"No, no. Even that bastard Lu Hualong may have only tricked the city's wealthy families into providing people and supplies. In the end, he might sell them off along with everyone else to some Ghost Clan, Dragon Nest, or the like."
"After all, splitting the profits thirty-seventy with Yelü Yuyan already hurts enough. Why would he share any with others?"
As Ge Xian wondered just how vicious Lu Hualong was, the other peddlers were scared out of their wits.
Dozens of "demons" had suddenly emerged all around them. If the bailiff ghouls hadn't warned them beforehand, every last one of them would have wet themselves and fled in all directions.
Ge Xian had known this was coming, so he took the opportunity to observe more closely.
He could tell these cultivators came from the wealthy households of Qiantang County because of their conspicuous clothes, and because he recognized some of them from his former life.
"That sharp-faced, beady-eyed middle-aged man, covered head to toe in sleek black fur, is clearly the second shopkeeper of the Gong Family Rice Shop in town. From the look of him, he must have entered the Dao using some strange object or flesh and blood associated with 'rat demons.' I wonder if his vicious habit is stealing oil to eat?"
"That man whose mouth won't close, with strands of fleshy, tentacle-like whiskers spilling out, is actually the younger brother of the city's great advocate, Song Zhengyan, and the third son of the Song family. Who knows what evil art he cultivated to enter the Dao in this form?"
"And that kindly-looking old man, whose exposed skin is covered with countless needle tips, is wearing the robes of a consulting doctor from the Jici Medical Hall. What kind of technique could that be?"
"Strangest of all is that woman. In my former life, I remember she was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family, a wealthy household that specializes in selling cloth. She still looks somewhat human, but her pair of soft, boneless hands are filled with terrifying power... Could she be cultivating a Bizarre Martial Art like the Bone-Melting Palm?"
Ge Xian watched and guessed, and nearly figured out the abilities of the entire Guard Team.
At the same time, he confirmed one more thing:
The cultivators sent out by these wealthy families were surely all Bottom Layer cultivators.
But that was enough to tell him that once people in this world began cultivating and entering the Dao, they gradually lost their human forms.
"Even so, all mortals must be eager to enter the Dao and cultivate, right?"
"After all, no one can resist the temptation of transcending the ordinary, even though the first hurdle, 'repulsion,' is enough to kill most who attempt it."
As Ge Xian sighed, the Propaganda Team and Guard Team set out.
Amid the jubilant send-off of the whole city, they left Qiantang County. Following the great county magistrate's orders, they would go beyond the county borders and summon the homeless refugees and wild people back to Qiantang.
The weather was poor today!
As soon as they left the city, everyone saw the vast, seemingly endless wilderness beneath the dark sky. The dense forests and gloomy mountains were all terrifying in their own way. Narrow official roads wound through them like little snakes and earthworms, stretching toward other human settlements.
Looking toward the nearer areas, they could faintly hear shrill howls and strange, indistinct cries. Those with sharper eyes could also make out jackal dogs and wolfish ghosts darting about.
These low-level monsters caught the scent of "fresh humans" and burst out of the wilderness and abandoned burial grounds. They stared at the Propaganda Team from afar with pairs of crimson beast eyes, drooling all over the ground.
When the group started to stir, the two leading bailiff ghouls, Zhang Buzu and Zhao Wuyou, scoffed and reassured them:
"What are you panicking for? Those beasts wouldn't dare come close. Last night, we were ordered to spread Gu-Eating Divine Slurry all around Qiantang. The scent of the Gu-Eating Spirit God now covers the entire county. Forget these beasts, who've only picked up a little demonic aura and aren't even proper monsters. Even real demons wouldn't dare enter the city."
"It'll last for at least half a year."
Their words did little to reassure the peddlers, since they were heading out of the city and into the countryside.
But Ge Xian's heart stirred as he listened, and he guessed another secret.
"Heh!"
"The so-called Gu-Eating Divine Slurry must be Qiongqi's urine, diluted with water and sprinkled around the area to scare demons away."
"A half-year limit... That must be how long Lu Hualong and Yelü Yuyan, that perverted couple, plan to raise their pigs."
"Good, good. There's still time."
Once Ge Xian had finished thinking, Zhang Buzu and Zhao Wuyou spoke up again:
"Remember this well: the countryside is dangerous. Though we'll protect you, you must follow the rules. Don't wander off, and don't make any sudden moves."
"Our first destination is Jiudao Village, by the Qiantang River. It suffered a disaster a few days ago. Water monsters and Water Ghosts rose from the riverbed and ate half the villagers. We're going there to give our talk. Once you're in Qiantang County, under Lord Lu's protection, you needn't worry about such things."
"Move out!"
These ghouls and Evil Cultivators must have received considerable benefits, for they were in high spirits.
