Chapter 140: 193, 194

An autumn night, cloudless, the stars like water.

Song Cheng's return quickly made Su Ningyu's small courtyard lively; An Chenyu and Tong Niangzi came over one after another, and those many daughters-in-law also came to pay their respects.

Ji Youke, meanwhile, arrived holding the hand of a young boy.

The boy's features bore some resemblance to Song Cheng, but even more so to his mother.

The boy appeared somewhat uneasy, and upon seeing Song Cheng, he nervously called out, "Grandson Changjian pays respects to Grandfather."

Song Cheng smiled and nodded.

A group of grandsons and granddaughters, all nearing the age of puberty, also stepped forward to pay their respects, while curiously sizing up "this grandfather who looks no older than a big brother."

After a flurry of excitement, Song Cheng pulled An Jie, Tong Niangzi, Xiao Yu'er, and even Ying'er and Ling'er, to relive old dreams.

Though he wielded a long spear and possessed the courage of ten thousand men, he dared not exert himself in the slightest, for compared to even the strongest among these five women, Ying'er, he was a terrifying monster.

Thus, he could only lie flat the entire time.

One night passed. The next day, the women were shy and giggling, then dressed and left one after another, yet An Chenyu remained in the covers, pressed tightly against Song Cheng.

"An Jie, is something the matter?" Song Cheng asked directly.

An Chenyu also spoke directly: "Zhao Hua intends to return the power of the Great Shang Dynasty to our Song Family, so during his regency in recent years, he has enfeoffed many families close to our Song Family, which can be considered laying the foundation of power for our Song Family's rise."

"He is waiting for Song An to return."

"After Song An returns, he will very likely hand everything over to Song An, and then cultivate in peace."

Having slaughtered the army of the Wanling Empire with a single hand and casually crushed that "existence claimed to be closest to the gods in the neighboring country," Song Cheng had already seen "the scene of individual might overriding a nation," so he no longer valued worldly power as much; as long as he was willing, he could support a puppet at any time.

Therefore, "whether the Song Family rises or not," he did not care that much.

"If Xiao An is willing, then he can just take over; by then, An Jie can also become the Empress Dowager."

"That would make three Empresses Dowager." An Chenyu chuckled, but immediately followed with a serious tone, "However, with Xiao An's temperament, do you think he wants to be the Emperor?"

Song Cheng shook his head and suddenly asked, "Are you worried about Changjian?"

An Chenyu said, "He is your eldest grandson; logically speaking, if Song An shirks the responsibility, then he is the one to take it."

"But he is timid and has no mind of his own, and his mother is quite calculating and is also of the Ji Family; I am afraid that after going around in circles, it will end up back in the hands of the Ji Family."

A strange feeling arose in the depths of Song Cheng's heart.

He realized that what he was worried about and considering now was completely different from An Jie.

Thinking of this, he said, "Does An Jie know that now I can push anyone onto the throne with one hand, and pull anyone down with the other? Even if Youke has a hundred schemes, and even if the Ji Family has many thoughts, what influence does that have on me?"

An Chenyu gave him a speechless glare, then said gently, "If one person suppresses the world with martial prowess, then the people of the world will all regard martial prowess as paramount."

"The strong rise, the weak fall; laws cease to exist, virtue ceases to exist, the Heavenly Son ceases to exist, and the dynasty becomes a name without substance—this is the example you set, husband."

Song Cheng was stunned, and after a moment of thought, he immediately understood.

He chuckled.

Sure enough, when a person becomes strong, their brain becomes "dull."

If you can solve a problem by just moving your hand, why would you think any further? He could certainly suppress the world, but that would also completely destroy the world; currently, in the eyes of the entire Great Shang, the "Heavenly Son" is still very sacred—this is a "signboard."

With this "signboard," the Great Shang Dynasty can exist stably.

If he were to use his own strength to completely disregard the "rules of the dynasty" and play around as he pleased, that would be no different from completely destroying the roots of the Great Shang; by then, this land would truly become a cruel world of "absolute survival of the fittest."

Without rules, there are no standards; without standards, the world falls into chaos and the people suffer.

If you want the dynasty to exist, you must follow the game rules of the dynasty; if you pull the firewood from under the cauldron and destroy the roots of the "feudal society," then you must establish a new order, otherwise... the consequences would be unimaginable.

Even if you can place pieces at will, or even flip the chessboard, as long as you don't want to destroy everything, it is best to comply.

