Shen Bai's gaze turned toward a spot not far away.
At a table nearby, a frail man had just taken a seat.
The man wore white robes, with a folding fan hanging at his waist, dressed like an elegant Scholar.
Although the Great Zhou Dynasty was in turmoil now, it could still barely keep things under control for the time being.
After all, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse.
Various examinations were held every year, and literary men and Scholars were naturally indispensable.
There was a school in the county town, where many Scholars hoping to earn official honors studied.
Shen Bai recognized at a glance that this man was a Scholar from Ascending Cloud County.
However, there was something off about this Scholar's condition.
Deep dark circles ringed his eyes. Though his hair had been tied up, it was dry and brittle, like tangled weeds.
Especially the young man's hands, which were clutching a piece of wood.
The wood was only as thick as an arm and about a foot long.
Yet the young Scholar held it tightly as though it were a priceless treasure.
The shop waiter spotted the Scholar in white and walked over with a smile on his face.
"What would you like to eat, young master?"
The Scholar looked around, then named several dishes.
The waiter frowned deeply, but said nothing and immediately turned to leave.
"Braised pork knuckle, sauced beef, and strong liquor? A Scholar eating this sort of food?"
Shen Bai rubbed his chin, feeling that something was amiss.
Shen Bai knew a fair amount about the Scholars of Ascending Cloud County. After all, impoverished Scholars often came to his shop to pawn their family possessions just to pursue official honors.
In Shen Bai's view, having ideals was a good thing, but bankrupting oneself for unrealistic dreams made one a fool.
From those shabby Scholars, Shen Bai had learned that these learned men mostly valued refined pursuits. Even when eating, they ate very plainly.
Yet this man had ordered such greasy meat dishes and strong liquor. Shen Bai felt that something was wrong.
Of course, he was merely curious.
This had nothing to do with him, so he did not meddle.
After eating for a while, the Scholar called the waiter over again and asked him to pack up the food.
That made things even stranger.
The Scholar had only taken one or two bites from the dishes on the table, and had barely drunk any of the liquor. Clearly, he did not like these dishes.
Then why had he ordered them?
Shen Bai's curiosity grew stronger and stronger.
By then, the waiter had packed up all the food.
Shen Bai had nearly finished eating as well. After paying for his meal, he prepared to return to the pawnshop.
The Scholar poured some coins from his shriveled purse, which immediately became empty.
Yet the Scholar paid the money without hesitation, picked up the packed food, and left his seat.
Shen Bai yawned. He planned to visit the pharmacy and buy some Qi-Blood Medicine, then ask the physician whether he had anything more potent.
After all, that batch of Qi-Blood Medicine no longer seemed quite enough for him.
But just as he was about to leave, his gaze unconsciously fell upon the Scholar's retreating figure, and he frowned.
From this angle, a section of a tree branch could be seen protruding from the Scholar's shoulder.
The Scholar hung all the packed food from the branch.
Shen Bai saw a trace of icy aura flow along the branch before entering the food.
"This aura feels so familiar. Where have I seen it before?"
Shen Bai watched the Scholar's back, rubbing his chin as he sank into thought.
Several figures flashed through his mind.
A moment later, Shen Bai finally realized where he had encountered it.
The aura of the strange.
"So cold, yet carrying a trace of terror—it is no different from the aura of the strange."
Now that Shen Bai had Qi within him, he was far more sensitive to such sensations.
After giving it some thought, Shen Bai quietly followed behind the Scholar.
If it were a person, one could still distinguish good from evil. But if it was one of the strange, then there was only evil.
Such things bore endless hatred and hostility toward the living. Drawing one's sword and cutting down the strange on sight was never wrong.
Shen Bai did not know why this Scholar had become entangled with the strange, but he urgently needed the Killing Intent provided by the strange.
After all, both the Ancient True Scripture and the transformation of the Lustrous Jade Body required Killing Intent to make up for their deficiencies.
Along the bustling streets, Shen Bai followed all the way.
The streets gradually shifted from bustling to quiet, and before long, they arrived at a secluded alley.
The Scholar was very vigilant, turning back from time to time to look around.
Fortunately, Shen Bai was already a cultivator, so this posed no difficulty for him. He easily avoided the Scholar's gaze.
Before long, the Scholar entered the alley.
Inside the alley stood a small, dilapidated courtyard.
The Scholar walked straight inside. After opening the old wooden gate, he vanished behind it.
Shen Bai looked at the low earthen walls around him. After thinking for a moment, he flipped onto one, using the wall to conceal himself as he observed the courtyard.
It was not that he insisted on getting involved in such matters. He truly lacked Killing Intent.
The courtyard was extremely simply furnished, its path paved with mud, revealing that its owner had little money.
Yet in one corner of the courtyard stood a tall locust tree.
The moment he climbed onto the wall, Shen Bai saw the Scholar place the branch beneath the locust tree.
Looking at the branch and the locust tree, Shen Bai finally understood where the branch had come from.
"So it is a branch from the locust tree. What exactly is this fellow trying to do?"
Shen Bai did not move, continuing to observe.
After setting down the branch, the Scholar took the food from its wrappings and laid it out beneath the locust tree once again.
After doing all that, the Scholar did not mind the dirt at all. He knelt directly before the locust tree and began kowtowing.
"Wife, please help me. Grant me that ability to remember everything at a glance again."
The Scholar kowtowed repeatedly, muttering under his breath.
After the Scholar had knocked his head against the ground several times, a terrifying scene unfolded.
The locust tree actually began to tremble slightly.
Yet there was no sign of any wind stirring around it.
As the branches shook, the branch lying on the ground once again gave off an icy current.
The moment that current appeared, the temperature throughout the courtyard dropped sharply.
The Scholar instinctively hugged his arms and shuddered.
The food laid out on the ground rapidly withered and decayed in an instant, turning into a pile of ashes in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, the dark circles beneath the Scholar's eyes deepened further.
But he did not notice at all. Instead, he jumped up and danced with delight.
"My ability to remember everything at a glance has returned! This time, I will definitely earn official honors!"
The Scholar shouted as he danced, as though he had obtained the most precious thing in the world.
As the Scholar cried out, a branch suddenly shot toward him and, with lightning speed, wrapped itself around his neck.
The jubilant Scholar was strangled by the neck. His tongue lolled out as he began struggling desperately.
Those dark-ringed eyes started bulging outward.
The aura of the strange grew even more intense.
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