Chapter 23: The Second Generation in Private Territory

Early the next morning, after a night’s sleep in the dormitory, Ou Xiaolu rose swiftly. As he ate his breakfast, he drew his three daily altar rewards. He didn’t even bother to check what he’d received; carrying a small bag and shouldering his newly purchased longsword, he headed out of the school grounds.

Liu, the exorcist, followed behind him as he had the day before, hands clasped behind his back, occasionally adjusting the skin on his face. Hailing a taxi, Ou Xiaolu glanced at Liu and asked, “Are you sure it’s alright for you to be out in broad daylight?”

“It’s not safe for the lesser ones, but I’ll be fine,” Liu replied.

While they chatted, the taxi drove out of Xinxiang’s main streets, turning onto a country road. But soon, the car rolled to a stop and the driver turned to Ou Xiaolu, saying, “Listen, brother, up ahead is private property. Taxis aren’t allowed in.”

Ou Xiaolu glanced out the window. All he saw was desolate wilderness, not a sign of private land in sight. But since the driver refused to go further, he had no choice but to get out and continue on foot.

Fortunately, Liu knew the way, and with Ou Xiaolu’s decent lightness skills, they weren’t worried about the distance. As they walked, Liu explained the individual they were about to visit.

He had been a wealthy heir more than a century ago, but his background was somewhat legendary. His parents were the largest landowners in Xinxiang, but on a trip to the opera, they were killed by a stray bullet during a brawl with some thugs. He was only five years old then, and his heart burned with thoughts of vengeance.

One night, recalling a family legend of a mysterious artifact hidden in the ancestral tomb that could grant power, he slipped away from the caretaker’s watch and ran towards the family graveyard. There, he fell into a cave and died instantly.

At his death, he was surrounded only by a swarm of bats. His unfulfilled soul attached itself to one of them, and he became the most powerful bat demon in the region.

At that time, Liu happened to live nearby. In the East, spirits and bats generally get along well—unlike Western legends that associate bats with vampires, in the East, bats symbolize good fortune. Many exorcist paintings feature small bats, and for this reason, Liu forged an unbreakable bond with the bat demon.

Later, Liu wandered from auction house to auction house, while the bat demon slowly grew stronger using the last traces of spiritual energy before the end of the Dharma Age.

Over fifty years ago, when Liu encountered the bat demon again, the creature had become the founder, chairman, and grand elder of the Holy Blood Council. Legend had it that many of the council’s wondrous blood elixirs were supplied by the bat demon himself. Yet, the bat demon showed little interest in the council’s affairs, preferring solitude and maintaining connections with many ancient monsters. Eventually, he relinquished his position and lived in seclusion here.

Liu spent time conversing with the bat demon and discovered he had ties to certain Eastern deities and spirits, and sometimes messages could be transmitted eastward through him. So, when Ou Xiaolu wished to learn more about ghosts and spirits, Liu immediately thought of the bat demon.

Ou Xiaolu, for his part, wasn’t particularly impressed. He gazed with curiosity at the endless stretch of wilderness ahead. “You’re not saying all this land belongs to him, are you?”

“It seems so,” Liu said after a moment’s thought. “And not just this plot—he owns several more tracts like this near Xinxiang. He just happens to live here, so we’re coming to find him.”

Ou Xiaolu sighed. “I can’t stand the rich.”

After walking another ten or so miles, a luxurious sedan pulled up before them. With a car like this, brand was meaningless—it was clearly a handcrafted, bespoke vehicle. Where a logo might have been, a bat with outspread wings was painted.

The car stopped beside Ou Xiaolu, and two bodyguards in black suits stepped out. One addressed him, “The boss wishes to see you.”

Ou Xiaolu didn’t hesitate and was about to get in when he noticed the other bodyguard speaking with Liu. This surprised him—he couldn’t help but ask, “You can see him?”

“The boss says that, in this age of declining magic, most powers can’t be used. We have to rely on technology to solve magical problems. So, we’re equipped with glasses that let us see spirits, and various specialized weapons,” the man explained as he drove.

They drove for about twenty minutes before arriving at the edge of a cliff. Without any visible communication, a passage opened in the cliff to let the car in.

Inside the cliff was a research facility brimming with high-tech ambiance. The moment they entered, Ou Xiaolu felt faint electric currents in the air, lightly tingling his skin. Then, to his astonishment, Liu involuntarily revealed his true form. Ou Xiaolu had no idea why this was happening.

At that moment, a voice sounded nearby. “That’s cathodic current. It stimulates spirits to manifest. After all these years, I’ve only managed to saturate this laboratory with it.”

Ou Xiaolu looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young boy emerging from the lab. At first glance, he also seemed to be a spirit.

“Don’t look at me like that. I just missed the best time to cultivate as a ghost,” the boy said.

“You’re the bat demon Liu mentioned?” Ou Xiaolu asked.

“Whoever he’s talking about, that must be me,” the boy replied, nodding above his head.

Ou Xiaolu looked up and saw a gigantic bat hanging from the ceiling of the lab. Each wing spanned ten meters, its crimson body bristling with armor and weaponry. Numerous tubes pierced its flesh, pumping various fluids and blood into it.

“This is already my third bat form,” the boy said helplessly. “After all, it’s the end of the Dharma Age. Even the path of demon cultivation is rough now. Starting as a bat, each body lasts at most thirty years. I can’t transfer to another form, so I have to rely on technology to keep going. Anyway, what did you need from me?”

“This is my new employer,” Liu stepped forward. “He wants to inquire about spirits and deities—Chinese ones, or any local to Xinxiang.”

The boy looked Ou Xiaolu up and down. “You’re quite impressive. In this age, you’ve even managed to cultivate inner strength. But I suppose you see no way forward, and are seeking a new path?”

“Not a new path, exactly,” replied Ou Xiaolu, “just searching for resources to keep moving on.”