heard you are Xiao Ru’s friend . I’m sorry to trouble you at this moment . Xiao Liu, make him a cup of tea . "

The mature, pretty lady quickly made a cup of tea and served it to Ye Shaoyang . Then, she walked out and gently closed the door behind her .

“Mr . Ye, please have a seat,” Zhou Ming said courteously .

Ye Shaoyang nodded, but he did not sit . Instead, he stood in front of the bed and examined Zhou Ming from head to toe . Zhou Ming had a dull complexion and black Qi had condensed between his eyebrows .