Chapter 34

Returning to a Thousand Years Ago

In front of the Earth God Temple, Lin Qianyou, who had just returned from the Underworld, fell to her knees with a loud thud before the statue of the Earth God. Tears streamed down her face like broken pearls.

“Ah Fu! Let me go back again!” she cried and pleaded.

Ah Fu let out a long sigh, looking troubled. “Great deity, Great deity, that sword from the Divine Messenger nearly destroyed your soul completely. If not for the divine body’s protection, you wouldn’t have survived at all. Your divine power is too depleted now—you can no longer enter the Underworld.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Qianyou collapsed onto the ground, despairing as she murmured, “How could this happen… How could this happen… Why did he stab me… Why…”

Ah Fu gently approached her and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. “Great deity, killing is the duty of the God of Calamity. He wasn’t targeting you intentionally.”

The moment Ah Fu finished speaking, Lin Qianyou abruptly lifted her head, her eyes burning as she stared at Ah Fu. Her voice trembled with urgency. “What… did you just say?”

Ah Fu pressed its lips together, then guiltily lowered its head. “Great deity, there is something I’ve always been afraid to tell you. The truth is… the Divine Messenger is also a god. He is the God of Calamity of Yangcheng, the exact opposite of your duty as a guardian deity. His mission is slaughter, while yours is to protect.”

Lin Qianyou listened in a daze, and suddenly, a ghost story her older brother, Lin Bozhi, once told her surfaced in her mind.

So… it was all true?

Ah Fu continued, “A thousand years ago, the Divine Messenger slaughtered the entire city of Yangcheng. Back then, the Great deity was compassionate and wanted to keep him by her side to reform him. But his killings were too great—even storming into the Underworld and slaying countless ghost guards. Because of this, both the Great deity and the Divine Messenger were punished by the Divine Realm and the Underworld. The Great deity was banished to the mortal world, while the Divine Messenger was sealed beneath the Wangchuan River, becoming the God of Calamity.”

“So what? What does this have to do with Qi Shanglan now?!” Lin Qianyou’s voice was agitated, almost questioning. She didn’t care about grudges from a thousand years ago. She only wanted Qi Shanglan to be alive—what god, what divine envoy—none of it mattered to her. She wouldn’t mind not being one either.

Ah Fu was startled by her outburst and stammered, “G-Great deity, please don’t be angry… The Divine Messenger has only returned to Wangchuan to continue being the God of Calamity. Strictly speaking, he isn’t dead—he just doesn’t wish to remain in the mortal world anymore…”

Lin Qianyou froze.

Continue being the God of Calamity?

So that’s why he had stabbed her so mercilessly just now?

Her eyelashes lowered, and two more heavy teardrops fell to the ground.

No. No, that wasn’t it.

The person in the Underworld just now wasn’t Qi Shanglan.

He was clearly from ancient times, and his gaze toward her had been so unfamiliar—it was obvious that he didn’t recognize her at all.

“No, you’re wrong. That person in the Underworld wasn’t Qi Shanglan at all! Ah Fu, please, I beg you, take me to find the real Qi Shanglan… Please…” Lin Qianyou clung tightly to Ah Fu, burying her face in its embrace, her voice choked with sobs.

A long silence passed before Ah Fu finally spoke.

“Great deity, the reason the Divine Messenger became the God of Calamity was because he slaughtered an entire city a thousand years ago. If you can stop him from doing that, perhaps everything that followed can be changed.”

The person in her arms suddenly stopped sobbing.

Lin Qianyou slowly lifted her head and gripped Ah Fu’s arm tightly, forcing herself to remain calm. “Then how do I stop him?”

Ah Fu hesitated for a moment as if weighing its options, struggling internally before finally saying, “You need to return to the city from a thousand years ago and convince the Divine Messenger not to commit the massacre. If you can do that, then everything that happened afterward can be altered.”

Ah Fu took out the Book of Life and Death, flipping through its aged, yellowed pages.

