Chapter 301: Zhuo Jian (Combined Three Parts)

Only when dawn was about to break did the Purification Office finally withdraw its forces.

No evil spirits within the city dared to emerge and cause trouble.

The evil spirits within the city could actually be divided into two categories.

One category consisted of creatures like the Blood-Eyed Rats, lurking in the corners of the marketplace, their strength never exceeding Eighth Tier.

Most were merely at the "Unranked" level.

To ordinary people, they were terribly frightening, yet they lived with extreme caution within the city.

After last night's massive disturbance, they either hid in sewers, or burrowed into underground holes, or hastily drilled into wells, holding their breath and only daring to surface after a long while to take a breath before diving back down.

They all feared being caught by the heavily mobilized Purification Office and being casually exterminated.

The other category consisted of true, fully formed evil spirits.

Such as Bai Hu, and also… these few near Bai Hu.

The one on the left had a face as large as a *dou*, yet it was merely a skin, containing pure malice that coalesced into one black vortex after another.

It had no body; beneath its *dou*-sized face were seven or eight structures resembling crab claws, covered all over with strange parasitic growths, like shellfish or barnacles.

Directly opposite was a formless entity constantly arising and vanishing.

Sometimes a thick black oil, sometimes an invisible gray mist, sometimes a dark crimson blood-cloud.

But in whichever form, a mouth filled only with fangs would occasionally surface.

To the right was a giant serpent, its body as thick as a water barrel, its upper half raised to a height of three zhang, its scales covered with patterns resembling eyeballs, making one's scalp tingle at just a glance.

It had two heads.

One was a breathtakingly beautiful woman, the other a strikingly handsome man.

Yet no matter which face, both bore an indescribable aura of malice in their brows and eyes.

Behind it were three long tails: one in juvenile form, one in prime, one in old age.

Besides these three, several others sat at a distance within this grotesque space.

But clearly, Bai Hu was more familiar with these three.

This space resembled Zhan City, yet it was a shattered version of it.

From city walls to buildings, from rivers to streets, from plants to rocks, from sky to earth, from sun and moon to stars, from time to space—all were in ruins!

Cracks everywhere, scars upon scars.

A landscape of devastation, riddled with a thousand holes.

The wounds varied in size, layered one upon another, and within them seemed to fester; the broken places appeared to rot.

Each rupture was tainted by filth, breeding countless malices.

Evil spirits were born from them.

Before the face-as-large-as-a-*dou* evil spirit sat a wine bowl.

The wine within was a sickly yellow, murky and foul, emitting a bloody stench.

It was brewed from the waters of the Wangchuan River mixed with the heart's blood of the living.

Within this Zhan City, only a handful of evil spirits could afford to drink such wine.

Even Bai Hu could not afford it.

She was seated here only because these few granted her brother their respect.

"The Purification Office has grown too arrogant," said the face-as-large-as-a-*dou* evil spirit, each syllable brimming with resentment and hatred toward the mortal world.

Bai Hu smiled faintly but dared not join this conversation.

The two-headed, three-tailed serpent said: "What does it have to do with us? Do they dare enter this place?"

The face-as-large-as-a-*dou* despised everything, let alone being contradicted by the serpent.

Yet just as it was about to retort, all present suddenly changed expression, fell silent, and froze motionless like stone statues.

The sky was torn apart by hundreds of cracks, through which one could directly see a starry void burning with purple-black flames.

A colossal divine corpse drifted soundlessly through the stars.

The divine corpse was utterly lifeless, its entire form riddled with deformities and grotesque growths.

It had become so monstrous that no one could discern which deity of the Immortal Ranks it had been before its fall.

The "shadow" of the divine corpse fell from the stars, seeped through the sky's cracks, and spilled across this space.

Bai Hu and the others dared not move; after a moment, as the divine corpse drifted past, all the evil spirits exhaled together in relief.

Everyone tacitly refused to mention the divine corpse just now.

But the previous topic had been interrupted and was not resumed.

Bai Hu sat quietly to one side, listening as the great evil spirits chatted idly.

Tonight, the Purification Office conducted a full-city sweep, so the great evil spirits had come here to seek peace.

This was the middle ground between the "Mortal World" and the "Underworld."

It was called "Zhuo Jian."

