Chapter 86: Saint Born Under the Ominous Star

Pei Ming and Company had entered the yard of a residence, probably in search of a well.

Xie Lian followed after them and commented offhandedly, "The houses on this street are all so big and impressive."

"Mount Tonglu is situated in the imperial capital, at the heart of the Kingdom of Wuyong," Hua Cheng replied. "This place is close to the mountain—or rather, close to what used to be the imperial capital two thousand years ago—so it was once a wealthy area. Since mostly prominent figures and government officials lived here, the homes are naturally impressive."

There was, in fact, a well there, but the sight near that well was horrifying. There were seven or eight people sprawled over the edge, as if they had been dying of thirst but perished after struggling to make it there.

Upon closer inspection, Xie Lian blinked.

"This… I wouldn't call them people—they're more like stone statues?"

They weren't live humans, of course, but they weren't corpses either, and they definitely weren't skeletons. They were coarsely made, ash-white stone statues. Xie Lian was about to reach out and touch when Hua Cheng gave him a look. He immediately remembered that they had just promised each other that they wouldn't touch anything strange or dangerous, so he forced down the impulse.

Thinking about it, who in the world would sculpt so many terrifying statues? They had to be people, but they had been transformed into this state for reasons unknown.

The front doors of the residence were wide open. Xie Lian looked inside the house and saw that there were two more people lying on the ground, their forms twisted into a tight embrace. While their faces were blurred and their expressions were unclear, judging by the pose, one could sense that terror had filled their hearts. There was a bundle between them that they were hugging tightly; on closer inspection, Xie Lian realized that it must've been a baby.

What had happened was more than clear.

"The ones outside were the household's servants, and the ones inside were most likely the master's family of three," Xie Lian said.

"Mmm," Hua Cheng said. "After the volcano erupted, the Wuyong River ran with lava. The citizens who lived on high ground weren't burned to death by the lava or blazing fires, but they couldn't escape the blanket of volcanic ash and died of suffocation."

The volcanic ash had enveloped their entire bodies in an instant and formed a hard shell, preserving their last moments and transforming them into stone statues. At the very instant their lives ended, this husband and wife had fearfully embraced each other and their child, and had thus become one in death.

The old well had long since dried out, of course. Pei Ming wasn't interested in studying the faces of the dead, so carrying Pei Xiu with him, he left to continue the search for water.

Suddenly, Xie Lian noticed something strange. He leaped into the house and crouched next to the stone bodies of the family.

Hua Cheng entered as well. "What did you want to see?"

Xie Lian slightly furrowed his brows. "I just think their positions are a bit strange. The two adults are holding each other tightly with one arm, but the other arm…" Their other arms were tucked against their chests, like they were gripping firmly onto something.

"You want to see what's in their hands?" Hua Cheng asked.

Xie Lian had barely nodded when Hua Cheng tapped once on the joined stone statues.

"Wait, isn't this disrespectful to their remai—" Xie Lian exclaimed.

But Hua Cheng moved faster than he did, and the family of three broke into a pile of shattered ash-white shards.

"No need to be too concerned," Hua Cheng said evenly. "They're long dead. Their remains are already gone."

There was nothing left in the shattered shells. The "stone statues" were hollow on the inside.

Although the volcanic ash formed a solid protective cocoon, the corpses sealed inside still decayed and broke down. And after the rotting was done, only the ash husk remained.

All that once lived would eventually pass away, leaving behind only that which had never lived at all.

Amidst the shattered ashen pieces that had scattered across the ground, there were some pieces of cloth that had not yet fully rotted through. The jewelry and accessories had also remained intact—rings, earrings, necklaces, and so on. Xie Lian highly doubted that this couple was clutching jewelry in the face of death, and he was picking through the pieces when Hua Cheng plucked something from the pile and handed it to him.

"What's this?" Xie Lian asked.

"It's what they were clutching in their hands," Hua Cheng said.

