Chapter 10: Nighttime Devotion

Chapter 10: Nighttime Devotion

“Grandpa, you seem in a good mood today.”

“That’s true. Strange, too—my chest doesn’t feel tight, my breath isn’t stifled, and I’ve suddenly cleared my mind about so many things. Odd…”

“Life’s like that—just the way it is.”

Grandpa Li Gui’s mood was oddly buoyant. When he saw the ruined Plague of Curse, he didn’t even get angry. Instead, he wandered around the Village Entrance a few times, no longer sulking by the door like usual, puffing on his pipe.

Li Yan naturally understood why.

The shrine’s damaged plaque had caused the Trinity Demon-Subduing Coin inside to fall loose, breaking the malevolent curse targeting their family. The three metaphorical blades hanging over their heads were gone—of course his heart felt light.

The change wasn’t obvious, but the old man had sensed it, in his own way.

Seemingly in high spirits, Li Gui smoked a few pipes after dinner, then bellowed an old Qin Opera tune he hadn’t sung in years:

*“Crowned with a golden hoop, clad in the Nine Palaces Robe,

Girded with immortal grass, my cloud-treading boots strike the road!

Mysterious! Marvelous! Through mountains and seas I roam—

Ask my name? Twist your neck and split your head like Shen Gongbao!”*

The Yellow River Array—a classic from the Fengshen Yanyi legend, beloved across Guanzhong.

Inside the house, Li Yan squatted on a stool, sharpening the Guan Mountain Blade against a whetstone as his grandfather’s rough vocals and the clang-clang of steel filled the room.

As the sun dipped, he lifted the blade for inspection.

The cold edge gleamed with deadly intent.

…

The Village Earth Shrine, also called the Fortune Temple, originated from ancient earth deity worship.

The Book of Rites records: “Beyond the Great Earth God, there are Soil Gods and Earth Gods—names for the five soils’ deities. The She (Earth) God is the ruler of the five soils.”

This belief had persisted through generations. Even the current dynasty mandated that every hundred households establish an altar to worship the Earth and Harvest Gods. Thus, Village Earth Shrines dotted the land, though their sizes and popularity varied.

The people of Guanzhong, scratching a living from the soil, feared neither hardship nor toil—but they dreaded the unpredictable heavens. Hence, Earth Shrines and Dragon King Temples thrived with incense.

Li Village’s shrine was no exception.

Though small, built of mud bricks and barely five paces wide, it stood roadside like a weathered niche. Inside, the Earth God and Goddess smiled benevolently, though their peeling paint made them eerie under moonlight.

Before the altar, mountains of ash and stubby candles surrounded red Sacred Red Cloth strips tied to nearby trees—a testament to its bustling worship.

Tonight, the moon hung like frost, mist curling through the dark. A lone lantern’s glow approached from the village.

Li Yan.

Clad in black homespun, legs wrapped, Guan Mountain Blade at his waist, he carried a basket in one hand and a lantern in the other. A rain-hat hid his face—solitary, mysterious.

At the shrine, he lifted his head, the lantern’s light glinting in his sharp eyes. The afternoon’s blade-sharpening had honed more than steel—it had whetted his killing intent.

Confirming no one watched, he set down the basket. From it, he arranged fruits, sweets, incense, and candles, even a roasted pork leg and a jar of wine.

Lighting the candles, he rubbed his face, then grinned. Uncorking the wine, he murmured, “Land Grandpa, I’ve come to visit.”

“You’ve watched me grow up—practically family. I admit I’ve been remiss in paying respects, but how could I let that evil thing run rampant?”

“Tonight, let’s team up to eliminate this evil. What do you say?”

Knowing this world’s complexities, Li Yan had switched tactics. Normally indifferent to incense, he now played the part—better safe than sorry.

The shrine was different.

