Chapter 37: Death God's Aspect (Part 2)

  Yang Shuangfen shrugged and said nothing, putting the Death God away without giving it another thought. However, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the deep-seated fear hidden in Natalie's eyes, and he really couldn't understand where her fear came from. Natalie shuffled the cards again for the second time, Yang Shuangfen casually drew one, flipped it over, and even he himself felt that something was off - it was another Death God.

  This time, not only did Natalie's expression change greatly, but Su Yun and Cai Bing's faces also turned solemn. They stared intently at Natalie's movements, hoping to sense some hidden information from them. Yang Shuangfeng shrugged again and put the Death God away, saying lightly: "Let's try again, if it's still the Death God, then I'll admit it."

  Natalie's movements became slow and heavy as she shuffled the cards. When she placed the washed Tarot cards in front of Yang Shuofeng, the other four women couldn't help but gather around, including Su Yunruo. Yang Shuofeng also felt the awkward atmosphere, closed his eyes, took a deep breath of cold air, and suddenly made a forceful move, pulling out a card from the Tarot cards.

  "Ah!" The four women let out a simultaneous shriek of surprise and terror.

  Yang Shuangfeng felt unwell, but still calmly opened his eyes.

  The third tarot card is still Death.

  In an instant, he felt a chill run through his entire body, as if a cold wind had swept past, leaving him with a slightly eerie feeling.

  Su Rong and Cai Bing's expressions were extremely strange, as if everyone was holding their breath, afraid that the slightest sound would attract Yang Su's attention. Their eyes revealed fear and incredulity. However, the fact was right in front of them, and they had no choice but to believe it.

  Yang Shuangfeng himself did not expect to have drawn the Death card three times in a row. Although he didn't know exactly what the Death card represented in Tarot, it was undoubtedly an ominous sign. He tried to calm his emotions and asked in a steady voice: "What does the Death card represent in Tarot?"

  Natalie hesitated for a moment, then said in a trembling voice: "The god of death wears armor and comes to people's faces at night. Many people and things are hard to escape. Fortunately, when the sun comes out, the emperor appears and asks the god of death to leave. People can throw away everything that has lost its vitality and start life again."

  Cai Bingxiao said hastily: "He's not asking you about the meaning of the Death God, but what its appearance represents as an omen."

  Natalie said: "The upright interpretation of the Death card in Tarot is: the end of an event, intense change, remnants, farewell to the past, severance or defeat, habitual thoughts or techniques are no longer applicable, temporary separation. In simple terms, it's a dead person."

  Su Yun couldn't help but stare at Yang Shuang, afraid that he would make any unsettling movements. However, Yang Shuang didn't do anything, his eyebrows just twitched a few times. But Su Yun still let out an exaggerated shriek: "A dead person? Is it a ghost?"

  Natalie looked at Yang Shuang with a calm and collected expression, half-believing and half-doubting, saying: "It can't be explained like this, how could General Yang be a vengeful spirit? Is there such a thing as a vengeful spirit that isn't afraid of sunlight in this world?"

  Su Yun said coldly: "Maybe he's really a lost soul, otherwise how could he have drawn the Death God card three times in a row?"

  Yang Shuangfen didn't say anything.

  Finally, Lina also felt that it was unlikely. She hesitated for a moment and said uncertainly: "The reversal of the Death God means: new beginnings, starting again, breaking free from difficulties, rebirth, changing one's mind, and being reborn. Perhaps General Yang wants to start a new life journey."

  Cai Bingxiao clapped her hands and said, "That's right, it should be explained like this." She looked at Yang Shuangfeng with anticipation and asked, "General Yang, don't you think so?"

  Yang Shuangfen smiled wryly and nodded slightly. Cai Bingxiao also nodded, feeling relieved. However, only Yang Shuangfen himself was clear that the previous explanation suited him better, because he was indeed a wandering soul, a wandering soul from another world. It's just that such a strange thing, even if he said it with his own mouth, probably no one would believe it.

  The sound of horseshoes suddenly rang out urgently, heading in the direction of the setting sun. The real reinforcements finally appeared in everyone's line of sight. This time, it was Tang Zixu, the Governor-General of Fangchuan Dao. Yang Shuangfeng didn't have any information about Tang Zixu, but Su Xiangyu and Cai Bingxiang knew very well. Cai Bingxiang quietly told Yang Shuangfeng that Tang Zixu was one of the more reputable governors among the many local governors of the Tangchuan Empire, known for being honest and upright, with a clean reputation, loving the people like his own children, and deeply respected by the public.

  Tang Zixuan looked very young, even younger than the recently deceased Governor of Bao Ying Prefecture. He was a thin and pale man with sunken eyes that occasionally emitted an almost imperceptible glow. Yang Suofeng thought he looked like a walking corpse, but despite his appearance, he seemed honest and down-to-earth, although sometimes he appeared to be a bit pedantic. Yang Suofeng inadvertently noticed that Tang's official uniform had several patches in inconspicuous places, which was unusual for an official of his rank who should have been meticulous about his image. Nevertheless, Tang's appearance and demeanor won over Yang Suofeng's favor.

