Chapter 266: Night Encounter with Ghost Soldiers

The grassy hills of the plains stretch endlessly, most places devoid of human presence. Walking among them were only a Daoist, a young girl, and a jujube-red horse.

Lady Calico purposely stayed in her human form to keep her money close, frequently reaching into her pocket to feel it.

“Who knew sheep were so expensive!”

“The people of Great Yan love to eat lamb,” the Daoist replied.

“The people of Great Yan love to eat lamb,” Lady Calico repeated, puzzled. “Why don’t they like eating rats?”

The Daoist merely smiled in silence and continued forward.

One tall and one small figure, accompanied by the jujube-red horse, sometimes climbed hills, sometimes descended slopes, and occasionally walked along the ridgeline, searching not only for a path but also for the fabled Turtle City.

It was near dusk when they finally arrived.

This area was relatively flat, with low, gently sloping hills. Faintly visible on the ground was a long, earthen-colored ridge resembling a dragon, stretching out toward a walled earthen city.

Though it wasn’t entirely barren around the city, the heavy ghostly qi and thick yin qi made the surrounding vegetation sparse. Large patches of grass appeared withered and yellow.

Song You stopped in the distance, then sat cross-legged. From his travel bag, he took out a small jade vial and consumed a Swallow Pill, transforming himself into a swallow.

Soaring into the sky, he felt the boundless vastness of the plains, the earth’s edge curving into an arc. The setting sun slowly descended, painting a magnificent view. The cool breeze and the expanse of the heavens brought an extra sense of freedom to his flight.

From above, the old earthen city became clearer. This was once a military stronghold.

Why was it called Turtle City?

Its main structure was roughly oval-shaped, with protruding barbicans built in four directions, making the entire shape resemble a turtle with four legs—hence the name.

The swallow fluttered its wings, effortlessly changing direction as it glided gracefully through the air. It didn’t seem to be observing but rather playing around, as if relishing a freedom that mortals could never experience.

From this height, Turtle City appeared to be constructed entirely of yellow earth. It was surrounded by a moat, with a pond and an old temple outside its walls, the original deity unknown. The temple was now abandoned.

Inside the city, many buildings stood, though it was unclear what their original purposes had been. Nearly all of them were missing roofs and doors, appearing as if they had been scorched by fire. It looked both long-abandoned and strangely inhabited at the same time, giving off a peculiar impression.

It looked like it could once house at least several thousand people.

In addition, Turtle City was connected to the Great Wall. One section led toward Yandu, while another stretched northward, presumably linking directly to the border.

However, both Turtle City and the Great Wall were constructions from the previous dynasty. It’s unclear whether they no longer fit the strategic needs of the Great Yan or were flawed in their original design. Either way, they had since been abandoned, with no one bothering to repair the damaged sections of the Great Wall.

Gradually, the sky grew darker.

The swallow descended, skimming just above the top of Turtle City. It vaguely caught sight of ghostly figures below, but before they could notice it, the bird swiftly glided away, flying out of the city, as if returning to its nest.

“...” The swallow collided softly into the body of the Daoist.

Song You opened his eyes.

Beside him, Lady Calico sat obediently. She took out her money once again, counting it meticulously before reluctantly putting it back into the saddle bag. Then, she transformed back into a cat.

“Let’s go.” The Daoist rose and began walking toward the distance.

The cat and the horse followed closely by his side.

On the vast expanse of land, the Great Wall made of yellow earth stretched straight toward Turtle City. The Daoist walked all the way to the base of the wall and then continued along its length, occasionally glancing into the distance and inspecting the wall itself.

From time to time, he looked down, spotting fragments of bones, scraps of cloth, and broken arrowheads—remnants from countless years ago that had never been cleared away.

Perhaps even after centuries, these relics would still be unearthed by someone.

He hadn’t walked far before the sky darkened. Tonight, the moonlight was a bit brighter than the previous night, but it was still difficult to see clearly.

The Daoist made his way in the darkness, feeling his way in that direction.

“Someone is coming out...”

“Oh! They’re ghosts!” The cat stretched her neck forward, peering into the distance before reporting to the Daoist.

