Day of Ascension

Xu Ying stood blankly on the streets of Jiangjiatian as the villagers around him fled in panic.

At a nearby corner, the snake demon with alternating black-and-white patterns pointed at Xu Ying with his tail. His tongue flicked as he watched the screaming villagers scatter.

They were scared out of their minds. Some scrambled away to report to the officials, while others hid inside their homes with the doors bolted shut, trembling alongside their wives and children. The daring ones among those hiding behind windows or doors stole glances outside.

Xu Ying now stood alone on the street, with the green-robed god’s corpse at his feet.

Moments later, he came back to his senses and looked around.

The once-familiar villagers who joked around with him, affectionately called him Ah Ying or Xiao Ying, and even teased him as “Little Softie,” now feared him like a god.

I was standing up for you. You shouldn’t be afraid of me, Xu Ying thought. I couldn’t care less if the officials oppress us. These gods are nothing more than wood and clay, yet they eat and drink our food, enjoy our offerings, and oppress us all the same.

They treat us as livestock, but that’s not what we are! We’re humans!

We will resist; we will fight back! So why are you so afraid of me?!

Xu Ying could not understand.

After a while, he stepped over the green-robed god’s corpse. He entered the ancestral hall and sat down behind the altar. Without a word, he feasted on the roasted chicken and duck on the offering table.

He ate slowly and carefully, a habit of snake catchers.

To catch snakes, you need patience and nerve. Above all, you cannot afford to go hungry. Hunger leads to insufficient energy, which in turn makes you susceptible to deadly mistakes.

Xu Ying had just caused huge trouble. He couldn’t leave on an empty stomach; he had to eat his fill.

Hence, he ate a roasted chicken and half a roasted duck, then stuffed the remaining half of the duck into his bosom pocket. Afterward, he ate a few fruits and stuffed a few more in his bosom.

Finally, Xu Ying stood up and wrote a line on the wall with Chief Jiang’s blood.

“Godslayer Xu Ying!”

He wiped off the blood on his hand on Chief Jiang’s corpse and left the ancestral hall, returning home.

His house was bare. There was little of value inside. Even the rice jar barely had anything in it, holding only some roasted rice flour for dry rations.

Snake catchers had to go deep into the mountains and forests to catch snakes. They had no real use for rice or noodles, only for food they could carry.

Xu Ying packed three days’ worth of dry rations. He looked at the scriptures he had collected so far, hesitated for a moment, then left them behind. Leaving his home, he headed toward the edge of the village.

When he reached his destination, tears suddenly welled up in his eyes. He turned around and knelt toward the village.

He kowtowed deeply. “Thank you all for taking care of me all these years, and I’m sorry for causing you trouble!”

He had just turned to leave when he heard a woman call out behind him.

“Ah Ying!”

Xu Ying looked back and saw a girl in bridal clothing. She sat at the door of the ancestral hall, hugging Jiang Lu’s corpse.

She cried out, “Thank you! Live well!”

“Take care!” Xu Ying waved at her and left Jiangjiatian Village.

I was an orphan to begin with. Godfather raised me like his own child, and the villagers also treated me very well. Now, I have killed a god to repay their kindness, and I’ll leave to keep them safe. Once I’m gone, I’ll never return!

“Hey!” another called out to him.

Following the sound, Xu Ying saw the large black-and-white snake that he had captured poking his head out from a willow tree by the roadside. The snake was looking down at him.

Xu Ying glanced at it, but he just kept going.

“Xu Ying, wait for me!” The snake demon hurriedly descended the tree and slithered after him. He laughed. “You killed a god. You’re in trouble now! Let me tell you, all the gods near Lingling County are under the city god. Once he finds out you killed one of his, there’s no way he’ll let you off! You won’t be able to hide anywhere in this vast world!”

Xu Ying just kept walking, ignoring the snake demon.

Unfortunately, this was not their first endurance competition. Back in the mountains, Xu Ying had chased the snake for three days and nights before finally wearing him down and capturing him. Now that the snake had decided to stick to him, shaking him off would not be easy.

Following him, the snake demon smiled. “The government office won’t let you off either, since you killed Chief Jiang! As you know, the government houses the world’s most powerful people, known as Exorcists. Let alone you or me, even the gods greatly fear those people and the exorcism techniques they wield.”

