Chapter 400: A Bright Mid-Autumn Moon

In the Ghost City, faint traces of

qin

music drifted through the air, barely perceptible yet soothing to the mind and soul. It was impossible to tell where the melody was coming from.

The monk slowed his steps and glanced around, observing the Ghost City and the spirits moving about within it.

He soon noticed that most of the ghosts here had young or middle-aged appearances. Judging by their faces, they clearly hadn’t died of old age. His expression softened with pity, as if he could empathize with them simply by seeing their plight.

Suddenly, a ghost froze in place, staring blankly at him. The ghost immediately set aside what it was doing and offered the monk a deep bow.

“Master...”

“Amitabha...”

The monk quickly returned the gesture.

When both stood upright again, the young ghost’s face was already streaked with tears. The ghost looked at him and asked, sobbing, “Master, how did you end up here? Have you died too? With your great cultivation and virtue, how could someone as young as you end up in this place...?”

The ghost’s voice was filled with sorrow and sincerity.

“Oh...” The monk realized the misunderstanding.

He hurried to explain why he was there, detailing how he had come to the Ghost City. He then asked for the ghost’s name and background, only to learn that this spirit had perished during the great plague in Gui Commandery.

The monk remembered this individual—someone he hadn’t been able to save back then.

A sense of guilt arose within him. He held the young ghost’s hands and spoke with him for a while, reminiscing and exchanging words of comfort.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the jujube-red horse standing in the distance. The little girl sat on its back, playing with a venomous snake while waiting for him.

Bidding the young ghost farewell, the monk turned and followed Lady Calico.

As the monk walked, he continued observing his surroundings.

He possessed a heart as bright as a pearl and eyes just as luminous. Through his gaze, the souls around him seemed to become clear, their suffering in life and their grievances in death almost visible to him.

Slowly, he approached the towering stone pillar.

Looking up, the monk caught sight of a familiar figure seated atop it. Turning his head slightly, he also noticed a woman nearby, focused on playing the qin. He couldn’t tell if she was human or a ghost. Her melody, however, never faltered, even as he passed by.

The music added a sense of vitality to the dark and somber Ghost City, bringing it some much-needed color. Not only did it soothe the man on the high platform, but it also seemed to calm and pacify the ghosts in the city below.

The jujube-red horse stopped at the base of the stone pillar, refusing to go further. Meanwhile, the little girl climbed onto the floating steps but paused, turning back to look at him.

The monk quickly followed.

Behind him, the two large ghosts seemed to finally understand. This jujube-red horse was the same one they had encountered in passing back in Yanzhou. This Lady Calico was none other than the famous calico cat, a companion of the immortal expert they had heard of in Yanzhou.

And the man seated on the high platform—this Daoist surnamed Song—was undoubtedly the same immortal master who had calmed the snow of the He Plains region by subduing a great river with a mountain.

Years ago, they had narrowly escaped his grasp.

Who would have thought that after fleeing thousands of li from Yanzhou to Fengzhou, they would end up standing before him voluntarily?

“Generals...”

The monk’s voice interrupted their thoughts. Looking up, they saw him waiting ahead, turning to address them.

“If you’d rather not ascend, you can wait here for me,” he said with a gentle smile.

“How could we possibly do that?” one of the ghosts replied immediately.

“Indeed!”

The two large ghosts gathered their courage and followed.

The floating steps were steady, spiraling up the mountain.

On the high platform of the stone pillar, the Daoist opened his eyes. The maidservant kneeling behind him turned her head slightly, curiously observing the approaching group. Lady Calico had already run ahead, eagerly presenting the snake she held to the Daoist.

“Daoist priest, I’ve brought you a snake,” she announced proudly.

“And what else?”

“A cicada,” she replied.

The little girl extended her other hand, palm pale with a hint of rosy pink, revealing a cicada she had caught.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

“And what else?”

“A few mushrooms.”

