Chapter 795: The Image of Being Both Literate and Martial

After fighting the demons fiercely tonight, the group of warriors, though excited, soon had to face reality. The enthusiastic atmosphere from their victory quickly cooled, and the city became enveloped in a somber mood.

Regardless of how glorious the victory was, or how significant this night's life-or-death struggle was for mortals, many demons had still infiltrated the city tonight. The number of civilian casualties was still unknown, but as soon as the demons were declared completely expelled or slain, cries of sorrow began to echo throughout the city.

Yan Fei, Lu Chengfeng, and Zuo Wuji did not choose to rest afterward. Instead, they joined the city's warriors, soldiers, and some brave citizens in clearing the demon corpses.

Beside the carcass of a burly black bear demon, a flatbed ox cart was already in position. Zuo Wuji and Lu Chengfeng stood on either side, each holding a large bamboo pole, with ropes tied to the demon's body below.

"One, two, lift!"

"Heave-ho!"

The thick hemp ropes tightened under the weight of the demon's body, and the two bamboo poles bent into a significant arc. Then, with their combined strength, Lu Chengfeng and Zuo Wuji carefully lifted the demon's corpse off the ground, before heaving the thousand-jin (approximately 1,100 pounds) bear demon onto the ox cart.

"Thump..."

The entire ox cart shook. The old cart driver stared blankly at the bear demon's gaping mouth, its longest fangs longer than his forearm.

"Oh my, this demon is truly terrifying..."

Shaking his head and taking a breath, the old man slowly drove the ox cart away. All the corpses were to be taken to Temple Street, where the local deity and underworld gods would perform rituals, and others would be invited to conduct exorcisms. Afterward, apothecaries would "collect medicine" from the bodies. Useful parts like hides would be utilized without waste, but if the local deity deemed something inauspicious, it would absolutely not be used. All such unwanted remains would be taken outside the city and burned.

There were twenty to thirty other locations in the city where similar demon corpse removal operations were underway. Blood on the ground would be covered with lime powder and washed away, causing many areas to appear hazy and smoky.

After a long period of work, Yan Fei, Lu Chengfeng, and Zuo Wuji finally regrouped. The city's finest inn had specially prepared three premium rooms for them, so they wouldn't have to return to the dilapidated temple outside the city.

"Alas, after just this one battle, who knows how many civilians have been killed or injured in the city," Yan Fei sighed. Lu Chengfeng took a sip from a flask given to him by an unknown warrior, while Zuo Wuji frowned, looking at the roadside. Some residential walls had collapsed, and inside, newly deceased people lay while their families knelt or slumped beside the bodies, weeping.

Besides those weeping in their homes, there were also people standing at intersections, crying inconsolably.

"My dear, my dear, remember to come back, please come back...嗚嗚嗚...don't get lost, don't get lost..."

"Father..." "Mother, you've been crying all night, please stop crying..."

"Auntie Li, please accept our condolences..."

The group continued to weep. It wasn't because someone was embarking on a long journey, but because the head of that household had been devoured by a demon, leaving no corpse. They could only perform a "calling of the soul" ritual at the intersection.

As Zuo Wuji passed this intersection with his two masters, what he saw and heard made him grip his flat staff tightly. Upon seeing the three warriors, the wailing of those families immediately quieted. Their gaze fell upon the three martial artists.

The three warriors walked with steady strides, covered in blood, clearly identifiable as those who had slain the demons. The families watched them with complex expressions, not crying loudly nor offering salutations, simply observing them as they walked away.

This atmosphere weighed heavily on Zuo Wuji. After they had moved away from the intersection, he couldn't help but look at Yan Fei and Lu Chengfeng.

"First Master, Fourth Master, why were they looking at us like that?"

Zuo Wuji didn't expect everyone to thank them, but those gazes had made him uncomfortable.

"Perhaps they are wondering why we, among others, failed to stop the demons, or failed to do something before they entered the city," Yan Fei said. Lu Chengfeng sighed and shook his head.

"Wuji, there have been enough people coming to thank us. You can't expect those whose families suffered to also come forward and flatter you. Human life is simply that fragile."

Zuo Wuji frowned slightly, looking back at the intersection from which faint wailing sounds were still drifting. He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.

"Wuji!"

Yan Fei suddenly spoke in a deep voice, and Zuo Wuji instinctively responded.

"Yes!"

"Train diligently in martial arts and make the martial way flourish."

"Wuji understands!"

Lu Chengfeng, standing beside them, handed the flask to Zuo Wuji, and only smiled after watching him take a sip.

"Let's go. Get a good night's sleep at the inn, and we'll resume our training tomorrow morning."

From a tall building within the city, a night patrolman of the Underworld stood on the rooftop, watching the three warriors walk towards the inn. Even in the eyes of ghosts and deities, these three warriors were undeniably "powerful," and any underworld spirit passing by would instinctively glance at them.

The night patrolman's gaze then shifted to Temple Quarter, where demon corpses were being transported. Beyond mortal sight, underworld emissaries and spirits were using soul-reaping ropes to extract demon souls from those bodies where souls still lingered, then escorting them into the Underworld.

After watching for a while, the night patrolman leaped a few times across the rooftops before descending to patrol alongside the city wall. Tonight, he patrolled alone; his colleague had already been annihilated.

