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

The agreement stipulated that if anyone's physical body met with misfortune, as long as their soul threads remained intact, they could slowly recover through this substitute paper figure.

Although he lost all his cultivation, at least he preserved his life and memories, and there is still hope for him to start over.

The Paper Goddess thought it was unnecessary at the time—she had been operating the Moon Embracing Pavilion for ten years, setting up a grand formation, and refining the Thousand Soul Paper Coffin, and she was confident that everything was foolproof.

Who would have thought that I would actually be defeated by a young Taoist priest tonight!

"Samadhi True Fire... That kid actually mastered Samadhi True Fire..."

The paper figure muttered to itself, its red eyes filled with a mixture of resentment and lingering fear.

"Luckily I had this backup plan, otherwise I would have been completely annihilated..."

It sensed the paper body.

very weak.

It's even worse than a paper puppet that has just gained sentience.

With less than one-tenth of his soul power remaining, he could barely control paper figures, let alone cast spells.

To restore one's original cultivation level, it would take at least twenty or thirty years of arduous cultivation, as well as a sufficient supply of life essence and blood.

"Twenty or thirty years..." the paper figure gritted its teeth in hatred, "It's all that damned Taoist priest's fault!"

As it was thinking, it suddenly sensed something and looked up in the direction of the entrance to the secret room.

Almost simultaneously, a crack silently slid open in the blue brick wall at the entrance to the secret room.

A figure flashed in.

The newcomer was a woman, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wearing a peach-colored nightgown with a thin gauze overcoat.

With her long hair flowing freely and a sleepy, languid look in her eyes, she was none other than Liu Ruyan, Zhou Wenchang's most beloved concubine—or rather, the Painted Skin Empress.

Her expression was solemn. As soon as she entered the secret room, her gaze immediately locked onto the three-inch paper figure on the altar.

Seeing the red light flashing in the paper figure's eyes, the Painted Skin Goddess's pupils contracted, and she quickly stepped forward, lowering her voice:

"Paper Goddess? Is that you?"

The paper figure raised its head, its red eyes meeting hers, its voice shrill:

"it's me."

"How come you..." The Painted Skin Goddess looked at the paper figure's rough and weak appearance, both surprised and suspicious. "Where is your true form? Over at the Moon-Embracing Boat..."

"Gone." The paper figure's tone was icy. "All gone. The original body was burned by that Taoist priest with Samadhi True Fire, the Thousand Souls Paper Coffin was destroyed, and the Blood Vengeance Spirit Pivot Formation was also broken."

The Painted Skin Queen gasped, "Samadhi True Fire? That Taoist priest really mastered Samadhi True Fire? Didn't you say he was young and his cultivation wasn't high?"

"How would I know!" the paper figure shrieked. "That kid is really weird! He looks like he's only in his early twenties, but he's cunning and ruthless!"

When I sent the paper effigy to inform you, I thought he was just an ordinary rogue cultivator... who knew he would do things completely unpredictably!

It grew angrier and angrier, stomping its feet on the offering table.

"They didn't even say a word! They walked in and said they were going to cause trouble! Then they set the building on fire!"

My paper puppets and paper dolls are like paper in front of him! With the Samadhi True Fire unleashed, all those formations and paper coffins become a joke!

The Painted Skin Goddess was terrified upon hearing this.

She had known the Paper Goddess for many years and was well aware of her power.

Although he was impatient, he was indeed highly skilled in paper effigies, and was further enhanced by the Thousand Soul Paper Coffin and the Blood Vengeance Spirit Pivot Array.

Even a cultivator with a century of cultivation might not fare well if he broke into the Moon-Embracing Boat.

But now...

"Where is that Taoist priest now?" the Painted Skin Goddess asked urgently.

"I don't know." The paper figure shook its head. "After the building collapsed, I couldn't sense the outside world anymore."

But he's definitely not dead—his body is protected by the Samadhi True Fire; a mere collapse of a building couldn't harm him.

It paused, its red eyes fixed on the Painted Skin Goddess.