Whether it was the origin of all evil spirits and anomalies remains uncertain.

But within daily taboos—for example, when the River Lin was forbidden, many fierce and powerful evil spirits would suddenly appear in its waters; when tongue-wagging was forbidden, if one whispered behind someone's back, their tongue would suddenly become anomalous; when climbing high was forbidden, countless dangers lurked in the empty air above…

These evil spirits and anomalies seeped into the mortal world from "Zhuo Jian."

Correspondingly, on taboo days, these evil spirits were permitted to enter the mortal world, and their power surged dramatically.

This was the law governing "Zhuo Jian."

Why this was so—even the strongest evil spirits could not explain.

Even whether these so-called "rules" were truly rules… they dared not be certain.

"Zhuo Jian" was filthy, chaotic, mad, and delusional; no one knew what change might occur the next moment.

The daily changing taboos are precisely an embodiment of this chaotic variation.

Everything from the Yang world is reflected here, such as Zhan City, Luocheng, Ghost Wushan, and Qihetai Town.

Everything from the Yin world is also mirrored here, such as the Ghost Gate Pass, the Yellow Spring Road, the Watching-Hometown Platform, the Three Lifes Stones, and the Evil Dog Ridge.

The two categories of evil spirits within the city—the former are weak and cannot freely enter or exit Zhuo Jian.

They can only do so on their "Fu Daxiong" days.

Thus, they can only hide within the city, trembling, unlike these great evils that can come in to seek peace.

Bai Hu does not enter often either.

Her strength is stuck right on that line.

Entering even once is not easy.

Bai Hu merely smiled as she watched "the face as large as a *dou*," this eerie thing hating all and despising everything—but since it had entered the city, it too was bound by its rules.

The growth rate of evil spirits and anomalies within the city far exceeds that in places outside like Xiao Yu Shan, a "land beyond civilization."

Evil spirits and anomalies feed on living humans, yet they cannot sever themselves from humanity.

They are born from human malice; without humans, they too will eventually perish.

"The Yang side is nearly over—I'll leave first."

Bai Hu's slender body pressed backward.

A crack appeared on the wall behind her.

She barely squeezed through, then emerged from a void somewhere within Bai Yue Pavilion.

Dawn was about to break, yet the fox sisters had not returned.

Xu Yuan led his troops back to camp; upon entering the Nancheng Patrol Station, he saw the fox sisters sitting together neatly, like schoolchildren.

Their waists straight, both small hands placed properly on their knees.

Not a single fidget.

"Why haven't you left yet?" Xu Yuan asked, puzzled.

The fox sisters nearly cried: Without your order, how dare we leave?

Xu Yuan had forgotten about it.

"Can we go now?"

"Go ahead. You've both earned merit this time—I'll think of some small rewards for you later."

The fox sisters exchanged glances, thinking: As long as you don't come looking for us again, that's the greatest reward we could ask for.

But if you don't come looking for us, how do we complete Laozu's task?

The fox sighed: Resigned to fate.

They exited the Nancheng Patrol Station; behind Xu Yuan, a large group of Captains had not yet entered, and on the street they bowed respectfully to the sisters: "Ladies, please go slowly."

Regardless of whether these two had any improper relationship with our lord, being courteous first is always right—this was what Old Qin had quietly told everyone.

Old Qin secretly felt proud, believing himself to be polished and skillful in handling affairs.

He did not know that the lord had already marked him in his heart: Dog thief, ruining my reputation!

The Blood-Eyed Rat evil spirit was still hiding in a tree hollow a street away.

Last night, it had maliciously escorted the two foxes all the way to the Nancheng Patrol Station.

It was stunned to see the two foxes actually being invited inside!

Then, before it could flee, the Purification Office launched a massive operation.

The Blood-Eyed Rat hurriedly dove into a tree hollow to hide.

And now it couldn't escape at all.

Throughout the city, the dying screams of evil spirits echoed everywhere.

Some were fragments of the Wang Fei, others were unlucky minor evils that had been caught by the Purification Office.

Fortunately, after a tense while, it realized its location was a blind spot under the lamp!

So it settled down and fell asleep in the tree hollow.

When it woke and opened its eyes, it saw exactly the Purification Office's wolf-like Captains lined up on both sides of the road, respectfully seeing off the two foxes!

