Twenty-Nine: Uncertainty of Life and Death - Part One
The bells rang again.
It was another day of lining up and counting, but Qianli didn't seem to care much. Fuxia wanted to stay by Gaolang's side. Today he was alone, so he simply lay down on the rooftop to steal a moment of peace.
After all, there were people specifically in charge of the work; he was merely putting on an act, replacing Gao Lang from Ci Yun. However, those below him had been restless lately, causing the process to drag on day by day. Although he had plenty of time, he was quite dissatisfied with seeing his time being wasted on this tedious matter.
Looking at the simulated high-altitude structure, I suddenly thought of Gao Lang. After all, just as Gong Sha said, the roof of Yishan was brought by Gao Lang.
Qianli knew that their ability to remain here was due to Gao Lang's magic. However, Gao Lang needed them more than they needed him, because Gao Lang's only ability was to construct such a barrier to conceal the traces of the evil spirits; he himself was utterly powerless against attacks from cultivators. The powerful evil spirits all believed they were merely cooperating with Gao Lang in exchange for a few days of peace. But once inside the barrier and enjoying a few days of tranquility, the situation began to reverse.
After all, pursuing something is not the same as wanting to do it.
Over these past few days, he had witnessed many conflicts. It was only through his cooperation with Ciyun and Gao Lang that Yishan had taken its initial form. Ciyun had long been at odds with Gao Lang. Although avoiding conflict was beneficial for harmony, Gao Lang had no choice but to keep quiet, as he couldn't afford to offend either of them. However, Ciyun only opposed Gao Lang; towards the others, although she was a bit sharp-tongued, she stopped there. Besides, she was the one who secured the land in Yishan, so no one would treat her badly because of her slightly unfriendly attitude.
After all, the rumors at the time said that as long as this ghost was stationed on the mountain, what difference would it make if Gao Lang didn't have a barrier?
Later, those evil spirits were either driven away or killed.
The idea of lining up was proposed by Gao Lang and assigned to Ci Yun. After Ci Yun quit, Gao Lang, for some unknown reason, took on the task himself. Several decades have passed, and the new evil spirits probably don't even know about Ci Yun anymore. In addition, Ci Yun rarely comes out these days, so they only take Gao Lang's appearances particularly seriously.
The space in the air here remains unchanged.
He hadn't seen the outer sky for a long time because once the evil spirits of Yishan entered, they couldn't leave without the permission of the barrier's master. Of course, they could forcefully break through from the inside, but that would only invite trouble, and he hadn't even tried.
Moreover, going out wasn't a good thing. They encountered cultivators everywhere, chasing and intercepting them. In the city and in the mountains, their people were everywhere.
Being chased by those people in white is truly terrifying, which is why most evil spirits wear black, just to have some color to counteract their power and not lose their imposing presence.
Qianli lowered his gaze.
After its completion, the spirits also divided their roles to maintain order. Because Ciyun and her disciples were always more capable than him, whenever there was a need to go out, that group would usually handle the work, while he was responsible for managing things within the barrier. For example, in this matter, although he hadn't been directly in charge before, he could see it more clearly from the sidelines.
However, Gao Lang did not appear for a long time, and ghostly shadows began to sweep across Yishan. The evil spirits below began to stir, but Qianli could not control them.
Qianli had no idea what they were planning. If they really went out, they would all be the first to die. The ability to seamlessly transition between stability and freedom depended on their own skills. Since they had pledged allegiance to another side, and weren't obediently following orders, they were better off not being caught between the ranks of cultivators and evil spirits.
He had already heard rumors that the evil spirits had encountered monsters within the barrier. Leaving aside the fact that the evil spirits were venturing out freely—which Gao Lang would certainly punish if he found out—the mere fact that monsters had appeared within the barrier was unprecedented. Considering the timing, it seemed likely that Gao Lang was nearing his end, and the barrier was beginning to weaken, allowing the monsters to pass through. The evil spirits also knew that the barrier was related to Gao Lang's condition; their prolonged absence and the intrusion of outsiders clearly indicated they were preparing to split up.
Gao Lang's death and the discovery of the barrier by the cultivators should both be taken into consideration.
Gongsha had shared his concerns with him, but what could Qianli do? Gaolang was in extremely poor condition; although he was still relatively lucid, it was impossible for him to let Qianli go out. The last time he went out was because Ciyun wanted to change his name back to Zhegui, which Gaolang disagreed with, leading to a constant argument between the two. This gave Qianli his first opportunity to go out after entering the barrier, and he also picked up Gongsha along the way.
“Lord Qianli,” a guard reported as usual as he approached the rooftop where Qianli was located, “the bell tolls have ended.”
To ease the tension, he asked Ciyun if that was her real name. Even if it was, did she really have to change it?
