Chapter 225: City God Zhou Yu 

A fine drizzle of early spring fell upon the lotus pond, sending ripples spreading across its surface. A green fish pecked at the duckweed, then flicked its tail and darted into deeper water. Reflected upon the rippling surface was a scholar clad in a blue robe walking along the edge, with an old donkey following leisurely behind him, lazily swishing its bald tail. 

Lu Liangsheng raised his head. Beneath the leaden sky stood the towering city walls stretching endlessly into the distance, while the unceasing rain washed over the mottled bloodstains upon them. 

The slanted, damaged city gate had already been repaired. One could see common people hurrying in and out. The soldiers guarding the entrance now wore the armor of the Sui Dynasty, holding long weapons as they scrutinized passing travelers and merchants with stern eyes. 

‘The people are able to come and go freely. It seems Yang Su governs his army well.’ 

He watched from afar for a while before flicking his sleeve and turning toward a corner in the road. Less than two li away, the City God Temple could be seen in the distance. Nearby, Sui soldiers patrolled back and forth. When they saw Lu Liangsheng leading the old donkey, they would spare him a few glances. 

Lu Liangsheng stepped onto the moss-covered stone stairs. The scent of incense within the temple was much fainter than the last time he had come. A few worshippers still persisted in offering incense and paying their respects. Seeing the scholar enter, they forced smiles and nodded politely toward him. 

Besides the worshippers, several children were running around the pillars playing games. Seeing his father greet the gentle-looking stranger, one child could not help waving a hand toward him as well, hiding behind a pillar and grinning. 

A moment later, however, the child’s smile froze. He rubbed his eyes vigorously with the back of his hand. Not far from the main hall, a cloud of mist had begun to spread. The man who had just smiled back at him cupped his hands in greeting. 

“Lu Liangsheng pays his respects to the City God.” 

The mist swiftly contracted, taking on the outline of a figure before solidifying completely. Zhou Yu, dressed in a white robe embroidered with cloud patterns, smiled and returned the salute with cupped hands. 

“From far away, I sensed a stream of righteous qi approaching this place. I guessed it must be you, so I came out personally to welcome you.” 

“One does not visit the Hall of Three Treasures without cause. I have come this time to seek the Governor’s assistance.” 

After exchanging a few courtesies, Lu Liangsheng frankly explained his purpose. The City God made a gesture of invitation. To outsiders, it was as though the two could no longer be seen. They walked side by side beneath the eaves. 

Over there, the child clutching a pillar stared with wide eyes as he watched the scholar and a blurry figure disappear together. He was so shocked that he did not hear his father calling him to leave. Only when his ear was tugged did he come back to his senses. Pointing toward where they had been moments ago, even his words became stuttered and incoherent. 

“F-Father… j-just now… the person… who nodded to you… suddenly… disappeared.” 

The man looked around the temple. The scholar from earlier did indeed seem to have vanished. He had clearly seen him enter, and the temple was not large, only two or three small halls. There was nowhere for a person to hide. 

Thinking of the frightening implications, goosebumps instantly rose all over his body. Grabbing his son, he hurried outside. As they crossed the temple gate, the person they brushed past was Zhou Yu. 

Zhou Yu watched the father and son leave, then turned his gaze to Lu Liangsheng beside him. 

“Then, Young Master Lu, what brings you here today?” 

Lu Liangsheng pressed his lips together, stopped walking, and cupped his hands toward the other man. 

“I have come to ask a favor of the City God. I seek reincarnation for a ghost, but that ghost has now become a Rakshasa.” 

For a ghost to enter the Yin Underworld of Mount Tai and pass into reincarnation, the first checkpoint was the City God. If it were an ordinary ghost, Zhou Yu would not have minded. Pulling a few strings and doing someone a favor would have been easy enough. However, upon hearing the words Rakshasa, his brows immediately furrowed. 

“A Rakshasa ghost…” 

He murmured softly, then shook his head. “I cannot help you in this matter. Young Master Lu is also a cultivator and should know that when a fierce ghost kills the living and transforms into a Rakshasa, it is forever barred from reincarnation. This is a law of the underworld and a universal principle of the Heavenly Dao. It is not something a mere City God like myself can alter.” 

“…” 

Lu Liangsheng fell silent. Around them, ancient cedars spread their green branches. In the distance, the old donkey leisurely chewed grass as it wandered about. After a long while, Lu Liangsheng finally sighed. 

“Even the Commander has no way?” 

“You overestimate me, Young Master Lu. Though I am the City God of this region, this place has long been neglected, and I possess little divine power. Besides, the laws of the Heavenly Dao are what they are.” 

