The bamboo house was burned down, and the young man was rightfully pestering him.
Lu Yingjiu had never seen such a scene. He muttered to himself, he was not a beautiful woman like a flower, or a drop-dead gorgeous beauty. Why was this young man so persistent?
The black horse trotted on.
Its strength was good, it could travel a hundred miles a day without getting tired, and it was very human-like. Most of the time, they could just let trot by itself. In this way, they walked through one small mountain after another, trampled on one clear stream after another, and arrived at noon. The two shared dry food, took a short rest, and then continued on their way.
Finally, in the evening, they came to a bustling town.
The town was full of people coming and going, celebrating something, with lights and colorful decorations everywhere, and the noise of people was boiling.
In such a crowded place, there might be exorcists.
The two dismounted.
Lu Yingjiu drew a talisman paper, folded it into the shape of a paper crane, and put it into the young man’s hand.
“What is this?” the young man asked.
He looked at the paper crane in his hand. It was lifelike and exquisite. The talisman paper was coiled up just right on the wings, like the pattern of feathers.
“It’s a talisman paper that can hide the yin energy on your body.” Lu Yingjiu smiled and said, “Of course, when you leave this town, you have to give it back to me.”
This talisman paper was not easily given to ghosts.
His talisman paper was powerful. Once the young man got the talisman paper, almost all the exorcists could not find his trace – this was extremely dangerous.
The young man nodded.
They entered the town, where there was a hustle and bustle. Lu Yingjiu pulled a person to ask, only to know that according to local customs, a three-day wine feast would be held to welcome the midsummer.
The young looked around.
The light of the lanterns fell into his black eyes, which was simply colorful. He rarely saw such a lively scene. Passers-by brushed past them, occasionally touching each other, and could feel the hot body temperature.
So humans are so warm. He thought.
After Lu Yingjiu asked about the situation, he turned around and said to him, “Let’s not go anymore, let’s find a restaurant. What do you like to eat?”
The young man shook his head, “I have only drunk white porridge.”
Lu Yingjiu laughed and took him into the most popular restaurant along the way.
The restaurant was full of noise.
The two went upstairs and sat down. Lu Yingjiu ordered the dishes and looked up to see the young man across the table still staring at him.
Lu Yingjiu asked, “Don’t you have a name, don’t you even know your own surname and birth date?”
“I don’t know,” the young man said. “As far as I can remember, I’ve been in those mountains.”
“I see…” Lu Yingjiu pondered for a moment, “I think, you are probably not a soul transformed from a living person, but a priest.”
The young man was stunned, “What’s the difference?”
“Simply put, you were born from the yin energy of the ghost world, and you have your own duties in the dark.” Lu Yingjiu said, “Of course, there are many priests, some are powerful and some are weak, they are not the same.”
The young man: “Oh…”
Lu Yingjiu continued, “Do you know where you were born? For example, if you were born in the daylight of the ghost world, then your power would lean towards yang, similar to the sun wandering god; for example, if you were born in the mountains of the ghost world, then you would be a priest in charge of the mountains.”
But according to his guess, given the young man’s temperament and methods, he was probably one of the slaughterers.
He was born with a heavy murderous aura, born from the swords and guns of the battlefield.
The young man thought for a long time and replied, “I only vaguely remember seeing a tree of white flowers before.”
“White flowers?” Lu Yingjiu was stunned for a moment.
Flower ghosts were generally charming and beautiful.
But then he thought about it, when he was riding a horse, he always smelled a cold fragrance on the young man–saying it was a floral scent, it seemed to be somewhat similar.
A slaughterer born from flowers.
Thinking about it carefully, it had a bit of a romantic color.
Lu Yingjiu took a shallow sip of tea and heard the young man continue, “I thought about it, I should be the priest in charge of marriage.”
Lu Yingjiu almost choked on a mouthful of water.
F****ng god of marriage.
Sending mandarin ducks to see the Ghost King? How much misunderstanding does this kid have about himself…
He turned his face away and coughed lightly, looking over, “Are you sure??”
“Hm.” The young man was very serious, “I didn’t want anything originally, but now I know, I want to get married.”
Lu Yingjiu was silent for a while, then said, “No, you must be a killing god.”
“Ah.” The young man was stunned for a few seconds, “I don’t want to be a killing god, I want to be in charge of marriage.”
“No, you can’t.” Lu Yingjiu flatly refused.
