Turbid World: Martial Arts Master of the Republic of China Era, I Cultivate Immortality!

Chapter 113 Luo Siyao's Diary - Part 3! (Please Subscribe!)

1. It is strictly forbidden to reveal (including unintentionally) your identity as someone not from this world to any living being or object from other worlds.

Second: When crossing realms, you may only bring your own primordial spirit artifacts; other than these, your physical body and mortal possessions are not permitted to accompany you.

Thirdly, if you wish to return to your original world, you must first make some contribution to it before you can initiate your return journey through the array plate.

There are many things to consider when crossing boundaries, nearly a hundred in total, which made Zhao Zheng ponder and think of another question.

How did his master know about the cross-disciplinary process?

"Therefore, cultivators in this world can go to other worlds to train as long as their strength reaches a certain level?"

'

Zhao Zheng guessed in his heart, and considering the attitude of Daoist Dayan towards him and me, he felt that this was very likely.

However, there was one thing that puzzled him: whether the cultivators in this world treated him the same way as those in other worlds.

Do other worlds also choose to kill me?

One question after another kept popping into Zhao Zheng's mind, but this time he didn't bother Daoist Dayan.

He simply stared calmly at the paper in his hand, which contained the precautions for cross-dimensional arrays, and which vanished like bubbles as he finished reading it.

"So when should I go?"

Zhao Zheng is preparing to travel to another world through the ancient mirror array plate engraved with "Qingzuo Mirror Realm - Steal My Substitute Array".

For no other reason than the copper from Shoushan, since Hongyu Zhuwei had already said that it was found in the mirror, clearly indicating that the Gongshu family was in another world.

Although he sensed that the world he was about to enter was full of prepared dangers, he didn't think it was a big problem. He was currently very lucky, and it was uncertain who would live or die.

Besides, he still has one life. At worst, he can just use his talent, Gui Cang, to reload the save and start over after he dies.

If one playthrough isn't enough, try a second. If the second playthrough isn't enough, then...

"By the way, can I use this formation to return to my original world?"

A new problem arose in Zhao Zheng's mind, replacing the issue of the new cycle, but he quickly put it out of his mind; his goal in this world was not yet accomplished.

We'll go back after we're done!

After thinking it over, Zhao Zheng opened the door and chatted with Daoist Tianyi, who was still outside. He took out the sniper rifle he had obtained from the sniper, a model that was very much in line with the times.

The problem was the color of the sniper rifle; it was too red, and there was some kind of power on it that he couldn't understand.

This power is quite strong. Don't be fooled by the fact that he was unharmed after being hit; it's because he practiced the Taoist Golden Body Technique.

If it were any ordinary martial artist, Zhao Zheng felt that even a seventh-rank martial artist would probably not be able to withstand a close-range shot from this sniper rifle.

One shot would probably break through his defenses!

As for the extent of his injuries, he didn't know, after all, he was not an ordinary martial artist. Thinking about it, he couldn't help but ask Master Tianyi about the origin of the gun.

Master Tianyi didn't take the sniper rifle, but rolled his eyes and said speechlessly, "Didn't that woman tell you this gun is called the Witch Hunter Gun? Besides, I don't know everything."

Unlike his elder brother, the Taoist of Destiny, he stayed at the Maoshan headquarters for many years. If his elder brother hadn't died and left behind a disciple, he might have continued to stay there.

Therefore, he didn't know much; all he knew was what his teachers and fellow students had told him.

He genuinely knew nothing about this gun!

"All right----"

Zhao Zheng spoke regretfully, then chatted with Daoist Tianyi for a while longer. He then made an excuse that he had other matters to attend to and stood at the entrance of the inn, watching Daoist Tianyi leave.

After Daoist Tianyi walked away, he took out the last chapter of Luo Siyao's biography, which he had finished reading in the past two days.

The third biography of Rosi-Yao in his hands!

