"Do you need something, Fellow Daoist?"
The female cultivator was likely trying to flaunt her charms again. While pleasing to the eye, it posed a significant test to one's resolve.
Jia Ren had bought quite a few Evil Warding Talismans. With the leftover Spirit Stones, he still needed to purchase cultivation resources and had no intention of squandering them.
"The night is deep. It's inconvenient to entertain guests."
"Daoist Jia, it's really urgent."
"Our area is not safe!"
Not safe?!
Could it be true?
Don't scare me!
"Has something big happened recently?"
Jia Ren, busy with his work in the Grand Wilderness Mountain and the Great Wilderness Market, was always somewhat out of touch with the latest news. Since it concerned his safety, he had to pay attention.
"Fellow Daoist, please continue speaking from outside the door."
The risk from the woman at the Third Level of Qi Refinement was not significant.
Being involved in making money from her bed, she likely wouldn't engage in dangerous schemes of robbing or harming.
Even so, Jia Ren had no intention of opening the door. He asked for information through the stone door.
"A disaster has occurred! I beg you, you must help me!"
Her words were incoherent, and her beautiful face was stained with tears. It seemed as if she had just encountered something terrible, invoking pity.
"Please, let me stay here, protect me for a few days. I'm willing to do anything."
The stone door showed no sign of opening. Jia Ren's heart was as cold as iron, causing the female cultivator's own heart to sink to the depths.
"If you protect me for a few days, I can give you an Evil Warding Talisman!"
An Evil Warding Talisman?
If it had been two days ago, he would undoubtedly have been tempted.
But now...
Jia Ren held six Evil Warding Talismans. As long as he didn't court death, they were enough to ensure his safety. There was no need to take unnecessary risks for one talisman.
The fact that the female cultivator was willing to use an Evil Warding Talisman, worth forty Spirit Stones, to exchange for safety proved there was real danger.
"First, make clear what happened."
Jia Ren was mainly concerned about the safety of this area. If it was all alarmist talk, he would simply send her away.
"Someone put a severed hand in my house!"
A severed hand?
Jia Ren couldn't help but feel somewhat speechless. Scared by a severed hand like this?
Has she never seen a corpse?
Is it a case of vicious competition among peers?
Or dissatisfaction from a client, leading to a severed hand as a bad review?
"There's Bizarre Evil Qi on the hand!"
"I don't know who threw it over, trying to infect me."
"More and more Loose Cultivators are maliciously spreading Bizarre Evil Qi, and many people have been affected…"
Bizarre Evil Qi being maliciously spread to Loose Cultivators?
Jia Ren was shocked, his mood unsettled for a long time.
Although the atmosphere of the Great Wilderness Market was poor, it could at least guarantee a certain degree of safety. With the Five Elements Sect Law Enforcement Team's deterrence, Bizarre Cultivators were restrained and dared not act recklessly. Otherwise, why would Loose Cultivators spend a Spirit Stone to rent a room in the Outer City District?
Safety is very important!
And now, the sense of security that had been established for so long was gradually crumbling.
"Take me to see!"
Jia Ren didn't just take the female cultivator's word for it. He had her lead the way while he controlled a mosquito to follow.
A moment later, he finally pushed the stone door open and followed behind.
Using the mosquito to confirm there wasn't a 'honey trap' ambush waiting, he then stepped into the female cultivator's residence.
The stone house was far more delicate than those of male cultivators; the air fragrant with the scents of rouge and flowers. Following the aroma, one could see colorful and beautiful unidentified flowers displayed by the windows.
Glancing past the unnecessary details, by the flickering dim candlelight, he saw a withered severed hand on the stone table.
Spirit Eye Technique!
Jia Ren's eyes glowed with white light, revealing every minute detail of his surroundings, and he could see things normally invisible. On the severed hand, just as the woman had said, was a... Bizarre Evil Qi.
"Could it be you've provoked some enemy?"
The female cultivator quickly shook her head, her voice tinged with barely concealed fear.
"Many Loose Cultivators have gone mad!"
"The price of Evil Warding Talismans is getting more expensive, and Loose Cultivators can't afford them. After being infected with Bizarre Evil Qi and losing hope for survival, they become almost frantic…"
"Many Loose Cultivators infected with the Bizarre Evil Qi are taking revenge on their enemies, and some are maliciously spreading it to the Market, resulting in an increasing number of innocent victims."
