[Side Quest: Infiltration (Complete)!] [Main Quest Unlocked: Black Mountain Vanguard] [Scene Description: You completed Great General Black Wind's mission excellently. Now, Great General Black Wind needs you to tie down Black Platform County's forces and help him fully seize control of his divine office!] [Quest Objective: Within ten days, help Great General Black Wind refine his divine office, or throw Black Platform County into chaos!] [Quest Rewards: Complete the Main Quest to receive five hundred minor merits! Assassinate Patrol Inspector Wu Hong to receive five hundred minor merits! Kill Black Platform County Magistrate Zhang Zhengyi to receive one thousand five hundred minor merits!] [Quest Difficulty: Flood!]
Wang Xia was ultimately just an ordinary man from Great Zhou, and knew even less about the importance of quests and intelligence in the Reincarnation World. After Shan Lan scared him with a few words, he immediately confessed everything.
The quest details he revealed made Wu Ming and the others' expressions change repeatedly.
"It's actually a confrontation quest?"
Shan Lan gave a bitter smile, then struck Wang Xia once more, chopping the back of his neck. His eyes rolled back, and he fell unconscious.
"Nameless, did you already know?"
"No. But since they ambushed me, naturally I had to hit back! And I happened to bring back a live prisoner!"
Wu Ming shrugged, making Ling Guhong roll his eyes.
"According to him... after they got separated from us in Black Water Town, they encountered Great General Black Wind, and their quest changed..."
Shan Lan smiled bitterly. "This time, things are even more troublesome!"
"But there's good news, too!" Ling Guhong said. "From his quest, we can tell that Great General Black Wind is currently focused on refining his divine office. Since he's being tied down, this might be our opportunity!"
"The books I've read contain accounts of this... A City God or Earth God, an Orthodox God who protects a region, needs Earth Qi and the people's hearts to remain secure... But look at Black Water Town: the people are destitute, their lives hanging by a thread, and they've suffered for a long time... There's bound to be a backlash, so he won't be able to take control of his authority smoothly!"
The Confucian scholar Lin Qizhi interjected.
"That makes a great deal of sense!"
Shan Lan's eyes shone. "This is our chance!"
"Mm! But before that..."
Wu Ming glanced at Wu Hong, unconscious on the ground. "Why not send this man to the county office as well? He's a bandit who plotted an assassination. We might get something out of it, or even find some outside help..."
The people's hearts were as unyielding as iron, and the law as hot as a furnace. Under the three wooden instruments of torture in the county office, the man would surely spill everything.
As for whether he might reveal other secrets?
With the Main God Hall around, there was nothing to fear.
"Good!"
Wu Ming clapped his hands. "There's no time to lose. We can act tomorrow. Today, we should do our best to find some allies in Black Platform County..."
"Brother Lin, sorry for the trouble. Take this man to the authorities and have him punished according to the law. You're a scholar; perhaps you'll even get to meet the county magistrate. There are plenty of benefits to be had. If you can borrow some serious support, we might just get through this quest..."
Wu Ming knew a little about books, but going off to debate the classics with Juren and Jinshi who had passed the imperial examinations would only invite humiliation.
"As for us..."
Wu Ming looked around.
"Hehe... I have some matters to take care of today, so I'll have to excuse myself!"
Shan Lan smiled softly. Ling Guhong, clutching his sword, also remained silent.
Seeing this, Wu Ming understood. The two Reincarnators, clearly more experienced than he was, must have received some kind of story quest.
Fortunately, he had already learned that their quests matched his own. Since their main objectives were the same, there was no need to pry into the little details. He smiled. "That works out... I have some personal matters to attend to as well. One day will be enough. We'll meet back here tonight, and then we should be ready to set out..."
They had ten days to deal with Black Water Town. It wasn't a long time, but neither was it short; still, the deadline was pressing.
They ate breakfast together, then watched as Lin Qizhi escorted Wang Xia to the authorities. After that, they parted ways.
"So... it looks as if both the City God and Lord of Black Mountain have their reservations and won't interfere lightly... And we, strangers with not the slightest entanglement of cause and effect, have become their pawns?"
Wu Ming strolled to the City God Temple, inwardly sneering.
Of course, with the quest so difficult, borrowing even a little strength would be useful. He straightened his clothes and walked inside.
The City God Temple was just as it had been before: grand and solemn. In the central shrine stood a clay statue coated in gold, its face stern as it looked down upon all living things.
Wu Ming's expression was solemn. He took three incense sticks, lit them, and placed them in the burner, silently praying. "Your junior, Wu Ming, cannot bear to see the people of Black Water Town living with their lives hanging by a thread. I'm willing to rid them of the scourge of Black Wind. If the City God is listening, please help me!"
He didn't kneel. He simply bowed three times, then waited quietly.
In an instant, Wu Ming felt a force spread from the statue, enveloping the entire hall.
The tables, offerings, and ritual furnishings were exactly as before, yet somehow different.
"You are Wu Ming? You wish to rid the people of harm. Is your heart sincere?"
A solemn voice rumbled down from the shrine, carrying immense power and an irresistible sense of oppression.
"So... powerful?"
It felt as if a thousand jun pressed down on Wu Ming. He was even more astonished inside. "The City God of a county is merely a seventh-rank Orthodox God. With an imperial vermilion edict, can he really wield such power?"
He could feel that before the other party's vast strength, he was no more than an ant.
But even an ant has ambitions and a path upward!
He shouted inwardly, though his face remained wooden. Only his eyes revealed his determination. "My heart is sincere!"
