“Thank you for your assistance, sir.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Then I shall take my leave.” General Chen carefully tucked away a triangular talisman and walked out the front door.

The street was bustling at this time, with several vendors occupying the area in front of the shops. General Chen cautiously made his way through the vendors, stepping over a pile of dry leaves on the ground. He glanced back at the leaves, sensing something, but didn’t pay it any mind and continued to stride away.

Behind him, one person stayed back to lead the horse, while the others hurriedly followed.

After a moment, there was some movement in the pile of leaves.

“

Swish…

”

The leaves scattered, and a calico cat emerged. It shook its body before stretching lazily, glancing around before gracefully returning to the house.

With a nimble leap, it jumped onto the table.

Outside was noisy as the calico cat spoke softly, “Daoist Master…”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you bury me with leaves?”

“It was clearly the wind that blew the leaves to you; I didn’t bury you.”

“You blew them.”

“How could you sully my reputation for no reason?”

“It was you who blew them.”

“Well, it’s autumn now. Since you were sleeping on the street, I was afraid you would catch a chill, so I covered you with leaves to keep you warm.”

“…?” The calico cat tilted her head, staring at him with suspicion.

It was unclear whether she chose to believe him or simply didn’t want to argue, but she shook her head before she jumped down from the table and leisurely made her way upstairs.

The Daoist watched her figure, continuing to ponder.

At this time, General Chen Ziyi was at the height of his power and influence. It was no exaggeration to say that many common folk had his portrait posted on their doors, turning him into a Door God.

Whether the portraits resembled him or not, or how effective they were, didn’t matter. The people truly believed in his divine might, convinced that even his image could ward off demons and scare away evil spirits. Especially in the north, he had already been elevated to a god-like figure.

Even the people of the northern frontier would feel anxious just seeing his banner, sometimes even fleeing in fear.

In even more distant regions, where people had yet to meet him, his stories had already spread among them. This was undoubtedly the highest praise one can receive.

One could say he was just two steps away from becoming a deity—Death on the battlefield and the court's official decree.

Though he was a mortal, he could no longer be compared to ordinary people. For someone like him, it would be tantamount to self-destruction if ordinary demons and evil spirits attempted to harm him.

If demons or wicked cultivators tried to invade his dreams, the chances of success would be slim.

How could so many different soldiers, renowned figures from the

jianghu

, and talented eccentrics know the identities and appearances of so many people?

The most likely explanation was a mysterious connection in the ether.

But this raised another question.

The Central Plains and the northern barbarians had fought for many years, committing many brutal acts against each other—beheading, piling corpses into mounds, and impaling bodies. But if the opposing side had practitioners of dark arts, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to take the soldiers' souls for some purpose or simply to torment them for amusement.

However, during the years General Chen Ziyi has led his troops, the Central Plains had largely been the dominant force. The northern side had struggled even to retrieve their fallen comrades' bodies, let alone come back after a battle specifically to reclaim the souls of the fallen soldiers from the Great Yan.

And if the souls were not collected within a few days, most would return to the heavens and disperse naturally, with only a few becoming ghosts under rare circumstances.

Such actions would be quite difficult to accomplish.

“Unless…”

Just as this thought crossed his mind, someone else arrived outside. It was a middle-aged Daoist with a limp.

“Greetings, my kind fellow Daoist.”

“You flatter me, State Preceptor.” Song You rose again to bow to him, then invited him inside.

“Have I disturbed you?”

“Your esteemed presence graces our humble abode, bringing great honor. How could it possibly be considered a disturbance?” Song You replied politely. “Moreover, I’ve been quite free lately.”

“The weather was turning cooler, and since I seldom have time to relax, I decided to come out for a stroll and visit you,” the State Preceptor said with a smile. “However, on my way here, I happened to encounter General Chen.”

“General Chen was only here for a short while,” Song You remarked. “You might have even left before him. What a coincidence.”