"An Jie is right; it was my oversight," Song Cheng said with a smile, "Then in An Jie's view, what should be done now?"

An Chenyu said, "Hand Changjian over to Grandmother to raise."

Song Cheng was stunned: "Jia Er?"

He also did not know if Tong Jia would be willing to raise this eldest grandson who was already twelve years old by nominal age.

An Chenyu shook her head and said, "Hand him to me."

Song Cheng:... Suddenly, countless stories of "dynastic power struggles and intrigues" popped into his mind.

But he also knew An Jie's temperament.

Previously, An Jie was still cultivating, but in these years she had successfully broken through the Qi Realm, her lifespan had been extended, and she was bored stiff, unable to stay still, wanting to do something.

But so what?

His woman wants a dynasty, so he will give it to her.

Thus, Song Cheng nodded and said, "But no matter what, do not kill Youke; she is Xiao An's wife and also a member of my family."

An Chenyu nodded, replied "Rest assured," and then murmured, "I will make the dynasty well."

Song Cheng lowered his head slightly, looking at the bright eyes of the woman in his arms; those eyes were burning with the flames of ambition and the craving for power; even as a First-Rank Lady, even as an existence with a high status in the Song Prince Mansion, it was still not enough, far from enough.

The rhythm of her life had been established in her youth.

Those who have stayed in the mud will always be obsessed with the joy of having struggled through the mire, climbed onto high branches, and looked out into the distance when the sky is clear... therefore, she will want to climb higher, higher and higher.

Song Cheng smiled gently and lovingly stroked An Jie's smooth back.

It seemed that his support made An Chenyu passionate once more, so the beautiful woman turned her body over, lay down, buttocks facing up, and turned her head to the side, blushing, clenching her fists, ready to endure the powerful strength, and said with shyness, "Come up."

Song Cheng did not disappoint.

It was just that he was extremely careful, as if a giant were holding delicate, fragile porcelain, bit by bit, never accelerating.

That day, An Chenyu stayed in bed, and then lay for another two days before getting up, after which she directly announced Song Cheng's oral decree, taking Song Cheng's eldest grandson, Song Changjian, away from Ji Youke's side.

Ji Youke was devastated, yet dared not act out; only when she was left with her personal maid did she angrily smash porcelain, crying and laughing as if she had gone mad.

However, late at night, there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

Ji Youke was startled.

"Youke, are you not asleep yet?"

Song Cheng's voice came from outside the door.

Ji Youke hurriedly glanced at her personal maid, then hastily replied in a feigned, high-pitched voice: "Father-in-law, I have already undressed."

Song Cheng laughed: "Tomorrow, go find Ying'er and practice with her. Once you break through the Qi Realm early, the Xuanwu Temple will surely grant you a secret medicine."

Ji Youke was stunned, an inexplicable emotion rising in the depths of her heart.

"Thank you, Father-in-law, this daughter-in-law understands."

"Xiao An has let you down, but if you reach the Pseudo-Xuan Realm, there will be plenty of time in the future; ten or twenty years are nothing more than a few years for a mortal," Song Cheng said. "Go to sleep early."

As the words fell, there was no more sound outside the door.

Ji Youke let out a long sigh, yet she still looked toward the door crack with a complex expression.

As for "Song An," she actually had almost no feelings left for him; after more than ten years of not seeing each other, the bit of "attraction between man and woman" from her youth had long since turned into nothing.

She clenched her fists.

She wanted the Pseudo-Xuan Realm, she wanted her son, and she wanted imperial power! If she didn't have such a temperament, how would the Ji Family have let her marry Song An, and how could she have been the first to give birth to a son? After simply dealing with some minor disputes around him, Song Cheng turned his attention to Song Mo.

For this girl, he felt an immense sense of indebtedness.

She was a little fool, and also a little blind girl.

Both foolish and blind, this made Song Cheng ache with pity.

Today, he only met Zhao Hua, who had come to pay a visit, and then pushed aside all other matters to focus on keeping the little blind girl company in the courtyard.

The little blind girl would sit in one spot, not moving at all; occasionally she would open her mouth, her language limited to simple expressions, and if she encountered complex sentences, she would just say "Ah ah ah ah" unclearly.

Song Cheng looked at her.

Su Ningyu walked over from the side and also sat by his side, looking at Xiao Mo'er with a dejected expression.

