Chapter 25: Night Journey (Please Add to Favorites)

After the bond of life and death had departed, Lord Lu smiled at Wang Liang and said, "I've made a spectacle of myself in front of a man of many talents."

"Not at all," Wang Liang replied. "This is official business, and official business must come first. In fact, I just came from Yangjing Ridge in the Demon Hills today, and I saw the state of things along the way. I didn't expect that outside such a prosperous city as Yanggu County, there would be a place so infested with demons."

"Indeed, we've been troubled by this demon land for years, but what else can we do? The original demon tiger was only a fierce beast; we didn't pay it much mind. Five years ago, for reasons unknown, it suddenly became demonized and its power soared. By the time we wanted to act, it was too late. To be honest, these years we've only managed to keep Yanggu County safe as best we could."

Hearing Lord Lu's words, Wang Liang could only offer consolation. "You've done very well. At the very least, you've kept the demon tiger confined to the mountains. Otherwise, with the forces under its command, it could easily take down a city or two. In the end, it is always the common people who suffer most."

"It's not enough," Lord Lu said bitterly. "Today there was chaos at the Demon Hills. It seems the demon tiger is no longer content with the current situation—it wants to break out. Before, I didn't dare promise the bond of life and death, not only because I feared we might lose, but also because if we led all the troops of Yanggu County away, the city itself might not be defensible."

Lord Lu voiced his concerns, and naturally Wang Liang offered some strategic advice. In his dreams he had served both as a civil official and as a general; his experience was considerable. Rather than persuade from other angles, he analyzed the situation from a military perspective, beginning with marching formations and moving on to strategies for attacking the Demon Hills. He even raised the possibility: if the Demon Hills proved too hard to breach, could they lure the enemy out and defeat them outside instead?

This suggestion made Lord Lu's eyes light up. He didn't agree immediately, but said seriously, "I need to discuss this with the others, but it is truly a good idea."

Seeing Lord Lu had made up his mind, Wang Liang said no more, but asked to take his leave. Originally, Lord Lu had intended to keep Wang Liang for a while, but with so much to handle after this incident, he had to let him go, and ordered someone to escort Wang Liang out.

As Wang Liang was leaving, he said to Lord Lu, "If you are committed to dealing with the Demon Hills, I can lend a hand. Before attaining my current path, I served as Deputy Censor-in-Chief and as Military Governor of Hexi, expanding territory by nine hundred li and taking seven thousand heads in battle. If you need a battle commander, I can fulfill that role."

Hearing this, Lord Lu's eyes brightened. "Very well, when the time comes I will surely call upon you to join the fight."

Wang Liang said nothing more and left the City God Temple. This time, Lord Lu did not arrange further escort, but gave Wang Liang a token to present to the Night-Wandering Deities and patrolling officers on the streets. This same token had been given to those bound by life and death before; it was this token that allowed them to fight demons and ghosts at night.

With the token in hand, Wang Liang left the city of the underworld. In a blink, the sky above him darkened rapidly. He realized he was now standing at the entrance of the City God Temple in the world of the living.

Unlike the underworld, where the City God occupied an entire city, here in the land of the living the temple was far more modest, just a small courtyard with two sections. In the main hall stood a golden, clay statue—none other than Lord Lu himself, dressed in a civil official's robe and wearing a count's coronet, just as Wang Liang had seen him before. Only now, the statue was covered in gold paint, and someone had added a mustache, perhaps to lend it more gravitas, though it looked rather odd.

Just as Wang Liang took a few steps from the temple gate, he heard footsteps approaching.

"Who's there?" someone called.

Turning, Wang Liang saw five figures hurrying towards him: patrol officers, knights-errant, and soldiers. The five seemed to serve different authorities. The leader, carrying a bamboo clapper and a gong and holding a white lantern, was dressed in plain black—he was the local night watchman, the only one officially permitted to walk the streets at night.

Following him were two men dressed in red jackets and armor, swords at their waists, carrying peculiar crossbows—each nearly a meter long, stringed and loaded with arrows—these were the famed Divine Arm Bows of the Song dynasty. These two were regulars, sent from the garrison to patrol at night.

Behind them was a man in a black constable's uniform, holding an iron ruler, ropes and chains at his waist—an officer dispatched from the county office. The last was plainly dressed, a dagger at his waist and eyes darting about—an errand-runner, the lowest in rank among them, hired to take on dangerous tasks.

Of course, this was just the patrol in the world of the living. Wang Liang could see at a glance that two ghostly soldiers trailed behind the five; though lacking in combat power, they could alert the Night-Wandering Deities if any demons or ghosts appeared.

As soon as the Divine Arm Bows were trained on him, Wang Liang produced his token. The five did not let down their guard; the night watchman raised his lantern, and one of the garrison men stepped forward to inspect the token carefully. After examining it, he returned it to Wang Liang and stepped back.

"Don't linger outside. Don't follow us. You know the rules—if you meet a patrol, show your token at once. If you get killed, don't blame us for our quick bows. And if you enter someone else's property and get killed, no one will pity you. Mind yourself."

With that, the five melted into the shadows at the edge of the street. If not for the glow of the night watchman's lantern, Wang Liang might have thought they had vanished entirely.

This encounter made Wang Liang abandon any thoughts of seeking out demons in Yanggu City. He checked his bearings and headed toward the Lion Pavilion. With the token clearing his way, the patrols he met merely examined it and warned him before letting him pass.

But just as he neared the Lion Pavilion, he suddenly heard the urgent clang of a gong from a nearby alley. Several patrol teams rushed in that direction, and Wang Liang felt a chill wind rise—ghostly soldiers and underworld messengers seemed to be converging there as well.

After a moment's hesitation, Wang Liang reached out his hand. The Blade of Severed Life fell into his grasp, and he ran toward the sound of the gong.