Chapter Thirty-Eight: Damaged

"Granduncle, are you all right?" After Fang Ming left, a figure emerged from the corner and helped Yu Heng up, his face full of worry.

When they reached the light, the figure turned out to be an old man dressed as a Daoist. It was none other than the White Crane Daoist.

"Let me help you back to your room to rest!" the Daoist said respectfully.

Yu Heng nodded, and only then did White Crane help him out of the garden. They had gone just a few steps when they reached a side room. So this was where White Water Temple was.

"Hoo..." After meditating for a long while, Yu Heng took a pill from his robes and swallowed it. Only then did his complexion improve somewhat.

Turning to White Crane, who waited nearby, he said, "I owe you a great deal this time! In a bit, I'll need to use your bluebird to send a message to the sect..."

Inwardly, he could only smile bitterly. The Land God's rank was a notch below his own, yet his magical power was as vast as mountains and seas, overwhelming beyond measure. This time, he had truly taken a beating. His magical power had been greatly diminished, and he couldn't even use a flying crane to send a letter. He could only ask his grand-disciple to seek help from the sect.

Fang Ming had learned plenty of secrets this time and tested his own abilities, leaving him in high spirits. He was about to find a place to stay for the night and leave the city in the morning.

As he reached a corner, he heard a voice that seemed to come from the highest heavens:

"Hee-hee! Young master, you heard everything I said earlier, didn't you? Then come with big sister!" A clear light flashed. Fang Ming felt an immense force of suction seize him, almost pulling his divine avatar away. Startled, he summoned the Land God's Golden Seal. Red light burst from it as it resisted the pull.

"You do have some skill. What a pity..." The voice was soft and sweet, but its tone carried a chill.

Fang Ming saw a stream of green energy, seemingly bearing a small seal, descend straight down and crash into his Golden Seal.

Bang! The Golden Seal shattered.

The suction surged again. He had no other means left, and the situation had reached a moment of extreme peril.

Fang Ming's expression hardened. "Scatter!"

Golden light flashed, and Fang Ming vanished. He faintly heard a startled exclamation.

A white figure flickered into the spot where Fang Ming had been. There, on the ground, lay a farmer. A small Land God statue had fallen from his arms. It cracked with a snap, then crumbled into ash.

A faint smile played at the corner of the jade beauty's mouth. "You really are an interesting fellow!"

At the same time, within the Land God's Divine Domain, Fang Ming's true self turned pale and spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood scattered as soon as it hit the ground, carrying wisps of red energy and flecks of white.

Fang Ming's divine form trembled, fading away in places until his whole body seemed unsteady.

"I really took a heavy loss this time!" Fang Ming said with a bitter smile. Seeing the danger, he had scattered the divine consciousness possessing the farmer first, greatly depleting his divine power. Fortunately, it had only been a sliver of his divine consciousness. If he had sent out his divine soul, he would either have fallen into a deep sleep or suddenly gone mad. "Is the gap between the different stages of Qi Refiners really this great?"

After catching his breath, Fang Ming muttered to himself, comparing Yu Heng and Su Xia.

This time, he had sent out a divine avatar carrying an additional five thousand strands of Red Divine Power, stored inside the Land God statue. That was how he had been able to unleash such might and suppress Daoist Yu Heng.

But when he faced Su Xia afterward, he had seemed utterly helpless. It wasn't his true self fighting, and he had already spent some of his divine power, but there had still been a full four thousand strands left in the Land God statue. He hadn't expected it to be useless all the same. In the end, everything had gone to waste.

Fang Ming had lost around sixty thousand strands of White Divine Power. His heart bled at the thought. It was the greatest loss he had suffered since becoming a deity.

Fang Ming's eye twitched as he suddenly recalled the green energy and the small seal within it. He couldn't help muttering, "Could it be... a Fortune treasure?"

Day had broken.

Su Xia's carriage convoy had already left Anchang County.

Little He'er watched the county grow smaller in the distance. "Miss, are you really letting that Land God go just like that?"

A faint smile played at the corner of Su Xia's mouth. She stretched, revealing a stunning figure that made Little He'er blush.