"The situation is getting worse and worse. Many are driven mad with rage, seizing the opportunity for revenge, wanting to infect more people..."
She recounted what she had seen and heard in detail.
Jia Ren's face turned ugly. When he went to the Market before the Hour of Mao, only the number of Loose Cultivators had reduced; the problem had seemed minor.
In just one day, the situation had deteriorated to this extent.
This is no simple matter!
The Five Elements Sect had just executed a hundred enemy Cultivators from Grand Wilderness Mountain and destroyed Heavenly River Square to make an example of them. And now there's a large-scale spread of Bizarre Evil Qi in the Great Wilderness Market? It's too much of a coincidence, isn't it?
It looks like deliberate retaliation, aimed to disgust the Five Elements Sect.
The lowest-level Loose Cultivators are the worst off. At the slightest disturbance, they are the first to suffer.
An Evil Warding Talisman has skyrocketed to forty Spirit Stones. How can Loose Cultivators possibly afford that?
Especially those maliciously infected Loose Cultivators; they must be on the verge of madness, with few able to maintain their rationality.
They don't wish to see other Cultivators unharmed. Since they're infected with Bizarre Evil Qi, they might as well drag everyone down with them!
More and more Cultivators will become sources of contamination, maliciously spreading the Bizarre Evil Qi.
The more these Bizarre Evil Qi incidents intensify, the more chaotic it will become!
"What about the Inner City?"
"How will the Five Elements Sect deal with it?"
With this Bizarre Evil Qi affliction being such a serious issue, how will the Five Elements Sect handle it?
"The Inner City is now sealed, strictly prohibiting entry and exit."
"The Inner City is the core of the Great Wilderness Market, which the Five Elements Sect is determined to protect. As for the Outer City... I fear they won't care about our lives at all."
The female cultivator had thought of going to the Inner City, but unfortunately, there was no chance now. The protective Formation has been activated, leaving no way in.
They're abandoning the lowest-level Loose Cultivators?
Jia Ren already had the answer in his heart.
The lowest-level Loose Cultivators are like leeks, cut down batch after batch. There will always be more Loose Cultivators coming to Great Wilderness City.
The old are gone, and new ones will come.
If they can keep the Inner City of the Great Wilderness Market stable, the chaos in the Outer City won't shake their foundation.
"Thank you for the information!"
Jia Ren secretly felt fortunate that he knew the ins and outs of the situation. Otherwise, even with six Evil Warding Talismans, he wouldn't be able to withstand the constant depletion.
The Inner City...
It's a pity he didn't go to the Inner City with Yang Shengwu.
"As long as you, Fellow Daoist, protect me through this crisis, I am willing to offer up an Evil Warding Talisman."
"An Evil Warding Talisman costs forty Spirit Stones!"
Jia Ren glanced at the female cultivator and shook his head. "I don't lack Evil Warding Talismans for now. You should find someone else."
He appreciated the information provided by the female cultivator but was unwilling to take on a burden.
One more person, one more problem.
"You!"
The female cultivator glared at Jia Ren, both angry and annoyed.
Trying to raise the price, is he?
Her daily expenses weren't small, business was unstable, and with only her limited savings, she had purchased two Evil Warding Talismans and found it difficult to offer a higher price.
Jia Ren didn't negotiate with her. He decisively returned home and firmly closed the stone door.
I must prepare more!
The underground chamber must be completed more quickly!
Jia Ren looked down at the stone bed, where dozens of Corner Worms were busily drilling into the narrow tunnels, occasionally bringing up soil from below. He used a Storage Bag to scatter the soil in inconspicuous places.
With one or two more days of diligent work, the underground chamber should be finished.
I hope nothing goes wrong...
A slight premonition stirred him. Jia Ren, looking through the window, saw the female cultivator seeking help from other stone houses.
Not all Cultivators were as 'insensitive' as Jia Ren, not to mention the lure of an Evil Warding Talisman.
"That Jia is such a coward! You, Fellow Daoist, are truly noble and principled!"
The voice gradually faded, barely audible.
Jia Ren paid it no mind and didn't continue to grind for a higher Proficiency Level that night. Unable to ensure there would be no danger tonight, it was best to keep his Spiritual Power at its peak. In case of trouble, he would have the power to protect himself.
As night deepened, Jia Ren ultimately couldn't avoid what was coming.
The stone door was violently kicked open, triggering an explosive trap and igniting a burst of flames.