There was some evasion in his words, but Zhou Yu was also speaking the truth. Though a City God seemed to wield tremendous authority among mortals, above him stood the underworld, and above that, the Heavenly Dao itself. A mere City God could never act in defiance of Heaven. 

Seeing that the scholar beside him remained silent, Zhou Yu hesitated for a moment before asking tentatively: 

“Is this Rakshasa ghost a relative of yours?” 

“Something like that.” 

The two sat rather casually upon the stone steps near the courtyard gate. Lu Liangsheng picked up a withered leaf and turned it over in his hand as he recounted Honglian’s story. 

“When Honglian was young, misfortune struck her family, and she was sold into an opera troupe. Later, all her relatives died. Just when she had finally managed to live a somewhat decent life, she was murdered and wronged. In the end, she became a fierce ghost and killed for revenge. Later, because of my family and what happened to Lu Family Village, she slaughtered an entire mountain stronghold of bandits, and that is how she ended up in her current state… speaking of it, I owe her a debt as well.” 

As the City God of this region, Zhou Yu understood ghostly grudges, karmic merit, and transgressions more clearly than most. After hearing the story, he smiled. 

“When she became a fierce ghost, resentment filled her heart. By killing several innocents, she committed wanton slaughter. The Honglian you speak of harbored deep hatred and wished to torment her enemies to death, yet innocent people were implicated as well. For that alone, she already carried sin upon her. As for those mountain bandits, though they deserved their fate, dealing with them should have been the responsibility of the mortal authorities. Once she became tainted by bloodshed and murderous baleful qi, she became a Rakshasa. That cannot be changed.” 

Hearing the City God’s explanation, Lu Liangsheng knew that no matter how much he continued, the other party would never agree. Pressing his lips together, he smiled as well. 

“Then what about those who, while alive, never betrayed their conscience and never fell short in karmic virtue?” 

“Are you speaking of your honored teacher, Mister Shuhua?” 

Though a City God could not investigate the details of the living, once the dead came under a City God’s jurisdiction, everything from their mortal life would appear in the registers. Naturally, he knew of the old man who had died in Tianzhi City, and through those records, he had also learned of Lu Liangsheng’s relationship with him as teacher and disciple. 

“Your teacher accumulated profound virtue throughout his life and was an upright man. He has long since entered reincarnation.” 

Lu Liangsheng’s hand trembled slightly, and the withered leaf drifted to his feet. Hearing news of his teacher, he could not help feeling stirred. 

“Then my teacher… where has he been reborn?” 

“Even if I tell you, seeking him out would be useless. He will not remember you.” Zhou Yu crooked a finger, summoning the fallen leaf into his hand. “Still, there is no harm in telling you. He has now been reborn in Gucheng County, into the Cui family, a household whose elderly parents had long prayed for a child. A new life is a new beginning. Do not go looking for him and cause him to recall his previous life. That would run contrary to Heaven’s will.” 

“I understand.” 

Lu Liangsheng was not one to act recklessly. Knowing that his teacher had been reborn as a human and found a good destination filled his heart with indescribable joy. 

‘Although Honglian’s matter remains unresolved, at least this trip was not in vain.’ 

Though his business had not succeeded, he still rose and bowed respectfully to City God Zhou Yu before taking his leave. As he descended the stone steps and called the old donkey over, Zhou Yu suddenly spoke from above. 

“Reincarnation for a Rakshasa is impossible, but that does not mean there are no other paths.” 

Holding the reins, Lu Liangsheng turned around. Zhou Yu, with his hands clasped behind his back, walked down the steps and handed him the withered leaf. 

“When a soul withers, it will eventually scatter. Establish a temple and receive offerings of worship, and there may yet be a turning point. However, you must first separate the baleful and vicious spirit from her, or else reform it.” 

After saying this, his figure blurred and dispersed, transforming into a wisp of thin smoke that drifted back into the temple. 

A temple with offerings of worship… 

Looking at the leaf in his hand, now restored with fresh vitality, Lu Liangsheng understood that the City God was giving him guidance. He closed his fingers around the leaf and cupped his hands toward the temple gate once more. 

‘To separate the vicious soul is to strip away Honglian’s past sins… Establishing a temple and accepting worship would allow her to cultivate as a ghost and attain the position of a righteous deity.’ 

The more he thought about it, the more his head ached. He was not some sage who understood the mysteries of Heaven and Earth. He had absolutely no idea how such a thing was supposed to work. 

It seemed that sooner or later, he would have to trouble the City God again. 

Around him, worshippers came and went in sparse numbers. Seeing the scholar bowing and cupping his hands toward the temple gate, they found it rather strange. Looking over, they saw absolutely nothing there. When they turned back again, the scholar and the mangy old donkey beside him had vanished in an instant. 

