Speaking of Dragons

What's more, now is the time when the Hidden Dragon of Wuzhou is about to emerge. After carefully examining your foundation, I found some clues that vaguely point to the south. This matter concerns the fate of our sect. I originally intended to investigate it myself, but alas..." South of Wuzhou is the territory of Wenchang and Linjiang prefectures. Although Qingxu's tone was the same as before, his voice lowered slightly, as discussing this matter while the Great Gan still had over twenty years of national destiny was tantamount to treason.

"Hiss..." This was a grave matter. Even though Yuheng had been cultivating since childhood, his state of mind was unstable for a moment. However, he soon regained his composure and asked, "Master... tell me in detail! Let me know the inside story, so I don't commit any taboos."

"You are the core of our sect, and with the world on the brink of chaos, I intended to tell you anyway!" Qingxu said with a smile, as if the great hall itself exuded joy, calming Yuheng's somewhat flustered heart.

"The Great Gan has been established for over two hundred years. Although the emperors have strived for good governance, the grand structure is inevitably collapsing. This is the will of heaven, not something that can be averted by human effort. The chaos twenty years from now is destined to happen, and countless lives will be lost. Alas! What sin have the common people committed!" Qingxu's face showed a look of pity as he spoke.

"The True Dragon of the Great Gan cannot suppress the world, and the dragon qi of various prefectures will naturally stir. At this time, Hidden Dragons will emerge to contend for supremacy, each relying on their destiny." "We Taoist priests, if we assist a Hidden Dragon and help establish a dragon court, bringing order to the world sooner and avoiding bloodshed, will naturally gain great merit and fortune. At this time, dragon qi is descending upon all prefectures. Our sect belongs to Wuzhou, so we can only seek to assist the Wu Long." Daoist priest Qingxu's voice was calm, but he spoke of secrets.

"This..." Yuheng thought for a moment and said, "Why must we assist a Hidden Dragon? Our Taoist sect seeks eternal life, a carefree existence, and carefree and unrestrained seclusion. Why not seal our mountain gate and wait for the great calamity to pass?"

"Alas! Foolish child! Do you think you can avoid the great calamity if you wish? If you don't kill others, others will kill you. If other rogue cultivators or small sects assist the Wu Long and seize the opportunity to grow stronger, sweeping across the land with dragon qi, I fear we will be annihilated!" Qingxu said with a wry smile.

Although the White Cloud Temple was the dominant force in Wuzhou, there were still some small sects and rogue cultivators who wished to overthrow the White Cloud Temple and take its place.

Cold sweat broke out on Yuheng's forehead, and he trembled as he asked, "Is dragon qi that powerful? Our sect has the White Cloud Sword to suppress our fortune, and we have two True Persons..."

"Without the ruler of a nation, how can rituals be performed? The Hidden Dragon embodies the hopes of the common people and possesses great fortune and destiny. Those who assist the Hidden Dragon will also be favored by the laws of dragon qi, receiving fortune and merit, and their cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds. Although their fate will be linked from then on, and they will not achieve immortality if they fail, but for a time, their power will be immense, as if heaven and earth themselves are working together. Although we have supreme treasures, I fear..." As he spoke, Yuheng's heart sank, but Qingxu's voice continued, "Moreover, do you think our great enemies are just those rogue cultivators?"

Without waiting for Yuheng to answer, he said, "Do you know why the Supreme Dao in the north spans three prefectures and is so powerful? It is because during the last struggle for the dragon, they assisted the Great Gan Founder and swept away the great sects of two prefectures with dragon qi, destroying their traditions and seizing their supreme treasures!"

Yuheng was shocked. The fame of the Supreme Dao in the north was indeed thunderous, but he never expected this to be the reason.

Finally, Qingxu summarized, "Therefore, this struggle for the dragon is imperative and unavoidable. We can only serve our respective masters and not shy away from killing!" His voice was like cold ice, carrying a killing intent.

Yuheng was stunned for a moment, then knelt down with a thud and said, "This matter is of great importance. Your disciple will do his utmost, investigate carefully, gather information, and will not easily make enemies or leave behind karma!"

"Good! Very good!" Seeing that his disciple had gained understanding, Qingxu was overjoyed.

