The Book of Spirit Sealing and a Brother’s Burden

Fu Ziyu’s voice was thick with anger.

His eyes were wide and bloodshot, his gaze fixed on Zhao Yunzhong as he gritted his teeth.

“You are an Anomaly Investigator, I understand your mission and your duty, but…”

As Fu Ziyu spoke, his voice gradually sank.

“But, I truly wish to see her just one more time.”

“I wanted to tell her…”

He murmured, his lips trembling, yet the words that escaped him were simply:

“There were so many things, so many things I wanted to say to her.”

The hand that had tightly gripped Zhao Yunzhong’s collar slowly loosened. Fu Ziyu leaned back, settling into the passenger seat.

He turned his head, looking calmly at Zhao Yunzhong.

Zhao Yunzhong knew Fu Ziyu was waiting for a reasonable explanation.

“This book…”

Zhao Yunzhong produced the small, dark red book, speaking to Fu Ziyu.

“I call it ‘The Book of Spirit Sealing,’ but before I became its master…”

“Its previous owner called it ‘The Book of Evil Spirits.’ At that time, I was still with the National Security Department, and I encountered that person while handling a terrorist attack.

“Because of this book, that individual gained the ability to create and control evil spirits. In just two months, he brutally murdered twenty-two people, turning them into evil spirits… Yet, he seemed to find this pace too slow, so he planned a bombing attack targeting a department store.”

At this point, he paused, observing Fu Ziyu’s reaction.

Fu Ziyu was naturally more concerned about his sister’s situation, but he showed no impatience, signaling Zhao Yunzhong with his eyes to continue.

Zhao Yunzhong resumed his explanation:

“My team thwarted his plan, locating and disarming the timed bomb in time. That person held a grudge against us, and he struck just after we had evacuated the department store…”

Here, Zhao Yunzhong slowly inhaled, his voice dropping to a low tone.

“In a mere ten seconds, my entire team, save for myself, perished at the hands of the evil spirits he controlled.”

Upon hearing this, Fu Ziyu’s expression also dimmed slightly. He understood the grief and helplessness of watching comrades die before one’s eyes.

However, he also voiced his confusion.

“If he possessed such a swift method of killing, why would he bother to expend effort planning a bombing attack?”

“Those killed by ghosts are truly annihilated, their souls scattered, making it impossible for them to become ghosts themselves.”

Zhao Yunzhong offered a brief explanation, then continued.

“That person didn’t have the evil spirits kill me immediately; he merely controlled me. He called himself the ‘King of Hell,’ claiming he had taken a liking to me and intended for me to become his ‘Judge.'”

“He must have been insane! That man,” Fu Ziyu couldn’t help but exclaim.

Zhao Yunzhong chuckled softly, saying:

“Haha, to put it plainly, he hated me the most for leading the charge against him and planned to take me back to torment me and turn me into an evil spirit.

“I was actually stunned at the time, having never seen a ghost in my life… However, when he said that, I surprisingly felt no fear. Instead, I was incredibly curious about his ghost-controlling abilities.”

Upon hearing this, Fu Ziyu raised an eyebrow.

“You’re quite similar, then.”

Zhao Yunzhong paid him no mind, continuing:

“He took me to an abandoned factory, locked me in a warehouse, and then, he had his ghosts terrorize me for two days and two nights.

“On the third day, he tied me up and, without any reservation, told me that his ability to create and control ghosts stemmed from ‘The Book of Evil Spirits.’ However, he didn’t know the book’s origin; it had simply appeared beside his pillow one morning after he woke up.

“He was incredibly smug, declaring himself ‘Heaven’s Chosen’ and ceaselessly denouncing how heartless and ugly the people of this world were. He claimed he would become the ‘King of Hell’ and purify all sinful beings.

“I knew he was telling me all this because he was preparing to kill me. He said he genuinely wanted me to be his ‘Judge,’ promising to forge me into his most powerful ‘Ghost King.’ Then, he plunged a dagger into my heart, letting my gushing blood drench the book.

“I thought I was dead. My last sliver of consciousness allowed me to see that book floating before me, from which countless evil spirits flew out, all burrowing into my body through the wound in my chest. That fellow, who called himself the ‘King of Hell,’ was roaring with laughter.

“After that, I lost consciousness. When I finally came to, I saw the ‘King of Hell’ lying on the ground, his face contorted in terror, having already gone to meet the true King of Hell.

“And I, I was still alive.”

Zhao Yunzhong spoke in a flat tone. He slightly raised the dark red book in his hand, gazing at it.

“It was floating beside me then, and I could feel a profound connection, like blood ties. Through that feeling, I knew it had abandoned the one who called himself the ‘King of Hell’ and chosen me as its new master.

