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"Kid—you, you’re wrong—if my powers were—fully mastered—at their peak—then they'd be just like—your Daoist 'Unity of Heaven and Man'—beyond the Three Realms, outside the Five Elements! Able to pierce the boundary of yin and yang—and attain immortality—the Great Way! But alas—" Grandmaster Draco sighed, the strange flush fading from his cheeks, and his once golden-purple face now turning a dull, ashen gray.
"Oh! What a shame?" Shawn Young saw his expression and knew Draco was about to kick the bucket, so he hurriedly asked. He also realized Draco’s earlier burst of energy was just a dying flash of defiance.
"A shame—I, I spent most of my life—collected—so many rare—ghosts and venomous gu—just—just to have it all ruined—my life-bound divine gu—only one step away from the next realm—sigh—" Grandmaster Draco said, slowly closing his eyes.
Shawn Young thought he’d stopped breathing, so he shook his head and sighed, "Damn! Even at death’s door, you can't stop cultivating. You’re one stubborn old bastard!"
Unexpectedly, Grandmaster Draco’s eyes snapped open, staring at Shawn Young with wide, bull-like eyes. His mouth hung open, making him look downright bizarre.
"Uh—what, what are you trying to do?" Shawn Young was startled, half thinking Draco was about to rise from the dead.
"I—I—have one last—question—I want—to ask you—" Grandmaster Draco suddenly blurted out.
"One last question? Oh, fine, ask away!" Shawn Young saw how pitiful Draco looked and knew he posed no threat, so he agreed without hesitation.
"You—you—the thing—you called—Sanlu—what—what kind of—deadly poison—is it? Now—I’m dying—just—let me—be a ghost who understands—" Draco’s final question was actually about this!
"Uh—not really! You—you're on a whole other level of stubborn!" Shawn Young couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. His offhand joke had actually gotten Grandmaster Draco obsessed—talk about a guilty conscience!
"Let—let me die—knowing the truth! I—I can tell you—a secret—in exchange—really—" Grandmaster Draco stared wide-eyed, breathing heavily.
"Oh, fine! But you tell me the secret first!" Shawn Young was getting a lot more cunning these days.
"Alright—the secret is—it’s about my—senior brother, Grandmaster Zenith—because—once I die—he’ll—immediately know—and he’ll definitely—come looking—for you—" Grandmaster Draco said.
"Hmm? How come?" Shawn Young asked curiously.
"Because—my senior brother—he—placed a Soul Capture Curse on me—once I die—he’ll automatically know—he—he wants to use my—soul—to create—his—Soul-Stealing Ghost Hex—I—I don’t want—to be used—like that—it’s—too painful—I’d rather my soul be scattered—than suffer—his terrifying torture—" Grandmaster Draco’s face showed real fear, clearly dreading such a fate.
"What? No way! Your senior brother put a curse on you? You two really don’t get along, huh? Looks like you’ve had a pretty rough run!" Shawn Young said in surprise.
"Uh—among—warlocks of our—sect—that's just how it is—even senior brothers—or close family—will do anything—for cultivation—my senior brother—is stronger than me—he’s trying to master—the most ruthless hex—the Soul-Stealing Ghost Hex—it needs the soul—of a powerful warlock—as its core—plus the resentment of eighty-one vengeful spirits—after special cultivation—it becomes a legendary hex! I—I’d love to see it—but I know—that’s impossible—if he succeeds—I’ll be his slave—forever—never able to reincarnate." As Grandmaster Draco struggled to finish, his face showed both envy and terror.
"Oh, so that’s how it is! If your senior brother snatches your soul, that’s gotta be the worst fate ever!" Shawn Young, now well-versed in the supernatural, knew just how scary it was to be denied reincarnation.
"That’s why I’d rather die and be reincarnated—even as a beast—than be my senior brother’s slave. Now—can we—make the trade?" Grandmaster Draco gasped.
"Oh! Alright! Tell me first—I promise I won’t let your senior brother succeed!" Shawn Young said quickly. Seeing Draco’s expression, he knew this 'Soul-Stealing Ghost Hex' was a terrifying curse. Draco was already tough to handle, and his senior brother Grandmaster Zenith could show up at any time—Shawn wasn’t about to let his guard down!
"Alright—I’ll tell you—if you want to deal with my senior brother—you need to pay attention—he’s a Wood Element Warlock—" Grandmaster Draco mustered his last bit of energy to warn Shawn Young.
"Uh—Wood Element Warlock? What does that mean?" Shawn Young wasn’t too familiar with warlock cultivation.
"It’s—complicated—hard to explain quickly—you—just knowing this—is enough—now—can you finally—tell me—what Sanlu really is?" The old Grandmaster Draco still couldn’t let go of his final question.
"Uh—alright! Sanlu—was actually—the best-selling milk powder in China! Super toxic! At least a thousand babies died from it! Nasty stuff!" Shawn Young sheepishly revealed the truth behind the mystery that had stumped Draco for so long.
"Uh—poison—poison milk powder?? You—you bastard—trying to pass off poison milk powder as some deadly toxin—tricking me—damn you—" Grandmaster Draco glared, cursing furiously, then spat out a mouthful of bloody foam. He couldn’t catch his breath, pointed at Shawn Young, kicked his legs wildly, eyes bulging, and finally died with a look of utter indignation!