Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 64: Offering Square. (Third update!)

This inn is next to a river and looks relatively clean. Perhaps because ghosts are rampant in the wild nowadays and there are fewer outsiders, not many people come in and out of the inn, making it a bit deserted.

Zheng Que walked in and saw that the lobby was empty. Behind the counter stood a cultivator dressed as a shopkeeper. He had the aura of a fourth-level Qi training cultivator and was calculating with his head down.

Noticing someone coming in, the shopkeeper looked up at Zheng Que and asked, "Fellow Daoist, would you like to stop by or stay the night?"

Zheng Que looked around and said, "Let's stay in a hotel. I wonder how much it costs?"

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "The price for a mortal to stay in this hotel is 200 coins a day, but since you are one of my generation, I can give you a 20% discount."

Zheng Que nodded slightly. As long as he didn't have to pay with spirit stones, it would be fine. He took out a piece of silver from the silver Xu Houde gave him and handed it over.

The shopkeeper took it without weighing it. He directly took out a copper key and handed it to Zheng Que, saying, "Second floor, fifth room on the west side."

Zheng Que took the copper key and went straight upstairs.

The second floor was very quiet, and it looked like most of the rooms were empty, uninhabited. He found the fifth room on the west side, opened the door with a brass key, and walked in.

creak.

Closing the door behind him, Zheng Que looked around the room he was in. It was on the second floor, in the shade. There was a gauze screen at the entrance. There was a bed, a footstool, a table, and a chair in the room. There was a shelf in the corner with a washbasin and other items on it. Behind the bed was a changing room. The furnishings were simple, but quite complete.

He walked around the room, checked everything, and after making sure there was nothing wrong, he sat down at the table and took out a sealed letter.

Looking at the letter, Zheng Que sighed slightly.

This was a letter Xu Houde instructed him to deliver to a Taoist priest named Lu in Taiping County, asking him to help repair the restrictions in Changfu Town.

However, now the entire Changfu Town is gone...

Thinking of this, he carefully opened the envelope.

Inside was a piece of letter paper with a few lines of writing on it: "Respectfully presented to Immortal Master Lu: I, Xu Houde, a commoner of Changfu Town, under the jurisdiction of Taiping County, bow down in respect! Fifty years ago, thanks to the Immortal Master's kindness, you established restrictions for our town to protect the people. Your kindness remains with me to this day, and I will never forget it."

"The restrictions are now damaged. Our great-grandfather, the Xu family, has been traveling in the upper Baixiayan area and has not yet returned. Mortals are helpless. We sincerely request that the immortal master come and inspect the area to save the people of Hezhen from the water and fire. Mortals bow their heads and pay homage."

Xu Baiyan...

This should be the name of the ancestor of the town mayor Xu Houde.

Although this letter was meaningless now, if he really met that monk surnamed Lu, he would still help deliver the letter, thus fulfilling Xu Houde's dying wish...

This is also the last thing he can do for Changfu Town.

Growing up in this crisis-ridden world, Zheng Que has long been accustomed to and numb to the departure of people around him.

At this moment, he was thinking calmly in his mind. He quickly put away the letter and put it into the storage bag.

Then, he took out four and a half spirit stones from his storage bag.

Zheng Que has been traveling these days and has been using spirit stones to practice every day. Now, there are only so many spirit stones left on him.

Although there is still one powerful medicine that has not been used, it is not enough for me to practice for a long time.

The next calamity still has more than a month to go, so I must devote all my energy to improving my cultivation strength...

As his mind raced, he glanced at the sky outside the window. It was still early, so he could go to the offering square to see if there were any tasks to earn spirit stones.

So, Zheng Que left a few small traps in the room, got up and went out, identified the direction, and walked towards the south of the city.

A moment later, he came to a memorial archway. The archway had three doors and four pillars, with flying eaves and corners, and was carved with some auspicious patterns. It was one of the few magnificent buildings in the county. Above the main door were three large characters engraved: "Gongfengfang".

The number of people here suddenly decreased, and those who passed by were in a hurry, as if they did not dare to stay for long.

