Preparation

For the next period of time, Zheng Que remained seated in the grand armchair.

The Life and Death Book before him was perfectly still, with no new names added.

Zheng Que was not surprised by this; Qing Li was likely outside acting as his guardian and had not gone off to slay any ghosts.

Soon, the final wisp of black energy between Zheng Que's brows was also absorbed by the Life and Death Book.

The scene before his eyes shifted. The vast, fragmented points of light vanished, and the cramped room slowly revealed itself. He had returned to the dilapidated temple.

Outside the door, the sky was bright and clear. The Golden Crow hung high, casting very short shadows.

When he had consumed the second medicinal root, it had been dusk, just before nightfall. Now, it was already noon.

This breakthrough had taken him an entire night plus the better part of the morning.

Zheng Que stood up immediately and walked outside.

Creak.

The temple door opened, sending dust swirling. Nothing had changed in the courtyard; Qing Li was still hanging from the tree, swaying in the breeze.

Scanning his surroundings, Zheng Que found a large bluestone in the corner and punched it.

Bang!

The bluestone was about the size of a table. It was uncarved, heavy, and solid, yet it shattered into pieces as if it were a brittle cake. Stone chips drifted down like snowflakes, covering nearly half the courtyard.

Zheng Que felt no pain in his fist; it was as if he hadn't struck a rock, but merely a slightly hard egg.

Following this, he tested his speed and explosive power in the yard. He quickly determined that, without using any spells, his physical functions had improved by about twofold compared to when he was at the first level of Qi Refining.

Having roughly gauged his current strength, Zheng Que turned to look at Qing Li. "Qing Li, come back with me. We need to retrieve some things."

Qing Li let out a cold huff but said nothing.

Thus, Zheng Que headed toward his home with Qing Li in tow.

The journey was very peaceful. Perhaps because Qing Li had been hunting ghosts lately, Zheng Que hadn't seen a single ghost in the streets or alleys over the past two days.

Moreover, there were clearly more people out and about these days.

However, every neighbor Zheng Que encountered along the way lacked a shadow.

A short while later, he returned home. He quickly rummaged through the depths of a cabinet to find a bundle of dry rations. He took a few bites to satisfy his hunger, then wrapped the rations back up and carried them with him.

After becoming a cultivator, he could go many days without eating or drinking, and his strength would remain unaffected.

But now that his tribulation was approaching, he had to be fully prepared in every way!

After simply filling his stomach, Zheng Que walked to the bed, flipped the entire thing over, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and headed outside.

He wasn't moving this bed to the dilapidated temple for a comfortable night's sleep, but to add a layer of insurance for himself. Although the restrictions around the small town were damaged, some of the defenses remained.

By placing his shoes one right-side up and one upside down by the side of the bed, he could delay the time it would take for the ghosts to find him.

While deep in thought, Zheng Que carried the bed out of his house and headed straight for the temple.

The journey back to the temple went smoothly. Along the way, he encountered many townspeople, and none of them had shadows.

It was different from yesterday; yesterday, only some of the townspeople he saw lacked shadows, but today, he hadn't seen a single person with one.

It was as if, in the span of a single day, the shadows of every townsperson had been stolen!

Zheng Que felt more and more that something was wrong. Combining this with what Xu Houde told him yesterday, it was likely due to the issues with the restrictions at the town entrance.

And to repair the restrictions at the town entrance, he would have to go to Taiping County to find that cultivator named Lu...

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Zheng Que had already moved the bed into the temple and placed it on the open ground beneath the Shrine.

At the same time, Qing Li had already hung herself from the old tree in the courtyard, familiar with the routine.

The figure of the Female Hanging Ghost was obscured by the treetops, her gaze fixed firmly in Zheng Que's direction.

This human child's tribulation was today.

She needed to maintain her best state, so she could not go out to hunt ghosts today.

Thus, the Ghost Servant hung high in the treetops while Zheng Que stayed inside the temple. He looked around, tore off a piece of the bedsheet to patch the damaged window paper, secured the door latch, and placed his shoes one right-side up and one upside down on the floor before sitting cross-legged on the bed.

It was not yet dark, but inside the temple with the doors and windows tightly shut, it was already pitch black.

In the dimness, Zheng Que's expression gradually became very solemn.

Today at Hai Hour, his tribulation would arrive.

There was still enough time for him to cultivate once more.

He had broken through to the Second Layer of Qi Refining last night and hadn't had the chance to boost Qing Li's cultivation. Now was the perfect time to make it up to her!

Thinking of this, Zheng Que immediately began to cultivate.

However, perhaps because his tribulation was approaching, he felt restless. He tried circulating his cultivation technique several times, but he could not enter a meditative state.

After dragging it out for a while, Zheng Que took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind. He stopped thinking about anything, forgetting all the distracting thoughts in his heart, including the tribulation he was about to face.

A moment later, he successfully adjusted his state of mind and began to circulate the Life Planting Technique once again.

His Spirit Power flowed skillfully through his body. In the void, he entered that state of nothingness once more, continuously capturing wisps of energy.

Time passed. Zheng Que opened his eyes once more to the deep, dilapidated Wide Hall, the Life and Death Book spread open before him.

Seeing that he had entered the Underworld space, he did not hesitate and immediately recited to the Life and Death Book, "Qing Li."

Before his voice had even faded, a thick mist surged up in the hall. Within the mist, a slender figure appeared—white clothes, black hair, and a Service Token hanging from her waist. It was Qing Li.

Upon realizing she had arrived in the Underworld, Qing Li hurriedly knelt, speaking with great reverence, "This subordinate pays respects to you, my lord!"

"Your lordship's insight is as sharp as a hawk's, your integrity as noble as the wind..."

Before she could finish her repetitive flattery, Zheng Que did not delay. Taking advantage of Qing Li's bowed posture, he raised his palm, aiming the character for "Command" at her.

The next moment, Yin Energy swirled violently around Qing Li, howling as it transformed into an inverted black ocean, pouring into her body.

Qing Li was overcome with excitement and hurriedly said, "This subordinate thanks you, my lord!"

"Your lordship's grace is as heavy as a mountain; this subordinate will never forget it..."

After a while, the Yin Energy surrounding Qing Li increased significantly before slowly ceasing its growth.

The higher a ghost's cultivation, the more Yin Energy it required. Although Qing Li's increase in Yin Energy this time was substantial, she still seemed to be some distance away from the sixth level of the Tongue-Pulling Hell.

Seeing that Qing Li had failed to break through to the sixth level of the Tongue-Pulling Hell, Zheng Que was not surprised. He immediately commanded, "Withdraw."

The mist in the hall surged like a tide once more, swallowing Qing Li's figure in an instant before dissipating without a trace.

Zheng Que turned his gaze back to the Life and Death Book, waiting for the black energy between his brows to subside.

Just then, a new name suddenly appeared on the Life and Death Book...

"...Xu Houde. Place of origin: Changfu Town, Taiping County, Tu Prefecture, Great Li Dynasty. Lifespan: Fifty-four years, three months, and seven days. To die suddenly at the hour of the dog."