Chapter 17

The flames spread instantly, and only then did Chai Shu Xin notice that the sky above Fengdu was filled with lanterns, linked together by golden threads.

“The tail feathers shed when the Vermilion Bird first took its full form—those could probably burn for three days and three nights,” Mu Gesheng said with satisfaction. “Such a rare spectacle. Come on, let’s find a place to drink.”

Ninety-three thousand seventy-two Jinwu lanterns lit up the city, flooding it with a dazzling glow. The endless lights set the entire Fengdu City ablaze with excitement, cries of astonishment rising one after another.

Song Wentong drew his sword to part the dark mist and exclaimed in shock, "Jinwu doesn't forbid the night?! What is Fourth Brother doing?"

The dark mist narrowed its eyes, gazing into the air. "Jinwu lantern night, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it." Saying this, it cast a flirtatious glance at Song Wentong. "Today, I’m in a good mood, little one. Let’s part ways here."

"Wait!" Song Wentong shouted, ready to give chase, but the other had already vanished without a trace.

Mu Gesheng bought several jars of wine, dragged a bundle of firewood, and climbed onto a tall building, lying on the eaves to watch the lanterns. Mu Gesheng broke the seal on the jar and took a big gulp. "Sanjiutian, it seems like you have something to ask me. You've been holding it in all this time. Now that there's no one else around, go ahead."

Chai Suxin held the wine jar and took a sip. "You did it on purpose."

Mu Gesheng immediately spat it out, coughing violently. "No way, you can tell just from that?"

Chai Suxin glanced at him coldly, expressionless.

"Alright, alright, in this bitter cold you really are... no wonder you're the Ling Shuzi." Mu Gesheng shook his head helplessly. "Tell me, what exactly did you figure out?"

“We didn’t accidentally enter the West Gate of the city; you did it on purpose,” said Chai Suxin. “Why?”

Mu Gesheng took a big gulp of wine and sighed, “For the third brother.”

Song Wentong knocked loudly on the big door, “Wu family, are you there?!”

This was a large mansion in Fengdu, a prestigious household covering the area of two streets. The vermilion gate creaked open, and a youth in blue stepped out, bowing to Song Wentong. “Greetings, Mozi. May I ask the purpose of your visit?”

"Where's the third brother? Have him come out!"

"Master Mo, the head of the family is not here."

"Not here?" Song Wen Tong frowned, "Where has he gone?"

"Master Mo, there is a joyous event in Fengdu City today. The head of the family went to offer congratulations as the Wuchangzi and left at midnight." The boy bowed slightly and asked, "There is some light tea prepared in the residence. Master Mo, would you like to come inside and wait a moment?"

“Is there a wedding in Fengdu City?” Song Wen Tong asked without entering, “Whose wedding is it?”

“Reporting to Mozi, it’s the King of Hell’s daughter getting married.”

“The King of Hell’s daughter getting married, all the ghosts and spirits are celebrating.” Mu Gesheng looked at the distant lights, “As the Third Elder, a servant of the underworld, the King of Hell is one of the most frequent contacts. Even if you can’t be on good terms, you must never be on bad terms. San Jiutian, as the head of the Yao family, you should understand this principle.”

“I know.” Chai Suxin nodded, “So?”

“The King of Hell once visited Wu’s residence, specifically requesting a congratulatory gift,” Mu Gesheng said. “He wants to entrust the Third Brother to ask Mozi of the Mo family to personally craft a phoenix coronet.”

Chai Suxin looked puzzled. “What’s so difficult about that?”

“The difficulty lies in the fact that the King of Hell wants a phoenix coronet. If he wanted some other precious treasure or exquisite item, it wouldn’t be impossible for the Second Brother to handle it himself,” Mu Gesheng sighed. “But the Second Brother has only ever made one phoenix coronet in his life, and that was a dowry gift for his mother.”

“This matter isn’t exactly a secret among the Seven Masters. You must have heard of the past romance between the previous Mozi and a courtesan. Back then, Mozi wore a bridal gown to the Naihe Bridge, adorned with the phoenix coronet crafted by the Second Brother. Since that day, the Second Brother vowed never to make any more bridal trousseau in his lifetime.”

Chai Suxin pondered for a moment and said, "If that's the case, explaining the whole cause and effect clearly, the King of Hell shouldn't be an unreasonable person."