Two monks stood beneath the archway. Like the patrolling monks they had just seen, they emanated a hazy white light, shrouded in a grayish hue that represented a yin energy. Noticing Zheng Que's approach, the two monks glanced at him. Noticing his cultivation was only at the third level of Qi training, they averted their gaze without a care in the world. Clearly, they were accustomed to seeing monks entering and leaving the city's offering archway.

Zheng Que walked through the memorial archway and into this unique market. The layout was similar to that of any other market, but the people coming and going were all monks. There were a few shops along the way, and some people were setting up stalls.

It was a shop similar to a blacksmith shop. Even if you just walked past the door, you could feel the heat wave. Inside, there was a monk with his upper body naked, revealing his strong muscles. He was waving a hammer and hitting the embryo of a weapon with all his might. The clanging sound was very lively.

After walking for a while, two courtyards appeared in front. The one on the left door was written as Gongde Office, and the one on the right was Jingxian Pavilion.

Zheng Que did not enter the Merit Office immediately, but instead transited through the market town.

The things sold in the shops here are similar to those sold in the street stalls, which are all medicinal herbs, talismans, and amulets... What are less common are magic spells.

The items in the shop are obviously more expensive and look more formal, with signs saying they are recommended by a certain monk or reviewed by a certain monk.

There are a lot of different things on the stalls, and the prices and quality vary.

Among all these items, talismans are the most popular. Whether it is a shop or a street stall, the most monks ask for the price.

But the most common talisman would cost dozens or even hundreds of spirit stones. Almost all the cultivators would leave immediately after asking the price.

In contrast, for medicinal herbs and talismans, cultivators would often complete the transaction after a simple bargaining.

Zheng Que looked at almost every stall and shop, listened to the conversations of other monks, and roughly figured out the prices here. He then turned and walked towards the Merit Bureau.

The exterior of the Gongde Office looks like a wealthy family's mansion. When you walk through the gate and around the screen wall, you will see a rectangular courtyard planted with flowers and plants.

The five rooms facing the screen wall were all connected. At this moment, the door was wide open, and there was a high cabinet in the shape of the Chinese character "凵". Behind the counter stood an old man in a brocade robe with his eyes closed, his hair and beard were all white, but his face was as rosy as a baby's. There was a cold aura around him. In Zheng Que's [Spiritual Eye Technique], he was at the seventh level of Qi training.

Zheng Que walked into the main room and glanced around. Noticing that only the old man in brocade robes was present, he slowly walked towards him. When he reached the counter, he saw that the old man still had his eyes slightly closed and remained silent. So he bowed and asked, "Senior, are there any missions here to earn spirit stones?"

The old man in brocade robe opened his eyes, glanced at Zheng Que, shook his head slightly and said, "Third level of Qi training, your cultivation is a bit low."

"To take on a mission to go out of the city and slay demons, you must be at least at the fourth level of Qi training."

"Do you have any companions who are on the same mission and whose cultivation has reached the fourth level of Qi training or above?"

Qi training level 4 and above...

My own ghost servant has more than just this level of cultivation.

But now I have just arrived in Taiping County and know very little information, so it is better to be cautious.

Thinking of this, Zheng Que immediately replied: "No, I took the task alone."

The old man in brocade robes nodded and said, "Then we can only accept the missions in the city."

"There are two tasks suitable for you now. One is to guard the city gate. The reward is one spirit stone per day."

"This is the easiest mission. The city gates will be closed at night. You just need to be careful not to let any ghosts sneak into the city."

"The other one is patrolling the streets, which costs two spirit stones a day."

"A street patrol takes a whole day, and we can't rest at night."

"Which mission do you want to take on?"

Hearing this, Zheng Que frowned slightly. One spirit stone was enough for him to practice four times. Now that the city was safe, he could practice day or night.

He would practice about four times a day, and each mission could only earn him one or two spirit stones...

After hesitating for a while, he replied, "I have to take on the task of patrolling the streets."

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(End of this chapter)