Chapter 75: Who Ruined Huchen's Luck

Huchen returned to Yingxiang Prefecture yesterday evening.

However, his remains would not enter the territory of Yingxiang Prefecture until this morning.

What returned to Yingxiang Prefecture first was his soul.

The Red Smoke Colt was still carrying his remains and galloping behind, while his soul was led into Yingxiang Prefecture by the ghost messengers under the prefecture Guan Chenghuang one step ahead.

In fact, the divine power range of the prefecture Guan Chenghuang did not have a very strict regional restriction.

If there was no other prefecture Guan Chenghuang in the nearby counties, the Guan ancestor of Yingxiang Prefecture could spread his power and faith over.

That is to say, if there was a vacancy in divine power, the Guan Chenghuang recognized by the Heavenly Court, the Underworld, and the Human Emperor could manifest divine miracles outside the prescribed range.

Just like the sand dune land god Zou Qing.

In the prosperous Central Plains, there was a land god every ten miles; the land god's territory was a radius of ten miles, and further away was the jurisdiction of other land gods.

The sand dunes were desolate; within a radius of ten miles or even a hundred miles, there might not even be a small sand dune tribe.

Zou Qing, this "Heart Demon" land god, didn't even have neighbors or colleagues. If it weren't for the Shu Kingdom City God and land god at Hengsha Pass, he could even cross thousands of miles to run to the border villages of Western Shu to eat the land god's offerings.

The Shu Kingdom was a prosperous place with dense population, and Yingxiang Prefecture was the most fertile prefecture.

Other ghosts and gods couldn't go to Yingxiang Prefecture, and would occupy all the divine positions near Yingxiang Prefecture.

And once a ghost or god had already performed divine duties locally, other ghosts and gods could not easily violate their divine power domain.

Unless one side was the direct superior of the other.

Yingxiang Prefecture, besides the prefecture Guan Chenghuang, also had many county towns and villages; county towns had community orders, villages had well gods, and even toilet gods; they were considered subordinates of Guan ancestor.

When Huchen's soul returned, Guan ancestor had long ago arrived at the border of the prefecture and was stationed in a dim, low, and cramped blue brick tile house.

This was a land temple.

The land god was ultimately inferior to the Guan Chenghuang.

The Guan Chenghuang was often magnificent, spacious, and bright.

The land temple was often just a small stone tower at the intersection, no bigger than a dog kennel.

The underworld blessed land corresponding to the small stone tower was exceptionally small.

And this land temple was a full thousand miles away from Guan ancestor's own Guan Chenghuang Temple.

There were also more than ten land gods accompanying Guan Guan Chenghuang.

"Huchen, my grandson~~~"

Seeing Huchen floating over, led by the ghost messenger, Guan ancestor couldn't help but call out emotionally.

"Great-grandfather..."

Huchen was originally confused and muddled, but Guan ancestor's call was like waking him from a nightmare, and he woke up all at once.

It wasn't that Guan ancestor used any powerful divine art.

This was just ordinary "calling the soul."

Ordinary families' children lost their souls, and mothers would call the child's name in the wild with the child's clothes, or use other rituals to call the child's name, which was also calling the soul.

Huchen's soul didn't need to be called, but his spirit was scattered, and he was confused.

Guan ancestor shouted once, "waking up" his spirit—re-condensing it in his soul.

"Great-grandfather, save me, great-grandfather, save your grandson, grandson is so bitter, grandson is also so wronged~~~"

Once awake, Huchen immediately struggled and threw himself at Guan ancestor, crying loudly in his mouth.

Guan ancestor gave a look to the land god on the side, and the gods took the initiative to bow to the Guan Chenghuang and say goodbye.

Even the true owner of the land temple avoided going outside.

In the blink of an eye, in the dim and low blue brick tile house, only Huchen, Guan ancestor, and a ghost messenger with a green face and fangs remained.

The ghost messenger bowed respectfully to Guan ancestor, and without needing special instructions, consciously stood at the door with a steel fork, acting as a guard.

"Huchen, you were really too reckless this time!" Guan ancestor sighed.

Huchen didn't understand and asked: "Great-grandfather, why do you say grandson was reckless?"

"You still don't know how you died until now? You really are a muddled ghost!"

