Chapter 115: The Night-Wandering God
Page (1/3)
Foul-smelling, sticky, and slippery—Fang You was trapped inside an enclosed space. The stench around him was nauseating, and his body was curled up so tightly that he could not even stretch out his arms and legs.
In an exceedingly awkward position, he drew his peach-wood sword and stabbed at the giant serpent’s body.
But the serpent’s flesh was far too thick. There was no way a mere peach-wood sword could pierce it.
The peach-wood sword was a potent weapon against ghosts, spirits, and evil forces, but against a wild beast, it was not nearly as effective.
“I’m about to suffocate!”
Fang You sensed the danger. The giant serpent’s stomach acid was scorching him, and if this continued, he would truly be in grave danger.
“Let me lend you a hand!”
Suddenly, a voice rang out from within Fang You’s body. The next moment, a burst of golden light exploded, and the giant serpent’s body was blown apart.
Fang You narrowly escaped with his life.
After crawling out, Fang You wiped the foul, sticky slime from his body. He knew that it was Yang Jian, who had been hiding inside him, who had just saved him.
“Bai Ling? Gao Changyi?”
By now, Fang You seemed to have become separated from the others, but escaping danger was fortunate enough.
Suddenly, he noticed a black-robed figure ahead, apparently soothing a child.
“You must be more careful in the future. You’ve only just taken human form, yet you’re already so mischievous. Be careful not to break your leg, or it may never grow properly!”
The black-robed man was applying medicine to a small child’s wound.
“Hello. May I ask where this place is?” Fang You asked cautiously as he looked at the black-robed man before him.
“Hm? To think I would encounter a living person here. You may leave now.”
The black-robed man spoke to the child in front of him.
The child suddenly nodded in response. In the next instant, it transformed directly into a ginseng root. Two tiny legs sprouted from its body, and it fled at once.
“A ginseng spirit?” Fang You murmured thoughtfully.
In the old days, those who climbed the mountains to gather ginseng would tie a red cord around the head of each root, precisely to prevent it from running away.
After a hundred years, ginseng gains spiritual awareness. After a thousand years, it becomes a spirit. After ten thousand years, it becomes an immortal.
Hardly anyone had ever seen the legendary thousand-year ginseng or ten-thousand-year ginseng, let alone managed to harvest one.
Page (1/3)
Page (2/3)
To survive for a thousand or ten thousand years was already beyond anything ordinary humans could control. As the ginseng gatherers put it, ginseng that had gained spiritual awareness could grow legs and run away by itself. Thus, one had to tie a red cord around its head to seal away its spiritual power before it could be successfully harvested.
“What are you staring at? Want to eat one? A million each. If you want one, I’ll go catch one for you.”
The black-robed man was clearly teasing him.
“I am Fang You, the third and final disciple of Mount Maoshan. May I ask who you are?”
Fang You understood that the man before him was no ordinary mortal. He might even be an immortal official.
“Everyone calls me the Night-Wandering God. I am supreme when I travel by night. I perform divine dramas and capture ghosts; with a jade sword in hand, I punish good and evil alike!”
“The Night-Wandering God!”
Fang You was astonished. This was a true orthodox deity, unlike the ghosts and divine messengers who served in the underworld.
Legend held that there were two wandering gods, one for day and one for night. The Day-Wandering God traveled during daylight, while the Night-Wandering God patrolled after sunset.
Their primary duty was to supervise the ghost officials and judges, ensuring that no cases were wrongly decided. They also brought hidden injustices to light, allowing the world to be set right. Their divine offices had been formally recognized by the Celestial Emperor above, unlike the underworld’s ghost messengers, whose roles were more akin to secondary occupations.
In the underworld, figures such as Li Shanshui, Fang Chuande, and Zhou Jie served as ghost messengers. On the one hand, they brought the souls of the dead back to the underworld and maintained order.
On the other, they selected virtuous people whom they believed had been wrongly condemned and submitted them for retrial. This, too, was necessary for the underworld.
Otherwise, if a judgment were wrong and the Day-Wandering or Night-Wandering God discovered it, the responsible officials would likely be reported to Heaven and punished.
“Why are you still standing around here? Go do whatever it is you’re supposed to do.”
The Night-Wandering God spoke to Fang You.
Looking at the Night-Wandering God, Fang You found him to be a rather carefree divine official. He first bowed deeply and respectfully, then said, “The matter is this: I wish to enter the depths of Dragon God Mountain to investigate something. I never expected to encounter so many mountain spirits and monsters. I do not know why this is happening. Could there be some great secret hidden deep within Dragon God Mountain?”
“You want to enter Dragon God Mountain?”
The Night-Wandering God suddenly took an interest. He carefully looked Fang You up and down, then slapped his forehead.
“So it’s you, boy! How have you been lately? Which corner of the world has the Celestial Emperor sent you off to cause trouble in this time?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Fang You listened with growing confusion.
The Night-Wandering God examined him closely again, as though he had suddenly understood something.
“I nearly forgot. You reincarnated. No wonder you came asking me about Dragon God Mountain. Why don’t you go and take a look for yourself?”
“What kind of person was I before?”
Fang You grew increasingly curious about his previous life. Though reincarnation meant beginning an entirely different life, and there was no need to dwell too deeply on one’s former existence, he sensed that his previous life had been far from ordinary.
So many ghost officials and divine officers seemed to know him. Even Yang Jian, the Erlang God, had said that they were friends. Could he truly have been someone extraordinary?
Page (2/3)
Page (3/3)
“It cannot be spoken of. It cannot be spoken of.”
The Night-Wandering God spoke slowly.
“You must discover that for yourself.”
“For myself?” Fang You asked.
“Yes. For yourself.”
The Night-Wandering God took a drink of wine and spoke in a drunken murmur.
“But I—”
“No need to say more.”
The Night-Wandering God interrupted him.
“If you want to know why so many mountain spirits and monsters are blocking your path, I can tell you that much.”
“Please enlighten me, divine official.”
Fang You bowed with the utmost respect.
“Dragon God Mountain is also known as Divine Farmer Mountain. It is the burial ground where the Divine Farmer met his death.”
“The bones of the Divine Farmer are hidden within this mountain. Over the centuries, how many mortals have searched for them, hoping to study an immortal body and uncover the mysteries of the immortals?”
“In truth, whether one is an immortal or a mortal, life is not much better anywhere. Being an unimportant Night-Wandering God like me is actually rather easygoing. If I had to be one of those rigid immortals in Heaven, following the same rules day after day, I doubt I could endure it.”
“So…” Fang You seemed to have guessed the rest.
“You guessed correctly!”
The Night-Wandering God continued, “The ancestors of these mountain spirits and monsters all received the Divine Farmer’s protection and kindness. To them, he was a benefactor. Naturally, they will guard him to the death, lest the remains of the universally revered Divine Farmer be disturbed and desecrated.”
“Then how am I supposed to enter the depths of Dragon God Mountain?” Fang You asked.
“How should I know? I cannot get in either. There is a guardian spirit of the earth at the entrance, and a guardian deity within. It is not a place anyone may enter at will.”
At this point, the Night-Wandering God’s expression seemed to turn faintly uncomfortable.
“Then—”
“No need to say more.”
The Night-Wandering God interrupted Fang You once again.
“If you are looking for your companions, they are in that direction. Follow it and you will find them. Take care of yourself, friend. I have business elsewhere, so I shall be off!”
Page (3/3)