Xu Ying couldn’t help but frown at the mention of Exorcists.

It was stated in the Offices of Summer chapter of The Rites of Zhou[1] that those who unlocked Secret Troves and communicated with heaven and earth, commanded ghosts and spirits, and drove away plagues and demons, were called Spiritists. They later came to be known as Exorcists.

Through the ages, the imperial courts had put Exorcists in important positions, selecting the most outstanding among them to serve as officials in various prefectures, commanderies, and counties.

For the common people, the governmental Exorcists were even more terrifying than gods and demons. They would rather provoke gods and demons than provoke an Exorcist official.

If they provoked gods or demons, getting murdered was the worst that could happen to them. Not even death could save them from punishment for provoking an Exorcist.

“The government office will surely send an Exorcist after you. You’ve offended both gods and Exorcists. You are dead meat!” The snake demon chattered endlessly.

Xu Ying roared angrily, “I’ll turn you into snake jerky if you keep following me!”

The snake demon chuckled. “And then what? Give the jerky to the government as tax payment? You’re a walking death sentence. Going to the government office means walking right into the lion’s mouth.”

Xu Ying hastened his pace, but no matter how fast he walked, he couldn’t shake the snake demon off. In the end, he forced himself to be patient. “What do you want? Why are you following me?”

The snake demon grinned so widely that the corners of his mouth almost reached his ears—no, wait, snakes didn’t have ears. Anyway, he smiled. “I want you to teach me the Elephant-Bull Demon Fist.”

Without stopping, Xu Ying exclaimed in surprise, “Teach you? I’ve barely started practicing it, and it’s your family legacy. Why would you need me to teach you?”

The snake demon fell silent for a moment. He then replied, “I’ve practiced it for a hundred twenty years, yet I’m still only at the third level. Neither my father nor my grandfather ever reached the fourth level.”

Losing his patience, Xu Ying retorted, “You have no hands or feet! It only makes sense that you couldn’t master it. Stop following me!”

The snake demon chuckled. “In this vast world, is there any place you can go? My Qinyan Cave, however, is a good hiding place.”

Xu Ying’s eyes lit up. He smiled. “Brother Snake, Big Brother Snake, which way is it to the Qinyan Cave?”

***

On the first day of the month, Lingling’s city-god temple happened to be holding a market fair. It was bustling with activity, with many worshippers offering sacrifices to Xue Lingfu, the city god.

Just like his peers, Xue Lingfu had awoken from his statue, becoming a body of flesh and blood to enjoy the incense and sacrificial animals.

However, out of nowhere, a wisp of green smoke rose from the ground and turned into a two-chi-tall earth god. He scurried over, jumped onto Xue Lingfu’s shoulder, and whispered into his ear.

Xue Lingfu flew into a rage, bellowing, “Killing an official of the Underworld Court is a violation of the law of heaven. This cannot be tolerated. Xu Ying deserves death for his crime! Relay my order: all great and minor gods of Lingling County’s eight hundred mountains, five hundred waters, and twelve hundred villages and towns are to search for Xu Ying and execute him on the spot to serve as a warning to the others!”

“Wait a moment!” someone called from outside the temple.

Xue Lingfu looked toward the source and saw Zhou Yang, the county magistrate of Lingling County, storming into the temple with a group of officials in tow.

An official stepped forward. “Xu Ying is one of the living. He committed a crime by killing Chief Jiang. Naturally, he should be judged by the laws of the living. This case falls under the jurisdiction of Lingling County’s government office! City God Xue, please retract your order!”

Xue Lingfu sneered coldly. “Xu Ying killed a god of the Underworld Court and violated our laws. He should be judged by the laws of our court! Magistrate Zhou, please leave.”

Zhou Yang laughed out loud, then flung his sleeves and turned to leave. At the temple entrance, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Ever since the Prince of Dongping’s rebellion, the Underworld Court has been nibbling away at the world of the living. Little by little, it reaches farther and farther! But Lingling County is still my clan’s territory. The Underworld Court can forget about laying its hand on it! Men!”

His subordinates bowed simultaneously.

