Chapter 1172: Past Events of Flash Gold

Besides a plate of stir-fried river snails, there were also stir-fried field greens with eggs and a few pieces of red-braised pork.

The red-braised pork was glossy and fatty; it looked like something the shopkeeper had hidden away for his own consumption, but now he had given it all to his saviors.

The drinker sucked on two river snails before asking He Lingchuan, "You can see them too?"

He Lingchuan nodded.

Encountering a ghost peeking at people, this young man was very calm. "Not simple. Have you practiced any supernatural arts for controlling ghosts?"

"That, I have not," He Lingchuan laughed. "It just so happens I was born with the ability to see ghosts."

His ability to "see ghosts" was given to him by the divine bone necklace.

But there were indeed people in this world born with their eyes opened, so "Master Fu" did not find it strange.

"What kind of ghost was that just now?"

"A 'Ground-Stayer.' Full of resentment before death, they become vengeful ghosts after death," the drinker explained. "They die violent deaths in the wilderness, and because they happen to be in places with heavy Yin energy like the shady side of a mountain or by the water, they transform into vengeful spirits. Once someone walking at night steps on their remains, the Ground-Stayer becomes very angry and follows the person's 'human Qi' at night to seek revenge."

The shopkeeper replied with a bitter face, "I didn't do it on purpose."

The wilderness is pitch black; who can pay attention to their feet every single moment? "Whether you did it unintentionally doesn't matter; they just want to take the opportunity to vent their anger," the drinker laughed. "They won't kill you instantly, but will come to pester you every night, draining your energy, leaving you distracted and unable to sleep. Before long, you'll fall ill and never recover."

The shopkeeper shuddered.

"You're lucky you only encountered one," the drinker picked up a piece of field greens. "Ground-Stayers love to attack in groups. Sometimes you only step on one, but they all swarm out. Victims always hear countless people cursing in their ears when they try to sleep, and they are pointed at by thousands in their dreams."

Dong Rui said, "Ghosts and monsters occasionally appear in the wilderness where we are, but they usually don't have the guts to come to places with many people to cause trouble."

The drinker laughed, "How wonderful your place must be! The human nation is prosperous and the Yang energy is thick; these ghostly things can't stay and can't come out. Unlike here, sigh, a hundred-mile ghost domain is a common sight!"

Dong Rui asked with a smile, "How should I address you?"

"Fu," the man laughed. "Fu Liushan."

Perhaps chatterboxes are all quick to get familiar. After only half a quarter of an hour, He Lingchuan knew that calling him an "Exorcist" was inappropriate, because his profession was quite unique—a "Heavenly Master" specific to the Flash Gold Plain.

This land was constantly plagued by natural and man-made disasters, which spawned a large number of demons and Yin spirits that wreaked havoc among the common people. Heavenly Masters emerged as the times required, specializing in solving these troubles for people.

"In other words, your scope of business is very broad—you exorcise demons and catch ghosts?"

"Right, right," Fu Liushan nodded. "As long as it's something non-human causing trouble, you can come find me. And I am also skilled at suppressing evil objects and malevolent artifacts."

"Evil objects and malevolent artifacts?"

"Oh, some objects, magic treasures, they get contaminated by evil spirits, or are placed in places of heavy Yin energy, and slowly they also turn into things that harm people. Ordinary people don't know the ins and outs, and are easily harmed by them."

The wind outside had died down. The shopkeeper pointed north, "When you came, did you see that big mountain?"

It was already pitch black outside, and He Lingchuan and his companion had emerged from underground, so they could only nod.

"That is Mount Jing. Legend has it that the last emperor of the Flash Gold Empire had his imperial villa inside the mountain, called 'Fort of Blessings'."

Dong Rui laughed with a 'pfft': "This name..."

He Lingchuan's heart stirred, recalling a legend from Shao Jian's biography that was related to "Mount Jing." He asked the shopkeeper, "Why do you say Mount Jing is dangerous and not to go near it?"

The shopkeeper asked, "Have you heard of the Luo Sheng Armor?"

Dong Rui glanced at He Lingchuan: "Yo, seems like I have a vague impression?"

Bored while sailing on the sea, he had read Shao Jian's biography several times.

"The founding ancestor of the Flash Gold Empire, Pang Yuan, once had a precious armor called the 'Luo Sheng Armor.' It is said that whoever wore it would be invincible. The ancestor wore it to conquer a vast territory, but after becoming emperor, he sealed it away because the evil power on the armor was extremely strong. Those who wore it rarely met a good end."

He Lingchuan listened carefully: "And then?"

Dong Rui asked, "Did the founding emperor meet a good end?"

"He did. I heard he lived to be over seventy, which is a ripe old age on the Flash Gold Plain." Fu Liushan picked up a piece of red-braised pork. "Legend says the Flash Gold Empire had heavy taxes and harsh punishments; from officials down to commoners, anyone could easily be convicted, but the army was very capable. This Emperor Pang Yuan also liked to lead campaigns personally. After ascending the throne, he led four or five personal campaigns, returning in great victory every time, expanding the empire's territory to the entire Flash Gold Plain. It was truly a peak era."

"Two hundred years later, the last monarch of the Flash Gold Empire wanted to emulate his ancestor and lead a campaign personally. I don't know who tricked him, but he wore the Luo Sheng Armor and went. The final outcome is imaginable—a crushing defeat in the wilderness."

Dong Rui spotted a flaw: "Wait a minute, the Flash Gold Empire was so powerful, how could the monarch not suppress one evil armor?"

