Chapter 78. In a perilous situation, like a stack of eggs

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“What is it?”

“How do you use it?”

“Why are stone mills different from what I’ve seen in the past? Has the technology progressed?”

“What kind of sect is the Qingbei Mountain? What do they use as weapons?”

“Are you guys calling yourself masters of cultivation even though your skills are that pathetic? If you were to go back to my time, you’d have been called mediocre.”

Changming had developed a slight headache.

He really had not expected the Ghost King to turn into such a beastly, inquisitive man after putting away his hostile attitude.

No, not even a man. He had already died, so he should be called a beastly, inquisitive ghost.

The things of the world of the living filled the Ghost King with curiosity, starting with the utensils used in daily life and all the way to the distribution of authority between the major sects. He was even interested in food—obviously, he could not eat, but he still wanted them to buy food for him and give it to him to smell.

The idlest among them, and moreover, the one with the lowest cultivation level, was Zhang Jie. Naturally, he was the one who had to run all these small errands.

At first, Zhang Jie was unwilling.

His self-esteem was sensitive and fragile, and he could not bear others looking down on him. People with such personalities were not suited for the law of the jungle. But his talent was somewhat high, he had originally come from a small sect, and people there used to praise him ever since he was young. Only after leaving his sect to gain experience did he realize how cruel the Jianghu was. Zhang Jie’s cultivation level had been regarded as outstanding within his sect. Now, however, he had seen how vast the world was, while he was as miserable as a cloud of dust—not even worth mentioning. He felt especially inferior compared to disciples of famous sects, like Hé Qingmo, but would not admit it, so his words were dripping with acid with the slightest provocation. Although he was not  overly aggressive, he could surely make anyone fed up with him.

But all of Zhang Jie’s complaints would be swallowed back as soon as he saw the Ghost King. The latter only needed to move a bit closer, and the yin qi emitting from his body would make Zhang Jie forget everything he wanted to say at once, and work earnestly.

It was what people would describe as “everything has its vanquisher”.

Hearing the Ghost King’s words, Zhang Jie sighed deeply, as if he was going to have a fit of anger, but managed to abstain from swearing somehow.

“I haven’t said I’m a master!”

The Ghost King asked in reply: “Then who is? Jiufang Changming?”

Zhang Jie: “He probably is.”

The Ghost King: “What’s with that ‘probably’? You don’t agree?”

Zhang Jie had run out of patience, but he did not dare refuse to answer: “He was known as the strongest person in the world once. He had rebelled and quit several times, and not a single Buddhist, Daoist or Demonic sect agreed to accept him anymore. While he’s acting like this, even if he’s strong, since his morality is twisted, this title, ‘the strongest in the world’, sounds unconvincing.”

The Ghost King was playing with a tangram in his hands, but he raised his head after hearing this, his expression full of curiosity.

Tangram: seven-piece block puzzle [1]

“What does ‘rebelled and quit several times’ mean?”

He had not been to the Human World for a long time, but the expression on his pale, malicious face could even be considered innocent. This contradiction was odd.

Zhang Jie did not dare to look straight at him, so he quickly averted his gaze, telling him about how Jiufang Changming had entered the Dao and rebelled against it, before entering Buddhism and rebelling against it as well.

He was well-versed with these rumors. He did not even need to know Changming to recount all sorts of rumours circulating throughout the Jianghu.

Unexpectedly, the Ghost King was filled with admiration after hearing his stories.

“Bold and imaginative, does as his heart desires instead of sticking to the norm, thus following the style my generation had demonstrated!”

Zhang Jie could not help answering back sarcastically: “He colluded with demons, is it also an example your generation had set?”

The Ghost King only took a glance at him, and Zhang Jie felt the fresh autumn day turn into a bitter cold winter, and the loftiness in his voice decreased at once.

“What’s the meaning of ‘colluded with demons’?”

Zhang Jie muttered: “Many skilled persons were going to build a Liuhe Zhutian Formation that year on Sacred Mountain Wan in order to prevent demons from entering our world. Because Jiufang Changming had colluded with demons, the formation failed at a crucial moment, on the very verge of success, and there were heavy casualties. After that, the Sacred Mountain Wan became a passage that demons can move through freely.”

The Ghost King tilted his head: “Then, won’t he and I make an exemplary demon-ghost duet?”

