So the Lore Was Investiture of the Gods?

So... the lore was Investiture of the Gods?

Yang He had seen both of them among the available identities.

The County Lord wiped cold sweat from his forehead. "Constable Song, you finally brought Wang the Carpenter here. The General's Mansion has pressed me three or four times already."

Song Kuo looked utterly exhausted. He had not slept for two days and nights.

Wang the Carpenter was terrified, his legs weakening as he walked.

Song Kuo was about to reply when he noticed Yang He at the mouth of the alley. "Daoist Yang, did you... encounter the evil spirit that lures people into hanging themselves too?"

Warmth spread down Wang the Carpenter's thigh, and a trickle of yellow liquid ran onto the ground.

They could all see the unmistakable strangulation marks on Yang He's neck. How could they not think of the dozen or so people who had inexplicably hanged themselves?

The County Lord breathed heavily, looking at Yang He as if he had seized a lifeline.

After all, Yang He was the only person to survive an encounter with the evil spirit.

Song Kuo could not help but regard Yang He more highly as well, even though he had previously thought the man was all talk, spending his days swindling money in the guise of a Daoist.

The County Lord strode forward.

"Daoist Yang, we met yesterday while dealing with Old Liu's hanged corpse."

Yang He went along with it. "County Lord, the disturbance caused by the General's Mansion is simply too great. To be honest, this humble Daoist nearly perished."

He slipped into character quickly, making a show of calculating on his fingers. "Boundless Heavenly Venerate, at least twenty people have died in the past two days."

"Yes, yes, we can talk as we walk."

Magistrate Qian was drenched in sweat as he gestured for the three of them to follow him into the Yamen.

There were only a handful of constables inside the Yamen. Almost all of them were soldiers from the General's Mansion, setting up yellow talismans everywhere and ignoring Magistrate Qian entirely.

Song Kuo believed him a little more now. The news of the seven people drowned in Qing Lake had remained sealed off. Had he truly underestimated Daoist Yang before?

He could not help asking, "Daoist Yang, how exactly can this disaster be dispelled?"

The County Lord stopped walking. There happened to be no soldiers nearby.

Yang He said calmly, "The General's Mansion is the source of the calamity. Once they leave Cailian Town, people in town will naturally stop dying, and the Three Mountains Goddess in Qing Lake can calm her fury."

He stressed the words "Three Mountains Goddess," and Song Kuo no longer had any doubts.

Magistrate Qian said awkwardly, "Daoist, you do not understand. Although that general has not come in person, his position and authority are extraordinary..."

Yang He frowned slightly. The information displayed on the panel concerning the General's Mansion was vague, as though something else was hidden within it.

"County Lord, I can only act within my means. Can you actually persuade the General's Mansion?"

After gritting his teeth, Magistrate Qian explained, "I fear it will be difficult. They come from Chentang Pass. I heard the coffin contains the Garrison Commander's Third Young Master."

Yang He was struck as if by lightning and could not recover for a long while.

Chentang Pass!

Was this a joke? The Garrison Commander of Chentang Pass was Li Jing—the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing from Investiture of the Gods!!

So the one inside the coffin was... Nezha?

But how had the plot of Investiture of the Gods become so bizarre?

In the original work, Nezha played by the sea and stirred the waters with the Chaos Tunic, drawing out Third Prince Ao Bing of the Dragon Palace.

The two exchanged harsh words, and in a rage, Nezha killed Ao Bing and pulled out his dragon tendons.

Afterward, the Dragon King went to Chentang Pass to demand an explanation. In the end, Nezha died to atone for his crime.

By rights, Nezha should have been revived by Grandmaster Taiyi. Why had he been sent here?

Wait, lotus roots?

In the original work, after Nezha died, Grandmaster Taiyi entered Nezha's mother's dream and told her to create a divine statue. Once mortals worshipped Nezha for a time, he could be revived.

But Li Jing shattered the statue, so Grandmaster Taiyi refined a fleshly body for him using lotus roots.

Yang He's scalp went numb. "Li Jing, Li Jing, must you spend all day refusing to act like a human? Whether Nezha lives or dies is not something a mere mortal like you can decide."

Who exactly was Nezha?

The Spirit Pearl from Jade Void Palace had descended into the mortal world. Jade Void Palace was the sacred ground of Venerable Lord of Primordial Beginning, and the Spirit Pearl was likely a piece placed by the Chan Sect in the mortal realm.

