Chapter 24

"I think Changshengzi means well," Song Wentong said, stir-frying in the small kitchen, the flames leaping high. "Even though that guy doesn't say pleasant things, they're all true."

Mu Gesheng lay on the eaves. "Hmm, I can tell."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm hungry." Mu Gesheng poked his head out the window. "How can a meeting last this long? What are we eating?"

Song Wentong swung a shovel at him, which he dodged. "I smell it now, braised beef brisket hotpot—remember to go easy on the chili."

The gathering lasted until the afternoon. As soon as everyone dispersed, Mu Gesheng, who hadn't expected it to go on for so long, was so hungry his stomach felt glued to his back. He lay sprawled on the rooftop, enjoying the cool air, with the ginkgo tree's lush branches overhead. "Comfortable," he sighed nostalgically. "It's been years since I've been on a roof."

"Just now, you were spouting nonsense at the waterside pavilion," Song Wentong scoffed. "In a moment, your true colors are revealed."

"Aren't I waiting for you to cook? Stealing half a day of leisure," Mu Gesheng said. "This is the only meal. For a while, I'll have to live in the military camp. There's too much to do, so I probably won't see you for some time."

"If you want to eat something, find someone to tell Yèshuǐ Zhūhuá."

"Alright, do I need to pay?"

"Are you looking for a beating or what?!"

Song Wentong's angry roar carried far, startling Wu Zixu, who was about to push the door open. "What did Fourth Brother do to you again?"

"Third Brother, you've come at just the right time." Mu Gesheng's face lit up with joy. "This isn't enough to eat. Tell Second Brother to add more dishes."

Before he finished speaking, Song Wentong flicked a chopstick backward, which grazed Wu Zixu's temple and embedded itself in the doorframe. "Come if you're coming, but why are you bringing a ghost behind you?"

A figure emerged from behind the door, bowing respectfully. "Mo Ziming, your perception is keen."

"I wanted to ask when I arrived," Song Wentong said, chopping vegetables. "Regarding the matter of the seven families, it's one thing for Wu Nie to show up, but what are you, a Fengdu magistrate, doing here? Have you been dead so long you're tired of living?"

Standing before the door was a man, holding a paper umbrella, dressed in green with a pale face—it was none other than Cui Ziyu, the magistrate of the Underworld Bureau.

"This humble official did not intend to offend," Cui Ziyu drawled in a theatrical, high-pitched voice. "Please allow me to explain the full story to you all."

"Cut the crap. I've been listening to people spout nonsense all morning." Song Wentong pulled the rehydrated beef out of the basin and slapped it onto the cutting board. "If you dare to tell stories here, I don't mind using you as a drinking snack."

The folks at Ginkgo Study have a long-standing connection with the Underworld Bureau. The first time Song Wentong and Mu Gesheng caused a ruckus in Fengdu, they received their punishment from the Underworld Bureau. That was also the first time everyone met Cui Ziyu. The judge, holding the list of charges, recited each one in the hall, his drawn-out, exaggerated tone even more ridiculous than it is now. Mu Gesheng was almost falling asleep, while Song Wentong grew agitated. He grabbed a knife, went up and beat the man, then recited the charges himself in one breath before going to receive his punishment.

Beating a judge in court would normally be an aggravated offense, but Cui Ziyu turned a blind eye and suppressed the incident. It was also from then on that the judge's speaking habit finally improved somewhat. Although it still made people want to pee, at least he didn't take half a day to read a list of charges anymore.

Mu Gesheng jumped off the eaves and snagged a braised chicken foot from the stove. "What brings Lord Cui here?"

"Greetings, Young Master Mu." Cui Ziyu bowed. "I have come today to request a divination."

Song Wentong's temper flared instantly. "Are you looking for death?"

"Third Brother, hold Second Brother back." Mu Gesheng waved his hand, then turned to Cui Ziyu with a smile. "Lord Cui, you saw what happened this morning. I have no intention of inheriting the position of the Heavenly Diviner; I am merely a wayward disciple under my master. If you ask me for a divination now, it won't look good for anyone."

