Chapter Thirty-Five: The Cycle of the Five Virtues

This is how the current City God came to take office.

During that calamity, aside from the former City God, many shrine spirits also perished. Nearly two-thirds of the deities and ghosts in Danling County were replaced. Yet the precise cause remains obscure, no one can say for certain, as if some taboo shrouds the matter. Even Wang Zhenling, searching through county records, found no concrete account. It was as though someone deliberately blurred and concealed this chapter of history.

Thus, Wang Zhenling sought out Old Lord Hu, who, being of venerable seniority and having witnessed those events himself, could surely shed light.

Indeed, Old Lord Hu said, “I know about this. In those days, ghosts from Mount Wuji descended and ravaged the land, unleashing a tide of spirits. Worse still, they stirred up the resentful and baleful energies suppressed beneath the City God’s prison, which erupted forth. The guilty souls within the prison rebelled—not just in Danling, but across many counties and districts…”

It turns out that the ghost prisons in this world resemble the hells of Wang Zhenling’s former life, places where the Underworld suppresses the most heinous spirits. The difference is that, in his former world, hell was governed by the Underworld. Here, there is no Underworld; each city has its own City God who manages the ghost prison for that city alone. These prisons contain only the ghosts of the city, and cannot control those in the wider countryside.

Moreover, in this world, the divine way depends upon the human way and is subject to its influence everywhere. Thus, though the ghost prisons are meant to suppress criminals and the incorrigibly wicked, often those executed by the authorities are sent there as well. Such sinners, after being beheaded, find no peace in death, but are cast into the ghost prison to suffer, never to be reborn.

Yet government actions are rarely fair or just, and many innocent souls are wronged and sent there. As the saying goes, “What land has not buried the unjustly slain?”—such is the truth. Naturally, then, the ghost prison is a place seething with resentment and baleful energy. If the suppression fails, or a mistake is made, it bursts forth in an instant. This happens not just in a single city, but across districts, even the whole land.

Last time, only a few neighboring counties erupted, but eventually the disturbance was quelled. Even so, in Danling County alone, the City God and two-thirds of the shrine spirits and ghosts perished.

If, across the realm, the suppressed resentment and baleful energy were to explode all at once, it would surely herald the end of a dynasty and the rise of another.

Of course, this was merely Wang Zhenling’s speculation…

“So, it was when the ghost prison failed to suppress the rebellion that the former City God perished!” he mused.

He finally understood why, when he inquired about this matter, he met only evasive answers and found no records in the county archives. He wondered if he might use this method against the current City God. But on reflection, the consequences were too grave and easily spiraled out of control. Most crucially, the ghost prison had erupted just over twenty years ago, and most of the baleful energy had already been vented; now it would be difficult to exploit it again.

Moreover, such actions would offend Heaven, and he might end up entangled by the baleful energy himself.

Since this path was blocked, he could not simply let the City God go unchallenged.

Wang Zhenling inquired further about other matters.

"The City God is the guardian spirit of the city and does not govern us village deities," Old Lord Hu explained.

Wang Zhenling had assumed the City God was the highest ghost deity in each county, with all the communal shrines under his jurisdiction. But later he learned this was not the case. Perhaps in his former world it was so, but here, still in the era before the Middle Ages, the City God was merely the guardian deity of the city.

The ‘city’ refers to the walls and fortifications, while the ‘moat’ is the defensive ditch surrounding it. The City God at this time was simply the protector of the city, thus his relationship with the authorities was closest.

In reality, the village ghosts and deities were not under the City God's control. In sum, the City God did not yet possess the vast authority he would in later times.

This was one reason Wang Zhenling dared to oppose him.

Still, though the City God did not oversee the ghosts outside the city, he maintained many connections among them. Especially with a private shrine deity known as the Blackwater Shrine God, who was his staunch confidant.

"Blackwater Shrine God?"

"Exactly. The Blackwater Shrine God resides in Dafan Township. Though he is a deity of a private shrine, his power is immense, relying on the City God's backing and possessing a strong spiritual vein. He oppresses all the deities of public and private shrines throughout Dafan Township!"

Wang Zhenling thought, interesting, very interesting. It seems he would target the Blackwater Shrine God next.

But as a patrol officer of Guangyang Township, how could he trouble the Blackwater Shrine God in Dafan Township?

For now, he had no good plan.

Yet, unknown to him, events were about to take a dramatic turn.

...

The cultivators of Mist Valley left Mount Wuji and headed directly for Danling County.

Not far from the mountain, they encountered several wealthy men clad in fine silks, accompanied by servants and horses, waiting there.

When they saw the Mist Valley cultivators approach, seemingly riding the wind, they were startled: "Immortals!"

The Mist Valley cultivators remained silent. Only the old man spoke slowly, asking, "What news? Any updates?"

"There is. Chen Bushi is still the county magistrate in Danling. It’s said his merits have been reported, and before long he’ll likely be promoted back to Shenluo," a cautious wealthy gentleman replied.

These men were the other patrons of the Wuhua Society—or more accurately, the patrons of the Mist Valley cultivators.

Just as the Mist Valley cultivators, upon hearing news, immediately sought to avenge their so-called Fourth Brother, not so much out of affection, but because that Fourth Brother had gone out to organize the Wuhua Society, which was their source of funds.

Cultivators, after all, needed money!

To cut off someone's livelihood was like killing their parents.

For this reason, the Mist Valley cultivators hated Chen Bushi intensely.

"Killing Chen Bushi shouldn’t be difficult; he won’t have many experts around him. However, the Chen clan of the River is descended from the Yellow Emperor. According to the cycle of the Five Virtues, after the reign of Fire comes Earth. That means the descendants of the Yellow Emperor are destined to rule the world… If we go against the Chen clan of the River, I fear…"

The wealthy gentleman, a clan leader from the countryside who had read a few books and possessed some insight, spoke these words, causing the Mist Valley cultivators, including the old man, to fall silent.

The Chen clan of the River is a renowned lineage, descended from the Yellow Emperor, and may well replace the Great Cheng Dynasty and found a new empire.