Under the cloak of night, the shops lining the streets had long since closed. Only a few windows still flickered with faint candlelight.
Ji Yuan and Zhao Yuansong stopped, their expressions astonished as they gazed at the slender figure a few steps away. Both had initially thought they had misheard, especially Ji Yuan, whose scalp prickled with unease after hearing the stranger’s subsequent words.
"Two days ago, I intended to buy some Drunken Immortal Brew from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Coincidentally, I encountered the unveiling of the new courtesan queen. From her, I could sense a pure Yin energy, and a sickening ghost aura."
Shen Lang turned, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "That night, I infiltrated the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, hoping to find an opportunity to confirm my suspicions. However, the longer I stayed, the greater the pressure I felt emanating from the new courtesan queen."
As he spoke, a surge of scholarly "Hao Ran Qi" briefly emanated from him, causing the vital energy within his body to rise before rapidly subsiding.
Though it lasted only a few moments, both men clearly sensed the cultivation fluctuations of the middle stage of the Enlightenment Realm radiating from him.
If their assumptions were correct, a spectral entity that could cause such pressure to a Confucian cultivator of the middle Enlightenment Realm would possess at least late Enlightenment Realm cultivation.
"Using Confucian Hao Ran Qi, I observed, and although I couldn't discern its true nature, I could at least glimpse its origins. It should be a skeleton," Shen Lang said slowly after a moment of contemplation.
This statement alone sent a shiver down the young Taoist's spine. An image flashed instantly in his mind: the "Pink Skeleton" from the mass grave at Fallen Soul Slope.
Because of Song He's affairs, he had almost forgotten about the Pink Skeleton, believing that with the Song family mansion and the protective formations set up by the Bright Moon Temple, that spectral entity should not have been able to escape.
However, Ji Yuan quickly shook his head, thinking it was likely a coincidence and not the actual Pink Skeleton. Yet, he doubted his own thoughts, feeling as if he were trying to deceive himself.
"Not all ghosts and demons in the world are inherently wicked. Did you sense any karmic obstacles from it?" Zhao Yuansong's gaze sharpened as he intently studied the scholar's expression.
Even setting aside past tales of the martial world, he had encountered many demons and ghosts on their journey so far. Despite their ignoble origins, some possessed a desire to do good. Many even eventually became local deities, bringing blessings to the people.
Upon hearing this, Shen Lang paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Aside from the Yin and ghost energies, I sensed no karmic obstacles or sins."
After a long pause, he added that while the entity carried no karmic obstacles or sins, it possessed a profound hatred, so deep it seemed impossible to resolve. Furthermore, with the aid of his Confucian Hao Ran Qi, he could see that the spectral being's soul was entangled with resentment that chilled one to the bone with just a glance. It was as if... it constantly yearned to destroy the world.
Ji Yuan's mouth twitched. Everything Shen Lang described sounded uncannily similar to the Pink Skeleton in his memory. After a moment of thought, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh, a touch of melancholy on his face. How could this small county town now host not only a shrine for an evil spirit, a heart-gouging demon, and a monstrous murderer, but also a skeletal ghost that had taken human form? If one added the lurking evil spirit in the Zhao family residence, it was truly a lively scene.
"Let's return to the Taoist temple first." Ji Yuan sighed inwardly and then suggested to the two men beside him. Zhao Yuansong naturally had no objections. As for the scholar Shen Lang, after some consideration, he also nodded in agreement. After all, it was no longer suitable for him to return to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion that night, as it would undoubtedly attract the attention of the spectral entity, potentially leading to unforeseen events. Moreover, late at night was when the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was most crowded. If any accident were to occur at that time, many innocent people would be affected.
Thus, about half an hour later, the trio returned to the Profound Heaven Temple. Seeing their return, Xu Qiqi, who had been waiting, was about to step forward but stopped when she noticed their somber expressions, remaining quietly in place.
