Yang He looked around the Yamen. Nearly everyone was a familiar face. He even spotted the wandering Daoist's corpse in the corner, covered with white cloth.
A chill wind blew past, lifting one corner of the cloth.
The wandering Daoist had died horribly. Nothing but a thin layer of skin remained on his entire body. His neck had been severed by red silk, while his limbs remained frozen in the posture of carrying a coffin.
Song Kuo hurriedly covered the corpse again, yet the name he muttered was Daoist Changhe.
Yang He felt that the role he was playing was just as real and alive. The Lore World might even have been the Main World three thousand years ago.
Would the traces he left behind in the lore affect the Main World?
Dong!
A dull knock sounded from within the coffin.
Everyone's expressions changed drastically. Magistrate Qian muttered helplessly to himself, but he did not dare ask Yang He outright. He could only pray frantically to gods and Buddhas at the side.
Afraid that Yang He might not understand, Li Feng hurriedly explained, "Every time the Third Young Master awakens, he uses knocking as a sign."
Yang He remained expressionless as the Pupil Ghost between his brows continuously absorbed Yin energy.
"Come to think of it, how could a mere locust-wood cover suppress Nezha for so long?"
An indescribable thought surfaced in his mind, and he answered his own question.
"It was a difficult birth."
"What?" Hearing Yang He's murmur, Li Feng could not help freezing.
Yang He did not answer. When he had first seen the coffin, he had felt that Nezha resembled an infant about to be delivered from a womb.
Yang He walked over to Li Feng and lowered his voice. "Lord Li, I have a very important question. You may answer it selectively."
He then added, "It concerns both our lives, as well as senior brother's."
Li Feng hesitated for half a breath before nodding. "Daoist Yang, I shall tell you everything I know."
"The Third Young Master's... birth mother. Is she well?"
Yang He's voice was exceedingly soft. No one else heard it, but Li Feng's pupils contracted slightly. Clearly, the question had touched upon a secret of Chentang Pass.
Li Feng hesitated for a long time. Only when Yang He shook his head and prepared to continue cultivating did he speak.
"Daoist Yang, you may not know this, but the Third Young Master's birth mother died long ago. Madam Yin breathed her last after carrying him for two years."
Yang He raised an eyebrow. No wonder Madam Yin had become a Fierce Ghost.
In the original story, Madam Yin carried Nezha for three years and six months before giving birth. In the Lore World, she had most likely already been a corpse before the delivery.
A female corpse giving birth to an infant was a grave taboo!
"Apparently, the reason she carried him for two or three years in the original was that the Investiture of the Gods had not yet begun, so the Chan Sect's chess piece could not be born ahead of time."
"This bizarre version of the Investiture of the Gods was truly wicked!!"
Yang He's thoughts ran wild as he stared at the coffin in the rear courtyard. Within moments, it knocked two or three more times, and Yin energy churned through the surroundings.
He could sense Nezha's pain—the pain of being unable to enter the world.
"Wu Hong."
"This lowly one is here."
Wu Hong seemed somewhat uneasy, though he was even more reverent.
"Wu Hong, I presume you can see that the Yamen is hardly safe, while Cailian Town is filled with monsters and ghosts. What do you plan to do?"
Upon hearing about Cailian Town's current situation, everyone realized they no longer had any way out.
Wu Hong said fearfully, "Immortal Master, what plans could this lowly one have? You saved my life. If there is anything I can do for you, please command me."
Yang He looked toward Li Feng, who answered decisively, "Daoist Yang, we will certainly do our utmost to cooperate regarding the Third Young Master."
"Wu Hong, are you familiar with the route to and from Qing Lake?"
"I am."
"Lord Li, could you send two soldiers with Wu Hong to Qing Lake?"
Yang He explained, "The change in Cailian Town will most likely occur at Qing Lake. If anything happens, find a way to notify us."
"Alright."
Li Feng began arranging personnel. In the end, three soldiers would accompany Wu Hong, one of whom even possessed cultivation.
After hastily packing their things, they immediately set out.