The young man was very disappointed, “Then who is the god in charge of marriage? I want to kill him and take his place.”
Lu Yingjiu: “…”
Lu Yingjiu: “…You really are a killing god!”
While they were talking, the waiter brought the dishes.
White soup jade, translucent slices of meat, vegetable dumplings and steamed bass…
Although it was only for two people, the table was full, hot and steaming.
The young man clumsily picked up his chopsticks and picked up a piece of fish.
It melted in his mouth.
The scent of green onions with the freshness of the fish exploded in his mouth, delicate and smooth, incredibly delicious.
“How is it?” Lu Yingjiu asked him.
“…Delicious.” The young man nodded, “Very delicious.”
Lu Yingjiu laughed, “Then eat more. I can’t make such good dishes, you follow me, you won’t often have such good food in the future.”
Most ghosts didn’t eat or drink, and the yin energy was enough.
But when the delicious food was really in front of you, whether it’s a person or a ghost, they probably wouldn’t be able to refuse.
The young man tasted every dish, sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy, each was a taste he had never experienced before.
But as he was eating, he looked up again.
Lu Yingjiu was leisurely drinking his soup – he had been drinking this small bowl of soup for a long time. He was not interested in food, and he went to the restaurant purely for the young man.
The young man asked, “Why aren’t you eating?”
“I eat less.” Lu Yingjiu said, “You don’t have to worry about me.”
The young man’s chopsticks paused for a moment.
He really wanted to serve Lu Yingjiu, to put the most tender fish and the most flavorful meat slices in his bowl.
But that was too intimate, and Lu Yingjiu might not like it.
He lowered his head and casually stirred the dumplings with his chopsticks, but in the end, he didn’t take any action.
The lights outside the window flickered, Lu Yingjiu was distracted, and unconsciously looked out the window.
Lu Yingjiu didn’t wear white clothes today, but wore a dark green shirt and a dark red robe. He looked good in any clothes, this outfit was less ethereal, but more stunning, like a rich young master out for a trip, lazy, casual and luxurious.
The boy ate while secretly watching Lu Yingjiu.
The food was delicious, and the person was good-looking.
It’s a pity that he’s not in charge of marriage, otherwise he would definitely take a red thread and tie them tightly together.
After a satisfying meal, the two rested in an inn for the night.
Lu Yingjiu originally wanted to buy a horse for the young man, but for some reason, the young man refused.
When he refused, his eyes were wandering and his ears were red. It was unknown what he was thinking.
But anyway, ghosts didn’t weigh much, at most it’s a bit crowded when riding a horse. He didn’t insist and went with the young man.
When the sky turned white the next day, they set off on horseback and continued east.
They stopped and went like this.
Sometimes they had to sleep in the open for several days, eating dry food; sometimes they could pass through bustling towns and have a good meal and rest.
After more than half a month, the two became familiar with each other and had endless topics every day.
The so-called familiarity at first sight was just like this.
Even though they had only known each other for a few days, they seemed to have known each other for many years. Although the young man was a fierce ghost, for the first time in his life, he truly experienced what it meant to be “alive”.
Being alive was about good food, celebrations, and rising flames.
Being alive was about clear skies and heavy rain, wilderness and bustling cities, rivers and mountains.
Being alive was the thin green brushed by the antlers in the mountains, the endless words in the journey every day, and the endless starry sky.
Until a towering snow mountain appeared in front of them. At the foot of the mountain was a large area of lush snow cedars, with tall and deep gray trunks, and the pine needle leaves were shiny and green.
The place Lu Yingjiu was going to was a small village in the mountains.
This village was remote and not many exorcists were willing to come. In recent months, there have been evil spirits causing trouble. He rushed over after hearing the news.
When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, they saw a small road in the snow, gently leading to the mountains, leading to a faint wisp of cooking smoke.
It should have been stepped on by the villagers.
The two rode up the mountain, and soon came to a slightly steep place, then dismounted and walked forward. Lu Yingjiu was leading the black horse, and suddenly heard the young man say “Huh?”.
“What’s wrong?” He turned around and asked.
The young man held a handful of fresh snow in his hands.
He was surprised, “Snow is so cold.”
This was his first encounter with snow.
“I had the same reaction when I saw snow for the first time,” Lu Yingjiu laughed, “There are many new and interesting things in this world. If you are interested, you can experience them one by one.”
