Chapter 99: Guarding Heaven's Pass pt. 20

Lin Changming slept for a long time and was awakened by the scent of incense. Ming Han was by his bedside and said, "Since we last parted, you’ve become addicted to drinking—you’re never sober. Changming, if you continue like this, not only will your cultivation suffer, but your health will too. Just because Jiang Lang-jun has dissipated you don’t want to be a Tongshen anymore?"

It had been half a year since Jiang Linzhai’s passing, and Lin Changming had been drunk every day since returning to the mountain. Seeing Ming Han, he didn't get up and instead said, "What’s the difference between being enlightened and not? In the end, it’s all just death, whether sooner or later."

Ming Han said, "Those are defeatist words."

Lin Changming turned away, facing the window, "I’m just selling words."

Ming Han said, "You feel that the rise and fall of gods are meaningless because of Jiang Lang-jun’s death, but think about it. Is there really no difference? If Jiang Lang-jun hadn’t been a Tongshen, how could he have guarded Heaven’s Pass during that incident in the small town?"

Lin Changming said, "You’re wrong. Whether he was a Tongshen or not, he would have guarded Heaven’s Pass. That’s just the kind of person he was."

Ming Han sighed and picked up an empty wine jar from the floor, "That’s true. He was that kind of person. One’s nature doesn’t change with the level of one’s cultivation. If it did, you wouldn’t have held him in such high regard. But Changming, if he saw you like this, he would surely feel guilty."

Lin Changming said, "You don’t understand him. He wouldn’t feel guilty. He wouldn’t care what state I’m in."

Ming Han said, "How can you be so sure he wouldn’t care? Get up and see what this is."

Lin Changming turned around. The room was dim, with only one source of light, the Fire Fish Lantern in Ming Han’s hands.

"I went to North Heron Mountain and found many of these lanterns in Jiang Lang-jun’s secluded courtyard. After asking around, I learned that these lanterns were all handmade by Jiang Langjun, and each one had a note hanging from it, all with the word 'Ruyi'..."

Lin Changming said, "It wasn’t me."

Lin Changming said, "It was never me."

Lin Changming said, "Throw them away."

Ming Han left the room, and Lin Changming heard the sound of rain. The rain pattered softly, making his heart feel empty. After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly got up from the bed and ran outside. It was black as pitch outside, and he stepped barefoot into puddles, splashing mud all over himself.

"It’s me," Lin Changming said, "It’s all me. Give them back to me."

Ming Han stood by the courtyard gate, hands behind his back as if he had anticipated this. Lin Changming ran over, and several Fire Fish Lanterns were glowing in that rainy night, floating above his head, each one with the same note.

Ruyi, Ruyi.

Lin Changming grabbed a lantern as if he were clutching the corner of that person’s clothes. Ming Han said, "If you knew this, why were you so stubborn just now? For the sake of these lanterns, you need to pull yourself together."

The two of them collected the lanterns and returned to the room. Lin Changming cradled a lantern in his hands and said, "Many thanks to you."

Ming Han said, "We are friends, no need for these words. Besides coming to see you, I also have something to tell you."

Having been out in the rain, Lin Changming felt revitalised, "What is it?"

Ming Han said, "I used the secret technique you deciphered."

Lin Changming, remembering the true culprit behind the river god, couldn't help but ask, "What was the result? Did you find them?"

Ming Han shook his head helplessly and took the secret technique from his chest, pushing it towards Lin Changming. "Using my level of cultivation, I couldn't track the enemy's movements. But Changming, this task falls to you. If we can't find them, all our efforts over the years will be in vain."

Lin Changming took the secret technique. Having already mastered the puppet techniques within, he naturally wouldn't refuse the task of finding the true culprit. After they parted ways, Lin Changming used the Hugui Clan's incantations to search everywhere, but the enemy was extremely cunning and remained hidden.

Several more years passed. Lin Changming finally discovered a few members of the Hugui Clan in a small town. Through several schemes, he managed to extract a shocking secret from them. He relayed this information to Ming Han, who then travelled to meet him.

"According to your letter, these Hugui Clan members claimed that the dead can come back to life?" Ming Han stood in the room, his hand on his sword, shaking his head. "How is that possible? If the dead could come back to life, the world would have descended into chaos long ago."

Lin Changming said, "I didn't believe it either, but they mentioned someone."

Ming Han asked, "Who?"

Lin Changming replied, "Have you ever heard of the Hugui Clan's Divine Oracle? According to their legends, a Divine Oracle appears in their clan every one hundred and fifty years."

Ming Han said, "I've heard of the Divine Oracle, but I've never seen her."