Judging by the time—today should be the 24th day of the fifth month of the 17th year of Chongji. This is my office—perhaps I shouldn't call myself the Director of Medicine anymore—after all, the Great Zhao Dynasty is gone—

It's fake, I don't believe it. I, the Imperial Physician, would never believe that my esteemed Great Zhao would simply vanish like that. It's all the lies of those filthy barbarians. Yes, it must be, it must be—

These vile barbarians must be saying this to corrupt my resolve as a healer. Yes, that's it. These vile barbarians are using psychological tactics; they want to not only kill but also destroy my spirit.

I must go back alive, I must go back alive, I must go back alive—I must find the Chief Justice, I must tell him about this rebellion by these filthy barbarians, and he must kill these beasts!

And also—I must kill that beast, my senior brother! I must kill him, I must kill him—how dare he kill Master! How dare he!

After a string of tears—

On the 30th of the fifth month of the seventeenth year of Chongji, today is the first day that I, the Imperial Physician, have killed someone—no, these barbarians shouldn't be called human—it should be said that today is the first day that I, the Imperial Physician, have taken action to kill beasts—I finally understand why my second senior brother always tells the prisoners, "If you don't confess, I'll kill your whole family"—it turns out that saying that really works!

June 3rd — Luckily, I, Siyao, was clever enough to put on a black cloak beforehand, otherwise those barbarian experts would have discovered me — Hmph, those damned beasts actually said I used black magic to harm people — I, Siyao, clearly used the ancestral method of your black magic (the Five Supreme Mystic Scriptures), but I really didn't expect my little white cat to still be alive — But why am I still unhappy — Even though my black cat has returned —

"Next, I need to speed up my search for the missing Judge—these barbarians don't seem as afraid of me as before—and I've also found out they're preparing a witch-hunting gun to deal with me—"

The content of Luo Siyao's third biography ends with the Witch Hunter's Gun, which is why Zhao Zheng was not surprised by the words "Witch Hunter's Gun".

Zhao Zheng didn't care that the biography didn't leave behind any supernatural abilities; he was just curious about how the Great Zhao Dynasty had fallen.

Why did Luo Siyao want to kill her senior brother?

Thinking of this, Zhao Zheng raised an eyebrow, because he suddenly remembered that the family of Miss Fan, whom Luo Siyao's senior brother married, were Shanxi merchants.

Okay, he understands!

"Shanxi Merchants —"

Zhao Zheng muttered to himself, looking at the black cloak and the black cat called Xiaobai mentioned in the biography of Luo Siyao in his hand.

"Black cloak, black cat — potion —"

Alright, so the witch is one of us after all!

Zhao Zheng carefully put away the biography. Instead of going back to the inn across the street to find Chu Ruoxi, he got into a carriage and had Zhao Gao take him around Ping'an County.

Actually, it wasn't just a stroll; Zhao Zheng wanted to see how much Zhao Zheng's death would change things and whether it would cause bugs in the world.

However, when Zhao Zheng arrived near the stage, where the performance was still ongoing, in his carriage, he soon realized he had been overthinking things.

There are no bugs in the world!

It's true that Zhao Zheng is dead, but the opera troupe is still performing. The reason is that Zhang Zheng, who has returned from studying abroad, has replaced him.

The opera troupe remained the same, the opera performances continued, and it was still the rather famous Xiao Lanxiang performing on stage, with the same people in the audience. The only difference was that the protagonist had changed tonight.

Zhao Zheng became Zhang Zheng, and six people died tonight—beasts!

"Let's go back."

Inside the carriage, Zhao Zheng turned his gaze away from the outside and spoke to Zhao Gao, who was driving the carriage. After speaking, he called out as if sensing something.

"Here comes the picture!"

An increasingly intense dark red blood light suddenly appeared before Zhao Zheng's eyes, and the ancient scroll depicting the myriad aspects of life automatically opened.

The blurry cloud patterns and talismans on the painting's mounting became increasingly clear, beginning to exude a mysterious and enigmatic Taoist charm.

Zhao Zheng's gaze was drawn for a moment, then quickly fell upon the four paintings that appeared in turn as the scroll swept across the room.

Zhao Zheng glanced at the intermediate state body, then at the Master of Resurrection, paused for a moment at the eunuch, and without looking at the shackled woman, looked at the fifth ink painting that was being sketched at a rapid pace.

