Military Qi

Before long, Qingxi Township came into view. Torrential rain poured down, seeming to add another shade of sorrow to heaven and earth.

Fang Ming glanced at the white curtain of light surrounding Qingxi Township and smiled. It wasn't even as thick as the one around the four villages under his jurisdiction, but a hint of hostility ran through it. It seemed Zhang Qingyun had already spotted him.

But that was no problem. He'd come openly and honorably to kill someone. Zhang Qingyun was an Ancestral Spirit, bound to his shrine. Did he really think he could escape?

Fang Ming gave a cold laugh and said, "Attack!"

"Understood!" Wang Liulang accepted the order and barked, "Form ranks!"

The forty Yin Soldiers, led by their squad leaders, took their positions in a small formation, with Fang Ming, Wang Liulang, and Xie Jin at its center. Their long sabers stood like a forest, pointed straight at the light curtain around Qingxi Township.

At that moment, in Fang Ming's eyes, a solemn, profound-black aura rose above the formation. The sound of slaughter rang from within it. This was neither Fortune nor calamity qi, but genuine military qi. Fang Ming had spent a long time training the Yin Soldiers; they had been tempered in battle, and Wang Liulang and Xie Jin had trained them in the ways of the military. At last, their efforts had borne fruit!

The Yin Soldiers roared in unison, "Kill!" The black military qi surged, faintly taking the shape of a blade as it hurtled toward the light curtain. With a thunderous crash, mingled with the anguished cry of someone unwilling to accept defeat, the curtain shattered and dissolved into specks of light. Fang Ming was overjoyed. He could have broken through the curtain by force, but that would have cost him a great deal of Divine Power. He hadn't expected his first test of military qi to succeed so spectacularly.

He ordered, "Send one squad to seal off the entrance and record everyone coming and going. The rest, follow me to the shrine. Remember, don't harm the people!"

The townsfolk had no idea what had happened. They only felt a jolt as their protective Fortune dwindled, leaving them uneasy and afraid.

Fang Ming had now arrived at the shrine. In his eyes, red and white qi churned above it, though the white qi was slightly stronger, forming a thin red-and-white membrane around the building. Ordinary people couldn't see it, but it was the Ancestral Spirit's final defense.

He waved a hand. Wang Liulang understood, and the Yin Soldiers formed ranks once more. Their black sabers slammed into the membrane. Red and white light flared, holding them back. The black sabers let out a mournful cry, seeming to sustain some damage, and the Yin Soldiers present paled.

Fang Ming snorted. He stretched out a hand, and the black military saber flashed. When it reappeared, it was in his grasp. As the master of the Yin Soldiers, he could naturally command their military qi. This was the way of the system.

Fang Ming brushed a hand over the blade. Red light glimmered across it, and a fierce gleam flashed. With a cold laugh, he swung. Red-black qi clashed against the red-and-white qi.

A sudden explosion rang out like thunder from a clear sky, knocking the Yin Soldiers to the ground. Xie Jin's legs went numb too, but he quickly gathered his strength and steadied himself, avoiding an embarrassing fall. He didn't possess the Qi-Reading Divine Art, but he could still feel the repulsive force that had kept him from entering the shrine vanish. Fang Ming watched the black saber in his hand dissolve back into military qi and return to the Yin Soldiers, and smiled. He'd begun to grasp the key. Why did those Ghost Kings establish governments and gather ghosts? To collect the qi of countless ghosts within themselves, so that whenever they struck, they could summon the power of ten thousand ghosts and prove impossible to resist. In a one-on-one fight against a True Person, a Ghost King's chances were about even. But amid a vast army, they were invincible.

That thought passed in a flash. The group entered the shrine, and at Fang Ming's command, Wang Liulang and Xie Jin led the soldiers into the main hall. Before long, they dragged out a figure.

It was Zhang Qingyun. He was a middle-aged man in a green robe, his body glimmering with red and white light, with a hint of black qi. He looked utterly dejected. The two layers of defenses had been broken one after another, and both were linked to Zhang Qingyun's Fortune, so he'd suffered the backlash.