The young man opened his fingers, and the snow fell through the gaps. He asked, “…Will you accompany me?”
“Maybe,” Lu Yingjiu said.
This was not a definite answer, and the young man was somewhat disappointed.
He didn’t show his emotions, and followed Lu Yingjiu closely, stepping on the snow with a crunching sound.
He thought to himself, it’s better to get rid of the rotten god who’s in charge of marriage. The uprising starts today.
After another hour, they arrived at the village at noon.
Just like the previous village, they were warmly welcomed.
The villagers made them hot soup and noodles. It was cold, and there was even fine wine, but Lu Yingjiu politely declined.
Their accommodation was in a quiet place in the village, which had been cleaned up and covered with thick blankets.
Lu Yingjiu went out to chat with the villagers. When he came back, the young man had already lit the stove to warm up.
Lu Yingjiu sat down by the fire, stretched out his hand to warm up, and felt his blood flow faster.
The young man asked him, “Are there really ghosts in this village? I don’t feel any yin energy.”
“Not for now,” Lu Yingjiu said, “But maybe they will appear when it gets dark. This snow mountain is so big, and I don’t know how many travelers have been buried. It’s inevitable that there are monsters and ghosts.”
The young man nodded, “If they come, I will kill them.”
“That’s so like you,” Lu Yingjiu smiled slightly, about to tease, when his expression suddenly changed.
Something swept past the window.
Light and agile, as fast as a gust of wind.
Definitely not human.
The young man felt it too, his brows furrowed, and the red light in his eyes was filled with cold killing intent.
He was always very aggressive, not tolerating other ghosts making a fuss in front of him, and he was naturally murderous. In this instant, he had already conceived hundreds of ways for it to die in his mind.
The yin energy around him rose, and he flashed out lightly.
The road flew under his feet, and in the blink of an eye, he was tens of meters away. He saw a strange black figure in the snow.
It’s this!
Excitement flashed in the young man’s eyes, his nails became sharp, and he was about to go for the heart—
“Stop!”
A loud shout rang in his ear!
It was Lu Yingjiu’s voice, shouting at him. The young man didn’t understand why, but he instinctively stopped.
In front of him, the strange figure slowly turned around.
It was two people tall, and on a face that was like a human but not human, pale as a mask, a strange smile was drawn.
This…
The young man squinted his eyes.
This is definitely not a human, but it’s not a ghost either.
“Haa!”
The monster swung the long whip in its hand, aiming straight at Lu Yingjiu!
The whip was full of barbs, reflecting a ferocious light, and a light touch would cause the skin to split and the flesh to burst.
In the blink of an eye, a talisman paper fell lightly on the whip and wrapped around it tightly. The soft paper actually stopped the whip. Taking advantage of this gap, Lu Yingjiu flew up, and the short knife was unsheathed!
During the fight, snow flew around, and the two figures were extremely light and fast, with graceful movements and full strength. The walls along the road burst open, tiles and thatch flew around, and the friction between the knife and the long whip was extremely harsh.
There was a cry of surprise in the village. The young man stared at them, clenching his fingers.
He really wanted to make a move, wanted to crush the enemy’s head, wanted to see how blood would dye the earth red – just like he had done before.
But Lu Yingjiu stopped him.
Worry, anger, and impulsiveness mixed together, he was almost scratching his heart out.
Fortunately, the fight ended quickly.
Lu Yingjiu cut off the monster’s head. Black blood spurted out and splashed on the snow.
The tall figure swayed and fell down.
He was slightly panting, just shaking off the blood on the knife, and there was a weight in his arms.
The young man hugged him tightly.
Lu Yingjiu’s hands were dirty, so it was not good to hug back, he could only comfort, “It’s okay, I’m fine.”
The young man said in a muffled voice, “…Why didn’t you let me make a move? What is that monster?”
This time, Lu Yingjiu did not answer him immediately.
He was silent for a while before he said, “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you in detail when I have time.”
—This wait was more than ten days.
Lu Yingjiu was busy setting up formations and posting talisman papers in the village.
It wasn’t until nearly the twentieth day that there was a harvest.
That night, there was a heavy snowstorm, the windows were banging, and the stove couldn’t resist the cold coming in from the door.
Several fierce ghosts, transformed from frozen travelers, silently stepped on the pale white and came to the village.
Before they got close, sparks burst out of their bodies.
