But Duke Martial was still dissatisfied. He paced through the ranks with a frown, occasionally kicking one soldier or roaring at another.
“You! The angle of your spear is crooked! Do it again!”
“You! Why are you holding your shield so high? If someone hacks at your feet, are you going to catch it with your face?”
“And you! Why are you daydreaming during the formation? Thinking about your wife? Think about her after the drills are over!”
The soldiers were scolded until their faces turned red, but none dared to talk back.
Having finally come back to life, everyone deeply cherished these peaceful days of training with their comrades.
After the drills ended, Duke Martial sat on a large rock by the edge of the drill grounds, watching the soldiers disperse in groups of twos and threes. Suddenly, he felt a bit bored.
He was far too idle.
Throughout his life, from the time he started fighting alongside Old Man Purity and Filth to his death, and then to his resurrection by the Lord, he had never been this idle.
The security of the City of the Wrongfully Dead was unnervingly good. The city walls were guarded by rotations of paper people and zombie corpse guards, the city was patrolled day and night by the security team, and the military department he personally trained was on standby outside the city.
The problem was, no one ever came to attack.
Of all the enemies in Qudao County, those who could fight had been killed by the Lord, and those who couldn't had long since been scared away, hiding who-knows-where.
He led the military department in drills every day, and once they were done, he had nothing left to do.
Duke Martial sat with a long face for a while, then suddenly slapped his thigh.
Since things were so quiet in the City of the Wrongfully Dead, he might as well go and tidy up the Lord's other territories. Gloomlight Province was so large; he didn't believe there weren't a few places with poor security.
It was all the Lord's territory anyway. A rough-hewn man like him might not be good at much else, but he was an expert at cleaning up public order.
No sooner said than done.
Duke Martial picked a dozen men from the military department and set out from the City of the Wrongfully Dead on fast horses, making a circuit through the various commanderies of Gloomlight Province.
However, after one full lap, Duke Martial was dumbfounded.
Stable.
It was all too stable.
Unreasonably stable.
He first went to White Jade City, the first commandery city Chen Zhou had conquered in Gloomlight Province.
He had heard that back then, there was an evil spirit who attempted to sacrifice the entire city, only to be dealt with by the Lord.
Because it was close to the Dead Man’s Forest, it was now one of the most populous cities in all of Gloomlight Province. Many people had migrated from various places, wanting to be closer to the god who protected them. The population reached hundreds of thousands.
A city with such a large population, mostly made up of outsiders, should have been difficult to manage.
As soon as Duke Martial and his men entered the city and stated their purpose, the gate guards, seeing they were honored guests from the City of the Wrongfully Dead, bowed respectfully.
“We did not know Duke Martial of the City of the Wrongfully Dead was visiting. May we ask the purpose of your arrival?”
Duke Martial waved a hand dismissively. “Just making the rounds to see how the security is.”
The guard said, “Rest assured, My Lord. The security in White Jade City is excellent. Not a single violent crime has occurred in three consecutive months.”
Duke Martial was skeptical and personally led his men on a tour of the city, only to find that the guard had spoken the truth.
The streets were bustling with people, shops lined the roads, and the citizens all wore smiles. They didn't show fear upon seeing Duke Martial's group; instead, they greeted them warmly.
“Are you from the City of the Wrongfully Dead?”
“We are.”
“Oh, that's wonderful! Could you tell us what the place where the Great Bone God lives is actually like?”
An auntie selling vegetables at a stall leaned in, looking at Duke Martial with anticipation.
Duke Martial scratched his head. “Well... the City of the Wrongfully Dead is a good place.”
“What's so good about it?” A young cloth merchant nearby also leaned in with a fanatical expression.
Duke Martial thought for a moment and answered honestly, “The sky in the City of the Wrongfully Dead is gray, and there's no sunlight all year round.”
“Every household hangs white lanterns with the character for 'offering' on them. Some even paste skull paper-cuts on their windows. Some people are quite strange; they like to wander around in burial shrouds.”
“Recently, a moat was opened outside the city. It's filled with black sludge. Oh, right, there's a Bone Altar in the city. It's said to be the Lord's residence, and ordinary people aren't allowed to approach it.”
The surrounding crowd went silent for a moment.
Duke Martial continued, “There are many paper people, corpse guards, and skeletons in the city, often walking the streets.”
“I once saw a Nightmare beast at the city gate. It was ten zhang tall and covered in eyes. It was indeed terrifying at first, but you get used to it after a while.”
Before he could finish, the auntie and the merchant were staring at each other in shock.
“Paper people?”
“Skeletons?”
“A black river?”
“A Nightmare beast?”
Duke Martial felt their reaction was a bit strange and quickly said, “Those are just small things. No need to be afraid, they're all—”
Before he could finish, the auntie's eyes suddenly lit up. “It really is true! I heard long ago that our Bone God is an orthodox God of the Underworld!”