With them driving the group onward, the peddlers and traveling merchants couldn't resist no matter how frightened they were. They could only obediently follow.
Out of the city and into the countryside.
They had barely left the official road and passed through a sparse woodland when a gust of earth-scented wind blew by.
Every peddler and traveling merchant felt invisible malice invading them. They hunched their shoulders, folded their arms tight, felt their hairs stand on end, and swallowed nervously.
Ge Xian felt even worse. He was extraordinarily sensitive to all supernatural auras, and at that moment, his mind began to roar. It was as though all kinds of sounds were assaulting him—screams, howls, whispers, mad laughter, wails... His face turned deathly pale, and his body trembled.
Fortunately, he was now a cultivator in the Dao Entry Realm. He quickly suppressed the sounds and learned to block and filter them.
In a way, it was a blessing in disguise: he had gained a deeper understanding of how to use his talent.
The next moment, a warning bell rang in his heart. Something's wrong...
Ge Xian had no time to decide whether to reveal himself and warn them. The danger had already arrived.
With a shrill howl, more than a hundred bizarre jackal dogs burst out of the woodland from every direction and charged madly at the group.
Ge Xian had a keen eye and saw them clearly at a glance.
These monsters were hideously ugly, with the appearance of dogs and earth-brown bodies. They had long snouts, sparse yellowed teeth, and tongues covered in backward-pointing barbs. Their cries sounded like vengeful ghosts, and they ran like phantoms, covering dozens of yards in the blink of an eye as they leaped at the peddlers and traveling merchants.
The men weren't completely helpless, but how could they fight off monsters like these?
The moment the stinking breath of the "Ghost Dogs" washed over them, their legs went limp. They nearly lost control of their bowels.
Fortunately, the Guard Team sprang into action.
The two Ghoul Spirits roared and transformed, grinning as they said:
"Don't panic, don't panic. This is a good thing."
"Fellow cultivators, these beasts are called Chunwei Ghost Jackals. They were once ordinary wild dogs, but turned into monsters after eating too much human flesh. They love to eat people, especially babies. They pose no real threat. The ghostly aura inside them benefits the two of us, so there's no need to kill them outright. Just cripple them and leave the rest to us brothers to devour."
Before they had even finished speaking, dozens of Evil Cultivators from the Guard Team revealed themselves and charged to meet the ghost jackals.
No one had expected a fight to break out so soon after leaving the city.
As the two ghouls had said, these ghost jackals, drawn by the smell of fresh human flesh, posed no threat to cultivators.
Any one of the Evil Cultivators could easily smash their skulls and spines.
Wretched cries rang out all around.
The peddlers and traveling merchants huddled together, doing their best to keep out of the way.
Ge Xian mingled among them and took the chance to observe the Evil Cultivators' abilities. Their methods became clear to him, and he corrected the guesses he'd made earlier.
Of course, some of his guesses had been right.
The Wang Family Eldest Daughter-in-law, for example, really did practice Guǐ Wǔ. Her techniques were much like the Bone-Melting Palm. She lightly struck with one palm, and the ghost jackal charging straight at her immediately turned into a lump of soft flesh. It hit the ground with a wet smack.
As he watched, Ge Xian suddenly sensed danger again.
He scanned his surroundings, quickly picked up a branch with a thick base and a pointed tip, and put it to use.
Sure enough, the next moment, disaster struck again:
The two sides were badly mismatched in number, and the ghouls had told the Evil Cultivators not to be too ruthless.
Their hands were tied, and some of them let their guard down. Seven or eight Chunwei Ghost Jackals broke through. One seized each peddler, and in the blink of an eye, seven men were in their jaws. The unlucky ones were dragged to the ground and bitten in the neck. Blood sprayed everywhere, and they died on the spot.
A ghost jackal had its eyes on Ge Xian too. He looked up just as its long-snouted dog face lunged at him, its stench overwhelming.
"Damn beast!"
Ge Xian spat the curse, but didn't use the strange power inside him. Relying on his senses alone, he dropped into a sudden crouch and raised the pointed branch.
The next moment, amid its anguished wails, the vicious ghost jackal had its belly ripped open by Ge Xian. Its momentum carried it onward, spilling hot entrails across the ground. He could make out some remnants of human flesh, teeth, hair, and other things inside.
The miraculous solo kill was all thanks to Ge Xian's superb timing.
To the others, it looked as if the ghost jackal had opened its own belly and charged straight onto the young peddler's stick. They couldn't help marveling at his good luck.
At about the same time, the two ghouls and the Evil Cultivators finished off the ghost jackals and hurried back to deal with the few that remained.
Unfortunately, in those few seconds of chaos, two peddlers had already died.
Neither the ghouls nor the Evil Cultivators felt any need to explain themselves.
