The Beloved Master's Mad Dog Disciple - Chapter 29

Bo Xuenong and Shen Yanting were never particularly close as master and disciple. A thin veil of Ice Mist had always hung between them, maintaining a distance that was neither too far nor too close. Approaching too hastily would send a faint, chilly aura drifting out.

Bo Xuenong had always believed this distance was ideal, that they represented the perfect master-disciple relationship.

But since Shen Yanting had begun drawing closer to her recently, Bo Xuenong suddenly realized that her constant perception of Feng Yingbo as an improper Master was actually rooted in her secret envy of Feng Jin.

She yearned for Shen Yanting to be closer to her.

Yet when Shen Yanting did approach, Bo Xuenong couldn’t help but worry. She feared her rough palms might graze Shen Yanting’s delicate skin. Now, with Shen Yanting’s fingertips lightly resting on her lower back, she dared not move, terrified that Shen Yanting might never draw near again.

Then Feng Yingbo’s voice shattered the moment. The tips of Shen Yanting’s ears flushed faintly red, and her hand swiftly withdrew from Bo Xuenong’s back.

Regret and disappointment surged through Bo Xuenong’s heart, tinged with a hint of anger.

She had a strong intuition that if Feng Yingbo hadn’t returned so abruptly, Shen Yanting would have touched her in more places. After all, Shen Yanting had seemed to be searching for something behind her just moments ago.

She couldn’t help but resent Feng Yingbo for speaking up, though unlike before, her annoyance didn’t instantly ignite into murderous intent.

Watching Feng Jin scramble onto Feng Yingbo’s back, one arm hooked around her neck while the other desperately clamped over her mouth, Bo Xuenong’s resentment gradually dissipated. The comical sight of Feng Jin trying to silence her, terrified Yingbo might escape and reveal something, amused her. Of course, if Feng Jin could have acted faster next time, Bo Xuenong might have been even more satisfied.

Bo Xuenong couldn’t resist reaching behind her, her fingertips brushing lightly over the spot Shen Yanting had just touched. A surge of heat startled her, and she recoiled her hand instantly, the burning sensation on her palm frightening her. Yet a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Perhaps it was related to her cultivation technique, or perhaps to the isolated cold of the sacred mountain.

When Shen Yanting circulated her spiritual power, her aura occasionally dipped to dangerously low levels.

Today, both the breath Shen Yanting had exhaled earlier and the hand that had just touched her were icy cold. Strangely, the chill always dissipated quickly, leaving only lingering warmth.

Too hot.

Bo Xuenong exhaled softly, instinctively channeling Ice Mist into her palm and reaching behind her waist.

Before she could successfully cool herself down, Shen Yanting had already grasped her wrist, sensing the uncontrolled condensation of the Ice Mist into a solid form.

Shen Yanting watched as the mist in Bo Xuenong’s palm gradually coalesced into an icy blade. Her index finger instinctively tapped Bo Xuenong’s wrist. “Nong’er, what are you doing?”

Bo Xuenong had, of course, noticed the forming blade. Despite years of suppressing her Bloodline’s Innate Nature, she couldn’t resist studying methods of killing. Not only did her Suspended Ink Sword understand her, but even her Spiritual Qi seemed to share her instincts. The only problem was… her Spiritual Qi hadn’t learned to recognize people yet, and the person before her was none other than Shen Yanting.

Frustration warred with guilt and panic in Bo Xuenong’s heart.

Terrified that Shen Yanting would see her unchanged bloodthirsty nature in the automatically condensing blade, she quickly curled her fingers and dispersed the icy mist. “N-nothing.”

Afraid Shen Yanting might notice something amiss, Bo Xuenong hastily turned her back.

Desperate to distract Shen Yanting, Bo Xuenong subtly jutted out her hips. “Master, are you still looking for something?”

Shen Yanting’s expression froze, and she suddenly found herself speechless.

Fu Yunqing and Xiang Yu entered the courtyard at a slightly slower pace than Feng Yingbo. They hadn’t witnessed Shen Yanting’s earlier actions, but they sensed an odd atmosphere hanging in the air.

Xiang Yu didn’t dare speak, knowing Fu Yunqing would press for an answer. “Senior Sister, what are you looking for?”

A tail.

Shen Yanting couldn’t say that. Bo Xuenong might conjure one out of thin air.

