Other than that one wild temple in Duyan County, the Eighteen Heavenly Women encountered no further mishaps. After wandering about for a full month, they returned from Lingnan Province.
By all rights, this was the normal state of affairs. What thousand-year-old powerhouse went out and ran into trouble every single day? "Reporting to Fairy, we have returned to deliver our orders!"
Back at Peach Blossom Manor, Tao Zhen and the other seventeen Heavenly Women paid their respects to Shen Ying and returned the Peach Blossom Tokens Shen Ying had given them.
Shen Ying took back the tokens.
Also seated in the place of honor were Lu Zheng, Si Lingxi, and Liu Qingyan.
"Tell us about this journey."
"Yes!"
"All forty-seven Peach Blossom Temples went smoothly. Those Incense Gods were all cooperative, and upon learning that they could enter Fairy's command, they all expressed their submission."
"Of the other thirty-eight wild temples, only six had no presiding deity and had been built spontaneously by the local people. We notified the nearby City Gods and presented the Peach Blossom Tokens. They all assigned presiding deities to the temples, renovated the divine statues, and displayed divine signs. We also placed peach branches before Fairy's statues to bless the temples."
"Of the remaining thirty-two temples, there were forty-five demons and ghosts. Only nine were benevolent, and we bestowed Peach Blossom Branches upon them and notified the local City Gods."
"Among the benevolent ones were four ghosts. All had been people from nearby mountain villages in life. After death, they had remained muddleheaded, never entering the Netherworld, and had wandered until now without committing any evil."
"Among the benevolent ones were five demons: a raccoon, a snake, a squirrel, a monkey, and..."
Tao Qing paused, then said oddly, "And a peach tree spirit."
Shen Ying