The Blood-Eyed Rat widened its eyes to their maximum.

And tore open again the old scars around its eye sockets…

Pain made its tears gush out all at once.

Tears soaked into the wounds—now it hurt even more…

The Blood-Eyed Rat never imagined that last night's grand commotion had left not a single hair on it injured, yet this morning it had injured itself.

But this pain could not suppress its shock: What exactly are these two foxes?!

We dare not even approach this big house, yet they not only entered, but the Purification Office treated them with great respect.

Hidden great demons? Ancient thousand-year monsters?

The Blood-Eyed Rat heard its own teeth clattering:

Did I once foolishly provoke two ancient thousand-year monsters?

Just as the fox sisters passed by the tree hollow, the Blood-Eyed Rat dropped its head and fell prostrate on its knees inside.

After this, rumors spread throughout Zhan City: Two terrifyingly powerful fox elders were hidden within the city!

Their strength was unfathomable.

Their status was exalted—even the Purification Office bowed them out with respect!

As a result, for a long time afterward, whenever the two sisters went out at night, minor evil spirits who caught sight of them from afar turned pale with fear, tucked their tails, and scurried along the walls to escape.

If they didn't escape… they would collapse with a thud, prostrating themselves fully and daring not even to lift their eyes to look at them.

……

Lord Ma Tianshou stayed in Champa for three extra days.

Officially, it was to clarify the case of the Ghost Wang Fei.

In reality, he was discussing with Xu Yuan how to fabricate a story with no loopholes.

He then wrote an official document and sent it to the Northern Capital General Office, requesting merit for Xu Yuan.

Lord Ma secretly searched for Zhang Laoya but found no trace; he sighed deeply in his heart, knowing this old friend had died at the hands of the Ghost Wang Fei.

Xu Yuan felt somewhat depressed because Zhang Laoya had promised him a "treasure."

During these three days, the two Preachers had some free time.

Wu Chenxin returned first, as there were many family matters he needed to decide.

Li Yichuan stayed behind; on the first day, he took several servants to tour the city, focusing on Nancheng.

Then, not far from the Nancheng patrol station, he purchased a large three-courtyard mansion.

On the second day, he suddenly formally invited Xu Yuan's family to a banquet.

The wealthy great families are indeed extravagant; Li Yichuan booked the entire Five Flavors Tower.

During the banquet, Li Yichuan personally toasted Xu Yuan and Lin Wanmo to apologize.

Lin Wanmo did not yet know the reason; Li Yichuan laid bare his true intentions, explaining his offense to Lin Wanmo.

Then he bitterly smiled and said, "This old man knows that Brother Xu holds a grudge against me, for he has not given me a single smile since then."

Xu Yuan let out a cold snort.

"This old man has no eyes to see; I will punish myself with three cups!" Li Yichuan truly downed three cups in a row, then brought out the deed: "Since I offended the Lady, a few words cannot settle it; this house is my apology."

Li Yichuan handed it directly to Lin Wanmo, not to Xu Yuan.

"Please, Lady, you must accept it," Li Yichuan said. "I heard that Lord Xu's residence in the city is cramped; in the future, when Brother Xu is promoted, receiving and seeing off guests will be inevitable, and we cannot lose face."

"No need," Lin Wanmo declined lightly.

Lin Wanmo loved money, but it had to be money she earned herself.

If her son was willing to show filial piety, she would naturally be even happier.

But she would not take things from outsiders for nothing.

Li Yichuan urged her again and again to accept it, but Lin Wanmo's refusal was resolute.

Li Yichuan felt somewhat awkward and looked at Xu Yuan: "Brother Xu, what do you think of this..."

Xu Yuan helplessly said, "Senior Li, please take back the deed; we accept your apology. However, please speak your mind directly, Senior."

Xu Yuan absolutely did not believe that his current self was worthy of a leader from a great family lowering himself so much.

When one shows respect to another, one must have a request.

Li Yichuan thought for a moment, sat back down, pressed the deed under his palm, and said, "Brother Xu is straightforward in nature, so this old man will not be pretentious. This old man indeed has a request, but it is for the Lady."

"Me?" Lin Wanmo was surprised.

Li Yichuan waved his hand, and a servant standing nearby brought forward an iron box with both hands.