She reached into her pouch and pulled out some mushrooms, holding them up for the Daoist to see.

The Daoist patiently waited as she rummaged through her pouch, producing several chicken mushrooms.

Lady Calico, it seemed, had a natural talent for frugality and resourcefulness. No one had ever taught her, yet she instinctively knew to dig deep for the

Macrolepiota albuminosa

mushrooms, ensuring she harvested the long stems buried in the soil.

“Thank you, Lady Calico,” the Daoist said with a slight smile.

“You’re welcome!”

The little girl then turned and glanced back at the monk, who was climbing slowly and whose bald head had just begun to peek over the edge of the platform. She turned back to the Daoist and said, “I also brought you a monk.”

“Thank you, Lady Calico,” the Daoist replied, his tone as calm and patient as ever.

“And what about the cicada and the snake?”

“Today, we have an esteemed guest—a monk who is also an old friend of ours. Monks do not favor killing. Perhaps we should consider it their good fortune and let them go,” the Daoist suggested.

“...”

Lady Calico looked reluctant, but she also saw the reasoning behind his words.

Unable to decide immediately, she picked up the mushrooms, still holding the cicada and the snake, and left the platform.

This left only the Daoist, his maidservant, the monk, and the two ghost generals.

The Daoist sat calmly, while the monk stood. They gazed at each other, much like they had years ago in Gui Commandery, Hezhou.

“Amitabha. Daoist Master Song, it has been a long time,” the monk greeted.

“Master, I have been waiting for you,” the Daoist replied.

“You knew I would come?”

“Fengzhou has gathered countless wronged spirits and resentful ghosts. It was only a matter of time before you arrived. The earthquake at the beginning of the year and the rivers changing their course likely caused disasters as well.

“You travel the world, cultivating both your skills and your heart, just like Doctor Cai. Wherever there is suffering, you go. I guessed that if fate allowed, we might meet here. If not, I would have sought you out myself,” Song You said calmly.

“And what was the cause of the earthquake and the rivers changing course?”

“Please, sit down, Master, and we’ll discuss it,” the Daoist invited.

“Very well.”

The monk sat down and gestured toward the two ghost generals behind him, introducing them. “I encountered these two ghost generals on the road. They were once northern warriors who died in battle and became ghosts. I once asked them about your travels in the north, and they mentioned that they narrowly missed meeting you.”

“I am Feng Yuansi, nicknamed Feng Da'er.”

“And I am Chang Jianyi.”

The two ghost generals bowed nervously, then confessed, “We once made foolish mistakes. Back in Yuan’an City, Yanzhou, when we heard that you were arriving, we were so afraid of punishment that we fled under cover of night...”

“I heard that the two generals came to Fengzhou escorted by the ghost officials, fully prepared to surrender and accept their punishment at the Ghost City,” the monk explained.

He continued, “However, sensing from the behavior and attitude of the ghost officials that the punishment might be especially severe, they fled under cover of night and escaped their captors. Since then, they’ve been hiding in Fengzhou. Later, they encountered me and were moved by my teachings. Since then, they’ve been escorting me here.”

When the monk finished speaking, the two ghost generals exchanged a glance. Not wanting to cause the monk any trouble, they immediately dropped to their knees.

“We admit our wrongs and are prepared to accept punishment,” they said.

“You two are warriors who once defended your homeland and nation. How can you kneel so easily? Please rise. Even if punishment is due, that is a matter for the Ghost City’s court.” Song You gestured lightly with his hand. “Speaking of which, I’ve had more than one near encounter with you two generals.”

“Oh?”

“The night you fled from the ghost officials in Fengzhou, if you had escaped just a little later, you might have run into me,” Song You said with a faint smile.

“This...”

“That said, it’s fortunate you escaped. If you hadn’t, your souls would likely have been scattered to oblivion by now.”

The two ghost generals exchanged frightened glances, their unease growing.

