Chapter 68 How Can a Loyal Heart Overcome the General's Grievance 2 The Human World. Gravesite Mountain. ...
The human world. Gravesites on the mountain.
When Yan Chao and Feng Xi arrived, there was hardly a human being to be seen within a ten-mile radius, not even a reptile. Only a desolate mountain stood abruptly in the distance. Looking at it from afar, they discovered that the entire mountain was shaped like a giant burial mound.
Yan Chao asked, "Where is this place?"
Feng Xi said, "It's the lair of the Nightmare Hermit."
Yan Chao replied, "In the past hundred years, I have only heard of the gods and ghost kings by name and have never had any dealings with them. But in just a few months, I have seen them all. And you know what, this place is quite unique."
Feng Xi snapped his fingers, and a narrow path appeared ahead. He said, "Let's go, we'll enter the mountain from here. We'll just watch from the sidelines." With that, he took the lead.
Observers? That's certainly the right thing to do. Although the various ghost kings act independently, Feng Xi rules the ghost realm, and this matter involves many people. He can't ignore it, but he also can't interfere too much. It's most appropriate for him to be an observer, intervening when necessary. Yan Chao stood there for a moment, then followed Feng Xi inside.
The two walked along the narrow path for a while, and the path widened, but the eerie atmosphere grew heavier. When they reached the end, they looked around and saw that the entire mountainside was covered with graves of all sizes; the mountain truly lived up to its name. Strange footsteps could be faintly heard ahead.
The footsteps were sometimes light, sometimes heavy, without any pattern. When the sound was far away, it sounded very soft; when it was close, it sounded very loud. Yan Chao couldn't help but ask, "Feng Xi, where is this place?"
Feng Xi whispered, "Shh."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a large group of little devils came rushing towards them. Some of these little devils floated in mid-air, some ran on the ground, some struggled forward with only one arm left, and some charged around with headless bodies. In short, none of them were normal.
Yan Chao found it amusing, so she stood there watching, completely unconcerned about being discovered. As they approached, Feng Xi took her hand and followed them openly.
Feng Xi said, "Why didn't you use poison this time?"
Yan Chao replied, "Because I know you will make the arrangements."
Yan Chao looked at himself and saw that his clothes had not changed. He couldn't believe that the rumors he had heard about this Nightmare Hermit were true.
It is said that when he is insane, he often attracts hordes of ghosts from all directions to frolic. But occasionally, people of other identities will also sneak in, and he welcomes them all. As long as they don't do anything to harm him, he doesn't care whether they are emperors or thugs. If anything really happens, the nameless man by his side will take care of it for him.
I wonder if today will be a chaotic mess or a bloodbath.
The two followed the crowd through countless burial mounds and entered a cave. As soon as they stepped inside, they heard singing. This singing was neither gentle and sweet nor chaotic and unpleasant; rather, it was passionate and stirring, like a thousand troops on the battlefield.
Upon hearing the music, the crowd suddenly shouted excitedly, quickening their pace. The two followed the others, winding their way through the cave, encountering numerous bizarre decorations made of human bones and strange patterns drawn with ashes. These objects were all enchanted; they acted like pranksters, sometimes slowly hanging down from above, sometimes pulling hair from behind, and sometimes spitting out a pool of sticky liquid teeming with bedbugs...
After this journey, the group, already weary from their travels, were now even more tattered, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Feng Xi led Yan Chao behind them at a leisurely pace, and none of the creatures came near them.
Just then, two little devils walked towards us, chatting and laughing. Behind them followed a line of living people. This group ranged from elderly people in their seventies and eighties to young men and women in their twenties and thirties, and their social status varied from rich to poor. They were not bound by ropes, but each of them had a deathly pale face.
The two brats looked arrogant, but their words and actions were very polite. They said, "Before Lord Nightmare arrives, you should both think carefully! Do you want to have fun with everyone, or do you want to become Lord Nightmare's meal?"
Yan Chao was shocked. Was he going to eat people? Of the five Ghost Kings, none had ever been known to enjoy cannibalism. Was this Nightmare Lord so insane that he wanted to eat living people? But his actions were truly bizarre, letting the victims choose for themselves? And those people seemed to show no fear whatsoever, but rather some anticipation?
Yan Chao asked softly, "What's going on?"
Feng Xi said calmly, "We'll see."
Deep within the cave, brightly lit, stood a giant chair made of a skeleton and four or five large round tables crafted from human bones and stone. Various weapons were displayed on the walls, but none could compare to the rusty longsword at the center. Bloodstains still clung to the sword.
The little devils carried out platters of food, some for humans and some for ghosts. Crystal goblets and jade plates held delicacies—a scene of unparalleled luxury. This place was littered with bones, yet it differed from the City of Delusion. The former was solemn and dignified, the latter decadent and extravagant.
Just then, a young man's voice said, "So many people have come today who want to be eaten by me? How lively."
Yan Chao glanced to the side and saw a disheveled man in black enter. His long robe was half-open, a string of skulls hung around his neck, his face was smeared with bone ash, and his eyebrows and lips were stained red with blood. His feet were bare, and a broken iron chain was wrapped around his ankle, making a clanging sound with each step. Behind him followed a person clad in armor and wearing a faceless mask. Presumably, this was the Nightmare Lord and his subordinate, Nameless.
Seeing this, the crowd raised their arms and cheered. Only after he sat down did they take their seats. The Nightmare Lord casually leaned back in his chair, his eyes slightly narrowed. He glanced indifferently at the group of living people, then pointed to an old man and said, "You, come here."
The old man, leaning on his cane, walked shakily to the Nightmare Lord's side, knelt down, and said, "My lord, please eat me."