Zhang Jie: …

The Ghost King smiled: “The more you say, the more interested I am in him. After all these years, out of those who have entered the lands of ghosts, he is the only one who’s like me.”

Zhang Jie wanted to add something, but refrained from speaking out of fear of the Ghost King’s power.

But the Ghost King refused to spare him so easily.

“Tell me more about him.”

What else could Zhang Jie say? He had not actually gotten to know Jiufang Changming any earlier than the Ghost King. When this man had appeared out of nowhere and saved them, Zhang Jie had no idea that this person was the illustrious Jiufang Changming of the past. The failure of the Liuhe Zhutian formation was a matter of several decades ago, and Zhang Jie had not even been born yet when that had happened. Everything he knew were just rumors he had picked up from his teachers and other people of that generation.

Zhang Jie did not actually understand Jiufang Changming better than the Ghost King.

The Ghost King also saw that Zhang Jie was only an embroidered pillow, so he did not feel like talking to him anymore. The Ghost King completed the tangram, and got up to leave.

An embroidered pillow: decoy; in this case, says more than knows

Zhang Jie said hurriedly: “Where are you going!”

The Ghost King turned around and stared at him. As if his eyes were arrows made of ice, that gaze chilled Zhang Jie to the bones, and he could not even finish the sentence.

“Were you ordered to monitor me? Do I need your approval?”

The Ghost King squinted his eyes, and his harmless expression disappeared in a flash. It felt as if a blizzard had assaulted Zhang Jie’s face, its pressure unbearable. His face changed abruptly.

“It’s a misunderstanding… they have an important matter to attend to, so they asked me to look after you…”

It had been fine before he started explaining, but now it really looked like a “there’s no silver here” note.

To leave a note saying there’s no silver [buried under the tree] here: to give yourself away by clumsy excuses

“Where are they?”

Black flames enveloped the Ghost King’s body, and he was no longer indifferent and relaxed.

Now, he was that Ghost King whom Zhang Jie had met at the land of ghosts earlier.

He was now the entity that had been worshipped by tens of thousands of ghosts, the one who would kill a deity upon meeting said deity, and erect himself a throne by piling a mountain of corpses in a sea of blood.

He was no longer the Linghu You who was playing with a tangram and inquiring about the Human World incessantly.

“Th… they…”

Zhang Jie could not even finish saying one sentence under such pressure. He even felt that this time he would not be able to escape from death.

“Why are you looking for me?”

A warm and refreshing spring breeze melted the ice and snow.

Zhang Jie thought he was hearing the notes of Heaven, and was almost moved to tears. The ice that seemed to have frozen his body melted and fell to the ground, and Zhang Jie almost stooped to crawl away.

The notes of Heaven: the most core, profound sounds of the nature

Changming, Zhang Jie’s only chance for survival, had entered the stage. All the plants that had almost withered because of the yin qi slowly came back to life again.

Ghost King’s expression was far from being good.

“What were you doing?”

“The formation. I returned for some things, and it just happened so that I need your help. Let’s go.”

Changming bent down, picked some flowers and grasses from the garden, and took a red thread from the room.

The misunderstanding had been cleared up, and the ghastly yin aura receded little by little. But the Ghost King was still frowning.

“Where are we going?”

“Follow me,” Changming reached out his hand to hold the Ghost King’s wrist.

His hand was cold like frozen iron, and this warm touch caught him off guard, almost burning him.

“Close your eyes,” Changming said.

The echoing ring of a bell resounded around them. The crisp tinkling sound was pleasant to the ear. Before the Ghost King could close his eyes, the sky and the earth started spinning round in front of his eyes, and only his wrist was held firmly in place. He almost fell to the ground weakly.

“A teleportation treasure?” he guessed, quickly.

“Correct. It’s called the Yulin Bell, and I borrowed it from a certain person. Hé Qingmo and I have spent the last two days working on this formation.”

Wherever they looked, they could only see mountains surrounding them. A single path led to a mountain.

This was a forsaken wild mountain ridge with no signs of habitation, but the shape of the relief was a bit unusual.

The Ghost King made an exclamation of surprise as he surveyed the surroundings.

He had long since broken through the limitations of a typical ghost. Although they were standing in the bright day under the scorching sun, he was not the least bit afraid, only slipping deeper into his cape. His steps were light, and except for the fact that he had no shadow, he seemed no different from a regular human being.

Changming noticed something unusual about him.