"You and Third Brother aren't close during the coldest days of winter, so you don't know the difficulties the Yin-Yang School faces in Fengdu," Mu Gesheng said with a bitter smile and shook his head. "Since the birth of the Seven Schools of Thought, the Yin-Yang School has been exclusively in charge of matters concerning ghosts and spirits, dealing with the underworld for over a thousand years. To put it nicely, both sides cooperate; to put it bluntly, they each act independently."

"The Seven Schools often meddle in the affairs of the underworld to achieve their own ends, causing no small amount of trouble for the Yin Office. Although the Heavenly Calculator and the Mortal Calculator determine fate, and all beings must respect destiny, the truth is that the Heavenly Calculator is also mortal. The Yin Office may not say it openly, but deep down, they don't necessarily accept it."

Chai Suxin understood quickly. "So the King of Hell is deliberately making things difficult?"

"That's right, there's no way the second brother would wear the phoenix crown. The third brother never even mentioned it to him; if he found out, he could tear down the King of Hell's palace. In recent years, with the world in chaos, the exchanges between the Seven Families of the Sons and the Underworld will only increase. He might cause a ruckus to vent his anger, but it would only bring more trouble in the future."

"So, to properly resolve this matter, a better gift is needed—one that even surpasses the phoenix crown crafted by Mozi of the Mohist school." Chai Suxin took over the conversation: "And you chose the Jinwu Nocturnal Lantern."

"Yes." Mu Gesheng took a gulp of wine and laughed: "Fengdu hasn't lit the Jinwu lantern in nearly three hundred years. The Zhu family are divine descendants, not mere mortals that the King of Hell can summon. Tonight, this sea of lights outshines ten miles of earthly bridal finery."

The Vermilion Bird carries the lantern, Jinwu guards the night; spring comes to the Yellow Springs, and the King of Hell forms a bond.

“I understand what you mean,” Chai Suxin said, looking toward the bustling distance. “But what does this have to do with entering the West City Gate?”

“To ignite the Jinwu Lantern, you must use something from the Vermilion Bird as a catalyst. I can’t let Old Five bleed or have his muscles and bones drained—he’s nearing his transformation phase, and that patchy fur is the best fuel,” Mu Gesheng explained. “But you also said that transformation requires spiritual energy to nourish it, and the Vermilion Bird’s transformation demands an extraordinary amount of spiritual power. The West City Gate, crawling with ten thousand ghosts, is the perfect place for that.”

“Tai Sui Wu Nie is on your side?”

“What do you mean by ‘on my side’? It’s not like we’re forming a clique,” Mu Gesheng waved his hand, no longer hiding the truth. “Master Wu Nie is the third ancestor. She definitely wouldn’t stand idly by. I asked her to open the Yin-Yang Ladder near Guanshan Moon, to trap Old Five in Fengdu. Taking advantage of Master Wu Nie and the second brother’s actions, we used the Blood-Licking Blade to break through the barrier at the West City Gate. After that, you already know what happened.”

A moment of silence.

The two faced each other in silence, surrounded by a myriad of lights.

In the distance, the sound of flutes and zithers arose as the wedding procession passed along the long street, amidst blazing lanterns and fireworks, adding a flush to the bride’s cheeks.

“You’re simply being reckless,” Chai Suxin finally spoke, his tone cold and stern. “Entering the Abyss is no trivial matter; if anything were to happen—”

“There’s no ‘what if’.” Mu Gesheng cut him off. “I’ve calculated it. This trip will be dangerous but not deadly, otherwise I wouldn’t have dragged you into this…”

“So you mean if it’s truly perilous, you’ll go alone?”

“Lao San is my brother.” Mu Gesheng didn’t look at his expression, drinking his wine as he spoke. “Back then, Lao Er and I caused a ruckus in Fengdu, acting recklessly. By law, we should have been sent to the Underworld’s Bureau for punishment by the rod. It was Lao San who negotiated back and forth, and with Master Wu Nie speaking on our behalf, we barely escaped disaster.”

“Don’t try to fool me.” Chai Suxin called him out directly. “The first time I saw you, you were being carried back from Fengdu, drenched in blood. That wasn’t escaping disaster—that was hanging by a thread.”

“It was Third Brother who carried me back. At the time, Master personally punished me, ordering me to go to the Yin Law Department to atone for my sins. Originally, there was little chance I would come out alive.” Mu Gesheng sighed, “It was him who managed everything, negotiating back and forth, and repeatedly went to the Yao family to ask for you. That’s how I was given a second chance at life.”

