Chapter 10: Chapter Nine: As If the Emperor Himself Were Present, Commanding Ghosts and Spirits

“Besides forging iron, what else did Sha Man Yu do?” The Qingsong Daoist acolyte gave the old barbarian a long, piercing look. “You’re a smart man—you know exactly what I’m asking.”

The old barbarian knelt on the ground, muttering, “She dug a salt well in the west; bitter water seeped from cracks in the rocks and could be boiled into white salt.”

“She also persuaded the chieftain to take in nearby wild Sha Man, saying ‘many hands make light work’ and ‘many people make the chieftain strong.’”

“Ten years ago, the dunes held only five hundred souls. Now... last year, there were so many barbarians I couldn’t count them.”

“How do you feed so many people?” General Guan asked.

The Liusha River stretched for thousands of miles, and its banks held many Sha Man tribes.

There were many tribes, but all were small, for in this wild wasteland, hunting, fishing, and foraging could never sustain a large population.

The old barbarian said, “You have the eyes of an immortal—haven’t you noticed the patches of paddy fields along the river? Yu Ya’er led over a hundred warriors, scouring the surrounding dunes and pits, selecting dozens of medicinal herbs and fruit trees, and finally settling on the most drought-resistant sand fruit and wood cabbage.”

“Even these were too drought-resistant to grow on a large scale.”

“Then Yu convinced the chieftain to lead everyone in digging hundreds of deep ditches along the Liusha River, diverting weak water into them.”

“Weak water floats; rainwater sinks.”

“The blazing sun heats the upper layer of weak water, while rainwater is stored beneath.”

“The ‘paddy fields’ were cultivated between these water-storing ditches; when water was needed, it could be pumped up through wooden pipes at the ditch’s bottom.”

“That water was unfit for humans or livestock to drink, but perfect for irrigating crops.”

“The sand fruit is bitter and unpalatable, but when dried and stewed with meat, the broth becomes astonishingly sweet—adults should try it.”

“And the wood cabbage—dug from the ground, it’s hard and lumpy, tasteless like chewing wood. It can be crushed into paste, dried into powder, and used to make steamed buns or brew wine.”

“Its yield is extremely high.”

“With wood cabbage, no one has starved to death since.”

“Oh, and the wood cabbage wine—Yu Ya’er invented that too.”

The Qingsong Daoist acolyte’s expression turned grave. Gathering hundreds of herbs and selecting staple crops—this was nearly the achievement of the ancient Earth Sovereign Shennong!

Had she not been born among the Sha Man... had she been born in the Central Plains millions of years earlier, perhaps today’s Huoyun Cave would house another Empress.

“Yu Ya’er is a crazy girl—she’s always spouting strange ideas and doing bizarre things.”

“After brewing the wood cabbage wine, she persuaded the chieftain not to brew it, instead distributing the wood cabbage to nearby wild Sha Man tribes—and got scolded and driven away... Then she made the men and women bow to the moon and sun, after which they could no longer pair with others—and got scolded and driven away again... And once, when Yu Ya’er’s tenth—or was it eleventh—‘old man’... I can’t remember, but it was the warrior Sha Jing, killed by a tiger, Yu carved him a wooden tablet, had the chieftain dig a dirt pit, and placed the warrior’s wooden tablet and ashes inside...”

General Guan frowned. “A man doesn’t have ten or eleven fathers—how can she have a tenth and eleventh?”

The old Sha Man said, “After Yu Ya’er’s father died, she adopted another. Every time one died, she bowed to another, calling them all ‘old man.’ She collects the bones of her ‘old men,’ carves wooden tablets, and paints their portraits on them—but they don’t look like anyone at all. I can’t recognize a single trace of Sha Jing, nor can anyone else.”

Even General Guan, with his rough nature, felt a pang of warmth and nodded approvingly. “She’s a filial daughter.”

The old barbarian shook his head. “She’s a crazy girl! The only reason she drags corpses back is to eat them—then burns them to ash and puts them in jars... Though Yu Ya’er has molded countless jars from clay, there are never enough.”

General Guan’s face remained blank. “So you scolded her again—and she ran off?”

“We scolded her, but this time she didn’t run. Sha Jing was the one she shot dead with her arrow and dragged back. She gathered the firewood herself. She molded the jars herself. She has many.” The old barbarian said.

“Filial daughter! A truly filial daughter!” General Guan was genuinely moved.

“No wonder... no wonder...”

As the old barbarian spoke more, the Qingsong Daoist acolyte seemed to understand something. His face showed both realization and deep emotion.

“No wonder what?” General Guan asked, puzzled.

“No wonder, after Lieyang Marquis crushed the Thirty-Six Nation Alliance, the dragon qi of Sha Qiu did not weaken—it grew stronger.” The Qingsong Daoist acolyte stared at the hills beneath his feet, his gaze seeming to pierce through the soil, revealing a landscape from another dimension.