Ci Yun hesitated, then replied that she preferred to be called by that name, but Qian Li could keep his name, since they had known each other longer than anyone else.
Ciyun also asked Qianli's original name, because "Ciyun" and "Qianli" were just auspicious words they had heard, and they didn't know what they meant at the time.
But Qianli had never thought about it, and he couldn't remember it now. He didn't care about his original name either. But he was very curious about other people's names. Gao Lang and Feng Wu were both names he had inherited. Both of them came from prominent families and remembered that they had died violent deaths, the former from the plague and the latter from illness. They were very unhappy with their fate and insisted on living again with their original names.
He was also very curious about Gongsha's name, because it was truly unique. Gongsha also remembered what had happened before. He was completely illiterate before, but he studied the sages' books every day and occasionally remembered these few characters, which he then used to create a name. He said that he used to only have a surname and family name, and he was unhappy with being called that. He wanted to walk around with the name he had chosen, so he came back.
But life wasn't easy back home either. When Qianli met him, Gongsha was huddled in the grass, seemingly unable to utter a word, having encountered something.
Therefore, Gongsha was extremely afraid that something would happen to Gaolang. The past was terrifying, the present was alright, and losing the present meant returning to the past, not moving towards tomorrow. Qianli, on the other hand, didn't think the situation was so bad, because Gongsha hadn't expected that he was different now. Even if fate decreed that one day would eventually come, he could persevere.
After he finished speaking, Gongsha didn't pay much attention. He turned his head and wondered how long it would take to find another evil spirit who knew the same magic.
Only a few of them actually knew Gao Lang's condition; the rest were just guessing. But if the evil spirits below shared Gong Sha's thoughts, although it wasn't ideal, it would at least save Qian Li trouble. Most of them didn't have the opportunity to contact Gao Lang like Gong Sha did, and they didn't know the value of this rare magical power. They only felt that the barrier was loosening and Gao Lang hadn't appeared, so they figured that Gao Lang was probably failing and prepared to go their own way.
From their perspective, Gao Lang was indeed quite annoying. Unlike the others who joined on their own initiative, these newcomers were mostly brought here right after returning from the underworld. They couldn't leave without a plan, and if they did, they basically wouldn't come back. Any slightly out-of-line words or actions would be known by the barrier and sent to Gao Lang's ears, whereupon he would publicly reprimand them during the gathering.
It's actually quite terrifying. Therefore, the evil spirit's resentment would also be vented on herself and Fuxia. No one knows how to obtain information through the barrier; being reported seems easier, and she and Fuxia are among those who stay by Gao Lang's side year-round and never leave the barrier.
Without any reservations, Qianli thought about it and decided that this was even better.
Fuxia, however, wonders when she will understand that she can't possibly help Gao Lang with his injuries.
“Alright,” Qianli said, leaping off the roof. “Let’s begin.”
The head guard received instructions to remain silent and then began counting.
Qianli knew the process would be quick, but he still started to overthink.
Out of consideration for the past, aside from regular meetings, he had never met Gao Lang privately. Although Gao Lang only gave orders to them in moments of desperation or when he had indeed acted inappropriately, and his words were never out of line in daily life, Qianli had always been unwilling to see him. Although he absolutely had to see him, the only thing he had racked his brains over the years was how to reduce the number of times he met Gao Lang. It was Gongsha who saved it.
He had spoken with Ciyun, but Ciyun didn't quite understand. Ciyun lacked talent in certain areas, perhaps his talent was used to compensate for his lack of agility in martial arts. He didn't dare ask the others, fearing it would leak information and make Gao Lang think he wasn't sincere. Moreover, he was also very curious about why Gao Lang could sense the movements of the evil spirits through the barrier, but those captured inside couldn't. He had been pondering this for years, and later began to suspect that Gao Lang might be able to eavesdrop on their thoughts, so he had always suppressed even his own inner thoughts, minimizing them as much as possible.
He felt truly refreshed when he couldn't see Gao Lang. Now that Gao Lang was preoccupied with his own troubles, his mind was starting to clear, giving him a chance to weigh things.
He was always afraid of Gao Lang and hated Gao Lang.
Why was he afraid? He himself didn't quite understand. Because of his status, Gao Lang had never said a harsh word to him or Ci Yun, and had always respected his opinions, as well as those of his disciple Gong Sha.
Why did Qianli dislike him? Qianli had a feeling that Gao Lang had a bad temper. Even though this bad temper wasn't directed at him, he still disliked Gao Lang because of it.
He wondered if he was being unreasonable.
The inspection is already halfway through.
Ciyun, Fengwu, Gongsha, Fuxia, and even the deceased Wu Rang probably didn't understand why Gao Lang, who usually avoided conflict, suddenly decided to get involved this time. Qianli didn't say it explicitly, but there was already a guess.