Song Cheng noticed her dejection, held her shoulder, and then told her all the speculations he had about Xiao Mo'er, finally concluding: "Therefore, the reason Xiao Mo'er is like this is very likely because her 'Reappearance World' has encountered a problem. Her consciousness has not opened simply because it is too chaotic... To solve it, one must go to the 'Reappearance World'."

"'Reappearance World'?"

Su Ningyu murmured, "Is that really a world?"

Such a term seemed very distant to her.

Song Cheng nodded.

The more he entered the "Reappearance World of many evil ghosts," the more certain he was that it was a world at a deeper level than the human world.

The human world can only contain the body and the Soul.

The Reappearance World is more profound; it is a place that can only be reached after passing through "Dream" and "Domain."

That is what Song Cheng understands as the "Fifth Dimension."

Su Ningyu said: "Anyway, I don't understand... So what do we do now?"

Song Cheng pondered for a long time, then suddenly said: "After A Ting returns and things are stable on Xiao An's side, I will lead troops to Jilei Mountain; that is the only place where an answer might exist."

"If that doesn't work, then perhaps we can only go to the Wanling Empire to seek their gods."

The next day, the Great Shang began to mobilize troops, heading in the direction of Jilei Mountain.

On the other side, A Ting, who was returning, still took more than half a year to return to the Song Prince Mansion despite having a map and experience, and she and Ding Yuan settled down.

Ding Yuan met the Song Prince, was granted a secret medicine, and stepped into the Pseudo-Xuan Realm in one go; she also learned the true identity of the Song Prince at this time.

On yet another side, Song An had actually already occupied the capital of the Wanling Empire.

He spent two months creating the illusion that he had been severely wounded and retreated, and then, when the Wanling Empire also began to recuperate, he led his troops in a surprise attack; if they encountered a Prayer Spirit Master in the middle, his eldest sister's animals could solve it, and when attacking the city, they encountered the two Great Prayer Spirit Masters guarding the Wanling Empire.

Consequently, Song Cheng went over, beheaded the generals on the city walls, and settled the battle.

Song An entered the Gugong and captured the Emperor of that empire.

This was not because the ruler of the Wanling Empire was easy to capture, but because the empire itself had already lost quite a bit from fighting the Molten Empire, and it had truly suffered heavy losses and been severely weakened during the operation to capture A Ting.

Added to Song An's stratagems and Song Cheng's decisive blow... the Emperor of the Wanling Empire was captured. Once all these matters were finished, Song Cheng settled everything at home and then set foot on the journey to Jilei Mountain again.

The thirty thousand troops mobilized by Zhao Hua had long since arrived; Song Cheng put on his Xuan Armor and picked up his long-lost long saber, large shield, and strong bow, led the troops to the foot of the mountain, and after a brief identification, entered the mountain, heading straight for Yaochi Peak.

At this time, Yaochi Peak had long since become a dead zone; not a blade of grass grew in the surroundings, no insects chirped, and any life that was in the vicinity would be sucked into Yaochi Peak and ground directly into powder.

Even if Song Cheng led a large army inside, he feared they would collapse before they could even perform; therefore, he stopped in advance, gripped his strong bow, revealed his Dharma Image, aimed at the yin-yang rotating mountain peak in the distance, and waited quietly for the fleeting military momentum. He did not use the power of the "Mysterious Grade Jiappin," but still used the "Grade B" Xuan level... In the yin-yang mist, a white-haired old man and a young child were clutching each other tightly, motionless like statues.

However, if anyone approached, they could see terrifying layers of Dharma Images and layers of illusions overlapping; the two sides did not seem to be fighting, but rather seemed to be merging.

Such a standoff had lasted for a very, very, very long time.

So long that the mountain was bare, with nothing left but the two of them, so long that the child's rabbit mother and leopard father had disappeared.

But at this moment, both opened their eyes simultaneously and looked suddenly outside the mountain.

The old man suddenly said: "It is the Song Prince of the current dynasty; he is using military momentum to gather the power that can interrupt us."

"Song Prince..." the child said gloomily, then added, "It seems you and I need to put aside our confrontation for now."

The old man also said gloomily: "Then you let go first."

The child said: "Together, count to three."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

No one let go.

Both sides stared at each other, their expressions slowly turning cold.

In this situation, who would trust whom? With two countries at war, if there is an outsider, then... Song Cheng pulled the Golden Crystal Strong Bow; to tell the truth, he didn't have much of a concept of what was happening on Yaochi Peak right now.

