"Sir, sir, your wine..."
Zhang Kui was startled awake and saw the smiling face of the shop attendant beside him, gesturing casually, "Just leave it."
He took a fierce gulp of the local brew, calming his nerves.
At the very last moment before the cave completely collapsed, he rushed out. The fake Taoists from White Cloud Temple had already scattered and fled.
Looking back, he saw that more than half of the hillside had sunk in. He was still shaken even after descending the mountain.
What on earth was that thing just now?
It looked like an enlarged dead man's hand, even with a tattered sleeve below the wrist.
But the hand alone was over ten meters long,
just how large must the body be?
The old ghost in the White Cloud Temple had already left him defenseless, capable of occupying a city and stealing a divine position, yet it was like a little insect before the monstrous hand.
There are still so many mysteries.
Like Ting Mountain, is it possibly the grave of the owner of that monstrous hand?
And those corpse nurturers, what is their real goal...
"Damn it, this truly is a crazy world..."
Zhang Kui muttered, tilting his head back to drain the bowl of wine.
Perhaps due to the disappearance of the old ghost, along with the blazing daytime sun, the evil aura that had been lingering above Black Water City was gradually dissipating.
But, the chaos was just beginning.
Zhang Kui watched the White Cloud Temple across the street with cold eyes.
After the dozen or so bedraggled fake Taoists rushed back, chaos erupted inside shortly after.
A few strong men carrying heavy bags had just run out when several Astronomical Bureau military men suddenly appeared, pressing blades against their throats.
Suddenly, chaos broke out on the street as squads of spear-wielding soldiers ran over, with pedestrians and vendors quickly dodging to escape.
Once the soldiers had surrounded the White Cloud Temple tightly, Captain Zhou from the Astronomical Bureau, whom he had seen on the way out of the city, came riding leisurely over, scanning the scene with a cold gaze.
"It is now confirmed that the White Cloud Temple colluded with demons to wreak havoc in Black Water City. Everyone, hear the order: eradicate the demons and demolish the divine statue, don't let a single one escape!"
At the command, the soldiers, fierce as wolves and tigers, immediately charged in. Soon, the sounds of fighting and screams came from within, with black smoke rising from the direction of the main hall not long after.
At the same time, four men in black clothes carried a small sedan chair along the road, stopping slowly and as if no one else was around.
Captain Zhou hastily dismounted, bowing with hands clasped, "Mr. Qin, the demon nest has been controlled, please give your orders."
A pale hand slowly lifted the sedan curtain, its nails dark and long, holding a small fan.
Out came a man dressed like a scholar, his complexion showing traces of blue-gray amidst the pallor, with slender eyes that seemed ghostly.
The scholar snapped open his fan, whose surface was filled with variably featured maidens, and a smile played on his lips.
"Rest assured, the Faceless Ghost King has already perished. Tell your men not to touch the items in the storeroom, and you will be rewarded afterward by Eunuch Liu."
"Yes, sir!"
Captain Zhou, face beaming, led a group into the White Cloud Temple.
Suddenly, the scholar seemed to sense something and sharply turned his head toward the tavern, then puzzledly shook his head.
Inside the tavern, a few large copper coins lay on the table by the window, but no one was there.
The shop attendant scratched his head,
"Where's the customer? He was just here..."
On the tavern roof, Zhang Kui secured the full wine gourd at his waist. Strangely, it was as if no one on the bustling street could see him.
He had used the Invisibility Skill for the first time, and its effect was quite good.
This skill has a benefit: as long as he doesn't attack or get attacked, the effect can be maintained indefinitely.
Zhang Kui used the Invisibility Skill not because he was afraid of that eerie scholar, but because he had spotted a familiar face.
Among the townspeople watching from afar, a man pressed down his hat and turned to leave.
It was Wang Hu, who had led him into the White Cloud Temple upon his arrival.
This guy had only appeared once, and Zhang Kui was quite curious about the mysterious master he spoke of.
Wang Hu was clearly very cautious, constantly scanning his surroundings and choosing to walk through secluded alleys, while on the rooftops beside him, Zhang Kui lightly tapped with his toes, gliding like a kite, without making a sound.
They reached an ordinary residential courtyard in the north of the city. Wang Hu looked around before rhythmically knocking on the door with a pasted deity figure.
Zhang Kui silently landed on the courtyard wall.