She remained silent, and Bo Xuenong kept quiet as well.

Fu Yunqing walked over and helped Feng Yingbo move Feng Jin’s hand. She repeated her question, “What are you looking for?”

Ignoring Feng Yingbo’s resentful glare, Feng Jin hopped off her back and asked with feigned seriousness, “Grandmother, why did you return so quickly?”

Her face remained calm, but her inner thoughts were a chaotic cacophony of screams and frantic questions, so loud that Bo Xuenong almost wanted to return her mind-reading ability.

Feng Jin: Dead System! When will Feng Yingbo learn to stop blurting things out? If she angers Eldest Senior Sister or offends Martial Aunt Shen, we’re doomed! We can’t actually rely on the Female Lead, can we? I’ve already spent all my Points on Eldest Senior Sister!

System: Host, you could consider Bo Xuenong’s suggestion to target the Female Lead for Points. With enough Points, you can exchange them for more powerful abilities to punish evil, promote good, and earn even more Points, creating a virtuous cycle…

When Feng Jin saw Bo Xuenong’s dark gaze fall upon her, she instinctively covered her chest and pointed to Bo Xuenong’s ears.

Feng Jin was signaling Bo Xuenong not to listen to her thoughts, but Bo Xuenong chose to ignore her, knowing she couldn’t control it anyway.

Besides, it was Feng Jin’s fault for not remembering her words. If she had taken them to heart, she wouldn’t fear Bo Xuenong would kill them. Without that fear, Feng Jin’s thoughts wouldn’t be audible.

Does Feng Jin really see me as someone who breaks promises and changes her mind on a whim?

Bo Xuenong recalled how she had resolved not to harm Fu Yunqing or any of them, only to have murderous thoughts arise based on mere suspicion. Feeling guilty, she rubbed her arm self-consciously, her gaze darting around until it landed on the silent Shen Yanting.

Every word I just spoke was true.

I don’t need freedom; I only need to be by Shen Yanting’s side forever.

Bo Xuenong would gladly accept any arrangement Shen Yanting made for her, as long as Shen Yanting liked her and kept her around.

She had been striving toward this goal for years. She couldn’t understand why Shen Yanting would suddenly suggest giving her freedom, a thought that terrified her so much she wanted to cry.

She preferred being watched over to being left to her own devices.

Aside from the slight inconvenience of having to be more discreet with her underhanded tactics, everything else was perfect.

Now that she had the System, she could use the exchange space to commit murder covertly, eliminating her only flaw. She wished Shen Yanting would keep an eye on her twenty-four hours a day… no, perhaps she should scale that back a bit; she didn’t want to burden Shen Yanting too much.

As Bo Xuenong’s thoughts drifted further astray, they suddenly circled back to her original question.

If Shen Yanting was unwilling to dictate her life, couldn’t she just ask directly?

Bo Xuenong sidled closer to Shen Yanting. “Madam, do you like people who keep their word?”

Shen Yanting couldn’t quite grasp Bo Xuenong’s intentions, but trustworthiness was certainly a virtue she valued. She nodded gently. “Mm.”

“Then you’ll definitely like me even more!” Bo Xuenong’s eyes lit up with a smile, her voice softening. “Because that’s exactly who I am.”

Bo Xuenong took Shen Yanting’s hand and slowly pressed it to her cheek, gently rubbing her soft cheek against Shen Yanting’s palm. “I promise I will be.”

Shen Yanting finally understood what Bo Xuenong was trying to do.

She seemed determined to memorize Shen Yanting’s words and change herself accordingly.

Shen Yanting didn’t want to dictate Bo Xuenong’s life, but… she genuinely hoped Bo Xuenong could overcome her Bloodline and become a person with no glaring flaws in her character.

In the end, Shen Yanting couldn’t deny Bo Xuenong’s feelings. She nodded gently. “Yes, I like it very much.”

“I also like it very much when Madam keeps her word!”

“……”

Something felt off.

Shen Yanting sensed something was amiss, but before she could speak, Bo Xuenong suddenly slid Shen Yanting’s hand up to her neck. “Madam, when you hold me, you should always pull here. It’s softer and more tender.”

Shen Yanting increasingly felt that Bo Xuenong resembled a small beast—one stubbornly trying to press a rope into her hand.

