Chapter 29: The Sleeping Arhat

“Some careless words unraveled my doubts; an inexplicable impulse urged me to continue the pursuit. I watched your every move attentively, for once the truth is revealed, I shall hold no guilt in my heart…”

No doubt about it, this lullaby is the one I sing to Little Round Cake. Recently, he’s been restless at night, and only this song can soothe him briefly.

The last time the Black Cat sought justice from Officer Bao, I thought it was a mere coincidence. Yet ever since, ghosts have been constantly coming to our home, asking Officer Bao to arbitrate their grievances.

For a time, our home turned into a den of spirits. I lost count of how many times I was paralyzed by sleep paralysis or strangled by hanging ghosts.

Outside the window, a resentful specter in red wandered mournfully; in the kitchen, starving ghosts stole food; in the bedroom, a wizened old ghost shuffled aimlessly with hollow eyes; and there were even a pair of innocent twin girl ghosts, hand in hand, gleefully chasing each other in the room. Their carefree laughter was chilling to the bone.

The most terrifying was waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, only to see Chu Renmei crawling out of the mirror.

The childhood shadow of Chu Renmei!

Imagine, in the dead of night, yawning incessantly, eyes glazed, half-asleep as I sat on the toilet. Chu Renmei appeared in a strange cyan opera costume, her pupils a deathly white, hair tangled like wild grass, silently crawling out of the mirror toward me. What a catastrophic scene!

Could this dragon truly be seeking to repay me?

“Holy—!” On the phone screen, Zhong Yang and Wang Xinyue stared in stunned unison as the Black and White Impermanences took away the ghosts from our home in a long line.

Zhong Yang now had the power to command the underworld’s Black and White Impermanences. Unable to tolerate the endless ghosts in our house, I asked her to send them to collect and remove these spirits.

But after the Impermanences took away one batch, another arrived immediately. Throughout history, countless souls wronged in life have sought Officer Bao’s justice.

Helpless, I consulted Teacher Xing for a permanent solution.

Teacher Xing instructed me to order an authentic Five Sacred Mountains Talisman online, place it on the altar for consecration for several days, then hang it at home.

The bright yellow scroll of the Five Sacred Mountains talisman, once unfurled, instantly emitted a dazzling golden light that illuminated half the living room. Under this sharp golden radiance, the ghosts were terrified and retreated. The chilling coldness that had long lingered in the house dissipated like smoke.

Though the talisman was in place, Teacher Xing’s voice still carried worry. “The Five Sacred Mountains talisman can repel many ghosts, but Officer Bao’s personality surely made enemies in the underworld. You, Teacher Yang, are gentle and kind, yet those from the underworld may want to harm you secretly. You must protect Little Round Cake well.”

At this, Teacher Xing suddenly thought of my temperament and sighed, “Well, with your nature, protecting yourself alone is already a feat. Let me first help you retrieve his true form!”

Teacher Xing closed his eyes and summoned Little Round Cake’s true soul with his mind.

A vigorous divine dragon dashed swiftly, golden scales glittering, eyes shining with wisdom. The dragon shrank as it circled above the crib, then dipped its head and dove into Little Round Cake’s chest. It swam within the infant’s small body, finally merging peacefully into one.

“I remember you always wanted the God of Literature to lend you a hand. Look, the God of Literature has descended and settled right in your home,” Teacher Xing teased, his gaze piercing through the phone screen, resting on the innocent Little Round Cake in the crib.

I scratched my head, confused. “What God of Literature? Officer Bao works in the underworld, doesn’t he?”

Teacher Xing raised an eyebrow. “Officer Bao holds multiple roles—not only does he work in the underworld, but he also serves as the God of Literature in the divine realm.”

I muttered, “Quite a busy guy, huh?”

As it turned out, Teacher Xing’s worries were well-founded. Everyone in the house fell into unprecedented fatigue, as if the air were laced with an invisible sleeping potion. The moment anyone touched the bed, they plunged into deep slumber. My mother, who had long suffered insomnia, was now snoring peacefully in the next room as I passed by at night.

One night, as I lay drowsy, the pure white wall in the living room seemed to be painted with a large blood-red frame, glowing fiercely. Within the frame appeared another ghostly world, where countless spirits clamored to crawl out. Just as they attempted to cross the boundary, the Five Sacred Mountains talisman on the opposite wall transformed into countless sharp golden blades, each piercing the spirits trying to escape. They were forced to retreat, crowded at the gate inside the frame, unable to leap out.