“Who says otherwise?” the State Preceptor replied with a smile, leaning in curiously. “I wonder why General Chen came to seek you so early. Is there an important matter?”

Song You answered, “Previously, I went to Mount Beiqin to seek out Doctor Cai, but I couldn’t find him. On my way back, I happened to run into General Chen and two princes returning from hunting. I’ve often heard stories about the general, and I’ve admired him for a long time. I’m also quite curious about the north and border matters.

“We chatted a bit at that time but didn’t get to speak at length, so today General Chen came to reminisce and share some personal matters with me.”

The State Preceptor said, “I imagine it’s quite different from what the storytellers say.”

“Completely different.”

“Haha…” The State Preceptor nodded with a laugh. “In fact, I hold General Chen in high regard as well. However, while the world knows how formidable he is, few truly understand just how formidable he really is.”

“How so?” Song You showed a keen interest, genuinely intrigued.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“Take the Battle of Yutou Pass, for instance. Have you heard of it?” The State Preceptor was a talkative person and quickly shifted the topic, as if chatting with an old friend.

“Isn’t that the battle where General Chen defeated a hundred thousand with just five thousand elite troops?”

“Exactly.”

“I’ve heard about it from storytellers.”

“A stunning victory that shocked the northern frontier, and one that established the outcome in the Battle of Lanshui. I doubt there’s any storyteller who would miss this tale,” the State Preceptor said with a smile. “So let me ask you, how did the storytellers describe General Chen’s victory?”

“I’ve heard it was a water attack.”

“And that’s why I say that while people know how formidable General Chen is, they don’t truly know just how formidable he really is.” The State Preceptor shook his head. “Blocking the river upstream, orchestrating the troops, opening the floodgates, and drowning the enemy army is certainly a brilliant strategy, but it’s actually not like that at all.”

“I would like to hear more.”

“In reality, there were no clever schemes; it was simply raining at the time, causing the river to swell. People saw this and spread rumors about a water attack,” the State Preceptor said, shaking his head. “The truth is that General Chen fought with just five thousand against one hundred thousand and outright defeated them, openly blocking the advance of the hundred thousand troops from the northern frontier!”

“Is that so…”

“Not just blocking them, but achieving victory. By the time the reinforcements arrived, the northern troops were already in disarray, leaving behind tens of thousands of corpses!”

“…”

“Isn’t that incredible?”

“Yes.”

“The reason storytellers say that General Chen used a water attack, and why the world spreads this tale, is because no one would believe that five thousand men could defeat a hundred thousand valiant troops from the northern frontier.” The State Preceptor continued shaking his head.

He added, “Sometimes, only when crafting a story do you need to consider whether people believe it; the truth doesn’t need such consideration.”

“What you say makes sense…”

The State Preceptor sighed. “There are various levels of wisdom in this world. When it comes to clever schemes, compared to ordinary people, they might be seen as brilliant, but compared to General Chen, they would merely be considered average. True brilliance is beyond the comprehension of the masses.

“Just as no one would believe that five thousand soldiers could defeat a hundred thousand from the northern frontier; even if General Chen were to explain how he won, the world still wouldn’t believe it.

“That’s why I say that while the world knows how formidable General Chen is, they don’t truly understand just how formidable he really is. It’s beyond words. History books briefly record it, and future generations can hardly imagine it.”

Song You said, “Such occurrences in history seem quite common.”

“Indeed.” The State Preceptor smiled and said, “Many skilled warriors throughout history often employed clever strategies, but in reality, there aren’t that many clever schemes. What’s more astonishing is that they could win honorably without relying on such schemes at all.”

The two continued their casual conversation for a while before the State Preceptor finally mentioned what he had really come to discuss with Song You.

“The will of the people and the desires of all living beings are converging, and the forces of the underworld are nearly fully gathered.”

“How do you know this?”

“Have you noticed any changes in the Heavenly Dao?”

“I’ve been mostly in the city lately, going out little, so I haven’t seen or heard much. I’m not aware of the changes you speak of,” Song You said, sipping his tea.

