Otherworldly Merchant

The owner of the jade belt was the renowned general Han Xin from the Han dynasty, who was also known as the ‘Matchless General of the Nation.’

Back then, Han Xin had defeated Xiang Yu—the King of the State of Western Chu—on Liu Bang’s behalf.

This laid the foundation for the Han dynasty, and Liu Bang was extremely grateful to this general of his.

After he was enthroned, Liu Bang conferred upon Han Xin the title of ‘King of the Three Equilibriums’ and promised him that he would never die under the famous ‘five conditions.’

The three equilibriums were the Heavens, the Earth, and the Emperor.

As for the five conditions, the meaning was that as long as the Heavens, the Earth, and the Emperor were witnesses, Iron and Bronze could not kill him.

At that time, Han Xin was second only to the Emperor himself.

Nevertheless, as the Han regime stabilized, Liu Bang became overly suspicious like the previous Emperors. He was worried that his brothers, who had once fought by his side and claimed the nation with him, would eventually betray him. Thus, he decided to get rid of Han Xin.

However, Han Xin had an army of one hundred thousand soldiers and excellent generals. Since he was a righteous man, many of his subordinates were willing to die for him.

Liu Bang and Empress Lu wanted to kill Han Xin, but the latter was like a God of War. Even if they were to mobilize all their troops, they weren’t sure they could defeat him. At the same time, Liu Bang had promised Han Xin that he would never kill him under those five conditions, so he couldn’t murder him in broad daylight. The Emperor eventually looked for Xiao He and asked for his opinion.

Xiao He and Han Xin were close friends, and it was Xiao He who had recommended Han Xin to Liu Bang, helping him reach the prestigious position of general.

Even until now, people still talk about how Xiao He chased after Han Xin under the moonlight to make him stay by Liu Bang’s side.

Xiao He was well aware of who he could offend and who he could not. In order to have a bright future, he eventually sold his brother.

Xiao He told Han Xin that Empress Lu had summoned him to the palace to discuss some serious matters.

Han Xin had already smelled the danger, and he knew that it wasn’t a good sign that the Empress had invited him to the palace. Therefore, he didn’t want to go.

However, Xiao He vowed on their friendship that there was no danger. He assured him that Empress Lu would never harm him.

Since he trusted Xiao He, Han Xin went to the palace.

But once he got there, Empress Lu accused him of being a rebel. He was thus sentenced to death.

Han Xin was shocked. He knew that Xiao He had betrayed him, which filled him with pain.

Before he was executed, Han Xin roared, “Back then, the Emperor promised that he wouldn’t kill me under those five conditions! Are you going to break your promise?! If you kill me, I’m afraid you won’t be able to stop the rumors from spreading!”

Xiao He sneered. “Brother, look at where you are standing now.”

Han Xin looked around and was shocked.

Black fabric was stretched above his head; the Heavens were not a witness. He was standing on a thick carpet; the Earth was not a witness.

Xiao He said, “It’s Empress Lu that wants to kill you, and the Emperor isn’t even here. Therefore, the Emperor is not a witness. As for Iron and Bronze not being able to kill you… We don’t need to use such tools to take your life.”

Xiao He raised his hand, and a maid standing nearby immediately drew a long bamboo sword, stabbing Han Xin to death!

After dying in the hands of the friend he had trusted the most, Han Xin was very resentful. Finally, a wisp of his soul attached itself to the jade belt through his blood.

It was ironic that the jade belt was a gift Xiao He had given him to commemorate their friendship.

The jade belt eventually acquired supernatural powers. As long as someone wore it, their mind would be affected, and they would become suspicious of their friends.

Qin Yu was also affected by the jade belt and started to doubt the people around him.

After listening to the story, Li Mazi cursed Boss Ma for being heartless. He had used such a vicious method to deal with Qin Yu.

Boss Ma knew it was his fault, so he didn’t say anything.

San Bao asked me, “Do you know how to break the curse of the jade belt?”

I smiled and said, “It’s simple but at the same time very hard. Since we were able to make Boss Ma regret his actions, we could use the same trick to let the soul in the jade belt know that there are still good friends in this world. Not everybody is the same as Xiao He.”

San Bao nodded. “But, how can we convince the soul in the jade belt?”

I said, “That’s easy, actually. We can use an ancient method to prove that we’re Qin Yu’s friends.”

“What method are you talking about?”

“The ‘knives in both rib-cages’ method. Ancient soldiers and generals liked to use this cruel method to prove themselves. It seems we’ll have to use this same method tonight…”

My words frightened Li Mazi and San Bao. “Brother, you’re kidding, right? If we stab our vital parts, we might die for real.”