  Tang Zhi was not a person who liked to talk big. He silently and deeply bowed three times in front of the body of General Cai Yun, who had died unfortunately, without any extra words, but it was clear that it was sincere. For the captor's atrocities, he expressed indignation from the bottom of his heart. As for the care of General Cai's widow, although few words were spoken, every sentence hit the mark, making Su Yun'er cry again with a heart-wrenching pain, and even Cai Bingyun's eyes, who was usually calm, were filled with tears.

  Finally, Tang Zī expressed deep apologies to Yang Shǔ Fēng, and was deeply grieved by the misdeeds of his subordinate Mù Shùn Yīng. Not only did he not pursue Yang Shǔ Fēng's responsibility for murder, but he even proactively asked Yang Shǔ Fēng to forgive him and not make a big deal out of this matter. He avoided the crowd and spoke to Yang Shǔ Fēng in a low voice: "General Yang, although it is difficult to mention this, if this matter were to be exposed, it would seriously damage the reputation of Fangchuan Road and also affect... my own career prospects. I am truly sorry, please forgive me and let me handle this matter alone."

  Tang Zhi spoke with a sense of embarrassment, as if it was extremely difficult for him to say the words, but in Yang Su's eyes, this speech made him believe that Tang Zhi, the governor-general, was indeed an honest and sincere person, at least not a hypocrite. As for his concern about his own future, it was perfectly justified; if he had pretended to be nonchalant about it, it would have made himself feel uncomfortable instead. Therefore, without hesitation, he said: "Governor-General, sir, if you are willing to forgive my transgressions, that would be the best outcome; I just want to return to Menes as soon as possible and not bother with anything else."

  Tang Zidong immediately put his mind at ease, took a deep breath, and wiped away the cold sweat as he said: "In that case, I will arrange for people, horses, and carriages to be prepared right away, and we will send General out of Fangchuan Road as soon as possible."

  Yang Shuang said: "Thank you."

  Tang Zhi said with some emotion: "The situation in Menes is chaotic, and there is a risk to life at any time. However, General Yang and General Cai rushed there one after another, which is really admirable. Mu Shunying has no sense of the overall situation at all, it's really infuriating. If he weren't a member of the royal family, I would have taken him to court for trial."

  Yang Shuang said, "No need, one thing less is better than one thing more, I don't want to make things complicated."

  Tang Zhi's voice sank, and he said sincerely: "General Yang, to be honest with you, I don't think much of your trip to Menis. Unfortunately, I'm just a local official and can't interfere with the imperial court's decisions. Do you need any help? If so, let me do my best to assist you. Although the imperial court has decided to abandon Menis, as long as there is still a glimmer of hope, we cannot give up. You see, our Fangchuan Road doesn't have any special products, only a large slave market. If you need it, you can buy some strong and healthy slaves here, and after arriving in Menis, use your lord's identity to free them from their slave status, making them free people who can then join the army with justification. Although this may lead to criticism from some people, without a reliable army, how can we retake Menis?"

  Yang Shuangfeng was moved by Tang Zhi's sincerity and said slowly, "As for the recovery of Menis, I don't have a detailed plan yet. If I have time, I will go to the slave market to take a look. As for slaves joining the army, I need to consider it further."

  Tang Ziyu thought for a moment and said, "What about food? The grain yield in the Minis area has always been insufficient. Now that wars are frequent, production will definitely drop sharply, and grain reduction should be very severe. General Yang may encounter food difficulties later on. If General Yang needs it, just write to me and I'll think of a way to provide General Yang with grain. The quantity may not be much, but it's better than nothing."

  Yang Shuangfeng nodded and said: "Thank you for your concern, Governor."

  Tang Zixiu shook his head with a bitter smile: "Sometimes, I really don't know what the imperial court is thinking. How can they bear to give up the Minis region?"

  Yang Shuangfen was speechless.

  Tang Zhi didn't say much more, and the two of them seemed to have a feeling of regret for not meeting earlier. At this point, Tang Zhi ordered his subordinates to properly handle the scene, bury the bodies of the victims, and then put Cui Yan's body into a coffin that had been prepared in advance. He ordered them to set off immediately towards Bao Ying Fu, and they overtook Geshu Han's army of slaves in the second half of the night. When they arrived at Bao Ying Fu, it was already early morning on the second day.

  Tang Zhi, although looking lonely and miserable, was not a stiff person. He booked the entire Good Fortune Inn in Baoying Prefecture, arranged for everyone to stay there, and invited doctors to treat Su Yunfeng and other young women's colds, taking good care of them. When leaving, he solemnly instructed everyone to rest well during the day, and at night, he would personally come to pick them up for a late dinner to entertain them.

  Yang Shuang had been through hardships and didn't think much of it, but for Su Yun and the other women, having clean hot water to bathe in and exquisite food was the most delightful thing. Even Cui Bingyi couldn't hide her joy. After going through a life-and-death struggle, they were already physically and mentally exhausted. They hastily washed off the mud and dust on their bodies, changed into clean clothes, had an early breakfast, and then entered dreamland early.