Chapter 27: Chapter 27: "The Celestial Mandate is with me.
His name was Zhou Mo.
The station chief of the Hill and Valley Royal Family’s Station 18.
He had been drawn to martial arts since he was a child, with a particular love for wielding his Big Saber.
From a young age, he dreamed of growing up to be a hero.
But he never got the chance, nor did he have the talent. He fought desperately just to become a Level 2 Cultivator, and after that, his progress stalled completely. He spent a few years working listlessly as a station chief for the Wang Family, assuming he’d drift through the rest of his life that way. That all changed when the rainy season arrived and he started following Chen Fan. He had watched Xiaoyu risk everything to leave the city and then sacrifice their life to protect it.
That part of his heart that had always yearned to be a hero couldn’t help but stir to life once more.
The rain was ice-cold.
But his blood had never burned this hot.
’If Xiaoyu could do it, why couldn’t he, Zhou Mo?’
’This life... it’s been worth it.’
He, Zhou Mo, would no longer be unknown. He believed the few people on the City Wall would remember his name.
However...
"Hmm..."
Zhou Mo, who had been standing in the rain with his arms spread wide and his head held high, felt the freezing downpour SPLASHING against his face. He couldn’t help but scrunch up his nose. They say your life flashes before your eyes before you die, that time slows down.
But he never expected it to be *this* slow.
He hadn’t died after all this time.
He was starting to feel a little regret. He shouldn’t have given his saber to Xiaoyu. If he still had it, he could at least give himself a quick end. Getting hit by a self-destructing Meat Worm Ghost and corroded by its acid was probably going to hurt. A lot.
’No matter how much it hurts when I die, I can’t scream,’ he thought. ’That would be unbecoming.’
He silently steeled his resolve.
After a long moment, he wondered, ’Still not dead?’
Zhou Mo opened his eyes in confusion. ’Isn’t this "life flashing before my eyes" thing lasting a bit too long?’ When he looked around, he discovered that all the Meat Worm Ghosts had vanished at some point.
It was as if everything he had just experienced had been a hallucination.
Not a single Meat Worm Ghost could be seen, neither in the camp nor in the gray mist.
Only the viscous fluid at his feet reminded him that it was all real.
He stood blankly in a pool of thick green liquid, looking up at the people on the wall, completely clueless as to what had happened.
"Come on up."
Chen Fan, who had been standing on the City Wall holding back his laughter, finally let it out. "Stop striking a pose. Your arms must be sore after holding them up for so long."
...
"Celestial Mandate is on my side."
Chen Fan sighed wistfully as he stood on the City Wall, his hands resting on the crenels as he gazed into the distance. The gray mist surrounding the camp was now completely clean, not a single Ghost Object in sight.
The swarm of Meat Worm Ghosts had retreated.
Or rather... they were forced to retreat.
The Meat Worm Ghosts have no limbs. Their bodies are just balls of flesh, and they can’t even wriggle. Their only way to travel is "by wind." Wherever the wind blows, the Meat Worm Ghosts go.
This was also why the Meat Worm Ghosts looked so pained when they got near the Ghost Fire, but so joyful after they left the camp.
It was because the Meat Worm Ghosts had no control over their own path.
They could only rely on the direction of the wind.
Like dandelion seeds, where they landed was entirely up to fate.
At the very moment Zhou Mo threw the Ghost Stones into the city and spread his arms to await death, the wind changed. A fierce gale began to blow to the West. They were already on the edge of the Ghost Tide, so when the wind shifted, the massive swarm of Meat Worm Ghosts vanished in an instant, swept away by the gale into the endless night.
That was why he said it was the work of Celestial Mandate.
If the wind had blown east, then forget one bag of Ghost Stones; even if Zhou Mo had thrown in ten bags, the camp would have been doomed.
Actually...
If the gale at nightfall hadn’t been blowing south in the first place, he would never have even encountered this swarm of Meat Worm Ghosts. Of course, that was not something he could control.
At that moment, he also finally understood why the female Ghost Object had retreated so quickly. A Ghost Tide of this magnitude was enough to destroy an entire city. Even a High-Level Ghost Object would have to give it a wide berth.