As soon as the fifth ink painting was completed, the increasingly ethereal voice rang out: "In the early Republic, a slave girl learned Qing Dynasty makeup, carrying a basket in the street, drawing ridicule from the crowd. She was pleased with herself when promoted by the false regime, but her dream of righteousness was shattered."

Suddenly, Zhao Zheng, who no longer wanted to look at the painting, began to hear and see Song Shuran's voice and images in accordance with the established procedure.

After a while.

Zhao Zheng pursed his lips as he looked at the fifth ink painting that had been completed in front of him. The woman in the painting was Song Shuran dressed in a bun outfit.

She stood in the middle of the street, carrying a birdcage in one hand, while several other women dressed similarly to her covered their mouths and chuckled or whispered among themselves.

However, Song Shuran raised her eyebrows slightly, her lips curling into a mocking and disdainful expression as she looked down at her comrades beside her.

Fellow countrymen dressed in traditional Chinese clothing!

Zhao Zheng frowned slightly as he looked at the painting. His gaze fell on the dark corner of the ink painting, where several figures dressed in the official robes of the Great Chen Dynasty looked at Song Shuran with satisfaction and approval.

Zhao Zheng stared blankly at the painting titled "Bird in a Cage," just as he was about to see what kind of talent it was this time.

He raised an eyebrow, clicked his tongue inwardly, and looked at the ink painting in front of him with a strange expression. The painting was named "Bird in a Cage."

The painting was still the same painting, and Song Shuran was still standing there with a basket in his eyes, his disdain and sarcasm unchanged.

The men around her were still sneering, but when Zhao Zheng looked away, he realized that the crisscrossing streets around Song Shuran looked like a huge iron cage, trapping her firmly in the middle of the street.

Song Shuran is like the bird in the cage that she's carrying!

When Zhao Zheng looked again at the several phantom figures in the dark corner of the painting, dressed in the official robes of the Great Chen Dynasty, he was shocked to find that the satisfaction and approval on their faces had changed, turning into the doting and playful smiles of owners looking at their caged pets.

"I love this painting!"

Zhao Zheng smiled to himself and looked at the attribute panel composed of small blood-red characters at the top of the scroll.

A new talent is rapidly generated on the panel!

[Talent: Adversity]

[Introduction: Defying fate and seizing opportunities, fortune may arise in an instant, but misfortune will last for eternity.]

[Note: Those who act perversely are foolish!]

Zhao Zheng didn't pay attention to the annotations on the inscription; he was simply trying to understand how to use this talent. Every time he grasped it, his brow furrowed.

"Is this a talent?"

He said this mainly because he felt that this talent's unlucky aspect was a bit bad, and the effect of the talent's unlucky aspect can be summarized in twelve words.

Going against the tide of the times may temporarily boost one's fortune, but it will ultimately backfire.

It seems impressive, but in reality, as you can see from Song Shuran's fate, Zhao Zheng thinks this talent for defying fate can only be used in other worlds.

"Hmm? Another case of being offered a pillow just when you're about to fall asleep?"

Zhao Zheng frowned slightly as he looked at the two newly added skill points, but he didn't frown for long before they arrived at the inn, and it was Chu Ruoxi in the room who frowned.

There's not much to say about the process; it was simply that Zhao Zheng thoughtfully woke Chu Ruoxi up and, while she continued practicing the Tai Chi Pisces stance, he also taught her the Lower Palace Technique.

Furthermore, to be honest, he felt that compared to Hongyu Zhuwei, Chu Ruoxi was the one with the dragon attribute. Well, those who know, know!

Nothing happened overnight. The next day, September 13th, at 49 Wangyun Road, east of the city, in the main hall of Zuowang Temple, inner courtyard, at 6:00 AM.

"Huh, where's my junior brother? Could it be that he finally decided to sleep?" Xiang Yu, returning from his daily quest of managing the soup kitchen, looked at the empty main hall with surprise.

Master Tianyi, who was cooking in the kitchen, looked at Xiang Yu with disdain and said indifferently, "A-Zheng is busy and hasn't come back!"

"Oh—well, I thought my junior brother finally couldn't hold on any longer and went to sleep!" Xiang Yu said with a regretful expression.