She silently withdrew her hand and said nothing more.

While Shen Yanting had nothing left to say, Fu Yunqing, who had witnessed everything, had plenty to say.

After a moment of stunned silence, Fu Yunqing touched her lips and said with a strange expression, “You… you two are really getting into character.”

Before Bo Xuenong and Shen Yanting could respond, Feng Yingbo interjected, “Isn’t that what you arranged?”

Feng Yingbo’s dissatisfaction with Fu Yunqing was palpable, and Fu Yunqing sensed it immediately.

She pulled Feng Jin closer. “Feng Jin helped me plan this. Why aren’t you blaming her too?”

Feng Yingbo let out a soft hmph but remained silent.

Bo Xuenong guessed that Feng Yingbo was likely also displeased with Feng Jin, but a doting mother couldn’t bring herself to scold her child, so she could only stew in her own frustration.

Seeing them both fall silent, Fu Yunqing carried chairs into the courtyard and gestured for them to sit. “We went to the village earlier. I can’t believe it’s still so well-preserved—it hardly seems to have changed at all! The lotus pond and fishpond are still there after all these centuries. I remember Aunt Gui taking us to pick lotus roots, catch fish, and once, when Big Flower Cake fell into the fishpond, a turtle bit my hand…”

Fu Yunqing drifted into her memories, chuckling softly at the amusing ones.

Though she had lost her parents early in life, her childhood had been far from unhappy. The villagers had been kind, and she had grown up on the kindness of many families, never suffering any hardship. To this day, she could only recall the good times.

Only now did Bo Xuenong fully understand why Shen Yanting had hesitated to tell Fu Yunqing about the village’s situation. In Bo Xuenong’s limited memories of Fu Yunqing, she had never seemed so genuinely happy. As her lifespan dwindled, she had grown increasingly melancholic. Her willingness to face death with composure didn’t mean she actually wanted to die.

What kind of Human Cultivator seeks death?

Bo Xuenong listened quietly as Fu Yunqing recounted her past. Her childhood memories were hazy, recalling people only by nicknames: Granny Gui, Aunt Gui, Big Flower Cake, Little Quail Greens, Stubborn Turtle, Black Carp… She had forgotten why they were called that, but her voice brimmed with joy and longing as she spoke of them.

Fu Yunqing suddenly sighed wistfully. “If I’d known I had so little innate talent, I should have stayed in the village. Maybe I could have grown old and died alongside them. Even in the underworld, we’d be a lively bunch, better than facing death alone like this.”

Feng Yingbo nudged Fu Yunqing gently with her foot, her voice tinged with disapproval. “Aunt Fu, aren’t we here with you?”

Fu Yunqing glanced sideways at Feng Yingbo, her expression tinged with melancholy. “You won’t die with me anyway.”

“You…” Shen Yanting patted Fu Yunqing’s hand. “Is the Aunt Gui you mentioned the daughter of Granny Gui?”

“No,” Fu Yunqing replied, her mind drifting back into memories. After a long pause, she continued, “Aunt Gui was Granny Gui’s daughter-in-law. Her husband died young, so she raised her daughter with Granny Gui. Their bond was even stronger than that of most mothers and daughters.”

Bo Xuenong suddenly recalled Gui Nianqin and the pale, frail girl lying on the bed. “Did Granny Gui have any other children?”

“No,” Fu Yunqing shook her head. “Granny Gui only had one son. After his death, she lived with her daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Big Flower Cake was Granny Gui’s granddaughter and my best childhood friend. My parents died when I was very young, so Granny Gui and Aunt Gui often invited me to stay with them. I’d sleep with Big Flower Cake. Big Flower…”

As Fu Yunqing spoke, her spirits lifted. She couldn’t stop talking about her childhood friend, and long-blurred memories gradually sharpened into clarity.

Watching Fu Yunqing’s radiant face, her joy practically overflowing, Bo Xuenong felt a rare pang of sympathy for someone outside of Shen Yanting.

They had never seen the “Big Flower Cake” Fu Yunqing spoke of at the Gui Family. Those who vanished into the Spring Seal Prolonged Light Formation likely met only one fate: death.

As dusk gradually fell, a crescent moon climbed above the treetops, its pale white light slowly cascading down, bathing the courtyard and draping across everyone’s sleeves.

