Senior Brother Ding led the others in helping dismantle the demon tiger for materials.
Standing to one side, Zhang Jing seemed to remember something. A dripping Storage Bag immediately appeared in his hand-the very one he had just pried out of the demon tiger's mouth.
His spiritual sense slipped inside with ease.
A dim gray space appeared in Zhang Jing's perception.
At the very center of this space sat a scarlet Millstone. The moment his spiritual sense touched it, an overwhelmingly thick stench of blood surged along his spiritual sense into his mind.
The wails of tens of thousands of dead souls seemed to ring in his ears.
Zhang Jing's expression changed. He instantly moved his spiritual sense away, and only then did all the strange sensations slowly fade.
What was that?!
He raised his head and found that no one had noticed him, then sank his spiritual sense into the Storage Bag once more.
His spiritual sense skirted straight around the scarlet Millstone and probed its surroundings.
Aside from this strange Millstone, there were few things left in the Storage Bag-only four items.
Two Jade Slips and two small white jade bottles.
The Jade Slips recorded two inheritances. One was the trap-laden inheritance Zhang Jing knew so well, the [Azure Sparrow Qi-Gathering Method], while the other was the [Yin Mountain Lord Disaster-Repelling Art of War].
The Yin Mountain Lord Disaster-Repelling Art of War... could it refer to those Changpi Ghosts?
Zhang Jing wondered inwardly.
When he first discovered this [Yin Mountain Lord Disaster-Repelling Art of War], he had wanted to learn it. He thought that, with the Jade Talisman's skill panel, he stood a good chance of commanding those Changpi Ghosts just like this Black Tiger Demon.
No! In my hands, they should be called Dao Soldiers.
Yet once Zhang Jing discovered the [Azure Sparrow Qi-Gathering Method], he decisively abandoned the idea.
Finding these two methods together gave him reasonable grounds to suspect that the [Yin Mountain Lord Disaster-Repelling Art of War] also contained a trap-and no ordinary trap at that.
Of the two jade bottles.
One held Scarlet Liquid that exuded the scent of blood. Merely "looking" at it made Zhang Jing feel his own blood begin to boil.
The other held an unknown Transparent Liquid.
This substance was even more wondrous. It seemed capable of greatly strengthening spiritual sense and the mind.
After examining them.
Zhang Jing withdrew his spiritual sense straight from the Storage Bag, a thoughtful look appearing between his brows.
He could not help recalling Senior Brother Liu's earlier warning.
It seemed that practitioners of these inheritances could rapidly improve their cultivation as long as they had sufficient resources.
But once their cultivation reached the tenth level of Qi Refining, their essence, qi, and spirit would transform into a White Bone Three-Origin Great Elixir for someone to harvest.
Sinister inheritances, along with cultivation resources.
Wait! Wasn't this livestock farming?
Zhang Jing suddenly realized.
He could not help looking at the corpse on the ground.
Through this tiger demon, Zhang Jing seemed to glimpse an invisible hand stretching over all of Langya Commandery.
A trace of horror suddenly rose in his mind.
Zhang Jing forced himself not to dwell on it.
If his guess was true, then this tiger demon clearly would not be the only one, and the Dao Academy must have discovered something as well.
If the sky fell, there were still the senior brothers of the Inner Academy, as well as the pavilion masters and academy masters.
He, Zhang Jing, was merely a lowly early Qi Refining cultivator. At most, he would report this matter once they reached Langya Commandery.
As for the mysterious liquids in these two jade bottles.
He would not dare use them now even if someone beat him to death. Who knew what was actually in them?
Time slowly passed.
By the time Zhang Jing and the other four emerged from the Underground Palace, it was broad daylight outside.
But Yinshan County City had now changed utterly. Yesterday's bustle seemed like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow. All that remained before their eyes was boundless, deathly silence and resentment that soared into the sky.
In the sky.
Dried human skins fluttered in the wind like butterflies, their expressions twisted.
