Chapter 52: King Shang Qin!

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“There's a story?”

Chu Tian looked at Wang Dali. “Would you mind telling me about it?”

“Do you want to hear it?” Wang Dali asked after drawing a breath.

Chu Tian nodded.

“Actually, I was just an ordinary member of the Shang City Righteous Dao Alliance,” Wang Dali said. “Back then, the man in charge was Qin Zhong, a genuine cultivator trained by the Kunlun Immortal Sect. His cultivation was extraordinarily powerful. With him there, nearly every supernatural disturbance in Shang City was suppressed, and none of the cultivators there dared disobey him. So they gave him a rather childish title—the Shang Qin King. It meant that Qin Zhong was the acknowledged king of Shang City. As long as he gave an order, no cultivator in the city would dare refuse.”

“What happened afterward?” Chu Tian asked.

“You know Shang City is an ancient capital, right?” Wang Dali said.

“The ancient capital of seven dynasties.” Chu Tian nodded.

“Fifteen years ago, a Ghost Emperor awoke in Shang City,” Wang Dali said. “Not an ordinary Ghost Emperor, either, but one who had truly been an emperor while alive. Do you know what it means when an ancient ghost like that awakens?”

“Disaster for all living things!” Wang Dali continued. “He had been an emperor in life, and he would remain one in death. Once such beings awaken, Shang City becomes the first territory they seek to reclaim. Countless lives would perish, sacrificed to summon the vast army meant to accompany him into the grave. At the time, Captain Qin appealed to the authorities for help, hoping they would send reinforcements. Unfortunately… before help could arrive, the Ghost Emperor’s awakening was already imminent. So Captain Qin led us into the imperial tomb built by that Ghost Emperor while he was alive.”

“In that battle… nearly the entire main force of the Shang City Righteous Dao Alliance was buried inside.” Wang Dali’s lips twisted into a bitter smile. “Ironically, I—the useless good-for-nothing—was the one who escaped, carried out by someone else.”

“So after Captain Qin and the others were gone, I was the only one left in the Shang City Righteous Dao Alliance,” Wang Dali said. “I took over the Alliance here. You probably think it’s inappropriate for someone who cannot cultivate to lead it. But the peace of Shang City was bought with the lives of Captain Qin and forty-seven comrades from the Alliance. I didn’t want to entrust its safety to anyone else. As the sole survivor left behind by the Alliance, I refused to give up, and the authorities agreed to let me try.

“Fortunately, during that battle, many of the more powerful ghosts and monsters in Shang City joined the fighting in order to aid the Ghost Emperor’s resurrection. In the end, Captain Qin dragged them all down with him, and they were buried together in the underground palace. That is why the supernatural forces of Shang City have been in decline for all these years. There were a few troublesome new ghosts before, but fortunately, you appeared, Brother Chu, and solved no small number of headaches for me.”

“Now, fifteen years have passed. The cultivators of Shang City are no longer what they were back then. After all, I’m not Captain Qin.” A trace of helplessness and loneliness colored Wang Dali’s voice.

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“Honestly, Brother Wang, considering your aptitude, I think you’ve done remarkably well,” Chu Tian said.

“I’m beginning to wonder whether you’re praising me or insulting me.” Wang Dali glared at him.

“Take it as praise,” Chu Tian said. “Don’t worry, Brother Wang. I’m a member of the Righteous Dao Alliance now, at least in name. I’d like to see who dares refuse to listen this time.”

“Excellent!” Wang Dali grasped Chu Tian’s hand excitedly. “Brother, it’s all up to you!”

Looking at Wang Dali’s exhilarated expression, Chu Tian’s face stiffened. “Uh… why do I suddenly feel as though you’ve tricked me into this?”

“No, no, how could that be? Everything I said was true.” Wang Dali put an arm around Chu Tian’s shoulders.

“But the way you’re acting still makes me feel cheated,” Chu Tian said.

“Oh, don’t get hung up on the details. We need to look ahead. We’re almost there. If your big brother can’t keep the situation under control later, I’ll be counting on you, Brother Chu.” Wang Dali patted Chu Tian firmly on the shoulder. “Of course, if I can keep things under control, you can stand back and watch me show off!”

“Uh… so you’ve prepared for both possibilities?” The corner of Chu Tian’s eye twitched. “Brother Wang, you certainly are exceptionally prudent.”

At that very moment, the headquarters of the Shang City Righteous Dao Alliance was hosting a meeting. The conference room was already filled with cultivators from every walk of life.

There were quite a few of them, but they had taken their seats according to their cultivation levels.

Apart from the chair left vacant at the front for Wang Dali, a man and a woman sat on either side of the seat of honor.

The man appeared to be in his thirties. Dressed in a suit and wearing silver-rimmed spectacles, he looked refined and scholarly. Yet the moment he sat down, he seemed as cold as a block of ice, radiating an unmistakable air of “keep your distance.”

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His name was Wang Zhong, and he was a veteran cultivator who had long been famous in Shang City. He rarely meddled in other people’s affairs. On the surface, he was the principal of a martial arts academy, and he enjoyed considerable renown in Shang City’s martial arts circles. Although the academy had been the center of his life and he had not involved himself in the affairs of the Righteous Dao Alliance for a long time, many cultivators in Shang City still followed his lead.

As for Chen Meng, there was no need to explain her background. She was a fox demon who had survived the heavenly tribulation and an elder of the fox clan. Now that she was together with Chu Tian, her cultivation of the dual practice of yin and yang had also achieved impressive results. In terms of strength alone, she was indeed second only to Wang Zhong among everyone present.

Besides those two, there was also an old monk draped in a kasaya, his white beard hanging to his chest. He was Master Jiese, abbot of Bitter Meditation Temple in Shang City.

Farther back sat Master Lin, a Maoshan successor from Auspicious Pavilion.

“What is wrong with Wang Dali? He told all of us to hurry over, yet he himself is nowhere to be seen. What, is he amusing himself at our expense?” Wang Zhong removed his spectacles and took out a white handkerchief to wipe them. His tone was calm but distant, with a hint of disdain. “If there is no urgent matter, we’re leaving. My time is valuable. I have no intention of wasting it here.”

“I assume all of you have seen the video of Heavenly Water River,” Chen Meng said from across the table. “You can probably guess why Wang Dali summoned us. Can’t you wait a little longer?”

“Wait? Wait for his procrastination to pass?” Wang Zhong said. “Then again, Wang Dali’s chronic delay is hardly a recent development. If you work with him, sooner or later his procrastination will get you killed!”

“Wang Zhong, I had someone send you the message at two o’clock. The meeting was scheduled for half past three. It isn’t time yet.” Wang Dali pushed open the door and pointed to the watch on his wrist.

“The watch on your wrist says it’s already three forty.” Wang Zhong narrowed his eyes.

“It runs twenty minutes fast!” Wang Dali said. “Fifteen years ago… after Captain Qin spoke to me, I set it ahead…”

Wang Zhong gave Wang Dali a cold look, then folded away his handkerchief and looked down at the tabletop. “Say what you came to say. We’re in a hurry!”

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