The moment he said so, everyone fell silent, because he really hit the nail on the head. In the
past two days, there really wasn’t anyone who came to give Xie Lian a hand. This water
merchant had at least the mind to help, he just didn’t make it, but the others didn’t even dare
spare a glance in his direction!
Someone grumbled, “Then what should we do now? If we can’t do this, then why don’t you
come up with something??”
The crowd was about to go rowdy again, some even trying to push themselves through to the
front, and just then, another voice shouted savagely, “WHO’S MAKING ALL THIS RACKET? IF
ANYONE WANTS TO ROUGH THIS UP, THIS ANCESTOR’S GOT A KNIFE!”
When they looked, it was that chubby chef that was the first who wanted to pull the sword on the
first day Xie Lian fell from the sky. Something seemed to have provoked him, and he roared,
“That little buddy is right! If it wasn’t several people holding me back yesterday, I would’ve
almost pulled out that sword! And now, how come before I even moved, you lot are the ones
making the most noise? PATHETIC! Think you’re worthy? Well you certainly don’t see such
shameless thick skins everyday!”
That chef was a big man, his voice loud and clear, and he was in the height of his anger, a
butcher knife in his hand, as if he only just came out of the kitchen. The ones who were
complaining the loudest earlier instantly didn’t dare to make any more noise. There were those
who didn’t know what had happened the past couple of days, and after they inquired, they were
all surprised, “No way? None of you went up to help?”
“Yea, you all just left him there lying for two days? Didn’t even help him sit up or anything?”
The more they spoke the more the others felt ashamed, and they countered, “Don’t speak as if
you would’ve gone up to help, and say all those pretty things after the fact. Don’t forget, when
those ghastly things descend later, none of us will get away!”
“Heh then I’ll tell you, if I was there, I would’ve definitely helped him pull the sword!”
“Of course it’s easy moving your lips after the whole thing is over…”
“WAIT! What are you all arguing over? Pulling the sword isn’t the problem right now!”
As they argued, both sides were rambunctious and unruly, a brawl waiting to happen, and the
rain also slowly stopped. However, those black clouds were growing thicker, the pressure so
dense it was suffocating the hundreds of people below. Suddenly, there was a scream that
exploded from within the crowd, and many fingers pointed to the sky, “IT’S COMING!!!”
Xie Lian’s head also shot up. Those human faces rolling within the black clouds suddenly
started insurging, and they rapidly plunged down like black shooting stars dragging long “tails”
behind them.
The human face disease was coming!
The crowd was petrified as they lost themselves; some bolted, some went to hide inside the
houses, and there were also a few who went to grab for the black sword. However, the black
sword that was knocked to the ground had vanished since who knows when, and they came up
empty.
Xie Lian was too shocked by the people’s reactions earlier and only now did he notice, and he
exclaimed, “Where’s the sword? WHO TOOK IT??”
No one had the time to answer since everyone was fleeing in all directions. However, how could
they possibly be faster than the falling resentful spirits? Soon, all around came the wails and
screams of the living and the howls of the resentful spirits!
After those resentful spirits had caught up to the living, they were like rolling thick black smoke,
unrelenting and clingy, entering through every pore, slowly melding into their bodies. Xie Lian
fought arduously trying to drive them out, but alas, there were still too many resentful spirits, and
he alone couldn’t drive all of them out. He watched helplessly as countless before him wailed
and howled as they were chased down by the ghosts, that pair of little water merchant and his
wife, and that chubby chef were also rolling all over the ground wrestling with the entanglement
of black smoke, and all the while, White No-Face stood closeby, jeering unceasingly, watching it
all.
Xie Lian was both furious and anxious, and steeling his heart, he roared to the place that was
densest with resentful spirits, “HEY—!”
He was the mastermind behind their awakening after all, and with this call, those creatures very
naturally noticed him. Xie Lian opened his arms wide, “COME TO ME!”
The resentful spirits that already tangled up the living hesitated, undecided whether they should
go over, but the resentful spirits still in the air instantly changed course and went straight for Xie
Lian.
Success!
Xie Lian’s heart was beating so fast it was going to stop. He didn’t know what would happen,
and he didn’t know what would become of him either. But, by just all the blood rushing to his
head, he was going to give it his all. He felt, even if it was only a strive for vindication and he got
beaten black and blue, he would still never back away; even if another hundreds of thousands
souls of the dead were to come, he would still be invincible!
You want to see me feel sorry for myself and self destruct?
WELL I WON’T!!!
I WILL NEVER!!!
