My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

The meat was so tender that it fell apart easily with a touch of chopsticks, revealing the white, fluffy texture inside.

But the texture... doesn't look like pork, nor does it look like lamb.

He put down his chopsticks and secretly glanced at Pu Songlin.

Pu Songlin also put down his chopsticks.

The old man stood there smiling, seemingly unaware of their unusual behavior.

Zhao Shouzhou took a deep breath, quietly raised his right hand, and made a hand seal in his sleeve.

Open your Dharma eye.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a faint golden light flashed in them.

Then he looked at the bowl of meat.

There was nothing there.

The meat was still meat, ordinary meat, without any demonic aura, any evil aura, or any strange smell.

Zhao Shouzhou was stunned.

He possesses the true Dharma Eye of the Maoshan lineage, capable of seeing through all illusions and discerning all demons and evil spirits.

Anything with problems will inevitably be exposed in his discerning eyes.

But you can't see anything in this meat?

He looked at it carefully again, but it was still the same.

It's just an ordinary bowl of meat.

Zhao Shouzhou frowned.

Not right.

The more this is the case, the more something seems wrong.

He remembered what his master had said.

The most terrifying things in this world are not the demons and monsters that can be seen through at a glance, but those things that look ordinary but make your heart tremble.

He glanced at the bowl of meat again, and the unease in his heart grew stronger.

Pu Songlin sat to the side, observing Zhao Shouzhou's expression, and understood about 70-80% of what was going on.

He didn't speak, he just sat quietly.

Zhao Shouzhou withdrew his gaze, forced a smile, and said to the old man:

"Sir, this meat smells delicious. But I have a habit of eating outside with my bowl, while I look at the stars. You don't mind, do you?"

The old man paused for a moment, then smiled and said:

"No problem at all! Young people like to be at ease. There are stone benches in the courtyard outside; you can sit there and eat."

Zhao Shouzhou nodded, picked up the bowl of meat, and got up to walk out.

Pu Songlin also stood up:

"I'll stay with you."

The two men, carrying bowls, walked out of the house and into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, moonlight peeked through the gaps in the clouds, shining on the tree where the horse was tethered, on the bluestone slabs, and on the two bowls of steaming meat.

Zhao Shouzhou placed the bowl on the stone bench and took out a wooden sword from his pocket.

The wooden sword was only about a foot long, completely black, and covered with densely packed runes.

He planted the wooden sword in the ground, sat cross-legged, made hand seals, and chanted incantations.

Pu Songlin stood aside, watching quietly.

He knew that this was a technique used by the Maoshan sect to invoke deities.

By invoking the patriarch, one can see through all illusions and perceive all truths.

Zhao Shouzhou sat cross-legged in the courtyard, the moonlight shining on him and casting a faint golden glow.

The ebony sword was stuck in front of him, its blade trembling violently and emitting a buzzing sound.

The runes on the sword lit up one after another, shimmering with golden light, as if they had come to life.

He made hand seals and muttered incantations.

That was a secret incantation for summoning spirits passed down through the Maoshan sect. He had recited it countless times, and every word was etched into his mind.

"...Disciple Zhao Shouzhou, the thirty-seventh generation true disciple of the Maoshan Sect, respectfully requests the patriarch to possess me!"

As the last word fell, the ebony sword trembled violently, and the runes on its blade burst forth with dazzling golden light.

Zhao Shouzhou felt a warm current flowing into his body from the top of his head—it was the power of his ancestor descending upon him.

The warm current traveled down the meridians, reaching the space between the eyebrows, the chest, and the dantian...

almost.

It's almost done.

He was overjoyed and was about to continue chanting the spell—

Suddenly, a chill swept over us from afar.

The chill came without warning, yet it arrived with astonishing speed.

It seemed as if something suddenly opened its eyes from the direction of Jingyang Prefecture.

Zhao Shouzhou froze.

That chill wasn't just ordinary cold; it was a kind of...pollution.

The viscous, cold, and putrid pollution surged from the darkness like countless invisible tentacles.

Wherever he passed, the moonlight dimmed, the air stagnated, and even the faint golden light around him seemed to have been splashed with dirty water, instantly dimming.

Zhao Shouzhou tried to move, but found that he couldn't.

That force was too great.

too strong.

It pressed down on him from the direction of Jingyang Prefecture, like an invisible mountain, like a boundless sea, like a giant hand reaching out from the abyss, pressing down on him firmly.

The golden light on the ebony sword flickered wildly, and the runes exploded one after another, making a crisp "crackling" sound.

The sword trembled violently, as if struggling desperately, but it could not break free from the suppression of that force.

Zhao Shouzhou felt as if the blood in his body had frozen.

His heart skipped a beat for a moment, his breathing became incredibly difficult, and his vision blurred.

That force was not only suppressing his body, but also eroding his soul.

The viscous, cold, and putrid odor was slowly seeping into his consciousness.

He heard the sound.

It wasn't something I heard with my ears; it resonated directly in my mind.

Countless voices.

Some people are crying, some are laughing, some are screaming, and some are groaning.

The sounds intertwined, a chaotic jumble, yet each one could be clearly distinguished—

"Help me..."

"Ouch, that hurts..."

"I don't want to die..."

"Eat...eat..."

The last word suddenly magnified countless times.

"eat--!!!"

Zhao Shouzhou felt a buzzing sound in his mind, and his mind went completely blank.

He felt a sweet taste in his throat and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The ebony sword finally gave way and shattered into pieces with a "crack." The fragments scattered everywhere, each turning to ash before hitting the ground.

Zhao Shouzhou slumped forward and collapsed to the ground.

Just when he thought he was about to be completely swallowed by that power, an aged voice suddenly rang out from the void:

"Run...run fast..."

That was the voice of our ancestor.

Weak, exhausted, and intermittent, yet possessing an undeniable authority.

The force paused for a moment.

Just for a moment.

But in that instant, Zhao Shouzhou felt the pressure on his body suddenly lessen.

Without thinking, he used his last strength to grab Pu Songlin beside him:

"Walk!"

He pulled out a stack of talismans from his pocket and slapped them onto his leg—three Swiftness Talismans, which took effect instantly, making his legs move as lightly as if flying.

He took out three more bills and slapped them on the two horses—the two horses neighed loudly and their hooves sprang to life.

Zhao Shouzhou mounted his horse and grabbed Pu Songlin's reins:

"Come with me!"

The two horses shot out of the courtyard gate like arrows and galloped wildly toward the main road.

......

In the courtyard, the two bowls of meat were still on the stone bench, the heat had dissipated, and they had become lukewarm.

Inside the house, the old man slowly walked out and stood at the door.

He looked in the direction where the two horses had disappeared, his smile still kind and gentle, just like that of an ordinary villager.

But that smile suddenly changed.

It wasn't ferocious, nor sinister, but rather an indescribable... eeriness.

The moonlight shone on his face, and his wrinkled face suddenly blurred for a moment.

It felt like something was wriggling under my skin.

But it only lasted a moment, and then everything returned to normal.

He stood there, looking in the direction where the two horses had disappeared, for a very long time.

......