"You must remember, although this matter of the Earth God may not be closely related to the Hidden Dragon, you cannot be careless. Your divination has been truly passed down, and you have opened your spiritual eye, allowing you to see fortune. Your task is primarily to gather information. If you gain anything, report it all to me. When your Martial Uncle Qinghe returns to take over, I will personally come out of seclusion!" These words fell like pearls, but carried a resolute tone.

Yuheng solemnly accepted the order and withdrew.

At this time, Fang Ming was unaware of what had happened at the White Cloud Temple.

He was currently listening to his subordinate's report.

"What? Someone injured the patrolling Yin Soldiers?" Fang Ming dispatched Yin Soldiers to patrol Qingxi Township daily to drive away fierce ghosts. He did not expect that ghosts would injure Yin Soldiers. Could it be that a vengeful ghost had appeared?

He became serious and asked carefully, "Is it a vengeful ghost? How did Xie Jin arrange it?"

The Yin Soldier who came to report bowed halfway and replied, "This morning, when the brothers of the Second Fire were patrolling Yuanhe Village, they encountered a wandering soul. A dispute arose, and the wandering soul attacked, injuring the Yin Soldier. Fire Chief Xie has already gone to handle it, but..."

"Why hesitate? Speak!"

"It's just that the wandering soul who injured the Yin Soldier was a woman!" The Yin Soldier gritted his teeth and finally said it. After all, being injured by a woman was a great loss of face in ancient times. They were all brothers in arms, so they naturally wanted to cover for each other, but their lord had asked, so they had to speak even if it was embarrassing.

"Oh? How interesting!" There were naturally female wandering souls, but one that could injure Yin Soldiers must have either practiced martial arts in life or absorbed human essence after death to become a fierce ghost. For a woman, breaking through her moral constraints to kill people would naturally be more difficult, but not impossible, just rare.

He became interested and said, "Go tell Xie Jin to capture that ghost and bring it here to await judgment!"

The Yin Soldier took his orders and left.

Fang Ming had no worries about Xie Jin's ability to capture the ghost. Xie Jin had previously been able to contend with the vengeful ghost Peng Chun. Now, after being a Yin Soldier for a long time, he had accumulated divine power, and his subordinates were even more numerous than before. If he still couldn't capture her, it would only be if the woman was an evil ghost.

Not long after, Fang Ming heard a report: "Your subordinate Xie Jin brings the captured ghost to report!" He couldn't help but smile slightly.

Upon entering the great hall, he saw a woman kneeling below. Xie Jin, seemingly uneasy, was personally holding her down, appearing very cautious. He knew his lord's power and was naturally not afraid of this criminal woman, but as a subordinate, he could not allow this woman to disturb his lord.

It seems this woman has considerable combat prowess! Fang Ming smiled and activated his spiritual power to observe her. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Huh?"

In Fang Ming's Qi Observation Spiritual Power, a strand of white qi with a hint of red hovered above the woman's head, indicating she was only slightly stronger than an ordinary person. However, her fortune was completely different.

The white qi transformed into water ripples, spreading throughout her body in a wave-like pattern, faintly tinged with red, resisting the attached gray spots. This was the form of a Qi cultivator's fortune.

In life, this woman was actually a female Qi cultivator, and now she should be called a Ghost Cultivator.

A thought struck him, and he said no more, sitting high on the main seat. "Who is below? State your name!" At this moment, he had the demeanor of a county magistrate from his past life, and he suppressed the urge to ask "What grievances do you have?"

"This commoner, Gu Xiaolian, did not intend to offend your subordinate. I beg your excellency to forgive my transgressions!" In Gu Xiaolian's eyes, this lord's body flickered with red and white light, faintly forming a full moon, and the accompanying power pinned her to the ground, unable to move the slightest bit. Her heart pounded, knowing his power, and she became exceptionally obedient.

"Oh? Gu Xiaolian, raise your head and truthfully state who you are and why you died!"

Gu Xiaolian raised her head. She was dressed as a young married woman, clearly a wife. However, her rosy cheeks and willow-like eyes, with pupils like clear water, subtly casting glances, possessed a natural charm, combined with a scholarly aura and the ethereal transcendence of a cultivator. These two energies blended without conflict, forming a unique temperament.