"Painted Skin, you must be careful. Since that Taoist priest has come to Lan Yue Fang, he probably knows of your existence. His next target will likely be the county government."

The Painted Skin Goddess turned pale.

Over the years, she has been working undercover in the county government, using her status as Zhou Wenchang's favorite concubine as a cover, secretly collecting living souls and practicing the evil art of skin painting, and her progress has been smooth.

Although Zhou Wenchang was greedy and lustful, he had good fortune in his official career and was protected by the imperial seal.

Ordinary evil spirits dared not approach her, and she benefited from this as well, having fewer concerns when cultivating.

But what if that Taoist priest comes knocking on our door...?

"I'll go and wake Zhou Wenchang right away," the Painted Skin Goddess decided immediately.

"Before that Taoist priest comes knocking, let's use the power of the government to suppress him."

Officials are protected by the aura of human virtue; even the most powerful Taoist priest would have to consider the consequences of taking action against an official of the imperial court.

The paper figure nodded.

"Yes! That's the plan! Have Zhou Wenchang send someone to Lanyue Pavilion and tell them there's a fire there."

"If a thug commits a crime, arrest that Taoist priest first! Lock him up in jail, and then I'll slowly figure out a way to deal with him!"

The two evil spirits quickly discussed and devised a plan.

Without further delay, the Painted Skin Goddess turned and left the secret chamber, the blue brick walls closing silently behind her.

The east wing of the county government's rear residence.

This is the bedroom of County Magistrate Zhou Wenchang.

The room was spacious and luxuriously furnished. A large rosewood bed with carved patterns was covered with a brocade quilt, and Zhou Wenchang was lying sprawled on it, snoring loudly.

He is forty-five years old this year, overweight, with a round face and a fat belly. He is sleeping soundly at the moment, with drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. He is probably dreaming of eating something delicious.

The Painted Skin Goddess—Liu Ruyan—quietly approached the bedside.

She looked at Zhou Wenchang's sleeping posture, a flash of disgust crossing her eyes, but she quickly concealed it, replacing it with a gentle expression, and leaned down to gently push Zhou Wenchang's shoulder:

"Master...Master, wake up..."

Zhou Wenchang's snoring paused slightly, he turned over, and mumbled, "Don't make noise... go to sleep..."

"Master, it's urgent." Liu Ruyan's voice softened, and she tightened her grip slightly.

Zhou Wenchang still hasn't woken up.

Liu Ruyan frowned.

She had indeed breathed ghostly energy on Zhou Wenchang to help him sleep more soundly.

That was a soothing spell from sorcery, capable of putting someone into a deep sleep, making it easier for her to move around at night.

But now that the spell has been lifted, he should be awake by now.

She thought for a moment, then leaned close to Zhou Wenchang's ear and whispered, "Master... a thief has broken into the storeroom..."

This is one of the words that Zhou Wenchang is most sensitive to.

Sure enough, his eyelids twitched, and he mumbled, "Thief...catch...catch him..."

But after saying that, there was no further response.

Liu Ruyan's patience was wearing thin.

She took a deep breath and gently patted Zhou Wenchang's face—the touch was so light, more like a caress.

"Master, wake up, something's really wrong."

Zhou Wenchang smacked his lips, but still didn't wake up.

A vein throbbed on Liu Ruyan's forehead.

She glanced at the sky outside the window, then thought of the paper goddess in the secret room, and the Taoist priest who might be heading to the county government office, and her anger flared up.

"Snapped!"

A crisp slap landed squarely on Zhou Wenchang's face.

The force wasn't strong, but it was enough to wake a sleeping person.

Zhou Wenchang jumped out of bed with a "whoosh," covered his face, and stared wide-eyed in shock and anger:

"Who?! Who hit this official?!"

He was still half asleep and not fully awake. He felt a burning sensation on his face and was both surprised and scared.

Liu Ruyan instantly adopted a frightened rabbit expression, shrank back, and said timidly:

"Sir... what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

Her voice was weak, carrying three parts fear and seven parts concern.