Chapter 158: Rising Fate (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Di Youzhi's squad, though weaker than Jia Yi and Mao Dabin, still ranked among the top five in the office.

Qin Ze's side was a mess.

The squad stood crooked and lopsided, and the captains looked lazy and careless.

Individually, they weren't so bad—but standing beside Di Youzhi's group, the difference was instantly clear.

Qin Ze flew into a rage, storming into the ranks and kicking the most unruly ones several times, shouting: "Stand straight! You bastards have ruined my face completely!"

The few still grinned and dodged: "Captain Qin, you may be old, but your reputation's still fierce—I heard Miss Shuiyu say you're terrifyingly bold."

"Hahaha!" Laughter erupted all around.

Just then, Xu Yuan walked in.

Everyone fell silent at once. Qin Ze guessed the Inspector had heard everything—his face flushed crimson as he hurriedly asked: "My lord, shall we depart?"

"Depart," said Xu Yuan.

These men of Qin Ze's needed serious training. But Xu Yuan, seeing their condition, thought they might be useless for investigations—yet perfect for taking on street gangs.

The squad left the city through the West Gate; Qingyu Village was sixty li west of the city.

Along the way, Di Youzhi seized an opportunity to quietly report to Inspector Xu: "Lu Xiang slipped away secretly."

Xu Yuan sneered and nodded.

…

The Shanhe Office's Female Keeper of Discipline sent someone to berate the Pingtian Society: "You ambushed Xu Yuan at Shuangjiang Pass—but he's already gone to Qingyu Village. Is this how you handle your duties?"

"If you can't even manage such a simple task, what use are you to us?"

No matter how much the Grand Leader secretly resented and slandered the Female Keeper, she was well aware of her relationship with the Shanhe Office.

She had already sent word to Shuangjiang Pass to notify Wu Jinghan that morning. The Grand Leader gritted his teeth, bowed low, and swore: "My lord, rest assured—we've pledged our loyalty and will work diligently, never disappointing you."

Then she made minor arrangements for Zhancheng and personally set out for Qingyu Village.

Before leaving, she sent another messenger to find Wu Jinghan and instruct him to bring the temple and meet her directly in Qingyu Village.

…

Qingyu Village had five subordinate hamlets; every three months, a grand market was held.

The entire Quhui Office rode horses and needed no written passes; by mid-afternoon, they had arrived at the village.

The village chief was an elderly, virtuous and highly respected man named Qin Taichen; if one traced family ties, Qin Ze would have to call him "Second Uncle."

He had studied in his youth but failed the imperial examinations.

Qingyu Village was close to Fucheng, and Qin Taichen often hosted officials from Zhancheng, so he handled affairs with poise.

After learning the purpose of Xu Yuan's party, he summoned several prominent families of the village, consulted with them, and arranged for the Quhui Office personnel to be lodged in three households.

He then dispatched a swift young runner to summon all the village headmen from the five hamlets.

By the time the headmen arrived, night was falling; they all stayed overnight with Xu Yuan and his men at the home of the Ma family.

All the headmen had come on horseback.

Though their horses were old and thin, the Ming Dynasty was strong—despite heavy taxes, anyone willing to work could survive.

Those with slightly better means could even afford to keep a few livestock.

At dinner, Xu Yuan described the people he was seeking.

At first light the next day, they hurried back to their villages to inquire whether anyone had seen these four.

Today's prohibitions:

Call the Mountains, Turn the Corpses, Gaze at the Moon, Set the Betrothal.

Qin Taichen arrived early, accompanied by several village guards, and said to Xu Yuan: "Old man will accompany the Inspector on a search through the village."

The village had only one street, no inns.

Qin Taichen led his men to question several households along the street; soon, a tofu vendor recalled: "A few days ago, a cart did pass through. There were four people inside—though counting the driver, that made four."

Xu Yuan sighed inwardly—the driver was likely already dead.

"Which way did they go?"

The tofu vendor shook his head: "I can't remember."

Qin Taichen asked a few more questions, but the man truly could not recall.

With no choice, they moved on to the next household. Fortunately, not long after, a woman at the street's end remembered: "I took a second look—they left the village, heading toward Huangya Village."