The iron box was locked on all four sides with complex locks.

Li Yichuan opened the box and showed it to Lin Wanmo: "Lady, please take a look first."

Lin Wanmo only glanced at it a few times before judging: "This craft artifact is damaged."

Xu Yuan leaned in for a look, but the box was empty inside; there was nothing at all!

Li Yichuan praised Lin Wanmo: "The Lady's craft cultivation is indeed profound! This 'Hundred Treasures Box' was brought from Zhengzhou by my ancestor back then.

It is the treasure of our Southern Jiaozhi Li family, ranking as high as Fourth Grade!"

Xu Yuan suddenly understood; so this box was the craft artifact.

"But more than ten years ago... I will not elaborate on the specific details. After this craft artifact was damaged, this old man thought of many methods and secretly invited several great craft cultivators, yet none could repair it.

However, we dare not tell the main branch in Zhengzhou about this matter.

When we took this Hundred Treasures Box back then, many people in the Zhengzhou main branch were secretly envious; if they learned of this, punishment would surely fall upon our Southern Jiaozhi Li family."

Li Yichuan stood up from the banquet, solemnly crossed his hands before his forehead, and bowed deeply to Lin Wanmo: "Please, Lady, help our Southern Jiaozhi Li family overcome this crisis."

"This mansion will serve as a reward. Regardless of whether it can be repaired, it is given to the Lady."

"If it can be repaired, this old man can promise that if Lord Xu has any need, he may borrow the Hundred Treasures Box three times at any time."

Xu Yuan could not help but sigh at the deep foundations of these great family clans.

Leaders who are carefully cultivated and screened through layers are indeed extraordinary.

Li Yichuan's lust and romantic nature are inherent.

Upon first meeting, looking down on someone like Xu Yuan from a lowly, small household was also an instinct of his heart.

But as soon as he discovered that Xu Yuan and Lin Wanmo were useful to him, he could immediately completely change his attitude and lower himself to associate with them.

Moreover, in doing all this, he appeared sincere, from his face to his heart, without the slightest awkwardness.

Lin Wanmo was already carefully examining that "Hundred Treasures Box."

"This craft artifact is not only damaged, but it has already shown signs of losing control.

Those four locks are also craft artifacts, used to suppress the loss of control."

Li Yichuan's eyes showed admiration; he raised his thumb and gave a vigorous thumbs-up. Nothing more needed to be said; Preacher Li was convinced this was the closest he had come to repairing the family treasure.

The "Hundred Treasures Box" could automatically transform and combine into weapons that countered a target's weaknesses based on the target.

Back then, the main branch in Zhengzhou received an order to provide guidance and send a branch to develop in Southern Jiaozhi, but no one was willing to come.

After all, Southern Jiaozhi was not a good place.

Later, the main branch selected several collateral branches to draw lots; the ancestor of Li Yichuan's branch had just played mahjong with several friends all night, winning a shop in the Northern Capital with a single hand.

Perhaps his good luck was exhausted; he drew the short straw on the very first try.

Laozu and his whole family dawdled and dragged their feet, refusing to actually set out.

The main branch offered this benefit: take the "Hundred Treasures Box"—if you encounter danger in Southern Jiaozhi, this artisan artifact will safeguard your safety.

A fourth-rank artisan artifact? The main branch really went all out.

It made many secretly envious.

Even now, although the main branch in Zhengzhou no longer holds absolute control over the Li clan of Southern Jiaozhi—far from the power of life and death—they still hold the moral authority of the lineage.

Moreover, the main branch gives each branch a substantial annual subsidy; if they find out about this, that subsidy may vanish forever.

Lin Wanmo watched for a while longer, then said: "A bit tricky. Leave this with me—I need some time to study it."

"Of course," Li Yichuan readily agreed.

But Ma Tianshou had returned to Luocheng; Li Yichuan stayed behind, waiting in the patrol office of Nancheng.

After all, it was the clan's treasured artifact—he had to guard it personally.

Xu Yuan noticed his stepmother had slipped back into that state of "enduring hardship," locking herself away for days on end, as if forging an artisan artifact.

Xu Yuan seized an opportunity, slipped inside, and wanted to tell her: if you can't fix it, forget it—we don't need that house.

We're not short on money; if we want to move, we'll buy our own.