An old man with a blue coarse cloth headscarf, hair white as snow, came out from inside. He seemed like an ordinary citizen, but his movements were unusually agile as he quickly opened the door.
"How is it?"
"Let's talk inside!"
The two snuck into the house.
Zhang Kui lightly floated to the window, smiling and listening attentively.
"What on earth happened?"
"I asked those who returned; the Yin cave at Ting Mountain suddenly collapsed, and no one knows what happened inside. The Faceless Ghost King's avatar statue shattered, and the others are likely in grave danger."
"Damn it, how could this happen at such a crucial moment? What if the Crown Prince blames us?"
"It's not a fault in battle; the Crown Prince should not punish us. But we can't stay in Black Water City."
"Humph, it's just made things easier for Dog Liu."
"Haha, he has to have the teeth to eat this piece of meat. Without the old demon of the Grain Avoidance Realm keeping watch, evil spirits will flood in, and Black Water City will soon descend into chaos."
"Then we must leave soon..."
The rest was trivial talk, and soon the two suspiciously locked the gate and drove a carriage out of the city.
Zhang Kui sat atop the roof, watching the two's departing figures, taking a sip of wine with a cold laugh.
The Crown Prince...
Who else could be referred to as the Crown Prince?
According to Wu Siyuan, Li Hongshou, the Vassal King of Qingzhou, was timid and obsessed with calligraphy and paintings, with a good reputation in his territory.
Unexpectedly, his son turned out to be incredibly audacious, colluding with demons for undoubtedly significant purposes, and from the sounds of it, controlling quite a few places.
And that Eunuch Liu from the Astronomical Bureau, the sinister scholar he recruited was clearly an unsavory character, openly seizing territory, as if he too had thrown caution to the wind.
The minds of men, the ghostly lands, none of them are good people.
Thinking of this, Zhang Kui's figure flickered as he sped towards an inn in the west of the city.
Upon entering and revealing himself, Zhang Kui looked around, "Shopkeeper, is there a Sky-No. room available?"
The old man immersed in his accounts immediately stood up, a sharp gleam flashing in his murky eyes.
"Sir, our humble establishment does not have a Sky-No. room, but we do have a large common room still available."
"Then that will do, and please prepare some hot water."
"Very well, please follow me, sir."
The two arrived at the corner room upstairs, where the shopkeeper opened the door with a gesture of invitation. After Zhang Kui entered, he quickly closed the door from the outside.
Zhang Kui paid no mind; this was all arranged by Wu Siyuan. Someone had purchased this inn as a base on his second day here.
Inside, there were four or five men dressed as commoners, all from the Capital City's Astronomical Bureau. Upon seeing him, they quickly stood and clasped their hands in salute.
"Greetings to Taoist Zhang."
Zhang Kui nodded, frowning as he looked at someone by the window, "Why are you here?"
This person, with graying hair and a stern face, was none other than Eunuch Yin, whose real name was Yin Bai.
Eunuch Yin's mouth twitched,
"I hurried back to the Capital to see the Emperor, only to have this life-threatening task fall on me again."
Zhang Kui chuckled, "I think you're secretly quite pleased. If Qingzhou is purged, can you still miss out on the position of a regional official in the Astronomical Bureau?"
"That is, if I can live..."
Eunuch Yin shook his head, then turned serious, clasping his hands, "Taoist, there was great chaos at White Cloud Temple. What on earth happened?"
Zhang Kui glanced to the side, and Eunuch Yin immediately ushered everyone out.
"The matter is truly difficult to sum up in a few words..."
Zhang Kui shook his head and recounted everything in a low voice, including the monstrous hand.
There was nothing to hide; such things were beyond his ability to resolve, so it was better to inform the Court for exploration.
The vast territory of the Qian Dynasty, capable of controlling such a large region with the threat of countless demons and evil spirits, made Zhang Kui believe the Court must have more hidden strength than what was apparent.
Eunuch Yin listened until his eyes went a little dazed, then shook his head half a beat later.
"Humph, the Prince's Mansion dares greatly! But to think there is an Ancient Secret Realm here..."
"Ancient Secret Realm?"
Zhang Kui squinted, "What exactly is that?"
Eunuch Yin hesitated for a moment,
"Taoist Zhang is one of us, so I will not hide it. This concerns the very foundation of the Court..."