Chapter 12

Edited by Yummers

Shi Tou and the others went and paid their respects to the Holy Lady’s spiritual tablet in the Imperial Shrine first. The tablet was placed in the far back since the Imperial Shrine didn’t only worship one figure. Not to mention that the Holy Lady was only implanted after Zhao Zheng had gained enough authority to request it. Shi Tou had three incense sticks in his hands as he kneeled and bowed from faraway.

Zhao Zheng knelt along with him and looked at the man beside him with dull eyes as if there was something else on his mind. He finally snapped out of it when the incense ashes fell onto his hand, burning him back to consciousness.

“Hey, let me see. Does it hurt?”

Hearing Zhao Zheng’s exclaim, Shi Tou got up and grabbed his hand as he looked at his palm. He blew on it a bit with puffed cheeks, just like how he would treat his shidis. Zhao Zheng thought that Shi Tou would’ve come to hate him after last night’s events, but who would’ve thought that he would still act like a good big brother. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of resentment inside. Yet he told himself again, after tonight, he’d be able to sleep with no more worries.

“What is it?”

“Not, nothing…” Zhao Zheng avoided Shi Tou’s eyes.

Shi Tou thought he was just being awkward because of last night. He gave a firm slap on the shoulder, saying, “Come on, take me to see Mother’s grave.”

The Holy Lady’s grave was on top of Bei Chang Mountain, which was about twenty miles outside of the city gate.

To fasten the journey, the two of them took a few bronze ranked imperial guards and rode out of the city on horseback. They arrived in under an hour.

It was currently spring, peach blossoms bloomed all over the mountain. The Holy Lady’s grave sat within a sea of flowers. The only reason why Zhao Zheng chose this place back then was because of the pleasant environment. He was still young when he left the palace and had no memories of experiencing his mother’s love; naturally, he didn’t have any affection towards the Holy Lady. But filial piety came first, so he used thousands of taels to collect the Holy Lady’s bones and built the grave for her. In the end, it was all just for him to show off his filial piety to the citizens.

Within the past few years, Zhao Zheng never came to see his birth mother. The tombstone was still brand new, but a bunch of weeds surrounded it. It looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned in a while.

Zhao Zheng’s face darkened once again after looking. He felt like he couldn’t give Shi Tou a proper explanation as to why the grave was so poorly maintained, so he asked one of the guards, “Who’s the grave attendant of this place?”

Seeing that Zhao Zheng was about to vent his anger onto someone else again, Shi Tou quickly pulled him over. “You and I are here to see Mother together on a rare occasion, don’t go and find trouble for others. It’s been far too long since I’ve paid my respects, so let me do something for our Mother today.”

Shi Tou went over to place down the joss paper and incense sticks he had bought before he came. He squatted down and cleaned up the weeds surrounding the grave.

Zhao Zheng was standing on the side at first, but then he started to feel a little awkward. He decided to go up and help Shi Tou clean as well. Shi Tou glanced at him from the corner of his eye with a little smile.

Once the grave became at least presentable after cleaning, Shi Tou set out the wine, delicacies, and fruits he had bought right before coming here. He led Zhao Zheng to kneel with him.

“Mother.”

He said as the corners of his eyes suddenly heated up. He raised his wrist to wipe his eyes and then went on, “Your disrespectful son is here to see you. Are you doing well in the underworld? Your son came too late and pleads that Mother will not blame him for it.”

Shi Tou made a harsh kowtow, then proceeded to share the events that he’d experienced throughout the twenty years of his life. There were many details in there that Zhao Zheng hadn’t heard before either. Though, Shi Tou only bestowed joyful events and none of the bad ones. Zhao Zheng didn’t know what was wrong with himself today, but he managed to be understanding for once. He was able to detect many fishy lines from Shi Tou’s stories. His eyes gazed at the other’s upright and handsome figure. It was like he wanted to see through his exterior to take a look at what he was like as a child. But Shi Tou squeezed his palm and smiled at him in comfort.