“Simultaneously, because of this subtle link between us, I learned that besides creating and controlling ghosts, it could also seal and control ghosts it hadn’t created.

“It wanted me to give it a new name.

“So, I called it ‘The Book of Spirit Sealing.'”

No sooner had Zhao Yunzhong finished speaking than the dark red book floated up, swaying left and right in the air.

It seemed to be frolicking.

Fu Ziyu looked at The Book of Spirit Sealing, marveling:

“This thing, why is it acting like a little puppy?”

“Brother Yu, watch your words…”

Zhao Yunzhong was startled, but his words came too late.

The Book of Spirit Sealing abruptly stood upright, then a dark red afterimage streaked through the air…

Pop!

Fu Ziyu received a slap.

“What the hell!”

Fu Ziyu was astonished but not angry; instead, he laughed.

“This little thing has quite a temper, doesn’t it?”

The Book of Spirit Sealing spun in a circle in the air, seemingly gathering strength, but halfway through its charge towards Fu Ziyu’s face, Zhao Yunzhong snatched it.

Zhao Yunzhong’s hand, gripping The Book of Spirit Sealing, trembled slightly, clearly indicating the book was not yet ready to give up.

“Stop it.”

At Zhao Yunzhong’s words, his trembling hand immediately steadied.

“Is this really an Anomalous Object? So obedient?”

Fu Ziyu wore another expression of surprise.

Zhao Yunzhong’s expression became somewhat subtle.

Evidently, the book was influencing him, even interfering with his judgment, prompting him to act in ways more beneficial to the book itself.

His eyes darkened as he quietly said:

“No matter how obedient, it’s still an Anomalous Object.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Fu Ziyu saw Zhao Yunzhong’s hand suddenly jerk. The Book of Spirit Sealing detached from his grasp, flipped in the air, and then burrowed into Zhao Yunzhong’s pocket.

Silence fell. Zhao Yunzhong’s expression was strange, his hand still frozen in the air.

Fu Ziyu stared blankly, his own expression peculiar.

“It bites people too? Is it mad at you?”

Zhao Yunzhong retracted his hand, intending to tuck it into his pocket, but then abruptly placed it on the steering wheel, his tone uncertain.

“Probably… right?”

“Probably? Didn’t you say you had a blood connection with it?”

Fu Ziyu asked.

“Speaking of which, how long has it been with you?”

“Two years.”

“Two years, and have you properly communicated with it?”

At Fu Ziyu’s question, Zhao Yunzhong was immediately puzzled.

“Communicate? Communicate about what? I only summon it to seal evil spirits when I encounter ones I can’t handle. Other than that, I just let it stay in my coat or pants pocket.”

Fu Ziyu pursed his lips, speaking earnestly:

“Yunzhong, while I’m not an Anomaly Investigator and certainly not as professional as you, this thing clearly has a mind, seeming no different from a seven or eight-year-old child. If it were a person, how would it feel about how you treat it? Didn’t you notice how happy it was today after you told me about your past with it? Did you understand anything from that?”

“Understand what? Brother Yu, you don’t comprehend the horror of Anomalous Objects. It only listens to me because…”

Zhao Yunzhong paused, then said with a helpless tone:

“It’s merely temporarily parasitic on me.”

It could abandon its previous owner, and it could abandon him just the same.

“Ouch!”

A forceful impact struck his abdomen, causing Zhao Yunzhong to let out a gasp.

“See! It’s angry again.”

Fu Ziyu said with a laugh.

Zhao Yunzhong leaned forward, his eyeballs subtly shifting.

Could The Book of Spirit Sealing truly communicate properly? But it had clearly been interfering with his thoughts last night… Perhaps he had misjudged it?

No, no, no! Anomalous Objects were always unpredictable and eerie. And The Book of Spirit Sealing, which siphoned a thread of his life force and withered a part of his body every time it was used, how could such a thing be capable of proper communication!

Zhao Yunzhong’s thoughts were a jumble, but Fu Ziyu couldn’t care less about what he was thinking.

“Alright, whether you communicate or how you communicate, that’s your business. You two sort it out yourselves.”

Fu Ziyu finally showed a hint of impatience.

“Now, tell me, where is my sister?”

“I sealed her with The Book of Spirit Sealing…”

Zhao Yunzhong said.

“Let it release her.”

Fu Ziyu crossed his arms.

Zhao Yunzhong glanced at his left palm.

“It will take another 29 days.”

“Hmm?”

“After The Book of Spirit Sealing seals a ghost, there’s always a waiting period. Only after this period can the sealed ghost be summoned again.”

Zhao Yunzhong raised his left hand for Fu Ziyu to see.

“There’s actually a number on my palm, representing the number of waiting days. Of course, only I can see it. Usually, it’s less than a day, or sometimes a few days, or over ten days. This time, however, it’s 30 days, which even I didn’t expect.”