At this very moment, Ji Yuan, far away in the Mud-Dust Temple monastery in the Southern Wilderness, also sensed something. He seemed to see the Military Arts Star in a state between waking and dreaming. Opening his eyes, he pulled open the door of his monastic cell and walked onto the corridor, looking up at the night sky. Unfortunately, a thin layer of clouds obscured the view, and he couldn't see any stars.

Yet, Ji Yuan did not use magic to disperse the clouds. After observing the sky for a moment, he walked back inside. As if an understanding had dawned upon him, he lay down and began to contemplate the "Mountains and Rivers" realm within his mind.

Within this mental realm, Ji Yuan stood like a colossal figure, reaching from heaven to earth, observing the brilliant yet hazy starlight in the sky. He could sense each celestial 'chess piece,' some real, some ethereal. Regardless of their nature, the location of the most dazzling star was clearly discernible.

Ji Yuan, within his mental realm, took a step and found himself beside the world's tallest mountain. His Dharmakaya form rivaled the towering peak, and atop the mountain stood a magnificent alchemy cauldron. Within its opening, the powerful Samadhi True Flames blazed.

The Dharmakaya extended its hand towards the cauldron, brushed it lightly, and then gestured skyward. In the next moment, endless white vapor overflowed from the cauldron's opening, forming vast swathes of misty clouds that coiled around the Dharmakaya's arm. After swirling for a few moments, at the Dharmakaya's direction, the misty clouds drifted immediately skyward, merging with the few stars on the horizon.

The alchemical vapor from Ji Yuan's cauldron rarely seeped out and was absorbed by various "stars," and instances of such a large amount of vapor being drawn forth were uncommon.

Upon reaching the celestial star positions, this alchemical vapor quickly integrated into the stars. However, some of them could only absorb a portion before being unable to take more. The remaining vapor was entirely absorbed by the brightest star at the center. This outcome was unexpected for Ji Yuan, yet entirely reasonable.

At the same moment, far away on Mount Yun in Bing Province of the Great Zhen Dynasty, within the new Star Temple of Yunshan Temple, two star banners were radiating light. This light had actually appeared several hours ago, and Daoist Qingsong had been guarding these two banners for most of the night.

Ji Yuan had specifically instructed Daoist Qingsong to pay close attention to any changes in the star banners. Therefore, Daoist Qingsong dared not show the slightest negligence, remaining beneath the banners for most of the night, occasionally performing divinations with his fingers.

Now, even the grand roof of the Star Temple seemed enveloped in a hazy glow. Daoist Qingsong, who had been in a semi-dreamlike state of calculation, was suddenly jolted awake. He looked up at the temple's roof, then rose directly from his prayer mat and leaped outside the main hall. Once there, he looked up at the sky, his fingers continuously performing divinations without pause.

At a certain moment, Daoist Qingsong stopped his hand movements, his gaze fixed on a specific point in the sky. A clear understanding dawned in his mind. He walked slowly back into the main hall without a word and once again looked up at the star banners.

Faintly, it seemed as if a light had flashed across a certain star position on one of the banners.

'Military Arts Star?'

While deep in thought, Daoist Qingsong also looked at the two portraits hanging on the inner wall of the Star Temple: one of Qin Zizhou, the Daoist Lord of Worldly Travels, and the other of Ji Yuan, the Great Master of Daoism. One portrait displayed a benevolent smile, while the other showed serene contemplation.

Seeing the tranquil expressions in the two portraits, Daoist Qingsong's heart settled. He respectfully bowed to both portraits, then walked to stand directly beneath the star banners.

There was a small censer there. Daoist Qingsong took an incense stick from a nearby small table and lit the sandalwood with a flick of two fingers. After placing the incense stick in the censer, he returned to his meditation cushion beneath the star banners, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

The smoke from the sandalwood incense in the censer rose straight up. Upon reaching the level of the star banners, it did not continue upwards but twisted and turned, curving entirely towards one of the banners, converging on the position of the Military Arts Star of the Big Dipper.

At a certain moment, as the sandalwood incense in the censer burned out, Daoist Qingsong opened his eyes. He looked up at the star banners above: the Military Arts Star glowed faintly, and not far off, the Civil Arts Star also emitted light.

As Daoist Qingsong lowered his head after looking at the star banners, he suddenly sensed something. He quickly stood up, looked towards the entrance, and performed a Daoist bow towards the doorway.

"Lord Qin!"

Unbeknownst to him, Qin Zizhou was already standing at the entrance, his gaze also fixed on the star banners. Only upon hearing Daoist Qingsong's greeting did he wave his hand.

"No need for formalities, Daoist Qingsong. As the saying goes, 'one skilled in both civil and military arts.' This is indeed a resonance between the Civil Arts Star and the Military Arts Star... Do you think Master Ji knows about this?"

"Uh, this humble Daoist does not know."

"In my opinion, he should know."

Having said this, Qin Zizhou turned and walked away, his figure dispersing like mist within a few steps.

'Lord Qin is truly becoming more and more like a Divine Lord...'

Although Daoist Qingsong's cultivation had gradually advanced, he was no longer as relaxed when facing Qin Zizhou as he once was. Not just him, but Qingyuan felt the same. Perhaps this was why Qin Zizhou appeared less frequently.