Everyone could understand why the founding emperor Pang Yuan was fine wearing the evil armor. With powerful Yuan energy and illustrious military achievements, he could naturally suppress it.

He Lingchuan immediately said, "By the end of the empire, it wasn't far from collapse. Since the national fortune was in decline, how much Yuan energy could the last monarch have?"

Not to mention the distant past, just look at the old King of Bo. He Lingchuan had not felt any strong Yuan energy from him.

"Right, that's the logic!" Fu Liushan clapped his hands. "Few people have put it so clearly! Every time I mention it, others just say it's impossible, that I'm lying."

Very few people on this continent even knew the two words "Yuan energy."

Dong Rui only thought about the treasure: "After he died, what about the Luo Sheng Armor?"

"Of course, it was taken by someone. But this evil armor always emerges from time to time, bringing bloody storms." Fu Liushan bared his teeth. "The more blood this kind of armor is stained with, the more powerful it becomes, and the disasters it brings are even more terrifying."

Upon hearing this, Dong Rui became even more interested: "Where is this precious armor now?"

"Not clear."

"People often go to Mount Jing to look for the armor," the shopkeeper added. "When spring arrived this year, some treasure hunters stayed at my shop and prepared dry rations, saying they wanted to try their luck at Mount Jing. There are always unreliable rumors saying this evil armor is still in Mount Jing. As for whether anyone can find it, I don't know."

Dong Rui clicked his tongue twice: "This thing is fierce and evil, constantly backlashing against its master. Why do so many people still want it?"

"Isn't it because they want to defy heaven and change their fate?" Fu Liushan sipped his wine. "If you can't succeed on your own, don't you have to borrow external force? As long as there is a glimmer of hope, a glimmer of opportunity, they don't want to let it go. Sigh, you haven't lived here for long; you truly don't understand the taste of despair!"

The shopkeeper also sighed along with him.

He Lingchuan took out some broken silver and gave it to him: "Help us and Master Fu heat up some more wine, and bring out whatever good food you have."

Someone was treating? Fu Liushan's eyes lit up, and he quickly moved to their table to sit: "Young man is generous!"

The shopkeeper took the silver and happily went to the back kitchen to rummage for ingredients.

The three chatted until the second half of the night, almost drinking the shop dry. Fu Liushan became half-drunk and started slurring his words, telling He Lingchuan and his companion many experiences of hunting demons and catching ghosts.

Different trades are like mountains apart; the two listened with great interest and felt they had benefited greatly.

He Lingchuan specifically chose this time to ask about the Luo Sheng Armor, and Fu Liushan, half-drunk, told them many past events.

Many stories had happened surrounding this evil armor, some tragic and cruel, others stirring and tragic.

Those who were repeatedly ground down in the stories had all once been living, breathing people.

Even Dong Rui, who was usually heartless, toasted him after listening and sighed: "This evil armor toys with the human heart, yet in this world, the most terrifying thing is also the human heart."

There was no inn in Wuxian Town. The shopkeeper charged seven wen per person, allowed them to spend the night in the main hall, and went to sleep in the back.

The rain ended overnight, and the next day was clear. He Lingchuan and his companion packed up and set off, continuing eastward.

Fu Liushan also packed his bags and accompanied them for a stretch.

To avoid any misunderstanding, he clarified: "I'm also heading east. I'll travel with you for thirty li, then we'll part ways."

On the road, He Lingchuan found a topic: "By the way, since you are an expert at hunting demons, do you know if there are demons on White Head Ridge?"

"Oh, that nest of fox demons?" Fu Liushan nodded. "I know. We Heavenly Masters basically don't take jobs on White Head Ridge."

"Because it's too dangerous?"

"Exactly," Fu Liushan explained to them. "There is a great demon on White Head Ridge called Three-Tail, with at least three hundred years of cultivation; I've seen it. It has a bunch of little foxes under it, plus some bird demons and insect demons, so that place is off-limits to the living."

Demons living in groups usually aren't just one species. Many demons have strengths that naturally complement each other. Even the cave spiders, which are so xenophobic, have mirage demons living in symbiosis with them.

"Does Three-Tail also frequently harm the local area?"

The White Bear King had plagued the area around Bai Mao Mountain for decades, not knowing how many people it had eaten. If not for the Great Deer Nation becoming prosperous and wiping it out, who knows how much longer it could have remained carefree on Bai Mao Mountain.

"On the Flash Gold Plain, how many demons don't eat people? The easiest food to find here is humans!" Fu Liushan said. "The people eaten by these fox demons appear unharmed, as if they are sleeping, but their internal organs are withered. In our trade, we call it the loss of vitality and the exhaustion of essence."

Dong Rui laughed: "These fox demons are quite unique in eating people; they leave a whole corpse."

"But they eat too much, and the humans at the foot of the mountain can't take it. Several surrounding forces have joined hands to wipe out the fox demons, but unfortunately, Three-Tail is too cunning, and every time they return without success."

He Lingchuan suddenly asked: "Did the Yao Nation participate?"

White Head Ridge is right next to the Yao Nation. By logic, the Yao Nation should have the most victims.

Fu Liushan was startled. He thought for a moment before saying: "Hmm, your question is interesting... It seems Three-Tail didn't really harm the Yao Nation in the past. So, the Yao Nation never sent troops to wipe it out."

Dong Rui could always catch the keywords: "In the past?"

"A while ago, the fox demons suddenly broke their taboo and started eating Yao people too. And I heard they were exceptionally cruel, directly eating the residents of two towns, totaling about a thousand people. Recently, the Emperor's Dew has been falling frequently; I don't know if the new little demons on the mountain are not following the rules."

(End of chapter)