Calamity Qi

Inside the dilapidated Daoist temple.

Only after Wu Ming left did the old Daoist stand up and gaze at the statue of the God. He suddenly sighed, "His aptitude is average, but his disposition is quite good. Unfortunately, he carries Calamity Qi, making him unsuitable for my Path of Purity and Non-Action..."

He performed a calculation with his hand, his expression changing again. "He has no origin, nor rebirth... and he's protected by Divine Power... What is this person's true background? Could it be... the Great Tribulation is approaching, and the world is undergoing drastic changes?"

With this thought, he hurried towards the backyard, his brow furrowed, his steps swift.

Wu Ming was rejected, but he felt a surge of excitement.

After all, as long as the person and the method existed, they were tangible things that could be obtained.

Lost in thought, he was about to return to the inn when two constables in black uniforms stood in the middle of the road. "Young Master Wu, our Lord Wu Hong requests your presence!"

'Oh? They finally can't hold back anymore?'

Wu Ming smiled inwardly, but said aloud, "Of course, I must go. Please lead the way!"

He didn't mention that he had seen through their surveillance over the past few days.

"Come... sit, try this. The wontons are excellent!"

Wu Hong was at a roadside stall ahead, dressed in casual clothes, but the aura of authority he exuded was impossible to conceal. "Old Zhang Tou, another bowl!"

"Coming right up!"

The old man beside him cheerfully boiled water, prepared fresh meat filling, wrapped it in wonton skins thinner than paper, and dropped them into the boiling water. Moments later, a bowl was served. The wontons were crystal clear, sprinkled with scallions and ginger, their aroma filling the air, perfectly suited for the slightly cold weather.

"Indeed, they are excellent! Very fresh and delicious!"

Wu Ming didn't refuse and tried one. He found it savory and refreshing. Even better was the clear soup, which had a rich, homemade broth flavor. Though clear, it was endlessly flavorful and left a lasting impression.

"I'm glad you like it, sir. This is the skill of this old man for decades..."

Old Zhang Tou chuckled, cupped his hands, and stood aside.

Wu Ming ate by himself but keenly noticed over a dozen pairs of eyes closely monitoring the situation. He felt that one or two of them were even dangerous.

He knew that Wu Hong must have received a warning and strengthened his guard. Perhaps this was an attempt to lure the snake out of its hole. However, he said nothing. After he had eaten his fill, he asked, "Thank you for the meal, my lord. Is there something you require of me?"

"Naturally, there is!"

Wu Hong sipped the broth slowly, his eyes growing deep. "The disturbance last night, you caused it, didn't you?"

"Yes!"

In the government offices, there were naturally skilled trackers. Wu Ming hadn't expected to hide it for long. "Those people... were they caught..."

"Hmph!"

Wu Hong snorted coldly. "One died, one was caught, and the third one... you delivered to us today!"

"Originally... this official intended to introduce you extraordinary individuals to each other, but I never expected you to be a group!"

His words carried dissatisfaction, and a natural Sha Qi mixed with official authority pressed down. Ordinary ruffians would have been terrified and fled at the sight.

Wu Ming, however, remained composed, as if completely unaffected.

After all, he had seen high-ranking officials on television in his previous life. A mere Ninth Rank official couldn't put him at a disadvantage psychologically. Moreover, with the Main God Hall as his backing and his martial arts skills, he had his confidence!

As the saying goes, "A man with knowledge has an elegant demeanor." With confidence, his presence was calm, even surprising Wu Hong.

Wu Ming cupped his hands and said, "These bandits dared to assassinate an Imperial Official. They are truly audacious and insane! We have absolutely no connection to them! Did you find out anything, my lord?"

"Is this not enough?"

Wu Hong's face darkened. "Hearing that they intended to assassinate the County Magistrate, they truly had the courage of a bear and the gall of a leopard. However, when we tried to question them further... they died!"

"How did they die? Did you use too much force?" Wu Ming asked with interest.

"Used too much force?" Wu Hong snorted. "What a joke! Those who work in the government offices are skilled enough to make a prisoner confess everything about their family's wealth after interrogation, without leaving a single mark on their body afterward. How could one be so careless with their methods?"

"It's just that when they were questioned about Black Mountain, at the crucial point, they died silently!"

Wu Hong shivered as he spoke, clearly affected by the experience. "After examination, it wasn't a sudden illness, nor poisoning. With the Prison God overseeing, it wasn't Daoist Sorcery and Evil Spirits either..."

'Annihilation by the Main God Hall?'

Wu Ming's heart turned cold, but his face showed no hint of it. He feigned great surprise. "Could it be the work of that Lord of Black Mountain?"

His expression turned grim. He stood up and bowed deeply to Wu Hong. "My lord! I can guarantee that we have absolutely no connection to those bandits. If we did, wouldn't we have handed them over to the yamen already, right?"

"That is... true..."

Wu Hong's displeasure lessened. "The County Magistrate also met with Lin Qizhi today and discussed poetry with him for half an hour, highly praising him... I believe you have no connection to the Lord of Black Mountain, but... I hope you will not make things difficult for me..."

He had some skill and was an old hand in officialdom. His words seemed to carry a hint of sincerity.

"Please rest assured, my lord. We will depart immediately and resolve the matter in Black Water Town!"

Wu Ming said with a meaningful smile, "It won't exceed the County Magistrate's deadline..."

