Chapter 71

Zibu smiled faintly; she had smiled more today than she had in the past combined.

"Outside the City God’s Mansion, a carriage is already prepared. We can set off directly," Zibu said softly.

"Sure, I’m already prepared to tear everything down and become an excellent knight to protect the princess!" Xing clenched his fist, his expression incredibly determined.

"Even women?" Zibu smiled and asked softly.

"How could I? Do you have a thing for both men and women?" Xing looked at Zibu with a strange expression. Indeed, with her charm, it was normal for female ghosts to fall for her.

"Go to hell." Zibu raised her eyebrows, not in a good mood. Normally, no ghost servant dared to joke with her like this, even the young masters who pursued her pretended to be extremely proper. Xing was like a boy next door, approachable.

"Let’s go, it wouldn’t be good to be late for the banquet. Although it’s just a gathering among peers, there’s still the shadow of Uncle Bai behind it." Zibu said, her delicate hand suddenly holding Xing’s large hand.

"Huh?" Xing’s heart skipped a beat, feeling a cool, smooth little hand suddenly slip into his thick palm. His expression changed slightly, and he glanced sideways to see Zibu’s face as usual, her other jade hand forming a seal, her lips slightly parted.

An almost inaudible incantation was heard, and then ghostly energy was activated. Purple violets floated around her, slowly rotating, their fragrance permeating the air. Zibu’s silk skirt fluttered, making her look like a fairy descended from the heavens.

"What is this?" Xing’s expression was one of amazement. Just as he was about to ask, his feet moved, and the surrounding scenery rapidly receded and twisted.

Xing’s pupils suddenly contracted. He found that the marble-paved avenue under his feet had suddenly turned into a narrow field path, the stone pavilions on both sides of the road had become vast lavender fields, and when he turned his head, he saw a thousand-foot-high snow mountain behind him!

"Phenomenon!" Xing exclaimed. It was the higher realm of aura—phenomenon, where the aura manifests!

"That’s right, it’s my phenomenon, the lavender field and the snow mountain. I call it the Silent Phenomenon." Zibu spoke slowly, then suddenly asked Xing, "Is it beautiful?"

Xing glanced at the boundless sea of flowers, the blue sky, and the snow mountain behind it, and couldn’t help but be entranced.

"The scenery is beautiful! The person is even more beautiful!"

"Really?" Zibu suddenly fell silent, and after a long time, she slowly said, "My mother was favored by the City God of Fengdu because of her beauty, but in the underworld, what use is beauty alone! It’s even more tragic!"

Zibu was filled with sorrow and anger, a bright light flashing in her deep purple eyes, which were tears.

Xing was silent, not knowing what to say.

The cruelty of the world, isn’t beauty a trophy? A reward given by nature to the strong!

For the weak, having beauty is like holding a priceless treasure, where the innocent are guilty for possessing it!

"Is this the art of reducing distance?" Xing asked.

"Close but far." Zibu answered lightly, as if even mastering such a divine skill was nothing to be proud of.

Xing couldn’t help but swallow, realizing that Zibu was much more powerful than he had imagined, like a clear, transparent pond that looks shallow but is actually unfathomable!

"Can I ask what realm you are at now?" Xing asked cautiously, taking a deep breath, preparing himself mentally.

"Nine levels of ghost official, already condensed the Yin spirit and the Primordial spirit among the three spirits." Zibu said lightly, not feeling it was anything to boast about, but Xing felt that her words were truly shocking.

"Nine levels of ghost official, even condensed the Yin spirit and the Primordial spirit among the three spirits!" Xing’s mouth dropped open, his eyes wide with shock. Zibu far exceeded his expectations, her power terrifyingly high.

"It’s nothing. With our superior innate conditions and the Mansion’s abundant resources, we can achieve rapid cultivation." Zibu glanced at Xing, explaining.

"Moreover, for ghosts, the Yang spirit among the three spirits is the hardest to condense. A slight mistake can lead to the soul being burned to ashes, completely destroyed. Many gifted offspring get stuck at the nine levels of ghost official and the condensation of the Yang spirit."

Zibu took Xing through "close but far," then continued, "Ghosts, in essence, are a form of energy in the universe, in a state of 'emptiness' and 'death.' Generally, a ghost’s lifespan can reach a hundred years, even a thousand years."

"Doesn’t that seem very long?" Zibu asked.

"If there’s no cultivation, living for a few hundred years is indeed long." Xing replied.

"Long, but not really." Zibu lifted her head, looking at the blue sky.

"Everything in the world is relative. The passage of time in the underworld is the fastest among the three realms. One day in the human world is a year in the underworld, and one year in the human world is already a vast change, three hundred and fifty-six years have passed, while for the heavenly realm, it’s just a shift of the stars."

"Thus, the lifespan of a ghost, equivalent to one or two years in the human world, seems very short."

"But how short? A thousand years in the underworld is also lived moment by moment, just like in the human world."

"A day in the life of a mayfly might seem like an instant to a human, but to the mayfly, it’s a lifetime. But to immortals and Buddhas, a cycle of reincarnation is a change in the human world!"

"A mayfly’s instant is a lifetime, and a cycle of reincarnation is a change in the human world!"

The words, like a fragrant orchid in a secluded valley, were clear and pleasant to the ear. Zibu spoke calmly, while Xing was deeply moved, his heart surging with waves!

Zibu was indeed a true genius, capable of ranking on the list of potential dragons and phoenixes of the three realms.