It was a pendant—a shimmering golden plate and something that resembled bone were hanging off of the chain. Patterns were engraved on the golden plate, and Xie Lian lightly dusted off the ash on its surface to examine the details.

"The Ominous Star?"

A celestial drawing was etched on the golden plate—the gold represented the heavens, and inlaid agate represented the stars. The stars were laid out in a very particular pattern, depicting the sign of the Ominous Star, the celestial phase in which the Star of Glowing Befuddlement stays motionless in the Heart Constellation.

The Star of Glowing Befuddlement had historically been seen as the Star of War and Death. And when it rested within the Heart Constellation, it was an even more ominous sign, especially toward rulers and emperors and other such leaders. Why was a celestial drawing like that engraved on an accessory?

No, this couldn't have been an accessory… Xie Lian fumbled through the ash shards again and found two more identical pendants. There were three in total; even the baby in the couple's arms had one. Under what circumstances would the same accessory be purchased three times…?

"This isn't a protection charm, is it?" Xie Lian wondered.

Only a protection charm would be gripped tightly by those teetering on the brink of death, prayed over frantically in a last grasp at hope in the face of terror.

"It is," Hua Cheng said. "I've dug through parts of this city in the past, and I discovered this same protection charm on quite a number of statues."

Xie Lian hummed. "The people of Wuyong worshipped their crown prince, so this should be his protection charm. But why draw this particular celestial phase on it? Does the crown prince have any connection to the Ominous Star?"

"He was born under the celestial phase of the Ominous Star," Hua Cheng said. "The people of Wuyong used it to symbolize him."

"How did San Lang find this out?" Xie Lian asked.

Hua Cheng flipped the gold plate over. "It's written on this."

Sure enough, there was a line of engraved characters on the back, which Hua Cheng translated for him.

"These words mean 'Saint Born Under the Ominous Star.' In recent times, the Star of Glowing Befuddlement resting in the Heart Constellation is a grave omen, but things might have been different two thousand years ago."

Xie Lian mulled over those words, his heart slowly sinking—for he was also born under that very same celestial phase: the sign of the Ominous Star!

Wasn't this too much of a coincidence?

He rose to his feet. "Let's go to the holy temple."

The two walked down the long street side by side. Pei Ming and the others hadn't had any luck in their search of the area, so they followed along as well. The remnants of many carriages were strewn across the streets—some rested by the roadside, others were completely overturned.

There were also more stone people scattered on the ground in various poses.

Most citizens had run back to their residences to escape the disaster, so the ones on the street were likely homeless beggars or travelers who couldn't make it home in time—their cries and struggles in the moment before death were preserved. The group traversed this strange, grotesque display.

Hua Cheng pointed out to Xie Lian which homes were the residences of wealthy merchants and which ones belonged to the entertainment district.

Xie Lian couldn't help but ask after this knowledge of his.

"San Lang, the Kingdom of Wuyong fell over two thousand years ago; none of its descendants remain. How did you learn to read their script?"

He couldn't have just forced his way in from nothing; there must have been a door to his method.

"It wasn't too difficult," Hua Cheng said. "As gege can see, some Wuyong characters are very close to today's characters."

"That's true," Xie Lian said. "The two characters that make up the word 'Wuyong' are indeed very close to how one would write it today."

"Right. So those two characters were the first Wuyong script I learned," Hua Cheng explained. "There are a few more like this, and when they are mixed into a given phrase together, the other words can be determined from context. There are some that use a familiar character but give it a different meaning–that's not too common, though."

Xie Lian nodded, and Hua Cheng continued.

"And then there are words that show up more frequently. Like those two."

He pointed at two buildings on the street.

"It's obvious what those places are. The words on the signs have different beginning characters but the same ending characters. Therefore, one can easily deduce the meaning of the ending words: they're either taverns or restaurants. And there are many similar methods. If gege wants to know more, I'll tell you all about it when there's time."

