Baisha County, at the marketplace.
The weather was poor, with dark clouds shrouding the sky.
The surging crowd slowly shuffled forward.
The townspeople at the front accepted the talisman water prepared by burning paper talismans from the Yellow Heaven Cult, drank it down, and headed toward another exit from the marketplace.
Under the intimidating presence of armored, armed soldiers, the entire process proceeded in orderly fashion.
Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu stood on the raised platform, watching the orderly scene below and enjoying the ease of their task.
They had arrived early and taken this vantage point to prevent any sudden unrest.
After all.
Those coming to the marketplace for talisman water today amounted to roughly a quarter of the city's population.
With so many people gathered, chaos and stampedes could easily erupt without powerful cultivators overseeing them.
At times like these, someone of sufficient standing had to take charge.
Powerful cultivators were also needed to keep the crowd in check and prevent disorder from spreading.
That was why the two of them had arrived so early.
From their elevated position, they oversaw the entire gathering.
Distributing talisman water to dispel the deity's aura.
Given Baisha County's population, the entire process would take approximately four days.
That also meant the two of them would have to remain here for four days.
"Brother Jiang, what are you... why have you started reading?"
Bai Luoyu watched Jiang Ning suddenly sit down, take out a yellowed ancient book, and leaf through it. He could not help looking a little stunned.
"We're sitting around here anyway. Why not read for a while?" Jiang Ning smiled.
Then he picked up the tea before him and took a gentle sip to moisten his throat.
"By the way, where's Magistrate Deng? Why haven't I seen him today?"