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Chapter 553 The True Seal of the Netherworld Palace
The night before last, there was a torrential rain. Yesterday morning, the prefectural government received news that most of Lixian County had been affected by the disaster, and even half of the county seat had been washed away by the flood.

The number of dead and injured has not yet been tallied; they have only requested relief from the government.

Lord Wei turned and left.

He was stopped at the door by the lady.

When Xu Yuan arrived, Wei Gang was nowhere to be seen; only Madam Wei was left, her back to the wall, wiping away tears.

Xu Yuan hurriedly asked, "Where is he?"

Madam Wei quickly wiped away her tears, turned around and sighed softly, "Let him go."

"How can you let it go..."

Madam Wei: "Lixian County has a population of 150,000. The disaster victims are displaced and there is a risk of a major outbreak of disease at any time. If we cannot provide timely disaster relief, there will be countless deaths and injuries."

He was practically begging me to kneel down. In just a short while, his eyes were bloodshot and his mouth was full of blisters. I…”

As Madam Wei spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again: "Let him go. If I stop him, he will hate me for the rest of his life."

Xu Yuan sighed, but didn't know what to say.

Even if it were me... I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to resist going.

But this also presented Xu Yuan with a dilemma: should he stay in the government office to protect Madam Wei and her son, or go to Li County to protect Lord Wei?

Xu Yuan gritted his teeth and said, "Madam, please pack your things and take the children with us to Lixian County."

"This..." Madam Wei hesitated. She knew that disaster relief work was complicated and busy, and if her husband took the family with him, it would damage his reputation.

Xu Yuan said, "Don't worry, I will make thorough arrangements."

……

Lord Xu stroked the carriage door and said many kind words to "Dreams Come True" before "Dreams Come True" agreed to settle Madam Wei and her son in the carriage.

If "Dream Come True" were willing, it would allow the mother and her three children to feel like they were living in a "free world," rather than being confined to a carriage.

Then, Xu Yuan selected Lang Xiaoba, Ji Shuangqiu, and all the martial arts captains in the Zhancheng Bureau, a total of 104 people, and chased after Wei Gang.

Within the Department of Purification, martial arts practitioners make up the largest proportion.

In fact, not only the Purification Division, but among all the cultivators of the Seven Great Sects, martial arts practitioners are the most numerous.

The Imperial Censor once said that martial arts is the most suitable path for ordinary people.

Martial arts practitioners, with their immense strength and physical prowess, are clearly capable of playing a significant role in disaster relief efforts.

After returning to Champa, Lang Xiaoba finally fully digested the artifact he had been using as bait, and his martial arts skills were successfully promoted to the sixth rank.

Surprisingly, he didn't actually go and beat Ji Shuangqiu up.

On the contrary, he remained quiet after being promoted.

When he arrived in Lixian to help with disaster relief, he secretly competed with Ji Shuangqiu.

Ji Shuangqiu moved a boulder weighing a thousand catties, and he moved a boulder weighing two thousand catties.

Ji Shuangqiu dragged thirty giant logs by holding the rope, while he dragged sixty.

What kind of temper does Ji Shuangqiu have? How could she possibly tolerate this?

So although the two didn't actually fight, they were secretly at odds.

After a long day, Ji Shuangqiu was exhausted and her hands were trembling as she held the large basin while eating dinner.

After eating, he lay down and fell asleep, snoring softly.

Lang Xiaoba was overjoyed.

I finally beat that woman for once!
After a day's work, Lang Xiaoba didn't really feel much.

The improvement in skill level has brought about an overwhelming advantage in strength.

But the next day, he saw Ji Shuangqiu, her face flushed, trying to move those two- or three-thousand-pound boulders just like him...

Lang Xiaoba suddenly felt a little strange.

It seemed that even after winning, she wasn't as overjoyed. He held back all day, making sure Ji Shuangqiu could keep up with his pace.