'

Master Tianyi looked at his disciple, whom he found increasingly irritating, with a hint of annoyance. He had no other intentions than comparing Zhao Zheng's breakthrough to the third rank in three steps last night, and suddenly felt that his disciple with double pupils didn't seem to be anything special.

Aside from being a little stronger, a little clumsy, cultivating faster than the average person, and having a better temperament than the average person.

Nothing special about it!

"Master, why isn't my junior brother sleeping? Isn't he tired?" Xiang Yu asked, taking over the cooking duties from Daoist Tianyi.

"Ah Zheng is a god who doesn't think about anything—"

Master Tianyi stopped talking. If it were someone else, he might have said that Shenman was too full to sleep, but Zhao Zheng felt that it shouldn't be like that.

Just as he was thinking about how to explain, he saw Xiang Yu look out of the kitchen and say, "Oh, Junior Brother, you're back! Perfect timing! I have a question for you!"

"Hmm? Just ask if you have any questions!"

Zhao Zheng, who wasn't particularly angry, spoke up, only to be met with Xiang Yu's direct reply: "Junior brother, aren't you tired from staying up all this time?"

"Huh? You still feel sleepy after cultivating the Tao? Doesn't that mean you don't need to sleep after you start cultivating the Tao?" Zhao Zheng asked in surprise.

"???" x2

The two looked bewildered. Just as Xiang Yu was about to speak, he was interrupted by the expressionless Master Tianyi.

"Wash your hands and eat!"

"Okay!" ×2

Zhao Zheng responded and began washing his hands, though he no longer needed to wash, as he possessed a purity that allowed him to remain untainted by the mud.

However, he still insisted on washing up every day!

Just like how even if he felt he could go ten days or half a month without eating, he still maintained that he should eat three meals a day.

After a while, in the courtyard, at the stone table.

"Huh? Senior Brother Su can also guide me? His cultivation level is higher than mine? He's a fifth-grade martial artist? He can't be a fourth-grade one, can he?" Zhao Zheng asked in surprise after finishing his meal, listening to Daoist Tianyi's words.

"Level of attainment does not equate to actual strength!"

"oh----"

You can't be unaware of Su Ming's level of cultivation, can you?

As Zhao Zheng listened to Daoist Tianyi's words, he muttered to himself. Looking at Daoist Tianyi's shifty gaze, he suddenly felt that Daoist Tianyi might really not know Su Ming's specific cultivation level.

Thinking to himself how unreliable this was, Zhao Zheng continued, "I'll go later. I have things to do later. Hmm, I need to see Meng Zhuliu and the others, and I also need to find those demons and monsters, the ones on the list that Senior Brother Su gave me."

The list of clues about demons and monsters he mentioned was the one Su Ming gave him on the day of the martial arts school's admissions. He hadn't had the chance or time to look for those demons and monsters before, but now that he's back, he has the opportunity and needs to hurry up and cause them trouble.

Also, he's about to go to another world, so he needs to prepare properly in advance.

For example, farm more skill points!

"Okay, remember to be careful!"

"OK!"

Zhao Zheng nodded, which startled Xiang Yu, who was clearing away the dishes. Xiang Yu didn't come to his senses until Zhao Zheng left.

"Junior brother is going to subdue a demon?"

"Um."

Master Tianyi, who was sitting at the stone table drinking tea, hummed in agreement. Xiang Yu was taken aback by Master Tianyi's attitude.

"The 'yao' in 'monster'?"

"No, Master, are you really so sure about letting Junior Brother go and subdue the demon? Aren't you going with him?" Xiang Yu blurted out what was on his mind.

"Um----"

Is it possible that your junior brother doesn't need me to follow him?

Master Tianyi, seeing his increasingly annoyed disciple, withdrew his gaze without saying a word. Xiang Yu opened his mouth but remained silent.

In addition, he felt that his master was too petty. Although Zhao Zheng sometimes spoke in a way that was not very likable, his master should not treat Zhao Zheng like that!

Honestly, that's so petty!

Xiang Yu was washing dishes in the kitchen and muttering to himself. When he looked up, he saw the smiling Taoist Master Tianyi.