“How many are there?”

“One, two... ten in total,” Lady Calico counted them one by one, then added, “They’re heading toward us, walking along the top of the wall.”

“Have they noticed us?”

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

“I see...”

“What should we do?”

“What do you think we should do?”

“They seem to be talking while walking.” The cat stretched its neck, almost standing up. Its gaze pierced through the darkness, seeing far into the distance, with intense curiosity flickering in its eyes. “We could quietly hide and eavesdrop on what they’re saying. That would definitely be fun.”

“Let's do as you suggest,” Song You said with a slight smile and continued moving forward.

The cat appeared to have a peculiar obsession with eavesdropping, peeking, and concealing their presence. As they drew closer, not only did she lighten her own steps, but she also turned back to remind the Daoist to be careful and stay close to the edge of the Great Wall.

Song You had no choice but to follow her instructions.

The two sides were getting closer. One was on top of the Great Wall, while the other was below.

The Daoist had already stopped walking.

The night wind blew in their direction, and indeed, they could hear the voices coming from above. Surprisingly, the discussion seemed to be about him.

“That demon of He Plains was so big, and it’s a spirit born of heaven and earth, and yet it was defeated!”

“No matter how big the demon is, how could it possibly compare to a divine immortal?”

“Well, that’s not for certain. Haven’t there been people on earth who succeeded in revolting? Who’s to say the Heavenly Court won’t have a change of rulers one day?”

“You dare say such things?”

“I wouldn’t have dared to say this when I was alive, but why wouldn’t I say it when I’m dead? Besides, I heard the demon of Hezhou wasn’t even taken down by the divine immortals of the Heavenly Court—it was defeated by a Daoist from the mortal world.”

“A Daoist from the mortal world? More like a divine immortal who descended to earth!”

“I heard he had a jujube-red horse and a calico cat with him, wielding great divine powers and incredible abilities. Right there in He Plains... You all know about He Plains, don’t you? It’s a flat stretch of land. That Daoist actually moved a whole mountain from somewhere else and placed it in the middle of He Plains, using it to suppress the Demon King.”

The ghost at the front spoke, a hint of worry creeping into its voice. “Sometimes I wonder, the Demon King of He Plains was so big. Even if he wasn’t the strongest among the northern Demon Kings, he was definitely one of the hardest to eliminate, yet he was still subdued. As for us ghosts lingering here—ha, who knows how much longer we can roam free.”

The Daoist stood motionless, and the cat and horse remained still as well.

This group of ghosts then proceeded to walk right above and in front of them, drawing closer with each step. They moved slowly, occasionally stopping, seemingly oblivious to the people standing below them.

“Didn’t it thunder a few days ago? And it was a clear day. One of the lightning bolts struck right on the northern watchtower.”

“Sigh, the mortal world belongs to the living. How could it possibly tolerate the likes of us? Once the Thunder God has a moment to spare...”

“Why do I feel like something's off?”

“Me too.”

“Someone’s here!”

This squad of ghosts had indeed once been an elite border patrol. Even though their eyes were focused far off into the distance, and the night was pitch black, they still managed to detect the presence of people below.

The ghosts all crouched by the edge of the Great Wall, peering down.

By the light of the moon, they could indeed see that there were people below. Not only people—there was also a horse.

“Who’s there?”

“Are you a human or a ghost?”

“Are you a ghost or a demon?”

In an instant, a ghost leapt down from above. Jumping down from the several-zhang-tall Great Wall, it landed lightly on the ground.

Seeing this, the other ghosts followed suit, one after another. There were exactly ten ghosts in total.

Some of them still wore the armor they had in life, either tattered or intact, while others had nothing but plain cloth garments. However, none of the ghosts carried any weapons.

“

Whoosh

!” One of the ghosts sprang up high, lunging straight at Song You.

Lady Calico’s expression turned serious as she opened her mouth and exhaled.

“

Whoosh

...”

A burst of flames exploded, illuminating the rough surface of the yellow earth Great Wall, casting light on the withered grass all around, and revealing both the people and ghosts present.

