Shizun 014 - Underworld worker

Jin Yunu wasn’t very powerful. Even amongst skin painting demons he’s quite useless. The fact that he survived to the present day was due to his diligence and this painting. Even if the owner thought something was strange in their house, they wouldn’t think it was connected to the painting, let alone consider destroying it.

In the end, the strongest skin painting demons were taken care of by the sects but he was left alone. After a few centuries he managed to get a little powerful despite having slow progress.

Long Xingbang chose to destroy the painting and save his son.

When the protective glass was finally moved, this famous Haiping city celebrity entrepreneur, big tax tax payer, man of steel who’s experienced all kinds of waves on the market, finally couldn’t hold back the pain in his heart anymore. He held his old friend and bawled as if he was at his son’s funeral.

Director Wang also dabbled in old books and paintings. He was also getting red rimmed seeing the beautiful painting being destroyed.

Lu Yunzhen felt rather a lot of pressure. Out of the most expensive things he’s touched in his life, probably the only one that cost more than the painting are subway trains.

He carefully asked, “Who should do it?”

Long Xingbang didn’t even dare to look. “I’ll leave it to the master”.

No one wanted to to be the criminal who destroyed a national treasure like this. It was painful even for someone who didn’t understand art.

Lu Yunzhen took a deep breath and reached out shakily, taking the painting off the wall. SUddenly, he realized that the drawing was rather thick. It wasn’t a simply scroll, but rather was mounted on a thin piece of Jinsinan wood with a beautiful pattern.

He asked Long Xingbang, “what is this board?”

“It was like this when he bought it from overseas.” Director Wang stepped in to help his friend who was too sadden to speak. “We didn’t know if it was originally like this or if the foreigner added it.... Antique paintings are rather delicate and the wood was also very expensive, so he just left it.”

The skin painting demon was rampaging without hiding its demonic aura. THe entire painting was covered by a dark red malice, floating up from the painting like spierwebs.

Lu Yunzhen was surprised and asked Mo Changkong quietly, “The evil spirit... seems to be underneath the painting?”

“Correct.” Mo Changkong explained seeing his Shizun’s confusion. “The demon’s original body is human skin, and the painting is on silke... of course the skin is hidden under the painting.”

So there was room to turn things around.

Lu Yunzhen had listen to an upperclassman in the Chinese painting club, that the most important part was the heart of the painting. If it can be peeled out then the painting can be restored.

After quietly discussing it with Mo Changkong, he turned to explain the situation to Long Xingbang and suggest a new solution. “We can try to peel off the painting itself, and then try to save him?”

Long Xingbang was stunned for a moment.

“Skin painting demons play with their prey until they’re psychologically exhausted, and then kill them after.” Lu Yunzhen forced himself to press on. “I can monitor the bloodlust coming out from the painting, you two can quickly save the painting. If your son is in danger I will destroy the painting immediately.”

When demons murder they always release a bloody aura.

Both him and Mo Changkong had checked, Long Jingtian is still slive inside... That guy was slept with by the demon for two night and was still lively with no side effects. It seemed he had mental fortitude, and might hold out.

Long Xingbang was overjoyed, “Great, let’s do that!”

It was actually rather difficult. They were basically trying to treat a dead horse as a live horse.

Luckily, director Wang also dabbled in painting and knew the basics of mounting. He realized that the painting was glued around the perimeter to hide the skin inside and not actually attached to the skin. it was relatively easy to separate the layers and he immediately found a tool and started cutting.

Lu Yunzhen monitored the painting with trepidation. If anything went around he would order Mo Changkong to destroy it - he was the only one around who had the heart to do so, after all.

Long Xingbang helped director Wang while hyping up his son, not caring about whether or not his son can even hear him. “JING TIAN! THIS IS YOUR TIME TO SHOW FILIAL PIETY! DON’T BE USELESS! HOLD ON! AFTER THIS DAD’LL BUY YOU A LAMBO! THIS PAINTING IS OUR HUAXIA NATIONAL TREASURE, I’VE THOUGHT THINGS THROUGH AND I’LL DONATE IT TO THE NATIONAL MUSEUM AFTER! YOU HAVE TO PUSH! FOR THE GLORY OF OUR COUNTRY! BE A HERO OF OUR PEOPLE!”