That was Gao Lang's bad temper flaring up.
He disliked that cultivator who had actually seen through his protective array, even if it was only a small part of it. Even if he were discovered, it wouldn't significantly affect Gongsha's plan or Fengwu's already begun preparations. The puddle, while suitable, wasn't actually a good place. With a slight rise in water, not only cultivators but even ghosts wouldn't be able to find it. He only liked it because it was special, perhaps unique.
However, he was discovered, and of course he was very unhappy. He was unhappy, and he was determined to get revenge.
He thought victory was assured, but Feng Wu and Gong Sha were held up by the enemy's hidden experts, and he was unable to wait quietly for a while.
Since the other two were temporarily unavailable, and the opponent looked young and posed little threat, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
The result was a life for a life.
If possible, Qianli would very much like to hear Gao Lang's thoughts at this moment.
It might also be because his unique skill suddenly encountered a natural enemy, making it impossible for Gao Lang to remain calm.
Judging people by their appearance is one thing, but judging enemies by their appearance is another. If cultivators were so easily fooled, would the evil spirits have bowed down to Gao Lang just to gain a little more space within the barrier?
He decided to go back and try to persuade Gongsha to pack up and leave.
“My lord,” the head guard returned after finishing his work, “as usual.”
“Alright,” Qianli solemnly declared after looking at what was in front of him, “that’s all for today.”
Before the captain of the guard could turn around to relay the message, a shadow suddenly fell over his head. In that instant of interruption, the captain of the guard looked up at the sky.
The circular magic array is ready to be activated.
"A vast and insignificant world."
At the brightest point in the center of the formation, a beam of white light slashed down towards the center of the gathering, following a zigzag trajectory. Before anyone could fully react, the captain of the guard had vanished before the light hit the ground, leaving a black hole where he had stood, but it quickly began to heal.
It was as if all the pain did not exist.
“How diligent and how wrong. Shepherding that splendor.”
The lingering evil spirits were stunned by the scene before them, so much so that most of them could not escape immediately. Then, the magic array weakened its power but increased its quantity, continuously increasing the frequency of lightning strikes from the outer circle inwards. Regardless of their initial feelings, the evil spirits had no choice but to quickly cast spells to save themselves.
"Entrusted to the vast desert. His aspirations soar to the heavens."
Amidst the falling lightning, a white bolt suddenly accelerated, zigzagging through the air, following a dark shadow that danced relentlessly. The two weaved through the descending lightning, pursuing each other horizontally without ever letting up.
However, being weaker in spatial control than his opponent, he lost his footing during the speed transition, and the lightning struck Yishan's indispensable city wall, leaving a loose wound.
As the magic array dissipated, the surviving evil spirits in the city heard the sound of the city walls collapsing, and their familiar daily routines were opened up a second time.
A black whirlwind swept down.
Lightning followed and fell.
"Impressive skills."
Zhang Xu stood on the city wall, sword in hand, pointing directly at Qianli, who was leaning against the large bell.
In Yu Qianli's eyes, the disguise was intended to be used by the lightning magic. As the person dressed up and groomed gradually rose up, he was surprised but quickly came to understand.
"That still can't compare to you all."
Beside Zhang Xu, the cultivators who had been hiding also revealed themselves.
The bell is located on a tower near the city wall.
The sounds of fighting and shattering could be heard from below.
Grasping the bell with one hand, the swirling winds of evil spirits silently collided with every inch of space inside the crowd.
In this city, Gao Lang is the only one who is completely powerless.
In an instant, the wind began to vibrate inside the great bell. On the outside, a ring of wind surrounded Qianli, while on the other side, it struck the bell from the outside. This was a rare occurrence for the bell; usually, it only echoed. Now, a sharp, deafening shriek came from inside and outside the bell. The cultivators who were close to Qianli, unaware of what was happening, were directly hit by the howling wind. While covering their ears, they lost their balance and were blown down by the wind, both inside and outside the city wall.
Although the cultivators protected by the mountain magic were spared from this attack, they had to face this sudden change.
Beneath the dome of the barrier, the piercing cry permeated every corner.
The dejected Gong Sha and the meditating Feng Wu were abruptly interrupted by the sudden change in their thoughts. The aura of the cultivators and the wailing of the evil spirits that followed made them realize something was wrong, so they quickly got up and headed towards the south gate.
Strolling through the woods, Zhegui felt both familiar and unfamiliar with Qianli's move. Gao Lang's death was within her expectations, but she hadn't anticipated that the cultivators would arrive so quickly.
She was just about to go out and take a look when she spotted a familiar figure.
“Lord Zhegui,” Fuxia spoke as usual, “Lord Gao requests your presence.”
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