Huchen was both aggrieved and indignant, shouting loudly: "It was the child Yu Su who harmed me; the one who killed me is the child Yu Su

"Shut your mouth!" Guan Laozu Guan scolded sternly, "The Marquis of Lieyang is an envoy of the superior state, commanding Western affairs by the order of the Human Emperor! Even though the paths of the living and the dead are different, he is in the human way and I am in the divine way; if there truly comes a time when we meet, this Duke would have to refer to himself as 'this old man' and perform a kneeling kowtow to him.

You, a mere mortal and a soldier under his command, where did you get the gall to keep calling him 'that brat'?"

Huchen was stunned and put on a pitiful look, saying: "Great-grandfather, it's not that your grandson doesn't understand the rules.

In front of outsiders, my words and actions are such that no one can find a single fault."

Guan Laozu Guan pointed at him and cursed: "You foolish piece of chaff! You have a Guan Chenghuang for a great-grandfather and are often in contact with ghosts and gods, yet you still act like an ignorant village bumpkin, spouting nonsense.

When you act in front of people, people are watching; when you act behind people's backs, ghosts and gods are watching.

No matter what you have done or said, no matter how secret, heaven and earth know it all.

You think your 'Little Concubine Li Plan' is very clever, but you don't know that your every word and action has been recorded by the Wind-Listening Ears under the Marquis of Lieyang.

That you have this tribulation today, you truly deserve it!"

"What, Wind-Listening Ears? Who is it?" Huchen was terrified.

"Gao Xianjue, the Commander of the Scout Battalion! You have seen him many times while serving under the Marquis of Lieyang, haven't you?"

Guan Laozu Guan sneered repeatedly, "His Wind-Listening Ear realm is two levels higher than your Thousand-Mile Eyes.

If the distance is close enough, he can even eavesdrop on the words of ghosts and gods.

For mortal generals like you who don't understand formations or Daoist arts, within ten thousand miles, it is as if he is shouting right in your ear."

"Gao Xianjue, it was actually Gao Xianjue..." The shock on Huchen's face was largely replaced by sudden realization, "No wonder, that day in the Marquis of Lieyang's command tent, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

The Marquis of Lieyang had already told me to withdraw, but then Gao Xianjue walked in and handed a small booklet to the Marquis of Lieyang... After reading it, the Marquis of Lieyang's expression changed drastically, and he was furious.

I not only formulated the 'Little Concubine Li Plan' but also cursed that brat Yu Yu behind his back, calling him a bastard... I said many disrespectful things, all of which were heard by that bastard Gao Xianjue, and the Marquis was already intent on killing me at that time.

Fortunately, a Green Phoenix descended from the sky, temporarily interrupting his emotions, otherwise—wait, that's not right!"

Huchen asked anxiously: "Great-grandfather, is it true that Human Emperor Zheng is dead?"

Guan Laozu Guan looked at him and sighed: "You finally reacted.

It wasn't 'fortunately' that the Green Phoenix descended; it was the Green Phoenix that brought the news that would cost you your life."

"So that's it... how could it be such a coincidence? If the Green Phoenix had arrived half an hour later, the Marquis of Lieyang, believing at the time that Human Emperor Zheng was still alive, would definitely not have dared to lay a hand on me!

Because Xiao Yu's Shadow God Map was already complete, and the ghosts and gods already knew," Huchen lamented.

Guan Laozu Guan stared at his forehead for a while and frowned: "What have you been doing these past few months? Why has your fortune suddenly withered, your forehead turned black, to the point where a death tribulation has descended upon you?"

Huchen touched his forehead and asked in surprise: "That little thief Qingsong... cough cough, Daoist Qingsong also said so.

Didn't you perform a ritual for your grandson in your early years to condense the 'Nine-Colored Pillar to Heaven'? Why has the fortune suddenly withered?"

A person's energy manifests in different colors, shapes, and thicknesses above their head.

The Nine-Colored Pillar to Heaven means the energy is nine-colored, as thick as a pillar, and shoots straight into the sky, like a pillar connecting to heaven.

This is not the most prosperous omen, but it is the omen of the toughest fortune.

Huchen's fortuitous encounters in recent years, such as the Snake Flame Whip and the Red Smoke Steed, were all more or less related to the "Nine-Colored Pillar to Heaven."

"I am asking you, what have you done recently to ruin your fortune? Why are you asking me instead!" Guan Laozu Guan said irritably.