The talisman paper arranged by Lu Yingjiu was perfect, the flames swallowed the bodies of the fierce ghosts, and they screamed heartbreakingly. The baby cried at night, the villagers were horrified, and they all used furniture to block the doors and windows.
The young man followed Lu Yingjiu closely, following the firelight, and tore the fierce ghosts to pieces.
When the last ghost was gone, the snow miraculously stopped.
The clouds slowly dispersed.
The villagers opened the door, carefully looking at the situation, and only after seeing Lu Yingjiu’s figure did they burst into cheers!
The village returned to peace, and they celebrated all night.
Lu Yingjiu didn’t like the hustle and bustle. When it was late at night, he casually found an excuse to go back to the room to rest. He listened to the wind and slept drowsily all night. When he woke up, it was clear outside.
After drinking a bowl of hot porridge, the young man hesitated and asked him, “Should we leave?”
“Yes,” Lu Yingjiu said, “We will go down the mountain tomorrow and go somewhere else.”
The young man said, “You haven’t told me what that monster is?”
He had been thinking about it for many days.
Lu Yingjiu said, “Come with me.”
They left the village and climbed up a nearby small snow slope. Lu Yingjiu brought a pot of wine for the first time.
There were a few black stones on the top of the slope. Someone had made a fire and boiled tea here before, and there were still remnants of the fire on the ground.
There was also some firewood piled next to it. They re-piled the firewood, lit it, and then wiped off the ice and snow on the stone, sitting face to face. Lu Yingjiu brought a pot up, filled it with snow and boiled it on the fire.
When the water boiled, they each held a cup.
A sip spread warmth.
Lu Yingjiu held the cup with both hands, and after a while, he said, “Originally, I swore never to tell anyone about this. Because those who learn the fate often suffer misfortune.”
The young man listened carefully.
Lu Yingjiu looked at him, “But since you are a ghost, the constraints are different from the living, and it doesn’t matter if you know.”
He took a deep breath and said, “The monster that appeared that day was a servant of the Heavenly Way.”
“A servant of the Heavenly Way?” The young man hesitated.
He had never heard of this thing.
“Hm.” Lu Yingjiu nodded, taking another sip of hot water. “They want my life and have been hunting me for over twenty years.”
The young man was taken aback, “Why?”
“That’s a long story from the past, related to the exorcist aristocratic family.” Lu Yingjiu said, “There are laws in the world that bind all things, and that is the Heavenly Way. Exorcists somewhat believe in this, and among the families, the Zhang and Chu families are most obsessed with the Heavenly Way. More than twenty years ago, there was a sacrificial ceremony, a…live sacrificial ceremony.”
The hot water was finished.
He opened the wine pot and poured out the turbid wine, then looked at the young man. “Do you want a drink?”
The young man nodded.
Lu Yingjiu also poured him one.
The wine in this village was brewed in an unknown way. It looked ordinary, but it was really hot. It could warm the whole body even in a blizzard.
Lu Yingjiu drank two small cups, his face slightly flushed, before continuing, “The live sacrificial ceremony that year was not for livestock, but for babies.”
The young man paused.
Lu Yingjiu said, “The two families were powerful and colluded with merchants and nobles. They got fifty-nine babies as offerings. The Heavenly Way respects ‘fifty-nine’, and the number must not be wrong. The family was already very careful, but there was a hitch at the last moment.”
“I was that deviation, that accident.”
“I was two… maybe three years old at the time, and was taken there as a sacrifice. But I survived.”
“The Heavenly Way did not get the right number and vented its anger on the Zhang and Chu families, causing them to suffer misfortunes frequently. At the same time, it also tried to pull me back into the fate of death.”
“If I don’t die, that sacrifice will never be completed.” Lu Yingjiu smiled, “Neither the aristocratic families nor the Heavenly Way will tolerate it.”
The young man clenched his cup, his eyes burning with anger. “Then I will kill them all, whether they are servants or the shitty aristocratic families. As long as they all die, you will be safe.”
“It’s not that simple.” Lu Yingjiu shook his head, “First of all, the Heavenly Way cannot be eradicated; secondly, there are many innocent people in the aristocratic families. The two families together have nearly a thousand people, how can they be exterminated? There were also people from the family who came to kill me, the most extreme batch, they died in my hands long ago.”
“What’s impossible.” The young man licked his sharp tiger teeth, “If you don’t try, how do you know you can’t kill them all?”