So that was it. There were actually people in this world who could figure anything out through their own power, without any help—Xie Lian couldn't help but be awed.

The holy temple of Wuyong was still the grandest and most impressive building in the city. The party arrived at the temple, but before they entered, Pei Ming spoke up.

"What's that noise?"

Squeak, squeak, squeak. Squeak, squeak, squeak. The noise echoed from afar, then dispersed.

"Rats?" Xie Lian wondered.

"Not your typical rats. But if there are rats, that means there's water nearby," Hua Cheng said.

When they entered the temple, there was no burnt material on the walls this time. They could see the vibrant colors of the immense mural simply by raising their heads. However, there wasn't just one mural, but murals left, center, and right—a set of three! There was a mural on each of the walls!

The group stood before the first mural and looked up. The Crown Prince of Wuyong was sitting upon the clouds with golden light shining around him. However, his expression was severe. In his left hand there was a ball of light, and within its glow was a small mountain spewing flame.

The fingers of his right hand were pressed together, the palm facing outward, seemingly waving in dismissal.

A palace was depicted below, and over a dozen people stood within.

Their attire and accessories were incomparably lavish, and each was making unique gestures. Some had their arms wide open, some were wearing armor and carrying bows, and some were pointing into the far distance with agitated expressions.

The details of the mural were complex and abundant with information. Xie Lian studied it for a good while before turning his head.

"May I tell you what I've gathered from this painting?

"The ball of light held in the Crown Prince of Wuyong's left hand contains a small volcanic eruption, indicating that he told his dream to those down below. As for the gesture made with his right hand, it's obviously one of negation; he must be rejecting something."

"What is he rejecting?" Pei Ming asked.

"That we find out from the actions of the people below," Xie Lian replied. "This palace is situated in the Mortal Realm. It's magnificent, so it's likely the royal palace. These people must be the royalty and nobility of Wuyong. Look at this one with his arms wide open—it seems he's making a gesture for 'expand.' But expand what? We learn this by looking at what's in his hand."

The group looked closer. The man held a map, and Pei Ming was more than familiar with what that meant.

"Expand territory!"

"Yes," Xie Lian said. "And these generals are dressed in armor, looking ready to be dispatched into battle. There are others to the side pointing the way. Look, their directions are very obvious—it's like they're saying 'go there, fight there.' "With this information, the meaning of this mural becomes easy to understand. To roughly summarize: It seems the Crown Prince of Wuyong told his prophetic dream to the ministers inside the royal court. Once the volcano erupted, the consequences would be severe; it would be a disaster that could bring ruin to the Kingdom of Wuyong. The kingdom's territory wasn't big enough because the volcano was situated right at its center; all of its important cities would perish. So how could this be solved?"

"If their own territory wasn't big enough, take over someone else's," Hua Cheng said.

"Right," Xie Lian said. "The ministers suggested opening up the borders and invading neighboring countries. However, the Crown Prince of Wuyong didn't agree with this method, which is why his right hand is in a gesture of rejection."

After analyzing the first mural, the group moved to the second. The colors of this mural were much gloomier than the one previous—perhaps because it depicted a scene of slaughter and war.

Blood flowed like rivers through the battlefield, and the soldiers on both sides killed relentlessly. Xie Lian could tell which side was Wuyong, since their soldiers' armor was the same as that of the generals from the previous mural. The Wuyong soldiers looked savage and aggressive, trampling the heads of their enemies under their feet, raising corpses up on their halberds. Arms and legs and flesh flew, the scene bloody and cruel.

There were soldiers who wore savage smiles as they reached for cowering women and children. The horrors of war.

Thick clouds of gloom blanketed the skies above the battlefield, yet from within peeked a sliver of white light. Half of the Crown Prince of Wuyong could be seen through the clouds, and he was watching the scene below. His expression was that of fury. One of his arms was extended, and his palm released many pillars of golden light. The Wuyong soldiers touched by the light were being sucked upward.