Zhao Yuansong waved his hand, signaling his junior disciples to sit down. He and Ji Yuan then returned to their cushions, while the scholar Shen Lang was more relaxed, sitting directly on the ground by a pillar, unconcerned about cushions. Xu Qiqi and the others were naturally curious about the unfamiliar scholar but remained silent, patiently awaiting their senior brother’s words.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Yuansong finally spoke, slowly recounting the events at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Hearing this, Xu Qiqi and Jiang He showed no particular surprise and instead listened with interest, finding this small county town far more exciting and bustling than the several prefectures they had traveled through. At least elsewhere, they had never encountered ghosts or demons causing trouble in a county town; even if it happened occasionally, it was usually just ruffians causing mayhem. Such a lively scene, let alone in a county town, was rarely encountered even in remote villages. After all, every city had a City God overseeing it, along with the Temple of Literature and Military and Earth Gods, enough to deter ordinary ghosts and demons. As for human-like demons and monsters, they were dealt with by the local authorities, and peace was generally maintained.
"Could that skeletal ghost in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion also be one of the methods prepared by those orchestrating the evil shrine?" Xu Qiqi asked immediately after listening. The others exchanged glances, finding it plausible. It was unlikely that so many demons and monsters were causing trouble in a small county town by mere coincidence.
"I did hear something about the county yamen smashing an evil shrine earlier, but what is this matter of orchestration you speak of?" Shen Lang, who had been resting with his eyes closed by a pillar in a corner, suddenly opened his eyes and inquired.
Ji Yuan let out a soft sigh and meticulously recounted the events of the past two days. He concealed nothing from this scholar he knew so well, even hoping that Shen Lang might offer some crucial insights they had overlooked.
"What is the current situation with the Zhao family?" Since Ji Yuan began his account from when he and Huixin dealt with a haunting evil spirit at the Zhao residence, Shen Lang posed this question. After thinking for a moment, he silently shook his head. Since leaving the Zhao family, he had heard no further news and was unsure if that spectral entity had since caused any more trouble for the Zhao family.
"Do you think this matter has any connection to the subsequent events?" Ji Yuan asked. The scholar shook his head, offering no opinion but furrowing his brow as if contemplating something. Seeing this, the others exchanged glances and chose to remain silent, not wishing to disturb Shen Lang's thoughts, and waited for him to speak.
About fifteen minutes later, he suddenly looked up and asked Ji Yuan for paper, ink, and brushes. The latter immediately waved his sleeve and produced the items he needed. This scene caused the eyes of the others to flicker, their gazes conveying various unspoken meanings.
Zhao family evil spirit, Xi Yu River demon, century-old evil shrine orchestration, heart-gouging demon, murderous demon. Shen Lang picked up his brush and wrote down these key pieces of information on the white paper, then added the names Baiyun Temple and the county yamen next to "heart-gouging demon" and "murderous demon" respectively.
"If my calculations are correct, that demon and monster should be the traces of evil spirits that Brother Zhao first sensed in these two locations." He pointed to the two annotations on the paper, his eyes filled with thought, as if trying to connect all the events. As Shen Lang fell into contemplation once more, the others could only scan their eyes back and forth across the annotations on the paper, seemingly trying to find some clue themselves.
Suddenly, Xu Qiqi asked curiously, "Why didn't you write down the skeletal ghost from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion?" The maiden's question also aroused the curiosity of the others. In their view, this skeletal ghost should also be one of the methods prepared by someone. However, Shen Lang shook his head. "It should be unrelated. According to the information I gathered, this new courtesan queen entered the Hundred Flowers Pavilion on the very night the Zhao family's evil spirit wreaked havoc."
