"Fellow Daoist Li, Fellow Daoist Zhao, what should we do now? The waters of Yinshan Town run far too deep. This is plainly a Land of Great Omen!"
After Jia Song led his people away, Chi Hui let out a low sigh, his face full of worry.
"Indeed. Jia Song's actions are bizarre; who knows what he intends to do! We must proceed with utmost caution. One careless step, and we may well die here for nothing!"
The old Daoist from Purple Gold Temple spoke bitterly.
"Wait!"
Li Qingyun suddenly raised a hand, swiftly hooking and tapping through the air. Six thunder seals flashed into existence and vanished at once, wisps of thunder intent spreading out.
Buzz!
The invisible things originally lurking in the air were shaken by the thunder intent, fleeing in terror!
He glanced outside again. The pond, flowers, and trees in the courtyard lay in dim, shifting shadows, while armored soldiers with powerful crossbows flickered in and out of the darkness. Only then did he secretly transmit his voice:
"There are hallucinogens in the food and wine. Drink too much, and you will fall into an illusion and be controlled by others. Once the food enters your mouths, do not swallow it. Secretly use your spiritual power to dissolve it..."
Everyone's expressions shifted slightly, but they immediately acted as though nothing had happened and continued chatting, laughing, and drinking.
They merely stopped picking much food from the dishes. The moment wine entered their throats, they quickly used their spiritual power to evaporate it away.
The five of them were the only ones in the room who remained clear-headed. The wandering heroes at every other table had vacant eyes, deeply trapped in illusions as they awkwardly picked at food and drank wine, chewing mechanically.
Inside Li Qingyun's left sleeve, he held the Nightmare Deer Demon's eyeball.
With this item in hand, ordinary minor illusion techniques and similar drugs had no effect on him. Instead, the Nightmare Eye Orb would actively absorb their hallucinatory power.
Even before it had been refined into a magical artifact, the Nightmare Eye Orb was already immensely useful. After all, it came from a demon comparable to the Dao Foundation Realm!
"Fellow Daoist Li, why don't we join forces tonight and fight our way out of Yinshan Town? Delay may breed disaster! Can this tiny town truly trap us?"
After raising his cup to Li Qingyun, Chi Hui secretly transmitted his voice as well.
This hot-tempered Daoist from Luoxia Temple still wanted to leave this strangely atmospheric town as soon as possible.
How could the lives of mortals compare to their own safety!
Zhao Yifan could not bear it. "Then are we simply going to stand by and watch these heroes suffer disaster?"
Chi Hui hesitated for a moment, then said disdainfully, "They are nothing more than a pack of unorthodox rabble!"
The old and young Daoists from Purple Gold Temple stirred slightly at those words, looking toward Li Qingyun as they drank.
Vaguely, everyone seated there had begun to regard Li Qingyun as their leader.
"Tonight is not suitable. Jia Song alone is already more than any of us can handle! And if things truly are as he said, with an evil ghost watching from the shadows..."
Li Qingyun pondered for a while before finally shaking his head slowly.
"I think we should first meet that Commander Zhou, Zhou Gang, and learn the real truth. As the chief commander of Yinshan Town's Youdao Division, if we all die here, he certainly will not escape unscathed!"
"Fellow Daoist Li's words make a great deal of sense. Tonight, we shall go pay a visit to this bedridden Commander Zhou!"
"When I first arrived in Yinshan Town, I went to call on him, only to be turned away. More than a dozen armored soldiers stood guard outside the Zhou residence with crossbows. They said Commander Zhou was gravely ill and could not receive guests!"
The group discussed matters through secret transmissions, yet came up with no ideas at all, their worries mounting.
"No matter. Tonight, I will give it a try..."
Li Qingyun smiled lightly and took on the task of speaking with Commander Zhou that night, for he had some confidence.
The hand gripping the dark green eyeball in his sleeve grew steadier and stronger.
He adjusted his posture, looking casual and uninhibited as he directly sat cross-legged atop the chair in meditation.
On the surface, he was still drinking with Chi Hui and the others, but his mind gradually calmed. The mysterious Daoist effigy slowly appeared within his thoughts.
Li Qingyun looked behind the mysterious Daoist effigy, silently reciting in his heart as he visualized and stared.
Upon that darkness like a wall, a faint ripple slowly emerged at last, vaguely taking the shape of an eyeball.
"Illusionary Spirit Technique: can disrupt a target's six senses and plunge them into a bewildering scene that is both real and unreal. Upon reaching profound mastery, it can be combined with object-controlling arts, transforming the mundane into spirits and enlightening lifeless objects..."
