Please control me, my divine being!

Within the Zhuoxian Market, almost all those coming and going were cultivators; mortals were rarely seen.

I walked past several stalls.

You found a stall selling ritual materials.

There are cinnabar, animal blood, ritual diagrams, altars, prayer texts, and so on.

The stall owner, however, was a shifty-eyed man with two thick, black front teeth.

The other person was thin and hunched over, with sharp hands and feet, and his whole body reeked of a foul odor.

He claimed to be a member of the Hui family, who had acquired many valuable items during several major battles in Yuyang County, and thus set up a stall here to sell them.

Apart from him.

There were many Five Immortals Sect disciples active in the market.

They traded items they needed with the cultivators of Yuyang County, exchanging cultivation resources in a peaceful manner.

It seems everyone has forgotten the previous war.

You've bought all the materials for the ritual painting; now all that's left are the secular items for entering the monastic order.

You don't know what path of cultivation the other person has inherited; that's for her to choose herself...

Zhou Qing stared at the game text.

After the Five Immortals Sect retreated to the north, it pushed the Five Turbid Heaven southward by half of Yuyang County, so that Huangshui Town, which was originally located in the middle of the county, became the border area it is today.

"The borders of this world are not simply lines; they directly alter the environment, making the natural world more friendly to native cultivators and more hostile to outsiders!"

Zhou Qing was speechless for a moment.

This is like an anti-smuggling mechanism, making outsiders inherently inferior.

Moreover, the Wu Dynasty did not react at all when its territory was seized.

Instead, they worry about losing even more, wiping out Lianshan City, and cutting themselves in the process...

This whole thing seems very strange; there must be something more to it.

Despite his noble status, he held no official position and was far removed from the capital, where he knew very little about the affairs of the court and was unable to ascertain the inner workings of the government.

However, the Wu Dynasty was able to occupy a vast territory in the heart of the continent, so it was not too weak.

At least on the surface, the two lineages of the Mountain and River Temple God and the Celestial Master's Wonderful Method are controlled by the Wu Dynasty.

"These cultivators don't care about war or human life at all..." Zhou Qing sighed. He wasn't someone bursting with a sense of justice, but from the perspective of a normal modern person, he found it somewhat unacceptable.

However, changing these things cannot be accomplished by him alone.

"If the Jiang family is a family in Jiang'an, such a major event as their annihilation must be recorded. Such files are usually kept in the government office. It would be inappropriate to have Green Plum take my token to check them."

Moreover, the Jiang family was punished for practicing evil rituals, and the case files might be hidden.

To recruit Jiang Chuling, it's essential to thoroughly investigate her background.

Zhou Qing thought for a moment, then wrote the words "Jiang Family" on his desk and called over Green Plum, who was resting in the main hall: "Go find Lin Xiangqing and give her this letter. Tell her to find what I need as soon as possible."

After giving all these instructions, he looked back at the game text, his eyes flickering slightly.

[Your keen senses have detected something unusual in the market...]

[Your mental state is exceptional; you overheard some whispers...]

[Trigger check "Perception/Spirit, D15"]

"Interesting, this can even trigger the plot." Zhou Qing looked at the suddenly pop-up check interface.

Both intuition and spirit require a numerical check of 15 points.

Li Qinghe's basic attributes are 1d6 on the dice and 1d9 on her own.

In other words, you need to throw out at least two high values ​​of 12 to pass the test completely.

This result was achieved after using the Fate Dice.

Splash!

An animation of a dice cup shaking appears on the screen, and a number 13 appears.

[Passed the spiritual awareness test!]

Then came the second time.

Zhou Qing clicked again and shook the dice cup. Surprisingly, both dice landed with the highest number facing up.

【Great success! 】

[Your keen intellect and powerful spiritual senses have penetrated the concealment technique of the "Suppressing Calamity" lineage, allowing you to detect unseen movements.]

……

Zhuoxian Market.

Li Qinghe and Jiang Chuling stopped in front of a stall.

It was filled with all sorts of strange and unusual trinkets, most of which were from the streets and alleys, possessing a certain charm and belonging to the common, everyday items used to enter the spiritual realm.

"The path of Taoism passed down in my family is that of the Lantern Bearer, who communicates with ghosts and spirits. To enter the Tao, one needs things like lamps, lamp oil, and wicks, but these things are usually quite rare."

Jiang Chuling said softly.

The family had prepared everyday items for her, but these were lost during her escape.

Finding a suitable one now would probably be quite difficult.

"Are there corresponding ritual diagrams and altars?"

Jiang Chuling subconsciously touched her lower abdomen. "Yes."

"Is it possible to take other paths along this lineage?" Li Qinghe asked without any emotion.

Jiang Chuling glanced at the somewhat aloof Qinghe, then quickly nodded, "Okay, if I had a choice, I certainly wouldn't want to follow the path passed down in my family. Whichever path you arrange for me to take, I will take."

Li Qinghe turned around and selected a pair of large red wedding candles from the stall.

The stall owner immediately gave a thumbs up: "Sir, you have a good eye. These wedding candles belong to a wealthy young lady who was killed by her groom on her wedding night. Her blood, filled with resentment, was poured on them, turning them into these mundane objects. They are extremely fierce and of the highest quality."

However, I am not an appraiser, nor do I know which path this mundane object points to.

Therefore, once purchased, regardless of whether the item is suitable or not, returns and exchanges are not accepted.

Li Qinghe tossed out half a string of blood money and took the wedding candle.

They then browsed around the stalls for a while longer, without leaving immediately.

……

You pretend to be browsing the stalls, but you're actually paying attention to the conversation between the two people behind you.

A man covered in yellow hair, his long hair intertwined and knotted into strands that swayed and twisted at his feet like whiskers.

The other person was dressed in shorts, with a crane and tiger tattooed on his shoulder, and was playing with two dominoes in his hand.

The two stood at the edge of the long street, but no one paid them any attention.

It seems only you can hear their whispered secrets:

"What do you mean by breaking the contract? My benefactor didn't give me a way out. I still have a celestial being above me, and my ancestors were from the Lingxian Hall. But when the demon-slaying army came, they wiped out the entire city. If it weren't for the protection of my ancestors, I would have already returned to the Five Turbid Heavens."

"This is your business. We informed you of the movements of your demon-slaying army long ago. Now, the calamity is not enough, causing your efforts to be in vain."

"Failed at the last minute? I failed at the last minute too. The divine tablet was supposed to be mine, but where is it? Our ancestors went to great lengths to kill the River God, only to end up with nothing."

"This is also your mistake; your calamity energy wasn't enough. You need to give me an explanation!"

"What, is this all the benefactor behind you is? You want to kick us while we're down? I agreed to meet you here today precisely to guard against treacherous and cunning cultivators like you."

With the world in such a state of chaos, you are welcome to try and see if you can hurt me.

"You cultivators of the Zhenyun Calamity lineage are only capable of engaging in underhanded and malicious schemes!"

As you listen carefully to their conversation, a wave of emotions washes over you.

However, the two gradually lowered their voices.

You pricked up your ears, ready to listen more closely, when suddenly both of their eyes turned to you with a chilling gaze!