"Um, Master, I have something to say—"

"hehe----"

Around noon, in the inner courtyard of the Su Family Martial Arts School.

"Huh, senior brother, how did you know that my martial arts realm has broken through to the sixth rank!" Zhao Zheng looked at Su Ming with a surprised expression.

"???"

No, I spoke —

Huh? Wait a minute, what grade did you say you broke through to?

Su Ming stared wide-eyed at Zhao Zheng, feeling the unique aura of a sixth-grade martial artist emanating from Zhao Zheng. He pinched his thigh, unsure of what was going on.

After confirming that it really hurt, he grabbed the arm of a passing servant with a blank expression and asked, "What's the date today?"

Today is September 13th!

Although the passing servants were puzzled, they still spoke truthfully. Su Ming looked at Zhao Zheng and asked the servants another question.

"The thirteenth day of the ninth month of the first year?"

"Huh? Yes!"

The servant nodded in confusion. As soon as Su Ming released his arm, he immediately ran away with a hint of fear in his eyes.

After taking a few deep breaths, Su Ming accepted the fact that Zhao Zheng's martial arts realm had broken through from the mid-ninth rank to the early-sixth rank.

However, he couldn't help but ask Zhao Zheng, "How did you manage to break through to the third rank in one night, Junior Brother?"

He saw Zhao Zheng yesterday, when Zhao Zheng was only at the mid-stage of the ninth rank. He knew that a person should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation.

But it's only been one night, how come he's already ranked third in the imperial examinations?!

This is neither martial arts nor immortality!

"No, to be precise, it takes three steps to break through to the third rank!"

Zhao Zheng shook his head, correcting the mistake in Su Ming's words, which made Su Ming look at Zhao Zheng with an expression that said, "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Huh? Wait a minute?

That doesn't seem impossible!

There are moments of enlightenment in Taoist cultivation, and naturally there are in martial arts as well. Su Ming felt that with Zhao Zheng's talent, if he were to have an epiphany, breaking through to the third rank in three steps wouldn't be impossible. Thinking this, he looked at Zhao Zheng curiously.

"You've had an epiphany?"

"no."

"Then—how did you break through?"

"Hmm? Is this difficult?"

"Hmm? This is really difficult!"

'

Su Ming remained expressionless, reached out and slapped the courtyard gate behind him. As the gate closed, he grinned.

Road.

"Junior brother, let your senior brother help you stabilize your cultivation level!"

Before the words were even finished, the fist moved first. Su Ming immediately unleashed the killing move of the Surging Wave Fist, "The Four Seas Overturn." In an instant, Zhao Zheng felt his vision blur.

He was standing on flat ground, yet a vast, surging sea appeared before him, sweeping towards him.

The air is changing, the humidity is changing, and the temperature is decreasing.

This was Zhao Zheng's first impression. After roughly analyzing the intent of the Surging Wave Fist with his sword intent, he stood motionless.

Zhao Zheng looked completely dumbfounded, which made Su Ming secretly think that something was wrong. The next moment, sure enough, it happened.

boom-

A dull sound, like the clash of metal, rang out. Su Ming's lips twitched as he looked at Zhao Zheng, who had been punched in the chest.

Or rather, he looked at Zhao Zheng's skin with envy, not the bronze color of the Thirteen Bodyguards' external martial arts, but the indestructible golden color of a golden body.

"The Way—Taoist Golden Body Technique—"

Looking at Zhao Zheng's aching fist and seemingly unaffected state, Su Ming's lips twitched as he spoke, his tone tinged with envy.

Zhao Zheng nodded and grinned.

"Senior brother, now it's my turn to retaliate!"

Bang! Bang! Bang—

There were no special techniques or footwork; all that existed were fists that were faster than the next, fists that tore through the air.

In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged dozens of punches, and in just a few breaths, they disappeared from sight throughout the entire inner courtyard.

All that could be seen were two golden afterimages colliding in the dust, each strike creating a mournful echo in the air.

After a dozen or so breaths!

Thud—

As their fists collided, white ripples appeared and spread outwards. Su Ming, his face slightly pale, staggered back several steps, leaving a series of clear footprints on the dusty ground, which resembled bricks made from the dust.

