Leaving Daoist Lingguan to listen to the Dao and cultivate at Mount Lao, Ling Qing transformed into an ordinary Daoist and arrived at Locust Tree Village.
The sights along the way were no different from before.
But when he reached Locust Tree Village, he found it had long since been abandoned.
Ling Qing had already felt some doubt when he noticed it from afar.
Only when he arrived at the former site of the Land God Temple and saw that barely a trace of it remained did he realize that Lord of the Land must have met with trouble.
He called out, but sure enough, no living being answered.
There were not even any wandering souls or wild ghosts.
Ling Qing went to a nearby village and summoned its land god, asking, "May I ask where the Lord of the Land from neighboring Locust Tree Village has gone? Why has that village been abandoned for so many years?"
The Lord of the Land glanced at him. Rather than answering, he asked, "Does this Daoist have ties to the old locust tree? Or...?"
"On my way to Mount Lao to seek the Dao, I once received no small amount of help from him. Having returned from my travels this time, I intended to see an old friend, but I do not know what happened to them."
"A Daoist from Mount Lao?" Upon hearing this, the Lord of the Land hurriedly cupped his hands. "This little deity failed to welcome you properly. I beg the exalted immortal to forgive me!"
"Land god, there is no need for such formality." Ling Qing reached out and helped him up.
After rising, the land god stroked his long beard. He hesitated for a while before saying, "This little deity cannot make sense of all the