Lin Changming set down the letter and said, "These Hugui Clan members believe that the reason the Divine Oracle can foretell calamities is that she has lived through countless lives. The reason she can continuously resurrect is because she once accidentally consumed offerings meant for Da’a."

Ming Han was taken aback, "Offerings for Da’a? What kind of offerings have such power?"

Lin Changming explained, "They believe that these offerings are imbued with the essence of life and death, giving anyone who consumes them the ability to transcend the natural order. The Divine Oracle, having ingested them, gains the power to foresee and return from death."

Ming Han's expression grew grave. "If what they say is true, this is an unprecedented threat. We must find this Divine Oracle and uncover the truth."

Lin Changming nodded. "Exactly. If the Divine Oracle truly exists and possesses such abilities, it could change everything. We must act quickly and decisively."

With renewed determination, the two men set out to unravel the mysteries surrounding the Hugui Clan and their enigmatic Divine Oracle, driven by the knowledge that their discoveries could reshape the fate of the world.

"Such legends exist for every deity in the Six Prefectures. How can you take them seriously? Even if these Divine Oracles are the same person, if merely consuming a deity's offerings could lead to continuous resurrection," Ming Han smiled faintly, teasing, "then the longest-living people in the world would be beggars."

"Dianxia, why don't you let me finish?" Lin Changming's expression was serious. "She didn't consume ordinary offerings; she consumed a deity."

Ming Han's expression changed dramatically. "What are you saying?"

Lin Changming said, "I'm saying the Divine Oracle didn't consume ordinary offerings but deities sacrificed by the Hugui Clan."

It was the dead of night, and Ming Han's expression grew even more serious. "How can a person eat a deity? Changming, you're obsessed with reviving Jiang Lang-jun; you've lost your mind!"

Lin Changming replied, "I naturally don't believe it either, but after thinking it through, I found there might be some truth to it."

Ming Han asked, "Truth? What truth?"

Lin Changming explained, "If it's against the natural order for gods to eat humans, then what does it mean for humans to eat gods?"

Ming Han responded, "It would be an act of extreme defiance! Deities protect the land and are worshipped by humans. They share the same origin as us. How can you even ask such a question? Changming, I think you've been bewitched by those Hugui Clan members. Don't ever mention this again!"

Lin Changming, as if possessed, said, "I want to find that Divine Oracle and get to the bottom of it. If there truly is a way to bring someone back from the dead..."

Ming Han said, "If there really is a way to bring someone back from the dead, would you kill a deity to make a sacrifice?"

Lin Changming muttered, "If the deity was unjust first, killing them wouldn't be against the Way of Heaven."

Ming Han suddenly gripped his shoulder, his expression serious. “Have you gone mad in your quest to find the real culprit from back then? Changming, you mustn’t stray from the path. Now, sit down and rest. Don’t speak of this again.”

Lin Changming sat down, but he couldn’t recall what Ming Han said afterwards. When he came to his senses, he found himself alone in the room. He was in a daze, and while he was half awake at night, he heard a woman’s voice.

The voice started as a whisper, gradually becoming clearer. She told him the origins of the Hugui Clan and recounted the legend of Da’a. Lin Changming dreamt of Jiang Linzhai.

Jiang Linzhai held his hand and took him to see the night snow. He called out “Shifu,” and his Shifu adorned him with the Golden Fire Fish charm before turning to board the bridal sedan chair bound for the River God’s temple.

Lin Changming woke up, and from then on, he dreamt of Jiang Linzhai every night. The whispers seemed to be the inciting incident. Lin Changming told no one; however, a thought was uncontrollably growing in his mind.

If it was possible to bring someone back from the dead, then what harm was there in sacrificing a deity? There were countless deities in the world, most resembling beasts, indistinguishable from mountain spirits and monsters.

If he could bring Jiang Linzhai back by killing one deity, what harm was there?

This thought, once it had emerged, filled his chest like honey. The more Lin Changming resisted, the more he craved it. He became obsessed, almost demonic. During the day, he could maintain normalcy, but at night, he would talk to himself. Gradually, the whispers seemed to become his own thoughts.

Those murmurs surrounded him, making his mind restless. Ming Zhuo felt a constant buzzing in his ears, interrupting his investigation. He said, “All this talk of the Divine Oracle’s resurrection ability, Lin Changming, you’ve been deceived.”

Luo Xu’s soul trembled during this second investigation, and he was momentarily dazed. Hearing Ming Zhuo’s words, he grabbed him. “Did you hear what he said? He’s going to kill someone, and you’re the one. This array is targeting you.”

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it," Ming Zhuo said, removing the white silk band from his eyes. "This array is not only targeting me but also him."