Guan Huchen hurriedly said: "First of all, your grandson hasn't done any evil! Your grandson has always kept your teachings in mind; even if I couldn't insist on doing one good deed a day, I haven't done any great evil that harms heaven and reason.

Serving the country and the monarch, fighting on the battlefield—no matter how many people I kill, it doesn't count as great evil.

At most, I've picked up some habits of a 'fierce general of Qin,' but I really haven't done any other evil deeds."

"What do you mean by the habits of a fierce general of Qin?" Guan Laozu Guan asked suspiciously.

Huchen explained: "It means killing captives and slaughtering cities. Following the Marquis of Lieyang in battles south and north, I have initially mastered the essence of the Great Qin's military path—ruthlessness!

So in just a few months, your grandson completed the 'Half-Ten-Thousand Slaughter.'

There were enemy soldiers, and also women and children of the Jin Yang Ji clan.

To show my loyalty to the Marquis of Lieyang, I killed very fiercely, but that shouldn't harm the Nine-Colored Pillar to Heaven, right?"

"Sigh, you went against my wishes back then and insisted on joining the Marquis of Lieyang's command just to learn this?

The true military immortal art is the Three Thousand Fire Crow Army Formation!" Guan Laozu Guan was speechless.

—Even if you couldn't learn the Three Thousand Fire Crow Army Formation, mastering the "Fire Crow Energy" would have made following the Marquis of Lieyang worthwhile.

Yet you learned the habits of a "fierce general of Qin"... you don't even think about your own background. The Marquis of Lieyang is protected by the Ancestral Dragon's energy, but what do you have? Oh, you have a Guan Chenghuang great-grandfather, but even I can't shoulder that!"

Huchen said: "Great-grandfather, don't be anxious, your grandson is just speaking on the matter.

Now is not the time to discuss what I learned in the Fire Crow Army, but to find the reason for my declining fortune.

In fact, I already have a preliminary understanding of the Three Thousand Fire Crow Army Formation, almost having sixty percent of Cai Sima's power, and I practice the "Fire Crow Energy" diligently day and night.

But the army formation and the "Fire Crow Energy" have nothing to do with the exhaustion of fortune!"

"Besides burying captives alive and slaughtering women and children in Jin Yang, what other evil deeds have you done?" Guan Laozu Guan's brow furrowed deeply.

Burying captives alive and slaughtering women and children are the greatest evils!

But Huchen was not the main general.

He followed the Marquis of Lieyang on the expedition by the order of the Prince of Shu, so he certainly wouldn't dare to act on his own.

Even with karmic debts, it shouldn't have been enough to destroy the dignified "Nine-Colored Pillar to Heaven" into a small pile of water-drenched firewood—with only a wisp of gray-white energy remaining.

Of course, energy is not equal to "fortune."

Usually, what one sees when observing energy is existing energy, not future fortune.

Even the Daoist boy Qingsong only said that Huchen "might" encounter a tribulation.

What the future tribulation is, Qingsong doesn't know.

It's just that Huchen's fortune was condensed by Guan Laozu Guan using the "Book of Life and Death" of the Prefecture Guan Chenghuang and divine arts.

To put it bluntly, it was Guan Laozu Guan who personally wove Huchen's "protagonist fortune."

That is why he could see Huchen's fortune directly through his "energy."

Now that Huchen's energy is broken, his fortune has also declined.

"Ah, your grandson remembers now, the thief Daoist Qingsong forced your grandson to behead the dragon vein of the Shaqiu Kingdom!"

Huchen suddenly realized, gritting his teeth, and began calling Qingsong a "thief Daoist" again.

"Behead the dragon vein of the Shaqiu Kingdom? Tell me in detail."

Huchen quickly and thoroughly recounted his experience in the Shaqiu Kingdom.

Guan Laozu Guan's fingers kept calculating, and he muttered: "The decline of your fortune seems to really be related to the Shaqiu Kingdom... but it was Song Changqing who went down into the pit to nail the dragon vein, not you personally."

Huchen said: "Didn't you say that Song Changqing's energy is connected to your grandson's, so not only can I not kill him, but I must keep him by my side, give him high official positions and wealth, and let his family live in luxury?"

"Song Changqing didn't die; he shouldered the backlash of the dragon energy..."

Song Changqing and Huchen are like two pools connected by a canal, influencing each other.

But Song Changqing's pool wasn't filled by the "death dragon energy"; if it were filled, he would die.