Xu Yuan was always on guard in secret, and even when there were large-scale disaster relief operations with many people, he would open "Wangming" to take a look.

In case there are assassins mixed in.

The assassins who came to the canal last time were fourth-rate, so the assassins who come next time must be third-rate.

Xu Yuan wasn't arrogant enough to say he could look down on all third-rate people.

They did indeed have a record of defeating third-rate opponents before.

He relied on a few third-rate craftsmen's items and third-rate sword pellets.

However, even among the three levels, there are strong and weak.

For example, Xu Yuan knew that he was probably no match for the third-rate subordinates of the Imperial Censor.

But after being careful for several days, nothing happened.

On the contrary, Xu Yuan would occasionally open "Looking at Fate" and unintentionally discovered a promising young man with a destiny among the disaster victims in Lixian County!
It was a little girl, only about eight or nine years old.

Thin and bony, with slender legs, and a pair of large, bright black eyes, she timidly tugged at her mother's clothes, hiding behind her.

Xu Yuan ordered someone to call them over and ask them a question.

The little girl's nickname is "Xian Niang," her surname is Xu, and she doesn't have a formal name yet.

Her mother's surname was Zhou, and she did not have a given name. She was the fourth child in her family. When she was at her maternal home, she was called "Zhou Si Niang" (Third Sister Zhou), and after she got married, she became "Xu Zhou Shi" (Xu Zhou Shi).

Their family lived at the foot of the city wall.

When the floodwaters washed away the city walls, his father desperately pushed his mother and daughter out of the house, but he himself was trapped inside and died.

Even in disaster relief efforts, disaster victims cannot simply eat without working.

While government agencies provide disaster relief, disaster victims must also help themselves.

But the mother and daughter were really weak, so Xu Yuan let them follow Liu Hu.

This time, Liu Hu won't be able to cook for his family members.

He organized a group of people and prepared a large pot of food for everyone.

The little girl's destiny is "Yougong Zhengyin".

This kind of destiny is naturally close to ghosts and spirits, making them one of the best candidates for spiritual cultivation.

Similarly, if it falls into the hands of some unscrupulous cultivators, it would be an excellent "furnace".

The little girl's mother was extremely grateful and tried to kowtow to Lord Xu, but Xu Yuan stopped her.

They already felt very guilty because they couldn't help much with the disaster relief efforts.

Now that I finally have work to do, I feel much more at ease.

With over a hundred martial arts practitioners as a vital force, the county's disaster relief efforts progressed rapidly.

Lord Wei Gang originally thought it would take at least twenty days, but it ended in just seven days.

For seven days, the heretics of the Repentance Sect did not appear.

Xu Yuan secretly wondered why the Repentance Sect shouldn't miss such a golden opportunity.

The night before returning to Champa, Xu Yuan asked Lang Xiaoba to call Xianniang and her mother over.

"I am returning tomorrow. I have summoned you here to ask if you would be willing to go to Champa with me?"

Xu Zhou hesitated for a moment: "We don't know how to do anything."

Xu Zhoushi had no doubt that the man before her had any ill intentions.

She herself was just an ordinary woman with rough hands and feet, and not particularly attractive.

My daughter is dark-skinned and thin.

The official in front of them was a benefactor to them, mother and daughter. Without his kindness, they would not have enough to eat.

She simply couldn't understand why this man was so kind to her and her daughter.

Xu Yuan asked, "Over the years, have you noticed anything different about Xiao Xianniang compared to other children?"

Xu Zhoushi immediately became flustered and stammered, refusing to answer.

Xu Yuan knew perfectly well what was going on and said, "Even if you don't say it, I know that Xiao Xianniang must have been able to see some strange things since she was a child, and she keeps bumping into some more as she grows up."

Madam Xu's face turned pale, and she looked up sharply at Lord Xu in surprise: "How did you know...?"

Xu Yuan continued, "At her current age, it's not a big problem, but if she gets older, the things she encounters will be extremely vicious."