The headman of Huangya Village had arrived the day before.

Xu Yuan waved his hand: "To Huangya Village."

…

The tofu vendor kept watching secretly from in front of his shop; once Xu Yuan's party headed for Huangya Village, he locked eyes with the woman across the long street.

The woman went inside and shut the door.

The tofu vendor closed up shop, swiftly boarding up his storefront.

He returned to the back courtyard and waited quietly.

In the courtyard stood a stone mill; against the wall was a shed, where a black donkey idly flicked its tail.

Nearby, the ground had clearly been disturbed—something was buried beneath.

Not long after, the woman entered through the back door.

"Why are the Quhui Office people chasing us here?" the woman asked, face grim and voice anxious.

The tofu vendor's eyes turned fierce: "Who left traces? Who let the Quhui dogs sniff us out? They've dragged me into this—I'll be the first to peel their skin!"

"Why panic?" This time, it was the black donkey who spoke!

It flicked its tail and bared its lips: "We've lured them to Huangya Village. In the next two days, the sky over Huangya Village will crack open—they'll never return."

The woman and the tofu vendor's expressions eased slightly.

The tofu seller felt an itch on his face and couldn't resist scratching it.

That scratch ruined everything—the entire face skin shifted!

The tofu seller hurriedly used both hands to push the face skin back into place, but the black donkey growled: "Don't move it again!"

Beneath the tofu seller's face skin, fine, hair-thin crimson flesh sprouts wriggled, slowly pulling the skin back to its original position.

"Don't let your true form show in front of outsiders!" the black donkey warned again: "Forget those black-skin dogs in the Purification Office—focus on our own business."

"Besides, isn't there Ah Si? What's there to fear?"

The Purification Office's uniforms were primarily black, so outlaws often contemptuously called them "black-skin dogs."

……

In a forest outside the village, the boss hung himself upside down from a tree branch by a strand of silk.

Hidden by the foliage, he held a long, elongated brass tube, peering at Xu Yuan's group.

Wu Jinghan stood beneath the tree, his back laden with a square book case, like a scholar heading for the imperial exams.

But his "book case" was much larger, tightly covered in thick black cloth.

The boss extended the silk thread and slid down.

"They're heading toward Huangya Village."

Wu Jinghan said: "Let's get ahead, set up the temple, and kill them!"

The boss snorted coldly: "Since time is urgent, I'll let you have the advantage—get on."

The boss rolled on the ground; his spider form rapidly receded, transforming into a bird the size of a human head.

Wu Jinghan mounted the boss's back, yet felt no trace of romance. Who would dare lay hands on this old witch? Who knew what she might turn into mid-coitus…

The boss carried Wu Jinghan, using its claws to climb up tree trunks, then released its grip and dropped, spreading its wings to glide upward.

……

From Qingyu Village to Huangya Village was only a dozen or so li, but over half the route was mountain path—hard to traverse.

After walking three or four li, they had already entered the mountains.

Xu Yuan asked curiously: "Lang Xiao Ba, are the villages in Xiao Yu Shan different from those in Ghost Wushan?"

Yesterday's village head of Huangya Village clearly differed from Bai Laoyan.

Lang Xiao Ba replied: "These few villages near Qingyu Village aren't truly inside the mountains. Xiao Yu Shan is merely a tributary range, and this area lies on its outer fringes."

"Once we reach the village, my lord will see clearly—Huangya Village is still considered a village outside the mountains."

Qin Taichen added: "Inspector, although the roads to these villages are difficult, the malevolent spirits haven't fully cut them off from the outside world, so their conditions are far less perilous than those in Ghost Wushan."

Xu Yuan nodded; the old village head smiled and added: "But there are indeed more malevolent spirits around these villages. Thus, door gods and similar protections sometimes prove insufficient, so each village maintains its own village temple."

He stopped there, clearly implying these village temples were not officially registered with the yamen.

Xu Yuan asked: "What deities are worshipped in these temples? Chaotic spirits? Malevolent entities?"

"Absolutely not!" Qin Taichen quickly waved his hand: "They're ancestral spirits of the village, invoked to protect descendants."