“All thirty-six allied kingdoms now suffer devastating blows to their dragon qi—some have collapsed entirely. Only Sha Qiu, outwardly dark and silent, hides within it a thriving vitality.”

“Had Lieyang Marquis not yet left the western lands, had Great Qin not yet abandoned its vigilance over the western states, the dragon qi would have already shed its concealment and burst forth openly.”

“I don’t quite understand...” General Guan murmured.

The old Sha Man also looked up, fixedly staring at the Qingsong Daoist acolyte.

“Heh, what’s hard to understand? The Sha Qiu king died—good riddance! The five thousand Sha Qiu warriors died—even better! If those old men who held power and authority hadn’t died, how could an eleven-year-old girl like Sha Man Yu rule Sha Qiu absolutely, free from all restraint? If I’m not mistaken, in the coming years, Sha Man Yu will truly establish institutions and reshape the culture of the Sha Man.”

“Not some hollow system of ministers or generals—something that binds hearts: rites and morality. All the things she once tried to do, only to be called a crazy girl.”

“Rites... rites!!” General Guan was truly stunned.

“The Sha Qiu king was always a barbarian. Sha Man Yu is a sage among barbarians. As long as the barbarian king lives, the sage’s way cannot prevail.” The Qingsong Daoist acolyte sighed.

“Now I’m even more eager to meet her. Is she born with innate wisdom, or is she a great immortal reincarnated, awakening memories from a past life?”

Muttering to himself, the Qingsong Daoist acolyte waved his hand, signaling General Guan to mount his steed and follow him.

“If she’s a reincarnated immortal, surely she’s cultivated great supernatural powers?” General Guan asked.

The Qingsong Daoist acolyte walked slowly, yet each step covered three zhang, shaking his head. “She has no supernatural powers at all—not even the most basic martial arts.”

The green pine acolyte walked slowly, yet each step covered three zhang, shaking his head: “She has no supernatural abilities; she doesn’t understand even the most basic martial ways.”

“Heh, she’s no sage. After all, barbarians are barbarians...” The Qingsong Daoist acolyte smiled lightly.

General Guan felt uneasy. When people of Zhonghua accomplish the same thing, they’re called born sages. But when it’s someone outside Zhonghua, they’re still just barbarians?

If soldiers from Shu had called the Sha Man barbarians, he wouldn’t have minded—he’d have agreed wholeheartedly.

But this Qingsong Daoist acolyte came from Zhonghua, the supreme nation... Even though this envoy from the superior realm had always been humble and courteous, General Guan knew he and his people were still classified as barbarians.

As the Qingsong Daoist acolyte strode forward, he glanced sideways at General Guan atop the Red Smoke Steed and said with deep meaning: “A true born sage doesn’t just possess innate wisdom—he must also follow the timing of heaven and receive heaven’s abundant favor.”

The green pine acolyte strode forward, glancing sideways at General Guan atop the Crimson Smoke Steed, and said with deep meaning: “True innate Saints possess not only innate wisdom, but more importantly, they align with the timing of heaven and receive its profound favor.”

“When danger strikes, noble helpers appear.”

“Before rising to power, one never encounters enemies too powerful to overcome.”

“Every hardship is a whetstone; every enemy is a stepping stone.”

“Sha Man Yu is clever and spirited—but her fortune is abysmal. She has not a shred of heavenly favor.”

General Guan paused, then suddenly understood, nodding repeatedly.

If she had heavenly favor, they wouldn’t be here... Especially this Qingsong Daoist acolyte—if he were here, she’d be trapped for sure.

“Ah, she does have some heavenly favor—if the Daoist hadn’t arrived in time, I’d already be a hundred li beyond Sha Qiu.”

The Qingsong Daoist acolyte thought nothing of it.

Even if the Iron Cavalry had returned to Shu, a single word from me would make you turn right back.

A few words of command? I won’t spare them. After all, it’s not me who has to travel back and forth.

Ever since the prophecy “The one who will destroy Qin is Hu” appeared fifty years ago, it was destined that all “foreign sages” and “foreign holy dynasties” would meet premature ends.

Since the prophecy “He who destroys Qin is Hu” appeared fifty years ago, it was destined that henceforth, all “foreign Saints” and “foreign holy dynasties” would meet premature ends.

Imprisoning the hidden dragon, severing the dragon veins—this is the sacred duty of our Daoists. I swear to repay the state’s grace, even unto death!

With this conviction solidified, a sharp killing intent flashed in the Qingsong Daoist acolyte’s clear eyes.

Not aimed at Sha Man Yu—his gaze turned ahead, the killing intent appearing and vanishing instantly.

—Someone who eats the Qin’s grain has betrayed the human emperor!

“This seems to be a temple. What are you doing here, Daoist?” General Guan asked.

He had the Red Smoke Steed; the Qingsong Daoist acolyte excelled in the Five Elements Dunshu . In half a cup of tea’s time, the two men and the horse had ridden over ten li along the Sha Man’s hills, finally stopping before a dark, sooty earthen kiln.

