Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 310 Prefectural Magistrate. (Fourth update!)

As night fell, the convoy did not rest but continued on its journey.

However, after nightfall, ghosts roamed freely, and to prevent any accidents, Lu Maohong rearranged the team's division of labor.

He himself walked at the very front of the procession to clear the way, while Zheng Que was placed at the very back. The other cultivators were simply divided into two groups to protect the "A" shaped carriage on the left and right.

In Lu Maohong's view, among the few surviving cultivators, he had the highest cultivation level and was familiar with the road to the prefectural city, so he should lead the way.

Zheng Que possesses a Soul-Summoning Banner and a ghost servant at the ninth level of the [Tongue-Pulling Prison], making him the strongest among the remaining cultivators. Therefore, placing him in the back to provide support is more reliable than placing him in the back.

Zheng Que naturally had no objection to this, after all, he was followed by the ghost bride of the Iron Tree Prison, so he didn't have to worry about any problems.

Next, the convoy traveled through the night.

Just like during the day, the night went very smoothly. Although various noises could be heard from afar, no ghosts attacked the convoy.

Night fell quickly, the east began to lighten, and a sliver of dawn appeared. Soon, the sun rose over the mountain ridge, and the sun shone brightly on the earth, and daylight returned once more.

The sounds of nature from all directions gradually subsided.

At this point, Lu Maohong moved Zheng Que to the front of the team.

"How did things go last night?" Lu Maohong asked as he hurried along.

Zheng Que calmly replied, "Everything is normal. We did not encounter any ghostly attacks."

Lu Maohong nodded, frowned slightly, and said slowly, "There are fewer people now, and our yang energy is not as strong as before. It's normal that we haven't encountered any ghosts during the day."

"However, it's a bit unusual that no ghosts appeared at night."

"Next, we need to speed things up!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que nodded and said, "Good!"

Therefore, Lu Maohong activated the array plate, directly increasing the speed of the corpse puppet pulling the cart to the maximum.

The next moment, the convoy's speed suddenly increased, and the cultivators all channeled their spiritual energy into their legs and began to run alongside the convoy.

Step, step, step...

The heavy footsteps echoed through the woods, rustling the leaves.

Time passed unnoticed, and four days went by. The caravan, traveling day and night, had an incredibly smooth journey, encountering no attacks from any ghosts along the way.

Another night passed, and the convoy finally left Yaotai Mountain.

Looking at the suddenly open terrain ahead and the rising smoke in the distance, Lu Maohong, who was clearing the way, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The rest of the team also relaxed.

The most dangerous section of the road has been traversed. From now on, they only need to follow the official road to reach the prefectural city!
The official roads, built by the imperial court and connected to the feng shui terrain, were far safer than mountain trails.

Soon, the convoy took a short rest on the official road, and Lu Maohong ordered them to continue.

After another day of travel, ghostly creatures began to appear one after another and started attacking the convoy.

These ghosts were only at the [Tongue-Pulling Hell] level, with low concentrations of Yin energy, posing no threat to Lu Maohong and the others. In order to improve the cultivation of his ghost servants as quickly as possible, Zheng Que always rushed to the front, and the number of ghosts he killed was the highest among all the cultivators.

However, Lu Maohong was in a hurry to deliver the taxes to the prefectural city and did not rest along the way. Although Zheng Que killed many ghosts, he could not find an opportunity to enter the underworld.

The convoy continued its journey, and another day passed in the blink of an eye.

Gazing at the sun rising again in the east, Zheng Que calculated the time in his mind, and his brows furrowed. There was only one day left before his calamity!

If he doesn't make it to the city today, he might have to face his fate in the wilderness!
Thinking of this, Zheng Que immediately looked at Lu Maohong, who was walking in front of him, and asked, "Senior Lu, how much longer until we reach the prefectural city?"

Lu Maohong fell silent for a moment. According to his calculations, they should have arrived last night.

But for some reason this time, even though we had been traveling day and night and hadn't encountered any decent ghosts along the way after leaving Wanshan Temple, it took us longer to reach the prefectural city than in previous years!
After a moment's thought, Lu Maohong recalculated the route in his mind before replying, "At our current speed, we should be able to enter the prefectural city before sunset today." Before sunset...

There should be enough time!
In a flash, Zheng Que asked again, "Senior Lu, after we enter the city, when can you take me to pay my respects to the prefectural magistrate?"

Lu Maohong said, "After entering the city, we must first go to the government office to hand over the taxes. These miscellaneous tasks will take some time."

"If I calculate carefully, it will take about an hour after we enter the city before I take you to see the Prefect."

"When the time comes, you must reveal your sentient ghost servant."

"The prefect is highly skilled and has always valued talent. He wouldn't be jealous of your ghost servant from the [Tongue-Pulling Hell]."

"But he was arrogant and proud, and the so-called geniuses among ordinary rogue cultivators rarely caught his eye."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que's spirits lifted. The higher the cultivation level of the prefect, the better!

He's worried that when his doom comes, the other party won't be able to help him.

Thinking of this, he immediately replied, "Understood!"

As they were speaking, another group of scattered ghosts appeared ahead, rushing towards the convoy with dazed expressions.

Zheng Que acted without hesitation.

Boom boom boom...

※※※

The provincial capital.

This is an ancient city with a magnificent scale, nestled against the mountains and facing the water, situated on a fairly spacious flat area.

Not far in front of the city is a teardrop-shaped lake.

The lake's surface is as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the city and mountains, creating a magnificent scene.

At this moment, the city wall lit up with dense runes, and a semi-transparent barrier rose up, like an overturned iron pot, firmly holding the entire city in place.

Every household in the city kept their doors and windows tightly shut, and the streets and alleys were littered with shoes, hairpins, goods, poultry, and other items discarded in the panic of their escape…

The city walls were filled with armored soldiers, their armor also bearing the glowing and fading of runes. At this moment, they were all tense, their swords drawn and their expressions cold and stern.

Black dogs were dragged to the foot of the city wall and quickly slaughtered. The still-steaming blood of the black dogs was continuously transported up the city wall, and a chilling atmosphere permeated the area.

The entire city has activated its protective formation.

At the main gate, atop the city wall, several powerful cultivators were gathered together, frequently gazing towards the lake.

There, a procession adorned with red and green hung, accompanied by the cheerful and festive music of "woo-wa-wa." In the center of the procession was a red sedan chair, exquisitely crafted and brightly colored. However, the entire procession rested by the water, and on the tranquil lake surface, there was only a stretch of green mountains and ancient city, without a trace of crimson, nor any reflection of the procession.

Ghost wedding!
At this moment, the ghost bride sat inside the red sedan chair, feeling extremely agitated.

Zheng Que's calamity is fast approaching!

However, she had already run back and forth on the road from Wanshan Temple to the prefectural city seven or eight times, but still had not found any trace of the other party.

Could it be that Zheng has stumbled into some "strange" place again?
Just then, a tall and imposing figure suddenly flew out from above the city. His aura was powerful, and his whole body exuded a faint pressure, which was no less than that of the Ghost Bride.

The figure wore a dark brown satin robe with a dark floral pattern, a bamboo crown on his head, and plain blue satin boots. He had a square face, thick eyebrows, and long eyes, and a majestic appearance. His gaze was like torches as he looked at the ghost bride in the red sedan chair. His voice was like thunder as he said, "I am Xiang Songnian, and I am honored to be the Vice Prefect of Qingrao Prefecture."

"This place is under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, a place where the living live, but the dead must not tread!"

"Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, retreat immediately!"

"Otherwise, shoot to death!"

(End of this chapter)