Translator’s Notes
This author seriously uses a lot of puns or terms that need notes to understand haha, I’ll always put them at the end of the chapters if there are any.
**
015 Exorcism (Part 2)
The metallic stench grew stronger, and the black shadow in the alley drew closer.
“Go!”
The girl being chased by the shadow swung her arm forcefully, anxious and even a little angry.
She still remembered being a child, watching movies where some bystander would get killed off after the protagonist warned them multiple times to run. She would get so angry she’d throw down the spicy gluten snack in her hand.
Now that she was grown up and facing a similar scenario in real life, she still had no patience and started cursing directly.
“Go! I’m not kidding! If you get caught in the crossfire when the fight starts, no one’s going to collect your corpse!”
Collect my corpse?
It’s just a vampire. It’s not that serious, is it…
Qin Ren had already gotten a clear look at the black shadow. He frowned in doubt. The next moment, a huge shadow covered his entire body. Accompanied by a piercing shriek, a foul, strong wind suddenly filled the entire alley.
In mid-air, a humanoid gray monster, taller than a man and hunched over, was leaping high. Its eyes were scarlet red, and its blood-red maw, filled with silver fangs, was wide open. The bulging muscles of its four limbs were disproportionately massive compared to its body.
Boom!
Two massive forearms, meant for the girl, came crashing down. But due to inertia, they slammed heavily towards Qin Ren, who was standing slightly behind her.
“Dodge!”
After a cry of alarm and anger, the girl, who had skidded to a halt, turned her head. What met her eyes was a cloud of dust and flying debris, and a string of dazzling blood-red sparks that flashed by in an instant.
“Damn it…”
The girl clenched her fists tightly. Never mind a normal adult; even a Tai Chi grandmaster like Ma Baoguo would have been reduced to a bloody pulp in that situation.
However, this also gave her a chance to catch her breath. She pulled a rather punk-style gun from her clothes. The slightly wide body of the gun was somewhat disproportionate to her small palm.
Voom—
A humming sound rang out. The hatch-like muzzle of the gun lit up with a faint blue light, aiming at the pair of crimson eyes that had reappeared in the dust…
“Don’t shoot.”
“!”
“It’s me.”
“?”
“It’s me.”
“…”
A few coughs were heard. The girl slowly lowered her gun. In the gradually dissipating dust, she vaguely saw that on the collarbone of the tattered-clothed Qin Ren, a bottle-cap-sized cross was glowing with a faint, blood-red light…
A Stigma!
So he’s also an exorcist!
When the dust finally settled, the girl was stunned to find that although Qin Ren’s clothes were torn, there were no wounds or bloodstains on his body.
Huh? Then the flash of blood just now…
It definitely wasn’t the vampire’s blood.
A vampire’s blood was the color of crude oil, very harmonious. But what had flashed before her eyes was clearly red.
Did I see it wrong…
Probably. But the girl didn’t put away her gun, because the vampire next to Qin Ren was still…
“Eh?!”
The moment she shifted her gaze slightly, she was completely petrified.
She saw the violent monster sitting on the ground with its butt, a cigarette, lit by who knows who or when, stuck between its teeth. Its blood-red pupils actually held a hint of resentment.
And looking at the melancholic-eyed man beside it, although his clothes were tattered and splattered with milk tea, he had a cigarette between the fingers of one hand, while the other rested on the vampire’s broad shoulder. He was whispering in its ear, sometimes as if instructing, sometimes as if advising, and sometimes chatting and laughing. Finally, he patted the back of the monster’s head, revealing a look like a boss who had successfully sold a pipe dream to an employee.
“Anyway, that’s the situation. The young’un is probably new to exorcism and doesn’t know the ropes. You both take a step back. I’ll have the higher-ups send you a few cows and sheep to make up for it another day! How about it?”
“Roar…”
The monster let out two low, complaining roars. It glared at the girl, chewed the cigarette in its mouth, and spat a mouthful of dark green saliva onto the ground. Then, it actually turned and ran into the alley without looking back, disappearing into the night.
The pair of large, bright black eyes above the girl’s mask instantly widened.
An exorcist and a Demonic Scion, arm in arm?
A cat being a bridesmaid for a mouse?
She put away her gun, stared at Qin Ren for a long time, and stammered.
“May… may I ask who you are, sir…”
“An exorcist. You should have seen it, right?”
Qin Ren pointed to the cross tattoo on his neck, where the red glow was gradually fading, then shook his head as if in realization.
“Oh, no, wait. I retired a year ago. I’m nothing now.”
“Retired…”
The girl seemed to understand something upon hearing this. She pondered for a moment, then cupped her fist like in a wuxia movie.
“Greetings, Senior!”
