I forge immortality with spiritual treasures.

Chapter 167 Nine Ghost Infants
At this moment, outside Liangzhou City, merchant carriages and horses lined up in procession, passing through the city gate one by one.

Ying Chan had many ways to enter the city directly, but he was in no hurry. He silently stood at the back of the crowd, simply enjoying the experience of life.

The colorful sparrow also poked its head out from Ying Chan's collar, looking around and listening to the conversations of passersby with great interest.

Fortunately, it knew what 'shocking' meant, so it didn't say anything.

Therefore, when people see the colorful bird, they are only secretly amazed.

The crowd was orderly.

Soon, Ying Chan arrived at the city gate.

When the Taoist priest entered the city, he was supposed to check the ordination certificate, but Ying Chan did not have one. He simply reached into his sleeve, took out a talisman, and handed it over.

The talisman was blank, but the guard took it and examined it very carefully. After a while, he nodded and returned the talisman to Ying Chan, saying, "Daoist, may we enter the city now?"

Ying Chan nodded with a smile and then leisurely passed through the city gate.

The guard returned to his unit, and his partner, curious, asked in a low voice, "Which temple does this Taoist priest belong to? He really looks like a hermit."

The guard paused, realizing that he couldn't recall the contents of the ordination certificate he had just received.

……

The Central Plains are different after all.

Even though it was just a prefecture city in a remote country, it was much more prosperous than Changdu in Yingchan's memory.

The city streets are wide and bustling with traffic. There are taverns, teahouses, pharmacies, silk shops, and ironware shops, and street performers are performing acrobatics. The cries of vendors are also constant.

The hustle and bustle of the world rushes towards us.

Ying Chan did not dislike this feeling.

He strolled through the city with great interest, watched the acrobatics for a while, and then remembered that he still had some gold and silver left over from back then. So he took out a gold ingot, gently rubbed it in his hand, and crumpled it into a ball, along with the stamp of the Great Chang Kingdom, and casually threw it into the bowl for tips.

Exclamations arose from the crowd, but Ying Chan had already left silently.

Seeing that the black mist above the city showed no sign of erupting, he knew that the evil spirits here were still in the process of gestation.

Therefore, Ying Chan was not in a hurry. He spent half a day wandering around Liangzhou City, tasting the local delicacies, and listening to a storyteller for a while.

Those who cultivate themselves have a keen sense of taste, and can taste all kinds of unusual flavors, so they can also appreciate some of the subtleties.

Therefore, in Ying Chan's view, the delicacies of this mortal world still have their merits.

As for storytelling, it's funny to say that it involves Taoist cultivators slaying demons and monsters.

The storyteller's narration was so vivid and engaging that Cai Que'er listened with rapt attention, finding it all quite remarkable.

He often heard that in the Central Plains, the practice of cultivation was very popular. Even ordinary people knew about immortals and gods, and some countries even worshipped sects.

In retrospect, it was indeed no exaggeration.

After half a day, Ying Chan and Cai Que'er had a great time.

It wasn't until late afternoon that he found a mansion.

This mansion, with its vermilion roofs and green tiles, and deep courtyards, clearly belongs to a wealthy and powerful family. However, the mansion was eerily quiet, which was obviously unusual. When servants occasionally came in and out, they all wore worried expressions.

He opened his eyes again and looked up at the sky above the mansion. He could see a black aura covering the sky.

"So this is really the place?"

Ying Chan seemed to be deep in thought: "How could such a family raise such a powerful evil spirit...?"

As he was pondering, the gate of the mansion suddenly opened, and a plump middle-aged man walked out. He looked around and his gaze fell on Ying Chan.

Seeing Ying Chan's dignified and extraordinary appearance, he seemed to light up and quickly called out, "This Taoist priest!"

As he called out, he strode forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and asked, "Taoist Master, have you come to exorcise a ghost?"

"Catching ghosts?" Ying Chan squinted at the portly middle-aged man before slowly saying, "Not bad."

The well-to-do middle-aged man was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "Master, please follow me... May I ask how I should address you?"

"My surname is Ying."

"So it was Daoist Ying."

The portly middle-aged man led Ying Chan toward the gate of the mansion, saying, "I will take the surname of my master. You may call me Steward Wang, Daoist."

Ying Chan simply nodded, but Steward Wang kept rambling on, looking worried: "I want the Taoist priest to know that my master's health is deteriorating! Every night, ghosts and monsters come to his dreams..."

"Many Taoist priests and sorcerers have come to see this before, but they have all been helpless."

He glanced cautiously at Ying Chan: "I don't know how long it is..."

Ying Chan simply said, "Take me to see your master."

Manager Wang was initially hesitant, but seeing Ying Chan's composed demeanor, he felt somewhat reassured.

Soon, he led Ying Chan to a hall, and after waiting for a while, someone pushed a carriage into the hall.

On the carriage, a man in brocade robes lay sprawled out. Upon seeing this man, Ying Chan couldn't help but frown slightly.

The man's face was gaunt, and his eyes were lifeless; clearly, he had suffered greatly both physically and mentally. But more importantly…

In Ying Chan's eyes, this person was covered in little demons.

These little devils all looked like babies. Some clung to his shoulders, some bit his arms, and some even had their upper bodies burrowed into his chest and abdomen... all of them were filled with boundless resentment.

Ying Chan counted them carefully and found there were as many as nine.

“...this Taoist priest.”

The man possessed by the ghost infant was clearly Master Wang.

He had little strength left, and upon seeing Ying Chan, he could only weakly ask, "Is there any hope for me?"

Ying Chan did not answer, but instead asked, "Does the gentleman have any children?"

Master Wang paused for a moment before saying, "I have no children."

Ying Chan couldn't help but frown again.

Seeing this, Steward Wang hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Why does the Taoist priest ask about this matter?"

Ying Chan said calmly, "I just don't understand."

Manager Wang asked doubtfully, "Don't you understand?"

"Indeed," Ying Chan said coldly, "I don't understand why your master has committed such a terrible sin."

He put his hands behind his back and glanced again at the wealthy man Wang in the carriage: "Nine baby girls..."

"Your royal family is considered wealthy. Even if you want a son to inherit the family business, can't you afford to raise women? Yet you've had nine female infants aborted in succession?"

Upon hearing this, Master Wang trembled, and the steward was so frightened that he stumbled back several steps and fell to the ground.

Ying Chan was not surprised at all; this Steward Wang was also filled with resentment, which was probably related to this matter.

If he hadn't arrived today, the life force and spirit of that Master Wang would have been completely devoured by the ghost infant, and this person would probably have been next.

After taking revenge on his own family, he will probably transform into a completely malevolent being.

"I see."

At this moment, the wealthy man Wang came to his senses first and gave a wry smile: "The Taoist priest is truly insightful, even knowing this matter."

"But let me tell you, Master, it's not that I'm inherently cruel, but rather that ten years ago, a wise man divined my fate, saying that I was destined to have only one child, and if I had a daughter, I was destined never to have a son..."

(End of this chapter)