The monk, however, leaned forward slightly and asked, “Does this have anything to do with the earth dragon turning and the rivers changing course earlier this year?”

“There was a dragon, but it wasn’t an earth dragon—it was a marsh dragon.”

“Please elaborate,” the monk urged.

“The imperial court’s State Preceptor had sinister ambitions. To fulfill his selfish desires, he burned countless souls, subjecting them to the agony of death by fire. The gods and Buddhas of the heavens only cared about the incense and power of prayer tied to their positions in the underworld—they showed no concern for what was happening.

“The current emperor sought to become the Ghost Emperor of the underworld after his death, prolonging his reign at the cost of intensifying the wars in the north. He even secretly supported the enemy to create more resentment and grievances. A great demon in Yuezhou, seeking a way forward, collaborated with the State Preceptor, causing the earthquake and redirecting the rivers. That demon also clashed with me.”

Song You’s calm tone belied the weight of his words, and his succinct explanation left both the monk and the ghost generals wide-eyed in shock.

“The Ghost City originally built by the State Preceptor was destroyed. I had no choice but to remain here and rebuild the Ghost City of the mortal world. The underworld will be formed based on this Ghost City, and all the gods and Buddhas have their own agendas for it. I, therefore, must stay here temporarily until the Ghost City is properly established.”

The two ghost generals’ eyes widened even further as they absorbed the enormity of what he was saying.

Song You, however, maintained his composed demeanor, addressing the monk calmly. “I must stay here to oversee the construction of the mortal world's Ghost City, and I cannot leave on a whim, nor can I properly host you, Master. However, I can request a few ghost officials to accompany you, show you around, and explain the origins and structure of this Ghost City in detail.”

Song You paused for a moment and then added, “Master, did you notice along the way that most of the ghosts here did not meet good ends?”

“Why is that?”

“Though the evolution of the Heavenly Dao has made it easier for people to become ghosts, it is still the unjustly dead, the violently dead, and the wrongfully dead who are more likely to linger as ghosts. Their unresolved obsessions weigh heavier, and they are less willing to depart. I lack the ability to unravel their inner knots or to guide wicked ghosts toward virtue. Perhaps, Master, you could give it a try.”

“Amitabha...”

The monk stood up and took his leave.

Song You said nothing more, closing his eyes shortly afterward.

The monk, a man of supreme virtue and immeasurable merit, needed no lengthy words. The truth lay before him in the Ghost City. A single walk through its streets would show him the reality, clear and undeniable.

Song You simply summoned some ghost officials to guide the monk through the city and also asked Lady Calico to prepare a pot of

Macrolepiota albuminosa

mushroom soup with the chicken mushrooms she had collected—but without the snake—to serve as a meal for him.

***

As time passed, the Mid-Autumn Festival drew near.

With the assistance of the fox demon's maid and her pure Yin-Yang spiritual power, Song You’s grand array progressed rapidly. The ghosts within the city couldn’t perceive the subtle daily changes, but every so often, when they paused to look around, they would suddenly realize that the Ghost City seemed to have grown larger—much larger.

Before long, it had already surpassed the size of the original Mount Ye.

The Ghost City remained dim and shadowy, and sitting atop the high platform day after day, focused on a single task, was indeed monotonous.

But the fox demon's transcendent qin playing was something one could never tire of hearing.

“It’s Mid-Autumn already...”

Unknowingly, the fox demon had been playing her

qin

for half a year.

“There should be a bright moon,” Song You murmured.

With a casual wave of his hand toward the sky, it was as if the gates of heaven silently opened. The distant “firmament” suddenly revealed a full moon, its surface etched with intricate details, casting a soft, silvery light over the Ghost City.

Countless spirits simultaneously looked up, their gazes fixed on the moon above.

The

qin

-playing woman also paused her movements and lifted her head to look. Like the ghosts, she too had not seen the moonlight in a long time.

Meanwhile, the monk ascended the spiraling steps. He was already halfway up the path to the stone pillar platform.