Chapter 40: Bright Eyes Pierce the Night to Behold Gods and Ghosts

"The assessment begins at the Hour of the Dog and concludes at the break of dawn, at the Hour of the Rabbit."

"Everyone shall carry a Second-Rank Soul-Guiding Lamp to conduct patrols. The scope includes the lake district, the bay area, and the thirty-two wards of the docks."

"The objective of the assessment is to soothe the wandering spirits of the drowned and other lonely ghosts."

"Those who soothe ten spirits without resorting to 'Invoking the Divine' will be graded A."

"Those who soothe five spirits without resorting to 'Invoking the Divine' will be graded B."

"Those who soothe three spirits without resorting to 'Invoking the Divine' will be graded C."

"If you cannot soothe even a single spirit, you must 'Invoke the Divine' promptly. Do not jeopardize the peace of the local folk merely for the sake of a grade."

"If you Invoke the Divine, your assessment ends immediately. Is that understood?"

"Understood."

"You still have time to prepare. Go and find your posts."

"Yes, Master Meng."

As Meng Yun, the Temple Ritual Master, finished speaking, the minor officials dispersed to prepare for the upcoming assessment.

Zhao Xing activated his Brightened Vision and noticed a bundle strapped to Meng Yun’s back. Inside the bundle was a tiny figure, barely two feet tall. It had a rosy complexion and held a miniature crescent blade, exuding an air of stern majesty. Though its eyes were initially closed, they suddenly snapped open, and it even offered Zhao Xing a faint smile.

To see ghosts and gods with the Brightened Vision! He hadn't even encountered a ghost yet, but he had already seen the Yin deity enshrined in the temple.

Zhao Xing bowed his hands in respect before hastily dispelling his technique. When he looked with his naked eyes again, it was nothing more than an ordinary sandalwood carving.

"Hmm? Why has the True Monarch awakened?" Meng Yun felt something and glanced back.

Zhao Xing, however, had already shifted his gaze.

"Good grief, he’s actually carrying the Earl of East Lake on his back. If any spirits really come ashore, with this one sitting in judgment, a whole carriage load wouldn't be enough for him to cut down."

At this stage, the spirits generally posed no threat. To ordinary people, they could at most disturb a good night's sleep, leaving the person feeling lethargic and listless for a few days. Unless someone were deliberately raising spirits—which was a grave crime; if discovered, they would be branded as a heretical sorcerer.

Moreover, with the Temple Ritual Master carrying a sliver of the Earl of East Lake's consciousness, Zhao Xing could dance in a pile of ghosts, and they wouldn't dare touch a single hair on his head. After all, he was a man the Earl of East Lake had once tried to keep!

"Young Master, what are you looking at?" Old Eight Xu asked, puzzled. Why had he stopped walking so suddenly?

"Oh, nothing. I thought I saw someone I recognized, but I must have been mistaken," Zhao Xing said dismissively.

"Then shall we continue strolling, or head to our post to get to work?" Old Eight Xu couldn't help but urge him. They had been wandering for over an hour, and this master showed no sign of stopping. The money was earned too easily, and it made Old Eight Xu uneasy. Two and a half taels of silver was not a small sum.

"No rush, no rush. Let’s eat something first." Zhao Xing walked into a food stall and ordered several skewers of grilled meat. "Eat as much as you like; it’s on me. We’ll skip the wine, so as not to cause trouble."

"Very well, thank you, Young Master." Old Eight Xu didn't stand on ceremony. He ordered dozens of skewers at once. Seeing Zhao Xing remain unfazed, he immediately decided that this young master was truly a generous man. He resolved that he would not let him go home empty-handed tonight.

Dozens of meat skewers, a few bowls of vermicelli soup, and four grilled fish cost only a tael of silver in total. The flavors were authentic and the portions generous; it was well worth it.

Old Eight Xu stopped at seventy percent full because he would have to go into the water later. Zhao Xing was only half-full, so he continued to order more.

Old Eight Xu was secretly astonished: "This master looks tall and thin, but I never expected his appetite to be this large. I’m already seventy percent full, and he’s eaten about the same as me, yet he’s still going? Could he be a practitioner of some sort?"

Although Zhao Xing was not a martial artist, his physique, bolstered by the third stage of Yuan-Gathering, far exceeded that of Old Eight Xu, so it was only natural that his appetite was equally robust.

Just as he was eating his grilled fish, suddenly—

"Whoosh—"

A gust of wind swept through the stall.

"Hmm?" Zhao Xing paused. He was sensitive to the wind, and this inexplicable breeze was clearly not natural.

"A chilling wind? And it carries a damp scent... Have the water ghosts come ashore?"

There was an advanced application of wind-manipulation techniques known as [Chilling Wind Striking the Soul], which usually only military agricultural officials were qualified to learn. Zhao Xing analyzed it and realized this wasn't man-made. The dampness in the air confirmed it: a water ghost had come ashore.

He saw a drenched, ghostly figure weaving through the street, wearing silk robes, his frame stout and bloated, wandering aimlessly. Zhao Xing checked the almanac, but there was no warning. He calculated the time; it was almost the Ding-Mao quarter.

"Wait here for me, don't wander off. I'll find you in a moment." Zhao Xing settled the bill and followed the ghost.

"Hey? Young Master... where did he go?" Old Eight Xu was bewildered. Zhao Xing hadn't looked like he was walking fast, but in the blink of an eye, he had vanished into the crowd. "How strange."

...

Zhao Xing moved with wind-aided speed, quickly catching up to the stout, wandering spirit and walking alongside him.

The nine-turn Brightened Vision allowed him to perceive ghosts and gods, and naturally, it allowed him to communicate with them as well. Zhao Xing observed him for a moment and asked, "My good man, what are you looking for?"

The stout spirit in silk robes turned his head. His hair was plastered to his forehead, dripping wet, and his lips were pale. "I am looking for the way home."

Zhao Xing bowed his hands. "May I ask where your home is?"

The stout ghost muttered, "I am from the west of the commandery, residing at the Jia Manor in the south of Dangyou County."

West of the commandery? Dangyou County? Zhao Xing was still pondering where that was when the fat ghost said blankly, "But I can't find it no matter how I try. I just can't find it..."

Zhao Xing suddenly realized: Dangyou was a minor county that had been merged twelve years ago with another minor county, 'Pingshan,' and renamed 'Youshan County.'

It would be a miracle if he could find it; his corpse had drifted all the way from the west of the commandery to the south!

Did this mean the man had been dead for at least twelve years?!

Zhao Xing pondered for a moment and continued, "My good man, you want to go home—do you have something to entrust to them?"

The stout spirit nodded. "Yes, I need to tell my wife that I have passed away, and have them retrieve my body. I also need to tell her that I have a box of silver buried in..."

"Buried where?"

The stout spirit suddenly turned his head, his eye sockets glowing with eerie ghost fire. "Why would I tell you? You aren't my family."

"..."

Fair point. That was quite logical.

Having said that, the stout spirit continued to wander aimlessly, muttering, "I am from the west of the commandery, residing at the Jia Manor in the south of Dangyou County. I want to go home, but where is home? I can't find it..."

Zhao Xing was about to try communicating again when he suddenly heard a clear shout from ahead: "Soul, return to me!"

A ray of golden light illuminated the stout spirit, who stopped muttering and began to walk uncontrollably toward the source of the light.

No one else could perceive the sound or the golden phenomenon, but Zhao Xing saw and heard it clearly. Ahead, a figure stood holding a soul-guiding lamp—it was an official from the temple assessment.