Chapter 63: Nine Songs

With slender fingers, she half-rolled up the beaded curtain and stepped out leisurely. Her graceful figure leaned and sat upon the high seat, and as she raised her eyes, her gaze swept coldly across the ink-blue figure down below.

The Goddess parted her red lips slightly and said in a gentle voice, "You have returned."

"Reporting to the Goddess, Ah Lan has successfully fulfilled her mission without disgrace." The blue-robed woman below lowered her head and replied respectfully.

"Rise and speak."

The Goddess waved a hand toward her, and the blue-robed woman rose to her feet at the command. Her high-slung ponytail cascaded down the back of her neck as she lifted her head slightly, revealing a delicate and pleasing face, yet her eyes were abnormally indifferent and cold.

Her entire being resembled a pretty puppet devoid of a soul, a beauty carved from ice and snow. It seemed as though merely stepping close to her would allow one to feel waves of profound loneliness and chill.

"Reporting to the Goddess, the matter of Ginkgo Village has been handled properly by Ah Lan in strict accordance with the divine oracle, and the letter will soon be delivered into the hands of the Prefect of Qizhou."

The woman who called herself Ah Lan possessed not a shred of brilliance in her eyes, narrating mechanically and numbly.

The Goddess nodded quite satisfactorily and continued, "Very good, very good... Ah Lan, you have greatly pleased this seat."

At this point, the Goddess closed her eyes slightly once more, a smile of ambiguous meaning gracing the corners of her lips. Her voice was mild and soft, bearing no resemblance to the malicious and harsh tone she had used toward Cheng Ruyi just moments before. Narrowing her eyes and turning her head to the side, she said, "Your toil will also bring reward to yourself... Ah Lan, this seat believes that very soon, you will be able to avenge your husband with your own hands."

The instant those words entered her ears, pupils that had previously been utterly devoid of life suddenly flashed with light!

As if her primordial spirit had returned to its vessel, emotions instantly arose within those eyes. She seemed overwhelmed with excitement, while turbulent waves of killing intent and sorrow surged back and forth like the vast sea.

"Ah Lan... kowtows in gratitude for the immense grace of the Goddess!"

With a muffled thud, Ah Lan dropped to both knees and kowtowed heavily, like a puppet whose strings had snapped, or an ice sculpture shattering into pieces.

...

Drip, drop.

The moment Cheng Ruyi was tossed into the dark tunnel, a chill and dampness that felt as though they had been compressed and accumulated for a thousand years suddenly rushed toward him like a tide... wrapping around him tightly like a silkworm cocoon, causing Cheng Ruyi, who was already clad in thin garments, to sneeze involuntarily.

He lay prone on the ground for a moment to recover, the clear sound of dripping water echoing in his ears. This was hardly surprising; with the place being so damp, it would be stranger if water were not dripping.

The rock walls on both sides of the dark tunnel featured sparse illumination, as faint as moonlight on a rainy night. This was provided only because the maidservant who had thrown Cheng Ruyi in had "kindly" lit them for him, claiming it was at the Goddess's behest, and had considerately capped them with glass lamp shades so the candlelight would not be extinguished by the dripping moisture and damp air from the rock walls.

Cheng Ruyi leaned against the rock wall and pulled himself up. The injuries on his back and lower waist were still throbbing with pain, yet the environment for recovering from injuries here was probably ten times worse than an imperial prison.

Cheng Ruyi took a deep breath, and the damp chill instantly invaded his lungs, liver, and intestines. He thought to himself that if he stayed in this ghost place for long, even if he weren't already wounded, he would surely fall ill.

Just as he intended to scout around the area, a sudden fit of coughing erupted from the dark depths ahead!

Though it was merely two or three coughs that instantly dissipated in the dark tunnel, seeming like an illusion, it was nonetheless intensely real.

Could there actually be other people in this ghost place?

With friend and foe alike uncertain and his vision somewhat obscured, Cheng Ruyi prepared to reach for the glass lamp on the wall. From within that dark, empty void, the voice sounded once more—

"Brandishing the Wu halberd... arrayed in rhinoceros-hide armor; chariot hubs locked... hand-to-hand combat ensues..."