But her... constitution has both advantages and disadvantages. I've taken her under my wing and taught her so she can have some self-defense skills.

Xu Yuan did not explain the "Yougong Zhengyin" destiny to the mother and daughter in detail, because even if he had, Xu Zhoushi would not have understood.

He could only use words that Xu Zhoushi could understand to tell her why he had taken a liking to Xianniang.

After thinking it over and over, Xu Zhou finally gritted her teeth and said, "Alright, we'll go with the adults."

She really didn't have a better choice.

My house collapsed, but the county government has helped rebuild it in the past few days.

But there was only one room, just enough to provide them with shelter from the wind and rain.

Moreover, the family used to rely entirely on her husband for their livelihood, but now that he's gone, Xu Zhou doesn't know what she can do to support her daughter.

The large group returned to Champa.

Lang Xiaoba and the others didn't understand why the adults wanted to bring the mother and daughter along, but Xiao Xianniang looked so pitiful that Ji Shuangqiu often took care of her along the way.

Whenever there's something delicious, they always think of saving a portion for the little girl.

But for some reason, Xiao Xianniang always seemed distant from her.

On the contrary, she is very attached to Xu Yuan.

Although Xu Yuan hadn't actually said more than a few words to her.

She always hid not far away, quietly watching Xu Yuan.

It seemed that as long as Xu Yuan was still in her sight, she felt very safe.

Otherwise, one will become overly cautious in everything they do.

Xu Yuan also noticed that he had recently gained another little follower.

Why do I say "again"? Because there was already a great blessing in the beginning.

The closer the group got to Champa, the deeper Xu Yuan's confusion became: Did the Repentance Sect really not intend to take action?
But Xu Yuan's heart was always in suspense.

He thought to himself: Why hasn't that person arrived yet?
Xu Yuan called in "strong reinforcements".

Logically speaking, more than ten days have passed since the disaster relief efforts began, so they should have arrived long ago.

……

At the bustling canal dock, another ship has come ashore.

Ji Hu carried a rattan box and pulled his hat brim low as he stepped off the boat.

The ship's destination was Luocheng, but it was already late, so it stopped in Champa for the night.

These types of cargo ships would occasionally pick up a few passengers along the way, earning whatever little they could.

Ji Hu strolled along the dock for a while, then looked up and saw a shop. He turned and went to the inn next door—and came out looking dejected.

There are no houses left.

At the major wharves along the canal, the best inns are usually booked in advance by the merchants who frequent the area.

This situation never happened at the Champa port before.

This place is not exactly a vital hub for waterway transportation.

But not long ago, Lord Xu and Princess Ruicheng cooperated on some business, which led to an increase in the number of merchant ships coming and going, making the inns at the docks very popular.

Especially the inns around Xu Yuan's shop, which are always full.

Ji Hu searched several more inns, all located two streets away, before finally finding an empty room.

He had the most detailed information about Xu Yuan in the entire Zhengzhou, so he knew that this business belonged to Xu Yuan.

The shop originally belonged to the Champa Canal Administration, but was later given to Xu Yuan as compensation.

Xu Yuan's information was leaked from the Department of Exorcism.

The Bureau of Purification was not a monolithic entity.

Ji Hu didn't want to go into the city. He would do something tonight to make sure that not a single person from Xu Yuan's business would be left alive!

They lured Xu Yuan out of the city and killed him, then continued westward, fleeing to India.

He went into the inn's room, placed the wicker trunk on the bed, exhaled a breath of stale air, and lay down on the floor.

Thinking about his current situation, Ji Hu was filled with indignation.

The Nine Clans Society had promised him that as long as he assisted King Yong, they would help him rise to the second tier.

The Nine Clans Society at the time presented itself as fully supporting the restoration of the Yong King.