Swarms of black tide that covered the heavens to the earth surrounded Xie Lian, and a resentful
spirit wailed as it passed through his body. In an instant, it was as if Xie Lian’s heart had frozen
and his body shuddered. Soon after, a second one came, then a third one…
Those creatures were like blades with sharp auras, striking through him, penetrating his body,
and every time, they’d take away a bit of what warmth he had left, and Xie Lian’s face grew
paler and paler. Nevertheless, he remained determined and never backed away.
It had only been a few hundred of them, he had only stood his ground for a bit, and there would
be many more after. This entire sky full of black clouds were all them!
Xie Lian closed his eyes, preparing to take on the flaming fury of all of the resentful spirits by his
own powers. Yet unexpectedly, the next resentful spirit never came. Confused, He opened his
eyes, and to his surprise, that swarm of black tide that covered the heavens to the earth
surrounding him had vanished.
Since, they had all transformed into rolling black currents, and sucked away to a different
direction!
Stunned, Xie Lian turned his head to look. At the end of the long street stood a black clad
warrior, and in his hand gripped that long black sword.
Wu Ming?
Xie Lian had given him the order beforehand to have him walk away while Xie Lian activated the
human face disease, so why would he appear here in this place at this time?
Xie Lian couldn’t figure out what was going on and what that black clad warrior was doing here,
but after being stunned for a moment, he immediately charged towards him running as he
shouted, “WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? DON’T TOUCH THAT! GIVE ME BACK THE
SWORD!”
That black clad warrior seemed to have heard his voice and looked up slightly. Xie Lian couldn’t
see his real face, and only saw that mask with a drawn smile. However, a strange feeling came
to him.
He felt, beneath the mask of that black clad warrior, he was smiling for real.
However, that feeling was fleeting. Enormous black torrent and the screaming tide mixed
together to form a tempest, and it gathered over, swallowing that black clad warrior whole in an
instant.
In that moment, Xie Lian heard a heart-wrenching, blood curdling scream.
He seemed to have heard this voice from somewhere before. He must’ve heard this voice
somewhere before!
Painful. So painful like he was feeling the same agony; so painful it was a fate worse than
death; so painful both his heart and body were going to be crushed; so painful he fell heavily to
the ground on his knees, hugging his head as he screamed along too.
“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!”
That explosion of excruciating pain in his heart came suddenly and left equally fast, and after an
unknown time had past, silence slowly descended upon the surroundings, and Xie Lian also
gradually dropped the hands that were hugging his head.
Slightly dazed, he looked up and scanned the surroundings, and all around laid a ground
covered with people, most of them unconscious, but all the resentful spirits entangling them had
vanished.
This scene confused him. What happened to the human face disease? What happened to the
resentful spirits? What happened to himself?
There was no trace of that black torrent left either, and the only thing that remained where that
black clad nameless ghost had stood was a black sword that had fallen to the ground. And, next
to the point of the blade was a tiny, small white flower.
Xie Lian crawled up staggeringly and walked up, picking up that flower and sword.
He felt his face, looked at his arms, and didn’t feel anywhere on his body that seemed different,
like he had taken on some powerful curse. Just as he was still mystified, a sudden voice came
from behind him, and it said softly, “Ah.”
XIe Lian turned back, and White No-Face was standing behind him, his arms crossed and
tucked in his sleeves, his expansive sleeves fluttering in the wind.
Xie Lian hadn’t yet processed what had happened, but felt a vague sense of foreboding.
White No-Face glanced at him and started chuckling. That sense of foreboding was growing
stronger, and Xie Lian knitted his brows, “What are you laughing about?”
White No-Face asked him instead, “You still don’t understand what had happened?”
“What?” Xie Lian asked.
“Do you know who that ghost is?” White No-Face asked.
“…A, a soul of the dead from the battlefield?” Xie Lian tried.
“Yes.” White No-Face replied, “But at the same time, he was also your very last believer in this
world. Now, he’s no more.”
…Believer?
Did he actually still have a believer in this world?
It was a good moment before Xie Lian could squeeze out a few words.
He said staggeringly, “What, do you mean, no more?”
White No-Face replied languidly, “His soul had dispersed.”
Xie Lian was having a hard time accepting his, “How did his soul just disperse??”
“Because he was cursed on your behalf. The souls of the dead you’ve summoned have
devoured him whole, leaving not a crumb left.” White No-Face said.
“…”
The souls of the dead he summoned?
Cursed on his behalf?!
White No-Face continued, “Oh yes, that’s right. It also wasn’t the first time you’ve met him.”
