Chapter 231
Chapter 231
Seeing Hua Jiunan’s tense expression as he repeatedly reinforced the dazed Chen Daji with Daoist arts, Zhao Fei asked Eighth Master Chang miserably,
“Eighth Master, what happened to Daji?
“Where are we? Why is everything here so sinister?”
Afraid Zhao Fei would accidentally look toward the enormous stone, Eighth Master Chang had already placed his body in front of him.
“The Naihe Bridge and the Three Lives Stone!
“We’ve reached a place truly forbidden to the living!
“For countless years, the Three Lives Stone has borne the past, present, and future lives of every living being.
“The causes of the past life, the effects of the present life, the cycle of predestined reincarnation, the forming and severing of every bond-all are carved deeply into the Three Lives Stone.
“It has witnessed the suffering and happiness, sorrow and joy, laughter and tears of all living beings.
“Debts that must be settled and love that must be repaid are all wiped clean before the Three Lives Stone.”
As Eighth Master Chang spoke, Chen Daji groaned and collapsed.
His face was deathly pale, and thin wisps of black energy continually emerged from his body.
“This is bad! The little bastard’s soul is dissolving!”
Without another word, Hua Jiunan took out the most precious Soul-Nurturing Pill from Zhang Liang’s tomb and tried to place it in Chen Daji’s mouth.
Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Taiping movement, had personally refined this pill long ago at an immeasurable cost in manpower and resources.
Moreover, it was the only one beneath Heaven!
Deaf Granny knew Guoyin was fraught with danger and that a moment’s carelessness could destroy one’s soul. That was why she had specifically instructed Hua Jiunan to carry it.
Yet the instant the pill entered his mouth, Chen Daji spat it out.
“Fuck! What did you feed me, Big Brother? Why does it smell like shit?!”
Eighth Master Chang knew how to make every household treasure count. Seeing Chen Daji waste something so precious, he immediately picked the pill up.
“Why are you spitting it out, you little bastard?! Even selling every piece of you after chopping you up wouldn’t buy back this treasure!”
Hua Jiunan was in no mood to listen to their nonsense. He hurriedly helped Chen Daji up and asked,
“Are you all right, Daji?”
Chen Daji shook his head.
“Don’t worry, Big Brother. I’m fine. I’m just itching like crazy all over!”
As the fool spoke, he removed the black paper robe and hat he wore over his clothes.
Something astonishing had happened.
At some unknown point, the clothes underneath had transformed into a suit of heavy armor.
Marks from blades and axes covered the armor, while arrows filled the gaps between its plates.
Some arrows had already snapped, and all were caked with dried blood.
One glance made it clear that the armor had endured an unspeakably brutal battle.
Chen Daji nearly burst into tears at the sight of himself.
“Fuck, what happened to me, Big Brother?
“Who did I piss off to get beaten into this fucking state…?”
Hua Jiunan could not understand it either and could only reassure him softly.
“Daji, what did you see in the Three Lives Stone?”
Chen Daji looked thoughtful.
“I didn’t see anything!”
As he spoke, the fool scratched his head and turned in a circle.
“Oh, right! I remember now, Big Brother!
“It was like I’d traveled through time and become a Great General. I’d just entered my bridal chamber when you woke me up!
“Big Brother, you should’ve seen how beautiful the bride was!
“She had a big ass too. She could definitely bear sons!
“What a shame, what a shame I woke up too quickly. If I’d just had another five minutes… hehe…”
Unable to stand the sight of Chen Daji with lust on the brain, Eighth Master Chang lashed him hard across his enormous backside.
“Shut up, you little bastard! Apart from marrying a wife, didn’t you see anything else?!”
Chen Daji still seemed immersed in the delight of his wedding night. He did not care that Eighth Master Chang had struck him and continued grinning foolishly.
Unable to learn anything more, Hua Jiunan stopped asking.
All that mattered was that Chen Daji was safe. From the look of things, he even seemed much stronger than before.
Just as the group prepared to continue, two deities suddenly descended from the Naihe Bridge and walked straight toward them.
One shone with azure light, while the other was black as ink.
The radiant figure was dressed as a prison officer. His hair hung loose, and he carried a wooden plaque inscribed with the words “Day Patrol.”
The ink-black figure was slightly shorter, with a small face and red shoulders. He held a vermilion brush in one hand and a register in the other and wore black robes.
He appeared kind and completely harmless.
Hua Jiunan had studied treasured Daoist canons in depth and naturally recognized them. He hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.
“This junior, Hua Jiunan, greets the two honored gods, Wen and Qiao.”
Indeed, these were the Daoist deities who guarded the Naihe Bridge:
Day-Wandering God Wen Liang and Night-Wandering God Qiao Kun.
Note: The Day-Wandering God is a traditional Chinese deity also known as the Day Patrol.
In Chinese folk belief, the Day-Wandering God travels about during the day and observes the good and evil committed in the mortal world.
At first, the Day-Wandering God was regarded as a fierce deity who roamed from place to place. Offending him was believed to bring misfortune.
The third act of Wang Ye’s play *The Peach Blossom Girl* records:
“When she left her door today, she met the Day-Wandering God. Though she will not die, she will go into battle wounded.”
During the Battle of Investiture of the Gods, Wen Liang received the divine office of Day-Wandering God.
The Night-Wandering Gods were ancient Chinese deities. According to legend, sixteen of them were born in the southern wilderness.
Each had a small face and red shoulders. They held hands in a continuous line and kept watch through the night for the Heavenly Emperor.
When day arrived, they vanished. Because they appeared only at night, they were called Night-Wandering Gods.
The account above comes from the “Classic of Regions Beyond the Southern Seas” in the *Shan Hai Jing*.
After the Battle of Investiture of the Gods, Grand Duke Jiang invested Qiao Kun as the Night-Wandering God.