Changes

An Weiyan left with the divine tablet.

The Earth God watched An Weiyan leave, still wanting to ask about the koi. He, too, could sense that the koi had disappeared.

But when he considered that this concerned the koi undergoing its Human Tribulation, he could hardly speak too plainly.

If he divulged heaven's secrets, he would truly be courting death.

Night quietly fell.

The commoners who had collected their grain were now sending wisps of cooking smoke rising from their homes.

Compared with before, Linbei County had considerably more signs of human life.

In the distant mountains, quite a few peering eyes appeared.

Pairs of cold, sinister eyes stared down at the little town.

"Strange. There were only a few hundred people left in Linbei County before, all on the verge of starving to death. How has its human vitality grown so much now?"

Looking down through the eyes of these demons, monsters, and spirits, one could clearly see that the town below had gained a considerable amount of human vitality.

This human vitality was a pale white, and the more prosperous a city was, the thicker it became.

The problem was that Linbei County had clearly had very little human vitality left before, so little that it had seemed about to dissipate. How had so much of it recovered now?

A closer look revealed a faintly golden barrier enveloping the little town.

The spirits' hearts tightened at the sight. How had the Earth God's divine power grown as well?

"The Earth God's divine power seems to have recovered quite a bit, too. What do we do? I was planning to snatch the tree demon's corpse, then eat everyone left here to increase my cultivation. How has this Earth God's divine power recovered as well?"

The demons and monsters found themselves in a thorny situation. Not only had they failed to snatch the tree demon's corpse, but Linbei County now seemed to have recovered, too.

If the commoners could continue to multiply and keep offering incense to the Earth God, they would no longer be able to deal with him.

A female ghost in white burial clothes drifted restlessly from side to side and up and down nearby.

Her eyes fixed on the cooking smoke rising in the distance, she grew even more agitated.

She recalled how the fellow she had wanted to eat had been saved by the Earth God. Now the Earth God's divine power was even greater than before.

"Let's attack together. Perhaps this Earth God is just putting on a show. He was only a minor god on the verge of death and dissolution. How could he possibly have recovered all at once?"

The female ghost bared her fangs, her face full of fury.

Hearing this, the other spirits began to feel tempted.

"If anyone refuses to act but still wants to eat the people in Linbei County afterward, don't blame us for killing them."

Seeing some spirits preparing to hide themselves, the female ghost immediately gave a cold snort.

Among these spirits, there was no shortage of fellows hoping to reap the benefits without lifting a finger, but how could she let them have their way so easily?

Hearing this threat, the spirits thought about the delicious taste of human flesh, gritted their teeth, and lunged toward Linbei County.

The dark mass of creatures swept down on a raging wind, but upon reaching the main road, they transformed into refugees.

Quite satisfied with their appearances, the group then walked toward Linbei County.

A short while later, the pretty woman at their head saw a figure pass by ahead.

That figure was none other than the person she had coveted before but had never managed to get into her belly.

Yet now, this man had become somewhat different.

The scent coming off him seemed almost close enough to taste even from so far away.

"Hiss, a scholar?"

The old woman following beside her was nearly drooling as she stared silently at An Weiyan ahead.

The others' mouths fell open involuntarily, and they could not help wanting to rush forward and swallow him whole, skin and bones included.

The pretty woman stared at An Weiyan for a long while, her heart full of puzzlement.

When she had seen him before, he had been well nourished and looked as though he would taste fairly good, but he had not been a scholar.

How had he acquired a hint of a scholar's flavor in the half month since she had last seen him?

Judging by this, if he were given a little more time, would he become a full-fledged scholar?

"Come on, we're going back!"

The pretty woman glanced at An Weiyan, swallowed, then waved a hand and spoke.

The spirits immediately froze at her words and looked at her in confusion.

"I encountered this man before. Half a month ago, he was only an ordinary person, but now he's become a scholar. If we give him more time, he'll definitely be even tastier than he is now. Let's wait a little longer."

The pretty woman slurped back her saliva, her face full of craving, but she still had to remain patient.

This man looked like he had the makings of a scholar. Once literary Qi had steeped his entire body, his flavor would be truly delicious.

She had only ever eaten one old licentiate before. His flesh had already been rather dry and shriveled, but she had never forgotten that flavor.

The surrounding spirits were reluctant to leave when they heard this, but thinking over the pretty woman's words, they obediently departed.

Fine, they would wait a little longer.

Besides, letting the commoners of Linbei County live a little better should make them taste better later, too.

With this thought, the group of spirits left again.

They planned to fatten up the people of this little town a while longer.

An Weiyan was walking toward the county office when he vaguely seemed to sense something and could not help glancing into the distance.

But in the pitch-black night, An Weiyan saw nothing.

Somewhat puzzled, he shook his head, then returned to the county office.

He trimmed the wick of the candle beside him, picked up a nearby book, and began to read.

Having spent this recent stretch of time reading these books, An Weiyan felt increasingly spirited. The change was quite noticeable.

In particular, the plaque at the county office now looked increasingly bright.

When he had read until nearly the latter half of the night, An Weiyan yawned, extinguished the candle, and lay down to sleep.

For the time being, he wanted to spend more nights in Linbei County. Otherwise, the county office looked uninhabited, which was a little too unnerving.

The next day.

Day had only just broken, but the commoners of Linbei County were already up. After making a little food, some repaired the roads while others reclaimed farmland.

All of Linbei County was bustling with activity.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, at a police station in Cloudwater City.

A rather unusual person had come to file a report today.

The man walked into the police station wearing ragged camouflage clothes that looked as though he had worn them for a very long time, his face travel-worn.

The receptionist at the front desk attended to him. The middle-aged man's expression was somewhat apprehensive, yet held a trace of hope.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

The receptionist invited him to sit down. Judging by his appearance, she thought he needed some kind of assistance.