So, he wasn’t the only one who went through all those bitter situations as a child. His gege was the same. They were the same, neither of them had a father or mother. How did he have the mindset that Shi Tou lived in this world freely with no worries; leaving him alone by himself to resent as he trained with all his might?

Shi Tou looked at Zhao Zheng and finally said, “If it weren’t for didi who found me, I wouldn’t have found out that I wasn’t an abandoned child. That, in this world, there is still a family member who shares the same blood with me. Mother, I’ve finally understood, I am not alone.”

When Zhao Zheng heard those words, he felt like someone just slapped him across the cheek brutally. He was lost as he looked towards the front.

The peach blossom petals fell while the Holy Lady’s grave was desolate. A few cries of sorrow were carried within the wind blowing by. Who knew if it was their Mother from underneath, who was resenting him for wanting to hurt his brother…

He suddenly couldn’t bear to look at it anymore and got back up in a panic.

“I, I’ll go down first to wait for you…”

Zhao Zheng ran off hastily, he didn’t dare to look back, didn’t dare to see his gege’s face again. He knew that Shi Tou was clever and he was afraid that the other could read him, he was afraid to see his eyes filled with disappointment and condemnation.

Zhao Zheng ran into the peach blossom forest, he leaned against a tree as he panted rapidly. He threw over dozens of harsh punches at the tree until his fists were seeping fresh blood, yet he felt no pain. At last, he squatted down and hugged onto his head. He finally realized that Shi Tou had always treated him generously from the bottom of his heart. The other thought of him as the closest person he had but didn’t know that he was going to do malice to him tonight!

However, he had no choice now that matters have already escalated this far!

Zhao Zheng clenched his teeth tightly, he couldn’t endure this pain as piercing tears rained down.

At that moment, he finally learned there won’t be anyone left to call him didi again after tonight. There won’t ever be another person who would hold his hand, cook for him, give him a lantern, care for him…from then on, there will never be another like that!

Four hours later, Shi Tou descended the mountain and saw that Zhao Zheng had already ordered people to bring horse carts over.

“Gege, I’m tired, let’s ride in the cart together.”

Zhao Zheng stubbornly hauled him into the cart and pulled down the curtain, so that just the two brothers were left alone in the cart’s small confined space. Zhao Zheng simply leaned onto Shi Tou’s shoulder and didn’t say anything, keeping an unbroken silence as he stared in a daze. Shi Tou held onto him, trying to comfort him. He permitted Zhao Zheng to hold his hand as well, intersecting their ten fingers.

But the cart didn’t ride to the Imperial Prince’s estate, instead, it went to another unknown place.

By the time they arrived at the destination, the hue of the sky had turned grey; the color mimicking dark red bloodstains. . Shi Tou lifted his head and saw four ferocious beasts painted red placed on top of the roof. Just from looking at them made an immense amount of uneasiness grow in him.

“Gege, please follow me inside. Shizun has been waiting.” The emperor advisor’s estate wasn’t someplace that any normal person could enter. Zhao Zheng held an eternal flame lantern in his hand, his tall shadow looked like that of a demon as he walked in front of the other.

Shi Tou trailed behind Zhao Zheng into the seemingly endless hallway. There was not a shadow of another living being, only a faint rotten stench could be smelled.

Zhao Zheng took him to the Golden Hall. As he pushed open the two great doors, blue smoke flew out while a thick and menacing aura rushed over. Shi Tou’s hand subconsciously moved down to his waist, but the big red saber of his had been lost somewhere, where and when unknown.

“Shizun, I’ve brought him,” Zhao Zheng spoke loudly with a hoarse voice.

There was an eerie silence for a moment then suddenly, an odd sound could be heard. Shi Tou was shocked. He was originally going to stand in front of Zhao Zheng to protect him, but out of his expectations, Zhao Zheng turned to him before pushing him inside. He was sucked in by a strong force of the wind. He only managed to grab onto a corner of Zhao Zheng’s clothing as he was dragged into the darkness completely.