A burst of song drifted from afar, echoing leisurely through the rocky corridor and harmonizing with the dripping water. The raspy voice sounded like a damp, cracked bamboo flute—unpleasant to the ear yet carrying a desolate sorrow that shook one's soul.

...

Cheng Ruyi stood frozen in place, holding the lamp and daring not to advance rashly. Straining his ears to identify the tune, he realized the person was singing *The Offering to the Dead* from the *Nine Songs* of the pre-Qin period.

Those youths who died before reaching adulthood were referred to as *shang*, and the wandering, unorphaned ghosts who never received proper burial rites were likewise called *shang*. Since antiquity, those defeated on the battlefield, no matter how heroic and righteous, ultimately met no better fate than leaving their corpses exposed in the wild without rest, sharing the classification of *shang*.

Such was the intended meaning behind the composition of *Nine Songs: The Offering to the Dead*, meant to pacify souls and serve as a ritual sacrifice to comfort the fallen spirits of defeated soldiers.

Yet what kind of person would be here, in this sunless place, mourning the departed souls of defeated soldiers?

"Trampling our ranks... marching over our lines; the left outer horses killed... the right blades wounded..."

The singing did not cease, only growing increasingly mournful in tone. The singer's voice trembled more and more with the meaning of the lyrics, and the rise and fall of the melody were filled with melancholy sighs.

"Heaven is enraged... divine might is wrathful... the cruel slaughter is complete... abandoned across the wilderness!"

"Going forth never to return... setting out without coming back; the vast plains stretch away... the road is endlessly distant..."

As the song reached the point where the soldiers had fallen in battle and their lonely souls had nowhere to rest, drifting aimlessly between heaven and earth, the singing abruptly stopped.

Dead silence returned to the tunnel, with only the sound of dripping water attesting to the passage of time. Summoning his courage, Cheng Ruyi held the lamp and advanced in the direction of the sound, slowing his steps to tread as softly as possible.

"A new guest has arrived..."

Hearing those words, Cheng Ruyi halted his footsteps, and the person spoke again: "Have no fear, I cannot move and pose no threat to Your Excellency."

The person's voice was feeble, raspy, and weak, yet the words sounded somewhat like protesting too much. Naturally, Cheng Ruyi dared not act recklessly, but then he heard the person timely speak once more: "Cough... If Your Excellency does not believe me, take the lamp and advance three steps further, and you will know that what I say is no falsehood."

Being seen through from a distance was not a pleasant sensation. Cheng Ruyi felt a chill run down his spine, yet compelled by some inexplicable impulse, he took two steps forward with the lamp, reached out his arm, and extended the lamp forward by yet another step.

The single glance illuminated by that candlelight was enough to make Cheng Ruyi's life unforgettable.

The person at the end of the dark tunnel had indeed not deceived him.

"Your Excellency has only taken two steps, truly... cautious indeed."

The man spoke in a teasing tone, yet Cheng Ruyi's hand was trembling. He carried the lamp another two steps forward, finally taking in the person before him fully and completely.

The man's eyes were covered with a strip of white cloth, but the eye sockets beneath were stained a bloody crimson. From his voice and physique, he could be vaguely identified as a man, his four limbs securely bound by iron chains to a cruciform wooden rack. He was clad in rags, emaciated as a withered branch, and the exposed parts of his limbs were bruised and blackened. Countless wounds were still festering and suppurating, a sight terrifying enough to make one's heart race at a single glance.

"The candlelight is unsteady; I suppose my miserable appearance has frightened Your Excellency. My apologies."

The man squeezed out the words with difficulty, his lips trembling slightly in the wind like the cicada wings at the end of autumn.

Cheng Ruyi steadied himself, raised the lamp, and cupped his fist in salute: "The lighting here is dim, yet sir was able to see through it step by step. I am deeply impressed."

The man on the rack, however, smiled and said: "Your Excellency need not test me. I am truly blind. If you do not believe it, you are welcome to remove that blindfold and see for yourself, only... pray do not frighten yourself further..."

Given such circumstances and such horrifying injuries, Cheng Ruyi naturally knew this person could not be a minion of Penglai New Village, and thus could not help but feel curious about his identity. Hearing this, he quickly explained: "Sir misunderstands. There are blind people in this world, yet they are far outnumbered by those whose hearts are blind. Though sir is blind in sight, your heart is not blind."