However, he showed no anger whatsoever; instead, he looked at Zhao Zheng with gratitude and said, "Thank you, Junior Brother!"

"It's just a friendly exchange, there's no need for thanks!"

"I still have to thank you, junior brother!"

Su Ming expressed his gratitude again, saying thank you, mainly because Zhao Zheng had been openly practicing the Taoist Golden Body Technique throughout the entire process, allowing him to comprehend it.

Rather than fighting him, it was more like Zhao Zheng was demonstrating the magic to him, letting him understand the path forward for the Thirteen Protectors' external training.

He felt that only Zhao Zheng would act this way; anyone else would probably never have shown him this righteous law.

After all, the true Dharma should not be transmitted lightly!

"Senior brother, you're too kind. By the way, senior brother, what realm are you at now?" Zhao Zheng looked at Su Ming with a strange expression.

The reason he found it strange was that Su Ming did not reveal any specific martial arts realm aura, which made him feel that Su Ming must have cultivated some kind of method to conceal his aura, otherwise he should have been able to sense it!

"secret!"

Su Ming chuckled, reached into his pocket and pulled out a tattered little booklet, no bigger than the palm of his hand, tossing it to Zhao Zhengdao.

"Even between brothers, accounts should be settled clearly; one thing at a time!"

Su Ming repeated what Zhao Zheng had told him when he first came to his martial arts school. Zhao Zheng took the words, looked at the booklet in his hand that read "Hidden Breath Technique of Subduing Waves," and quickly flipped through it, saying...

Thank you!

After saying that, he tossed the booklet containing the Hidden Breath Technique to Su Ming. Knowing that Zhao Zheng had a photographic memory, Su Ming put away the booklet and smiled, "Junior brother, how exactly did you break through?"

"Each step is a step of refinement!"

"???"

"Hmm? Senior brother, are you really not good enough?"

'

'

To be honest, I feel that this cultivation manual was given out too early!

Su Ming looked at Zhao Zheng expressionlessly as Zhao Zheng recounted what had happened last night, omitting some details.

Su Ming was completely stunned. He stared blankly at Zhao Zheng and said, "He said that breaking through to the sixth rank would be enough to deal with him, and you've already broken through to the sixth rank?"

"Yeah, it's not that difficult!"

"----Um!"

Su Ming nodded expressionlessly. If Zhao Zheng said it wasn't difficult, then it wasn't difficult. He no longer wanted to dwell on the issue.

He was simply curious about the exact gap in martial arts talent between himself and Zhao Zheng, and also, he wondered if Zhao Zheng would surpass him in a few days!

Zhao Zheng probably knew what Su Ming was thinking, but he felt it was time to eat, since it was already noon.

"Senior brother, it's lunchtime! Time to eat!"

"————"

Su Ming glanced at the bluestone bricks, vegetation, and weapon racks shattered into pieces in the courtyard and said.

"You ruined my yard and still want to eat—"

"Should I leave?"

"6

Su Ming rolled his eyes. In the end, Zhao Zheng still had lunch at Su's Martial Arts School. The food was simple, just like before.

The two didn't eat in the martial arts school's cafeteria, but instead ate and chatted at a stone table in Su Ming's courtyard.

"Senior brother, why didn't you go to martial arts school?"

"you do not know?"

Su Ming looked at Zhao Zheng in surprise, and Zhao Zheng curled his lip and said, "Do you think I would have asked you this question if I knew what you mean by 'know'?"

"————"

Well-reasoned and irrefutable!

Su Ming pursed his lips, but didn't stop eating. Instead, he said while eating, "There's a bit of an epidemic in the east of the city, so the school has given all of us teachers and students who live outside the concession a holiday!"

"Would a martial artist fear a plague?"

"Martial artists are not afraid, but foreigners are!"

Su Ming spoke with disdain, adding that the holiday notice was only given this morning. Upon hearing this, Zhao Zheng finally understood why Chu Ruoxi hadn't told him about it when they parted that morning. He guessed that Chu Ruoxi herself didn't even know about the holiday.

