[Shuili Village, under the jurisdiction of the prefectural city].
Qi WuHuo looked at the address left behind by the murdered girl. He still used an illusion to slip out through the gate, but as he stepped outside, he turned around and saw the city gate. Above its main entrance stood a mighty gate tower. On either side of the palace hall's highest point crouched imposing bronze statues of divine beasts: Chao Feng and Jiao Tu.
Chao Feng loved gazing into the distance, while Jiao Tu loathed having enemies enter his lair.
There were often statues atop the gate towers.
But Qi WuHuo had always thought something was a little strange about the Chao Feng statue above the gates of Central Province's great city.
It seemed almost alive. Just now, it looked as though it had glanced at him.
Then it immediately turned its head away.
Now its eyes stared straight at the clouds in the distance.
Was that my imagination?
The young Daoist was puzzled. Then, when he noticed Chao Feng watching him again,
he gave the statue a slight bow.
The statue seemed to shudder a few times, its eyes plainly shifting aside. Though it was carved from stone, it seemed almost stiff with discomfort.
"As expected of a great city in Central Province. It's different from the one in my dream."
Qi WuHuo committed the matter to memory.
Then he put the Earth Deity's art into motion and followed the directions recorded in the Jade Book Elder Tao had given him. Even traveling along the earth veins, he needn't worry about losing his way. Central Province Prefecture City was the most prosperous place in all of Central Province, second only to the imperial capital in the entire empire. Only a small portion of the population lived inside the