The Great Worm Lich

In a little rice noodle shop so narrow that it could only accommodate four tables, with the plastic tables and chairs so old that it had already become yellow but was still very clean, Zhang Lisheng and Tao Lulu ate a bowl of big, delicious Yunnan Bridge Noodles. After that, they walked and made a big circle along the alleys and streets in Beijing 3rd Ring as they laughed and talked about the exciting stories that happened after they parted ways. Unwittingly, they talked until evening.

When the sky turned dark, only then were they surprised to find that several hours had already passed. Under the glistening streetlights, the young man said, “The sky gets dark very fast! Younger Sister Tao, I heard that Gui Street in Beijing city is very lively at night, so can you bring me there to walk around and then dinner together?”

“I can’t, Lisheng. Although I’m lucky enough to have completed the research topic that my supervisor gave me, I still haven’t brought it to a conclusion yet. I need to go back to school before 8 o’clock in the evening.” The girl shook her head regrettably.

This reason sounded too far-fetched. Zhang Lisheng was taken aback and blurted out directly, “It’s Saturday today! You can come out during the day time but you have to go back to school to work overtime at night. Isn’t this strange?”

Tao Lulu opened her mouth, wanting to say something but stopped herself again. Then, she argued, “My supervisor only has the inspiration to work at night, so I’ve already developed the habit of working at night. Working overtime at night has higher efficiency.”

“I remember that you are studying history. Do you even need inspiration to study history…” The youth frowned. “Ah, forget it, I don’t know much about liberal studies anyway. Let me get a taxi to send you back.”

“No, it’s alright. I can go back by bus,” The girl saw that Zhang Lisheng had an unchanged expression on so she hesitated a little before stuttering, “Lisheng, I-I really need to go back to the university. Actually, I-I also want to stay longer, for we haven’t seen each other for a long time already, b-but I really have no other choice. I-I’ve encountered some things in the past few years, and now it is difficult for me to explain to you because of some special reasons, but I believe that through hard work, I should be able to tell you everything honestly after a while…”

“Oh. There’s no need to tell me anymore. History, archaeology, civilization, and relics… My brain is all too slow. Since the US government has scientific research strength of the university to study the foreign worlds and supernatural powers, how is it possible for the Chinese government to not do this too? In this case, I’ll still help you call for a taxi. Don’t be late,” Like he was hit by a pang of realization, Zhang Lisheng interrupted the girl’s words and deliberately lowered his voice before saying, “Make sure that you’ll be careful when you’re doing this kind of work for the government. After all, I now have the identity of a foreign entrepreneur. If it is not convenient for you to see me, then don’t force yourself.”

“It’s not as what you think, Lisheng. My supervisor and I are indeed doing this for the government…” Tao Lulu remained stunned. Halfway through her sentence, she closed her mouth and contemplated for a while before speaking with a wry smile, “Actually, what you’re thinking is correct too. Alright, after a while, I hope that I can explain it to you honestly. Oh yeah, Lisheng, how long do you want to stay in China? Since the situation in the US is unstable now, have you ever thought of moving your career back to China? After all, this is your motherland, so you won’t be discriminated against…”

“Discriminated? It’s already good enough if I don’t discriminate against others,” Zhang Lisheng reached out his hand to stop a taxi by the street while saying in a whisper, “China is indeed more stable than the political situation of the US now, but the power of the governors here is too great, and they do not allow opposing voices here at all. I’m afraid that I cannot adapt to this kind of life, but this is one of the two superpowers that have been infiltrated by aliens the least on Earth, so I’d still always return in the future.”

As he was speaking, a taxi stopped at the young man’s side, and Zhang Lisheng chivalrously opened the rear door. Turning his head to look at the girl, he tilted his head and said, “Please get in the car, Younger Sister Tao. See you!”

Tao Lulu entered the taxi without a word. Before she left, she suddenly said, “Lisheng, I hope you will call me Lulu next time we see each other. You can just call me Younger Sister, too, if you like.”

Zhang Lisheng was surprised, but he smiled with a nod. At this time, he suddenly heard the girl said in a slightly trembling voice again, “Also, I’d like to ask you a question. You can think about it carefully and answer me next time you see me. You were a Father last time, so do you believe that divine immortals exist in this world? Do you want to become a divine immortal?”

Upon hearing that, the young man suddenly felt his heart clenching for no reason. His body froze as an image flashed in his mind. Abruptly, Tao Lulu’s face appeared in his mind, slightly darkened by a sort of shadow, followed by a magnificent scroll painting of blue waves rippling between mountains emerging like a reflection in the water.

After not knowing how long, Zhang Lisheng snapped back to reality in a daze, but he realized that the taxi in front of him had disappeared without a trace. With a baffled expression, he muttered, “Why would Younger Sister Tao ask such a strange question? And why would she be linked to a landscape painting in my intuition… Impossible, there is not even one bit of magic power fluctuations in her body, and she actually makes friends with so many secular people too, so how could she possibly join the Gate of Dao?! It’s impossible! It’s impossible…”

Gradually, his expression loosened.

At this moment, in the taxi, Tao Lulu was holding her mobile phone, whispering with an anxious voice, “Master, I had an unstable state of mind just now, so my power had slipped out, and I’ve also revealed my ‘paradise’ aura.”

