Twenty-seven: Fan Zhang's Chicken and Millet - Part Two
1
Wu Rang was discovered by Gao Lang and Gong Shaduo in a desolate village that had no distinguishing features and was largely forgotten by everyone. The two ghosts also encountered Wu Rang by chance. At first, when they heard the commotion, they thought that the cultivators had caught up with them, but they did not expect to witness the birth of a demon.
“This is really novel,” Wu Rang said, before he could even react. Gong Sha then casually picked up a twig from the ground and tapped him on the head. “I have no idea how evil spirits appear.”
Unfortunately, Wu Rang couldn't see himself.
After only two taps, the branch in Gongsha's hand suddenly turned to ashes and fell to the ground.
Gong Sha said with great dissatisfaction, "Wei Fengwu, what are you doing?"
“You are the one who,” Wei Lin landed a little behind, finally coming into Wu Rang’s line of sight, “without all this fuss.”
"Shut up, what's with the noise?" Gao Lang said sternly. "You two, take him back together. Keep a close eye on him; if anything goes wrong, you'll both be punished. And where is Zhe Gui again?"
Feng Wu explained helplessly, "Ci Yun... Lord Zhe Gui said the scenery around here was nice, so he went to explore on his own."
Forced to take on a task, neither Gongsha nor Fengwu were happy. One had a cold face while the other was all smiles.
2
Finally, a site for the new city was chosen. Gao Lang thought the place was excellent and tricked a craftsman who had previously specialized in building mansions for high-ranking officials into coming. Amid the craftsman's confusion, construction began. However, Wu Rang could only follow behind Gao Lang, observing, and was forbidden to speak.
Wu Rang learned some skills from Gong Sha and Feng Wu, and he learned them better than expected.
Fuchsia appears.
"You are Lord Fengwu's new apprentice?"
“I don’t count,” Wu Rang said. “Lord Gao told me to follow those two, so I’ve been following them.”
"I think Lord Gao is very satisfied with you."
After the city of Youran was completed, Liu Zhaonian was imprisoned, and Gao Lang began to implement Gong Sha's plan.
But after the meeting ended, when Feng Wu told Wu Rang not to follow and to do whatever he wanted, Wu Rang hesitated but still followed him, and then heard: "What bad luck."
Pinghe appeared.
"You're the new apprentice, and it seems your skills aren't very good yet."
At this point, Wu Rang changed his tune: "I was studying under both Lord Gongsha and Lord Fengwu."
"Oh, so you're Lord Gao's new bodyguard."
The jade bead appears.
“What’s the big deal?” Lu Yuzhu said indignantly. “I’m still Lord Zhegui’s last disciple.”
3
Yishan is both the name of the mountain and a name for the entire city on it. Initially, the ghosts didn't pay much attention to the distinctions. Later, when Gao Lang felt the names should be changed to differentiate them, the centuries-old elders, while verbally agreeing, didn't actually change them. Especially Zhegui, the first elder who followed Gao Lang in building the city, didn't care about these subtle differences or understand their significance, and spoke without correction. Everyone else followed suit. Therefore, the names Gao Lang had carefully designed were neglected.
"And winning the laurel wreath?"
Gao Lang sat in the very center, with many evil spirits sitting in the two rows of chairs below him, except for the first seat on the left, which was empty.
“Lord Gao,” a ghost whose face was obscured answered from the ground. This ghost later died and never appeared again. “Lord Zhegui was injured in the city of cultivators and is currently recuperating.”
"Fine, let her be," Gao Lang said, his frustration and dissatisfaction mixed with a touch of habitual indifference. "Feng Wu, I'm leaving this matter to you. I want to build another Yi Mountain outside, but it won't be like the one that relies on the original mountain environment. Instead, I'll use an array to open up a space and drive those people out. You Ran City has been having some problems lately, so don't let me down."
Gong Sha, seated in the second seat on the right, appeared somewhat stiff. The plan to raise people for food, though simple and cruel, had indeed been effective to some extent, so Gao Lang couldn't openly criticize him. However, for some unknown reason, the dwellings that had been housing the people suddenly developed a strange magical array. Even after people died, the array continued to devour nearby evil spirits, yet it wasn't either the evil spirits' magic or a cultivator's spell. Most of the evil spirits assigned to Gong Sha to govern You Ran City were killed or injured, and now no one dared approach that area, so it had to be abandoned.