The merchant also nodded repeatedly. “I told you! His Lordship can collect souls and control ghosts, command paper people, and even build a city in the mortal realm to settle the people. This is clearly the divine power of the Underworld!”
An old man nearby stroked his beard with an 'I-knew-it-all-along' expression.
“This old man personally followed Master Ku Chan to the Holy City for a pilgrimage. I told you all a few days ago that the Bone God has two divine messengers, the Black and White Impermanence. Isn't that obvious enough?”
“What are the Black and White Impermanence? They are the soul-hooking messengers of the Underworld! If His Lordship can command them, he must be a Great Lord of the Underworld!”
“Yes, yes! When I used to live in the provincial capital, the city was full of malevolent ghosts. There were hardly any living people, and no one dared to go out at night.”
“As soon as His Lordship arrived, all those malevolent ghosts were transcended. If he isn't an orthodox God of the Underworld, what is he?”
“Do you remember when His Lordship manifested in Lantao City? Strange things happened, and many people died. I heard their souls didn't dissipate but were taken by His Lordship. Later, he even let them live a good life in the City of the Wrongfully Dead!”
“Don't speak nonsense. That was the Underworld's guidance. His Lordship took in those homeless wandering souls. That's how the City of the Wrongfully Dead came to be.”
The citizens became more excited as they spoke, leaving Duke Martial dumbfounded.
The auntie leaned in again and asked, “What does His Lordship usually like to eat? Should we give him offerings?”
“Yes, yes, I want to ask too. How should we burn incense and paper for His Lordship? This humble believer asks for nothing but that His Lordship remains safe and sound forever.”
“Burn what paper? His Lordship is an orthodox God of the Underworld; we should burn spirit money!”
“Should we use paper ingots for spirit money?”
“Are you stupid? Gold ingots are for the God of Wealth. What would His Lordship want with gold ingots? We should burn paper horses and paper people for His Lordship to command!”
“Paper people might be inappropriate. Don't we occasionally have paper people from the White Jade Sword Sect walking around here? Wouldn't burning paper people be disrespectful to our paper brothers?”
“Then how about burning paper oxen and horses?”
“Yes, yes! That's good!”
The citizens engaged in a heated discussion and quickly reached a consensus. They would go and prepare paper crafts immediately—right now—to offer incense and sacrifices to the Lord.
Furthermore, they decided to learn from the citizens of the City of the Wrongfully Dead and wear burial shrouds to increase their blessings and longevity.
Some shrewd merchants decided to work through the night to produce a batch of white lanterns and black burial shrouds. These were the 'official styles' designated by the Lord in the Holy City.
They were so close to the Dead Man’s Forest and so close to the god. How could they not follow the rules set by the god? Even this Duke Martial from the City of the Wrongfully Dead had admitted it himself; it couldn't be wrong!
The citizens scattered, each heading home to prepare.
Leaving Duke Martial standing there, bewildered.
He stood on the street, watching the backs of the citizens as they left in high spirits, and scratched his head.
So those eerie things were actually rules personally set by the Lord? And wearing burial shrouds was a custom of the City of the Wrongfully Dead?
It was a bit strange, but since he was a dead ghost himself now, it wasn't unacceptable when he thought about it that way.
Duke Martial and his men continued to the next commandery city.
As it turned out, every city was more or less the same.
The people lived and worked in peace. Even in the commanderies where humans and demons lived together, the security was perfectly orderly.
As soon as they heard the group was from the City of the Wrongfully Dead, everyone treated them with warm hospitality and then frantically asked about the Lord.
Duke Martial's head throbbed from the questioning. He simply asked Duke Wen for an official statement and recited it every time he reached a city.
But the citizens' enthusiasm didn't wane in the slightest. No matter how official his recitation was, the people always managed to interpret the information they wanted from it.
“His Lordship is stationed in the City of the Wrongfully Dead. Heavens, he truly is the King of Hell incarnate!”
“His Lordship can grant longevity and reverse life and death. Isn't that just like the Judge's soul-hooking register?”
“The City of the Wrongfully Dead is filled with equinox flowers, and there's even a Wanchuan River?”
“I see. So being close to death is also a blessing granted by His Lordship!”
After finishing his tour and inadvertently spreading a whole round of rumors, Duke Martial confirmed that every county and city in Gloomlight Province was incredibly stable and didn't need his intervention at all. He then led his men back to the City of the Wrongfully Dead.
After returning to the city, he was so bored that he went to the City Lord's Mansion to complain to Duke Wen.
He happened to find Duke Wen giving a lesson to Hong Ling about the pros and cons of the tax system.
Duke Wen sat in a chair, holding an account book and analyzing it for Hong Ling.
Hong Ling sat opposite him with a dozen bamboo slips spread out before her. She held a pen, taking notes as she listened, with two stacks of official documents half as tall as a person piled beside her.
Duke Martial had just pushed the door open and hadn't even spoken when Duke Wen frowned.
Hong Ling looked up at him, but her pen didn't stop as she continued writing on the bamboo slips.
