Lanke Chess Edge
Chapter 34: It Seems Like It

Ji Yuan knew that some of the questions he was asking were stupid, but they were things he would need to figure out sooner or later.

But why was this City God so respectful again for no reason? It was just a subtle feeling, but it seemed that the Old City God’s words were not as casual as before.

The Old City God systematically explained some of the histories he knew in detail, including some of the unofficial histories of various dynasties in the country, some of the local customs of the surrounding mountains and rivers, and even deliberately added the names of some locations whose names had changed over time.

As opposed to the previous confusion about the world of immortals and monsters, this narration obviously gave Ji Yuan a much clearer understanding of this world, or at least one where his understanding at the mortal level could become much more intuitive and clear.

The country he was currently loctaed in was a vast territory with a total of 13 provinces.¹ The current dynasty of the country of Da Zhen² has stood firm for over 200 years, and is currently on its eighth generation of the virtuous Yuan dynasty. The country has experienced 9 other dynasties, including the Wu, Tong, Chu, and Kuang dynasties. Further in the past, there was another great dynasty.

The Old Town God paused for a while as he described it, and then spoke.

“According to historical records, this land that great dynasty ruled over was then called Da Zhou.”³

“Da Zhou?”

Ji Yuan was obviously intrigued, but he just smiled and glossed over it. This so-called Da Zhou was not the same as the one he knew. The mountains, rivers, geography, and history of this place were all different.

“Yes, however, this period of government was far too long ago, and even we local people can hardly recall all the changes in the world. The world is so big that it is impossible to describe even with thousands of words. What’s more, as the saying goes, there is a sky beyond the sky,⁴ it is difficult to know everything!”

Ji Yuan nodded in agreement.

“What Lord City God said is absolutely true!”

From their exchange just now, Ji Yuan learned that the position of City God was one of the most disputed divine positions in this world, and the one that changed the most frequently.

Take Ning’an County, for example. The previous Ning’an County’s City God was surnamed Li. Then, the current dynasty overthrew the old system. In addition, Song Shichang was born in Ning’an County, and served as an official in the new dynasty and honored his ancestors. After the death of that Lord Song, the emperor posthumously granted him the title of City God of Ning’an County and ordered local officials to build him temples and shrines.

As for the original Old City God, if he had deep cultivation, he would have been able to find another way to progress. If his cultivation was not sufficient, then he would only lose a bit of incense power. If he could not advance, but only retreated, it was possible that he would disappear entirely.

That was not to say that the emperor of this world had the power to force gods to follow his words. In the end, it was the willingness of the people to offer incense and sacrifices that determined everything.

Of course, it is normal for many city gods to remain unchanged even after several dynasties. First, the emperor of the country did not have nearly so much free time, it was rather a way to honor meritorious ministers. Second, the emperors simply were not aware or did not understand the supernatural at all.

Even so, the city gods and their dynasties prospered and suffered together. Although the Yin world and Yang world⁵ were separated, most the city gods would try their best to protect their people on land and water, and prevent evil spirits from sowing chaos.

After all, most of those who were granted the title of City God, whether by imperial decree or by popular recommendation to build a temple, were expected to be virtuous or renowned. Additionally, it also affected their cultivation.

But just like how the officials in the Yang world couldn’t take care of everything, the City God could not avoid all hidden dangers. Not to mention, sometimes it was difficult to fight back.

Interestingly, although there was a close relationship between the fate of the City Gods and the current dynasty, they were not ministers of the emperor. Yin and Yang were separated, so there was no conflict.

To put it bluntly, even the most powerful people of a dynasty were just mortals. Their eyes could not see ghosts or gods, and their divine power could not break through their limits of yin and yang. Apart from those who could see gods and the supernatural, there were few people who even knew about things like City Gods, immortals, or demons. For them, these words were merely biographies written next to the clay sculptures in temples.

…

Ji Yuan and the Old City God chatted and drank tea on the third floor of the outer-temple building, admiring the scenery from their view. Time passed unknowingly with the harmonious conversation, and it became noon in the blink of an eye.

Ji Yuan got a lot of key information, and the Old City God felt that he also had a certain understanding of this Mr. Ji, so their conversation for the day was nearly finished.

Originally, the Old City God had suggested that Ji Yuan could have lunch in this outer-temple building, but the table of snacks and cakes lasted until noon, and Ji Yuan didn’t feel the need to eat any more at all.

Naturally, the two left the building and prepared to bid each other farewell.

“Lord City God, thank you for your hospitality today!”

“It is a blessing for Ning’an County to have Mr. Ji residing here. Please rest assured, Sir, the books that Sir needs will be sent to Ju’an Pavilion as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Lord City God!”

“Okay, then let’s talk again another day. Farewell for now!”

The Old City God slightly bowed with clasped hands in farewell to Ji Yuan as he spoke, and Ji Yuan followed suit and said goodbye.