Yang He was not entirely certain either, but he knew full well that the lore had reached its most critical moment. One misstep could cause Cailian Town to fall.
"I only fear that Grandmaster Taiyi does not care at all whether mortals live or die."
Seeing the wandering Daoist's corpse, Yang He suddenly realized that if Cailian Town fell, the Ghost Lotus would be completely trapped in a dead end. The difficulty of the Lore World would directly become a hopeless death sentence.
Even if he kept playing different roles, he would likely die violently the moment he entered the Lore World.
"Hopefully, I am just worrying too much."
After sorting out his thoughts, Yang He cultivated with even greater abandon. It would be a waste not to use the vast amount of Yin energy accumulated by Nezha's difficult birth for Qi cultivation.
Well, at most, it would be a little dangerous.
Even if he lost his Daoist boy identity, he still had to seize this opportunity.
Yang He openly sat before the entrance to the rear courtyard.
Yin energy continuously seeped from the coffin, making the area before the door the densest with Yin energy. Naturally, cultivating Qi there would yield twice the result with half the effort.
The Pupil Ghost's second Yin Meridian began to form bit by bit.
Lacking a Ghost Nurturing Method, the Force Ghost absorbed Yin energy with extremely low efficiency. Before long, the Pupil Ghost had already begun to faintly suppress the Force Ghost.
Li Feng could not help feeling his scalp tingle when he saw Yang He's state.
He could sense the strength of Yang He's Yang energy. Yet ever since Yang He began cultivating Qi, his Yang energy had visibly weakened.
"Uh?"
Li Feng retreated several steps. Specks of corpse spots had appeared on Yang He's face.
"Daoist Yang, are you alright?!"
Yang He opened his clouded eyes and wiped away the blood streaming from his features.
"What is it?"
He tossed two Great Replenishing Pills into his mouth. Yang Fire reignited, and the signs of corpse transformation vanished at once. Corpse stench? There was clearly only medicinal aroma!
Bitterness spread across Li Feng's tongue. Was he simply ignorant?
Perhaps this was how disciples of immortal sects cultivated? Otherwise, how could Yang He, merely in the Acquired Realm, have already formed an immortal body? His talent was no less than the Third Young Master's.
Knock knock.
The knocking grew increasingly intense.
Satisfied, Yang He set his sights on Li Feng again. "Lord Li, does Chentang Pass have any methods for refining artifacts?"
Li Feng froze, unable to understand why Yang He asked. "The artifact-nurturing methods in the army are rather crude. They merely rely on blood refinement."
Only then did he realize that Yang He had not been in Qianyuan Mountain for long. Grandmaster Taiyi had likely taken a liking to him while traveling abroad. No wonder his cultivation was not high.
"No matter."
Li Feng said firmly, "Very well. Since Daoist Yang does not mind, I shall no longer hold anything back."
"This method is called Blood Refining Three Hearts. It allows one to use heart's blood to refine a magical artifact over a long period, forming a connection between the artifact and one's mind."
Li Feng explained with meticulous care, while the others deliberately kept their distance from the two.
Yang He had many questions and asked one or two from time to time. Li Feng did not conceal anything, since there was no need to make an enemy of Qianyuan Mountain over this.
Li Feng was secretly astonished. In the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, Yang He had already grasped the method.
"Thank you, Lord Li. I have already memorized the Blood Refining Three Hearts Method."
Yang He closed his eyes and carefully studied the method. Its contents truly were not profound.
He cut open his palm, then held the Copper-Coin Sword and focused his mind on the stinging pain from the wound as he slowly refined the Yin artifact.
The Copper-Coin Sword hummed as blood gradually seeped into each copper coin.
Yang He could not wield a sword through the air, but using Yin energy to support the Copper-Coin Sword would not be difficult. At the very least, it could compensate for the sword's tendency to fall apart.
At the same time, he did not neglect his cultivation. The second Yin Meridian was about to take shape.
Knock knock knock.
The continuous knocking became incomparably urgent.
Before you continue