Xie Lian watched him in a daze. White No-Face seemed to be amused, “This ghost seemed to
have always followed you. At first I only thought it possessed a rather deep resentment so I
caught it and interrogated it. Who knew, the answers were quite interesting. The ZhongYuan
Festival, the lantern night, a wandering ghost fire soul. Do you still remember?”
Xie Lian mumbled, “The ZhongYuan Festival? Lantern night? Wandering ghost fire soul?”
White No-Face lazily hinted, “This ghost, in life, was a soldier under your command. In death, it
was a soul of the dead that followed you. He died in battle for you; turned into a vicious ghost
because you were pierced by a hundred swords; but also because of you, his soul perished by
your unleashing of the human face disease.”
Xie Lian seemed to vaguely recall something, but he hadn’t even seen the face of this believer,
he didn’t even know his name, so what could he really recall? How much could he really recall?
“Perhaps, there truly are believers here who worship Your Highness…”
Yes. There was.
And, he was his only one!
White No-Face seemed to have said many other things, but Xie Lian was lost in a daze, taking
nothing in, until finally, White No-Face said, “A god like you really is quite pathetic and
laughable. And to be your believer, he’s even more pathetic and laughable to the extreme.”
“…”
When he was mocking Xie Lian earlier, Xie Lian had no reaction, but when he heard this
creature so condescendingly comment on how his believer was pathetic and laughable, it was
as if Xie Lian was jolted awake by a stabbing sword, and an uncontrollable rage rolled up.
He charged over but was seized easily, and White No-Face said coldly, “You can’t win against
me like this. How many times must I tell you before you see the truth?”
Xie Lian hadn’t wanted to win against him in the first place, and it didn’t matter if he couldn’t win.
He only simply wanted to beat that thing to a pulp, and he cried angrily, “WHAT DO YOU
KNOW! HOW DARE YOU MOCK HIM!!”
White No-Face replied, “Why wouldn’t I dare mock a follower of a failure? You’re foolish, and
your believer is even more foolish. Listen up! If you wish to defeat me, then you must obey my
teachings. Otherwise, you shall never dream of winning against me!”
Xie Lian wanted to spit at him with everything he’s got, but even breathing was a difficulty. White
No-Face flipped his hand and opened it, and within his palm another cry-smiling mask
appeared, “Now, let us start over!”
He was just pressing this mask onto Xie Lian’s face when unexpectedly, right at that moment,
there was a loud rumbling.
In the horizon, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and a strange light shot out from the layers
of the clouds. White No-Face was alarmed and stopped in his action, “What this? A Heavenly
Calamity?…”
After a pause, he dismissed it, “No, that’s not it!”
That wasn’t it.
It was a Heavenly Calamity, but, that wasn’t the only thing!
The voice of a man resounded deeply upon the entire sky, “If he cannot win against you, how
about me?”
Xie Lian’s head shot up.
Since who knows when, a young martial god donned in white armour and brimming with
propitious aura appeared at the end of the long street ahead. A thin layer of white spiritual light
enveloped his body, and he held a sword in his hand as he walked towards them step by step,
breaking out a path of light in this gloomy, dark world.
Xie Lian widened his eyes in spite of himself.
Jun Wu!
…
After the rain ceased and the skies cleared, Xie Lian sat on the burnt earth panting lightly.
Jun Wu sheathed his sword and walked over, “Xian Le. Welcome back to the ranks.”
He bore a tired expression, traces of blood still on his face, left there by White No-Face. Other
than that, Jun Wu was covered in innumerous injuries big and small all over. They weren’t not
serious, but White No-Face’s wounds were more serious, so much so that his body was ripped
apart, his form dispersed, leaving behind only that shattered cry-smiling face.
When he heard him say “back to the ranks”, Xie Lian was taken aback. He felt his neck and only
then did he notice that cursed shackle was gone.
Jun Wu smiled, “As expected, I was not mistaken. The time it took for you to return was shorter
than I had imagined.”
Xie Lian slowly processed this information then flashed a small smile too, but his was a bitter
one.
After catching his breath, he spoke up, “My Lord, I want to beg you of something.”
“Permitted.” Jun Wu said.
“Aren’t you going to ask what it is?” Xie Lian asked.
“Either way you would be asking for a gift upon return to the Heavenly Court, so whatever this is
might just as well be my gift to you for your returning to the ranks.”
The corners of Xie Lian’s lips twitched and he rose to his feet, looking Jun Wu squarely in the
eyes and said with the utmost respect, “Then, pray My Lord banish me to the mortal realm once
more.”
Hearing this, Jun Wu’s smile faded, “Whyever for?”