They didn't even offer an apology. They merely told the peddlers and traveling merchants to keep their wits about them. Then Zhang Buzu and Zhao Wuyou assumed the True Forms of the "Gluttonous Ghost" and the "Starved Ghost," inhaling every ghost jackal on the ground until only bones remained.
They each wore an expression of ecstasy, patted their bellies, and shouted:
"Keep moving!"
They had lost two people before even reaching their first destination.
The peddlers and traveling merchants had once again felt the dangers beyond Qiantang County. Though many of them were seething inside, they behaved perfectly on the rest of the journey, sticking close to the two ghouls and the Guard Team for fear of meeting another sudden disaster and losing their lives.
As expected, they encountered plenty more dangers.
Besides low-level monsters like the Chunwei Ghost Jackals, they came across some inexplicable, horrifying phenomena.
One was a strange wind called the Meng Po Wind. Anyone caught in it would instantly lose both soul and body, growing dazed and empty-eyed, forgetting everything and wandering after the wind into the wilderness.
Even cultivators in the Dao Entry Realm couldn't escape its effects.
Fortunately, the wind had a visible form. It was grayish white and didn't move very fast, so they could see it with the naked eye and avoid it in time.
Another strange thing was called Heart-Burning Fire. It could appear out of nowhere, beginning as a fist-sized green-scaled flame. It seemed to possess a will of its own and moved incredibly fast, charging at living beings. Anyone it hit would burst into self-immolating flames that erupted from within, turning them to charred bones in two or three breaths.
Fortunately, the fire usually appeared in abandoned burial grounds and wilderness, so they could avoid it by keeping away.
Even with these warnings to guide them, by the time they reached Jiudao Village, they had lost another peddler and a traveling merchant.
They hadn't even found the numerous refugees and wild people yet, and already they had suffered such losses. If they did find them and their group suddenly grew tenfold, a hundredfold, how could they keep everyone safe?
The two Ghoul Spirits, Zhang Buzu and Zhao Wuyou, had thought of this too, but couldn't come up with a solution. All they could do was rage helplessly.
They spent the entire journey cursing and scolding.
Ge Xian, on the other hand, was the opposite. Mingled in with the group, his eyes shone with excitement as his thoughts churned.
After all he had experienced, he gradually confirmed one thing: the range and sensitivity of his Supernatural Perception were enough to crush those of every other cultivator present.
Neither monsters and demons nor mysterious phenomena could escape his notice.
Every time, he knew they were coming in advance.
In other words!
If he, Ge Huolang, led this group—or even the much larger group they would soon gather—he could ensure not a single person was lost.
Though the thought had occurred to him, Ge Xian didn't act rashly.
First, the time wasn't right!
Second, he hadn't seen what he stood to gain!
He wouldn't have to wait long for either.
After a few twists and turns, the group soon arrived at Jiudao Village by the Qiantang River.
It was once a sizable village, set along the river, with several hundred households and more than a thousand villagers. According to the report, a disaster had struck not long ago, and many people had been eaten.
Upon arrival, the group immediately beat drums and gongs to draw out the remaining villagers and begin their speech.
They soon realized their mistake. This place had no need for a "Propaganda Team" at all.
The roughly six hundred survivors, young and old, men and women alike, were all gaunt and shaken. Fear filled their faces and eyes.
When they heard the group had come from Qiantang County, and that dozens of cultivators and a great general serving under the county magistrate were there to protect them, inviting them to take shelter in the county city and promising money and provisions once they settled in, they burst into cheers and showered them with gratitude. Some were so moved that they knelt right down, calling out County Magistrate Lu's honored name from afar.
Without needing a single word of persuasion, the villagers eagerly agreed, hurried back into their homes, and quickly packed their belongings.
Everything had gone so smoothly!
Everyone was in high spirits.
Everyone except Ge Xian, whose expression changed as he stared at the raging Qiantang River nearby. Though it was broad daylight, gray-black clouds of water were rising from the surface, churning like dragons and serpents.
Within the vast reach of Ge Xian's "perception," dozens of cold, evil supernatural auras had gathered in the nearby riverbed, among the reefs and caves.
They seemed to be waiting for an opportunity, poised to strike.
Ge Xian thought back to the two ghouls' report about Jiudao Village on the way there. An outrageous yet perfectly reasonable suspicion formed in his mind, and he couldn't help cursing again:
"What a hellish world!"
"It's bad enough that Yelü Yuyan and Lu Hualong, that well-connected pair of perverted spouses, are raising people like pigs and selling the city. How come a bunch of Water Monsters, Water Ghosts, and Water Monkeys have learned to keep humans penned up too?"
"Don't eat them all at once. Leave half behind to breed and raise the next batch for harvest, right?"
After cursing, Ge Xian made up his mind.
Before you continue