Chapter 78: The King Shibi’s Calamity-Dispelling Pearl

The director walked over to my side, coughed twice, and then said to the doctors, “You all go ahead and get back to work. Leave things here to me.” With a wave of his hand, he dismissed them. Once the ten doctors had left, the director leaned in suspiciously, sniffing at me, his hand groping my neck as if searching for something.

Honestly, what man could tolerate being pawed at by another man? With a sharp smack, I knocked his hand away and snapped angrily, “Are you freaking looking for death? What’s so fascinating about my neck?”

But the director wasn’t the least bit offended. Instead, he smiled and said, “Xiaodong, you’ve misunderstood me. I think you won’t say that once you see this.” As he spoke, he pulled down his collar, exposing his neck to me.

At first, I thought this pervert was trying to make a move on me, and I was ready to retaliate. But then I saw and sensed something that struck me to the core—a wave of supernatural energy, ancient and profound.

On the director’s neck was a scar formed by congealed blood, two puncture marks weathered by time.

My first reaction was one of utter shock. I probed, “What, were you bitten by a cat or something?”

The director seemed instantly petrified, probably feeling like talking to me was a waste of breath. Without another word, two sharp fangs extended from his mouth, and his eyes turned a vivid orange.

Retracting his fangs, he spoke to me in a clear, steady voice. “Now you understand, don’t you? I am a second-generation demon corpse. My true name is Gano. During the Sui Dynasty, I was bitten by a demon corpse king when suppressing monsters. It’s been over two thousand years since then.”

I could hardly believe it. This man, who appeared to be a middle-aged director, was actually ancient—and, to my astonishment, a disciple of Buddhism. Yet what puzzled me was that I hadn’t sensed his aura before. I asked, “You’re a second-generation demon corpse, but why can’t I sense your presence at all?”

Gano looked at me with a meaningful gaze. “You can’t sense my aura because I have a Buddhist artifact suppressing it. If I were to remove it, you’d notice it immediately.” With that, he removed a strange object from his neck, and I instantly felt the air fill with a murderous chill, the temperature plunging.

I examined the artifact with disbelief. The Buddha’s purpose is to subdue demons and save the world—how could there be a relic that conceals the demonic aura of a corpse?

Gano seemed to read my thoughts. He put the Buddhist artifact back around his neck, then sat beside me, gazing thoughtfully. “Do you know of a Buddha named King Shibi? He was like a demon corpse, yet his radiance shone everywhere. That’s because he used immense spiritual power to transform his murderous aura. The object on my neck is but one ten-thousandth of the power he once wielded—a crystal called the Killing Concealment Pearl. There are only three of these in the world.” Gano pulled out the crystal again, showing it off in front of me with some pride.

King Shibi was truly incredible—the very Buddha who cut flesh from his own body to feed doves, depicted on the north wall of Cave 254 in the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang. I never thought he really existed.

And with King Shibi’s great power, he could conceal murderous aura, transforming it into radiant light. Even a minuscule crystal, just one ten-thousandth of his power, could mask that aura so well that even those stronger than oneself, with supernatural abilities, couldn’t detect it.

I gave Gano a sly grin, my eyes locked on the droplet-shaped crystal at his neck. I could almost feel myself drooling over it.

The old fox Gano noticed my covetous gaze, instinctively shielding the crystal with his hand, pushing his chair back a little. He looked at me warily. “Don’t even think about this pearl. Without it, I’d be at the mercy of anyone stronger than me. If you want one, I know who else has another—you can try your luck there!” He scooted a little closer as he spoke.

I already disliked cowards, and here was a second-generation demon corpse acting so timidly—what a disgrace to his kind. As he leaned closer, I pointed at him and said impatiently, “Enough, just stay where you are and talk from there!”

Gano saw my irritation, but there was nothing he could do. Even setting aside Er Peng’s standing, my identity as the first-generation demon corpse king was enough to keep him in line. So he kept a smile on his face.

The timorous old monk, Gano, with his weathered middle-aged appearance and white cap—surely covering a bald head—sat two meters away, rubbing his hands and smiling. “Well, here’s the thing. Even if I told you who has the other pearl, it’s unlikely you could take it from him. He’s definitely stronger than you.”

Stronger than me—what a useless thing to say. There are plenty in this world more powerful than I am, and a pearl like this would never wind up with an ordinary person.

I stared at Gano and demanded, “Who has it? Tell me, now!”

Gano hesitated a moment, then replied seriously, “To be honest, the one I know of is in the underworld, in the hands of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. Many reckless monsters and demons have tried to steal it from him, only to be utterly destroyed.”

Damn it, a Bodhisattva? This old fox really knows how to mess with me. What’s the point? Even as the first-generation demon corpse king, I’m no match for a Bodhisattva. Even if Yaozu Jiang Chen himself appeared, I wouldn’t be confident of victory.

Without a second thought, I kicked Gano hard, giving him no respect at all for his two thousand years of cowardice. “Are you messing with me?!”

Bang!

Gano flew in a perfect arc, crashing into the wall five meters away. He scrambled up and rushed back to my side, whispering in my ear, “Actually, there’s something else. If you combine all three Killing Concealment Pearls, you can change a person’s fate—or even save a life. That’s all I have to say. You should rest. I’m leaving!” With that, Gano disappeared swiftly from sight, looking utterly ridiculous, as if terrified I’d beat him up.

Still, that information was tempting. Three Killing Concealment Pearls could defy fate itself. Could they alter my destiny as well?

But only two are accounted for, and the third is still lost. If it’s in the heavens, or some terrifying place, there may be no hope.

As I pondered these things, my phone rang. I pulled it out—Uncle Ma was calling.

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(Uncle Ma calls Hu Xiaodong again—what could it be about? Is it time for the appearance of a certain beautiful woman? Please continue to support “The Years I Spent as a Demon Corpse.” If you have feedback, leave a review—your questions will be answered, and I look forward to interacting with every reader!)