Traces Left Behind, a Legacy Passed On

Cao Ying hurriedly helped Yuanzai up, and shouted angrily.

"Quick!!"

Five soldiers had already approached and surrounded Yuanzai, opening the black cloth bags they were carrying.

Within the black cloth were five large roosters, their heads and combs a vibrant red, their feathers smooth and strong, and their claws powerful and strong.

They were quite calm when they were in the black cloth, but once they were taken out, they seemed to have a bad feeling and tried desperately to flap their wings.

But the five soldiers had already grabbed their wings with their left hands and twisted the chickens' heads with their right hands.

Looo!!

The heads of five roosters were ripped off alive.

The enormous figure of the Five Chang Gods watched this scene unfold.

In the eerie and indescribable atmosphere, the rooster, having lost its head, became even more ferocious, broke free of its restraints, and flew into the air.

Several soldiers had their faces scratched by chicken claws, cried out in pain, and quickly retreated.

The five headless roosters lay on the ground, covered in blood, flapping and walking away.

After circling Yuanzai once, the chicken blood was splattered into a circular pattern.

The five roosters finally gave way and collapsed.

Although the Five Rampancies were evil gods, they initially confused the names of other deities to expand their influence.

However, as time goes by, ordinary people inevitably hear some rumors and gossip.

Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, even opera troupes that did not understand spiritual practice would offer sacrifices to the Five Chang Gods on the 23rd day of the fifth lunar month every year.

They would find five chickens, remove their heads, put them in the same jar, and seal it with a red cloth.

But instead of placing the jar on the table, it was placed under the table.

The entire ceremony was based on a simple wish.

If the Five Rampancies Lord doesn't show his face, the world can enjoy some peace again!

During the evolution of the Five Rampancies Dharma Sect, some people felt that these ignorant people were indeed unreasonable. Although they were kneeling, this ritual was less a form of worship and offering and more akin to a curse.

This is utterly disrespectful to God.

However, some experienced believers who had suffered at the hands of the Five Rampancies Dharma Lord secretly absorbed this custom and evolved a spell specifically used to appease the Five Rampancies.

Yuanzai attempted to accomplish his task today using the "Divine Heart Borrowed Path Great Dharma" technique, but suffered a major defeat and returned in dismay, fearing it would displease the Five Rampancies.

The first and most urgent thing to do is to appease the evil spirits.

As the five chickens fell, the blood gradually faded.

The enormous Ghost God figure in the smog gradually disappeared.

A moment later, a mask flew back through the smog and landed on the offering table.

"Alright, alright, the Dharma Master has returned."

Cao Ying hurriedly asked, "Master, are you alright now? What's the situation in Luoyang? How is my son?"

Yuanzai's lips trembled, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Several clanging sounds came from not far away.

Cao Ying then realized something was wrong.

Based on past experience, even if Yuanzai overdid the spell, he would need to appease the evil god.

As long as these five specially raised roosters are put to use, Yuanzai will be able to catch his breath.

When he flew away, he sacrificed the essence of his physical body to his soul. But after catching his breath, he was able to regain some of his vital energy, allowing his physical body to recover to about 30-40%.

But today, there is no sign of his physical recovery; on the contrary, blood is still flowing from his mouth, nose, and ears.

Cao Ying glanced back.

The clanging sound just now was because the black knife, breastplate, and back armor among those magical artifacts had all shattered, and the cloak was also torn.

The officers holding the ritual implements also looked surprised and very uneasy.

What exactly happened?

Cao Ying's heart sank. She took out a qi-tonifying and blood-nourishing pill from her pocket and prepared to force it into Yuanzai's mouth.

"Wait!"

A figure rushed through the smog, right hand raised in a gesture of stopping them, wearing only a white undershirt for sleeping.

Just as the soldiers were about to stop him, the man opened his mouth and blew sharply.

The two soldiers closest to him were instantly overturned by a wisp of black smoke he exhaled.

