Chapter 109: Divine Palace Mirage

“We have a pact to live and die together. As long as I’m still breathing, you won’t die.” Luo Xu let go of the copper coin, letting it hover in front of him. “Is there anything else you can do?”

Ming Zhuo said, “Yes.”

Luo Xu asked, “What?”

Ming Zhuo pointed in the direction of the city walls of Peidu. “This place has changed hands.”

Peidu, under the protection of the moon god, experienced constant rain. Therefore, for it to be sunny here, only two possibilities exist: either the moon god is dead, or this place is no longer under the moon god’s domain.

“While it’s still early,” Luo Xu said, “let’s go check the city gate. Your gatekeeper should still be there.”

Before entering the array, the two of them had heard some disciples from sects complaining in a nearby village tavern about a very formidable gatekeeper who wouldn’t let them into the city. If something strange had happened in Peidu, that gatekeeper would likely know the most about it. So, they left the forest and headed straight for the city gate.

The city gate of Peidu was ancient, having stood for hundreds of years. On either side stood a giant statue, one holding an axe and the other a sword, both in a guarding stance. These were specially constructed after the Ming clan unified the Six Prefectures, to show respect to the moon god Hui Mang. The queen had ordered that unless absolutely necessary, the city gate and statues were not to be altered, so the golden inscriptions on them had been left from the queen’s time.

This decision had once caused controversy among the various clans, as the tradition of carving statues was originally a custom of the Hugui Clan, not in line with the customs of the Jiao Mother’s lineage. However, the Ming clan had long been dominant, and the queen’s reign was at its zenith, so even if other clans were dissatisfied, they did not dare to speak out. By the time the Ming clan declined, everyone had become accustomed to their presence, and since dismantling and breaking the incantations were arduous tasks that no one wanted to undertake, they were left standing as they were.

When the two arrived at the city gate, they didn’t see the statues, only a few disciples from different sects lounging in the shade of a pavilion. These disciples were dressed differently, indicating they were not from the same sect or clan but had been temporarily gathered here. One of them glanced at them and said, “Are you here to collect corpses too? You’re late; all the corpses have been exorcised. There’s no work left for you here.”

Ming Zhuo asked, “Where did the giant statues at the gate go?”

The man didn’t answer. The disciple fanning him scolded first, “Huang Shixiong is asking you a question, why aren’t you answering? How rude! Which sect are you from?”

Suddenly, someone nearby said, “These two are from the Posuo Sect.”

Ming Zhuo and Luo Xu turned at the voice and saw a familiar face standing in the corner, one of the disciples they had met a few days ago at the village tavern. The disciple stepped out from the pavilion and saluted them. “We haven’t seen you two for a few days. We thought you had returned to North Heron Mountain.”

The disciple had only met them once but now spoke as if he had known them for a long time. Luo Xu guessed he was being ostracised by the other disciples due to his low status, which was why he acted so familiar with them, the “Posuo Sect” members.

Sure enough, Huang Shixiong, who had been looking down on them, restrained his arrogance upon hearing the words “Posuo Sect.” He said to the disciple, “Since they are Xiongdi surnamed Jiang, why didn’t you say so earlier? You two, it’s so hot today, there’s some cold tea inside the tent, please help yourselves.”

He sent someone over with tea, no longer as aggressive as before. After they had finished the tea and were alone, the disciple smiled bitterly and said, “Many thanks to you both for allowing me, a fox, to pretend to be a tiger today.”

Luo Xu said, “I heard his surname is Huang, so he must be from the Shaman Sect.”

The Posuo Sect members from North Heron Mountain all had the surname Jiang, while those from the Shaman Sect of West Xikui Mountain had the surname Huang. The disciple said, “Correct. That was Huang Shixiong, the grandson of Elder Huang Qiu. A few days ago, Elder Huang Qiu was killed by the Yongze Tyrant in the Divine Palace, and everyone in the Shaman Sect was outraged. This Huang Shixiong came with his Shifu at that time.”

What he said was true. Huang Qiu was indeed killed by Ming Zhuo, but Huang Qiu had over ten disciples, and those disciples had their own disciples. To Ming Zhuo, they were all just incense burners. He said, “He’s just an incense burner, not necessarily stronger than you. Why are you so afraid of him?”

"To be honest, I thought the same way before coming here. We're all honourable people, so what if they're disciples of the Four Mountains? As long as I have skills and cultivation, I'm not inferior to them." The disciple sighed and smiled bitterly. "It wasn't until I came here that I realised, the Four Mountains are the Four Mountains. Even if he's just a sweeper in the Shaman Sect, he's still stronger than someone like me from a minor sect."

A few days ago at the village tavern, although he had complaints, he didn’t demean himself like this. Whatever happened in these few days had disheartened him greatly.

After speaking, the disciple waved his hand. "Forget it, let's not talk about it. Are you here to help? If so, you're too late. Last night, the last batch of corpses were already exorcised. Look, the lanterns left by the Fanfeng Sect are still lit over there."

Luo Xu said, "A few days ago they were short-handed, how is it all done today?"

"It's because of the Shaman Sect," the disciple said. "Now, Elder Huang Ji is in charge of the Shaman Sect. He came with his disciples, performed rituals, and summoned the Fragrant God."

The Fragrant God, Wenlin, was the deity worshipped by the Shaman Sect. It was said that it was transformed from the tongue of the Jiao Mother, an intangible god who was ever-changing and fed on fragrances. Because it was greedy and loved to eat, it was also the easiest to summon among the ancient gods. Everyone in the Shaman Sect carried a fish-handled incense burner, and whenever they encountered trouble, they burnt its favourite incense in the burner to borrow spiritual power from it.