This painting's meaning was easier to analyze than the previous one.

Xie Lian studied it for a moment.

"It seems the generals and ministers didn't listen to the crown prince's advice and dispatched armies to invade neighboring countries," he said softly. "The soldiers killed indiscriminately and excessively. They even harassed women, children, the weak, and the old. When the crown prince found out, he was furious, and he put an end to the Wuyong soldiers' aggression."

"How touching," Pei Ming said flatly in response to his interpretation. "But to be frank, if one kingdom must perish, then they can't be blamed for choosing to protect their own land's future. If the soldiers on the front lines didn't die at the hands of their enemies, they probably died from the rage of their own crown prince—or their own rage at him. I certainly wouldn't want to fight for someone like that."

Xie Lian gave a dry chuckle and said a little woefully, "General Pei is, uh, quite right."

Hua Cheng only snorted at the comment.

"So the volcano's about to erupt. What does This Highness the Crown Prince plan to do?" Pei Ming continued. "He can't just leave his own people to wait for their deaths."

"Let's look at the third mural," Xie Lian said. "It should have the answer."

The group finally came to the last mural. The colors were again in enormous contrast to those of the last mural; this image returned to bright, vibrant tones and was filled with holy light. But with only one glance, Xie Lian was shocked to the core. His eyes went wide.

Pei Ming observed the piece. "My god, is this the idea the Crown Prince of Wuyong came up with? Ha! Daring. Worthy of admiration."

At the bottom of the third mural was the Kingdom of Wuyong. The Wuyong River wound across the earth. The crown prince and his four guardian deputies were also depicted. But none of that was the focal point of the piece—the most prominent object was a bridge at its center.

The Crown Prince of Wuyong and his four guardians were holding up a massive bridge that radiated white light. The people on the ground were swarming toward the bridge with smiles on their faces.

The Crown Prince of Wuyong had built a bridge that connected the heavens and earth to bring his people to the Heavenly Realm!

Xie Lian was struck speechless by what he saw.

"Is that possible?" Pei Ming wondered.

"Why not?" Hua Cheng countered.

Everyone looked to him, and Hua Cheng continued.

"Isn't appointing a general just bringing a mortal to the Heavenly Realm? He's simply taking everyone near the royal capital to the heavens temporarily, then sending them back once the disaster is over. Why couldn't he do that?"

"Crimson Rain Sought Flower, please don't make it sound so easy," Pei Ming said. "My Lord should know that it takes spiritual power to appoint generals. And he's appointing how many with such a feat?"

In reality, appointing a general was nothing more than using one's spiritual power to keep a mortal in the heavens, who would then have to labor in their service. If there were no restrictions, what would stop a heavenly official from appointing all the people they wanted? An emperor might as well bring up his full harem and court; a general might as well appoint his entire army.

"Judging by the relics left behind, the Kingdom of Wuyong had a population of only a few hundred thousand. And some tens of thousands lived in the vicinity of the royal capital."

"While it would be tough…it's possible. Though just barely," Xie Lian said quietly.

"Even if it's only a few tens of thousands, no heavenly official would dare appoint so many," Pei Ming said. "If he really went through with it… well, then I don't know if he should be congratulated on his courage or extreme stupidity. There's definitely no one else like him in history, at least."

Xie Lian studied the bridge on the mural, completely engrossed. The faces of the white-clad crown prince and his four guardian deputies were looking more and more bizarre to him—more and more like his own face and those of his four State Preceptors of Xianle.

That, plus the celestial phase of the Ominous Star…this was the stuff of reincarnation, of history repeating itself. He wanted to know what happened next, but perhaps he already knew.

He turned his head away, afraid to keep his eyes on that mural any longer.

"Have we found water?" he asked.

Banyue dragged Pei Xiu along as they walked. "That gege went to look."

She was referring to Yin Yu. Xie Lian glanced at Pei Xiu, who had his eyes closed. Humming for a moment, he decided to speak up.

