Now that Patrolling Inspector Zhishan had designated the assessment topic, offering gifts was pointless.
Upon returning to Feixuan Hall, Zhou Wuji began making various preparations for his journey.
Fortunately, he possessed the Five Yin Pouch, which allowed him to carry a great deal of supplies.
Medicinal pills like inedia pills and Jade Dew Pills were travel essentials. Jade Dew Pills could purge foul and evil energies, and they possessed the efficacy to dispel toxins. If the water in the wild was unclean, tossing in a single Jade Dew Pill rendered it safe to drink.
He also packed several Purple Qi Pills, Golden Splendor Pills, and Purple-Gold Pills, both for cultivation and to deal with unexpected emergencies.
No one could predict what circumstances they might encounter in the wilderness.
Cultivators and martial artists alike needed sleep and rest. Venturing out completely alone left a person defenseless and in great danger while asleep, but the black python-hide sleeping sack substantially increased the safety of lodging in the wild.
Zhou Wuji also took a stroll through Yunyang Prefecture and purchased quite a few miscellaneous goods.
For instance, Tianji Hall charged four to five times as much for iron caltrops as the weapon shops in the prefectural city.
He also bought a five-foot bamboo-laminated iron staff to serve as his everyday weapon.
A sword was far too delicate, and wearing one was inconvenient in wilderness environments. A bamboo-laminated iron staff had a steel core bound on the outside with glued bamboo strips, ensuring both strength and resilience. His staff was slender, looking just like an ordinary bamboo cane, yet it weighed a solid nine jin. Even an ordinary person swinging it could break the bones and sever the tendons of a ninth-rank martial artist.
The next morning, Zhou Wuji donned a bamboo hat and, carrying his staff that resembled a walking cane, departed the Lower Abbey.
Reaching the docks, Zhou Wuji quickly located Li Xin.
Having not seen him for a few months, the second shopkeeper of the Li family had grown stouter, his long gown swapped for silk, giving him an added touch of nobility. Evidently, Li Xin had lived quite comfortably during this period. With Zhang Xinhu dead, although the Li family had not directly seized the Zhang family's wealth, they had lost their biggest competitor and the formidable expert who had kept them suppressed. All their businesses and properties had risen in value accordingly.
Li Xin had been looking all around, and as soon as he saw the tall, slender figure in a bamboo hat and green Daoist robe, he knew it had to be Zhou Wuji.
He rushed forward, bowing in greeting. "Daoist Zhou, it has been too long. I heard you have already received the conferral of the seventh rank. Congratulations!"
Li Xin smiled with utmost humility, tinged with a hint of servile flattery. He understood very well that Zhou Wuji was now a seventh-rank Daoist. More importantly, Zhou Wuji had swept through Siming, exterminating demons and slaying fiends with invincible might. Such power was even more domineering than Daoist Yiyuan had been back in the day, especially since this man showed no mercy beneath his blade, killing whenever he struck. High-level experts who crossed him, like Zhang Xinhu and Wu Di, had all met mysterious deaths.
Who in all of Siming County was unaware of his terrifying strength?
Before coming to assist him, Master Li Cheng'an had repeatedly instructed Li Xin to remain dutiful and obedient, to attend to Daoist Zhou with the greatest care. If there were the slightest blunder, Li Xin would face severe consequences!
In truth, Li Xin understood the gravity of the situation without needing the master's reminder. Faced with such a powerful figure, how could he dare show any negligence?
"Haha... Northern Emperor bless you."
Zhou Wuji exchanged a few casual pleasantries and followed Li Xin aboard a bird boat.
Hearing the voices, Li Xin's nephew, Li Qiang, also stepped out to greet them. The moment he met Zhou Wuji, he dropped to his knees to kowtow. "This humble one pays respects to the Daoist!"
He had previously spoken ill of Zhou Wuji behind his back, yet Zhou Wuji had saved his life. He felt immense awe and admiration for Zhou Wuji, which was why he knelt to kowtow the instant they met.
"No need for excessive ceremony." Zhou Wuji extended a hand to help Li Qiang up.
He remembered Li Qiang: a hot-blooded young fellow who couldn't keep his mouth shut, but was decent enough at heart.
Li Qiang was extremely enthusiastic, but in Zhou Wuji's presence, he was quite nervous. Knowing Zhou Wuji was already a seventh-rank Daoist, he wanted to offer a few words of congratulations, but didn't know how to phrase them.