“Useless things. I’ll handle this first—” A tall, muscular man clad in black armor appeared, his face fully covered by a helmet except for two sinister eyes. He strode out first; the golden blades from the talisman could not pierce his heavy armor.

With a wave of his hand, he knocked the talisman to the floor, freeing the spirits from its restraint. The ghosts surged out from the blood-red frame in a flood.

A monstrous python, thick and terrifying, slithered slowly across the floor. On its head, two bulging lumps hinted it was already a transformed dragon python.

The great python shifted form into a young man in black robes and stepped forward to converse with the armored figure. “I have ordered my men to release the soul-confounding mist for three straight days. This family will not wake tonight.”

On the ceiling chandelier, a pair of green-headed snake siblings slithered and crawled. Their shiny green serpent bodies exhaled eerie green smoke that permeated every room. These green siblings were underlings of the great python.

Not only did Guanyin send the little white cat, but originally dozens of rivals competed for the fetal position. The great python was by far the fiercest competitor against Little Round Cake. Unfortunately, despite having transformed into a dragon python, it ultimately could not surpass Little Round Cake, the true dragon.

This bred deep resentment in the great dragon python, who sought revenge and even conspired with enemies in the underworld. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Together, they vowed to retaliate tonight.

Countless ghosts flooded into the bedroom, heading straight for the crib. A bad feeling washed over me, but my eyelids were heavy and sticky, my mind muddled as if filled with slurry—I could not awaken.

A loud wail erupted from the crib as Little Round Cake cried fiercely, waving his small arms and legs, struggling to move.

At this moment, no one in the house could wake to check—the entire family was trapped in deep sleep.

I struggled to clear my mind, silently calling out, “Yang Jian, come save us.”

Suddenly, a brilliant white light burst from my chest. From the light sprang a tall, slender figure who swept his trident spear horizontally, scattering the spirits pinning down my limbs.

Freed, the spirit Yuer shot out of my body, sword in hand, joining Yang Jian’s spirit to fight side by side.

When a spirit merges with a mortal body, it is bound by the mortal’s limitations, and the spirit’s power is reduced to less than a tenth of what it wielded in the divine realm. Many demons seize this weakness to strike back.

The ghosts were nothing more than a nuisance in numbers; slay one wave, and another would come.

The great dragon python and the armored black-clad man from the underworld were the real threats. That night, Yang Jian’s spiritual awareness was missing from the photo; only his spirit remained inside me, greatly weakened.

The great python was highly skilled, and the armored man formidable. Together, they wore us down. Just as we teetered on the brink, a fragrant breeze accompanied by melodious music arrived from behind.

A woman in a simple, elegant white dress appeared, her delicate, ethereal beauty like a celestial maiden. She cradled a konghou harp, lightly plucking its strings. The collision of strings and notes unleashed a wave of deadly sound energy that swept toward the great python and the armored man.

The armored man’s hard armor was strong but rigid; no matter how tough a weapon was, it left no mark on his plates. Yet the woman’s konghou harp was flexible and fluid, like flowing water that could give life or take it. The killing sound waves seeped through the armor’s seams, shaking him from within.

The armored man seemed to recognize her; his exposed eyes reddened with blood. In a hoarse voice, he said, “You shouldn’t have come.”

“I’m his girlfriend, so naturally, I must protect him,” the harpist replied, her voice light and clear like a mountain spring.

This konghou-playing woman was Little Round Cake’s girlfriend in the divine realm. Little Round Cake certainly had his share of romance!

The great python’s face twisted with hatred. “Enough nonsense! If you dare protect the brat who stole my fetal position, none of you will be spared.”

With the harpist joining the battle, Yang Jian’s spirit and I found the fight much easier.

The phoenix-feather sword danced like falling feathers, each touch drawing blood like a phoenix bathed in flames. I took on the great python, while Yang Jian’s spirit wielded the trident spear with dragon-like precision, stabbing relentless waves of sly ghosts without pause. The harpist’s fingers danced over the strings, each note imbued with lethal intent, targeting the armored man.

We fought until dawn, when the sky lightened. The armored man, being from the underworld, had to return the spirits before daylight or risk trouble. Finally, he beat the war drum and retreated, leading the ghosts back through the blood-red frame into the netherworld.

The next day, I awoke groggy and immediately contacted Zhong Yang for assistance.

“Jade Gourd, collect!” Zhong Yang commanded sharply.