Zhao Zheng got back up in a panic. Suddenly, ghost fires lit up inside the palace, he then saw a fairly large gold cauldron in the palace. Underneath it was an azure-toned fire of the nine-layered Heaven, above was a fangshi in a black and white robe; he sat cross-legged with his back facing him. Shi Tou was locked onto a wooden board by his spell.

Seeing that his prey had fallen into his trap, Yuzhen Shanren got up. He staggered as an odd black smoke surrounded his body, he laughed sharply. “Finally! Finally, this day has come! It was not a waste to have waited for hundreds of long years, the Blessed Star is finally in this world!”

His laugh was psychotic and alongside his twisted figure, he didn’t seem like a human being at all.

Shi Tou looked towards the door, he used all his might as he struggled to make a sound, “Didi…run!!!” At the sight of Yuzhen Shanren waving his hand, the cauldron opened and mounds of fire raised upon him.

With fierce fire burning every inch of his body, Shi Tou exclaimed a shrill cry. Suddenly, black clouds gathered above the Capital, and thunder struck one after another. It was the God of Fate from the Heavens emitting a warning!

If he were to forcefully alter the destiny given by the Heavens and kill Shi Tou, he will suffer eighty-eight thunder strikes from the Heavens. But Yuzhen Shanren was already prepared for it, so he wasn’t worried. He turned around and stared at Zhao Zheng with a pair of bright red eyes. Zhao Zheng quivered as he took a step behind. “You, you’re not my shizun. You, you’re a monster!”

Yuzhen Shanren snickered viciously. “Clueless child! Did you think that a mere human’s power could help you rule over the world? Truly laughable! Your Master has raised you for twenty years and today, you can use your body to repay your Master’s kindness!”

A cloud of black smoke attacked Zhao Zheng abruptly, Zhao Zheng had no time to dodge it. He was strangled by the throat mercilessly as he was thrown upwards. The Heaven’s thunder reacted violently and it hit the palace firmly, debris fell continuously as the ground shook!

Yuzhen Shanren wanted to use Zhao Zheng’s mortal body to help him block the Heavenly Tribulation. For Zhao Zheng who had the Tiansha fate, he was certainly born with a specific task. But the heavenly thunder strikes had no emotions. The scene of dozens of heavenly thunder strikes falling was seen. Half of Shi Tou’s body already sunk into the cauldron, seeing Zhao Zheng dispersing under the eye-blinding light, being ripped apart to where there wouldn’t even be remains of his ashes left; Shi Tou screamed out in a grief and hoarse voice, “Zhao Zheng!!!”

After the eighty-eight heaven thunder strikes had been sent, half of the Golden Palace was destroyed. Yuzhen Shanren became even more daring now that he’d just avoided his Heavenly Tribulation. He finally presented his true form. He was a demon with half of a snake body, his lower half circling on the ground. The upper half of his body resembled that of a dhole with two wings on his back. He had the face of a human but could flick his tongue, he was a ferocious beast that could bring floods, a Hua She!

He laughed even more fearsomely as he watched as Shi Tou’s entire body melted in the cauldron, “Heehee, I broke the seal on me twenty-six years ago and brought in a flood. I was going to kill millions of lives altogether. But unfortunately, it just happened to be the date of the Blessed Star’s birth, it broke my cultivating path of becoming a Mo Deity!

So what occurred was that when the pair of twins were born that year, it happened to be the date of the Hua She breaking out. Hundreds of years of floods back then were caused by the Hua She, yet it separated Zhao Zheng and him apart. The fire crept up and the cauldron was sealed. The Hua She spun on top of it as he chanted an unorthodox spell. Black smoke gathered in the night sky, showing the warning sign to the birth of Mo Deity!

Shi Tou’s body inside the cauldron had already been dispersed and the only thing left behind was the Blessed Star’s soul pill. To demons, this was a peerless god-leveled pill that can help them advance in cultivation majorly!

