Chapter Thirty-Four: Heaven Forsaken

As Jiang Pingchuan manipulated the compass, a faint glow emanated from it, giving rise to a series of intricate symbols that slowly floated above the device. After spinning swiftly several times, the symbols shot directly towards the woman curled up beneath the quilt.

A few shrill screams came from the woman, then all fell silent. Jiang Pingchuan quickly reversed the direction of the compass, spinning it counter to its original motion. With a resonant hum, the compass began to whirl rapidly in the opposite direction.

Jiang Pingchuan reached beneath the compass, feeling around before opening his palm. Lying there was a tiny infant, no larger than his hand, grinning up at him as if clasping its fists in salute. With a slight smile, Jiang Pingchuan gently swept his other hand over the baby's body, then placed the sleeping child onto the spinning compass.

Sensing the baby's presence, the compass emitted a ray of light from its base. The infant's form gradually faded from the compass, while the once-flat quilt beneath began to rise in a swelling mound.

Seeing the woman's transformation on the bed, Jiang Pingchuan breathed a sigh of relief and retrieved the compass. The silvery aura that had surrounded him dissipated, and as he turned, he saw the doorway crowded with onlookers.

At some point, a group of people had gathered at the door, all staring at Jiang Pingchuan in astonishment. Some rubbed their eyes repeatedly, unable to believe what they had just witnessed: Jiang Pingchuan enveloped in a silvery halo, like an immortal descending from legend, wielding mysterious arts.

Jiang Pingchuan could easily guess what was running through their minds now—precisely the effect he had intended. He wanted to show them he never lied; what he saw was the unvarnished truth. He trusted his own eyes, which had never deceived him.

“Ahem, Daniu… Daniu… am I—?”

Wang Daniu’s wife threw off her quilt, looking around to see a crowd in her room, and at her bedside stood a handsome young man in white robes, smiling warmly at her.

Sitting up, she called for her husband again and again. Wang Daniu, tears brimming in his eyes, hurried to the bed, embraced his wife, and mumbled incoherently.

“Haha, young Pingchuan is truly extraordinary. Everyone, let’s leave the couple to themselves,” Zhou Fu declared upon seeing Wang Daniu’s wife unharmed, basking in sunlight. Once again, Jiang Pingchuan had proven his abilities—something Zhou Fu had never doubted.

He increasingly felt that Jiang Pingchuan was destined for greatness, that it was heaven’s design he had come to Sanjiang County. The thought stirred new plans in Zhou Fu’s heart.

After speaking, Zhou Fu stood beside Jiang Pingchuan, gesturing for him to leave first. Jiang Pingchuan returned the gesture, giving Zhou Fu a respectful nod. Just as Xiao Wu had described, Zhou Fu was warm and magnanimous—a truly good man.

The crowd made way for Jiang Pingchuan and Zhou Fu to exit first, then followed behind them into the courtyard. Now, the way they looked at Jiang Pingchuan was utterly changed.

Hearing rumors is one thing, but seeing with one’s own eyes is another. They had just witnessed Jiang Pingchuan working wonders, a far cry from Daoist Wu’s aimless mutterings and wooden sword waving. This was genuine power.

“Young Pingchuan is surely a divine man…”

“It’s hard to believe, but he truly possesses such profound arts. We are blessed indeed…”

“He is no ordinary mortal…”

The courtyard buzzed with discussion, all of it praise for Jiang Pingchuan. Who would have thought this fair-skinned, scholarly youth possessed such might? To these ordinary folk, who had never truly encountered the supernatural, Jiang Pingchuan was a figure of unfathomable mystery.

“Brother Pingchuan, Brother Pingchuan—!” Wang Daniu’s anxious voice came from behind as Jiang Pingchuan was speaking with Zhou Fu. Turning, Jiang Pingchuan saw Wang Daniu and his wife approaching, faces alight with emotion.

Wang Daniu’s wife, standing beside her husband, seemed at a loss for words. Wang Daniu patted Jiang Pingchuan’s shoulder, grinning sheepishly, unable to utter a single sentence.

“Brother Daniu, what is it you wish to say?” Jiang Pingchuan smiled at the couple. As they remained silent, he began to feel awkward, though the onlookers continued to marvel, glancing at Wang Daniu’s wife with her conspicuously rounded belly.

No one could fathom how, when she was said to be barren, Wang Daniu’s wife could now be visibly pregnant.

“Brother Pingchuan, Daniu has nothing worthy enough to repay you.” Wang Daniu took his wife Cuifang’s hand, exchanged a glance with her, and they both nodded.

With a sudden thud, the two knelt before Jiang Pingchuan.

“Brother Pingchuan, thank you… thank you!”

“Brother Pingchuan, all we have is gratitude, nothing of value to offer…”

“Ah, Brother Daniu, Sister-in-law, what are you doing? Please stand up. Fate brought us together, and it was only natural to lend a hand. I never expected anything in return.”

Jiang Pingchuan was startled to see the couple kneel, and hurriedly helped them up. Wang Daniu, eyes red, clung to Jiang Pingchuan’s hand, lips trembling in speechless gratitude.

Jiang Pingchuan understood their feelings. He had saved Wang Daniu’s wife with purpose, but not for the sake of material reward.

“Brother Pingchuan, I truly don’t know what to say. You are a remarkable man, a blessing to our family.”

Wang Daniu wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeve, the burly man looking as vulnerable as a child. Jiang Pingchuan patted his hand, placed Cuifang’s hand in Wang Daniu’s, and laughed softly.

“Young Pingchuan, what exactly happened with Cuifang?” Zhou Fu, standing beside him, eyed Cuifang’s rounded belly curiously. He hadn’t noticed the change earlier inside.

Jiang Pingchuan glanced around—everyone was watching him and Cuifang’s swollen stomach with intense curiosity.

“Sister-in-law was haunted by a ghost child, one with ties to the Daniu family. It died prematurely and could not reincarnate, so it returned to her. I performed a ritual to return it to her womb, allowing it to be reborn as their child. In this way, I fulfilled both the infant’s and the family’s wish—a wish of heaven itself.”

As he spoke, Jiang Pingchuan glanced up at the sky. Heaven’s wish? In truth, heaven would have dragged that ghost child into the cycle of torment. He had defied fate, overturning heaven’s decree by force. This was not the first time, nor would it be the last. In his heart, he held heaven itself responsible for all the tragedies that had befallen him.

“A marvel, truly a marvel…”

“Young Pingchuan is no ordinary man…”

“Heaven has blessed Sanjiang County, sending Brother Pingchuan to save us…”

“Brother Pingchuan, please name our child. His life was given by you; grant him a name.”

Cuifang looked at Jiang Pingchuan and spoke softly. Jiang Pingchuan nodded, closed his eyes in thought, and the crowd fell silent, eager to learn what name he would choose for Wang Daniu’s unborn child.

“This child’s fate I have reversed, returning him to the womb. Let him be called Wang Tianyun—rising to the heavens, treading the clouds, gazing disdainfully upon them.”

Opening his eyes, Jiang Pingchuan murmured the name to the sky above. The crowd considered the name and nodded in admiration.

“Wang Tianyun, Pingchuan’s cloud, heaven’s end.”

Jiang Pingchuan looked at Cuifang’s bulging belly, silently reflecting on the true meaning behind the child’s name.