Chapter 132: Chapter 114: Soul Detaining Envoys, Black and White Impermanence
That night, Master Rong Si saw the words "Thief Sect."
Having glimpsed the Path of the Thief Sect, Master Rong Si gradually made a name for himself in the criminal underworld, his reputation soaring.
Only later did he realize it was the overly complicated rules of the old days that had long kept him from perceiving the Path. At this realization, Master Rong Si sighed at how fate toys with people—and how his own conscience had led him astray.
Six months ago, Master Rong Si made a mistake. While breaking into a wealthy man’s home, he was discovered. In the ensuing panic, he killed someone.
To destroy the body and eliminate all traces of his crime, he steeled himself and set the house on fire.
That one fire put four human lives on Master Rong Si’s hands.
Having broken the rules, Master Rong Si felt completely adrift. His Miracle Technique, which should have been infallible, began to fail him at the most random and inexplicable times. When his "brothers" in the underworld learned of his downfall, one of them secretly turned him in, making him a wanted man by the Government Office. Master Rong Si had no choice but to change his name, flee his hometown, and, after much aimless wandering, head north under a new identity.
No one here knew him as Master Rong Si. A new place, a new beginning. He decided to return to his life of crime—to go big, get strong, and reclaim his former glory.
Last night, he had entered the city to case some joints and had already pinpointed the location of the Zheng Residence, home of the city’s Richest Person.
He even secretly leaped onto a wall and was surprised to find not a single patrolling Household Servant in the entire, vast Zheng Residence. Master Rong Si scoffed at such lax security. ’So this is the mansion of the Richest Person? Nothing to write home about.’
Master Rong Si even left a defiant mark—a smear of ash—on the front of the Zheng Residence. It was a warning to his fellow thieves: this score was his, and he would be back to claim it.
In the main hall of the Ministry of Justice, the hearth fire burned brightly, making the room as warm as a spring day.
Many homeless beggars and vagrants were sleeping in the hall.
In his drowsy state, a voice, somewhere between a sob and a lament, echoed in Master Rong Si’s ears, making his blood run cold.
"Rong Si, of Zhaozhou."
"Crime: theft, robbery, murder, and arson."
"Your sins are heinous and unforgivable."
"The Soul Detaining Envoys of Eternal Purgatory have come to claim your life."
Master Rong Si shot bolt upright. "Who the hell is playing at ghosts and goblins?!"
In the vast, empty hall, Master Rong Si’s shout woke the other beggars. They hurled a few curses and threats at him before promptly falling back asleep.
’Can I be the only one who heard that?’
But Master Rong Si was different from the others. He had glimpsed the Path; he knew that Miracle Techniques were real.
The eerie voice continued to echo in his ears, a demonic whisper that recited his life’s sins without a single error, leaving him deeply unsettled.
"I’d like to see just who’s behind this little prank!"
Seeing that no one else in the hall had reacted, Master Rong Si knew he was being targeted. He let out a cold sneer, felt for the knife hidden in his clothes, pulled his tattered cotton-padded jacket tighter, and strode out of the Ministry of Justice.
Outside the Ministry of Justice, along the stone steps, the candles within the stone pillars flickered out as if snuffed by a phantom wind. Two ghostly figures drifted out silently from the sides.
The two of them seemed to glide rather than walk, their bodies showing no signs of movement. One was dressed in plain white paper clothes, his face obscured by a sheet of white paper, his hands a ghastly, colorless white. The other wore plain black paper clothes, his face hidden by a sheet of black paper. Neither of their faces was visible.
"Soul Detaining Envoy, White Impermanence."
"Soul Detaining Envoy, Black Impermanence."
"We have come for your life."
"Rong Si, death is too good for you."
"Eternal Purgatory and its worst tortures await."
The whispers seemed to come from all directions. Master Rong Si cried out, clutching his ears. A sharp pain lanced through them, and when he pulled his hands away, he found them covered in warm, flowing blood.
Master Rong Si’s courage finally shattered. He was utterly terrified, knowing that even if these two weren’t actual ghosts, they were extremely dangerous. He leaped backward, pressing his hands and feet against the wall, and stuck to it like a gecko. With a WHOOSH, he scrambled along the wall, trying to escape.
A Long Flute slid from Black Impermanence’s sleeve. A hollow, piercing note echoed out. Master Rong Si had only taken a few steps before he fell to the ground with a heavy THUD, motionless.
White Impermanence produced a palm-sized paper effigy from his robes. Its features were uncannily lifelike and bore a striking resemblance to Master Rong Si.
As the flute’s drone continued, the paper effigy in White Impermanence’s hand trembled violently, its features twisting into an expression of pure terror.
"HEE HEE HEE..."
"HO HO HO..."
Black and White Impermanence let out a series of eerie, cackling laughs before vanishing into the night.
A short while later, several figures in black, hooded robes emerged from the shadows. One of them hoisted the unconscious Master Rong Si onto his shoulder.
Another figure, whose graceful curves were accentuated by their tight black clothes, walked to the entrance of the Ministry of Justice and began scattering a fine powder inside.
"Why go through all this trouble? We could have just drugged him and taken him."
The voice belonged to none other than Ji Hong’ou, one of the three leaders of the Brotherhood.
"You know how the master likes his theatrics," an unremarkable member of the Brotherhood chuckled.
"I know, I know, but it just feels so... theatrical. Besides, this man has also glimpsed the Path. Who knows if he’ll be of any use to the master." Ji Hong’ou’s job was to knock out everyone inside. While she did that, one of the members carefully returned Master Rong Si to his original sleeping spot. He then tucked another paper effigy—one with a face that looked just like Rong Si’s—into the thief’s robes.
Scrawled on the back of the effigy in vicious, blood-red strokes were two words: Eternal Purgatory.
