Chessboard

He closed his eyes slightly, and his divine soul and mental energy began to follow an invisible thread, attempting to sense the talisman seal buried deep beneath the earth.

In an instant.

A thick, heavy surge of Sha Qi and Yin energy suddenly rushed toward him along the connection of the blood talisman.

"...What is this?"

He Xiping's vision seemed to pierce through the layers of soil and the coffin itself.

In that very moment, he saw Cheng Yujiao lying within the casket.

On the center of the female corpse's brow was a glowing red mark; that was the talisman seal condensed by the "Eight Element Bone Locking Method."

However, he couldn't help but click his tongue in surprise at what followed.

Due to the corpse transformation, white, downy fur was sprouting eerily across the female corpse's face, arms, and skin.

It had been only a short while since the burial, yet the appearance of the corpse had changed drastically.

"What is this?"

Likely having absorbed a massive amount of Yin energy, Cheng Yujiao's chest rose and fell slightly. After a time, the white fur on her body faded, replaced by a layer of down that was black with a reddish tint.

Most bizarre of all were the two small bumps bulging from her temples, resembling a pair of sheep horns about to pierce through the flesh.

"Black fur tinged with blood-red, and horns growing from the head—this is the Red Sheep Aspect. Why did this female corpse undergo such a change after being buried here?"

In that instant, a rumor surfaced in He Xiping's mind, one from the ancient texts collected in the He Family's library...

It was said that in ancient times, some emperors and powerful officials, desiring immortality and wishing to ascend as immortals, would dispatch geomancers trained in Feng Shui to scout famous mountains and investigate the ley lines.

People of that era believed that as long as one was buried within a dragon vein, the corpse would grow scales and feathers, returning from death to life, transforming into a flying immortal.

"Could it be that this legendary 'flying immortal' is actually just a type of zombie? Something like the flying zombies I heard about in my previous life...?"

He Xiping frowned.

Beneath his feet, the speed at which the female corpse in the coffin inhaled the turbid Earth Sha Qi did not slacken. At this rate, she might well evolve from a Black Baleful Corpse into a Red Baleful Demon Corpse.

—A Red Baleful Demon Corpse was significantly more powerful than an ordinary Black Baleful Corpse. Such a corpse-sha could already be termed a "Demon Corpse," a type of malevolent entity that had truly come into its own.

This kind of fierce corpse was a formidable threat, with tough, dense muscles and bones, and the red-furred arrows sprouting from its body were impervious to blades and swords. It was even harder to deal with than a Green-Sucking Corpse Ghost, and using it to refine "Death Longevity Incense" would surely yield a significant increase in Yin longevity.

"The 'Incense Burner Spirit Nourishing Method' in the black umbrella also records that to refine a Red Baleful Demon Corpse, it is best to nourish it with pure essence and blood, especially the blood of kin..."

He Xiping muttered to himself, lost in thought.

"But I wonder, is it because she absorbed the turbid Sha Qi of this Red Sheep Land that Cheng Yujiao's corpse has become so strange?"

He wondered if, should he continue to stay here, Cheng Yujiao might one day turn into a half-sheep, half-human Red Baleful Demon Corpse.

A breeze brushed against his face, the chill making him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Just then, the sound of flapping wings suddenly echoed through the night sky, and a Ghost-Faced Owl descended from above.

The steward, He Fusheng, raised his right hand, which was covered by a sheepskin glove. The Ghost-Faced Owl landed, its talons gripping his hand.

He Fusheng reached out and retrieved a slip of paper from the copper tube tied to the owl's leg. He opened it, glanced at it, and lowered his voice to speak to He Xiping: "Young Master, the deed is done. That Cheng Zhi is quite capable; Sheng Qinghong and that He Xiping have both fallen to him."

"Oh."

He Xiping nodded slightly.

"Good. It seems this Cheng Zhi is of some use after all."

—He had placed this piece on the board quite casually, yet he hadn't expected the results to be so effective.

In truth, Cheng Zhi's appearance at the Linjiang Immortal was an arrangement made under his instruction. Sheng Qinghong was rather flamboyant in his actions; it wasn't difficult to find out he was hosting guests at the restaurant, and He Xiping happened to be among them. The rest was simply a matter of cleverly arranging for Cheng Zhi to infiltrate the restaurant's staff.