"Understood." Feng Wu nodded and took something from Gao Lang.
4
A few people sat on the edge of the cliff chatting. In the distance, the sounds of fighting could be heard from mid-air.
"Are you just going to abandon Youran City like that?" Lu Yuzhu asked curiously.
“But we’ve all left,” Wu Rang said. “Anyway, the cultivators haven’t discovered You Ran City yet. If they make any changes and attract people here, that would be bad.”
"Lord Zhegui said that the barrier of Youran City is no longer under Lord Gao's control, so Gongsha said to the outside world that it is being preserved," Lu Yuzhu whispered.
“That makes some sense,” Pinghe said, waving a flower in her hand. “Given Lord Gao’s personality, he certainly wouldn’t want to leave any clues outside, since leaving them would be dangerous.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Fuxia said helplessly. “Lord Gao went to Youran City himself and found that no matter what he did, he couldn’t get rid of it, so he returned empty-handed.”
“Then he should be angry,” Lu Yuzhu joked. “Gong Sha should also get scolded.”
“No, not at all,” Fuchsia said. “I heard he has another idea, and Lord Gao is very interested in it and has already started to work on it.”
"And what is it?" Wu Rang asked.
“He’s only been on our mountain for a short time, and he’s already coming up with one wicked idea after another,” Pinghe said with mixed feelings. “He really doesn’t get tired.”
"So, what are the specific details?" Lu Yuzhu asked.
"After Master Gao mastered the magic to control the birthplace, he was pleasantly surprised to discover a ghost who had been a cultivator in his previous life, and who learned magic exceptionally quickly. Unfortunately, he was unlucky; as soon as he left the mountain, he encountered a renowned cultivator and was killed. Master Gao was heartbroken, and Gong Sha immediately came up with an idea: to now specifically search for ghosts who might have been cultivators in their previous lives," Fu Xia said.
“What kind of weirdo is this? He kills us while we’re alive, and treats us like dirt when we’re dead,” Lu Yuzhu couldn’t understand. “This is interesting. I’ve never really done anything, and I’ve hardly ever gone out. I’ll ask Lord Zhegui and have her arrange for me to go over and check out the situation.”
“Gong Sha’s plans are all very dangerous, each one resulting in the loss of 8,000 of his own for every 10,000 enemy killed,” Ping He frowned as he looked at Lu Yuzhu. “I even suspect that he might be a spy sent by the cultivators.”
“It’s all about us, not theirs,” Lu Yuzhu said with a smile, glancing at Wu Rang as she spoke. “Wu Rang, what’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“What can I say?” Wu Rang sighed helplessly. “Lord Gao has now sent me to follow Lord Gongsha. I’m both an informant and at the forefront of the plan. I still have a lingering feeling about what happened in Youran City last time.”
“Then you should rest during this time,” Lu Yuzhu said after laughing. “Perfect, just say you’re tired and ask Lord Zhegui to arrange for me to go out and see what’s going on.”
5
“This place is quite interesting,” Gao Lang said, looking at the isolated island in the water. “It’s not only hard to spot, but it’s also nestled among the mountains. It’s really nice.”
“I have seen it,” Feng Wu replied. “When summer comes and the rains increase, the lake will cover the island. I will clear a space under the island before then, for future use.”
"What's the situation around here?" Gao Lang asked Wu Rang.
“Lord Gao, I have already investigated. The terrain here is complex, and apart from a few people who use this route, no one usually travels this way, and it is not within our plans. The only problem is that there is a maze here, which is not easy for ordinary people to enter.”
"That's good," Gao Lang said with satisfaction. "If things continue like this, as long as the points are connected and hidden within them, things will become easier. Feng Wu, you did a good job."
"Thank you for your praise, Lord Gao."
Gao Lang left first, leaving Wu Rang and Feng Wu standing by the water.
"Lord Fengwu, what is Lord Gao's plan?" Wu Rang asked curiously.
"Don't know what you shouldn't know," Feng Wu didn't elaborate, and Wu Rang, knowing his personality, didn't ask any further. "Have you seen Ping He recently? I wanted to ask her how her kung fu is doing lately, but I can't seem to find her."
