Chapter 80: Ten Years

Inside the Hongkou Headquarters, three Nine Chrysanthemum House ministers, including Mita Yoshiko, and the Head of Yin-Yang, Abe Yukimasa, were gathered here; they had come to seek reinforcements from the new commander.

Mita Yoshiko bowed and said, "Your Excellency Commander, the cultivators of the Zhina people have now surrounded all of Hongkou. Our members outside have basically lost contact, and the situation is already extremely dangerous!"

The new commander nodded and said, "I have already understood the situation. This matter has been reported to the home country. First, a group of people will come from the home country to support you; second, people from Manchuria will also come to provide support."

Mita Yoshiko was overjoyed and hurriedly asked, "Your Excellency Commander, how many people are in this batch of reinforcements?"

The new commander said indifferently, "The Yin-Yang Bureau of the home country will support three hundred Yin-Yang Masters, and four Nine Chrysanthemum House ministers from Manchuria along with their subordinates, totaling nearly one thousand people, will come to support."

"Not only that, there are also defecting Shamans, House Immortals, and others, expected to exceed three thousand. These nearly four thousand reinforcements, plus the thousands of samurai from the Black Dragon Society—this should be enough, right?"

The few people present were greatly delighted; this force of nearly ten thousand was enough to deal with the Maoshan Sect outside.

……

Inside the Manchurian imperial capital, a black shadow was fleeing for their life, while a squad of agents from the Japanese Invader special service agency was in pursuit. Gunshots and shouts rang out continuously on the quiet, dim street.

Not only that, a large wolfhound was running fast, and seeing it was about to catch up to the black shadow, the man immediately turned around, fired several shots in succession, killed the large wolfhound, and then vanished into a small alley; by the time the Japanese Invader agents chased after him, he had already lost his trail.

The leading squad leader said furiously, "Immediately call the Shamans over to find him!"

After the Japanese Invader agents left, the black shadow appeared. He did not dare to linger and hurriedly left, soon returning to his stronghold, where he immediately took out a telegraph machine and sent a top-secret piece of intelligence.

Just as he finished sending it, the doors and windows were broken open simultaneously, and several House Immortals and Shamans rushed in, instantly subduing the man.

The man roared angrily, "You traitors, you will not die well, you will not die well!"

A Shaman said coldly, "You are also a Shaman; you should know my methods!"

"Pfft!"

The man spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and laughed loudly, "Hahaha, the Japanese Invaders' plan has been leaked; my death was worth it!"

As soon as the words fell, he died suddenly.

The others cursed, "Damn it, a madman from the Anti-Japanese United Army."

……

"Report, top-secret intelligence sent by the Underground Party comrade!"

"Hmm? The Japanese Invaders actually sent thousands of people to Shanghai? Immediately tell the comrades in Shanghai!"

"I heard the Southern Branch of the Maoshan Sect is dealing with the Japanese Invaders in Shanghai; we must remind them."

"Hmm, they are all comrades resisting the Japanese Invaders; we must help them out."

……

On this day, Zhang Cheng suddenly received a letter, which stated that thousands of cultivators had come to Manchuria. He sensed the danger at the first moment and immediately told Daoist Master Jinbao.

Daoist Master Jinbao was furious and immediately contacted all the sects.

This was no longer a private feud between Maoshan and the Japanese Invaders; if they let the Japanese Invaders severely damage the Maoshan Southern Branch, what face would the other sects have to call themselves righteous sects?

The various sects sent out personnel one after another, all rushing toward Shanghai.

This matter attracted the attention of all parties. The government sent people to negotiate many times, but there were no good results, while the Japanese Invaders cried "thief" while being the thief, putting pressure on the government.

Soon, the Japanese Invaders' reinforcements arrived in Shanghai. In one night, nearly ten thousand people killed their way out of Hongkou and engaged in a fierce battle with the Daoist Alliance.

That night, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, wild winds howled, and ghosts wailed; the area around Hongkou seemed as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth was splitting. Only then did the mortals know what gods were.

In this battle, the Daoist Alliance scattered the Yin-Yang Bureau, the Nine Chrysanthemum Sect, and the Black Dragon Society. Of course, the various sects also suffered many losses, the first of which was the Maoshan Southern Branch.

