Outside the Bone Temple, the Eight Banner Marshals saw the two corpses Xu Qing was carrying in his hand.
"Are these the treacherous rebels assisting the Shadow-eating Demon King?"
The marshal looked at the two corpses, their tear stains still visible as if they had endured great humiliation in life, and he was filled with wonder.
What exactly did Lord Xu do to them to reduce these two Martial Arts Grandmasters and rebel leaders to such a state?
Xu Qing nodded, as if he had taken care of a trivial matter.
"These unsightly worms lost all courage the moment the mysterious light inside the temple shone upon them."
"That mysterious light..." The Eight Banner Marshal couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know, perhaps there truly exists a divine relic beneath this temple, but for mortals like us, it seems we are fated never to encounter such divine fate."
The Eight Banner Marshal agreed deeply: "Lord Xu's humility and focus are truly admirable; not being tempted by the illusory prospect of divine fate is indeed commendable!"
Xu Qing smiled faintly, his demeanor as light as a breeze, seemingly possessing an insight into all the world's mysteries.
"My lord must be tired; why not return to the camp for some rest while we handle these corpses..."
However, before the marshal finished speaking, the transcendent aura surrounding Lord Xu vanished instantly.
"That wouldn't be proper! After all, I am the accompanying army physician. How can I allow other soldiers to handle such dirty and laborious tasks of corpse collecting and burial?"
As Xu Qing spoke of how a commanding officer should lead by example and share meals and lodgings with the soldiers, he carefully placed the two grandmaster corpses into a paper sedan chair, patting one of the corpses' upturned buttocks as if assuring it not to fear, for he would return soon.
The Eight Banner Marshal increasingly suspected that Lord Xu must have some peculiar hobby.
Or perhaps Lord Xu is simply being diligent and responsible...
Before returning to the camp, Xu Qing completely repaired the holes in the Bone Temple and, using the Mother and Child Needle Technique, mended the broken image of the Demon Exorcism True Monarch, placing it back on the shrine in the Incense Hall.
The Eight Banner Marshal looked at the statue, once again confirming the identity of the red-robed man.
It turns out this Bone Temple really is the residence of that man!
Then what does it mean that they drove him out of the Bone Temple?
Beside him, Xu Qing said: "The Bone Temple's statue was destroyed by the Cangyi Group rebels. We restored and refurbished it for him, so he ought to thank us, don't you think, Marshal?"
"Indeed."
The Eight Banner Marshal's expression softened, feeling for a moment that they stood upon the moral high ground.
After restoring the Bone Temple to its former state and collecting the corpses of the leader and Upper Envoy brought by Ji Lingzhou, Xu Qing sat in the paper sedan chair and headed back to the camp.
As they passed by the Yin and Yang boundary marker, the Yin Army halted. Xu Qing lifted the carriage curtain and saw the Demon Exorcism True Monarch, hand resting on the Treasure Sword, standing at the highest point of the boundary marker.
The last one standing there was the Many Misfortunes Ghost King.
Xu Qing stepped out of the sedan chair and let the Eight Banner Marshal lead the soldiers back first, while he went to the base of the boundary marker, looking up at the red-robed man above.
The latter also cast his gaze upon him.
"You won! I misjudged you; you truly are an upright gentleman."
A gentleman? Who?
Xu Qing couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't a compliment, but an insult to his zombie form.
"A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, and I am no gentleman."
Standing under the boundary marker, Xu Qing didn't accept the unsolicited compliment from the red-robed man, and continued: "However, one should not stand upon a dangerous wall either. Don't you find the place you're standing somewhat inauspicious?"
"Inauspicious?" The Demon Exorcism True Monarch frowned.
Xu Qing laughed, folding his sleeves: "As far as I know, the Many Misfortunes Ghost King of the Ghost King Mausoleum was buried atop this boundary marker three years ago."
"According to funeral practices, this boundary marker serves as a tombstone, with exceptionally fierce and malevolent feng shui. To stand upon it, well! That's something indeed!"
"But you, being a Ghost Exorcism Celestial Master, a Demon Exorcism True Monarch, shouldn't fear these feng shui tales."
"..."
The Demon Exorcism True Monarch's expression was a mix of embarrassment and contemplation; was it a curse or a warning?
"How did you know it is a tombstone?" The red-robed man suddenly asked.
Xu Qing chuckled: "There's an underground temple beneath the Bone Temple. Do you not know, with you being the Demon Exorcism True Monarch, guarding this place for generations?"
The red-robed man narrowed his eyes, saying cryptically: "Indeed! You are extraordinary; even I dare not enter that temple lightly, yet you not only saw it, you emerged unscathed. From whom have you learned, and what is your background?"
Xu Qing smiled but said nothing.
"Enough, I shouldn't have asked. You have your origins, I have my past; as long as there's righteousness in the heart, details like background are not that vital."
The red-robed man seemed to have come to some realization, smiling freely, he tossed the Ghost-slaying Treasure Sword, three inches wide and five feet three long, towards Xu Qing.
Below the Yin and Yang boundary marker, Xu Qing raised his hand to catch the sheathed Treasure Sword. The sword was much larger than an ordinary sword and weighed no less than a hundred pounds.
Yet compared to an axe used to split mountains, this sword could still be called nimble.
Surveying the ancient and unadorned Treasure Sword in his hand, Xu Qing couldn't help but look at the red-robed man with newfound respect.
Who would have thought this black-faced man really kept his word, giving away the Ghost-slaying Treasure Sword without so much as batting an eye.
"It's said the Ghost-slaying Treasure Sword was bestowed by the Yanluo Emperor. Why would the True Monarch dare to pass it on to me?"
The red-robed man looked out into the distance, a touch of wistfulness in his tone: "The Yanluo Emperor has already returned to the void. Even if I were to give you this sword now, it would not have been any different when He still ruled the Underworld."
Stirred, Xu Qing asked, "How did He return to the void?"
The red-robed man looked down at Xu Qing, speaking blandly: "You are not yet qualified to know that. This sword does not yet fully belong to you; I merely give you a chance to obtain it."