His scheme had two purposes: first, to kill He Xiping, who was at odds with him, and to remove He Jin and his son, who had become a blight on the He Family; second, to use the death of Sheng Qinghong to "throw a stone to ask the way."

"And what is Prefect Sheng's reaction?"

He Xiping asked.

"It is still unclear."

He Fusheng used the flame from his lantern to ignite the paper, saying in a low voice: "After Cheng Zhi succeeded, he leaped from the building and fled into the river. However, the prefectural office has already sent men to search both banks of the river. Those sent to meet him say he has already left Suian City and is fleeing toward Four Peaks Mountain..."

Finally, the steward added with a hint of unease: "Young Master, this Cheng Zhi's background is questionable. To let him leave like this without sending anyone to follow him—furthermore, the prefect won't let this matter go. If he were to be caught, wouldn't that be..."

"It is of no consequence."

He was satisfied with the final result, for in this game, he was playing the role of a member of the Immortal Puppet Sect, not his public identity as the eldest young master of the He Family. Cheng Zhi could not possibly know his true identity, so there was no risk of a leak.

To Steward He Fusheng's doubt, he replied calmly: "This boy is not simple; he won't be caught so easily. He is clever and knows that to survive, Four Peaks Mountain may be the best place to go..."

Behind Cheng Zhi stood Chixinzi of the Immortal Puppet Sect. He Xiping believed that Chixinzi would not let Cheng Zhi die easily, as the Cheng family possessed a secret method for tracking the whereabouts of the bone bowl. If Cheng Zhi died, finding the bowl would become difficult.

Cheng Zhi and Cheng Yujiao only knew that the bone bowl was still in the hands of Sheng Qingzhi; as for where it was hidden, they were completely ignorant.

Secondly, a trace of suspicion lingered in He Xiping's heart. Sheng Qingzhi was merely a prefect; he was likely not a practitioner, and an ordinary person would find it difficult to utilize the bone bowl.

On the other hand, if the man surnamed Sheng truly were a practitioner, his identity would be difficult to fathom.

The government of the Great You Dynasty must be aware of the existence of the cultivation world. One could discern a certain intent from the government's conscious suppression of knowledge involving cultivation, religion, and history.

In fact, over the years, He Xiping had never attempted to gather intelligence through official channels, precisely because he was wary of this very intent from the government...

"Furthermore, if there are no surprises, Chixinzi should also make an appearance this time, right?"

He Ping's attempt to test the waters naturally involved multi-layered calculations; he had to force Chixinzi, who was hiding behind Cheng Zhi, out into the open.

Additionally, that Prefect in Suian City also had to be factored into his schemes.

However, unlike He Jin and He Xiping, He Ping did not hold that Prefect in particularly high regard.

The father and son of the He Family feared the power of Sheng Qingzhi as if it were a tiger or a leopard, and when facing this Prefect, they only knew how to fawn and flatter in hopes of winning him over; as a member of the Immortal Puppet Sect, he found such behavior dismissive.

On the surface, the He Family was merely a merchant clan, but under He Ping's management, they had befriended martial arts heroes and secretly raised retainers, all to accumulate influence.

If Sheng Qingzhi truly dared to make a move against the He Family, he would not mind orchestrating a scene of "wrath causing blood to splatter three feet," or "a comet striking the moon, a white rainbow piercing the sun, and a goshawk striking within the palace."

He Ping's trump card was his own hidden cultivation of Daoist arts. After all, practicing Daoist techniques had a significant advantage: as long as one's soul and mental energy did not leave the body, it was difficult to detect. With the bizarre and treacherous arts he knew as a member of the Immortal Puppet Sect, he could rely on his learning to put up a fight against anyone, provided he did not encounter a powerhouse at the Dao-Entry level.

"Next, it is just a matter of watching how the situation unfolds. If my estimations are correct, the situation in Suian City will develop into an asset for me..."

He calculated in secret, pondering how he could steer this game of chess in the direction most favorable to himself.