"If they're ancestral spirits, why aren't they in ancestral halls, but in village temples?"

Qin Taichen smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I can't explain it either—perhaps local customs differ from those in Zhengzhou."

Xu Yuan asked no further.

Qin Ze had been following his second uncle, his bow slung beside his saddle. Throughout the journey, his copper-bell-sized eyes constantly scanned the mountain path, hoping to shoot a few game animals to demonstrate his valor to the Inspector.

But this road saw heavy traffic, so wild game was scarce.

With their party of dozens of horses making such noise, the remaining animals had long since fled far away.

Qin Ze felt his martial skills had nowhere to be used—he was growing restless.

Suddenly, Qin Ze looked up, his eyes brightening: Here was his chance!

High in the sky, a giant eagle glided downward with wings spread wide.

Qin Ze narrowed his gaze and saw the bird's wingspan was at least one zhang!

It was an eagle!

Qin Ze was even more delighted—his bow was a crafted artifact, far more powerful than ordinary bows. Only a creature of such size could reveal its true strength.

Qin Ze unslung a quiver from behind his saddle.

Inside were twelve iron-shafted arrows.

Harder, longer, heavier, with larger arrowheads!

Containing internal mechanisms.

Only then could he fully unleash the power of his rank as a Jiaoxiao and his crafted artifact!

Qin Ze deliberately fell back fifteen steps, then drew his bow, tensed every muscle, steadied his aim, and targeted the giant eagle.

Now he saw clearly—wasn't there something strapped to the eagle's back?

The Wu Xiu Qin Ze didn't bother to ponder further; he released the bowstring:

Zing!

The bowstring's vibration rang like metal striking metal.

The iron-shafted arrow shot forth like a meteor, piercing the eagle from belly to back.

A shriek tore through the clear sky as the boss, carrying Wu Jinghan, tumbled from the heavens.

Wu Jinghan turned pale with terror, gripping the boss's two shoulder blades with both hands—they had never imagined being shot down from the sky.

The boss had been flying high all along; neither arrows nor firelocks could reach them.

Only after closing in did he dive lower, preparing to land ahead of Xu Yuan's group—yet in such a brief moment, he'd been struck!

The boss possessed no flying crafted artifact; in truth, he always trusted his own transformations, so he selected only combat-oriented artifacts, for his lifespan was limited.

Wu Jinghan was a Rank Dan Xiu and had no means of flight.

Neither of them was a cultivator with a robust physique; falling from over a hundred zhang high, they would either die or suffer severe injuries.

As the ground rushed toward them and stones, trees, and other objects on the earth rapidly grew larger—the fleet master cursed, twisted his body, and transformed into a toad.

He sucked in a massive breath, his belly swelling rapidly, then thumped onto the ground.

The wounds from the arrows and his own wide-open mouth both released air, sparing him from being crushed outright.

Wu Jinghan was still on the fleet master's back.

But the transformed toad's back was slick and slippery; Wu Jinghan slid off and crashed to the ground, face-first, his mouth instantly filling with blood and stars flashing before his eyes.

The iron-shafted arrow concealed a mechanism; upon impact, the barbs sprang out and remained lodged inside the fleet master's body.

"Hurry!" the fleet master breathed heavy and coarse: "They're almost here."

Wu Jinghan shook his head hard, cleared his senses, then unbound the "book chest" tied behind him and yanked open the black cloth with bitter rage.

……

"Qin Ze, what are you doing?" Xu Yuan rebuked.

Qin Ze spurred his horse, racing swiftly from behind to the front, galloping toward the direction where the giant eagle had fallen: "Hahahaha, my lord, I'll get you some wild game—such a huge bird is rare, I'll roast it for you at noon."

Before Xu Yuan could speak again, Qin Ze had vanished like a puff of smoke.

Xu Yuan's expression shifted slightly: Why did it feel as if Qin Ze had changed from before?

"Follow him," Xu Yuan ordered. "Beware of ambushes!"

Just now, the giant eagle had fallen, and it seemed something else had been on its back.

And that scream echoing through the sky… why did it not sound like an eagle's cry?

The squad thundered forward and soon caught up with Qin Ze.