Duke Wen tapped the table with a ferule. “What are you doing here?”
“Just came to see you all—” Duke Martial said, leaning over to look at the bamboo slips in front of Hong Ling, which were densely packed with words. “Oof, writing so much. Aren't you tired?”
“I am not,” Hong Ling said without looking up.
Duke Wen's frown deepened. “If you have nothing to do, get out of here. Don't disturb my precious disciple's studies.”
Duke Martial curled his lip. “I just came for a visit...”
“If you want to visit, go find Duke Wu. The City Lord's Mansion isn't a marketplace,” Duke Wen said unceremoniously.
“Fine, fine, I'm leaving, alright?” Duke Martial waved his hand and turned to leave.
At the door, he looked back once more.
Hong Ling was still writing furiously, and Duke Wen was still explaining patiently. The atmosphere between the two was harmonious, and neither looked at him again.
Duke Martial sighed and decided to go to the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm to chat with Duke Wu.
Anyway, that old fellow Duke Wu was also someone who couldn't sit still. Sitting together, drinking tea, and badmouthing Purity and Filth would be a pleasant pastime.
Upon arriving at the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm, Duke Martial searched through the medicinal fields for a long time before finally finding Duke Wu.
Duke Wu was squatting next to a row in the medicinal field, surrounded by a group of plant demonlings. They were all sitting solemnly with small notebooks in their hands, listening with rapt attention.
“The nature of Green Heart Grass is on the cool side. When used in medicine, it must be balanced with warm-natured ingredients.”
Duke Wu used his staff to draw diagrams of the herbs on the ground. “If used directly, the medicinal property is too aggressive and will instead damage the meridians.”
A demonling raised its hand. “Lord Duke Wu, what can Green Heart Grass be used to treat?”
Duke Wu stroked his beard, appearing extremely patient as he spoke in a soft, gentle voice. “Green Heart Grass is primarily used to treat restlessness of the heart and mind, and it also has a certain suppressive effect on cultivation deviations.”
“But you must remember, Green Heart Grass cannot be used together with Vermilion Spirit Ganoderma. These two have conflicting medicinal properties. Using them together will—”
Before he could finish, Duke Martial's booming voice rang out. “Duke Wu! You old fellow sure are leisurely, teaching these little demons witch doctor herbal arts here!”
The plant demonlings were startled by the coarse voice and shrank their necks one after another.
Duke Wu's face darkened. He turned to see Duke Martial striding over, and his expression grew even darker.
“What are you doing here?”
“Just came to see you.” Duke Martial squatted down unceremoniously and leaned over to look at the herb diagrams on the ground. “They're drawn quite well. You haven't lost your old trade.”
Duke Wu took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. “I am giving a lecture.”
“I know. You keep talking; I'll just listen from the side.” Duke Martial clapped his hands and sat down on the edge of the medicinal field, crushing several spirit herbs.
The veins on Duke Wu's forehead throbbed.
The plant demonlings looked at Duke Wu, then at Duke Martial, each shrinking back even further.
Duke Wu stood up, took his staff, and poked Duke Martial's foot. “You. Out.”
“Why are you being so stingy—”
“Out.”
“I'll just say a few words and then go—”
“Get out.”
Duke Martial was left dazed after being poked repeatedly by Duke Wu's staff and driven out of the medicinal field.
He stood at the edge of the field, watching Duke Wu walk back with brisk steps, and muttered under his breath, “He's so old, yet his temper is still so foul.”
No one paid him any mind.
The plant demonlings sat back down and continued listening to Duke Wu's lecture.
Duke Martial stood for a while, sighed, and turned to leave.
He wandered around the City of the Wrongfully Dead, truly at a loss for what to do.
The Lord had been running between the City Lord's Mansion and the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm these days. It wasn't that he hadn't thought about asking the Lord if there was anything for him to do, but every time he went, he saw the Lord discussing official business with Duke Wen or Duke Wu, and he didn't feel right interrupting.
As for that worthless fellow Purity and Filth, his intelligence still hadn't returned. Talking to him was like casting pearls before swine.
Seeing that it was almost dark, Duke Martial still hadn't found anything to do.
He, the grand commander of the Tianchi Province military, who had led armies in battle for thousands of years, was now actually bored out of his mind. How absurd was that?
Just as he was feeling listless, he saw a team of paper people patrolling near the city wall.
The leader was a living person.
Duke Martial looked closely and saw a tall, well-built youth with a blade at his waist, walking with a spirited gait.
The youth wore a dark gray martial robe with the bone patterns of the Bone Temple embroidered on the cuffs and collar. His face was young, but his eyes were sharp, possessing a steadiness that didn't quite match his age.
Duke Martial recognized him.
It was Shitou, the boy the Lord had rescued from the snake demon's mouth. He was said to be one of the Lord's earliest believers. He had good talent and had practiced a set of fierce blade techniques, making him a promising prospect among the younger generation.
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