“How is that possible?” A cold and solemn voice resonated in the phone. “Your talent is just barely enough for cultivation, and the serenity you possess is your only redeeming quality. Not only that, but you have even made friends with many ordinary and philistine people to temper your heart, so how can your state of mind be unstable? Don’t tell me that it’s because you’ve lucked out and has coincidentally obtained the Yingzhou as your relic that you’ve started to become complacent…”

“No, no, Master. I’m not feeling complacent. It’s just that, there’s another reason…” The girl hastily but hummed and hawed as she spoke.

“Remember, calm yourself down. Don’t say a word now. You can tell me everything later when you come back to see me,” On the other end of the phone, in the Beijing Normal University’s Saturday’s noisy campus, in an office of an old low-rise building hidden in the corner of the secluded woods, an old lady who was wearing an old-fashioned dark blue work clothes interrupted Tao Lulu’s words and hung up the phone.

In the same room, a middle-aged man who was wearing a fitted leather hunting jacket who had a graceful bearing smiled wryly and said, “Senior Sister, you’re usually amiable to ordinary people and always have a smile on, so why would you still be so stern to this disciple whom you care the most and most happy with? ‘Your talent is just barely enough for cultivating’? Tsk tsk tsk. If her talent is ‘just barely enough for cultivating,’ then what am I? A stone in the latrine that is vainly hoping to become a god? Three human immortals, hundreds of Taoist priests, and countless of Gate of Dao’s disciples who have cultivated for decades went to try their luck but only your disciple who has only cultivated the Dao method for less than three years managed to acquire the Yingzhou. This luck is about the same with the legendary Almighty Gods and Taoist Ancestors…”

“So that’s why she’s the one person who is expected to really be able to cultivate the seed of the Dao’s true essence. Other than Lianbao, Hong Junsheng and Zhao Jiqing, nobody else in the three branches of the Gate of Dao are even worthy to be mentioned. If I train her like this properly and make sure she doesn’t get arrogant, even Lianbao and the rest may be inferior to her in the future. By that time, I’d want to see who else is not convinced by my way of Heavenly Dao,” The old lady glared with brilliance glimmering in her eyes as she said.

“But Senior Sister, you’re already at the stage where you’re going to make a breakthrough to the Gate of Immortal, so don’t tell me that you still don’t understand the saying ‘haste does not bring success’? Just because Xiangzhou has entered the evil influence, wanting to take this as a gamble is…”

“Shut up! Although my disciple is good-for-nothing, how can wanting to avenge her Senior Brother of the same bloodline who has saved her before being called as entering the evil influence? It’s okay if you didn’t mention this, but now that you’ve mentioned it, please help me inform all administration elders in the Gate that after I, Lu Tiandao, made a breakthrough to the Gate of Immortal and becomes a human immortal, I must sit down and talk with them.”

Seeing that the situation had worsened, the middle-aged man became speechless right away. Smiling wryly, he shook his head and only replied after a long time, “Senior Sister, that ancient witchcraft’s successor said that he has never taken the initiative to make things difficult for us before. Although his means are sinister, they are just counterattacks…”

“Junior Brother Song, what do you mean? Don’t tell me that we’re not removing the evil and defend our moral principles just because he doesn’t make things difficult for us?” The old lady glared in anger.

“Of course, I don’t mean it this way. It’s just that we can’t lay our hands on that ancient witchcraft’s successor before our plan has matured yet. However, Senior Sister, don’t worry. That person has embarked on the road to death without knowing it, and from what I can see, if he doesn’t know what’s good for himself and continue to stay in Beijing, who knows, maybe he doesn’t have to leave anymore…” As the middle-aged man spoke, he looked at the night sky outside the window and let out a trace of a profound smile.

At this time, under the same night sky, Zhang Lisheng, who was wandering around, received a call from a familiar number.

“Senior Sister, I thought you don’t have time for me in these two days, so why did you suddenly call?” When the phone was connected, the young man asked in confusion.

“It’s nothing. It’s just that I’ve just finished my work, so I want to know what you are doing now.” Guo Caiying’s hoarse, low voice resonated from the phone.

Sensing that the girl seemed to be in low spirits, Zhang Lisheng asked in concern right away, “Senior Sister, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

The phone was silent for a while before the girl answered in a whisper, “I’m okay. Just some flu maybe, but it’s not serious. Where are you, Junior Brother?”

Zhang Lisheng looked at the handsome young guys dressed in uniforms, and the beautiful girls dressed colorfully, calling for guests on both sides of the street with interests, who would immediately greet with a Beijing accent loudly once there were customers who went up to them, “Please come in. I’ll show you to your seats, sir, madam…”, the little girl selling roses on the road, the small vendor selling cigarettes and discs, and the taxi driver waiting along the streets.

Chuckling, Zhang Lisheng replied, “Senior Sister, I’m at Gui Street. Well, didn’t you suggested to me in the morning to come here to spend time in the evening? The servers in front of the restaurants here look like they are acting, it’s fascinating. Have you eaten yet? Do you want to come and eat together?”

“No, it’s alright, Junior Brother. I’m not feeling well, so I should go back home to rest. Goodnight in advance, see you.”

“Bye, Senior Sister,” The young man replied, but the call had already been hung up.

This phone call had come out of the blue, but when Zhang Lisheng recalled that sometimes women had a psychology that was hard to be understood, he did not care about it too much. After picking a restaurant that seemed to be the largest and have the most guests, he proceeded to walk in.