Chapter 298: Is There One?

If the rule of Taiyi is "change," then the "ge" granted to Xia Yubing by Taiyi is "unchanging."

"You are Taiyi’s granted-ge holder; any change that happens to you is considered not to have happened unless Taiyi sees it," Ning Zhe said, lying back on the bed with his hands behind his head. "Not happened means not existent."

Xia Yubing looked at her nails, perfectly restored, then at Ning Zhe’s calm, unreadable face, and swallowed hard.

"So my state is locked to the moment I left Qianju Town—that was the last time the Four-Faced Buddha observed me," Xia Yubing said. "No matter what changes occur on me, as soon as I’m no longer observed, my body resets to how it was when I first left Qianju Town, returning to what Taiyi believes it should be..."

Though her body left, her soul remained forever imprisoned in that small town.

Even if killed, she would be forcibly revived because Taiyi believes she is alive.

"You could say that, but Taiyi’s 'unchanging' isn’t omnipotent—it’s merely a granted ge, not something truly yours. It’s not absolute."

Ning Zhe continued: "Conventional weapons—knives, swords, guns, cannons—are manageable. But if you’re killed by a transcender who wields a rule of 'instant death upon contact,' even Taiyi couldn’t save you."

Consider the literal meanings of Taiyi and Taiyi’s names.

Tai: refers to the original, the earliest.

Yi: refers to change.

Yi: refers to all, everything.

Translated literally, Taiyi means: the original change.

Taiyi means: "the original state of all things."

In mythological context, "Taiyi" usually refers to Donghuang Taiyi, the supreme deity of Chu mythology—this name becomes even more intriguing.

Dong means the first of the four directions; Huang means one who understands the essence of all things; Tai means the original and earliest; Yi means literally "one."

Donghuang Taiyi, translated literally, is: 1111.

After hearing Ning Zhe’s explanation, Xia Yubing let her hand drop, sitting dazed on the edge of the bed. She remembered the words Ning Zhe had spoken when he took her away from Qianju Town—but back then, she hadn’t understood what those casual, indifferent words truly meant.

"Once you encounter the strange, once you’re tainted by its influence, your life can never return to its original normal path."

"For the rest of your life, you must walk this wrong path until darkness lies ahead."

Xia Yubing silently recited Ning Zhe’s words, her eyes gradually losing focus.

"Cheer up."

A warm weight settled on her shoulder; Ning Zhe sat up and patted her shoulder. "Think of it this way—it’s a kind of eternal youth, isn’t it? Something even the First Emperor couldn’t obtain—you picked it up on a trip."

"I suppose that’s true..." Xia Yubing relaxed, laying her head on Ning Zhe’s thigh, staring blankly at the ceiling embedded with a crystal chandelier. Faintly, the face of the Four-Faced Buddha—expressionless, scarred with grotesque cracks—flashed before her eyes.

He was still watching her—from the birth of all things to the heat death of the universe—his gaze, like a thread, piercing through eternity’s beginning and end, silently observing the one and only "one." "But there’s a price for all this, isn’t there?" Xia Yubing’s gaze was dim, her tone equally dim.

"Compared to a transcender, the price you pay is already very, very light," Ning Zhe said, looking down. "The next Geng Shen day is September 25th, the sixteenth day of the eighth lunar month—about half a month away."

Those who exchanged death for Taiyi’s granted ge must, on every Geng Shen day, have their Three Corpses leave their bodies to report their sins to Heaven—that is, to inform the Four-Faced Buddha Taiyi of their true death. If the Four-Faced Buddha learns "Xia Yubing is actually dead," she will truly die.

Thus, on every Geng Shen day, the dead must bribe the Three Corpses with three offerings—"treasures," "flavors," and "lust"—as hush money to prevent them from reporting their death to Taiyi.

"Geng Shen day..."

Xia Yubing lay on Ning Zhe’s thigh, pulled out her phone, and checked the digital almanac.

The nearest Geng Shen day is September 25th, half a month from now; the next is November 24th, roughly two months later; the one after that won’t come until January 23rd next year.

The interval between consecutive Geng Shen days is about two months—meaning every two months, she must regularly offer sacrifices to bribe the Three Corpses. If she forgets or neglects even once, the truth will be exposed, her death revealed, and she will die on the spot.

She turned off the digital almanac. Her face was clouded with gloom; she felt uneasy all over, as if countless unseen eyes were watching her, waiting for Geng Shen day to arrive, ready to come and claim her life.

This is merely the price a granted-ge holder must pay—what about transcenders?

She lifted her head and saw Ning Zhe’s collar slightly open, revealing his pale collarbones. She swallowed and asked: "...Hey, Ning Zhe, have you always... lived like this?"

No error. One issue. One content. One look!

"In the past?"

Ning Zhe thought for a moment—his past didn’t seem so distant—and said: "Pretty much. Don’t stress too much. The price granted-ge holders pay is far lighter than transcenders’. Your situation is already much better than mine was—just remember to check the almanac regularly."

"Besides, you’ve got me," Ning Zhe lowered his gaze to meet hers. "We’re betrothed, aren’t we? So I won’t let you die—not even if Taiyi tries. Understood?"

Xia Yubing stared straight into Ning Zhe’s eyes, unflinching. Their gazes met and intertwined like threads, thickening the air until it grew heavy and sticky.

A sharp click broke the intimate silence. Xia Yubing kicked off her shoes, tossed her phone aside, wrapped her arms around Ning Zhe’s neck, and pushed him onto the bed. Her long legs then coiled around him like a python.

"Today isn’t Geng Shen day," Ning Zhe said, looking into her burning eyes.

"I know," Xia Yubing whispered, her lips slightly parted, warm breath brushing his face. "I just... want to."

"Alright," Ning Zhe had no objections.

Looking at the restrained, cold expression on the young man’s face, the calm indifference as if nothing concerned him, Xia Yubing felt a demonic fire burning in her chest.

She wanted to violate, to possess, to ruin the otherworldly purity of him...

The flame in her heart stirred—then suddenly, Ning Zhe broke free from her embrace, seized her shoulders, and flipped her onto her back, pinning her beneath him. "But this time, I’ll be on top."

(End of chapter)