Qin Ze circled his horse across a patch of red earth, muttering: "Strange—where did my big prey go…?"

"It definitely fell right here."

"There's so much blood on the ground—where did it vanish?"

Xu Yuan activated his Wang Ming and glanced again at Qin Ze.

Destiny Pattern: Liu Xiangsheng.

His life's fortune lies entirely in unintentional acts.

The color of Qin Ze's "destiny" had shifted from green to orange.

Though still faint, it was undeniably orange—and his destiny pattern had already coalesced!

Two days ago, when Xu Yuan had used Wang Ming, Qin Ze's color had been deep green.

Qin Ze lacked the ability to conceal his destiny pattern before a destiny cultivator.

That means, in these brief two days, his destiny had become more exalted.

Why?

Xu Yuan pondered: although a person's destiny is fixed at birth,

postnatal circumstances can indeed alter it.

For instance, patronage from a noble, promotion in rank, diligent study to earn official merit, renown for virtue in the countryside, or accumulating virtue by risking one's life to save others.

Xu Yuan recalled the function of the "Liu Xiangsheng" destiny pattern, and a thought struck him—could this arrow have activated the pattern?

Xu Yuan pointed at Di Youzhi: "Go inspect."

Di Youzhi, meticulous as ever, dismounted, dipped a finger into the blood on the ground, and sniffed it: "My lord, it's human blood!"

Qin Ze: "Human blood?"

Before Xu Yuan could order, Di Youzhi's captains instantly scattered—drawing swords or activating their sect's abilities, tightly guarding the surroundings.

Qin Ze's men… stared around wildly, just like Qin Ze: "Huh? Human blood?"

"It was clearly a bird just now."

Xu Yuan scanned the surroundings: hills and ridges rose and fell, the soil barren, trees stunted, wild grasses tangled and overgrown.

As Xu Yuan was using Wang Ming to search, a cold wind suddenly surged from the ground!

Hu—

The cold wind spun and spread, instantly withering the grass and trees at its center.

As the cold wind expanded, more and more vegetation lost its vitality!

Soon, the cold wind reached the group.

Di Youzhi cursed, lunged forward, and spat a jet of fire at the cold wind.

Boom!

His abdominal fire met the cold wind, which exploded violently; Di Youzhi grunted and was flung backward.

Zhou Leizi rushed to catch him: "Chief?"

Di Youzhi shook his head: "I'm fine."

After the cold wind dissipated, a strange temple suddenly appeared out of thin air at its former center.

The temple had one door; above each side of the lintel, a small circular window slanted upward.

The eaves rose sharply on both sides, like a pair of ox horns.

The ridge was uneven, resembling a row of crooked teeth.

The temple walls were painted red, yet they radiated an eerie, sinister aura.

On the door hung only a single, lonely door ring.

Qin Ze glared at it and shouted: "What kind of aberration is this?!"

He drew another iron-shafted arrow, drew his bow fully, and fired—no matter what it was, he'd shoot first.

Swoosh—

The iron-tipped arrow struck a window precisely.

Snap...

The iron-tipped arrow snapped before the window.

Xu Yuan saw clearly: the arrow hadn't even hit the window; it had broken outright about three inches in front of it.

"Hmm?" Qin Ze uttered in surprise. Since the bow and arrow wouldn't work, he would switch to another weapon.

Qin Ze grabbed the golden melon mace from the side of the saddle.

Xu Yuan held him back, shaking his head gently: "Something isn't right."

That last arrow had already served as a probe; now they could not be reckless.

Xu Yuan pointed around them; within a range of several hundred zhang, a gloomy, gray mist stretched out.

That gust of yin wind had not truly dissipated.

The moment the temple appeared, it had already enveloped everyone within a specific range.

Di Youzhi said in a heavy voice: "My lord, I fear we are trapped and cannot get out."

Xu Yuan nodded.

But whether they could get out or not, they had to try.

Xu Yuan made a gesture: "Retreat!"

The formation withdrew as a whole.

Qin Ze's subordinates became reliable at this moment, their formation orderly and not chaotic.

Qin Ze and Di Youzhi covered the rear together, gripping the golden melon mace tightly; Di Youzhi held fire in his mouth and controlled the golden pellet in his hand.