Xie Lian explained himself truthfully, “I’ve committed a crime. The second round of the human
face disease was unleashed by me. Even though the consequences don’t look too serious.”
Since, only a nameless ghost had vanished, and perhaps in this world, there would be no one
who cared for this nameless ghost, so in the end, the consequences didn’t look serious.”
Jun Wu said slowly, “If you knew what was wrong, then, you are already in the right.”
However, Xie Lian shook his head, “Just knowing is not enough. If I made a mistake I should be
the one to accept punishment, but, I committed the wrong, but the one who took the punishment
for me was…”
He raised his head, “So, as punishment, I pray My Lord will grant me a cursed shackle, no, two
cursed shackles. One to seal away my spiritual powers, another to disperse all my luck and
fortune.”
Jun Wu frowned slightly, “Disperse all of your luck and fortune? Then won’t you be unlucky to
the extreme, and truly become the God of Misfortune?”
In the past, Xie Lian would certainly deeply mind when he was called the God of Misfortune, and
was very repulsed by it, thinking it was a great humiliation. However, he no longer cared for
such things, “If I am to become a God of Misfortune then so be it. As long as I know for myself
that I’m not one.”
Once his fortune was dispersed, it would naturally flow to those who were less fortunate, so it’d
be a form of atonement.
“It would be very embarrassing.” Jun Wu reminded him.
“It doesn’t matter.” Xie Lian said, “And to be honest, it feels like… I’m almost used to it by now.”
Although it wasn’t something he wanted to get used to, but, once he did get used to it, it really
felt like nothing could harm him.
Jun Wu watched him, “Xian Le, you have to understand, without spiritual powers, you would no
longer be a god.”
Xie Lian sighed, “My Lord, I know this better than anyone.”
After a pause, he said, a little frustratingly and a little forlornly, “People say I am god and so I
have spiritual powers. But in truth, I’m… not the god they perceived me to be, and I might not be
as invincible as they wished for.”
“Would a god be such a failure? Wishing to protect my own people but I let their corpses spread
the wild; wishing to avenge them, but at the very last minute I stopped and abandoned the plot.
White No-Face wasn’t wrong about me being a ‘failure’.”
“If I’m no longer a god, then so be it.”
Jun Wu looked at him intently, and after a long while, he said, “Xian Le has grown up.”
This should’ve been something Xie Lian heard from his elders. Unfortunately, his father and
mother had no more chances to say it.
A moment later, Jun Wu said, “Since it’s the path you’ve chosen, then, very well. However, I will
need a reason to banish you to the mortal realm.”
He couldn’t just so casually banish a heavenly official like a child’s game; what did they take the
heavens for?
In regards to this, Xie Lian had an idea, and he said, “My Lord, it doesn’t seem like we’ve ever
sparred with everything we’ve got?”
Jun Wu instantly understood what he meant and smiled, “Xian Le, I’m injured.”
“I’m injured too,” Xie Lian said, “So we’re even.”
Jun Wu nodded, “If that’s the case, then I will not hold back.”
Xie Lian smiled, his eyes brightening with the excitement of the prospect, “I won’t either.”
…
His Highness the Crown Prince was banished again.
After the smashing and grandiose second Heavenly Calamity, the Crown Prince of XianLe,
fierce and truculent, rampaged back to the heavens, and before even one incense time was up,
he was knocked back down below once more by the Heavenly Martial Emperor. None of the
heavenly officials could figure out just what that man was thinking???
But, Xie Lian couldn’t figure out what the other heavenly officials were thinking either.
Were they really that curious? Watching him day after day, disguising themselves as mortals to
watch him, disguising themselves as animals to watch him, it’s been days that they’ve been
stalking him! Was watching a grown up man carry bricks and mud really that interesting???
Just as he was still wondering, the foreman behind him yelled out, “NEWBIE, YOU, YES YOU,
I’M TALKING TO YOU! GET BACK TO WORK AND STOP BEING LAZY!”
Xie Lian hastily sat up and answered loudly, “OH!”
Then, he picked up a ragged cattail fan and started fanning the flames. Before him was a small
stove stacked upon several bricks, and upon the stove was a large pot of rice bubbling as it was
being cooked.
This was a construction site where he hauled earth and mud. However, the bricks were already
done being transported. Not far away were two newly built temples, and his task at the moment
was to cook. He cooked and cooked, and just as he was working very hard, two carriages came
hauling two very big divine statues. Xie Lian was absentmindedly tossing whatever into the pot
while stealing glances in the middle of work.
