Chapter Fifteen: Upheaval at the Academy

The reason for sending away the scholar Li Yishan and the nun from Taiping Temple was, above all, that He Chang'an wished to preserve his life. As his own cultivation advanced, he gained a clearer understanding of the early-stage martial practitioners of the Great Tang, their training system, combat abilities, and the power of ghosts and monsters.

With his current mastery of the third level of the "Qi Consumption Technique," he could barely handle the White-Clad Ghost—if one did not count the cheat dog. The "village girl sister" who kept him, however, possessed at least three centuries of cultivation, her strength somewhere between the Red-Faced Fiend and the Soul-Seizing Ghost. A textbook case of "the eagle preying on the chick."

The red-haired fiend they managed to kill with the combined efforts of He Chang'an, Li Yishan, and the young nun was really no more than a blind cat catching a dead mouse by luck. According to He Chang'an's knowledge, for a Red-Faced Fiend to ascend to a Soul-Seizing Ghost, only three methods existed: possession, form condensation, or resurrection through a borrowed corpse.

Possession was the easiest yet least desirable, as it was limited by the original owner's strength and prone to backfire, essentially destroying one's foundation. Ghosts who managed to condense a form gained the greatest power, but it was the hardest path, requiring centuries or even millennia of arduous cultivation and the swallowing of thousands of men's vital energy to turn the intangible into the tangible.

Thus, the most common method for ghosts to cultivate was resurrection by borrowing a corpse. They would select a strong martial body and wait for its death. At the moment when the three souls and seven spirits departed, they would forcibly devour them and, with the aid of fresh blood from animals such as cats or dogs, fuse themselves back into the corpse, thus returning to life through the borrowed body.

After resurrection, the Red-Faced Fiend would become a corpse puppet, not only inheriting the martial artist's iron body but also forcibly melding with the original owner's corpse and soul, resulting in terrifying strength. The only weakness was the period of soul fusion, when the creature was dazed and unfocused—giving the trio their chance.

He Chang'an judged that the "village girl sister" kept him and taught him the martial cultivation technique, the Qi Consumption Technique, precisely because she intended to use him for resurrection by borrowing his corpse. Of course, it was also possible she sought to condense a form.

"I must find a way to strengthen my soul; otherwise, if that ghost grows desperate, she might simply possess me..." The thought chilled him to the bone.

Having another scholar and a nun in the house would surely arouse the ghost's suspicion and might prompt her to act early. So He Chang'an decided to clear the house of outsiders and planned to grind experience with the whining monsters, hoping to level up to the ninth tier of the Qi Consumption Technique before the night of the full moon. If not, he would simply have to lie low one more time.

"Where are whining monsters most common?" He Chang'an lay on a folding stool, basking in the sun while flipping through the "Ghost-Hunting Manual." "A group was spotted at Black Pine Ridge south of the city. If I search carefully, there should be more. But leaving the city... the risk is somewhat high."

Turning his head, he saw the thin donkey Old Hu had brought and suddenly had an idea. He tidied up briefly and led the donkey out. He had considered riding, but the donkey was even thinner than the young nun, its hooves soft and wobbly as it walked. Better to let it acclimate and exercise a bit, fatten it up, and ride it later.

...

South of Weiyang City, Yellow Bridge Alley.

Fortunate Inn.

In a guest room in the rear courtyard, a young nun sat upright at the left side of an ancient elmwood table. On the right, Li Yishan sat with proper bearing, holding a bowl of tea and sipping slowly.

"Uncle Yishan, you say that boy surnamed He possesses great fortune, but I don't see anything remarkable about him," the young nun said, her delicate brows furrowed in contemplation. "Besides, he seems rather sly—slick and smooth-talking."

"The princess is unmatched in beauty. Even with the concealment spell, you are a peerless beauty. For a young man not to be moved would be strange," Li Yishan replied with a wry smile. This young lady even cared about such things.

"Enough. He's but a minor constable. Use him if we can; if not, forget it." As she spoke, the nun's expression grew somewhat gloomy. "I didn't expect that outside Chang'an, monsters and ghosts have become so rampant they're even herding common folk, while the imperial court..."

"Princess," Li Yishan said softly, glancing toward the door, "our situation is dire. We must be vigilant and cautious in our words and actions."

"Fine," the nun sighed, troubled, "With Weiyang Academy stripped of the court's fortune, the Confucian righteous energy has dispersed, and now it's become a nest of ghosts. The monasteries likewise—since that wild fox on Mount Zhongnan survived the millennial tribulation, transformed into a nun, and led a group of monsters in meditation... Neither place can be returned to."

"Princess, do not worry. As for a mere place to rest, Yishan will find a way," Li Yishan said, twisting his beard with a smile.

"The method he finds is probably trickery and deceit... Is that why they say scholars are useless? Is that Uncle Yishan?" The nun grumbled inwardly, but on the surface only nodded slightly and pulled out a sutra to read.

After all, she had been shown the door.

Li Yishan stood, nodded gently, and said breezily, "Princess, rest early. I shall go listen to a tune at the brothel—I hear a courtesan named Caiwei has come, whose poetry, calligraphy, and painting are said to be superb." With that, he drifted away.

When Li Yishan had left, the young nun tossed the sutra onto the table and, resting her chin in her hand, gazed blankly at the westering sun and dancing shadows of the trees outside the window.

"No, this grand Tang... Enough. I'll go seek out the boy surnamed He."

The young nun considered for a moment, cast a concealing spell on herself, took up her wooden fish drum, and left the inn.

...

He Chang'an, after a brief hesitation, led the donkey toward the south of the city. While the hour was still early, he wanted to visit the academy. Li Yishan, though weak in combat, possessed Confucian righteous energy, perfect for warding off ghosts and calming the mind.

At the very least, he could freeload a few contemporary collections and historical summaries, gaining some knowledge and avoiding awkward slip-ups should he be compelled to compose poetry or demonstrate his talents in public.

With these thoughts, he and his donkey ambled along, and before a cup of tea's time had passed, the southern city gate appeared in the distance.

Beyond the gate, seven or eight miles up the mountain lay Weiyang Academy.

"Damn it, it's one thing to drive the Daoist temples and monasteries out of the county—after all, they prefer solitude—but sweeping the academy out of the city... This Great Tang!"

Near the city gate, He Chang'an found a mountain goods shop, handed the donkey's reins to the shopkeeper, and tossed out, "I'm hunting bandits; feed my mount well and give it plenty of water," before heading out of town.

The shopkeeper glanced at the sweat-soaked, panting donkey, then at the departing He Chang'an, unable to help grumbling, "The magistrate's bailiffs are ruthless—look what they've done to that donkey... May heaven strike down Fast-Hand He Chang'an!"

Walking the deserted path, He Chang'an suddenly sneezed, puzzled. Who is cursing me?

Three or four miles outside the city, after traveling along a rural path, he halted, uncertain.

To the south, through the trees, lay Weiyang Academy, separated by wasteland and hills; the dense woods and ravines were traversed only by a narrow sheep trail.

But the path was overgrown, clearly untrodden for many years.

"The academy ruins... Are they real?"

He Chang'an hesitated, feeling it unwise to proceed rashly, lacking a basic sense of safety.

"Maybe... forget it."

After much deliberation, he decided to turn back. His fellow bailiffs had warned him that monsters haunted the academy ruins—best not to deliver himself eight miles out for disaster.

Just as he turned, a dull thud sounded. From the direction of the academy, birds scattered and beasts cried out.

A raging fire erupted in the academy.