Chapter 114

"Half the city?" Lin Yu was taken aback.

How large could a temple be? The largest one she'd ever seen was the Rain Goddess Temple in Jiangnan, but even that took up no more than two or three mu. How big was half a city?

It would be large enough to house all the city's refugees within its grounds. Cencheng was just a border town; with its manpower and resources, such a grand project would take at least decades to complete.

In the eyes of the world, the God of War had Ascended only twenty-odd years ago. When was the War God Temple built?

"No exaggeration, it's really half the city. When I saw it from a distant mountain, I thought I was hallucinating from the journey. That temple was so big it was almost scary..."

Zhang Yulin swallowed hard and asked, "Have you seen the statue of the God of War? I mean, our late emperor."

Lin Yu shook her head. "Never seen it..."

The area from the Imperial City down to the south had been quite stable, so temples to the God of War were rare. Occasionally, there were a few, but Lin Yu never went inside when passing by.

There was a Temple of the God of War in the Temple of Ten Thousand Gods near Divine Mountain, but Fu Ming had long since converted it into a mourning hall, with no statue inside.

So Lin Yu truly had never seen a statue of the God of War.

Zhang Yulin sounded incredulous. "But that's our late emperor! The only powerful God of War in all these years, and you never even went to pay respects?!"

"Uh... next time, for sure." Lin Yu rarely stammered. This was the downside of not worshiping gods—she had never seen anyone's statue and didn't know what any of those deities looked like.

"Ah, wait, where was I going with this?" Zhang Yulin sat up straight. "None of that matters. What matters is that I went inside that War God Temple, and the God of War's appearance had been changed all over the place. It's completely different from what we have here! They look like two different people!"

Lin Yu picked up the teacup on the table, momentarily at a loss. How was she supposed to tell Zhang Yulin that they were, in fact, two different people?

It wasn't as if she could say that the late emperor she so revered had, shortly after Ascending, met with an unexpected calamity and had his divine position usurped by someone else...

Moreover, she herself only had a rough idea of what had happened; she knew none of the specifics.

When the late emperor had fallen, why he had fallen, how he had fallen, and who had replaced his identity—what grudges lay between them—she knew none of it and couldn't describe it to Zhang Yulin.

Zhang Yulin continued, "Then I visited several more War God Temples and found that all the statues had changed. They weren't the God of War's appearance at all. One temple was like that, ten temples were like that. I spent nearly half a month visiting almost every War God Temple on the frontier, and they were all the same."

"I even began to wonder if I had misremembered what the God of War looked like. So the day before yesterday, I hurried back and went to a few War God Temples outside the city. That's why I just returned—and I realized it's the statues in the north that are wrong."

"The matter of the statues can be big or small. If His Majesty doesn't pursue it, then it's the fault of the sculptors. Hold them accountable; at worst, recast the statues. But if His Majesty does pursue it, that's a grave disrespect to the late emperor and to the God of War." Zhang Yulin said grimly. "And as for the conscription, I couldn't find out the specifics, and there's no way for me to report it to the Ministry of War. Without evidence, I can't just barge into their official circles."

"If I say something wrong without getting the facts straight, those literati will drown me in their spit!"

Zhang Yulin was distressed. "I can't tell the elders either—they don't like to interfere in mortal affairs. After much thought, I had no choice but to come to you."

Lin Yu pondered for a moment. She couldn't easily get involved in the conscription matter. She had only heard of it without knowing the full picture; such things couldn't be explained clearly, and the specifics would have to wait until she went north.

"As for the conscription, I'll help you look into it in a few days. As for the God of War..."

After weighing her words, she finally said, "Yulin, have you considered that the temples in the north weren't wrongly built, but that the current God of War really does look like that?"

Zhang Yulin was astonished. "That can't be! It's only been twenty years. How could anyone's appearance change that much? Unless he deliberately changed his face..."

It wasn't uncommon for deities to change their appearance after Ascension. Some chose to look younger, others older, to better match their divine office. For instance, a god of literature should have a scholarly air, a flower god should be as beautiful as a painting, a god of the earth should appear kind and approachable. Such things were actually normal.

Zhang Yulin said, "The late emperor wouldn't have, right? He was handsome and imposing; that appearance suited the God of War best. Why would he change to an ugly one? He's not a fierce god."

Lin Yu's expression was serious. She pressed her lips together and didn't continue. Zhang Yulin suddenly sensed something amiss. She tested, "Did the late emperor really change his appearance and abandon his original face? Why?"

A dignified God of War replaced by someone else, unknown for twenty years—it was indeed impossible for ordinary people to think in that direction, let alone guess. Lin Yu said bluntly, "He didn't change his face; the core was swapped for someone else."