"Don't worry, it's a minor matter. I took a look, and it turns out that the refugees spread colds to the people of Anping County. Someone has already taken action to deal with it."

Su Ming spoke up, and Zhao Zheng nodded. The two continued eating and chatting. After finishing their meal, Zhao Zheng said goodbye and left.

Zhao Zheng did not return to the Taoist temple. Instead, he got into a carriage and asked Zhao Gao to take him to the south of the city. He was going to check on the matter of the demons in the south of the city disguised as underworld messengers to collect souls, which was mentioned in the clues about demons collected by Su Ming.

The journey was a bit long, so Zhao Zheng began to practice the Hidden Breath Technique that Su Ming had given him. He had just entered the basics of the technique, but after only one breath, he had not yet mastered it to the minor completion stage.

"Huh, is this Concealment Technique that profound?"

Zhao Zheng was slightly surprised and began to study it carefully. By the time he had mastered the technique, he had arrived at the alley in the south of the city where the ghost messengers were summoning souls.

"This method of concealing one's aura is indeed difficult, but there's a reason for it—" Zhao Zheng looked at himself with satisfaction as he saw the aura of a mid-stage ninth-rank cultivator disguised by the Fulan Concealing Breath Technique.

He opened the carriage door and got off, looking at the deserted alley in front of him, which was said to be haunted by ghost messengers who would come to claim souls at night.

Zhao Zheng used his innate insight to see that there was no lingering yin energy or ghostly aura in the alley. He followed his intuition and headed towards the corner at the end of the alley.

Before long, he found a set of underworld official's clothes in a hidden compartment in a brick wall; they looked quite intimidating at first glance at night.

It's daytime, after all.

Looking at the flawed and laughable underworld official's robes in his hand, Zhao Zheng spoke expressionlessly.

"Send people to find out who owns this outfit, and who is impersonating a ghost messenger to harm people, and then—kill them all."

"Yes, young master!"

A sound came from the shadows nearby. Zhao Zheng hummed in response, got into the carriage, and continued on to the next place where demons and monsters were suspected to have appeared.

It's a real shame that he ran around all afternoon, and it was already past 8 p.m., but he didn't see a single real demon or monster.

Yes, they were all people in disguise!

As for why these people dress up as demons and monsters, the reason is simple: to rob and steal other people's money.

What soul-reaping underworld messengers, what mourning widows, what ghost shopkeepers—they're all just people pretending to be ghosts, then scheming to steal money and kill people.

But what's rather ridiculous is—

A Portrait of Life

[Photo by: Zhao Zheng]

Age: 18

[Sect: Maoshan Seventy-Two Temples - Zuowang Temple]

[Record: The True Text of the Primordial Emperor's Chaotic Ancestor]

[Rank/Class Status: Pending Trigger]

[Constitution: Innate Yin-Yang Five Elements Daoist Body, Sacred Embryo]

[Talent: Adversity]

[Status: Rising above the mud, yet remaining unstained]

[Dao Realm: Refining Essence into Qi (Late Stage)]

[Martial Realm: Early Stage of Rank Six (Early Stage of Dirt Refining)]

[Cultivation Technique: Xuanji Heavenly Net Calamity-Stabilizing Technique]

[Supernatural Power: Unending Sword of Despair - Remnant (Perfect)]

[Sword Intent: Supreme Forgetfulness]

Skill Points: 5

Ironically, his skill points increased not because he killed demons and monsters, but because he sent people to kill the three groups of people who were impersonating those three demons and monsters.

The three groups of people helped him gain three skill points, which, in terms of pure return on investment, was higher than the return on investment of Song Shuran and the other six people.

After all, Song Shuran and his six companions only increased his skill points by two, and the three groups of people dressed as ghosts were not in any danger.

"Speaking of which, if I were to kill all the bad guys in the world, could I instantly become a god by adding skill points?"

Inside the carriage, Zhao Zheng had a good idea, but he quickly abandoned it.

Because we've arrived at the opera troupe!

"Could the ghosts here also be people in disguise?"

After getting off the carriage, Zhao Zheng stopped thinking and looked at the faint eerie atmosphere in the pear garden. Good, he finally encountered a real ghost.