"Daoist... would, would you like some tea?"
Sensing the boy's tension, Zhou Wuji smiled slightly. "We are all acquaintances, and with Junior Sister's connection, we are practically family. There is no need to stand on ceremony."
Li Xin quickly interjected from the side, "Knowing that you were headed to Jiuling Lake, we sought out two members of our clan who reside nearby. They know the lake's conditions intimately."
As he spoke, he pointed toward two middle-aged men offering obsequious smiles on the deck. Both were dark-skinned, barefoot, clad in coarse short tunics, their hair messy, and their cautious eyes typical of fishermen who had spent their entire lives at the very bottom of society.
The two fishermen did not know Zhou Wuji. In their eyes, Li Xin was already an exalted figure, so someone whom Li Xin treated with such reverence was nothing less than an immortal from heaven.
Following Li Qiang's lead, they prepared to drop to their knees and kowtow, but Zhou Wuji stopped them. He had never cared for people kneeling to him.
Zhou Wuji chatted with the pair for a bit. Though restrained, their speech was clear and sensible, showing they were both sharp-minded.
Neither had a formal name; one was called Lao San and the other Lao Wu, biological brothers. They had fished on Jiuling Lake for years. Though life was tough, they had managed to scrape by.
Ever since evil spirits began haunting Lake Heart Island the previous year, countless fishermen had died gruesome deaths. The several thousand people who originally lived in settlements on the island had been forced to flee ashore. Stripped of their fishing livelihoods and driven from their island homes, they had nowhere to live. Their plight was wretched, and many had been forced to sell their own sons and daughters...
Speaking of the island's recent situation, Lao San and Lao Wu wore expressions of profound misery, and Lao Wu even broke down in tears.
Listening to this, Zhou Wuji's heart grew heavy. Several thousand people had lost their livelihoods without any farmland to their names; one could easily imagine how miserably they lived.
Upon hearing that Zhou Wuji was going to the island to eradicate the evil spirits, the two men ignored his attempts to stop them and insisted on dropping to their knees to kowtow.
"Thank you, Daoist Master! Thank you, Daoist Master!"
"On behalf of the thousands of young and old on the island, we thank you! We will serve as beasts of burden to repay your great kindness!"
Lao San and Lao Wu were deeply moved, knocking their heads against the deck with loud thuds. Their sun-darkened faces turned a flushed, purplish red.
Zhou Wuji understood them completely.
Having come from common stock in both lifetimes, he knew the hardships of the lower classes. In this life especially, all the people at the bottom sought was simply to survive. Yet for many, surviving was an extravagant luxury.
Zhou Wuji helped Lao San and Lao Wu up and said solemnly, "My Daoist sect is sustained by the offerings of the people. Slaying demons and eliminating evil is the inescapable duty of our generation."
With these words from Zhou Wuji, both brothers were overjoyed and invigorated.
Standing aside, Li Xin watched them. He had always felt that Daoist Zhou was quite different from other Daoists. He treated everyone with courtesy and respect, making no distinction between high and low, whether dealing with him or two humble fishermen. What was rarer still was that Daoist Zhou understood the hardships of ordinary people and held compassion in his heart. Such magnanimity and vision commanded profound respect.
Knowing the purpose of Zhou Wuji's journey, the two fishermen rowed with all their might.
Jiuling Lake was formed by backflow from the Jiuyuan River, situated east of Yunyang Prefecture. By following the Jiuyuan River downstream and turning into a tributary, one could sail straight into Jiuling Lake.
On the third day, the bird boat arrived at Jiuling Lake.
Dark clouds filled the sky, and the headwind was both fierce and chilly.
The lake stretched endlessly, waves rolling and surging beneath the wind, churning up muddy whitecaps.
In the distance, Zhou Wuji spotted a patch of lush green upon the water, where the contours of rolling hills were faintly visible.
The bird boat pitched and rocked in the surging waters, jolting far more violently than it had on the river. Having fished the lake for years, Lao San and Lao Wu were long accustomed to it, while Li Qiang, young and vigorous, was unbothered.
Li Xin, however, had turned pale, repeatedly swallowing saliva to steady his breath as he fought off nausea. Zhou Wuji cast a glance at the pitiful man; someone who regularly traveled by boat shouldn't be seasick, so it was likely fright. Seeing the winds and waves grow rougher, Li Qiang stepped up to help row. With his youthful strength assisting them, the boat picked up noticeable speed.
