Chapter 79: The General Guan Family

The Guan Chenghuang of General Guan stood with his hands behind his back, looking down into the eyes of his great-great-grandson, and said gloomily, "General Guan General Guan Huchen, the news of your death has spread throughout the world."

"Even though your old servant and foster daughter have been proclaiming all along that you were only severely injured and unconscious, that a wisp of warm life still remained in your heart, and that the General Guan family had collected a box of 'Flesh-from-Bone' Hua Wu incense—everyone is still skeptical..."

Seeing the look of sudden realization gradually appear on General Guan Huchen's face, the Guan Chenghuang of General Guan swallowed the rest of his words back into his throat.

"This humble person understands. Many thanks to the Guan Chenghuang for helping me return to the light. I was already severely injured, so I will return home immediately to recuperate."

General Guan Huchen should only bring back a wisp of warm life to Yingxiang Prefecture, letting everyone on the street see that he was indeed sickly and miserable.

The stitches on his body and face would be powerful proof that he had indeed undergone treatment by a "normal human famous physician."

Try to minimize fantastic elements like gods and immortals as much as possible.

General Guan Huchen's mobility was quite strong.

Taking the fire-rat robe handed over by General Guan General Guan Tianyang to wrap his body, with the Snake Flame Whip wrapped around his waist as a belt, he bowed to thank the Guan Chenghuang and the Earth God, and with difficulty, he moved out of the Tudimiao gate.

As soon as he stepped out, his vision blurred; the sun was high, the sky was clear and cloudless, and the sunlight was dazzling.

There were ridges in the fields, and the wheat in the fields was a lush green, growing gratifyingly, emitting a fresh green breath.

There were also a few bees flying out from the weeds by the roadside, "buzzing" around General Guan Huchen.

General Guan Huchen stretched out his right hand, feeling the heat of the sunlight falling on his skin, having a kind of joy and emotion of finally waking up from a long nightmare.

Turning his head, he saw a small hut three feet high, built of brick and earth, at the intersection; the hut was not as big as a dog kennel and had no divine altar, but there were traces of burnt paper and incense.

On the side, there was a broken pottery bowl and two white porcelain plates with chipped corners, all dirty, with no offerings inside.

"Hey! Hey!"

General Guan Huchen was still a bit dazed when a tall, fiery red figure rushed over.

It was the Red Smoke Steed.

It was very excited, constantly licking General Guan Huchen's face with its tongue.

General Guan Huchen was also happy, hugging its head and patting it lightly.

After frolicking with his beloved horse, General Guan Huchen turned and bowed three times to the tiny shrine, then mounted the warhorse and ran toward the south along the country path, "clippity-clop."

The Guan Chenghuang of General Guan did not stay long at the Tudimiao either.

As soon as he returned to the Yingxiang Prefecture Guan Chenghuang Temple, the tall General General Guan General Guan Tianyang in chainmail came in to report, "Master, the two Impermanences have already returned to the Underworld."

"They sensed that the Young Master had successfully returned to the light, so they immediately took their leave voluntarily."

The Guan Chenghuang of General Guan smiled faintly, "This is as it should be. General Guan Huchen had not returned to the light, so their mission was not over; returning early would have been a dereliction of duty."

"Now that General Guan Huchen has returned to the light and his lifespan is not yet exhausted, they have every reason to return empty-handed."

Having received his great benefits without leaving any handle for the Underworld judges, those two Grabbing Wuchang ghosts could be considered veteran officials.

Thinking of this, the Guan Chenghuang of General Guan reached into his sleeve with a pained expression, trembling as he pulled out a "red stick" as thick as a cup and half a zhang long.

General Guan General Guan Tianyang, who was under the desk, was shocked to see this.

Before he could say anything, the Guan Chenghuang of General Guan placed a "red stick" on the ceremonial desk, then went to pull out another "red stick."

After pulling out eight red sticks in succession, he leaned back on the official chair as if exhausted, raising his hand to summon General Guan General Guan Tianyang, saying, "Prepare four gift boxes, each containing two 'Wish-Power Incense Sticks,' and pair them with fresh fruits, mutton wine, and several pieces of brocade and silk, to be sent to Judge Zhang, Judge Hu, and the two Generals Ox and Horse respectively."

