Ji Si didn’t like owing people favors.
With money, there’s always a day to repay it fully, but a debt of gratitude is hard to clear. Pile too many, and it turns into karmic ties; unresolved karma becomes a burden. At its lightest, it’s like “honoring a connection,” and at its heaviest, it could form “karmic entanglements,” binding people through countless lifetimes, creating messy, endless bonds that cause constant headaches.
For instance, back when he was lying on the brink of death in the Reincarnation Space, if his teammates hadn’t picked him up and nursed him back to health, he definitely wouldn’t have chosen Earth today but rather a world of a higher dimension.
If Si Nuocheng hadn’t been kind enough to bring him to Jing Du Port, Ji Si wouldn’t have given him a protection charm, much less hurried to his side the moment the spell was activated, saving an entire yacht in the process.
Similarly, if Si Nuocheng hadn’t genuinely offered him a job to solve his food and shelter issues, Ji Si wouldn’t have disclosed that prophecy to him.
Kindness given breeds goodwill; kindness returned yields good outcomes.
Without a good cause, there would be no good outcome.
If Si Nuocheng hadn’t acted on that first impulse, Ji Si probably wouldn’t have come to Jing Du Port. In that case, Ji Si would have had to walk to the incident site, while Jiang Qining’s yacht would still have set sail offshore… and they’d likely have ended up in a serpent’s belly, while Ji Si might still be making his way there.
Would the High Priest be one to take saving lives as his duty?
Not at all. The closer the profession aligns with divinity, the more it adheres to the ways of the heavens. For Ji Si, simply leaving a prophecy in an internet café was already a great act of benevolence toward humanity. Whether they listen is humanity’s choice, and for their choices, they alone bear the consequences.
As for Ji Si, if he can save them in time, he will; if not, then he’ll just let it go. Just as he treated his own younger half-brother—despite the blood that flowed between them, if he couldn’t teach him right, he’d finish him off without a shred of hesitation.
At his core, he’s a cold and indifferent High Priest.
If not for Si Nuocheng, who just keeps digging pit after pit of “good causes” for him, Ji Si really wouldn’t get this deeply involved with him, nor would he feel forced to fill in every single one of those pits.
A mountain of favors is like a snowball rolling down a hill. Even Ji Si is wary of it growing so big that it ends up burying him. Isn’t it plain to see? All those love-hate entanglements in the world are the results of debts carried over from previous lives that are impossible to pay off.
Ji Si sighed softly. Since Si Nuocheng gave him a job, he might as well prevent the tragedy looming around him.
He “saw” that someone deeply connected to Si Nuocheng would board a plane and ultimately perish once the boundary gate opened in Lingdong District… Alright, then, time to head to Lingdong.
Ji Si thought that the moment he mentioned it, Si Nuocheng, a staunch materialist, wouldn’t believe him. Surprisingly, though this guy had brushed shoulders with death, his brows furrowed tightly, his gaze looking somewhat odd, but he didn’t voice a single word of doubt.
Ji Si was puzzled. “You believe me?”
“Yeah…” Si Nuocheng forced out a word, repeatedly reminding himself not to provoke someone with “jumping-into-the-sea” tendencies. “I mean, I’ve even seen a giant serpent; what’s left to disbelieve?”
Ji Si laughed, “Alright then, buy two tickets to Lingdong for us.”
Si Nuocheng: … I hired you as a secretary! Now you’re making me do a secretary’s work? Who’s the boss here?
But does he dare to shout at someone with “jumping-into-the-sea” tendencies? Nope!
Si Nuocheng took a deep breath. Despite his reluctance, his fingers dutifully tapped on his phone. “So, Lingdong, the 26th… some monster, huh? Let me make this clear: if your prophecy is wrong, I’m demoting you from ‘male secretary’ to doorman.”
And slowly distancing himself—time to steer clear of this delusional, wildly imaginative guy.
His family’s in Yanjing, and they rarely leave home. It’s almost New Year’s, the time for reunions, so there’s no way they’d fly to Lingdong except for him.
This is insane, going along with this madness.
Si Nuocheng clicked “Pay” and happened to glance at Ji Si’s ID. “Oh, so you’re 21 this year, huh? Just a bit younger than me… You should be a junior in college? Which school? Haven’t you started winter break yet? How come you’re just out here, wandering?”
Ji Si: … This is a setup.
He’d learned an ocean of knowledge, but hadn’t ever looked into Earth’s education system. With no other options, Ji Si lifted his head on instinct and, with excellent eyesight, quickly scanned the surrounding ads, locking onto one that seemed reliable.
“I’ve already graduated,” Ji Si replied coolly.
Graduated at 21, with good looks, literary knowledge—Si Nuocheng figured he must be an excellent student.
Then he heard Ji Si add, “I attended Lüjiang Excavator Academy. It’s a two-year program—morning theory, afternoon practice—with ample experience in… excavator operations?”
As he recited the ad, both Ji Si and Si Nuocheng fell into silence.
Ji Si: Although I have no idea how to operate an excavator, since I can pilot a starship, I should be able to manage an excavator… right?