...

Long Jingtian was trembling within the illusion.

When the demon pounced at him he had blacked out. When he opened his eyes again he was in a barren mountain size with the sounds of insects and the wind in his ear.

Long Jingtian look around and called out softly, “Master Lu? Master Mo? Where are you?”

Suddenly, something cold and sticky fell on his face.

Long Jingtian brushed it away, but then realized it was a piece of human skin. He fell to the ground terrified and lifted his head slowly, only to realize that the old ficus tree had countless human skins hanging off its branches. Every skin looked like a skin painting demon, gently dancing in the cold breeze, singing a song he could not understand.

He felt the hairs stand up in the back of his neck and his body was covered in cold sweat. He was so terrified that he could no longer call out. Using his hands to push himself up, he slowly crawled backwards and started running away before the skins could chase him.

The terrifying songs followed him like a shadow.

He stumbled for a long time but despairingly realized that he ended back at the human skin tree. Jin Yunu was sitting amongst the countless skins, looking at him expressionlessly, like a beautiful porcelain doll.

Long Jingtian burst into tears. Between his tears and his snot he begged desperately, “Please, don’t kill me!”

Jin Yunu smiled, and two trails of blood fell from his eyes. He walked towards Long Jian and chanted softly.

“Immoral.”

“Unfaithful.”

“Heartless.”

“Ungrateful.”

“Gongzi lied to me.”

“This one died so badly...”

The cold wind blew and the air was filled with killing intent. The skins flew off the tree one by one, surrounded Long Jingtian like a wall, and cut off his route of escape.

Jin Yunu grabbed Long Jingtian and slowly stroked his face and a strange smile. “This one has realized in bed, gongzi’s skin, is so lovely...”

Sharp nails pierced his skin, bringing with it some pain.

Blood coloured eyes had bloody tears, so red it stung the eye.

“We’ve slept together, don’t kill me!” Long Jingtian screeched. In desperation he remembered how trashy boyfriends apologized, and immediately knelt down with a face of sincerity. “Yunu! I’m wrong! I’ll never lie to you again!”

Jin Yunu paused.

Long Jingtian swore while pointing at the sky and sobbing, “I love you! You’re the person I love the most in the world! I’ll buy you whatever you want, I’ll never look for a master again!”

Jin Yunu’s gaze became cold.

Then, came the pain.

Long Jingtian screamed like a pig being slaughtered.

...

“SON! YOU HAVE TO BE STRONG! BE A MAN! THINK ABOUT THE LAMBORGHINI!” Long Xinbang’s voice was becoming hoarse. “Hold on for a few more seconds! The country and our people will remember your achievements!”

Lu Yunzhen was stressed too. “He’s still alive”.  

“It’s good.” Director Wang had sweat spilling down his back, but he finally peeled off the painting. Even though he had an amateur’s hand and damaged the edge of the painting, it was still restorable.

Beneath “Goddess grants painting” was another painting. Normally it would have been oxidized and blackened, but with the efforts of the demon it was still fair and delicate, showing a tattoo of a beauty among peonies.

This is the drawing that was tattooed onto Jin Yunu was still alive. This is what he was flayed to become.

“Is it beautiful?”

Everyone was stunned by the beauty of the drawing for a moment, and was just about to destroy it. But Jin Yunu took the moment to step out of the drawing. He stroked his skin and said nostalgically, “it’s been a long time since I’ve seen this drawing.”

“The person in the drawing was me back then...”

“I had performed in the pear garden. My singing was beautiful and shifu told me I was full of talent...”

“I loved to sing and perform, no matter how hard life was, when I stepped onto the stage it wasn’t hard anymore...”

“He said he will sponsor me and make me popular...”

“And then, I became this drawing...”

“When I was dying, it was so painful, so I kept singing...”

“It didn’t hurt as much when I sang...”

With tears in his eyes and under the gaze of everyone in the room, he dragged Long Jingtian from the drawing and threw him onto the ground.

He’s just a useless skin painting demon. Even though he hated, even though he knew it was a lie, his heart softened when he heard an apology.

In his entire life, no one has ever apologized to him before.

...

He could escape a death sentence but he couldn’t escape punishment.

Long Jingtian was beaten so much that he couldn’t open his eyes. His dad could barely recognize this ugly mess of bruises as his son.