General Guan General Guan Tianyang exclaimed in shock, "Is it necessary to go this far? This one stick is equivalent to the incense offerings of one hundred thousand households over thirty years!"

The Guan Chenghuang of General Guan closed his eyes and sighed, "It is possible not to send them; after all, General Guan Huchen's lifespan is not exhausted, and his remains and soul are both intact."

"I only helped remove the death energy from the corpse, using more of the medical arts from his lifetime."

"I did not use the Guan Chenghuang's authority, nor did I rewrite a single word in the 'Book of Life and Death'."

"But sending gifts will certainly be more secure."

"Security is more important than anything else."

When the Guan Chenghuang of General Guan was alive, he was a very cautious person.

If it hadn't been General Guan General Guan Huchen who had the accident this time, but someone else in the General Guan family, he would never have taken action.

Even if it had been General Guan Huchen's eldest brother, General Guan General Guan Wenlong, he would not have saved him.

From the time he took office as the Guan Chenghuang of Yingxiang Prefecture until now, countless direct blood relatives of the General Guan family had died of illness, in battle, or by accident; only General Guan Huchen had received such treatment.

For dead General Guan family members with outstanding abilities, such as General Guan General Guan Tianyang, who had practiced the "Tiger Soul Seven Kills" to the sixth level, the Guan Chenghuang of General Guan would try his best to place them in the Yingxiang Prefecture Underworld system.

As for ordinary dead General Guan family members without abilities... just go and reincarnate honestly; Great-grandfather wishes you a safe journey, and may you be reborn into a top-tier family in the land of China in your next life!

General Guan Huchen was special because of his Thousand-Mile Eye divine power.

The Thousand-Mile Eye was the "Eye of Gods and Immortals"; as long as his luck wasn't too bad, he would at least be able to mix into a formal Underworld ghost and god establishment in the future. If his luck was good, he would hold high power and might even be able to turn around and promote the General Guan Old Ancestor.

General Guan Huchen's luck was quite good... at least before he was beaten to death by the Marquis of Blazing Sun, his luck was really strong.

When he went hunting and got lost, he encountered a divine beast with ancient bloodlines; walking at night in the desolate mountains, he sword-slashed a spirit snake (the Snake Flame Whip); while swimming in the lake, he touched an ancient sword (the Dragon Kiss given to Xiao Yu); he bet with a Hu merchant and won the fire-rat robe...

This expedition to the wild lands, where she picked up a Sha Man Yu who was born with innate wisdom, innate supernatural powers, and an appearance similar to Imperial Consort Li, was an even greater manifestation of her fortune climbing to its peak.

Even returning to the light smoothly after death was a sign of being favored by luck.

Three thousand Western elites died at Flying Immortal Ferry, yet General Guan Huchen didn't even get his corpse wet, showing that even though he had fallen to this state, his luck was still stronger than those three thousand elites.

If one had to blame someone, it could only be that he ran into the "Gao Tianming" that no one could defy.

No matter how good General Guan Huchen's fate was, he could not change the Gao Tianming of the Emperor's demise.

"Master, the two Generals Ox and Horse are in charge of the Black and White Grabbing Wuchang and Ox-Head and Horse-Face of the Western Realm. I have dealt with them many times and have visited their mansions."

"Judge Zhang is an old acquaintance."

"But who is Judge Hu? I have never heard of him before," General Guan General Guan Tianyang asked suspiciously.

"Judge Zhang is only a 'Small Judge' responsible for the affairs of the deceased in the Shu Kingdom. Judge Hu is extraordinary; he is the 'General Judge' managing the Western Sha Domain, can see the King of Hell every day, and can report official business directly to the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

"So let alone you, I have never had any contact with General Judge Hu either."

"I have heard of him, but he has certainly never heard of me."

"Even if I were to lower my face and take the initiative to climb the relationship, I wouldn't find a way in."

"I can't climb that high!"

"But this time, General Guan Huchen drew a Shadow God Map for General Guan Yu and actually had the honor of becoming a close friend with General Judge Hu's son... General Guan Huchen is indeed a person of great innate luck!"

The Guan Chenghuang of General Guan sighed with a twisted expression.