At that time, the demon at the bottom of the Xi Yu River and the smashing of the evil shrine had not yet occurred. Moreover, the spectral entities and demons in other locations had already taken action, as if responding to the smashing of the evil shrine. Only the skeletal ghost in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion had shown no movement. In fact, according to his observations over the past two days, that skeletal ghost seemed quite immersed in entertaining guests. The private chambers there were filled with singing and revelry every night, with guests not dispersing until dawn, reluctantly.
"Something must have happened to the Zhao family. I fear that even if that evil entity hasn't succeeded yet, it's not far off," Shen Lang said gravely to everyone. Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan immediately shook his head. Just as he was about to speak, he froze, as if something had dawned on him.
The scholar nodded slightly, a strange light flashing in his eyes. "Have you thought of it?" The young Taoist nodded with a pale face, cold sweat already beading on his forehead. He finally understood why he had felt that something was amiss these past few days.
"The City God Temple!" he blurted out, his expression becoming exceedingly grave. If the City God Temple were functioning normally, why would it allow evil spirits to run amok in the city and ghosts to lurk in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion?
Shen Lang nodded and added, "There might also be problems within the county yamen. Otherwise, regardless of anything else, if there were trouble in the city, according to imperial protocol, the local county magistrate would at least dispatch someone to inform the City God Temple." Yet, there was no movement from the City God Temple. Neither the City God nor his subordinate spiritual officials had taken any action against the city's spectral entities and ghosts. This situation was highly abnormal. The fact that the county yamen seemed to ignore it further aroused suspicion.
"Either the county magistrate himself is problematic, or his trusted subordinates have betrayed him, preventing the county yamen's orders from reaching the City God Temple, or the changes within the City God Temple are not reaching the county magistrate's ears." Shen Lang looked at everyone and spoke in a low, measured tone. The others instinctively looked at each other, their faces gradually becoming serious. If the scholar's deductions were correct, this matter was no longer a simple matter of a century-old incense offering at an evil shrine, but undoubtedly involved a deeper scheme.
"But what is the orchestrator seeking?" Zhao Yuansong whispered, his gaze sweeping back and forth over the annotations on the white paper.
Hearing this, Shen Lang let out a cold laugh. "To know what that person is plotting, a trip to the Zhao family and the City God Temple will reveal the truth." "That heart-gouging demon and murderous monster are merely crude diversions, designed to draw the attention of the county yamen and various forces in the city. The true plot likely involves only three locations: the Zhao family, the City God Temple, and the Xi Yu River evil shrine."
In the main hall of the Taoist temple, as the scholar's words fell silent, everyone fell into contemplation, only the crackling of the burning candles occasionally breaking the silence. The expressions of those present gradually shifted from seriousness to paleness. They had initially thought the matter was not simple, but they had not expected the hidden elements to be so vast. It turned out the hidden orchestrator was not after mere incense offerings at an evil shrine; the scope of their layout encompassed almost the entire county town.
"Should we inform the county yamen of this matter as soon as possible?" Xu Qiqi asked softly. However, everyone present shook their heads silently. Given the current situation, they had no idea if the county magistrate himself was a pawn of the orchestrator, or if only his trusted subordinates had a problem. If they rashly went to the county yamen to reveal the truth of the matter, it might alert the snake, forcing the hidden orchestrator to act prematurely. It was even uncertain if they would be able to leave the county yamen alive.
"We have few people we can trust now. We must proceed with caution, otherwise, one wrong move could lead to eternal damnation." Shen Lang said gravely. "Regardless of what we do next, I believe we should go to Baiyun Temple first. If we can obtain the help of the monks practicing there, it will undoubtedly be much easier." Baiyun Temple was more than just a temple with incense offerings; it was a gathering place for Buddhist cultivators within hundreds of miles, housing at least seven or eight Buddhist practitioners, including Huixin. Facing demons and evil spirits, these individuals were far more effective than twenty or thirty martial artists, and certainly not comparable to ordinary constables or soldiers.
"Not good! Something has happened at Baiyun Temple!" Ji Yuan suddenly looked up, his expression anxious as he shouted low.