Yang He subconsciously touched the strangulation marks. That red silk from before had clearly come from Nezha's magical treasure.

The famed Chaos Tunic.

He asked, "County Lord, has the Garrison Commander come?"

"He has not."

As though he had found someone to rely on, Magistrate Qian no longer hunched his back. "A general under the Garrison Commander brought the troops here."

Yang He cursed several times in his heart. The plot of this Lore World was far too wicked.

But the general progression should be the same. Qing Lake might well be the place Grandmaster Taiyi had chosen. Who the hell could stop Nezha from reviving?!

And Nezha's resentment was immense. Once revived, he would absolutely not become human again!

"Why are lotus seeds from the Main World connected to Nezha?"

"Doesn't matter."

Yang He immediately began planning an escape route for himself. He was doomed to die anyway, so he might as well grab some benefits before running.

"County Lord, does the storeroom have any ritual implements? This humble Daoist's belongings were destroyed during a battle of arts."

"I'll have the Chief Clerk look for some. Let's go to the rear courtyard of the Yamen first."

Magistrate Qian looked as though he might cry. "We are relying entirely on you, Daoist Yang. I only hope that with you stationed at the Yamen, the coffin can be repaired successfully."

Wang the Carpenter trembled all over in terror, his mouth opening and closing without a sound.

Song Kuo gripped the hilt of the saber at his waist and led the way ahead.

When they reached the rear courtyard of the Yamen, they found crisscrossing red threads spread all around. Hundreds of yellow talismans had been pasted onto them, creating a gloomy and terrifying sight.

The coffin sat in the middle of the courtyard, black as ink.

The longevity patterns decorating the coffin had been replaced with talismans, while twelve sturdy men brimming with vitality stood motionless around it.

Even so, the coffin could not suppress Nezha's resentment.

A deep crack nearly ran through the coffin lid.

Spiritual Vision: 2.6 points

Yang He's Spiritual Vision began increasing again. Nezha's wickedness far surpassed that of the Three Mountains Goddess.

"Magistrate Qian."

A low voice rang out as a general in light armor emerged from an inner room.

The general looked somewhat displeased, mainly because Magistrate Qian had brought outsiders without permission. "We did not ask you to invite some rogue Daoist, did we? The Third Young Master of the General's Mansion is inside that coffin. Are you trying to disturb the corpse?"

"How would I dare?"

Magistrate Qian's face went bloodless with fright, and for a moment he did not know how to explain himself.

"Oh?"

The general examined Yang He. "So you do have some lineage. You have refined Spirit Eyes within your body. Could you be a disciple of Purple Sun Cave of Green Peak Mountain?"

Yang He did not answer. He had no idea what Purple Sun Cave of Green Peak Mountain was.

In the Main World, humans and ghosts were separated. Yet in this Lore World, ghosts did not seem to be a secret. They even called Pupil Ghosts Spirit Eyes. It was truly bizarre.

The general waved a hand. "Fine. You may remain in the courtyard."

"Thank you, sir."

Yang He did not even need to activate the Pupil Ghost. Among all the soldiers in the courtyard, at least four or five had ghosts inside them, and the general's ghost was the fiercest.

He knew that Investiture of the Gods was not merely a tale of dynastic change.

Countless immortals interfered in its events. Even though the Investiture War had not yet begun, immortals from every faction had already been secretly spreading teachings and accepting disciples.

For example, Li Jing had studied under True Man Du'e.

"So it really is Investiture of Ghosts. Every lineage is made of ghosts."

Yang He asked respectfully, "This humble Daoist is Yang He. May I ask your name, sir?"

"The general bestowed his surname upon me. I am Li Feng."

Li Feng's attitude was neither warm nor cold, but he treated Yang He far better than Magistrate Qian. He was most likely afraid that Yang He was the nominal disciple of some immortal.

"Lord Li, why was the coffin repair scheduled for nighttime?"

Li Feng said coldly, "Daytime yang energy is too strong. Not only would it fail to suppress the coffin, it could also easily frighten the Third Young Master."

After saying that, he realized Yang He was most likely merely a wandering Daoist and turned back into the inner room.

Yang He glanced over the coffin and muttered, "Since staying here raises my Spiritual Vision, I might as well come. I'll treat it as broadening my horizons."