The two divine statues were each carried into their respective temples. Within the hall of the
temple on the left, there came cheers, “General Xuan Zhen is great! General Xuan Zhen is
generous and kind!”
Xie Lian was speechless.
To use “generous and kind” to praise Mu Qing, were those devotees for real?
But, they seemed to have very good reasons. After all, everyone knew that Mu Qing ascended
because he cleaned up all the remaining stubborn resentful spirits in the olden capital of XianLe,
so to understand it as “generous and kind” wasn’t unreasonable. In any case, everyone in the
old capital of XianLe were all very grateful for him.
Inside the hall of the temple to the right, the cheering refused to be beaten, and they roared,
“General Ju Yang is great! General Ju Yang is brave and mighty!”
Xie Lian nodded. This he had no objections. Just, that praise might not hold true when faced
with women.
The devotees on both sides were screaming with all their might, doing all they could to win over
the other, so much so that Xie Lian’s ears were hurting, and he sighed, rubbing his forehead
thinking, why must they be like this?
If they hated each other so much, wouldn’t the problem be solved by not building temples right
next to each other?
The answer to that was – of course not! Because, this area was the most bustling domain with
the best fengshui, so the devotees of those two heavenly officials would never abandon such a
delectable land just to avoid each other; of course they had to do all they could to steal each
other’s worshippers and disgust one another.
It didn’t take long before the devotees from either sides went from yelling to fighting. Over on
this side, Xie Lian felt the timing was about right, and started banging the pots, calling out loudly,
“EVERYONE, STOP FIGHTING! COME EAT!”
They were at the height of their brawl, who had the time to mind him? Xie Lian shook his head
and opened the pot cover, and the fragrance wafted for ten miles. Now he’d done it. The mob
instantly stopped and they all started howling, “…WHAT THE FUCK… WHAT’S THAT
SMELL??”
“WHO’S COOKING SHIT??”
“AND IT’S SHIT THAT SMELLS LIKE POT BOTTOMS*?!”
Xie Lian argued back, “WHAT! This is a hidden, treasured royal recipe…”
The foreman came around with his hand covering his nose, his face turning green, and he
exclaimed, jumping to his feet, “BULLSHIT, WHAT HIDDEN, TREASURED RECIPE? WHAT
ROYALTY?! YOU? GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE! DON’T DISGUST PEOPLE!”
Xie Lian compromised, “Alright, fine, I’ll go. But will you please give me my pay first…”
The foreman exclaimed angrily, “YOU EVEN DARE MENTION PAY?! Why don’t you tell me,
HUH! YOU! EVER SINCE YOU CAME! HOW MUCH HAVE I LOST IN DAMAGES??? HUH?
When it rains lightning strikes nothing but comes only for you! Houses caught on fire THREE
TIMES! AND COLLAPSED THREE TIMES TOO! You’re like a God of Misfortune! AND YOU
DARE ASK ME FOR PAY! GET OUTTA HERE! COME BACK AGAIN AND I’LL BEAT YOU UP!”
“Well you can’t say it like that.” Xie Lian said, “You already said all those things were coming
especially for me, but nothing happens to anyone else every time, so I say you just want to
escape your bill?…” Before he was done, the foreman and all the other fellow labourers could no
longer take the smell wafting out of that pot, and they all fled, leaving Xie Lian in the dust.
“WAIT??” Xie Lian called out.
He glanced around, and the two parties that were fighting were also chased away by the stench.
Xie Lian was speechless and mumbled to himself, “If you weren’t going to eat it why have me
cook such a large pot? Don’t waste just because you’ve got the money?”
Shaking his head, Xie Lian contemplated, then he ladled two large bowls of rice, one offered
inside the Temple of Ju Yang, the other inside the Temple of Xuan Zhen. Finally, feeling that
everything served its purpose, he clapped his hands close, completely satisfied.
He went back outside to pack up his stuff, rolling up the straw mat on the ground very seriously,
and tied it with the sword before carrying both on his back. The white silk band wrapped around
his wrist nuzzled secretly and Xie Lian patted it, righting the bamboo hat on his head, “Fine.
Don’t pay. I’ll go busking.”
He still had a specialty trick after all – shattering boulders on his chest!
As he walked down the path, Xie Lian suddenly noticed there was a tiny, little red flower on the
side of the road, quite precious, and he crouched down, gently touching its petals, feeling quite
cheerful, and he said to it, “I hope we shall meet again.”
Even after he had gone into the distance, that tiny, little red flower was still swaying in the wind.
———–
●Pot Bottom is that layer of rice at the very bottom of the cooking pot that’s usually burnt.
———–
End of Book 4