Hearing this, the man chuckled, the loose strands of hair on his forehead sliding down toward his ears with the movement, and his chained limbs shuddering accordingly. Raising his head with great effort, he said to Cheng Ruyi, "Your Excellency puts it quite interestingly... Yet I wonder how I am supposed to be blind in sight but not in heart?"

The scene before his eyes was both bizarre and distressing. Unable to bear it, Cheng Ruyi turned his head slightly and said: "After sir finished singing the *Nine Songs*, I had only taken five steps when sir already knew the newcomer was a guest rather than a member of New Village. I assume your hearing is exceptionally keen, allowing you to discern that the person was male and not female, whereas this Penglai New Village should only have one male."

"Hua Changsheng's footsteps, I am far too familiar with..." the man said softly. "He is quite noisy and lacks Your Excellency's quiet demeanor."

...

Cheng Ruyi continued: "Sir was able to master every inch of this place with such precision, even detecting the slightest movement of the candlelight, which shows that you use your heart as your eyes, making it all the clearer."

"Your Excellency is the one with clear eyes and a clear mind. I am merely trapped here for three long years day after day, to the point where even a single drop of water has long since become utterly familiar to me..."

With that, the man lifted his head slightly, a gentle smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he asked, "My humble self is Shangguan Jiu. May I ask how Your Excellency is addressed?"

Cheng Ruyi pondered for a moment, then cupped his fists and replied, "Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard... Yan Kuang."

...

Inside the Shen Residence, the apothecary.

The green-robed physician felt a tightness in her throat and suddenly coughed up a large mouthful of blood! Her body trembled slightly along with the spasm.

At the sight, the secretary and Shen Nian nearby turned pale with shock! Yet Wen Xueying, the very person who had coughed up blood, remained entirely composed. Retrieving a silver needle from the tray beside her, she forcefully steadied her wrist and swiftly drove the needle into several vital acupuncture points on her own body.

The moment the needles landed, Wen Xueying's pale complexion instantly eased, and her body gradually steadied.

Shen Nian said anxiously, "Physician Wen, you truly did not need to test the medicine upon yourself...! This is far too dangerous!"

Wen Xueying wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and said, "There are numerous villagers. Even if we capture them presently, keeping them locked in prison for too long might damage My Lord's official reputation... We must develop the antidote sooner..."

The secretary sighed, while Shen Nian grew even more frantic upon hearing this: "No! Your life matters too much as well! Physician Wen, you cannot gamble with your own life! This official does not allow it!"

After deciding to make the arrests, Yan Kuang and the others had split into two groups. Shen Nian had issued the official warrant, while Yan Kuang and Liang Zhangying led the bailiffs to arrest the residents of Ginkgo Village, leaving Shen Nian to bring the secretary and Wen Xueying back to the prefectural office to arrange and oversee the follow-up matters.

Eager for quick results, Wen Xueying had not hesitated to test the medicine on herself. Shen Nian was now far more anxious than she: "Physician Wen, you mustn't—"

"My Lord! This is bad!"

"Master! There is a letter for you!"

A bailiff and a household servant rushed in shouting together, giving Shen Nian such a start that he irritably waved a hand and snapped, "What are you shouting and making a fuss about? Speak one by one! You speak first, how has this official gone wrong?"

The bailiff said in a panic, "It's bad, My Lord! The villagers of Ginkgo Village have all gone mad! Magistrate Yan and Lady Cuiyu can only temporarily trap them in Ginkgo Village; they cannot bring them back at all!"

Shen Nian was stunned upon hearing this, and Wen Xueying and the secretary exchanged a look of disbelief.

At the same time, the household servant handed over a gold-sealed letter, trembling as he said, "Master, this letter dropped from the sky just now. There was a woman whose voice we heard but whose person we could not see. She said this letter could only be opened by the Master himself. We searched everywhere following the sound, but could find no trace of her, only hearing her say—"

Shen Nian looked at the glittering gold-sealed letter, furrowed his brow, and said in a deep voice, "What did she say?"

The servant paused, looking troubled as he lowered his voice: "She... she said that if the Master does not read this letter, by the hour of the rat tomorrow night, you will suffer divine retribution..."

"And certain death..."