Chapter 34.1 Red Embroidered Shoes 01
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An old-fashioned garden was erected near Shen City’s Chenghuang Temple, where Chen Yang and the others decided to visit today. Mao Xiaoli and Hu Yingnan went to the nearby old street to purchase hand cream that girls would enjoy. As soon as Kou Xuanling arrived at Chenghuang Temple, he immediately proceeded to pay his respects and managed to convince Zhang Qiudao to accompany him. Eventually, only Chen Yang and Du Shuo were left to wander around the garden.
Leaning against Jiqu Bridge, Chen Yang held up a selfie stick. Using his left hand to guide Du Shuo, he searched for the perfect angle. “Brother Du, give me a smile.” In the next moment, they took a photo together. In the photo, Chen Yang’s face beamed with a radiant smile, while Du Shuo remained expressionless.
Chen Yang pocketed his phone and stood on his tiptoes, gently gripping Du Shuo’s cheeks with both hands. “Just smile a little, we’re taking a photo.”
Du Shuo wrapped his right arm around Chen Yang’s waist, pulling him closer, and softly tapped Chen Yang’s backside with his left hand. “Stop messing around.”
“Brother Du, having fun means enjoying ourselves. Even in photos, we should wear a smile… You never smile. What if when I take the picture, you can just say ‘cheese’.”
“Don’t shout. You can’t force a smile.” Du Shuo held onto Chen Yang, preparing to leave so that he wouldn’t keep insisting on taking photos. Standing still to capture a picture would only lead to complaints about unflattering poses and lack of smiles. His playful wife was too restless, and the Great Emperor couldn’t encourage such behavior.
After walking for a while, Du Shuo noticed that Chen Yang’s enthusiasm had faded. Du Shuo furrowed his brow and asked, “Are you angry?”
Chen Yang shook his head and said in a subdued voice, as if on the verge of tears, “I’m not angry.” He lowered his gaze to his toes, his voice filled with melancholy. “You rarely spend time with me. We didn’t have any pictures taken at our wedding, and you refused to take any when I graduated from high school. Even after I returned from a gathering after college, we still don’t have a photo…”
Du Shuo knew he had been busy and had unintentionally neglected Chen Yang in many ways. Seeing him genuinely downcast, Du Shuo finally said, “Let’s take just one picture.”
Chen Yang looked up and said, “You should smile.”
“…” The Great Emperor sighed helplessly. “Alright, I’ll smile.”
Chen Yang’s face instantly lit up with a radiant smile, eagerly searching for the most picturesque background. Taking hold of Du Shuo, they adjusted their poses. Chen Yang grabbed the selfie stick and playfully nudged Du Shuo with his elbow, “Come on, we’re ready to take the photo.”
Du Shuo forced a smile, and with a soft click, the moment was captured. Chen Yang opened his phone to review the picture and momentarily considered deleting it. Du Shuo’s smile was painfully forced, as if it would have been better not to smile at all. However, when Chen Yang looked at him, Du Shuo appeared completely innocent.
“Let’s not take photos any more,” Chen Yang said dispiritedly, as if a wilted plant was growing on top of his head. At that moment, Du Shuo found the despondent Chen Yang particularly adorable. He playfully pinched the back of Chen Yang’s neck, unable to suppress a smile. Chen Yang happened to miss that smile.
Click.
Chen Yang looked up and saw Hu Yingnan and Mao Xiaoli approaching. Hu Yingnan handed her phone to Chen Yang and asked, “Is it good enough?”
On the phone screen was a photo of him and Du Shuo, with a large tree in the background and a gentle halo of light behind Du Shuo. Chen Yang appeared unhappy, pouting his cheeks while looking at the phone, while Du Shuo stood intimately behind him, wearing a tender and slight smile, his eyes filled with obvious fondness.
The snapshot turned out exceptionally well. Chen Yang immediately asked Hu Yingnan to send him the photo, saved it on his own phone, and happily looked at it over and over again. The previous gloomy mood vanished instantly. After putting away his phone, he asked, “Are you done shopping?”
Mao Xiaoli gestured to the bag in her hand and said, “Zhang Qiudao and the others have reserved a table outside for us to have dinner. When Sister Hu and I finished shopping, we came to find you. By the way, Brother Chen, did you watch the morning news in Shen City?”
Chen Yang shook his head and asked, “What’s the big news?”
Mao Xiaoli: “They discovered a large number of human remains in the basement of Ye Family House No. 444. It shocked the entire Shen City. Many people have come forward to claim the remains… Unfortunately, they can’t disclose the strange incidents related to the bronze mask, so it has been classified as an unsolved case.”
