Celestial Human Diagram

The New Year festival passed quickly, over in what felt like the blink of an eye. Walking down the streets, however, you could still feel the lingering holiday atmosphere from the spring couplets on the doors and the banners and lanterns yet to be taken down.

On this day, Chen Chuan drove to the old family house by himself. He tidied up the inside and out, stocked a few new canisters of tea, and then brewed a cup. He brought it out to the covered veranda, sipping it slowly under the warm sun as he gazed at the stream and woods before him.

More memories had surfaced over the past few days. This time, they were of another New Year’s celebration, with this body’s mother, her younger sister, and her older sister all together.

The eldest aunt was about ten years older than the other two sisters and had married someone from out of town. He’d seen her a few times as a child, but she hadn’t been back in a long time. It seemed her husband had a background in the Military. In fact, Nian Qian was only able to get into a military academy because her family had pulled some strings.

All these memories were from holidays and New Year’s festivals, closely tied to his current perceptions and feelings. Unsurprisingly, most were from his early years; only the ones involving the brown-haired woman were from a bit later in the timeline.

’She must be a key figure. The whereabouts of this body’s parents, and maybe even the cause of his predecessor’s death, could all be connected to her.’

But he didn’t dwell on it. What was meant to be known would be known eventually.

After all, these were matters of the past. They didn’t affect his present.

There were, however, more immediate matters that required his attention.

He took Ni Qianqian’s warning before his return to Yangzhi very seriously. Since he didn’t know the Ferris Wheel Company’s true motives, he couldn’t just assume they would give up after one failure.

He had considered it before: if they weren’t going to give up, they would have an excellent opportunity to strike on his way back. Therefore, he needed to make some preparations for this trip back to Central City.

He stayed at the old house until noon, then packed his things and drove home. That afternoon, his younger cousins and Chaoming were chasing each other playfully while he sat reading on the living room sofa. Suddenly, the phone rang. He walked over and picked it up. "This is Chen Chuan."

Ren Xiaotian’s voice came through the receiver. "Junior Brother, I’ve found the man you were looking for."

Chen Chuan asked for the location. "Alright, I’m on my way." He said a quick word to his aunt, who was stitching soles in the courtyard, then left and drove out of the city.

Unsure if he would face danger, he needed to prepare some sacrifices for his Raccoon Cat Stone Token. These days, it was nearly impossible to find wanted criminals of that caliber within the city, so he had to look outside. He had simply entrusted the task to Ren Xiaotian, who was more familiar with the city’s outskirts and the wilderness than anyone.

Besides, Ren Xiaotian was steady and reliable; there was no need to worry about any issues.

After leaving the city and driving for some distance, he could still occasionally see patrol cars, even in the outer districts that had previously been largely neglected. It seemed Director Guan had indeed stepped up law enforcement.

Director Guan had a strong sense of justice and seemed to be doing a better job since taking office. In reality, though, success didn’t always depend on one person’s character, but also on external circumstances.

If Molan Company, that massive tumor, hadn’t been excised, it wouldn’t have mattered how much effort Director Guan put in.

Then there was the construction of the great northern railway, which had hired a massive workforce. A significant portion of the workers had been recruited from Jiaoshan. According to Lu Ke, many people from his village had gone to work there.

Furthermore, to ensure the railway construction proceeded without issue, Yuan’an Company had also dispatched armed convoys to patrol the area. This effectively cut off the flow of roaming bandits from that direction.

He drove toward Jiaoshan. The farther out he went, the stronger the wind and sand became. The sky turned a hazy gray, and sand rattled against the car windows, quickly coating the entire vehicle in a layer of yellow dust.

Over an hour later, he spotted Ren Xiaotian’s car parked by the road. He slowed down, pulled up alongside it, and came to a stop before getting out.

Seeing him arrive, Ren Xiaotian got out of his car as well. He went to the trunk and pulled someone out.

"A wanted man from the Patrol Bureau," Ren Xiaotian said. "Kidnapping, robbery, human trafficking, smuggling military-grade weapons and illegal drugs... you name it, he’s done it. He’s been involved in everything the armed gangs do."

The man, who had been limp and listless, seemed to realize his predicament and immediately began to plead for his life.

"Please, bosses, can you let me go? I have money, I’ll give you everything! I even know where my boss hides the drugs. I can take you there! What good am I by myself? The bounties on my boss and my brothers are way bigger!"

Chen Chuan wasted no words on him. He took the man from Ren Xiaotian and dragged him over to his own car. Using the vehicle’s body to block the view, he tossed the Raccoon Cat Talisman onto the man.

A phantom image of a Raccoon Cat appeared and burrowed into the bandit’s body, causing the man to let out a bloodcurdling scream.