Despite their resistance, the green snake siblings were sucked into the jade gourd, a magical treasure bestowed by the Supreme Lord Laozi. The fate of the siblings became a puddle of thick green water within the gourd.

Zhong Yang on the phone said, “I’ll also clear out the soul-confounding mist in your home.”

The green smoke expelled by the snake siblings had a hypnotic, soul-confusing effect. It took some effort, but the jade gourd absorbed every trace of the mist.

“Why won’t Little Round Cake wake up?” Since the battle last night, he had been lethargic, refusing to nurse, and sleeping continuously.

“I just cleared all the soul-confounding mist with the jade gourd. Why isn’t he waking up?” Zhong Yang was puzzled.

On video, Wang Xinyue reappeared. “Hey, he has a Sleep Arhat on him.”

“Sleep Arhat?” I had never heard of such a thing.

“I, Lü Dongbin, in my past life traveled widely and saw all manner of strange things. Once, I stayed overnight at a wealthy family’s house and noticed a Sleep Arhat statue in their Buddhist altar. This family’s master suffered chronic insomnia. Following a wandering monk’s advice, they enshrined a Sleep Arhat statue, which initially improved sleep quality. But over time, the master grew addicted to dreams, became lethargic, reversed day and night, and barely left the bed. The family business was neglected. I observed that the Sleep Arhat was an evil deity. When I slew it with the Pure Yang Sword, the master gradually awoke. That wandering monk and the Sleep Arhat were hired by the master’s business rivals to sap his energy and ruin his enterprise.”

Wang Xinyue said lazily, “The Sleep Arhat is called an Arhat, but in truth, it’s an evil god. It’s been placed on Little Round Cake by that great python. Its purpose is to make him increasingly drowsy until he never wakes.”

“Do we have to kill the Sleep Arhat?”

Wang Xinyue thought a moment. “Let’s try a gentle approach first. We’ll see if the Sleep Arhat is sensible enough to leave on its own. I’ll teach you a spell to expel it. You must recite it three times after me.”

She began:

“Sun, moon, stars, and vast skies,
Respectfully bid the Arhat arise.
If you defy the sacred command,
Demonic power shall turn to sand!
By the law, swift as decree,
Depart now, and set Little Round Cake free!”

I repeated after her, verse by verse, three times. Filled with hope, I looked at the sleeping Little Round Cake, but his eyes remained tightly shut with no sign of awakening.

Wang Xinyue cursed, “Damn! A toast refused is a punishment earned. Let’s get Teacher Xing to handle this!”

In the end, Teacher Xing was called for a final act. He extended his palm, releasing golden light that enveloped Little Round Cake’s body. A ghostly figure resembling a sleeping Buddha gradually detached from the infant.

“Come here—” Teacher Xing’s voice was resolute. The Sleep Arhat floated lightly into his palm. With a thought, a blazing flame ignited in his hand, instantly reducing the Sleep Arhat to ashes.

Teacher Xing saw through it immediately—the so-called Sleep Arhat was merely a deeply cultivated drowsy bug in human form.

Humans generate energy during sleep, which the drowsy bug uses to cultivate itself. Upon reaching a certain level, it transforms into the God of Sleep, also known as the Sleep Arhat.

In this era of decline, as demons plague the world, the demon realm spreads many drowsy bugs to sap human energy. Those hosting drowsy bugs feel lethargic and fatigued by day, restless and dream-tossed by night, never truly rested.

With the Sleep Arhat destroyed, only the great python and the armored man from the underworld remained to be dealt with.

Since the armored man illegally brought ghosts into the mortal realm to cause chaos, Teacher Xing reported the matter to the Underworld Mistress, Lady Houtu. She ordered the armored man’s powers sealed and imprisoned him in the underworld jail.

The great python’s vendetta against Little Round Cake stemmed from their struggle over the fetal position, which was crucial for cultivation.

For both spirits and gods, a single day of mortal cultivation equals thousands or millions of years in the divine or demon realms. The great python, having become a dragon python, sought to seize this opportunity to fully transform into a dragon. Such a case could not be resolved by brute force or imprisonment; it required reconciliation.

Teacher Xing opened his palm, releasing a radiant golden pill, forged by the Supreme Lord Laozi. The pill soared into the great python’s gaping mouth, instantly surging a mighty force within.

In moments, the python received a thousand years’ worth of cultivation energy. The bulging lumps on its head sprouted dragon horns like tender shoots, completing its transformation from dragon python to full dragon.

The great python had nearly reached the threshold to become a dragon; now that fate was granted, it was content and departed peacefully.