Despite his words, Mu Gesheng pondered repeatedly in his mind. Cui Ziyu couldn't possibly be unaware of the reasoning he had just laid out, yet even so, the other party still came to seek a divination, meaning the matter was far from trivial. And since Cui Ziyu was brought by Third Brother, it proved that this matter was related to Fengdu, and the Wu clan was also involved.

Fengdu has many extraordinary individuals, yet the Judge went to great lengths to enter the mortal world to invite someone. Only two disciples remain under the Heavenly Reckoner sect; the eldest brother cannot leave Penglai, leaving only him.

What kind of matter is so critical that it requires the Heavenly Reckoner lineage to perform a divination?

Mu Gesheng's thoughts raced as he heard Cui Ziyu say, "Does Young Master Mu know of Fengdu's West Gate?"

The West Gate, the land of Avici, where the Yin soldiers march forth.

The name carried such weight that even Cui Ziyu, when speaking it, lacked his usual flourish, his tone cautious.

Mu Gesheng thought to himself, "Oh, I know all right. What I did there would scare you to death if I told you."

Even Song Wentong paused. "What's wrong with Chengxiguan?"

"Since you know of Chengxiguan, I presume you also know what lies within the Abyssal Realm," Cui Ziyu said. "Ghost soldiers emerge from the pass, appearing whenever there's chaos. In recent years, with the world in turmoil and the earth's脉 unstable, the ghost soldiers within Chengxiguan have become increasingly active. There's likely to be a major upheaval within the pass."

Mu Gesheng: "So?"

"A change within the Western Pass will directly affect Fengdu and even the ley lines of China. The Ten Yama Kings are already preparing. But the will of Heaven is unpredictable, so I was sent to ask for a divination from Young Master Mu, to calculate the time of the next ghost army's emergence."

"If there's a change within the Pass, the Yama King should just send people to suppress it early," Song Wentong said. "Why calculate the time of the ghost army's emergence?"

"If the ghost army doesn't emerge, even the Yama King cannot forcibly awaken and then suppress them. Conversely, even if the Ten Yama Kings act, they may not be able to guarantee absolute success. Once the ghost army riots, it could even endanger Fengdu." Cui Ziyu bowed deeply. "At a time of life and death, an extra bit of preparation means an extra bit of chance for victory. Please, Young Master Mu, have mercy."

Mu Gesheng pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, "Lord Cui, what you seek this time is no ordinary divination."

"This official understands."

"Back then, my second brother and I were young and reckless, and Ginkgo Study owes you a favor," Mu Gesheng sighed. "Dynastic changes are not unprecedented, and great chaos has occurred more than once or twice, but I have never heard of any unusual activity at the West City Pass because of it, nor have I ever heard of Fengdu facing such a crisis."

"Young Master Mu," Cui Ziyu said, "Such a sudden turn of events, for Huaxia, has also never happened before."

Mu Gesheng was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Yes."

"It's no longer a simple change of dynasties."

A moment later, Cui Ziyu bowed in thanks and vanished on the spot.

The three of them each held a bowl and squatted on the steps to eat.

Song Wentong ate quickly, and before long, he returned to the kitchen for more, then brewed a pot of tea and brought it out. "What you're doing is just asking for trouble."

"Since things have come to this, Second Brother, why don't you say something useful?" Mu Gesheng pushed all the vegetables towards Wu Zixu, exchanging them for the meat in his bowl. "I still need to find out where Master put the Mountain Ghost Coin... I didn't take it with me when I went abroad back then; I entrusted it all to Master. But it's probably for the best if I can't find it, so there's no evidence against me."

"Don't even think about such schemes," Wu Zixu said. "Mr. entrusted the Mountain Ghost Coin to the abbot of Baishui Temple for safekeeping. All seven families know about it."

Mu Gesheng was dumbfounded. "Damn it, why didn't I know?"

Song Wentong scoffed, "You're not even taking up the position of the Heavenly Diviner, and you have the nerve to call yourself one of the Seven Families?"

"Not one of the Seven Families, yet still have to do their bidding." Mu Gesheng shook his head repeatedly, grimacing, "Every single one of them is a damn exploiter—Second Brother, did you smash the chili jar into the pot? Why is it so spicy?"