Xie Jin reported, "My lord, when we went in, we found this man lying on the ground without moving. At first, we thought he was faking to trick us. Who'd have thought he was such a limp noodle? We were scared for nothing."

Fang Ming nodded, walked up to Zhang Qingyun, and asked, "First you rejected my good intentions, then you tried to destroy my shrine. Now that you've fallen into my hands, do you have anything to say?"

Zhang Qingyun struggled to lift his head and spat out, "You... scoundrel..."

Fang Ming didn't get angry. He waved a hand, and Xie Jin understood. With a vicious grin, he stepped forward and slashed. Zhang Qingyun's head flew up and landed on the ground, where blood seeped out. A long while later, it gradually turned into white qi and dispersed, though a trace of black qi remained within it.

Fang Ming ignored it and examined his own Fortune with his underworld sight. He hadn't expected killing an Ancestral Spirit to add only a wisp of black, sinful qi, which was soon wiped out by golden merit light. It seemed that in this world's order, one answered a grudge with a grudge: when the other party had started the fight, Fang Ming could strike back and kill without consequence. If Zhang Qingyun hadn't done at least some good by protecting his people, even that wisp of black qi might not have appeared.

Mulling this over, Fang Ming entered the main hall and gazed at the densely packed spirit tablets. He sighed deeply and said, "The Zhang family has produced its share of capable people. It wasn't easy for Zhang Qingyun to rise from a commoner to a ninth-rank Registrar of Merits. His descendants were diligent and thrifty, and risked life and limb to build up this estate. One can't help but sigh..."

Xie Jin came out and said, "My lord, Zhang Qingyun had some talent, but he didn't understand the times. He dared to defy you and make an enemy of you. Whatever merit he had has been stripped away. The Zhang family's fate is yours to decide!"

Fang Ming smiled and walked to the center. Zhang Qingyun's spirit tablet had already developed cracks, and intense Incense and Fire Prayer Power poured out through them.

He reached out and took hold of the spirit tablet. A great deal of Incense and Fire Prayer Power flowed into Fang Ming's body, where the divine office talisman? refined it into wisps of White Divine Power. Only after a long while did Fang Ming let go. He sighed inwardly. As expected of the accumulated offerings of an entire township: it had contributed more than twenty thousand strands of Divine Power, equal to the total from the other four villages. Looking at the Fortune above his head, he saw that the red had clearly increased. It seemed his advancement wasn't far away.

After leaving the shrine, Fang Ming furrowed his brow. The gray-black Fortune above Qingxi Township still hadn't dispersed; if anything, there was more of it. His thoughts raced, and he quickly found the answer. He called out, "Where's Wang Liulang?"

Wang Liulang dropped to one knee. "This subordinate is here!"

With a thought, Fang Ming formed a long red needle in his hand.

"Take this needle and find Zhang Huaizheng. Pierce his heart with it. After he dies, destroy his soul!" The needle had been formed from dozens of strands of Red Divine Power. Stabbing Zhang Huaizheng in the heart would make him bleed to death, and his symptoms would resemble an attack brought on by congenital weakness. It wasn't meant to fool everyone, but it would serve as an excuse.

As soon as Fang Ming spoke, a few wisps of black qi appeared above his head, but they were quickly purified. Meanwhile, the gray-black qi above Qingxi Township rapidly dispersed, soon vanishing without a trace.

Wang Liulang accepted the order and said, "Understood!"

A little earlier.

When Fang Ming had just arrived outside the township, Zhang Huaizheng was speaking with Steward Zhang.

They were still in the study. Steward Zhang looked around at the furnishings and noticed several pieces missing. They were porcelain items his master had always liked. He couldn't help recalling how, three days earlier, after he'd returned to report, his master had flown into a rage and smashed quite a few pieces. He'd even taken a few kicks himself, adding to his injuries.