The moon’s gossamer glow softened their features, lending them an ethereal warmth.

Fu Yunqing gazed at Bo Xuenong, shaking her head. “The more I look at you, young master, the more you resemble a young lady.”

“I am one…” Bo Xuenong wanted to retort, but remembering the formation and her lifespan, she swallowed the words. “I’ll work on correcting that.”

Deliberately adopting a fiercer expression, Bo Xuenong turned to Feng Jin, who was most likely to play along, and gestured dramatically. “How’s this? Does it capture the spirit of a dashing young man?”

Before Feng Jin could respond, Feng Yingbo burst into laughter, undermining her efforts. “Ha! You should just give up.”

Feng Yingbo’s healing abilities were remarkably swift. Having already forgotten her anger toward Feng Jin, she now gleefully mocked Bo Xuenong.

Bo Xuenong glared at Feng Yingbo’s petite, delicate frame, gritting her teeth. “Feng Yingbo, you’d look even less convincing if you tried to play the part.”

Her new identity granted her seniority, allowing her to address others by their given names without causing offense.

Shen Yanting couldn’t afford to pay attention to her at the moment. She remained seated, her Divine Sense already probing the village.

Bo Xuenong, understanding Shen Yanting’s desire to assess the situation, subtly shifted her position to partially shield her.

Feng Jin, ever perceptive, immediately sat down on Shen Yanting’s other side, ready to act as a distraction if needed.

Feng Yingbo wasn’t offended by Bo Xuenong’s words. She spread her hands, her smile innocent. “Why would a delicate beauty like me dress as a young man? I have no desire for worldly fame or status alongside some handsome male cultivator.”

She deliberately teased Shen Yanting and Bo Xuenong, making Feng Jin’s face pale with alarm. If she hadn’t needed to protect Shen Yanting, she would have rushed over to cover Feng Yingbo’s mouth.

Bo Xuenong’s face flushed with embarrassment, though she wasn’t truly angry. “I… you… I’m your brother-in-law!”

Bo Xuenong tried to assert her authority, but Feng Yingbo only laughed harder. “You’ve adapted to your new roles so quickly! Hahaha!”

Her unrestrained laughter made Feng Jin’s heart pound. “Feng Yingbo!”

Feng Jin’s outburst drew Feng Yingbo’s attention to her.

Feng Yingbo pointed at Feng Jin and said to Bo Xuenong, “Jin’er keeps saying she’ll repay her life debt with marriage. Since you were the one who saved her, why don’t you offer yourself first?”

“I already have,” Bo Xuenong replied, blinking in confusion. “My life and my body belong to Madam! I would die without regret!”

At first, Feng Yingbo thought she had stumbled upon some shocking revelation. But as Bo Xuenong continued, her gaze gradually turned peculiar.

She walked up to Bo Xuenong and solemnly addressed her, “Young Madam.”

The tips of Bo Xuenong’s ears twitched. Then Feng Yingbo added, “I’ve realized you’re a bit… simple.”

“Feng Yingbo!”

Feng Jin startled so violently she nearly leaped out of her chair. She reached out to grab Feng Yingbo, but instead grasped a wet, sticky vine.

The slippery, viscous liquid coated her palm. Feng Jin shrieked and frantically released the vine.

Feng Yingbo’s laughter abruptly ceased. Instinctively, she spread her arms to shield Feng Jin and Bo Xuenong behind her. Bo Xuenong stared at Feng Yingbo’s back, momentarily stunned. In the next instant, she drew a dagger from her Storage Jade Bracelet and thrust it into the ground beside her foot. The single blade instantly multiplied into hundreds, forming a wall of blades that encircled and protected Shen Yanting.

Having confirmed Shen Yanting was safe, Bo Xuenong turned her gaze to the courtyard. Instead of a single, suddenly appearing vine, there were thousands of them, each dripping with viscous black liquid. The inky vines rapidly spread across the courtyard, tearing away flesh upon contact. Xiang Yu, with her weaker cultivation, was the first to suffer.

The vines moved with terrifying speed and ferocity.

Before Xiang Yu could react, a long strip of flesh was torn from her arm, bl00d gushing freely.

The vine that had wounded her instantly turned crimson, eerily resembling the bl00d-soaked vines entwining the girl on the bed. Even more disturbingly, Xiang Yu’s injured arm began to age rapidly, its skin withering to resemble the bark of a bitter tree within moments.

