Nine Netherworld Demon Subduing Record

"Are you getting used to working there?" Chen Xing'an asked, looking ahead.

"It's great, and Grandma Yu is a nice person too." The two chatted casually, mostly about trivial things, while Fu Qing looked around curiously as they talked.

The beast-drawn carriage traveled along the "edge" of the Five-Colored Lake. The lake surface shimmered, and although the bottom of the lake could not be seen at a glance, the water still shone with a pale blue luster. In the distance, amidst the dense, impenetrable shadows of the trees, stood a tall tower. Fu Qing felt that this was somewhat similar to the Tengwang Pavilion in China, only much larger in scale, with two auxiliary towers on either side. The large and small towers were connected by an aerial corridor, making it quite magnificent.

Along the way, Fu Qing also saw other carriages heading to the center of the lake, and some people walking along the roadside, who were probably residents who came to test the spiritual veins.

In this world, many people make a living by these magical Taoist methods. He has seen more than once the official documents in the classics for Taoist masters to apply to open shops, mostly pharmacies and food shops.

Gradually, the beast-drawn carriage passed the lake shore. At the entrance to the island in the middle of the lake, there were two guards on duty. Both of them exuded an extraordinary aura. One was extremely tall, and the other, although thin, just by standing there, he could give off a sharp feeling that made Fu Qing feel a chill all over his body.

"Authorization." The thin man said coldly. Chen Xing'an took out his waist token from his pocket, and he nodded, letting Fu Qing and the other man in.

In the distance, a familiar figure stood beneath the massive pavilion, waving at them. Fu Qing didn't recognize him at first glance, but as he got closer, he realized it was Bai Yi with her hair down. She had changed her clothes, and her purple attire made it difficult for Fu Qing to recognize her.

Fu Qing also raised her hand to signal, and the beast-drawn carriage stopped in front of her.

"Hey, this outfit is pretty good. Fu Qing, how have you been at the Imperial Household Department these past two days?" Bai Yi said, hands on his hips and chin slightly raised.

"Not bad, food and lodging provided, and the work isn't tiring." Fu Qing jumped off the beast-drawn carriage, cupped his hands in greeting to Bai Yi, who showed no signs of the frustration he had felt when his master captured him a couple of days ago, and had regained his energy.

Chen Xing'an then emerged from behind the car and nodded to Bai Yi: "Let's not delay, let's go in now."

Fu Qing saw him take a wooden box out of the car. When Bai Yi saw the wooden box, his eyes lit up with excitement. He was quite curious about what was inside.

Following the two into the attic, we entered a bright yet extremely rustic hall. It looked like it had been there for many years, as even the floor tiles had been polished by people's footsteps. The attic hall had a huge courtyard, with natural light shining into the flower bed in the center.

People were queuing along the connecting corridors on both sides.

"Brother Fu Qing, why don't you go over there and join the queue? The person at the entrance will tell you what to do," Chen Xing'an said, pointing to the crowd on the left.

Fu Qing nodded, and then Chen Xing'an quickly turned his back, seemingly not wanting Fu Qing to see his facial expression. Bai Yi also gave her a strange look, her eyes full of "good luck to you." She made a fist and cheered them on before the two of them turned and walked toward the door at the back of the pavilion, quickly disappearing from Fu Qing's sight.

"What's with that expression? It's like I'm about to go to war," Fu Qing thought to himself, puzzled.

He walked to the back of the crowd, where a boy in red stood in front of him. It was obvious that he had come with the boy in front of him, and the two chatted casually.

"Do you know how these spiritual veins are measured?"

"It seems like he drank some kind of medicine. I heard from my neighbor Erdan that it was really disgusting. He lay at home for three whole days before he recovered."

"Huh? What kind of drug is so disgusting? Did he get the test results?"

"What a load of rubbish! It's not even one in a thousand people. How could he possibly get such a good opportunity? It seems like we two have a much better chance..."

The young man was beaming, but a row of people hurriedly walked past, all of them looking dejected, and occasionally even gagging. He stared at the group of people and froze, his words coming to an abrupt halt.

"Disgusting?" Fu Qing felt a little strange when he heard the conversation between the two, but at the same time he was prepared. He had traveled to many places with his parents since he was a child and had eaten quite a few disgusting things.

But soon, as two men in official robes carried out a stretcher, everyone around them became uneasy and their faces showed fear. The person on the stretcher was covered with a white cloth, and their life or death was unknown.

"Holy crap, is there any danger to my life?" Fu Qing's heart pounded with anxiety.

With a nervous heart, it was soon Fu Qing's turn in the queue. Two large, lacquered red doors stood before him, tightly shut. Fu Qing handed a bag of silver coins to the servant in official robes at the door. He had already learned from Chen Xing'an that the test would cost fifty silver coins, so he had exchanged a jade coin for a smaller one at a shop along the way.

The servant took the money and then took a black cloth strip from the shelf next to him, gesturing for Fu Qing to blindfold himself.

"They actually need to blindfold us?"

Despite his thoughts, Fu Qing obediently did as instructed. The world before him suddenly went dark, and he felt someone supporting his arm, inching forward little by little.

Before long, he felt himself enter an extremely cold and eerie place, and the chilling wind that rushed towards him made him shiver.

"Are you ready? If you are, let's begin," the servant asked in his ear.

Fu Qing nodded, feeling the servant lay him down. There was a slanted cushion behind him, allowing him to lie on it. People on both sides spread his limbs apart, and as he felt the cold touch on his wrists and ankles, his mind exploded.

He felt as if he were firmly locked to the mat, unable to move, and the person next to him even pulled off his clothes, exposing his entire chest.

"This...this isn't some kind of human experimentation, is it? Has my transmigration been exposed? Are they going to use me as a scapegoat?"

"Open your mouth!" A deep voice rang in his ears. Fu Qing felt that there was a strong man next to him as soon as he heard the voice. When he walked to Fu Qing's side, he brought a cold wind with him.

Fu Qing had no choice but to open his mouth. With his strength, it was really unlikely that he could withstand such a strong man who walked with the wind. Besides, considering that there were so many Taoist masters in this world, even if someone wanted to harm him, they could just find some Taoist master to tie him up. Why not just trick him into coming here?

Soon, Fu Qing felt a cold cup being brought to his lips. He smelled it and found it carried a faint fragrance. He didn't know how to describe the fragrance, but it was like wasabi, incredibly penetrating, and went straight into his nasal cavity.

The person holding the cup handed it to Fu Qing, and Fu Qing felt something sticky and wriggling enter his mouth, carrying an extremely strong fishy smell that instantly made Fu Qing's mind go blank.

He had never tasted such a strong fishy smell in his life. It was like mixing countless dead fish with cement ash, then adding spicy mustard and soy milk to ferment for a full 180 days, and finally scooping up a large cup next to the fermentation vat and gulping it down.

This can't even be called disgusting; this is clearly the kind of torture used by the underground Communist Party to interrogate spies. Even the toughest man would have to kneel down and confess everything in the face of such a biological weapon.

It can only be said that he was mentally prepared, but not this much.

"Swallow it!" someone shouted, while holding Fu Qing's chin with their hand and pushing it down slightly. Fu Qing felt the substance flow down his esophagus.

After twitching a few times, Fu Qing quickly regained his senses, but his entire head and chest were filled with that smell, which he could not get rid of at all, and he almost gagged.

Fu Qing stayed there for a full two minutes, and apart from feeling nauseous, he didn't feel anything else.

But at this moment, a deep, penetrating voice rang out, echoing throughout the room, making it clear to Fu Qing.

His spirits plummeted, and his entire body went limp.

"Test complete, no spiritual veins found!"