He then listed numerous reasons to prove to him that His Majesty's true choice for the crown prince had always been Prince Yong. Otherwise, why hadn't His Majesty executed Prince Yong despite his subordinates' constant misdeeds over the years?

Ji Hu was not particularly interested in the merit of supporting the emperor; he only wanted to be promoted to the second rank.

Otherwise, why would he have helped King Yong and pulled Mr. Lin's soul back from the underworld?
As a result, his plan, which he thought was foolproof, was ruined by a minor law enforcement officer from the southern border region.

Even a third-rate cultivator like him couldn't hide his true power under the Emperor's thunderous wrath.

He sought help from the Nine Clans Society, but they arranged for him to escape.

How could he be willing to do that?
But if they don't leave, and the Imperial City Guard finds them, they'll only face certain death.

The Nine Clans Society assured him: "If you take care of Xu Yuan along the way, we will definitely hand over the resources for your promotion to second-rate status."

Ji Hu, who also wanted to get rid of Xu Yuan as soon as possible, agreed.

The Nine Clans Society assisted in the scheme, temporarily misleading the Imperial City Guard into believing that he was fleeing to Japan.

The sky gradually darkened.

The wicker trunk on the bed also changed from a dark yellow to a bright green!
Every vine came back to life.

He rolled over—

With a crash, everything turned upside down.

He went to bed, and the wicker trunk went under the bed.

Meanwhile, he was still in the mortal realm, while the rattan box had fallen into the mortal realm!

The vines, resembling strange snakes, were about to pounce towards the Xu Yuan Trading Company.

Suddenly, Ji Hu heard a knocking sound coming from downstairs: "Shopkeeper, shopkeeper, open the door! Are there any rooms left?"

That's a loud voice.

The sound was like a broken gong, but it was definitely a mid-stage performance.

Ji Hu frowned, and the vines temporarily lay dormant.

"coming……"

The shopkeeper reopened the door—without even realizing that it was already dark, yet he had opened the door without any precautions.

They didn't even ask a single question: Are you human or a monster?
That voice, as unpleasant as a broken gong yet full of mid-range emotion, seemed to inherently possess a trustworthy quality.

The innkeeper welcomed the man in and said, "We only have one superior room left, seven hundred coins a night. Would you like to stay here?"

"Wow, your room is more expensive than the inns in the provincial capital."

The shopkeeper laughed and said, "If you had come a few months earlier, the room in my little shop would have cost only four hundred coins."

"Alright, alright, it's getting dark, let's stay here. If you have any food, bring me the best, I won't skimp on your money."

The shopkeeper said, "We also have steamed buns."

"No meat?"

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yes, we do..."

"What, are you afraid I can't afford it?"

Shop owner: "It is indeed a bit expensive, and there are two pounds of beef included."

The man was overjoyed: "Cut it all up! And some wine, do you have any good wine?"

"Yes, there is jade ice shaved ice transported from Zhengzhou."

"Oh ho, you can still drink Yubing Shao in a small town like this? Is it authentic? Or is it a fake?"

"Sir, what are you saying? You seem quite knowledgeable. You'll know whether it's real or fake once you taste it. If it's fake, you can smash up my shop."

"Okay, come up quickly."

"Alright." The shopkeeper went to cut the meat and fetch the wine. "You've come at just the right time. This wine is from the business of Lord Xu and Her Highness the Princess. It was transported from Beidu along the way. If you had come a month earlier, you wouldn't have been able to drink it..."

Ji Hu heard the person enter the room, which was not next to his own, but at the end of the corridor in front of the door, more than five zhang away.

However, this person's arrival was too coincidental, and Ji Hu still felt that he should take a closer look first.

Then one of the soul-binding vines in the turbid chamber suddenly changed direction and headed towards the guest room of the newcomer.

He was a third-rate cultivator, but he had immense confidence in himself.

Even when he was being hunted down by the Imperial City Guard, he believed it was because the Imperial City Guard had "more people and more power."