Zhang Jing's sharp eyes spotted two that seemed to belong to yesterday's County Magistrate and Private Secretary. Blood still stained them, and they looked quite fresh.
Sensing the heaviness in everyone's hearts.
Senior Brother Ding sighed heavily.
"These are Yaomo-vicious and cruel. You must never let your guard down."
"Let's go."
"Yes, Senior Brother."
Just then.
Senior Sister Tong suddenly walked up to Zhang Jing, her face slightly flushed, and spoke with an awkward air.
"Um, Junior Brother, do you still have any spare talismans? I accidentally used two in the Underground Palace just now, and I'm out of defensive talismans."
"If you still have some, could you sell me two?"
"Senior Sister, you should have said so sooner."
Smiling, Zhang Jing took out two Star-Attracting Talismans and handed them to her. "These are two Star-Attracting Talismans. I'll let you have them at cost."
"No, charge me the market price. I'll transfer the Dao Merit to you after the mission is complete."
Tong Yao spoke with a stubborn expression.
After some back-and-forth.
Tong Yao finally agreed to buy two Star-Attracting Talismans from him on credit at eighty percent of the market price.
Zhang Jing made a small profit, while she bought two superior-quality Star-Attracting Talismans cheaply. Everyone was happy.
"Junior Brother Zhang Jing, could I buy some talismans from you too?"
Senior Brother Xia came over.
"I'll take some too," Senior Brother Zhou said as well.
"Haha, Junior Brother Zhang Jing, if you have enough talismans, sell me some too."
Senior Brother Ding's voice rang out at the same time.
"I do, I do," Zhang Jing said cheerfully.
He might not have much else, but he had plenty of talismans.
Even selling the talismans at twenty percent off still brought him an immense profit of more than five times his cost!
Three days later.
Before a pair of heavily scarred city gates.
"Junior Brother Zhang, this is clearly your first mission facing Yaomo, so why have you been so calm?"
During their idle conversation, Senior Brother Ding asked curiously.
Behind him, Tong Yao pricked up her ears at his words, seemingly just as curious about the question.
"Senior Brother, perhaps I prepared fairly thoroughly, so I'm not too afraid of these Yaomo."
Zhang Jing answered with a smile.
Hearing this, Senior Brother Ding's and Tong Yao's expressions both froze.
Prepared thoroughly, indeed!
They could not help thinking of the stacks of talismans piled up in their junior brother's storage space, and waves of envy rose uncontrollably in their hearts.
They were all disciples of the Dao Academy, yet look at him, then look at themselves.
"Ah..."
The two sighed in unison.
Just then.
Senior Brother Zhou and Senior Brother Xia quietly emerged from a corner of the city and approached the three with light steps.
They first glanced at Senior Brother Ding, then turned their gazes to Zhang Jing and said:
"Senior Brother Ding, Junior Brother Zhang, we've gotten to the bottom of the situation inside."
"Oh? Please tell us in detail, Junior Brothers."
A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Senior Brother Ding's face, and he immediately spoke.
"Here's what happened."
"It seems a group of Yaomo came to the city some days ago. First, they set fire to the Granary and all the major grain shops. Then they secretly colluded with the aristocratic clans, using them to trade grain for human flesh from the common people. Now, among the people in the city, husbands sell wives, wives sell children, and neighbors sell one another. It's too wretched to bear looking at."
"These Yaomo have acted with extreme secrecy, but we still managed to find their hiding place. Their leader is a Pig Demon suspected to be at middle Qi Refining."
"Those beasts. Since we've found their location, let's simply cut them down."
Senior Brother Ding said harshly.
Then, seemingly realizing something, he turned to Zhang Jing and asked:
"Junior Brother, do you have any other ideas?"
"Let's do as you say, Senior Brother."
"Good. Let's go."
As his words fell, all five figures moved together, heading straight toward the city gates.
As they walked, Senior Brother Ding took the lead, with Zhang Jing a little behind him, while the other three followed at the rear of their own accord.