Around midday, the bird boat finally reached Lake Heart Island.
People had inhabited this place year-round, so there was a rudimentary dock for mooring boats.
Standing on the deck, Lao San briefed Zhou Wuji, "The mountain in the center of the island is called Mount Jiuling. Several thousand-year-old tea trees grow along its mountainside, where there is also a spring we call Dragon Eye Spring. The spring water is sweet and clear. The elders say a flood dragon hides deep within the spring. When the evil spirits began killing people, the elders claimed it had something to do with that dragon..."
Lao Wu added from the side, "North and south of Lake Heart Island are vast swathes of wasteland. The soil is fertile, yielding bumper harvests no matter what you plant. All several thousand of us relied on that land to survive. We beg you, Daoist, kill the demons so we can return home soon!"
As he spoke, he knelt again to knock his head against the deck, and Lao San hastily followed suit.
Zhou Wuji understood their feelings well. He would do his best, but he would not make empty promises or shower them with hollow reassurances. Daoist Yizhen's martial arts and swordplay were inferior to his, yet his Daoist arts were undoubtedly far more profound. If Daoist Yizhen had come away empty-handed, Zhou Wuji might not necessarily resolve the trouble either. Slaying evil was the Lower Abbey's responsibility; the abbey had delayed sending anyone precisely because the problem was intractable.
Zhou Wuji instructed Li Qiang to help the two men up. He then took out ten taels of silver and handed it to the brothers. "You cannot work for nothing. Take this silver."
Holding the gleaming, heavy silver, both brothers were deeply touched; they had never expected Zhou Wuji to give them money. Ten taels of silver, spent frugally, was enough to cover both their households' expenses for half a year. At a time like this, the sum was a lifesaver.
Both men hastily dropped to their knees again, showering him with endless gratitude.
"We will never forget your great kindness, Daoist!"
When the brothers rose, their faces beamed with joy. Lao San said to Lao Wu, "With this money, we have enough to survive this year. We don't have to go to Old Dragon Island anymore."
Lao Wu muttered, "Several hundred people went to Old Dragon Island and haven't sent back a single word. It feels wrong. If we can avoid going, that's for the best..."
Overhearing their exchange, Zhou Wuji thought nothing of it. The two fishermen had come specifically to guide and row for him, so he could not let them labor without compensation. As for Li Xin and Li Qiang, he gifted each of them two Golden Splendor Pills; one could use them to strengthen his body for martial training, while the other could use them to tonify his kidneys, ensuring neither made the trip for nothing.
Daoist pills were renowned, and though Li Xin and Li Qiang could not discern their precise quality, the mere fact that Zhou Wuji remembered their service moved them deeply.
Zhou Wuji was not merely putting on a show of generosity. He would need these men to pick him up later, and bestowing favors would motivate them to perform their duties better. In such interactions, a superior granting favors to subordinates also conveyed validation. That sense of validation was often more important than the material reward itself.
The outer rim of Lake Heart Island was a sprawling reed marsh, while the inner belt consisted of extensive wetlands and tidal flats. Only when the ground beneath turned dry and firm did one truly enter the central region of Lake Heart Island.
Shrubs and wild weeds grew everywhere, and purple-leaf maples, sweet osmanthus, and photinias formed dense woods. It was early April, and lush greenery spread in every direction. Yet beneath the gloomy sky and biting wind, the branches and foliage whipped violently. Not a bird took flight, nor an insect chirped; the forested hills carried an aura of treacherous danger.
Zhou Wuji activated his Six Yang Dharma Eyes to survey the distance, but detected no anomalies.
Following a small path forward, Zhou Wuji soon arrived at Mount Jiuling. The mountain was not high, its main peak barely reaching a thousand feet. Several low hills were linked east to west, spanning the center of Lake Heart Island.
Zhou Wuji also located Dragon Eye Spring. A foot-wide fissure split the cliff face, water bubbling forth to pool into a pond several fathoms wide below. The pond continually seeped and trickled downward, forming a winding stream below. The fissure in the rock wall was bottomless. After studying it for a while, Zhou Wuji found nothing unusual.
He thought little of it. After all, Daoist Yizhen had found nothing; if he were to discover something easily, that would be truly strange.
At the foot of the mountain, he found an abandoned village consisting of several dozen wooden cabins. Though crudely built, they were fairly sturdy. Zhou Wuji chose the most spacious cabin, fetched a bucket of water from the well, and gave the room a quick sweeping. Just as he finished setting out his bedding, torrential rain began pouring outside.