He possesses unique magical abilities that allow him to penetrate the barriers between the three realms, enabling him to move freely between the mortal world, the corrupt world, and the underworld.

In the turbid room, the Soul-Binding Vine snaked through the air, heading straight for the new guest room.

In the mortal realm, a shopkeeper carrying a tray laden with beef, steamed buns, and a large jug of wine is also making his way towards that room.

Both sides arrived at almost the same time.

"crunch-"

As the door opened, the Soul-Binding Vine emerged from the murky room and burrowed directly into the table leg.

Ji Hu then noticed that the new guest's hair and beard were very unkempt.

He exudes a bold and chivalrous spirit.

Break open a fist-sized steamed bun, stuff it with several large slices of braised beef, and then eat it in a few bites.

After eating a steamed bun, he grabbed the wine jug and gulped down several mouthfuls, then opened his hoarse voice and exclaimed, "This really is authentic Beidu Yubing Shao, good wine, good wine..."

Judging from the way he was eating and drinking, Ji Hu was also hungry.

Then it dawned on me that I had been looking for an inn since I got off the boat, and I had even forgotten to eat dinner after I got in.

"After dealing with the merchant, I also asked the shopkeeper for a list of food."

Then it occurred to me: "Oh dear, I miscalculated! There were only two pounds of beef left in the shop, and this guy took it all. I'm afraid there won't be much left to eat..."

At this point, Ji Hu suddenly realized: Something's not right! How could someone so easily "empathize" with me, a nobody?!
From the moment he knocked on the door, this burly man seemed to make every move he made resonate deeply with those around him.

"This guy is suspicious!"

Although Ji Hu was surprised, he still had great confidence in his own strength.

He was no saint, and a wicked thought immediately arose in his mind: "We're going to make a profit tonight anyway, so I might as well take this man down with me!"

The vine that had been hidden in the table leg then stretched out.

The man was breaking open a steamed bun, stuffing braised beef into it with his chopsticks, and muttering to himself, "I've been eating too much meat lately, so it's been a bit of a struggle to poop. I need to add some vegetables..."

He suddenly beamed and looked at a piece of emerald green on the table: "Hey! Look, isn't this a vegetarian dish!"

Ji Hu watched helplessly as a pair of chopsticks reached out, growing larger and larger, and snapped the Soul-Binding Vine in two:
Click!

The vine that binds souls has broken!

The man sandwiched the piece of the soul-binding vine inside his steamed bun, chewing it with a satisfying crunch.

Ji Hu suddenly sat up in bed, cold sweat sliding down his forehead.

Although I didn't use my full strength with that Soul-Binding Vine, it was still a third-rate technique!
It was broken so easily; what level is the opponent?
Third-rate or second-rate?
Even if he's third-rate, he's still a third-rate person who restrains himself!
How could a third-rate cultivator easily appear in such a small place?
Ji Hu flipped over, and his whole body was about to disappear into the underworld. Run!
But in that room, the burly man had already finished a steamed bun and reached into the latrine.

"Eat more vegetables so you can poop easily tomorrow morning."

The group of monstrous, snake-like soul-binding vines were powerless against him and were completely torn away.

Ji Hu only managed to turn over halfway.

I was completely stuck there.

Half of his body is real, and the other half is blended into the darkness!
I'm just stuck here, unable to move.

The man seemed slow but was actually fast; he devoured the steamed buns and beef on the table along with a large clump of Soul-Binding Vine in no time.

He then wiped his mouth, picked up the remaining half-pot of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

"belch--"

He let out a long burp and then asked, "Are you all full now?"

Suddenly, something inside his stomach responded with a jumbled chatter: "I'm full."

"I don't want to be a vegetarian!"

"We should cut more meat tomorrow."

"Shut up! I need to maintain my figure, there's nothing wrong with eating more vegetables."

The man said impatiently, "Alright, alright, now that you've eaten and drunk your fill, it's time to get back to work."