“That year, we caused quite a stir in Fengdu. Master was angry and ordered me to take the punishment, climbing back up the Yin-Yang Ladder on my own. Second Brother was punished too and couldn’t look after me. Third Brother wasn’t even as tall as me then, but he stubbornly carried me back.” Mu Gesheng smiled as if recalling something, “That fool cried and sang all the way to keep me awake. After we got back, he lost his voice for a whole month.”

“So that’s how you ended up like this?”

Mu Gesheng raised his cup to Chai Shuxin with a smile, “We are brothers.”

Chai Suxin suddenly stood up, stared at him silently for a moment, then turned and left.

Mu Gesheng opened another jar of wine, drinking as he said, "He doesn't seem willing to be brothers with me."

"It's the first time our family has seen Lingshuzi lose his composure like this," Wunie jumped onto the eaves, "He must have been upset by you."

"Can't fool him," Mu Gesheng shrugged, "He just used the third brother to scold indirectly—it's clear he saw through it."

“This generation of Ling Shuzi is thoughtful and contemplative; you’re not necessarily much smarter than him, and besides, your scheme is too shabby.” Wu Nie opened a jar of wine himself and said, “When you first came to me, the moment you mentioned Bai Yu Ye, I knew exactly what you were up to. You just so blatantly handed him the medicine—only a fool wouldn’t see through it.”

Mu Ge Sheng went to great lengths this time, not only to prevent Jin Wu from wandering at night but also to find Bai Yu Ye, this particular herb. Bai Yu Ye can cure countless ailments, so naturally, it could also cure Chai Renzhen’s illness.

At first, he suspected that Chai Shuxin was being constrained by a certain powerful figure in Beiping. Later, from inquiries at the docks, he learned it was because the other party held a certain herb that could alleviate Chai Renzhen’s condition, using it as leverage for many threats. Mu Ge Sheng rummaged through the study of the Ginkgo Studio’s master and finally found Bai Yu Ye. Then he cast a divination and calculated that the opportunity lay with Wu Nie.

“Not at all, I can’t hide anything from the master,” Mu Ge Sheng laughed heartily. “Though the plan was simple, it hit three birds with one stone: it helped Third Brother solve his problem, found the medicine, and got Fifth Brother through the transformation stage. Whether San Jiu is happy or not, as long as it can help Sister Chai’s illness, that’s what matters.”

“Our family never expected you to step in and help Miss Chai. Her illness has dragged on for so many years without a cure, and Bai Yu Ye isn’t an ordinary herb. The medicine family has searched for it for many years but never found it.”

“Isn’t that because they were looking in the wrong place? I calculated it with my fingers and knew you must have some idea—who would have thought that a young Vermilion Bird beast could also produce Bai Yu Ye? From heaven to earth, only you could be so knowledgeable.”

“Stop beating around the bush and saying our family is old.” Wu Nie raised an eyebrow. “When you first came to us, we wanted to ask: you’re such a hopeless case, always lazing around, so how come you suddenly have the time and heart to help someone? Did he pay you?”

Mu Gesheng scratched his head. “No, not at all.”

“What for? You’ve only known him for a few months, and he’s not even willing to be brothers with you.”

“Hah, in the dead of winter, that temper—sharp tongue but soft heart.” Mu Gesheng lifted the wine jar, lost in thought. “As for why... I can’t really say. Maybe because he’s good-looking?”

“We don’t buy that for a second.”

“Maybe it’s because Sister Chai’s skills are good.” Mu Gesheng pondered, then said, “The Yao family has always taken care of their hands, but Sister Chai neither paints her nails nor protects her hands, all because of her chronic illness preventing her from practicing medicine. But I heard from Master that back in the day, Miss Chai was exceptionally gifted, with outstanding medical skills.”

"Hands like those shouldn’t be used just for cooking."

"You two disciples do nothing but shoot the breeze every day. Over the centuries, the old tales of the Seven Schools are nothing you don’t know." Wu Nie shook his head repeatedly, stood up, and set down the wine jar. "I’m off. Give my regards to Tian Suanzi, and tell him to try to live a little longer."

"Take care, sir." Mu Gesheng stood to see him off. "I’ll find you for a game of mahjong another day."

"Don’t bother. I don’t like playing cards with paupers."