White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 91 There is a ghost
Xuan Ya was startled by this person's luck, which naturally affected Bai Wuxiang's true form. He recalled his past memories in surprise, and finally settled on a simple and honest mountain-carrying traveler.

That was the rainy night when Wan Gu first set out for Skull Mountain. It was the first time Bai Wuxiang met Yao Zhengze, the painter, and the man lying on the rock pretending to be asleep.

"So it was him!"

This person's fate underwent a dramatic change after only a few years of absence.

Even ordinary demons could no longer get close to him; he was no longer a rabble, but truly possessed the noble destiny of a king!

Even without many distinguishing features, Bai Wuxiang could tell that this person who had changed his fate was the one who had received guidance from Lord Yunze Mountain.

As winter snow fell, Shenzhou, from the prefectural capital to the countryside, gradually fell under the rule of the Wuxiang Shangjiao sect.

The appointment and removal of officials in various counties and prefectures were all announced from the Wuxiang Palace in Shangyang City.

Wuxiang Palace was built by Li Xiangzhi on the site of a former imperial palace, and now it has become the headquarters of the Wuxiang Sect.

Inside the palace, beautiful women and skilled musicians, brought as tribute from various places, are performing decadent music and explicit dances.

Li Xiangzhi sat at the head of the table, his arm around the waist of a beautiful female servant, holding her soft, boneless hand in one hand, and smiled with a slightly tipsy expression:
"If a single state can support so many beautiful servants and skilled musicians, what kind of appearance must the emperor, supported by more than a dozen states across the land, possess?"

Liu Dazhu stood at the bottom of the steps, his black hands reaching into the maid's clothes and groping wildly. He couldn't help but say, "Brother, you are such a talented and wise man, why don't you rebel against that young emperor, and we can declare ourselves emperors and be emperors for ourselves? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Yes, brother! With your talent, how could this whole state possibly contain you?"

The others also offered their advice.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangzhi couldn't help but laugh and said, "Being an emperor is not easy. It's better to be a prince or nobleman, living a carefree and happy life. That's what you call being dashing."

Moreover, without a sense of righteousness, the people of the world will only see us as traitors!
To accomplish great things, one must act in a righteous manner!

He was not blindly arrogant because of the pleasures of wine, women, and music. He was well aware that if the court was determined to get rid of him, his newly established forces would be no match for the court's army.

"Yes, whatever decision you make, brother, we will follow you closely," Liu Dazhu said, leading the way in flattery.

After being fed a sip of fine wine by a maid, Li Xiangzhi continued, "All thirty-six counties and seven prefectures in the state must increase the preaching of this religion. Whether they are local gentry and landlords or common people in the mountains, they must all know the name of the God of No Form."

Only when the people believe in my Formless Supreme Teaching will we have a continuous stream of troops and soldiers!

"Yes, brother! We take this matter very seriously!"

"In addition, we need to recruit folk craftsmen and expedite the production of gunpowder and cannons. If we have a hundred cannons, even an army of 100,000 will have to think twice." Li Xiangzhi specifically instructed, "Dazhu, this matter is of utmost importance, so I entrust you with the entire process and you must not be careless in the slightest!"

"Don't worry, brother, I will definitely live up to your expectations!" Liu Dazhu immediately stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and replied.

……

In Shanghai, frost and snow fell on the heavy, old-fashioned eaves. In front of the solemn temple, a group of officials dressed in crimson robes, led by the prefect of Shenzhou, slowly stepped into the somewhat old temple.

The elderly temple keeper sat serenely beneath the statue of the deity in the main hall, a wisp of smoke rising slowly from the offering table and dissipating into the snow-covered landscape.

The temple keeper slowly turned around and looked at the newcomer. He hesitated for a moment before standing up and gazing at the crowd in the snow.

Even though he was old and his eyesight was failing, he could still tell that these people were dressed in extraordinary clothes.

"Gentlemen, is there anything I can help you with?"

The temple keeper neither flattered nor revered them, but simply asked a question calmly.

"How dare you! The Prefect is here, why don't you come and greet him immediately?"

An official stepped forward and reprimanded him.

Prefect Shi Xingjing waved his hand and said, "No noise is allowed."

According to official rank, the City God of a prefecture should be a fourth-rank official.

Grand Tutor Qi was a first-rank official during his lifetime, and posthumously honored as the City God of this prefecture, a second-rank official. It is we, his descendants, who should come to offer incense to him.”

Upon hearing this, the temple keeper said, "Your Excellency the Prefect is a man of great learning. Please come into the hall for a chat."

Shi Xingjing smiled and stepped up the stairs, then turned to the officials and said, "You all stand still and wait, so as not to disturb the Grand Tutor's meditation."

All the officials bowed and agreed.

