Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
Xie Lingya steeled his resolve and rallied somewhat. When the eldest son of the host family returned with water, he asked, “Are there any temples or shrines nearby?”
A strange look flashed across the eldest son’s face as he lowered his head and replied, “There’s a City God Temple.”
Xie Lingya’s spirits lifted even further. At least there were some. If the ancestral master couldn’t hear him, he’d have to pray to other gods to quickly send them back to their original world.
Just then, Da Bao and Xiao Bao woke up, rubbing their stomachs and saying, “Godfather, we’re hungry.”
It wasn’t mealtime yet, and since they were staying there, Xie Lingya felt awkward asking for food, so he offered them some water.
Quan Yangzi took out some dry biscuits from his bundle and offered them water to soak.
However, the two children, who had grown up eating white rice, couldn’t accept it and only ate a couple of bites before giving up.
Xie Lingya couldn’t help but sigh.
Tears welled up in Xiao Bao’s eyes as he picked up the biscuits again. “Godfather, are we getting poorer…?”
Xie Lingya didn’t know how to answer. “Uh…”
Xiao Bao seemed to be imagining something, and with tears in his eyes, he took another bite of the biscuit and swallowed it with water.
Xie Lingya felt heartbroken but helpless.
Da Bao lay on the bed, tilting his head to the side. “I won’t eat. If I don’t move, I won’t be hungry.”
Xie Lingya’s heartache turned into a wry smile. For the sake of these two children, he couldn’t give up. He perked up and started chatting with Quan Yangzi, trying to subtly inquire about the current situation.
“The capital? I went there twenty-seven years ago.” Quan Yangzi sighed as he listened to Xie Lingya mention the capital. “A tapestry of flowers, a bustling marketplace. I could see wine flags fluttering on both banks of the Bian River while admiring the moon at Zhou Bridge, with the sounds of music and singing filling the air. The people of the capital flowed as endlessly as the Bian River itself…”
The Bian River? Xie Lingya caught the key word: Bian was another name for Kaifeng, also known as Bianliang, the Eastern Capital. This meant the current era was the Northern Song Dynasty!
Then he thought of something else: Quan Yangzi went to Bianjing twenty-seven years ago. How old was Quan Yangzi then? Or did he just remember things early? Even if he was five years old then, he would be thirty-two now. No wonder Xie Lingya couldn’t call him his junior brother…
However, Xie Lingya’s attention was quickly drawn to Quan Yangzi’s words, listening to him recount the customs and scenery of Bianliang. As a modern person, who had such an experience? Not only him, but even Da Bao and Xiao Bao listened with great interest, frequently asking Quan Yangzi what “washe” and “guanpu” meant.
Fortunately, they were just children asking; if Xie Lingya asked, he might give himself away. So it was best to just listen.
Before they knew it, it was getting late, and the farmer’s family returned. Dinner was obviously not white rice; they only had wild vegetable and bean rice.
Da Bao had barely eaten a few bites of biscuit before, and when he got hungry, he didn’t care about anything else and ate a bowl of bean rice.
After finishing their meal, the two of them snuggled into Xie Lingya’s arms and asked, “Godfather, when can we go back?”
“Soon.” Xie Lingya patted their heads.
People went to bed early at this time, and Da Bao and Xiao Bao, being children, fell asleep quickly. Xie Lingya, however, wasn’t used to it and sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought, feeling incredibly bored.
This family’s house wasn’t exactly destitute, but they had very few possessions either. He stared at everything for a while before his gaze fell on Quan Yangzi’s book.
“Fellow Daoist, what are you writing there?” Xie Lingya asked dryly.
Quan Yangzi wasn’t asleep either; he had to observe the Gengshen day[1]. He said, “That’s a Daoist book I wrote. Would you like to take a look?”
“Sure.” Xie Lingya picked up the book. The first page had the title: “On Thunder,” and the author’s name in the lower right corner: Fenyang Sa Ke.
Xie Lingya coughed violently: “Cough cough cough cough cough!!!”
Xie Lingya was completely bewildered. He had wondered why Quan Yangzi sounded so familiar, but when he saw Fen Yang Sa Ke, he finally realized… Damn it, this “Fen Yang Sa Ke” was the self-designation of Chong En Zhenjun Sa Zu!
