Chapter Thirty-One: The Wraiths of the Ancient Battlefield

Zhou Yi gladly agreed. Since he could not figure things out himself, he might as well listen to how the old man would explain it—once he understood, everything would become clear.

The dishes had all been served, and at the table, only the old man accompanied Zhou Yi and Baozi. Zhou Yi raised his cup first. “We are but passing travelers, and your hospitality overwhelms me, sir. Allow me to offer you a toast.”

The old man did not raise his cup. Instead, he smiled and gestured for Zhou Yi to sit. “You must be wondering how I know so much about your purpose here. I won’t keep you in suspense. Take another look at me now—do you notice anything different?”

Hearing this, Zhou Yi glanced at the old man again and was momentarily stunned. His mouth fell open in disbelief.

Just now, when Zhou Yi looked, he saw that the old man’s face was bloodless, pale as paper, his eyes dull and lifeless, his hair disheveled and as dry as withered straw. He was unmistakably the corpse of someone who had been dead for many years.

Yet Zhou Yi recalled that only at noon, the old man had come out to greet him and had shown no sign of being anything but alive. This realization left him utterly speechless.

“You…?” Zhou Yi managed only a single word before words failed him, for in that moment he had no idea what to even ask.

“Don’t be afraid, young friend,” the old man said with a gentle smile. “This is but a minor trick. If you’re interested, once your business is done, I can teach you myself.”

Zhou Yi, seeing the old man’s warm smile, felt as if he were bathed in a spring breeze—utterly at ease. “May I ask, sir, when did you pass from this world?”

“The twentieth year of Jiaqing,” the old man replied.

Baozi, who had been eating and listening to their conversation, was now thoroughly confused. He looked to Zhou Yi, seeking an explanation. Zhou Yi formed a hand seal to signal Baozi to open his spiritual sight.

Seeing Zhou Yi’s gesture, Baozi responded in kind and activated his spiritual vision, looking again toward Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi pursed his lips and said, “Don’t look at me—look at the old gentleman.”

“Oh,” Baozi replied, then turned his gaze to the old man. The moment his eyes met the old man’s, he shrieked, “Oh my—!” and immediately shouted, “Break the spell!”

Baozi was so frightened that the chicken he had just put in his mouth became lodged in his throat. He rushed outside, trying to clear it out with his fingers. Soon, his voice called in from outside: “Brother Yi, I’m heading back to my room—no, I’m taking Beiqiao out for a walk. You two talk.” With that, Baozi very responsibly abandoned Zhou Yi and hurried off.

Zhou Yi paid him no mind and turned back to the old man. “He’s young, sir, please don’t take offense.”

The old man waved his hand with a smile, assuring Zhou Yi that it was of no consequence. “I noticed you both as soon as you entered the village. It is time for me to fulfill the wish I have held for many years.”

“If there is anything left undone, sir, I will do my utmost to help,” Zhou Yi said, now rising to his feet—he dared no longer sit at the table with the old man. The thought was unsettling enough.

“To be frank, my name is Tuoguta. Shuotuo was my great-grandfather,” the old man said.

Zhou Yi was momentarily at a loss, but when it sank in, he could no longer even muster a look of surprise.

Coming to his senses, Zhou Yi sank to one knee in homage. “I am Wu Xihachi—Zhou Yi, paying respects to my ancestor.” Shuotuo was the second son of Daishan, whose removal from the position of crown prince was due to Shuotuo and Yuetuo. The twentieth year of Jiaqing was 1815; now it was 1917. Tuoguta had been dead for over a hundred years.

“Rise. The Qing dynasty is fallen, there is no longer need for imperial ceremony. I blame only the foolishness of later emperors—our ancestors’ great legacy has fallen to this state,” Tuoguta said, his expression clouded with sorrow.

Zhou Yi considered for a moment, then replied, “Some time ago, I accidentally entered the heart of the Changbai Mountains. The dragon vein’s fortune has not yet dissipated. If it can be guarded, perhaps restoration is still possible.”