Taking the opportunity, he stole a glance from the corner of his eye. Unfortunately, he saw only layer upon layer of divine curtains, concealing the statue. Only a pair of lightning-bright divine eyes shone through.
"Good!"
The divine light illuminated him, making Wu Ming feel as if everything inside and out had been seen through.
After a long while, the deity spoke a single indifferent word. Then its presence vanished without a trace.
"Hmm? That's it? That's not how the script goes, is it?"
Wu Ming grumbled inwardly. Then a golden-armored Divine Being stepped out from beside the shrine, his face like iron and his voice like a bell. "Since ancient times, Yin and Yang have been separate. My lord is the Liege Lord of this county, so naturally he must observe this rule all the more... Since you have this resolve, it is most commendable. You have the protection of a Benevolent God! My lord bestows upon you the Six Ding Six Jia Divine Talisman, to lend you a hand!"
The golden-armored Divine Being still made Wu Ming feel oppressed, but far less so than the City God. He was probably one of the divine officials.
As soon as he finished speaking, golden light shimmered around him. His figure slowly dissolved, turning into a bright yellow talisman that fell to the ground. It bore the runes of Six Ding and Six Jia, and mist curled from the paper. Within it, the Divine Being's silhouette was faintly visible.
"Thank you, City God!"
Wu Ming bowed deeply, and the oppressive feeling vanished.
At some point, another person had appeared beside him, kneeling on a cushion and kowtowing as he murmured, "Please bless us, Lord City God! Keep my home safe and my business prosperous. After the New Year, I'll offer three sacrificial animals in gratitude. I wouldn't dare break my promise..."
"Was it a dream? No!"
Wu Ming knew that what had happened was a divine communion. The City God had formed a domain with divine power and summoned him in broad daylight, rather than visiting him in a dream at night.
He touched his chest. A talisman lay there, radiating circles of divine power and a faint glow.
Such supernatural might was truly awe-inspiring and terrifying.
"If it weren't for the constraints of incense and faith... and those other major taboos, even I might be tempted to try it..."
Wu Ming bowed once more, then walked out of the City God Temple.
He also knew that in the Great Zhou World, most gods were Yin Gods who had found a way out after the masters of the Three Religions and Nine Streams and the Hundred Schools of Thought had fallen.
Those who became gods while still living in the flesh were exceedingly rare.
"But..."
Wu Ming touched the talisman on his chest, then looked back at the temple. A deep glint passed through his eyes, but he said nothing and walked away.
There was still time, so he made a point of visiting several Daoist temples.
Since Wu Ming wanted to cast off the miserable fate of a meat-shield warrior and walk the path of a tall, rich, and handsome mage, Daoist Incantations were naturally very important.
Strictly speaking, aside from the Main God Hall, the Dao Academies in the Great Zhou World were his best hope.
But he still held out some hope of finding what he wanted in the Quest World.
If he could get the teachings here, he would save himself quite a few merits.
"Besides... I don't necessarily have to start practicing right now. Once I've got the incantations, I can enter a Dao Academy and study at my own pace..."
Wu Ming thought with little sense of responsibility as he visited the Daoist temples he'd already asked about, one after another.
Of course, true masters were rare everywhere. The few Daoist temples in Black Platform County were mostly concerned with incense and worldly desires, and had long since fallen into disrepair.
The several "profoundly skilled" magicians and True Persons were either feeble and frail, the sort Wu Ming could knock down with a single punch, or they only knew how to talk about abstruse matters and understood nothing of cultivation methods. Wu Ming was left helpless.
Still, he'd come expecting either success or a worthwhile failure. He was simply broadening his horizons, so he wasn't particularly disappointed.
"One last place!"
Wu Ming looked at the sun, took a deep breath, and stepped into this dilapidated little Daoist temple.
Compared with the previous temples, whose incense offerings had been thriving, this one looked utterly destitute. More than half the gate's railing was rotten, and the paint had peeled from its signboard.
Yet as soon as Wu Ming entered the courtyard, he saw how clean and orderly it was, with a natural air about it. He felt refreshed. Then he saw the only Daoist there: short, thin, and withered, his skin dark and his body lean. His eyes were cloudy, yet seemed to conceal a hidden spark of vitality. Wu Ming felt he had the measure of him. He went in, bowed, and left ten taels of incense money. He'd caused chaos the previous night and had taken the opportunity to line his own pockets, too. Wu Ming had plenty of silver on him now.
"Infinite Venerable Heaven. Benefactor, you offer such a generous gift. What is it you seek?"
The old Daoist sat cross-legged on a cushion, his eyes slightly narrowed as he asked.
"This disciple admires the Great Dao and has come to seek its teachings!"
Wu Ming didn't beat around the bush.
"The teachings?" The old Daoist's eyelid twitched. "We cultivate in seclusion and have no teachings to offer. Go! Go!"
Wu Ming left in disappointment after being turned away.
It made sense. Since ancient times, which master had ever taken on a disciple without testing him again and again?
Even those who wandered the mortal world for amusement, or accepted offerings for money, had plenty of wealthy young masters to fleece.
Wu Ming was a stranger with tangled affairs, and he'd walked in demanding to be taught. The old Daoist hadn't struck him over the head with a stick, so that was something.
"But it's not all bad... At least I know where one place is. I can come back when I get the chance and wear him down... I just don't know if I'll have enough time..."
Wu Ming mused as he committed the name of the Daoist temple to memory and strolled away.
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