Chapter 359: Chapter 323: Enemies on All Sides

“What do you think about this?” Sang Que asked He Buning.

He Buning remained silent for a moment before saying, “The situation has developed to this point, saying more is useless. The most important thing now is how to quell the warfare; if it continues like this, at least two-thirds of the population in Qinzhou will be lost, which would be a huge blow to the entire Xuan Dynasty.”

Sang Que agreed, first quell the warfare, the rest can be dealt with slowly later.

“But even if the Gu Master and the Five Spirits Saintess can be returned, and Yunzhou retreats, the Qianshou Army has already taken shape, with the Ghost Opera Troupe manipulating from behind, it won’t be so easy to defeat.”

He Buning said, “The core members of the Ghost Opera Troupe are not many, unlike the Gu Masters and Ghost Witches who are difficult to deal with. As long as Yunzhou can retreat, once the army presses on, the Qianshou Army, a ragtag group, absolutely won’t hold up for more than three months before collapsing entirely.”

Sang Que thought for a moment and found it reasonable. At the Sancha River Pass, the soldiers’ injuries from weapons weren’t severe; the serious ones were inflicted by Gu Techniques and deaths caused by Ghost Witches driving ghosts.

Sang Que now noticed that although the battlefield was filled with the presence of blood, it didn’t attract many ghosts because the murderous aura and evil qi gathered by the soldiers were strong enough to harm evil spirits and ghosts, so low-level evil spirits and ghosts simply wouldn’t approach voluntarily.

Only after the army leaves, would the blood-stained places slowly breed evil spirits and ghosts.

“Is the Prime Minister willing to return the Gu Master?” Sang Que asked.

He Buning shook his head, “He went to great lengths to capture the Gu Master and probably won’t return him easily. Moreover, the Gu Master’s abilities are too strong; I think it’s beneficial for Xuan Dynasty to keep restrictions on him. I know what you’re thinking, the warfare in Qinzhou isn’t just because the Gu Master was captured. Even without capturing the Gu Master, the Ghost Opera Troupe would still incite rebellion everywhere.”

He Buning frowned with a complex expression, he was very conflicted now, with many things he didn’t know who to tell.

He doesn’t want the war to ravage, but this Qinzhou campaign is indeed an opportunity, an opportunity to gather stronger incense offerings from the people, and a chance to help the Prime Minister cross from the Sixth Level to the Seventh Level’s threshold.

Living people possessing the Ghost God Power might really be able to end this ghost-ridden chaotic world.

“Between the Gu Master and the Five Spirits Saintess, who holds more authority in Yunzhou?” Sang Que asked curiously.

“The Five Spirits Saintess! Although Yunzhou has many tribes, each with its own belief, worshiping different Ghost Kings, they all gather at the same time each year to worship the Five Spirits. They believe that the Five Spirits Saintess is the incarnation of the Five Spirits in the mortal world, so they are extremely respectful towards her. The Gu Master, his real identity in Yunzhou is just an old man teaching Gu Techniques, arguably the most powerful Gu Master. Many people in Yunzhou might not even know he is the Gu Master of Nine Songs.”

Sang Que nodded, realizing it’s somewhat similar to Nine Songs, where the Divine of Nine Songs is the Witch Lady, and the leader of Nine Songs is the Witch who serves the Witch Lady, walking the earth on her behalf, conveying her oracles.

In Yunzhou, the Five Spirits are similar to the Divine of the Witch Lady, and the Five Spirits Saintess is akin to a Divine Envoy like the Witch.

The Five Spirits are the Five Poison: snake, gecko, toad, scorpion, centipede, which are the roots of Yunzhou Gu Technique. Every tribe’s Gu Master draws power from the Five Spirits to cultivate their Gu.

“Why don’t they choose another Saintess?” Sang Que was puzzled by this, Yin Child was previously chosen to be the Saintess; she has been missing for so many years, Yunzhou could completely choose another.

He Buning sighed, “The problem lies there. Ever since the last Five Spirits Saintess disappeared, because the normal ritual for passing on the title wasn’t performed, the girls chosen later in Yunzhou couldn’t inherit the position of the Five Spirits Saintess and couldn’t communicate with the Five Spirits. So they need the original Saintess to return.”

“Is it okay even if she becomes a ghost?”

“After serving the Five Spirits for a sufficient time, every past Five Spirits Saintess becomes a ghost beside them.”

Sang Que was shocked, meaning if Yin Child is returned, she would become a Ghost Slave beside the Five Spirits? All previous Five Spirits Saintesses in Yunzhou are now Ghost Slaves of the Five Spirits?

Knowing this, does the little Yin Child still want to go back, still attached to the homeland?

He Buning continued, “You should already know, Yin Child was the previous Five Spirits Saintess. I suspect Yunzhou wants her back not to continue as a Saintess but to return her to the Five Spirits so a new Saintess can be chosen. Saintesses are six to twelve-year-old girls, living beings, and can be controlled by the leaders of Yunzhou’s tribes.”

Sang Que thought the title of Five Spirits Saintess was prestigious and possessed a certain divine power; little did they expect it was still a pitiable position.

“You don’t plan to return the Gu Master, and Yin Child is under my control and cannot be separated, so that means there’s nothing to negotiate?”

He Buning’s face showed no relief, “If you hadn’t appeared, then surely it would end in battle, but now that you’ve appeared, the news has probably already spread.”

Sang Que laughed, “So next, people will come to capture me, along with Yin Child, to deliver us both to Yunzhou?”

“Da Xuan will not compromise with Yunzhou; Yin Child is extremely important to the Evil Suppression Bureau, including the Ghost Opera Troupe. I don’t know how they learned about Yin Child, but the Ghost Opera Troupe also wants to obtain her.”

Sang Que understood, “Then I’m now effectively an enemy of the world? Yunzhou, Da Xuan Evil Suppression Bureau, and the Ghost Opera Troupe all want to capture me?”

“I’m telling you all this today so you understand your current situation and then tell me what you want to do next?”

The question circled back to the beginning.

“What do you want me to do?” Sang Que still did not answer directly, returning the question to He Buning.

He Buning looked at Sang Que seriously, “I want you to leave here, go back to your hometown, and never appear again.”

This was the only solution He Buning thought of after considering for so long. As long as Sang Que doesn’t appear again, his father doesn’t have to worry about her bringing disaster to the world, so he and his father can focus on pacifying this chaotic world, and she can live well.

Sang Que was silent; He Buning leaned forward, trying to persuade with a gentle voice.

“There’s nothing worth staying here for. You can now control Yin Child well enough. As long as you don’t frequently use her power, you can live like a normal person to seventy or eighty years, even a hundred is possible. Why take such risks here?”

Sang Que gave a bitter smile, “And what about after I die? When Yin Child leaves my body, she alone could destroy my hometown. As long as ghosts exist, there will be no peace, whether here or in my hometown.”

He Buning clenched his fist, “Then for your hometown, do you disregard the safety of thousands of people here?”

Sang Que was not angry or agitated, she calmly picked up the teapot and poured more water into He Buning’s teacup.

“Captain He, I have only one question. If you had a way to expel all ghosts from Da Xuan to Yunzhou, simply sealing the borders, and Da Xuan could enjoy peace forever, would you do it?”

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