“Daoyou Linghu has studied the Art of Geomancy as well?”

“I can’t say I have studied it, but I had looked through a couple of my shifu’s books about it when I was alive. This must have been a Relief of Three Dragons Holding Pearls once. If a pearl was placed here, it could gather the essence of the celestial bodies, helping a person cultivate at twice the normal speed. Unfortunately, the mountain range in the front was damaged, so the Three Dragons Holding Pearls turned into Three Dragons Holding grass, as if someone attached a dog tail to a sable.”

Attaching a dog tail to a sable: ruining a masterpiece with a small mistake

But he did not feel sorry for the loss.

This method of cultivation could only be effective for humans, since the sky, the earth and humans had been seen as the three powers starting from ancient times.

The three powers were the sky, the earth, and humans, while the three luminaries were the sun, the moon, and the stars. Ever since humans had appeared in this world, the Heavens had bestowed great privileges unto them, while ghost cultivators and demons had been left to their own devices. However, many humans were oblivious to the fact, and never treasured opportunities like this.

The Ghost King was knowledgeable indeed. A common person would have never recognized the relief of Three Dragons Holding Pearls in this place.

“Although the relief is incomplete now, it can be restored. If there’s a pearl, the three dragons will hold it again. If this place is turned into a formation, except for accelerating cultivation, it can also screen the flow of yin and yang, and conceal their auras. Furthermore, the people from the Wanlian Buddhist Temple will lose all trace of us, and this formation may even open a passage to the Wanlian Buddhist Sect. Since the pearl the three dragons are holding can be made by humans, they can as well be natural. Look—”

Changming raised his head, and pointed first above his head, and then to the gold glass pearl glittering brightly in the center of the formation.

“Today, at noon, when the sun will be shining right above our heads, the Sky Pearl will resonate with the Earth Pearl, and the formation will be flawless. No matter who comes here, they won’t notice anything.”

Hé Qingmo was setting up the formation not far away from them.

He used branches to construct it. He positioned the branches in the eight directions, and the red thread was used as the basis for connecting the directions. Unique talismanic writings of the Celestial Abode Shenxiao were drawn on the ground in the center of the formation. Originally, this type of formation used the sun and the sky as its core, but the sun could not shine all day long in the Human World. As soon as the sun set or disappeared behind the mountains, the effect of the formation would weaken.

But it was different now, with the Golden Glass Pearls. Even if the Sky Pearl weakened, the high-strength spiritual powers gathered by the Earth Pearl throughout the day would be enough to support the formation up until the next day.

Speaking of which, these Golden Glass Pearls had been taken from the Golden Glass Beads Staff by Changming—after all, before it could be delivered back to the Qingyun School, why would they not use it to its fullest and let it work as it was supposed to?

This formation could not be considered as too difficult or very simple. Although Changming had studied formations a bit, this one used sophisticated incantations written in the seal-style script [2]. But there was also Hé Qingmo who had come from the Celestial Abode Shenxiao. Unlike common disciples, he had been greatly valued by his sect’s elders and was talented in formations, so he was granted access to many techniques from ancient books. After having a piece of writing recited to him, he could remember it at once. If someone else took his place, the formation would not have been finished by this moment.

Hé Qingmo stood, slightly bending down, and was writing another stroke of a character with enthusiasm.

He was holding a long writing brush in his hand, its tip faintly emitting a golden light. [The characters seemed to be engraved on the stones, and even a sandstorm would not be able to erase them].

Precisely one shichen had passed since the moment Hé Qingmo started writing the first stroke of the talisman in the center of the formation. Hé Qingmo returned to his senses, feeling abrupt pain coming from his waist. He had been drenched with sweat, and was on the verge of collapse.

“How is it?” Changming said, as he and the Ghost King went over.

“Good enough.”

Hé Qingmo lowered his head. He had been holding the brush for a long time, infusing his spiritual powers in every stroke—even his nails had cracked, and blood dripped down from them.

“At midnight today, during the Ghost Festival, the Ghost Gates will be open at its widest, and this will be our chance. As custom dictates, the Wanlian Buddhist Temple will open their doors to host the sin expiation puja. The common people of You will make sacrifices to worship their ancestors, and almost everyone will descend from the mountains. Only the fated ones will attain the glory of ascending the mountain and entering the buddhist temple. Those who enter will be obliged to listen to buddhist sutras attentively for three days and three nights, thereby cleansing their bodies and minds. After that, they will be able to remould their body and exchange their bones, redressing their sins completely.”

