Chapter 26 Gilded Baby Corpse 08
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The next day, the representatives from the Daoist Association and the officials from the head office arrived at Longdao Ridge, consisting of a group of five individuals. It was evident that there was a high regard for the dragon veins, as it was related to the fate of the nation. Chen Yang and Zhang Qiudao had the opportunity to converse with them, discovering that two of the arrivals were Three Caverns Celestial Masters, their ages hovering around the forties.
Among them was Yi Wei, the head of Changdao Temple in Sichuan Province, and accompanying him was Meng Fu, the revered head of the Huoshen Temple in the capital city. Although both held esteemed positions within the head office, they seldom took on tasks, reserving their involvement solely for matters entangled with the country’s celestial course.
There were also two Five Thunders Celestial Masters. One of them was from the Quanzhen Sect and practiced the Earth Cultivation. Her name was Su Li, approximately thirty years old, and she served as a supervisor at the Ziyang Palace in Shen City. The other was Kou Xuanling. The last person was the Director of the Dafu Office, Du Bei.
Du Bei and Kou Xuanling were acquaintances, while the other three, although meeting for the first time, were already acquainted with the reputation of Chen Yang. This familiarity stemmed from the obligation incumbent upon every member of the Dafu Office to present two meticulously crafted reports to the Daoist Association upon completion of their assignments. Furthermore, celestial masters of their esteemed realm found solace in leaving messages on the Dafu APP after fulfilling their respective assignments.
Although Chen Yang did not leave a message on the app, Mao Xiaoli never failed to leave lengthy messages, comprising nearly two thousand characters.
Yi Wei, the kind-hearted head of Changdao Temple in Sichuan Province, greeted Chen Yang with a smile in his eyes, “I never expected to see another disciple of the Ghost Dao in my lifetime. I can now consider myself your senior.”
Sichuan Province was once a place where witchcraft and Ghost Dao thrived, making Yi Wei particularly fond of Chen Yang, as a fellow practitioner of the Ghost Dao. He shared, “I have a younger sister who also practices witchcraft. She resides in Q City. Unfortunately, she had to rush to Guangdong and Guangxi a couple of days ago and couldn’t meet you. She expressed her desire to meet you before.”
Ba-Shu, with Ba in the east and Shu in the west, referred to Q City and Sichuan Province. Therefore, Q City was also a place where witchcraft and Ghost Dao flourished. However, such practices had diminished and were now confined to small tribes in Q City and Sichuan Province.
Chen Yang glanced at Du Bei and replied to Yi Wei, “I will visit Q City next time and pay her a visit.”
Yi Wei burst into laughter, asking for Chen Yang’s contact information. “Upon hearing that I will be meeting you in Q City, my sister insisted that I get your contact information.”
Su Li, the gentle supervisor of Ziyang Palace in Shen City, spoke in a soft tone, “Let’s go inside and talk.”
The local government had arranged a secluded courtyard for them. Upon hearing Su Li’s words, they walked in together, with Chen Yang intentionally lingering at the back. Once everyone entered, his left hand was gently held.
He looked up and saw Du Shuo.
“Brother Du, you’ve come again.”
“I’ve come to see you,” Du Shuo’s hand hooked Chen Yang’s pinky finger and climbed up, tightly gripping his hand. “Are you unhappy?”
“No, I’m very happy. But you must be busy on your end, there’s no need to keep coming to see me.”
“Longdao Ridge is a Ghost Portal. The day of amnesty for the Earth Officials is approaching, and things are unstable here. That’s why I came to handle it.”
In the past, it was a Ghost Emperor who was responsible for suppressing Longdao Ridge, but this year Du Shuo personally took care of it. One reason was that his little wife was here, so he could accompany him. Secondly, although it was still a month away from the Ghost Portal Opening, there were already dead bodies, indicating that something unusual was happening.
“What happened?”
“The Rakshasa is about to be born.”
“The stone coffin with the female corpse?”
“Yangyang already found out so much? Impressive.” Du Shuo affectionately pinched Chen Yang’s neck and earlobe. Although his appearance had changed, his eyes remained the same, filled with a doting smile.