"According to Fuxia, it was the same official who introduced Lord Gongsha to Lord Gao who came up with some new ideas. Lord Gao found them interesting and sent Pinghe with people to carry them out."
“This doesn’t sound like a good thing. Why not let them send their own people to do it?” Feng Wu frowned. “Fu Xia only works in Yishan. Have you met Ping He? What did she say?”
"It seems like they've sent someone over there too. But since they're doing it in a crowd, there shouldn't be any danger."
“Cultivators are people too, and they are the ones we should pay the most attention to,” Feng Wu pointed out. “Why don’t we grab a cultivator and ask them how they’ve been in contact? It’s been so long since we’ve seen them, it’s really worrying.”
6
"Lord Zhegui, I beg you, please save Pinghe. She's been captured by those cultivators, she'll surely be killed."
Wu Rang followed Feng Wu to Zhe Gui's usual residence. Outside the gate, Lu Yuzhu knelt on the steps, her face streaked with tears. Fu Xia knelt beside her, her upper body upright, supporting Lu Yuzhu.
"Moreover, they deliberately spared Pinghe's life, which must be for some other purpose, and it will only cause more trouble later. Please save Pinghe. You brought Pinghe into Yishan, and you have always liked her very much. You may never see her again."
"Pinghe is still alive?"
Feng Wu and Wu Rang were both surprised.
“I went to see,” Lu Yuzhu said, stopping her sobs. “Those cultivators locked Pinghe in a magical cage, and I could only watch from afar. Moreover, the formation was set up in a strange place, and I could never find my way when I got close. But I could see that Pinghe’s eyes were still open. However, she was seriously injured. If we delay any longer, she really won’t be able to come back.”
Upon hearing this, Feng Wu, who was standing to the side in front of Wu Rang, turned around and prepared to leave. Wu Rang could only step forward quickly and grab him: "Lord Gao is looking for you and Lord Zhegui."
She stopped and turned around, only to see a white dot fly out of the courtyard and land in Lu Yuzhu's hand. Seeing hope, Lu Yuzhu stopped crying and smiled. After thanking Zhegui together with Fuxia, the two ran away quickly.
"What's up?"
The sound of laurel wreaths being broken came from the courtyard.
That night, seeing that there were many people discussing the matter but no progress was being made, Wu Rang seized an opportunity to slip away.
7
Lu Yuzhu did not return.
Wu Rang stood to the side, while Fu Xia stood closer. During their escape, Ping He was shot in the back, and now his entire body was beginning to disintegrate. Evil spirits can survive by devouring human lives, but if they become too weak, they can no longer consume anything and can only await death.
Zhegui appeared only after Fengwu and Pinghe had finished speaking.
Although she had long, curved eyebrows that resembled Feng Wu's, she concealed her sorrow. But was it related to Ping He and Lu Yuzhu's matter? Wu Rang dared not say.
“I was terrified of death before, because I heard that everyone who dies goes to hell, and the people I feared and hated all went to hell. I didn’t want to see them, so that’s why I ran away from the underworld,” with her last bit of strength, Pinghe grasped Zhegui’s hand, sweat and tears still mingling together. “Sister, thank you for taking me on this journey. Hasn’t Lu Yuzhu come back…? I don’t know where I’d go if I died again, but Lu Yuzhu is already there, so I’m not hopeless…”
Pinghe could no longer speak, and Zhegui remained silent as well. She simply gently stroked Pinghe's forehead with one hand, and with the other hand, she took out a branch of osmanthus in full bloom and pinned it to Pinghe's temple.
Looking at the flower, Wu Rang hesitated. But as Ping He disappeared, the flower also disappeared.
At the edge of the cliff they frequented, Fuchsia pushed up two small mounds with her hands, then scattered the flowers she had picked outside on them, just a few flowers were enough to cover them. However, the flowers dried and turned to ash on the ground, disappearing without a trace. Fuchsia had a basket of flowers with her, and she would scatter more as they disappeared, until all the flowers had withered.
Wu Rang couldn't stop her either.
