Chapter Seventy-Three: The Celestial Master's Edict

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In that instant, I had no idea what was happening. All my interactions with Lord Guan amounted to nothing more than a single glance, yet that could never be enough reason for him to kill me. Could it be that the deity I had always revered would draw his Green Dragon Crescent Blade against me simply because I stole a glance at him? Impossible!

Yet my entire being was frozen in place. I wanted to dodge, but my body refused to obey, rooted to the spot. At this critical moment, Chen Qingshan suddenly gave me a forceful shove. The timing was so perfect that, though I crashed heavily to the ground, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade struck the newly laid flagstones instead, shattering them into countless fragments!

That push not only saved me from the blade, but also jolted me out of my stupor. Kneeling on the ground, I cried out, "Why does Lord Guan seek my death?"

The events of that brief moment had left even the Fatty pale as a ghost. Just as I had been jolted awake by that push, so too was he. He immediately knelt down and pleaded, "Mighty and Courageous Martial King, you have struck the wrong man! This is not a drought demon!"

"His three souls are incomplete; he is not of the living world. How could he fool my eyes?" Lord Guan scoffed coldly, raising his blade to strike at me again.

"Lord Guan, please look closely! He was merely afflicted by an evil spirit as a child—he is not a creature of the dead!" Fatty shouted.

But Lord Guan paid no heed. The Green Dragon Crescent Blade seemed to carry with it supreme divine power as it descended toward me once more. This time, I was backed up against a pillar, with nowhere to escape. Never had I imagined things would take such a turn, nor that I might die like this at Lord Guan's hand.

I closed my eyes, my mind a complete blank. If someone else had been trying to kill me, I might still have hope, perhaps even that my elder brother would come to my rescue. But this was Lord Guan; I dared not wish for my brother's intervention, lest he be implicated as well.

But just then, I suddenly heard a metallic clang, and the Green Dragon Crescent Blade veered off, crashing into the ground beside me. I could feel the gust from the blade, chilling me to the bone.

Then, I heard Lord Guan's furious voice: "Who dares meddle in Guan Yu's demon-slaying business?"

A hush fell over the room. In my heart, I believed that only my elder brother could possibly save me now, but I truly hoped he would not come. No matter how strong he was, he could not stand against Lord Guan. I raised my head, intending to urge him to leave at once if I saw him.

Instead, I saw someone slowly walking in from outside. Not only I, but also Lord Guan, Fatty with his anxious face, and the pale Chen Qingshan all fixed their gazes on the newcomer. As he drew closer, I recognized him—not an acquaintance, but someone I had seen before.

It was the one who had appeared in Han Xue's camera footage, the man wearing a painted mask.

He entered the room, holding a golden talisman that shone with a radiant light—clearly far more potent than Fatty's charms.

It was he who had saved me in that moment of crisis?

To be honest, since he always lurked in the shadows and his skills were formidable, I had long suspected he was the one who had skinned my father—perhaps more than anyone else.

He approached Lord Guan, knelt down, and declared, "I am the City God of this place, humbly greeting the Great Emperor Who Subdues Demons."

"If you are the local City God, then tell me: this one is missing a soul, his fate is shrouded in ghostly aura, disturbing the cycle of reincarnation—why have you not reported this to the Underworld? Today, as I slay this demon, you dare intervene? I shall cut you down first, then make my report below!" With these words, Lord Guan raised his blade once more.

"Great Emperor, quell your anger! I bear a direct decree from Celestial Master Zhang, who has pardoned this man. I beseech you to see the truth!" The City God knelt, offering up the golden talisman.

With a flick of Lord Guan's hand, the talisman flew into his grasp. After a brief inspection, he tossed it back, snorting, "Since you have Celestial Master Zhang's decree, I shall spare his life. But should he bring harm to the world of men, I will show no mercy!"

With that, Lord Guan turned his horse and charged out. Before leaving, he called to Fatty, "I shall deal with the drought demon for you!"