Upon seeing Du Shuo, Chen Yang felt like a soft, sweet milk candy basking in the late June sun. He couldn’t help but want to snuggle into Du Shuo’s embrace and let him pat his head. But they were still outside, surrounded by many people, so he could only tug on Du Shuo’s finger and say, “Tell me what’s going on. I don’t know much about it.”
“What do you want to know?”
“When was the female corpse in the stone coffin suppressed at Longdao Ridge? Why was it regarded as a corpse-sealing coffin? Have there been any recent deaths, is someone causing trouble?”
If one were to view the entire Longdao Ridge as a malevolent corpse, then the stone coffin with the female corpse served as a sealing coffin. He wanted to know whether the consecutive deaths were caused by the female corpse in the stone coffin or if they were orchestrated by someone.
“During the late Ming Dynasty, a massacre occurred here. The killings were so heinous that the grievances and resentment lingered. Even the Underworld and Fengdu had sent three thousand ghost officials, but they couldn’t subdue the thirty thousand vengeful spirits here.”
“How is that possible?”
Ghost officials could easily capture wandering spirits and wild ghosts as long as they were not fierce and malevolent. Sending out three thousand ghost officials would require a large-scale battlefield, fearing the appearance of fierce and malevolent spirits. During the massacre in the late Ming Dynasty, although there was overwhelming resentment, it mostly involved ordinary civilians, making it less likely for fierce and malevolent spirits to manifest. So how could three thousand ghost officials fail to subdue them?
“On the day of the massacre, it happened to coincide with the Three Devastation Day.”
The Three Devastation Day, the Great Ghost Festival. Every sixty years, during the Zodiac cycle, malevolent ghosts and evil spirits roam the streets, filling the air with grievances. It just so happened that a great slaughter occurred on that day, making it even more conducive for the emergence of fierce and malevolent spirits than on large battlefields.
“No wonder,” Chen Yang continued to ask, “What happened afterwards?”
“Ten thousand soldiers were trapped in the city, running out of ammunition and food. They began to turn on each other, resorting to cannibalism. Hidden within the city were civilians—especially women—who were kept as livestock, fed with human flesh, and then slaughtered. This cycle repeated for a year until the Ghost Portal opened wide, and the Emperor of Fengdu took away all the evil spirits, judging their sins and assigning their punishments.”
As Chen Yang listened, goosebumps formed on his skin, easily envisioning the horrifying scenes of that time. It was a hellish spectacle beyond imagination, filled with terrifying and desperate horror that penetrated deep into one’s bones and soul.
“Were all ten thousand soldiers trapped in the city by wronged spirits? Trapped for a year?”
“They were only trapped for three days.”
“Then how were they trapped for a year?”
Du Shuo’s expression turned cold, seemingly recalling that incident from the past. “They trapped themselves.”
Consumed by fear and dread, no one dared to run out of the city gates, fearing being torn apart by the myriad of ghosts. They chose to remain trapped within the city, living a life of cannibalism, suspicion, and constant vigilance. They became less than human, even more terrifying than the ghosts themselves.
“And… the stone coffin with the female corpse?”
“A wandering sorcerer discovered the Eight Coffins Corpse Yard technique, which involved sealing specially fated women inside stone coffins to suppress the countless evil spirits outside the city at that time.”
So, this was the origin of Longdao Ridge’s Ghost Portal, the stone coffin with the female corpse, and the Eight Coffins Corpse Yard sealing technique—a cruel and bloody truth.
Chen Yang tightened his grip on Du Shuo’s hand and whispered, “Their sins were grave, and they did not meet a peaceful end.”
“Hmm.”
As Chen Yang had said, none of those involved met a peaceful end, and they continue to atone for their sins in the depths of hell.
“How does Fengdu plan to deal with the stone coffin and the female corpse?”
“Let’s talk inside.”
It seemed that Du Shuo already had a plan in mind. So Chen Yang didn’t waste any words and stepped into the courtyard.