But he could see the data, so he knew he could completely shatter that fusion at this moment.

Seeing the military momentum rising and falling, about to completely condense onto himself, his eyes narrowed further, and the bowstring of the long bow made of Gold Crystal pulled tighter... "Wait, wait."

In the mist of the mountain peak, an old man made of dust came hurriedly, leaning on a staff.

Immediately following, another child in silk clothes ran out from the mist.

The two were far apart, clearly not from the same group.

The soldiers were vigilant, one after another drawing their bows to face them.

Song Cheng raised his hand and said indifferently, "Lower them."

The two who came from the opposite side were very strange; the old man was clearly a miniature "Manifestation," yet he could actually speak; the child was purely a Ghost servant shrouded in illusion, and the data above their heads was even stranger.

Both of their strengths were "0~0," and their favorability was both "0."

Song Cheng looked up at the high place again; the fusion had not been interrupted, and in the blending yin and yang, that data of "3810~6170 (7620)" flashed by from time to time.

Although he did not understand what these two things that ran over were, he understood their function—messengers.

Both clearly felt his threat, so they ran out.

As for the purpose, the dusty old man bowed elegantly and said, "Greetings, King Song."

Afterward, he introduced himself, saying, "This old man is the Mountain God of Jilei Mountain, having sheltered this land for a long time, yet I have never met King Song; today can be considered a fated encounter.

However, King Song has come just in time to help this old man lend a hand and subdue this Ghost!"

As he spoke, the old man suddenly pointed at the child beside him and said sternly, "This is the source of the chaos in the Great Shang; the previous Wu River God was killed by his schemes, and now he wants to come and harm this old man."

Having said that, he added in a hurried tone, "King Song must already know about the matter of the Yunhe.

But King Song must only know about the second layer, the Four Fierce Lands, and the transporting of Ghosts into the sea, yet does not understand the third layer.

The purpose of this third layer is actually to eliminate the local evil Ghosts, and at the same time, pierce through mountains and break lakes to exile the gods guarding this land into the sea together.

The Wu River God has passed through thousands of years, and his divine power is weak.

And this evil Ghost bewitched those aristocratic families, making them dig the Yunhe and break the feng shui, in order to completely bury the weak Wu River God with this killing trap.

If not for King Song winning a victory, perhaps this Wu Mountain of mine would also have been destroyed by him, and thus the entire Great Shang would have no more protection and sink into hell."

The sound of his voice was as if shrouded in a layer of mist, and only Song Cheng could hear it.

However, if it were not for the "【Favorability: 0】" floating above his head, Song Cheng might have actually believed him.

After all, the old man's words provided answers to many of his previous puzzles.

Regardless of whether there were traps inside, they did indeed match up.

He had always been puzzled about where the Saint Heaven Buddha learned the method of "digging the Yunhe," and he had also been searching for the traces of the Wu River God, but... he had gained nothing.

Now, he knew everything.

Moreover, this old man seemed to know everything about many affairs of the Great Shang; just the sentence "If not for King Song winning a victory" was enough to show that "he knew Song Cheng was the Xuanwu Emperor."

Unfortunately, his "favorability" was only 0.

Thus, Song Cheng suddenly looked at the child in silk clothes, thought for a moment, and directly said aloud, "Since you say you are the Mountain God of Jilei Mountain, and you say this evil Ghost has ulterior motives, using the Yunhe to break the feng shui and kill the Wu River God, then what evidence do you have?"

The child in silk clothes was stunned upon hearing this, revealed a sinister smile, and after glaring fiercely at the old man, said, "King Song, I am indeed an evil Ghost, but that is the past; the current me is a human."

The old man sneered, "Human? Humans are normal Soul reincarnations. You are what is called a Zhan; you are the great terror after a Ghost dies."

The child in silk clothes just looked at Song Cheng and smiled, "King Song should understand; after all, King Song, you can give birth to my kind, you are also not simple."

The old man's expression immediately turned gloomy, but he said, "King Song is a strong person; a strong person giving birth to a Zhan is purely an accident.

But you, you used inhumane experiments to forcibly create people with extremely twisted Souls, and then used them as a medium to come to the human world."

The boy in silk clothes snorted, "If I am inhumane, then what are you? You and the Wu River God were able to become 'Towns'—how many mountains of corpses and seas of blood were brewed to make that?

