Xie Chi said, “That’s what the National Preceptor said. He only instructed me to head west first, straight to Yue County, then wander freely through various counties and towns. If I encounter anyone with unusual speech or behavior along the way, they must be ghosts. I should send them to Changsheng Temple to be handled by the National Preceptor.”
Yu Yang: “…Ghosts?” He kept mentioning the National Preceptor—did the Shizi really trust that old Taoist so much?
Xie Chi said, “Yes. Souls without masters are called ghosts. The court has always referred to them as ghosts. ‘Celestial Child’ is just a term used to pacify the common people.”
Yu Yang nodded.
“That actually makes sense.”
She asked, “How many ghosts has the Shizi encountered?”
Xie Chi thought for a moment. “Four. If we count Pei Chiye, then it should be five.”
“Do other Celestial Guards encounter many?”
Xie Chi: “Dong Wei is special—they kill on sight, preferring to wrongfully kill rather than let any escape. Nan Wei first detains and interrogates them until the ghost dies. Xi Wei uses gentle methods, squeezing every last drop of usefulness from the ghosts before discarding them. Bei Wei… sends them to the National Preceptor for ritual use.”
He said, “I joined the Celestial Guards after the National Preceptor appeared. I’ve had no contact with the other three guards and don’t know how many ghosts they’ve captured.”
Yu Yang was shocked.
“There are such differences among the four guards?”
Xie Chi said, “Chief Pei Pei Chichang proposed that ghosts could also be treasures. He suggested to Huangshang that the Celestial Guards be divided into four guards based on criminal handling methods, similarly categorizing ghosts into four paths to maximize their utility.”
“Are there many ghosts?”
“Not many in the past, but these past two years, there have been many more,” Xie Chi said. “The phenomenon of ghost descent has existed since the previous emperor’s time, but back then, very few ghosts descended, causing no significant waves. Later, one ghost merely wrote some texts that led to the emergence of ‘Da Tong Jiao’ among the people, with followers numbering over ten thousand. Qi Wang was even burned alive by Da Tong Jiao. The previous emperor, recognizing the danger of ghosts, established the Celestial Guards, secretly assigning them the duty of capturing ghosts.”
Yu Yang was astonished.
There was actually such a powerful Transcendent.
She supposed it was because this era lacked information networks, so once the court sealed off information, those below would know nothing.
Xie Chi said, “The old rule of the Celestial Guards was: ghosts occupying human bodies violate the natural order of heaven. Therefore, no one in our dynasty should listen to their words, speak with them, or learn their techniques, lest they bring chaos to the mortal world and turn heaven and earth upside down.”
“Thus, the Celestial Guards followed this commandment: do not listen, do not ask. Those who come back to life or speak nonsense—rather wrongfully kill than let escape.”
“The original commander of the Celestial Guards was Jin Wang. Now, Dong Wei still follows the old rules, which is also Huangshang showing respect for Jin Wang’s face.”
After speaking, Xie Chi silently picked up his water bottle and took a drink.
Yu Yang listened while eating plums, feeling a sense of having narrowly escaped disaster.
Surviving for twelve years was quite an achievement.
But she said, “Then Pei Chiye managing to hide for over ten years is also quite remarkable.”
Xie Chi said, “Ghosts among wealthy and noble families are indeed hard to identify. I’ve heard the world of ghosts has already achieved great unity, but those who have enjoyed power and influence find it hard to easily abandon their status. Naturally, they would hide their identities well, leaving no traces.”
Yu Yang: “…”
It could also be like her case—
Having not even finished nine years of compulsory education, being poisoned mute upon arrival, and only able to speak after being treated by Divine Doctor Ji… simply incapable of leaving any traces.
Yu Yang muttered, “That’s strange then. How did the person who arranged to meet Pei Chiye know he was a compatriot?”
Xie Chi shook his head, his brow slightly furrowed in equal confusion.
“Perhaps… compatriots naturally sense each other?”
Yu Yang: “…Perhaps so.”
She now had a life to live.
Indeed, she should be more careful.
Xie Chi took out a Shou Zha from his luggage—the very one Yu Yang had seen when she found his belongings last time, though she hadn’t opened it then.
Xie Chi handed the Shou Zha to her.
“This is the Celestial Guard’s first interrogation record of a ghost.”
Yu Yang hesitated, “Am I allowed to read this?”
Xie Chi said, “You’ve already witnessed the dead returning to life, and your initial shock has passed. Since we’ll be traveling together from now on, I shouldn’t keep this from you. Perhaps in less than two years, none of this will even be considered secrets anymore.”
Ghosts were increasing year by year.
The imperial court’s “Celestial Child” explanation likely couldn’t be maintained much longer.
Yu Yang said, “I am indeed curious. Thank you, Shizi.”
She smiled slightly and lowered her head to read the Shou Zha.
The writing in the Shou Zha was somewhat disjointed, probably because the interrogators had too many incomprehensible questions, causing the topics to constantly shift.
There were also red ink annotations in the margins.
For example:
2029 note: This refers to the calendar hundreds or thousands of years from now.
Yu Yang didn’t really need to read those annotations, but she deliberately slowed her reading pace.
[My name is Chen Yangyu. I come from 2029 and am a second-year high school student.
While crossing the street one day, I got into a car accident. When I woke up, I had become the second young master Luo Ping here.
I don’t know why I crossed over…
People like us are called Transcendents where I come from.]
[I don’t know where this place is. This era, this world, doesn’t exist in the history I know.
Where I come from is very developed. We no longer have emperors, though we still have leaders.
From our perspective, your current era is still in the feudal age, but our histories are different.
We have airplanes that can carry people through the air, cars that can run on roads…
Oh, and we rarely use brushes anymore. We use pencils, ballpoint pens, fountain pens, markers, etc. We also have computers, mobile phones…
…]
Yu Yang read for quite a while.
Chen Yangyu had explained many things from the future world in detail to the interrogators.
It made her recall that incredibly convenient and free world.
Until she turned the page.
Only then did a chill run down her spine.