Meeting Adjourned (Seeking Collection!)

Little Tian Village.

A bullock cart slowly passed by the roadside.

One hand lifted the curtain, gazing at the fields outside the window.

"Two hundred mu of clear fields, all cultivated land, with a water channel nearby, truly excellent," Zhong Shenxiu commented slowly.

"Yes, and if we build a manor, the clansmen will be very happy," Su Tang whispered beside him. "Two hundred mu of land cost three thousand White Emperor Coins in total. Building the manor will cost two hundred White Emperor Coins, and this is with our Su Family clansmen voluntarily contributing their labor."

People of this era, whether high officials or commoners, had an inexplicable love for land.

Su Tang, who came from a landowning family, was somewhat excited by the familiar scent of the fields.

"Although the land is not enough, we'll leave it at that for now. My position is already ninth rank, which is quite attention-grabbing," Zhong Shenxiu said calmly, always acting with prudence.

"As you command."

Su Tang nodded, already unconsciously treating him as a clan leader.

"Let's head back."

Zhong Shenxiu nodded, telling Su Tang to drive the carriage back to Fufeng City.

In the Sweet Water Alley courtyard, many people had moved out, making it much quieter. Su Wei was boiling tea under the plum tree. Seeing the two of them arrive, her eyes lit up with a smile. "Brother! The neighbors always said the water from this well was bitter, but after we arrived, it became exceptionally sweet. It's perfect for making tea."

"Oh, then I must try it."

Zhong Shenxiu didn't stand on ceremony. He sat down under the plum tree, took a sip of tea, and indeed, it tasted good.

He watched Su Wei and Su Tang chatting and laughing, feeling a sense of warmth and relaxation, knowing it was the relief that came from fulfilling his promise. It wasn't a promise to the deceased Su Daozhi, but a promise to himself, a bottom line.

My standards have always been high, probably...

Zhong Shenxiu yawned. "I'm going to sleep for a while. Don't disturb me."

He entered the room, sat down cross-legged, and pondered silently. "Now that the Su Family is mostly settled, it's time to consider cultivation..."

"The Deputy Envoy of Exorcism usually cultivates, but also needs to patrol areas and suppress evil spirits. Fortunately, Feng Xi'er knows I have things to do and gave me leave..."

"However, it's unlikely to obtain true Daoist Magic from the government. I'll have to turn to other paths. Perhaps I can check out some exchanges among rogue cultivators..."

Zhong Shenxiu had no connections in this regard before. Even Feng Xi'er wouldn't be able to introduce him to such circles without some serious effort.

But it didn't matter. Zhong Shenxiu had recently captured some Yin Spirits, and one of them remembered the location of a similar secret gathering.

What a pity... Apart from those achieved by chance, most of these Yin Spirits are down-and-out rogue cultivators. Their Daoist Arts are not even as good as Su Daozhi's Profound Yin Soul Control Fragment. Wu Tong's is somewhat more interesting...

Zhong Shenxiu walked to his desk, ground ink, and began to write a spell.

This was a method for refining a magical artifact called the 'Mysterious Yin Nail', but it was incomplete.

The first Yin Spirit he recently subdued, named Wu Tong, had obtained this spell but treated it as Daoist Magic, practicing it haphazardly. Perhaps this was why he died so early.

What a shame, it's only half a chapter... The upper half is missing, the Daoist Art called 'Mysterious Yin Nail'!'

Daoist Arts are not as good as true cultivation methods.

Furthermore, after the Gang Sha Realm, if it's not a natal Daoist Art, there's no need to cultivate it. Most are simply infused into a magical artifact.

This spell only contained the method for refining the artifact, but no Daoist Art to inject into it.

It was like a clever cook unable to cook without ingredients.

Zhong Shenxiu sighed, but he didn't seem too bothered.

Refining magical artifacts was actually a matter for the Gang Sha Realm. Cultivators not yet at this stage had no internal magic power, so any effort would be twice the work for half the result.

He was only transcribing this spell to see if he could use it as an equivalent exchange.

One day, it was the night of the double full moon again.

Outside Fufeng City, Black Wind Ridge.

Ancient lamp oil was expensive, so the land was dark. Only the bright moonlight hung high above.

A cold wind howled around the mountain ridge, occasionally punctuated by the cries of old crows, sending chills to the bone.

A young man with a face like jade and a divine, handsome appearance, dressed in white and holding a folding fan, his wide sleeves fluttering, strode across several feet with each step. In no time, he arrived before a valley emitting a faint mist.

"Hee hee!"

"Haha!"

Ghostly laughter echoed from all around, sometimes near, sometimes far, drifting unpredictably. It was enough to drive a normal person mad.

Even martial arts masters knew this place was haunted and dared not linger.

The young master chuckled lightly, "On the night of the full moon, at the valley gathering, why would the host wish to see guests out?"

"Caw caw!"

The ghostly cries from all around immediately ceased, replaced by the sound of flapping wings.

A white crow suddenly flew out of the thick fog.

No!

It wasn't a real crow, but a dead thing folded from paper, though its two soybean-sized eyes were remarkably lifelike.

"So, it's a fellow practitioner. I haven't seen you before."

The crow landed on a treetop and spoke in an old human voice.

"I am Zhong Shenxiu, known in the martial world as Young Master Shenxiu. Greetings, Old Crow."

Zhong Shenxiu gave a slight bow. "I have long heard of Old Crow's astonishing power, capable of projecting the Yin Spirit to possess other bodies. Meeting you today, I see the rumors are true."

The so-called projection of the Yin Spirit was, in reality, merely a low-tier Daoist Art.

A projected Yin Spirit was extremely weak, much like those Yin Spirits, fearing sunlight, strong winds, and thunder... only able to hide in places with Yin energy.

Some Daoists specialized in this Daoist Art, allowing their Yin Spirit to leave their body and possess mediums like paper figures, animals, etc., to perform all sorts of strange feats.

But in truth, they were still heavily restricted. A single mistake could easily break the spell. Once the art was broken, the Yin Spirit would be damaged, leading to madness at best, or instant death at worst.

Zhong Shenxiu had to fight his own urge to directly use his [Shepherd] ability to refine this suicidal fellow.

Only by cultivating the Nascent Soul could one control its formation and dispersal at will, fearing nothing, appearing as normal as anyone else.

"Haha, it's all just talk from fellow practitioners. Since you've come specifically for this Black Mountain Gathering, please come in."

The paper crow, unaware of Zhong Shenxiu's thoughts, flew into the mist, parting it to reveal a passage.

Zhong Shenxiu chuckled and followed. Before long, he arrived at a valley.

A bonfire blazed in the valley, with several people sitting around it in small groups.

No, some of them weren't people!

Zhong Shenxiu looked around. Most of the cultivators attending the Black Mountain Gathering were hiding their identities, either wearing bamboo hats or masks.

Others had their Yin Spirits projected, possessing paper figures, spirit monkeys, wild wolves, and so on, making the scene look like a dance of demons.

At this moment, all of them turned to look at him, their eyes filled with amusement.

Clearly, they thought someone like Zhong Shenxiu, who entered the gathering without any disguise, was either a hothead or a foolhardy daredevil.

As for being unfathomably skilled? A Xiantian martial artist, what was there to hide?

PS: Seeking collections and recommendations for the new book!