Remould their body and exchange their bones: to change wholly

The Ghost King asked: “How would that redress one’s sins completely?”

Hé Qingmo shook his head: “I don’t know, those are just rumors I picked up while travelling. It’s said that the spiritual roots and senses of those who visit the temple will improve by a whole level. Even for someone with a hideous appearance, if they are able to get into the good graces of a high monk of the Wanlian Buddhist Temple, they will look like a lotus appearing out of the water, beautiful enough to make fish drown, after they have gone there.”

The Ghost King snorted with contempt: “They’re just throwing dust in the eyes of the public.”

Hé Qingmo: “The common people of You view the Wanlian Buddhist Temple as deities. You can listen to their talks, but you can never trust them.”

Changming was not as optimistic as the two of them.

Before he stumbled onto Hé Qingmo, he had heard a tale. It spoke of a girl that used to be ugly. When she reached a marriageable age, no one dared take her as a bride, which almost led to her suicide. Before seeking death, she grabbed onto the last glimmer of hope, and took part in a puja, praying for a blessing from heavenly deities, wishing to have a beautiful appearance in her next life. To everyone’s surprise, after she got an opportunity to enter the Buddhist temple and left it afterwards, her looks had completely changed. Not only had she acquired an appearance as delicate as a flower, and as refined as a jade, but she also married into an illustrious family, turning into the wife of a nobleman despite having been a girl from an ordinary family. She had become an almost legendary figure.

In order to verify the reliability of the tale, Changming had actually found that very woman. He had seen her from afar, and was indeed amused by her every gesture and facial expressions. He had sneaked into the mansion, and had heard retainers gossiping about her marriage with their master, and what had been said was not much different from the rumors he had heard on the streets.

Everyone was saying that the sincerity of Yang-shi had moved the Heavens, and deities were protecting her, ready to turn stone into gold for her sake. After all, she had gone from being hideous to a beauty overnight.

But Changming knew that there was no art that could steal a dragon and substitute it with a phoenix. Even a cultivator could not change their face completely overnight, let alone a common person.

There was definitely something odd about this Yang-shi, who was envied for her fortunate fate by everyone.

The puja on the fifteenth day of the seventh month seemed even more miraculous and bizzare.

“There’s also something else.”

Hé Qingmo’s words brought him back to reality.

“We need something at the Wanlian Buddhist Temple to serve as a connection, before the formation will allow us to travel there the way that deities won’t notice us, and ghosts won’t feel. Otherwise, we’ll only be able to teleport nearby, and will still have to break through the barrier. That is simply alarming the snake by cutting grass.”

Deities won’t know about, and ghosts won’t feel: unnoticed by anyone

Changming: “What kind of thing?”

Hé Qingmo: “Anything that’s inside there, be it an object or a leaf of a plant.”

As he finished saying this, he realized how demanding that sounded.

“Forget it, let’s just travel nearby. By that time, I’ll find a way to break through their barrier…”

“Will a blood connection work?” Changming asked suddenly.

“What kind of blood connection?” Hé Qingmo could not process his words for a moment.

Changming: “It’s possible that there’s a certain person trapped there. He was severely wounded in the past, and I cured him with my own blood. I suppose we can use this blood as a connection. Would it fit your criteria?”

Hé Qingmo was not sure: “I haven’t tried it. It probably would?”

Without saying a second word, Changming cut his own finger, and a drop of blood fell onto a Golden Pearl in the center of the formation.

Bright rays burst of the Golden Pearl at once, triggering the talisman writing under itself. A golden light poured out in every direction.

It actually worked!

“The formation has been activated!” Hé Qingmo was pleasantly surprised.

Changming was now sure of one thing: that skull from the Jianxue Clan had not deceived him. Zhou Keyi was actually in the Wanlian Buddhist Temple.

His arrogant, obstinate and ruthless third disciple had fallen into the clutches of this place. Even if he was still alive, he probably did not have much time left.

…

His guess was right.

At this moment, Zhou Keyi was in a perilous situation, like a stack of eggs hanging by a thread.

Like a stack of eggs hanging by a thread: liable to collapse any moment

[1] Tangram:

[2] Seal-style script:

“Chinese characters for the words ‘seal script’ in regular script (left) and seal script (right)”