But as soon as he stepped in, he saw Lin Wanmo sitting at the table, one foot propped on the chair, happily gnawing on a braised chicken claw!

When Xu Yuan entered, Lin Wanmo had just shoved a claw into her mouth—three talons still sticking out—her eyes wide and round, looking utterly ridiculous.

"Mmmmmm…"

Lin Wanmo couldn't speak; she frantically waved for Xu Yuan to shut the door, so Li Yichuan wouldn't see.

Xu Yuan closed the door and turned around—his stepmother had already slurped the entire claw into her mouth.

Then her cheeks puffed a few times, and she spat out the tiny bones with a series of puh-puh-puh sounds.

"You…" Xu Yuan didn't know what to say.

Lin Wanmo waved her hand, picked the skinniest claw from the plate, and resumed chewing.

She always ate the skinniest ones first, saving the best for last.

"Don't worry—it's not hard to fix."

"But I can't let Li Yichuan think I fixed it too easily."

Xu Yuan laughed and sighed, sat down, reached out, snatched the best claw, and bit into it quickly.

"You!" Lin Wanmo's eyebrows shot up.

Xu Yuan chewed as he said: "Don't be so stingy—I'll have Aunt Wang buy you more later."

Since his stepmother thought fixing the Hundred Treasures Box was easy, Xu Yuan had nothing to worry about.

In truth, keeping Li Yichuan tied up in Southern Jiaozhi made Xu Yuan more than happy.

Though the barber and the old black dog were dead, the shadowy buyer wouldn't let this go.

True, all leads had gone cold—technically, no one could trace it back to us… but what if?

Don't forget: cultivation sects' lineages are wildly diverse—someone might still find the answer out of thin air.

Three days after Old Master Ma left, Qu Jinpeng's eldest son arrived in Southern Jiaozhi with a transfer order.

Old Master Qu had two sons: the elder, Qu Shengqian; the younger, Qu Shaozu.

He Youxing immediately understood the situation, completed the formalities, and sent the man to Xu Yuan.

Fu Jingyu had told Xu Yuan privately after returning.

Originally, Xu Yuan had planned to take both of Old Master Qu's sons under his wing, to nurture them.

But Old Master Qu had sent only the elder, keeping the younger by his side.

Fu Jingyu had specifically analyzed this arrangement for Xu Yuan—Old Master Qu had clearly thought more thoroughly.

If both sons came, Xu Yuan's space was limited, and Old Master Qu's favor would be split between them—it was better to send just one.

Xu Yuan could fully support one, avoiding rivalry between the brothers.

Also, someone remained to care for the old master.

Qu Jinpeng had served for decades in the Southern Jiaozhi Office; though his rank never rose high, he hadn't amassed only one favor—Xu Yuan's.

The younger son staying in the Southern Office might still rise.

Xu Yuan nodded inwardly—he was still young, under twenty; he hadn't considered this as deeply as the old master.

After Qu Shengqian arrived, Xu Yuan had him follow Di Youzhi for a while, then decide whether to keep him close or let Shi Bading train him first.

Xu Yuan was just thinking about Shi Bading when his booming voice rang out in the courtyard: "Xu Lao-di! Xu Lao-di…"

"Old brother's come to see you, hahaha!"

Xu Yuan stepped out smiling and saw Shi Bading had brought only two Captains, carrying a jar of wine.

Before even seeing Xu Yuan, he bumped straight into Da Fu.

Shi Bading walked with his arms spread, arrogant and domineering, refusing to yield to anyone.

Coincidentally, Da Fu did the same.

Even their arm-posing stances were eerily similar.

…Somehow, Shi Bading had taken a special liking to Xu Yuan's goose.

Every time he saw Da Fu, he'd feed him.

This time was no different—he smiled, pulled out a large sack of rice, and tossed it to Da Fu.

But he didn't notice Da Fu's wary eyes.

"Xu Lao-di!" Shi Bading spotted Xu Yuan and rushed over for a hug.

Xu Yuan invited him inside; Shi Bading's face immediately clouded: "Lao-di, the Head of Discipline truly isn't managing anything anymore."

He pulled out an official document: "Xuanguang County sent a plea for aid—a never-before-seen evil spirit has appeared. He just dumped it on me and told me to hand it to you."

(Chapter End)