T/N: Translated by Uhei and Cyrrene
At sunrise, the three armies of Great Zhou were standing outside Black Frost City, and the armor was bright and cold with the night wind. The black and white spirit-calling flags were fluttering in the wind, and all about floated paper money in the sky. It should be the victorious return of the living to court after the great victory, but at this moment, this slice of heaven and earth had become a banquet for the souls of the dead.
Long Xuan stood together with Luo Qi; he raised his head and looked towards the city wall. Luo Wei was standing on the city wall. At this moment, that person (Luo Wei) was just looking at the distance intently; it was unknown what he was thinking.
When the first ray of sunlight appeared on the distant horizon, the monks’ chanting sounded immediately.
Grandmaster Fuyi sat cross-legged in the mud under the walls of Black Frost City with his eyes slightly closed and his hands clasped together. Apart from his disciples, no one could understand the Buddhist scriptures he chanted, but no one dared to interrupt his chanting.
In the process of this Buddhist rite, an old woman sang the song of the Great Zhou funeral to send off spirits, in harmony with the chanting of the scriptures.
A huge spirit-gathering banner flicked across Luo Wei’s cheek, and the singing voice was quiet and distant, making people a little confused between reality and illusion. Luo Wei was fascinated by it. This song was very similar to the nursery rhyme when his milk-nanny coaxed him to sleep, allowing him to smile knowingly in his sleep. Listening to this singing, standing high up on the city walls, Luo Wei’s heart found temporary peace. Luo Wei believed at this time, that the souls of the countless dead buried under Black Frost City over these hundred years could follow the sounds of singing all the way, and return to their homeland thousands of miles away.
“Kneel!” A monk shouted.
Luo Wei knelt down with the people, praying piously for the undead who would still be wandering in this place this morning.
“Cross over the city in front of you, and go all the way south, it is the homeland,” Long Xuan stood up and said to the wilderness in front of him: “Black Frost City has returned, your souls can rest and return, go back!”
Luo Wei looked down at Long Xuan below the city wall; this person was representing his (LX’s) family that was revered above all others, expressing gratitude and comfort to these soldiers who died in the war for the country. Long Xuan was also pious at this moment, his eyes were clear. Facing many undead, Long Xuan seemed to hide the desires in his heart one by one, leaving only gratitude and respect.
“His Highness seems to be different today,” Ning Fei said, standing beside Luo Wei.
Luo Wei said: “He respects heroes, and among those whose bones have been buried here, who is not a hero?”
“Including those little soldiers?” Ning Fei asked.
“They died for the country. What is the difference between a general and a soldier?” Luo Wei reached out and caught a note of paper money that flew to the top of the city. “There are no young and old on the path to the afterlife1, there probably won’t be any segregation between the low-born and high-born.”
There is an army coming over there,” Long Shi, who was guarding Luo Wei’s back, yelled while pointing to their true north.
“It’s the Northern Yan Army,” Ning Fei’s face changed slightly.
“My eldest brother should already have made arrangements, the Northern Yan Army can’t rush over here,” Luo Wei said as he looked at the Northern Army cavalry coming down from Black Frost City.
“Sima Qingsha came in person,” Ning Fei said to Luo Wei after seeing the people under the Northern Yan Commander’s banner: “This person is here to seize Black Frost?”
“Just those few soldiers of his?” Luo Wei also saw Sima Qingsha, and mentally counted the cavalry that Sima Qingsha had brought. There were only a thousand people. “This person may have come to ask about Mo Huan Sang and Sima Zhuxie,” Luo Wei guessed.
Ning Fei didn’t go down to the city. At Luo Qi’s signal, he wanted to keep the tower safe.
The three armies under the city were in a commotion, but Grandmaster Fuyi, the monks, and the old woman singing the spiritual song were unmoved, as if they hadn’t heard the horseshoes of the Northern Yan army approaching.
A branch of the Yunguan iron cavalry blocked Sima Qingsha’s path.
Sima Qingsha also stopped his advance, and quietly watched Great Zhou’s soul-calling ceremony.
Long Xuan didn’t get on his horse until he had done what he should do. He urged the horse to come to Sima Qingsha, sat down, and held out a wrapped fist in greeting to Sima Qingsha, saying, “What is the purpose of Prince Qingsha coming here?”
Sima Qingsha said: “Your wish is achieved, should I say congratulations?”
Long Xuan said: “Black Frost City is the city of my Great Zhou, Prince Qingsha doesn’t have to be happy for my Great Zhou.”
“You caught Zhu Xie,” Sima Qingsha stopped talking nonsense with Long Xuan, and asked Long Xuan directly: “Where are Zhu Xie and Mo Huan Sang now?”
“I don’t know about this,” Long Xuan said: “The two may be dead, or maybe they’re still alive, but they’re not here with my Zhou army.”
“You really don’t know?”
“I wiped out the Black Frost’s Mo clan,” Long Xuan said: “I also don’t want Mo Huan Sang to live, if this person is still alive, wouldn’t he want to chase after me to avenge the great enmity of genocide?”