Fog built up all around them and just as the golden pill was almost done, out of nowhere, another thunderstruck as the ground shook. It was like the cry of a ghost and the roar of a god, it shook the sky and moved the earth!

Within an instant, thousands of ghosts appeared, almost drowning the entire Gold Palace. The Hua She cried in anger and swung his tail to counterattack, but a white skeletal hand reached from the sky. The Hua She had to spread his wings to avoid it. Once he flew onto the cauldron’s top, he saw a white ghost gradually forming within this bloody-red hell scenery. His complexion was remarkably frightening, his body was enormous as a pair of horns grew out of his head. Who else could it be other than the Ghost King?

Even though Hua She was a demon, his cultivation could not rival any magical beasts that were above Hanba. He didn’t foresee the fact that Jiang Yanyun could break through the web barrier before the forty-nine days were up. He couldn’t afford to delay it anymore then, he opened the cauldron and stuffed the Blessed Star golden pill right into his mouth.

“Return him to me!” The Ghost King bellowed angrily, but a Blessed Star golden pill was an item with extremely concentrated yang energy. It collected all the pure and kindhearted energy from this world, making it hard for any of the ghosts to approach. Watching as the Hua She swallowed the pill, suddenly, a gold light shot out. The crowd of ghosts all covered their eyes as they retrieved in fear. Even the Ghost King of the East was shocked and backed off by three feet!

The Hua She roared towards the sky as gold light enveloped his body. Just as he was about to transform into a new being, a bolt of gold lightning struck from the sky abruptly and hit the Hua She’s body right on!

The Hua She’s eyes widened, the golden lightning caused by none other than the last bit of energy that the Tiansha Star had left. A lightning of anger struck down, wishing to perish together with the Hua She!

A horrifying cry broke through the sky, the Hua She could not successfully turn into a Mo. His spell array was broken and his body was also pierced through by strikes of thunder. When the citizens of the Capital raised their heads to look, they could see a streak of gold light cutting open the thick layers of black cloud, before disappearing inside the black smoke again.

The Hua She’s cultivation failed and the Tiansha Star’s soul dispersed. So that was enough to repay the sins he’d made in this life.

The Hua She slowly slumped onto the ground. Just as he was about to run away pathetically, the menacing ghost energy had already caged him. He was then choked to death before being ripped apart by numbers of ghosts. Jiang Yanyun was stained by a rotten dark red all over. As Jiang Yanyun’s white hands held onto the Bless Star’s gold pill with the utmost care, the golden pill had already lost its shine due to the uncountable amount of resentment built up within the thousand-year-old ancient unorthodox beast Hua She. It was tainted by blood and resentment as its soul mourned, it was at its limit.

“Little Rock, Little Rock…”

The Ghost Lord kneeled and called out sorrowfully, streams of blood like tears fell from his two angry red eyes as he embraced the weakening Blessed Star. His shoulders quivered with no end…

He thought back to the year when he still served for the country and its citizens, yet they had forced him to walk onto the path of death; he’d jumped in the river to die. If the Gods up above wanted him to repay his killing sins, then so be it. But what did his Little Rock do wrong?! Shi Tou cultivated painstakingly hard for multiple cycles of his reincarnation to finally transform into a Blessed Star in this life. He had been courteous for hundreds of lives without ever being rewarded any merit he’d deserved for his virtues! What had he done wrong?! What had he done wrong──?!!!

Jiang Yanyun shouted at the sky madly, wind raised all around him and the resentment energy from everywhere flew over under his command.

In a monastery on a mountain from far away, the monks were all reciting their scriptures. Out of nowhere, the mala of the abbot who sat above fell apart, and streaks of red blood leaked out from his Tianling cover.

Great Master Yun Hai could not care for anything else at that moment, he stood up in a panic before going outside the monastery with the other disciples to see what was going on.

Unorthodox clouds covered the north region and the group of monks chanted, “Amitabha” together, they kneeled to the Buddha inside the monastery one after another.

In the end, the Heavens’ fate was hard to avoid──

An Asura has been brought to the world!