Even before, the scent of incense had been strong a hundred meters away. Now, as he lit the offerings, a warm, familiar energy stirred—similar to the Hundred Battles Indomitable talisman, yet gentler.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Triad Demon-Repelling Tassel in his red cloth pouch grew colder.

Two opposing forces. Yet, as Wang Guaifu explained, the Trinity Demon-Subduing Coin—forged in the last dynasty during a Mount Tai incense rite—was a true artifact. Yin and Yang clashed, but also complemented.

Li Yan, a novice, didn’t grasp the theory. But he’d seen Wang Guaifu’s sincerity in hunting the Cold Altar Rampage Soldiers.

He chuckled, “Land Grandpa’s silence means consent!”

He lit three joss sticks, knelt, and kowtowed thrice, then followed Wang Guaifu’s instructions: unfastening the red pouch, he placed the Tassel before the shrine.

The change was immediate.

Though subtle, the shrine’s warm incense now cloaked the Tassel.

Li Yan, no cultivator, had struggled before—the blade’s coldness seeping into him within minutes. Now, the shrine’s blessing let him wield it longer.

Satisfied, he circled the shrine, memorizing the terrain. Night combat demanded familiarity.

The shrine faced a low hill, a hundred paces from the Imperial Road, flanked by a poplar grove. Flat, open ground—ideal for avoiding pitfalls.

Returning, he sat cross-legged, blade across his knees, and closed his eyes to wait.

Before the shrine, the Tassel glowed faintly.

Wang Guaifu’s warning echoed: Use it only when the evil spirit strikes—lest you scare it off.

Incense curled. The Earth God’s smile remained serene…

…

The hour of Zi arrived—a pivotal moment.

Within the shrine’s incense aura, Li Yan felt it keenly.

At Zi, Yin reached its peak. Even the shrine’s warmth seemed suppressed, coldness rising from the earth. Yet, a single spark of Yang stirred—a fragile dawn.

This was the hour rats emerged, hence its association. Folklore claimed these tiny creatures gnawed through chaos, letting Yang rise. Thus, the Rat led the zodiac—“The Rat Bites the Sky Open.”

But it was also when ghosts thrived.

Human Yang waned, making one vulnerable.

Suddenly, Li Yan’s eyes snapped open—cold fire in their depths.

Whoosh—

A gust swept the Imperial Road, swirling dust under the moon.

Simultaneously, he caught the stench: icy, rancid.

The chill on his back intensified.

This was the curse—a mark that would hunt him to the world’s edge.

The vortex surged toward the shrine, but recoiled at the incense boundary, thrashing wildly.

Whoosh—

The wind howled, the stench thickening.

Then, a voice:

“Yan’er… where are you?”

“Come home, child…”

Grandpa’s voice—cracked, mournful.

Li Yan smirked, unmoved.

He’d deduced two things:

First, the Cold Altar Rampage Soldiers were cunning, beast-like, bound by primal rules—not human logic. Hence, their earlier blunders.

Second, they preyed on fears through curses. That night, Grandpa—unmarked—heard nothing.

This illusion exploited weaknesses.

Li Yan’s heart ached for his grandfather.

The curse’s whisper faded as the shrine’s incense thickened, warmth flooding his chest.

Land Grandpa delivers!

Li Yan silently cheered.

Whoosh—

The wind retreated.

No good!

Li Yan tensed.

He couldn’t afford delay—the shrine’s curse barrier was broken. If this dragged, Grandpa would be in danger.

He darted to the incense boundary, taunting:

“Don’t go yet! Let’s play more!”

“Look—I’m out!”

“Oops, I’m back in!”

“Catch me if you can!”

Provoked, the wind raged—

Whoosh!

Li Yan retreated as the stench vanished.

Gone?

As he cursed inwardly, a chill prickled his neck.

Flap-flap-flap—

Birds erupted from the poplar grove.

Through the mist, a red-eyed beast crept forward.

Then, one by one, a dozen Alpha Wolves emerged, encircling the shrine…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end