"Since my first strike failed, that means the Land God is destined to rule here and become a pioneer. This is the momentum of a hidden dragon; it cannot be changed. He already has Fortune on his side, which is why I came away empty-handed. If I force the issue, I might draw the attention of Heaven's Dao. It wouldn't be worth it. Better to withdraw for now. Once the tide has passed, another opportunity will surely come!"

Su Xia slowly explained her reasons. But in her heart, she was still thinking about what had happened the night before.

"Besides, when I tried to strike at his lair last night, the Taiping Seal actually rang out in warning, showing that great danger lay ahead. The Taiping Seal is a supreme treasure that can avert disaster and seek good fortune. Since it warned me, I couldn't simply ignore it..." These were thoughts she kept to herself, betraying nothing outwardly.

"Miss, where are we going next?" Little He'er asked again.

"Jingzhou, then Shu."

"Huh? That's so far away..."

As mistress and servant chatted, the convoy rolled farther and farther into the distance.

By then, Fang Ming had also learned that Su Xia had left.

But the news brought him no joy.

Through his divine sight, Fang Ming saw clouds of black energy gathering to the north of his Fortune. They even took on a ferocious shape, like a fierce tiger coiled around a mountain, poised to pounce yet holding back, as though something gave it pause.

"If that black energy comes at me, I'll be utterly helpless. And this feeling... it still has something to do with Su Xia..." Fang Ming muttered to himself, gazing in the direction she had gone, lost in thought.

"But the most urgent thing now is to raise my own rank. Whether it's Su Xia's Supreme Dao or what happened with Yu Heng, I'll need strength to get through it all..."

Thinking of Yu Heng and comparing him to Su Xia, Fang Ming began to form some ideas about the rank and Fortune of the Daoist Sect.

Yu Heng was a core true disciple, and his Fortune was pure red.

Su Xia was half a step from becoming a True Person, and her Fortune was red mixed with yellow.

A True Person's Fortune would surely gather in golden-yellow clouds, far surpassing Fang Ming's. He simply didn't know how much Fortune such a person might command. If it were only a thin layer, he needn't worry. But if they had a title and could draw on the Fortune of the imperial court, that would be terrifying.

Then there was the White Cloud Sword, a great treasure. From the name alone, it sounded like a weapon of attack. In sheer killing power, it was probably even stronger than Su Xia's green seal. It was unlikely she would take it out of her sect, but he still had to be on guard.

Fang Ming calculated the changes to come. The future seemed impossible to fathom, and a thousand tangled thoughts filled his mind until he felt as if he might spit blood.

"Something's wrong. This must be the effect of my severely depleted divine power. I thought I was fine, but it's still affecting my mind. I'll have to be even more careful from now on. I can't afford to lose another divine avatar!" Fang Ming was startled, then realized the cause.

For now, he could only enter seclusion and repair the damage.

Silence settled over the great hall.

Several days later.

On a stretch of wasteland, a chase was unfolding—one invisible to ordinary people.

A broad, burly man with a murderous glint in his eyes wore a farmer's clothes, but his ferocious aura was enough to make anyone who looked at him feel afraid.

Yet now, the man was fleeing in blind panic, scampering like a rat.

As he ran, he shouted over his shoulder, "We're all ghosts! I only ate one person, so why are you chasing me without end? Don't you know you should leave a little room for others? We might meet again someday!"

Behind him, a squad of Yin Soldiers in leather armor, weapons in hand, pursued him relentlessly.

Hearing this, the squad leader sneered. "Who said we're anything like you? We're Yin Soldiers under the Land God, and we've been ordered to wipe out you Ferocious Ghosts!"

The burly man was greatly alarmed. Ever since the Land God had expanded his domain, life had become harder and harder for the Ferocious Ghosts of Anchang County. He had heard that quite a few had already fled to neighboring counties. He had planned to do the same, but a few pressing matters had delayed him for several days. Now they had come straight to his door.

Knowing there was no point in talking and that being caught meant certain death, he ran even faster.

The squad leader sneered. Seeing they were close enough, he drew a longbow from behind his back.

He nocked an arrow, drew the bow, and shouted, "Take this!"

Whoosh—smack! The arrow struck the burly man. He let out a scream and crashed to the ground.

The Yin Soldiers caught up. Without even checking whether he was dead, they swung their blades, ready to take his head with one stroke.

The burly man suddenly sprang up and attacked the nearest Yin Soldier, fighting like a madman.