Zhou Yang’s expression turned cold as he ordered, “Bring Xu Ying back to face judgment for his crimes. If he resists, or if anyone—be it man or god—tries to interfere, kill them without mercy!”

“Understood!” the officials replied and left.

Xue Lingfu snorted coldly and waved his hand. Understanding the city god’s intentions, the earth god on his shoulder immediately jumped off. He turned into a wisp of green smoke and seeped into the earth, tailing Zhou Yang.

Before long, Zhou Yang arrived at Jiangjiatian Village along with his constables. Seeing them, the villagers were even more terrified than they would’ve been seeing a god. They prostrated on the ground one after another, not daring to raise their heads.

Zhou Yang and his constables walked past the kneeling villagers. He looked at the green-robed god’s statue on the ground with interest and reached out to compare the size of his own fist with the large hole at the statue’s head.

“A demonic art variation that enlarges the user’s body... A martial art, huh?” He chuckled softly. “Xu Ying is just a commoner, yet he practices demonic arts. Interesting.”

Zhou Yang waved his hand, sending his constables to go about their duties. Meanwhile, he sat on the back of a villager and asked gently, “Yubo, how’s the harvest this year?”

Jiang Yubo, Jiangjiatian’s village head, answered cautiously, “It was pretty good. We got three more dou[2] of millets than expected.”

Smiling kindly, Zhou Yang nodded. “How are the new crops?”

Jiang Yubo smiled obsequiously. “They’re growing well.”

Zhou Yang’s face suddenly darkened. He bellowed, “If the harvest is good and the new crops are growing well, then why is it so difficult to collect taxes from your village? Are you trying to make life difficult for me?”

Jiang Yubo just stared at the ground, not daring to speak.

Zhou Yang got up and snorted. “I’m not collecting taxes for myself! It’s for the imperial court! Could I eat a single grain of millet from you? Of course not! The imperial court pays me! Everything I eat and drink is bought with my salary; I’ve never taken anything from common people like you!”

Jiang Yubo kowtowed repeatedly. “You are upright and incorruptible, Your Excellency!”

A constable came up, carrying scrolls of scriptures. He reported, “Your Excellency, Xu Ying has fled. I found these at his home.”

These scrolls were the guiding methods that Xu Ying had collected. He had left in too much of a hurry to bring them with him.

Zhou Yang picked up one of the scrolls casually and went through it. He was rather indifferent at first, but his expression hardened when he saw the annotations that Xu Ying had left on the scroll.

He rose to his feet abruptly, snatched the other scrolls, and skimmed through them rapidly.

Xu Ying had left notes on every scroll: concise comments on the strengths and flaws of various demonic arts, along with his own insights. The writing was sharp, precise, and astonishingly profound.

Meanwhile, the villagers didn’t even dare to breathe loudly.

“Being a godslayer is one thing, but to think he’s practiced demonic arts and even collected so many scrolls of demonic arts!” Zhou Yang was outright incensed now. “This scourge wants to cause chaos across the lands. He’ll definitely become a huge threat if he’s not eliminated! You there, relay my orders to the others: don’t try to capture Xu Ying! Kill him on sight!”

The constables acknowledged their order and swiftly departed Jiangjiatian to track down Xu Ying.

The villagers exchanged looks with one another. Was the person that Zhou Yang had described still the softie Xu Ying they were familiar with?

***

Zhou Yang brought the scrolls back to his government office.

In the courtyard behind the government office, an elder sat under a pavilion, sipping tea. Zhou Yang placed the scrolls Xu Ying had annotated beside the elder and stood respectfully to the side.

The elder picked up one of the scrolls and looked through it, chuckling. “These scriptures only explain Qi-Gathering Stage cultivation techniques for demons. There’s nothing beyond that. Why did you bring them here, Yang’er[3]?”

Zhou Yang quickly replied, “Please look at the annotations at the end, Father.”

Zhou Yihang, the elder, was surprised. He unrolled the scroll all the way and, upon finding Xu Ying’s notes, turned serious. Swiftly, he read through a scroll, picked up another, read through it, and then picked up the next!

In no time, he had read through all the scrolls. With a grave expression, he commented, “Whoever annotated these scrolls has an extremely profound understanding of demonic arts. Even the elders of our clan who specialize in this field may not be a match for him! Where did you get these scrolls from? And who annotated them?”