While everyone instinctively went on guard to protect themselves, the man had already slipped through the gaps in the crowd and reached the high platform.

"General Cao, we can't just give the Yuan Cult Leader these pills indiscriminately right now. His soul is severely injured, but he still has the Five Rampancies Army and Horse Office Main Seal within him, which is already overburdened."

"We need to retrieve the magic seal first."

As he spoke, the man directly dipped his finger in Yuanzai's chest blood and drew a talisman on Yuanzai's forehead.

Silkworm head and swallow tail, bright red talisman.

He then took out the black jade pendant from his chest, pressed it against Yuanzai's forehead, and slowly pulled it outwards.

A small golden seal emerged from Yuanzai's body and merged into the black jade pendant.

Yuanzai's aura had indeed calmed down considerably, but it had also weakened further.

Only then did the man take the medicine bottle from Cao Ying's hand, take a few pills, and give them to Yuanzai.

Cao Ying felt this person looked familiar, and upon seeing him now, she suddenly realized, "You are... Guo Baozhi from Bashu?"

Guo Baozhi was a subordinate of the former Dadu of Bashu. It is said that he was originally a bandit assassin secretly raised by a local landlord. After becoming an official, his reputation was not particularly outstanding, but he was a true confidant.

More than a year ago, Liu Yanqi raised an army in Bashu and arrested the entire family of the former Dadu.

Only Guo Baozhi was lucky; he escaped from Bashu and Chongqing and eventually made his way to the capital to seek help.

Even after that war ended, the Beiyang Army never managed to defeat Cai Shanjun, Liu Yanqi, and others.

Since Guo Baozhi couldn't return to Bashu, he stayed in the capital.

Cao Ying already knew that Guo Baozhi knew some magic.

Unexpectedly, even when a great sorcerer of Yuanzai's caliber encountered problems, Guo Baozhi was able to intervene and handle the situation methodically.

"It was Guo."

As soon as Guo Baozhi bowed, Cao Ying grabbed his wrist.

"Oh dear! Brother Guo, you've finally agreed to come out and help."

Cao Ying sighed, "I could tell from the beginning that you were a dragon among men, but you kept a low profile and never left your home. As your elder brother, I didn't dare to disturb you rashly. As time went by, we became a little estranged."

"Brother, now that you have come out, I should present you with the official position and honors I had previously planned to bestow upon you."

"It would be best to make up for everything that's happened over the past year."

Everyone says that Cao Bokun is talented, the fourth brother Cao Rui understands finance, and the seventh brother Cao Ying is not very useful.

This play was indeed terrible.

Guo Baozhi paused slightly, but still very supportive, and said with great enthusiasm, "To be appreciated by the Commander-in-Chief, how could this humble general not do his utmost?"

"Actually, what happened today was not due to my own abilities, but rather to an old sage whom I invited from Bashu..."

Cao Ying's eyes lit up. "Oh, where is this old immortal?"

Guo Baozhi laughed and said, "Since he's an old immortal, he's naturally the kind who receives offerings."

Cao Ying's smile faded slightly, "Oh, so it's an... old god. When it comes to worshipping gods, Master Yuan is more knowledgeable. Once he wakes up, we can have a good chat."

Guo Baozhi smiled and pointed vaguely, "Look, hasn't the leader woken up yet?"

As he spoke, Yuanzai slowly opened his eyes, and before him seemed to be the brilliance of that sword strike, as swift as the wind and as fast as lightning. He sighed in resentment.

"What a bright sword!"

He had already managed to clutch his chest, but suddenly his expression changed, and he stared at Guo Baozhi, "My seal..."

Guo Baozhi patted Yuanzai's chest to help him catch his breath, saying, "The sect leader has survived, his magical cultivation remains, and the Five Chang Gods ' favor still belongs to you. What does losing just one seal matter?"

Yuanzai stared at him for several seconds.

"Good, you've managed to digest this seal; you certainly have a good appetite."