The Yin Soldier sneered. "I've been waiting for that!" He let the burly man pounce and strike his leather armor, which merely rocked slightly. At the same time, the Yin Soldier's blade pierced the burly man, turning him into gray-black energy.

When ghosts died, they scattered into energy. The burly man had fallen after being struck by the arrow, but he had only been playing dead to launch a desperate counterattack. That might fool a rookie, but the Yin Soldiers were seasoned veterans and had seen through him long ago.

The squad leader came over and looked at the Yin Soldier. "Not bad. That counts as one head taken. When we get back, you'll be awarded five copper coins!"

The Yin Soldier bowed. "I owe that to your skill with the bow, sir. You were the one who stopped him. I don't dare take the credit!"

"Hahaha..." The squad leader laughed triumphantly. "That bow was a reward from the company commander after I earned quite a few merits. It's worth far more than five coins. What you earned is yours. Do you think I'd steal such a paltry amount...?"

The Yin Soldier bowed and said, "Yes, sir."

The squad returned to the military camp in the Divine Domain.

The squad leader went to report. Xie Jin looked over the report and said, "Not bad. Though Yun Xiaoliu wasn't a Vengeful Ghost, he was slippery. You managed to kill him, so you deserve credit. Go collect your reward!"

The squad leader saluted. "I wouldn't dare. This was all thanks to Lieutenant Colonel's careful planning!"

Xie Jin smiled and waved for the squad leader to leave.

A clerk then stepped forward, carefully recorded everything, and handed out the reward money.

Ever since Fang Ming had appointed Xie Jin as Commandant of the Martial Guard and put him in charge of a battalion, Xie Jin had recruited brave men, filled out the ranks, and drilled them day and night.

Fang Ming had also issued military orders for Xie Jin to wipe out the Ferocious Ghosts and the maddened ghosts in Anchang County. The latter were Ferocious Ghosts who had gone mad from indiscriminately devouring other ghosts.

This was meant to stabilize order in Anchang's Netherworld. It also gave Xie Jin a chance to get his troops working together and let the new recruits see blood and gain experience.

By now, they had nearly cleared out the Ferocious Ghosts within Anchang County.

Xie Jin finished writing the report and went to Fang Ming's study. He spoke to a servant outside. "I request an audience with my lord. Please inform him!"

The servant entered the study. Before long, he came back out and said, "The Land God invites you in, sir!"

Xie Jin strode inside. Fang Ming sat behind his desk, carefully reading a classic text. Tea and pastries sat on the desk, and Pearl waited at his side.

Xie Jin knelt and saluted. "This subordinate greets my lord!"

Fang Ming smiled, put down his book, and said, "Xie Jin, you're here. What do you have to report?"

Pearl bowed and withdrew, closing the door behind her. Fang Ming praised her inwardly. That girl is clever.

Xie Jin reported, "By my lord's command, we were to wipe out the Ferocious Ghosts. The work is now largely complete!" As he spoke, he presented the report. Fang Ming glanced over it and said, "Good. Tell me the details."

"By my lord's order, this subordinate began hunting down the lawless ghosts five days ago. Each day, I sent veteran soldiers out with the new recruits in mixed units, deploying all the new soldiers. By today, they have completed their training, learned discipline, and seen combat. They're no longer afraid to fight."

"To date, we've eliminated fifty-seven maddened ghosts and over a hundred Ferocious Ghosts. Anchang has been thoroughly cleared!"

"Very good!" Fang Ming knew the results were substantial. Another layer of golden light had gathered around the Fortune above his head. This Human Dao Merit had helped restore his divine form and steady his mind. Without it, he wouldn't have emerged from seclusion so soon.

"Have the rewards all been checked and handed out to those who earned them?"

"My lord gave strict orders on this matter. How could this subordinate make a mistake?" The clerks accompanying the army could report directly to Fang Ming, even though they took orders from Xie Jin. Xie Jin couldn't interfere with them even if he wanted to.

"Good. Now that this is done, the camp will have a day of wine and meat. You'll receive five taels of silver. You may go." It was a generous reward. Many Yin Soldiers saved their money and couldn't bring themselves to spend it. What Xie Jin received was almost equal to the total number of heads his subordinates had taken.

"Thank you, my lord!" Xie Jin saluted and withdrew.