Ghost Baby, Temples, & Droughts

Book three starts with the end. The large nation of Xianle might be prosperous in the capital, but the area of Yong’an is suffering from a deadly drought. So, what is the martial god Xie Lian to do? Only to borrow the Rain Master’s hat and trekking back and forth to bring rain himself.

One man cannot keep a nation goin when they are on the brink of falling. Xie Lian’s efforts are for not, as he must watch the beginning of the end of his kingdom. A war breaks out after the class divide is put in the forefront. With the kingdom having banished the starving people of Yong’an, the people retaliate for the lack of compassion.

Everything seems to reach its peak when the ever annoying Qi Rong gets himself kidnapped, causing Xie Lian to chase after him (ever the good cousin, I would have left him to fend for himself). Thankfully, Xie Lian is not on his own, a skilled young swordsman refuses to leave his side.

After the scorn of the Earth Qi Rong, is sent off, Xie Lian’s cultivation is put to the test. When flower yao use all means of temptation, Xie Lian must resist giving in and destroying his purity, thus weakening his cultivation level. This scene demonstrates how dedicated he is to cultivation after he IMPALES HIMSELF ON HIS SWORD.

This first section focuses on the war that not only destroys the Kingdom of Xianle, but ends the good will Xie Lian has built up with his people. With the fate of the land changed by the actions of Xie Lian, a deadly disease sweeps through the kingdom, only effecting the people of the capital.

The burning of Xie Lian’s shrines are what wraps up this flashback.

Back to the present, Xie Lian is back in Puqi Shrine, with a tied up Qi Rong taking control of a father’s body. To take a break from the sorrow and destruction, we get a glimpse in an annual competition amongst the gods. Who will receive the most lanterns from their devotees? Obviously the God of Water and Wealth will be sent many, along with the other highly worshipped gods, but who would have thought that nobody god who has taken to scrap collecting would blow everyone else away with his donations.

Before Xie Lian can figure out what is going on, he is sent on a detour to deal with that pesky fetus spirit that he encountered back in book one. How else does one hunt down a vengeful spirit who is set out to attack others? By shoving a pillow under your shirt and pretending to be the pregnant concubine staying in the guest room of course!

Next challenge, how do you take on a quick moving spirit? Well, you first jump in the water to get away from it. Then you come up with the brilliant idea to swallow the spirt and then shove your sword down your throat. According to Xie Lian, this is by far the best and only way to deal with this situation.

Well Hua Cheng has better plans. Instead of risking his precious gege, just have his silver butterflies capture the spirit while he pulls Xie Lian out of the water. Hua Cheng’s protective tendencies jump out in this section, making sure that Xie Lian is okay and taking him back to Ghost City (because of course he would end up in Ghost City).

What better way to welcome Xie Lian back to Ghost City than to show him the Thousand Lights Temple (through no urge of Hua Cheng, he seems embarrassed of his infatuation). The shyness shown from Hua Cheng was so endearing, the big strong Ghost King didn’t want to upset the Crown Prince. My favorite part of this whole book was the adorable domestic section with Xie Lian (trying to) teach Hua Cheng how to write.

Of course, we couldn’t forget the main reason Xie Lian ended up in Ghost City. The fetus spirit.

The whole section with the fetus spirit seems like its there to progress the plot, so I worried that it would be forgotten. Have no fear, Paradise Manner catches fire and everyone remembers the whole reason Xie Lian ended up in Ghost City.

Some bickering happens, a little fighting, and a whole lot of suspense before the mother of the spirit is found and taken back to the upper courts of heaven. With the power the spirit holds, the father must be a powerful man, so the hunt in the upper courts to find the parent begins.

A lot of finger pointing happens here. You are the father! No wait, you are the father! Very quickly, her credibility freefalls as she picks man after man as her baby daddy.

Obviously, nothing can be done with this useless information. So, off to some holding cell while the gods find a mountain to shove her in. With all the business in the heavens taken care of, Xie Lian can peacefully return to Puqi Shrine.

The best way to wind down after a hectic workday is by having a nice meal. Puqi Shrine is filled with a god, a ghost king, and a pain in the ass ghost in a human’s body along with a child or two.

This section is a sweet domestic slice-of-life feeling with Xie Lian and Hua Cheng cooking a meal and even the spiritual weapons getting in on the fun. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. To wrap up book three, a nice meal is interrupted by the Wind and Earth Masters paying the shrine a visit.

The best subject to talk about over a meal is how you were cursed as a baby and have been running away from a deadly spirit that is hunting you down, and now, after years and years of being free, it has reared its ugly head once more. The Wind Master begs for help, he can’t go to his brother because of his upcoming challenges, so Xie Lian is his only hope.

Of course this book has to end on a cliff hanger. After just starting their journey, the group is thrown a curveball. The typical mode of transportation, teleportation, seems to have come across… an error and they now are standing in a run down temple of Water and Wind.