Senior?
“Uh… alright.”
Qin Ren thought about it. He was indeed a senior, so he accepted the title.
“Hello, Senior. I’m the new exorcist in Rongcheng. I was coming to Rongcheng for university anyway, so the Bureau assigned me here.”
So she’s the successor.
…
Generally speaking, there was only one exorcist per district.
This was the Planar Administration Bureau’s allocation. After all, this was the modern world. Demonic Scions didn’t appear every day. One exorcist per city was sufficient. So it was normal for the Planar Administration Bureau to find a newcomer after Qin Ren retired.
…
“Senior, so you and that vampire just now were…?” This was the question the girl was most concerned about at the moment.
As for why Qin Ren was unharmed, she wasn’t particularly curious anymore.
After all, how could one be an exorcist without some kind of special ability? He must have used some unique trick of his own.
“That vampire’s name is Goudan.” Qin Ren frowned and looked at the hole in his shirt.
“Gou… Goudan?” The girl couldn’t help but also look at the hole in Qin Ren’s shirt.
Mmm…
He… he seems to have abs…
One, two, three…
“Miss.”
“!”
Qin Ren shook the milk tea and dust off his body.
“You probably haven’t been an exorcist for long, so you might not be familiar with Goudan. He’s actually an old Rongcheng native. He never drinks human blood. He usually catches some wild boars on Mount Qingcheng and occasionally comes down to steal a calf or a lamb. As long as you don’t provoke him, he’ll never actively harm anyone.”
Qin Ren took out a box of xylitol from his pocket, ate one himself, and popped one into her mouth to calm her nerves.
“Actually, these days, there are very few Demonic Scions that cause trouble. The methods exorcists use to maintain order don’t have to be too bloody. Sometimes, stopping at the right point and making a friend is beneficial for both public and private matters. Do you know what I mean?”
The girl didn’t quite understand, but she was still greatly shocked.
Making friends with a Demonic Scion?
This was really at odds with the philosophy she had followed since becoming an exorcist.
“Then what is your philosophy?”
“Eradicate them, root and stem!”
Quite ruthless.
The girl’s eyes sharpened. Qin Ren could see that she was the type of righteous ally who despised evil.
“Then what if they run and don’t let you eradicate them?”
“Then I’ll chase them.”
This girl, though forthright, was also straightforward. She held her head high and puffed out her chest, giving off a bit of a “number one female constable under heaven” vibe.
“Especially those Demonic Scions that can block the Stigma’s senses. They’re a huge hidden danger. They must be hunted down to the very end!”
“Block the Stigma’s senses?”
Qin Ren narrowed his eyes. How come he, an old exorcist, had never heard of such a Demonic Scion?
But the girl, with a slightly heavy heart, said that they really existed.
“A few days ago, I met a barefoot little girl on the street. I thought she was a runaway and wanted to call the police. Who knew that when I grabbed her hand, she suddenly discharged electricity at me! And my Stigma didn’t react at all… Huh? Senior, you don’t look so good.”
“…”
He really didn’t. From the moment he heard “barefoot little girl,” Qin Ren’s expression had already started to stiffen.
“It’s… it’s nothing. That, uh, was probably just static electricity. You’re overthinking it.”
“No, what kind of static electricity has sparks? Although the power was almost zero, from the way she looked at the time, she was definitely planning to attack me with electricity.”
“Nonsense. You grabbed her hand. It’s normal for her to react defensively.”
“But…”
“Alright, alright. In short, just remember that the situation in the Rongcheng district is different. From now on, as long as a Demonic Scion doesn’t actively cause trouble, you shouldn’t provoke them either. Things were peaceful to begin with. If you stir things up, who will be the victim? Won’t it be the residents of Rongcheng? Do you understand this logic?”
These words were much clearer. The girl was stunned for a moment, then became thoughtful. Finally, like a student who had memorized a teacher’s lesson, she nodded.
“I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Senior.”
As long as she understood. As a Pixiu’s keeper, Qin Ren naturally didn’t want to get too involved with this “female constable.” After encouraging her with a “the road is long and the future is bright,” he waved his hand and walked away. Under the lingering night, only a heartfelt piece of advice from a retired old exorcist was left behind:
“Remember, exorcism isn’t just about fighting and killing. Exorcism is also about human relationships.”
Translator’s Notes
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Ma Baoguo (马保国): A controversial figure in China who claimed to be a Tai Chi master but was famously knocked out in seconds during a fight. He became a massive internet meme, and his name is now synonymous with being a fraud or a weakling.
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Goudan (狗蛋): A rustic and somewhat comical name, literally meaning “Dog Egg.” It’s often used as a nickname in rural areas.