Zhang Huaizheng wasn't a fool. He knew that this matter was no longer just about incense offerings; it had begun to shake the foundations of the Zhang family. If the Zhangs couldn't keep the four villages below them in line, they wouldn't just lose a considerable amount of income. The county officials would think less of him, too, and start entertaining ideas of their own. There were also several people in town eyeing his position. After all, they were all surnamed Zhang, so they had the right.

At the thought, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Zhang Huaizheng had no choice but to quash his desire to immediately strike back and save face. Instead, he sent out many of his household servants to investigate.

Today, they finally had an answer, and Steward Zhang had come to report it.

Steward Zhang said, "Master, I've found out everything. The Land God's origins are very strange. He suddenly appeared in Qingyu Village when it was attacked by a horde of ghosts. Old Su's son, Su Hu, led the people in carrying the shrine into the village, and the Land God was worshipped as a result. Later, he appeared in a dream and said that anyone who kept a statue of him at home could worship him and receive his protection. The practice spread through all four villages..."

The more Zhang Huaizheng heard, the tighter his brow furrowed. He stood and paced back and forth several times. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he burst into loud, delighted laughter.

Steward Zhang was bewildered. Had the master gone mad?

Then he heard his master say, "I'll write a letter. Take it to the county and buy some gifts, then visit the master of Whitewater Temple. I've always had some dealings with him, so he'll certainly see you. Give him the letter, and if he asks you anything, answer him truthfully. Understand?"

Steward Zhang nodded.

Then Zhang Huaizheng sneered. "Heh... The county usually doesn't interfere with village worship as long as it keeps the peace, isn't devoted to a Vengeful Ghost, and doesn't involve blood sacrifices. Even if something does happen, that's the Ghost-Banishing Office's business. They're not around now, so there's nothing they can do. But I know a thing or two about Whitewater Temple. It's a branch of White Cloud Temple and can send word up to them. I refuse to believe they wouldn't want to capture and investigate such a strange Ancestral Spirit. When that happens, haha..."

The more he thought about it, the more he felt the plan would work. He was about to say more when panic suddenly seized his heart. If Fang Ming had been there, he would have seen Zhang Huaizheng's protective Fortune draining away in great quantities. Before long, only a wisp remained. Zhang Huaizheng's face turned a little pale, but he still said, "There's no time to lose. I'll write the letter now. Saddle a horse and take it to Whitewater Temple."

He sat down, and Steward Zhang came forward to grind the ink. Zhang Huaizheng picked up his brush and was about to write when a sudden, terrible pain seized his heart. His face turned pale, then green, and he collapsed. The last thing he faintly heard was the steward's panicked shouting. He tried to listen further, but sank into darkness.

Wang Liulang accepted the order. Though he wasn't pleased to be sent out by his lord to do dirty work, he reconsidered: it also meant he was closer to his lord. Hadn't he seen the envy in Xie Jin's eyes? At that thought, his displeasure vanished without a trace. He strode off, reaching the Zhang household in just a few steps.

The Zhang family still had some protective Fortune, so getting inside wouldn't have been easy for Wang Liulang. But after Zhang Qingyun was destroyed, that Fortune quickly dissipated, leaving only a wisp. Of course, it couldn't stop Wang Liulang.

He made his way to the study, just in time to hear the last few lines. Wang Liulang sneered inwardly. I can't leave you alive!

He thrust the long needle into Zhang Huaizheng's heart. Red light flashed, and the needle vanished. Zhang Huaizheng fell dead.

Wang Liulang didn't leave. He watched as the steward called for more servants, who rushed off in a panic to find a doctor. The room descended into chaos.

Before long, a half-transparent figure emerged from Zhang Huaizheng's body. Seeing Wang Liulang, he asked, "Who are you? Why are you here? What happened to me?"

Killing intent flashed in Wang Liulang's eyes. He thrust his long saber forward, driving it through Zhang Huaizheng's chest and out his back. Zhang Huaizheng's face filled with disbelief. A moment later, he turned into gray qi and scattered.