Chapter 004 The Gentleman’s Grave

"What did you say?" I could hardly believe my own ears.

The master had passed away? How could that be possible? Absolutely impossible! He was just speaking to me a moment ago, explaining the true nature of the Six Divine Heavens' Absolute Calamity.

"Now, now, Wei, don’t take it too hard," Uncle Wang began to comfort me, "Before Mr. Zhang passed, he told me to tell you to take care of yourself and not to be too sad. Though he failed to dispel the poison afflicting you, he believed you would succeed in the end..."

His words sent chills crawling across my scalp, and my body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Uncle Wang’s words echoed almost exactly what the master had told me moments before.

Though my heart desperately refused to accept the reality of his death, Uncle Wang did not seem to be lying.

Recalling his earlier demeanor, everything now made sense.

But...

But just now, the master had spoken with me at length.

Could that have been his spirit?

Perhaps others would scoff at such a thought, but I believed it, for I had often accompanied my master to handle matters involving vengeful ghosts and wandering souls.

I had seen such things with my own eyes, and had even banished more than a few.

If Uncle Wang was telling the truth, then what I saw just now was my master’s spirit. No wonder he appeared so suddenly, only to vanish just as abruptly!

Now I truly understood the meaning behind the master’s final words. The poison within me was beyond his power to dispel. Whether I could control it or not depended solely on myself.

"Wei, the one Mr. Zhang was most concerned about was you. You must understand, if not for your predicament, he would not have left this world so soon! You must take care of yourself," Uncle Wang urged again when I remained silent.

"How... how did the master pass away?" I asked listlessly.

"Ah... After we buried you, we had to wait several kilometers away so as not to disrupt the formation purifying your poison. When the time came, we rushed back to dig you out. But a torrential rain fell suddenly, and we ran as fast as we could."

"But the rain was too heavy. We couldn’t see the road at all. Before we reached you, a flash flood broke out and swept the road away. We couldn’t get through."

"Only after the rain subsided and the floodwaters receded did we make our way back. By then, the place had been completely leveled, and your coffin was nowhere to be seen."

"So we followed the water downstream, searching for you. Thankfully, you were rescued by the flood relief team."

Uncle Wang recounted the events, but so far I had heard nothing about the master facing any danger. I interrupted him, "I’m asking about the master... How did he die?"

"Ah, don’t be impatient, let me finish. After you were found, we accompanied the ambulance to the hospital. Once you were settled, Mr. Zhang asked me to take him home. After we got back, he... he couldn’t hold on any longer," Uncle Wang rambled on.

"What do you mean, ‘couldn’t hold on’? What happened to him?" I pressed anxiously.

"Backlash!" Uncle Wang replied gravely.

"Backlash?" I gasped in shock.

"Yes, backlash! He set up the formation to dispel your Six Divine Heavens' Absolute Calamity. He used all his cultivation and life force to force it into place. If the formation had succeeded in purging your poison, he would only have been weakened for a few years. But since it failed, he suffered the backlash of the formation!" Uncle Wang’s grief was evident.

Indeed, arranging certain special geomantic configurations carried great risks. If something unexpected disrupted the formation, the one who set it would suffer a severe rebound.

The force of the backlash depended on the power of the formation itself.

No more needed to be said—my master had told me that the Nine Nether Creation Array was a formation capable of powerful backlash. Once it was destroyed, it struck him fiercely in return.

"Master... he..." I could no longer hold back my tears. They poured down in torrents, soaking my pillow.

"Mr. Zhang instructed me to arrange a ritual for him and to bury him in the grave he’d chosen on West Mountain. He said, when you recover, just go bow before his tomb a few times," Uncle Wang told me gently.

I was familiar with the grave on West Mountain. It was the place the master had chosen for himself long ago. I never imagined he would need it so soon, at just over fifty.

"What? He’s been buried already?" I asked in alarm.

"Yes, yesterday," Uncle Wang nodded.

"I..." I broke down and wailed in grief, overcome with pain.

Before, I had even suspected the master of bringing harm upon me. Yet, for my sake, he’d sacrificed his own life. I... I had wronged him!

Seeing me so distraught, Uncle Wang didn’t try to comfort me. He merely handed me tissues and wiped my tears.

Perhaps it was grief and my injuries catching up with me, but after a while of sobbing, everything went black and I lost consciousness.

I had no idea how long I was out. When I awoke again, I saw Uncle Wang sleeping soundly at my bedside.

"Master..." I murmured softly.

I knew, everything had already happened, and nothing could be undone. He was gone, and no amount of weeping could bring him back.

He had given his life to save mine. I could not let him down. I had to get well quickly and go kneel before his grave to show my gratitude.

Moreover, I had to find a way to understand the Six Divine Heavens' Absolute Calamity, and ultimately dispel it. Only then could I consider myself worthy of him.

Though I understood all this, every memory of my time with the master felt like knives twisting in my heart, and the tears would not stop falling...

Days passed. Uncle Wang and Uncle Li took turns caring for me in the hospital.

Like Uncle Wang, Uncle Li had often worked with us before.

With their care, my injuries gradually healed.

During this time, I repeatedly asked to visit the master’s grave on West Mountain, but Uncle Wang and the others always refused firmly.

"Uncle Wang, I can walk now! Please, take me to see the master. My heart cannot rest otherwise," I pleaded with him again one morning.

"Wei, don’t rush. Mr. Zhang is already... It’s not too late to go after you’re fully recovered," Uncle Wang still refused.

"Uncle Wang, I am his only disciple. I couldn’t attend his final moments, and that already pains me deeply. So much time has passed, and I still haven’t paid my respects. I... I just can’t..." I begged him earnestly.

Seeing my determination, Uncle Wang finally relented. "Alright, wait here. I’ll get the car."

I asked Uncle Wang to buy incense, candles, and paper offerings for the grave.

The car could only go as far as the foot of West Mountain. I leaned on my cane, with Uncle Wang supporting me, and together we made our way to the master’s grave.

"Master..." I knelt before his tomb.

Looking at the gravestone, my heart was lost in confusion. I thought I would break down in tears, but once I arrived, I found I couldn’t cry.

I didn’t know why. My heart felt as though it were being torn apart, but not a single tear would fall.

"Wei, this gravestone was erected in your name," Uncle Wang said, setting down the offerings.

I glanced at it. Indeed, the inscription read "Disciple Yu Wei."

"Go ahead and bow to your master. That was his final wish," Uncle Wang said.

At his words, I bent forward to kowtow.

But after just one bow, I stopped, staring at the gravestone.

"Wei! What’s wrong?" Uncle Wang asked in alarm.

"Uncle Wang, help me up!" I reached a hand toward him.

"What’s the matter? You haven’t finished bowing yet," he asked.

"Just help me up first!" I insisted.

Frowning, Uncle Wang still reached out and pulled me to my feet.

Leaning on my cane, I hobbled around the master’s grave, examining it closely.

"No, no, something’s not right," I muttered as I walked.

"Wei, what’s wrong? What do you mean, not right?" Uncle Wang called after me.

"This grave, it’s not right..." I exclaimed in shock.