“You know these things can’t be kept,” Fuchsia said, her basket empty. She remained kneeling on the ground, not standing up. He stood behind her and said, “Lord Gao detests decay and chaos the most.”
"Are you alright?" Fuxia ignored what Wu Rang brought up. "You were supposed to be outside that day."
“It’s alright,” Wu Rang said. “Although my reason wasn’t very good, Lord Gongsha kept talking about it, and Lord Gao didn’t have time to worry about my disappearance. It’s just that the cultivators have gradually wiped out Baicheng, and Lord Gao is not happy about it.”
"Where are Lu Yuzhu and Ping He?"
“Pinghe is incompetent, and Lu Yuzhu is just a young girl following Lord Zhegui around; Lord Gao didn’t pay any attention to her. Right now, the three of you are busy with other things outside, so I have no right to interfere.”
8
Gao Lang sent Wu Rang to summon Zhe Gui for a meeting. Since Fu Xia wasn't there, it was now his turn. Gong Sha knew Zhe Gui, and upon hearing this arrangement, shook her head at her.
“Lord Zhegui,” Wu Rang knocked on the door, “I am Wu Rang from Lord Gao’s side.”
"Come in."
"Uh...yes."
Wu Rang originally intended to push the door open, but found that the door was just an illusion. His hand missed the door, and he staggered forward, only to find that there were no pavilions or towers inside, but just an endless expanse of osmanthus flowers.
Where is Fuchsia?
In the blink of an eye, Wu Rang found himself transported to the woods. Under a tree opposite him, there was a bench where Zhe Gui sat, gazing at the sky and flowers, before glancing at Wu Rang.
"If Lord Gao has something to do, please arrange for her to do it. I cannot know," Wu Rang confessed truthfully.
"Wu Rang is your original name?"
Zhegui suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question, which startled Wu Rang. He quickly replied, "Wu Rang is a pseudonym given to me by Lord Gongsha. At the time, Lord Gongsha thought I was long-winded, and since I couldn't remember my real name, I used this pseudonym."
"Do you remember now?"
“I remembered it before. But I didn’t want to use that name anymore, and I was used to this one, so I didn’t switch. Over time, I even forgot my original name.”
That's a pity.
Zhe Gui suddenly stood up, startling Wu Rang, but he simply walked towards a cassia tree to the side.
"Although I have forgotten my original name, it was just a lowly name, not as good as the names of Lord Gao and Lord Fengwu, nor as good as your name, so there is nothing to regret."
“Ordinary ghosts don’t remember their past lives as vividly as these two,” Zhegui reached out and picked up a fallen flower. “Do you know what an osmanthus flower is?”
“I know,” Wu Rang replied hastily, unable to keep up with her, “This is a famous flower.”
"Absolutely right."
Zhe Gui suddenly laughed, drawing Wu Rang's attention in her direction, but Zhe Gui had already turned and walked away.
"Go back now, I'll be there."
But the laurel wreath had vanished, leaving Wu Rang with no choice but to return.
When they returned to the council hall, they found Zhegui already seated, listening to Gao Lang, Gong Sha, and Feng Wu discuss some new plans.
9
Fuxia doesn't come to the cliff often, and Zhegui and Fengwu are both busy with their own things, so the competition has been suspended for a long time.
Wu Rang, who was climbing the mountain, stopped halfway up and turned to the nearby woods. He found two stones and carved the characters for "peaceful harvest" and "jade bead" on them. However, as soon as he put the stones down, they disappeared.
He went back to look again and found the two stones in the same spot.
He carved it again.
The stone disappeared again.
They come and go.
Finally, Wu Rang was exhausted. Holding a stone in one hand, he knelt in front of the two small mounds and suddenly thought, "I still don't know Lu Yuzhu's name."
He put down the stone and, unlike usual, walked step by step back from the cliff to the main hall of Yishan.
Setting down her paintbrush, Mingjin rubbed her chest and then looked at the Yishan terrain painting she had been working on, her eyes heavy with fatigue. Although Pei Xuanzhen had allowed her to rest for a few days, she couldn't stay idle and finally finished the painting after several days of hard work.
It was still light outside, probably in the afternoon. My stomach was empty, and I realized I hadn't eaten lunch.
I turned to look across the room. The study was empty, with only dust on the floor.
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