Sima Qingsha smiled, “It seems that I had bad luck this time, and even thought the Second Highness would have a bit of kindness.”
“Then I will kindly remind Prince Qingsha of one thing,” Long Xuan said: “You have to be careful of Yang Yuansu, this man’s ambition is too great, I’m afraid he will be a disadvantage to your territory of Northern Yan.”
“Thank you,” Sima Qingsha raised his arms and stopped the generals behind him who were infuriated and wanted to rush over and brawl with Long Xuan, “I will go back now, and I will deal with Eastern Shang’s Yang Yuansu, I won’t trouble your Second Highness to worry on my behalf.”
“I won’t send you off,” Long Xuan grasped his other fist in a salute again.
Sima Qingsha looked at Black Frost City not far away, which was far away from Hefang City. Sima Qingsha had grown to such an age and yet he’d only come to Black Frost City three times. Before this city belonged to the Sima family, he didn’t think it was so good that the bricks of this city were all black, and he had never taken a proper look at this city. Now that Black Frost City was in the hands of the Long clan again, Sima Qingsha realized how precious Black Frost City was, such that he was willing to trade his life for it. But, Sima Qingsha smiled bitterly, even if he threw away his life here, he could not exchange it for Black Frost City’s return.
“If Your Highness can’t let go of this city,” Long Xuan said from opposite Sima Qingsha: “I can order a painter to draw a picture of Black Frost City for you, to comfort Prince Qingsha’s longing?”
“Second Highness,” Sima Qing Sha said to Long Xuan: “This incident was because my Northern Yan had internal strife, it was not defeat at your hands.”
“Then this Black Frost was decided by the fate of heaven,” Long Xuan said.
“There is still a person, Luo,” Sima Qingsha wanted to say Luo Wei, but his eyes returned to the person he had just seen.
“Sima Qingsha has spotted you,” Wei Lan said to Luo Wei at the top of the city wall.
“Really?” Luo Wei, who had been paying attention to Grandmaster Fuyi under the city, looked at Sima Qingsha not far from the city, and said to Wei Lan, “If he has spotted me then so be it. I don’t want others to be mistaken that I’m already dead.”
Sima Qingsha recognized it at a glance. The young man in brocade clothing standing at the top of the city wall was Luo Wei. The first reaction was a lightness in his heart, and then it became unquellable flames of rage.
Long Xuan turned around and looked at him, and said, “Did Prince Qingsha see Luo Wei? He returned to camp safely, but he was only a little tired and not injured.”
Sima Qingsha turned around and left, not wanting to look any more.
“If Your Highness wants to, I can ask Luo Wei to come down to talk to you,” Long Xuan still did not let Sima Qingsha pass.
“Long Xuan,” Sima Qingsha stopped again and faced Long Xuan said, “Fengshui2 turns around in cycles, you don’t have to be so arrogant and proud. After Luo Wei’s rise to a high position and wealthy recompense, what good will it do for you?”
“There is no need for Prince Qingsha to care about my matters,” Long Xuan sneered.
Sima Qingsha glanced at Luo Wei on the top of the tower again. He really did have looks out of a painting, a peerless appearance. Sima Qingsha turned and left, unable to put a name to the sensation in his heart.
“Your Highness,” Sima Qingsha didn’t go far, there was a man in a white plainclothes3, riding a horse to him, rolling off his saddle, and knelt down in front of Sima Qingsha’s horse.
Sima Qingsha recognized this person. This person was the personal servant of his father, Emperor Sima Changtian. “Why did you come? Why are you dressed in this clothing?” Sima Qingsha had already realized something in his heart, and pale-facedly asked the new arrival.
“Your Highness, His Majesty has died!” The person cried loudly.
Sima Qingsha’s eyes turned black for a while, “When did it happen?”
“His Majesty’s body was showing improvement, but after hearing the news that Black Frost City was occupied by the Zhou army…” The eunuch who came to report the passing cried so hard he could not form words.
Sima Qingsha rubbed his hand over his heart, feeling like he couldn’t breathe, thinking that he had to scratch his chest apart before he’d be relieved. Sima Qingsha grasped the thing in his arms, and the Prince of Northern Yan fell off his horse dead to the world, holding a string of beads of black jade and colored glaze in his deathly grip.
(T/N: He’s not actually dead, the phrase ‘dead to the world’ means he’s unconscious.)
T/N: I felt bad for Sima Qingsha here, I’ll admit.
1.黄泉路 – Road to Yomi, also known as Hell or the Afterlife.
2.Fengshui, the concept of karmic fortune or ‘energy forces’ that can be influenced by one’s orientation and the orientation of their possessions. Basically, geomancy.
3. 素缟 – Mourning attire made of rough white silk.
One reply on “R:DSAT Chapter 212 – An Ode to Call for Souls’ Return”
Thank you for translating! Hmm, were the string of jade beads the prayer beads Luo Wei lost? Did he lose it when he changed into the Northern Yan uniform while trying to escape back to his forces and the beads were later found by Sima Qingsha while looking through Luo Wei’s discarded clothes?