Only after the hoofbeats faded into the distance did I collapse limply to the ground. Unbeknownst to myself, I was drenched in cold sweat, panting heavily. Still, I did not forget to clasp my hands in gratitude to the City God. "Thank you, Lord City God, for saving my life."

The City God's mask concealed his expression, but his eyes looked strangely familiar to me. Try as I might, I could not recall where I had seen that gaze before; in fact, as soon as he turned away, even the memory of his eyes faded to nothing.

He said nothing, simply rose and prepared to leave.

As he passed Fatty, the bold fellow suddenly grabbed the City God's hand! With a cold snort, he said, "So you finally dare to show yourself before me, Fatty! Weren't you hiding from me?"

But in the next instant, as if startled by a ghost, Fatty released his grip and exclaimed in shock, "You're a living man?"

"A man of the living world, entrusted with the affairs of the dead. Matters here are complicated; it is best we do not meet. I ask for your understanding," the City God replied softly, glancing at Fatty. With that, he turned and vanished swiftly into the night.

At that moment, I lay limp on the floor, Chen Qingshan still kneeling, and Fatty sitting on the ground in a daze. Never would I have guessed that my long-awaited summoning of Lord Guan would turn out like this. If not for the City God's intervention, I would have been struck down by Lord Guan's blade tonight.

I managed a bitter smile and said to Fatty, "Fatty, you nearly got me killed."

Fatty grinned. "To die by Lord Guan's blade is no shame—few can boast such a glorious end!"

"To hell with you! Why don't you go die under his blade? I promise your name will go down in history," I shot back with a laugh.

Just then, I noticed something off with Chen Qingshan. He had been kneeling for too long, his expression vacant. I nudged him and called, "Village Chief?"

No response. Alarmed, I waved my hand before his eyes—still nothing. I quickly called out, "Fatty! The chief's been scared to death!"

"That fragile?" Fatty got up, walked over, and lifted Chen Qingshan's eyelids for a look. "No problem, just lost his soul from fright. A little coaxing and he'll be fine."

With that, Fatty lit a charm and circled it three times before Chen Qingshan's face, then slapped his cheek and shouted, "Soul, return!"

"Why'd you hit him?" I asked.

But after that slap, Chen Qingshan shuddered, and light returned to his eyes. Regaining his senses, he asked, "What happened? I saw Lord Guan about to kill you, so I pushed you away! Where is he now?!"

"It's alright, Village Chief. Lord Guan's gone to deal with the drought demon. The City God saved me." I was about to explain how he'd lost his soul from fright, but Fatty winked at me, so I refrained from giving details.

"As long as you're safe. I... I should go home." Clearly still terrified, Chen Qingshan scrambled to his feet and fled.

"Why'd you wink at me? Still suspicious of the chief?" I asked.

"Fatty's sixth sense is sharper than a woman's. That guy's got a guilty conscience, no doubt. Just now, Lord Guan's pressure was all on you. If he'd done nothing wrong, he wouldn't have been so scared," Fatty replied.

"If he hadn't shoved me out of the way, I'd be dead. You should offer incense to the City God. If I'd died by Lord Guan's blade, my elder brother would have torn you to pieces," I said.

Fatty tossed me a cigarette and fixed me with a look. "If you hadn't told me about this, I'd have come for you myself. Missing a soul, fate shrouded in ghostly aura? King of Thieves, you sure kept me in the dark!"

"What the hell? What's a fate chart? And is this missing soul business about that soul lamp you said was extinguished?" I was just as confused. At first, I thought Lord Guan wanted to kill me for looking at him, but he never even asked what I was looking at. It seemed, in Lord Guan's eyes, I wasn't even considered among the living.

"Lord Guan never mistakes his target. If he couldn't see through you, your background must be extraordinary. Celestial Master Zhang's personal pardon, tsk tsk," Fatty remarked, regarding me as though I were some kind of monster.

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