Hu Yingnan: “There’s nothing else they can do. If they were to reveal that this series of serial murders was committed by a creature that has lived for over a hundred years, no one would believe it. However, some of the people who came to claim the remains were crying in a heartbreaking manner.”
These people were the parents of the students who had died while exploring the haunted house, their memories partially erased. When the Dragon Pearl was returned to the hands of the Three-Eyed Ghost Tribe, their memories automatically corrected themselves. As long as they didn’t delve too deeply, they wouldn’t notice anything unusual. Even if they did investigate, they wouldn’t find any leads. It could only be said that the bronze-masked monster, who had mercilessly killed countless people for selfish reasons, was truly heinous.
Mao Xiaoli: “Actually… we can have the Daoist Association in Shen City coordinate with the police station and cordon off places that have a history of deaths or are considered haunted. We can prevent adventurous students from going there, to some extent, and prevent similar tragedies from happening.”
Chen Yang and Hu Yingnan were momentarily stunned, while Mao Xiaoli believed that her words were far-fetched. Just as she was about to wave it off as nonsense, Hu Yingnan’s eyes lit up as she grabbed Mao Xiaoli’s hand. “This method is excellent!” She let go of her hand and started typing on her phone to send a message. “I’ll inform my master first, so she can bring it up at the next Daoist Association meeting. I’ll also mention it to Shen Yihui. He has a say in both Baiyun Temple and the police station.”
Chen Yang said to Mao Xiaoli, “It’s a good idea.”
Mao Xiaoli said with a smile, “Just a random thought.”
“If only you focused your mind on studying the Dao arts, you would have surpassed Kou Xuanling long ago.” It was a pity that Mao Xiaoli was too playful. He hoped that one day she would have a breakthrough and devote herself to studying Daoist arts wholeheartedly. It was likely that she would achieve great things in the field of Daoist arts.
The group headed towards the restaurant booked by Zhang Qiudao. During the gathering, Kou Xuanling calmly asked Du Shuo for his name. When Du Shuo told him his name, Kou Xuanling’s expression seemed to become distant for a moment. Why did he feel that Chen Yang’s partner had a name that sounded so much like Director Du?
However, their appearances were different. They didn’t resemble each other, but their demeanor and actions were strikingly similar. While it was rare to encounter methods in the Celestial Master Community that masked one’s appearance, it was not unheard of. With Director Du’s low-profile nature, if his appearance were as attractive as Chen Yang’s partner, there was no way he could maintain a low profile. Therefore, concealing his appearance could be a subject of suspicion.
Kou Xuanling, who felt that he had stumbled upon some incredible fact, buried himself in eating and refused to make any comments in the following days.
Chen Yang glanced at Kou Xuanling and whispered to Du Shuo, “Does Kou Xuanling know about our relationship?”
“Seems like he knows.” Du Shuo served a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Chen Yang. “Have the soup first to warm your stomach.”
After taking a sip of the soup, Chen Yang said, “I initially wanted to keep some distance to avoid upsetting Kou Xuanling since he’s quite traditional. But now it seems he’s adapting well.”
Du Shuo glanced at Chen Yang, refraining from reminding him that his idea of keeping a distance meant refraining from hugging and being intimate in front of Kou Xuanling. Their actions and words had already exposed their relationship. For example, their matching outfits—Hu Yingnan knew they were a couple at first sight.
Except for Kou Xuanling. As Chen Yang said, he was too traditional.
Zhang Qiudao: “Kou Xuanling, you’re adapting quite well.”
“I’ve traveled far and wide, seen it all. Same-sex couples are just a common occurrence,” Kou Xuanling said nonchalantly. “I’ve even witnessed a married couple in the underworld.”
Chen Yang sprayed the soup he was drinking and nearly choked. Du Shuo, aware of the reason for his sudden reaction, patted his back to help him catch his breath. He then changed the subject, “We’ll be returning to the branch office in a couple of days. Are there any other places you want to visit?”
Successfully diverting the attention of the others, Chen Yang breathed a sigh of relief. Du Shuo sighed, “He wasn’t talking about you. Why are you worried?”
Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, Chen Yang whispered, “Nervous.”
“Nervous about what? In matters of mutual consent, others should not interfere or offer their opinions. Besides, nobody would dare to interfere or offer their opinions about you and me.”
Who in the mortal and ghost realms would dare to meddle in the marriage of the Great Emperor of Fengdu?