“Pops, I heard you.” He struggled to crawl up, grabbed his dad’s shirt, and did his best to open one eyes. Excitedly, he asked, “Are you really buying me a Lamborghini?”

Long Xingbang was angry as hell and wanted to give this embarrassment another slap, but he realized there was no where left to hit. He forcibly dragged him to the sofa and turned around to look at the masters take care of the demon.

Mo Changkong already used his chains to bind Jin Yunu.

Jin Yunu had lowered his head and was awaiting punishment unmovingly.

Everyone felt some pity for him.

Lu Yunzhen didn’t really want to do anything either.

But when a demon hurts a human it can’t be hand waved away by just pity.

Mo Changkong formed a sword from his hand and was about to strike both the demon and the drawing. Half way down he realized something was wrong, remembered some past rules, and withdrew his hand. Frowning, he asked, “Shizun, this demon didn’t kill anyone, are we going to deal with him according to the old rules of Wujian peak?”

Everyone was confused.

“Of course we should follow the rules.” Lu Yunzhen was confused, but he had to keep up pretenses. Smiling, he continued, “Changkong, you should explain to everyone else.”

“This is a rule that Shizun had set a long time ago.” Mo Changkong bowed, thought for a while, and tried to string his words together. “Demons are both evil, there are very few who can resist their innate desire for blood. It is very difficult for them, and they should be given the chance to live... So, Shizun will send a chenqing letter to the underworld, then bring them back to the sect. Supervise them, lecture them, help them accumulate karma, then pass them along for reincarnation.”

Ha? What kind of rules did he set?

How does he go to the underworld?

Does the sect mean his house?

Lu Yunzhen’s smile was frozen.

Jin Yunu’s eyes shone and he kow towed over and over again in gratitude, assuring the others that in all his years the most he’s done was trick some bad men and steal some yang essence, that he had never killed anyone.

Long Xingmang exclaimed, “What a kindness.”

Director Wang praised, “How merciful.”

Long Jingtian rubbed at his face and was distraught. He wanted to ask about the matter of Jin Yunu doing the unspeakable rules with him and if he could beat Jin Yunu up to feel better. But he was worried about his father taking back the Lambourghini and even more worried that Jin Yunu would hit him instead, so he didn’t dare to voice his thoughts and pouted instead.

Luckily, Mo Changkong didn’t actually want Lu Yunzhen to die and go to the underworld, simply that he should write a letter...

How the hell was he going to write this letter?

Lu Yunzhen felt silly, like a duck on a shelf... He grabbed a piece of paper from a copier, found a ballpoint pen, chewed it up while deliberating, then simply wrote 1 line. “I found a skin painting demon named Jin Yunu, he didn’t do anything bad, would the underworld take him?”

Mo Changkong found a flower pot for him to burn the letter in.

The whole thing felt more and more ridiculous.

If it wasn’t for Jin Yunu’s profuse gratitude giving Long Xingbang and co some confidence, they would have thought this was the act of a conartist.

Lu Yunzhen burned the paper anxiously.

Flame burst up, the whole thing immediately turned to ash, and then nothing happened.

Lu Yunzhen thought he had messed up and starting thinking of an excuse to take Jin Yunu somewhere else to take care off. He didn’t want Long Jingtian to complain about him not finishing the job, be angry about being beaten up, and take the 3000 yuan back.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew...

The chenqing letter didn’t get a response, but an actual underworld official came. He even dragged with him some clawed and fanged evil spirit in a soul hooking chain, seeming all the world like someone who rushed over while in the middle of another task.

In order for the other men to perceive him in the illusion, Jin Yunu had temporarily opened their yinyang eyes, allowing them to see the supernatural. Now, the three see it all.

“Hello, great immortal.” The underworld official shot Lu Yunzhen a sunny smile, showing 8 smokey yellow teeth. He kept on nodding and bowing. “I’m under the command of the Hepan palace, Wang Laosi for Haiping city Changle district Fuqiang street. I received your letter and was worried that things might be unclear and cause you some inconvenience, sir. So I am here at your beck and call.”

Long Xingbang thought the scene was very familiar.

This is exactly how his employees act towards him when they’re trying to butter him up for a promotion.