The people I killed are truly very few compared to you."

The old man said angrily, "That was just natural development!"

Song Cheng blinked his eyes.

He heard it in a daze, but his heart was also shaken violently.

This boy in silk clothes was actually the person who saw A Ting that day and mistook her for a senior, and he was also a doctor in the Extreme Bliss World.

And his purpose in creating the Extreme Bliss World was actually just to cultivate parents who could give birth to "it."

As for A Ting... if A Ting really were a Zhan, that would be fine.

But have you ever seen such a silly Zhan?

However, the information was still not enough.

Thus, Song Cheng casually employed a rhetorical tactic, saying, "I think that since a Mountain God is a god, how bad could he be? Little kid, you lied, didn't you?"

The boy in silk clothes said, "Lied? King Song, let me tell you, although I do not know the true method of becoming a Mountain God or River God, only when a place is completely destroyed and completely in Extinction is it possible for a Mountain God or River God to appear! You say, since the Mountain God and River God obtained such great benefits, then did the dynasty's Extinction not involve their little tricks? Do you know why there were no dynasties before the Shang Dynasty, but rather the Jianghu was divided? That is because the history that was blank for thousands of years is the history of human Extinction; the people on this land migrated here afterward.

As for why it was blank for thousands of years, everything must be asked of this Mountain God.

As for me... I am just the same kind of existence as your daughter A Ting; how bad can I be?

A Ting is my senior; she is a child, and I am also just a child."

Song Cheng:... He also did not speak, deliberately revealing a thoughtful look.

The old man was anxious and hurriedly said, "King Song, do not listen to his glib tongue; this old man and the River God were a pair of Daoist companions, struggling to hold on until the end of the dynasty, and only when the Ghost River flowed did we accidentally discover the path of promotion.

King Song, you are brilliant and talented; you must also need this method of promotion... You help this old man severely wound him, and this old man will certainly teach you everything.

You and I are both of the human race; those who are not of our race must have a different heart!"

The words were sonorous, urgent, and hurried.

However, "【Favorability: 0】" was floating above his head.

Song Cheng was numb.

He really was an old monster; while telling lies that were seamless, he hid his murderous intent well—he even felt that what this Mountain God said made a lot of sense.

Thus, he followed the words, nodded, and said as if somewhat hesitant, "That's true, after all, we are all humans."

The child in silk clothes said, "King Song, since you can give birth to a senior, then we are the ones on the same path; having reached this level, how is this old thing still a human?

The senior has a problem, right?

Perhaps I can help you; after all, I and the senior A Ting are of the same kind."

Song Cheng immediately feigned a look of hesitation again.

However, he was truly anxious in his heart.

"A Ting, if Xiao Mo'er are both Zhan, then why don't they look like Zhan?" Seeing him remain silent, the silk-clad child hurriedly struck while the iron was hot, saying, "How about this: you tell me the senior's situation, and I will tell you where the problem lies right now. That way, King Song can believe me."

The old man was about to speak, but Song Cheng waved his hand, signaling him to hold off for the moment.

The silk-clad child was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Please speak, King Song. A Ting is my senior; I will certainly tell you everything I know without holding anything back."

Song Cheng thought for a moment, then spoke anyway.

He did not mention his own secrets, but simply recounted A Ting's behavior since birth one by one.

The silk-clad child was visibly stunned, then asked, "Are you certain there are only these two types of strange arts: 'living upon seeing water' and 'skin stitching'?"

Song Cheng nodded.

The silk-clad child stated decisively, "Impossible! These are manifestations only possessed by a Double Ghost!"

"To become a Zhan, you must first transform into a Multi-Ghost that manifests the Four Fiends; only then can you be like me. In my past life, I had eight types of evil ghosts, and only then could I reincarnate into a Zhan. Senior A Ting cannot possibly have only two ghosts."

Song Cheng feigned indifference and said, "What if there are only two ghosts?"

The silk-clad child said, "Then that is neither a Zhan nor a Ghost."

"A Ghost can be immortal, and a Zhan can advance. If it is neither a Ghost nor a Zhan, then... then..."

He hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Then I am afraid it only has the hundred-year lifespan of a mortal."

After finishing, he grinned again, revealing a human-like smile: "However, Senior A Ting is definitely not that. King Song's probing should be over now, right?"

Song Cheng:... At this moment, he very much hoped that the Zhan before him had lied.

(End of this chapter)