“Let’s chat another day!”

After bowing and nodding to each other, the Old City God walked towards the City God Temple with a free and easy gait. Ji Yuan watched the Old City God walk halfway there, before turning around to go home with a smile.

Although the City God Temple was a lively place, the temple fairs took place at night, so he didn’t need to go offer incense. It was only reasonable to go home, brush his teeth, and wait for the books to arrive.

‘Perhaps the books sent by the City God will be special. Can I even read it with my blind eyes? If that doesn’t work, I will have to find someone to read it to me, or I can ask the City God to send a Yin emissary to help me.’

At the entrance of an alley not far away, Yin Zhaoxian, who was holding Yin Qing’s hand, was about to walk out, but Yin Qing suddenly held tightly onto to his father’s hand and refused to let go.

Yin Zhaoxian felt himself being pulled back by his son, and turned to look at Yin Qing with a frown.

“What’s wrong?”

“Dad… over there, that gentleman is over there!”

That Sir from before?

Yin Zhaoxian looked at the direction of the outer-temple building, where his son was pointing. He didn’t know who the so-called gentleman was, but his attention was immediately drawn to Ji Yuan and Lord Cheng Huang. Their demeanor and appearance stood out from the crowd.

“Qing’er, which one is the gentleman you were talking about? Did you see him clearly? Don’t accuse someone falsely.”

“The one in the green robe, clasping hands with the old gentleman! I saw it clearly, and I will never wrongly accuse someone!”

Yin Qing hid behind his father and peeked back out of the alley, staring at both Ji Yuan and the old man.

Yin Zhaoxian looked at the two people outside the temple building. They had already bid each other farewell and separated. One was heading towards the City God Temple, and the other was leaving in the opposite direction. It seemed normal, but since his son was very scared, as a father he would naturally still be concerned about his son’s feelings.

“Okay, they’re gone, let’s go to the Temple of the City God!”

“Okay!”

Yin Zhaoxian sighed. He suddenly felt that his son might have been mistaken previously. Those two people were unfamiliar, but they had remarkable bearing. No matter how he looked at it, they didn’t seem to be shady people.

‘Who is that old man? I should recognize all the prominent people in Ning’an County. Is he also a foreigner? ’

Holding Yin Qing’s hand, they walked out of the alley and headed towards the Temple of the City God. The father and son could still see the old man in black robes who had bid farewell to Ji Yuan.

The father and son were in a subtle state of mind. They both quickened their pace a little, as if they wanted to approach the old gentleman.

“Selling incense, the best sandalwood! Enter the temple to pay respects the City God, offer three sticks of incense! We sell the best sandalwood!”

At the entrance of the temple, a vendor was calling out to sell sandalwood.

“Bring me three sticks of incense.”

“Okay, here you are, be careful not to break it!”

Yin Zhaoxian gave the vendor a coin. From paying the bill to receiving the incense, his eyes remained fixed on the old man in front of him. After receiving the incense, he took Yin Qing to the temple.

“Huh? He’s gone? Qing’er, did you see where he went just now?”

“No, he disappeared as he entered the temple… Dad… could it be a ghost…”

“What nonsense! This is the City God Temple!”

Yin Zhaoxian severely criticized Yin Qing, and then dragged him into the main hall. This City God Temple wasn’t very large. The front hall was for the various divisions under the City God, while the main hall was where the statue of the City God himself was. Perhaps that old man went directly to the main hall.

However, after passing through the front hall, he still couldn’t find him. There were quite a few people coming and going, burning incense and worshipping the City God, but he couldn’t see anyone who looked similar. He glanced towards the back door to the side of the temple, in a corner. The wooden double-door was closed, and it didn’t look like someone had gone out through there. Moreover, that path led to the residence of the temple acolytes, so nobody would pass through that area casually.

‘How strange…’

Even though he was inside the Temple of the City God, Yin Zhaoxian was a little nervous.

“Qing’er, let’s pay our respects to the City God!”

Yin Zhaoxian set aside the wild thoughts in his heart, and led Yin Qing into the main hall to light the sandalwood incense sticks.

First, they placed the sandalwood in the censer,⁶ then the father and son knelt on the cushions and prayed sincerely.

After paying respects, as Yin Zhaoxian got up to leave, he found that Yin Qing was still kneeling there, staring blankly at the clay sculpture of the Lord City God.

“What’s the matter, Qing’er?”

“Dad…it seems like…”

Yin Qing said in a very quiet voice.

1. From what I can tell, “province” and “state” are used interchangeably ↩︎
2. You might see this as Da Zhen or Dazhen. 大 (dà): great/large; 贞 (zhēn): used as the name of the country. So it’s the Great Zhen. ↩︎
3. A real place in China ↩︎
4. “There will always be someone better than you,” or “there is more than what is immediately visible” ↩︎
5. Supernatural world and living world ↩︎
6. An incense burner ↩︎