The two stood in the front hall, still maintaining their pre-investigation postures. Due to the loss of spiritual energy, Ming Zhuo had reverted to his River God appearance. Seeing Lin Changming standing nearby, he said, "Even now, you still refuse to wake up? I can tell you, even if you kill ten thousand deities, Jiang Linzhai will not come back to life."

Lin Changming clutched his chest, immediately retorting, "What do you know about the mysteries of ghosts and gods? There's nothing impossible in this world!"

"Those so-called mysteries of ghosts and gods are just a ruse to deceive you." Ming Zhuo suddenly laughed, his eyes full of mockery. "Think about it. If the Ming clan couldn't even decipher a single secret technique, how could they have exterminated the Hugui Clan? The reason the secret technique was given to you and was difficult to understand is not because the Hugui Clan's spells are obscure, but because the contents were a mixture of truth and falsehood— it was all meant to fool you."

Lin Changming said, "Stop talking nonsense. I barely knew Ming Han back then. What benefit would he gain from deceiving me?"

Luo Xu's tone deepened, "You wake up as soon as Ming Han is mentioned. His name is even more effective than Jiang Linzhai's."

"You claim you barely knew him, but Ming Han probably knew you well." Ming Zhuo continued, "When the River God fell, why did the Ming clan not seek help from their own experts but instead asked Jiang Linzhai? This was highly suspicious. Did you never question it?"

Lin Changming said coldly, "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that your 'best friend' knew this too well. If you had been clear-headed, you would have suspected the Ming clan. So, he took the initiative to meet you in the small town," Ming Zhuo said patiently. "He fabricated a lie about someone colluding with the Hugui Clan and gave you a difficult secret technique, making you think you were the most knowledgeable about puppet techniques in the Six Prefectures. You fell for it, stopped suspecting him, and instead saw the Hugui Clan as your enemies."

Lin Changming said, "Ridiculous. According to you, the true mastermind behind the River God incident was Ming Han. Even setting aside his motive, his cultivation level wasn’t high enough to control a puppet as powerful as the River God!"

Ming Zhuo couldn't help but laugh heartily. "You think his cultivation was weak? Ng, true, back then when he faced the Four Mountains, he indeed had no power to resist."

Lin Changming asked, "Then why are you laughing?"

Ming Zhuo said, "I just thought of something, something I even overlooked myself. Imperial Lord, if someone's cultivation is very weak, what would they do?"

"Naturally, they would try their best to hide it, fearing others would find out," Luo Xu responded in sync. "I know someone with great cultivation who pretends to be powerless, but in reality, they're a master."

Ming Zhuo continued, "Such a person is indeed very cunning because it's easy to deceive one person, but difficult to deceive everyone. Lin Changming, before entering the array, you said to me that Ming Han is both my father and my Shifu."

Lin Changming's breath hitched, and he stepped back half a step.

Ming Zhuo raised two fingers, using the remaining spiritual energy to summon a paper figure. The paper figure wavered as it landed, transforming into a familiar face for Lin Changming—it was Ming Han.

"Do you know who the best puppet master in the world is? It's none other than your good friend," Ming Zhuo's amber eyes were cold. "You're right, Ming Han was indeed my Shifu, and he taught me everything I know about puppet techniques."

Lin Changming said, "You're lying."

Ming Zhuo replied, "Lying? If you truly think I'm lying, then why did you lure us into this array under the pretext of the theft?"

Lin Changming said, "I lured you into the array to sacrifice you!"

Ming Zhuo countered, "If your goal was merely to sacrifice me, why not call all the sects to besiege me together? The Nightmare Sealing Array is time-consuming and laborious—it's completely unnecessary."

Lin Changming said, "This matter of the sacrifice goes against the natural order, it shouldn't be revealed to others!"

Ming Zhuo pressed on, "Is it that it shouldn't be revealed to others, or that it shouldn't be revealed to a specific person? All along, you've been hiding and avoiding exposure. Are you afraid of us knowing your identity, or are you afraid of a certain person knowing your whereabouts? There's something I'm curious about now."

Suddenly, he grabbed Luo Xu's wrist, lightly flipping it to reveal a copper coin from Luo Xu's sleeve, tossing it into the air.

"The Imperial Lord’s Yin-Yang coin can inquire about the realms of yin and yang. That day, I asked it where the head in the coffin box went, and it couldn't answer. When I asked it a second time, you interrupted it," Ming Zhuo said. "Why did you interrupt it?"

The copper coin spun, reflected in Lin Changming's eyes alongside a few long fingers—Luo Xu's. Yu Jun caught the coin, habitually flicking it with his finger, answering calmly, "Because he knows the answer."

What answer?

Lin Changming's lips trembled, unable to respond. Ming Zhuo's gaze was icy as he enunciated each word, "The answer is that Ming Han is not dead—right?"

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