Chen Shi looked back and saw that the single-log canoe was following closely behind them at a distance neither too far nor too close. The Underworld messenger on the boat was holding a lantern, no longer guiding souls forward.
Chen Shi withdrew his gaze.
Black Pot continued comparing the geographical map with the surrounding mountains and rivers, tirelessly searching for newly grown peaks.
They gradually penetrated deep into Lingzhou.
The wooden cart drove past a county seat where the city gates and watchtowers had already collapsed. Most of the houses within the city were damaged, and there were no living people left, only some ghosts and goblins bustling about.
Chen Shi parked the wooden cart in the distance, activated a Transformation Talisman, and turned into a little Yaksha to enter the city. Many little Yakshas were repairing houses inside.
"Croak croak?" Chen Shi asked.
The little Yakshas told him that an internal conflict had erupted here. Someone had burned, killed, and looted in the city, forcing many people to flee, and it had gradually become a ghost town.
Chen Shi asked, "Have any of you seen mountains or temples suddenly emerging from the ground nearby?"
"There is a temple from goodness knows where over that way!"
The little Yakshas were warm-hearted and pointed the way for him, saying, "If you walk in this direction all the way to Shenmu County, you will see that Yue Wang Temple."
Chen Shi made a note of it, thanked them, and slipped them some joss paper money.
The little Yakshas were quite rustic. Seeing that he had plenty of money, they gathered together to discuss robbing him.
"We rely on working for a master to earn money. When will we ever earn enough joss paper money to become gods? Let's just rob him!"
Having