"Serves you right if it's too spicy, eat it or don't."

"If it's not spicy, why are you drinking tea?"

The two began poking each other with their chopsticks. Wu Zixu, caught in the middle, said helplessly, "You're both grown-ups, why are you still acting like children at the dinner table? Do I need to coddle you?"

Mu Gesheng extended his bowl towards him. "Then, Third Brother, you tell me, is it spicy or not?"

Wu Zixu: "I was just listening to Judge Cui talk, so it's possible Second Brother's hand trembled without him noticing..."

Song Wentong slammed down his chopsticks. "Then don't eat."

Wu Zixu immediately changed his tune, "Not spicy."

"No way, no way." Mu Gesheng started to clamor, "Second Brother, is this how your Yèshuǐ Zhūhuá does business? Have you fed your conscience to the dogs?"

Wu Zixu: "Does he even have such a thing?"

Song Wentong: "You're the one who ate it!"

The three of them, with their back-and-forth bickering, were on the verge of a full-blown argument when the courtyard gate was pushed open once more.

"Excuse me," said Chai Shuxin. "The abbot of Baisui Temple requests Mu Gesheng's presence in the meditation room."

“You’re still here in the dead of winter?”

Chai Shuxin was expressionless. "I just played a game of chess with the abbot."

"Then you haven't eaten yet?" Mu Gesheng stood up and pointed behind him. "Second Brother made beef brisket. Want to eat with us?"

Wu Zixu nodded in agreement, "Perfect. It's been a long time since the four of us ate together."

"Why the hell didn't you say so earlier?" Song Wentong kicked Mu Gesheng. "That was the last bowl just now. It's all gone."

"That big a pot, all gone?" Mu Gesheng was incredulous. "Second Brother, how many bowls did you eat?"

"What's wrong with the food I cooked?"

"I counted," Wu Zixu said, raising his hand. "Six bowls." Then he was pushed face-first into a bowl.

"Second Brother, it's a good thing you're handsome, otherwise, with that appetite, you'd never get married." Mu Gesheng clicked his tongue in admiration, deftly dodging the chopsticks Song Wentong threw at him. Then he was stumped. Chai Shuxin was staying because he had asked him to, and the man didn't seem to be leaving. What could he offer him? Should he cook something himself?

Chai Shuxin seemed to read his mind and said, "No need to trouble yourself."

"Didn't you also serve three bowls, Fourth Brother? How dare you criticize me?" Song Wentong was still yelling.

That remark, however, reminded Mu Gesheng, "This bowl I just served, I haven't eaten it yet, why don't you try it?" He shoved the bowl and chopsticks in his hand to Chai Shuxin, "Second Brother's braised beef brisket pot, it tastes pretty good."

Song Wentong immediately shut up and shot a glance at Wu Zixu: Is this person crazy?

Wu Zixu also looked surprised. Although they had known each other since childhood and their bond was incomparable to ordinary people, the three of them often snatched each other's food. But that was Chai Shuxin; the Yao family had always been fond of cleanliness. When he stayed at the Ginkgo Academy for a month back then, compared to his room, their three rooms were practically dog kennels.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Chai Shuxin, without changing his expression, took Mu Gesheng's bowl and began to eat.

A pin drop could be heard in the courtyard as everyone watched Chai Shuxin finish a bowl of rice. Mu Gesheng was also a little stunned; he had indeed intended to play a trick at first, but who knew things would develop so smoothly, turning out to be quite unexpected.

Chai Shuxin handed the bowl to Mu Gesheng, and just as he was about to speak, he suddenly had a coughing fit. Wu Zixu immediately turned his head, "Fourth Brother, are you playing tricks again?"

"What?"

Wu Zixu pointed at Chai Shuxin, who was coughing incessantly. "Did you put something in the bowl?"

"What kind of joke is that? Do you really think I'm that kind of person?"

"Aren't you?"

But Chai Shuxin waved his hand, trying his best to calm his breathing, and whispered, "Is there any tea?"

Wu Zixu was startled. "Tea?"

"Too spicy."

Song Wentong: "..."

From the courtyard came Mu Gesheng's triumphant laughter.