Chapter 199 – Soul and Spirit

Lu Liangsheng had naturally heard the name Zhou Yu before, having long read classical literature and historical anecdotes. A famous general of a generation, broad-minded in bearing. Even without the divine office of City God, he was already a well-known historical figure in the Jiangdong region. His benevolence had blessed the people of that land; establishing a temple and enshrining him as the City God was only reasonable.

It was Lu Liangsheng’s first time coming into contact with someone from the past, so he was somewhat restrained. However, Zhou Yu carried no airs. The two clasped their hands and exchanged greetings. Zhou Yu lightly took hold of the scholar’s wrist and made a gesture of invitation, and the two walked out together.

Outside, there were many more incense-burning worshippers than before, most of them townspeople. They respectfully burned incense and knelt in prayer. The two of them seemed as though they were transparent, weaving straight through the middle of the crowd.

“After what happened last night, the temple has gained many more worshippers.”

Walking at the side, Zhou Yu clasped his hands behind his back. He maintained the clothing and headwear of the Han era. His bearing was magnificent. While speaking, he was also observing the scholar beside him. Barely over twenty years of age, dressed in white robes with a light blue outer garment, with refined and handsome features, it inevitably reminded him of his own elegance in his youth.

After passing the long eaves of the front hall, Lu Liangsheng placed his hands before his abdomen, clasped them slightly within his wide sleeves, and smiled. “Grand Commander, you are too modest. This should be a good thing.”

“Haha…”

Zhou Yu chuckled. Looking toward the long steps outside the temple, there were still quite a few worshippers coming up. He extended a hand, inviting the scholar to walk in another direction.

“If not for what happened last night, would they have come? At this moment, they only seek peace and safety. Yet even so, as the City God, whether they come to burn incense and sweep the temple or not, one must still ensure the peace of the region.”

Being in a position meant fulfilling the duties of that position—it should indeed be so. Lu Liangsheng clasped his hands and bowed again. After several exchanges of conversation, he had come to understand a little more about this famous historical figure of Jiangdong. It stirred up a question of curiosity in his mind.

Beside him, Zhou Yu noticed the hesitation in his expression and smiled. “Does Mr. Lu have something he wishes to ask?”

“Grand Commander, please do not take offense. I merely recalled some stories compiled in unofficial folk histories.”

Zhou Yu slowed his steps slightly, then suddenly burst into laughter, waving his hand. “Mr. Lu is also a straightforward man, haha… In those stories, do they say that I was narrow-minded and was angered to death by Zhuge Liang? Hahaha—”

Probing into the cause of a City God’s death could be somewhat taboo, but with Zhou Yu’s lighthearted laughter, the matter was completely dissolved, leaving neither side embarrassed.

The two, dressed in refined scholar’s attire, chatted and laughed as they walked around to the rear side of the City God Temple. There was a passageway separated by iron railings. To the naked eye of ordinary people, it merely looked like a grave mound surrounded by a railing, with additional divine tablets and incense candles inside. But with the City God standing beside him, what Lu Liangsheng saw was a deep and gloomy prison.

Above it was written: “Those without guilt must not enter.”

Below it was written: “Those with guilt must be punished.”

“Office of Punishing Evil… it seems that even if I am innocent, I still have to go in for a visit.”

Lu Liangsheng said this with a smile. At the inviting gesture of the Grand Commander, his body turned into a wisp of green smoke and entered that deep gloom. Inside, no light came in at all, yet even without seeing anything, he could clearly feel the surrounding environment taking shape in his mind—what everything looked like forming directly within his heart. It truly made Lu Liangsheng feel a sense of mystery.

“Grand Commander summoned me here because of that centipede demon?”

“Naturally. That demon was slain by you, so Mr. Lu should also understand the matter clearly.” The Grand Commander waved his hand, ordering two Black Impermanences who bind souls to go into the prison. “Go bring the fiend out and let Mr. Lu take a look.”

After walking a short distance, a dim netherfire flickered ahead in the darkness. A vague figure could be seen leaning over a desk writing. The Grand Commander called out again.

“Zijing, have you finished calculating the origins of that demon’s soul?”

Zijing? Could it be that Lu Su?

[TL_Note: Lu Su, courtesy name Zijing. A famous statesman and strategist of Eastern Wu during the late Han / Three Kingdoms period. He served under Sun Quan and later succeeded Zhou Yu as Grand Commander. Lu Su is known for supporting the Sun–Liu alliance against Cao Cao and for helping maintain the balance of power between the rival states.]

The scholar turned his head to look. The figure behind the long desk was sturdy in build, dressed in robes with a long beard and an honest face. Holding a ledger, he marked things in it while walking over.

“The origins of this demon are nothing special. However, there was some karmic connection with this Mr. Lu in the middle of it all. Fortunately, that bond has already been severed, so he will not be implicated.”

Lu Liangsheng slightly furrowed his brow, pondering.

The so-called severed karmic bond meant that whether Pudu Cihang succeeded in transforming into a dragon or not had nothing to do with him. If the bond had not been severed and the transformation into a dragon had succeeded, he would also have gained tremendous benefits. But if the transformation failed, he would have suffered the consequences of negative karma…

Before long, the clanking of iron chains echoed through the darkness.

The soul-binding Impermanences floated over from the far end of the prison, dragging two iron chains behind them. At the other ends were hooks carrying ghostly nether flames, each as thick as a man’s arm, tightly fastened onto a silhouette made of light. The clawed tips had sunk more than halfway into it.

“Hissss—”

The soul bound there was precisely Pudu Cihang. As though it had lost its consciousness, it was constantly being corroded by the flames on the hooks, letting out painful hissing cries while struggling and twisting.

