Who Says the Mortal World Holds No Old Friends

As the middle-aged City God finished speaking, black, ghostly flames emanated from his shoulders and wrists, flickering with an ominous glow.

Since Gu Ning'an had already seen through the illusion spell, the City God decided it was pointless to maintain it any longer.

With the spell dispelled, the City God's complexion turned ashen, and his spiritual energy fluctuated wildly. Clearly, the flames on his shoulders and wrists had taken a severe toll on him.

Had it not been for the abundant incense offerings supporting the City God Temple in Lexiang County, he likely would not have had the strength to appear before Gu Ning'an at all.

Gu Ning'an stepped closer and carefully observed the flames that were relentlessly eroding the City God's form.

"Such pure demonic energy, refined into near-indestructible flames.

"Does a demon of this caliber truly reside in Lexiang County's domain?"

As he spoke, a faint strand of red dust qi materialized at Gu Ning'an's fingertips.

Faced with such a rare and concentrated demonic aura, he decided to test whether his red dust qi could suppress it.

However, the three deities before him, including the City God, could not sense the red dust qi at all. They only saw Gu Ning'an raise his finger and touch the City God's wrist.

With a crisp "boom," the flames that had tormented the City God for so long were abruptly snuffed out!

"What?"

"Your hand—are you unharmed?"

"The flames... they're gone!"

All three spoke at once, their shock evident.

Gu Ning'an remained silent, replaying in his mind the moment when his red dust qi "extinguished" the flames.

He had expected the two opposing forces to clash violently. Yet the red dust qi simply obliterated the flames with overwhelming ease, leaving no room for resistance.

Strangely, just before the demonic flames dissipated, Gu Ning'an had a fleeting sense of familiarity, as if he had encountered this energy before.

Using the same method, he extinguished the flames on the City God's shoulders. Then, stepping back, he withdrew the red dust qi and asked, "Do you still feel any lingering discomfort from the demonic intrusion?"

Boom!

A surge of powerful spiritual energy erupted from the City God, rippling outward in a gust of wind.

Gu Ning'an adjusted his white robe, which flapped noisily in the breeze, and fixed his gaze on the City God.

From what he could tell, the City God seemed fully recovered, though he couldn't be certain whether any latent demonic flames remained within him.

"Marvelous!" the City God exclaimed, his voice ringing with vitality. He drew back his spiritual energy, and his once-pale complexion returned to normal. "Many thanks, sir. The flames that plagued me for months are now completely gone!"

Before Gu Ning'an could respond, the City God turned to the two judges and urged, "Why are you still standing there? Hurry and bring the old tailor here so he can meet Mr. Gu!"

"Yes, sir!" the judges replied in unison before swiftly departing.

The City God's earlier words revealed that he had already known the old tailor's yin lifespan had not yet expired.

Had Gu Ning'an not helped dispel the demonic flames, the City God likely would have been reluctant to allow their meeting.

Gu Ning'an understood this but chose not to point it out.

Whether in the mortal realm or the netherworld, there were always "social intricacies" to navigate, and he had no trouble accepting this reality.

"Mr. Gu," the City God said, bowing slightly, "Old Tailor Ma was a virtuous man in life, and his yin lifespan is quite long—four years in total. As of now, he has only five months remaining.

"If there were any grievances between you two in life, I hope you won't hold on to them. If you can forgive and forget, so much the better."

"So... the esteemed City God assumed I came seeking revenge? Is that why you were so wary of me earlier?" Gu Ning'an asked with a wry smile.

The middle-aged City God hesitated for a moment before reluctantly replying, "Forgive me for speaking bluntly, sir. You are an immortal, one who has lived through untold years. For someone of your stature to specifically seek out the soul of a mortal tailor... if not for some grievance..."

Gu Ning'an shook his head, his expression solemn as he replied, "City God, let me clarify. Firstly, I am no true immortal. And even if I were, does that mean I couldn't have old friends in the mortal world?"

"Moreover, if I truly intended harm upon a soul, wouldn't it have been simpler to storm directly into your temple?"

If anyone else had made such a bold claim about breaking into the City God Temple, the middle-aged City God would have dismissed it as hubris. Even though he was merely a county-level City God, forcing entry into his temple was no trivial matter. A single misstep could lead to an eternity of torment.

But coming from Gu Ning'an, the City God had no choice but to believe it.

After all, the demonic flames that had tormented him originated from an entity the provincial City God had described as a "True Demon." Even when the provincial City God and the City Gods of all nine affiliated counties joined forces, they couldn't subdue this being.

Thus, he had addressed Gu Ning'an as a "True Immortal" earlier—only someone of that caliber could deal with demonic energy of this magnitude.

For such a person to forcibly enter his temple and obliterate a soul wouldn't be a difficult task at all.

The City God clasped his hands together and responded apologetically, "Old Tailor Ma was a man of great fortune in life. As the City God, it is my duty to ensure the intentions of anyone who seeks him are clear. I hope you will not take offense."

Gu Ning'an nodded. "You were simply fulfilling your responsibilities, City God. There is no reason for me to take offense."

"Mr. Gu, please don't call me 'City God' anymore..." The middle-aged deity looked uncomfortable every time Gu Ning'an addressed him that way. "My surname is Xu, given name Songqiu. Just call me by my name."

Gu Ning'an shook his head. "Then I shall call you 'City God Xu.' After all, you are an official deity conferred by the imperial court, and proper respect must be shown."

"Very well, very well!" Xu Songqiu nodded repeatedly, about to say more when the two judges returned, leading a spectral figure.

"City God, the old tailor is here," they announced.

"Good. We'll take our leave so Mr. Gu can speak with him alone," Xu Songqiu said, clasping his hands behind his back and walking away. The two judges followed closely behind.

"Mr. Gu?" the old tailor called out hesitantly. At first, he couldn't see clearly, but when his gaze fell on the figure in white, he cried out in astonishment, "Gu—Gu—Mr. Gu!"

Gu Ning'an turned around, smiling. "Old Ma, it's been a long time!"

Old Tailor Ma's spectral form wavered as he floated closer. He circled Gu Ning'an several times, scrutinizing him carefully before exclaiming, "Yes, yes! The robe fits perfectly! After all these years, your figure hasn't changed one bit!"

Seeing how unaffected Old Tailor Ma was upon meeting him, Gu Ning'an couldn't help but feel surprised. "You don't seem very shocked to see me," he remarked.

Old Tailor Ma came to a stop in front of Gu Ning'an and replied, "Ah, well... I'm no ordinary tailor anymore. These days, I serve as the tailor for the City God's underworld court here in Le'an County. Naturally, I've learned a lot more than I ever knew in life."

"Once I realized that immortals truly exist in this world, I became certain that you would come to find me one day.

"And here you are, just before my yin lifespan is about to end. If I hadn't seen you in time, I would've had to beg the City God for a roaming post in the afterlife!"