Success!
This mysterious Daoist effigy was truly... rather incredible!
Delight rose in Li Qingyun's heart, and the corners of his mouth could not help but lift.
As the night deepened, the banquet dispersed.
Several young Daoists came over to lead everyone to their respective side rooms to rest.
When Li Qingyun saw the pale-faced young Daoist among them, he took the initiative and smiled. "Fellow Daoist Qin, Brother Chi and several others and I hit it off at first sight. We still wish to talk beneath the candlelight through the night. Sorry for the trouble, but arrange nearby side rooms for us."
This young Daoist surnamed Qin was the one who had stood beside Jia Song earlier. He was likely a subordinate Jia Song often ordered about.
"Very well. Please follow me."
Qin Qing's gaze flickered, and he then led Li Qingyun and the others away.
They arrived at a secluded courtyard, where the flowers and trees had withered, leaving the place desolate and bleak.
Li Qingyun, Zhao Yifan, Chi Hui, and the old and young Daoists from Purple Gold Temple were all arranged there by Qin Qing.
Having arrived somewhere new, Big Black Cat Yuanbao naturally had to familiarize himself with the surroundings and stake out his territory. He leaped around the room before finally jumping onto a roof beam.
This was also one reason Li Qingyun still dared to remain in the Youdao Division. Yuanbao's fur was standing on end, but he was not acting frenzied, which meant the situation was not yet too serious.
"Fellow Daoist Li, rest well. I shall take my leave first!"
Inside the room, Qin Qing, having made all the arrangements, hesitated slightly in his steps but still turned to leave.
"Fellow Daoist, please stay!"
Li Qingyun's enthusiastic voice called out from behind him.
Li Qingyun wore a sincere smile as he stepped forward and grabbed Qin Qing by the sleeve. "Upon first meeting Fellow Daoist Qin, I felt an extraordinary affinity with you. How strange! Well, the night is long. Why don't you and I share a few drinks?"
"This would not be appropriate. I still need to wait upon the deputy commander..."
Qin Qing's expression changed slightly. He struggled hard, yet could not break free.
This Fellow Daoist Li was a little too enthusiastic!
"Deputy Commander Jia himself said we were to eat and drink well and rest comfortably. Besides, this will not take much time!"
Li Qingyun smiled, pulling Qin Qing toward the square table in the room.
"Very well, then. I shall have one drink with Fellow Daoist Li. I cannot hold my liquor, so I truly cannot drink much!"
Unable to refuse such hospitality, Qin Qing could only give in. He forced out a smile and sat down.
A wine pot had long been prepared in the guest room, along with two or three small dishes to accompany the wine.
The Youdao Division was thorough in its hospitality. They had just finished drinking at the banquet, and more wine had already been arranged.
A quarter of an hour later, Qin Qing could no longer sit still. He found an excuse and hurriedly left.
"Interesting..."
This time, Li Qingyun did not force him to stay.
Watching the Youdao Division Daoist depart, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Throughout their conversation, he had continuously tested Qin Qing. Qin Qing clearly wanted to say something as well, but the young Daoist repeatedly glanced toward the roof beam and the corners of the room. In the end, he seemed wary of something and did not dare speak further.
However, Li Qingyun had achieved his purpose as well.
"If I wish to transform into a certain person with the Illusionary Spirit Technique, it is best to familiarize myself with them beforehand. The more details I know, the harder it will be for others to see through it!"
A room without a single lamp lit.
In the darkness, Deputy Commander Jia Song lay silently upon a rattan chair like a stiffened old corpse, his aura strange and chilling.
Around his reclining figure, many shadows seemed to drift soundlessly.
Qin Qing, who had just returned from Li Qingyun's place, had grown even paler. He knelt beside the reclining chair, terror filling his lowered eyes.
"Have they all been settled?"
Jia Song, lying there like a corpse, finally spoke. His cold, aged voice echoed through the dark and empty room.
"Reporting to Deputy Commander, those troublesome ones have all returned to their rooms to rest. That Li Qingyun appears young, yet he is a drunkard. He did not drink enough at the banquet and even dragged this lowly one into having several more cups after returning to his room.
However, this lowly one discovered that he still seemed perfectly clear-headed. Could it be that too little drug was added to the wine?"
Before Jia Song, Qin Qing was actually like a servant, trembling with fear and not daring to show the slightest disobedience.
He even took the initiative to mention the trivial matter of Li Qingyun pulling him in for a few drinks.
Before you continue