“That’s perfectly normal; my sister has always been exceptional.”

Fu Ziyu, even at this moment, did not forget to boast about his sister. Then he asked again:

“What’s with this waiting period?”

“Ghosts usually carry resentment, and their abilities vary. The Book of Spirit Sealing can’t immediately gain complete control over a sealed ghost. It needs time to dissipate the ghost’s resentment, much like a prisoner undergoing reform in jail…”

As Zhao Yunzhong explained this, Fu Ziyu’s voice suddenly rose.

“Reform?”

“It’s just a metaphor, merely a metaphor.”

“What do you mean by ‘complete control’?”

Fu Ziyu stared at Zhao Yunzhong, narrowing his eyes.

“To let you control her? You wouldn’t… have gone to Chuanbei Middle School with that intention from the start, would you?”

“How could that be!”

Zhao Yunzhong immediately denied it, then lowered his voice.

“I would never do that to her.”

Several seconds later, he added:

“It was The Book of Spirit Sealing. It interfered with my judgment, making me believe at the time that the other party was the Vicious Ghost who murdered Fu Ziqing…

“You said The Book of Spirit Sealing has the intelligence of a seven or eight-year-old child, but in fact, it initially had no intelligence at all. It was just like a simple program, with a set of inherent behavioral logic.

“So, it’s actually growing by itself as the number of sealed ghosts increases. I didn’t pay attention at first, but now it seems it even has a tendency to usurp its host.

“What happened last night is proof.

“Fu Ziqing was trying to communicate with me at the time, but because sealing a Vicious Ghost like Fu Ziqing was very beneficial to it, it interfered with what Fu Ziqing was trying to say to me, making me only hear annoying noises, irritating me, and making me only think of attacking. In the end, I was controlled by Fu Ziqing. I could feel at the time that she watched me for a long time; she must have recognized me, which is why she ultimately let me go.”

At this, Zhao Yunzhong smiled helplessly.

“She must have been somewhat disappointed, somewhat angry, which is why she threw me down the stairs. But after I tumbled down, The Book of Spirit Sealing fell out of my pocket, and I instinctively picked it up…

“I had mistakenly believed I was the one who made The Book of Spirit Sealing come out to seal her. In fact, it had come out on its own accord.”

Having said so much, Zhao Yunzhong was also wary that The Book of Spirit Sealing might throw another “tantrum,” yet it remained completely silent.

Did it mean it acquiesced?

Regarding the situation between Zhao Yunzhong and The Book of Spirit Sealing, Fu Ziyu patted Zhao Yunzhong’s shoulder, expressing deep sympathy, but he was currently concerned with only one thing:

“My sister has been sealed. What impact will this have on her?”

“She will forget the cause of her death, thereby calming her resentment. And then, she will be forever bound to The Book of Spirit Sealing, without freedom.”

Zhao Yunzhong spoke, lowering his head slightly.

Fu Ziyu clenched his fist, then quietly repeated:

“Forget the cause of her death… without freedom, you say…”

Then, he offered a relieved smile.

“Actually, for her, it might even be a good thing.”

As for the rest, he, her brother, would simply bear the burden.

Silence settled in the small car for a few minutes, two middle-aged men lost in their own thoughts.

“She will be bound to The Book of Spirit Sealing, and The Book of Spirit Sealing follows you. That means, from now on, she’ll always be by your side, right?”

Fu Ziyu suddenly turned his head to Zhao Yunzhong.

Zhao Yunzhong nodded, a little nervously.

Fu Ziyu smiled.

“Be extra careful when you’re working.”

“Hm?”

Such words left Zhao Yunzhong momentarily confused.

“I can’t persuade you to give up your current job, but I hope you live well, live long, and strive for a hundred years.”

Fu Ziyu’s hand rested on Zhao Yunzhong’s shoulder, his tone admonishing, like that of an elder.

In an instant, Zhao Yunzhong’s eyes widened, his pupils dilating. He opened his mouth, stammering:

“Br-Brother Yu, what… what do you mean?”

Fu Ziyu merely offered a profound smile, then exited the car.

After getting out, Fu Ziyu walked a short distance, but then suddenly turned back, approaching the driver’s side window and tapping on it.

Still in a daze, Zhao Yunzhong quickly rolled down the window, asking:

“What’s wrong, Brother Yu?”

“Come upstairs with me.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary…”

“There’s one of her belongings I intend to entrust to you.”

Upon hearing Fu Ziyu’s words, Zhao Yunzhong, with a subtle expression, got out of the car.

While waiting for the elevator in the garage with Fu Ziyu, Zhao Yunzhong couldn’t help but ask:

“What is it?”

Fu Ziyu looked at Zhao Yunzhong and spoke.

“A diary.”