"The current God of War is not our late emperor, but another person. The late emperor has long since fallen."

The words exploded like a thunderclap. Zhang Yulin felt her head ache from the impact. She shot to her feet. "How is that possible?!"

Lin Yu showed little expression. Zhang Yulin knew Lin Yu wouldn't lie, so this was likely the truth. She couldn't accept it for a long time, and only after Lin Yu pressed her down did she sit again, looking dazed.

At that point, Lin Yu didn't know much more, and Zhang Yulin, unable to accept it, didn't ask further. The air fell into silence.

"Yulin, I have to go," Lin Yu finally said after a long while.

By now, the sky was fully bright, and the wind was howling outside. She didn't have much time left. She gazed out at the mountain peak in the distance; by now, the fire at Bushou Hall should be burning.

"Where to?" Zhang Yulin snapped back to reality. "Did the Xianzun give you a new task? I'll go with you."

"The Xianzun is dead," Lin Yu said calmly. "The Divine Maiden is dead, too."

"There will be no more Lin Yu from now on."

In a short time, too many absurd claims had been made, and combined with Lin Yu's words, which were too bizarre, Zhang Yulin's mind was in a whirl. "What are you talking about? You're right here in front of me!"

"What 'dead'? Pah pah pah, that's so unlucky!"

"Lin Zhao never took the initiative to tell you who I was, did she?" Lin Yu's voice was gentle, almost wistful. "If not for seven years ago, when by chance you stumbled into the medicine shop and saw me, Lin Zhao probably wouldn't have told you she had a little sister like me."

Recalling the past, that was indeed a very distant time.

That day, Zhang Yulin had sneaked out of Heaven's Mandate Tower to play, but she fell off her horse and was injured. Someone carried her into the nearest medical clinic, which was how Zhang Yulin and Lin Yu first met.

At the time, they were only eleven or twelve. It had been just over a year since the massacre at Heaven's Mandate Tower, and Lin Zhao had been a Priestess for less than half a year.

Then, when Lin Zhao came rushing over to find her sister, the two met face to face. Their similar features meant Lin Zhao had no choice but to introduce Lin Yu to Zhang Yulin.

It was emotional to recall. As children, Lin Yu and Lin Zhao had looked very much alike, but as they grew older and were separated for long periods, they became more and more different.

Fortunately, Zhang Yulin was different from the others in Heaven's Mandate Tower. No matter what was told to her, she could keep a secret. She was the only one in Heaven's Mandate Tower who knew that Lin Zhao had a sister, so Lin Yu felt safe telling her anything.

Lin Zhao hadn't wanted anyone to know of Lin Yu's existence, because of that dream, that massacre, because of Hu Sheng's warning to the two sisters before he left, and because of the linked fates written in their life scrolls.

Eight years ago, after Lin Zhao entered Heaven's Mandate Tower, she quickly heard of Immortal Lord He's prophetic dream. She was sharp; with just a few words, she understood the truth behind nearly a year of slaughter and why their parents had died.

—Because the god-slayer in Immortal Lord He's dream was her sister, Lin Jiyue.

She was the first to learn the truth.

Even with a changed name, the bond of blood couldn't be altered. She didn't want anyone to trace Lin Jiyue's survival through her.

Although she had only recently joined Heaven's Mandate Tower, Lin Zhao was highly perceptive and had divine affinity. She understood that the path of cultivation was one of continuous sacrifice of others to achieve oneself, and she knew how cruel that path was, how much blood would be shed, how many lives would pave the way.

If that was cultivation, then what about god-slaying?

It would only be harder and crueler.

So she wanted to hide Lin Yu away, to keep her undiscovered. Lin Yu didn't need to know anything, didn't need to bear any burden. The so-called fate was actually absurd.

Lin Yu didn't believe in fate, and neither did Lin Zhao. She wanted Lin Yu to escape this destiny, to live a safe and sound life.

Lin Zhao kept this secret well, and until her death, no one else knew.

It wasn't until the Moon Festival sacrifice that the truth Lin Zhao had guarded for eight years was shattered. Lin Yu learned of the dream from the Snow God, went to kill Immortal Lord He, and willingly walked into her fate.

...

Lin Yu summarized simply, recounting everything that had happened in the past few days, leaving Zhang Yulin frozen in place, unable to speak for a long time.

"Now that Bushou Hall is already on fire, news will soon spread that the Xianzun and the Divine Maiden have both perished in the flames," Lin Yu said finally, brushing off her clothes as she stood up. "Before the fire dies down, I have to leave."

"Are you really going north to find the Moon God?" Zhang Yulin grabbed her sleeve. It seemed she had come to some realization, and her eyes were determined. "I'll go with you."