"This humble one is from Sanhe County. I married into a prominent family, the Li family, in the county from a young age. Because my husband was fond of metaphysics and particularly enjoyed cultivating the Tao, he collected many Taoist books and diligently practiced. I, being influenced by him, also learned some Taoist arts," Gu Xiaolian said in a soft, melodious voice.

"More than ten days ago, my husband and I were admiring the moon when he suddenly turned pale with shock, saying: 'Heaven unleashes its wrath, the earth gives birth to a Hidden Dragon. I must seek it and promote our Taoist tradition.' From then on, he became obsessed, calculating day and night in his room, gradually wasting away and even coughing up blood, which worried me greatly."

"One day, my husband shouted: 'In the south...' Suddenly, dark clouds covered the sun, and lightning descended, breaking through the roof and striking... striking my husband dead. The house collapsed, burying me underneath, and thus I died..." As she spoke, the young woman's voice became choked with sobs, softening even Xie Jin's heart.

"I have seen methods for Ghost Cultivation in ancient texts. I remember the techniques. After becoming a ghost, I circulated this method, and was able to preserve my form. However, I could not find my husband's soul no matter what. His cultivation was far deeper than mine, and he should also have been able to become a Ghost Cultivator..."

"The laws of the county were strict, almost erasing my soul. I could only barely escape the county. Ghost Cultivators also need resources from yin places. I wandered around, searching for yin places. Unexpectedly, I came here and offended your excellency. I beg your excellency to forgive me!"

Gu Xiaolian finished speaking and bowed deeply.

The extraordinary origin of this woman made Fang Ming sigh deeply.

Sanhe County was also a neighboring county to Anchang. He never expected that such a great cultivator lived there.

Unfortunately, the cultivation of the Immortal Way involved many taboos, passed down solely through oral instruction from masters, without written records. That person from the Li family, who obtained true Taoist scriptures, possessed profound cultivation, and could discern the general trend of the world to calculate the Hidden Dragon. Such talent could be considered a true seed of the Tao, treasured by major Taoist sects as a jewel to promote the Tao.

However, he directly calculated this matter, which was the most taboo thing in the world, without setting up any methods to ward off calamities or disasters. He was directly struck to death by heavenly punishment, his soul scattered, and he even brought disaster upon his wife. It truly left Fang Ming speechless.

However, "Heaven unleashes its wrath, a Hidden Dragon is about to emerge"? This served as a reminder. Which south? The south of Wuzhou, the south of the world, or a place name containing "South"?

He felt a headache coming on and decided to put it aside for now.

"Gu clan, although you broke my laws, ignorance is no crime. This venerable one will spare you this time. Remember to act cautiously in the future and do not offend again!" Fang Ming's voice softened, intending to win her over.

Although this woman's cultivation was far inferior to her husband's, her husband had already been scattered into soul fragments. With no other choice, having someone was better than having no one. Fang Ming's side was precisely lacking someone skilled in feng shui and Taoist arts.

"Thank you, my lord!" Gu Xiaolian bowed thankfully.

"Since you are a Ghost Cultivator, does this kind of yin energy suit your needs?" Fang Ming pointed a finger, and a wisp of black qi rose from the ground, drifting before Gu Xiaolian.

"This..." Gu Xiaolian's eyes flickered uncertainly. Gritting her teeth, she formed a hand seal and absorbed the black qi into her body. As the black qi was absorbed, Gu Xiaolian's body became a fraction more solid. A look of joy appeared on Gu Xiaolian's face as she said, "It is indeed yin energy. May I ask where my lord obtained it?"

Fang Ming smiled but said nothing. He was the Earth God, in charge of the land. This yin energy was a form of earth energy, so he could naturally create some.

Gu Xiaolian knew he would not easily tell her, but as it concerned her survival, her eyes still showed a pleading look.

"Haha... If you want this yin energy, it's simple." Fang Ming smiled, looking at Gu Xiaolian until her face flushed like a peach blossom, then he said, "I am in need of someone skilled in feng shui and Taoist arts. You can join my ranks and work for me. This yin energy will naturally be your reward!"

"This matter... please give this humble one some time to consider!" Gu Xiaolian frowned slightly, but still said it.

"Agreed!" Fang Ming saw the look on Gu Xiaolian's face and knew the matter could be settled. He was secretly pleased and ordered Zhenzhu to escort Gu Xiaolian down to be settled.