"Truly, a mayfly’s instant is a lifetime, and a cycle of reincarnation is a change in the human world!"

Xing shouted, then began to sing: "Heavy rain falls on Yan, white waves surge, fishing boats outside Qinhuangdao, a vast ocean, nowhere to be seen, who knows where they are? Past events span a thousand years, Cao Cao waves his whip, standing at Jieshi, leaving behind a poem. The bleak autumn wind is here again, the world has changed!"

He didn’t know if singing Chairman Mao’s "Ode to the Tide at Beidaihe" was appropriate, but he felt that the last line, "the world has changed," had a similar meaning to "a cycle of reincarnation is a change in the human world."

"Such grand poetry, this is?" Zibu’s eyes lit up, looking at Xing.

"Ha ha." Xing laughed dryly, saying, "This was written by the greatest leader of the human world, who has many grand and powerful poems. I can recite them for you."

"Qinyuan Chun - Changsha, standing alone in the cold autumn, the Xiang River flows north, at the head of Orange Isle. See the mountains all red, the forests dyed; the river clear, a hundred boats racing. Eagles strike the sky, fish swim in the shallow bottom, all creatures vie for freedom under the frosty sky. Facing the vast expanse, I ask the boundless earth, who will control its rise and fall?"

"Bringing many friends, I recall the thick years of the past. In our youth, we were vigorous and full of spirit; our scholarly passion, our vigor. Pointing out the country, stirring up the written word, regarding the feudal lords of old as mere dirt. Do you remember, striking the water in midstream, stopping the flying boats with the waves?"

"Good!" Zibu was captivated by the grandeur of the poetry, her purple eyes shining.

"Was he an emperor? Or a powerful being at the True Human realm?" Zibu asked, feeling that the poetry was filled with a sense of dominance, a sense of kingship, and a sense of... ambition!

"No, he was a great chairman, who built a socialist society with the people."

Xing smiled, looking at the beautiful blue sky and the snow mountain beneath it, and said, "Unlike the feudalism of the underworld, with its strict hierarchy, in socialism, everyone is equal, sharing prosperity, loving each other, and living a happy and fulfilling life."

"Really?" Zibu’s eyes lit up, showing a look of longing. If her mother had lived in a socialist society in the human world, she might not have suffered unfair treatment and died so early. Zibu would have had a responsible father and a happy family, and perhaps beauty would not have been a sin!

"Are you kidding me!" Xing rolled his eyes and said, "I’ll continue reciting his poems."

"Seven-Character Verse - The People's Liberation Army Occupies Nanjing, storms rise over Zhongshan, a million heroes cross the Yangtze. The tiger crouches and the dragon coils, today surpassing the past, the world has changed, and we are generous. We should pursue the defeated enemy with all our might, not seek fame like the overlord. If heaven had feelings, it would grow old, the righteous path of humanity is the change of the world!"

"Qinyuan Chun - Snow

Northland scenery,

a thousand miles of ice,

ten thousand miles of snow.

Looking at the Great Wall, inside and out,

only vastness remains;

the great river, up and down,

instantly loses its surging waves.

Mountains dance like silver snakes,

plateaus gallop like wax elephants,

wanting to compete with the sky.

When the sun shines,

see the red-dressed and white-clad land,

unusually charming.

This,

has made countless heroes bow.

Pity the First Emperor of Qin and the Han Emperor Wu,

slightly lacking in literary talent;

the Tang Emperor Taizong and the Song Emperor Taizu,

slightly inferior in style.

A generation of great leaders,

Genghis Khan,

only knew how to bend the bow and shoot great eagles.

All this is past,

counting the truly outstanding figures,

look to today."

"Truly, if heaven had feelings, it would grow old, the righteous path of humanity is the change of the world! Truly, mountains dance like silver snakes, plateaus gallop like wax elephants, wanting to compete with the sky! Truly, all this is past, counting the truly outstanding figures, look to today!"

"If that great leader had become a cultivator, he would surely have broken through the lower, middle, and upper realms, achieving the True Human realm, and even glimpsed the supreme realm of the Sage!" Zibu’s lips parted slightly, slightly surprised.

Xing smiled but said nothing, continuing to recite Chairman Mao’s poetry, the highlights drawing continuous admiration from Zibu.

Time passed quickly, and before long, Zibu had brought Xing to the outside of the City God’s Mansion. The lavender fields and snow mountains disappeared, the divine skill "close but far" ended, and the scenery returned to normal, no longer rapidly receding or twisting.

Xing was stunned, looking around and finding himself on the broad avenue in the inner city of Fengdu, with locust trees lining the road and beautiful women everywhere, no longer at the City God’s Mansion.

"Amazing!" Xing said in surprise, "Truly, close but far, the City God’s Mansion is so vast, and I’m out in a blink?!"

"Surprised? When you reach the ghost general realm, I’ll teach you the divine skill 'close but far.'" Zibu said.

"Why do I have to reach the ghost general realm, while you only need the nine levels of ghost official?" Xing asked, dissatisfied.

"Can you compare yourself to me!" Zibu rolled her eyes, saying.

Black lines appeared on Xing’s head; he knew he was looked down upon by Zibu.

Indeed, who was Zibu? The offspring of the City God of Fengdu, listed on the potential dragons and phoenixes of the three realms!

Could an ordinary ghost servant compare? Not even ordinary powerful ghosts could catch her eye!

Indeed, Lady Luck must be on my side, Xing thought. If Zibu knew that his soul was a virtuous soul, with nine channels of the seven spirits condensed, what would her expression be?

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