The Nightmare King asked, "Why do you want me to eat you?"
The old man cried out, “My two sons were conscripted into the army, and my daughter-in-law was forced into prostitution... My wife and young grandson also died of illness... They are all gone! All gone!! If you don’t mind, please eat me.”
The Nightmare Lord said, "Fine, I'll grant your wish." Before the old man could thank him, he twisted off the old man's head with one hand, blood flowing freely. He put the head in his mouth and chewed it, making a crisp "crunch" sound. After a short while, he spat out a clump of hair and bone fragments. "He really is old. It's really hard to eat."
With just these words, Wuming threw the old man's body onto a round table below. The crowd rushed over, and in a moment, not even a bone fragment remained.
The rest of them, too, bore various unresolved pains. They came here hoping the Nightmare Lord would grant them a favor. Only a very few chose to continue living, indulging in unbridled pleasure here.
Yan Chao watched all this quietly, her feelings both calm and complex. There are millions of people in the world, each with their own unique fate; others may not understand, but for her, it was a liberation. The vastness of humanity is but a patch of land beneath each person's feet.
boom--!
A sudden, deafening roar interrupted the crowd, sending bones and rubble flying, instantly raising a layer of gray mist. Nameless instantly stood before the Nightmare Lord, sword in hand. The Nightmare Lord froze, then roared, "Who?! Who dares disturb me?! Show yourself!!!"
Suddenly, a blinding light appeared in the gray fog. Two figures emerged from the light: Fan Yu and Fu Ye.
Fan Yu's face was pale, and a trace of blood remained at the corner of his mouth. Fu Ye stood quietly behind him, her face still expressionless, but a complex emotion flickered in her eyes.
Fan Yu said, "Nightmare Lord! Quan Shu! You come out here!"
The Nightmare Lord is none other than Quan Shu.
Upon recognizing the newcomer, he paused for a moment, then his face contorted, his eyes turned bloodshot, and a chilling low laugh escaped his throat. He said, "Who do we have here? It's you! Hahahaha—you son of a treacherous official! How dare you run wild on my territory?!"
Fan Yu shouted, "You're lying!! You demon, your mouth is full of lies! Wasn't it enough that you harmed Lord Ren, now you want to harm me too?!"
Quan Shu immediately stood up, shoved Wuming aside, and said, "People from the military are indeed stubborn! Today I'll show you what I've been through!" With that, he flicked two fingers, and a strand of spider silk instantly shot towards Fan Yu, bringing forth memories that weren't his own:
The bustling street was filled with noise. Inside the teahouse, the storyteller exclaimed in admiration, "General Quan's divine might! With a single sword stroke, he cut through the storm, and those scoundrels of Jiuli were utterly routed!" The audience below, their eyes filled with reverence, erupted in thunderous applause. Several children squeezed to the front of the crowd, excitedly declaring, "When I grow up, I want to be a great hero like General Quan!" "General Quan will always protect us!"
......
Under the dim light of an oil lamp, a woman tightly held her child, who had been awakened by a nightmare and was crying incessantly. She scolded, "If you cry again, I'll send that 'nightmare ghost' to catch you tonight! He's a wicked ghost that eats disobedient children!" The child was so frightened that he fell silent instantly, his eyes filled with fear.
......
A deafening roar of battle cries. A burning village. People cried out for their lives like headless flies, pushing and shoving, trampling each other. A thin boy was swept up by the frenzied crowd, crying desperately, clutching a cloth bag tightly to his chest, "Don't push! My painting!" He was knocked down, the cloth bag flew out of his hand, and on the unfolded scroll, the meticulously painted images of deities were trampled into the mud by countless panicked feet.
The boy reached out in despair, watching helplessly as his painting, which he cherished as his life, was utterly destroyed. The next moment, a large foot stomped heavily on his back, the sound of bones cracking drowned out by the surrounding noise. The last thing he saw was the blurred, compassionate eyes of the statue in the mud.
......
Quan Shu sneered, "Look! Look at this 'peaceful and prosperous world' that you, this noble god, protect! Look at these people who worship this magic! All of this is thanks to your father! You—! You dare to be a god?!"
His arm snapped back, his eyes burning with even more intense resentment: "Your good father! It was him! Colluding with Jiu Li! Leaking military secrets! Poisoning me before I went to war! Twenty years old... Hahahaha... Twenty years old! My fate of not living past twenty became his perfect excuse! Luoying Gorge, that was a graveyard meticulously prepared for my Quan family army!!!"
More images flooded Fan Yu's mind as he recounted his accusations:
In the dimly lit secret room, Du Zhengsi handed a map scroll to an envoy from Jiuli...
In the commander's tent, Quan Shu, completely unsuspecting, drank the "farewell wine" offered by a soldier...
At Luoying Gorge, the soldiers of the Quan family army were being brutally slaughtered by the Jiuli ambushers! Familiar faces of his relatives fell one by one before Quan Shu, shielding him from swords with their bodies, screaming, "General, run!" Quan Shu fought desperately, his vision blurring. Leaning on his longsword, he looked at the mountain of corpses of his Quan family members around him, and watched as the blood-soaked "Quan" banner was hacked down by the hail of blades...
Amidst the chaotic enemy ranks, a figure clad in the armor of a Jiuli general fought fiercely, his gaze piercing through the fighting, fixed intently on Quan Shu's direction, his eyes filled with unspeakable shock and anxiety. He seemed to want to rush forward, but was swept away by the throng of soldiers and officers, involuntarily pulled away. Quan Shu's blurred vision caught sight of that figure, her last vestiges of consciousness filled with pain and confusion: "Qi Cheng? Why... is it you..."
Just then, an unnamed voice suddenly came from behind: "You...you remember everything?"
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