Xiang Yu stared in horror, paralyzed by fear.

Fu Yunqing, standing closest to her, quickly pulled Xiang Yu behind her for protection. But Fu Yunqing was frail herself, struggling to defend even herself, let alone protect Xiang Yu. Strangely, as one vine lashed out at Fu Yunqing, poised to strike her face, another vine suddenly shot forward at even greater speed, colliding with the first and shattering both into fragments.

Bo Xuenong paused, then nudged Feng Yingbo, who was still standing between her and Feng Jin. “Yingbo, go over there. I’ll handle these vines.”

“You?” Feng Yingbo glanced at Shen Yanting, who was trapped within a wall of blades, and immediately blocked Bo Xuenong’s attempt to intervene. “No need. I’ll take care of it.”

Feng Yingbo scratched her palm with a fingernail, drawing out a fragment of bone from the wound.

The bone rapidly elongated and widened in her palm, transforming in an instant into a cyan longsword.

Core Formation Stage sword cultivators refine their swords, Golden Core Stage cultivators refine Sword Intent, and Nascent Soul Stage cultivators refine their sword bones.

Though Feng Yingbo was only at the initial stage of the Nascent Soul Stage, her Lifebound Sword had already been transformed into bone and concealed within her body. Nurturing the sword with her flesh and bl00d allowed for a deeper connection, a practice most sword cultivators adopted during the Nascent Soul Stage. Feng Yingbo’s Lifebound Sword was named Mist Willow, a high-grade spiritual sword she had obtained from Shen Yanting. It possessed exceptional quality, abundant spiritual power, and unique properties.

Without hesitation, Feng Yingbo thrust the longsword into one of the vines, channeling spiritual power into the blade.

The Mist Willow Sword trembled slightly, instantly dispersing into countless willow branches, their numbers surpassing even the vines in an instant.

The willow branches wove through the vines, rapidly shaking and spreading, ensnaring each tendril.

Any vine entangled by the willow branches was drained of its power, withering, dying, and vanishing without a trace. Within mere moments, all the vines in the courtyard had disappeared, without harming any of their own. Though both were sword cultivators trained by the same master, the sword was paramount, and differences in their swords led to variations in their techniques.

Bo Xuenong now understood why Feng Yingbo had stopped her from acting. She indeed lacked such a gentle yet effective crowd-control method.

Feng Yingbo retracted the Mist Willow Sword, which had returned to its original form, and remarked with mild surprise, “A bit weak.”

At first glance, the mass of damp, sticky vines had seemed formidable, but once she engaged them, she realized their threat lay only in their overwhelming numbers.

Xiang Yu clutched her injured arm, her small face pale.

Fu Yunqing stared at the last remaining vine in the courtyard, watching it transform before her eyes into a woman. Her eyes widened in shock. “Village Chief!”

Gui Nianqin looked disheveled, her graying hair disheveled and her face stained with bl00d.

Her frail body was covered in knife wounds, yet strangely, her skin seemed to have grown younger.

Ignoring Fu Yunqing, Gui Nianqin clutched her chest and coughed up a mouthful of bl00d. “Cough… cough…”

Everyone except Bo Xuenong instinctively took a few steps toward Gui Nianqin, especially Fu Yunqing, who had a particularly favorable impression of her. She almost reached Gui Nianqin before asking, “You want to kill us? Why?”

Fu Yunqing struggled to believe that the kind woman who had been so warm and welcoming at noon, promising to bring them food, could suddenly transform into a blade aimed at their throats.

She felt a different kind of connection to the name “Gui” than Bo Xuenong and the others did.

“Cough… cough.” Gui Nianqin coughed weakly again, her gaze slowly settling on Fu Yunqing. Her eyes held resentment, hatred, and an unreadable mix of complex emotions. “Xiao Hualuo, don’t you recognize me anymore?”

The long-forgotten nickname suddenly echoed in Fu Yunqing’s ears. She bent down, cupped Gui Nianqin’s face in her hands, and gently wiped away the grime, staring into Gui Nianqin’s kind, gentle eyes. “You… you’re…”

Gui Nianqin’s face looked slightly younger than it had at noon.

The more Fu Yunqing looked, the more familiar that face seemed. She could hardly believe it. “You… you’re Granny Gui!”

