Chapter Ninety-Two: Persuasion

Jiang Lan lowered her eyes. The world was always full of sorrow; that was why so many cultivators sought longevity, fleeing the misery of the cycle of rebirth.

“And what part did Gu Chengwu play in all this?”

“It was his proposal for the river project, the very one he offered to the Emperor of Suffering! He ruined our entire family. He was the culprit!”

“He also raised the corvee tax. My three sons were still so young—the youngest had only just taken a bride, and they had not even had time to enter the bridal chamber before the officials seized them. They all died on the battlefield like that, and we never even saw their bones! Waaaa…”

An old woman beside her broke into sobs, and someone hurriedly stepped forward to support her.

“My husband…”

“…”

Listening to their accounts, Jiang Lan’s brows drew tighter and tighter.

When their emotions had finally settled, Jiang Lan let out a sigh.

“I have listened carefully to everything you have said. Gu Chengwu was indeed at fault. He was eager for quick success and sought to save the whole nation of Qin by his own hand. It is true that he brought Qin a period of splendor, but he also left behind even greater hidden dangers.”

“Your suffering, your pain, was indeed partly caused by him. But after so many years, you must also have seen it: without that canal, tens of thousands of Qin’s people would have perished in famine.”

“Without that mighty Qin army, it would have been your lands trampled beneath iron cavalry.”

“He was only the advocate of those policies, the one who put them forward. The ones who truly made you suffer were those corrupt officials. I have studied Qin history. Though Gu Chengwu’s methods were somewhat extreme, he was trying to rescue a Qin Dynasty that was already sinking further and further into decline.”

The vengeful spirits all lowered their heads.

“Corrupt officials and the evils of the age cannot be cured in a single day. Without him, the next young emperor of Qin would never have become the ruler who restored the dynasty.”

“Their greed and extortion had already become entrenched long before Gu Chengwu took office. Even without those policies, they would still have found ways to come after you.”

“Gu Chengwu promoted the rule of law and revered Legalist thought. Though the Martial Emperor, who came after the young son of the Emperor of Suffering, ultimately killed him to appease public anger, he still carried out the systems Gu Chengwu had established, purged the bureaucracy, reformed the governance of the realm... and from then on, Qin dominated all under heaven.”

“If there had not been a minister like Gu in front to lay the foundations of a prosperous state for the Martial Emperor, then no matter how wise and formidable the emperor might have been, he could never have reversed Qin’s decline, let alone restored the nation.”

Jiang Lan walked toward them.

“The reason you became resentful spirits, I think, lies in this obsession. But he was not wrong—at least from the standpoint of the state, he was right. Nor were you wrong. The wrong lies with this chaotic age.”

Jiang Lan took the old lady’s hand.

“I think your sons would have been proud to contribute to Qin’s strength and prosperity.”

The old lady wiped away her tears.

“Yes... before Zhuzi left, he said as much. ‘Mother, the front lines are in dire need. There are many sons whose mothers have already wept them dry, and your child cannot not go...’”

Jiang Lan gently wiped the tears from the old lady’s face.

“Don’t grieve. With the merit your sons earned, their next lives should be peaceful and steady. After all, it will be the age of restoration, and the Martial Emperor’s rule will surely let them live in safety and stability.”

Jiang Lan turned to the other vengeful spirits.

“According to the time, your departed loved ones should already have been reborn in the fertile lands of Qin, enjoying an age of clear governance under the Martial Emperor’s rule.”

A spark lit in their eyes. Many of the spirits floating in the air solidified their forms, their feet touching the earth, as they yearned for the glorious age Jiang Lan had described, the splendor they had once glimpsed with their own eyes.

“Lay down your hatred and obsession. Reborn as human, you may yet meet again in another corner of the world.”

No sooner had Jiang Lan finished than many of the spirits dropped to their knees.

“Great immortal, we know your powers are vast. The demonic aura on Shengwan was removed by you. We beg the great immortal to help us.”

Nearby, Red Peak could not bear it any longer. “Hey, hey, hey, you ghosts, do you people even have a sense of reason? This demonic aura is not something that can be removed so easily. Even a peerless immortal would find it hard to purify. Aren’t you making things difficult for people? Go on, go on, stop asking for such unreasonable things.”

