Chapter Six: The Divine Weapon of Cheng Tian

Therefore, Lord Hu, as the tutelary deity of Guangyang Ward, was truly extraordinary, not inferior to the gods of any other rural shrine. Moreover, his status as a tutelary deity was officially recognized by the authorities, marking him as a public deity. This set him far apart from the many private shrines and illicit cults, which the authorities dismissed as wanton superstitions.

In these primitive times, the world was still wild and untamed, teeming with spirits and monsters. The common folk worshipped all manner of deities, great and small, in hopes of protecting their communities. Every ward would typically establish a shrine, known as a "ward shrine." Each township had its own township shrine, and every county had a county shrine as well. These public shrines operated under the order of the government, their deities officially recognized and expected to uphold the laws of the land.

Beyond these, however, there were also places where, for instance, a strange stone or a thousand-year-old tree would inspire awe among the people, who would then honor it with incense and offerings, forming yet another kind of shrine. Such shrines were private and lacked official sanction. Even if a spirit resided there, it would be branded as an illicit god, a target for government suppression.

What worried Wang Zhenling most was the memory of his return to Xiaomei Mountain, when he had been stopped and questioned by the ghostly officials of Guangyang Shrine. That had been his greatest slip that day. If anyone followed that thread, it would be all too easy to discover that Wang Zhenling’s story was full of contradictions. He could not tell if Lord Hu had grown suspicious or not. For a time, Wang Zhenling was on edge, but soon he was able to relax.

Lord Hu, as it turned out, was not one of those deities who held public duty above all else; he valued his family more. According to his own account, he had once been an ordinary fox in his youth, who by chance inherited the teachings of a cultivator. Slowly, he awoke to wisdom. But as a fox, he lacked education and understanding, and so he would sneak into private schools to secretly listen to the lessons. It took him two or three centuries to finally achieve spiritual transcendence. Later, by bribing an official with money, he became the local tutelary deity, a position he had now held for fifty or sixty years.

Although many details were left vague, Wang Zhenling could easily guess that the money used for bribery had no doubt come from tombs. Even the cultivation method Lord Hu had acquired was probably unearthed from some long-dead cultivator’s grave. Of course, he saw through it but did not expose it.

Now that he had risen in wealth and status, even as a fox spirit, Lord Hu had developed a sense of dignity, unwilling to talk about grave-robbing anymore. In conversation, he expressed great satisfaction with his current life—prosperous family, children and grandchildren about him. As for government duties, he did as much as necessary, no more.

The main reason Lord Hu cared so much for Wang Zhenling—apart from his tutoring of Xiao Bai and the others—was, in truth, what the ghostly officials had said before: Wang Zhenling had invented underfloor heating, a deed of boundless merit. After death, when merits were weighed in the underworld, he would surely be counted among the gods, and likely not just a minor ward or township deity. Because of this, Lord Hu valued Wang Zhenling all the more. Otherwise, he would never have so easily gifted such precious pearls.

What Wang Zhenling most wanted to know was the origin of the jade box, but it was not easy to ask directly; he could only probe indirectly. In the end, he managed to learn that Lord Hu, on the day in question, had been ordered by the authorities to lead ghostly troops in pursuit of the transmigrant, Zhen Yunzi. After killing Zhen Yunzi, Lord Hu found the box on the way back, but paid it little heed, never connecting it to Zhen Yunzi. When it came time to send a gift to Wang Zhenling, he thought the pearls needed a container, and so the precious jade box ended up with him by chance.

Wang Zhenling could not help but marvel at the workings of fate.

“…That fiend was truly formidable. On the day of the great battle, even hundreds of ghostly soldiers were not his match, and two war chariots were overturned. Xu Wuli and two other tutelary gods from nearby shrines, eager for merit, were also slain. Tsk, tsk, what was the point? The authorities’ orders should be handled as best one can, but why throw your life away for them?” Lord Hu sighed deeply.

The lifespans of spirits far exceeded those of mortals—often hundreds or even thousands of years. To risk one’s life for a little reward from the authorities seemed, to Lord Hu, utterly senseless.

Wang Zhenling asked, “But wasn’t it said that the fiend only killed a hundred or so ghostly soldiers? I hadn’t heard that he slew any tutelary gods.”

“That’s just the officials trying to downplay things to prevent panic. I was close enough to see everything; such matters can’t be hidden from me. But there’s one thing the authorities probably got right: that fiend might really have been an adherent of the Heavenly Dao.”

“Oh? Why do you say that?”

Wang Zhenling knew perfectly well that the so-called fiend was simply a transmigrant, one who had drawn too much attention to himself on his very first crossing and paid the ultimate price. Why, then, did Lord Hu claim he was of the Heavenly Dao?

“Because that fiend summoned the Azure-armored Divine Soldiers of the Heavenly Dao…”

Before the words were finished, Wang Zhenling was already shocked. “What? Lord Hu, are you certain?”

Though Wang Zhenling had never seen the so-called Divine Soldiers of the Heavenly Dao, he had heard tales. Years ago, the Heavenly Dao had rebelled, proclaiming a new heaven and leading the people to overthrow the rule of the authorities. They unleashed a force of a hundred thousand divine soldiers, it was said, who swept across the land destroying public and private shrines and slaughtering countless spirits. Even now, more than a decade later, the very mention of the Heavenly Dao’s divine soldiers left spirits everywhere trembling with fear. The divine soldiers had become the symbol of the Heavenly Dao. But Zhen Yunzi was clearly a transmigrant; how could he possibly have summoned such beings?

“How could I be mistaken?” Lord Hu was good-natured and did not take offense at Wang Zhenling’s disbelief. He spoke earnestly: “Cultivation is a noble pursuit, but the mortal authorities are not fond of cultivators. Sir, your future is bright, but you must act with caution; do not lose much for the sake of little. Especially since the fiend’s head was stolen by the Heavenly Dao, and the constable in charge of the case was also killed. The authorities are furious and searching everywhere. You must be careful!”

Wang Zhenling understood that Lord Hu was warning him and quickly expressed his thanks. Indeed, Lord Hu’s main purpose in inviting him to the banquet was to deliver this warning, advising him to be especially cautious in the coming days. Wang Zhenling took the advice to heart—he must beware not only the authorities but also the followers of the Heavenly Dao. Who could tell what connection might exist between Zhen Yunzi and the Heavenly Dao? In any case, caution was the wiser course.

He told Lord Hu, “I plan to return to Jiaode Ward for a time, so I won’t be able to tutor your grandson. I hope you will understand.”

Lord Hu, seeing how well Wang Zhenling took advice and how prudent and steady he was, looked upon him even more favorably and replied with a smile, “By all means, sir, return as you wish. In a year or so, my grandchildren can once again attend your teachings.”