“Ah Fu will write your name into the records of a thousand years ago. That way, you will be sent back to that time. However…”

“However, what?!” Lin Qianyou asked urgently.

Ah Fu’s eyes had unknowingly become misty. It struggled to suppress its emotions, forcing out a weak smile. “Great deity… do you truly want the Divine Messenger to return to the mortal world that much?”

“Of course!” Lin Qianyou answered without hesitation.

Her certainty made Ah Fu pause for a moment. It gazed at her for a long time, yet, for some unknown reason, its tears suddenly began falling uncontrollably.

“Why are you crying?” Lin Qianyou frowned, an uneasy feeling creeping into her heart

Ah Fu wiped his tears with his small hands, forcing a smile. “It’s nothing, Great deity. I just want to remind you—war rages in that era, and danger lurks everywhere. If you encounter trouble, call my name. I will immediately erase your name from the Book of Life and Death. That way, your soul can escape your body. But you must enter the Yellow Springs and reincarnate within one hour—otherwise, you will never be able to return, and your body will become a corpse, just like the Divine Messenger.”

“One hour? That’s two hours in modern time, right?” Lin Qianyou asked calmly.

Ah Fu nodded. “Yes.”

“Alright, I understand.” Lin Qianyou’s voice was firm. “Write my name down now.” She urged him on.

Ah Fu picked up the brush and carefully wrote Lin Qianyou’s name on the old page. Just as he finished the last stroke, he suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with reluctance and warmth.

“Great deity… Ah Fu is truly honored to have been your temple’s fortune child.”

Lin Qianyou was momentarily stunned by his unexpected words. She looked at Ah Fu in confusion. “Why are you saying this all of a sudden?” Then, as if realizing something, her eyes widened in shock. “What do you mean? Are you hiding something from me?”

Ah Fu shook his head, masking his emotions with a forced smile. “No, Great deity. Ah Fu was just… just touched by your bond with the Divine Messenger.”

With that, he made the final stroke.

The next moment, Lin Qianyou lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

The night was like a veil, and the moonlight like flowing silk, casting its cold, silent glow over the two of them.

Ah Fu gently set down the Book of Life and Death along with the brush, then knelt beside Lin Qianyou, reaching out to caress her cheek. Tears shimmered in its eyes as it murmured softly, “Great Deity, Ah Fu will wait for you.”

“Wait for you to see Ah Fu one last time.”

—

The night was dark as ink, the flickering candlelight within the military tent casting a dim golden glow.

A large sheepskin map was spread out on the wooden table, meticulously detailing mountains, rivers, cities, and fortresses. The ink varied in depth, marking strategic points.

Before the table stood a young general, clad in a long black robe that accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Subtle embroidery adorned the fabric, faintly visible under the candlelight. A jade pendant at his waist swayed slightly with his movements, producing a soft, crisp sound.

He leaned forward, hands pressed against the table’s edge, his sharp gaze scrutinizing every detail of the map. The candlelight flickered in his deep eyes, casting perfect shadows across his chiseled features.

Outside, the wind howled, rustling the tent’s entrance. The candlelight wavered, yet the general remained motionless, his expression cold and unreadable.

“General Qi! Deputy General He!” A soldier rushed in, his voice urgent.

“What has you so flustered?” The young general turned his gaze toward him.

The soldier stammered, “It’s… it’s…”

Deputy General He Chuanan impatiently smirked. “What is it? Don’t tell me the Lord of Yangcheng has finally surrendered?” He scoffed, full of disdain.

“N-no… it’s… a woman outside the tent… She insists on seeing the General.”

“A woman?” He Chuanan raised a brow, then turned to Qi Shanglan with a teasing grin. “Seems like you have another admirer. How many debts of romance have you left unpaid?”

The soldier hesitated before whispering, “She claims… to be General Qi’s fiancée. Her name is Lin Qianyou.”

“Fiancée?!” He Chuanan nearly stumbled, his teasing smile vanishing into sheer shock.