“The changes are still quite subtle now, making them hard to perceive in the city. However, in the border regions, where death is more common, the signs are apparent,” the State Preceptor explained.

“Previously, when a person died, becoming a ghost was a rare occurrence, but now it has become much more frequent. Those who harbor grievances or are unwilling to accept their fate, or even those with great skills in life, are likely to have their souls linger after death instead of dissipating.”

“Is that really the case?”

“Reports have already come from the borders.”

“I see.” Upon hearing this, Song You could only sigh inwardly; it was indeed as the State Preceptor said.

“I anticipate that in a few years, at most in ten to twenty years, the underworld will likely form,” the State Preceptor said, also sipping his tea.

“You must’ve calculated that timeframe, right?”

“You know that both the Emperor and I have our agendas, and I won’t hide it from you,” the State Preceptor said after a moment of silence. “However, my knowledge is ultimately limited, and the evolution of the Heavenly Dao has genuinely caught me off guard. The underworld hasn’t formed yet, but the increase in people becoming ghosts after death has become quite troublesome.”

“I imagine you must have a countermeasure,” Song You said this while observing the State Preceptor’s expression calmly.

“I do have some preparations. I’ve already sent someone to the border regions to guide the restless souls back to places where there are many dead, to prevent chaos and frighten the living,” the State Preceptor said.

“Originally, I had discussed with the Emperor about establishing a ghost city in Fengzhou, which I intended to use for future dealings between the underworld and the living. It’s just the right time to bring the ghosts there and temporarily store them.”

“Truly impressive foresight, State Preceptor.” The Daoist smiled in admiration and raised his cup to drink tea.

“It seems you’re not surprised…” the State Preceptor remarked. “How did you come to know?”

“To be honest, I had heard before that someone claimed to have witnessed a hundred ghosts roaming at night in Fengzhou. I thought it was odd and suspected that some chaos might be brewing, so I intended to investigate,” Song You replied with a smile.

“Since it’s you who established the ghost city there, I need not rush to go; I can wait until I pass by in the future to see your handiwork.”

“What a remarkable coincidence!” The State Preceptor chuckled. “The affairs of the world truly are fascinating.”

“Fascinating indeed.”

“I would like to invite you to take a look,” the State Preceptor said to him. “I wouldn’t want to delay your travels across the world, but if you leave the capital and pass through Fengzhou, you must inform me. If I have overlooked anything, it would be good for you to point it out; otherwise, I can’t bear the burden of tens of thousands of vengeful spirits.”

“Certainly!”

“Perhaps I might really need your assistance…”

“How so?” Song You looked at him, and he returned the gaze.

“To put it plainly, many of the souls returning from the borders are quite fierce; some carry deep malice, and others are burdened with grave sins. It’s not just about having slain many enemies on the battlefield.

“After they become ghosts, they are brought to Fengzhou by my people and spirits, but they often resist discipline and even create chaos, which gives me quite a headache. If they become uncontrollable in the future, I would have no choice but to seek your help.”

Upon hearing this, Song You remained silent, neither rejecting nor agreeing, and simply smiled as he asked, “What about the more distant possibilities?”

“If too many ghosts accumulate in Fengzhou, and it can’t contain them, I would have to consider using secret methods to isolate a section of space while the underworld hasn’t formed yet,” the State Preceptor replied respectfully.

He added, “I’m not very talented, but after becoming the State Preceptor, I’ve collected many ancient texts and actually found some remarkable techniques. One of them can create a space separation, but I’m not skilled in this field, and it’s not something I can accomplish alone.”

“If it comes to that, feel free to come find me.”

“Thank you, my friend.”

“No need to thank me.”

The two sat there and chatted for the entire morning.

The State Preceptor was indeed talkative and knowledgeable; perhaps he could engage in enjoyable conversations with anyone, and naturally, he and Song You hit it off. By noon, Song You had even ordered dishes from the restaurant across the street to share a meal with him before departing in the afternoon.