Lanke Chess Edge

Chapter 367: Only One Left

This Ghost City also had a name: it was called Laoyang Ghost City.1 Naturally, it was not as lively as Laoyang Prefecture’s capital, and it was much quieter than the Endless Ghost City that Ji Yuan had visited before.Lan Ningke wandered through the streets and alleys of the Ghost Town, finding it difficult to even ask someone for directions, as he encountered far too few ghosts.

After wandering around the south of the city for a long time, guided by instinct, he finally couldn’t resist trying to find a ghost in one of their homes to ask.

However, the houses in the city were also strange. Some houses were empty, and in some places the ground was even bare. After searching several places, he finally heard some laughter and chatter in an alley.

Lan Ningke quickly stepped forward and knocked on the door to the courtyard.

“ Is anyone home? Uh, is anyone home?”

A short while later, the door creaked open, and Lan Ningke was slightly taken aback. What he saw was a paper figure with a strange expression.

To be honest, even though Lan Ningke was a ghost, he was still slightly frightened.

After the paper figure opened the door, it neither spoke nor changed its expression, maintaining a mocking smile. The expression had been painted on, with exaggerated blush and eerie eyes.

Only then did Lan Ningke take stock of the courtyard. Eight people were sitting together playing cards, four men and four women, each older than the last.

‘Are they all elderly people?’

Lan Ningke was stunned again, and then realized where he was. This was the Ghost City of Laoyang Prefecture, where most people died of old age. Of course, it was full of elderly.

“Oh, you still look like a young man. You died quite young.”

“Oh, what a pity, passing away so young!”

“Indeed!”

Several elderly people commented on Lan Ningke’s appearance, and Lan Ningke tried his best to be polite, bowing and asking his question.

“Gentlemen, Ladies, do you know the location of the Dong family’s ancestral tomb in Laoyang?”

The Dong family was a prominent family in Laoyang Prefecture, and most locals should have heard of them.

“The Dong family? The Dong family that practices martial arts?”

One of the old men asked.

“Yes, yes, it’s that Dong family!”

“If you’re asking about the Dong family’s old ancestral tomb, it has been abandoned. However, I heard a few years ago that the young master of the Dong family died young. It’s such a pity for young folk like you to die. It seems that the young master of the Dong family should not have died so early, so his yin lifespan in the underworld is particularly long. He should be deep in Yin Wood Alley, in a place surrounded by a forest.”

Lan Ningke understood immediately. No wonder he had circled around several times without finding him; he was in the Yin Wood Forest.

After thanking him, Lan Ningke hurriedly left.

Half an hour later, he finally arrived at the edge of the Yin Wood Forest. These trees somewhat resembled locust trees, but their wood was jet black and their leaves were dark. It seemed that they could only be found in the underworld, or places with heavy yin energy.

Normal cities shouldn’t have had such a large woodland, but it was not unusual in this seemingly empty ghost city. After all, most people’s lifespan in the underworld was much shorter than their lifespan in the living world, so ghost cities were always sparsely populated.

After walking about a hundred paces through the forest, Lan Ningke could already see a more luxurious house in the distance. He could even make out some paper figures holding brooms and sweeping the already tidy entrance to the mansion.

At this moment, Lan Ningke’s emotions were somewhat complicated. He felt jealousy or even resentment towards the other members of the Nine Warriors, but he didn’t feel that way about Dong Bicheng, as Dong Bicheng had died many years earlier than him, making him the unluckiest among the nine.

Before he even approached, Lan Ningke announced himself loudly.

“Brother Dong, Lan Ningke has come to visit. Are you home?”

Just as Lan Ningke reached the front of the mansion, a man in brocade robes, who looked to be around thirty years old, hurried out. It was Dong Bicheng.

When Dong Bicheng saw Lan Ningke, his expression was initially slightly surprised, then slightly excited. He looked closely and confirmed that really was Lan Ningke. Although there were some differences between him and the man in his memory, this was normal.

“Brother Lan, how could you also die young? And in Laoyang Ghost City, too! Did you die in Laoyang Prefecture? Was it from illness, an accident, or something in the martial world? Come, come, come in and have some tea!”

Few people visited the Ghost City, and even fewer were friends. Dong Bicheng was obviously very happy to see Lan Ningke, but he was also worried, thinking that the other party might just have died, so he did not dare to show his happiness on his face. He simply invited him in with a slightly excited expression.