The screaming lasted only a moment before fading. A minute or two later, it stopped completely. The man had been reduced to a desiccated corpse.

Chen Chuan looked up and noticed a pit nearby. ’So Ren Xiaotian even dug the grave.’ He walked over and tossed the bandit’s corpse in. The wind and sand were so strong here that the hole would be filled in no time, saving him the effort of burying it.

Walking back to Ren Xiaotian, who was waiting by the cars, he said, "Senior Brother, thank you."

Ren Xiaotian said, "It was nothing."

Using the car as a shield against the wind and sand, Chen Chuan asked, "Senior Brother, are you still planning to take commissions out here?" Ren Xiaotian hadn’t said much at their dinner gathering, so Chen Chuan didn’t know if his plans were the same as everyone else’s.

Ren Xiaotian said, "I’ll be going to Central City." He thought for a moment before adding, "I’ve seen a lot fewer familiar faces this past year. With the smuggling business in the wilderness drying up, there will be fewer and fewer people out here. I think it’s better if I leave sooner rather than later."

Chen Chuan smiled and extended his hand. "Senior Brother, make sure you look for me first when you get to Central City."

Ren Xiaotian looked at the offered hand, then somewhat awkwardly reached out and shook it.

"I will."

「Time passed quickly, and soon it was late January.」

Chen Chuan was already preparing for his return to Central City. This time, he would be taking Weidong and Wu Han with him. The others had matters to attend to and would arrive later, probably not until February or March.

Furthermore, since Director Lei had to depart a few days early, it worked out perfectly for them to travel together. Of course, Director Lei wouldn’t be traveling alone to his new post in Central City; the Esoteric Review Bureau would dispatch an escort.

As for Senior Sister He and Xiaoying, he would have them join him after he got settled.

Director Lei was approaching his new appointment with caution. He even made a special call to summon Chen Chuan beforehand.

"Some people may not want to see me go to Central City, so I need to take some precautions. Chen, I’m prepared to make some arrangements on your end as well. Do you agree?"

Chen Chuan didn’t hesitate. "Director Lei, what do you need me to do?"

Director Lei took out a stack of what looked like thin membranes. "This is the Bureau’s custom-made bionic skin. The ritual patterns you’ve seen on our bodies were created with these."

He rolled up his sleeve, took out a piece, and applied it to his arm. It looked nearly identical to his own skin.

"You can draw the patterns on this skin membrane beforehand. When you’re done, you can just peel it off and apply a new one. It’s very convenient. I’ve prepared some for you. Once it’s on your body, you just need to connect with the pre-set ritual, like this..."

He clenched his fist, and the ritual pattern on the skin suddenly pulsed with a fluorescent glow. "...and you can activate the ritual."

He added, "Of course, how you choose to trigger the ritual is up to you. Pick a method that feels natural; you don’t have to do it exactly like I do.

Aside from these, there’s also the clothing..."

He had He Nan bring over a tunic and handed it to Chen Chuan. "This is special-issue clothing from the Bureau. It’s extremely durable. The interior is interwoven with special threads that are themselves arranged into a ritual pattern. Even if the outer surface is damaged, the ritual’s effectiveness won’t be significantly compromised."

Chen Chuan took it and nodded. He had borrowed an Esoteric Ritual when he fought the Viper Corps, and it had worked wonderfully in conjunction with his attacks. It had even played a part in the final slaying of Xu Xianwen.

He had a question, though. The application of Esoteric Rituals seemed quite advanced, yet Fighters rarely used them. He wondered if this was due to a prohibition from the higher-ups or for some other reason.

When he voiced his question, Director Lei replied in a grave tone, "It’s mainly due to a prohibition. While combining the two can produce greater power, it can also lead to more terrifying consequences. History from the old era taught us that lesson.

"In fact, if you didn’t have an innate ability to resist anomalous materials, I wouldn’t be letting you continue to handle this stuff.

"Furthermore, from what I understand, some rituals can be influenced and suppressed by powerful Biological Domains, including those generated by powerful individuals themselves.

"However, those are all small-scale rituals. More powerful ones are a different matter entirely. They typically require years, even decades, of preparation and can’t be so easily dispelled.

"Those rituals are all sealed away now, and learning them is forbidden. Any ritual on that level involves the lives of tens of thousands of people."

Chen Chuan understood. In the old era, every Imperial Family in the world had established its own National Church.

As for what this Esoteric Buddhism was used for... although the world’s nations kept it secret to conceal its very existence, from what he had previously encountered and seen, Chen Chuan knew it was for nothing good.

Especially when some rituals offered benefits like increased lifespan and Life Force, or the consolidation of one’s own rule—how could any ruler resist using them?

He shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside for now. After a moment of consideration, he took the bionic skins and began to inscribe them with the ritual patterns he required.

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