“Don’t be arrogant. Although there is a collaboration between the mortal realm and the underworld now, associating with ghosts will ultimately harm your Yin virtue. The Ghost Dao is inherently vicious. If it weren’t for my unique Yin constitution, even if I were to practice the Ghost Dao, it would be difficult to suppress fierce and evil spirits. That’s why Grandpa Wu invited you to enter into a spiritual marriage with me because of my unusual fate. Others in the Celestial Master Community don’t know about it. Although spiritual marriages has a long history, most of them involve pairing deceased individuals based on their birth charts. The union between the living and the dead… even ghost officials consider it to be unorthodox.”
“If I weren’t a ghost envoy—”
“Did you resign?”
“No. I mean, if I were a Ghost Emperor or held a position higher than that, there would be no need to conceal it, and you wouldn’t have to be afraid.”
Chen Yang looked at Du Shuo suspiciously. He didn’t take Du Shuo’s assumption seriously, thinking it was just his wishful thinking. But Du Shuo wasn’t someone who exaggerated, so he speculated that Du Shuo might have been promoted.
Du Shuo paused for a moment and nodded. “Yes, I’m promoted. After the Ghost Festival, I’ll be appointed as an official in the Seventy Two Departments of Fengdu, in charge of the Department of Merit and Virtue.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Yang happily called for fine wine to celebrate Du Shuo’s promotion. He announced the good news of Du Shuo’s promotion to the others, and everyone, except Zhang Qiudao, who knew about Du Shuo’s covert operations, and Kou Xuanling, who remained skeptical, congratulated him.
Du Shuo silently drank the wine offered to him and watched the joyous Chen Yang. Rarely, a hint of melancholy appeared in his eyes. However, this slight trace of emotion quickly dissipated because tonight, with the influence of alcohol, the usually astute and calm Chen Yang became exceptionally proactive and enthusiastic. This sudden change caused Du Shuo to lose his usual judgement, catching him off guard without the usual foresight and preparation.
Three days later, after visiting several famous attractions in Shen City, the group, along with Hu Yingnan, returned to Dafu Branch Office. Du Shuo, as usual, left on the last day and didn’t accompany them on the flight.
Mao Xiaoli assumed that Du Shuo’s work required confidentiality, so she didn’t inquire further. As for Kou Xuanling, seeing Du Shuo’s elusive whereabouts, similar to Dafu’s Director, only confirmed his speculation that Du Shuo shared the same identity as the Director.
On the second day after returning to the Dafu Branch Office, Chen Yang began preparing for the ceremony of bestowing the Daoist Seal. He was invited by Meng Fu to Dongyue Palace, where a ritual platform was arranged for the ceremony. Initially, Meng Fu had planned to hold the ceremony at the Huoshen Temple, which belonged to the Quanzhen Sect, where the transmission of the Seals took place. However, upon checking Chen Yang’s records, they discovered that he was already married. Since the Huoshen Temple strictly followed the Quanzhen order, they had to hold the ceremony in Dongyue Palace, following the Zhengyi Sect’s practices. Meng Fu contacted Zhang Tai, one of the elders of the Celestial Master Elder Council in the Zhengyi Sect, to invite him to serve as the Supervising Master for the ceremony.
The ceremony required the setting up of a ritual platform called the “Seal Altar” or “Altar of Myriad Laws.” Three masters were needed to preside over the ceremony: the Transmitting Master, who conducted the main ritual of bestowing the Seals, the Supervising Master, who oversaw the proceedings, and the Endorsing Master.
Meng Fu, as a Celestial Master, served as the Transmitting Master, Zhang Tai, also a Celestial Master, served as the Supervising Master, and Yi Fusheng, the beloved younger sister of the renowned witch Yi Wei, served as the Endorsing Master. Yi Fusheng was also a practitioner of the Ghost Dao, making her the perfect choice to serve as Chen Yang’s Endorsing Master.
Chen Yang stayed at the Dongyue Palace for seven days, undergoing training in the rituals and observances of the fasting and purification ceremony. After seven days, he bathed and fasted, dressed in a brand new Daoist robe and crown, held the Daoist Seal in his hand, and had three masters inscribed golden light symbols and protective talismans above his head. Then, he performed the three bows to the Ancestral Celestial Masters. Finally, he was bestowed with scriptures, a certificate of appointment, and Daoist implements according to his Celestial Master rank. Only then was the entire ceremony considered complete.
The process was solemn and grand, but certain procedures were omitted since Chen Yang was not a disciple of the Zhengyi Sect. Instead, he was regarded as a disciple of Tianshi Sect. Although the Ghost Dao and Celestial Master Dao shared similarities, they were distinct teachings. Therefore, he was only bestowed with the appropriate recognition and honors befitting a Celestial Master.
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Thanks for the translation! It mustn’t have been easy with all those official terms lol