"That would be excellent!"

Wu Hong stood up and paid the bill. Old Zhang Tou refused to accept the money no matter what, but finally, after Wu Hong changed his expression, he reluctantly accepted it and respectfully saw them off.

Wu Ming, however, still said unhurriedly, "Old Zhang Tou, your soup is truly excellent. Give me another bowl!"

"Okay, please wait a moment, honored guest!"

Old Zhang Tou turned around, wiping away cold sweat. He felt as if he had just seen off a plague god. After all, Wu Hong spending even a short while at his place meant losing an entire afternoon's business!

It seems... the yamen aren't just for show. With the combined efforts of many former officials, it would be incredibly easy to extract information from a few newcomers...

Wu Ming ate and drank slowly, a cold sneer reappearing at the corner of his lips. But... these mere newcomers, they don't even understand the Main God Hall, what else can they do? If they can't even endure torture and are forced to reveal secrets, they'll face Annihilation...

Of course, some clues are unavoidable. Wu Hong definitely won't trust us now...

Trust or no trust, he still needs us for now. I've already shown my intentions, and that's enough!

For those in power, whether they trust suspicious outsiders is not important. What matters is whether they are useful!

Now that Wu Ming had shown his resolve to go head-to-head with Great General Black Wind and was about to depart immediately, Wu Hong naturally couldn't say much. Since they weren't his own people anyway, he might as well let them stir up trouble in Black Water Town. If it was resolved, great. If they died, it wouldn't be a pity. If they could both suffer heavy losses, that would be the best outcome.

"If we continue to insist on staying in the county town... I'm afraid the next step won't be mere surveillance!"

Wu Ming returned to the inn where he was staying and saw Ling Guhong and the others. Shan Lan, upon seeing Wu Ming, came forward and said with a smile, "This time, we have to thank Young Master Lin for his efforts. The magistrate of Black Platform County, Zhang Zhengyi, is quite an elegant gentleman. We had a pleasant conversation, and he even granted us official approval and ordered yamen runners to assist us. Now we are acting with legitimacy!"

Acting with legitimacy meant they could borrow the fortune of the government for their aid, which was extremely important.

Wu Ming was secretly pleased upon hearing this. Seeing that Shan Lan and Ling Guhong also looked overjoyed, he couldn't help but say, "It seems you two handled things quite smoothly!"

"Smoothly is an exaggeration, but we did have some gains! Was your journey difficult, little brother Wu Ming?"

Shan Lan asked thoughtfully.

"Mmm..."

Wu Ming vaguely explained his intentions.

"You want to find a master in the reincarnation world?"

Shan Lan smiled. "That's quite clever... It's indeed the most time-saving and effort-saving method. However, for us Reincarnators, it's extremely difficult to take this path!"

"What? Is there some trick to it?"

Wu Ming's heart stirred. "If Sister Shan Lan is willing to tell me truthfully, I would be immensely grateful!"

"No need for immense gratitude. It's something everyone knows anyway."

Shan Lan shot Wu Ming a look and said gracefully, "If you want to find a master in a mission world, it's easier for Martial Artists. But once it involves Witch Doctors, Daoists, or even eminent monks who wield Magical Power, very few are willing to take Reincarnators as disciples... Soft persuasion and persistent nagging are useless! Some have even knelt to death at their doors, to no avail!"

"So strict? Why is that?"

Wu Ming asked, puzzled.

"The reason... according to rumors, those masters have opened their Spiritual Eyes and see the Calamity Qi on us, which they dislike immensely!"

Shan Lan said, "Having Calamity Qi means one is destined to enter the world and face tribulations. Once you become a master, you will inevitably become entangled in Karma, and might even be implicated. Cultivators are naturally free-spirited. Unless it's a matter of close kin, or a situation that is absolutely unavoidable, they would never agree to impart their teachings!"

"Calamity Qi? Us?"

Wu Ming's expression turned somewhat grim. "Are you referring to the Main God Hall?"

"Being in the Six Paths of Reincarnation, traversing through various worlds, and being forced by the Main God Hall's missions to constantly adventure, isn't that a great tribulation?"

Shan Lan gave a wry smile. "Therefore, if you wish to learn Daoist Incantations from a mission world, unless you have a Great Opportunity and Great Fortune, your only option is..."

Because Lin Qizhi was present, she didn't continue, but Wu Ming immediately understood her meaning.

Is it only to kill them and seize their techniques?

Wu Ming gritted his teeth inwardly. But we haven't reached that final step yet...

Although she didn't finish, Lin Qizhi snorted coldly. "Everyone! I shall take my leave now!"

Those who cultivate Confucian Righteous Qi must not go against their conscience.

And even Confucius did not teach people to kill and steal treasures. If Lin Qizhi could still listen, it would be a miracle.

In fact, the fact that he didn't immediately sever ties showed he was quite adaptable.

Of course, perhaps it was also because, in Lin Qizhi's view, these people were merely teammates for a single mission, and there was no 'righteousness' to speak of, so there was nothing to sever.

"Brother Lin, perhaps you could wait a moment. There's actually something important!"

Wu Ming's expression turned solemn as he recounted the incident with Wu Hong today. He concluded, "It seems... our mission this time is extremely urgent. Otherwise, if even Black Platform County doesn't tolerate us, we'll be facing enemies on both sides and will surely die a terrible death!"