Although the cabin was crude, it did not leak, which pleased Zhou Wuji. He had to stay on the island for several dozen days, and having a room to shield him from the wind and rain made things far more comfortable. At the very least, he did not need to maintain the Five Yin Pouch around the clock; while resting, he could leave his belongings in the room.
With fierce wind and heavy rain raging outside, Zhou Wuji had nothing else to do, so he sat quietly to regulate his breath and circulate his arts.
By nightfall, the rain stopped and the wind subsided.
Zhou Wuji donned his bamboo hat and coir raincoat, gripped his bamboo-laminated iron staff, and stepped out of the room.
Evil entities and yin spirits would inevitably move at night. Fortunately, with his Six Yang Dharma Eyes, night was no different from day.
Having grown up on Lake Heart Island, Lao San and Lao Wu were intimately familiar with it. Zhou Wuji had asked them to sketch a rough map, which he had divided into eight zones. His plan was to explore one zone each night until he covered the entire island. With his Six Yang Dharma Eyes at the perfection realm, any anomaly would surely catch his eye.
Lake Heart Island spanned several dozen li, crisscrossed by hills, marshes, tidal flats, and vast reed forests—a complex terrain. On the first night, centering his search on Dragon Eye Spring, Zhou Wuji combed an area of several li, finding nothing. He made simple marks denoting the searched area and shaded it in with charcoal on his map.
During the day, he rested and cultivated in the cabin, subsisting on inedia pills. Though they lacked any flavor, he endured it to keep his tracks concealed.
Over the next few days, Zhou Wuji swept across large swaths of land to the east and west of Dragon Eye Spring.
On the seventh night, Zhou Wuji finally made a discovery.
On the northern slope of a low hill at the eastern edge of Lake Heart Island grew a dense thicket of waist-high weeds. Among the weeds, Zhou Wuji discovered human footprints. April was the season of rampant weed growth; unless many people had trampled the area, they could not have left such a distinct, path-like trail. The long trail vanished beneath a tall osmanthus tree.
Zhou Wuji gazed at the tall tree, lost in thought. Whether people were descending or ascending, the osmanthus tree should not have been the terminus. Looking closer, Zhou Wuji noticed something amiss: the tall osmanthus looked like a painted canvas. No matter how the surrounding wild grass swayed, its branches and leaves remained motionless.
*An illusion!*
Zhou Wuji was somewhat astonished. Even his Six Yang Dharma Eyes at the perfection realm had failed to spot the flaw initially. What level of illusion technique was this?
Only when he stood twenty paces away from the osmanthus tree did Zhou Wuji discern yin qi circulating across its surface. Threads of yin qi were woven into a net, as smooth and still as a mirror.
Qi was normally in constant flux and transformation, with yin qi being the most unstable of all, volatilizing and dissipating at every moment. The situation with this osmanthus tree was truly peculiar. Zhou Wuji suspected it was maintained by some kind of domain or formation, allowing the yin qi to remain so stable and concentrated.
There had to be something behind the osmanthus tree, perhaps an altar or ritual platform. Zhou Wuji did not want to take rash risks; barging in might disrupt the yin qi's structure and trigger an alarm.
With a thought, the Heavenly Puppet on his left arm transformed into a slender green snake. Under the guidance of his divine sense, the snake slithered through the wild grass with a slightly unnatural gait, slowly creeping up to the base of the osmanthus tree.
As the serpent slid forward, the osmanthus tree rippled like water, and the snake vanished into thin air.
Extending his divine sense alongside the green serpent, Zhou Wuji "saw" the scene within the osmanthus illusion.
The serpent was not a real snake; even slithering prone through the grass, it could perceive up to ten paces away, even "hearing," "smelling," and sensing shifts between hot and cold.
Ahead lay a crude platform stacked from wood and stone, with bonfires lit on both sides and a massive pile of severed heads set between them.
Zhou Wuji could not count how many there were. He could only "see" the heads piled together in disarray, see their wide-open eyes, see the agony and fury frozen upon their faces, and see the rotting flesh and blood...
The flames of the bonfires flickered erratically in the wind. In the interplay of light and shadow, the expressions on those severed heads seemed to shift constantly, appearing all the more horrific.
Even though Zhou Wuji had prepared himself, his heart chilled at the sight—yet right after, an immense fury surged within him.
Chapter 94