Si Nuocheng: …
He had reason to suspect Ji Si might have accidentally dug up someone’s ancestral grave while operating an excavator, losing all his money and his job, and was now driven to the sea.
This logic seemed solid. Yes, this was probably the truth.
…
Lingdong Airport, Day 9 of the flight ban, Day 7 of drone probing.
Massive, strange gray clouds still hovered in the sky, the right side swelling to resemble a figure with a tall hat, while the left side stretched long and thin, spanning the sky.
No one paid attention to the cloud’s odd shape—except Yu Mingyang.
As Boss Si’s top follower, Yu Mingyang naturally shadowed Si Nuocheng’s every move. Though he wouldn’t splurge on the best hotels, he made sure to try every delicacy Si Nuocheng had tasted. Zhongzhou’s cuisine had such a draw that, once he started, he couldn’t pull himself away.
Yu Mingyang had been in Lingdong for five days, eating and shooting the sky with his DSLR, along with scenic shots and drones.
Oddly, though, for five days the clouds in every shot remained nearly the same. While minor details changed, the main shapes stayed the same. Flipping through the photos, the right cloud looked increasingly like a human figure, while the left resembled a chain.
For some reason, it reminded Yu Mingyang of… a Soul Reaper?
Tch, that’s unlucky. Shoo, shoo, shoo!
With the New Year approaching, he decided he should think on a more positive note. Remembering his parents’ urging, he planned to return to the capital the next day. After all, Lingdong Airport should be reopening after so long.
And sure enough, the airport reopened that evening. Numerous flights took off and landed without incident. Gradually, the officers around the airport departed, and many drones vanished as well. Besides a few circling above skyscrapers, Lingdong District was now cleared.
Yu Mingyang, feeling reassured, booked an 8 PM flight the following evening. Planning one last round of fun before leaving, he glanced up that evening, massaging his neck, and saw the ominous cloud once again…
This time, he couldn’t tell if it was the sunset or atmospheric refraction, but it appeared particularly red, a red that made his heart race with unease.
He snapped a photo and posted it to his moments: “Six days now, same cloud. Don’t know why, but it’s getting more unsettling.” Attached was the picture—no location tagged.
Not long after, replies chimed in, and Yu Mingyang checked to see most people felt the same unease, though a few found the shapes and colors beautiful.
An inexplicable irritability welled up, and he dragged his suitcase to Lingdong Airport. It was exactly 6 PM, two hours before his flight.
At the other end, Si Nuocheng saw Yu Mingyang’s post while waiting to board. He frowned at the red cloud image, then passed it to Ji Si. “Pretty rare, a red cloud.”
Ji Si squinted. “… It’s a Soul-Reaping Cloud.”
Si Nuocheng was speechless. He realized that ever since he’d said “I believe,” this guy had become a bit too brazen.
“When the Soul Reaper appears, it usually comes with chains. Any souls in the area bound by these chains become its prey,” Ji Si explained calmly. “Clouds: black for demons, pink for spirits, red for bloodshed. It’s a heavenly omen and a reaction to changes in the local energy field.”
“For example, the mysterious light sometimes seen before an earthquake is also a kind of warning.” Ji Si turned his gaze, cold and aloof. “But people often refuse Heaven’s goodwill.”
Si Nuocheng: … With this tone and expression, he almost had me convinced!
Nope, I need to hold steady! I’m a materialist!
Their flight landed in Lingdong, and both men, putting aside their conversation, disembarked with the crowd. By the time they arrived, it was around 8 PM.
…
At 7:55 PM Lingdong time, the flight from Jing Du Port to Lingdong arrived early, and the flight from Lingdong to Yanjing was about to take off.
Drones that had been hovering high in the sky quickly scattered, and staff monitoring the video feed yawned. “This is killing me. Every day, just staring at video feeds for any strange stuff. All there is is clouds and air. What are we even supposed to find?”
The other person nodded. “No clue why the higher-ups are so fixated. The airport’s open again, but they still won’t let it go. Working till midnight in shifts every day is exhausting, especially with this freezing weather.”
They complained for a while before a sudden “zzzzr” sounded, and one of the screens turned to static.
“Huh, what’s going on?”
“No idea. It just went blank, no sound either. Did it break?”
The man quickly started troubleshooting. “Don’t say that. These drones are the latest from the military. They’re cleared to fly thousands of meters high after the ban. No way they’d break down so fast.”
“Then why…”
“Zzzzz—” Another harsh sound, like something being crushed, filled the air.
They froze, staring dumbfounded as sixteen screens quickly turned to static, one by one. An ominous feeling engulfed them as they stared blankly at the black sky.
Visible to the naked eye, a faint crack appeared at the top of the heavens they had monitored for nine days. Something sharp and dark was poking through, with sparks from exploding drones flaring around it…
Meanwhile, a silver passenger plane accelerated up the runway, climbing into the sky. Right on course—to pass through the “sky crack.”
“Ahh! Quick! Call headquarters!”
Roar—
The sky crack split open, and the demon’s horns poked through!
Author’s Note:
PS: Demon: What? Just nudging a bit, it’s not like I’ll get pregnant!
Ji Si: But you might lose your head~
Demon: …
It shrank back, curling into a pitiful little ball.