The chains of the soul-binding hooks pulled tight. With a miserable shriek, Pudu Cihang was dragged up and suspended in midair. The Grand Commander stepped forward with his hands behind his back, roughly guessing what the scholar was thinking.

“This demon does not possess a complete soul.”

Judge Lu Su, holding the register and flipping through its pages, nodded toward the scholar. “This demon is somewhat unusual. It attempted to transform directly into a dragon with its demonic body, slaughtering human lives. Within it gathered a ferocious soul, dragon qi, and a demon soul all at once—truly a rare occurrence.”

“Then the one imprisoned in the Grand Commander’s dungeon must be the ferocious soul.” Lu Liangsheng recalled the scene from the previous night. That Sacred Flame Exalted Venerable had likely taken one of the three as well.

The Grand Commander waved his hand, ordering the soul-binding Impermanences to take the ferocious soul away. Then he turned back. “This demon’s ferocious soul will be refined within the City God Temple to purge its baleful aura. Afterward, it will be sent to the Underworld Court for the Lord of the Underworld to deal with. Unfortunately, the demon soul among the three was seized by an unknown evil cultivator. Does Mr. Lu happen to know who that person is?”

Sure enough, a City God of the capital would not casually seek to befriend someone without reason. The other party had been courteous and respectful throughout, making it difficult to refuse. It would also be a good opportunity to return a favor.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Liangsheng decided to tell the truth. If the City God intervened in the matter, it would allow him to cultivate peacefully at Mount Qixia without worry.

“That person belongs to the Fire-Prayer Sect, called the Sacred Flame Exalted Venerable. I do not know his true name. However, this man has been traveling everywhere collecting the spirits of heaven and earth from the four directions. It seems he intends to use them for something important.”

On the other side, the City God and Judge Lu fell into contemplation. After a moment, the former clasped his hands.

“Thank you, Mr. Lu, for speaking truthfully. I have one more matter.”

“Grand Commander, please speak.”

“The demon’s dragon qi has already fallen into your spiritual sword. Naturally, I will not ask for it from you. However, if one day you find yourself unable to control it, you may bring it to the City God Temple and have it refined here.”

Lu Liangsheng knew that the third strand of dragon qi had entered the Veiled Moon Sword. At the time, however, he had been concerned about his master and had not had the chance to examine it. Now that it was mentioned, he simply smiled and nodded. “I will. Liangsheng thanks the Grand Commander for the reminder.”

With the matters here concluded, Lu Liangsheng took his leave. Walking out of the City God Temple, he raised his hands in a respectful salute toward the City God and the judge, who were watching from among the hidden worshippers, before finally departing.

Watching the scholar’s figure vanish into the distance in the blink of an eye, the Grand Commander turned back and released his divine sense, summoning the judge of the Swift Reports Office.

“Notify the City God Xu Sheng of Wuhu. See if he can intercept those evil cultivators midway and retrieve the demon soul!”

[TL_Note: A military general of Eastern Wu who served under Sun Quan. Xu Sheng was known for his bravery and defensive skill, particularly in guarding Wu’s territory along the Yangtze River against attacks from Cao Wei.]

“Yes!”

As the morning sun rose above the clouds, Lu Liangsheng removed the concealment spell and returned to the abandoned small courtyard. The luggage had already been packed; even the small pot had been washed clean and hung beneath the bookshelf.

Sun Yingxian and Min Yue­rou were both sitting beneath the eaves waiting for him.

The Toad Daoist had changed into a short-sleeved jacket and was sitting cross-legged on the donkey’s rump. Pointing at the breakfast that had not yet completely cooled, he told his disciple to hurry and eat so they could set off together.

Watching the scholar bury his head in the bowl, the toad asked:

“What did that City God want with you?”

“It wasn’t much. Just talked about the demon soul of Pudu Cihang.” After finishing the meal, Lu Liangsheng used a thread of spiritual power from his fingertips to draw water from the moss-covered well, rinsed the bowl once, and placed it onto the bookshelf at the side.

“Making the acquaintance of an ancient figure—when you think about it, it’s quite nice.”

After finishing their preparations, he patted the old donkey that was eager to return home, then turned and clasped his hands toward Min Yue­rou in farewell. “The matters here are settled. I will be heading back. I won’t go into the city to bid farewell to Minister Min. If you encounter any trouble in the future, you may come to Mount Qixia to find me.”

“So I can’t come if there’s nothing wrong?”

Min Yue­rou lifted her chin and said this to the scholar. Seeing him mount the donkey and prepare to leave, she suddenly called out: “Young Master Lu, that Zuo Zhengyang, you won’t—”

“I won’t go see him.”

Lu Liangsheng knew his master was eager to leave. Sitting on the donkey’s back, he laughed. “His injuries are not something I can treat. If he does not die, perhaps in the future he may achieve something else entirely. Farewell!”

The Daoist walked two steps, then turned back.

“Hey, Miss Min, you’re not even going to try to keep this Daoist around?”

“You’re a man of the Dao, Daoist. How could a young woman like me keep you here?”

Min Yue­rou folded her arms and spat lightly in his direction. Watching the Daoist leave in frustration, along with the man and donkey ahead of him, a sudden emptiness settled around her.

After witnessing Daoist spells and immortal arts, and the thrilling struggle of slaying demons, returning to the circle of officials and nobles in the capital made her feel out of place with those young aristocrats she once knew—she even found them childish and laughable.

Before long, the woman led her light-green horse. With a flick of the whip brushing through the weeds, she and the horse slowly made their way back toward the city, carrying a faint sense of loss.