I helplessly said, “We don’t have any other way. It's the only solution I can come up with.”

“All right, we’ll do it,” San Bao and Li Mazi said in unison. “We are just taking a knife for our brother, right?”

I smiled and said, “We can look for a doctor and mark a safe spot on your skin to indicate where it will create the least amount of damage.”

San Bao nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ve taken some medical courses.”

Then, we got into action. To make Han Xin believe that true friendship existed, he would have to lure him out first. I needed to prepare for that moment.

I went out to grab three strings of coins, a rope that had been used to tie a corpse, and several coffin boards.

I asked Li Mazi to cut the boards with a saw. Then, I used the rope to make a simple stool, placing the coins on it.

I also prepared a simple altar. Tonight, we would invite over General Han Xin.

After we finished the arrangements, we waited in the hotel until midnight.

Yin Xinyue and Ru Xue were very worried as there would be a bloody scene tonight. They wanted to know if they needed to stay and help.

I weighed things and concluded that they shouldn’t stay. I didn’t want to see them in danger.

In ancient times, women were regarded as playthings. Men could freely give their women to their brothers or treat them like slaves. If there was a famine, they could even eat them!

It would be troublesome if Han Xin targeted the two women; I was not willing to put them in danger for Qin Yu’s sake. Thus, I asked them to stay in their room. Even if something were to happen, they shouldn’t come.

The two ladies nodded and returned to their room.

There were now four people in the room: Qin Yu, San Bao, Li Mazi, and I.

The jade belt and a knife were placed close to the comatose Qin Yu.

I threw a pinch of salt onto Qin Yu’s face. Soon after, the salt melted. I knew there was heavy Yin energy in his body, which made me worry a lot.

If we couldn’t save Qin Yu tonight, I was afraid he wouldn’t be able to hang on for much longer.

I asked Li Mazi and San Bao to sleep first. I would wake them up at the right time.

While the two rested on the couch, I watched Qin Yu and waited for him to wake up.

The clock slowly ticked by. Although I was exhausted, I didn’t dare to let my guard down as I was afraid that Qin Yu would do something crazy as soon as he woke up.

While I was pondering, Qin Yu suddenly gasped for air. It seemed like he couldn’t breathe. Some strange noises came out of his throat!

I tensed up; Li Mazi and San Bao also got up from the couch. We all anxiously watched Qin Yu.

It seemed they couldn't fall asleep, but it was understandable given the situation.

Qin Yu got up from the bed then limped toward the window. His legs were spread outward at a horrible angle. They almost formed a straight line. I felt my scalp numb as I worried that Qin Yu’s legs would twist and break.

His eyes were blurry as he stiffly walked to the window.

He absentmindedly looked through the window. Then, he shouted with great sorrow, “Han Xin was an invincible general. A wave of his hand could destroy hundreds of thousands of soldiers! In order to not let his friend Xiao He down, unbeknownst to all, he let his blood dye the palace red.”

It was the poem people later used to mourn for Han Xin.

After shouting the verse, Qin Yu didn’t move and stared blankly through the window. He looked dejected and lonely, deeply hurt.

I took a deep breath and grabbed the coins on the stool, gently dropping them down; they created clinking noises.

Ancient people often showed their skills through their sword styles, by drinking liquor, creating poems, and throwing coins for entertainment. The clinking sounds of the coins could attract Han Xin.

Sure enough, when he heard the sound of the coins, he tilted his head and suspiciously looked at me.

His gaze was profound and filled with great might. I felt my soul shiver.

I took a deep breath and poured the rice wine into three big tumblers. Then, I threw the coins inside the tumblers.

These coin strings were similar to willow twigs as both were full of Yin energy. They could allow ghosts to drink wine.

The soul possessing Qin Yu’s body couldn’t resist the temptation of the wine. He flew out of Qin Yu’s body and sat on the stool made of coffin boards. Then, he tried to drink the wine from the three tumblers.

I saw a wisp of white smoke slowly rise from the tumblers and entered Han Xin’s mouth.

After the figure drank the wine, his appearance became more clear. I could see a man wearing armor. He was around seven feet tall and looked handsome, but his face was filled with sadness.

I knew he was General Han Xin. I paid my respects. “Greetings, Great General!”

Li Mazi and San Bao saw me bow to an empty stool and shout ‘Great General.’ They were speechless.

To avoid scaring them and to prevent them from bothering Han Xin, I didn’t open their Mind Eye.

Han Xin was also surprised that I could see him. However, right after that, he angrily glared at me, preparing to enter Qin Yu’s body once again.

“General, please wait!” I immediately said. “My friend doesn’t have a grudge against you. Why do you keep pestering him?”