He opened his mouth wide, as if blowing bubbles, gurgling, gurgling, gurgling...

Then it spat out five different ghosts.

These ghostly creatures floated lightly through the walls without disturbing anyone.

Upon arriving at Ji Hu's house, they gathered around the homeowner, who was trapped between reality and shadow, and burst into strange laughter.

Ji Hu's heart sank: If he's also a divine cultivator, then he must be a second-rate one!

One of the one-legged greedy ghosts pulled out a wanted poster from somewhere, carefully compared it with Ji Hu's, and then exclaimed with ecstatic joy, "Hahaha, I'm rich!"

It opened its massive maw, seemingly capable of swallowing the entire void in an instant—

He swallowed the third-rate cultivator whole in one gulp.

……

The disheveled man checked out as soon as it was light.

The shopkeeper had already calculated the amount: "One thousand two hundred and fifty cash. If you wish to pay in silver, you can simply give one tael and two mace."

The disheveled man raised his fist and punched his stomach twice.

Inside his stomach, the one-legged greedy ghost was beaten and screamed in agony, and half a piece of silver was pulled out by his handcuffs.

The silver coin was spat out of the disheveled man's mouth. He washed it clean in a bucket of water and handed it over, saying, "Change!"

If there was any extra silver, the rest of the money naturally ended up in the man's pocket.

The one-legged greedy ghost cursed and protested loudly from inside its belly.

The shopkeeper stared in disbelief, then shakily accepted the silver, weighed it with a stamp, and cut off the excess before returning it to the man.

After the man left, the shopkeeper, puzzled, tried punching himself in the stomach.

"Ouch—" It hurt, but no money came out.

……

The scruffy man, now rich, lavishly hired a horse-drawn carriage and drove himself into Champa.

Upon arriving at the office of the Exorcism Bureau, we got out of the carriage and walked straight inside.

Old Qin glared, slapped the scabbard, and his sword landed horizontally in front of the man.

"What are you doing? Don't you even know where you are?!"

The disheveled man grabbed his sword, stuffed it into his mouth, and ate it.

While eating, he said, "Go tell your parents that Eunuch Wang promised to bring the second-rate food."

Old Qin's legs went weak.

Fortunately, the two captains behind him caught him.

……

Xu Yuan's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing the news, and he rushed out to greet him.

This is the person he's been waiting for.

When I came back with Wei Gang, I stopped in Luocheng for a while.

Xu Yuan secretly contacted the commander, asking him to use the "Harmony Wheel" to inform Princess Ruicheng of Beidu. He also spent some money to ask the old eunuch in charge to send that second-rate person over as soon as possible.

We need to give the assassins of the Repentance Cult a "surprise".

The disheveled man stood swaggeringly at the entrance of the yamen, hands on his hips. He was already full of wicked thoughts, but now he was even more full of complaints: "We agreed on the Ghost Festival, but you insisted on making the eunuch urge me to come early. You, a mere law officer, do you even know what being a second-rate official means?"

He was going to stand here and say it, just to embarrass this little law master!

The dawdling along the way was, of course, due to my displeasure.

"I am not easy to please. I need a thousand catties of food every day, plenty of beef and little green vegetables, and the wine must be the Jade Ice Burner from Beidu..."

As they were talking, they suddenly saw a timid little tail following behind Xu Yuan.

His eyes immediately lit up with a strange light.

His aura was inadvertently revealed.

There were about twenty divine cultivators in the government office.

All the divine cultivators immediately felt that their Yin soldiers were like mice seeing a cat, running around in panic and trying to find a place to hide.

But it couldn't escape; after a few tumbles, it went completely limp.

"Hehehe!" The scruffy man suddenly put on a big smile, and without anyone noticing, he was already next to Xu Yuan, forcefully putting his arm around his shoulder: "But you, I felt an instant connection with you the moment I saw you!"

(End of this chapter)