"When we go onward to the Kiln, I think it would be best that General Pei Junior stays here."

Pei Xiu was presently in a mortal body after all, which was inconvenient in many ways. Furthermore, they didn't know what awaited them ahead. Pei Ming squatted and looked Pei Xiu over.

"Yeah, I agree. But will Your Highness please not tell him the reason to his face? The boy will understand. Just leave it to me to tell him."

"Rest assured, General Pei, I understand," Xie Lian said. "Other-wise I wouldn't have said it while he was unconscious."

Pei Xiu was once a young martial god with an infinitely bright future in the heavens, but now he had to stay behind because he couldn't keep up.

Of course he'd feel bitter. However, mistakes must be punished, and that's how exile should feel. He had no choice but to accept it.

They remained in the temple and discussed their situation for a while longer.

"Where's Yin Yu?" Xie Lian wondered, puzzled. "It's been a long time—why hasn't he come back yet? Has he still not found water?"

Hua Cheng was staring intently at a few wraith butterflies resting on his fingertips. The butterflies had been very useful earlier, but now they had all returned to him, tucked away to conserve energy. He looked up slightly.

"He shouldn't be taking this long."

Xie Lian grew alarmed and stood up. "Let me go take a look. General Pei, watch over things here. San Lang, will you come with me?"

Of course he would go with him. Xie Lian left Ruoye behind to tie a protection circle. Then the pair left the temple and headed toward the deeper part of the underground city.

There were plenty of houses and all sorts of random things along the way; Xie Lian picked up a jar that he rather liked, and Hua Cheng seemed to find it funny.

"What are you doing picking that up?"

"If we find water later, we can use this to bring some back for General Pei Junior," Xie Lian said. He'd grown used to collecting scraps, and he patted the jar in his hands in spite of himself. "Come to think of it, this is an antique—thousands of years old."

Hua Cheng laughed. "If you like stuff like this, come to my place later. I've got a few antiques of my own; you can see if you find anything you fancy."

An incense time passed before the two finally heard the faint sound of water flowing. Soon after, Xie Lian exclaimed, "Over there!"

There was indeed a subterranean stream down below. Xie Lian set the jar he'd picked up in the water and started washing it with gusto. Two millennia's worth of ashes had formed a thick shell that couldn't be washed off, but rinsing the loose dust from the surface would make it usable, at least. He filled it with water and lowered his head, ready to take a sip himself. Hua Cheng had been surveying the area with a keen eye and turned just in time to see what he was about to do.

"Don't drink that," he immediately said.

Xie Lian had already put his face to the jar and was confused by the caution. "What?"

"So hot," a voice said.

There were only the two of them here, so where did that third voice come from? Xie Lian subconsciously looked down, following the sound—it was coming from the jar in his hand!

He quickly peered inside the container. There were two tiny scarlet dots lurking in the water, watching him.

Those had to be eyes! Could someone be hiding in there?!

The moment the eyes met his, the thing inside the jar lunged straight at Xie Lian's face. The water inside was disrupted by the movement and splashed out. Xie Lian's hands moved swiftly and flung the jar meters away in an instant. It smashed against a wall and the thousand-year-old antique shattered into pieces! As for the thing that had been hidden inside it, it wasted no time scurrying off into the darkness. In his rush, Xie Lian hadn't clearly seen what it was, only that it looked like a big bundle of something black.

"What was that thing?"

Hua Cheng stood in front of him to shield him, and Xie Lian frowned.

"It wasn't in that jar before, was it?" he asked.

And why had it said "so hot"? Shouldn't it have been cool inside the water?

"No," Hua Cheng said. "It swam into it from the river. There are creatures that flock together and swim in this subterranean stream. That's why I told you not to drink."

But you'd let General Pei Junior drink it… Xie Lian thought.

All of a sudden, he felt a chill on his back, and he shouted, "Who's there?!"

He had just heard someone cough in the distance!