Cao Ying asked again, "Master, what has happened to my son?"

"The young marshal has perished in Guanlin."

As soon as Yuanzai finished speaking, he saw the look of shock, anger, and anxiety on Cao Ying's face and said urgently, "This grudge must be avenged, but the commander-in-chief must not act rashly."

Yuanzai began to recount the story slowly, his voice low and still filled with lingering fear.

"In Luoyang, there is a person..."

Guo Baozhi's expression changed upon hearing his story, but as he held the jade pendant in his hand, he felt an overwhelming surge of joy and excitement.

Having seized the Five Rampancies Army and Horse Main Seal, Guo Baozhi's true and greatest backer from back in Bashu will now have a chance to be restored.

The smog in Beijing has not yet dissipated.

Rongcheng, the capital of Bashu, will experience a light rain tonight.

The rain was pattering softly, but the moon was still visible when I opened the window—a truly magical sight.

Liu Yanqi was opening the window in the Hall of Political Affairs to let in the breeze when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right eye, and his eyelid twitched noticeably.

It was getting late, and now only the two of them remained in the Hall of Political Affairs.

Hearing his groan of pain, Cai Shanjun hurried over and saw that the veins around his right eye socket were dense and as fine as a spider web.

Upon closer inspection, those tiny veins seem to be still moving and deforming.

It appeared as if poisonous needles were circling the eyeballs, piercing beneath the skin, causing phantom pain to onlookers.

Liu Yanqi was covered in a layer of white sweat, but he didn't cover his face forcefully; he just pressed his right eye corner with one finger.

"It's the Ghost King!"

Liu Yanqi's jaw clenched as he said in a deep voice, "That Ghost King from back then really wasn't completely dead."

"The wounds it left me with are so painful; it must have had some opportunity, and its strength is recovering."

Cai Shanjun frowned.

In the battle to restore order in Bashu and Chongqing, the most dangerous enemy they encountered was not an army, but an ancient Ghost King.

In order to defeat that demon Ghost King, they relied on an almost irreplaceable force.

"I also guessed at the time that the Ghost King wasn't completely dead, so there were only a few possible places it could have gone."

Cai Shanjun said, "I'll send a telegram right away, instructing the organizations in these areas to closely monitor for any major or strange events recently."

Liu Yanqi's pain subsided somewhat; he gripped the windowsill with both hands and breathed softly.

"Being able to detect its unusual activity early on might not necessarily be a bad thing."

Liu Yanqi said, "We shouldn't let him disrupt our pace too much."

"The men that Doctor Chu requested should be arriving in Luoyang by now. You should send a telegram to let them know."

Cai Shanjun laughed and said, "We will send troops to Shaanxi tomorrow. The time is ripe there; all that's missing is the actual display of force. Once Luoyang is settled, all the regions will be connected."

"Then, I can go directly to Luoyang to see Doctor Chu."

Even so, he did decide to send a telegram later.

The light rain in Rongcheng continued intermittently until dawn.

In Luoyang, when the sun rises, the whole city is dry and comfortable.

Prison buildings are mostly flat-roofed. In the past, when there were many prisoners, many guards had to stand on the rooftops to prevent anyone from escaping.

Chu Tianshu had been sitting quietly on the rooftop for half the night, and now he stood up, facing the rising sun.

Breakfast is ready.

Huo Ming called out from below, "Come down and eat, or should I bring it to you?"

"No rush."

Chu Tianshu responded, extending his palm and clenching his fist.

An unfamiliar power was flowing through his body.

"Wow, there really is a local Origin Canon that suits someone like me who appears and disappears like a ghost?"

Chu Tianshu was somewhat surprised.

Old Immortal Nanhua!

He is already a carefree wanderer beyond the mundane world, yet a trace of benevolence remains in the mortal realm.

He spoke of great medicines to ward off evil and expel plagues, and bestowed three volumes of peace upon the world.

(End of this chapter)