Kou Xuanling and Zhang Qiudao were about to call them to enter the house when they both saw the couple holding hands.
“…”
Kou Xuanling was internally shaken: Have they reached the level of holding hands? The aftermath of sleeping together lasts quite long.
Zhang Qiudao felt conflicted. The manager of their branch office was having affairs with not just one, but two people, and one of them happened to be the head of the entire bureau. Was this the dirty unspoken rule of the adult workplace?
Chen Yang hadn’t noticed anything amiss yet. It was only when he saw the complex expression on Zhang Qiudao’s face that he suddenly realized Du Shuo looked different from his usual appearance. In Zhang Qiudao’s eyes, he was having an affair. And it could very well be for the purpose of promotion and salary increase.
Quietly letting go of Du Shuo’s hand, Chen Yang took a small step to the side. It was a deceptive move, making Zhang Qiudao’s mood even more complicated.
Chen Yang sought help in Du Shuo’s eyes. The Great Emperor of Fengdu, who had remained calm, reluctantly spoke up after receiving the pleading gaze from his little wife, “Daoist Chen, be careful and watch your step to avoid tripping.”
Chen Yang’s eyes brightened, and he quickly said, “I’ll be more careful next time. Thank you for holding me.”
Kou Xuanling breathed a sigh of relief. He had felt that something was off before, but it turned out that Chen Yang had almost stumbled, and Du Shuo happened to catch him in time.
Zhang Qiudao’s inner thoughts matched his expression, cold and indifferent. When he accidentally stumbled and the other just happened to grab onto Chen Yang, their fingers interlocked. What a coincidence.
As Chen Yang passed by Zhang Qiudao, he heard him sigh softly and say, “Brother Chen, Du Shuo is not a bad person. Cherish him… more.”
After saying that, Zhang Qiudao pulled Kou Xuanling away.
“…”
Du Shuo let out a chuckle, and when Chen Yang looked up, he caught a teasing glint in his eyes. This made Chen Yang feel annoyed. “It’s all your fault that things have become complicated. I’ve become a two-timer for no reason. Clearly, I’m loyal to one person, but in the eyes of others, I’ve turned into a scumbag.”
Du Shuo quickly comforted him, “I know Yangyang is the most loyal. Should I revert to my original appearance?”
“No need. It would be troublesome to explain,” Chen Yang said, still concerned about Du Shuo exposing his identity as a ghost envoy. “What if it’s revealed?”
Du Shuo had a special affection for his little wife, so even when Chen Yang was upset with him, he still cared about him. He said, “I walk among the living with this appearance. Except in front of you and your friends, I don’t conceal it. I didn’t anticipate this situation. As for exposing my identity, I’m not worried, and you don’t need to worry either.”
The Great Emperor of Northern Yin, had no concerns about revealing his identity in the mortal realm. After all, he could change his appearance at any time and walk among the living. Before meeting Chen Yang, he had only made a few appearances in the mortal realm over several hundred years, and each time he finished his business, he would return. One could say he was an introverted middle-aged man.
He had rarely appeared at the head office, and only a few members of the Daoist Association knew his true identity. Even if he were to revert to his original appearance, he had people to help him arrange a new identity and explain to others who were unaware.
Chen Yang shook his head. “Forget it. It would be better if we can minimize the trouble. By the way, I want to donate the money I earned to the charity foundation in your name, to accumulate merits for you. Do you have any identification documents in the mortal realm?”
Since it was for accumulating merits, Chen Yang chose not to donate anonymously. He didn’t need much money himself. He wanted to do charity work, both to accumulate merits for Du Shuo and to accumulate blessings for his deceased loved ones.
Du Shuo replied, “Give it to me. I’ll take care of it.”
“Okay.” Chen Yang didn’t hesitate and handed over all the money he earned to Du Shuo for the donation.
Du Shuo only took half of the money and made the donation in Chen Yang’s name. All the accumulated merits fell upon Chen Yang, laying the foundation for him to become the City Lord of Fengdu after his lifespan ended.
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