If it wasn't filled, it wouldn't pour into Huchen's pool through the canal... even if some death dragon energy poured in, Song Changqing himself didn't die, so why did Huchen, who had more fortune, die instead?

However, Guan Laozu Guan's tone and expression were not very confident either.

Because he knew very well that Song Changqing was the one with truly tough life and thick fortune.

He only knew that Song Changqing's life was tough enough and his fortune thick enough, but he wasn't sure exactly how tough or thick.

If Huchen were a pond and Song Changqing were not a pond but an ocean, it would be normal for the ocean not to die while the pond dried up first.

Huchen seemed to remember something and shouted: "Right, Great-grandfather, your grandson might have suffered the backlash of the Shaqiu Kingdom's dragon energy, but your grandson also took in the Shaman Feather who raised the dragon vein as a daughter.

She not only has innate wisdom and raised the dragon vein, but also possesses peerless great miraculous powers; she is a talent who could enter the 'Heroic Talents List' even in the superior state of China!

By taking her as a foster daughter, your grandson should be able to increase his fortune quite a bit, right?"

(PS: Regarding whether being called 'Godfather' by Xiao Yu will bring bad luck to the godfather, I originally planned to leave the plot hole for later, but to avoid causing misunderstandings among readers, I will explain a part of it first.

First of all, being called 'Godfather' by Xiao Yu will not damage one's fortune or cause one to encounter misfortune out of thin air.

Being called 'Godfather' by Xiao Yu damages one's 'blessings.'

Damaging fortune and damaging blessings sound somewhat similar, and both change destiny, making it worse, but there are still some essential differences.

Damaging fortune means that one was originally smooth sailing, but now is extremely unlucky, getting teeth stuck while drinking cold water, or falling into a pit while walking.

That is, encountering dangers that one shouldn't have.

Damaging blessings means that one was originally smooth sailing and remains so; when one should encounter danger, one will still encounter it, without increasing risks and misfortunes out of thin air.

It's just that after encountering danger, if one has enough blessings, one might turn bad luck into good.

After blessings are damaged, one cannot turn bad luck into good, and danger becomes danger.

If one has abundant fortune, one wouldn't encounter danger at all, and all dangers would turn into auspicious signs, such as falling to the bottom of a mountain and picking up a divine martial arts manual.

Just like Huchen at this moment.

He was beaten to death by the Marquis of Lieyang, which is related to Xiao Yu; he messed with Little Concubine Li, he cursed the Marquis of Lieyang behind his back, and even badmouthed someone else's mother, and it just so happened that Human Emperor Zheng died on Concubine Rou's lap (the superficial reason), and Concubine Rou was a beauty presented to the Human Emperor by a minister... Huchen practically ran into multiple gun barrels.

But his death tribulation was not brought about by Xiao Yu calling him 'Godfather.'

The real impact of Xiao Yu calling him 'Godfather' on him was that after encountering the death tribulation, his 'Nine-Colored Pillar to Heaven' fortune failed to let him turn bad luck into good.

His blessings were whittled away.

It is written in the book that his Fire Rat Cloak blocked the Marquis of Lieyang's flame energy.

That is to say, if not for the influence of the damaged blessings, he had a certain possibility of surviving.

If one blow couldn't kill him, given the Marquis of Lieyang's personality, he wouldn't strike a second time.

If Huchen were only seriously injured, still able to move and clear-headed, since he was already despised and loathed by the Marquis of Lieyang, he would most likely have ridden the Red Smoke Steed away from Feixian Ferry, thus avoiding the subsequent 'Eight Immortals Shooting the Sun.'

This is the terror of the Nine-Colored Pillar to Heaven, with blessings as slow as a river and continuous.

As for why being called 'Godfather' by Xiao Yu damages blessings, I still want to leave some suspense... generally speaking, it's the same principle as elders kneeling to juniors or old people kneeling to children, which damages the blessings and lifespan of the juniors and children.

To put it more directly, in a world where divine and Buddhist causality exists, if a saint like the Three Pure Ones calls you 'Dad,' shouldn't you lose lifespan and blessings?

Of course, Xiao Yu is not a saint, and her situation is a bit special.

Her golden finger, the Great Father-Destroyer, is not a system, nor is it an outsider to the Primordial World; it is an original object of the Primordial World.

Before the truth is revealed, it might be a bit mysterious.

When the mysterious veil is lifted later, friends who have read Primordial literature probably won't find it novel.)