“Alright, alright, please excuse me!”

“Oh, Brother Lan, you still remember me. I am already very grateful that you came to visit. No need to be so polite. My parents send me fine tea every year. Come and try our pre-rain tea from Laoyang Prefecture this past spring.”

Looking at Dong Bicheng’s caring and enthusiastic expression, Lan Ningke felt a little ashamed for some reason, but still did not forget Lu Shan Jun’s request.

The two ghosts sat down in the house, and paper maids went to prepare tea and other items, while Lan Ningke asked a question.

“Brother Dong, what hardships did you endure before entering the Ghost City, and how long is your lifespan in the underworld?”

This is actually a very insightful question. Knowing these two aspects about a ghost who had entered the underworld could essentially reveal what kind of person they were in life.

“Perhaps it’s because of the good deeds of my Dong family ancestors, but I didn’t suffer much in the underworld. I was just scolded a few times by the judge for my frivolous behavior. Alas, it might be because I died young. My lifespan in the underworld is over sixty years. I used to think it was a good thing, but now, it’s so boring in the underworld.”

“It’s better to live a miserable life than to die a good death.”

Lan Ningke could only offer this consolation: after hearing Dong Bicheng’s words, he basically understood that Dong Bicheng and he had not been on the same path during their lifetime.

“By the way, Brother Lan, you still haven’t told me how you died yet?”

Just as Lan Ningke was about to speak awkwardly, a voice rang out first.

“Him? Naturally, he committed many evil deeds and suffered retribution. I devoured him whole!”

As the voice fell, a wisp of mist detached from Lan Ningke’s ghostly body and transformed into the appearance of Lu Shan Jun, standing beside him.

“Who are you?”

Dong Bicheng wasn’t too surprised. He had seen some old ghosts with many amazing ghostly techniques, and he himself knew some of them, so he assumed that Lu Shan Jun was also a powerful ghost.

Lu Shanjun cupped his hands in greeting.

“My name is Lu Shan Jun. Years ago, in front of the Mountain God Temple on Niu Kui Mountain, I made a covenant with you nine warriors. Now I have come to fulfill that pact. However, you are unlucky; you’re already dead.”

Dong Bicheng was slightly taken aback. He remembered what had happened back then. However, compared to the others, he was the most composed. He had been dead for almost ten years, so what was there to be upset about? He simply stood up and returned the greeting.

“So it is Lord Lu who has arrived. However, I have been dead for a long time and have been unable to fulfill my promise to you. I can only apologize.”

After speaking, he turned to the paper maid who had already brought up the tea.

“Please serve tea to Lord Lu as well. Don’t fill the cups completely; pour them precisely so as not to spill.”

The paper figure nodded mechanically, walked slowly, placed teacups in front of each of the three, and poured out tea that was completely cold.

“This paper figure is a bit clumsy; everything needs to be explained in great detail…”

Dong Bicheng sighed and looked at Lu Shan Jun again.

“Now that Lord Lu has come, what do you intend to do? Can monsters even enter the Ghost City?”

Lu Shanjun picked up the light teacup and sipped the so-called tea. It was icy cold and full of yin energy, but the taste was alright.

“You haven’t done anything evil, so I won’t do anything to you. I’ve come to see you because of the agreement we made back then. By the way, how did you die?”

Dong Bicheng calmly took a sip of tea and recalled the events for a moment before speaking.

“It was related to a chivalrous act. Haha, everyone in the martial arts world admires the famous heroes, and their chivalrous deeds are widely-known. But who knows how many people have died in performing them? I overestimated my abilities and chased after the bandit Cao Shangfei. As a result, I was outmatched and was killed.”

“Indeed. Chivalrous deeds also depend on strength and luck. However, dying like this is admirable. You can say you have a clear conscience.”

Upon hearing Lu Shan Jun’s words, Dong Bicheng gave a bitter smile.

“Can I really say I have a clear conscience? No! Acting blindly without recognizing my own abilities not only harmed myself, but also caused grief to my family. After the news of my death was confirmed, my usually extremely stern father’s hair turned white overnight, and my mother cried every day. Who can understand the pain of a parent outliving their child? How can I say I have a clear conscience?”2

Although Dong Bicheng spoke calmly, a sense of sorrow and guilt remained in his voice.