Once he entered the hall, the officials, both high and low, who had been standing shivering in the snow, began to whisper among themselves.

"Lord Zhao, do you think the Prefect truly believes in God?"

"Lord Shi usually keeps his distance from ghosts and gods. Perhaps there really are ghosts and gods in this world, but ordinary people like you and me are probably unable to see them."

"Lord Shi is worried about the safety of Shencheng. If it is breached by that demonic cult, I'm afraid we will lose our official positions, and even our lives will be in danger."

If there truly is a god, or someone capable of saving Shanghai from its current crisis, what's wrong with calling him a god?

"Lord Xu is right. Right now, we should focus on breaking the siege of the city!"

Inside the hall, as soon as Shi Xingjing stepped across the threshold, he realized that he could no longer hear the sound of wind and snow behind him, and the surroundings seemed to fall into silence.

He raised his head and looked up at the huge, three-zhang-tall lacquered statue of a god in the hall. The statue wore a brocade cloud official hat and a vermilion robe. Its face was kind and old, and many parts of the mottled stone had been weathered and blurred.

The temple keeper's hoarse voice rang out: "The Grand Tutor has not appeared in the world for more than thirty years. Whether or not you can invite the Grand Tutor out depends on your fate."

"

"More than thirty years ago?" Shi Xingjing recalled, "At that time, I was still studying and memorizing words at home. I still remember when the late emperor reclaimed the northern border, the whole country was celebrating. My father was overjoyed, and I was able to find an opportunity to climb over the wall and run out of the house."

I still remember it vividly; it was the first time I had ever seen such a scene on the street. Whether it was a street vendor, a high-ranking official, or a woman and child, everyone was smiling and laughing. It was the first time I truly understood what universal celebration meant.

The wisps of smoke in front of the statue slowly rose straight up into the sky. The temple keeper's eyes flickered slightly. "Your Excellency has a good memory. It was from that time that the late emperor re-established the new capital in Luoyang, ruling over all the provinces and continuing the history of the past."

"It was at that time that the Grand Tutor was labeled a treacherous minister who misled the country, inciting the Emperor of the Great Zhao Dynasty to waste hundreds of millions of taels of silver over three reigns, all for the sake of blocking the Yellow River's floods," Shi Xingjing sighed.
“The times were very different a hundred years ago. I have reviewed the flood control records and found that the Grand Tutor’s strategy back then was not wrong.”

He was criticized by ignorant people and his reputation was damaged by historians. How could the Grand Tutor not be annoyed by this?
As long as I remain in court, I will never forget to clear the Grand Tutor's name and restore his innocence as a righteous official.

Smoke rose slowly to the top of the palace, gathering into a cloud in mid-air. An elderly man dressed in the robes of a previous dynasty, with a long beard and flowing hair, stood on the cloud and chuckled softly:
"The Shi family? I remember that more than a hundred years ago, a fifth-rank official from the Shi family did become my disciple. At that time, I felt that he was extraordinary. Now it seems that his descendants have not fallen to a low level either." Shi Xingjing saw this strange scene. Although he tried his best to maintain a calm mind, his eyes were still filled with shock.

He was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening, and hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Grand Tutor, you have a good memory. My ancestor did indeed study under you. My Shi family rose to prominence in the court because of this, and has continued for seven generations."

"Hehe, you've come to me today hoping I, the god, will help you out of this siege, right? If that's the case, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

"Gods do not approach the heavenly realms, and demons cannot disrupt the affairs of the dynasty. If I, this god, were to intervene, I would be violating the heavenly laws, and I fear even my divine nature would be in jeopardy." The former Grand Tutor, who was posthumously appointed as the City God of Shenzhou, waved his hand helplessly.

"How could I let you put yourself in danger?" Shi Xingjing hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "It's just that the rebels outside the city are really strange. I heard that they worship some kind of demons and monsters as gods. I think that the Wuxiang Shangjiao behind these rebels must have demons causing trouble, bewitching people, and causing such a calamity."

Therefore, we would like to request the Grand Tutor to take action and see what kind of demonic spirit this seemingly divine, formless god truly is!

"Formless?"

After pondering for a while, the City God on the cloud said, "Very well, let it be for the sake of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Gaozu, I should also do my part for Nanzhao."

……

Heavy snow blocked the roads to Wanxiang Mountain, and the villagers stayed indoors to spend the winter peacefully.

In the deep of night, the forest was shrouded in mist. A white fox perched on an ancient pine tree, absorbing the moonlight. Its fur swayed gently in the night breeze, and many mountain spirits slept all around.

Yuetang guided a wisp of moonlight through its mouth and nose into its lungs, and a refreshing coolness swirled and flowed within its abdomen until that coolness settled in its dantian and spiritual sea.

