Each Walks Their Own Path

As the sky brightened slightly, horses neighed and everyone began to set off.

"Qingyun, and everyone else, the Four Seas Pavilion will be taking its leave first!"

The Four Seas Pavilion caravan had been traveling the martial world for a long time. They were well-prepared and departed first. Wang Muyun lifted the curtain of her carriage and waved goodbye to Li Qingyun from afar.

Li Qingyun stood tall and nodded as he watched them go.

He also returned the bow and arrows to Guard Zhang of the caravan. As a cultivator, he wouldn't be greedy for such a small thing.

The lightning method markings on the great bow also dissipated.

Last night's was just a temporary brand, not a permanent inscription or artifact. Thus, the "Thunder Bow" couldn't be maintained for long.

Next, the Cai family's entourage also set out.

As the luxurious carriage of the young madam, Chu Hongyu, passed by Li Qingyun, she lifted the curtain and glanced at him with a distant look. Her expression was somewhat cold, a stark contrast to the gentle warmth she had shown last night.

She had sensed Li Qingyun's coldness and deliberate distance from the previous night.

After her carriage passed, Li Qingyun suddenly smiled and began to softly sing:

"In the mortal world, desires surge like waves; deep within a hundred flowers, no true love remains..."

Hearing the song, Chu Hongyu lifted her curtain and looked back. Her pretty face turned slightly pale, her expression complex. After a while, she closed the curtain.

Carriages and horses kicked up dust, each on their separate paths to the ends of the earth.

Li Qingyun smiled faintly and gracefully mounted his horse.

"Senior Brother, let's go too!"

Of course, he had sung that for Chu Hongyu to hear. With her intelligence, she would surely understand what Li Qingyun was implying.

As a disciple of Lingbao Temple and He Xiao's roommate, Li Qingyun couldn't bear to see the temple's reputation tarnished by his roommate going down the wrong path, making such a low-level mistake.

The cold wind rustled as figures from various parties dispersed.

Gatherings and partings were just like this; who wasn't a fleeting passerby in another's life?

Traveling in broad daylight, Li Qingyun and Zhao Yifan didn't rest much, heading straight for Yinshan Town.

By dusk that day.

The two of them, along with a cat, arrived at the town located at the foot of Great Yin Mountain.

From afar, the vast, continuous Great Yin Mountain was shrouded in gray mist, appearing hazy and indistinct.

It was the cusp of autumn and winter, and one could vaguely see a white glow on the mountaintops, indicating they were already covered in thick snow.

Before even entering the town, Li Qingyun felt something was strange:

Why were there almost no people outside the town?

The sky was still quite bright, and there was still some time before dark, yet not a single farmer was working in the fields or vegetable patches.

There were no pedestrians on the official road either, just the two of them.

However, in the distance at the foot of the mountain, a few villagers wearing cloaks and with strange markings painted on their faces were pointing at Li Qingyun and his companion with their hunting spears and bows, seemingly shouting something.

But being unfamiliar with the villagers' dialect, neither of them understood. They waved their hands and entered the town walls.

Upon entering the town, Li Qingyun couldn't help but frown. The first thing he felt was a faint, pervasive chill in the air.

This chill wasn't caused by ordinary weather but carried a peculiar, somber coldness.

The guards at the town gate were just two or three old soldiers huddled together for warmth, holding their spears and sheltering from the wind by the wall, tending a fire.

Seeing people enter the town, the old soldiers didn't ask any questions. They merely glanced expressionlessly before returning to their fire.

On the city wall, the silhouettes of Daoist priests could be vaguely seen standing silently, watching Li Qingyun and Zhao Yifan enter the town with blank expressions.

"This Yinshan Town is strange everywhere..."

As they passed a bulletin board by the street, Li Qingyun stopped.

He looked at the talisman papers fluttering erratically in the wind on the board, then looked up at the low gray mist that enveloped the entire town, lost in thought.

Riding their horses slowly on the frost-covered stone streets, the clatter of hooves and the sound of their horses' breath were remarkably clear, echoing around them.

The arrival of the two Lingbao Temple Daoist priests did not cause any particular commotion or a welcoming party.

The town was not small, with continuous houses and buildings, wide streets, and many narrow alleys. It was a town of tens of thousands, yet the streets were sparsely populated, appearing bleak and desolate.