Daoist Master Jinbao, Shi Jian, Uncle Nine, Zhang Cheng, and others were all seriously injured; Daoist Simu, Daoist Qianhe, Wang Hai, and others all died in battle.

After the great battle, Hongkou and its surroundings were in a mess, and the Japanese Invader expatriates were also affected.

The Japanese Invaders were also scared into requesting British and American intervention. Under international pressure, the government signed a new treaty.

That is, from then on, cultivators were not allowed to participate in mortal wars, nor were they allowed to start wars.

Because of international pressure, the Daoist Alliance also had to acknowledge the treaty, but the Daoist Alliance insisted on one point: that if the Daoist Alliance discovered cultivators doing evil within their own national borders, they could still take action, and once they discovered the Japanese Invaders' Yin-Yang Masters and people from the Nine Chrysanthemum Sect, they could kill them on the spot.

In order to appease the Daoist Alliance, the Great Powers agreed to this condition.

……

On the hospital bed, Mitaro was peeling an apple for Zhang Cheng. Zhang Cheng asked, "After I fell into a coma, what happened?"

Mitaro immediately told him everything that had happened.

Zhang Cheng sighed and said, "I didn't expect that Senior Brother Simu, Senior Brother Qianhe, and the others would actually..."

Uncle Nine, who was on the side, comforted him, "A-Sheng, don't be sad; they died for a worthy cause. By now, they have probably gone to the Underworld to take up posts."

Zhang Cheng was still somewhat self-reproachful and said, "This matter, in the end, was caused by me. It cannot just end like this; I will take good care of the families of Senior Brother Simu and Senior Brother Qianhe."

After his injuries healed, Uncle Nine took Qiusheng back to Guangdong Province. Zhang Cheng continued to run his company in Shanghai until the 30th year of the Republic of China, when Zhang Cheng sold the company and returned to the border of Guangdong Province with millions of US dollars.

Since parting after the great battle, it had been ten years since Zhang Cheng last saw Uncle Nine.

A few years ago, most of Guangdong Province was occupied by the Japanese Invaders, and Uncle Nine also took Partridge and the others to live on the border of Guangxi Province and Guangdong Province. As for Mount Luofu, the Japanese Invaders carried out a fierce attack; although Maoshan retreated, the Japanese Invaders also paid a heavy price.

Zhang Cheng used his sect's contact method to meet Uncle Nine at the righteous manor in the new town. Uncle Nine was already over forty years old, his temples were a bit gray, and his eyes were much deeper.

"A-Sheng! You're back!"

Uncle Nine was very excited, and his eyes were a bit red.

Zhang Cheng stepped forward, pulled Uncle Nine, and hugged him tightly, "Senior Brother, long time no see!"

Uncle Nine had red eyes and smiled, "Yes, long time no see. Why did you come back?"

Zhang Cheng said somewhat desolately, "The concession is about to fall, so I left early. Where is Master?"

Uncle Nine sighed and led him into the righteous manor, where he saw Daoist Master Jinbao on the sickbed. Zhang Cheng was full of disbelief and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "Master!"

Daoist Master Jinbao barely opened his eyes, and seeing Zhang Cheng, he revealed a hint of a smile.

He said slowly, "A-Sheng, no need to be sad. Even if your master dies, I am going to the Underworld to be a high official; why are you crying?"

Zhang Cheng wiped his tears and said gloomily, "Master, Yin and Yang are different after all."

Daoist Master Jinbao was silent for a moment, then said, "A-Sheng, there is one thing I haven't told you. The Immortal and Mortal realms are about to be separated. Your master is about to leave; I fear this parting is forever."

Zhang Cheng was shocked and hurriedly asked, "Master, why is this?"

Perfected Master Jinbao shook his head and said, "Such is Heaven's mandate; how can it be defied? When the time comes and the Heavenly Dao is gone, the world will fall into great chaos, and it will not stop until the final Qi dissipates."

"Asheng, you are the Heaven-chosen one. The Underworld will preserve the Naihe Bridge and the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and at that time, they shall be handed over to you to govern."

Zhang Cheng was full of confusion and asked, "Master, why must it be like this?"

Perfected Master Jinbao shook his head and said, "Your master does not know either; the orders from above are just so. Your Dharma Seal is the City God Seal; once Heaven and Earth are severed, it will reveal its true form."

It can only end in a rush here; the first part of Zombie Daoist Priest will be written later.

(End of this chapter)