It was not surprising that the Shaman Sect could summon the Fragrant God, but what was surprising was that the amount of spiritual power needed for the exorcisms was enormous, and the Fragrant God was notoriously stingy. How could it lend so much spiritual power to the Shaman Sect all at once?

"With the help of the Fragrant God, not only exorcism but even opening the gates of Peidu is a simple task for the Shaman Sect." The disciple turned aside, indicating for them to look at the gate. "Originally, there were two powerful giant statues in front of the gate. Now, under Elder Huang Ji's command, they have gone to pull the Divine Palace."

Ming Zhuo asked, "You said they went to pull what?"

The disciple replied, "The Divine Palace, where the Ming family has always resided."

The Divine Palace was created by the Ming family using the secret methods of the Hugui Clan. Although it could move, it only responded to the spells of the Ming family’s ruler. Anyone else trying to move it would need to exert an earth-shattering force. The Shaman Sect did not understand the secret methods, so they could only send the statues to pull it. But what do they want with the Divine Palace? There was no one inside!

Luo Xu asked, “What about the gatekeeper?”

The disciple replied, “No matter how powerful the gatekeeper is, he’s not a match for a god. You weren’t there, so you don’t know how formidable Elder Huang Ji is. He merely moved his finger, and the two statues were scared to their knees. Without the statues guarding, how could the gatekeeper’s broken sword withstand so many of us? He only lasted a shichen before Cui Shixiong from the Qiankun Sect captured him. He’s now being held in the Divine Palace for interrogation…”

Before he finished speaking, Ming Zhuo had already walked towards the gate. The golden incantations on the gate had fallen off, and with a light push, the gate opened.

Outside was quiet, but inside was full of noise and excitement. It turned out that all the sects and clans had entered the city. The scene inside had changed drastically. In the distance, they could see the two giant statues bending over, dragging the Divine Palace.

Pā!

A whip cracked in the air. Amidst the carriages and crowds, someone was brandishing a whip, speaking boastfully, "Since this Divine Palace can move, everyone should get a turn to enjoy it. Today it’s our Qiankun Sect’s turn, but we won’t be like the Ming family and keep it to ourselves. Good things should be shared by everyone!"

The voice was familiar. Luo Xu didn’t need to look closely to know who it was. His words were met with a wave of praise. Someone said, "I have to say, Cui Shixiong is indeed the leader of Dongzhao Mountain, generous and dignified. Today, we are also benefiting from the Four Mountains, getting to sit in the Divine Palace and experiencing what it’s like to be a ruler!"

"What I admire most is Cui Shixiong’s courage! On the night of the incident, he dared to go alone to the Heavenly Sea to confront the Imperial Lord there. Such bravery and boldness, you won’t find another like him in the entire Two Southern Prefectures!"

This Cui Shixiong was none other than Cui Changting, who had been expelled from the Heavenly Sea a few days ago. Now, dressed differently and looking spirited, he laughed heartily amidst the crowd’s flattery, "When my Shifu had trouble, how could I, his disciple, hide? Naturally, I had to rush there overnight to question the Imperial Lord of the Heavenly Sea. Although he is the Imperial Lord, I’m not to be trifled with either."

"The Imperial Lord guards the Heavenly Sea and rarely interacts with people. It’s understandable that he was momentarily deceived by the Yongze Tyrant," someone said. "What’s most hateful are the people in the Ming territory, who have been tortured by the Yongze Tyrant but still remain loyal to him."

Another person said, "Other places might be manageable with some persuasion or intimidation, but the towns around Peidu are the most troublesome. No matter how our disciples persuade them, they refuse to reform."

Cui Changting, holding the whip, sneered, "Do you know why these towns are hard to persuade? Because they are all managed by Yongze’s people. These stubborn fools only want to be loyal and can’t tell right from wrong! If they refuse to reform, it means they want to turn to wickedness. For those who want to be evil, we don’t need to be polite; we should kill them all."

The crowd fell silent.

Cui Changting continued, "You’re silent because you think my words are too harsh? But I’m left with no choice. The territory is secondary; the main issue is the potential trouble they pose. Think about it: if we leave these towns alone, won’t they join forces with Yongze and attack Peidu again? The Ming family has been dominant for so long; can they tolerate such humiliation? As long as the Yongze Tyrant is alive, these people will be his tools for revenge in the future!"

He spoke with high-sounding justifications, but the real reason the towns refused to switch allegiance wasn’t as he claimed. Since the rise of the Ming family, Peidu had been under the protection of the Moon God Hui Mang. The land and spirits were adapted to the rain and relied on the Moon God to survive. That’s why, after Ming Han’s death, Ming Zhuo didn’t control the Divine Palace and left this place. Now these people, using the Incense God’s magic and the statues to move the Divine Palace, had caused it to be sunny in a place that should be rainy, would soon weaken the spirits here, preventing them from cooperating with the divine power to protect the land’s prosperity.

In retrospect, this might be exactly what they wanted.

"I admit there’s some truth in what you say," Ming Zhuo said, smiling slightly. "But before dealing with other clans, why not first eliminate the threat of Yongze?"

His smile was mocking. Cui Changting looked over and saw two men in black, without swords or knives, with nothing on them to indicate their identity except their faces. But those faces alone made him shiver and fall into his chair.

"You, you…" Cui Changting stammered, "you…"

The Author Has Something to Say

Damn, last night I dreamt that I had been fired from both jobs, but as soon as I opened my eyes, I knew it wasn't real!

Thanks for reading.