The few townsfolk they occasionally saw were bundled up in thick cotton-padded clothes, looking bloated and clumsy, their faces pale and somewhat unnatural from the cold.

These townsfolk had vacant eyes and seemed like startled birds, not daring to approach Li Qingyun and Zhao Yifan. When Li Qingyun tried to ask them questions, they quickly hurried away.

Furthermore, from the cracks in the doors and windows of the houses, eyes filled with aversion occasionally peered out.

A faint oppressive atmosphere permeated the small town's air.

Zhao Yifan, being a "veteran of the road," also sensed that something was amiss, his expression growing serious.

"Junior Brother, this job of pacifying ghosts and calming the populace seems more difficult than I imagined..."

"Yes, compared to Ping'an Town, it's too deserted here, and the townsfolk's moods are also off..."

When things are abnormal, there must be a reason.

"Let's head to the Dao Division first and see what's going on!"

Zhao Yifan, who had apparently been to Yinshan Town before, led Li Qingyun directly to the government offices in the town.

This area was under the jurisdiction of the You Kingdom's court, with officials, soldiers, and personnel from the Dao Division stationed to manage it.

The reason Maple Mountain's Lingbao Temple had issued the task of pacifying Yinshan Town was precisely at the request of the chief Daoist priest of the local Daoist association.

The You Kingdom was rampant with demons, and wherever common folk gathered, there would inevitably be supernatural forces to guard and protect them. The Daoist Bureau was the institution specifically established by the Li Dynasty of You Kingdom for such supernatural forces, wielding immense authority.

The Youdao Division in Yinshan Town was located in the center of the town, adjacent to various other government offices like the town yamen and patrol divisions. Though small, it was fully equipped. However, these offices appeared quite deserted.

It even gave the impression of being long abandoned.

"Is there anyone from the Youdao Division here? We've come from Maple Mountain's Lingbao Temple!"

The two dismounted their horses in front of the Daoist temple gate. Seeing no one, Zhao Yifan had no choice but to call out inside.

The Dao Division entrance was so desolate, it was no wonder the entire town had such a somber atmosphere.

Taking advantage of the moment, Li Qingyun surveyed the Daoist yamen, which was renowned among the common folk of You Kingdom.

The Youdao Division in Yinshan Town was built grandly, with a wide courtyard and a vermilion-lacquered main gate adorned with gleaming golden studs. Even in the chilly weather, they shone brightly.

In the eyes of cultivators, gold contained a yang energy that could even repel malevolent spirits if used correctly. Therefore, many magical artifacts, statues of Dao Lords, and talisman papers incorporated some gold, the purer the better.

On either side of the steps stood two imposing stone lions with large, bell-like eyes, exuding a fierce and intimidating aura.

Li Qingyun, after a brief glance, found himself drawn to the eyes of the stone lions. He sensed carefully, feeling as if something within the stone lions' eyes was staring back at him.

"Perhaps this is a surveillance spell of the Dao Division..."

He then looked up at the plaque above the main gate. There, a small golden statue of a Dao Lord with an "immortal-like bearing" was placed. It held a horse-tail whisk, its face dignified, yet its eyes held compassion for all living beings.

Li Qingyun recognized this golden statue of a Dao Lord. Its honorific title was "Dao Lord Lingxiao Miaozhen Dongyou Yinyang Rensheng," said to be the oldest recorded being in You Kingdom.

The Marquis Qinghe's residence primarily enshrined this same Dao Lord, whom he had worshipped since childhood.

The You Kingdom's dynasty typically experienced great turmoil every three to five hundred years, with widespread conflict, ultimately leading to a change in leadership. The current Li Dynasty rose to power amidst such chaos over three hundred years ago and seized the throne.

By calculation, the Marquis Qinghe's lineage was related to the royal family. Li Qingyun carried the blood of the Li royal family within him, though it had become diluted over many generations.

Regardless of the dynastic upheavals, this Dao Lord remained the primary deity worshipped in every household.

The Nine Heavens Azure Dao Lord of Biyou Palace held great prestige among cultivators, considered a "rising star." However, in terms of deeply rooted divine influence among the populace, he did not compare to this ancient Dao Lord.