“In the house of a fourteen-year-old snake catcher. It seems he’s the one who wrote the comments.”

Zhou Yihang looked up in astonishment, exclaiming, “A fourteen-year-old?”

Zhou Yang quickly explained, “He’s a snake catcher from Jiangjiatian by the name of Xu Ying. For some reason, he mastered demonic cultivation arts, slew the god that Jiangjiatian worshipped, and fled the village. He’s currently on the run. I went to investigate and found these scrolls.”

Zhou Yihang rose to his feet with a look of sheer disbelief. “To research demonic arts, our clan’s elders even went as far as venturing into forbidden zones and excavating ancient grotto residences. We’ve lost many men during these explorations, yet their insight may still not equal that of this fourteen-year-old snake catcher! Yang’er, you must find him and bring him back alive!”

Zhou Yang replied cautiously, “The city god is also pursuing him. I’m afraid he’d fall into the city god’s hands, so I gave the order to execute him on sight.”

“Xue Lingfu?” Zhou Yihang’s expression darkened a little more. After a moment of hesitation, he concluded, “Indeed, it’s better to kill him than let him fall into the city god’s hands. What a pity, such talent... Since the city god has been alerted, I’d handle this matter personally. It’d be for the best if we could capture him alive. If not, I have to kill him with my own hands. The city god must not catch him!”

Zhou Yang bowed.

Zhou Yihang left swiftly.

Zhou Yang straightened up, revealing a look of confusion. He murmured to himself, “Are demonic cultivation arts really that important? Why do our clan’s ancestors and elders care so much about them?”

The ancient era was too distant, and few written records remained. There was little information about how people cultivated back then.

In the present age, humans mainly cultivated to unlock their Secret Troves. There were six of these in the human body, and unlocking just one of them allowed one to become an Exorcist, gaining unimaginable abilities.

The Zhou clan was one such lineage of Exorcists, and they were one of the strongest in the world. Thus, Zhou Yang couldn’t help but find his ancestors’ research into demonic arts bewildering.

He had heard some rumors circulating among his clansmen that the elders were conducting some mysterious research using demonic arts. Some even claimed that these held the secret to immortality! Unfortunately, as an outer member of the clan, he had no access to such information.

He thought, The elders being curious about demonic arts is one thing. The city god is a god of the underworld, so why does he care just as much?

***

While the villagers of Jiangjiatian were busy cleaning up the aftermath of the fight, a wisp of smoke rose from the ground at Xu Ying’s house. The nearby earth-god temple’s earth god, a short being donning a tall hat and carrying a deer-headed staff, emerged from it. In his hand was a scroll.

He had actually been in the area the whole time. When the constables came to search and investigate earlier, he had seized a scroll and frantically hid underground, afraid of being discovered. He only dared to show himself after they left.

The earth god, who was not even two chi tall, unfurled the scripture with a whoosh. He browsed through it as he stroked his beard, his head swaying back and forth. Finally, he dismissively said, “Nonsense! Xu Ying’s annotations make no sense! I’ll bring it to the city god and show him!”

With the scroll in hand, he dove underground and disappeared.

Shortly afterward, in Lingling County’s city-god temple, Xue Lingfu unfurled the scroll that Xu Ying had annotated. As he read through it, his expression changed slightly. He suddenly clamped it shut.

“These notes are Xu Ying’s? Such profound insight!”

He instructed, “Relay my orders to the gods in Lingling County’s vicinity immediately: capture Xu Ying. Do not kill him. I want him alive!”

The earth god hurriedly replied, “Most of them have already left their shrines to search for Xu Ying. It would be difficult to notify them now. Moreover, the Exorcists under Magistrate Zhou have also set off looking for him!”

Xue Lingfu furrowed his brow. He rose from his shrine and walked out, saying indifferently, “Forget it, I’ll go myself. This matter is of great importance. If the Zhou clan also wishes to seize him, then I have to make sure that even if he dies, his corpse won’t fall into their hands!”

1. A Chinese work on bureaucracy and organizational theory. “Offices of Summer” is one of six chapters of the work. ☜

2. Traditional unit of measurement that has been officially standardized to 10 liters. ☜

3. The ‘er suffix is also a term of endearment. ☜