Even as a thousand voices in her mind screamed that it was impossible, Fu Yunqing’s heart compelled her to call out the name.

Gui Nianqin didn’t deny it.

Tears welled in Fu Yunqing’s eyes as she recalled the earlier scene of vines transforming into a human form. Her hands began to tremble uncontrollably, and her legs weakened, causing her to collapse to her knees beside Gui Nianqin. With a shaky hand, she reached out to touch the woman’s face, the two figures blurring before her eyes. “Granny Gui… why? Why did you become like this?”

Gui Nianqin sneered coldly. “Spare me your crocodile tears. If you truly cared about us, you wouldn’t hide your identity.”

Though her words were harsh, Gui Nianqin didn’t flinch away from Fu Yunqing’s touch. This reminded Bo Xuenong of the two vines that had shattered before Fu Yunqing earlier.

It seemed Gui Nianqin herself couldn’t distinguish whether her longing for Fu Yunqing outweighed her desire to kill her.

Fu Yunqing hadn’t anticipated that her spur-of-the-moment decision to conceal her identity would lead to such a misunderstanding. She had spent over seven centuries at the Imperial Tranquility Sect—the first two hundred years enduring bullying from her fellow disciples, followed by five hundred years of uneventful routine. Yet those centuries paled in comparison to the decade of joy she had experienced in Lanshou Village. She admitted she couldn’t remember every detail of the village, but she had never forgotten the kindness the villagers had shown her.

“That’s not true!” she cried out urgently.

“Granny Gui, my innate talent is poor. Even after centuries of cultivation, I’ve only reached the mid-Core Formation stage. Now that I’m dying, my Senior Sisters, remembering I hadn’t properly experienced the Cultivation World, brought me out. But my strength is weak, and the Cultivation World is harsh on low-level cultivators. Not wanting to hold them back, I suggested we disguise ourselves as ordinary people. That’s… that’s how I assumed this new identity. I never intended to hide it from you. If… if I had known you were still alive, I would have returned long ago. I’ve missed you so much these past years—the Big Flower Cakes, Aunt Gui… I started feeling homesick the very next day after joining the Imperial Tranquility Sect. I almost ran back several times, but I was afraid you’d scold me for being spineless… I still remember when you told me to cultivate diligently after I was allowed to stay at the sect. You said I was the only person with a spiritual root to emerge from Lanshou Village in a thousand years. And… you even gave me the village’s only spirit stone…”

Fu Yunqing sobbed uncontrollably, the memories of the past growing clearer, pressing down on her heart with bitter anguish.

Gui Nianqin was somewhat surprised, but mostly relieved. Her gaze softened, and she gently placed her hand on the back of Fu Yunqing’s hand. “Aunty Qing, Granny was wrong. I misjudged you… You must leave now. You must go quickly.”

Gui Nianqin’s eyes suddenly hardened. She pushed Fu Yunqing away. “Go! Take your fellow disciples and leave!”

“Granny Gui, what’s wrong?” Fu Yunqing didn’t move. She crawled back and gripped Gui Nianqin’s hand tightly. “You’re alive! What about Aunt Gui? Big Flower Cake?”

The more Fu Yunqing pressed, the more Gui Nianqin fell silent.

Bo Xuenong grew impatient. “If you don’t tell us, how can we help you?”

Gui Nianqin forced a bitter smile. “It’s useless. This formation…”

“Help?” Feng Jin exclaimed dramatically, incredulous that Bo Xuenong had said such a thing.

Bo Xuenong rolled her eyes irritably and made a choking gesture at her neck.

Feng Jin’s face paled slightly. She grabbed Feng Yingbo’s hand and hid behind her.

Bo Xuenong was about to tease Feng Jin further when a hand suddenly seized her wrist.

Shen Yanting had awakened unnoticed. She sat in her chair, one hand gripping Bo Xuenong’s wrist and the other holding the dagger that had transformed from the blade wall. A hint of relief flickered in her eyes.

She quickly rose from the chair and led Bo Xuenong toward Gui Nianqin. “You’re a Human Talisman.”

“Human Talisman… Human Talisman.” Fu Yunqing’s eyes turned bloodshot, her shoulders heaving violently as rage surged through her. “Granny Gui, who turned you into a Human Talisman?!”