It definitely wasn't a delusion, and he tensed in alarm. Soon after, hushed chatter came pouring in like the tide. Pair after pair of red dots lit up around the two and surrounded them in a circle.

"Don't worry, they're not human," Hua Cheng said.

It's because they're not human that we have to worry… Xie Lian thought.

When he listened closely to the whispers, Xie Lian could discern what the voices were saying.

Cough, cough, cough… "So hot, oh, it's so hot…" "I'm boiling…" "Waaaagh…" "I'm suffocating… Is anyone there…?"

"I can't move, can't move!"

The voices were tiny, but clear and full of pain. They were like ants vigorously crawling into his ears. Xie Lian was just about to reach for Fangxin when a voice cried out sharply.

"Your Highness! Your Highness, where are you?! Save me, save me!"

That last cry made the hair on Xie Lian's neck stand on end—for an instant, he thought the voice was calling for him. However, Hua Cheng released thousands of wraith butterflies with a fierce wave of his hand, and they charged at the glowing red eyes!

The silver butterflies shimmered and illuminated the countless creatures that were whispering in the dark. Sure enough, they weren't human—they were rats!

Hua Cheng grabbed him. "I mentioned there are a lot of rats here.

Let's go!"

Even as he rushed along, Xie Lian was still stunned. "Are those rats?

Why do they look more like cats to me…?"

It was true. These rats were each larger than a cat, and their hair was black as ink and thick as needles. Ferocity glinted in their little red eyes.

Many were perched on the walls, watching them closely from the darkness.

They were speaking in human voices, creating a scene that was creepy to the extreme.

Once the silver butterflies charged at them, the slaughter began. Red and silver lights flashed and crossed. The tide of the battle was unknown, but it was clearly vicious and violent.

"Yin Yu couldn't have been dragged off somewhere by those creatures, right?" Xie Lian wondered.

"He wouldn't be so useless. There's probably something else tripping him up," Hua Cheng replied.

The first part made Xie Lian relax slightly, but the latter part made him tense again. "Never mind how big the rats are; why are there so many?

What do they eat to grow so large?"

"Simple," Hua Cheng replied. "The dead, of course. Those are corpse-eating rats."

When volcanic ash blanketed the city, the humans had nowhere to hide, and it was the same for their large domesticated beasts—oxen, horses, lambs, and so on. But the rats could burrow deep underground. They survived disaster by relying on the air and food in the underground caves.

Once the dust settled, they reemerged from the underground and scoured the now-hellish city for food. However, everything was destroyed;

it had all been entombed in lava or buried in volcanic ash. They gnawed through many things but couldn't find food for the longest time.

Until one day, they smelled the scent of rot.

The putrid smell came from those humanoid stone statues. Some corpses had a thinner ash shell, and when they started to rot, they emitted a rancid stench and began to leak fluids.

The starving rats surrounded the statues and set about creating small holes with their teeth, allowing them to scurry inside and feast upon the corpses within.

The lowest, scummiest creatures often survived the longest. The bodies of the dead were cocooned in those ash shells, as was their terror, rage, frustration, and other such powerful emotions. When the rats ate their corpses, they consumed those emotions too. They gained the ability to speak with human voices and express what those people had yearned to say at the moment of their deaths.

Xie Lian was enlightened. "I see; so that's why they were saying those things. I was wondering why they would say stuff like that…" "What was that?" Hua Cheng unexpectedly asked.

Xie Lian blinked. "Hmm?"

Hua Cheng stared at him. "What did they say? What did you hear?"

Xie Lian was confused. "San Lang, you didn't hear them?" He then repeated, "'So hot,' 'it's suffocating,' 'can't move,' 'save me,' things like that…" But before Hua Cheng responded, it dawned on Xie Lian.

That wasn't right!

The corpse-eating rats could only repeat the ravings of the Wuyong people before their deaths. Which, naturally, would be in the Wuyong tongue.

So why could he understand them?!