“In broad daylight, seeing ghosts outside the City God Temple… Heavens!” 

Cold sweat immediately broke out across the foreheads of the two worshippers. Carrying baskets filled with incense and candles, they gathered up their robes and dashed into the City God Temple to offer their prayers. 

A gentle spring rain continued to fall as Lu Liangsheng hurried back toward Qixia Mountain. Meanwhile, the force assembled from Fushui County, numbering over a thousand men, had already entered the endless mountain ranges. 

“Does Your Highness truly believe that this Mister Lu is some enlightened expert?” 

“Hmph. This general only respects those who have fought their way out of the battlefield.” 

“…Gentlemen, please do not speak so carelessly. The Duke of Qinghe is also a cultivator. It would be wiser to be cautious.” 

Within the rolling stretches of Qixia Mountain, the sounds of hoofbeats and marching feet echoed continuously. Banners bearing the characters Sui and Yang were held high by standard-bearers. Rank after rank of cavalry and infantry wound their way southward along the mountain road, heading directly toward the foot of Qixia Mountain in the distance. 

Rumble, rumble, rumble… 

The countless footsteps of the marching army filled the mountain paths with a dense, unending roar. 

Behind the commander’s banner, the three generals who had been speaking instinctively surveyed the surrounding terrain as they continued discussing Lu Liangsheng. Most of what they knew came from hearsay, and none found him particularly miraculous. 

“We’ve fought our way south all this distance. Apart from beautiful scenery, I don’t see any immortal aura about Qixia Mountain.” 

The general mounted upon a brown-yellow warhorse glanced toward the steep cliffs, where forests clung to the mountainsides high above. Retracting his gaze, he rose and fell with the horse’s movements. The plates of his armor rubbed together with faint metallic sounds. Beneath his thick beard, his lips curled into a grin. 

“General Han, what do you think? If an army were lying in ambush here, we’d probably all die without a burial place.” 

“Heh. You can die if you want. I only protect His Highness, the Prince Jin.” 

Nearby, generals such as Yu Juluo turned their heads and laughed. Watching Han Qinhu and Shi Wansui bicker, they found it amusing. 

These were all generals who had accompanied the Prince Jin southward. They had fought the Turks, destroyed Northern Qi, and conquered Western Liang. Even those somewhat advanced in age were veterans who had survived seas of blood and mountains of corpses. During rare moments of leisure like this, they would occasionally exchange banter and jokes. 

“What do you think this Mister Lu mentioned by His Highness looks like? Like the Duke of Qinghe, or some frail scholar?” 

“Hmph. I heard he’s a scholar. He was even a tribute scholar of Chen in the past. Perhaps he’s waiting here with an ambushing army just for Old Yu.” 

“Hahaha! That would be perfect. The generals of Southern Chen lacked courage. Slaughtering them wasn’t satisfying enough. If there’s another army waiting here, all the better—I can kill to my heart’s content!” 

At the front of the column, Yang Guang glanced back at the boisterous group of generals. A smile appeared on his face as well. With generals such as these, how could the realm fail to be unified? 

As they spoke, the fine steed beneath him suddenly stopped in its tracks, nearly throwing him onto its neck. 

“What is it—” 

Before Yang Guang could finish speaking, the horses of the surrounding guards and accompanying generals all came to a halt as well. The animals stamped nervously in place, whinnying in fear. 

At that moment, a fierce gale swept through. 

Pebbles rolled across the ground, while clouds of dust rose into the air, enveloping the thousand-strong force. 

Rustle—rustle— 

The forests on both sides of the mountain road suddenly swayed violently. The treetops and greenery surged like waves, leaves rattling loudly. Flocks of startled birds burst from the woods, blackening the sky as they circled above the army. 

Woooooo— 

The sound of a horn echoed from the mountain road ahead. As seasoned veterans of countless campaigns, how could they fail to recognize the terrifying message carried by that horn? 

“Enemy attack!!” 

Shi Wansui spurred his horse forward, drawing the saber at his waist as he shouted. The surrounding soldiers and officers reacted instantly. Formations were assembled with practiced speed. Shield-bearing infantry lowered their shields and planted them firmly into the ground.  

Boom! 

The Prince of Jin, Yang Guang, was immediately protected within the center of the formation. 

The dust carried by the wind gradually dispersed. As visibility returned, what appeared ahead was an equally dense and orderly military formation. 

A great banner bearing the character “Bai” snapped loudly in the wind. 

One after another, long halberds were raised.

The synchronized sound of bowstrings being drawn echoed through the air.

A war chariot rolled forward from the ranks.

A commander drew a chilling treasure sword from his waist and pointed it ahead.

“Great Wind!” 

An immense martial aura surged upward like columns of wolf-smoke.