Tuoguta was not surprised, but only smiled and nodded. “Even if restoration were possible now, the country is too broken to last.” He bowed his head with a sigh.

“Zhuolu has always been a battleground since ancient times, with many great wars and countless soldiers dying tragically. Our forebears stationed troops here, first to bring the power of the two Red Banners to bear and suppress metal with fire, and second to use the vast, vigorous yang energy of thousands of soldiers to suppress the yin spirits of Zhuolu. The Xun Wind and the Li Fire that you seek were buried with my ancestor Shuotuo in Zhuolu. Only recently, when I went to pay respects at the ancestral tomb, did I discover that the tomb guardians had been killed and our ancestral tomb plundered.”

As Tuoguta spoke, his voice trembled, the pain still raw despite the many years since his passing.

“Li Fire is of yang nature and can suppress yin spirits without fail. But the Xun Wind is of yin. Would not using yin to suppress only serve to strengthen the yin spirits of Zhuolu?” Zhou Yi asked, frowning.

Tuoguta smiled and shook his head. “No. All things in the world possess both yin and yang. The Li Fire, though of yang, contains yin within. If only Li Fire is used as the array’s core, within a hundred years its yang energy will be exhausted and the weapon will become useless iron.

“But the Xun Wind is yin with a core of yang. When the two weapons are used together as the array’s heart, their yin and yang fuse and the array is unassailable. But now there are no troops stationed at Zhuolu, the two divine weapons have been lost, and the yin spirits of Zhuolu have grown ever more active. In a few days at most, those spirits will break through the barrier and wreak havoc upon the world.”

“If the yin spirits of Zhuolu break the array, what will happen?” Zhou Yi, realizing the gravity of losing the two divine weapons, asked urgently.

Tuoguta, after a moment’s thought, spoke words chilling to the bone. “Within two days, all living things within a hundred miles will perish. Within a month, there will be no humans left within a thousand miles.”

Zhou Yi was inwardly aghast—this was truly horrifying. The old man might be exaggerating, but even if he was not, the devastation would be catastrophic.

At that moment, Baozi burst back in, shouting, “Brother Yi, come quick! Some villagers nearby have been attacked by yin spirits—I can’t handle them all, there are too many!”

Zhou Yi and Tuoguta immediately stood. They had just been saying it would be days before the yin spirits of Zhuolu broke free, but clearly their timing was off.

Zhou Yi rose and said quickly, “Lead the way.”

It was afternoon, and under normal circumstances yin spirits would fear sunlight, so how could they be out harming people? Yet the sun, which should have been in the west, was now shrouded by thick clouds, and a chilling wind swept through in the middle of June. Zhou Yi stepped outside and was surprised by the penetrating cold, shivering involuntarily.

“It’s not this village, but the one ahead. I’ll take you there,” Baozi said, leading the way.

A middle-aged woman called after them, “Go to the stables! Take horses, you’ll be faster!”

Hearing this, Zhou Yi hurried to the stables, untied the horses, and rode straight toward Zhushan Village. Though a hundred miles from the ancient battlefield, Zhushan was the closest settlement. Everyone knew there were restless spirits at that ancient battlefield—no one dared approach, and so the land within a hundred miles was all but deserted.

Moments later, Zhou Yi and Baozi arrived at Zhushan Village. As they reached the entrance, terrifying screams echoed from within. Zhou Yi quickly formed a seal and opened his spiritual sight. Looking into the village, he saw the main street teeming with yin spirits—some missing arms or legs, and a few with their heads drooping grotesquely onto their shoulders, their armor still stained with vivid blood.

Unable to bear the sight, Zhou Yi shouted, “Break the spell!” and closed his spiritual sight. At once, the yin spirits vanished from his view.

But Baozi, still using his spiritual sight, glanced at Zhou Yi. “Brother Yi, the headless one is coming right for you!”