Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 551 A Deal. (First Update!)

Outside Zheng's Market, Fu Tao stood quietly, followed by several corpse puppets of varying sizes. Their bodies emanated a dense aura of death, and their pale faces were faintly visible in the blood mist, exuding a chilling inhumanity.

A moment later, a light, floating figure appeared in the seemingly empty void ahead. Linghu Yuniang hovered in mid-air, looking at the uninvited Foundation Establishment cultivator in front of her, and said in a low voice, "The shopkeeper invites you."

"Fellow Daoist, please follow me."

Fu Tao nodded slightly and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

With that, he followed Linghu Yuniang into the formation.

With one step, the scene before him suddenly opened up. The blood mist dissipated, revealing a newly built market town. All the buildings were completed, and at this moment only a few corpse puppets shuttled back and forth, meticulously repairing and decorating the details of the grass, trees, and streets.

Fu Tao quickly glanced around and saw no other living people; the street seemed quite deserted.

As he followed Linghu Yuniang forward, he silently observed the situation of the market town.

Before setting off, Zongzi had secretly instructed that the owner of this stronghold should, in name, be Jing Zhengjie, a candidate from Qingrao Prefecture in Tuzhou.

Jing Zhengjie was not from any aristocratic family in the imperial court; he was merely a rogue cultivator from Qingrao Prefecture.

It is quite unexpected that he was able to survive the ghost tide.

In addition, the other party has a master at the Core Formation stage who calls himself Ancestor Shiqi.

The real person in charge of this market town now is this Old Ancestor Shiqi!

Of course, given his lowly status, he would certainly not be able to meet the true ancestor of Shiqi on this trip; most likely, it would be Jing Zhengjie who would come out to entertain him.

As for the plaque of the market, why it's called Zheng's Market? He didn't know the reason either, but he'd find out when he met the person in charge.

Thinking of this, Fu Tao's gaze fell on Linghu Yuniang in front of him.

The female ghost who led the way was incredibly lifelike. If it weren't for the lingering yin energy around her, she would look almost exactly like a living person. She was also very intelligent and could be released alone to guide guests. The degree of her taming was far beyond that of ordinary ghost servants.

I wonder if this is Jing Zhengjie's ghost servant?
Or is he a ghost servant of the Old Ancestor of Shiqi?
At this moment, a corpse puppet carrying a pot of lush flowers walked towards them, seemingly about to brush past Fu Tao.

Fu Tao himself was a cultivator who practiced "corpse raising". Since entering Zheng's Market, he had always seen corpse puppets working. Therefore, he ignored this corpse puppet and did not pay it any attention.

However, the moment the corpse puppet passed by him, it suddenly stretched out its bluish-black arm and grabbed at his shoulder.

In an instant, Fu Tao felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, his whole body trembling with fear, like a rabbit shrouded in the shadow of an eagle, unable to move at all.

He had a strong intuition that if he were touched by this corpse puppet, he would be close to death!

Despite the seemingly unhurried movements of this corpse puppet, its downward grabbing palm seemed to come from all directions, leaving him with no way to dodge!

Just as Fu Tao was filled with despair, Linghu Yuniang suddenly turned around, stared at the corpse puppet, and coldly shouted, "Step back!"

"These are guests invited by the shop owner."

As soon as he finished speaking, the corpse puppet stopped abruptly from touching Fu Tao. Then, as if nothing had happened, it slowly walked away from Fu Tao, carrying the potted flower, and went to find a suitable place for the flower.

Fu Tao caught his breath immediately. His chest heaved violently, and cold sweat slowly slid down his forehead. He felt that in the blink of an eye, his undergarments were completely soaked.

He watched the corpse puppet walk away with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty, unable to be sure whether what had just happened was the work of Ancestor Shiqi.
Was that corpse puppet just that terrifying in itself?
wrong!

If it were the Old Ancestor Shiqi, how could the female ghost leading the way dare to speak in that tone?
Just then, Linghu Yuniang's voice rang out again: "Fellow Daoist, I failed to properly discipline the corpse puppet, and you were frightened just now. I am truly sorry." "Please come this way, fellow Daoist, and don't keep the shopkeeper waiting."

Upon hearing this, Fu Tao snapped out of his daze and quickly followed.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he suddenly felt that the empty market town was filled with an indescribable eeriness.

Soon, Linghu Yuniang led him to a secluded courtyard with the words "Lord of the Workshop" hanging on it.

Fu Tao walked through the corridors and courtyards and entered the main hall. He saw a figure whose aura was unfathomable sitting in the head seat. It was a simply dressed young man with a soul-summoning banner in his hand. Beside him stood a female ghost with gorgeous clothes and a fierce look on her face. She was a "Rouge Demon", which was very rare among "evil spirits".

After Linghu Yuniang led Fu Tao inside, she immediately bowed and reported, "Master, the person has been brought."

Zheng Que nodded and calmly replied, "I understand. You can go now."

After Linghu Yuniang left to carry out her orders, Zheng Que's gaze fell on Fu Tao. Fu Tao dared not be negligent and immediately stepped forward to bow, saying in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "I am Fu Tao, a member of the Fu family of Luanzhou. I have come to make a deal with you on the orders of my patriarch."

Fu Tao?

Zheng Que nodded slightly. When this person came, he had already had [Evil Shadow Play] test him. He had indeed come alone and was not protected by any Core Formation stage cultivators.

Judging from his words and actions, Fu Tao's status within the Fu family of Luanzhou is probably quite ordinary.

As his mind raced, Zheng Que said slowly, "My name is Zheng Que, and I am a candidate from Qingrao Prefecture, Tuzhou."

"Fellow Daoist has come from afar, please sit down and let's talk."

Fu Tao was taken aback upon hearing this. Zheng Que?

Zheng Que of Qingrao Prefecture, Tuzhou?

Isn't this the market town of Jing Zhengjie in Qingrao Prefecture, Tuzhou?

When he arrived, the eldest son did not mention any news about Zheng Que to him!

However, the "Rouge Demon" beside him was clearly extraordinary, seemingly even stronger than the female ghost who had led the way earlier...

Just as he was pondering this rapidly, Zheng Que asked, "What kind of transaction are you referring to, fellow Daoist?"

Fu Tao composed himself and immediately replied, "Since Fellow Daoist Zheng has established a market here, he should know that there is another market nearby, which was built by Zhuo Tingchen of Yanzhou."

"Zhuo Tingchen is a two-faced, treacherous, and vicious man; he is a complete scoundrel!"

"He has always been domineering and arrogant, and he never takes other candidates seriously because of his family background."

"Fellow Daoist, even if you wish to maintain harmonious relations with such people, you will certainly not be able to do so. Instead, you will be repeatedly harassed by those petty people."

"In that case, it will be difficult for you not to be affected in your immortal examination results."

"The Fu family of Luanzhou has long despised Zhuo Tingchen. The reason we have sent me here today is to help fellow Daoist candidates like you who have no powerful family backing them but have entered the Immortal Examination through their own abilities."

"The deal I'm proposing is this: if you continue to seize resource points from Zhuo Tingchen, my Fu Clan of Luanzhou is willing to offer you the spirit stones, spells, and other resources you require..."

(End of this chapter)