After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Lin Zhixu remained silent for a moment before finally speaking slowly: "Moreover, I have a suspicion now."

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the three faces one by one: "From the moment we stepped into this place, we may have already fallen into that Grand Preceptor's trap."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Master Yunhe was the first to react, his expression changing slightly: "What do you mean by that?"

Lin Zhixu said, "I can't see through that Grand Preceptor's cultivation level. Last night I used a magical artifact to conceal my aura, but he still discovered me. However, he didn't stop me; instead, he deliberately let me leave."

He paused, his gaze turning somber: "Since he saw through my disguise, why did he let me go? Unless, of course, it would be more useful to him if I left alive."

"Moreover, it is said that the Imperial Advisor controls the entire palace, yet Yun Ling was able to enter the inner palace to gather information very smoothly, which is strange in itself."

Lin Zhixu lowered his eyes. "The news might have been deliberately told to me, and then he deliberately let me leave. Maybe he needed someone to take the news from the palace out and attract more people."

Master Qingcheng swallowed hard, his voice strained: "What do we do then? Aren't we completely at their mercy? Knowing it's a trap, we still have to walk into it?"

Everyone fell silent, their hearts heavy.

The enemy was too powerful, manipulating them at will, blocking all their escape routes; they were no match for them at all.

Master Qingcheng swallowed hard, his eyes starting to dart around. He rubbed his hands together and tentatively said, "Um... I suddenly feel like I don't really have any deep-seated hatred for that Imperial Preceptor. There's no need for us to fight to the death."

"Maybe... I should just stay out of this?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Ling looked at him in disbelief: "Daoist Master! How could you do this? The fight hasn't even started yet, and you're already deserting? I... I'm so disappointed in you!"

Master Qingcheng looked a little embarrassed and coughed twice: "You can't say that. What do you mean by deserter? It sounds awful."

"You two came here to seek revenge on Wen Wuqing, didn't you? Now that Wen Wuqing is dead, it can be considered that God has avenged you."

"In my opinion, let's just leave it at that. We can all go home and everyone will be happy. Wouldn't that be better?"

"You!" Yun Ling's face turned red with anger. "We are not as cowardly as you! That imperial advisor wants the lifeline of the entire country. If he succeeds, the world will surely be plunged into chaos."

"How many days can you really stay peaceful hiding in your Taoist temple? How can we just sit idly by at a time like this!"

Master Qingcheng sighed, becoming unusually serious: "That's true. But as you've seen, we simply can't handle it."

"There's a saying that goes, 'Do what you're capable of.' This matter is clearly beyond our capabilities. Going there would be a pointless suicide mission, so why bother?"

"Every day we live is a bonus."

Yun Ling also fell silent, because he knew in his heart that what Master Qingcheng said was right.

Even Lin Zhixu said that the national advisor was ridiculously strong. With just a few of them, how could they possibly compete with him?

Just then, Lin Zhixu suddenly spoke up: "You're right."

Master Qingcheng's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "See? See? Even Fellow Daoist Lin agrees with me! Fellow Daoist Lin is a wise man!"

Lin Zhixu looked up at him, his tone calm: "No, I mean, the saying 'do what you are capable of' is very true."

Master Yunhe was the first to realize what was going on, and tentatively asked, "You mean...?"

Lin Zhixu stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the street below that was gradually becoming more lively.

The sunlight shone on his profile, outlining his sharp and aloof features.

He said, "You all leave here first. I'll go back and get reinforcements."

……

Lin Zhixu returned to Qiyue Peak first.

The summit was deserted. The communication talisman he left on the table was still there, untouched by any spiritual energy, indicating that Yu Linzhou had never returned.

He frowned and tried to activate the communication jade pendant again, but there was still no response.

Can't wait any longer.

Lin Zhixu turned around, mounted his sword, and headed straight for the black market.

Lin Zhixu arrived at the alley of the black market, which was much quieter than when he last came.

Lin Zhixu hadn't walked far when he saw the old beggar squatting in the corner by the roadside.

The old beggar's cloudy eyes lit up when he saw him approach.

Lin Zhixu took out a few spirit stones from his sleeve and was about to hand them over when the old beggar waved his hand, signaling him to take them back.

The old beggar pulled a dark, heavy token from his tattered robes and tossed it over casually.

Lin Zhixu caught the token; it was icy cold to the touch, entirely black, with a coiled snake engraved on the front. A tiny grain of gold was embedded in the snake's eye, shimmering faintly in the sunlight. He paused slightly, then looked up at the old beggar: "This is…"

The old beggar said, "I've been waiting for you for a long time. Our master said that once you arrive, with this token, you can move freely throughout the black market without any hindrance, and you don't need to come looking for me again."

Lin Zhixu was taken aback.

When did he leave it to you?

The old beggar didn't answer; he simply shrunk back into the corner, wrapped his tattered coat—the color of which was indistinguishable—tightly, and closed his eyes.

Lin Zhixu held the token close to his chest, then turned and walked towards the barrier.

The black token suddenly emitted a very faint dark light, and a door suddenly appeared on the otherwise ordinary wall.

Sensing the token's presence, the barrier opened automatically.

Lin Zhixu stepped inside.

Only after his figure completely disappeared did the old beggar, who had been huddled in the corner, slowly open his eyes.

He stared blankly in the direction Lin Zhixu had left.

Even the most powerful people in this world cannot escape the seven emotions and six desires.

Lin Zhixu stepped into the barrier, and the scene before him made him pause.

The black market still exists, but it is no longer the bustling, chaotic underground city of my memories.

Most of the shops on both sides of the street were closed. Occasionally, a pedestrian would hurry by, head down, robes wrapped tightly around their body, their steps revealing an unconcealable panic.

A very faint smell of blood hung in the air, making one's chest feel heavy.

He frowned and quickened his pace toward the black building.

As I passed a pharmacy, a very low voice suddenly called out from behind me: "Sir, please wait."

Lin Zhixu paused and turned around.

The door of the pharmacy was lifted a crack, and the shopkeeper leaned out and waved to him.

The face looked somewhat familiar. After a moment's recollection, Lin Zhixu remembered that three years ago, when he and Luo Yiyan first entered the black market, they had asked about the Azure Glazed Branch in this shop.

He walked over, and the shopkeeper looked him over and pulled him into the shop.

The pharmacy owner lowered his voice: "You're the gentleman who came to buy the Azure Glazed Branch with your friend back then, aren't you?"

Lin Zhixu frowned slightly: "How did you know it was me?"

Back then, he and Luo Yiyan had both disguised themselves when they came to the black market. This person in front of them was just a merchant they had met once, but after three years, he recognized him at a glance.

It seems this shopkeeper is no ordinary person.