"Since Judge Hu is the General Judge of the Western Realm, shouldn't the gift be more grand?" General Guan General Guan Tianyang asked.

The Guan Chenghuang of General Guan smiled bitterly, "If the Emperor had not died, I would certainly have spent a fortune to try to connect with General Judge Hu."

"But General Guan Huchen's 'Little Imperial Consort Plan' has completely failed."

"Based on the General Guan family's current foundation, we have no qualifications to cling to General Judge Hu."

"Asking you to send a gift to General Judge Hu, I never expected you to see General Judge Hu himself."

"If you can pass the gift to the young master Hu through the guidance of Song Song Ruhai (Great God Song), that would already be giving us face."

"I estimate that in all likelihood, you won't see the young master Hu himself either."

"At most, a steward from the Hu Mansion will dismiss you."

"This gift-giving is just to express our heart and get a familiar face."

"No matter how many gifts you send, you won't get any substantial benefits from General Judge Hu."

"If the news spreads, it will instead offend the two Generals Ox and Horse and Judge Zhang."

"Letting a group of superiors think that I am delusional and trying to climb high, looking down on them."

After General Guan General Guan Tianyang left with two ghost messengers holding four gift boxes, the Guan Chenghuang of General Guan began to process official business at his desk again.

Recording the evil people and evil deeds, good people and good deeds within Yingxiang Prefecture...

But as long as he thought of the twelve "Wish-Power Incense Sticks" (eight large and four small) he had sent out, he felt angina.

The superficial calmness could not suppress the inner irritability and reluctance.

"Bang!" He suddenly put down his pen, sat blankly for a moment, and shouted, "Yageli!"

"Master, what are your orders?"

The green-faced, fanged fierce ghost appeared out of thin air under the ceremonial desk, as if jumping out of the void.

"Go find the Earth Gods and Mountain Gods within Yingxiang Prefecture and hint to them that when I have my next birthday, their filial piety must increase by one percent."

Yageli widened his red lantern-like eyes and hesitated, "Master, you have a birthday once every year, and increasing it by one percent..."

The Guan Chenghuang of General Guan thought for a moment and said, "Suddenly increasing it by one percent is indeed a bit difficult for them."

"Hmm, just increase it by one part (0.1%), and it will only last for five... sigh, let it last for two eras."

"After twenty-four years, it will return to normal."

Increasing by one percent is 10%, changing it to one part is only 1%, and it is not a regular rule.

Twenty-four years, grit your teeth and you'll get through it... uh, the Earth Gods and Mountain Gods of Yingxiang Prefecture must pray that the General Guan family will be smooth sailing for the next twenty-four years and that no more rotten things like General Guan Huchen's case, which requires greasing the palms of the Underworld, will happen.

"Oh, right, the Earth God Zhao He Hansheng of Suifeng Village has merit in saving General Guan Huchen, so he should be treated differently from the others; he doesn't need to increase by one part, just increase by eight... hmm, seven li (0.07%) is enough. You must tell Zhao He Hansheng separately, make it clear and explicit, understand?"

One part is 1%, one li is one-thousandth, and seven li is a thirty percent discount compared to others.

"Master is merciful; an increase of one percent is negligible. All the ghosts and gods of Yingxiang Prefecture will certainly be grateful for Master's kindness, especially Earth God Zhao."

Yageli bowed to the Guan Chenghuang of General Guan and disappeared suddenly, just as he had appeared.

Having recovered a large amount of blood from his subordinates, the irritability in the Guan Chenghuang of General Guan's heart dissipated by more than half.

"Hoo~~~" He exhaled comfortably and continued to bury himself in the official documents.

The next evening, Luodu, the capital of Western Shu.

South City, Zhu Que Street.

"Clatter clatter clatter~~~"

Several fine horses galloped like a gust of wind on the bluestone road, forcing pedestrians and merchants on the road to scream and dodge in a panic.

Some small street vendors were directly knocked over by the crowd dodging in an emergency.

"Which family's playboy... arrogant young lady, dares to gallop wildly on the central street of the capital?" an outsider exclaimed.

He originally wanted to say playboy, but the four fast horses clearly had two knights on the left and right, guarding two palace-dressed noblewomen, one large and one small, in the center.