Quan Yangzi sat up in shock, “Fellow Daoist Bao Yangzi, are you alright?”
Upon hearing the word “fellow Daoist,” Xie Lingya’s legs went weak and he knelt by the bedside.
Quan Yangzi: ???
Xie Lingya struggled to sit up, supporting himself on the bed, and said in terror, “Fen Yang Sa Ke… Quan Yangzi… you, you are Sa… Sa…”
“This humble Daoist is Sa Shoujian,” Quan Yangzi said kindly.
Xie Lingya: “………………”
Xie Lingya felt like his head was thundering.
It really was Sa Zu.
He called Sa Zu his junior brother and even asked Sa Zu to hold his child…
Oh right, the most ridiculous thing was that he had previously begged Sa Zu to bless him so he could go home in front of Sa Zu.
Seeing Xie Lingya’s expression, Sa Shoujian assumed he had been recognized. He was over fifty years old, had traveled the world for decades, and was quite well-known in the Daoist community. Moreover, since achieving success in his cultivation, his white hair had turned black, and he had regained a youthful appearance; this young Daoist was probably surprised by it.
Sa Shoujian was about to offer Xie Lingya some words of comfort when he suddenly heard a noise outside. He quickly gestured for Xie Lingya to be quiet and pressed his ear against the window to listen.
Xie Lingya was startled and quickly leaned closer to listen as well.
He heard the footsteps of several people outside, along with the faint sounds of firelight and whispers.
“…Two young boys…a Daoist…”
“Tomorrow…at the temple…”
These short words reached his ears, and Xie Lingya frowned, sensing something was amiss.
Sa Shoujian leaped up and flung open the door, only to find a dozen or so villagers standing outside, including the family who owned the house.
They panicked at the sight of Sa Shoujian and Xie Lingya, who were still awake, but their courage returned because of the sheer number of people. They conspired among themselves, saying, “Let’s capture them! Go get some sticks!”
Sa Shoujian frowned and asked, “What are you doing?”
The woman of the house said with some reluctance, “Taoist priest, tomorrow we need two pairs of young boys and girls for a sacrificial ceremony. Hand over those two chubby babies, and we’ll release you after the ceremony without harming you.”
Xie Lingya felt a chill. A live sacrifice?
Looking at the numb expressions on the villagers’ dark, their thin faces illuminated by the firelight, he felt increasingly horrified.
Although he had read extensively about the prevalence of illicit rituals in ancient times, and how the government had repeatedly tried to eradicate them, the thought of them actually targeting living people still made him uneasy.
Thinking about it, it made sense; the two of them were outsiders, and the two children were so fair and tender— they were perfect choices. During the day, he was in a daze, only feeling that the villagers were staring at them. At the time, he thought it was just curiosity about strangers, but now, thinking back, could they have been plotting something all along?
This thought sent a chill down Xie Lingya’s spine.
Sa Shoujian was also furious and said to Xie Lingya, “Fellow Daoist, protect the two children. I’ll handle them.”
“You do, you do,” Xie Lingya replied respectfully. With Sa Zu here, what was there to fear?
“…” Sa Shoujian hesitated for a moment, because most people would worry if he said he was going to take on many opponents. He was about to explain when this fellow Daoist entrusted the task to him with such confidence.
Xie Lingya picked up Da Bao and Xiao Bao, standing behind Sa Zu. Still angry, he accused, “What kind of evil god are you worshipping? The imperial court has explicitly forbidden illicit worship; it’s illegal, do you know that?”
“Illegal? Never heard of it…”
“We’re worshipping the City God! Not an evil god!”
“I think we should tie them up too and worship them alongside the temple god!”
“Yes, worship him as well as Lord Wang E!”
Xie Lingya: “…Worship whom??”
Xie Lingya was even more confused. Wait…wasn’t Wang E his ancestor’s real name?!
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron or access advance chapters on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
Previous • Table of Contents• Next
[1] Gengshen Day (庚申日) is the 57th day in the 60-day Chinese sexagenary cycle, occurring roughly every two months. In Daoist belief, this day is significant as the time when “Three Corpses” (worms/spirits within the body) ascend to heaven to report a person’s sins, often prompting the practice of Shou Geng Shen (staying awake all night) to prevent this.