To stand in its way was to die.
The Meat Worm Ghosts knew no fear and had no concept of retreat. After all, they couldn’t control their own movements. Even if they wanted to retreat, they couldn’t.
Based on his judgment, the Meat Worm Ghosts were a type of Ghost Object that became active during the rainy season. When the rains came, they would drift around with the gales... roaming far and wide, forming a Ghost Tide.
It seemed they had no particular goal.
They just wreaked havoc for the sake of it.
Whatever they ran into, they destroyed.
"Zhou Mo."
Chen Fan took the Big Saber from Xiaoyu’s hands and passed it to Zhou Mo, who was now back on the City Wall. With a serious expression, he said, "A Level 2 Cultivator might not be that useful, but a Level 3, Level 4, or Level 5... as your Level increases, you will always be useful."
"As long as you stay in the camp, I will provide you with Ghost Stones to raise your Cultivation in the future."
"You’ll be in charge of the camp’s security."
"Your Cultivation, I’ll guarantee it."
"The camp’s safety, you’ll guarantee it."
"Yes, Chief!"
Zhou Mo took the Big Saber from Chen Fan, somewhat embarrassed. He averted his gaze and said in a low voice, "Don’t worry, Chief. As long as I’m here, nothing will happen to the camp."
"Is your hand okay?"
Chen Fan looked at Zhou Mo’s hand, which had been corroded until it was pale and peeling.
"I’m fine."
Zhou Mo quickly waved his hand. "Luckily, the downpour diluted the liquid the Meat Worm Ghosts left behind after they died, so it didn’t corrode too much. Just a layer of skin came off. It hurts a bit, but there are no other problems. It’ll heal in a while."
"That was pretty cool just now."
Wang Kui came over, slung an arm around his shoulder, and winked. "Not a bad pose."
"Get lost!"
Zhou Mo was already embarrassed, and Wang Kui’s teasing made him flush with anger. He threw off Wang Kui’s arm and cursed, "Say one more word and I’ll beat you up! I’m a Level 2 Cultivator; taking you down is no problem!"
"You’re a real man."
Lame Monkey gave his own assessment with an admiring look. "Stronger than me."
"It was nothing..."
Zhou Mo mumbled, looking away sheepishly, unable to meet everyone’s eyes. ’If I had died back there, it definitely would have been cool. But since I didn’t, all that’s left is embarrassment.’ He couldn’t quite handle it...
After all, he wasn’t a young man anymore...
"..."
Chen Fan stood on the City Wall, smiling without a word, letting the others joke around behind him. The tense atmosphere dissipated quite a bit. A little horseplay and relaxation now would be good for their mental and physical health. Being constantly on edge could easily lead to problems.
He believed that...
...after tonight, the entire camp would be stronger.
Not just in terms of strength.
But more importantly, in spirit and unity.
A camp couldn’t be built by a lone wolf Architect. He needed to have his own core team. Right now, this team was looking pretty good. In that respect, he was quite lucky.
And...
Crisis and opportunity often went hand in hand.
Once the crisis was over, what remained was opportunity.
The ground outside the City Wall, littered with Ghost Stones, was his greatest reward. A few Exotic Treasures among them, glowing with a white light, seemed to be reminding him that it was time to reap his harvest.
"Lame Monkey."
Chen Fan looked at Lame Monkey and gave an order. "The female Ghost Object was only avoiding the Meat Worm Ghosts. With her vengeful nature, she’ll definitely be back. Take those two brothers and gather all the Ghost Stones below. Use cloth from inside to wrap your hands so you don’t get hurt."
"Yes, sir!"
Lame Monkey responded with a serious expression, then hastily limped out of the city with the subordinates of Zhou Mo and Qi Chong to collect the Ghost Stones and Exotic Treasures.
In a group...
...you had to take care of everyone’s feelings. Tonight, both Xiaoyu and Zhou Mo had distinguished themselves. Lame Monkey, because of his leg, hadn’t had a chance to shine. If he wasn’t given something to do, he would start to feel down.
And the other two men as well.
The same logic applied.
They also needed to be given a job.
This way, when everyone was talking, they could all join in and no one would feel marginalized.