The woman in the light blue skirt wore a lady's bun, and the young one was about ten years old, dressed in a fiery red hunting outfit, looking heroic and spirited.

Although both women wore bamboo hats, the aura and clothing of the whole body, plus the sharp-eyed, strong guards, and even the carefree horses they rode, all indicated their noble status.

"Hey, this is Lady Wen and Lady Lady Tianfeng of the General Guan family!"

A local peddler selling mountain pavilions sighed, "The eldest son of the General Guan family is the Censor-in-Chief, and the second son of the General Guan family, who is Lady Wen's husband and Lady Lady Tianfeng's father, is our Great Shu's famous general—the 'Western Shu Immortal Eye Tiger' renowned in the West."

"However, although the General Guan family has power and influence and the capital to be arrogant and domineering, they have never acted like this on Zhu Que Street in the past. Could it be that something big happened to the General Guan family?"

"Hehe, it's quite a big deal; there is both a funeral and a happy event," a wealthy old man on the side laughed.

"Oh, it's Squire Zhang. Please tell us, what happened to the General Guan family?"

The surrounding passersby and vendors all focused their eyes on Squire Zhang.

Squire Zhang raised a finger, "First is the funeral; General General Guan General Guan Huchen has very likely died."

"Hiss~~" Shocked faces appeared one after another, accompanied by the sound of gasping.

"There is also a happy event; before General General Guan died, he adopted a foster daughter named 'General Guan Yu'. She has innate sword bones, slashed the Hunting Flag Immortal Kong Zan, and crippled the Sword Immortal Zhou Lang. She is even half a year younger than Lady Lady Tianfeng!"

"Hiss~~" Everyone was even more shocked, the sound of gasping even more uniform and loud.

"Squire Zhang, are you making this up?" Finally, a "rational person" raised a question.

Squire Zhang sneered, "Anyone who knows me, Old Zhang, will not say such petty words."

Immediately, a neighbor familiar with Squire Zhang said solemnly, "Squire Zhang is no ordinary person; both of Squire Zhang's sons serve as 'Inspectors' in the Royal Court."

"Squire Zhang, don't mind him. Please continue, how could the Immortal Eye Tiger die?"

"And Miss General Guan Yu, she is only eleven years old, how could she kill the Hunting Flag Immortal Kong Zan? That is a Human Immortal!"

"Whoa~~~"

Lady Wen pulled the reins lightly, and the carefree horse under her lowered its speed, and after a few steps, it stopped exactly in front of the "General Guan Mansion" gate.

"Second Madam, Lady Lady Tianfeng, why have you come? The Eldest Madam is returning to Yingxiang Prefecture in two days!"

A thin, tall steward ran out from the side door.

He came diligently to the side of Lady Wen's carefree horse, squatting down so that his shoulders were just a notch lower than the saddle.

"I am not here to see the Eldest Sister-in-law."

Lady Wen ignored this human horse stool.

She pressed the saddle lightly, her body as light as a flat sand falling goose, her exquisite embroidered shoes stepping on the ground without raising a trace of dust.

"Is the Eldest Brother at home?"

The thin, tall steward was stunned. You are a sister-in-law, coming to the eldest brother's house not to see the eldest sister-in-law, but to find the eldest brother directly? What for?

"Second Madam, is it for the Second Master's matter? The Second Master is fine, really."

"Don't talk nonsense. I came from Yingxiang Prefecture; don't I know about the Second Master's matter?"

Lady Wen's voice carried anger. She ignored him and strode toward the side door, saying as she walked, "Lady Tianfeng, you go pay respects to the Aunt, and I will go find your Uncle."

"Mother, you must persuade Uncle; you must not let that dog barbarian General Guan Yu go!"

Lady Tianfeng's pretty little face was full of hatred and disgust.

"Shut up!" Lady Wen glared at her daughter, then swept her sword-like gaze over the thin, tall steward and the nearby servants, "Watch your mouths and ears!"

A layer of cold sweat instantly seeped out on the thin, tall steward's spine.

The Second Madam is serious; what heavy murderous intent!

Why?

Not letting General Guan Yu go, how not to let her go?

"The old servant heard nothing. Second Madam, the Eldest Master is reading in the study; the old servant will take you there." ===== CHAPTER 80 =====