Perhaps because she hadn't been able to keep Lin Zhao safe, she didn't want to lose Lin Yu as well. She wanted to stay by Lin Yu's side.

She didn't like Heaven's Mandate Tower. Her cultivation was mediocre, and she was indifferent about the path of cultivation. She preferred wandering freely and didn't want to be trapped in one place.

Accompanying Lin Yu on her wanderings, doing something earth-shattering, seemed like a good idea too.

Lin Yu instinctively refused. Even she couldn't guarantee whether killing the God of War and the Crimson God would succeed, whether she could obtain the Ten Thousand Souls Sword. She didn't know if this journey would end in life or death. She hadn't even told Fu Ming—how could she let Zhang Yulin take such a risk with her?

Or perhaps she didn't dare. She rarely did things without certainty, and this time was different from any before.

"No need. If things go well, I'll come back for you." Lin Yu smiled and patted her hand away.

Zhang Yulin held on tightly. "I'll go with you."

Her tone was almost pleading. "Lin Zhao is gone, and now you're leaving too. I'll be all alone here. I don't want to stay."

Zhang Yulin said, "If they ever go mad and decide to sacrifice me, I won't be able to escape. You know Heaven's Mandate Tower will do anything..."

That was how Lin Zhao had died. Lin Yu was moved. Not only believers were sacrificed; disciples within the tower could also be offered up. When the offerings ran short, the disciples would be used.

But her attitude remained resolute, and Zhang Yulin was equally stubborn. The atmosphere grew tense. Suddenly, the big white cat that had been dozing beside them jumped onto the table and spoke in human tongue, "Stop tugging at each other, you two. You're acting like it's a parting of life and death. Just go together—what's the big deal?"

The Snow God was quite perceptive: "If you go together now, you can scatter when disaster strikes. That way, no one drags the other down."

"Ah!" Zhang Yulin was startled but still clutched Lin Yu. "What is that thing? Why can it talk??"

"This is... the Snow God," Lin Yu said, exasperated. "I told you, a cat that speaks human language is terrifying, but he wouldn't listen..."

Zhang Yulin said in disbelief, "What? The Snow God? This cat?"

"You keep a god as a pet??"

Lin Yu's face was expressionless, even a bit disdainful. "He wants to be a pet himself. I didn't force him..."

...

Zhanghe Hall.

Fu Ming propped his head up, listening as several ministers presented their remonstrances in turn, but his mind seemed elsewhere. He stared blankly at the vermilion brush on the desk, lost in thought.

"Tomorrow, General Song is to be taken to the execution platform and beheaded before the crowd. Your Majesty, is this perhaps too harsh on the Song family? Their line is sparse—Old General Song passed away not long ago, and his daughter followed soon after. Now only this young General Song remains."

"He's the last branch of the Song family. If Song An is truly beheaded, the Song family will have nothing left."

"Old General Song rendered such great service in his lifetime; it shouldn't end this way—cutting off their ancestral line..." One minister advised earnestly.

Fu Ming snapped back to reality and racked his brain to recall who this person was. "Song An?"

He finally remembered. This man had no military achievements. He was called a general only because his uncle was Old General Song. General Song had had only a daughter, so his military merits and honors had been passed down to this so-called nephew.

Not long ago, Song An had joined a crowd of alchemists in publicly condemning Lin Yu. On that day, Fu Ming had wanted to eliminate those alchemists, but Song An had interfered, and so he had been given thirty lashes and thrown out.

Only after Changsheng Hall had fully collapsed did Fu Ming remember to charge him with a crime and have him beheaded along with the rest.

Fu Ming cast his eyes down at the minister. "So he's the last branch of General Song... In that case, let it go."

The pleading minister's face had just brightened when he was scared back by Fu Ming's next words.

"Since he's a general, he should inherit General Song's legacy. Fitting, really. As Cencheng's death formation is failing, let him go guard Cencheng." Fu Ming said casually, tossing the memorial on his desk to the floor. "Naturally, there's no need for him to return. Let him stay there."

The minister's face turned ashen as he picked up the memorial. It was a report from Cencheng. If beheading was a quick death, then going to guard Cencheng was a slow torture—better to be beheaded immediately.

The minister was about to plead again when a eunuch rushed in, flustered. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, grave news!"

The eunuch looked extremely anxious, stumbling over himself and nearly colliding with Fu Ming's desk. Fu Ming had just been about to lift his brush but was interrupted. He didn't even raise his eyes.

"Speak—"

The eunuch replied before even catching his breath, "Your Majesty! Bushou Hall at Heaven's Mandate Tower has caught fire! The flames have burned through half the mountain! The Xianzun and the Divine Maiden have both perished in the blaze!"