Lu Shan Jun didn’t speak, pondering for a moment. Dong Bicheng sighed.

“Let’s not talk about this anymore. I’m very happy that you two could come today. Tell me about things in the mortal world. Let’s not mention Brother Lan’s circumstances. How are Yan Fei and the others doing now?”

Dong Bicheng didn’t inquire about Lan Ningke again, but instead changed the subject to the others. Lu Shan Jun’s words had already given him some clues, so he chose to leave Lan Ningke some dignity.

Lu Shan Jun was willing to talk to Dong Bicheng a bit more, and briefly recounted what had happened to the others. He didn’t mention Lan Ningke’s matters at all, which made the latter somewhat grateful.

It wasn’t until half a day later that Lan Ningke and Lu Shan Jun took their leave, with the former inquiring in detail about the ghostly “paper flight” technique.3

Dong Bicheng leaned against the courtyard gate, watching the visitors depart. He had a feeling that the two of them probably wouldn’t come back. He could also guess that they hadn’t come to the Ghost City by legitimate means, but he didn’t intend to report to the underworld officials. He just felt a pang of regret; sorrow for himself, and for his former friends.

Just as he was about to turn back, he suddenly noticed another visit at the edge of the woods.

Ji Yuan, dressed in white, with one hand at his side and the other behind his back, appeared before Dong Bicheng’s ghost house in just a few steps, as if shrinking the distance between them.

“Who are you?”

Dong Bicheng felt a strong sense of familiarity. Having just met Lu Shan Jun, he immediately recognized him and changed his address to a more respectful one.

“You are Mr. Ji!”

Ji Yuan bowed respectfully.

“I never imagined that I would meet you again in this way, Warrior Dong! The events of your previous life are long past, and your road in the underworld is still long. If Warrior Dong is bored in this city, you can go to the people of the underworld to seek employment. Just say that Ji Yuan recommended you. Hmm… Here, take this. Although it is just a small trinket, it is still quite a rare item.”

When Ji Yuan finished speaking, he stretched out his right hand from behind his back, revealing a stack of copper coins. The gilded coins were very eye-catching, and there looked to be about twenty or thirty of them.

“What… what is this?”

“Sacrificial paper coins. Haven’t you seen this before, Master Dong?”

“Paper coins?” Dong Bicheng was stunned. He took out a small stack of thin paper money with a slight brassy tint from his pocket and compared it to the coins in front of him.

“Haha, take it. My paper money is indeed somewhat different from others. It can be crucial in critical moments. Please use it with caution!”

Ji Yuan smiled and placed the sacrificial money in Dong Bicheng’s hand. The latter subconsciously reached out to take it, only to find it heavy and imbued with rich spiritual energy.

Dong Bi played with the object for a while, and was about to thank him and invite Mr. Ji inside, when he looked up and found that the man had disappeared.

Outside the dark woods, Ji Yuan looked back, and then turned forward. Only Yan Fei remained, now.

“I wonder what it will be like when that brute bull and Lu Shan Jun met!”

Ji Yuan smiled and murmured to himself, eagerly anticipating the scene.

T/n: I think Dong Bicheng’s story is my favorite out of all of them. His story is just as important as the other nine, if not more so, because it’s a story of reality, consequences, and regret. It’s so real, and yet it’s not glossed over, nor it is excessively emphasized. It’s just a quiet moment of being grounded in the reality of this world that I really appreciate.

So that’s eight of the nine warriors so far! It really runs the gamut of life experiences, which I think was the point: everyone has their own path in life, and even if we’re all together now, that doesn’t mean that we will tread the same path, but neither does it mean that we will not reunite, perhaps sometime in the future. We might raise a family, fight for justice, fight for heroics, take a drastic turn, change our beliefs, settle in life where we are, or even become a villain. All of these are possible, it just depends on the individual and how they face their circumstances.

T/n: shocking. The Prefecture’s Ghost City is named after the Prefecture T/n: Dang, this story actually takes a closer look at the impact and reality of common main characters’ actions. You rarely ever see everyone who overestimated themselves trying to do good, or acknowledge the people they left behind with bitterness and regret even if they did do the “heroic thing.” 草 (cǎo): grass/straw/manuscript, 上 (shàng): up/above/to go up, 飞 (fēi): to fly. If anyone has a better translation please let me know