Claiming the Throne of Gods, Starting from the Rebirth of Nezha
Chapter 106: Encountering Ding Ce Outside Zhaoge City

Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Encountering Ding Ce Outside Zhaoge City

The dawn light pierced through the sky, awakening the sleeping earth.

The next morning, Nezha opened his eyes, took a deep breath of the sun’s essence, and exhaled slowly.

There was still the sound of snoring beside him.

"Isn’t it said that people sleep less when they get older? How can this old man still sleep so well at seventy-two?"

Nezha chuckled and was about to head to Zhaoge when he saw Song Yiren leading a horse, also ready to leave.

"Good morning, Mr. Song!"

Listening to the crisp tone from the youth in front of him, the already happy Song Yiren smiled even more, saying, "Good morning to you too, little Taoist."

"Where are you off to so early?"

"Yesterday, my wise brother Ziya came to my house for a drink. We hadn’t seen each other for years and promised to arrange him a marriage. A real man keeps his word, so today I’m going to Ma’s Mansion to propose for Ziya."

Oh no, Ma’s Mansion!

Nezha felt a chill in his heart, suddenly remembering how Song Yiren was quite a drinker the previous night, making Jiang Ziya dizzy and agreeing to any requests.

Now looking at Song Yiren, although he is a friend, he is undoubtedly a friend you can count on.

A brother you haven’t contacted in forty years comes to visit, not only does he feed and accommodate you, but he also helps you arrange a marriage and look for a job.

But Jiang Ziya has been a Taoist for forty years, and as soon as he descends the mountain, you take him for drinks, meat, business, and women. It’s like you have a strange penchant for encouraging decent women to let loose.

"Master Uncle has cultivated for years, and he’s getting married as soon as he descends the mountain. He hasn’t even met the Ma family girl; isn’t this a bit rushed?"

Nezha shook his head, dismissing his inappropriate thoughts, and began thinking about Jiang Ziya’s wife from the story. She wasn’t particularly good or bad, married Jiang Ziya after a family arrangement, and divorced when things didn’t work out. It’s their choice, why bother?

Yet a sixty-eight-year-old maiden marrying a seventy-two-year-old man, the more he thought about it, the more amusing it seemed.

Indeed:

Leaving Kunlun for the imperial land, Ziya marries today. A sixty-eight-year-old maiden weds a seventy-two-year-old groom.

Nezha bid farewell to Song Yiren and used Earth Style to reach Zhaoge, intending to descend from the sky and land in a deserted place.

Although it was a sunny day, upon reaching the sky above Zhaoge and using his spiritual senses, he saw demon qi soaring skyward, forming a rolling red cloud invisible to ordinary people, exuding a needle-like murderous aura.

"Truly... demonic."

Nezha’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, pondering: "Even cultivators may not be good people. I have never seen any demons or monsters before. How can I arbitrarily judge them as bad? But with Daji in the city, forcing Mr. Fan into exile, irritating so much that he doesn’t care about Chengtang’s fate, starting tortures, killing ministers, she mustn’t be anything good. Still, this demon qi is so evil—is it due to their vile nature, or is this just the cultivation technique of the Demon Race?"

Looking down, he saw palaces in the city connected in a shiny glow.

Amidst them, a red light shot into the sky, so bright that it couldn’t be concealed by the demon cloud, disrupting the rules of the land and making Nezha’s tunnel light unstable.

"Is this... Qi Fortune?"

Nezha gasped, considering that Yin Zhou indeed had great fortune. If not for being beguiled by demons, causing global rebellion, with his full court of loyal and righteous ministers, who knows how many more centuries Chengtang would enjoy this world.

He obediently dispersed his tunnel light, landing on the official road outside the city, and after walking a few steps, saw hundreds of people lined up to enter the city in a snake-like queue.

Nezha saw someone ahead carrying a basket of swords on his back, each with a silver edge, cold and sharp.

Curious, he asked, "Why are you carrying so many weapons into the city, brother?"

The man turned around, dressed in coarse cloth, with broad shoulders, a stern brow, a straight nose, tightly pursed thin lips, and distinctly outlined cheeks, with his long hair neatly tied on his head.

Seeing Nezha was a delicate-looking child, his stern demeanor softened a bit. He replied, "Naturally, to sell them."

"Are you a blacksmith?"

There were blacksmiths in Chentang Pass, but they only made farming tools, never such quality weapons.

The man shook his head, "Just happened to know forging. Due to livelihood, I made some weapons to sell."

"I see. I come from Chentang Pass, where weapon control is strict. People found with weapons can have them confiscated by officers, and hiding armor is a capital offense. Surprisingly, it’s more relaxed near the Emperor’s domain."

Nezha was just remarking, but as he spoke, he noticed the man’s face turning paler, and wondered, do you really know nothing and just decided to sell a basket of weapons in the city due to lack of money?

Seeing Nezha’s strange expression, the young man admitted regretfully, "I’ve been too reckless. I should have inquired before entering."

"It’s not too late to ask now."

"It’s already too late."

The young man smiled bitterly, "I originally lived near here in seclusion. Running out of money and food, I borrowed from two friends to buy refined iron. I intended to sell the crafted weapons, repay my friends, and use the rest for living expenses. If they can’t be sold, I don’t mind starving, but I can’t face my friends."

Nezha saw the young man’s predicament. He wasn’t worried about his friends blaming him but about causing them loss due to his own carelessness.

Acting without caution, but it’s not a major mistake—this can be a lesson for the future.

Meeting such a virtuous person is a lucky encounter, Nezha said, "There’s no rush to worry. If you trust me, I’ll watch these swords and wait while you go ahead and ask."

The young man nodded, set down the swords, thanked Nezha with a fist salute, and turned to stride towards the city gate.

Watching his upright back, Nezha couldn’t help but think: This person might not be foolish, but isn’t he too naive? Just a few words and he trusts me. If I were to make off with his swords, he’d quickly learn the harsh truths of the world.

But Nezha didn’t leave. He stayed in line for the man, and after a while, the young man returned with an even more bitter expression.

"It is what it is."

The man sighed, "You’re right; it is what it is. I can’t sell them in Zhaoge. I’ll have to sell them quietly, facing legal risks, possibly being undercut. I’ll repay my friends first and hope the business doesn’t lose too much."

Saying this, he expressed gratitude to the younger Nezha, "My name is Ding Ce, thank you, young brother."

Ding Ce?

The name rang a bell for Nezha, though he couldn’t recall why. He smiled, "I’m Li Nezha from Chentang Pass. If you can’t handle these weapons, why not sell them to me? Consider it making a friend."

"How could I?" Ding Ce responded righteously, "You’ve already helped me a great deal with your kind warning. How can I let you take a loss?"

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l