“Great immortal~”

Jiang Lan glanced at the thousands of resentful souls.

“I will do my best.”

“That’s more like it—what? Jiang Lan, are you joking? Are you a god? Open your eyes and look at reality, will you? There are so many of them!”

The group of spirits looked at Jiang Lan with deep gratitude. The myth-beast, who had been standing to the side without speaking and had only been rubbing its mouth, also came running over, shaking the earth and mountains in the process.

With a heavy thud, the ox-shaped myth-beast dropped to its knees.

“Thank you, great immortal!”

“Aren’t you a vengeful spirit? Why are you joining in the fuss? Move aside!” Though Red Peak had taken on a human form and looked delicate and lovely beside the enormous creature, the force of her kick was still tremendous.

The myth-beast Lingling hurriedly dodged. Seeing this, Jiang Lan quickly tugged at Red Peak.

“Don’t make trouble. He isn’t finished yet.”

“Great immortal~”

Jiang Lan looked at the child before her, grinning broadly with a foolish, honest smile.

“From what I can see, apart from a severe loss of vital blood, you don’t seem to have any other injuries. How about I give you a bottle of Essence-Reinforcing Elixir?”

As she spoke, Jiang Lan took out a bottle of pills from her bosom.

“This works exceptionally well. It’s a secret recipe I refined with great care.”

“You actually have something like that? Why have I never seen it before?” Red Peak stared at Jiang Lan in shock. “When I was injured, why didn’t you give it to me?”

“Didn’t I? I gave Three-Eyes a bottle before. You didn’t get any?”

“No! No! I did. Not. Get. Any!”

After throwing her tantrum, Red Peak turned and found Jiang Lan looking at her with an oddly suspicious expression. Crossing her arms over her chest, she said, “What’s that look for?”

“When were you ever injured? Why was I never aware of it? Most of the force when we broke the sealing barrier outside the Celestial Observatory was blocked by me. You didn’t need to take any medicine at all. When exactly were you injured?”

Meeting Jiang Lan’s searching gaze, Red Peak was horrified. She hurriedly stepped back. This injury had been caused last time in prison when Jiang Lan forgot the restrictions of the divine pouch and let him be wounded by the seal of the Scorching Sun. How could he say that? If Jiang Lan asked how his injuries had healed, wouldn’t that expose that person’s business?

Rather than being killed, it was better than being watched by Jiang Lan like this.

Seeing that Red Peak looked as thick-skinned as a dead pig that feared no boiling water, Jiang Lan suppressed the deep suspicion in her heart.

Then she turned to the myth-beast Lingling.

“And why have you come? Without your support, I doubt they would have gambled everything on a frontal assault against the Duke of Wei’s residence.”

Looking at the hulking, foolish creature with a guilty expression, Jiang Lan blurted out, “I don’t mean to blame you. I just want to understand the cause. If it was because of Gu Chengwu, then now that he will be under my command for a year, I will naturally see to everything he has done.”

“Great immortal, this is his wife.”

Jiang Lan looked at the sliver of soul carefully cradled in the fool’s palm.

“What happened to her? Was it Gu Chengwu’s doing?”

“Her name is Gu Xiaoxiao, Gu Chengwu’s own younger sister...”

---

After Master Empty Space finished his evening scripture lesson, he lay in his meditation chamber happily counting money, when he abruptly heard a call: “Come at once to the eastern mountain peak.”

Empty Space clutched the alms money from today, glancing around cautiously.

“Who is it? Who’s there? Come out for this monk.”

“It’s only been a few days and you’ve already forgotten?”

“Great immortal? Is that you, Great Immortal?”

“You know it, so come over at once.”

Soon, an elderly monk of seventy winters appeared on the western mountain, his complexion rosy and a meditation staff in his hand. His white beard, more than a foot long, fluttered wildly in the wind, full of easy freedom.

“Heh, Great Immortal, Empty Space is here.”

Jiang Lan nodded and waved him over.

“Come. Meet a new friend.”