Yet as soon as everyone retreated, the temple moved along with them.

That gloomy, gray mist always enveloped everyone within it.

After walking several hundred zhang, Xu Yuan raised his hand again, and the formation stopped.

Then everyone's vision blurred, and they found they had returned to the original spot!

As if they had never left at all.

"Hmph!" Xu Yuan let out a cold sneer, secretly reaching out to grasp the Yin-Yang Guillotine.

The instant the guillotine's handle touched his hand, the world Xu Yuan saw with both eyes suddenly scattered.

Xu Yuan covered his left eye and looked at the temple with only his right eye.

That small temple had transformed into a colossal, ghastly-white skull, vast as a mountain!

The temple door was a huge mouth filled with ghastly-white fangs; the two window holes were two deep eye sockets.

On top of the white bone, two twisted black horns, dozens of zhang long, jutted out diagonally upward.

Countless wronged souls and evil ghosts coiled around the entire white bone!

The lower halves of these things had completely merged into the white bone; their upper halves protruded, emitting heart-rending moans and wails that were unclear whether born of pain or pleasure.

Within the two deep eye sockets, ghastly-green flames burned in the void.

Xu Yuan then shifted his gaze along this massive white bone toward the rear.

In the hazy mist, he could see some drifting chains spreading out from nothingness; at the ends of the chains hung countless strange masks.

These masks were each worn on someone's face.

Although there were many masks, there were only three styles.

One was the white-faced ghost visage with long eyebrows and narrow eyes.

Its features were gloomy, yet it oddly gave off a coquettish air of posing.

One was a grotesque face pieced together from countless white bones.

The white bones were irregular, yet they interlocked like mortise-and-tenon joints, but... not elegantly; they gave only a strong sense of strangeness.

The third was a mud face without facial features.

It looked as if a clumsy child had casually pinched it out with their hands.

Where the eyes, nose, and mouth should be, there were only some indentations.

Those figures pinned down by these mud faces were like fish out of water, twitching uselessly again and again...

Finally, Xu Yuan's attention returned to this massive skull.

Between the skull's two huge ox horns, there seemed to be a scar.

But the yin qi was as thick as fog; Xu Yuan could not see it truly clearly.

He only felt that the upper part of the skull seemed to have... been bitten off by something!

Xu Yuan closed his right eye again and opened only his left eye...

What he saw this time was completely different from before.

It was absolutely not the desolate, gloomy small temple from earlier.

A scene of golden splendor!

Three halls, front and back; every hall featured carved beams and painted rafters, with golden tiles covering the roofs.

Incense burned vigorously before the doors; in a one-zhang-wide incense burner stood before the entrance, ash had accumulated to the brim.

Countless believers went in and out.

Some even came from very far away, bowing their heads to the ground with every step, kowtowing all the way into the temple.

From within the temple came the melodious sound of bells and the peaceful chanting of sutras.

Yet when one listened closely, one could not distinguish what sutra was being chanted.

Xu Yuan opened both eyes; before him was still that cold, small temple.

So he secretly sneered:

Yin and Yang, two faces!

The Yang face lures people into the temple.

The Yin face devours souls.

If not for Qin Ze's arrow, by the time we arrived here, we would have seen only the magnificent grand temple, its incense burning thick and high.

Such a temple, wherever it is erected, would draw countless devoted men and faithful women inside to bow and offer a few coins of incense money.

And thus they would hand over their own souls, trapped for countless lifetimes with no release!

Qin Ze saw the Patrol Officer quietly draw out a large broadsword that suited his taste perfectly, and his eyes immediately lit up!

I knew Xu Yuan and I would get along!

They all say Xu Yuan is a Rank Dan Xiu—what's so good about being a Rank Dan Xiu?

That day I was on the "River Embankment" too; the moment I saw Xu Yuan's fighting spirit, I knew deep down he is a Wu Xiu!

Qin Ze stepped forward, holding a golden melon hammer in his hand, its head as large as an infant's skull.

He gruffly said, "My lord, let me go up; I'll smash this wretched post station to pieces with one blow."

(End of this chapter)