Taking the Liusha River’s surface as the baseline, the Sha Man’s dunes rose five hundred meters—highest in the hundreds-of-li range of hills, yet not the only one.

This spot stood about two hundred meters high, lower than the Sha Man’s dunes, barren and treeless. A hollow had been dug into a depression, like a cave dwelling, but shallow, housing several wooden tablets two meters tall and half a meter wide, and a stone statue resembling the Buddha.

Earlier, General Guan had used his distant vision and noticed this place, seeing the Buddha statue, hence calling it a “temple.”

The Sha Man must have worshipped this “spirit shrine”—the earthen walls bore heavy traces of smoke and fire.

Tangled animal bones still lay in the extinguished firepit.

“Ah, the great affairs of a state are sacrifice and war. These tiny Sha Man have both.”

The Qingsong Daoist acolyte sighed, then tidied his hair and robe, bowing three times respectfully toward the wooden tablets and stone statue inside the cave.

After bowing, he noticed General Guan still seated on his saddle, looking confused, and said coolly: “Do you know who is enshrined in this cave?”

“Probably the Buddha?” General Guan thought, then added, “The old barbarian said this place was dug by Sha Man Yu herself, and she carved the Buddha statue personally.”

“She must have realized her carving skills were terrible... truly awful. Afterward, she stopped carving statues of the Jade Emperor and the Three Pure Ones, instead cutting only wooden tablets to represent them.”

At that moment, he realized his mistake, leapt off his horse, and imitated the Qingsong Daoist acolyte, bowing three times toward the cave.

Ignorance is excusable—but to knowingly show arrogance and disrespect is a grave sin.

General Guan wasn’t worried the Buddha, Jade Emperor, or Three Pure Ones would notice—his real thought was that Sha Man Yu was lighting a lamp in the dark. Their Great Shu temples were grander, their believers more devout, yet when had the immortals ever manifested?

Take Sha Man Yu, for example—a barbarian who knew to worship the Daoist Patriarch, the Jade Emperor, and the Buddha—remarkable indeed. But what was the result? Her people were slaughtered, her land conquered, and she herself would meet no good end.

Still, with the Qingsong Daoist acolyte beside him, he regretted not having more opportunities to perform—he would never miss a stage to act.

“Sha Man Yu has great spiritual insight!” After General Guan finished bowing, the Qingsong Daoist acolyte resumed his commentary. “When the Sha Qiu barbarians numbered only a few hundred, their only threat was wild beasts.”

“If their tribe grew to ten or a hundred thousand, becoming a true kingdom, they would inevitably attract the attention of nearby demon kings.”

“After decades of hard work, their entire population becomes a demon king’s meal—too depressing, too pitiful.”

“Worshiping gods doesn’t guarantee divine favor—but a temple built to them makes demons hesitate.”

General Guan internally sneered: Why did Lu State rebel? Didn’t the counties and villages that became ghost towns overnight, their people snatched away by demon kings, have temples and shrines?

The gods and Buddhas were real—but did worshiping them even matter? Even thinking about it was a waste of time. Better to train martial arts and strengthen the army—true strength comes from within.

“Disciple Qingsong of the Taiyi Zhengyang Palace, here to carry out the Emperor’s command: Left altar of the soil god, right altar of the grain god, spirits of the land—appear before me! Yuan Heng Li Zhen! Chi~~~”

The Qingsong Daoist acolyte chanted a true incantation, formed hand seals, then pointed at the ground. “Peng~~~”

A wisp of gray-white smoke suddenly rose from the soil, carrying the scent of charcoal and cooked dishes—like the aroma of a kitchen frying food.

But the smoke quickly dispersed, leaving the ground empty.

General Guan sneered, a faint smile curling his lips.

The Qingsong Daoist acolyte’s baby-fat round face turned icy, the hidden killing intent reappearing in his eyes.

“By the Emperor’s command, former Minister of Personnel of Eastern Shu, Third-Class Scholar of the Qin’s Wenhui Pavilion, now Land Spirit of Western Sha ‘Xin Mo Hao’—Zou Qing—come forth and face me!”

“By order of the Human Emperor, Zou Qing, former Minister of Personnel of Eastern Shu, Third-Class Scholar of the Great Qin Academy of Cultural Wisdom, now Land God of Xīmò No. 1 in Western Sands, come out and face me!”

Besides his uncouth tone and even harsher attitude, Qingsong the Daoist acolyte produced a purple-gold token.

The token was nearly as large as Qingsong’s face, and no one knew where it had been hidden before.

On the front were only four cloud-script characters: As If I Am Present.

On the back was a massive character: Qin.

Seeing this token, even General Guan, who had no stake in the matter, was startled and immediately prostrated himself fully on the ground.

The notion that a general in full armor could not bow properly... did not exist.

Not only did he prostrate himself, but sweat beaded on his forehead, and fear was unmistakable in his eyes: Damn it, how does Qingsong the young Daoist acolyte even have this? What is he planning? Why did he bring me here? What comes next?

He panicked.