“Ah!” The ghost retreated even faster than it had attacked.

The other ghosts, however, did not share such a fiery temper. They stared intently at the Daoist, the calico cat, and the jujube-red horse below, all illuminated by the blaze. Their eyes instantly widened in shock.

“This...”

The figure they had just been discussing as if he were a myth had suddenly appeared right before their eyes. The feeling was indescribable.

The Daoist looked at them, his expression calm. They gazed back at him, overwhelmed with disbelief.

“Greetings, Immortal...” A ghost clad in armor stepped forward first, cupping its hands in a respectful salute.

“G-Greetings, Immortal!” The other ghosts hurried to follow suit, their voices trembling, each with a distinct accent.

“Where are you all headed?” asked Song You.

“...” The ghosts exchanged uncertain glances. Finally, the armored ghost who had first spoken replied, “Immortal, we... we're just wandering around...”

“Patrolling, are you?”

“Immortal, we wouldn’t dare deceive you. We’re just aimlessly roaming about. But if we encounter evil ghosts or demons, we do step in to slay them.”

“I see,” Song You nodded, indicating his understanding.

Humans were whole, but ghosts were not. Without a physical body, many ghosts harbored deep attachments and must endure an environment completely different from what they were accustomed to in life. Strange behaviors were common as a result.

Take, for instance, the scholar ghosts of Changjing.

Now, looking at these ghosts—

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Not only did they have different accents, but their appearances varied as well. Some looked like people from the Central Plains, while others resembled those from the grasslands. There were both northern and southern features, and even faces typical of the Western Regions.

This kind of diversity was common among the border troops of the Great Yan.

“May I ask, Immortal... Are you the immortal who suppressed the Demon King in He Plains?”

“You all have been here for a long time, and now as ghosts, you sleep by day and emerge at night. You should have little interaction with the living. How did you come to know of this?” Song You countered with a question.

“...”

Hearing him confirm it, the ghosts were even more astonished.

Though they were elite frontier soldiers, no matter how formidable, they still feared high-ranking officials of the court and the deities of the heavens—especially this particular figure. For a moment, all the ghosts thought he had come to exorcize them, believing their time for a second death had arrived.

“Immortal, w-we...”

The ghost who had spoken earlier trembled as he bowed and said, “There’s frequent communication between the southern grassland pass and the northern border. We’re all brothers in the military, and anyone passing through here, regardless of who they are, usually brings some meat or wine to offer us a toast, even the new recruits.

“Sometimes, they’ll pass by and camp nearby for the night. When that happens, we usually go over to express our thanks and have a chat with them. But if they don’t stay the night nearby, there’s nothing we can do.”

“I see.”

“Immortal...”

“I am merely a Daoist, not an immortal,” Song You said with a slight smile. “You may call me 'sir' or 'Daoist Master.' I hold no malice in coming here, so there’s no need for fear.”

“Then, sir, why have you come here so late at night?”

“I heard that ghosts from Turtle City often roam at night, causing harm to the local livestock and even scaring people to death. Moreover, the phenomenon of soldiers becoming ghosts collectively after death is quite rare. So I came to see for myself and to advise you all to behave,” Song You said, pausing for a moment.

He added, “However, from what I’ve gathered, the Thunder God has already taken notice of this place, so it’s not my place to interfere. But since I’ve already come this far, I might as well go in and take a look.”

“This...” The ghosts exchanged uneasy glances again.

Song You then asked them, “Are you planning to continue wandering around?”

“Yuan’an City is just up ahead. With our abilities, we certainly wouldn’t be able to stop you, sir. Yuan’an hasn’t had a city gate for ages now; anyone can come and go during the day, and at night, we can only frighten common folk. There’s really nothing we can do to keep you out,” the ghost replied. “Since you merely wish to look around, allow us to guide you there.”

“Is that really okay?”

“Sir, you are an immortal. It would be an honor for us to lead the way. How could it not be okay?”

“You flatter me too much.”

“Please, this way!” With that, the ghost gestured courteously and started leading the way ahead.

Song You couldn’t help but take a few extra glances at him.