She has already developed the spirituality of a demon, but she is a fox demon with shallow demonic power.

The cave master told her that during the cold winter, all the beasts in the mountains lie dormant and all the spirits hide their forms, making this the most advantageous time for cultivation.

Because no living beings would compete with her for the surrounding spiritual energy, it would be twice as effective for her cultivation.

However, she needs to overcome the extremely cold power of heaven and earth, and while resisting the severe cold, she must also adhere to her original intention to cultivate and guide the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into demonic power.

This may seem simple, but it is precisely the most difficult thing for animals that have an instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm.

Bai Yuetang was able to do this because she had been immersed in the teachings of Wuxiang for a long time and had learned from others, thus possessing wisdom that surpassed that of ordinary beasts.

After finishing her cultivation, she shook off the fur on her body, sending out some fine snowflakes. Then she stood up from the branch, preparing to stretch her body before starting her second cultivation session of the evening.

The little white fox twisted her body and moved her limbs, as if she were a person, something she had learned from the old teacher.

Du Xiucai taught at Wuxiang Temple every day. Although he was old, he was quite healthy and exercised every day.

After watching for a while, she learned this set of breathing techniques.

As the white fox was gathering its strength, it suddenly heard a faint, indistinct melody coming from the quiet mountains and forests in the distance.

The gongs clanged and the drums pounded. There were also banners and canopies, as well as halberds and axes.

Bai Yuetang's ears twitched; it seemed... the music was getting closer.

The sound of gongs and drums filled the air, and the vibrations of wind chimes shook the earth.

The music shook the pine trees and snow in the mountains, and the white fox began to feel dizzy. She couldn't help but fall from the tree and into the snow.

Her long eyelashes were covered in snow. She looked helplessly at the snow on the ground in front of her, which began to tremble. The music grew closer and closer, and the sound of gongs and drums was deafening and jarring, making her writhe on the ground in pain.

She struggled to lift half of her head and looked toward the source of the music, where rows of blurry figures were slowly walking through the distant mountains.

The figures moved at a leisurely pace, crossing one mountain peak in just a few breaths and appearing on another.

"Woooooo~"

A low, ghostly wail accompanied by the vibrations of gongs and drums pierced the little white fox's head, making her scream in agony.

A chilling, ghostly aura rushed towards her, and the sound of gongs and drums almost exploded in her ears. A blurry double image appeared before her eyes, showing a group of half-human, half-ghost creatures stopping in front of her.

The little white fox was terrified, and she fainted as soon as her eyes rolled back.

Two demons with a single horn on each head twisted their heads, their blank, scarlet eyes slanting as they looked at the little white fox on the ground.

Two night-roaming spirits, each carrying a dark blue lantern, lowered their hands and shone their light on the little white fox's face. The shadows of these spirits, each a full three zhang tall, enveloped the white fox on the snow.

Following the Night Wanderer were eight ox-headed and horse-faced monsters carrying a large sedan chair, with Generals Gan and Liu and General Jia Suo following behind.

One hundred and eight underworld messengers, carrying ceremonial weapons and playing music such as drums and gongs, caused the wandering ghosts from all directions to be drawn behind the shackled general, their souls bound by long soul-binding chains.

A gust of cold wind blew, lifting the front curtain of the magnificent and imposing carriage. Through a corner peeking out, one could see an elderly man with a long beard, who looked old but exuded a dignified air. He was dressed in a black divine robe and sat with his eyes closed.

Ahead of the carriage were two officials with deathly pale faces, one holding a book and the other holding a pen.

The official in charge of writing respectfully said, "My lord, the Black Stone Stronghold in the Wanxiang Mountains is just ahead."

The underworld official holding the book asked, "My lord, should we arrest that formless demon here? Or should we summon him for questioning?"

“I want to see before I get there whether the mountain of ten thousand bones truly contains the people described in the Map of No Form.”

Grand Tutor Qi, aboard the carriage, slowly spoke and gave an order.

The two underworld officials immediately turned around, while Ox-Head and Horse-Face continued walking.

But the carriage suddenly stumbled, shaking the twenty-four bright pearls hanging in front of it.

Ox-Head, Horse-Face, and all the other demons realized that they could no longer lift their feet!
The two towering Night Wanderers roared in unison, "What kind of demon dares to disturb the presence of the divine beings?"

The surroundings were silent. Suddenly, the ghosts realized that a white-robed figure had appeared in front of their procession.

The man had long hair that fell over his shoulders, with strands framing his forehead. He had a smile on his jade-like face as he bent down and picked up the white fox from the ground.

The little white fox awoke from her unease, and her uneasy eyes lit up when she saw Bai Wuxiang. She let out a soft cry:

"Master, there's... a ghost!"

(End of this chapter)