Lu Yingjiu laughed, “You still say you’re not a god of killing.”
He raised his head to drink, then said, “I’m telling you this, not because I want you to help me, but because…”
But because what?
He paused.
He just said it because he felt like it, without any particular reason.
Perhaps after so many years, he couldn’t confide this matter to the living, and after meeting the young man, he couldn’t help but speak out.
It was still too heavy.
He had been carrying this heavy, fatal destiny alone for so many years.
Lu Yingjiu paused for a while, drained the strong wine in his cup, and refilled it.
The young man was still in a state of indignation.
Lu Yingjiu said to him, “Don’t be angry, I didn’t tell you this to see that expression on your face.” He reached out and gently patted the young man to soothe him.
The young man was taken aback.
This comfort was particularly effective for him, and the rage in his eyes gradually disappeared.
He drank two cups of wine in silence, his expression finally softened, and said, “There will always be a way.”
“Hm.” Lu Yingjiu nodded, “There will be a way.”
Perhaps he won’t be able to find it in this lifetime.
——He didn’t say this out loud.
He continued, “In order to escape my fate, I have been running around all my life. The kind people who adopted me were killed by fierce ghosts. The friends I once made were oppressed by the family until their wives and children were scattered. My greatest ideal in life is to be able to slow down one day.”
“Drink fine wine, embrace the bright moon, and be a leisurely crane. Who doesn’t want to live a carefree life?”
“Moreover, there are so many beautiful sceneries in the world.” He pointed, “Look back.”
The young man looked in the direction of his gaze.
The ice crystals shone, the fresh snow was white, and the towering snow peaks pointed straight at the washed blue sky.
Unconsciously, they had climbed quite a distance, the forest they had been in was under their feet and in their eyes, but the greenery was still shining in the light, lush and vigorous. The glacial river, carrying floating ice, shuttled through it, the surface of the water was flowing with light, and was trampled by two white-hoofed fawns into tiny pieces, with specks of golden light leaping.
Further away, another mountain peak was entwined with clouds.
The sunlight could not penetrate the heavy clouds, and a large shadow fell on the ridge, making the peaks more towering, and the rocks rugged like blades. After a few breaths, there was a sudden snowfall, bringing a ferocious and gloomy beauty, dancing with the wild wind, heading straight for the sky.
The snow on the mountain did not melt, and the foot of the mountain was lush.
There was a blizzard in the distance, and clear skies nearby.
The contrast was clear yet integrated, it could be described as a unique view.
And how many times could one see a unique view in a lifetime?
Today they drink together in the snow, and they probably won’t forget this scene year after year.
Lu Yingjiu said, “We met by chance and hit it off right away, this fate is destined. The most precious thing in life is the word ‘leisure’, I can’t get it, I just hope you live your life according to your wishes.”
The wine in the cup was full, he raised his cup, “Respecting idle clouds and scattering cranes.” (TL: to be idle. Respecting 敬 and idle or leisure 闲 both had the pin yin “Jing” and “Xian”)
The young man stared at him, also raising his cup, “In this world, I have nothing to respect…..I just wish you a smooth life, never empty your cup, not bound by fate, always have fine wine in your arms.”
The wine cups collided, and the clear sound echoed.
When the two of them had finished their strong wine, the young man said, “How about, I name myself ‘Jing Xian’.”
Lu Yingjiu was taken aback, then laughed, “Why so sudden?”
The young man didn’t answer.
He looked closely at Lu Yingjiu’s eyebrows and eyes, as if to brand them deep into his soul, then reached out and brushed away the drifting snow from his soft hair.
He suddenly smiled.
——A thousand words were all in it.
Aww! JX picked his name in such a sweet way! Those nasty Zhang and Chu families that have been chasing the Heavenly Way for centuries with their sick sacrifices, I hope they get what’s coming to them. Except young Chu, he seems to have figured it all out and wants to find a way to fix it.
Wait wait wait…. does this mean that Lu Yingjiu was picked as a sacrifice TWICE in separate lifetimes, and survived both times? Definitely sounds like he’s not meant to be a sacrifice…. pick someone else it may be more effective.
No no, the past life is where he were picked to be sacrificed. And remember when he drink divine water in the present time? And dreaming his last life? Chu banyang said those who dreamed of past life usually have a miserable death, so imo he’s dead on the past life and reborn in the current life