Chapter Sixty-Eight: Great Change Approaches, Gathering of the Wraith Commanders

“Alas, old woman, I do not know why it happened. My main peak suddenly exploded from within, and I ended up in this wretched state. It must have been the work of that damned human brat,” the Mother of the Mountain Demon’s voice emerged from the black stone, unable even to assume a human form.

“Oh? Is this boy the one you mentioned the other day, the one who slew the Black Tiger?” came a response.

“Most likely, it’s that wretched brat. Who else could be so strange? He ruined centuries of my cultivation. Wuzui, you must avenge me,” she complained.

“Hah, you saw it yourself. It’s not that I didn’t pursue him, but that boy is adept in earth evasion. He’s no less skilled than I am—slipperier than an eel. I am powerless,” the Judge replied, slouching in his throne of bones, draining a cup of wine, and shaking his head.

“It seems, in my present state, I can no longer involve myself in Yue’er’s plans. I shall have to recover in your Ghost Mansion for a time,” the Mother lamented.

“Suit yourself, but you’d best inform Lord Evil Spirit. Otherwise, if blame comes down, you’ll find it hard to escape responsibility.”

…

That day.

Demon-Slaying Prefecture, second-floor conference room in the back courtyard.

The Bronze-armored General and nine Suppressing Barbarians Commanders took their seats.

“General, what urgent matter has summoned us here?” the round-faced commander in a purple robe inquired with a bow.

“Tomorrow, Yunzou City will face great upheaval. I’ve gathered you all today so that the commanders may prepare and work together tomorrow to confront this calamity,” the Bronze-armored General said, his tiger eyes sweeping the room, his voice grave.

“Great upheaval?” The commanders exchanged shocked glances, bewildered.

“Indeed. But this matter is top secret. Except for Commander Han, none of you are to leave this building from now until tomorrow night.”

The crowd looked at one another, then at Han Chong, unable to fathom why this newly appointed commander was so highly regarded by General Guo.

“Commander Han, explain to everyone,” the General ordered.

“Yes, colleagues,” Han Chong began. “This impending disaster in Yunzou has been initially identified as a conspiracy by remnants of the previous dynasty colluding with demons to raise an army, seize the province, and then expand into other territories.”

A gasp swept the room; so this was the cause behind the recent mysterious unrest in Yunzou. All along, it was the work of traitors and demons.

“Commander Han, do you have any proof for such claims? You’re not just trying to alarm us, are you?” one of the older commanders asked skeptically.

“Yes, how is it that you, newly arrived, claim to know of such a massive plot with such certainty? Where is the evidence?”

“It’s true! I’ve lived fifty years and never heard of such a shocking case in the empire!” others joined in, voices raised in suspicion, while the Bronze-armored General remained silent and watched.

“Heh, you are all veterans with sharp eyes and minds, but as for evidence, it is difficult to provide,” Han Chong replied with a salute and a smile.

“So you have no proof—just empty words. How can you be so sure monsters are behind such a plot?” the round-faced commander sneered, and others shook their heads, thinking Han Chong alarmist.

“Is it not proof enough that you, instead of remaining at your posts in the county offices, have been summoned to the provincial headquarters?” Han Chong’s cold smile swept over them.

“You!” The commanders were indignant, but his retort silenced them.

“Enough,” the general said. “Let Commander Han continue. This entire case was uncovered by his efforts alone. If you spent your days in confusion as you have, Yunzou would fall and you’d still be in the dark.”

“Yes, General!” The commanders bowed, now eager to see how Han Chong would justify himself.

“Over ten days ago, I spoke of the four Wraith Kings in Peijun Prefecture inciting rebellion among the people. When I arrived here, I learned by chance that the Bronze Guards of the former dynasty’s remnant, the Silvermoon Sect, had entrenched themselves in the city. Investigating further, I discovered that the mastermind is Princess Ling Yingzhuang of Prince Ying’s household, aided by the Four Wraith Marshals working in secret.

“She has learned demonic arts from unknown sources and now cultivates beneath Moon Lake in Prince Ying’s back garden. She ruthlessly murdered her three elder brothers, then organized the Bronze Guards and, with the Wraith Marshals’ help, has stirred chaos in the nine counties of Yunzou.

“Now, she has assembled an army of hundreds of thousands of Black Scarf soldiers marching on Yunzou City. She has also created a corpse-mire in the depths of Blackcloud Mountain, breeding bloodthirsty black mosquitoes, and is secretly launching the ‘Heaven’s Mad Plague Rat’ plan inside the city. Tomorrow is the day of her great upheaval.”

Listening to Han Chong’s detailed account, the commanders’ skepticism began to fade.

“No more words are needed,” the general concluded. “Tomorrow, when the crisis erupts, you eight will divide into four groups, each leading your subordinates to one of the city’s four gates to aid the garrison in repelling the enemy. Do not fail.”

“At your command!” they replied in unison, bowing.

…

In the Prefect’s Mansion.

The portly prefect took the antidote pills Han Chong had left behind each day. His body felt fine, but he was perpetually anxious since Han Chong had disappeared, leaving only twenty pills, which would soon be gone.

He had his lean steward search the entire city, but to no avail.

A guard observed all this and sent word to the masked woman.

At that moment, she sat in the secret underground chamber of Prince Ying’s mansion, her fingers drumming on the table, wondering to herself if that brat was truly dead.

Soon after, the man in black robes and the judge arrived, taking their seats at the round table.

“What is it? What troubles you, Sister Yue’er? Perhaps I can ease your worries,” the judge joked.

“It’s nothing. Why hasn’t the Mother of the Mountain Demon arrived? She’s the closest,” the masked woman replied, waving her hand.

“Ah, that unlucky wretch. She was devastated by the boy she mentioned last time—her main peak destroyed, gravely injured, and chased all the way to my Guiltless Cliff. She can’t even take human form now and likely won’t be of any use,” the judge remarked.

“What? So that brat is still alive?” the masked woman gasped, a sense of foreboding creeping into her heart.

“Bah, just a low-ranked cultivator, skilled in earth evasion, but what’s there to fear?” the judge scoffed.

“Hmph, don’t underestimate him. Though his cultivation is low, he was involved in the deaths of all four Wraith Kings in Peijun Prefecture. And there is more bad news,” she said gravely.

“What now? This plan has truly been a string of mishaps.”

“My painstaking work in Blackcloud Mountain for five years has been utterly destroyed. The Black Mosquito Queen and millions of her brood have been wiped out.”

“What? Who would dare do such a thing? They must have a death wish! Was it that boy again?”

“I don’t know. But perhaps he was involved.”

For a moment, the three fell silent, each frowning in deep thought.